DX LISTENING DIGEST 18-14, April 3, 2018 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 2018 contents archive see http://www.worldofradio.com/dxldmid.html [also linx to previous years] 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 1924 contents: Alaska, Albania non, Armenia, Australia, Brasil, China, Cuba and non, Denmark, Egypt, France, Germany, India, Italy, Korea South, Kurdistan non, Malaysia, New Zealand non, Norway, Philippines and non, Sudan non, Sudan South non, Taiwan, USA; and the propagation outlook SHORTWAVE AIRINGS of WORLD OF RADIO 1924, April 4-10, 2018 Tue 2030 WRMI 9455 7780 [1923 replayed] Tue 2130 WRMI 9455 7780 [1923 replayed] Tue 2330 WBCQ 9330v-CUSB [1923 replayed] Wed 1030 WRMI 9455 [not confirmed] Wed 2100 WRMI 9955 [confirmed] Wed 2100 WBCQ 7490v [confirmed] Wed 2330 WBCQ 9330v-CUSB [confirmed] Thu 2330 WBCQ 9330v-CUSB [confirmed] Fri 2330 WBCQ 9330v-CUSB [confirmed] Sat 0630 HLR 6190-CUSB Hamburger Lokalradio [Bulgaria confirmed] Sat 1431 HLR 6190-CUSB Hamburger Lokalradio [England confirmed]] [NOTE: the three HLR airings will be off for 2 weeks] Sat 1930v WA0RCR 1860-AM Sat 2130 WBCQ 9330v-CUSB Sat 2300 WRMI 7780 Sun 0200 WRMI 7780 [confirmed] Sun 0310v WA0RCR 1860-AM [confirmed from 0324] Sun 1030 HLR 9485-CUSB Hamburger Lokalradio [Bulgaria confirmed] Sun 2330 WBCQ 9330v-CUSB [confirmed] Mon 0300v WBCQ 5130v-AM Area 51 [confirmed] Mon 0330 WRMI 9955 [confirmed] Mon 2330 WBCQ 9330v-CUSB Tue 0030 WRMI 7730 Tue 2030 WRMI 9455, 7780 [or #1925?] 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 WORLD OF RADIO PODCASTS: Tnx to Dr Harald Gabler and the Rhein-Main Radio Club. http://www.rmrc.de/index.php/rmrc-audio-plattform/podcast/glenn-hauser-wor ALTERNATIVE PODCASTS, tnx Stephen Cooper: http://shortwave.am/wor.xml ANOTHER PODCAST ALTERNATIVE, tnx to Keith Weston: http://feeds.feedburner.com/GlennHausersWorldOfRadio NOW tnx to Keith Weston, also Podcasts via iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/glenn-hausers-world-of-radio/id1123369861 AND via Google Play Music: http://bit.ly/worldofradio OUR ONDEMAND AUDIO: http://www.worldofradio.com/audiomid.html or http://wor.worldofradio.org DAY-BY-DAY ARCHIVE OF GLENN HAUSER`S LOG REPORTS: Unedited, uncondensed, unchanged from original version, many of them too complex, minutely researched, multi-frequency, opinionated, inconsequential, off-topic, or lengthy for some log editors to manage; and also ahead of their availability in these weekly issues: http://www.hard-core-dx.com/index.php?topic=Hauser IMPORTANT NOTICE!!!! WOR IO GROUP: Effective Feb 4, 2018, DXLD yg archive and members have been migrated to this group: https://groups.io/g/WOR [there was already an unrelated group at io named dxld!, so new name] From now on, the io group is primary, where all posts should go. One may apply for membership, subscribe via the above site. DXLD yahoogroup: remains in existence, and members are free to COPY same info to it, as backup, but no posts should go to it only. They may want to change delivery settings to no e-mail, and/or no digest. The change was necessary due to increasing outages, long delays in posts appearing, and search failures at the yg. Why wait for DXLD issues? A lot more info, not all of it appearing in DXLD later, is posted at our io group without delay. ** AFGHANISTAN. Fair signal of Radio Afghanistan External Service on March 29 1530-1730 6100 YAK 100 kW / 125 deg SoAs English/Urdu/Arabic/Russian http://swldxbulgaria.blogspot.bg/2018/04/fair-signal-of-radio-afghanistan.html (Ivo Ivanov, SWLDXBulgaria News, March 28-April 1, WOR iog via DXLD) ** ALASKA. 7355, March 30 at 1248, trying to hear KNLS English hour as now scheduled: only a JBA carrier under residual Cuban pulse jamming against nothing else. // 6045 presumed KNLS with JBA signal. This summer, KNLS is not using any band above 9 MHz except for one Chinese hour at 08 on 11885. Other English: 08 on 9655, 10 on 7355, 14 on 6075 (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) 9655, KNLS at 1630, with M into religious lecture in English. Went seamlessly into it from the Chinese listed at this hour. VG, and still VG on recheck at 1715 hours using portable and with Zenith Royal R-7000. April 1. 73 and Good Listening....! (Rick Barton, Logs from Central Arizona. Hopefully useful information for someone can be picked out of here. Times/Dates in UTC. English used unless otherwise stated. Grundig Satellit, RS SW-2000629, and HQ-180A with various outdoor wires. Use of portables noted where relevant for perspective on signal strength comments, WOR iog via DXLD) 6045 // 7355 , KNLS, on April 2, at 1227, both with excellent (a term I rarely use!) reception; basic SW DXing info. My audio at http://goo.gl/KfrX9R Thanks very much to Glenn for "Other English at 12-13 now listed as 7355, unconfirmed yet here (Glenn Hauser, WORLD OF RADIO 1923, ibid.)," in DXLD 18-13. Interesting to compare my reception out here on the coast, compared to Glenn's QTH - "7355, March 30 at 1248, trying to hear KNLS English hour as now scheduled: only a JBA carrier under residual Cuban pulse jamming against nothing else. // 6045 presumed KNLS with JBA signal... (Glenn Hauser, OK)" (Ron Howard, Asilomar State Beach, CA, Etón E1, antenna: 100' long wire, WOR iog via DXLD) ** ALASKA. HAARP April 6-14 UAFHAARP? @uafhaarp tweeted: Spring research campaign scheduled April 6-14. Researchers will explore the physics of scintillations, magnetic field-aligned irregularities, artificial & natural atmospheric airglow, stimulated electromagnetic emissions, plasma waves & radio-enhanced ionization #NanookNation. Per website: The High-frequency Active Auroral Research Program, or HAARP, is a scientific endeavor aimed at studying the properties and behavior of the ionosphere. Operation of the research facility was transferred from the United States Air Force to the University of Alaska Fairbanks on Aug. 11, 2015, allowing HAARP to continue with exploration of ionospheric phenomenology via a land-use cooperative research and development agreement.# HAARP is the world's most capable high-power, high-frequency transmitter for study of the ionosphere. The HAARP program is committed to developing a world-class ionospheric research facility consisting of: * The Ionospheric Research Instrument, a high power transmitter facility operating in the High Frequency range. The IRI can be used to temporarily excite a limited area of the ionosphere for scientific study. * A sophisticated suite of scientific or diagnostic instruments that can be used to observe the physical processes that occur in the excited region. Observation of the processes resulting from the use of the IRI in a controlled manner will allow scientists to better understand processes that occur continuously under the natural stimulation of the sun. Scientific instruments installed at the HAARP Observatory can also be used for a variety of continuing research efforts which do not involve the use of the IRI but are strictly passive. These include ionospheric characterization using satellite beacons, telescopic observation of the fine structure in the aurora and documentation of long-term variations in the ozone layer. https://www.gi.alaska.edu/facilities/haarp (via Mike Terry, WOR iog via WORLD OF RADIO 1924, DXLD) WTFK? Maybe on their twits only? (gh, DXLD) ** ALBANIA [non]. 5850, March 28 at 2300, this WRMI is indeed off, no more R. Tirana relay. Now on skedgrid at 0200 Tue-Sat instead, on 9395, but not last night, instead Radio Prague in English. I check again March 29 at 0200 and on VP signal detect something in Italian! Possibly the missing RAE relay, or one of several other Italian shows on WRMI, none of which are sked at this hour on any frequency. 9395, March 30 at 0200, mystery solved! WRMI with R. Tirana IS/theme and sign on in --- Italian! So that`s the station I was hearing last night. I`ve notified Christian Milling, of the intermediary shortwaveservice, hoping he can get this straightened out, and back to English. 9395, March 31 at 0216, WRMI in Italian, i.e. still R. Tirana in wrong language instead of English. 9395, April 1 at 0201, R. Tirana via WRMI is VG tonight, but still in Italiano instead of Inglese. Maybe somebody didn`t look beyond the first letter when programming this? 9395, UT Tue April 3 at 0202, WRMI still with Radio Tirana in Italian instead of English. No reply yet from shortwaveservice about fixing this, maybe on holiday, but BRIAN POWELL, VK2FBAJ, Sydney, Australia, says, ``I think the issue lies with their feed of Radio Tirana, which I suspect is Radio360.eu. The podcasts I am subscribed to (R. Tirana and R. Havana) have been in the incorrect language since the shift to summer time a couple of weeks ago, so I would suspect that timed recordings at Radio360 have not been adjusted appropriately. R. Havana via Radio360 podcasts has been corrected in the last week or so.`` Another good reason for dispensing with ``daylight time`` (Glenn Hauser, WORLD OF RADIO 1924, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** ANGOLA. 4949.74, R. Nacional de Angola, March 30. Clearly off the air 0218 through subsequent checking of 0357; noted on the air 0424+ (Ron Howard, Asilomar State Beach, CA, Etón E1, antenna: 100' long wire, WOR iog via DXLD) ** ANGUILLA. 11775, March 29 at 1421, CB/TUN/DGS/PMS is off again (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) On again, off again --- 6090, Caribbean Beacon/University Network at 0500 with lecture before and after the hour mark by DGS. I had checked 11775 earlier in the local day; no joy. Excellent reception April 2 (Rick Barton, Arizona, RS SW-2000629 and 9' garden stake vertical antenna, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** ANTARCTICA. 15476, LRA 36, Radio Nacional Arcángel San Gabriel, Base Esperanza, 1835-1853, 28-03, comments and songs. Only audible on USB, extremely weak, barely audible. [1914]: improving signal now, Spanish, comments, female, Latin American songs. Extremely weak, only audible on USB. 15476, LRA36, Radio Nacional Arcángel San Gabriel, Base Esperanza, 1845-1920, 28-03, at first only carrier detected, but later noted Spanish comments by female and Latin American songs. Extremely weak, barely audible and only on USB (Manuel Méndez, Lugo, Spain, Logs in Reinante, Tecsun PL-880, cable antenna, 8 meters, WOR iog via DXLD) ** ARGENTINA. 530, Mar 29 2345, Somos Radio AM 530. Music, ID, followed by national pop/rock music. Very good signal and modulation. 454. Seems a recently deployed station based in Buenos Aires. At my QTH, I got dozens of stations from ARG, but I feel this one may have chance for some real DX (Huelbe Garcia, Brasil, Hard-Core-DX mailing list via DXLD) ** ARGENTINA [non]. Hi Glenn, In WOR 1923 you mentioned RAE via Kall [GERMANY] on 3985 kHz at 2100. According to an info carried on a French DX forum, the station can also be heard via Kall from 0900 to 0930 UT in French and from 0930 to 1000 UT in Portuguese on 6005 kHz, probably Monday to Friday. PS.: I have not yet been able to hear them on 6005. Greetings from Paris, France (Gilles Lesquin, March 28, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Full Kall sked was in 18-13 (gh) 9395, March 28 at 1922, RAE in German via WRMI, talking about CRI, so it must be their ``Friday`` DX Actuality show here at Midweek. Yes, this relay has been restored to the WRMI skedgrid, and to the air. Italian is also reshown for 2000, but after 1959 music and ``WNYW`` legacy ID, at 2000 *no* RAE Italian but VOA News now // 7780, i.e. the Oldies stream. 9395, another check Thursday March 29 at 1939, German talk and tango, so still RAE; but 2000 still no Italian, back to Oldies music, and now some rapid carrier dropouts. See also ALBANIA [non]. 9395 // 9455, UT Friday March 30 circa 0130, RAE English via WRMI very good on both, but at 0158 fading when filling with VOA News on Oldies stream, cut off before finished for ID (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) 9395, USA, RAE via WRMI, 0100-0130, 3/31/2018. English language news program about world events and then a discussion about the anniversary of their revolution and overthrow of the military junta. They solicited reception reports via e-mail with a few minutes of their audio attached. Sounded like a great digital way to submit a report and get a QSL but I could not make it work. The e-mail address given was bad or the attachment was too big!! Good signal. The announcer identified the English language program as airing on Tues-Sat at 0200 (as shown in WRTH) but it was really being broadcast at 0100 (Bob Dodt, VA, Yaesu FRG-7000, random wire in attic, NASWA Flashsheet April 2 via DXLD) I tried to confirm (via webSDR) RAE Argentina today (Tuesday 3 April) at 0900-1000 on 9455 from WRMI in either Japanese (per WRMI sked) or Chinese (per RAE sked). Instead only music was heard during this hour. Blues Radio International, however, came up at 1000 as scheduled. I also checked for RAE from 0900 to 1000 on 6005 kHz from Kall (as mentioned in DXLD 18-37:Argentina). Instead only silence heard 0900-0930 and then music 0930-1000 (Alan Roe, England, WOR iog via DXLD) I heard RAE in French and Portuguese on March 27 and 28 (musical programme on March 26) between 0900 and 1000 on 6005 via Kall, Germany I wasn't able to tune in on March 29 and 30. On April 2, back to a musical programme (Jean-Michel Aubier, France, ibid.) 9395, April 2 circa 1930, RAE in German via WRMI; but 2003 check on caradio, in VOA News, so must still be Oldies this hour instead of RAE Italian (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** ARMENIA. Reception of Trans World Radio India via Yerevan, March 26 1300-1315 on 9330 ERV 300 kW / 100 deg to SoAs English Mon-Sat, powerful http://swldxbulgaria.blogspot.bg/2018/03/reception-of-trans-world-radio-india_26.html (Ivo Ivanov, DX RE MIX NEWS # 1066, April 1, WOR iog via DXLD) Hets WBCQ now on expanded 24h schedule, always off frequency, 9330.3v- CUSB (Glenn Hauser, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** AUSTRALIA [and non]. 4835, March 29 at 1256, JBA carrier probably Ozy Radio, NSW, which yesterday was first reported to have activated its QSY from 5045; altho AIR SIKKIM was already on 4835. I`m surprised that no DXer effort was made to dissuade Craig from taking this frequency even tho it was formerly for ABC Alice Springs. On 5045 he had nothing co-channel except sporadic wideband OTH radar, but possible ACI from 5040/5050. Now we also have WWCR on 4840 until just before 1200*. Ozy on 4835 was first reported by Fred Vos, March 28 at 0834 to the WOR iogroup: ``4835, 0822 UT, English pop hits, no ID yet, strong into Adelaide, South Australia. Elad FDM-S2 + inverted V antenna`` and followed up by: ``Heard time call 24 minutes to 8, so 30 minutes ahead of Adelaide equals Sydney time`` and ``ID 0909, listen to the station ID recording in files section.`` [Australian Independent Radio News, commercial by Tecsun SW radios, Jacko the kookaburra, Waltzing Matilda, ``G`day, mite, you`re listening to Ozy Radio, we`re playing 100% Australian music and 100% Australian content`` and then hard rock --- gh] --- and then also reported from North America by Ron Howard, Don Moman and Bruce Churchill. John Wright, who I think is the QSL manager, also notified us at 1011 UT March 28: OZY RADIO ON AIR 4835 KHZ --- CRAIG ON AIR TESTING 4835 KHZ 1 KW INVERTED V ANTENNAE SINCE 0600 UT 28/3/18. DX REPORTS WELCOME TO dxer1234@gmail.com Graeme Dawe from Broken hill says it`s booming in, S9+ 0850 UT. Send a report, e QSL Johno`` (Glenn Hauser, WORLD OF RADIO 1924, DX LISTENING DIGEST) 4835 also strong into Bay of Islands NZ at 1454 tune with "Don't Change" by INXS and "Amazing" by Alex Lloyd. Australian News Radio by man at 1501.5. SINPO 55344. Not heard from KiwiSDR in Kaneohe HI. Ad from Tecsun Radio at 1506. Kookaburra bird and WM at 1506.5, ID by man at 1507 with "...100% Australian content" then back to music at 1507.5 with "We Can't be Beaten" by Rose Tattoo (Bruce Churchill, CA, March 28, WOR iog via DX LISTENING DIGEST) New frequency of 4835, Ozy Radio, ex: 5045, March 28. Craig's first day here; thanks to Fred Vos's timely alert in WOR iog, started monitoring at 1009, only to find strong OTH radar (4810-4885); OTHR still there at 1219; a check at 1236 had OTHR gone, but seemed like a utility on the high side of 4835, blocked any reception; by 1240 no longer with any QRM; weak Ozy signal fading in and out (unusable); heard mostly music and occasional announcer (still unusable); luckily my local sunrise today was at 1359 UT, so I was able to catch a positive "Waltzing Matilda" at 1406, after the news, which was the only meaningful detail I could pull in. My brief WM audio at http://goo.gl/1SN6ve WRTH Facebook page March 28: Craig Allen: 4835 kHz 1 kW Sydney Australia on air 10 kHz audio bandwidth (Ron Howard, Asilomar, State Beach, CA, Etón E1, antenna: 100' long wire, WOR iog via DXLD) Sent off a report of Craig's first day broadcasting on 4835 kHz. Below is the nice reply. Ron John Wright "Hi Ron, Johno here mate. Okay I can eQSL your reception....OZY RADIO! 1401-1406 28th March 2018 on 4835 kHz. I picked out the voice of AIR News and the Waltzing Matilda. You`re a first day listener for this frequency of Ozy Radio! So well done! AIR = Australian independent Radio News. 1000 watts into the inverted V antennae at Razorback near Camden 25 NM SW of Sydney. Yes Craig is testing this frequency! Thank you for the information about the interference. Will pass onto Craig." (Ron Howard, March 29, WOR iog via WORLD OF RADIO 1924, DXLD) Ozy Radio on new 4835 kHz. 4835 at 0600 carrier visible, 0915 getting better - definite DU accented man and woman announcers. No codar. 5055 at same time is substantially stronger. Recheck 4835 at 1153, was considerably improved and now better than 5055. Subsequent recheck at 1300, reasonably understandable audio with growing static QRN, news starting a bit past the hour, lady anncr. ID and web address given 1305 and into a short bit of Waltzing Matilda (Don VE6JY Moman, Lamont AB, Perseus, 1000' west beverage, March 29, WOR iog via WORLD OF RADIO 1924, DX LISTENING DIGEST) 4835, March 30 at 1229-1234, very weak but some rock music audible, presumably Ozy Radio, NSW; also a SAH I suppose from Sikkim. How many Hz are they apart? (Glenn Hauser, OK, WORLD OF RADIO 1924, DX LISTENING DIGEST) 4835, Ozy Radio, March 30 was the best day so far; 1204 (after the news) the usual format of commercial announcement for radios ("We have thousands of satisfied customers around the world. So why not join them today?"), followed by laughing kookaburra, then nice "Waltzing Matilda"; followed by former Australian jazz-rock group, The Southern Contemporary Rock Assembly (SCRA), with "Roly Poly." Any day that this is strong enough for me to ID a song that I had never heard before, well that's a good day, even if it's poor reception. My "Roly Poly" audio clip at http://goo.gl/QvPTLH At 1220, started to notice a definite second audio that was mixing here with Ozy Radio; assume was AIR Gangtok (Sikkim); by 1305 could only make out a distinctive het (SAH); Glenn today reported 1229-1234 with SAH, along with Ozy Radio. Was perfect timing to hear audio from AIR Gangtok, as their local sunset was at 1222 UT. Today was the first time I have heard Gangtok since Craig started broadcasting here. Gangtok had recently been broadcasting rather erratically, as was not on the air every day (Ron Howard, Asilomar State Beach, CA, Etón E1, antenna: 100' long wire, WOR iog via DXLD) Email received today (UT 0456, on March 31) from Craig (owner and operator of Ozy Radio): "Hi Ron - Thanks for the report. I knew AIR 4835 kHz may cause some problems but ABC Australia used 4835 for the last 40 years and a lot of HF radios in Australia have this frequency pre tuned into their radios and the ABC still advertise this frequency on their website so it's a win win. Craig Allen OZY RADIO" (via Ron Hosward, WOR iog via WORLD OF RADIO 1924, DX LISTENING DIGEST) 4835, Ozy Radio at 1212 UT March 31 with Aussie pop song like Reminiscing by Little River Band etc. Poor and fading by 1233 UT. Also noted April 1st 1005 with sports followed by usual ad for shortwave radios, Kukabara and Waltzing Matilda, then into uninterrupted program of Aussie pop hits except for news, sports ad and ID at the top of the hour. Good and improved over the next two hours with some noted splatter from WWCR on 4840 kHz. 73 (Mick Delmage, Sherwood Park, Alberta, Rx Perseus SDR, beverage antenna, WOR iog via DXLD) Hi Glenn mate, Happy Easter! OZY RADIO Razorbach near Camden [NSW]: 4835 is getting out really well, probably better than 5045 kHz. There is a slightly higher interference suspected about 4836.8 this maybe you`re referring to. However as it`s no secret, 4910 kHz also in the mix [for another private Oz station on an ex-ABC NT frequency]. As a confirmation of belief in our fellow members, the committee of the Australian Radio DX Club will have sponsored adverts for our club on both OZY RADIO and Radio 4 KZ on 5055 kHz. Also another member is proposing a station operating probably with 200 watts. So will sponser him as well. We have made the commitment to these members to their low power operations for the benefit of all SWL's and DXers. Essentially I think we have become the Latin America of the DX world [after?] some 40 years! Regards Johno (John Wright, April 1, WORLD OF RADIO 1924, DX LISTENING DIGEST) 5055, 4KZ, with well above average reception, 1039-1107, April 1. Mostly pop songs (Bee Gees "How Deep Is Your Love," Bobby McFerrin "Don't Worry Be Happy," Eagles "One Of These Nights," etc.); 1100-1107 news & weather ("chance of thunderstorm"); best in USB due to QRM from China (Beibu Bay Radio) on 5050. 4835, Ozy Radio, April 1, yet another day with improved reception; getting better and better; 1017 sounded like a drama(?); pop songs; 1025 spot mentioning "Melbourne"(?); Australian singer Olivia Newton- John with "If You Love Me, Let Me Know." My audio at http://goo.gl/qy728L Audio contains the sweeping sounds of QRM from CODAR --- article about Monterey Bay, California, CODAR HF radar - http://goo.gl/m2ggBs Today no OTH radar or utility QRM (Ron Howard, Asilomar State Beach [near Monterey], CA, Etón E1, antenna: 100' long wire, WOR iog via DXLD) 5055, 4KZ, April 2, tuned in at 1016 to find strong OTH radar; still strong QRM at last 1315 check, so no reception possible today. 4835, Ozy Radio, April 2. Day by day slightly improving; 1034 with Australian duo, Air Supply, with "Making Love Out Of Nothing At All"; 1100 news ending at 1106 with the usual commercial announcement for radios, laughing kookaburra, "Waltzing Matilda" and brief ID; still with QRM from CODAR (Ron Howard, Asilomar State Beach, CA, Etón E1, antenna: 100' long wire, WOR iog via DXLD) ** BHUTAN. 6035, BBS, 1143-1156*, March 30. In English; playing pop songs in English; mixing with PBS Yunnan, which fortunately was mostly announcers in Chinese; clearly two stations on frequency; BBS with decent signal, but the PBS QRM made Bhutan unreadable. Thimphu sunset was at 1218 UT. My audio of them mixing at http://goo.gl/Fb52ig (Ron Howard, Asilomar State Beach, CA, Etón E1, antenna: 100' long wire, WOR iog via DXLD) ** BIAFRA [non]. WRMI ``RAE 9955`` webcast, UT Thu March 28 at 0410 is amid R. Biafra relay with ID and imaginary schedule, same old zombie file as heard on UT Mondays and probably every night, nowhere on SW (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) But UT Mon April 2 replaced by a repeat of WOR! Which just aired on 9955 before 0400* (gh, DXLD) ** BOLIVIA. 5952.42, Radio Pio Doce, 0222, March 30. Start of whistling “Colonel Bogey March,” with full ID and chimes; almost fair; 0224 end of audio; then just carrier (dead air); stayed here till transmitter off at 0241 (Ron Howard, Asilomar State Beach, CA, Etón E1, antenna: 100' long wire, WOR iog via DXLD) ** BONAIRE. Besuch bei TWR Bonaire --- Liebe Hobbyfreunde, mein heutiger Blogbeitrag koennte auch fuer Euch von Interesse sein: (Markus Weidner, Germany, on tour in Bonaire, A-DX ng March 25 via BC- DX 29 March via DXLD) ** BONAIRE [and non]. Recepción de RTM Bonaire. Estimado Sr. Hauser: El día 29 de marzo de 2018 a entre las 18:45 y 19:00 hora de Mérida, Yucatán (30 de marzo 0045-0100 UT) capté a Radio Transmundial Bonaire con su programa "A través de la Biblia" seguido por un programa de su labor pastoral en Cuba. La estación estaba moderadamente interferida por Radio Reloj 790 kHz [Cuba] y la habitual señal desconocida de una estación en inglés que anunciaba "Fox Sports News". El receptor es un Radio Shack 20-125 con antena telescópica. Atte: (Ing. Israel González Ahumada, M.I., Yucatán, April 2, DX LISTENING DIGEST) QRM is still a mystery. Is he talking about 790 also for FSR? NRC AM Log 2017-2018 shows FSR on 790 from KBME, 5/5 kW, Houston TX, with a night pattern aimed at Yucatán, but should not bother 800; he may need better selectivity. Also FSR on 790: WKRD, 5/1 kW, Louisville KY; KGHL, 5/1.8 kW Billings MT. If he is talking about CCI on 800 itself, there is nothing with FSR but unlikely WJAT, 1/0.5 kW Swainsboro GA (Glenn Hauser, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** BOUGAINVILLE. 3325, NBC Bougainville, April 1, above average conditions, making for fairly readable reception; 0927 religious (Christian) song in English; 0932 start of Easter Sunday sermon in Pidgin, with good number of words in English; "number one feast day on the Christian calendar," "victorious over sin in the world, corruption, injustice, exploitation," "human solidarity," "we must take control of our lives," etc.; noted 1202* cut off, leaving RRI Palangkaraya in the clear. My audio at http://goo.gl/zRr42g (Ron Howard, Asilomar State Beach, CA, Etón E1, antenna: 100' long wire, DX LISTENING DIGEST) PAPUA NEW GUINEA. 3325, NBC Bouganville at 1015 UT April 1 with pop music and talk in Pidgin and an English segment about the people of the island may or may not wanting independence. Some English pop songs like Dancing Queen by ABBA and mentions of Easter weekend. Good. 73 (Mick Delmage, Sherwood Park, Alberta, Rx Perseus SDR, beverage antenna, WOR iog via DXLD) 3325, NBC Bougainville, April 2, at 1016, with "Unchained Melody" by The Righteous Brothers; 1024 promo for "NBC Bougainville"; 1125 in Pidgin, about next years independence referendum; 1130-1136 speech in English by Hon. Chief Dr. John Momis (President of the Autonomous Bougainville Government) about independence issues for Bougainville, need for adequate housing, critical of the national government "sabotaging" the people of Bougainville, etc.; semi-readable (Ron Howard, Asilomar State Beach, CA, Etón E1, antenna: 100' long wire, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** BRAZIL [and non]. 9514.957, March 31 at 1004, off-frequency song, 1010 Brazuguese talk at S3-S6, 1012 ``Old Rugged Cross`` hymn. It`s Rádio Marumby, Curitiba, Paraná, which I never hear in the evening, or daytime. Aoki/NDXC showed sked of 08-21 UT. Also lite het from something close to 9515.0 which would be CNR2, Beijing. Other off- frequency ZYs also showing on this band now around 9630, 9725 and strongest 9665 (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** BRAZIL. Notícia Boa: 4895 kHz Rádio Bare [sic] de Manaus - Amazonas: Em conversa que tive com o técnico de transmissores em ondas tropicais, Joseph, ele relatou que vai voltar em 4895 kHz em qualquer momento desse ano de 2018 em ondas tropicais para transmitir principalmente para regiões ribeirinhas da Amazônia legal. Foto do transmissor em manutenção de 4895 kHz. https://dxbrazilsw.blogspot.com.br/2018/03/noticia-boa-4895-khz-radio-bare-de.html?m=1 (Daniel Wyllyans, Brasil, March 27, Hard-Core-DX mailing list via WORLD OF RADIO 1924, DXLD) Peripatetic MARE Don Moore reports that in Grupo Radioescucha Argentino, Daniel Wyllyans of Brazil reports that Radio Bare [sic] in Manaus (Brazil) plans to reactivate its 4895 frequency sometime in 2018. This is good news for DXers and even better news for BLANDX since we can make naked radio jokes again (Don Moore) [Like you couldn't do that anyway! ;) --kvz] (MARE Tipsheet 30 March via DXLD) This worx only if you are ignorant of where the accent and pronunciation go: Baré. Not in WRTH 2017 or 2018; New issue of Domestic Broadcasting Survey via http://www.dswci.org/dbs/dbs/dbs20.pdf does not even have it among the ``deleted since April 2013`` roster, so must have been gone for quite some time. Meanwhile, do not confuse with the currently active ZY on 4895, Rádio Novo Tempo; as Brasil feels it`s cool to pile more than one station on a tropical frequency (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** BRAZIL. 11780, Rádio Nacional at 2225 UT March 30 with very nice music program and talk in Portuguese. ID and off at 2300. Excellent. 73 (Mick Delmage, Sherwood Park, Alberta, Rx Perseus SDR, Ant: Wellbrook ALA100, WOR iog via DXLD) ** BRAZIL. Lots and lots of pirates now being reported way out of band, especially 8-9 MHz area, many in local daytime; hearing them abroad a challenge, and frequencies jump around (Glenn Hauser, WORLD OF RADIO 1924, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Viz.: ** BRAZIL. 8645 kHz, Rádio Cidade Oldies / Paraíba - Brasil com músicas, SINPO 24112, 2350 UT Dia 27 Março 2018 https://youtu.be/Y6-81st1qRs 8810 kHz, Rádio Cidade Oldies / Paraíba - Brasil com músicas, SINPO 24112, 2356 UT Dia 27 Março 2018 https://youtu.be/HereTlFuhDQ RX: Yaesu FRG 8800; Antena: Beverage simples (DXer: Daniel Wyllyans - Sítio, Estrela do Araguaia - Nova Xavantina - Mato Grosso - Brasil Hard-Core-DX mailing list via DXLD) 5070 kHz & 8645 kHz Rádio Cidade Oldies - Paraíba / Brasil (Rádio Cidade Oldies via DX altas ondas canal 3) https://youtu.be/ZXkf6Ta_-RM (Wyllyans, 1016 UT March 28, ibid.) 8815 kHz, Rádio Cidade Oldies - Paraíba / Brasil, Músicas, sinal fraco SINPO 24112 às 1340 UT Día 30 Março 2018 https://youtu.be/GmeqIKb4UlQ (Wyllyans, ibid.) Vídeo do Transmissor de ondas curtas 8645 kHz Rádio Cidade Oldies (Denis via DX Altas ondas canal 3) https://youtu.be/oJZ9UxrcWLo (via Wyllyans, March 30, ibid.) ** BRAZIL. 7800 kHz, Rádio Cachoeiras [Waterfalls] / Estado do Rio de Janeiro / Brasil. Carrier / Portadora mais fraguimentos de músicas a essa hora mais QRM de radioamadores Fazenda. SINPO 22111 em 1515 UT Dia 28 Março 2018. 1628 Sinal OFF. Volta agora sòmente às 1900 UT ON. 7800 kHz, Rádio Cachoeiras, 1956 UT é ON. Escuto locutor passando notícias, sinal muito fraco, 24111 SINPO (Wyllyans, ibid.) ** BRAZIL. 8165 kHz, Rádio Máxima - Ouro Fino / MG - Brasil, Músicas, SINPO 34333 às 1510 UT, Dia 28 Março 2018 https://youtu.be/on4305hpVmY (Wyllyans, ibid.) 8165 kHz BRASIL: Rádio Máxima (emissora pirata), local não definido, 28.03.18 1629 UT. Seqüências musicais com Valdick Soriano, e duas músicas internacionais. Informações não oficiais dão conta que esta estação transmite de algum ponto do Estado de Minas Gerais. 35543 Rx: KiwiSDR + Antena Loop W6LVP (São Bernardo SP, no meu shack). 73, (Rudolf Grimm, São Bernardo SP BRAZIL GG66rg, PY2-81502 SWL http://dxways-br.blogspot.com radioescutas yg via DXLD) Segundo informações, transmite com TX caseiro valvulado de 15 Watts. Informe de recepção pode ser enviado por WhatsApp. 35-98088669 (Reinaldo Tadeu Pires, PY2018SWL, São Sebastião SP, 28 Mar, ibid.) 8092 kHz, Rádio Máxima - Ouro Fino / MG Brasil, Chegando com som forte, tocando músicas, 44333 Dia 29 Março 2018 em 2101 UT. https://youtu.be/2WC5IdsJj6E RX: Yaesu FRG 8800; Antena: Beverage simples (DXer: Daniel Wyllyans - Sítio, Estrela do Araguaia - Nova Xavantina - Mato Grosso - Brasil Hard-Core-DX mailing list via DXLD) 8095 kHz, Rádio Máxima - Ouro Fino / MG Brasil, Músicas, SINPO 34333, Dia 30 Março 2018 às 1343 UT https://youtu.be/D3IprR3s26A (Wyllyans, ibid.) No ar 8095 kHz --- Já estava com ela no KiwiSDR há alguns minutos. Uma transmissão acho que de 15 W apenas r-e 8095 kHz BRASIL: Rádio Máxima, Ouro Fino MG, 30.03.18 1629 UT. Seqüências musicais internacionais. Locução ao vivo ``Você está na sua Rádio Máxima...``, 35543. Rx: KiwiSDR + Antena Loop W6LVP. 73, (Rudolf Grimm, São Bernardo SP BRAZIL GG66rg, PY2-81502 SWL http://dxways-br.blogspot.com radio-escutas yg via DXLD) ** BRAZIL. Nova emissora em Ondas Curtas 6980 kHz e 6985 kHz --- Nova emissora em Ondas Curtas 6980 kHz e 6985 kHz (James Bach via DX Altas Ondas). No Brasil nesse ano de 2018 tem surgido muitas emissoras de transmissão grátis sem fins lucrativos nas ondas curtas. São tantas emissoras que estou correndo de um lado para o outro para tentar escutar todas. https://youtu.be/NBkp9gpIWuE RX: Yaesu FRG 8800; Antena: Beverage simples (DXer: Daniel Wyllyans - Sítio, Estrela do Araguaia - Nova Xavantina - Mato Grosso - Brasil, March 30, Hard-Core-DX mailing list via DXLD) ** BRAZIL. Re: 8000 kHz Radio Casa 8000, Amparo SP. 27.03.18 1355 UT. Sequência de músicas internacionais / nacionais. Ocasionalmente a identificação da estação. 25542. Rx: KiwiSDR + Antena Loop W6LVP (São Bernardo SP, no meu shack). Segundo dados levantados, a estação opera com baixa potência. 73, (Rudolf Grimm, São Bernardo SP BRAZIL GG66rg, PY2-81502 SWL, http://dxways-br.blogspot.com radioescutas yg 28 March via DXLD) Essa Rádio Casa opera com 15 watts, uma única válvula xcl82. abcs 73 (Ariovaldo Lobrito, 30 March, ibid.) Radio Casa 8000 --- Consegui ouvir em Leme, sinal fraco enterrado no ruido urbano. Não a localizei no site da Anatel (Geraldo Pereira, PU2WDV, 1 April, ibid.) ** BRAZIL. 8065 kHz, Rádio Rock - Lageado / RS Brasil, Mais uma rádio no ar; os Brasileiros estão fazendo uma nova Europa ali na frequência de 8000 kHz ++++ A 8065 estou recebendo nesse momento fraguimentos de música + forte portadora. SINPO 24111, Dia 1 de Abril 2018 às 1714 UT 8065 kHz Rádio Rock - Lageado RS / Brasil Músicas recebida a 1.650 KM, SINPO 24222 às 1850 UT, Dia 01 Abril 2018 https://youtu.be/_8NdSz7_9xs RX: Yaesu FRG 8800; Antena: Beverage simples (DXer: Daniel Wyllyans - Sítio, Estrela do Araguaia - Nova Xavantina - Mato Grosso - Brasil Hard-Core-DX mailing list via DXLD) ** BRAZIL. 8000 kHz - 8095 kHz & 9925 kHz Ondas Curtas do Brasil 8000 kHz, Rádio Casa - Amparo / SP 8095 kHz, Rádio Máxima - Ouro Fino MG (Mais forte) 9925 kHz, Rádio Cidade Oldies - Guarabira / PB (Somente portadora) Recebidas em Nova Xavantina MT 1316 UT Dia 31 Março 2018 https://youtu.be/FdioHJvO2Zw RX: Yaesu FRG 8800; Antena: Beverage simples (DXer: Daniel Wyllyans - Sítio, Estrela do Araguaia - Nova Xavantina - Mato Grosso - Brasil Hard-Core-DX mailing list via DXLD) RÁDIOS PIRATAS NAS ONDAS CURTAS DO BRASIL https://youtu.be/7SBXrULIF3g Se gostar deixa um like no meu video. 73 (Daniel Wyllyans, April 2, Hard-Core-DX mailing list via DXLD) [summary: WORLD OF RADIO 1924] ** BULGARIA [and non]. Am 30.03.2018 um 16:30 schrieb Shortwave Radiogram: ``This weekend, we'll skip the simultaneous text and image transmission, but we will transmit one item (with image) in MFSK64. It is a story about Dyngus Day, an obscure holiday on the Monday after Easter celebrated in my native northern Indiana.`` Nice try. Undoubtedly, there are also among Polish fellow citizens hard-drinking guys. But their feast-day is based on the consumption of alcohol, that should be "alternative facts". OK, funny story. For some people, however, the whole year is "April 1st", which is sadder. Also the KBC story with the special guinea pigs is very cute. Well, and then the double "garbage story". With a look into the spectral view of the produced WAV that might not have happened. Here, duplicate structure patterns by the MFSK images would be immediately noticeable (usually). Nevertheless, even after 5 years, the "radiogram" is still a very interesting and educational matter. http://www.rhci-online.net/radiogram/SW_Radiogram_2018-03-31.htm#SWRG (roger, WOR iog via DXLD) See also WORLD OF HOROLOGY ** CAMBODIA. MORE PRESSURE ON TWO FORMER RFA JOURNALISTS Two former RFA journalists already charged with espionage have been additionally charged with production of pornography. This could mean an additional sentence of one year on an already long sentence for illegally continuing reporting for Radio Free Asia. The report on Radio Thailand’s English service added that the pictures are inconclusive as the persons charged are not seen. (Radio Thailand External Service 29 March 2018) The Cambodian bureau of Radio Free Asia was closed in September due to non compliance with certain regulations. On the other side, observers pointed to renewed pressure on media not in line with the views of the Cambodian government. For the view of Reporters without Borders see “RSF publishes report on media freedom under attack in Cambodia“ (February 13, 2018 - Updated on March 15, 2018) at https://rsf.org/en/news/rsf-publishes-report-media-freedom-under-attack-cambodia (Dr Hansjoerg Biener, 30 March 2018, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** CANADA. ANDY REID’S CANADIAN RADIO DIRECTORY: http://www.canadianradiodirectory.com Andy’s site shows a map so that you can go to any province/territory and find out info on AM, FM and SW stations from that area. Stations are then listed alphabetically by town/city, and gives frequency, format, power, slogan and call letters. My thanks to Andy for his work on keeping us up-to-date with Canadian radio (Joe Robinson, BEGINNER'S CLASSROOM for April 2018, Medium Wave Info Internet sites, ODXA Listening In via DXLD) ** CANADA. TOFINO'S TUFF CITY RADIO SILENCED [BC] Tower landlords CBC shut down transmission * Nora O'Malley * Mar. 27, 2018 4:20 p.m. Tofino's airwaves are experiencing a rather extended lull. Tuff City Radio, which usually broadcasts at CHMZ 90.1 FM, has been off the air since Feb. 15, 2018. Station manager Cameron Dennison released a statement to Tofino business owners on March 20, 2018 that said the transmission was shut off because McBride Communications failed to pay its landlord, the CBC, for use of the tower space located on Barr Mountain. "I learned in early January that CBC had not been paid for over eight years by McBride Communications. CBC issued several warnings to McBride Communications, which I was not made aware," Dennison wrote in his statement. . . https://www.westerlynews.ca/news/tofinos-tuff-city-radio-silenced/ (via Mike Cooper, DXLD) ** CANADA [non]. Radio City schedule "Radio City" Hello Manuel, The schedule is: the 3rd Friday of the Month at 20 - 21 Central European Time on 7290 kHz and the 3rd Saturday of the Month at 10 - 11 Central European Time on 9510 kHz That is the regular programme of the Month. However, on all other Saturdays there may be a repeat of an older programme. That`s via IRRS. Then there is also another programme via Hamburger Lokalradio (1 kW CUSB) the 4th Saturday of the Month at 14 - 15 Central European Time on 6190 kHz. No repeats. Please note the operators have fixed times in Central European Time. Thus GMT times will change during "summer". Best regards Radio City - the Station of the Cars (Manuel Méndez, Lugo, Spain, WOR iog via DXLD) UT: subtract 2 hours ** CHINA [and non]. 6105even, CNR1 jamming against R Taiwan International Chinese co-channel underneath. Jamming is S=9+25dB powerful, wideband 20 kHz audio visible on screen. 6180even, CNR1 jamming against R Taiwan International Chinese co- channel underneath. Jamming is S=9+30dB powerful, wideband 16 kHz audio visible on screen. 1045 UT [selected SDR options, span 12.5 kHz RBW 15.3 Hertz] (Wolfgang Büschel, checked on remote Uwe Volk's installation in Eastern Thailand on Cambodian border remote Perseus net server, wb df5sx, wwdxc BC-DX Topnews March 27, via DXLD) 9660, March 29 at 1341, echo-jamming in Chinese, i.e. at least two CNR1 transmitters, or delayed/double audio feed into one of them; vs Radio Taiwan International via Kouhu site, buried. 9680, March 29 at 1341, more CNR1 jamming but no echo, vs another RTI, via Tamshui (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) 11785, CNR1 at 1223 in Mandarin jamming the VOA in Mandarin via the Philippines with a woman with excited talk to 1+1 time pips at 1230 – Good mixing with the VOA Apr 1 11785, PHILIPPINES, VOA at 1227 in Mandarin with a woman interviewing a man with mentions of “VOA” to VOA theme music at 1230 - Fair to Good mixing with CNR1 Apr 1 11825, CNR1 at 1231 // 11785 in Mandarin jamming the VOA in Mandarin via Thailand with Asian woodwinds and a woman with excited talk and into soprano vocals at 1223 – Fair over VOA Apr 1 11825, THAILAND, VOA at 1233 // 11785 in Mandarin with a man interviewing another man – Poor under CNR1 Apr 1 (Mark Coady, Selwyn, Ontario, Kenwood TS440S or Ten-Tec Argonaut II and 40 and 80 meter off centre-fed dipoles, ODXA iog via DXLD) 9965, Firedragon (Chinese music used as censorship) at 1745. Music covering RFA via the Marianas. This nonsense when on right through 1800 hour, with even louder crashing and banging after the hour. April 1. 73 and Good Listening....! (Rick Barton, Logs from Central Arizona. Hopefully useful information for someone can be picked out of here. Times/Dates in UTC. English used unless otherwise stated. Grundig Satellit, RS SW-2000629, and HQ-180A with various outdoor wires. Use of portables noted where relevant for perspective on signal strength comments, WOR iog via DXLD) 11640, CNR1 at 1304 in Mandarin with a man and woman with excited promos – Good Apr 2 – Another waste of bandwidth as RTI signed off at 1200 meaning they have been jamming no one in particular for well over an hour. 11785, CNR1 at 1325 // 11640 in Mandarin jamming the VOA in Man via the Philippines with a man and woman with excited talk to 1+1 time pips at 1330 – Good Apr 2 (Mark Coady, Selwyn, Ontario, Kenwood TS440S or Ten-Tec Argonaut II and 40 and 80 meter off centre-fed dipoles, ODXA iog via DXLD) ** CHINA. 5039.998 and 5060.002 kHz symmetrical UNIDentified tiny program, but rather poor spurious of adjacent 5050even CHN Beibu Bay Radio from Nanning site, clear audio quality of 14.8 kHz wideband signal, at 1054 UT on March 27. [selected SDR options, span 12.5 kHz RBW 15.3 Hertz] (Wolfgang Büschel, On March 27 at 1030-1115 UT, checked on remote Uwe Volk's installation in Eastern Thailand on Cambodian border remote Perseus net server, wb df5sx, wwdxc BC-DX Topnews March 27, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** CHINA [and non]. 6035even, PBS Yunnan, from Kunming, 'Voice of Shangri La' probably. Some Chinese adverts, light pop music singer performance at 0910 on March 29. Nothing heard of Thimpu Bhutan til 1200 UT check. [selected SDR options, span 12.5 kHz RBW 15.3 Hertz] (Wolfgang Büschel, checked on remote Uwe Volk's installation in Eastern Thailand on Cambodian border remote Perseus net server, wb df5sx, wwdxc BC-DX Topnews March 27, via DXLD) ** CHINA. 6165even, CNR 6th program in Hakka, heard some Karaoke amateur singer from Beijing site #491. 1040 UT. S=8. S=9+30dB signal in Hiroshima and Nagoya Japan remote check. No Thazin Radio MMR heard! [selected SDR options, span 12.5 kHz RBW 15.3 Hertz] (Wolfgang Büschel, checked on remote Uwe Volk's installation in Eastern Thailand on Cambodian border remote Perseus net server, wb df5sx, wwdxc BC-DX Topnews March 27, via DXLD) ** CHINA. 6185even, Very low 10% modulated 15 kW, CHBC China Huayi Bc. Corp. from Chengdu outlet, Amoy language ? at 1050 UT, though carrier S=8-9 strong [selected SDR options, span 12.5 kHz RBW 15.3 Hertz] (Wolfgang Büschel, checked on remote Uwe Volk's installation in Eastern Thailand on Cambodian border remote Perseus net server, wb df5sx, wwdxc BC-DX Topnews March 27, via DXLD) CHINA HUAYI BROADCASTING STATION MW/SW OBSERVATIONS Since the start of the A-18 season China Huayi Broadcasting Corporation [CHBC] has become monitorable (albeit in my case only by web SDRs in the region) due to Voice of Korea vacating CHBC's sole SW frequency. For the past few days I've been hearing the Fujian-based broadcaster crash-starting on 6185 kHz around 09:10-09:20 UT most days [some sources state 09:50 UT sign-on] and remaining there until switching off shortwave at 16:00 UT. Programming is in Mandarin and IDs noted were either "Zhongguo Huayì Guangbo Gongsi" or simply "Huayi Guangbo" - they used to ID in English too but now seem to have dropped that practice. I've only observed them announcing their mediumwave (873 kHz) and FM frequencies (107.1); no mention of shortwave. Their intended audience is both domestic and external, the latter being Taiwan and the Chinese diaspora in south east Asia. Using web SDRs in Northland, New Zealand [for 6185 kHz] and Shenzhen, China [for mediumwave] I've found reception varies from fair to very poor on both frequencies. 873 kHz is often plagued by co-channel QRM, especially by NHK's 500 kW transmitter, but at times it was heard in parallel to 6185 kHz. The information given on their 'About' website page at http://www.chbcnet.com is somewhat out of date, still listing their long-defunct 4830 kHz frequency. I used to be able to monitor this station on their live webstream but nowadays their embedded player is silent here - it may be geoblocked (David Kernick, Interval Signals Online, WOR iog via WORLD OF RADIO 1924, DXLD) Hi David, Thanks very much to Ivo Ivano for this info regarding KNLS, The New Life Station, for A18: 1100-1200 6185 NLS 100 kW / 300 deg NEAs Russian tx#1, ex 11870 A-17 March 31, on 6185 kHz, tuned in at 1116, to hear strong signal from KNLS, in Russian. Blocking any chance of CHBC reception. Still very much like the CHBC QSL card - http://goo.gl/90wg0F Thanks also to you Dave, for providing the detailed CHBC info. Informative reading! (Ron Howard, California, WOR iog via WORLD OF RADIO 1924, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Best reception time "here" (i.e. via Northland NZ web SDR) is from sign-on circa 0915 UT until, as you point out, KNLS obliterates it at 1100 UT (David Kernick, Interval Signals Online, April 1, ibid.) ** CHINA. [non-log]. 9410, CNR5. Clearly this has been dropped from the A18 schedule. April 2, still a totally clear frequency at 1206; also no Taiwan, but on 9774, had definite weak carrier, so assume Fu Hsing BS (Ron Howard, Asilomar State Beach, CA, Etón E1, antenna: 100' long wire, WOR iog via DXLD) ** CHINA. CHINA RADIO INTERNATIONAL A18 SCHEDULE http://www1.s2.starcat.ne.jp/ndxc/cn/cria18.htm (Alokesh Gupta, April 1, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** CHINA [non]. Albania / China: In Summer 2018, the Cërrik relay station of China Radio International uses the same schedule as in Summer 2017. E. g. in English: 0000-0200: 6020 9570 (300 kW, 305 ) 0500-0700: 11710 (150 kW, 140 ) 0700-0900: 13710 (150 kW, 310 ) 1100-1300: 13665 (150 kW, 310 ) 2000-2200: 5960 7285 (150 kW, 310 ) Listening to the content, the US-Sino-trade war features very prominently. The English service has obviously asked its correspondents to gather "independent material" on the conflict. Quite a number of academics and trade representatives from the US and other western countries voice their concern about the Trump decision. Practically, any good can be used to show the self-inflicted detrimental effects of the steel/aluminium war of the US. One of the stranger examples: What about the US economy, if the middle class masses of China do without US luxury goods? (Dr Hansjoerg Biener 1 April 2018 after an extensive monitoring project 30 and 31 March on China Radio International and other stations, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** CHINA. 7325, CRI from Beijing, April 1, 2018, 1527–1535 in English. SIO 444. Discussion about USA Affirmative Action and Equal Opportunity concepts versus an undefined Chinese method to assure that that rural poor have access to a university education. Thin discussion about the “Urban Rich” versus the “Rural Poor.” This seems to be a demographic more applicable to China than to the USA and shows a lack of understanding on the part of the Chinese about basic democratic concepts (Vince Henley, Anacortes, WA, WiNRADiO G39DDCe SDR, ICOM IC- R8600, Ten-Tec RX-340, Drake R8B, TECSUN PL-380, TECSUN PL-660, TECSUN PL-880. Antennas: whips on PL-380, PL-660, PL-880 and Alpha-Delta DX- Ultra installed broadside east west at 30 feet, NASWA Flashsheet April 2 via DXLD) ** CHINA [non]. 13740, CUBA, CRI, April 1, 2018, 1508–1511 in English from Havana. SIO 343. Talk, with emphasis on Chinese popular culture. Defense of Chinese government not valuing the concept of personal privacy for its residents. Claim that this is not beneficial to society. Pure and simple propaganda (Vince Henley, Anacortes, WA, WiNRADiO G39DDCe SDR, ICOM IC-R8600, Ten-Tec RX-340, Drake R8B, TECSUN PL-380, TECSUN PL-660, TECSUN PL-880. Antennas: whips on PL-380, PL- 660, PL-880 and Alpha-Delta DX-Ultra installed broadside east west at 30 feet, NASWA Flashsheet April 2 via DXLD) ** CHINA. 1350 UT Sunday 1 April - I am hearing China R Int in English on 11910 kHz, but *not* on parallel to another CRI programme in English on 13670. Both frequencies are direct from China. (Deep in back of my mind, I seem to recall something being mentioned some years ago by Glenn Hauser about a particular transmission at around this time of day not being in parallel to other frequencies). (Alan Roe, Teddington, UK, WOR iog via DXLD) 11910 not // others succeeded the canceled relay of Spain, for some reason (Glenn Hauser, ibid.) I have recorded TOHs and BOHs of the SW bands and I hear 11910 kHz ID as China Plus Radio and on other frequencies something like "Beijing ... AM Discover Plus Radio" or something like that. english.cri.cn redirects to chinaplus.cri.cn (Mauno Ritola, 1654 UT Apr 1, ibid.) Further monitoring today (2 April), I can confirm that the English programme "Studio Plus" is aired on CRI 11910 kHz, in contrast with the normal sked broadcast on other frequencies at this time (i.e. Chinese Theatre followed by Alight on Literature). Studio Plus is normally aired on Beijing AM1008 and AM846 (maybe other MW freqs also?) and is not part of the shortwave schedule. It seems like the anomaly that GH noticed some years ago continues (Alan Roe, Teddington, UK, ibid.) Didn't you notice anything new in the identifications? I reported yesterday on WOR list: [as above] (Mauno Ritola, Joensuu, Finland, bdxc-news iog via DXLD) Hi Mauno, CRI have for some time now variously and seemingly randomly identified themselves with either "China Plus Radio" or "Beijing 1008 AM Discover Plus Radio" at top/bottom of hour in their shortwave transmissions. I have never tracked when these occur but my impression is that the same ID is used on all frequencies on air at any given time. I was too late today to hear the TOH ID on 11910 and didn't really take note of how they ID'd during the programme today. Similarly, english.cri.cn has redirected to chinaplus.cri.cn for some time. CRI do seem to have a bit of an identity problem! (Alan Roe, WORLD OF RADIO 1924, ibid.) Hi Alan, OK, thanks. At 1300 11910 kHz announced China Plus Radio, while all other English frequencies that I checked used this Beijing 1008 AM Discover Plus Radio ID (Mauno Ritola, ibid.) ** CHINA [non]. INTERNATIONAL BROADCASTING EFFORTS China started efforts here in Germany around 2002 year, when at least 14,000 Chinese students joined our state BaWue universities. Shortwave and foreign TV started a big build up action in about 2002- 2006, when BBEF Beijing erected large foreign SW broadcast centers, cloned US Continental tx, Thomcast/Tales Ampegon 500 / 150 / 100 kW SW txs and Alliss and curtain antennas too. All our European satellites, cable TV distribution contain up to 8x channels in Chinese, English, French languages. Plus Russian foreign TV 'RT', the UAE TVs in English, in various languages and Satellites too. US IBB-BBG is now a tiny, in international comparison. especially at this booby president's reign. And TWN/IBB BBG uses 100watt SW transmitter 'Sound of Hope' inflation, against ... 73 wb (Wolfgang Büschel, April 2, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Several MAREs, including Tom Doerr and Jack Amelar, as well as a long article on SW Radiogram last weekend, all pass along news about China's changes in its international broadcasting: Keith Zhai of Bloomberg had an article published in The Japan Times on Mar 20, 2018 of note to International Broadcast fans: "SINGAPORE – China has approved the creation of one of the world’s largest propaganda machines as it looks to improve its global image, according to a person familiar with the matter. "The new broadcaster will be called “Voice of China,” the person said, mimicking the U.S. government-funded Voice of America...." Read the whole article here: This IS a bit confusing to me however, since the article refers to "CCTV" which was (I thought!) re-branded as CGTN (China Global TV Network) over a year ago: [with screenshot evidence] Are there areas where the CCTV name is still used? It sure isn't used on the satellites visible from North America (as shown above!) Inquiring minds want to know (Kenneth Vito Zichi, MI, MARE Tipsheet 30 March via DXLD) ** COLOMBIA. CARACOL FORMAT AND NETWORK CHANGES --- Info compiled by Henrik Klemetz based on private monitoring, including SDR files recorded in Colombia by Don Moore Sistema Caracol Radio. This is the network where it all started. It is spoken word format, including one-hour local news programmes (with local IDs) at 1100 and 2300 on weekdays, and gates for local ads throughout the day, excepting weekends, where programming is mainly musical. Stations: Bogotá, 810; Medellín, 750; Cali, 820; Barranquilla, 1100; Bucaramanga, 880; Pereira, 950; Neiva 1010; Cúcuta, 1090; Tunja, 1120; Armenia, 1150; On FM, in Bogotá, Medellín and Cali as well as Garzón and Pitalito (both in Huila, south of Neiva). The Oxígeno format was abandoned on December 31, 2017. Only two outlets remain, their slogan being “Oxígeno Urbano”, Bogotá, 100.4 and Medellín, 102.9. Oxígeno is no longer on AM. Sistema Bésame, “la radio apasionada”, with Latin pops and ballads from the 80’s, counts with transmitters in Manizales, 930, HJIA 5 kW (unlisted in WRTH); Cúcuta, 980; Pereira, 1300; Neiva, 1210; Pasto, 1130 and Ibagué, 1350. On FM in Bogotá, Medellín (“La Voz de Colombia”), Barranquilla, Bucaramanga, Cali, Cúcuta, Manizales, Armenia, Sogamoso. Several Caracol frequencies were sold last year to Gámez Editores who have created an independent local network, Sistema Cardenal, serving the Atlantic seaboard on AM, with the addition of one FM outlet, in Riohacha, Guajira. The AM stations include 1010 Barranquilla, 1050 Valledupar), 1360 Cartagena and 1580 Sincelejo. The following Caracol frequencies have also been sold to various private owners: 590 Medellín, Volvamos a Dios Radio (evangelical); 870 Ibagué, La Voz del Tolima [ex-Bésame] (local and regional news); 1120 Bucaramanga, 24 horas Bucarmanga; 1170 Tunja, Cadena Radial Vida (evangelical); 1230 Tunja, Emisora Radio Recuerdos [ex-Oxígeno]; 1260 Duitama, Torrefuerte Radio (evangelical). Sistema W Radio includes the following AM stations: 690 Bogotá; 700 Cali; 1150 Duitama; 1250 Cúcuta; 1270 Bucaramanga. Part-time leased by Caracol are 860 Valledupar (La Voz del Cañahuate) and 1400 Quibdó (Ecos del Atrato). On FM, in Bogotá, Medellín, Cali, Armenia, Barranquilla, Bucaramanga, Cartagena, Cúcuta, Ibagué, Manizales, Montería, Neiva, Pereira, Popayán, Santa Marta, Tunja, Villavicencio and Tauramena [Casanare]. W Radio has affiliates in Panamá City, 990; Miami, 1260 [0800-1300 utc]; New York and New Jersey, [Paterson, NJ], 930; and Madrid, 103.9 (ARC mv-eko 26 March via DXLD) ** CONGO [Republic of]. 6115, Radio Congo (presumed), on March 30, at 0555; had just missed the sign on; announcers in French; mixing with stronger Japan ("RN2"), which had mostly pop songs in Japanese or English; Congo with no music. Brazzaville local sunrise was at 0501 UT, so by 0605 signal was unusable against the more powerful RN2. My audio at http://goo.gl/k4kmhf (Ron Howard, Asilomar State Beach, CA, Etón E1, antenna: 100' long wire, WOR iog via DXLD) 6115, April 3 at 0555, checking for Brazzaville, but no signal; recheck at 0604, now there is a carrier. Maybe signed on in the interim, missed by my itchy finger tuners. On March 30, Ron Howard said he ``just missed sign-on at 0555`` as CCI from R. Nikkei 2, Japan was growing. As we get further into spring and summer, RN2 should be propagating less and less, but Congo about the same insofar as relation to sunrise/sunsets (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** CUBA [and non]. 1220, Radio Caribe, La Fe, Isla de la Juventud. 2327 March 18, 2018. Thanks D. Crawford alert, back on 1220 kc/s a couple days prior, after the transmitter blew up a few months ago and the audio was relocated to one of the Reblede audio feeds on 530 kc/s. Spanish vocals, ID at 0003. Also at 1059 on March 19 with station theme, ID. Maybe my imagination, but the signal appears to be way weaker than pre-explosion transmitter days. 1220, NORTH CAROLINA, WENC, Whiteville. 1051 March 19, 2018. Preacher ranting about the anti-Christ and quoting the prophet Jeremiah. Male "... AM 12-20... WENC..." at 1059. Co-channel Radio Caribe. 5025, Radio Rebelde. 1758 March 28, 2918. Settling down with a stiff mojito, cigar and black beans and diced onions atop over white rice for a little Noticero Nacional de Cuba news pickup feed. As is SOP, timing accuracy is unimportant. Rebelde theme from 1659:28, then time sounders five seconds slow, into NNdR. Out of NNdR with their music theme in repeat mode until Rebelde finally potted it down at 1731:29. 5040, Radio Habana Cuba, Bauta. 1757 March 28, 2018. Arnie on siesta? big AM mode open carrier, equal to Rebelde on 5025. Still there 1955. Presume someone forgot to power down from way earlier. First legit transmission I think should be 2200 in Spanish (Terry L Krueger, Clearwater FL, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Or 2100 now (gh) ** CUBA. 6165, March 28 at 0613, no signal from RHC English. Still on are 6060 with most modulation, 6100 at S9+10, and 6000 most undermodulated. Something`s always wrong at RHC. 11670, March 28 at 2310, very surprised to find RHC English here, poor S7 and undermodulated // < 9720, // < 5040. 11670 is not supposed to start until 0000 in Spanish; perhaps just turned on early in typical sloppyration. Something`s always wrong at RHC (Glenn Hauser, OK, WORLD OF RADIO 1924, DX LISTENING DIGEST) 9535, March 29 at 1320 and 1340, open carrier/dead air from RHC; At 1422 undermodulated music // 11760. Something`s always wrong at RHC (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) 13650, CUBA, China Radio International (via Habana) at 2330 with man woman in English seasonal change possible this schedule formerly had had either China Radio International in Portuguese, NHK Radio Japan in Burmese or both clashing together. F/G, using 50 foot antenna. March 29 (Rick Barton, AZ, WOR iog via WORLD OF RADIO 1924, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** CUBA. 11670, March 29 at 2332, RHC with S9+20 of open carrier, dead air, instead of English the other day. Then at 2334-2338, I check the other RHC frequencies: 11760, S9+20 dead air 11840, S9+20 dead air; also weaker parasites 11830 & 11850 11950, OK with `Mesa Redonda` alternative 15730, mostly DA, bits of occasional talk audio, language? 15230, DA at S9-S7 9720, S9+10/20, English OK but slight distortion 9640, DA at S9+10/20 9535, DA at S9-S7 with CCI de? CNR1 jammer vs RFA Chinese via Kuwait 6000, `Mesa Redonda` OK, S9+10/20 5040, S9+10 English, with hum, slight distortion Something`s always wrong at RHC. 6000, March 30 at 0457, RHC English is just barely modulated while 6165 is merely undermodulated. 6060, March 31 at 0358, RHC closing English hour // 6000 and 6165. 6060 of course is supposed to be in Spanish until 0500 switch to English, and it often is, but this re-justifies my including ``6060?`` in pre-0500 timings for `DXers Unlimited` in DX/SWL/MEDIA PROGRAMS (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) 11840 & // 11830, 11850 spurs, Radio Habana, 1356, 3/31/18, in Spanish. Man singing indigenous song, man and woman announcers, bumper, “Radio Habana Cuba,” briefly, 1359 music, multi-lingual ID, 1400 usual ToH sequence of ID into flute opening into the next program. Fundamental was very good, spurs were fair – poor (Mark Taylor, Madison, Wisconsin, Perseus, Airspy HF+, SDRPlay RSP1; ICOM R75, Tecsun PL 880, and various other portables; 42 meters dipole, 100’ long wire, W6LVP loop, NASWA Flashsheet April 2 via DXLD) 6100. RHC. Abril 1 [domingo]. 0720-0730 UT. Servicio en esperanto. Se habla acerca de la tuberculosis, luego sobre un artículo publicado en el diario Granma, actividades de la Asociación Cubana de Esperanto, del Partido Comunista de Cuba y de Birmania. A las 0728, se dan los datos de los responsables de la emisión y despedida del servicio. SINPO: 45444. Comentario: Ni el horario, ni frecuencia son las que se encuentran listadas (Claudio Galaz, RX: Tecsun PL 660; ANT: Hilo de 30 metros; QTH: Barraza Bajo, IV Región, Chile, condiglista yg via DXLD) 15439 approx., April 1 at 1323, RHC FM spurblobs are back! No fooling. These had been suppressed for a fortnight since last heard March 15 on daily chex. I *knew* that would not be a permanent fix. Out of 15370- AM transmitter; at approx. plus/minus 69 kHz intervals. 15439 and its match 15301 are clearly audible in FM mode, no noise. The next pair out, 15233 (vs RHC-AM 15230) and 15509, are almost as good. Also detectable, progressively weaker, circa: 15165, 15096, 15025, 14957; 15578, 15647, 15714, 15782. All of them are accompanied by the F# tone above middle C --- at the outer ranges, that`s the only tipoff that the spur is there. Fortunately 15439 is far enough away not to bother 15450 Turkey in English. And 15509 is far enough away not to bother 15520 REE in Spanish from 1400. Pure luck, of course. By 1337, `En Contacto` is starting late. Will Arnie ever say a word about RHC`s galaxy of spurs and constant operational / technical foulups? Of course not! Even tho he would surely blame them on the Yanqui embargo/blockade. He has enumerated only 93 ways to enjoy radio, but tnx to RadioCuba, where something is always wrong, I have a ninety-fourth. 15439 & 15301, April 2 at 1343, these RHC spurs are equally audible in FM and AM tuning, unusual. Fundamental 15370 must be heard in AM only. The second pair out also have some AM, but more FM, 15508 & 15233 [vs 15230]. More at ~69 kHz multiples are blobby: 15577, 15646, 15715? 15163, 15095? Something`s always wrong at RHC. 15370, April 3 at 1337, not on yet so no spurs either. By 1415 is on with all these approx. FM blobs: 15439, 15507, 15575, 15643; 15302, 15234, 15166, 15098, 15040, 14962 (Glenn Hauser, OK, WORLD OF RADIO 1924, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** CUBA [and non]. 9580, April 1 at 0118, `Ritmo de China`, CRI in Spanish instead of English! April fool? CRI English relay is still nearby on 9570 via ALBANIA, or rather ``China Plus``. The dirty 9580 transmitter also emits extremely distorted spurblobs approx. plus / minus 17 kHz around 9563 & 9597. Partially readable if I switch to FM mode. Also traces of second-order blob at +34 = 9614, while if any at minus 34, 9536, blocked by another RHC fundamental on 9535. Something`s always wrong at RadioCuba (Glenn Hauser, OK, WORLD OF RADIO 1924, DX LISTENING DIGEST) 13650, CHINA, CRI (via la Habana), presumed the one at 2315. M, in Portuguese. (Certainly NOT Japanese this hour from NHK). Modulation way below carrier level, another reason I suspected Cuba, "Something is always wrong at Radio Cuba." April 2. Logs from Central Arizona. Hopefully useful information for someone can be picked out of here. Times/Dates in UTC. English used unless otherwise stated. Grundig Satellit, RS SW-2000629, and HQ-180A with various outdoor wires. Use of portables noted where relevant for perspective on signal strength comments. 73 and Good Listening....! (Rick Barton, WOR iog via DXLD) ** CUBA [and non]. 9490, March 28 at 1145, pulse and noise jamming with some beeps against nothing. On here way beyond any hours Radio República may still be using it. 7350 is supposed to be the new frequency for R. República, per Ivo and HFCC info showing 0200-0400 via France, extended Sat & Sun to 0500 (meaning UT Sun & Mon?). So I check it at 0258 March 28: Nothing heard, and no jamming, except for bleed from 7355 where there is no Martí. 9490 still has a very weak signal which sounds like República and no jamming audible. 9490, March 31 at 0217, wall-of-noise jamming, and perhaps a trace of a carrier, really from Radio República? For A-18 it`s supposedly changed to 7350 at 02-04 UT (Sat & Sun -05, meaning UT Sun & Mon?), but there is NO carrier and no jamming either on this frequency via France. Same situation at 0335 recheck. So not yet clear what`s going on here. 9490, April 1 at 0113, wall-of-noise jamming, with Spanish(?) talk JBA under, but a definite carrier. Nothing on 7350, despite registrations for RMI via Issoudun, FRANCE on the lower starting at 0200 toward Cuba. Evidently both time and frequency for Radio República are wrong, still on 9490 as in B-17 and A-17, and due to Yanqui-Cuban DST, starting at least an hour earlier at 0100 (Glenn Hauser, OK, WORLD OF RADIO 1924, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** CUBA [and non]. 7365 >> // 7335, R. Martí until 1400* with no jamming and heard no reference to next frequencies. Uncovers algo on 7365, i.e. from 1400 VOA Chinese via Tinang, PHILIPPINES, or CNR1 jammer. It seems that main/only Martí 7 MHz frequencies are now 7335 and 7365. Haven`t monitored continuously whether jumping to others at some hours like they did in B-17. Latest HFCC of March 27 still does *not* show 7335 anywhen, just 7365 at 00-03 & 05-07 & 12-14; and 7435 at 03-05 instead, not yet confirmed here. Residual jamming against abandoned frequencies has continued to make a mess of the 7 MHz band. 9805, March 28 at 1142, R. Martí under WON jamming. 7435, March 30 at 0447, R. Martí confirmed here instead of 7365, presumably during the 03-05 block only, and still // 7335. Some jamming still on vacant 7365, while 7435 is way over the noise. By 0531 recheck the RM pair are back on 7335 & 7365, while there is still pulse jamming on vacant 7355 & 7435 (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** CUBA [non]. Andre Mendes resigned as interim director of Radio and TV Marti. Mark Finkenstaedt [caption] DIRECTOR OF RADIO AND TV MARTI RESIGNS AMID INTERNAL CRISIS – REGALADO APPLIES FOR THE JOB By Nora Gamez Torres EL NUEVO HERALD ngameztorres@elnuevoherald.com March 29, 2018 06:23 PM http://www.miamiherald.com/news/nation-world/world/americas/cuba/article207363084.html#navlink=SecList In an emotional gathering with staff earlier this week, a teary-eyed Andre Mendes told employees that his last day as head of the Office of Cuba Broadcasting (OCB), which runs Radio and TV Martí, was Wednesday. His departure marks the end of a longtime internal saga and clashes with executives of the Broadcasting Board of Governors (BBG) and the Voice of America, the board's largest operation and lead U.S. government broadcaster to the world. Mendes, who was also the Director of Technology and Information at the OCB's parent agency, the Broadcasting Board of Governors, served as OCB interim director since Malule González left in September. "Don't believe the lies," Mendes told the OCB staffers Monday amid a string of news reports based on allegations by Rep. Eliot L. Engel, D-NY., implicating Mendes in an alleged "coup" plot against BBG chief John Lansing and board members. Engel alleged that whistle-blowers at the BBG told him the Trump administration planned to dismiss Lansing and replace him temporarily with Mendes, who would then dissolve the board "presumably with the aim of pushing the BBG's journalism toward a viewpoint favorable of the Trump Administration." Mendes, who served as interim director of the BBG for some months before Lansing was appointed in 2015 and applied for the full-time job, said Engel's accusations were false and denied any participation in the alleged plot. Engel did not reply to an el Nuevo Herald request for an interview for this story. The White House also did not reply to a request for comment. Mendes said he had complained about problems at the BBG during a meeting with board members in mid-March to explain his decision to leave and accept the job of information director at the U.S. Department of Commerce. "I am the real whistle-blower," he said. "The real story is that the current directors (of BBG) are afraid that the Trump administration will name a new CEO." Lansing did not reply to several requests for comment. BBG spokesperson Nasserie Carew issued a statement saying, "We do not comment on internal conversations, alleged or otherwise." OCB employees said they were lukewarm about Mendes' interim replacement, personnel chief Emilio Vázquez. During his time as the head of the OCB, Mendes made several changes in programming and experimented with new ways of distributing Radio and TV Martí content inside Cuba. A group of employees wrote a letter to Trump saying Mendes "had returned this organization to President (Ronald) Reagan's original objectives of informing the Cuban people, that in the previous two years were dangerously distorted by a policy of appeasement with the Cuban communist dictatorship." "It's a shame he's leaving because that man, even though he was not Cuban, understood what should be the role of Radio and TV Martí," said former Miami Mayor and experienced broadcaster Tomás Regalado, who applied for the OCB director's job three months ago but has received no answer. "The worst part is the uncertainty surrounding the stations' employees and editorial line. That's a little crazy, at such an important moment for Cuba," Regalado added. Cuba's legislative National Assembly of People's Power is scheduled to select a replacement April 19 for Raúl Castro, who has said he will retire as president of the ruling Council of State -- but not as head of the Communist Party. The stations' site Martinoticias.com has been running a box counting down the days, hours and minutes "for Raúl Castro to make it look as though he's leaving power." The box includes hashtags used by opposition activists on the island, such as "#FalseChange" and "Cubadecide." "How can there be balance [in the coverage] of a murderous regime? Should we have been balanced about Hitler, should we be balanced about Pol Pot, about Stalin?" Mendes asked. He added that he did not believe in "unilateral deals in which one side gets everything and the other side gets nothing" -- a reference to former President Barack Obama's policy of engaging with Cuba. "Repression continues, the Ladies in White continue to be arrested," Mendes said. "I don't give balance to dictators. At the same time, we are not going to propagate lies. What we propagate are truths they don't like." Mendes' opinions about the Cuban government won him the support of OCB employees and Cuban exiles who oppose Obama's policies and attempts by previous OCB directors to promote coverage that was less critical of the Cuban government. After Trump was elected president in 2016, some anti-Castro activists saw the opportunity to recover the Martís' hard-line tone and targeted Malule González for criticisms that were echoed by some employees of Radio and TV Martí. "Last year, we campaigned to cast a spotlight on Malule's continued management of Radio and TV Martí in a manner that favored the dictatorship and discriminated against hard-line opponents," said Marcell Felipe, director of the Inspire America foundation. "Under Malule, many opposition activists could not use the word dictator" to refer to Castro, Felipe added. "Mr. Felipe, whom I do not have the pleasure of knowing, knows that never under my administration was a journalist, let alone a guest, banned from using the term dictator or dictatorship," González said Thursday. "In Martí, things are called by their name. He knows that is a vulgar lie as well as the rest of his false accusations." In an email, González wrote that she made decisions unpopular among employees in order to pay for new digital media strategies that were not in the budget. She also suspended some programs such as Piramideo, a cellphone-based social network, because they were expensive and were being used for marketing and even "illegal activities," she added. "Each director is forced to make decisions based on the budget, according to social and technological factors during that period, and in accordance with the strategies submitted and approved by supervisors," González added. "Personally, I believe many groups are not clear on the mission of the BBG/OCB or that taxpayers' money is assigned to providing information for people who do not have access to a free press," she said. "Those funds are not assigned for making propaganda." Some critics have long questioned the journalism standards of the Martí stations. They also point out that Spanish broadcasts already are offered by Voice of America. Opposition activists on the island and Cuban American members of the U.S. Congress have a very different view of the stations. "Radio and TV Martí should be a channel of communication and information for the Cuban people. They must be the opposition's main ally in communications, and must reach the farthest corners of the island," said opposition activist Antonio Rodiles. "Especially at this critical time in Cuba's history, the mission of OCB is vital to ensuring that the Cuban people, and particularly the pro-democracy opposition, are aware of activities occurring both across the globe and from province-to-province on the island," said Rep. Mario Díaz-Balart, a South Florida Republican. "For that reason, the next director of OCB must have a firm grasp on both President Trump's policy of solidarity with the Cuban people, as well as the unique mission of OCB in getting outside, reliable information to a people largely isolated from independent media," he added. Said Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen: "These stations are crucial to promoting democracy in Cuba and helping ensure opposition leaders on the island are covered. We need strong leadership at the Martís so that the Cuban people can continue to receive information on events as they actually occur and not as the dictator distorts them." The Martí operations just this week managed to avoid a $10 million cut in the budget prepared by the BBG, which would have meant dismissing more than half its staff. The OCB budget approved by Congress totaled $29 million. During the Obama administration, the stations also survived a plan to eliminate the OCB and contract a private enterprise to continue its operations. Current and former OCB and BBG employees say the two organizations are in crisis. The Office of the Inspector General has reported over the past three years about "significant deficiencies" in news coverage, finances and the handling of contractors at the BBG. An OIG inspection of the OCB in 2014 found problems with employee morale, communications from supervisors and fear of reprisals. But some employees said Mendes had brought a brief measure of relief. "The best person who ever worked here, and the one who left the quickest," said TV Martí reporter Alfredo Jacomino. "This man believes in the stations' mission like few before him," added producer Luís Guardia. Mendes said he felt he had been unjustly forced to resign. "It's a strange thing, but it's hard to be an anti-communist at the BBG," he said (via Mike Cooper, WORLD OF RADIO 1924, DXLD) ** CZECHIA [non]. Radio Praha, via web: QSL, brochure in 10 days. Report via the webpage: http://www.radio.cz/en/report (Hubert Wilczynski, Ostrów Mazowiecka, POLAND, March DX Fanzine via DXLD) (Ed: I make this comment without resorting to polemics, but honestly, I think there is nothing worth reporting reception of a station received via web and getting a verification!) (Antonello Napolitano, Taranto, ITALY, ibid.) QSLs have never been legal documents, 100% proof of reception; those who think so are deluding themselves. BUT, I can think of: helping others who have really heard it on a radio get a QSL, with address, v/s info; QSL as art, as some of them are, much like collecting postcards for that reason; initiating or maintaining friendly contact with a station, evidence of listenership (somehow) to keep it going (Glenn Hauser, DX LISTENING DIGEST) 5850, Friday March 30 at 2330, WRMI is on with Radio Prague in English. Per skedgrid, apparently applies to Fridays only with unspecified programming after Yeshua at 2230-2300; what was at 2300, maybe still Tirana English? This is also a secret airing of R. Prague, not shown on schedule for this or any frequency at 2330. Other days, 5850 is not starting until *0000 (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** DENMARK. World Music Radio is currently trying to get a very old Siemens transmitter which will operate on 15805 kHz and be aimed at Southern Europe. If all goes well, another new 250-watt transmitter will be put into operation in late May 2018 for airing Radio 208 on 11440 kHz. They also plan to start broadcasting on medium waves in Copenhagen. About contents, there is no plan to include any DX programme (Stig Hartvig Nielsen, World Music Radio, March DX Fanzine via WORLD OF RADIO 1924, DXLD) ** ECUADOR. 6050. HCJB. Marzo 30. 0005-0030 UT. Servicio en idioma Cofan. Hombre predica. Desde las 0014, canticos en el mismo idioma hasta las 0017. Luego mensajes hasta las 0028, luego cantos al estilo de mantra hasta las 0030. SINPO: 35343, desde las 0025 con SINPO: 45444. 6050. HCJB. Abril 1. 0038-0100 UT. Predicación en idioma waodani. A las 0042, se inician canticos i.e: una versión coral en español del canto: “Rey de Reyes” hasta las 0046. Luego un devocional. Desde las 0050, una mujer habla en el mismo idioma hasta las 0053, posteriormente un hombre lee unas citas de La Biblia y realiza un comentario. A las 0059, despedida del servicio con lectura de hora local: “las ocho en punto”. SINPO: 45343, desde las 0045 con SINPO: 55444 (Claudio Galaz, RX: Tecsun PL 660; ANT: Hilo de 30 metros; QTH: Barraza Bajo, IV Región, Chile, condiglista yg via DXLD) ** EGYPT. RADIO CAIRO STILL ON THE AIR? Although the Egypt entry for summer 2018 already misses all the frequencies inactive in summer 2007, I was unable to confirm any of the frequencies listed by the HFCC http://www.hfcc.org/data/schedbybrc.php?seas=A18&broadc=ERU even less any audio. I wonder if Radio Cairo is gone on shortwave. (Dr Hansjoerg Biener 1 April 2018 after an extensive monitoring project 30 and 31 March on Radio Cairo and other stations, WORLD OF RADIO 1924, DX LISTENING DIGEST) R Cairo was being reported on a Facebook group (by Howard Parker in UK and Jerry Thomas Meredith in US) yesterday (1 April) on 9800 in English with a strong but badly distorted signal signing-off at 2245 UT (Alan Roe, Teddington, UK, WOR iog via WORLD OF RADIO 1924, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Subsequently several transmissions confirmed with the usual problems; details next issue and already in the WOR iog (gh) Earlier: 9895, Radio Cairo; 2116, 3/25; W in English with sked & program notes to 2118+ into music. S9-10 with xmtr? hum & just a touch of distortion; easy copy. Apparently new for A18; not listed in early March Aoki or EiBi (Harold Frodge, MI, MARE Tipsheet 30 March via DXLD) They fixed their transmitter? Be still my heart! -kvz (Kenneth Vito Zichi, MI, ed., MARE Tipsheet 30 March via WORLD OF RADIO 1924, DXLD) English at 2115 is supposed to be on 9800; 9895 is for French until 2115 --- apparently failed to QSY on time (gh, DXLD) ** EQUATORIAL GUINEA. 5005, RNGE, R. Bata, on March 30, at 0524; had just missed the sign on; certainly one of my better receptions here; nicely above threshold level audio with pop African songs; music 0524- 0530, when the audio suddenly ended; after that had decent level carrier (dead air), but never again with any audio heard; tuned away at 0540. Station must have started close to the Bata local sunrise of 0521 UT. My audio at http://goo.gl/KGtBCC Wonderful to finally get some decent audio here for a change (Ron Howard, Asilomar State Beach, CA, Etón E1, antenna: 100' long wire, WOR iog via DXLD) 5005, Radio Nacional, Bata, *0520-0545, 31-03, open with African songs. Very weak. 15321. But 01-04 at this time out of air (Manuel Méndez, Lugo, Spain, Logs in Friol, Tecsun S-8800, Cable antenna, 8 meters, WOR iog via DXLD) ** EUROPE. PIRATE, Laser Hot Hits, 6220 kHz: F/D eQSL and friendly message in 318 days. Email: studio@laserhothits.co.uk but the reply came from: laserhothits@hotmail.com – They say: “Hello Antonio. Apologies for the delay in sending you a reply to this report. I guess we will be mentioned in DX Fanzine how many days it took us to send your eQSL attached. Taranto is a very long way from us so you have fairly good reception of us considering the distance. We are happy that you managed to hear us. Due to very bad utility on 6220 kHz we are now using 6205. As for development, well we have been on air since 1990 and on shortwave since 1993. We do have future plans to add some more relays on other bands and frequencies, but the main thing we are concentrating on is to keep on air daily on 6205. And keep online with our 4 streams, Laser Classic Hits, Laser Dance, and Laser Listen Again, Laser Soul Hits, which are all on the tunein app and on our website. Hope you can listen again soon” (Antonello Napolitano, Taranto, ITALY, March DX Fanzine via DXLD) ** EUROPE. 6285 kHz Coast FM / Europe Received in Brazil --- Musics, men Voice talks, poor reception, SINPO 24112 in 2342 UT Day 31 Mar. 2018 https://youtu.be/xGjX7rHGoZ0 6220 kHz, Radio Caroline Relay - Europe Received in Brazil, Musics, SINPO 24222, Day 31 Mar. 2018 in 2353 UT https://youtu.be/8U7UnuKvTkI 6375 kHz, Radio Harmony - Europe received in Brazil, 9265 KM. Musics SINPO 23222, Day 2 Apr. 2018 in 2329 UTC https://youtu.be/aY0uZphokNU RX: Yaesu FRG 8800, Antena: Beverage simples (DXer: Daniel Wyllyans - Sítio Estrela do Araguaia - Nova Xavantina - Mato Grosso - Brasil, April 1, Hard-Core-DX mailing list via DXLD) If you can measure its distance, you must know exactly where it is, which is?? (gh, DXLD) ** FRANCE. Reception of Radio France International RFI on April 3 0600-0700 on 11830 ISS 500 kW / 170 deg to WCAf English, very good http://swldxbulgaria.blogspot.bg/2018/04/reception-of-radio-france-international.html (Ivo Ivanov, SWLDXBulgaria News, April 3, WOR iog via DXLD) ** FRANCE [non]. "Atlantic 2000 International" 31/03/2018 21:45:43 Atlantic 2000 on the air next weekend Atlantic 2000 will be on the air: - Saturday 7th of April from 0800 to 0900 UT on 6070 kHz - Sunday 8th of April from 1900 to 2000 UT on 6070 kHz + streaming at the same time on our website Good listening! -- Visit our website : http://radioatlantic2000.free.fr (via Manuel Méndez, Lugo, Spain, WOR iog via WORLD OF RADIO 1924, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Atlantic 2000 will be on the air [via GERMANY]: - Saturday 7th of April from 0800 to 0900 UT on 6070 kHz - Sunday 8th of April from 1900 to 2000 UT on 6070 kHz + streaming at the same time on our website. Good listening! Visit our website : http://radioatlantic2000.free.fr (via RusDX April 1 via DXLD) ** GERMANY. No SW transmissions from Goehren (HLR) on two weekends in April --- Hello Glenn, Due to upcoming works at the Goehren transmitter site, transmission will have to be suspended on the following two weekends: April 14th & 15th // April, 21st & 22nd SW transmissions (including WOR, of course) will continue from the last weekend in April. Best wishes from the HLR team, (Thomas Völkner, March 30, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** GERMANY. I also checked output from Kall from 0700 UT on 6005 kHz (as mentioned in DXLD 18-37:Germany). Contrary to the Shortwave Service sked as published, V of Mongolia was not heard at 0700, instead Radio Belarus in German from 0700 to 0900. RSI in German heard at 1000 as scheduled (Alan Roe, Teddington, UK, April 3, WOR iog via DXLD) ** GOA. 15174.957, AIR Goa Panaji. 73 wb df5sx (Wolfgang Buschel, Germany, circa 1600 UT March 30, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** GUAM. 17520, March 28 at 2303, the SSOB is also the OSOB with a JBA carrier, i.e. KSDA this hour in Chinese, presumably not worth jamming (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) 12040, KSDA/AWR - Agat. Sundanese service to SE Asia at 2211 UT, NF(ex 9720 kHz) and a fair signal. Scheduled Sundanese on Mon/Wed/Fri/Sat and English on Tues/Thurs/Sun until s/off 2230 UT. Mar 26 [= UT Monday]. (Rob Wagner-Vic-AUS, VK3BVW, via wwdxc BC-DX TopNews March 29 via DXLD) ** GUAM. AWR website Wavescan, no entry of Sat 2200 UT 12040 KSDA Guam SDA 2200-2230 Sundanese W-Indonesia 12040 100 2467 SDA 2200-2230 English W-Indonesia 12040 100 135 On remote Perseus in Eastern Thailand S=9+5dB signal checked the 12040.012 kHz tonight, as UT Saturday 2200 UT, heard Sundanese - like Bahasa Indonesian - , as scheduled. So, need a further check tomorrow 2200 UT on Sunday = marked '1', as local Monday in SE Asia. 73 wolfy March 31 (Wolfgang Büschel, DX LISTENING DIGEST) AWR Wavescan 1530-1600 UT on 15670 MBR Nauen site, April 1st. Yes, - heard DX Program of Adrian Peterson and Jeff White, and DX news from Japan, etc. etc. S=9 signal in Doha Qatar. 1529:08 TX Nauen on air. 1530:03 AWR full ID 1531:23 start DX program and 1600 UT Suns AWR Wavescan Asia, E, AS/IND - 9580trm 11950sof confirmed last Sunday 25th March. 73 wolfy (Büschel, April 1, DX LISTENING DIGEST) UT Sunday April 1 at 2200, 12040+, KSDA is AWR religious programming in English, so no Wavescan on either UT Sat or UT Sun? I did not check Sat. 12040.010 [not 12140.010 as in original report!], UT Sunday April 1 at 2208, KSDA, AWR with preaching in English, praise music, seems some IADs - intermittent audio dropouts, good S9+10; NOT `Wavescan`. There had been some contradictory info about whether WS was on this transmission, which is not in English every day, such as UT Saturday (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Glenn, I checked on Saturday and it sounded like Indonesian. So this confirms there is no Wavescan carried in that transmission. (2200 UT Sunday would be Monday in the target area so that makes sense) 73s (Dave Kenny, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** GUINEA. A book in French that partly reveals an unknown history of radio in Guinea. by Christian Ghibaudo (Translation from Italian into English by Antonello Napolitano) Christian Ghibaudo from Nice in France, recently accepted my suggestion to buy a book in French about radio in Guinea (West Africa): De la “Radio banane" à La Voix de la révolution": L'expérience radiophonique en Guinée. (From “Radio Banana” to “The Voice of Revolution”: the experience of radio in Guinea). He commented that the book was very interesting with a description of the political action of President Sékou-Touré. Christian shared with us some contents of the book which focus on the role of the radio in Guinea. Radio came to Guinea in the 50s. In 1947 Guinea was the major producer and exporter of bananas among the colonies of French West Africa. It all started when the producers of banana and citrus fruits, who were far from the capital Conakry, announced their interest to have a source of information about their activity. The main objective of this radio was to disseminate the latest news about the export of bananas to France and for this reason, Radio Conakry was nicknamed "Radio Banane" ... The first transmitter was installed in Conakry and its power was 300 watts. In 1954 a new transmitter arrived from France and the station started broadcasting on 1295 kHz with 1 kW. The music played consisted of contemporary French songs. Since 1956, all the French colonies obtained political autonomy and Radio Banane was being put at the service of the Guinean authorities. On 2 October 1958, Guinea proclaimed its independence. January 1, 1959 marks the end of Radio Banane and the birth of Radio Guinea with the technical assistance of advisors from East Germany. (German Democratic Republic). With this change French songs disappeared from the air! Later, a new 100 kW transmitter was installed in Boullinet, this time with the help of West Germany (Federal Republic Germany)... In 1964 Guinea’s President Sékou-Touré quickly aligned himself with the Soviet Union (USSR) and Radio Guinea became ``The voice of revolution`` with many shortwave frequencies (7125, 4910, 15310, 6155 e 9650 kHz). Its aim was to export the revolution in the neighbouring countries and fight the ``White regimes`` of Angola, Namibia, Rhodesia and South Africa... The political climate changed after the death of President Sékou-Touré in 1984. Guinea abandoned the revolutionary program winning the confidence of the international community. In recent years, a new Broadcasting House for the RTG (Radio Television Guinéenne) was built and transmitters were revamped with the support of China (———————— END OF DX FANZINE nr. 55 ———————, March 2018, via DXLD) ** INDIA. INDIA TO EMPLOY LONG WAVE RADIO TECHNOLOGY The Hindu By Jacob Kosh 29 March 2018 http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/coming-huge-towers-to-publicise-right-time/article23377284.ece Two towers, about three times the height of the Qutab Minar, are likely to be erected at as-yet-undecided locations in the country for disseminating Indian Standard Time. The National Physical Laboratory, an organisation charged with ensuring that Indian time stays accurate, has signed an agreement with IFR Information Dissemination Services (IFR) Ltd., which will set up the towers and employ long wave radio (LWR) technology to purvey this time to a range of users, from phone companies to railway stations. Customers will need a microchip that can be embedded into everything, from wall-clocks to servers. “Long range radiowaves from the towers can be reliably transmitted even during major disasters. Other than time, information such as a tsunami warning or weather warnings can also be sent,” Pawan Kumar Kasera, director, IFR, said at a press conference. IFR is affiliated to the Germany-based EFR GmbH, which is in the business of providing similar services in Germany. The company now requires a plethora of permissions from other government departments to host these towers, each with a range of 1,000 km, and an investment of about Rs. 600 crore, which it will raise privately. The NPL would help IFR keep their caesium clocks (located in the tower) calibrated but wouldn’t be involved in setting up the infrastructure related to time dissemination. Last year, the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research-body had tied up with the Indian Space Research Organisation to provide time-related services for its satellites. “The advantage of LWR is that the waves travel close to the ground and so can reach out to far-flung locations, even to submarines. We’d advertised through newspapers asking private players to help us disseminate NPL-time to the public. Five companies approached us and we’ve selected IFR,” Dinesh Aswal, director, NPL, told The Hindu (via Mike Terry, April 2, WOR iog via WORLD OF RADIO 1924, DXLD) WTFK? LW = 30-300 kHz. Most timesignals are at the very bottom end, some less than 30 kHz which is VLW (gh, DXLD) ** INDIA. More frequency changes of All India Radio eff. March 29: http://swldxbulgaria.blogspot.bg/2018/04/more-frequency-changes-of-all-india.html (Ivo Ivanov, SWLDXBulgaria News, March 28-April 1, WOR iog via DXLD) Viz.: 0015-0430 NF 9620 ALG 250 kW / 282 deg to SoAs Urdu, ex 6145 in B-17 0100-0200 NF 9645 DEL 100 kW / 312 deg to SoAs Sindhi x 5990 in B-17 0700-0800 NF 11621*DEL 100 kW / 102 deg to CeAs Nepali, ex 11731#B-17 * very low modulation; # to avoid A-18 TRT Voice of Turkey in Azeri!! (??????????? ?? Observer ? 12:10 PM, via DXLD) 11560, AIR at 1520 UT March 31 in Pashto to off air at 1530, Excellent. Also noted April 1st when they stayed on to 1531:15 airing the English News at Nine. 73 (Mick Delmage, Sherwood Park, Alberta, Rx Perseus SDR, Ant: Wellbrook ALA100, WOR iog via DXLD) AIR Urdu service noted today on 9620 (instead of 6140). It is scheduled till 0430 UT. Yours sincerely, (Jose Jacob, VU2JOS, National Institute of Amateur Radio, Hyderabad, India, 0245 UT March 29, dx_india yg via DXLD) AIR External Service Latest Changes Urdu 0015-0430 9620 (ex 6140) Sindhi 0100-0200 9645 (ex 9620) Thanks to Alok Das Gupta Yours sincerely, (Jose Jacob, VU2JOS, ibid.) AIR Nepali later changes 0700-0800 11620 (ex 11730) Thanks to Alok Das Gupta Yours sincerely, (Jose Jacob, VU2JOS, March 30, dx_india yg via DXLD) ** INDIA. When checked remote SDR in eastern Thailand on Cambodian border today March 30 at 0750-0759 UT, observed LOW MODULATED subcontinental singer signal, probably from AIR Delhi Kingsway, in Nepalese language sce, S=7 on odd fq 9950.053 kHz. [selected SDR options, span 12.5 kHz RBW 15.3 Hertz] (wb df5sx, wwdxc BC-DX TopNews March 30) 73 wb df5sx wwdxc germany (Wolfgang Büschel, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** INDIA. 7554.82, AIR via Delhi-Kingsway, 1219, April 1. Almost fair with good audio. Seems to me Kingsway uses two transmitters(?) here on different days - one about 7555.69 and the other one on the low side of 7555; have noted some slight drifting, but not enough to account for the two frequencies (Ron Howard, Asilomar State Beach, CA, Etón E1, antenna: 100' long wire, DX LISTENING DIGEST) AIR External Service Latest changes 0015-0430 Urdu 6140 Aligarh (ex 9620/6145) 2045-2230 English 11620 Delhi (ex 13750 Bengaluru) For latest updated schedules please check in the links given below: A18 External Service Time Wise: http:/qsl.net/vu2jos/es/time.htm A18 External Service Language Wise: http://qsl.net/vu2jos/es/Language.htm A18 Complete SW service in Frequency order: http://qsl.net/vu2jos/sw/freq.htm Yours sincerely, (Jose Jacob, VU2JOS, April 3, dx_india yg via DXLD) ** INDIA. AIR, every Day April 3 -- another change, like R Havanna Cuba: all remotedly in eastern Thailand SDR server unit near CBG border. 7249.858, AIR Kingsway, 1141 UT TX on air, empty carrier S=9+10dB 7270.008, AIR Madras Chennai, Sinhala, S=9+25 1321 UT 7340.005, AIR Mumbai, Sindhi, S=9+30dB, 1335 UT 7554.853, AIR Kingsway, Nepali, S=9+30dB, 1340 UT 4870.025, AIR Kingsway, Nepali, S=9+10dB 11619.968, AIR Goa Panaji, Nepali, S=9+10dB 73 wb (Wolfgang Büschel, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** INDIA [and non]. 9835.05, INDIA vs MALAYSIA. At 0040 UT, AIR Delhi's Tamil service creating a het with the ever-reliable RTM Kajang-MLA dead-on 9835 kHz until 0045 UT when AIR signs off. A weak signal from both stations around local lunchtime here, Mar 28 {epigraph: always something wrong with AIR ... wb.} (Rob Wagner-Vic- AUS VK3BVW, via wwdxc BC-DX TopNews March 29 via DXLD) ** INDIA [and non]. [Re collision with PHILIPPINES 9910:] This is because AIR bureaucrats never attended as full member in HFCC conferences. There are so much free SW channels available on the 31 meterband to meet the AIR requirement. 9910 kHz IBB request HFCC #672 of Dec 2017 in A-18 for PBS Manila R Pilipinas, The Philippines; R Pilipinas also seen last year in A-17 fq database too (Wolfgang Büschel, BC-DX 29 March via DXLD) ** INDONESIA. 9525, Voice of Indonesia, 2012-2030, 3-19-18. Heard man in language with some sort of commentary in between a playback of recorded message or speech. Listings indicate this should be a French broadcast but the language was not French or other recognizable language to me. I am presuming this was Indonesian in this broadcast. Brief vocals then more talk with mentions of Istambul. Signal fair to almost armchair copy with deep fades. No detectable ID at 2030 (Ed Cichorek, New Jersey, R75; MFJ956 tuner; SWL4-50 wire, NASWA Flashsheet via DXLD) I sent in a correxion to this, but it was not published there, so here it is here: NO, VOI is still inactive, and would not be on 9525 exact. Current occupant of 9525 was Denge Welat, clandestine for Kurdistanish Turkey, via France or Pridnestrovye, as covered in DXLD (Glenn Hauser, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** INTERNATIONAL VACUUM [and non]. '2001: A Space Odyssey' 50 Years Later --- 47:23 Play April 03, 2018 With Jennifer Glasse It's been 50 years since Stanley Kubrick's masterpiece premiered on the big screen, forever changing cinema as we know it. The making of the movie itself, however, was its own incredibly odyssey. We'll discuss the legacy and making of one the most influential films of all time. Guests: Michael Benson: author of "Space Odyssey: Stanley Kubrick, Arthur C. Clarke, and the Making of a Masterpiece." Dan Richter, mime and actor who played Moon-Watcher, the leader of a tribe of ape-men in the movie. Doug Trumbull, movie director, inventor and special effects supervisor. He was the Visual Effects Supervisor on "2001: A Space Odyssey." . . . http://www.wbur.org/onpoint/2018/04/03/2001-space-odyssey-50-years-later (via Glenn Hauser, DXLD) ** IRAN. Good signal, PARS TODAY VIRI IRIB on wrong frequency, Mar 31 0530-1210 on 9800 ZAH 500 kW / 289 deg EaAf Arabic, instead of 13610 till 1130 // 13780 SIR 500 kW / 198 deg N/ME Arabic as scheduled A-18 from 1130 // 13785 SIR 500 kW / 198 deg N/ME Arabic as scheduled A-18 http://swldxbulgaria.blogspot.bg/2018/04/good-signal-of-pars-today-viri-irib-on.html (Ivo Ivanov, SWLDXBulgaria News, March 28-April 1, WOR iog via DXLD) ** IRAN. IRIB A-18: +----+----+----+-----------+---+----+-------+---+---+---+---+-------+ +FREQ STRT STOP CIRAF ZONES LOC PWR AZI SLW ANT ADM BRC Language+ +----+----+----+-----------+---+----+-------+---+---+---+---+-------+ 9550 0020 0320 6S,7S,8S,10 SIR 500 295 0 211 Spa IRN IRB SPANISH 5950 0050 0220 30SE,31SW,4 SIR 500 53 -30 218 Tgk IRN IRB TAJIK 7280 0050 0220 30SE,31SW,4 SIR 500 30 0 206 Tgk IRN IRB TAJIK 7410 0130 0530 39 SIR 500 198 0 146 Ara IRN IRB ARABIC-S 6175 0220 0320 40E,41W SIR 500 53 -30 218 Pus IRN IRB PUSHTO 7320 0220 0320 40E,41W AHW 500 84 0 145 Pus IRN IRB PUSHTO 7320 0220 0320 40E,41W SIR 500 90 0 145 Pus IRN IRB PUSHTO 9800 0230 0530 38,39 ZAH 500 289 0 145 Ara IRN IRB ARABIC-W 12025 0320 0420 38E,39W SIR 500 282 0 146 Ara IRN IRB PALESTINE 12030 0420 0450 38E,39W SIR 500 293 30 218 Heb IRN IRB HEBREW 13770 0420 0450 38E,39W SIR 500 282 0 146 Heb IRN IRB HEBREW 13710 0420 0550 29S,39N SIR 500 310 0 211 Tur IRN IRB TURK-ES 13750 0450 0550 39S,47,48,5 SIR 500 216 0 216 Swa IRN IRB SWAHILI 15630 0450 0550 39S,47,48,5 SIR 500 223 -30 218 Swa IRN IRB SWAHILI 13780 0530 0830 39 SIR 500 198 0 146 Ara IRN IRB ARABIC-S 13610 0530 1430 38,39 ZAH 500 289 0 145 Ara IRN IRB ARABIC-W 15625 0550 0650 46,47 SIR 500 263 0 218 Hau IRN IRB HAUSA 13740 0550 0820 30S,31S,40E AHW 500 84 0 145 Prs IRN IRB DARI 13740 0550 0820 30S,31S,40E SIR 500 65 -15 156 Prs IRN IRB DARI 17530 0720 0820 27S,28S,37, SIR 500 298 -15 218 Spa IRN IRB SPANISH 17815 0720 0820 27S,28S,37, SIR 500 295 0 211 Spa IRN IRB SPANISH 15715 0920 1020 30,31 SIR 500 18 0 146 Kaz IRN IRB KAZAKH 17635 0920 1020 30,31 SIR 500 31 15 218 Kaz IRN IRB KAZAKH 13740 0920 1150 30S,31S,40E AHW 500 84 0 145 Prs IRN IRB DARI 13740 0920 1150 30S,31S,40E SIR 500 80 0 156 Prs IRN IRB DARI 13780 0930 1130 39 SIR 500 216 0 216 Ara IRN IRB ARABIC-S 17630 1050 1150 45 SIR 500 60 -30 218 Jpn IRN IRB JAPANESE 13785 1130 1430 39 SIR 500 216 0 216 Ara IRN IRB ARABIC-S 13685 1150 1220 38E,39W SIR 500 295 0 156 Heb IRN IRB HEBREW 17870 1150 1250 42-44 SIR 500 53 -30 218 Cmn IRN IRB CHINA 21520 1150 1250 42-44 SIR 500 65 -15 156 Cmn IRN IRB CHINA 9510 1220 1320 30S,31S,40E AHW 250 84 0 145 Pus IRN IRB PUSHTO 9510 1220 1320 30S,31S,40E SIR 500 53 -30 218 Pus IRN IRB PUSHTO 17670 1220 1320 49,54 SIR 500 115 0 218 Ind IRN IRB MALAY 21470 1220 1320 49,54 SIR 500 107 0 216 Ind IRN IRB MALAY 13795 1250 1420 40E,41N SIR 500 80 0 156 Urd IRN IRB URDU 7410 1320 1420 39 SIR 500 298 -15 218 Kur IRN IRB KURD-SH 9560 1320 1420 39 SIR 500 298 -15 218 Kur IRN IRB KURD-SH 13730 1320 1420 28E,29,30 SIR 500 336 0 146 Rus IRN IRB RUSSIAN 9810 1420 1520 41 SIR 500 95 15 156 Hin IRN IRB HINDI 11825 1420 1520 41NE SIR 500 90 0 145 Ben IRN IRB BENGALI 12060 1420 1520 41 SIR 500 102 0 146 Hin IRN IRB HINDI 9650 1430 1730 37,38,39 ZAH 500 289 0 145 Ara IRN IRB ARABIC-W 9790 1430 1730 39 SIR 500 216 0 216 Ara IRN IRB ARABIC-S 6090 1450 1550 30S,31S,40N SIR 500 53 -30 218 Uzb IRN IRB UZBEK 9465 1450 1550 30S,31S,40N SIR 500 18 0 146 Uzb IRN IRB UZBEK 7300 1520 1620 40E,41N SIR 500 90 0 145 Urd IRN IRB URDU 9540 1520 1620 41,49,54 SIR 500 102 0 146 Eng IRN IRB ENGLISH 9850 1550 1720 29S,39N SIR 500 310 0 211 Tur IRN IRB TURKISH 7425 1620 1650 41NE SIR 500 90 0 145 Ben IRN IRB BENGALI 5925 1620 1720 40E,41W AHW 250 84 0 145 Pus IRN IRB PUSHTO 5925 1620 1720 40E,41W SIR 500 80 0 146 Pus IRN IRB PUSHTO 5995 1620 1720 29SE,39NE,4 SIR 500 328 15 218 Axm IRN IRB ARMEN 7230 1620 1720 29SE,39NE,4 SIR 500 320 0 146 Axm IRN IRB ARMEN 7300 1720 1820 27,28 SIR 500 320 25 156 Deu IRN IRB GERMAN 7350 1720 1820 28S SIR 500 298 -15 218 Bos IRN IRB BOSNIAN 9850 1720 1820 27,28 SIR 500 310 0 211 Deu IRN IRB GERMAN 7425 1730 2100 37-39 ZAH 500 289 0 145 Ara IRN IRB ARABIC-W 5930 1820 1920 28S SIR 500 295 0 156 Sqi IRN IRB ALBANIAN 7235 1820 1920 28S SIR 500 320 0 146 Sqi IRN IRB ALBANIAN 7305 1820 1920 27,28 SIR 500 310 0 211 Fra IRN IRB FRENCH 9860 1820 1920 46,47 SIR 500 263 0 218 Hau IRN IRB HAUSA 5945 1920 1950 28S SIR 500 300 30 218 Ita IRN IRB ITALIAN 7235 1920 1950 28S SIR 500 295 0 156 Ita IRN IRB ITALIAN 9800 1920 2020 52,53,57 SIR 500 216 0 216 Eng IRN IRB ENGLISH 9810 1920 2020 27,28 SIR 500 310 0 211 Eng IRN IRB ENGLISH 9810 2020 2120 27S,28S,37, SIR 500 313 0 218 Spa IRN IRB SPANISH 7355 2050 2150 45 SIR 500 65 -15 156 Jpn IRN IRB JAPANESE 9765 2050 2150 45 SIR 500 60 0 211 Jpn IRN IRB JAPANESE 7425 2100 0230 37-39 ZAH 500 289 0 145 Ara IRN IRB ARABIC-W 5935 2220 2320 49,54 SIR 500 115 0 218 Ind IRN IRB MALAY 7360 2220 2320 49,54 SIR 500 113 15 218 Ind IRN IRB MALAY 7360 2320 0020 42-44 SIR 500 65 -15 156 Cmn IRN IRB CHINA 9580 2320 0020 42-44 SIR 500 53 -30 218 Cmn IRN IRB CHINA (HFCC database A-18 excerpt, via BC-DX 29 March, laboriously realigned by gh for DX LISTENING DIGEST) Excerpt? So what was omitted? Incomplete CIRAF zones if more than space allotted (gh, DXLD) ** IRAN [non]. R. Ranginkaman and Radio Payem e-Doost via BaBcoCk Grigoriopol on March 30 1600-1630 on 7580 KCH 500 kW / 116 deg to WeAs Farsi Mon/Fri Radio Ranginkaman, good 1800-1845 on 7480 KCH 500 kW / 116 deg to WeAs Farsi Daily Radio Payem e-Doost, good http://swldxbulgaria.blogspot.bg/2018/04/rranginkaman-rpayem-e-doost-via-babcock.html (Ivo Ivanov, SWLDXBulgaria News, March 28-April 1, WOR iog via DXLD) ** IRELAND [non]. RTÉ Radio Worldwide 5820, - Log SW (Giampiero Bernardini, Qualche ascolto in onde corte da Bocca di Magra, Italia, con il Perseus e il loop Wellbrook ALA1530LNPro: dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) Viz.: 5820, 27/3 1930, RTÉ Radio Worldwide, Talata-Volondry, Madagascar, EE, id, mx, weak (Giampiero Bernardini, Qualche ascolto in onde corte da Bocca di Magra, Italia, con il Perseus e il loop Wellbrook ALA1530LNPro, playdx blog via dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) No current HFCC or other A-18 schedules show this broadcast. RTE Ireland relay was at this time and frequency until a couple? years ago, via BaCcoCk Madagascar, then canceled. A quick check of HFCC mid- A16 shows it still listed. Hope it`s not a Euro-pirate pretending (Glenn Hauser, DX LISTENING DIGEST) At 1931 April 3 I do have a JBA carrier on 5820 amid the band and storm noise, via UTwente, detectable only by off-tuning in USB. Can anyone hear it better and confirm RTE? (Glenn Hauser, WOR iog via DXLD) Glenn, I asked the pirate group guys now to identify the pirate pop station from Netherlands, many adverts of HOL firms ... like Subaru cars in Rotterdam. Enschede Twente University remote SDR is too narrow to the pirate station propagation. Look rather for a remote KIWIsdr in Austria, Hungary or Italy far greater distance in southern or eastern Europe. 73 wb (Wolfgang Büschel, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Viz.: ----- Original Message ----- From: "Wolfgang Bueschel" Sent: Tuesday, April 03, 2018 10:31 PM Subject: 5820.001 hollandse Käse-K Sender An die Piraten-Gruppe, die hier mitliest: wie heisst die Dutch sprachige Piratenstation auf 5820.001 kHz, S=9 in Süddeutschland. Subaru Werbung um 20.27z Glenn fragt danach, bringt einen Zusammenhang mit vormaligem RTE Programm für die Afrika Missionare vor einigen Jahren über Madagascar oder Meyerton RSA. 73 wb ----- Original Message ----- From: "Frank H. Schuettig" Sent: Tuesday, April 03, 2018 Subject: Re: 5820.001 hollandse Käse-K Sender Auf 5820 kHz ist sehr häufig der belgische Pirat "Radio 319" zu hören (ist sozusagen seine "Stammfrequenz"). Er bringt überwiegend alte Mitschnitte von Offshore-Stationen. Eigene Ansagen sind eher selten. Frank (via wb, ibid.) 5820, April 3 at 1931 via UTwente SDR, a JBA carrier. Checking for RTÉ via Madagascar, as reported from Italy as if it had been reactivated after a couple years. I suspect it`s more likely a Europirate; Wolfgang Büschel replies: [as above] (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Belgian pirate Radio 319 has been active on 5820: Logged March 26 at 1855 and 1730 April April 2 on this blog http://irishpaulsradioblog.blogspot.co.uk/ Presumed logs 0925 April 1 and 1723 April 2 on this blog https://shortwavedx.blogspot.co.uk/ 5820 eQSL from April 2017 http://dxhoekje.skynetblogs.be/archive/2017/05/04/qsl-from-belgian-shortwave-pirate-radio-319-8725719.html (Mike Barraclough, WOR iog via DXLD) ** ITALY. Bandscan Independent MW Stations from Italy. NB: All logs, unless otherwise mentioned, as follows: RX websdr in Switzerland (near Carì, Canton Ticino) ANT: 160m horizontal wire loop, 20m ladder 450ohm, balun 4: DATE: 31.03.2018 (Times UTC). 846 kHz 16.39 Challenger R. (Villa Estense, PD); 1098 kHz 15.40 Media Radio Castellana, via websdr in Ravenna, on 27.03.1018 1206 kHz 16.36 Amica Radio Veneta (Vigonza, PD) 1350 kHz 09.51 I Am R. (Milano); 1377 kHz 13.57 R. One (Pistoia/Lucca area); NB: New frequency. Ex 1368 1395 kHz 09.46 R. Atlanta Milano (Milano), 1404 kHz 09.42 R. 106 (Casalgrande, RE); 1476 kHz 09.54 R. Briscola (Lenta, VC) 1512 kHz 15.36 Mini R (Castano Primo, MI); 1557 kHz 09.45 Milano XR (Milano); 1566 kHz 13.51 R. Kolbe (Schio, VI) 1584 kHz 10.00 Free R. AM (Trieste); 1602 kHz 13.51 RTV R. Treviso (Treviso); 1602 kHz 13.52 R. 3 Network (Poggibonsi, SI). More information, including contacts, websites, social networks, E- mail addresses, future plans, transmitter powers, locations, verification of reception reports, etc. about MW stations from Italy on http://www.dxfanzine.net (Antonello Napolitano, Taranto, ITALY, March DX Fanzine via DXLD) ** ITALY [non]. Saverio Masetti wrote on the WRTH Facebook group: 28 March 2018 IBC - ITALIAN BROADCASTING CORPORATION website http://www.ibcradio.webs.com We are on the air today in English at 20 UT on 5845 kHz from Gavar (Armenia) and 6070 kHz from Rohrbach (Germany). PLEASE NOTE THAT WE HAVE ADDED A NEW BROADCAST IN ENGLISH TO EUROPE EVERY SUNDAY, AT 1030 UT, ON 6005 KHZ FROM KALL KREKEL IN GERMANY. This week "Italian Shortwave Panorama" and "425 DX News"; "IBC DIGITAL" in MFSK32 (1500 Hz) will be the last 5 minutes. Please send your reception reports to ibc@europe.com or post your comments on FB or TW, hashtag #RADIOIBC! Good listening! ******ENGLISH****** TO EUROPE/MIDDLE EAST/ASIA/OCEANIA WEDNESDAY..20-20.30 UTC 5845 KHZ + 6070 KHZ SUNDAY..........10.30-11 UTC 6005 KHZ TO THE AMERICAS [all WRMI: why not say so?] TUESDAY....01-0130 UT 5950 + 7780 KHZ FRIDAY.....01-0130 UT 9955 KHZ FRIDAY.....0230-03 UT 5985 KHZ SATURDAY...0030-01 UT 9395 KHZ SATURDAY...0130-02 UT 5850 + 5950 + 7780 + 9455 KHZ SUNDAY.....0030-01 UT 7730 KHZ EVERY DAY ENGLISH streaming on http://hr.77400.fm (user: IBC password: 123456) at 1400-1430 UT (via Mike Terry, March 28, WOR iog via DXLD) ** ITALY. Marconi Radio International has planned two special broadcasts, from 1630 to 1930 UT, as follows: on 7 April 2018 on 7720 kHz (100 Watts, USB Mode) and on 9 April 2018 on 6970 kHz (1000 watts, USB mode). The aim of those brodcasts is to celebrate the 70th anniversary of the New Zealand DX League with the hope that at least one of the frequencies will propagate to New Zealand. Reception reports to: marconiradiointernational@gmail.com Regards, (Marconi Radio International, WORLD OF RADIO 1924, DX LISTENING DIGEST) See also NEW ZEALAND [non] ** JAPAN [and non]. Radio Japan NHK World A-18 schedule Saturday, March 31, 2018 12:47 AM JAPAN [AFGHANISTAN/AUSTRIA/BANGLADESH/FRANCE/GERMANY/INDONESIA/IRAQ/ LITHUANIA/MADAGASCAR/MYANMAR/PALAU/PALESTINE/RUSSIA/SINGAPORE/ SOUTH AFRICA/TAJIKISTAN/TANZANIA/U.A.E./USA/UZBEKISTAN/VATICAN STATE] NHK World - Radio Japan Tokyo - March 25 - October 28, 2018. A-18 summer season file, according NHK World Radio Japan leaflet. Foreign language and Japanese Services Arabic 0600-0630 ME/NoAF 11975iss 2000-2030 ME FM via Radio Dijla, Baghdad-IRQ 88.3, Suleymania 93.0, Basra 88.5, Kirkuk Erbil 95.7, Mosul 93.1 MHz in Iraq on FM. 2000-2030 ME FM via Reehan FM, Ramallah 87.8, Jerico 95.6, in Palestine on FM. for details please access URL Bengali 1300-1345 SoWeAS 11685sng 1500-1545 SoWeAS FM via Bangladesh Betar, Dhaka 104.0, Chittagong 88.8, Comilla 101.2, Khulna 88.8, Rajshahi 88.8, Rangpur 105.6, Sylhet 105.2 MHz in Bangladesh on FM. Burmese 1030-1100 SoEaAS 11740sng 1430-1500 SoEaAS 11740sng Via MRTV Myanmar Radio Yangon Yaegu, Myanmar. 1445-1500 Mon-Wed, 1445-1505 UT on Sat/Sun SoEaAS SW 5985 MW 576 Myanma Radio, Yangon Yaegu SoEaAS MW 594 Myanma Radio, Nay Pyi Taw 2340-2400 SoEaAS 13650yam Chinese - time schedule reshuffeled. 0430-0500 AS 11825yam 1130-1200 AS 6090yam 1230-1300 AS 6190yam ! 1330-1400 AS 6190yam 1430-1500 AS 6190yam 2230-2250 AS 9560yam English 0500-0530 EUR 5975mos 0500-0530 WeAF 9860smg 0500-0530 AF/EaAF/SoAF 11970iss Via MRTV Myanmar Radio Yangon Yaegu, Myanmar. 0710-0725 Sat/Sun SoEaAS SW 9730 (!) MW 576 Myanma Radio, Yangon Yaegu SoEaAS MW 594 Myanma Radio, Nay Pyi Taw 1100-1130 SoEaAS 11695sng 1400-1430 SoEaAS 11705pal 1400-1430 SoWeAS 11935tac Via MRTV Myanmar Radio Yangon Yaegu, Myanmar. 1540-1600 Thurs/Fris SoWeAS SW 5985 MW 576 Myanma Radio, Yangon Yaegu SoWeAS MW 594 Myanma Radio, Nay Pyi Taw Delete these NHK Radio Japan B-17 request as from A-18: 1800-1830 CeAF 9755mey 1930-2000 OCE/Hawaii 9480yam 1930-2000 AF/EaAF/SoAF 9710smg French 0530-0600 WeAF 11730iss 0530-0600 CeAF 13840mdg 2030-2100 WeAF 11985mdg Hindi 1830-1900 SoWeAS FM via Big FM. 92.7 MHz New Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Bangalore, Hyderabad. 0059-0120 SoWeAS 9820tac 1430-1500 SoWeAS 15745mdg 1530-1600 SoWeAS 9600tac Indonesian 1115-1200 SoEaAS 9625pal 1205-1220 SoEaAS FM Elshinta & 1405-1435 SoEaAS FM Elshinta Jakarta 90.0, Bandung 89.3, Tegal 99.0, Surabaya 97.6, Medan 93.2, Semarang 91.0, Lampung 99.6, Sekayu 103.7, Palembang 96.7 MHz. 1400-1445 SoEaAS FM Indonesia 90.9 MHz FM Ambom - Duta, 105.5 Bandung - Garuda, 100.0 Bandar Lampung SAI, 91.7 Bandar Lampung - R.Heartline, 88.5 Banjarmasin - Chandra, 103.1 Banyuwangi - GBS FM, 105.9 Bengkulu - Flamboyan, 102.6 Cirebon - Maritim, 103.5 Kupang - DMWS, 104.1 Malang - Senaputra, 96.7 Mataran - Global Lombok, 92.1 Mojokerto - Satriya FM, 101.8 Palangkaraya - RCA, 101.0 Palu - Nebula, 95.9 Pontianak - DIA FM, 106.8 Semarang - Thomson, 103.8 Surabaya - Prima Radio, 106.2 Tarakan - Grass, 103.5 Jambi - Jambi FM, 107.2 Yogyakarta - KR, 106.0 Banda Aceh - Nikoya, 106.9 Bantul - Global, 102.3 Batam - Kei FM, 103.6 Biak - Perkasa, 96.5 Denpasar - Global Bali, 90.4 Kediri - Jayabaya FM, 92.5 Makassar - RAM, 89.3 Makassar - Radio Fajar, 102.0 Manado - ROM2 FM, 106.6 Medan - Sonya, 102.6 Padang - Padang FM, 103.4 Palembang - LCBS, 96.7 Pekanbaru - Green Radio, 105.1 Samarinda - Gema Nirwana, 98.1 Serang - Harmony, 107.3 Solo - Karavan, 94.6 Taskmalaya - Style Radio, 92.5 Muaro Jambi, 93.9 Maros - ZIP, 94.6 Aceh Tenggara - Lauser, 92.6 Batulicin - DongLay Nusantara, 101.2 Pematangsintar - Cek Radio, 96.9 Waingapu - Max, 98.8 MHz FM Wonosobo - Citra. MW 1170 kHz Simalungun - Radio Rasita. 1315-1400 SoEaAS 11705pal 2130-2200 SoEaAS 9560yam Japanese 0300-0400 AS FE 11790yam 0200-0500 AS 15195yam 0700-0800 AS 11825yam 0800-1600 AS 9750yam 2100-2400 AS 11910yam 2000-2100 OCE/Hawaii 9480yam 0200-0500 SoEaAS 17810yam 0700-0900 SoEaAS 15280yam 0900-1500 SoEaAS 11815yam 2100-2300 SoEaAS 13680yam 0200-0400 SoWeAS 15325yam 0900-1000 SoWeAS 15325yam 1500-1700 AF/SoWeAS/SoAS 12045yam 0800-1000 SoWeEUR/WeAF 15290iss 1700-1900 SoEUR/ceAF/soAF 11945iss 1900-2100 CeAF 15130iss 0300-0500 SoEaEUR/NE/ME/NoEaAF 9490nau 1700-1900 SoEaEUR/NE/ME/NoEaAF 15445nau 1900-2100 CeAS/ME/NE/NoAF 6010yam 0200-0400(!) 6105iss 1700-1900 SoAM 13720yam Korean 0415-0445 AS 13720yam 1100-1130 AS 6090yam 1200-1230 AS 6090yam 1300-1330 AS 6190yam 1400-1430 AS 6190yam 2209-2230 AS 9560yam Persian 0400-0430 ME 11970tac (!) 1430-1500 ME 13680iss FM Radio Killid in Kabul/Herat 88.0 MHz 1630-1700 ME MW927tjk Portuguese 0900-0930 SoAM 6195hri deleted: 2130-2200 SoAM 17540hri (!) Russian 0330-0400 EU MW 738msk MW1386lit 0430-0500 EU 6165nau 0530-0600 EaAS FE 11790yam 1100-1130 EaAS FE 7355yam 1600-1630 EU MW 738msk MW927tjk 1730-1800 EU MW1386lit Spanish 0400-0430 CeAM 12015hri 0400-0430 CeSoAM 5985rmi 0930-1000 CeSoAM 6195hri Swahili 0315-0400 EaAF 9560mdg FM via 94.1 MHz Radio Uhai, Tabora, 1729-1800 EaAF 13730mdg 1730-1800 EaAF TZA FM TBC FM 90.0 MHz Dar es Salaam, 88.7 Tanga-Mnyusi, 98.0 Arusha - Themi, 104.4 Mara - Mkendo, 93.3 Mwanza - Nyashana, 105.7 Kagera - Kiziru, 98.0 Kigoma, 88.5 Tabora - Kazeh, 89.7 Dodoma - Imagi, 100.4 Mbeya - Kawetere, 89.9 Lindi - Kipehe, 105.9 Masasi Town, 97.4 Newala, 89.9 Tunduru, 90.0 Songea, 89.7 S/wanga, 87.7 Mpanda, 89.7 Morogoro, 89.7 Iringa, 104.3 Moshi, 89.9 Babati, 89.9 Singida, 102.3 Shinyanga, 89.7 Geita, 87.7 Katavi, 92.5 MHz Tanzania (FM), Hits FM - Zanzibar. Thai 0100-0130 SoEaAS Mon-Fri FM Naresuan University Phitsanulok *) Maha Sarakham 107.25 MHz *) transmissions temporarily suspended. 0530-0545 SoEaAS FM Maejo University, Chiang Rai 95.5 MHz 1130-1200 SoEaAS 11740sng 1230-1300 SoEaAs 11740sng 1230-1300 SoEaAS MW Thammasat University Radio, Bangkok 981 kHz FM Mahasarakham University, Maha Sarakham 102.25 MHz 1230-1300 SoEaAS FM Khon Kaen University, Khon Kaen 103.0 MHz 1230-1245 SoEaAS FM Maejo University, Chiang Rai 95.5 MHz 2259-2320 SoEaAS 13650yam Urdu (time shortened by 15 mins) 1515-1545 SoWeAS 11775uae 1700-1730 SoWeAS MW927tjk Vietnamese 1100-1130 SoEaAS 11740sng 1300-1315 Tues-Fris 1300-1320 Mon 1330-1345 Sat 1330-1350 Sun SoEaAS FM VoVTN Giao Thong 91.0 MHz Hanoi, HCMC, Can Tho, Quang Binh. 1300-1330 SoEaAS 11740sng - deleted in A-18 season. 2320-2340 SoEaAS 13650yam SW / MW relays: hri HRI Furman-SC, South Carolina, USA iss TDF Issoudun, France mdg MDC MGLOB Madagascar mey SenTec Meyerton, South Africa mos ORS Moosbrunn, Austria msk Moscow, Russia nau MBR Nauen, Germany pal KHBN Palau rmi WRMI Okeechobee-FL, Florida USA lit RRT Lithuania smg VR Santa Maria di Galeria, Vatican State. sng Babcock Kranji, Singapore tac RRTM Tashkent, Uzbekistan tjk Teleradiokom Dushanbe, Tajikistan uae Babcock Al Dhabayya, UAE MW/SW relay on MRTV Myanmar Radio, Yangon Yaegu and Nay Pyi Taw sites; FM/MW relay in Thailand; and FM relays in Palestine West Bank, Afghanistan, Bangladesh, India, Indonesia, Iraq, Tanzania, and Vietnam. Not anymore included in RJ printed leaflet, and not anymore on HFCC A- 18 database contain Fridays only DRM mode via 9760wof Babcock Woofferton U.K. test transmission in RJ English 1100-1130 UT, and RJ Russian 1130-1200 UT, which this transmission mode is ceased now for ever on NHK administration (NHK Radio Japan, PDF.format leaflet transformed by wb at wwdxc BC-DX TopNews March 29, 2018) Posted by: ("Wolfgang Bueschel" , dxldyg via WOR iog via DXLD) ** JAPAN [non]. 11725, March 28 at 1351, something new, S9+10 lively song and then W&M Indonesian talk, ID in passing for NHK World, must be giving schedule with WIB times and kHz, also domestic FM relays? This transmission is *not* in latest HFCC or NDXC/Aoki. In B-17 the 1315-1400 Indonesian was on 11925 via PALAU and this may well be too; not scheduled now on 11925 either. But per HFCC A-18 triple- registration by NHK, FCC and by BaBcoCk, all claim this is now supposed to be on 11705! via Palau; mistake? I should have rechecked after 1400 whether English was also on 11725 instead of 11705. 11705, March 29 at 1315, NHK theme and opening Indonesian on proper scheduled frequency via PALAU, unlike yesterday when it was on 11725. Recheck at 1419, the 1400 English is also on correct channel 11705, about visit to a cos studio, S9/S9+10, and despite beaming due west, almost a defacto North American service. NHK should do something about that, as our audience is supposed to be denied. At least the // 11935 via Uzbekistan is a JBA carrier at best in the sideband splash of 11930 jamming against Martí (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** KOREA NORTH. 15180 VOK. Marzo 31. 0330-0430 UT. Servicio en español. Himno nacional de Corea, Canción del General Kim Il Sung y Canción del General Kim Jong Il. Desde las 0338 informaciones acerca de la reunión del Máximo Dirigente Kim Jong Un con Thomas Bach, representante del Comité Olímpico Internacional, junto con la lectura de una declaración sobre las relaciones intercoreanas. Luego se alude a la prensa extranjera con respecto a los comités preparatorios del “Día del Sol”, el “Premio internacional Kim Il Sung”. A las 0345, se habla de una actividad de excursionistas escolares que fue iniciada por el Generalismo Kim Il Sung, Recuerdos sobre las mejoras a la salud realizadas por el Presidente Kim Il Sung. Actividad del día 28 de Marzo de una exposición permanente. Nombramiento de nuevo embajador en Nigeria, Participación de la selección de Corea del Norte en los Eliminatorias Asiáticas de Futbol; Premiaciones a estudiantes científicos; Primer concurso nacional de música; Conversaciones del día 29 entre ambas Coreas; Informaciones sobre la reunión con el comité olímpico internacional junto al Ministro del Deporte; Campaña de Plantación de Árboles en el país. A las 0353 se lee una declaración del grupo de estudio de la Idea Juche de un país africano. Desde las 0355, se emite un espacio musical. A las 0420, se lee un artículo acerca de los países africanos y la “Unidad Africana”. SINPO: 45444 // 13760 SINPO: 55444 // 11735 ¿fuera del aire? No, solamente el ruido en la banda no dejaba escucharla. Audio: https://archive.org/details/15180VokSpanishService.March31At0338Utc (Claudio Galaz, RX: Tecsun PL 660; ANT: Hilo de 30 metros; QTH: Barraza Bajo, IV Región, Chile, condiglista yg via DXLD) ** KOREA NORTH [non]. JAPAN, A-18 frequencies of Shiokaze Sea Breeze: 1300-1400 on 6040 YAM 300 kW / 280 deg to NEAs various 1600-1700 on 6090 YAM 300 kW / 280 deg to NEAs various http://swldxbulgaria.blogspot.bg/2018/03/summer-18-frequencies-of-shiokaze-sea.html (Ivo Ivanov, SWLDXBulgaria News, March 27-28, WOR iog via DXLD) ** KOREA NORTH [and non]. 6040, March 29 at *1259 carrier on, vs local device blob, S5-S6, 1300 piano music and Thursday-only English sign-on from Shiokaze/Sea Breeze on latest QSY ex-5935, about abduxion issues (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) 6040, testing their jamming (pulsating noise) at *1210, on April 1, as at 1300, Shiokaze will sign on; transmitter on-off-on. . .; this caused QRM for both China (PBS Yunnan) on 6035 and for Alaska (KNLS) on 6045 (Ron Howard, Asilomar State Beach, CA, Etón E1, antenna: 100' long wire, WOR iog via DXLD) 6040, JAPAN (opposition v DPRK) [Shiokaze] at 1300. North Korea has caught up with them, jammer clearly heard on open channel at 1257. Station opening on time at 1300 with M in Korean, jailbreak alarm sound effect. Excellent reception even over jammer. April 1. 73 and Good Listening....! (Rick Barton, Logs from Central Arizona. Hopefully useful information for someone can be picked out of here. Times/Dates in UTC. English used unless otherwise stated. Grundig Satellit, RS SW- 2000629, and HQ-180A with various outdoor wires. Use of portables noted where relevant for perspective on signal strength comments, WOR iog via DXLD) ** KOREA NORTH. 9665.003, KCBS Pyongyang, Korean home service, male soldier ? plaintive elegiac 'lieder' songs, S=6 at 0810 UT [selected SDR options, span 12.5 kHz RBW 15.3 Hertz] (Wolfgang Büchel, On March 30 at 0750-0845 UT checked on remote Uwe's SDR receiver installation in Eastern Thailand on Cambodian border remote Perseus net server, (wb df5sx, wwdxc BC-DX Topnews March 30, Hard-Core-DX mailing list via DXLD) ** KOREA NORTH [non]. UZBEKISTAN, Extended weekend schedule of Radio Free North Korea 1100-1200 on 9345 TAC 100 kW / 076 deg to NEAs Korean Sat/Sun, new 1200-1300 on 9345 TAC 100 kW / 076 deg to NEAs Korean as scheduled http://swldxbulgaria.blogspot.bg/2018/04/extended-weekend-schedule-of-radio-free.html (Ivo Ivanov, SWLDXBulgaria News, April 1, WOR iog via DXLD) ** KOREA SOUTH. 5917.477v, March 28 at 1321, weak music from Voice of Freedom, drifting a bit further downward. 5917.475, March 30 at 1251, Voice of Freedom drifted down to here; seems they play a lot of music for a clandestine: maybe K-pop is hoped to do the trick for the Northies (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** KOREA SOUTH. 15575, March 28 at 1347, JBA carrier as KBSWR in A-18 is still attempting to serve North America in English via this far- too-high-night-path frequency direct. It would work just fine on 7, 9 or maybe 11 MHz where plenty of East Asian signals are audible. In fact this hour is // 9570 but aimed at SE Asia and totally covered here by CRI Cuba (Glenn Hauser, OK, WORLD OF RADIO 1924, DX LISTENING DIGEST) [and non]. 9570even, KOR / CHN - bad mixture equal level S=9 of both co-channel KOR KBS Korean, and CNR 2nd program from Golmud #916 transmitter center site [selected SDR options, span 12.5 kHz RBW 15.3 Hertz] (Wolfgang Büchel, On March 30 at 0750-0845 UT checked on remote Uwe's SDR receiver installation in Eastern Thailand on Cambodian border remote Perseus net server, (wb df5sx, wwdxc BC-DX Topnews March 30, Hard-Core-DX mailing list via DXLD) ** KURDISTAN [non]. ARMENIA, All frequencies of clandestine Dengê Welat via CJSC Yerevan/Gavar are cancelled from March 29 or 30: 0230-1530 on 4810 ERV 050 kW / non-dir to WeAs Kurdish 0230-1600 on 7520 ERV 100 kW / 192 deg to WeAs Kurdish 1500-2100 on 1395 ERV 500 kW / ??? deg to WeAs Kurdish 1600-2100 on 7320 ERV 300 kW / 280 deg to WeAs Kurdish http://swldxbulgaria.blogspot.bg/2018/04/all-frequencies-of-denge-welat-via-cjsc.html (Ivo Ivanov, SWLDXBulgaria News, March 28-April 1, WOR iog via WORLD OF RADIO 1924, DXLD) ** KUWAIT. 11630, Radio Kuwait at 1302 in Arabic with a man with talk – Good Apr 2 – They still can do analogue broadcasting. Why not with their English service? (Mark Coady, Selwyn, Ontario, Kenwood TS440S or Ten-Tec Argonaut II and 40 and 80 meter off centre-fed dipoles, ODXA iog via DXLD) MOI R Kuwait General Service reactivated 5959.8, March 30: till 0625 5959.8 KBD 250 kW / non-dir N/ME Arabic, co-ch R.Ndarason Int // freqy 15515.0 KBD 250 kW / 059 deg EaAs Arabic, very good signal http://swldxbulgaria.blogspot.bg/2018/04/moi-radio-kuwait-general-service-is.html (Ivo Ivanov, SWLDXBulgaria News, March 28-April 1, WOR iog via DXLD) ** LAOS. 6129.987, Lao National Radio Vientiane, local pop music at 1030 UT, S=9+20dB or -52dBm signal strength, followed by folk music female singer at 1027 UT, some adverts, two 100 Hertz string spurs visible too. KRE jamming nearby on 6135 kHz, latter S=6 [selected SDR options, span 12.5 kHz RBW 15.3 Hertz] (Wolfgang Büschel, checked on remote Uwe Volk's installation in Eastern Thailand on Cambodian border remote Perseus net server, wb df5sx, wwdxc BC-DX Topnews March 27, via DXLD) ** MADAGASCAR. 6135, March 28 at 1402, S3-S5 carrier, maybe trace of modulation and no jamming audible. This has now been confirmed as RNM, tnx to German visitor to Antananarivo Andreas Tschauder who heard it locally // 5010 and FM 99.2, A-DX, via Eike Bierwirth and Wolfgang Büschel, and further monitoring afar by Ron Howard and Mauno Ritola. To here, it must be arriving by long path across the Indian and Pacific oceans (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** MADAGASCAR. 9730, World Christian Broadcasting at 1600 playing pop female vocals at 1610. Monitored on portable with whip. Very Good, March 30. 11790, World Christian Broadcasting at 2159 with open carrier, then monologues by M, w, and Middle Eastern music at the bottom of the hour. Note: I logged this frequency on 3/30 with non-middle eastern music and the language wad definitely NOT Arabic as listed, tho I`m not expert enough to ID what it was. Wondered at the time if a seasonal change or a mistake. Very Good reception, April 1 Barton-AZ 11610, World Christian Broadcasting, 2140. Choral music man in Chinese, familiar KNLS interval music, then off. April 1. 73 and Good Listening....! (Rick Barton, Logs from Central Arizona. Hopefully useful information for someone can be picked out of here. Times/Dates in UTC. English used unless otherwise stated. Grundig Satellit, RS SW- 2000629, and HQ-180A with various outdoor wires. Use of portables noted where relevant for perspective on signal strength comments, WOR iog via DXLD) ** MALAYSIA. 11665, RTM Wai FM domestic broadcast switching to RTM Sarawak FM after 1601 April 1, 2018, 1558–1607. SIO 444. Music and talk in Malay. Decent signal, energetic programming with mixed music and commentary. Station undetectable after 1607 (Vince Henley, Anacortes, WA, WiNRADiO G39DDCe SDR, ICOM IC-R8600, Ten-Tec RX-340, Drake R8B, TECSUN PL-380, TECSUN PL-660, TECSUN PL-880. Antennas: whips on PL-380, PL-660, PL-880 and Alpha-Delta DX-Ultra installed broadside east west at 30 feet, NASWA Flashsheet April 2 via DXLD) 11665, Wai FM Limbang, 1315, April 2 (Monday). Start of the Monday segment of the "Wai FM Limbang" portion of RTM broadcasts; pop songs; frequent IDs. Note that Aoki lists "RTM Wai/Limbang FM" here, which perhaps has confused some folks? Believe the "Wai FM Limbang" ID is only used on Monday & Thursday from 1315 to 1400, otherwise is just the straight "Wai FM" ID, or has someone actually heard a clear "Wai FM Limbang" ID at any other time/day? Was very interested to learn that Timm Breyel, who lives in Malaysia, posted to WRTH Facebook page, a log and audio clip for his 0410 UT reception on 11665; IDing as "Radio Tawau" & "Limbang FM, Radio Tawau". I had never heard these IDs before (not possible to hear them at 0410 at my QTH), so of course I very much enjoyed hearing his clear audio clip! It certainly helps reception by living in Malaysia! https://app.box.com/s/7skup8625aqmqmeoqxzu0o2e9umag72a Thanks to Timm for passing this along, as well as his informing of this: "With General Elections in Malaysia coming up in a few months, Sarawak FM and Wai FM seem to be operating round-the-clock. A few days ago (26 March 2018), I noticed Sarawak FM programming on both 9.835 kHz and 11665 kHz after 1800 UT. Limbang FM - Radio Tawau (Sabah) was equally unusual; generally Wai FM (Sabah) is heard. Transmission is from Kajang (Selangor) / studio programming originates presumably in Limbang/Tawau (Sabah)." Dan Sheedy (Calif.) has also heard the greatly extended current schedule. Also RTM just celebrated their 72nd year of broadcasting on April 1 (Ron Howard, Asilomar State Beach, CA, Etón E1, antenna: 100' long wire, WOR iog via WORLD OF RADIO 1924, DX LISTENING DIGEST) 9835, Sarawak FM via Kajang (on the west coast of the Malaysia peninsular), 1408-1448, April 3. In vernacular; coverage of the national competition for recitations from the Qur'an (Majlis Tilawah Dan Menghafaz Al-Quran Peringkat Kebangsaan), being held this year at the Putrajaya Islamic Complex; sponsored by the Islamic Development Department of Malaysia; series of about 10 minutes of reciting, with both men and women in the competition; very rare to hear women, but they have a women's division in the competition; 1445 mentioned "RTM." This could possibly be a TV audio feed? Being held from April 1-6, so there should be more days with this coverage here; fair. 1500-1510 news in vernacular (not // 11665). 11665, Wai FM, 1500, April 3. Start of a program of uniquely indigenous music and chanting; at 1503 the singular "Wai FM" ID; still chanting at 1511 (Ron Howard, Asilomar State Beach, CA, Etón E1, antenna: 100' long wire, WOR iog via DXLD) - - - - Thanks to Timm for posting the following to the WRTH Facebook page: M Breyel: Yes, Ron, this is an RTM TV1 audio feed. Contestants are from around the world. Quariah (women reciters) are among the contestants. This event is heard annually just before the Fasting Month (Ramadan). (Ron, WOR iog via WORLD OF RADIO 1924, DX LISTENING DIGEST) See also SARAWAK [non] ** MALI [non]. 11680. Mar 31, 2018. 1740-1750, Radio Internacional da China, Bamako, em Suaíli. Locução com vozes feminina e masculina; 1746 Uma breve música e começa a "Aula de Chinês". CRI com difusão muito pobre via Bamako, esvaecimentos, 25422 (DXer: José Ronaldo Xavier, Receptor: Tecsun S-2000. Local da escuta: Cabedelo-PB, Brasil, WOR iog via DXLD) Site is really Xi`an! Per A-18 HFCC. But this reminds me that the Mali relay of CRI is seldom reported, perhaps overlooked, or not operating up to full schedule? Here it is from HFCC, ALL: daily, entire A-18 dates, no slews kHz UTC CIRAF ZONE AZI ANT LANG 7295 0800 0900 46E 0 925 Hau 7295 2300 2400 46 0 925 Chn 11640 1800 1830 46E 85 206 Hau 11640 1830 1930 47E,48NW 85 206 Ara 11640 1930 2000 53NW 111 216 Por 11640 2000 2100 53 111 216 Eng 11640 2100 2130 53 111 216 Eng 11975 2130 2230 37 20 216 Fra 11975 2230 2300 37 20 216 Chn 11975 2300 2400 37 20 216 Chn 13630 1930 2000 53NW 111 206 Por 13630 2000 2100 53 111 206 Eng 13630 2100 2130 53 111 206 Eng 13630 2130 2230 53 111 216 Fra 13645 1700 1800 48SW,53NW 111 206 Swa 13645 1800 1830 46E 111 206 Hau 13685 1300 1400 53 111 206 Fra 13685 1400 1500 53 111 206 Eng 13685 1500 1600 53 111 206 Eng 13685 1830 1930 37 20 216 Ara 15125 1600 1700 47E,48NW 85 206 Ara 15125 1700 1800 48SW,53NW 111 216 Swa 15505 2230 2300 47E,48 85 206 Chn 17630 1400 1500 47E,48 85 206 Eng 17630 1500 1600 47E,48 85 206 Eng 17880 1300 1400 53 111 216 Fra 17880 1600 1700 37 20 216 Ara (condensed by gh for DX LISTENING DIGEST) Later: only a few had been on, now all gone; next DXLD (gh) ** MEXICO. 790-, March 30 at 1221, world news mentioning ``Noticiero Grupo Fórmula``, loops SW or WSW, making rumble het from the low side with other 790s such as Arkansas which is gradually gaining. Must be XENT, La Paz, BCS tho there is one other Fórmula, 250 watts in Guadalajara. IRCA Log 2015 had XENT as 10/0.75 kW; WRTH 2018 as 5/0.75. Only one Mexican, XEBI Ags is in the MWOffset list, and it was exactly 790.000 in 2009y. Stalwart 650 XETNT Los Mochis also in from a ferry-ride right across the Gulf (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** MEXICO. 92.1 FM Spanish station unID --- Hi, I have a Spanish station unID on 92.1 FM. I have uploaded an audio file of what I think has a man saying the station ID in Spanish on it with what I hope are a few local commercials on it as well. The audio file is at my Dropbox web link here. https://www.dropbox.com/s/iuzqgimqd9kztyh/UNID%2092.1.wav?dl=0 Any help would be appreciated. Thanks (amfmtvdtvbrla is offline Senior Member, Join Date Feb 2012, Location Southeastern Louisiana, April 1, WTFDA Forum via DXLD) Am, the ID is “BJB Regional Mexicana.” There is an XEBJB with that slogan on 570 in Monterrey, NL, so I assume this is a sister station. However, the only 92.1 in NL listed on WTFDA is salsa station XHGBO in General Bravo. I can’t find an XHBJB. Raymie or Gargadon, any ideas? Last edited by jim-satx; 04-01-2018 at 11:10 AM. (Jim, San Antonio TX, ibid.) XHGBO in General Bravo is operated by Grupo Radio Alegría, as is XEBJB (JonInFN03 is offline WTFDA Member, St. Catharines, ON, ibid.) The other two items are political spots for the Partido Verde. XEBJB is not a migrant as GRA has too many stations. The migrants in Monterrey are: XHJM-FM 88.1 (calls and frequency confirmed) XHMON-FM 89.3 (calls and frequency confirmed) XHOK-FM ??? (XEOK-AM 900, to flip to Radio Disney at migration) XH????-FM ??? (XEWA-AM 540, cannot be XHWA-FM or XHEWA-FM) The other two migrants will take 96.1, 96.9 or 100.5. The remaining frequency will likely be earmarked for Article 90 reciprocity and thus be available only for community stations (Raymie Humbert, AZ, ibid.) Jim-sax, So the station slogan is BJB Regional Mexicana. So this staton may be around the Monterrey, NL area?. Maybe a new station to migrate XEBJB to FM & to shut down XEBJB AM in the near future Raymie? (`brla, ibid.) The answer is no. It's XHGBO. Grupo Radio Alegría did not win a migrant in second-wave migration. I wonder what's up in General Bravo (Raymie, ibid.) Gargadon just confirmed to me that XHGBO is now simulcasting XEBJB and the station IDs mention both. XHGBO is being used to rimshot Monterrey. The INE map should explain why. Listed coverage of 2.6 million people in Nuevo León. http://actores-politicos.ine.mx/docs/actores-politicos/administracion-tiempos-estado/tiempos-radio-television/mapas-cobertura-concesionarios/mapas-cobertura/mapas-emisoras/radio/estaciones-fm/nuevo-leon/XHGBO-FM.pdf XHGBO used to be a 3 kW station, but that has without a doubt changed. It is a Class C allocation and I am going to suggest listing it at a higher ERP. In 2016, according to the INE, XHGBO covered 26,596 people in Nuevo León and 52 in Tamaulipas. http://sitios.ine.mx/archivos1/DEPPP/MapasCobertura/2016/FM/Nuevo_Leon/XHGBO-FM.pdf In 2017, it covered 2,623,516 people in Nuevo León and 54,751 in Tamaulipas. The coverage increase is one of the most staggering ever reported for a radio station. It is a 10,000% increase. This means that for every person in XHGBO-FM's signal contour in 2016, there were 100 in 2017. Now, it is not a full-market signal for Monterrey. XHXL-FM, which is (and is co-owned), serves 4,079,823 people in Nuevo León. On the other side, XHSRO serves 4,328,931 people. But 2.6 million is far more than 26,000. This is GRA's AM-FM migrant. Just not the usual one (Raymie, April 3, ibid.) You are right about XHGBO signal being more than 3 kW. XHGBO's signal at 583 miles from here was in my location with weak to near fair signal via Tropo for about six hours Sunday morning. I have never received any Spanish stations on 92.1 FM via Tropo before. I heard no sign of the stronger 103.7 XHFMTU with their mega 100 kW signal in here Sunday morning. I have received XHFMTU only once here. Here is the web link to my video recording on Youtube of that XHFMTU reception https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xkS8xYyT3qM Last edited by (amfmtvdtvbrla; 04-03-2018 at 05:00 AM, ibid.) Maybe you didn't notice anything about XHFMTU because in Sunday the station changed format to FMTU Zona Urbana. Yep, it became an Urban format music station (Gargadon, Ciudad del Carmen, Campeche, ibid.) ** MEXICO. RAYMIE`S MEXICO BEAT this week --- including some DTV/TDT The Pipeline of Radio Applications - Part I These are all the social radio (and TV) applications the IFT has on file from the LFTR era, mostly from PABFs. This is from late 2017 so it includes some stations ruled on. The information comes from a transparency request that had originally been filed by the Organización de Radios Comunitarias de Occidente. Aguascalientes Promoviendo México, A.C. - Aguascalientes Comunicar para Ayudar, A.C. - Calvillo Baja California Ensenada: Fundación Cultural para la Sociedad Mexicana [XHARB] Grupo Radioasta Fundación Radiodifusoras Capital Jalisco Instituto Michoacano de Radiodifusión The XHARB MX group had one other applicant in it. I'm not sure of their identity. Instituto Michoacano de Radiodifusión - San Quintín IMR is a serial filer. Most of their applications did not come in Michoacán. Baja California Sur La Paz: Luis Roberto Márquez Pizano [95.1] Fundación Radiodifusoras Capital Jalisco Fundación Cultural para la Sociedad Mexicana San José del Cabo: Luis Roberto Márquez Pizano [XHMPJ] Fundación Radiodifusoras Capital Jalisco My tweet storm of various callsigns was Márquez Pizano's first clue that he'd won in Los Cabos. He later confirmed he won in La Paz. There are also two community (known type) applicants: Corazón de las Californias - Los Cabos Radio Paceñita - La Paz Chiapas Keren Victoria Morales Ruiz - Pijijiapan Arlene Jasmine Elsie Alvarado Cuéllar - Mapastepec Consuelo Valle Hernández - Mapastepec [XHVHC] Coalición de Organizaciones Indígenas, Campesinas y Sindicatos de Obreros del Estado de Chiapas, A.C. - Various localities including Suchiapa, San Fernando and San Ricardo Altamirano Felipe de Jesús de los Santos Cigarroa - Tonalá [XHFJSC] Chihuahua La Voz de la Sierra Tarahumara - Bocoyna; Urique [XHBOC/XHURI] Radio los Compadres, A.C. - Guazapares, Chinipas, Urique [awarded March 14] Ciudad de México Promoviendo México Fundación Ecoforestal Comunicadores Comunitarios del Arte y la Cultura Ecoforestal is believed to be a social wolf from prior filings. Promoviendo México appears to be related to someone named Gabriel Millan. No info is available on CCAC. Coahuila Asociación Amiga - Hércules, Mpio. Sierra Mojada [disc. XHHCC] Centro de Estudios Técnicos Laguna del Rey - Laguna del Rey, Mpio. Sierra Mojada CETLAR is some sort of mining training school. It is part of Industrias Peñoles, a 130-year-old mining company. Colima Rafael Esteban Canet Rodri´guez y J. Jesus Llanos Bonilla - Colima Fundacio´n Educacional de Medios, A.C. - Colima + Organizacio´n de Radios Comunitarias de Occidente, A.C. - Colima Manzanillo: Radio Educación y Cultura Fundación Educacional de Medios Instituto Michoacano de Radiodifusión Durango Centro de Estudios Te´cnicos Laguna del Rey, A.C. - Velardeña, Mpio. Cuencamé Durango: Instituto Michoacano de Radiodifusión Universidad Autónoma España de Durango [disc. XHUNES?] None: La Radiodifusión Social Comunitaria de Durango (no, really, "Ninguno") Estado de México Suen~os de Vida Xalatlaquense, A.C. - Xalatlaco Comunicadores del Sur Mexiquense, A.C. - Amatepec [DENIED by IFT] Fundacio´n Educacional de Medios, A.C. - Atlacomulco Xtrema Capulhuac, A.C. - Capulhuac Acolhuacan Macehualtepenechicoliztli, A.C. - Texcoco Radial Humanamente Positiva, A.C. - Nezahualcóyotl Maja de la Jornada, A.C. - San Mateo Atenco Difucion [sic] Para la Cultura y Ayuda Social, A.C. - Tecamac Radio Comunitaria Tenancingo, A.C. - Tenancingo Wenceslao Monroy Arias - Tenango del Valle + Grupo Chinahuapan, A.C. - one or two different applications in Tenango del Valle and surrounding areas The Amatepec application was denied because the group managed to get on the board with XHPAMM-FM. Guanajuato Shoshones, Difusión Cultural de Valores - Salvatierra Yuririapundaro 104.7 A.C. - Yuriria-Salvatierra Radio Actitud San Felipe - San Felipe Tarandacuao: Heriberto Soto Tapia Enlace Taranda Tarandacuao Pueblo de Abundante Agua San Miguel de Allende (already ruled on, AM): Fundación Cultural para la Sociedad Mexicana Proyección Cultural Sanmiguelense Guerrero Instituto Michoacano de Radiodifusión - Acapulco Chilpancingo: Digital con Sentido Social 106.3 [community] Asociacio´n Ci´vica, Cultural y de Relaciones Humanas A.C. Jorge Erik Reyes Montes de Oca Altamiradio Comunicaciones, A.C. - Cd. Altamirano RCBC Comunicación - Metlatonoc RCBC Comunicación - Taxco de Alarcón RCBC Comunicación - Tepecoacuilco Asociacio´n Ci´vica, Cultural y de Relaciones Humanas A.C. - Tlapa de Comonfort Tecampana Radio La Voz del Pueblo - Teloloapan Comunidad Indígena de Xalitla, Guerrero - Xalitla Domi Bello de Tenorio - Zacazontla, Santa Rosa, Taxco El Viejo, Minas Viejas Hidalgo Radio Comunicacio´n Tzacualli, A.C. - Jacala de Ledezma Desarrollo Comunitario y Cultural Ma Nguhe, A.C. - San Ildefonso, Mpio. de Tepeji del Río de Ocampo [disc. XHDCC?] Ximai Comunicaciones - Santiago de Anaya-El Águila Proyecciones con Sentido Social - Tizayuca Raul Alfredo Pinzón Galvan - Zimapán If you want an interesting clue about one of the applicants, he has a station ID for XHJAQ-FM on his SoundCloud... Jalisco El Arenal: Frecuencias Sociales José Trinidad Chavira Vargas Radio de Ayuda, A.C. - Guadalajara Instituto Michoacano de Radiodifusio´n, A.C. - Ixtapa Vallarta Comunicacio´n y Cultura de Etzatla´n 07 A.C. - San Juanito de Escobedo, San Marcos Capilla de Guadalupe (already ruled on): José de Jesús Navarro Franco Fundacio´n Cultural para la Sociedad Mexicana Fundacio´n Educacional de Medios - Cópala Puerto Vallarta: Frecuencias Sociales [XHPVT] Carlos Martínez Macías Frecuencias Sociales - Tomatlán [XHTOJ], Tuxpan [XHTUJ] I'll start from Michoacán tomorrow. 25 applications are on file there. (Raymie Humbert, Phœnix AZ, March 29, WTFDA Forum via DXLD) continued: Michoacán Maravatío - La Tarasca de Maravatío Radio Juchari Iretarhu Anapu - Ziracuarétiro San José de Epitacio Huerta - Epitacio Huerta Radio Aguerrido - Álvaro Obregón Radio Comunicacio´n Pure´pecha - Cherán Voces Churumuquences - Churumuco Unio´n Ciudadana para el Desarrollo Educativo Medio Superior, Regio´n Coahuayana, Michoaca´n, A.C. - Coahuayana La Monarca de Contepec - Contepec Fundación Cultural para la Sociedad Mexicana - Zamora-Jacona + [XHJAC] Radio Comunicacio´n Pure´pecha - Los Reyes de Salgado Morelia: Fundacio´n Educacional de Medios Radio Comunicacio´n Pure´pecha Comunidad Acachuen Centro de Estudios de la Comunicacio´n y la Cultura Indi´gena - Paracho Radio Comunicacio´n Pure´pecha - Pátzcuaro Comunidad Ajuno - Pátzcuaro Comunicacio´n Para El Desarrollo Social de la Comunidad de Pedernales, A.C. - Pedernales-Tacámbaro Echais 88 A.C. - Purépero [believed TDT] Radio Comunicacio´n Pure´pecha - Purépero Mentes que Piensan Manos que Trabajan - Salvador Escalante Comunicadores de Tanci´taro - Tancítaro [XHTNC] Ziraño, A.C. - Tingambato La Voz del Canario - Tiquicheo Radio Comunicacio´n Pure´pecha - Zamora Comunidad Tarécuato - Zamora Morelos Cuernavaca: Frecuencias Sociales Instituto Michoacano de Radiodifusión Nuevo León San Nicolás de los Garza: Educacio´n y Cultura Ascendente S.C. (the private Universidad Alfonso Reyes) Instituto Michoacano de Radiodifusión Oaxaca Por el Oaxaca que todos queremos, A.C. - 22 unnamed municipalities Comunidad Indi´gena Mixteca en el Municipio de Santa Mari´a Yucuhiti [XHSIAA] Abel Santiago Miguel - Asunción Nochixtlán Abrazando a los Pueblos, Juxtlahuaca, A.C. - Santiago Juxtlahuaca Fundacio´n Radiodifusoras Capital Jalisco, A.C. - Oaxaca + [awarded March 14, 2017] Fundacio´n Radiodifusoras Capital Jalisco, A.C. - Huatulco Publicando Valores - Juchitán, Unión Hidalgo Juntos por Loma Bonita - Loma Bonita Soley Sin Barreras, A.C. - Miahuatlán Instituto Michoacano de Radiodifusión - Salina Cruz Comunicacio´n y Desarrollo Lani Nashi, A.C. - San Antonino Castillo Velasco, Ocotlán de Morelos and others Un Sonido de Esperanza, A.C. - San Felipe de la Peña, San Juan Bautista Tuxtepec Comunidad San Pedro Jicayan - San Pedro Jicayan Asociados Bara 7, A.C. - Santiago Juxtlahuaca Asociados Bara 7, A.C. - Santa Mari´a Yucunicoco etc. Centro Campesino de Asesori´a y Capacitacio´n Integral, Juntos en el Camino, A.C. - Santo Domingo Zanatepec Tlacolula de Matamoros: Fundacio´n Guish Bac, Abriendo los Cielos, A.C. Somos Uno Radio La Voz de la Comunidad, A.C. Puebla Puebla: Radio Lacustre, A.C. Red Global Cultural de Televisio´n, A.C. [believed to be "Expande TV" Christian broadcasting] Radio Lacustre, A.C. - Tehuacán (2 apps; radio + TV?) Radio Lacustre, A.C. - Teziutlán Radio Tosepan Limaxktum, A.C. - 58 communities in the northern mountains of Puebla Querétaro Radio de Ayuda A.C. - Pedro Escobedo Radio de Ayuda A.C. - San Juan del Río Radio KD - Cadereyta de Montes Quintana Roo Enlace Social Akumal - Akumal [XHAKUM] Identidad Cultural en Tulum - Tulum [XHICT] Chetumal (ruled on): Fundación Radiodifusoras Capital Jalisco Culturalmente Chetumal Playa del Carmen: Arte y Cultura por Solidaridad [XHACS] Yantra Informativo Fusión The losing bid by Yantra Informativo Fusión has an Acustik connection. I reported this in January, and note the mention of Yantra: Quote Originally Posted by Raymie View Post: There might also be an Acustik Chiapas in the not-too-distant future. Grupo Acustik's new corporate website also lists their operated and affiliated stations (cities only), and some cities stand the heck out: http://grupoacustik.com.mx/radio/ ... Chiapas: Playas de Catazajá, Tapachula and Comitán. Grupo Informativo Fusión Peninsular won stations at all three cities in IFT- 4. As this is the first ever radio service in Playas, it's probably them. Fusión Peninsular, whose name and investors suggest Quintana Roo origins (Chiapas is not on a peninsula), is owned by Javier Alexander González Slim, Jaime Eduardo Martínez González and Juan Leopoldo Ramos Hernández, according to information supplied by the IFT. González Slim runs the Fundación Yantra, a fairly all-purpose charity. Martínez González is listed as the president of a resort HOA in Cancún. There is no information on the third principal. Of Yantra's bid, this was said in the meeting: De acuerdo con el dictamen que provee la información, relacionada con su dimensión en GIE y los vínculos que pueden tener los asociados de esta asociación, se advierte que obtuvo una concesión en la Licitación IFT-4, para la localidad de Peto, Yucatán, esto obedece a una fecha aproximada de siete meses posteriores a la fecha en que desahogó el requerimiento de información. At Peto, two stations were awarded. Pantalla Líquida, the XHZCM people, won XHPETO-FM. Akustik Media, S.A.P.I. de C.V., won XHPYUC-FM. This confirms a link between Fusión and Acustik. San Luis Potosí Martín Palafox Mote - Río Verde Radio Metro Misio´n Potosina, A.C. - San Luis Potosí-Granjas de la Florida; San Luis Potosí La Granja-San Luis Potosí: Fundacio´n Cielos Abiertos, A.C. Cesia Jazziel Montes Pe´rez Radio Metro Misio´n Potosina, A.C. - Matehuala (2) Radio Metro Misio´n Potosina, A.C. - Río Verde María Dolores Alejo Montoya - Río Verde Radio Metro Misio´n Potosina, A.C. - Tamazunchale Radio de Ayuda, A.C. - Soledad Diez Gutiérrez-San Luis Potosí Asociacio´n de Colonos Huitzilopochtli - Villa de Ramos Sinaloa Fundacio´n Radiodifusoras Capital Jalisco, A.C. - Culiacán [XHCUL] Fundación Cultural para la Sociedad Mexicana - Guasave [XHAVE] Instituto Michoacano de Radiodifusio´n - Mazatlán Sonora Cananea Alternativa - Cananea Tohono O'tham - Caborca and Pitiquito Asociacio´n Radiofo´nica Fronteriza, A.C. - Ciudad Obregón Fundación Cultural para la Sociedad Mexicana - Ciudad Obregón [awarded March 14] Instituto Michoacano de Radiodifusión - Ciudad Obregón Francisco Elmer Santa Cruz Germa´n - Ciudad Obregón Centro de Estudios Te´cnicos Laguna del Rey, A.C. - Caborca Asociacio´n Cultural Fronteriza - Guaymas Tohono O'tham is likely an indigenous concession bid. In English, it'd be written O'odham. Tabasco Instituto Michoacano de Radiodifusio´n - Buena Vista 2a Sección [probably AM] Instituto Michoacano de Radiodifusio´n - Villahermosa-Cárdenas- Macuspana Kahal Sembradores del Futuro, A.C. - Villahermosa (Mpio. Centro) La Voz de Macultepec, A.C. - Macultepec y Ocuiltzapotlán Red Cultural de Comunicaciones, A.C. - Villahermosa [produces a Christian cable channel] Tamaulipas Tampico — Cruz Grande/La Isleta: Vi´ctor Jose´ Carretero Zardeneta [a Christian pastor] Elsa Mari´a Esther Cue´llar Armenta Instituto Michoacano de Radiodifusión Veracruz El Dulce Eco del Papaloapan - Cosamaloapan-Amatitlán Fundacio´n Radiodifusoras Capital Jalisco - Cosoleacaque- Minatitlán [awarded March 14] Instituto Michoacano de Radiodifusión - Xalapa Yucatán La Visio´n de Dios - Chichi Suárez-Mérida Radio Tonatiuh - Mérida Arte y Cultura por Solidaridad - Mérida Radio Tonatiuh - Valladolid Zacatecas Radio de Ayuda - Nochistlán de Mejía (Raymie, March 30, ibid.) It's not often that the Mexico Beat features articles in English, but this piece on the new XHMORE-FM "TJ/SD" format talks a bit about what exactly the station is. It even includes quotes from Mario Mayans of Grupo Cadena. Wow! https://www.sandiegoreader.com/news/2018/mar/27/ticker-cesar-gonzalez-bajas-new-radio-ambassador/ The idea of "borderless" radio is especially interesting, especially to those of us who are DXers (Raymie, March 30, ibid.) RAYMIE'S FIELD GUIDE TO THE 2018 MEXICAN ELECTIONS Nine governors, 628 federal legislators, and thousands of state legislators and mayors. Oh, and one president. At the stroke of midnight on Friday morning, Mexico's 2018 general election campaign got underway in earnest. That means from now until Election Day —*Sunday, July 1 —*Mexicans will be bombarded with a storm of electoral ads on radio and television, for the candidates, the parties, and the electoral authorities. It also means that you, as a DXer, will hear many, many election ads south of the border. Some of them will have ID use. You may not know this, but my thesis is also in politics. In fact, it's about concurrent state elections. Changes in Mexican electoral law forcing states to hold at least one election concurrent with the federal mean that this year, 30 of the 32 states will have local races. (Baja California and Nayarit will become concurrent in 2021. Nayarit just elected a new governor last year, and Baja California goes to the polls next year.) Electoral Stages The Mexican electoral process proceeds in four stages. In the precampaña, candidates ostensibly compete for their party's nomination (though it usually becomes a promotional waste). Candidates must keep fairly low profiles in the intercampaña stage. We're now at the actual campaign — now through June 27. There are also three INE-organized debates: -April 22, Palacio de Minería, Mexico City -May 20, Universidad Autónoma de Baja California Campus Tijuana [date may change to avoid conflict with Liga MX final] -June 12, Museo del Mundo Maya, Mérida Broadcast stations must carry at least two debates. http://www.jornada.unam.mx/ultimas/2018/02/21/solo-2-de-3-debates-presidenciales-deberan-ser-transmitidos-obligatoriamente-ine-2313.html On June 28, all electoral advertising for candidates ceases and so too does the campaign. The veda electoral (electoral ban) includes advertising just for the electoral agencies, which include the INE, its state equivalents, the FEPADE (electoral crimes prosecutor) and the TEPJF (electoral court). –– The Presidency Control of Los Pinos, the Mexican presidential house, is up for grabs this year, and you're going to hear a ton about the candidates. Their national advertising will not be useful for DX purposes. The nine national political parties are running three candidates: Andrés Manuel López Obrador (AMLO) - Morena, PT, PES (Encuentro Social) - "Juntos Haremos Historia" He's back, and he might just prove the third time's the charm given his lead in the polls. After leaving the PRD in the wake of the 2012 election, AMLO started his own political party, Morena, which is poised for success in the presidential race. It's joined by the Labor Party, which is supporting AMLO for the third election in a row, and Encuentro Social, about as Christian as Mexican parties get, which is in the race for the first time (it was formed before the 2015 midterms). Ricardo Anaya Cortés - PAN, PRD, MC (Movimiento Ciudadano) - "Por México al Frente" The traditional opposition is together in one odd coalition. The PRD, weakened by the loss of AMLO and many supporters, plays second-fiddle in the coalition, and it's joined by Movimiento Ciudadano, which backed AMLO's 2006 (as Convergencia) and 2012 campaigns. Anaya is definitely a panista — he headed the PAN prior to running for president. He's polling second. José Antonio Meade Kuribreña - PRI, PVEM (Partido Verde), Nueva Alianza - "Todos por México" Incumbency is a horrible burden to face with the popularity of Enrique Peña Nieto, and this party outsider has not been doing well as a result. Meade is a technocrat who served in Peña Nieto's cabinet, including as foreign secretary and finance secretary. This has been the least consistent coalition in terms of replicating itself at the state level, too — it also covers the fewest seats in the Chamber of Deputies (133 compared to 299 and 292 for the others). One of the effects of the reforms of 2014 was to allow for independent candidacies. Her signatures are still being reviewed, but she's the only one to clear the bar. Note that in all cases, independent candidates do not get as much ad time as party candidates. Margarita Zavala - Independent The wife of former president Felipe Calderón (2006-2012), Zavala left the PAN to mount her own candidacy. –– The Legislature The 500 seats in the Chamber of Deputies turn over this year, as they do every three years, and as in all presidential years, the entire 128-seat Senate is up for reelection. New in 2018 is that deputies and senators can be reelected — yes, reelection is happening in Mexico! In the Chamber of Deputies, 300 seats are elected out of districts, like US House districts. The other 200 are proportional representation seats elected from five regions of the country, for which voters vote for a political party (the parties have lists of candidates). The Senate proceeds differently. Each party or party coalition nominates two candidates. There are three seats per state, and the third seat goes to the coalition that finished second. There are also 32 proportional representation senators. –– The Mayor of Mexico City Of the 9 state gubernatorial (or equivalent) races, the most important nationally is the Mexico City mayoral race. You will hear about it in national news items. Alejandra Barrales - Por la CDMX al Frente The ex-PRD leader goes for the mayoral race in what has traditionally been a yellow bastion. Mikel Arriola Peñalosa - PRI The PRI's all alone this time. All alone. Mariana Boy Tamborrel - Partido Verde The PVEM hasn't run gubernatorial candidates of its own anywhere since 2009, but it has several this cycle. This is the first time since 1997 that the Partido Verde has its own candidate for Mexico City's top job. Claudia Sheinbaum - Juntos Haremos Historia Will the yellow-to-brown trend hold up in the nation's capital? Purificación Carpinteyro - Nueva Alianza She used to be a PRD federal deputy. Now, she's traded in the sun for turquoise. A video scandal is the Nueva Alianza standard-bearer's claim to fame. Marco Rascón - Partido Humanista de la Ciudad de México It's a local party candidacy you probably won't need to know about. Lorena Osornio - Independent Last edited by (Raymie; 04-01-2018 at 02:46 PM, ibid.) The Tribuna papers keep pieces of their articles behind paywalls, but what we have of one of them is surprising news. http://www.tribunadelabahia.com.mx/apertura-canal-tv-abierta-udeg-viene-reforzar-cadena-comunicacion/ While it's about Canal 44's entrance into Puerto Vallarta at year's end (there's still no concession), the director of the U de G broadcast system, Gabriel Torres, said that the TV facilities will likely be at an SPR site. This is the first news of any fourth/fifth-wave SPR transmitter activity. The SPR has a fifth-wave VHF station in Vallarta on channel 13. The two parties could share the costs of building television infrastructure in Vallarta. Installation of the Canal 44 TV facility will likely cost between 15 and 20 million pesos (Raymie, April 1, ibid.) The second round of the PABF is sometimes more instructive than the first. And so it is here. http://www.dof.gob.mx/nota_detalle.php?codigo=5517944&fecha=03/04/2018 Lots of new allotments, but also some noteworthy items. TDT Low-VHF is coming back. You heard me right. There are low-V digital assignments in Mexico! Commercial low-V assignments have been set aside for Mexico City, Irapuato-León, Atotonilco el Alto-La Barca-Zamora, Zitácuaro-Cd. Hidalgo, Uruapan, Tehuacán, San Juan del Río-Querétaro-Celaya, Jalapa and Veracruz Puerto. Social assignments in low-V include Toluca and Puebla, and Autlán de Navarro, Jalisco, and Moroleón in Guanajuato will have public low-Vs. The commercial auction process will begin in late 2018, so expect bidding in 2019 or so. FM Commercial: New station assignments across the country, including another B1 at Ciudad del Carmen, two B1s at Durango (up from 1), an A at Monclova, B1s in Chilpancingo and Puerto Vallarta, and an A for Culiacán. There are also two As for Hermosillo. There are also 55 social FM reservations and 17 public FMs. AM 29 commercial, and for no reason at all, 156 social AM allocations. The power levels reserved suggest that these are almost all recycled frequencies from former migrants. Recognizably, XEWA and XERF show up here. If these stations still have continuity obligations, this could be awkward (Raymie, April 3, ibid.) The Culiacán permit forest clear document is up, and it's interesting. You'll recall that the Universidad Autónoma de Durango won XHCUAD-FM 93.7 there over bids from Suma Radio, Fundación Ecoforestal, Valores y Tradiciones de mi Tierra, and Fundación Garza Limón. We knew the identities of the latter two. Suma Radio was tied to five commercial FM stations. Fundación Ecoforestal was associated with 35 FM, 6 AM, and 8 TV stations. This is an odd number and highly suggestive of a wolf for Multimedios Radio. A couple other documents: The municipal station at Tlatlaya, State of Mexico will be XHMTLA-FM 98.3. It is a class A with coords 18º37'04.5" -100º12'28.4". (Raymie, April 3, ibid.) Quote Originally Posted by Raymie ``You'll recall that the Universidad Autónoma de Durango won XHCUAD-FM 93.7 there over bids from Suma Radio, Fundación Ecoforestal, Valores y Tradiciones de mi Tierra, and Fundación Garza Limón. We knew the identities of the latter two.`` Just out of curiosity, why did UAD need a second signal on FM radio in Durango?? They already have 94.1 XHUAD. Is it possible XHCUAD-FM facility will be at a satellite facility of the university, away from the city? The XHUAD-FM tower can be seen at this Google Maps Street View link - https://goo.gl/maps/nt5suEpetxP2 For the record, I have put the XHCUAD-FM facility co-ordinates the same as XHUAD-FM in the WTFDA FM database, until you learn their tower is built somewhere else in the state. It they remain on campus, it makes sense they would co-locate on the XHUAD-FM tower. But two signals on the same tower at 93.7 and 94.1 doesn't make sense, at least to me (Jim Thomas, Springfield, MO, Ozark Mountain DTV dxing Daredevil, April 4, ibid.) This is in Culiacán. (Note the C in the callsign, like XHLUAD's L for Laguna.) Universidad Autónoma de Durango — a private university — has stations now in Hermosillo*, Los Mochis*, Culiacán*, Mazatlán, Durango, Gomez Palacio and Zacatecas*. (Asterisks denote the new stations which all come from clearing permit forests.) The new stations are Hermosillo: XHHMO-FM 103.5 Mochis: XHHIS-FM 97.3 Culiacán: XHCUAD-FM 93.7 Zacatecas: XHZTZ-FM 95.5 The Culiacán campus is on the west side of town. Note: This is a case where "Universidad Autónoma de" does not mean a public institution of higher education, which I imagine caused your confusion here. This is a private, multi-campus university with a regional presence. Consequently, all of its stations are social! The legal name of the university is Fomento Educativo y Cultural Francisco de Ibarra, A.C. The primary public university in Durango is the Universidad Juárez del Estado de Durango. The Universidad Autónoma de Guadalajara, which was Mexico's first private university, is another example of an institution with this sort of name; the Universidad Autónoma de La Laguna (XHUAL-FM Torreón) is also private (Raymie, April 4, ibid.) The capital of Enlace Social Akumal/XHAKUM-FM is associated with Administradora de Conjuntos Hoteleros. A Google search indicates that this company operates the Hotel Akumal Beach Resort. http://www.akumalbeachresorthotel.com/ Meanwhile, elsewhere on the Riviera Maya, a situation of a ghost station continues to rattle on endlessly between the courts and the IFT. It's the unbelievably lengthy saga of XHDGM-FM 98.9 in Playa del Carmen, Quintana Roo, a class I ghost station. A year ago, I wrote this: Within this list, there is also a station that needs to be called out separately, XHDGM Playa del Carmen. This station was the subject of a legal dispute that managed to continue into the IFT era. On June 7, 2000, the final day for which bidders could present themselves for any of the 39 stations, José Pérez Ramírez placed a bid for XHDGM and was turned down. He then filed in court, got an amparo for his case to be heard, but the case dragged on. In 2012, Cofetel, complying with the sentence that came down, denied his bid to build XHDGM as incomplete. Pérez Ramírez then filed to have that order annulled and won. The IFT then found that the 2006 modifications to the Federal Radio and Television Law (the LFRTV, predecessor to the LFTR in broadcasting) did not permit the IFT to interpret his case in light of then-current law, as since 2006 new commercial radio stations must be put out for auction (as happened in the canceled 2012 FM auction for southeastern Mexican stations). On March 7, the IFT, acting in accord with a court ruling that found in favor of Pérez Ramírez, said no again. http://www.ift.org.mx/sites/default/files/conocenos/pleno/sesiones/acuerdoliga/pift070318140.pdf This time, the grounds for denial were different. Apparently, in 2000, you had to demonstrate some sort of connection to the locality where you were going to provide that broadcast service. Quoting the original DOF publication, added emphasis: Para cumplir lo establecido en el artículo 19 de la Ley Federal de Radio y Televisión, la Secretaría estudiará cada solicitud que exista con relación a las frecuencias objeto de este Acuerdo y, calificando el interés social, resolverá a su juicio, de entre las que hayan cumplido con lo previsto en el presente Acuerdo, cuál de ellas debe seleccionarse para la continuación del trámite tendiente al otorgamiento de la concesión, y, entre otros criterios, considerará si el solicitante cuenta con arraigo en la región en que se operaría la frecuencia. Unfortunately, Pérez Ramírez could not demonstrate that. His birth certificate came out of Guanajuato. For most of the commissioners, this was enough to show he wasn't "rooted" to Playa del Carmen. María Elena Estavillo Flores argued that the direct assignment of a station in a market so lucrative would serve as a disincentive to investment, and worried about an amparo in the former legal avenue, suggested to look at the "social interest" aspect provided for in the document instead. ——— P.S. We actually have technical information on the originally proposed XHDGM. The ERP proposed was 12.546 kW from a stick at 20 36'58", - 87 04'53" and an antenna mounted at 20 meters [HAAT 18.3 m]. Reading the document, the IFT gets incredibly nitpicky on the technical side of the application with the proposed radiation pattern. The IFT also found, as you might have guessed just from seeing the ERP, that the station proposed would fail to meet the prescribed Class A for the allocation with a coverage curve of 27.353 km instead of 25 as the DOF publication prescribed (Raymie, April 4, ibid.) Monterrey's Move-Ins In 2008, XHMSN-FM, a sleepy station on 100.1 MHz in the town of Montemorelos, Nuevo León with the Ke Buena format, embarked on a radio adventure unusual in Mexico. What once was a grupera station — and the only commercial FM! — pumping out the hits for the capital of Nuevo León's citrus belt, which today has nearly 54,000 inhabitants, packed up its bags and moved to a site in Cadereyta on 96.5 FM. The Gámez family, which had started XHMSN and its sister station XERN "Radio Naranjera", decided it wanted a presence in one of Mexican radio's most lucrative markets. Ever since, Dominio Radio has broadcast primarily news and talk programming from a fine Class C facility. Until XHEMA-FM Fresnillo upgraded to 100 kW on 107.9 in September 2013, it was the newest Class C commercial station in the country. In 2017 and 2018, we've seen two more radio stations enter the Monterrey market by way of similar move-in operations. XHGBO in General Bravo had been the town's lone radio station ever since the state network lost half its permits. But Grupo Radio Alegría found a way to take the underutilized A (on a C allocation) and turn it into a blowtorch with a 10,000% coverage increase, serving approximately 60% of the Monterrey metro in its contour. In the process, XHGBO became a simulcast of XEBJB 570 "BJB Regional Mexicana". In July, the IFT approved an application from XHDD-FM 92.9 to replicate its AM service area by powering down its Montemorelos-area transmitter to serve as a shadow and firing up a 100 kW facility at La Peña in Guadalupe. One of the undercurrents was that XHDD was being shown as represented by Multimedios in the ad directories, such as MPM. Tonight, XHDD finally ditched its Delta format and advertising for the Citrus Belt...in favor of simulcasting Multimedios's last significant AM station, XERG-AM 690 "La Deportiva". This makes it the first domestic (read: not Tijuana) sports talk FM station in Mexico and gives MM its eighth FM station in Monterrey. (Yikes!) It's troubling to see that two of these three stations have only served to increase the dominant groups' control of Monterrey FM radio. Multimedios now has 8 FM stations there. GRA already had three and now is up to four. There needs to be more economic competition discussion about these sorts of changes (Raymie, April 4, ibid.) I missed this, but the 2018 PABF includes something incredibly tantalizing: a Class B1 at El Porvenir, Chihuahua. The last time a station was made available there...it became a Juárez market station. http://www.dof.gob.mx/nota_detalle.php?codigo=4886861&fecha=13/07/1998 It's been 20+ years since Juárez had a new FM of any variety. Este programa es público, ajeno a cualquier partido político. Queda prohibido el uso para fines distintos a los establecidos en el programa. [taglines] Read the Mexico Beat http://forums.wtfda.org/showthread.php?9113-OPMA-is-changing | Read my Field Guide to the 2018 elections http://forums.wtfda.org/showthread.php?9113-OPMA-is-changing&p=45713#post45713 | View my HD Radio in Mexico map https://tinyurl.com/hdmexico (Raymie, April 6, ibid.) ** MYANMAR. 5915even, Myanmar R from Naypyidaw. Burmese - but sound rather tribe Vernacular language. 8.2 kHz wideband signal. Nice audio. S=9+25dB at 1104 UT. [selected SDR options, span 12.5 kHz RBW 15.3 Hertz] (Wolfgang Büschel, On March 27 at 1030-1115 UT, checked on remote Uwe Volk's installation in Eastern Thailand on Cambodian border remote Perseus net server, wb df5sx, wwdxc BC-DX Topnews March 27, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) 5915even, Myanmar R from Naypyidaw. Burmese - but sound rather tribe Vernacular language. 8.2 kHz wideband signal. Nice audio. S=9+25dB at 1104 UT March 27. B U T on March 29 at 1137 UT measured 5914.986, Myanmar R from Naypyidaw, pop music played, 9 kHz wideband signal, S=9+20dB in eastern Thailand SDR. 7345.995, MRMS Thazin Radio from Pyin U Lwin relay site, not 6165 kHz, Burmese or Vernacular?, Aoki Nagoya list mention Kayah language, 1112 UT on March 29, S=9+20dB in Eastern Thailand remote SDR. Underneath CNR1 Mandarin from Beijing site on even 7345 kHz. 9730even, Myanmar Radio Yengu, TX signal down OFF at 1130 UT, and co- channel coarse rough transmission on 9729.896 TAIWAN, SOH veiled transmission station, Chinese talk on Mao Zedong. S=8-9 at 1135 UT on March 29. 5984.996, Myanmar Radio Yengu, TX signal at S=9+20dB level at 1136 UT [selected SDR options, span 12.5 kHz RBW 15.3 Hertz] (Wolfgang Büschel, checked on remote Uwe Volk's installation in Eastern Thailand on Cambodian border remote Perseus net server, wb df5sx, wwdxc BC-DX Topnews March 27, via DXLD) 9730even, MR Yangoon service in Burmese, S=9 at 0807 UT, but underneath also 9589.995, Thazin Radio, from Pyin U Lwin relay site in vernacular?, S=9+10dB at 0817 UT. 5914.987, Myanmar Radio, Nay Pyi Taw, new capital northern radio station, S=9 at 0845 UT on March 30 [selected SDR options, span 12.5 kHz RBW 15.3 Hertz] (Wolfgang Büchel, On March 30 at 0750-0845 UT checked on remote Uwe's SDR receiver installation in Eastern Thailand on Cambodian border remote Perseus net server, wb df5sx, wwdxc BC-DX Topnews March 30, Hard-Core-DX mailing list via DXLD) ** NEW ZEALAND. 5980.02, 1640-1649* 26.3, R New Zealand Int., Rangitaiki, English debate about women's rights, songs, 33443 QRM CRI in German on 5970 11725.04, 0640-0650 29.3, R New Zealand Int., Rangitaiki, English talk, song by choir, 35343. Best 73, (Anker Petersen, Denmark, on the AOR AR7030PLUS with 28 metres of longwire in cold Skovlunde, wbradio yg via DXLD) I should measure; had not paid much attention to NZ (gh) ** NEW ZEALAND [non]. Shortwave Special Broadcasts for New Zealand 7 to 9 April To mark the 70th anniversary Convention of the NZ Radio DX League being held this coming weekend, the following special transmissions have been scheduled: WRMI Radio Miami International from Okeechobee Florida USA will broadcast League member David Miller's 'Southern Rock Connection' at 0700-0800 UT on Sunday 8 April. Frequencies will be 7730 and 5850 kHz. Numbered QSLs will be issued for reception reports on the broadcast sent to Southern Rock Connection, PO Box 1212, Dunedin 9054, New Zealand. For QSL response please include US$2 to help pay for return postage. Marconi Radio International from Europe have scheduled two 3-hour long transmissions to celebrate the League's 70th Anniversary: Saturday 7 April from 1630 to 1930 UT on 7720 USB mode with 100 watts Monday 9 April from 1630 to 1930 UT on 6970 USB mode with 1000 watts Address for DX reports is marconiradiointernational (a)gmail (dot) com Several North American Hobby Broadcasters have advised they will transmit broadcasts to coincide with the DX Convention, and at a time that would provide possible reception in New Zealand. Already indicating their intentions to operate are Channel Z (which has been heard regularly in NZ in past years) and Radio Illuminati. Look for them in USB mode on frequencies between 6900 and 7000 kHz between 0500 and 0700 UT on Saturday 7 April or Sunday 8 April. Norwegian station Radio Northern Star will activate a 1 kW Rockwell Collins transmitter on 5895 kHz operating USB mode on Saturday 7 April at 1800-1900 UT specially for the Convention. Reception reports should go go to 1000 (a) northernstar (dot) no. Regards, (Bryan Clark, Mangawhai - NZ (Google Earth: 36 07'07"S, 174 36'10"E) For SW & MW DX: WinRadio G33DDC Excalibur Pro & AOR7030+ with EWE directional antennas to North, Central & South America For FM DX: Sony XDR-F1HD & SDRPlay RSP1 with 5 element horizontal yagi at 7m height NZ Radio DX League - Broadcast News Editor, Treasurer & Life Member World Radio TV Handbook - South Pacific Collaborator April 3, WOR iog via WORLD OF RADIO 1924, DXLD) WRMI Radio Miami International March 26 at 6:41pm "Southern Rock Connection" is the name of a special program which WRMI will broadcast at 0700-0800 UTC April 8, 2018 on 7730 and 5850 kHz. The program will be produced by David Miller in Dunedin, New Zealand and will include material for and about the New Zealand Radio DX League (NZRDXL), which is celebrating 70 years. David is a member of the club and has been since the 1980's. David has designed a special QSL card for reports on this program, and he requests that all reception reports be sent to Southern Rock Connection, P.O. Box 1212, Dunedin 9054, New Zealand. Please enclose 2 US dollars to help pay for postage. The special show will feature songs with the word "radio" in their title, as well as music from New Zealand (WRMI FB via DXLD) ** NIGERIA [non]. 11530, March 28 at *1928, WRMI IS & ``Top of Hour`` ID loop, 1930 Radio Herwa International sign-on in Hausa or Kanuri, but 1955 recheck World Music fill is playing for rest of hour. Suspect incomplete Herwa files are reaching the WRMI server. Will have to keep listening continuously past 1930 to divine when it dump out. Which is exactly what I do next day March 29 at 1930: 11530, Herwa s/on at S9+10 and I keep listening. Herwa IDs mentioned in passing every couple minutes. At 1935 there is a bit of CCI and SAH at fades, i.e. from Denge Welat for Kurdistanish Turkey. At 1936:34 abrupt cut to World Music, starting with Lecuona? --- this must be when the defective Herwa file runs out as it has been doing the past few days when I found Herwa programming gone long before 1959 (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Later: eliminated from sked ** NIGERIA [non]. 11830, 27/3 1733, Ndarason Radio Int., Issoudun, France, talks in Kanuri, to Nigeria, good 12050, 25/3 1737, Dandal Kura, Ascension, Talks in Kanuri to Nigeria, good (Giampiero Bernardini, Qualche ascolto in onde corte da Bocca di Magra, Italia, con il Perseus e il loop Wellbrook ALA1530LNPro, playdx blog via dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) Previously both of these did not start until 1800, and still in latest HFCC dated March 30, start at 1800. Mixup due to DST just vigent in Europe? Another report says ``Ndarason`` is still IDing as Dandal Kura too (gh, DXLD) 7220, FRANCE, R. Dandal Kura Int'l - TDF Issoudun. Kanuri service to Nigeria at 0515 UT with occasional IDs, health news, topical news and interviews. Several breaks in audio NF (ex 5950 kHz), a weak signal here but very strong on the Kiwi SDR in Kapeleto, Greece. At first I thought it was IDing as the recently reported Ndarason R. Int'l, but constant monitoring throughout the hour and in the s/off announcement, I was definitely hearing R. Dandal Kura Int'l. So, I'm now not sure what the situation is with the rebranding of this station. Mar 28 (Rob Wagner-Vic-AUS VK3BVW, via wwdxc BC-DX TopNews March 29 via DXLD) FRANÇA. 11830. Mar 31, 2018. 1802-1815, Radio Ndarason Internacional, Issoudun-F, em Kanuri. Voz feminina faz a locução; 1807 Uma breve musica e continua a fala - pronuncia várias vezes as palavras Nigeria e Boko Haram; 1811 ID; Locutor e locutora falam. Clandestina com sinal e modulação satisfatórios, 35433 (DXer: José Ronaldo Xavier, Receptor: Tecsun S-2000. Local da escuta: Cabedelo-PB, Brasil, WOR iog via DXLD) Greetings From Minnesota! I'm not sure what's Dandal Kura vs. Radio Ndarason Internationale, they are the same entity with a different name? It seems to be different programming, but it's not my language so I'm not sure. 5960, 0530 31 MAR - DANDAL KURA (NIGERIA) (Presumed or ‘Radio Ndarason Internationale?’ I’ve read many conflicting reports). SINPO = 35322. African language, Afro-pop music, male DJ. 0533z DJ takes a call from a listener. QSB=slow-to-moderate rate, modulation mostly just above the noise floor with occasional peaks well above it and occasional fades to mixing with it. sf68.7, a5, k3, geomag: unsettled. 250kW, BeamAz 65 , bearing 102 . Sangean ATS505 w/MFJ-1020C active antenna and MFJ-901B tuner used to preselect ~75 feet of rain gutter running north/south. Received in Plymouth, MN, United States, 9763KM from the transmitter at Ascension Island. Local time: 0030. 73s (--Rodney Johnson, http://swldx.tumblr.com WOR iog via DXLD) Radio Ndarason International via BaBcoCk on March 29-30: 0500-0600 5960 ASC 250 kW / 055 deg to WeAf co-ch R Kuwait on 5959.8 0600-0700 7415 ASC 250 kW / 055 deg to WeAf Kanuri, fair/good 0700-0800 13810 WOF 250 kW / 165 deg to WeAf Kanuri, very good 1800-2100 12050 ASC 250 kW / 065 deg to WeAf Kanuri, fair/good http://swldxbulgaria.blogspot.bg/2018/04/reception-of-radio-ndarason.html Radio Dandal Kura Int via MBR Issoudun, March 29-30 0500-0600 7220 ISS 100 kW / 167 deg to CeAf Kanuri, very good 0600-0700 11910 ISS 100 kW / 167 deg to CeAf Kanuri, very good 1800-2000 11830 ISS 100 kW / 167 deg to CeAf Kanuri, very good http://swldxbulgaria.blogspot.bg/2018/04/reception-of-radio-dandal-kura-int-via.html (Ivo Ivanov, SWLDXBulgaria News, March 28-April 1, WOR iog via DXLD) ** NORTH AMERICA. 4065usb, PIRATE airing the audio of Amanda Dawn Christie's Spectres of Shortwave film that was being screened at the same time in Calgary. Heard at 0155 UT March 29 with various Radio Canada International interval tunes and announcements of "This is Canada" to 0200 then Amanda explaining the upcoming film to be screened. Very good signal through the two hours // 6150 kHz that was heard just barely audible. 73 (Mick Delmage, Sherwood Park, Alberta, Rx Perseus SDR, Ant: Wellbrook ALA100, WOR iog via DXLD) ** NORTH AMERICA. 6960 kHz Wolverine Radio - United States of America Musics SINPO 34233 Day 31 Mar. 2018 in 2349 UT https://youtu.be/ZiqlnUcOqwE RX: Yaesu FRG 8800, Antena: Beverage simples (DXer: Daniel Wyllyans - Sítio Estrela do Araguaia - Nova Xavantina - Mato Grosso - Brasil, Hard-Core-DX mailing list via DXLD) ** NORTH AMERICA. 6905-USB, March 29 at 2339, unID, music with heavy beat, on and off; 2343 brief AM carrier and off. Peskies in Spanish are usually here but on LSB, and some heard a few hours later. Maybe this was a broadcastish pirate testing (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** NORTH AMERICA. UNIDENTIFIED pirate, 6905-AM, April 1 at 0050, very repetitive music loop, or is it SFX? Signal grows to S9+20/25. 0053 brief talkover in language? unseems English; no ToH ID or any further announcements until off abruptly at 0102*. (Meanwhile my streetlite has ignited at *0057 with an RF noise burst, prompted by cloudy sunset.) Numerous other logs of 6905, all unID: https://www.hfunderground.com/board/index.php/topic,41449.0.html and it came back on later: https://www.hfunderground.com/board/index.php/topic,41457.0.html I`m amazed at the musical knowledge of the HFU loggers; about all I would have recognized was Pinball Wizard, earlier (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Glenn, Those of use on HFU aren’t all that great in the music knowledge field, but the internet is great at it. Using an app on a smartphone called “Shazam” it records a number of seconds of the music, sends the data to the interwebs and then it returns the music selection name and artist, along with the lyrics that follow along with the current music and other information. It’s amazing how good it is even with noisy and fading signals. There are other apps and programs that do much the same on other platforms (Dan Karg, K0TI, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** OKLAHOMA [non]. The BSR Magazine Show from BroadSpectrumRadio.com is moving to a weekly format on WRMI, on Mondays at 0600 UT. Frequencies are: 7730 khz - Aimed at Australia, New Zealand and Oceania, the Western USA and Mexico 5850 khz - Aimed at the Northwestern USA, Canada and Eastern Russia The first half hour will feature music, news and commentary focusing on the 4 S's --- Solidarity, Socialism, Science and Spirituality And the second half hour is a special digital mode transmission, which can be decoded using special software (more detais in the link that follows), which will allow text and pictures to be sent over shortwave radio. QSL reports are always welcome. Please send them to me at broadspectrumradio@gmail.com. Thanks, James Branum P.S. We will not be doing weekly broadcasts elsewhere, but likely will do some occasional special broadcasts on WBCQ and Channel 292 as finances permit (James Matthew Branum, JMBranum.com - BroadSpectrumRadio.com April 2, WOR iog via DXLD) So, nothing for eastern U.S. or eastern Canada? (Richard Langley, NB, ibid.) Until I can raise some more funds, I'll only be doing special broadcasts (probably monthly) for Eastern North America. I really like WBCQ but their cost for airtime is too high for weekly (James Branum, ibid.) Is BSR really moving a UT hour earlier to 0600 instead of 0700? (gh) This show is actually aired at 0700 UT Mondays and although I have no idea where it is 'beamed', 5850 booms into lower Michigan -- so 'western North America' seems off. 7730 is weak here (at best). Life is short. Buy a better radio... (Ken Zichi, ibid.) Interesting; well, I will need to check with WRMI as I may have the wrong times, which is a problem. Thanks, Ken! (James Branum, ibid.) ** PALAU. 9965, April 1 at 1400, no signal from T8WH/KHBN/LeSea, tho supposedly scheduled until 1430 as heard last weekend March 24-25, with signal so strong it could have been WHRI, and also a mixture of both? (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** PALAU. 9975, (Japanese opposition) Nippon no Kaze / Il bon ue baram (presumed the one) at 1520. A relog from yesterday, but noted, today, very strong signal but almost no modulation. W in unknown language heard, but way way out in he brush. March 31. 73 and Good Listening....! (Rick Barton, Logs from Central Arizona. Hopefully useful information for someone can be picked out of here. Times/Dates in UTC. English used unless otherwise stated. Grundig Satellit, RS SW- 2000629, and HQ-180A with various outdoor wires. Use of portables noted where relevant for perspective on signal strength comments, WOR iog via DXLD) ** PALAU. A-18 changes of WHRI T8WH Angel 3, Angel 4 & T8WH Angel 5 Angel 3 1100-1200 9930 HBN 100 kW / 318 deg EaAs English Sat/Sun, ex 1000-1200 Angel 4 1200-1230 9930 HBN 100 kW / 270 deg SEAs English Sat/Sun, ex 1200-1300 1430-1600 9930 HBN 100 kW / 270 deg SEAs English Sat/Sun, deleted, but 1430-1600 9930 HBN 100 kW / 270 deg SEAs English was on air on Mar 25 Angel 5 1230-1315 9965 HBN 100 kW / 345 deg NEAs English Sun ex 1230-1430 Sa/Su http://swldxbulgaria.blogspot.bg/2018/04/summer-18-changes-of-whri-t8wh-angel-3.html (Ivo Ivanov, SWLDXBulgaria News, April 1, WOR iog via DXLD) WRTH says LeSEA has 4 x 100 kW transmitters upon Palau; but only three ``Angels``, and one of those can also apply to WHRI SC broadcasts. So Angels are not specific transmitters, but programming streams (gh) ** PAPUA NEW GUINEA. 3260, NBC Madang (Maus Blong Garamut), 1007, April 1. Repetitive, long religious song; 1013 start of an Easter Sunday religious service; perhaps from a church, as the audio was not very good (Ron Howard, Asilomar State Beach, CA, Etón E1, antenna: 100' long wire, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** PERU. 700. RED RADIO INTEGRIDAD. Abril 2. 0248-0303 UT. Música, luego ID y a las 0302 comienza el programa: “Llamada de medianoche”. SINFO: 44444 (Claudio Galaz, RX: Tecsun PL 660; ANT: Ferrita del receptor; QTH: Barraza Bajo, IV Región, Chile, condiglista yg via DXLD) = Midnight Call, from North America? (gh) 5980. R. CHASKI. Marzo 31. 2348-2359 UT. Solamente portadora. (Claudio Galaz, RX: Tecsun PL 660; ANT: Hilo de 30 metros; QTH: Barraza Bajo, IV Región, Chile, condiglista yg via DXLD) relays the 700 station (gh) 5980, March 28 at 2359, JBA carrier from R. Chaski, until cutoff at 0000:34* UT March 29; so it seems the end times are not slipping later, but only varying slightly (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** PHILIPPINES. 15355, March 28 at 2305, excited rapid talk in Tagalog? With crowd noise, sporting event? More likely a revival as this is the RCC`s Radio Veritas Asia scheduled this semihour with 250 kW ND in Filipino from Palauig (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Philippines: According to the HFCC information at http://www.hfcc.org Radio Veritas Asia has stopped using the Vatican broadcasting site at Santa Maria di Galeria. 0000-0027: 9645 (Palauig 250 kW, 280 ) Kachin 0100-0127: 15280 (250 kW, 300 ) Urdu 0130-0227: 15530 (250 kW, 280 ) Vietnamese 0130-0257: 15255 (250 kW, 280 ) Zomi-Chin 1000-1027: 11850 (250 kW, 280 ) Khmer 1000-1130: 11945 (250 kW, 0 ) Mandarin-Chinese 1130-1227: 15450 (250 kW, 280 ) Burmesisch 1200-1227: 11935 (250 kW, 280 ) Hmong 1200-1227: 11760 (250 kW, 280 ) Karen 1230-1257: 15225 (250 kW, 280 ) Kachin 1300-1357: 11850 (250 kW, 280 ) Vietnamese 1330-1457: 11870 (250 kW, 280 ) Zomi-Chin. 1400 Hindi. 1430 Telugu 1400-1427: 11880 (250 kW, 300 ) Bengali 1430-1457: 9610 (250 kW, 300 ) Urdu (ex SMG) 1500-1553: 11675 (250 kW, 300 ) Filipino (ex SMG) 2100-2230: 6115 (250 kW, 350 ) Mandarin-Chinese 2300-2327: 15355 (250 kW, 0 ) Filipino 2330-2357: 9670 (250 kW, 280 ) Vietnamese http://www.hfcc.org/data/schedbybrc.php?seas=B17&broadc=RVA http://www.hfcc.org/data/schedbybrc.php?seas=A18&broadc=RVA via Dr Hansjoerg Biener 29 March 2018 WORLD OF RADIO 1924, DX LISTENING DIGEST ** PHILIPPINES. 9380, April 1 at 1403, Jesus-sermon in English S4-S6 with alternate/consecutive translation into something. That would be Chinese from FEBC, 100 kW, 345 degrees from Bocaue, scheduled 1000- 1600. I first thought of AIR Aligarh, which is registered for Hindi at 0815-1200 & 1305-0040, 250 kW at 188 degrees. Are these two really time-sharing to avoid collisions? EiBi A-18 also shows them overlapping: ``9380 0830-1200 IND AIR Vividh Bharati HI SAs a 9380 1000-1600 PHL FEBC Manila M FE b 9380 1320-0043 IND AIR National Channel HI SAs a`` And essentially same info in NDXC/Aoki. VU2JOS site not reachable now. FEBC 9380 is ex-9430 in B-17, where there was no such conflict. Why did they move, and especially onto a well-established AIR frequency? However, I must say that I heard no sign of AIR QRM. One is aimed across India, the other into China from a much different angle (Glenn Hauser, OK, WORLD OF RADIO 1924, DX LISTENING DIGEST) vs INDIA. FEBC Radio vs AIR National Channel on 9380 kHz, March 27: 1000-1600 NF 9380*BOC 100 kW / 345 deg EaAs Chinese FEBC Radio, ex 9430 A-17 *1320-0040 on 9380 ALG 250 kW / 188 deg SoAs Hindi/English AIR National Channel http://swldxbulgaria.blogspot.bg/2018/03/febc-radio-vs-air-national-channel-on.html (Ivo Ivanov, SWLDXBulgaria News, March 27-28, WOR iog via DXLD) Very odd frequencies of FEBC Radio, March 28-29 1300-1330 on 11825.6 BOC 100 kW / 305 deg to CeAs Tibetan 1330-1400 on 9465.6 BOC 100 kW / 305 deg to CeAs Yunnan 1400-1430 on 11750.6 BOC 100 kW / 305 deg to SEAs Lahu http://swldxbulgaria.blogspot.bg/2018/04/very-odd-frequencies-of-febc-radio.html (Ivo Ivanov, SWLDXBulgaria News, March 28-April 1, WOR iog via WORLD OF RADIO 1924, DXLD) ** PHILIPPINES [and non]. Dear Glenn, Greetings from Al Ain, United Arab Emirates! I was monitoring reception on All India Radio General Overseas Service on the new A18 schedule frequency of 9910kHz (Bengaluru / Bangalore) at 1800-1830 from Al Ain, United Arab Emirates. On 27 March 2018 at 1800-1830 UT, I noticed that Philippine Broadcasting Service -Radio Philipinas and All India Radio External Service are broadcasting on the same frequency of 9910 kHz .Middle East (PBS manila)./ East Africa (AIR GOS). Both the AIR and PBS broadcasts are unusable here in the Middle East due to this interference. I have made a one-minute recording of the reception of the same and uploaded it on SoundCloud. https://soundcloud.com/write2a vinash/airgos-pbs-manila-9910k hz Regards (Avinash Premraj, WORLD OF RADIO 1924, DX LISTENING DIGEST) I also posted to the dx_india yg; no response (gh) Yes, can now confirm the "PBS, R. Pilipinas A-18 from IBB schedule in HFCC: via 250 kW Tinang 1 site:" had the language schedule reversed. The following is correct: 0200-0330 English 1730-1930 Filipino April 3, confirmed new frequency of 12010 (ex: 17700) and heard // 15640, but unable to catch 17820 (poor conditions?); in English, at 0320; tourist type programs ("It's More Fun in the Philippines"); 0328 exit announcement that still gave the "17700" frequency; choral National Anthem till 0330* (Ron Howard, California, WOR iog via DXLD) ** POLAND. Polskie Radio, 225 kHz: F/D QSL Card 10 days after F/UP. Total time: 33 months! V/S: Barbara Kiepas-Jelenska, manager w Dziale Serwisu Technicznego w firmie Polskie Radio S.A. A few weeks ago I found on the “QSL Chasers” Facebook Group that Claudio Tagliabue, a DXer from Italy, got a nice F/D QSL from Polskie Radio by sending his report by snail mail to: Polskie Radio S.A., Bjuro Technologii i Cyfryzacji, Al Niepodleglosci 77/85, 00 977 Warszawa, Poland. This was the first time I heard about the existence of “Bjuro Technologii i Cyfryzacji” (Technology and Digitization Department) so I started some research on the Internet with the aim of finding an E- mail address. My research was unsuccessful but I found the name of the head of “Bjuro Technologii i Cyfryzacji”: Mrs. Barbara Kiepas-Jelenska (She was given a promotion on 16th March 2018 see:) http://www.wirtualnemedia.pl/artykul/jozef-wacnik-dyrektorem-technicznympolskiego-radia-barbara-kiepas-jelenska-naczelnym-inzynierem The second step was to get in contact with her via Facebook and Linkedin, an online social network for business professionals. After a few days, she accepted my invitation to connect with me on Linkedin and I sent her my F/Up via this social network. Parallel to this, I tried to find her E-mail address by assembling many different combinations of her first name and surname with the most popular free Web-based e-mail domains like Gmail or Hotmail. To find, whether or not, my combination was right I used an online Email Checker which is a free tool for verifying an email address. Just enter the email address and hit check button. Then it tells you whether the email address is real or not. After dozens of attempts, I found one working. Honestly, I do not know if the e-mail address I found really belongs to the head of “Bjuro Technologii i Cyfryzacji” or some of her namesakes in Poland. All I can say is that after 8 days, surprise (!), I found a QSL inside my letterbox. Sorry but this time Email address is omitted as it is being used for private affairs (Antonello Napolitano, Taranto, ITALY, March DX Fanzine via DXLD) ** ROMANIA. 7375, RRI English, new for A-18 with Big Band music from the Radio Romania Big Band. Groovy stuff, man! Into a FULL schedule for their English SW services during A-18 at 0040, and listener reception reports starting at 0045 including an 80 year old listener in Indiana using a 1937 Crosley 'Fiver' radio. Cool set. I have one in my kitchen. ;) (Although it needs service) 'Through The Looking Glass' was next at 0047 about "The Making of United Romania 100 years ago" post WWI. Well done. s/off with sked and Waltz Ident tune, and a couple rounds of their IS to ToH and into French. 4454+4, local noise but not bad. // 9730 listed but not heard at all -- maybe later in the summer. 0030-0101 25/Mar SDRplay +SDRuno +ANC-4 +randomwire (Kenneth Vito Zichi, MI, ed., MARE Tipsheet 30 March via DXLD) ** RUSSIA. Moscow --- Since March 28, Radio Radonezh has stopped broadcasting at 612 kHz. It's strange, they close the Moscow frequency, but how about 20 million listeners who live in the Moscow region as well. After all, coverage of VHF broadcasting is not very large. http://www.radioscanner.ru/forum/topic30247-324.html (via Rus-DX 25 March via DXLD) I would never argue with the native speakers in the region, but it seems that this item needs some explanation/further inquiry. According to http://radonezh.ru/news/radio-radonezh-prekraschaet-veschanie-v-moskve-na-srednikh-volnakh-125631.html the station would have closed on this frequency years ago. What about Narodnoye Radio, another orthodox station? According to WRTH 2018, they shared the frequency. So: Is Narodnoye Radio also off the air? (Dr Hansjoerg Biener 2 April 2018) DXLD Not so. http://vcfm.ru/vc/Cities/moskva.htm shows only Narodnoye Radio gone. And indeed: Shortly after 1500 UT the transmitter was off. But it was on at 1558 re-check, already with Radio Radonezh program audio, in this moment wrapping up Programma Blagoveshcheniye, listed separately on the vcfm.ru page but in fact being part of the Radio Radonezh program schedule. Formerly the transmitter would have switched at 1600 from Narodnoye Radio to Radio Radonezh. Seems that the latter remains now always plugged in and just the carrier will be keyed on shortly before 1600. So it indeed appears that Narodnoye Radio has terminated its use of 612 kHz, although they still show it at http://narodinfo.ru/castoti.php Ha: Narodnoye Radio is gone from 612 kHz already since September due to lack of money, begging for donations: https://vk.com/wall-143403722_122 (Kai Ludwig, WOR iog via DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** RUSSIA. R. Sakha (presumed), 7295 kHz, 1048–1103. Continuous music until TOH, then time beeps and male announcer in Russian. Poor to fair. Chinese station even weaker in the background, but could pick out their distinctive time beeps at TOH. Yakutsk was in full darkness at that hour, while Urumqi looks to have about another hour-plus of sunlight (Art Delibert, N. Bethesda, MD; April 1, HCDX via DXLD) Radio Sakha, 7295 kHz --- I’ll change this to a definite logging. Heard an ID today for “Radio Sakha” by male a few seconds after the 1100 time beeps. Signal is better today than it was on Sunday. This station seems to make an appearance whenever there are national elections in Russia. Perhaps the politicos want the ethnic groups in the Far East to feel as though they’re getting good services? (Art Delibert, N. Bethesda, MD; April 3, JRC NRD-93 receiver, Pennant antenna with DX Engineering preamp, Hard-Core-DX mailing list via DXLD) ** RWANDA [non]. 15420, March 31 at 1759, open carrier stops my memory scan on the BSR-1 caradio, 1800 African music, 1804 starts talking in presumed Kinyarwanda, mentions shortwave, but no ID heard. This is R. Itahuka, weekly hour via MADAGASCAR, which some reports still claim is in Kirundi, related language of the neighboring ex-Belgian colony. Not that I can tell the difference, but the default assumption should be Kinyarwanda, u.o.s. Recheck finds it cutting off at 1900:08* (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** SAINT HELENA. A VISIT TO ST. HELENA --- JOHN EKWALL In connection with Christmas celebrations on St Helena in 1997, I promised to Tony Leo, for example, that I would make a third visit to the island of the South Atlantic. That it would be 21 years before I could enter was mainly due to two things - not to go with Royal Mail Ship St. Helena without flying there. The first reason is perhaps easy to understand - for at least 10 days on a boat and a high children's note - had known more than 60 GTs on my conscience for 21 days at sea. Then it was not just the trip to St Helena but also to Tristan da Cunha 97-98 which increased the number of drinks to friends and acquaintances on the trip. The second reason was the flight. Already in 2003 plans were made to build an airport but it took extra long time due to the 2009 financial crisis before the building could be started. The airport encountered a lot of obstacles along the way and the main reason was wind conditions - backwinds. The airport was ready in April 2016 but the intended type of plane - a Boeing 737 had major landing difficulties. It took just over a year to find the right aircraft that managed the backwinds - it became an Embraer 190. The crux of this plan was that it only took about 80 passengers, so a large tourist capacity disappeared. Well, in mid-October 2017, the first regular flight could be received on St Helena. Now did my monitoring phase take place - which flight was from Scandinavia and back from Johannesburg? It was a puzzle that had to be added over the coming weeks. When the flight between Jo'burg and St Helena had been ordered, it did not take much time to put the jigsaw puzzle. However, an overnight stay was required in Jo'burg Friday- Saturday when the flight departed at 0900. At 0915 Thursday 1 March, I sat on the train and arrived at Kastrup just before 12. Then it became an unnecessary long wait until 1930 due to weather problems in Amsterdam and Paris earlier in the day. However, I had calculated with delays, so I had almost 3 hours in Paris before the Airbus A380 would lift at midnight. That's why I missed a planned restaurant visit. Well up above Paris it did not take long before food was served with wine or champagne. I have always had a hard time sleeping on night flights, so even this time. Once arrived in Jo'burg at the 11- junction, it arrived at the hotel near the OR Tambo airport. Checked in but then took me to the bar for a beer - a Windhoek Warehouse. This beer had JT (Jan Tunér) and I discovered already a good beer in 1997 - so even this time even if you lowered your alcohol strength by 0.3%. Then the shower and a little nap - were really tired after more than 30 hours of awakening. Then took me to the pool bar with a GT. Not so many there - there sat someone and flared a cigar next to me. A day after a piece of meat in the hotel restaurant. Ordered a medium-weird rumpsteak - it came in after just over 25 minutes BUT it was well done. Just managed to eat a little bit of it and disappointed I took my glass with red and went to the pool bar. The man with cigar was still standing and we came in conversation. I mentioned my disappointment to him. The conversation that was then taken was probably the strangest thing I've been to. The man talked that he was from Gambia and was on transit. I told him I was in Gambia in 1983 and met a lot of people whose name I mentioned. He just nodded and said - I've met them all and especially those who worked at Radio Syd! He knew when the Cheetah II dropped in Banjul's port - had met both Kalle and Connie on Radio Syd. I told him that the Gambia visit took me to St. Helena a number of years later. Saturday morning was early, so early that I had to leave breakfast to check in on the flight to St Helena. Upon check-out from the hotel I was pleasantly surprised - the hotel compensated me 100% for dinner the night before. After a little dump at the airport when we refueled, we went to Windhoek where more fuel was added. Only after 3.5 hours, we could land at the new airport. I had brought my R St. Helena cap and, in my joy, I could see 2 wings for me-that was Derek Richards and Tony Leo who met. It was quite hot at the airport, at least 30 degrees, so it got a little sweaty. Derek picked up a couple of South Africa who were going to a hotel in Jamestown, so little sightseeing down the street. The sea was right upset with big waves that rinsed so hard for those who lived in their yachts to land. Then it was time to get to Derek. He runs a small B & B in his house a bit from Jamestown overlooking the Atlantic Ocean. A good location for driving amateur radio as he has put on the shelf. Call sign ZD7CTO. Only one mast is left, at the other mast, his beam has settled. Time for a traditional GT for me - one is in English field - while Derek prepared the BBQ of the evening with many of my friends from the last century. With very good food and in happy friends' company it became a long evening - came to bed at midnight. Remember that it's 2 hours difference between Jo'burg and St. Helena, so nearly 20 hours on the go. It was a nice night and because I had no plans for the Sunday we went quietly. Some sandwiches for lunch and a couple of Windhoek Warehouses - Africa`s number one selling beer. In the evening after football match on TV - Derek is devoted to the Arsenal fan - it became a good pizza. During the coming days, there was a visit to Jamestown, mostly to meet old friends. At 11:00, Standard Bar opened its door and I was told that there would be 100% probability to meet Mike Olsson. He had pre ordered through me - snus - Kalles Kaviar and Snaps (Hallands Fläder) and had got it delivered on Saturday. Very right-in the door stood Mike with his snus can and put in a prick. What is Mike Olsson wondering about? Well, JT and I came into contact with Mikael at the end of 1996, when he broke up from his roots in Gothenburg, wife and children left to seek their happiness on St. Helena. Then he had some wild ideas for himself and St. Helena. But nothing really succeeded. At our visit in 1997 we had a hot-dip BBQ where Mike (as he now calls himself) stood at the grill. Pictures from this party can be found on sthelena.se. The following year he succeeded in joining the newly formed Media Board. Mike became famous with the people, but perhaps became a little ill-favored by "The Government" for his free speech. In 2005, the FM station was launched Saint FM and then the independent newspaper The Independent. The radio station became very popular as well as the newspaper. Some years later, the "government" response - the FM station SAMS and the Sentinel newspaper were launched. Both stations Saint FM and SAMS took more or less cabbage on Radio St Helena and its 1548 kHz mid range transmitter. After many trips between 2001 and 2012, the decision was made to shut down the station. Tony Leo, who was in the beginning, had been maneuvered already in 2001 and could not do anything. When Saint FM was licensed to broadcast, Tony was in Canada on education. When the radio is talking, Tony is quite bitter about how it ended for Radio St Helena. To top it all - after the government's actions - Tony has a very modest retirement after more than 40 years of service - 450 pounds a month. If it's not beer, it will be a lot of nostalgia now. I had decided to find out what happened after Radio St Helena stopped sending after December 25, 2012. After many conversations, days and visits, Derek and I were dropped into the abandoned station building. Here, you had really cleaned up, there was just a piece of paper, CD from the BBC with Xmas Carols, a cracked single with Dennis Waterman and his band, instruction manuals, etc. The building had been left windy and began to grow again outside, The large satellite dish was hidden from trees. The tower was still there. One could ignore the foundation of the antenna mast for the broadcasts carried out by Robert Kipp from 2006. Photos on Roberts radio project can be found on sthelena.se. Then asked the question - where did all the things go? One reputation reached me that you might have to visit the museum and find some answers. Jomenvisst - that's the way. Inside the store I managed to find the big sign that was on the station building. In the meantime, there were several shelves with all the recordings on the cassette - local news, but also interviews. Some of the logbooks were also there. The transmission equipment, cassette deck and anything else belonging to a radio studio had been sold. The nice wall at the front desk with all postcards from all over the world - where did they go? The same applies to all correspondence - had they just been thrown? Still some question marks remain. Already in the early 2000s in conjunction with the formation of the Media Board, many letters had "disappeared" along with countless dollar bills and unanswered reports. When I look online and search for Radio St Helena, I get on this page http://www.schoechi.de/af-shn.html and there are some interesting things to read about delayed QSL. Since Radio St Helena is now part of the story and part of me, I now make more or less unannounced visits to both FM stations. Both SAMS and Saint FM have about the same format - morning show and an afternoon show. However, most music is played, but some interviews are also made. My visit to SAMS resulted in just asking me some questions and receiving some short answers. That I came from Sweden showed no interest nor did they know about R St. Helena. Very young and inexperienced staff - most of them probably only worked 1-2 years at the station. Thanks to Mike, it became an interview on Saint FM but not by Mike himself. Was enough I spoke 90% of the time. Ficksedan heard that there were the right people who had heard the live interview. Cause - as good as all places in the city that have radio just listening to Saint FM - SAMS is not popular at all. A week goes fast when you meet your friends. The only excursion I made an afternoon was to visit the new harbor (which does not work) in Ruperts Bay, visit the Millenium Forest to reel the trees that JT and I donated money to, visit the Meteorological Station in Bottom Woods, look at the remaining donkeys then drive into the fog imaginatively. I had already visited almost all places before in 1992 and 1997 but maybe there are some things to discover if there is a 4th visit, now that you can fly to the island. As a conclusion, some more general information. The price is high on the island, since almost everything has to be imported from the UK and South Africa. A simple sandwich and beer runs at 5 pounds, you hardly get any dish under 10 pounds - not the easiest pasta. At the pub a beer costs 1.70, most popular is Castle Light and Windhoek, both as Lager and Draught. Since I spent quite a few hours at the pub, I discovered something new - the island has its own distillery. Have been making some strong drinks, such as Jamestown Gin and White Lion Rhum. Both in special bottles designed like Jacobs Ladder - i.e. staircase-shaped. The holder of the pub, as well as the wife of the distiller, has been named on a wine bottle "Sally's Pinotage". Of course, I had these brands to Sweden. Another expensive exclusivity is St Helena Coffee. I bought a package of whole beans 125gr and got 10 pounds. Do not think it tastes better than the coffee bought 20 years ago and even then was expensive. Before the trip to St Helena, I was contacted by Robert Kipp in Germany wondering if I could pick up the transceiver used for St. Helena Day 2006-2008. Sure, I could but I needed to know the size of the box and if it was held in my luggage. Just before the departure of March 1, Robert announced that the transceiver would be sold on the island. What happened then - on Thursday the 8th, Bruce Salt ZD7VC arrives at Derek and leaves the transceiver in his box. Suddenly I stood there with a suitcase and hand luggage. Was getting a new bag to pick me up with the device to Europe. Of course, it became a couple of kilos of overweight and an additional cost. On Saturday night before departure, grilled lamb was cooked on the Blue Lantern, which is close to the newly built hotel. The entrance to the restaurant is on the back and I saw something new - lighting has been set up along the 699 steps on Jacob's Ladder. The Friday day was in and we took a small trip and passed St Andrews School. On their grand level, a cricket match was played whose rules I have not learned. Then left it for check in at the airport and farewell by my friends Derek and Tony. Fin then fly to Jo'burg without interference in Windhoek. Landed 2100 local time and then a hamburger and Windhoek Draught. The KLM plane departed from Amsterdam at midnight. Change to Copenhagen, then take the train home. Stay home at 2100 and get rid of all these hours in airplane armchairs. Some useful information now: The price is relatively high in terms of accommodation - an ordinary house of about 80 sqm costs 80-100 thousand pounds in the market. Accommodation at hotels or B & B costs from 60 pounds room. If you want to stay at the modern South African hotel Mantis, the lowest price is £ 165, but you'll get air conditioning in the room - it's necessary in the hot Jamestown. What's the cost of the trip here? There is no ticket flight between Jo'burg and St Helena - counting just over 9000 kr. Flying down to Jo'burg from Scandinavia is about half as much. Discovered that there is now a group trip to St Helena in the beginning of November - it goes on 60 sheets and on the trip is Ola Skinnarmo as a guide. https://www.expeditionsresor.se/resmal/st-helena/st-helena/ http://sainthelenaisland.info/radiosthelena.htm http://sams.sh/ http://www.saint.fm/ (via SW Bulletin, google translated from Swedish, insufficiently improved by gh; original pdf illustrated, via DXLD) ** SARAWAK [non]. 11665, Sarawak FM (via RTM-Kajang) 1630-1721+ 22 March. Nice to hear Sarawak FM on late today // 9835 (11665 switches from Wai FM to Sarawak FM at 1600 & then only stays on for a few minutes) (Dan Sheedy, Encinitas, CA PL380/6m X wire, via Bob Wilkner, NASWA yg via DXLD) See also MALAYSIA ** SAUDI ARABIA. Radio Al Azm, 11745; 0600-0608; sign on at 0600; Male in Arabic; patriotic program aimed at Coalition ground forces fighting the Houthis in the South. SINPO 44444. LOGS of Ed Sylvester, Giritale, Sri Lanka, Sangean ATS-909X, Antenna: Wire on Reel at Window, 29 Mar 2018. No BCB stations noted. All local radio is on FM only. Compromise antenna did not help situation. Casual listening only. On vacation! 73, (Ed, WOR iog via DXLD) ** SCOTLAND. Sunday Post article about Radio Scotland --- Hi All, Just saw this article in the Sunday Post by Tony Currie, might be of interest to some of you: What, no mention of Radio Six, you missed a chance there, Tony! :-D (Alan Gale, March 31, WOR iog via DXLD) ** SLOVAKIA [non]. 7780 << // 5850, March 28 at 0005, RSI in Slovak via WRMI, as scheduled this hour on ``11580`` and 5850, to be followed by English 0030 (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) 9455, Sunday April 1 at 1404, R. Eslovaquia Internacional still in daily secret Spanish broadcast via WRMI. I had asked, why would they want a third morning broadcast? Answer probably: for the PDT zone, where it`s 7 am, while the others are really too early out there, if they are even propagating. I say secret because this doesn`t show on the WRMI skeds; I haven`t yet caught a schedule announcement, if any, so I seek the RSI Spanish page. It`s hard to find if you go to default English first, but finally: http://esrsi.rtvs.sk/como-escucharnos is quite outdated, with info as of 2015 and no mention of this broadcast, wrong times for some others. What do they know in Bratislava`s inverted pyramid? (Guillermo Glenn Hauser, Oclajoma, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** SOUTH AFRICA. Reception in Europe --- Prof. Dr. Hansjoerg Biener - Neulichtenhofstr. 7 - DE-90461 Nuernberg Dear Sirs, as a sign of appreciation for your service, I would like to inform you about today's reception of Channel Africa in the Netherlands at http://websdr.ewi.utwente.nl:8901/ As your station does not verify by QSL any more, I leave out the programme details: 2 April 2018 1500-1600: 11880 (ex 17770) (250 kW, 19 ) für Zentral-/Ost-Afrika: Kiswahili 35333 1600-1700: 15235 (250 kW, 328 ) für West-Afrika: Französisch 35433 1700-1800: 11745 (ex 15235) (250 kW, 328 ) für West-Afrika: Englisch 42532 I would like to point out however, that the frequency announcement at the beginning of the English programme was wrong. The announcer still mentioned 15235 kHz. You will also want to know that your new frequency is already occupied by Saudi al-Azm-Radio. I guess that this co-channel interference could spoil reception in many African places and not only in Europe. You might need to consider a frequency change for the English broadcast. Kind regards, (Hansjoerg Biener to Channel Africa, cc to DX LISTENING DIGEST) Fair/good signal of SARL Amateur Radio Today on B17 frequency, April 1 0800-0900 on 17760 MEY 250 kW / 019 deg to EaAf English Sun, instead of A18 17660 kHz http://swldxbulgaria.blogspot.bg/2018/04/fairgood-signal-of-sarl-amateur-radio.html (Ivo Ivanov, SWLDXBulgaria News, March 28-April 1, WOR iog via DXLD) ** SOUTH CAROLINA [non]. 9330.33, 2045-2101+, 3/27; B.S. ragging on megachurches, pernicious megapastors, the deceitful U.S. & Masons; 2055 sudden segué re Noah’s time, Sodom & Gomorrah, Babylon & the Pope trying to take over the internet (I have no doubt this is all related); 2057+ B.S. cutoff by the B.S. chorus to B.S. with contact info; he even suggested using the internet, despite the Pope trying to take it over. 2059+ WBCQ spot, into more B.S. S9 (Harold Frodge, MI, MARE Tipsheet 30 March via DXLD) ** SPAIN. 15390, 1515 17 MAR - RADIO EXTERIOR ESPAÑA. SINPO = 35322. Spanish, 2 male announcers conversing. QSB=slow-to-moderate rate, poor modulation (with raspy 4k tone mixed) mostly just above the noise floor with occasional fades to mixing with or below it. sf68.4, a20, k3, geomag: unsettled. 200kW, BeamAz 110 , bearing 59 . Sangean ATS505 w/MFJ-1020C active antenna and MFJ-901B tuner used to preselect ~75 feet of rain gutter running north/south. Received in Plymouth, MN, United States, 7066KM from the transmitter at Noblejas. Local time: 1015. 73s (--Rodney Johnson, MN, WOR iog via DX LISTENING DIGEST) SPAIN REE Noblejas shortwave observed March 28 in 20 to 21 UT range - here in southern Germany as follows: 15390 kHz poor and tiny S=6 at 2025 UT, disturbed audio as always in the past months. 15520 kHz well heard transmission quality on S=8-9 level at 2010 UT. 17715 kHz Best signal level here in central Europe and western England remote SDR installation also. S=9+10dB and noted Time Pips signal on exact 2030 UT underneath talk interview of two men. 11.4 kHz wideband signal visible on screen. 17855 kHz Fair S=7-8 signal, talk interview at 2020 UT [selected SDR options, span 12.5 kHz RBW 15.3 Hertz] (Wolfgang Büschel, df5sx, wwdxc BC-DX TopNews March 28, dxldyg via DXLD) Reception of Radio Exterior de España, only on 15520, Mar 31: 1400-1800 15520 NOB 200 kW / 110 deg N/ME Spanish Sat/Sun, very good 1400-1800 17715 NOB 200 kW / 230 deg SoAm Spanish Sat/Sun, no signal 1400-1800 17855 NOB 200 kW / 290 deg ENAm Spanish Sat/Sun, no signal 1400-1800 21620 NOB 200 kW / 161 deg WCAf Spanish Sat/Sun, no signal http://swldxbulgaria.blogspot.bg/2018/04/reception-of-radio-exterior-de-espana.html (Ivo Ivanov, SWLDXBulgaria News, March 28-April 1, WOR iog via DXLD) All the others off or merely above MUF for this circuit? (gh, DXLD) 15520, Sunday April 1 at 1356, REE earworm IS, VG S9+10, by chance escaping the reactivated RHC spurfield above and below it; this frequency was missing yesterday. This early, 15520 is better than 17855 for North America; and no signal on 15390, the defective transmitter which on the weekend extensions is supposedly on 21620 before 1800, totally inaudible here. Neither HFCC nor Aoki/NDXC present accurate A-18 scheduling for NOBlejas. EiBi skeds for A-18 are now available as of March 28: http://eibispace.de/dx/freq-a18.txt or by time: http://eibispace.de/dx/bc-a18.txt which is succinctly correct, but one or even two sometimes absent: ``1400 1800 SaSu E Radio Exterior España S ME 15520n NAm 17855n SAm 17715n WAf 21620n 1800 2200 E Radio Exterior España S ME 15520n NAm 17855n SAm 17715n WAf 15390n`` (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) [and non]. 17855, March 29 at 2012, REE with discussion of energy and the sea, no doubt `Españoles en la Mar` show. This time it`s the SSOB by far at S9+30, while 17775 KVOH and 17640 MWV are JBA carriers; by 2035, REE is still S9+30 while KVOH has come up to only S9, and 17640 is almost gone when it`s almost Midnight in Mahajanga --- so much for its trans-equatorial advantage. 17715, the other REE frequency, not toward North America, is also in at S9+10, with slight distortion, but the major distortion transmitter is still on 15390, S8 (and 15520 is unheard, must be off) (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** SRI LANKA. 11905, April 1 at *0114:48 carrier on from SLBC, but no prélude or mis-timesignal audible before some talk from 0115:11; maybe there but just too weak (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** SUDAN [non]. I am yet to find the special US-service Afia Darfur on its HFCC frequencies: 0300-0330: 5925 (SMG 250 kW, 146 ) 0300-0330: 9470 (BOT 100 kW, 10 ) 0300-0330: 9590 (KWT 250 kW, 205 ) 1800-1830: 9590 (WOF 300 kW, 140 ) 1800-1830: 11615 (WOF 250 kW, 126 ) 1800-1830: 15620 (SMG 250 kW, 146 ) 1900-1930: 9470 (SAO 100 kW, 52 ) 1900-1930: 9590 (SMG 250 kW, 146 ) 1900-1930: 11615 (SAO 100 kW, 76 ) The US Broadcasting Board of Governors announced in its budget proposal that it would drop the service because there was not a measurable audience. It seems they dropped it with the beginning of the summer season (Dr Hansjoerg Biener, 2 April 2018, WORLD OF RADIO 1924, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** SUDAN [non] & SUDAN SOUTH [non]. Before R. Tamazuj signs on, and after R. Dabanga signs off, there is a very weak carrier on 15550 kHz noted using the U. Twente SDR receiver. No audio heard. AMSync frequency is 15549.999 kHz. From where? Similarly, there is a very weak carrier on 15150 kHz, noted after R. Dabanga sign-off. Also no audio heard. AMSync frequency: 15149.998 kHz (-- Richard Langley, 1653 UT March 28, WOR iog via DX LISTENING DIGEST) While today, Thursday, the weak carrier with no audio was present on 15150 kHz (15149.998 kHz reported by U. Twente SDR receiver AMSync mode) until 1757 UT s/off, there was no visible carrier on 15550 kHz either before or after the Tamazuj/Dabanga transmissions (-- Richard Langley, March 29, ibid.) March 30: both on air on 15150 and 15550 kHz. Two tx on air: 15150.003 much stronger til 1528:16 UT SMG powerhouse 15150even less strong from 1528:56 UT MDG 15550even after 1530 UT SMG. Others: 15150even MDG R Dabanga FPU Netherlands Babcock FMO organized via MGLOB Talata Volonondry outlet 73 wb df5sx (Wolfgang Büschel, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** SUDAN SOUTH [non]. Eye Radio is missing from https://www.airtime.org/shortwave/schedule.php and it seems it is missing on short wave too. I am yet to find the station on its former scheduled frequencies: October 2017 0400-0500: 11730 1600-1900: 17730 November 2017 0400-0500: 7250 1600-1900: 15250 During monitoring projects, it was easier for me to catch the evening service. http://www.eyeradio.org/eye-radio-shortwave-services/ still mentions a short wave service, but the schedule is outdated. If you use the search engine http://www.eyeradio.org/?s=short+wave you will find, that the item was published on May 9th, 2017 (Dr Hansjoerg Biener, 2 April 2018, WORLD OF RADIO 1924, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** SUDAN SOUTH [non]. South Sudan in Focus --- South Sudan (from different transmitting locations): VoA South Sudan in Focus https://www.voanews.com/z/1465 not only provides information on South Sudan in English, but also on the region. However, the frequency information at https://www.voanews.com/z/1465/about is outdated. In fact, the program, which provides important insights into the (sometimes terrible) fate of the region, is broadcast according to the following schedule: 1630-1700: 11910 (MEY 100 kW, 0 ) 13750 (DHA 250 kW, 255 ) 15180 (LAM 250 kW, 132 ) Mo-Fr South Sudan in Focus is no longer broadcast via Santa Maria di Galeria. In an audibility project, the frequencies from Germany (Lampertheim), South Africa (Meyerton) and the United Arab Emirates (al-Dhabbyya) varied in reception (Dr Hansjoerg Biener, 31 March 2018, WORLD OF RADIO 1924, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** SWAZILAND. 15104.964, TWR Manzini at 1555.05 TX on. 73 wb df5sx (Wolfgang Buschel, Germany, circa 1600 UT March 30, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** TAIWAN. 6230, Sound of Hope, 1411-1425+, March 28. News segment with brief musical bridges that are played between items; the same music has been used for many years, which certainly helps ID SOH; 1421 clear ID in English for "Sound of Hope," otherwise in Chinese; fair reception, listening in LSB to get away from VMW (Australia Weather West), which is in USB. Very rare to catch CNR1 (China) jamming SOH here. Recently have been monitoring SOH here and find they occasionally give these IDs in English, but are rather random and not at any set time, so it may take considerable listening before one hears them. My audio clip at http://goo.gl/y5tvbP (ID at 0:42 on my audio, music bridge at 2:18 on my audio) (Ron Howard, Asilomar State Beach, CA, Etón E1, antenna: 100' long wire, WOR iog via WORLD OF RADIO 1924, DXLD) Amano-san has provided excellent details of my SOH audio clip. As always, I greatly appreciate his input. Ron. - - - Amano-san wrote: http://radio.chobi.net/DX/bbs/?res:3100#3154 "I was listening to your SOH reception audio. Your audio clip at http://goo.gl/y5tvbP 0:40-0:48 "Ting-ting, Xiwang zhi sheng, Sound of Hope, Quan shijie huaren de guoji guangbo diantai." In English, "Let's listen, Xiwang zhi sheng, Sound of Hope, International broadcasting for the Chinese people around the world." Nice catch from California! Ron-san. 6230 kHz, SOH is the output 1 kW in Aoki List." (Ron, ibid.) ** TAIWAN. SOH Chinese: 9970.198, S=4, at 0755 UT on March 30. 9919.964, S=7, 0802 UT. 9850.083, S=6 at 0804 UT, underneath CHN PBS Qinghai Tibetan 9850even 9729.901, at 0808 UT. 9539.976, S=5-6 at 0820 UT. 9320.002, SOH / RFA outlet scheduled, Chinese, S=6 fair at 0824 9280.169, S=5-6 at 0825 UT. 9230.073, S=5-6 at 0826 UT. 9199.933, S=8 at 0827 UT. 9180.023, S=5-6 at 0828 UT. 9155.042, S=5-6 at 0829 UT. 9080 not on air [selected SDR options, span 12.5 kHz RBW 15.3 Hertz] (Wolfgang Büchel, On March 30 at 0750-0845 UT checked on remote Uwe's SDR receiver installation in Eastern Thailand on Cambodian border remote Perseus net server, (wb df5sx, wwdxc BC-DX Topnews March 30, Hard-Core-DX mailing list via DXLD) ** TAIWAN. Received a response from the station "Xi Wang Zhi Sheng" (Sound of Hope) - a cover letter and a scan of QSL cards: "Dear Friend, We are so pleased that you are able to listen to our radio in Russia. Today we will send you the QSL card, we hope you will receive it soon. The QSL card is attached. Thanks for your support and wish you all the best." The report was sent to info [at] soundofhope.org (Ivan Zeleny, Nizhnevartovsk, Khanty-Mansky Autonomous Area, Russia / https://vk.com/club3877182 RusDX April 1 via DXLD) WTFK? Presumably from California HQ (gh, DXLD) ** TAIWAN. 7529.995, Tamsui, Clandestine Sunab Xaa Moo Zoo, HCM / BRB FMO 1130-1200 endless talk. 1140 UT, S=9+35 dB sounded NOT like Lao/Thai languages, Aoki Nagoya list show mountain Tribe folks, Hmong- Blue / Njua languages. 73 wb (Wolfgang Büschel, all remotedly in eastern Thailand SDR server unit near CBG border, DX LISTENING DIGEST) DXLD ** TAJIKISTAN. TAJIQUISTÃO. 7245. Mar 29, 2018. 0245-0300, Voice of Tajik, Dushanbe-TJK, em Tajique. Locução em vozes masculinas; 0249 Uma breve pausa musical e continuam as falas; 0256 Uma canção tajique. Estação com difusão muito pobre, 25432 TAJIQUISTÃO. 7245. Mar 30, 2018. 0200-0215, Voice of Tajik, Dushanbe- TJK, em Tajique. Hino Nacional; Locutor e locutora falam ID; Uma breve pausa musical e retorna locução feminina; 0205 Locutor e locutora falam e seguem-se canções tajiques; 0210 ID. Estação apresenta difusão muito pobre e raros momentos de modulação satisfatória, 25422 (DXer: José Ronaldo Xavier, Receptor: Sony SW100, Local da escuta: Cabedelo- PB, Brasil, WOR iog via DXLD) ** TAJIKISTAN. 11630, Voice of Tibet at 1315 in Tibetan with a man with talk to 1320 and a man and woman with talk over Asian woodwinds and back to the original man with talk at 1321 to a woman with closing announcements over Asian string instrumentals at 1329 and off at 1330 – Fair to Good with no sign of CNR1 jammer Mar 29 (Mark Coady, Selwyn, Ontario, Kenwood TS440S or Ten-Tec Argonaut II and 40 and 80 meter off centre-fed dipoles, ODXA iog via DXLD) Sorry, but if it was right on 11630, it should have been the CNR1 jammer, and NOT VOT, which via Dushanbe has always stuck to frequencies ending in -2, -3, -7, or -8, while the jammers can only end in -5 or -0. However CNR1 would be in Chinese, not Tibetan (Glenn Hauser, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** THAILAND. Observations from a listening project on Radio Thailand In addition to shortwave, Radio Thailand's overseas service is also broadcast online: http://www.hsk9.org is not very extensive. Essentially, it provides access to three internet streams: the foreign service (*/worldservice.html) and two domestic feeds from 88.0 MHz (English */fm88.html) and 92.5 MHz (Thai */fm925.html). A sound archive got stuck in the beginning. Broadcasting schedules for the shortwave and the Internet are not provided on the web site. This is especially noticeable because years ago there was a short wave schedule under the defunct URL http://www.hsk9.com/Schedule.html The time announcements within the programmes and the announcements of the continuity do not help either. This is particularly obvious in the context of the English-language programmes. Some broadcasts are "live"; others are not, although this is stated in the programme. Frequency announcements for the short wave are missing anyway. How to gain or retain a listener base without receiving base information remains the secret of Radio Thailand and other foreign services where you can observe the same. The online broadcasts largely follow the already known shortwave schedule. The exception to the rule is at 0500 h UT. The internet signal has a noticeable delay compared to the direct broadcast. On the internet stream, the gaps between the short wave broadcasts are filled with the well known interval signal of gong chimes and the station announcement in English. Occasionally, the medium wave 918 kHz and / or 88 MHz and other FM frequencies are announced in the English- language broadcasts. Radio Thailand should consider more relays from these programme sources to close the gaps. Even a music stream with hourly news would be more welcome than hours of a non stop interval signal. Radio Thailand has the following online and short wave schedule: 0000: also on 15590 kHz (250 kW, 6 ) for North America: English "morning news hour" in parallel to http://www.hsk9.org/fm88.html 0030 (38 ) English. 0100 Thai. 0200 (6 ) English (Material from the "morning news hour"). 0230 Thai 0330: Interval signal 0500 (only online!): English "midday news hour" in parallel to http://www.hsk9.org/fm88.html 0530 (!): also on 17640 kHz (250 kW, 324 ) for Europe / Africa: English 0600: Interval signal [straight for four hours??! gh] 1000: also on 17805 kHz (250 kW, 305 ) for Asia: Thai 1100: also on 5875 kHz (250 kW, 144 ) for Southeast Asia: Bahasa Malaysia. 1115 Mandarin Chinese. 1130 (30 ) Japanese. 1145 (284 ) German 1200: also on 9390 kHz (250 kW, 154 ) for Asia: Bahasa Malaysia. 1215-1230 (132 ) English. 1300 (54 ) Japanese. 1315 (30 ) Mandarin Chinese. 1330 (54 ) Thai. 1400 (132 ) English (material from the "morning news hour") 1430: Interval signal 1800: also on 9390 kHz (250 kW, 313 ) for Europe: Thai. 1900 (321 ) English (material from the "morning news hour"). 2000 German. 2015 - 2030 English. 2045 (313 ) Thai 2115-2400: Interval signal "Broadcasting from the Public Relations Department in Bangkok", "HSK 9 Radio Thailand's World Service" makes no secret that it is a government voice. In line with the slogan "trust in a government that cares - trust in Thailand", the English programmes carry a lot of public service announcements and praise for government’s successes. Reporters Without Borders ranks Thailand on place 142 out of 180 countries and territories studied: "Thailand is ruled by a military junta called the National Council for Peace and Order. Ubiquitous, all-powerful, and led by press freedom predator Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-o-cha, the Council keeps journalists and citizen-journalists under permanent surveillance, often summons them for questioning, and detains them arbitrarily. Any criticism of the junta is liable to lead to violent reprisals made possible by draconian legislation and a justice system that follows orders. The already feared Computer- Related Crime Act was reinforced in 2016, giving the authorities even more surveillance and censorship powers. King Rama IX’s death has not curtailed use of lèse-majesté charges under article 112 of the criminal code as a weapon of mass deterrence for journalists, bloggers, and online activists." https://rsf.org/en/thailand Besides Thai, the English-language programmes play a special role because of their size. Obviously, they are not produced for a foreign audience in Asia, America or Europe. This is shown by the interspersed frequency information (FM, medium wave, but not short wave) and of course the advertising (disco, restaurant, airlines). The local FM 88 station has three major English language news programs totaling 60 minutes (07:00, 12:00, 19:00 hours local time). However, the international broadcast schedule of 15 to 60 minutes broadcasts does not really match the "news hour" format. For example, the "midday news hour" is broadcast in full online, but only the insignificant second half with which nearly 25 minutes of public service announcements or self-praise from the government is broadcast on short wave. The main source for the other English slots is the "morning news hour". The world and regional news leave you with the impression that you are well informed about the most important international events. One the other hand, it is difficult to judge how comprehensive or close to the real problems of Thailand the domestic coverage is. In light of this, the public service announcements, will also be seen as reflecting domestic affairs: [according to the government] successful peace talks in the south of the country, successes in the fight against rabies, calls for the registration of migrant workers, environmental protection spots. It is interesting that the registration of South East Asian migrant workers is also a result of EU pressure. On 28 March, there was a report on the visit of an EU delegation concerning this matter. It was not reported why the Europeans should have a say here. So, an "alternative" local view might be, that the West is once more interfering with foreign internal affairs. Radio Thailand rightly relies on domestic productions for the entertaining moments. Most of the music elements are pop music, partly produced in a very western style (Dr Hansjoerg Biener, 1 April 2018, DX LISTENING DIGEST) 15590, March 28 at 0020, JBA carrier with flutter, from the failing R. Thailand North American Service back on summer frequency ex-13745, 0000-0230 switching beams back and forth between east and west coasts, but not for the Great Center of America. Standard remark about they should insist on using Greenville (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** TIBET [non]. 5965, March 28 at 2300, CNR1 themesong, S5 VP with flutter. Since only RFA in Tibetan via Kuwait is scheduled, this must be a *jammer (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** TIBET [non]. Summer A-18 of Voice of Tibet, March 25 http://swldxbulgaria.blogspot.bg/2018/03/summer-18-of-voice-of-tibet-from-march.html 1200-1207 on 11517 DB 100 kW / 095 deg to EaAs Chinese 1207-1230 on 11507 DB 100 kW / 095 deg to EaAs Chinese 1230-1236 on 11602 DB 100 kW / 131 deg to CeAs Tibetan 1236-1245 on 11603 DB 100 kW / 131 deg to CeAs Tibetan 1245-1300 on 11607 DB 100 kW / 131 deg to CeAs Tibetan 1300-1305 on 11627 DB 100 kW / 095 deg to EaAs Chinese 1307-1315 on 11632 DB 100 kW / 095 deg to EaAs Chinese 1315-1330 on 11637 DB 100 kW / 095 deg to EaAs Chinese 1300-1305 on 9897 DB 100 kW / 131 deg to CeAs Tibetan 1305-1330 on 9898 DB 100 kW / 131 deg to CeAs Tibetan https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nPhyO4WnVsU&feature=youtu.be https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CzKnQD8cMTE&feature=youtu.be https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K2exP9dzZK4&feature=youtu.be https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lDBiwjGLHpM&feature=youtu.be https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xDZEQewUn9U&feature=youtu.be https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SuAFyoOfuWc&feature=youtu.be https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hAgNuP99_ik&feature=youtu.be https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dpgeHVQzTbE&feature=youtu.be ??????????? ?? Observer ? 8:57 PM (via DXLD) ** TURKEY. 15450.045, March 29 at 1303, Turkish song at S5 from VOT English to Europe and onward to us, best heard so far this season, and better than 12035+ had been in B-season an hour later. Starts at 1230 with last half typically mostly music. Also typically off+frequency plus. Fortunately no FM spurblobs from RHC 15370; the primary one of the constellation was typically around 15440. 17770.052, March 29 at 1416, VP talk from another off-frequency: I`ll bet it`s Turkey too: Yes, Arabic at 1400-1455. No problem from 17775v KVOH still very weak. 9460, April 2 at 2013, poor S5-S8, music mix, hints of German? Must be those umlauts, since by 2057* I can tell it`s Türkish (why so many Turx find Deutschland a heimat?) Yes, TRT scheduled here until 2100 per EiBi, but missing from HFCC. Did not notice it being off- frequency-plus as usual from Emirler. 11615.032, April 3 at 2011, music at S2-S4; 2019 talk but can`t tell language; 2023 recognizable TRT IS. So VOT in scheduled French from 1930 to West Africa (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) VOICE OF TURKEY A18 25.03.2018 - 28.10.2018 ARABIC 9540 1400 1500 Iraq, Syria, Iran, Arab peninsula 38E,39,40 ARABIC 11750 0900 1000 Iraq, Syria, Jordan, Arab peninsula, North East Africa 37N,38N,39N, 40W ARABIC 17770 1400 1500 Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya, Mauritania, West Egypt 37,38W,46 AZERBAIJANI 9530 1530 1630 Azerbaijan, Iran, Iraq, Turkmenistan 29SE,39NE,40,41 AZERBAIJANI 11730 0700 0800 Azerbaijan, Iran, Iraq, Turkmenistan 29SE,39NE, 40NW BULGARIAN 7210 1100 1130 Bulgaria 28S CHINESE 15240 1100 1200 China 30-32,42-44 DARI/PASHT/UZBEK 11765 1500 1630 Afghanistan, Pakistan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan 29S,30S,40- 43 ENGLISH 9515 0300 0400 Europe, United States, East Canada Cuba 3-5,6E, 7-11, 17,27,28W ENGLISH 6165 0300 0400 Iraq, Syria, Jordan, Arab peninsula 38E,39,40W ENGLISH 9620 2030 2130 South Asia, Australia 39-41, 49, 54, 55,58-60 ENGLISH 9830 2200 2300 Europe, Eastern United States, Canada 5,8,9,11N,17, 27,28W ENGLISH 9785 1830 1930 Europe 27,28 ENGLISH 15520 1630 1730 Afghanistan, Pakistan, India, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan 30S,40E,41N, 49 ENGLISH 15450 1230 1330 Europe 18S,27,28 FRENCH 7360 1730 1830 Libya, Egypt, Africa 38,47,48 FRENCH 11615 1930 2030 Africa, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya, West Egypt 37,38,46 FRENCH 9635 1930 2030 France, Western Europe 27,28W GEORGIAN 9655 1000 1100 Georgia 29S,30SW GERMAN 9840 1730 1830 Germany, Europe 28 GERMAN 13760 1130 1230 Germany, Europe 28 HAUSA/SWAHILI 13765 0500 0700 Chad, Benin, Ghana, Niger, Nigeria, Sudan, Togo 38,46E,47 ITALIAN 9610 1400 1430 Italy, Switzerland, Spain 27S,28S,37N KAZAKH 11880 1330 1400 Kazakhstan 29-31,42NW MALAIAN 21680 0400 0500 Malaysia, Singapore 54 PERSIAN 9765 1500 1600 Iran, Afghanistan, Uzbekistan 30S, 40 PERSIAN 11795 0830 1000 Iran 39NE,40NW RUSSIAN 11965 1300 1400 Russia 19-22,29,30N SPANISH 9770 0100 0200 Spain, France, Central America 8S, 10SE,11,12, 27S, 37N SPANISH 9870 0100 0200 Spain, Portugal, S. America 12S,13-15,16N, 37 SPANISH 11930 1630 1730 Spain, Europe 27S,28,37 TATAR 9855 1000 1030 Tatarstan, western Russia 19-21,29,30 TURKISH 5960 1600 2100 Iraq, Syria, Iran, Arab peninsula, Egypt 38E,39,40W TURKISH 6040 0400 0600 Iraq, Syria, Jordan 39 TURKISH 9735 0000 0200 Xinjiang Region, China 42,43 TURKISH 11750 0600 0900 Iran, Azerbaijan, Georgia, South East Russia 29S,30S,40-43 TURKISH 11675 0600 1200 Iraq, Syria, Jordan, ... and the Arab peninsula 38E,39,40W TURKISH 11980 0400 0600 Europe 18S,27,28 TURKISH 9460 1600 2100 Europe 27,28 TURKISH 9840 1300 1600 Europe 27,28 TURKISH 13635 0600 1300 Europe 27,28 TURKMEN 11990 1200 1230 Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, Iran 29SE,30S,40N URDU 13710 1200 1300 Pakistan 40,41N UYGHUR 9465 0200 0300 Xinjiang Region, China 42,43 UYGHUR 15410 1230 1330 Xinjiang Region, China 42,43 UZBEK 13650 1030 1100 Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, W. Afghanistan, W. Tajikistan 30S, 40N (via Alokesh Gupta, March 29, DX LISTENING DIGEST) A complete schedule of all 4 online streams from TRT Voice of Turkey including SW frequencies can be found here: http://ab27.bplaced.net/trt.pdf (Alexander Busneag, Germany, WOR iog via DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** UGANDA. UGANDA SHUTS 23 RADIO STATIONS FOR PROMOTING WITCHCRAFT http://plenglish.com/index.php?o=rn&id=26171&SEO=uganda-shuts-23-radio-stations-for-promoting-witchcraft Kampala, Mar 28 (Prensa Latina [Habana]) Ugandan authorities have shut down 23 radio stations for ''promoting witchcraft'''' and trying to con people out of money. The stations' licencses [sic] were suspended after they had guests on air who claimed they could heal diseases like HIV, Pamela Ankunda, the Uganda Communications Commission spokesperson, told dpa on Wednesday. 'The radios have been promoting witchcraft. People claimed on these radios to cure diseases like AIDS and cancer,'' she said. 'These people have been fraudulently getting money from the public,'' she added. 'Their operations and licences have been suspended until they are able to assure the commission through writing that they will abide by the minimum broadcasting standards,'' Ankunda said. She said that Uganda has 292 radio stations, mostly privately-owned. It is not uncommon for various religious leaders, self-proclaimed prophets and traditional healers in Africa to claim being able to cure HIV and other incurable diseases. sgl/lma/lp/gdc (via Mike Cooper, DXLD) ** UGANDA [non]. USA, Fair signal of Radio Munansi via WWRB Global 2, March 31: 1400-2000 on 15240 WRB 100 kW / 045 deg to ENAm Luganda Sat/Sun http://swldxbulgaria.blogspot.bg/2018/04/fair-signal-of-radio-munansi-via-wwrb.html (Ivo Ivanov, SWLDXBulgaria News, March 28-April 1, WOR iog via DXLD) ** U A E. Hi Glenn, could you please ask him, if he can hear Abu Dhabi FM, Al-Ain 1 kW on 828 kHz? Thanks, (Mauno Ritola, March 28, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Dear Glenn / Mauno, I checked for the signal of Abu Dhabi FM, Al-Ain 1 on 828 kHz at 0800 and 1100 UT. No signal was noted on 828 in my receivers (Both my Sangean ATS 909X and my car receiver radio). At 1430, some other station was noted in Persian - (Presume it must be IRIB, Tabas, South Khorasan Province from Iran). Regards (Avinash Premraj, March 29, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Thank you, Glenn for forwarding my message and thank you Avinash for checking 828 kHz. The result was expected. Looking forward to hearing about your other observations. Let's keep in touch, (Mauno, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U K. 3955/DRM, BBC WS with digital ID but no audio decode. They apparently ALSO have “Journaline” digital text on this channel, but with a s/n ratio of only 10 dB I never got any audio, nor did any digital content beyond the ID ever decode. This is what the ‘tech zoomies’ call an ‘upgrade’ I guess. If it isn’t broke, then you aren’t trying hard enough? 4554+1 0635-0700* 24/Mar SDRplay +SDRuno +ANC-4 +rndwire +DReaM software (Kenneth Vito Zichi, MI, ed., MARE Tipsheet 30 March via DXLD) ** U K [and non]. 9410, BBC; 2053-2059:30*, 3/26; English BBC News Hour commentary re Russia’s latest escapades. (They mentioned a Russian language consultant I missed, Ollie Garchy.) ID & program notes at 2059 & off abruptly. SIO=3+53. Change from B17 via Ascension; 9410 switches to Ascension at 2100 per A18 sked (Harold Frodge, MI, MARE Tipsheet 30 March via DXLD) ** U S A. BILL OLIVER PASSED AWAY This is without a doubt the most difficult message that I have had to write in over two decades as NASWA’s Executive Director. Thursday evening I learned from Ralph Brandi that Bill Oliver died of a heart attack on Tuesday, March 27, 2018 in Lower Bucks Hospital. Bill was 89 years old. Bill published The Journal of the North American Short Wave Association and the Lowdown for the Long Wave Club of America (Rich D`Angelo, PA, March 28, NASWA yg via DXLD) Rich, So sorry to hear about this…Bill was a giant in the hobby and raised NASWA to new heights as the publisher of the Journal. He was in that job when I first joined NASWA earlier than I can remember. I know I join the NASWA Executive Board and all our members in mourning Bill’s loss – he and his leadership will be sorely missed! (Bruce W. Churchill, Fallbrook, CA 92028-9690, ibid.) Thank you, Rich, for letting us all know. My condolences first to Bill's family on their loss, and I know that he will be so much missed by NASWA members (Alan Roe, England, ibid.) All our prayers are with Bill right now. He lived a long and full life and made a difference in our hobby and in this world. A fine man who will be badly missed! (Ralph [Brandi?], ibid.) So sad to hear this. Bill was the rock who kept the NASWA Journal going as a reliable print DX publication. He will be missed. 73, (Glenn Hauser, ibid.) Very sorry to hear of Bill's passing. I remember him from Winterfests past. A cornerstone to the hobby. (Edward Cichorek, NASWA yg via DXLD) This is without a doubt the most difficult message that I have had to write in over two decades as NASWA’s Executive Director. Wednesday evening, I learned from Ralph Brandi that Bill Oliver died of a heart attack on Tuesday, March 27, 2018 in Lower Bucks Hospital. Bill was 89 years old. Bill published The Journal of the North American Shortwave Association and the Lowdown for the Long Wave Club of America. He had taught computer classes at Bristol Township Senior Center. Bill became NASWA publisher in 1978. He was doing the QSL column at the time. He became the club’s Executive Director in 1981, and continued doing the publishing. In the mid-1980s, when things weren't looking so good for the club, Bill was what held it all together. He's a big part of the club’s history. An army veteran of World War 2, Bill is survived by his wife of 64 years, Evelyn, one son William Oliver and a daughter Suanne McDermott and her husband, John. He is also survived by his sister, Dorothy Diehl and his brother, Bob Oliver. Bill had several grandchildren. The club’s management team is assessing the situation and should have a decision in a few weeks about the future of the club. In the interim, the weekly electronic Flashsheet will continue to be published and the NASWA Yahoo Group and Facebook page will also continue operations. The club’s new postal mailing address is (P. O. Box 1292, Allentown, PA 18106. We will keep you posted on developments. 73, (Rich D`Angelo, PA, NASWA Flashsheet April 2 via WORLD OF RADIO 1924, DXLD) LONGTIME LWCA PUBLISHER BILL OLIVER DIES AT 89 Longwave Club of America: It is with great sorrow that we inform you our publisher, William E. Oliver, passed away on Tuesday, March 27, 2018 in Lower Bucks County Hospital, near his home in Levittown, PA. He was 89. His obituary is available here. http://www.buckscountycouriertimes.com/obituaries/20180329/william-e-oliver ``Posted Mar 29, 2018 at 12:01 AM William E. Oliver passed away Tuesday, March 27, 2018, in Lower Bucks Hospital. He was 89. Born in Mahanoy City, Pa., Bill had resided in Levittown since 1958. He had taught computer classes at Bristol Township Senior Center. He published The North American Short Wave Association and the Long Wave Club of America. He was also a U.S. Army veteran of World War II. Bill was preceded in death by his daughter, Carol. He is survived by his wife of 64 years, Evelyn; his son, William Oliver; and his daughter, Suanne McDermott and her husband, John. He is also survived by his sister, Dorothy Diehl, and his brother, Bob Oliver and 18 grandchildren. Service and interment will be held privately. James O. Bradley Funeral Home, Penndel www.jamesobradley.com`` There will be an unavoidable disruption in publication of The LOWDOWN for an unknown interval. The April edition had not yet been assembled for the printing plant at the time of Bill's demise, and will be delayed until further notice because the mailing list and other vital information are currently unavailable to us. We are in contact with other writers for the publication, and we are consulting with our counterparts in our sister organization, the North American Shortwave Association, who are currently (2 April 2018) attempting to secure both clubs' essential business records so that operations may resume. Please watch our About page for further announcements. http://www.lwca.org/about_lwca.html Longwave Home Page http://www.lwca.org/ (LWCA via Mike Terry, April 8, WOR iog via DXLD) ** U S A. 4020-USB, March 30 at 1241, MARS net, contact between 7DP and 7DT, then AFA7DT formal ``closedown, out``. Hard to search out any recent info on AFA7DT QTH (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A. 5896.50-USB, March 28 at 0014-0020, multi-service MARS net when fortunately no broadcasters are about. Calls heard fonetikaly include AFA6GP, NNZ6RT (Navy MARS was abolished as its own entity), AAR6JF strong, AFA6GO strong, AFA6TG with weather chat. Also different format calls, NCS307 who appears to be the net control station, but is NCS an axual callsign for him, or for the net? Also an NCS035 who is having a fine day in the Rio Grande Valley. The ``NCS`` are NOT spoken fonetially so could be NCF. I could spend a lot of minutes searching out names and locations for these calls, lacking a plain old public MARS callbook (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A [non]. Part of an established trend by now but still very dramatic news indeed. https://www.radioworld.com/news-and-business/radio-sawa-to-scale-back-regional-broadcasts (Derek Lynch, Ireland, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Viz.: RADIO SAWA TO SCALE BACK REGIONAL BROADCASTS --- In cost-saving move, BBG network plans to focus its OTA transmissions just on Iraq James Careless Mar 28, 2018 To save $9.5 million in 2019, the U.S. government’s Arabic language broadcaster Radio Sawa plans to restrict its FM and AM transmissions to Iraq. This will mean the end of Radio Sawa’s radio service, AM and FM, to the rest of the Middle East. In addition, Radio Sawa’s country-centric feeds for Egypt, the Gulf, Jordan, Lebanon, Mauritania, Morocco and Sudan will be terminated, both on air and online at www.radiosawa.com. The remaining Radio Sawa Iraq feed will be streamed. U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikka [sic] Haley is shown in a screen grab from Radio Sawa’s home page [caption] Cuts to Radio Sawa are part of a bigger reduction for the Broadcasting Board of Governors in proposed federal budgets for FY 2018 and 2019. Billing itself as “America’s civilian international media agency,” the BBG oversees the Voice of America (VOA), Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL), Radio Free Asia (RFA), Alhurra TV and Radio Sawa (under Middle East Broadcasting Networks — MBN), and Radio and TV Martí. The BBG budget was proposed at $661.1 million for FY 2019, down from $685.2 million in 2018 and $786.6 million in 2017. A BBG information page says, “Radio Sawa attracts young audiences by playing contemporary Arabic and Western music with news and information programs. It is one of the most popular radio stations in the countries where it can be heard on FM.” So why is the BBG reducing Radio Sawa from a Middle Eastern regional broadcaster to an Iraq-only station? “Tough trade-offs are always necessary in austere budget climates,” replied Nasserie Carew, BBG’s director of global communications and public affairs. “But BBG and MBN leadership are committed to and will continue reaching people in media-restrained countries.” With money being tight, Radio Sawa’s non-Iraq radio broadcasts were a natural target, according to interested observers. “Eliminating the Radio Sawa network of transmitters in all countries except Iraq will save almost $5 million,” said Kim Andrew Elliott. He’s a retired VOA audience research analyst and broadcaster who now produces Shortwave Radiogram a weekly program of text and images via analog shortwave radio. “Radio Sawa uses leased FM transmitters in Arab countries, plus mediumwave (AM) relays,” he said, “and these are expensive.” HEARTS AND MINDS Launched 16 years ago, Radio Sawa is a 24/7 Arabic-language broadcaster meant to attract and influence young Middle Eastern listeners. It replaced the VOA’s Arabic language service, which was viewed by many in Washington as ineffective in wooing regional hearts and minds. rw-sawa_Logo_color https://www.radioworld.com/.image/c_limit%2Ccs_srgb%2Cq_80%2Cw_320/MTU0NTAzNzU1MTEzNDQwODE5/rw-sawa_logo_color.jpg To win over this populace, “Radio Sawa reaches audiences in Arabic with a mix of Western and Arab popular music,” said Elliott. “This format is designed to attract a young audience to the news and current features content audience also broadcast by Radio Sawa.” If one goes by Radio Sawa’s numbers, the service is doing pretty well. “Radio Sawa currently has a weekly reach of 11.7 million,” said BBG’s Carew. “Radio Sawa’s largest broadcasting stream is to Iraq, where it reaches 4.7 million listeners, 40 percent of the audience, who will continue to be served by both radio broadcasts and digital initiatives.” It is these digital initiatives that the BBG is hoping will fill the gap created by Radio Sawa’s transmission cuts. Overall, “MBN’s digital outlets have grown to a weekly reach of nearly 6 million,” said Carew. “Additionally, Radio Sawa’s Facebook page has 7.5 million followers.” Nevertheless, starting in 2019, some 7 million Radio Sawa listeners outside of Iraq will no longer be able to tune in via radio. That is 60 percent of the station’s current audience. As a result, the cuts to Radio Sawa’s terrestrial service will “almost certainly” lead to audience losses, said Chris Greenway, assistant editor with BBC Monitoring. “Clearly not everyone in the Arab world is willing or able to receive radio broadcasts via non-traditional means. In-car listening is an obvious example.” WILL DIGITAL BE ENOUGH? Even without budget cuts, the fact that Radio Sawa is putting more emphasis on the web comes as no big surprise. “The BBG proposal is in line with its policy of moving out of both shortwave and AM broadcasting, which has been under way for some years now,” said Greenway. The BBG isn’t alone in choosing lower-cost digital over broadcasting. The BBC, too, has radically scaled down its global shortwave service in favor of web streaming, and many other international broadcasters have followed suit. Some, like Radio Canada International, have stopped broadcasting entirely, choosing instead to only stream content over the internet. This said, a big question remains: Will Radio Sawa’s young listeners outside of Iraq tune into its content via the web? The BBG hopes the answer is yes. After all, “Radio Sawa was established in 2002 to appeal to younger, non-traditional news seekers,” said Carew. “Audiences change and now, more than ever, the younger generation is moving towards digital outlets for their news and information. MBN will continue to expand on that content to give digital audiences news and information in a way that will appeal to them.” Mindful that such a migration isn’t a slam-dunk, “Three million dollars will be added back to the Radio Sawa budget to ‘reposition’ it as ‘digital,’” said Elliott. “Presumably this will means delivering the content to mobile devices, which are increasingly used everywhere. “It’s an interesting question how owners of mobile devices prefer to be entertained and informed,” he continued. “Will they listen to something that sounds like a radio station through those devices? Or do they prefer to access individual segments of content on demand? Do they want to read the content, view it as video, listen to it as audio, or some combination? This is best determined by studying the actual consumption behavior of mobile device owners in the region.” The BBC’s Greenway also has concerns about Radio Sawa’s fate. “Some listeners may take the trouble to switch to listening online, via a phone app, or via satellite,” he said. “But others won’t want to or be able to.” He said, “It’s worth noting that the Paris-based Arabic-language Radio Monte Carlo Doualiya and the BBC Arabic service will continue to be broadcast to the Middle East on powerful AM transmitters, and so could provide a ready-made alternative for listeners who will miss the presence of Radio Sawa on the AM band.” “The BBC has cut back its Arabic broadcasts on AM to just the evening and early morning, but Radio Monte Carlo Doualiya is still on the air for 17 hours a day. And, like Radio Sawa, it airs a high component of music.” Radio Sawa will answer the questions above by cutting its non-Iraq AM/FM broadcasts and then seeing how many of Radio Sawa’s dispossessed radio listeners follow it to the web. As well, relying exclusively on the web appears to put Radio Sawa’s content at the mercy of the non- Iraq Middle Eastern countries it hopes to influence, because their governments can block Radio Sawa’s website whenever they see fit. The result: “As more and more countries use more and more sophisticated means to block internet content, this budget cut could reduce Radio Sawa’s ability to circumvent the interdiction of information delivered via the internet,” said Elliott (also via Mike Terry, WOR iog via WORLD OF RADIO 1924, DXLD) ** U S A [and non]. STILL BROADCASTING FREEDOM Jay Nordlinger April 16, 2018, Issue https://www.nationalreview.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/xml_20180416B_nordlinger.html RFE/RL in Kyrgyzstan (Photo credit: RFE/RL) ‘We believe that truth is the best propaganda’ One of the most interesting and admirable news organizations in the world is RFE/RL. Those letters stand for Radio Free Europe and Radio Liberty. The “radios,” as they’re also known, merged in 1976. Are they not a Cold War relic? Not at all — unfortunately. They are playing their old role, to a degree, as the Kremlin and others are playing theirs (to a degree). Every day, the Kremlin and its partners spread propaganda, disinformation, and fake news. “Disinformation” is a term from the Cold War. It meant, not misinformation, which can be an honest mistake. (I tell you that the house is on Elm Street, not remembering that it’s on Maple Street.) Disinformation was, and is, a deliberate leading astray. In 2016, the Kremlin fanned a story that a 13-year-old Russian-German girl had been raped by Arab migrants. They tried the same trick in Lithuania, one year later. This time, they said a girl had been raped by German troops, serving in Lithuania as part of NATO. In March of this year, the Kremlin evidently carried out another chemical attack against targets in Britain. The flagship program of Russian state television, News of the Week, subsequently claimed that Theresa May, the British prime minister, had invented the nerve agent used (Novichok). The show also said, “English gentlemen may kill those they consider beneath them” — etc. Thomas Kent, the president of RFE/RL, uses the term “false news,” rather than “fake news.” When people say “fake news,” they often mean news that is unwelcome to them, rather than actually fake or false. Jeffrey Gedmin, a past president of RFE/RL, speaks of “real fake news” — a funny term, but easy to understand. In any event, the Kremlin and its partners spread fake or false news, and RFE/RL seeks to counter it. Team Putin seeks to undermine liberal democracy, and RFE/RL tries to encourage it. Furthermore, the radios highlight cases of injustice in unfree or only partly free countries, as they did of old. They are delivering news to people that their governments would rather keep from them — just as before. Not too long ago, people were talking about shutting down the radios, as Tom Kent points out. What good were they? Why were they needed? Virtually no one says that now. Arch Puddington speaks of “the pressure of events.” A scholar at Freedom House in New York, Puddington literally wrote the book on the radios (Broadcasting Freedom, published in 2000). The pressure of events — Putin and Putinism — has made RFE/RL newly relevant, newly important. Radio Free Europe was founded in 1950 and Radio Liberty a year later. The former served Soviet-dominated Eastern Europe and the latter broadcast to the Soviet Union itself. These radios were staffed with émigrés, acting as “surrogate media,” as the RFE/RL phrase goes. In other words, the radios provided opposition media or independent media to places where those things were banned. Jeff Gedmin quotes Václav Havel, the Czech dissident who, after the Fall of the Wall, would lead his country as president. Havel said that he learned about America from another U.S. service, the Voice of America. He learned about his own country from RFE/RL. James L. Buckley is another past president of the radios — serving from 1982 to 1985. He loved the project, and he loved the job. There were headaches, though. One of them was infighting. The Polish émigrés might fight with the Romanian émigrés over grievances “that went back to the year 1112,” says Buckley. Also, you had politics back in Washington to contend with. (The radios were based in Munich.) But the people working at RFE/RL did “a superb job,” says Buckley. “They were able to transmit information that was regarded by the recipient as the most authoritative available from anywhere. Often, people in one part of Poland, let’s say, were totally unaware of what was happening in another part of Poland, a hundred miles away” — shipyard strikes, for example. And the radios let them know. As Communism was unraveling, Lech Walesa, the Solidarity leader in Poland, was asked what help the radios had been. He said he was at a loss to describe it. “Would there be an earth without the sun?” Once the Cold War ended, many Americans thought the radios should dissolve — on grounds of mission accomplished. Others said, Not so fast: Let the radios continue to play their part while countries make a transition to democracy. Václav Havel was of this view. He invited RFE/RL to come to Prague, and occupy the Communists’ old parliamentary building. The radios’ budget had been slashed and the cost of staying in Munich had become prohibitive. Havel would charge them one Czech crown per year. So, the radios decamped to Prague, where they remain, though in different, nicer headquarters. According to Arch Puddington — who would know — President Clinton was of a mind to shut the radios down. But “defense Democrats,” such as Lane Kirkland, the labor leader, and Ben Wattenberg, the onetime LBJ aide, prevailed on him to let them continue for a while. Over time, countries graduated into democracy. They would not need the radios anymore. The Hungarian service ceased in 1993 and the Polish in 1997. Some people today believe that the radios should return to countries that have experienced “backsliding” — a slide away from democracy. This is a very touchy subject, and one for another article. When Yugoslavia broke up, its constituents broke into war — protracted war, throughout the ’90s. The radios responded with broadcasts. They are broadcasting to those places still. You have a double-edged problem in the Balkans, says Kent: “influence from the East,” meaning Putin, and “extremist penetration,” meaning ISIS and kindred groups. Do governments in the region welcome RFE/RL? “They welcome us one day and criticize us the next,” says Kent. The radios also broadcast to Iran. This service is known as Radio Farda, “Farda” meaning “Tomorrow.” They broadcast to Afghanistan as well — Radio Azadi (a word that means “liberty”). Pakistan, too, is targeted, or served, depending on your point of view. This is Radio Mashaal (“Torch”). The radios adapt to the “pressure of events,” to return to Puddington’s phrase. After the Kremlin seized Crimea in 2014, RFE/RL inaugurated special programming in Crimean Tatar. If RFE/RL broadcasts to Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Iran, what about to Arab countries? These services fall under MBN, for Middle East Broadcasting Networks, an organization separate from RFE/RL. MBN is run by Alberto Fernandez, who is an interesting American story: A refugee from Cuba, he became one of the finest Arabists in the U.S. Foreign Service. Ryan Crocker, probably our most prominent Arabist, and a member of the Broadcasting Board of Governors, says this about Fernandez: “He appears on Arab talk shows and flings stuff around with the best of them.” Anyway, RFE/RL never expired, even though the Soviet Union did. So when these radios were needed again, or desirable again, they were already up and running, as Crocker points out. This may not have been planned, but it was fortunate. As Fernandez is the right man for MBN, says Crocker, Tom Kent is the right man for RFE/RL: For one thing, “he knows Russia inside out.” Kent spent more than 40 years with the Associated Press, serving in a variety of posts, including Moscow bureau chief. He is something rare, it seems to me, and others: an old-fashioned newsman, with “old-fashioned” being a high compliment (along with “newsman”). About its mission, the organization says this: “RFE/RL journalists report the news in 20 countries where a free press is banned by the government or not fully established. We provide what many people cannot get locally: uncensored news, responsible discussion, and open debate.” What about balance? Is that an RFE/RL concern? Yes, but with this qualification: “We do not regard balance as meaning neutrality regarding the truth. When one side in a debate misrepresents the facts, ethical journalism requires pointing out falsehoods and stating what is factually correct.” RFE/RL operates in 25 languages. It has more than 600 journalists at its headquarters in Prague, and approximately 450 journalists in 19 bureaus. In addition, the organization has more than 750 freelancers and stringers. They reach an audience of something like 26 million a week. That is an impressive number, but audience size is not the only or highest consideration. Many who consume the offerings of RFE/RL are reformers or would-be reformers or potential reformers in their societies. It was ever thus. RFE/RL is funded by Congress through the aforementioned Broadcasting Board of Governors. Its budget is about $117.5 million. Gedmin points out that this is roughly the cost of three Apache helicopters. That is a lot of bang for the buck. James Kirchick, a writer who once worked for RFE/RL and is now at the Brookings Institution, recalls the words of James Mattis. Talking to congressmen last year, the secretary of defense said, “If you don’t fund the State Department fully, then I need to buy more ammunition ultimately.” Kent says, “Sometimes people think of international media like us as soft power — but this isn’t soft power like sending around a symphony orchestra. What we put into the machine is legitimate, professional journalism. But what comes out of it looks like hard power to some of the regimes. They see it as a threat, and respond accordingly.” The Azerbaijani government closed down the RFE/RL bureau in Baku, and the Pakistani government closed down the RFE/RL bureau in Islamabad. The radios still transmit to those countries from elsewhere. Many RFE/RL journalists are under threat. Saparmamed Nepeskuliev is in a Turkmenian prison. Stanislav Aseyev is held by Russian separatists in eastern Ukraine. And so on. Not only are journalists under threat, but so are their families. Such is the thirst of illiberal forces to shut down news and debate. Kent says, “We report on local politics, social issues, corruption, wars, and extremist movements in places where both governments and non-state actors would prefer to control the media. Our reporters take enormous risks because they believe their work matters and that free societies need a free press.” When we speak of RFE/RL, we say “the radios,” out of habit and tradition. But the organization transmits through TV, the Web, and social media as well. You would be surprised, says Kent, how many people in northwest Pakistan have smartphones, on which they watch the radios’ YouTube channel. One of the radios’ most successful projects is Current Time, a 24/7 television network in Russian. It was launched in 2014, after the annexation of Crimea and the start of war in eastern Ukraine. It is an alternative to Kremlin-controlled media. There are some 300 million Russian-speakers in the world, and Current Time goes wherever they are. That includes the Baltics, Moldova, Georgia, Central Asia — even Israel (where 1.5 million people speak Russian). Kenan Aliyev is the executive director for feature programming at Current Time. A native of Azerbaijan, he joined RFE/RL in 1994 as a stringer. He says that there is a hungry audience for Current Time’s programming. “They are bombarded by state propaganda, and they need something else.” The Kremlin throws up obstacles to Current Time, denying it cable access, for example. The Kremlin’s own network, RT, has a much easier time in the United States. But Current Time manages to get through, via digital platforms and satellite. “We don’t do propaganda,” says Aliyev. “We believe that truth is the best propaganda.” Vitaly Mansky, a well-known Russian filmmaker, has given this testimony: Current Time is “the only television in the world that tells us, in Russian, the truth about the current state of affairs.” Tom Kent says that RFE/RL reporters “have a strong sense of mission.” He also says that “governments and other political forces are becoming more and more expert at disinformation, at false news, which makes our blood boil” — and which adds to their sense of mission. I am an American journalist and hardly the target audience of RFE/RL. But I’ve been reading them on the Web for about six months and find myself better off for it: informed and even enriched. Have a sampling from the last couple of weeks. One story begins, “A Russian whistle-blower linked to slain Maltese journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia has handed herself in to the police in Greece, saying she feared for her life.” Another story is headed “Putin’s Pals, the Night Wolves, Troll Bosnia and the Region.” It begins, “The motorcycle club whose members were at the vanguard of Russia’s occupation of Crimea, nicknamed ‘Putin’s Angels’ by the media, is on the road again.” RFE/RL did an interview with the daughter of the man who wrote Putin’s doctoral dissertation. (The woman is living in Poland.) After Putin’s latest (sham) election, RFE/RL ran a headline that went, “RT’s Top Editor Toasts Putin: ‘He Used to Be Our President; Now He Is Our Leader.’” That word “leader” is a translation. The article explained that the editor was “using a Russian word often associated with Soviet dictator Josef Stalin.” Utterly fascinating is a report about a war — about two wars, actually, in Syria and Ukraine. It begins, The Russian mercenaries fighting in Syria say they are not in the country for the money or to help Syrian president Bashar al-Assad. “Syrians can’t stand Assad,” one Russian mercenary commander told RFE/RL. “Really. Only a tiny percentage of the population there supports him and the rest oppose him. Only Putin supports him. Russia supports him — no one else.” There is a bigger motivation, the mercenary claimed. “If you are fighting under a Russian flag, with a Russian weapon, even if you are eating moldy food and are 10,000 kilometers from home, you are nonetheless fighting for Russia,” he said. “There is no Syrian war,” he added. “There is no Ukrainian war. There is only a war between the Russian Federation and the United States.” In America, you often hear accusations of “Cold War nostalgia,” made by Left and Right. Only a fool would want another cold war (with its attendant hot wars). But, as before, if one side stirs up trouble, the other side can respond or not. You may not be interested in war, goes an old line, but war is interested in you. In any case, the U.S. radios serve an important function. Chances are, most Americans don’t know about them. If they did, however, I suspect a majority would be pleased and proud (via David Cole, OK, DXLD) ** U S A [and non]. Summer A-18 frequency changes of IBB BBG Radio Free Asia/Radio Farda/Radio Liberty/Voice of America/Afia Darfur/Radio Ashna/Radio Marti/Deewa Radio: http://swldxbulgaria.blogspot.bg/2018/04/summer-18-frequency-changes-of-ibb.html (Ivo Ivanov, SWLDXBulgaria News, Mar 28-Apr 1, WOR iog via DXLD) viz.: Radio Free Asia 0100-0200 NF 9480 KWT 250 kW / 078 CeAs Tibetan, ex 9680 0100-0200 NF 11790 KWT 250 kW / 046 CeAs Uyghur, ex 11945 1000-1100 NF 21465 TIN 250 kW / 295 CeAs Tibetan Mon, ex 21550 1000-1100 NF 21455 TIN 250 kW / 295 CeAs Tibetan Tue, ex 21560 1000-1100 NF 21520 TIN 250 kW / 295 CeAs Tibetan Wed, ex 21525 1000-1100 NF 21540 TIN 250 kW / 295 CeAs Tibetan Fri, ex 21495 1000-1100 NF 21505 TIN 250 kW / 295 CeAs Tibetan Sat, ex 21485 1100-1200 NF 17640 LAM 100 kW / 077 CeAs Tibetan, ex 18930-19010 KWT 1200-1300 NF 17720 LAM 100 kW / 077 CeAs Tibetan, ex 18930-19010 KWT 1300-1400 NF 17735 LAM 100 kW / 077 CeAs Tibetan, ex 18930-19010 KWT 1200-1300 NF 17690 DB 250 kW / 110 CeAs Tibetan, ex 15265 1430-1500 NF 7530 TIN 250 kW / 280 SEAs Khmer, ex 7520 1400-1500 NF 11985 SAI 100 kW / 270 SEAs Vietnamese, ex 11890 1400-1500 NF 13575 TIN 250 kW / 287 EaAs Cantonese Tue, ex 13740 1400-1500 NF 13575 TIN 250 kW / 287 EaAs Cantonese Thu, ex 13740 1400-1500 NF 13820 TIN 250 kW / 287 EaAs Cantonese Sat, ex 13640 1500-1600 NF 9940 SAI 100 kW / 300 EaAs Chinese, ex 9455 1500-1600 NF 13720 TIN 250 kW / 295 CeAs Tibetan Tue, ex 13745 1500-1600 NF 13720 TIN 250 kW / 295 CeAs Tibetan Thu, ex 13745 1500-1600 NF 13720 TIN 250 kW / 295 CeAs Tibetan Sat, ex 13745 1500-1600 NF 13720 TIN 250 kW / 295 CeAs Tibetan Sun, ex 13745 1500-1700 NF 7545 TIN 250 kW / 329 EaAs Korean, ex 7455 1500-1700 NF 11985 TIN 250 kW / 325 EaAs Korean, ex 11850 1600-1700 NF 9480 KWT 250 kW / 046 CeAs Uyghur, ex 9555 1600-1700 NF 15700 LAM 100 kW / 077 CeAs Uyghur, ex 13775 1800-1900 NF 11745 TIN 250 kW / 305 EaAs Chinese, x 11560 1800-1900 NF 11985 TIN 250 kW / 333 EaAs Korean, ex 11830 2100-2200 NF 11985 TIN 250 kW / 329 EaAs Korean, ex 11960 2300-2400 NF 5935 KWT 250 kW / 070 CeAs Tibetan, ex 6075 2300-2400 NF 11850 TIN 250 kW / 319 EaAs Chinese, x 11785 Radio Farda 0830-1530 NF 17830 BIB 100 kW / 085 WeAs Persian, ex 17690 1100-1500 NF 5860 KWT 250 kW / 058 WeAs Persian, ex 7435 Radio Liberty 1400-1600 NF 11850 BIB 100 kW / 088 CeAs Turkmen, ex 9740 KWT 1600-1700 NF 11850 BIB 100 kW / 088 CeAs Turkmen, ex 11910 LAM Voice of America 0000-0030 NF 5875 UDO 250 kW / 280 SEAs Burmese, ex 6040 0000-0100 NF 15320 PHT 250 kW / 332 EaAs Chinese, ex 15385 0300-0400 NF 21680 PHT 250 kW / 315 CeAs Tibetan Sun, ex 21660 0400-0500 NF 21695 PHT 250 kW / 315 CeAs Tibetan Sat, ex 21660 0500-0600 NF 17660 UDO 250 kW / 313 CeAs Tibetan, ex 17650 0500-0600 NF 21580 PHT 250 kW / 315 CeAs Tibetan Fri, ex 21660 0600-0700 NF 17530 SAO 100 kW / 100 SoAf English, inactive 0830-0900 NF 17530 BOT 100 kW / 350 WCAf French Wed/Sat, ex 15130 1100-1130 NF 15730 BOT 100 kW / 350 WCAf French Sat, ex 17850 1100-1130 NF 17850 GB 250 kW / 094 WCAf French Sat, ex 15715 1200-1500 NF 9320 PHT 250 kW / 021 EaAs Korean, not on 7540 1400-1500 NF 9740 UDO 250 kW / 324 CeAs Tibetan, ex 9920 1400-1500 NF 9900 PHT 250 kW / 349 EaAs Chinese, ex 9440 1400-1500 NF 11900 PHT 250 kW / 332 EaAs Chinese, ex 11990 1400-1500 NF 15605 BOT 100 kW / 010 WeAs Kurdish, ex 15595 1430-1500 NF 7530 TIN 250 kW / 280 SEAs Khmer, ex 7520 1600-1700 NF 9760 UDO 250 kW / 304 CeAs Tibetan, ex 9565 1600-1700 NF 9970 LAM 100 kW / 075 CeAs Tibetan, ex 9590 1600-1700 NF 11890 PHT 250 kW / 315 CeAs Tibetan, ex 12065 1630-1700 NF 11910 MEY 100 kW / 015 SDN English Mon-Fri, ex 11985 1730-1800 NF 15330 SAO 100 kW / 076 EaAf Oromo Mon-Fri, ex 15785 1730-1800 NF 15640 WOF 300 kW / 126 EaAf Oromo Mon-Fri, ex 15630 1800-1830 NF 9590 WOF 300 kW / 140 SDN Arabic, ex 9620 1800-1900 NF 15330 WOF 300 kW / 120 EaAf Amharic, ex 15785 1800-1900 NF 15640 WOF 300 kW / 126 EaAf Amharic, ex 15630 1900-1930 NF 9590 SMG 250 kW / 146 SDN Arabic, ex 9775 1900-1930 NF 15330 WOF 300 kW / 128 EaAf Tigrinya Mon-Fri, ex 15785 1900-1930 NF 15640 WOF 300 kW / 126 EaAf Tigrinya Mon-Fri, ex 15630 2100-2130 NF 5970 BOT 100 kW / 350 CeAf French Mon-Fri, ex 5980 2100-2130 NF 9885 SMG 250 kW / 184 WCAf French Mon-Fri, ex 9855 2200-2230 NF 5965 PHT 250 kW / 270 SEAs Khmer, ex 5915 2200-2300 NF 5875 UDO 250 kW / 030 EaAs Chinese, ex 5970 2330-2400 NF 5875 UDO 250 kW / 280 SEAs Burmese, ex 6040 Afia Darfur 0300-0330 NF 9470 BOT 100 kW / 010 SDN Arabic, ex 7235 0300-0330 NF 9590 KWT 250 kW / 205 SDN Arabic, ex 9815 Radio Martí 0300-0700 on 7335 GB 250 kW / 185 Cuba Spanish, unscheduled 1000-1400 on 7335 GB 250 kW / 185 Cuba Spanish, unscheduled 1200-1400 NF 7365 GB 250 kW / 205 Cuba Spanish, ex 7405 Deewa Radio 1300-1500 NF 15330 LAM 100 kW / 092 WeAs Pashto, ex 15490 1500-1700 NF 12035 UDO 250 kW / 305 WeAs Pashto, ex 12150 1500-1700 NF 15330 LAM 100 kW / 092 WeAs Pashto, ex 15410 1700-1900 NF 12035 LAM 100 kW / 092 WeAs Pashto, ex 12150 Radio Ashna 1430-1500 NF 12070 UDO 250 kW / 300 WeAs Pashto, x 17880 1500-1630 NF 12070 UDO 250 kW / 300 WeAs Dari, ex 17880 1630-1730 NF 12070 UDO 250 kW / 300 WeAs Pashto, x 12035 ??????????? ?? Observer ? 12:13 PM (via DXLD) ** U S A [non]. 15110, March 28 at 1345, Chinese S9-S7 with flutter. Scheduled this hour is VOA via Thailand at 14 degrees, and jammed: according to this version of NDXC/Aoki dated March 27 for A-18 http://www1.m2.mediacat.ne.jp/binews/ut/userlist1.txt I think it may really be VOA, but this encourages me to tune out-of- band for more jammers below 15 MHz, but none found down to 12 MHz. Remember the good old days with lots of Firedragons especially in the .9s of each MHz band? (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A [non]. 7375, Friday March 30 at 0447, `VOA International Edition`, good at S9+10/20, and no residual Cuban jamming either. Not enough hard world news to cover, but a music segment at the moment. Aoki/NDXC shows 04-05 UT M-F is BOTSWANA in Shona! But HFCC shows English at 350 degrees --- And would you believe also registered on 7375 this hour in A-18 by MBR via Nauen is something in Croatian?! What are the chances of CRZ ever resuming an external SW service? 7260, March 31 at 0347 conversation with reverb in presumed Somali, since scheduled is VOA in Somali 0330-0400 via VATICAN, violating Separation of Church & State. 6080, UT Sat Mar 31 at 0530, VOA starting `Press Conference USA` about Russian imperialism; this is São Tomé site at 04-07, 100 kW, 138 degrees so right off the back to here. Before 0400 it`s Botswana at 350 degrees (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) V of America heard 3 April with English language learning segment within their French broadcast on an unlisted freq of 9740 kHz from tune-in at 2120 until abruptly off at 2130. (Was in parallel with 5970 kHz). (Alan Roe, Teddington, UK, WOR iog via DXLD) VOA French till 2130 on 9490 KWT and 2130 on 9490 ASC VOA Bambara (Ivo Ivanov, ibid.) ** U S A [and non]. 9330.26, WBCQ Monticello ME; 2135-2200+, 3/2 [sic; must have been Sat 3/24]; Glenn Hauser’s World of Radio #1922; item from Paul Dobosz re KPH & KFS; ToH WBCQ spot into B.S. SIO=454- peaks, fady (Harold Frodge, MI, MARE Tipsheet 30 March via DXLD) WORLD OF RADIO 1923 monitoring: not awake until 1106 UT Wed March 28 to check 9455 WRMI which should have emitted WOR at 1030-1059, but even now it`s a JBA carrier. (But by 1140, it`s huged up to S9-S7 with RAE Portuguese. and << // 9955 even more so, S9+10.) Next: Wed 2100 WBCQ 7490v to WSW Wed 2100 WRMI 9955 to SSE [but not on air in time last week] Wed 2330 WBCQ 9330v-CUSB to WSW Thu 2230.5 WRMI 5850 to NW [IS CANCELED!] Thu 2330 WBCQ 9330v-CUSB to WSW Fri 2330 WBCQ 9330v-CUSB to WSW Sat 0629 HLR 6190-CUSB to WSW Sat 1431 HLR 6190-CUSB to WSW Sat 1930v WA0RCR 1860-AM ND Sat 2130 WBCQ 9330v-CUSB to WSW Sat 2300 WRMI 7780 to NE Sun 0200 WRMI 7780 to NE Sun 0310v WA0RCR 1860-AM ND Sun 1030 HLR 9485-CUSB to WSW Sun 2330 WBCQ 9330v-CUSB to WSW Mon 0300v WBCQ 5130v Area 51 to WSW Mon 0330 WRMI 9955 to SSE, 9455 to WNW Mon 2330 WBCQ 9330v-CUSB to WSW Tue 0030 WRMI 7730 to WNW Tue 2030 WRMI 7780 to NE, 9455 to WNW [or #1924?] Tue 2130 WRMI 7780 to NE, 9455 to WNW [or #1924?] WORLD OF RADIO 1923 monitoring: confirmed Wednesday March 28 at 2100 on WRMI 9955 (after the 2057- IS & ID loop at sign-on); and also // virtually synchronized via WBCQ 7490+v, which is slightly stronger but with much more storm noise level. Also confirmed Wed Mar 28 at 2350 the 2330 on WBCQ 9330.3v-CUSB, good. Next: Thu 2330 WBCQ 9330v-CUSB to WSW Fri 2330 WBCQ 9330v-CUSB to WSW Sat 0629 HLR 6190-CUSB to WSW Sat 1431 HLR 6190-CUSB to WSW Sat 1930v WA0RCR 1860-AM ND Sat 2130 WBCQ 9330v-CUSB to WSW Sat 2300 WRMI 7780 to NE Sun 0200 WRMI 7780 to NE Sun 0310v WA0RCR 1860-AM ND Sun 1030 HLR 9485-CUSB to WSW Sun 2330 WBCQ 9330v-CUSB to WSW Mon 0300v WBCQ 5130v Area 51 to WSW Mon 0330 WRMI 9955 to SSE Mon 2330 WBCQ 9330v-CUSB to WSW Tue 0030 WRMI 7730 to WNW Tue 2030 WRMI 7780 to NE, 9455 to WNW [or #1924?] Tue 2130 WRMI 7780 to NE, 9455 to WNW [or #1924?] WORLD OF RADIO 1923 monitoring: confirmed Thursday March 29 at 2330 on WBCQ, 9330.271v-CUSB, fair. Next: Fri 2330 WBCQ 9330v-CUSB to WSW Sat 0629 HLR 6190-CUSB to WSW Sat 1431 HLR 6190-CUSB to WSW Sat 1930v WA0RCR 1860-AM ND Sat 2130 WBCQ 9330v-CUSB to WSW Sat 2300 WRMI 7780 to NE Sun 0200 WRMI 7780 to NE Sun 0310v WA0RCR 1860-AM ND Sun 1030 HLR 9485-CUSB to WSW Sun 2330 WBCQ 9330v-CUSB to WSW Mon 0300v WBCQ 5130v Area 51 to WSW Mon 0330 WRMI 9955 to SSE Mon 2330 WBCQ 9330v-CUSB to WSW Tue 0030 WRMI 7730 to WNW Tue 2030 WRMI 7780 to NE, 9455 to WNW [or #1924?] Tue 2130 WRMI 7780 to NE, 9455 to WNW [or #1924?] WOR schedule on all outlets, podcast access: http://www.worldofradio.com/radioskd.html (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Wolfgang Büschel reports that 9455 was OFF in the 10-11 hour Friday March 30, so is it also off on Wednesdays at 1030, a WOR time? (Glenn Hauser, WOR iog via DXLD) GERMANY, 6190, Hamburger Lokalradio, Goehren, 0630-0700, 31-03 [Sat] English, Glenn Hauser’s program “World of Radio”. 15321 (Manuel Méndez, Spain, WOR iog via DXLD) ``No SW transmissions from Goehren (HLR) on two weekends in April --- Hello Glenn, Due to upcoming works at the Goehren transmitter site, transmission will have to be suspended on the following two weekends: April 14th & 15th // April, 21st & 22nd. SW transmissions (including WOR, of course) will continue from the last weekend in April. Best wishes from the HLR team, Thomas Völkner`` (Glenn Hauser, OK, WORLD OF RADIO 1924, DX LISTENING DIGEST) WORLD OF RADIO 1923 monitoring: confirmed Friday March 30 at 2330 on WBCQ, 9330v-CUSB, good, equivalent signal to 9265 WINB and 9395 WRMI, rarely the case. Also confirmed Saturday March 31 at 1447, the now 1431 on Hamburger Lokalradio, via UTwente SDR, still on 6190-CUSB: poor but mostly readable against noise level rather than QRM. By 1457 there is lite CCI, 1459 as HLR goes off, increasing from CRI, and heavy ACI. Alan Gale, England, also reports on this: ``Hi Glenn, In spite of the earlier time, World of Radio was audible right the way through today, though the signal was a bit weaker than in recent weeks up to around 1450, when the signal started to come up in strength. Prior to that there had been no sign of the Chinese station, but that started to appear around that time as well, though was fairly weak. Unusually, I was even able to hear the final words plus the HLR short announcement at 1500 UT, which is usually masked by an Interval Signal. With the Mighty KBC remaining at 1500 UT on 9400, there was no clash between the two programmes this week, and I was able to record World of Radio, so a short clip of the final minute is attached so you can hear how it sounded here. 73, Alan`` --- Tnx, Alan; sounds a bit weaker than on UTwente this time. Next: Sat 1930v WA0RCR 1860-AM ND Sat 2130 WBCQ 9330v-CUSB to WSW Sat 2300 WRMI 7780 to NE Sun 0200 WRMI 7780 to NE Sun 0310v WA0RCR 1860-AM ND Sun 1030 HLR 9485-CUSB to WSW Sun 2330 WBCQ 9330v-CUSB to WSW Mon 0300v WBCQ 5130v Area 51 to WSW Mon 0330 WRMI 9955 to SSE Mon 2330 WBCQ 9330v-CUSB to WSW Tue 0030 WRMI 7730 to WNW Tue 2030 WRMI 7780 to NE, 9455 to WNW [or #1924?] Tue 2130 WRMI 7780 to NE, 9455 to WNW [or #1924?] WORLD OF RADIO 1923 monitoring: confirmed Saturday March 31 at 2130 on WBCQ, 9330.479v-CUSB, fair (as measured a few minutes earlier during BS, but later back to 9330.3v or so). Also confirmed Sat Mar 31 at 2300 on WRMI 7780, fair. Also confirmed UT Sun April 1 at 0200 on WRMI 7780, good. Also confirmed on WA0RCR, 1860-AM, MO, UT Sunday April 1 at 0354 about 22 minutes in so started late circa 0332, as I was still hearing ham news at 0330. 7780, WRMI at 0218 with Glenn Hauser’s “World of Radio” - Very Good Apr 1 [UT Sunday] (Mark Coady, Selwyn, Ontario, Kenwood TS440S or Ten- Tec Argonaut II and 40 and 80 meter off centre-fed dipoles, ODXA iog via DXLD) GERMANY, Reception of World of Radio via HLR on 9485 CUSB, April 1 1031-1100 9485 GOH 001 kW / 230 deg to CeEu English Sun, weak signal http://swldxbulgaria.blogspot.bg/2018/04/reception-of-world-of-radio-via-hlr-on.html (Ivo Ivanov, SWLDXBulgaria News, March 28-April 1, WOR iog via DXLD) Next: Sun 2330 WBCQ 9330v-CUSB to WSW Mon 0300v WBCQ 5130v Area 51 to WSW Mon 0330 WRMI 9955 to SSE Mon 2330 WBCQ 9330v-CUSB to WSW Tue 0030 WRMI 7730 to WNW Tue 2030 WRMI 7780 to NE, 9455 to WNW [or #1924?] Tue 2130 WRMI 7780 to NE, 9455 to WNW [or #1924?] WORLD OF RADIO 1923 monitoring: confirmed Sunday April 1 after 2330 on WBCQ, 9330v-CUSB, good and stronger than 9265 WINB & 9395 WRMI. Also confirmed UT Monday April 2 from 0303 on Area 51 webcast; and good S9 at 0326 check on WBCQ 5129.81. Not confirmed at 0330 on WRMI 9955, JBA carrier but confirmed on webcast at 0344. And guess what, instead of R. Biafra zombie file at 0400 on webcast only, WOR repeats! Tnx, Jeff. By 0435 World Music. Will have to check other nights what happen: UT Wed April 4 at 0425, entrevista in Spanish. 0431 music; 0530 Slovakia in Spanish! WOR 1923 also confirmed Monday April 2 after 2330 on WBCQ 9330.3v- CUSB, good, stronger than 9265 and 9395. Also confirmed UT Tuesday April 3 at 0030 on WRMI 7730, VG S9+20. Also confirmed Tue Apr 3 at 2030 on WRMI 9455, poor, 7780 JBA; and at 2130 improved, 9455 fair, 7780 VP. Also confirmed Tue Apr 3 at 2330 on WBCQ, 9330v-CUSB, good. WORLD OF RADIO 1924 contents: Alaska, Albania non, Armenia, Australia, Brasil, China, Cuba and non, Denmark, Egypt, France, Germany, India, Italy, Korea South, Kurdistan non, Malaysia, New Zealand non, Norway, Philippines and non, Sudan non, Sudan South non, Taiwan, USA; and the propagation outlook WOR 1924 ready for first airings April 3: Wed 1030 WRMI 9455 to WNW [not clear if off the air or not propping] Wed 2100 WBCQ 7490v to WSW Wed 2100 WRMI 9955 to SSE Wed 2330 WBCQ 9330v-CUSB to WSW Thu 2330 WBCQ 9330v-CUSB to WSW Fri 2330 WBCQ 9330v-CUSB to WSW Sat 0629 HLR 6190-CUSB to WSW Sat 1431 HLR 6190-CUSB to WSW Sat 1930v WA0RCR 1860-AM ND Sat 2130 WBCQ 9330v-CUSB to WSW Sat 2300 WRMI 7780 to NE Sun 0200 WRMI 7780 to NE Sun 0310v WA0RCR 1860-AM ND Sun 1030 HLR 9485-CUSB to WSW Sun 2330 WBCQ 9330v-CUSB to WSW Mon 0300v WBCQ 5130v Area 51 to WSW Mon 0330 WRMI 9955 to SSE Mon 2330 WBCQ 9330v-CUSB to WSW Tue 0030 WRMI 7730 to WNW Tue 2030 WRMI 7780 to NE, 9455 to WNW [or #1925?] Tue 2130 WRMI 7780 to NE, 9455 to WNW [or #1925?] Full WOR sked on all outlets, podcast access: http://www.worldofradio.com/radioskd.html (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A. 9395 << // 9455, S9 vs S9+27, March 27 at 2344, this WRMI hour is Oldies because I am hearing VOA News, but chopped amid a story, dead air and eventually canned Oldies ID and back to music. Surveying WRMI frequencies before and after 0200 UT March 28: 9395 // 9455 at 0157 fill music presumably after RAE in English 9955, at 0158 March 28, `Viva Miami` *still* playing the 2+month old Spanish show from Kuala Lumpur, about to fly back via Osaka and Honolulu; 0200 R. Praga in Spanish. 7780, at 0159 March 28, PCJ IS at end of its hour, long-outdated announcement about 11580 moving to 7780 from January 8. Was << // 5850 but at 0200, 5850 switches to Brother Scare // 7730. And at 0200, 7780 switches to Radio Ukraine International in English about expelling Russians. 9455, at 0200 March 28 in Spanish with `El Sonido de la Nueva Vida`, i.e. remnant of Fámily Radio, new time and frequency 5985, 0328 UT March 28, ``top of hour`` ID & IS loop, 0330 `Frecuencia al Día` as sked UT Wednesdays, along with a strip of other shows until daily R. Japan Spanish at 0400-0430. More concerning WRMI filed in this report under nons: ALBANIA, CUBA, NIGERIA, SLOVAKIA, TAIWAN, WORLD OF RADIO. 9455, Wed March 28 at 2000, WRMI with gospel huxter not // 7780, supposed to be matching during this hour, since 7780 is // 9395 Oldies. Exact transmitter combinations continue to be flexible at WRMI. We depend on these two to be // for WOR on Tuesdays at 2030 & 2130. By 2057, however, 7780 and 9455 are // again, with something else on 9395. Now scheduled Wed 2000-2100 on System D 7780 // ``9445`` [sic] is something new, `The Christian Whistleblower`. Thursday March 29 I track what these three transmitters are doing: 9395, Argentina German until 2000, then Oldies music 9455, Oldies until 2000, then `Voice of the Report of the Week` 7780, Brother Scare until 2000, then VORW // 9455 9955 // 9455, Thu March 29 at 1345, WRMI finally with a new episode of `Viva Miami`, this time a meilbag in English prior to QSLs being sent. I suppose I should put VM back into the DX/SWL/MEDIA programs schedule, when I get around to it (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Hi Glenn, checked WRMI channels today March 30 [Friday], at 08-12 UT slot in REMOTE SDR's in Alberta, Detroit, New Jersey and here in Germany, Belgium and Liverpool England. 9955 kHz 08-11 UT totally OFF, 04-10 UT OFF according schedule but also extended 10-11 OFF today. 5850 kHz 8-9 Fridays, totally OFF. 9455 in RAE Chinese(?) and 9395 kHz, S=9+10dB, 08-09z 9455 ? maybe RAE Japanese(?), weak signal til 10 UT, no System-F progr 10-11 UT, OFF 9395 kHz different Show program 09-11 UT separate.. From 1055 / 1100 UT: 5950 TX ON switch at 1055:50 UT, S=9+50dB powerhouse in Alberta Canada many RMI stn IDs 12 kHz wideband signal. 9395 kHz keeps on air 09-12 UT, separate program, pop mx. S=9+5dB in Alb. CAN Also approx. 1057 UT TX sign-on again 9955 kHz S=8-9 only fair signal into Edmonton Alb CAN, \\ 9455 kHz S=9+10dB from 11 UT same \\ 9955 Spanish 'verdad ...' Program Hello, 13-14 UT March 30: 9955 kHz 12-14 UT S=9+10dB Alberta and Detroit MI, 12-1230 R Praga ?, 1230-13 UT in Spanish language, Slovakia International ?, from 13 UT English Friday, "World of the Lord", \\ 9455 kHz S=8-9. 1252 UT still 4-15 [? Sic] UT RMI Bob Biermann pop mx, S=9 in Alberta, but in daytime at 1300 UT S=9+15dB stronger in MI and NY/NJ. Nothing on 7780 kHz today at this hour. 14-16 UT March 30: 1432 UT, 9955 kHz 14-21 UT ? -- OFF totally 9455 kHz S=6-7 in Edmonton 1435 UT, 14-16 UT Oldies of Bob Biermann ? [I think this is rather World Music after 1430 – gh] Nothing on 7780 kHz today at this hour. 9395 kHz 14-15 UT Bob Biermann music px, but from 15-18 UT sermon, as scheduled TOM, BS ID heard at 1514 UT. 21525 kHz 14-16 UT Radio Africa, excellent audio, English sermon, S=8-9 in Detroit-MI Now at 1640 UT daylight damping to state, but strings still visible at 1638 UT on 21525 kHz Radio Africa 14-17 UT. 9455 kHz S=6 in Detroit MI 1640 UT, 14-17 UT Oldies of Bob Biermann 9395 kHz from 15-18 UT sermon, weak signal as scheduled TOM, BS heard at 1645 UT. Now at 1820 UT strings still visible and heard all. !! surprisingly!! strong in Edmonton Alberta remote at 1820 UT at S=9+20 to +50dB!! Depending of rx antenna in use. 21525 kHz Radio Africa 14-19 UT. There seem a proper daylight skip step from Okeechobee to Alberta. 9455 kHz S=8-9 in Edmonton Alberta 18.20 UT, S=4 in MI, 14-19 UT Oldies of Bob Biermann 9395 kHz from 15-18 UT sermon, weak signal as scheduled TOM, BS heard at 1645 UT. Pop music oldies at 1825 UT only S=6-7 noisy propagation in Alberta, but S=8 in Detroit-MI. weak and tiny 7780 kHz 17-20 UT BS TOM program. S=6-7 weak but BS understand speech. 1835 UT. Now at 2035 UT strings still visible and heard all. 21525 kHz Radio Africa 14-21 UT. When checked 2102 UT was OFF air, switched down. 9455 kHz S=8-9 in Edmonton Alberta 2045 UT, S=5 in MI, 14-20 UT Oldies of Bob Biermann, than \\ 7780 which is S=9 in Detroit, 2030-21 UT I love Italy or something, 9395 kHz from 20-22 UT mixture English, not Italian, S=7 in Alberta, but S=8 in Detroit-MI. weak and tiny 7780 kHz 17-20 UT BS TOM program. S=6-7 weak, 2040 UT, mixture 20-22 UT. 9955 kHz still OFF air at 2115 UT, til 2200 UT. 73 wolfie (Wolfgang Büschel, DX LISTENING DIGEST) 9455, March 31 at 1002, JBA carrier, presumably WRMI still on with System F as scheduled, 285 degrees close to usward, but MUF at its lowest diurnal dip pre-sunrise. Should be on 5 or 7 MHz band at this hour (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) There is a new program on WRMI on 7780 kHz at 2030 UT on Sundays: "Reserve Military Retirement" http://rcretirement.com/ The first episode was yesterday. It bumps the previously first airing of "Shortwave Radiogram" on Sunday, which apparently moves to 2030 UT on Fridays, also on 7780 kHz but also in parallel on 9455 kHz. But it wasn't on 7780 kHz this past Friday and I can't usually hear 9455 kHz here in NB so don't know if it was on that frequency. Anyway, next Friday could be the first airing of "Shortwave Radiogram" in its new slot, which will become the first transmission of each episode of the program (-- Richard Langley, April 2, WOR iog via WORLD OF RADIO 1924, DX LISTENING DIGEST) 9395 // 9455, April 3 at 0556, VOA News is good at S9 on both, so WRMI `Oldies` streams (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) /NEW ZEALAND Southern Rock Connection will be on air on April 8th 2018 on WRMI from 0700 to 0800 UT on the frequencies of 7730 kHz. This will also be broadcast simultaneously on 5850. This broadcast will feature a NZRDXL special as the New Zealand Radio DX League is celebrating 70 years this year. If you would like a Southern Rock Connection QSL, you can send your reception reports to this address: Southern Rock Connection, P.O.Box 1212, Dunedin 9054, New Zealand. And to help pay for return postage we ask you include US$2 (Press release from Southern Rock Connection via David Miller, March DX Fanzine via DXLD) See also NEW ZEALAND [non] ** U S A. 5129.8, March 30 at 0022, no signal, WBCQ BS must be off. Nor at 0543 check. 5129.837, March 30 at 1343, back on and still barely propagating over daypath (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) (7490), March 31 at 0000, WBCQ webcast with almost-dead air, but I can barely hear the closing comments of the previous program `FKB Radio Sermon Time` being played back, before the William Tell Overture theme to `Allan Weiner Worldwide` starts. I think this is what happens: instead of monitoring 7490 direct off the air in FLA, Allan is also listening to delayed webfeed to take his cue. Starts off with religious stuff. Recheck at 0043 refers to ``my lovely girlfriend Angela``, altho last week he called her ``mate``. We`re dying to see her, and the WBCQ website has some obscure linx to photo galleries. https://www.flickr.com/photos/28334187@N07/ This shows lots of equipment and humans, some out of favor or deceased, including the late Jennifer, but I don`t find any shots of Angela. You have to hover over each one to see a caption. John Carver`s report: ``Show started on time this evening after some seconds of dead air. Listening on 5130 this evening with a strong S7. Allan and Angela on the air. I assume from studio 9 in FLA, but he never actually says, this evening. Opening monologue equates Passover with freedom and talk continues in this vein until interrupted by an early phone call from Dave in Indiana who is complaining of problems with the VA. Talk drifted to school shootings again and the lack of God in schools of late. Talk of depression, mental illness, psychotropic drugs, etc. Another impassioned talk about people's rights and attempts to modify the constitution. Allan stated that the general mood of the country's whackos implied that he was responsible for all the country's problems since he was a white, christian male. Talk drifted to portions of an interview with Elon Musk talking of the dangers of AI. Then a warning to listeners about new legislation being written to deal with pirate radio. Reading of emails began at 0055. Closing prayer began at 0057 after an attempt to get Angela to lead tonight's prayer. Show was off the air at 0059 although Allan and Angela could be heard talking very low until Brother Stair started at 0103. John, Mid-North Indiana`` (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) 5130 this evening --- Sorry to be late but computer locked up twice this evening and once I got it working I couldn't connect to the internet till the middle of the night. Earlier this evening I tuned in 5130 and Brother Scare had climbed the fence around Area 51 and was playing in their yard. Took forty-six minutes for someone to round him up and boot him off the property so that TimTron's show could start (John Carver, UT April 1, DX LISTENING DIGEST) TimTron is supposed to be Sat 23-01 UT Sun on 5130 (gh, DXLD) QRM to the expanded WBCQ hours: ARMENIA [non], Reception of Trans World Radio India via Yerevan, March 26 1300-1315 9330 ERV 300 kW / 100 deg to SoAs English Mon-Sat, powerful http://swldxbulgaria.blogspot.bg/2018/03/reception-of-trans-world-radio-india_26.html (Glenn Hauser, WORLD OF RADIO 1924, DX LISTENING DIGEST) 7490+, UT Tue April 3 at 0100, WBCQ with a recent `Allan Weiner Worldwide` repeat, and still at 0153 recheck, instead of Blalock the Blaster, who had been showing more than once in this hour; neither on the schedule alleging that 7490 close at 0100* (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A. 3185, March 28 at 0010, no signal from WWRB nor 3195 nor 3215 nor 5050, unlike last night when 3185 was on at 0131. 3215, April 1 at 0046, WWRB with usual Saturday night pair of gospel- huxters, and splattering out plus/minus 20 kHz. Evidently off by 0059, as no 3185 or 3195 at 0107 check, once WWCR has overtaken 3215, which is splattering only plus/minus 10 (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A. 15555-USB, March 30 at 1400 tune-in, gospel huxter already underway from WJHR, S9. First time heard in weeks on random daytime bandscans, suspected sporadic. Last log of it in DXLD was Jan 14, 2018 at 2030 by Rick Barton, AZ. My own last log was Nov 14, 2017 at 2123 (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A. 7385, March 31 at 0349, WHRI gospel huxtress at meter maximum, S9+60! HFCC has a complex set of registrations implying at this hour it`s only 100 kW, at 315 degrees, while we are more like 300. But 250 kW transmitter is also used at various other times on 315 or 25 or 47 degrees (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A. 5830, March 31 at 0355, WTWW-1 is S7 of dead air; while 5085, WTWW-2 is S9+40 with C&W music. 5085, UT Sunday April 1 at 0101, WTWW-2, ID and starting `Theater Organ in the Ozarx`, organ music until 0133. Meanwhile: 9475, April 1 at 0110, WTWW-1 big rough signal but undermodulated interview with someham on phone, not by Ted; rather than SFAW. 9475, April 2 at 2014, WTWW-1 is OFF, and so are all the other four possible frequencies. 5830 also off at 0559 April 3 (while neighbor 5935 WWCR is VG) (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A. WWCR, 3215 on Mar 26, 04:55. SIO 353. Program of Stone Kingdom ministries. Message from a British-Israelism perspective (the wacky idea that the British and other Northern European people are the 10 lost tribes of Israel) (James Branum, OK, WOR iog via DXLD) 9350, WWCR, 2030-2057, 3/29/2018 [Thursday] "Classic Radio Theater" consisting of a "Jack Benny Radio Program" first aired in 1954. It was fun to listen to the old comedy slapstick with a studio audience (or recorded laughter track) providing the background. My Dad used to regale me with stories about the central role that radio played for American families in the 30s and 40s. This program sounded like the kind of thing he enjoyed as a kid, but during the skits there were also repeated references made to Jack's (1950s) TV program and I kept thinking about how the "new technology" was evolving back then and driving its own transition. Armchair copy of course, 55545 (Bob Dodt, VA, Yaesu FRG-7000, random wire in attic, NASWA Flashsheet April 2 via DXLD) WWCR-4 A18 schedule On 9980 kHz 2000-2100 M-F : Financial Survival 2100-2130 M-F : Bill Martínez Live 2130-2200 M-F : Healthline On 6115 kHz 0100-0200 Tue-Sat : Call to Decision On 5890 kHz 0200-0300 Tue-Sat : TruthHouse Ministries 0300-0400 Mon : Herald of Truth I monitored this over the past week (Peter W Hansen, April 2, WOR iog via DXLD) And nothing else on #4? With all that deleted BS (gh, DXLD) ** U S A. Unscheduled transmission of WRNO Radio on April 2 till 0623 on 7505 RNO 050 kW / 020 deg to ENAm English from 0623 on 7505 RNO 050 kW / 020 deg to ENAm Chinese Previous summer A17 schedule of WRNO in English/Chinese 0100-0300 on 7505 RNO 050 kW / 020 deg to ENAm English 0300-0400 on 7505 RNO 050 kW / 020 deg to ENAm Chinese http://swldxbulgaria.blogspot.bg/2018/04/unscheduled-transmission-of-wrno-radio.html (Ivo Ivanov, SWLDXBulgaria News, April 2, WOR iog via DXLD) Again unscheduled transmission of WRNO Radio on April 3 from 0530 on 7505 RNO 050 kW / 020 deg to ENAm English, fair http://swldxbulgaria.blogspot.bg/2018/04/again-unscheduled-transmission-of-wrno.html (Ivo Ivanov, SWLDXBulgaria News, April 3, WOR iog via WORLD OF RADIO 1924, DXLD) April 3 - Thanks to Ivo Ivanov for the alert regarding the new WRNO schedule. At about 0315 heard 7505, in Chinese, with fair reception; later at 0420 check, was in English; clearly didn't sign off as they recently had been doing just after 0400, but instead was still on the air in English at my last check of 0611+. A greatly expanded schedule (Ron Howard, California, WOR iog via DXLD) WRNO still continuing past 0830 on 7505 kHz. Fair signal here in Chinese with English ID heard at 0823 requesting reports to 7505abcd@gmail.com 73s (Dave Kenny, Caversham UK, AOR7030+ 25m long wire, WOR iog via DXLD) - - - from WRTH Facebook page (April 3): Re: WRNO on 7505 kHz, with new schedule: Mauno Ritola: According to WRNO the current schedule is "8 pm – 8 am CST"; is that then 0100-1300 UT? (via Ron Howard, WOR iog via WORLD OF RADIO 1924, DXLD) ** U S A. Re: WCCO IBOC OFF!! When I worked there (pre IBOC), we had a General Manager that was really angry, almost abusive, because the radio baseball audio was not in sync with the picture on the TV broadcasts. No amount of explaining could convince him that each cable company had a different delay, depending on what the source was for their particular feed. Finally, the CE just set the WCCO delay to match the GM's home cable company delay. That more or less settled him down, but then he'd go visit a friend's house and would come unglued again because of sync discrepancies. If he went to the ballpark, the delay would be dropped to keep the live action in sync with his radio. It was a constant source of irritation for all involved. It would be nice if they dumped IBOC because the Minnesota Twins are back on WCCO, but I think that's wishful thinking. WSCR, WBBM and KMOX all have IBOC blasting away right now. 73, (Mike Gorniak, Braham, MN, March 31, ABDX yg via DXLD) ** U S A. 1130, March 28 at 1402 UT, KLEY Wellington KS is back to ``normal``, i.e. modulated carrier cutting on and off irregularly multiple times per minute, mixed with constant-rate faster noise pulsing. This has been going on for many weeks now. Does not speak well for the technical prowess of Christopher Miller`s Rocking M Media Group, HQ in Manhattan, with 23 other stations: http://rockingmradio.com/kley-100-31130/ Like so many station websites, there is *no* info and certainly no contact info about a chief or any other engineer, probably because they have no one with any such responsibility. IIRC, once before I emailed Miller about the diminished/no signal out of KGNO 1370 Dodge City, and never got a reply (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A. 1140, April 1 at 0132, Newsradio 1140 WRVA ID, and ``now on 96.1 FM``. How now? I enter 96.1 and Richmond in the WTFDA FM Database search fields, to find only one, 50 kW WQLK in Richmond, Indiana. But then searching VA instead of Richmond, I find the itty-bitty they are really hyping, a 145-watt translator, W241AP, in Midlothian, a southwest-side suburb (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A. FEDS DROP THE HAMMER ON TWO BOSTON PIRATES Radio Ink March 28, 2018 https://radioink.com/2018/03/28/feds-drop-the-hammer-on-two-boston-pirates Earlier this week broadcast equipment from two pirate radio stations in Boston was seized in a joint operation involving the FCC, the U.S. Marshals Service, and Boston Police Department. The announcement came from the Department of Justice. Boston, Miami, and New York have the greatest concentration of pirate radio activities. Here’s an FCC map of all the known pirates… Here are the details about today’s seizure… “Big City,” which broadcast at times on 100.3 FM, 105.3 FM, and 101.3 FM, from Dorchester, with a studio in Roxbury, and “B87.7 FM,” which operated on 87.7 FM from Dorchester, were operating without a license. The FCC issued multiple warnings to the illegal operators, but the radio stations continued to broadcast. Pursuant to federal forfeiture actions, authorities seized equipment operated by each radio station at that station’s antenna location on Blue Hill Avenue in Dorchester. The forfeiture actions were brought after the FCC received complaints, including a complaint from a licensed broadcaster about interference with its radio signal. “When pirate radio stations refuse to cease operations, despite multiple warnings, action must be taken,” said United States Attorney Andrew E. Lelling. “It is a public safety hazard for illegal radio stations to broadcast, potentially interfering with critical radio communications. We will work in conjunction with the FCC’s Enforcement Bureau to identify violators of federal communications law.” “Pirate radio stations are operating without an FCC license — and therefore breaking the law, as well as interfering with licensed broadcasters and potentially preventing those broadcasters from delivering critical public-safety information to listeners,” said Rosemary Harold, Chief of the FCC’s Enforcement Bureau. “We are pursuing multiple legal routes to stop pirate broadcasters; the seizure action in Boston is just one of them. We thank our partners in the Massachusetts U.S. Attorney’s Office and U.S. Marshals Service, and we’re particularly thankful for the great work of FCC field agents in combating this problem (via Mike Terry, UK, WOR iog via DXLD) RADIO EQUIPMENT SEIZED FROM TWO ILLEGAL RADIO STATIONS IN BOSTON https://transition.fcc.gov/Daily_Releases/Daily_Business/2018/db0328/DOC-349973A1.pdf STATEMENT OF COMMISSIONER MICHAEL O’RIELLY ON ACTION AGAINST TWO BOSTON PIRATE RADIO “STATIONS” https://transition.fcc.gov/Daily_Releases/Daily_Business/2018/db0328/DOC-349972A1.pdf Notes: These news releases do not indicate whether the U.S. Marshals Service and FCC agents personally interacted with the alleged operators of these stations. The FCC stated that the items were seized from the stations' "antenna location," which suggests that transmission equipment, but not studio equipment or persons, were taken into custody. For those details we will have to await official legal texts and not news pieces from the FCC media office. Only a small minority of unlicensed stations ever have their equipment seized. Increasingly the FCC sends enforcement notices to the landlords of these stations, in the expectation that they will act against broadcasting tenants. Additional enforcement actions against unlicensed stations were released today: JEROME MOULTRIE; MIAMI, FLORIDA. Notice of Unlicensed Operation issued for radio signals on frequency 90.1 MHz in Miami, Florida. Action by: Regional Director, Region Two, Enforcement Bureau. Adopted: 03/28/2018 by Notice. EB https://apps.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DOC-349981A1.docx https://apps.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DOC-349981A1.pdf JEAN CLAUDE MICHEL; BROOKLYN, NEW YORK. Notice of Unlicensed Operation issued for radio signals on frequency 90.9 MHz in Brooklyn, New York. Action by: Regional Director, Region One, Enforcement Bureau. Adopted: 03/28/2018 by Notice. EB https://apps.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DOC-349979A1.docx https://apps.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DOC-349979A1.pdf ANGEL RIGOBERTO PINZON; OSSINING, NEW YORK. Notice of Unlicensed Operation issued for radio signals on frequency 90.5 MHz in Newark, New Jersey. Action by: Regional Director, Region One, Enforcement Bureau. Adopted: 03/28/2018 by Notice. EB https://apps.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DOC-349978A1.docx https://apps.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DOC-349978A1.pdf FREDDIE RODRIGUEZ; FAYETTEVILLE, NORTH CAROLINA. Notice of Unlicensed Operation issued for radio signals on frequency 87.9 in Fayetteville, North Carolina. Action by: Regional Director, Region Two, Enforcement Bureau. Adopted: 03/28/2018 by Notice. EB https://apps.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DOC-349980A1.docx https://apps.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DOC-349980A1.pdf (via A contributor, March 29, via DXLD) ** UZBEKISTAN [and non]. 9955, April 1 at 1400, JBA music, as I tune in just after WRMI cuts off for its 7-hour daily break. HFCC shows AWR, 100 kW, 131 degrees via Tashkent at 1330-1400 in Hmn, Ind, Asm depending on day of week; so presumably that prolonged, as nothing else scheduled. Only one other 9955 in HFCC is T8WH Palau (``HBN``) at 1000-1100. The WRMI frequency skedgrid shows 9955 from *1000 on Sundays only, otherwise *1100; while the 9955 program schedule starts everyday at 1000 UT! with R. Praga M-F = L-V (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** VATICAN [non]. 9610, March 28 at 1144, Vatican News in Spanish with heavy Italian accent, S9 until 1145* cut off during music with no formal sign-off. VN told Greenville to stop after 15 minutes so that`s what they are doing, also at *0145-0200* on 7305; violating Separation of Church and State, 50% less in the mornings, 67% less in evenings. Uncovers weak signal in Chinese, i.e. CRI southeastward from Kunming for the full hour on 9610 (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ITALY, Vatican Radio, Santa Maria di Galeria, Easter special short wave transmission, live, Easter Vigil with the Pope. Saturday 31 march 9710, 2027-2055, 31-03, Portuguese, 35433 9670, 2027-2055, 31-03, French. 44444 7425, 2027-2055, 31-03, Chinese, 33333 7360, 2027-2055, 31-03, English. 33333 Easter special short wave transmission, live, Easter Mass at St. Peter’s Square, with the Pope. Sunday 01 April. 15570, 0755-0930, English, 34333 17790, 0755-0930, Portuguese, 24432 15595, 0755-0930, Arabic, 34433 (Manuel Méndez, Lugo, Spain, Logs in Friol, Tecsun S-8800, Cable antenna, 8 meters, WOR iog via DXLD) Terrible audio with extreme vibrato/flutter in my recording of the Easter morning transmission with English commentary on 15570 kHz using the U. Twente SDR receiver. Didn't seem to affect the announcer's commentary only the ambient audio. Could have been a receiver / recording problem. Otherwise, a fairly strong signal although weaker initially with co-channel QRM from what may have been CNR 11 (-- Richard Langley, NB, WOR iog via DXLD) ** VIETNAM [and non]. 6019.999, Unstable transmitter 3 Hertz jump around and back, V of Vietnam 4th program from DacLac Buon Me Thuot, S=9+15dB at 0950 UT March 29, and BUZZY co-channel too? 9 x peak strings visible either sideband, peaks of 187 Hertz audio buzz distance apart of frequency. Plus the usual S=9+5dB or -68dBm SPURIOUS on 13.389 kHz apart distance both 6006.611 and 6033.389 kHz accompanied. And even 2nd spurs some 26.778 kHz apart distance on 5993.222 and symmetrically on 6046.778 kHz! 20 kW non-directional antenna, steep angle fountain like ... 2 mast array 60 m 12 38 39.43 N 108 01 14.01 E 7210even, Voice of Vietnam 1st domestic program from 'Daclac/Dak Lak - Buon Me Thuot' site scheduled 2145-1700 UT, S=9+25dB signal or -47dBm heard on remote SDR unit in eastern Thailand. But also the Dak Lak station produced two wider spurious signals of 3 kHz wide each, on 7196.210 and 7223.790 kHz. Latter S=9+10dB or - 66dBm. See also 6020 kHz same outlet site. But underneath some bad mixture of Urumqi, SOH Taiwan, PBS Yunnan from Kunming, and CNR1 jamming against SOH [selected SDR options, span 12.5 kHz RBW 15.3 Hertz] (Wolfgang Büschel, checked on remote Uwe Volk's installation in Eastern Thailand on Cambodian border remote Perseus net server, wb df5sx, wwdxc BC-DX Topnews March 27, via DXLD) 9535.86 [sic: should be 9635.86 --- gh], VoV - Son Tay. Network 1 with Vietnamese discussion at 0030 UT. Fair signal at 11:30 am local AEDT and one of the few signals on the band at this time (Rob Wagner-Vic- AUS, VK3BVW, via wwdxc BC-DX TopNews March 29 via DXLD) 9635.826, V of Vietnam Son Tay, 1st program, female, S=9+20dB, 0815 UT [selected SDR options, span 12.5 kHz RBW 15.3 Hertz] (Wolfgang Büschel, On March 30 at 0750-0845 UT checked on remote Uwe's SDR receiver installation in Eastern Thailand on Cambodian border remote Perseus net server, wb df5sx, wwdxc BC-DX Topnews March 30, Hard-Core- DX mailing list via DXLD) ** VIETNAM [non] USA. 7315. Marzo 30 0130-0159 UT. Vía WHRI. Noticias sobre la visita a Cuba por parte del Secretario del Partido Comunista de Vietnam; Declaración sobre las relaciones bilaterales entre Francia y Vietnam; Cita a articulo con respecto a los acuerdos llevados entre Camboya, Laos y Vietnam; Planificación y desarrollo socioeconómico de Vietnam y de las cifras positivas de las balanzas macroeconómicas; Cooperación entre Vietnam y la ONU. A las 0142, se emite un espacio de noticias internacionales con informaciones sobre una reunión entre Estados Unidos e Inglaterra acerca del papel de Rusia, Norcorea publica lista de miembros que participarán en los diálogos intercoreanos; Reunión del G7 sobre la innovación tecnológica. Luego se habla entre las relaciones diplomáticas entre Vietnam y Cuba. SINPO: 45444 (Claudio Galaz, RX: Tecsun PL 660; ANT: Hilo de 30 metros; QTH: Barraza Bajo, IV Región, Chile, condiglista yg via DXLD) ** ZANZIBAR. TANZANIA, 11735, Zanzibar Broadcasting Corporation, Dole, 1800-1809, 28-03, time signals, English, “It’s nine O’clock African time, Zanzibar Broadcasting Corporation, the news, the main points”. 34433 (Manuel Méndez, Lugo, Spain, Logs in Reinante, Tecsun PL-880, cable antenna, 8 meters, WOR iog via DXLD) ** ZIMBABWE. THE RADIO SCENE IN ZIMBABWE --- Author: Colin Miller, Ontario, Canada. Originally published in Monitoring Times, May 2001. Updated by Ray Robinson, Los Angeles, USA, March 2018 Broadcasting began in Southern Rhodesia in 1932, when stations were opened in Salisbury and Bulawayo, using callsigns ZEA and ZEB respectively. During World War II, studios were built in the old Post Office building on Manica Road in Salisbury. Early editions of the World Radio Handbook indicate shortwave use by 1 kW stations at Salisbury and Bulawayo, and 1.5 kW transmitters at Gwelo and Umtali. By 1954, the shortwave facilities had been upgraded to two transmitters of 7.5 kW and one of 300 watts at Salisbury. A chain of 2 kW medium wave stations was established in towns along the main railroad route. For economic reasons, these facilities were installed in existing Post Office buildings and linked to the main studios by telephone lines. During the 1950’s, the Central African Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland was created, consisting of present-day Zimbabwe, Zambia and Malawi. The Federal Broadcasting Corporation was set up in 1958, modeled on the BBC. It existed until the end of 1963 when the Federation was dissolved prior to the independence of Malawi and Zambia. Southern Rhodesia then became a separate country, and the Rhodesia Broadcasting Corporation (or RBC) was formed. In the early 1960’s, all short-wave operations were centralized at the Guinea Fowl site near Gweru. This station is situated almost at the geographical center of Zimbabwe. The first transmitters were rated at 10 and 20 kW. At the end of 1965, the BBC set up a relay station in Francistown, not far from the border in neighboring Botswana. This station used a 10 kW shortwave transmitter and relayed both the BBC World and African Services. Whenever the current affairs program ‘The World and Rhodesia’ was broadcast, the station was heavily jammed by the Rhodesian authorities. The BBC station eventually closed in 1968. Inside Rhodesia, high-powered Thomson transmitters of 100 kW were installed in 1968. Vertical-incidence omnidirectional antennas served an area within a 200-mile radius of Gweru. Also in 1968, the RBC expanded its services further with a number of local community stations. The first of these was known as Radio Jacaranda in Salisbury, named for the purple-blossomed trees that line its streets in September and October. This was followed by Radio Matopos in Bulawayo. The Matopos is a hilly area near the city, and also the site of Cecil Rhodes' grave. The last local station, Radio Manica, was located in Umtali, a picturesque town situated on the Mozambique border. In 1975 the first FM stations opened in the Salisbury and Bulawayo areas and the network was gradually expanded to 22 stations covering the whole country. White minority rule in Rhodesia ended on April 18, 1980, following many years of guerilla warfare and insurgency. Robert Mugabe, leader of the Zimbabwe African National Union – Patriotic Front (or ZANU-PF), was elected as the country’s first black Prime Minister, a position he held for 7 years. Then, in 1987 he proclaimed himself President, and he held onto that position until he was finally forced to resign in November 2017. Under black majority rule, the name of the country was changed from Rhodesia to Zimbabwe, and the names of many towns were changed also. Salisbury became Harare, Gwelo became Gweru, and Umtali was renamed Mutare. The Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation (ZBC) was created as the sole broadcasting authority in the country. And, under the ZBC, the radio services were reorganized. The General Service was renamed Radio 1, while the African Service was changed to Radio 2. Today, the ZBC operates four radio channels. There’s Radio 1 (or, S- FM) which broadcasts for 19 hours a day in English, thus covering a broad spectrum of listeners. Programs include news and information, a variety of music, light entertainment, sport, comedy, quizzes and drama. Radio 2 (which also identifies as ‘Radio Zimbabwe’) also broadcasts for 19 hours a day, in Shona, Ndebele and other vernacular languages. The station serves the majority of the rural and urban population that is largely black. Two thirds of music played on Radio 2 is produced locally. The station's program lineup includes discussions, features and drama on social, cultural, sporting and economic issues. Radio 3 (or ‘Power FM’) is a 24-hour commercial music station aimed at the youth. It provides fast-paced music, entertainment, information and education. The majority of its listeners are young people who are highly receptive. Finally, Radio 4 (also known as ‘National FM’) is an educational channel, which broadcasts for 19 hours a day in Shona, Ndebele, English and the minority languages of Chewa, Tonga, Venda, Kalanga and Shangani. The audience demographics depend on the nature of the educational programs being broadcast at the time. Radio 4 works closely with the Ministry of Education's Audio Visual Services, as well as other relevant government ministries and non-governmental organizations. Shortwave transmissions were temporarily discontinued in 1991, as it was felt that the country was adequately covered by FM transmitters. However, in October 1994 relays of Radio 1 and Radio 2 were resumed on a test basis, and on December 5, 1994, President Mugabe officially re- inaugurated the short-wave service at the Guinea Fowl site near Gweru. The site now consists of two log-periodic antennas and two Continental 100 kW transmitters. Throughout the late 90’s and early 2000’s, the ZBC attempted to carry the Radio 2 and Radio 4 services on frequencies in the 60 meter and 49 meter bands, but struggled with equipment failures and lack of funds for maintenance and spare parts, resulting in spasmodic transmissions. In the year 2000 the Supreme Court of Zimbabwe passed a Bill that ended the government's monopoly on broadcasting. Since that time, a number of local low-powered private stations have been licensed on FM. In 2007, the ZBC changed the focus of the shortwave broadcasts from domestic, to reaching the diaspora of Zimbabwean people in surrounding countries. On May 25th of that year, a new External Service went on the air in English. Equipment parts had apparently been cannibalized from one transmitter to keep the other one running, and that was then on the air from 1600- 2200 UTC on 4828 kHz. Also from Gweru, they ran 24x7 on 999 kHz medium wave. This external service was officially launched three years later on 30th July 2010. But, it was irregular, and short lived. It is last listed in the WRTH for 2014, and these days Zimbabwe is silent on both shortwave and medium wave. Here’s a recording of the Rhodesia Broadcasting Corporation signing on shortly before 6 am local time, on the morning of Tuesday 24th February, 1976. Audio Insert RBC sign on (Script for AWR Wavescan March 18 via DXLD) UNIDENTIFIED. Trans-Pacific JBA MW carrier search: 774, March 28 at 1148 on the R-75, so I then do a bandscan on the DX-398 at 1156-1204: 747-NW, 693-NW?, 666-NW, 594-NW, 567-NW, 828-NW, 846-WSW, 1098-W and nothing higher (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) UNIDENTIFIED. Trans-Pacific JBA MW carrier search, March 30 at 1200: 774 first checked as always, can`t get definite DF so probably both Australia and Japan. Onward at 1206-1215: 747-NW, stronger and hoped to pull some audio; 702-WSW, 603-WSW, 594-NW, 567-NW, 792-WSW, 828-NW, 846-WSW, 882-?, 1098-W, 1548-? (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) UNIDENTIFIED. 5010 kHz -- Musics nas Voice men locution language unid SINPO 34233 in 0304 UT Day 31 Mar. 2018 https://youtu.be/hNTAwyyXegY RX: Yaesu FRG 8800, Antena: Beverage simples (DXer: Daniel Wyllyans - Sítio Estrela do Araguaia - Nova Xavantina - Mato Grosso - Brasil Hard-Core-DX mailing list via DXLD) Either Madagascar Malagasy Radio // 6135 kHz or WRMI antenna test as new requested 5010 kHz frequency for RMI Okeechobee Florida USA soon in coming weeks regular scheduled. 73 wb df5sx (Wolfgang Büschel, ibid.) Thank you by your opinion 73 for you and Good DX Thanks (dw, ibid.) And there is another possibility I keep having to mention: Leapfrog mixing product of RHC 5040 over Rebelde 5025 another 15 kHz lower, possible whenever both transmitters are on the air. If you can get enough signal, see if modulation matches 5040 or maybe 5025. Reverse mix could also be on 5055. 73, (Glenn Hauser, OK, ibid.) Thank you by information and opinion Thanks. Good DX for you 73 (Daniel, ibid.) UNIDENTIFIED. 5823.8-USB, March 30 at 0535, weak 2-way in unID language (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) UNIDENTIFIED. 6116.7-USB, March 30 at 0540, 2-way in unID language, INTRUDERS (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) UNIDENTIFIED. 11410-USB, March 28 at 1353, Indonesian? semi-singing off and on, presumably a QSO pirate infesting this bandbit (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) UNIDENTIFIED. 12000 kHz, Rádio Gaegueno desde ? Tocando músicas estilo Venezuelana e Cubana, locutor possivelmente fala espanhol no 0:26 do Video ID RADIO GAEGUENO. SINPO 34222 às 1832 UT Dia 31 Março 2018 https://youtu.be/Vn59S2keE70 RX: Yaesu FRG 8800; Antena: Beverage simples (DXer: Daniel Wyllyans - Sítio, Estrela do Araguaia - Nova Xavantina - Mato Grosso - Brasil Hard-Core-DX mailing list via DXLD) Searching the web on this very strange name, sure of spelling? only leads back to Wyllyans, plus this from April 1: http://sintoniagrancanaria.blogspot.de/2018/04/radio-gaegueno.html with a 42-second video of some unreadable audio (gh, DXLD) UNIDENTIFIED. 15830, April 1, 2018, 1511–1630. SIO 555. Strong carrier exceeding 43 dB Microvolt with no audio. Signal is most definitely centered on 15830, and is likely a placeholder for someone. No audio detected throughout the listening session (Vince Henley, Anacortes, WA, WiNRADiO G39DDCe SDR, ICOM IC-R8600, Ten-Tec RX-340, Drake R8B, TECSUN PL-380, TECSUN PL-660, TECSUN PL-880. Antennas: whips on PL- 380, PL-660, PL-880 and Alpha-Delta DX-Ultra installed broadside east west at 30 feet, NASWA Flashsheet April 2 via DXLD) UNIDENTIFIED. Today around 2 pm EST, I heard a Spanish language station on 87.9. I was in the 16 acres section of Springfield and the signal dropped out a couple of miles away so I guess it must be running very low power. Jim B, WA1EDN [so I guess he means the Springfield in MA], March 29, ABDX yg via DXLD) If it was DX, there is one on 87.9 (analog ch. 6) in Denver. 73, (Kit, CO, ibid.) Analog channel 6 is 87.75. A Channel 6 with Audio on 87.9 wouldn’t be legal (Paul Walker, PA, ibid.) It is legal, but I don't think it should be. It is another one of those gray areas the FCC won't do anything about. People who have LPTV stations on Ch. 6 have been leasing them to others who want to use them as radio stations since their audio can be heard on 87.9. It really shouldn't be legal, but the FCC refused to shut them down. There was a window for turning off analog LPTV stations that would have ended it, but the FCC extended it. Pretty dumb, but consider the source. 73, (Kit, W5KAT, ibid.) ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ UNSOLICITED TESTIMONIALS ++++++++++++++++++++++++ ACKNOWLEDGED ON WORLD OF RADIO 1924: Thanks to Jeff Murri, contribution via PayPal to woradio at yahoo.com One may also contribute by money order or cheque in US funds on a US bank to Glenn Hauser, P O Box 1684, Enid OK 73702 TO BE ACKNOWLEDGED FUTURELY: Thanks also to Chuck Ermatinger, contribution via PayPal Great show. Keep up the good work (David Cheever, via PayPal) Hi Glenn, here`s a little bit to help out DXLD World HQ. Thanks as always for putting out interesting (& more importantly, accurate) DX Info fo so many years. Cheers form the beach (Dan Sheedy, Encinitas CA, with a generous check to P O Box 1684, Enid OK 73702) My name is Bobby Burgess and my address is at 138 Sun Rd. Morgan City, Louisiana 70380 USA. I am a big fan of your work and really like the ramblings against Brother Scare and why shortwave stations should just take him off the air for good. Your reports are awesome and should keep up the good work. Bobby Burgess (with a WOR iogroup application) Thanks for years of WOR. I don’t know how you do it!! (Dan Karg K0TI) I would like to get news about international broadcasting more quickly and be able to participate in some interesting discussions. Thank you for your great work! (Alexander Busneag, Germany, with an iog application) PUBLICATIONS ++++++++++++ HANS KNOT INTERNATIONAL RADIO REPORT APRIL 2018 Another issue of the International Radio Report is available. In this report a lot of memories from readers from all over the world. Among other things, memories of Radio Caroline by DJ Martin Kayne from after the introduction of the MOA in 1967. Furthermore, a search for Radio Caroline DJ Ellen Akkerman from 1980 and Joan Perich is working on a new book about Radio Mi Amigo. Radio 227 DJ Dick Weeda passed away on 28th of February at the age of 75. As a tribute to Dick in this report an extensive memory of Radio 227 written by Dick years ago. Also, we have the first part of a very long series on the history of Radio Luxembourg written by Phil Champion. Another bunker issue and I wish you a lot of pleasure and a happy Eastern. You can download the report here: http://www.mediapages.nl/imagespdf/reportapril2018.pdf (Hans Knot, [Comic Sans MS font] March 28, DX LISTENING DIGEST) WORLD RADIO TV HANDBOOK 2018 I had the opportunity to peruse the 2018 edition of WRTH. The equipment reviews include the Icom IC-R8600, SDRPlay RSP2, AOR AR- DV10, Tecsun PL-880, Tecsun S-8800, Cross Country Wireless Active Loop, and the Expert Electronics ColibriNano. The new AirSpy HF+ receiver was not available to be reviewed by the press date. There is no retrospective receiver article this year. John Nelson, GW4FRX / GW4GMJ, who wrote those articles appears to be the author of an article titled "Receiving Noise'. And there is the annual "Digital Update" article. 73 (John KC0G, MDXC yg via DXLD) EMITTENTI IN LINGUA ITALIANA Orari primavera estate 2018 A cura di Roberto Pavanello https://playdxblog.blogspot.it/2018/03/emittenti-in-lingua-italiana-primavera.html (Giampiero Berenardini, playdx yg via DXLD) DBS 20 AVAILABLE Dear DX-friends, Thank you for excellent DX-coopetation during the past year! DX-ing of Domestic shortwave broadcasting stations is still possible, although some stations continue to disappear. I today published these three items on http://www.dswci.org : 1. Tropical Bands Monitor covering March 2018. Can be found under Tropical Bands Monitor - Latest Issue. 2. Domestic Broadcasting Survey 20, which I have been worked on the past year. Can be found under Domestic Broadcasting Survey - Latest Issue. 3. My annual article "Trends in tropical bands broadcasting 2018" with some statistics. Can be found under "Other Publications - Special Article Archive", click Miscellaneous Articles. Enjoy your reading! Best 73, (Anker Petersen, April 2, DX LISTENING DIGEST) 250 ASIAN MW TOWER SITES (Google Earth file) Hi all, Over the past few months, I've turned my attention to my greatly-accumulated Chinese FM audio and logs, of which a handful of you have asked me about posting. While this is a MW group, I actually have a bit of something from the FM project that includes my old MW project details that were shelved at the time in hopes of adding them to a file upon eventually finishing the FM project (i.e. shelved until... now!). My Google Earth KMZ file shows all of the tower sites for all 321 of my FM catches from Korea (local, tropo, E-skip) and also all 250 MW stations (groundwave and skywave) featured in last year's Seoul AM Radio Listening Guide project. This also includes details for each station. Of course, some of the stations have gone off the air, but they're nonetheless still included as they were featured in the project. You can find this file on the page for my FM project, linked below. It also includes a 123-page publication and more than 3 hours of FM audio compilations. Links to the previous AM project can be found by following the same link, which has been shortened due to this list over and over again (today included) blocking almost all messages with my domain. http://goo.gl/tvUaTu (- Chris Kadlec, IRCA HCDX list via DXLD) CONVENTIONS & CONFERENCES +++++++++++++++++++++++++ NEW ZEALAND DX LEAGUE 70 YEARS Dear friends, I'm very sorry for forgetting to mention the jubilee meeting of The New Zealand Radio DX League in my list of shortwave meetings. I had that information but can't understand why it didn't enter the list. It is now probably late to join the Convention, but FYI it will be held 6-9 of April 2018 in Mangawhai near Auckland. If you want to send greetings to the meeting, please address them to club president Arthur de Maine (NZRDXLPresident at gmail.com) or club treasurer Bryan Clark (NZRDXLTreasurer at gmail.com). My personal congratulations to NZRDXL at its anniversary. I have unforgettable memories from my visit the the NZ DX Convention in 1998. I wish you another great Convention! Best 73's (Risto Vähäkainu, FDXA, April 2, Hard-Core-DX mailing list via DXLD) See NEW ZEALAND [non] NASB 2018 ELKHART INDIANA, MAY 17-18 We want to let you know that the 2018 Annual Meeting of the National Association of Shortwave Broadcasters is now less than two months away. It will take place on Thursday and Friday, May 17 and 18, at SonSet Solutions (formerly the HCJB Global Technology Center) in Elkhart, Indiana, USA. That’s in northern Indiana, a couple of hours east of Chicago, about three hours southwest of Detroit, and about three hours north of Indianapolis. Everyone with an interest in shortwave radio is welcome to attend -- listeners, broadcasters, consultants, equipment manufacturers, academics, etc. There's no charge to attend the meeting, and even some of the meals are free. All you need to pay for is your transportation to Elkhart and your hotel accommodation. All of the details can be found on the NASB webpage, http://www.shortwave.org Then click on Annual Meeting Info. The NASB held its annual meeting at the HCJB Global Technology Center in Elkhart several years ago. Since then, its name has changed to SonSet Solutions, but it continues to focus on missionary radio technology as well as technology for better health around the world. Charlie Jacobson and his team will be showing everyone around the facility and they’ll be explaining about their activities, including shortwave transmitter and receiver manufacturing. Other presentations are being planned for the meeting; from George Ross of Trans World Radio, Dr. Dowell Chow of Adventist World Radio, John Tayloe and Ray Robinson of the Voice of Hope (which operates KVOH in California and stations in Zambia and Israel), Dr. Jerry Plummer of WWCR, myself and my wife Thais from WRMI. There will also be representatives from WEWN in Birmingham Alabama and World Christian Broadcasting (which operates KNLS in Alaska and Madagascar World Voice). Charles Caudill, President of World Christian Broadcasting and of the NASB, has just announced his retirement. He will be in Elkhart to introduce his successor. Jerome Hirigoyen of Telediffusion de France and other overseas broadcasters will also be in attendance. And Dr. Kim Elliott, recently retired from the audience research department at the Voice of America and host of the popular Radiogram program, will talk about his experiences broadcasting digital programs on analog shortwave transmissions. There might even be a special edition of Radiogram that can be heard on a SonSet Solutions receiver. Kim Elliott, by the way, is a native of Elkhart. One of the highlights of the meeting will be the Thursday evening group dinner at Das Dutchman Essenhaus, an excellent Amish restaurant in nearby Middlebury, Indiana, to enjoy typical down-home Amish cooking. The Amish are a group of traditional Christian church fellowships who inhabit that area of northern Indiana. If you can join us at the NASB annual meeting, just go to http://www.shortwave.org and on the Annual Meeting Info page you can register online for the meeting. Again, registration is free, but you need to register to let the organizers know you are planning to attend. You will also find information about the hotel where most of the attendees will be staying near SonSet Solutions and how to make reservations there. And if you’re not able to attend the meeting, we’ll be telling you about some of what happens there, here on Wavescan after the event (Script for AWR Wavescan March 25 via DXLD) Last week we told you about the upcoming meeting of the National Association of Shortwave Broadcasters, or NASB, which all of you are invited to join us for in Elkhart, Indiana, USA on Thursday and Friday, May 17th and 18th. It’s going to take place at SonSet Solutions -- the former HCJB Global Technology Center. Well, this week we have some great news for you. Our Wavescan editor Adrian Peterson of Adventist World Radio is going to join us at the NASB annual meeting on Thursday, May 17th. So all of you who have been listening to Wavescan for years and want to meet the originator and author of this program will have a chance to meet Adrian Peterson in person. Adrian will be giving a presentation about his best Radio Memories. Adrian has a vast experience as a shortwave listener, a shortwave broadcaster and a frequent visitor to shortwave broadcast facilities virtually all over the world for many decades. So come and see and hear about his radio memories, and find out a little more about AWR. Incidentally, Dr. Dowell Chow, who recently retired as President of Adventist World Radio, will also be there, and he will fill us in on some recent AWR developments around the world. Many other shortwave broadcasters and listeners will be at the NASB 2018 meeting as well. Come and join us if you can. It’s free of charge; you just need to get to Elkhart and pay for your hotel accommodation. You can find all of the details on the NASB website, http://www.shortwave.org Then click on Annual Meeting Info. Again, the meeting is May 17 and 18 in Elkhart, Indiana (Script for AWR Wavescan April 1 via DXLD) WORLD OF HOROLOGY +++++++++++++++++ NPR ON APRIL 1 Every year, National Public Radio in the United States does an extensive news story on April 1. These usually start off more or less reasonably, and get more and more unusual. An example is the 2006 story on the "iBod," a portable body control device. In 2008 it reported that the IRS, to assure rebate checks were actually spent, was shipping consumer products instead of checks. It also runs false sponsor mentions, such as "Support for NPR comes from the Soylent Corporation, manufacturing protein-rich food products in a variety of colors. Soylent Green is People". (Wiki) Radio pranks Country to metal: Country and gospel WIXE in Monroe, North Carolina does a prank every year. On April 1 2009 midday host Bob Rogers announced he was changing his show to heavy metal. This resulted in numerous phone calls, about half from listeners wanting to request a song. (Wiki) (via Mike Terry, WOR iog via DXLD) SUMMER TIME BEGINS ON SUNDAY 2018-03-29 14:50:20 INGLES http://www.notimex.gob.mx/ntxnotaLibre/511963 Mexico, Mar. 29 (Notimex) - On Sunday, April 1, the Summer Time comes into effect in most of the Mexican territory, so the general population is reminded to advance one hour on Saturday night before going to sleep, to start activities with the new schedule. According to the Ministry of Energy (Sener, for its acronym in Spanish), this measure has been applied in Mexico since 1996 and begins on the first Sunday of April and ends on the last Sunday of October, a period in which there is a greater insolation in the country. According to studies of the Trust for Electric Energy Saving (Fide, for its acronym in Spanish), with the participation of the Federal Electricity Commission (CFE, for its acronym in Spanish) and the National Institute of Electricity and Clean Energies (INEEL, for its acronym in Spanish), the application of the Summer Time in 2017 generated a saving 885.70 gigawatt hours (GWh). This amount is equivalent to the consumption of 7.78 million self- ballasted compact fluorescent lamps that are lit for a year, 24 hours a day. With the Summer Time in 2017, the primary energy consumption equivalent to 1.13 million barrels of oil was avoided. NTX/CSH/MDT/REFORMA14/AHORRO/ISG 795 2 Notimex, Agencia de Noticias del Estado Mexicano, Marca Registrada 1556957 de la clase o rama 38 "Telecomunicaciones" [2016 Derechos Reservados Notimex Mexico - Avenida Baja California # 200, Colonia Roma Sur, Delegacion Cuauhtemoc C.P. 06760, Ciudad de Mexico, Conmutador: (5255) 5420-1100] (via Mike Cooper, GA, DXLD) DX-PEDITIONS ++++++++++++ MUSINGS FROM A CRUISE SHIP AND DX SYDNEY TO VANCOUVER 28 MARCH TO 6 MAY, 2018 My wife and I embarked from Sydney, Australia earlier this week on board the Holland America Line, cruise ship, the Noordam. Tucked away in my suitcase was my Elad FDM-S2 SDR, and a Wellbrook ALA 100 LN magnetic loop antenna, along with plenty of wire to create the loop. In a scene from the Keystone Cops, things didn’t go smoothly initially for me. Perhaps it will alert others to be careful in their preparations. I had visions of all my equipment being simply an expensive doorstop for the 6 weeks of our cruise! Our cabin is on the 7th Neptune deck, along with a very convenient balcony. Perfect for the ALA 100! As soon as I had a chance, I installed a loop as far out as I could out from the door. I’ve gone through a few variations due to weather and noise issues. Despite being high up, with the very rough seas of the Tasman Sea, there was constant salt spray and wind. The dimensions achieved were a respectable 8’ x 10’ aligned out of necessity parallel to the side of the ship. We’re on the starboard side of the ship, probably not my first choice, but so it is! The first issue I encountered was my Elad not showing up on the laptop screen, despite clearly being on. Uggh! I know that I’ve done this in Masset with my Perseus SDR. The issue is that at home, I add a second screen where the SDR resides. When turned off, the coordinates are saved on where to place the SDR when the program opens again. Problem is, there’s no auxiliary screen! With Perseus, I knew it was a matter of going into regedit and changing the X and Y values back to zero. I suspected the same with the Elad, but I was unable to find anything resembling this for the Elad. I tried uninstalling and reloading, but this didn’t cure the problem. I suspect that the program wasn’t completely removed. I needed to ask the experts in the Elad group. Thank goodness, they came through with exactly what to change. I had to go to Users>Documents and Settings>My Documents>Elad to find the appropriate location of what to change. Back in action! Sheepishly, I realized that the last page of the instructions pretty much told me what to do, had I read them first! Admittedly, I don’t know Elad well at all, having been an exclusive Perseus user. However, due to the complexity of providing a 5.5 v power source, and the ease of powering the Elad via a USB cable, I chose the latter (and also that the Elad covers the FM band as well), and seems easier on CPU usage, I chose to bring along the Elad instead. A little about noise. Generally, I have been happy with the noise aboard the ship. It certainly could have been MUCH worse! Mostly the noise floor sits at – 110 dB, except for slightly higher from 1350 to about 1500 kHz. Moving the ALA around, especially away from any metal surface improved this. 1386 specifically seems to be a noise blotch, so that favourite frequency of mine is mostly unusable. In the evening, the spectrum is wall to wall with Australian and New Zealanders! Some of the daytime noise (including 1386) is now gone at 9:00 PM ship’s time (0900 UT). As I type this, we’re approaching Milford Sound (for tomorrow morning). Compared to last night, the Kiwis are definitely stronger than the Aussies, as I expected. Bottom line, bringing along a SDR is not a difficult proposition, and especially if fed by a good balanced antenna, such as the ALA, a no- brainer. On our last extended cruise around South America, I brought along my SDR-IQ and a random wire. Clearly the Elad and the Wellbrook is a superior combination. Thanks to Nick Hall-Patch for offering sound advice! I’m writing this 24 hours on 2 April 2018, as we steam towards Dunedin, on the SE end of New Zealand. I’m noticing the gradual reduction in Australian signal strength, although still very strong! It’s easy to carefully observe the ALA 100 loop, which has some peculiarities. Coming home from dinner and evening show, I noted a lot of noise above 1350 kHz. Hmm, something’s amiss. With the winds and ocean swell, there’s a lot of movement on the ship. Sure enough, the ALA antenna head had fallen on it’s side. That’s it, but it was enough to cause a major change in noise characteristics. The loop itself was unchanged. I replaced the head to it’s original position, and the noise disappeared. Now, can someone explain that one for me? I’ll need to pay extra attention to the head position at home and in Masset! I do notice a lot more static crashes tonight compared to last night. Tomorrow morning, I’ll be meeting up with NZ DX League member, Jonathan Wood, of Dunedin. I’ve always enjoyed meeting fellow DX enthusiasts, both during my own travels, and when others visit Victoria! It’s the 3rd of April. We’re in Dunedin, New Zealand, and I had a wonderful couple of hours with local DXer Jonathan Wood. The weather was glorious and he took me to the highlands overlooking the city, and past the MW antenna masts are located. All the Dunedin stations are located here, across the water, and not far from the war memorial. The only exception is Rhema, which is located in town. While arriving early this morning, I noticed a station on 1575 kHz, obviously local, but not recorded in the November PAL. A quick Google search revealed this to be Otago Community Access Radio, which the WRTH lists with 2.5 kW. I just heard an ID at 0210 UT, but only for 105.4 FM. Seems to be the trend everywhere. I’m off to the terminal where they have free, but more important, fast internet access! 73 for now, (Walt Salmaniw, WOR iog via DXLD) DIGITAL BROADCASTING --- DRM See JAPAN; UK ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ DIGITAL BROADCASTING --- IBOC See USA: 830 WCCO +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ DIGITAL BROADCASTING --- DTV See also MEXICO; PROPAGATION ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ LOW VHF IN MEXICO --- Raymie Humbert posted this in the WTFDA Forums on April 3rd... TDT --- Low-VHF is coming back. You heard me right. There are low-V digital assignments in Mexico! Commercial low-V assignments have been set aside for Mexico City, Irapuato-León, Atotonilco el Alto-La Barca- Zamora, Zitácuaro-Cd. Hidalgo, Uruapan, Tehuacán, San Juan del Río- Querétaro-Celaya, Jalapa and Veracruz Puerto. Social assignments in low-V include Toluca and Puebla, and Autlán de Navarro, Jalisco, and Moroleón in Guanajuato will have public low-Vs. The commercial auction process will begin in late 2018, so expect bidding in 2019 or so (via Mike Bugaj, CT, WTFDA gg via DXLD) ATSC 3.0 ROLLOUT CAN BEGIN NEXT MONTH Written for Broadcasting & Cable by John Eggerton [Feb 1, 2018] Source: https://www.broadcastingcable.com/news/atsc-30-rollout-can-begin-next-month-171487 Broadcasters will soon get the green flag on their race to an interactive, geo-targeted, video-on-demand future. The FCC's framework for rolling out a new ATSC 3.0 advanced television transmission standard will become effective the first week in March. The Federal Register signaled Thursday (Feb. 1) that the final rule for allowing broadcasters to roll out the standard on a "market- driven, voluntary basis" will publish Feb. 2, with the rule going into effect 30 days after that, according to the FCC. The new standard, which was championed by broadcasters, emergency alert groups and the Consumer Technology Association, is expected to drive sales of 4K TVs whose higher-resolution pictures can be delivered by the new standard, and give broadcasters a competitive foothold in the interactive, targeted advertising, IP world. A politically divided FCC voted 3-2 on Nov. 16 to allow for the voluntary rollout of the standard. That came over the objections of Democrats on the commission and in Congress, who argued that it was a gift to Sinclair or a rush to a standard that could leave viewers paying for the change through new TV's or equipment of higher cable prices. ATSC 3.0 will allow TV stations to do geo-targeted ads and emergency alerts, video on demand and other interactive services using a broadband return path for viewers with Internet access, and provide those high-high definition 4K pictures. While most of the rule will become effective in early March, three portions will not because they require information collection, which must first get the OK of the Office of Management and Budget per the Paperwork Reduction Act, which requires new regs that entail new information collection to be vetted to make sure those are not overly burdensome. So, the portions of the rule that will not become effective until OMB signs off on their info collection (and that sign-off is also published in the Register) are those dealing with simulcasting agreements between stations (sections 73.3801, 73.6029, 74.782) As part of the rule, stations in a market that want to roll out the transmission standard can join forces (a kind of Jack Spratt arrangement(, with one transmitting both station's signals in ATSC 3.0, and the other both signals in the current ATSC 1. Format -- ATSC 3.0 is not backward compatible (it requires a new set or adaptor), so the FCC wants to make sure that, for at least the first few years of the rollout -- signals are available in both formats. Broadcasters will have a chance to make a case for flash-cutting to ATSC 3.0 rather than simulcasting, and Low Power TV's will be allowed to flash cut without simulcasting. MVPDs must continue to carry ATSC signals but don't have to carry the new 3.0 signals. Broadcasters can combine retrans negotiations for new ATSC 3.0 and existing 1.0 signals, which cable operators had opposed. National Association of Broadcasters President Gordon Smith said following the November vote: “Two decades ago, the FCC blessed the transition from analog to digital television, which ushered in the broadcast-led era of HDTV that dazzled consumers and was the envy of the technology world. Today, the Commissioner endorses Next Gen TV, which marks the beginning of a reinvention of free and local broadcast television in America.” "ATSC 3.0 will deliver advanced emergency warnings and market-driven flexibility, so consumers can be safer and enjoy the highest-quality, most innovative over-the-air TV experience ever," CTA President Gary Shapiro has said of the new standard (via APRIL 2018 WTFDA VHF-UHF Digest via DXLD) PHOENIX WILL BE THE SITE FOR A DEMONSTRATION ATSC 3.0 PROJECT. Univision's KFPH-CD will host ATSC 3.0 signals for ten stations: KASW, KPNX, KNXV, KPHO-TV, KSAZ-TV, KTAZ, KTVK, KTVW, and KUTP, along with KFPH's own signal. The FCC requires a station operating in ATSC 3.0 to arrange for a simulcast in ATSC 1.0; KFPH's programming will be simulcast on KTVW's ATSC 1.0 signal. (this is a majority of Phoenix' TV stations, but it's not all of them. KAET, KPNX, KPAZ, KPPX, and two Class A stations are not participating.) (Doug Smith, April WTFDA VHF-UHF Digest via DXLD) RADIO EQUIPMENT FORUM +++++++++++++++++++++ THE LIES OF ELMO PICKERILL --- Fake dates, fake radio messages: What else did this early aviator make up? [illustrated] We know that Elmo Pickerill, here with a Curtiss JN-4H Jenny, was a U.S. Army Air Service lieutenant in 1918. About his claims to earlier flights, we’re not so sure. (NASM (9a14400) [caption] By Roger Connor and Alex Calta, Air & Space Magazine | April 2018 Visitors looking at the Early Flight display case at the National Air and Space Museum’s Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center will see a checkerboard “Early Bird” cap belonging to Elmo Neale Pickerill, an early aviator recognized as the pioneer of aircraft radio. For years it was believed that on August 4, 1910, Pickerill made the first radio-telegraphic communication between the air and the ground while flying solo in a Curtiss pusher from Mineola, Long Island, to Manhattan Beach and back. Unfortunately, new research suggests that Pickerill never made such a flight—nor was he an Early Bird (someone who flew prior to 1916, when the U.S. Army trained a large number of pilots for World War I). While exaggeration and outright fabrication were common among early aviators, such claims are not victimless. They obscure the accomplishments of true pioneers of aeronautical communication, including John McCurdy, the first aviator to communicate with the ground from an airplane by wireless. We, along with British wireless historian and aviation enthusiast Greg Howard, have uncovered a range of documentation illuminating Pickerill’s self-promotion. . . . Read more at https://www.airspacemag.com/history-of-flight/itm-elmo-pickerill-180968353 (via Gerald T Pollard, NC, DXLD) INTERESTING THINGS TO DO WITH SOFTWARE DEFINED RADIO Daniel Franklin 29 March 2018 [numerous embedded linx in original:] http://electronics360.globalspec.com/article/11496/interesting-things-to-do-with-software-defined-radio (via Mike Terry, WOR iog via DXLD) This is a publication of IEEE. Touches on ``armature radio``; SWLing is barely mentioned, and MW DXing not at all! (gh, DXLD) Yeah, as the article says, you can listen to "armature" radio operators! -- (Saul Broudy(W3WHK), Philadelphia, PA, WOR iog via DXLD) SUBARU MAKES A POSIIVE MOVE ON AM Found this article in "Radio World", outlining Subaru's use of *automatic bandwidth control* on AM reception: Could it be that car radio makers are starting to take a second look at performance on AM? https://www.radioworld.com/columns-and-views/subaru-makes-a-positive-move-on-am (via GREG HARDISON, WOR iog via WORLD OF RADIO 1924, DXLD) In the USA the Subaru/Harmon Kardon premium radio is equipped with an automatic bandwidth control. The stronger the AM station the wider the bandwidth (via Mike Terry, WOR iog via WORLD OF RADIO 1924, DXLD) Would be nice; Could they go one step further and equip the cars they sell in Europe with the AM-LW band in addition to the AM-MW band? MW is useless in many European countries. 73, (Rémy Friess, France, WORLD OF RADIO 1924, ibid.) Rémy informs me it`s pronounced Free-ESS (gh) THE THREATS TO RADIOCOMMUNICATION --- WIRELESS POWER TRANSFER Southgate March 30, 2018 IARU Region 1 President Don Beattie G3BJ looks at the threat to the RF Spectrum posed by pollution from Wireless Power Transfer for Electric Vehicles equipment WPT (EV) is the technology that will allow cars to be charged without the need for connecting leads. At present it seems that there is a real prospect that these devices – destined to be installed in home garages – will obscure radio communications in the home environment. Read Don's post at http://www.g3bj.com/the-threats-to-radiocommunication/ He links to two briefing documents: Unwanted emissions in the spurious domain from Wireless Power Transfer for Electric Vehicles on frequencies allocated to the Amateur Services http://www.g3bj.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/WPT-brief-for-MS-v4-200318-1.pdf Wireless Power Transmission for Electric Vehicles – WPT(EV) - A brief overview http://www.g3bj.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/WPT-for-administrations_v2.pdf http://www.southgatearc.org/news/2018/march/the-threats-to-radiocommunication.htm (via Mike Terry, WOR iog via DXLD) ANIMALS & INSECTS IN RADIO - 1 Back a quarter of a century ago, a news bulletin from the shortwave service of Radio New Zealand International at 1200 UT on 9700 kHz told an interesting story. An American alligator had escaped from a shopping arcade in suburban Sydney, Australia, and despite intensive searching, it had not been refound. Here’s Ray Robinson. Thanks, Jeff. As far as is known, the sequel to this rather strange event was never broadcast, but it would be presumed that the offending alligator was indeed recaptured. However, this intriguing news item over a distant shortwave station reminds us that animals and insects have played their part in radio broadcasting over the years. Somewhat intrusively, we might add. Back around the middle of the year 1936, a shortwave station in Colombia, South America, was making contact with another shortwave station in the United States. The Colombian station was the shortwave facility of HJ1ABB at Barranquilla with 1 kW on 9555 kHz, and the American station was W2XAF at Schenectady in New York State with 40 kW on 9530 kHz. During the transfer of a radio program from Colombia for rebroadcast in the United States, the Colombian station suddenly went silent. It was revealed later that a pet crocodile had wandered into the transmitter building, and with one mighty side-swipe of its strong tail, it had successfully wrecked one of the large transmitting tubes, thus effectively putting the station off the air. According to Radio Guide for February 29, 1936, station HJ1ABB was off the air for two weeks. In more recent times, in 1993, the Chief Engineer at the large shortwave station located at Cahuita in coastal Costa Rica reported that a lonely crocodile ventured onto their property. This wandering animal was promptly removed before it could enter the list of undesirable animals that have successfully put a radio station off the air. The Cahuita shortwave station with its five shortwave transmitters on the Caribbean coast of Costa Rica in Central America was successively owned by Radio Impacto, Adventist World Radio, and finally Dr. Gene Scott in California, before it was finally closed in 2009. Over a period of years, several Radio Engineers have reported in the American journal Radio World that they have discovered snakes in transmitter buildings, and sometimes even in the transmitters themselves. One transmitter engineer reported that he once found two snakes in a 5 kW Harris medium wave transmitter model DAX5, and he shared his findings with two photos in Radio World. Another radio engineer found a nest of black snakes in a communication building. He states that snakes like to enter transmitter buildings due to the warmth emanating from the transmitters. He also states that scattering mothballs around the internal floor of the building can act as a deterrent against the entry of snakes. In an article in Radio World for September 25, 2002, Engineering Director Aaron Winski states that he cared for the technical needs of 18 radio stations in Illinois and Wisconsin. On one occasion, he received an emergency phone call from a radio station in Rushville, Illinois, that was off the air. Initially, Winski states, he could find no obvious reason as to why the station had been knocked off the air. However, when he opened the door to the power supply, he found a snake that had been cooked as it crawled across the terminals of the power supply. Although the station was not identified in the Radio World feature article, yet the context of the information would suggest that this radio station was an AM medium wave facility. Over in Africa back in the year 1988, the evening announcer at Radio Uganda in Kampala was just about to sign off for the evening at the end of the 10 pm news bulletin. Right at that stage, a five foot long snake slithered into his broadcast booth. Announcer Francis Bbaale, suddenly exclaimed on air, “Good Night”, and he quickly switched the station off, four minutes earlier than usual. The local newspapers reported that the snake was successfully despatched. In tropical lands, the agile mongoose can successfully kill a large snake. However, on the main Hawaiian island of Oahu, a mongoose successfully knocked a country mediumwave station off the air. The station was KLEI, the regional location was Kailua, the station was a 10 kW facility on 1130 kHz, and the year was 1982. The unfortunate mongoose was electrocuted when it crawled across the large insulator at the base of the antenna tower. On shortwave, WRMI the large 14 transmitter shortwave station located near Lake Okeechobee in the center of the peninsular state of Florida, reports that: “At any given time, there are as many as 200 cattle on the ranch. There is also a variety of other wildlife, including alligators, snakes, deer, wild hogs, armadillos, skunks, as well as many different kinds of insects and birds.” Radio World in 2014 published a color photograph of an interesting scene, taken by Thais White, wife of WRMI owner Jeff White, with this notation: “Beside the transmitter building, a cow relaxes beside a pond, which it shares with a few alligators.” Well, Jeff – we can’t beat that at Voice of Hope. In Zambia, we do have cattle that graze on the antenna field. Here at KVOH, our transmitter building is on the top of isolated Chatsworth Peak, and we have had a few rats crawl into the high voltage power supply and unfortunately cook themselves, but to my knowledge, none has ever actually taken us off the air. Fortunately we do not have to contend with either crocodiles or alligators in California. Well, Ray, I can tell you one more story about animals and radio transmitters. In 1983, I was at the Association of North American Radio Clubs, or ANARC, Convention in Washington, DC. At the time I produced a daily one-hour program called Radio Earth which was broadcast on the shortwave station Radio Clarin on 11700 kHz in the Dominican Republic. One night during the convention, I gathered a group of people in my hotel room to do a live program by telephone during our Radio Earth program. I called the station in Santo Domingo to establish communication just before the program was due to begin at the top of the hour. I had a small portable shortwave receiver in my hotel room, and we were monitoring the station listening for the ID and our cue to begin the broadcast. But just a few seconds before we were due to begin, the signal of Radio Clarin went off the air. I got on the phone and spoke with Rudy Espinal in Santo Domingo, and he told me that the engineer at their transmitter site told him that a “cacata” had been electrocuted inside the transmitter and shorted it out. I asked him what a “cacata” was, as I had never heard of that before. He said he didn’t know the word in English, but it was a type of “araña,” which means spider. I wondered how a spider could short out a transmitter. A few weeks later, I visited the Radio Clarin transmitter site an hour or so outside of Santo Domingo in the middle of a sugarcane field, and I saw the largest spider I had ever seen -- a type of gigantic hairy tarantula -- on the ground just outside the transmitter building. I didn’t know whether it was alive or dead, so I just jumped over it to get inside the building. I asked Rudy, who was with me at the time, what it was, and he said, “That’s a cacata.” Now I really believed that a spider could short out a shortwave transmitter (Adrian M Peterson, IN, script for AWR Wavescan April 1 via DXLD) PROPAGATION +++++++++++ MULTIHOP FM E SKIP A report surfaced recently on the Skywaves email list regarding a 5380 km (3342 mi) multihop reception of Big FM, 92.7 in Rajkot India on August 1, 2013 heard by Finnish DXer Markku Sollo. He wrote “Network ID and frequency in English, then Hindi program with very deep fade outs mixing with another Big FM station. Also ID in Gujarat language., According to a Big FM DJ this came from Surat, because in 2013 there were no other Gujarat speaking station on this frequency." Considering the terrible state of the FM band in much of N.A., is any reception like this one possible? (Mike Bugaj, April WTFDA VHF-UHF Digest via DXLD) RARE SOLAR MINIMUM SUNSPOT Spaceweather.com 30 March 2018 Almost every day this month, the face of the sun has been utterly blank. Today, however, a new sunspot is growing near the sun's southeastern limb, pocking the surface of our star with several Moon- sized dark cores. Only on the eve of Solar Minimum would such a puny sunspot attact attention--and that is exactly where we are. Sunspot numbers are plummeting toward a deep nadir of the solar cycle expected to hit bottom in 2019-2020. For the foreseeable future, every sunspot is a rarity worthy of note. This sunspot will probably remain small and quiet. But we could be wrong. Occasionally, potent sunspots emerge during Solar Minimum, unleashing powerful flares. Astronomers with backyard solar telescopes are encouraged to monitor this one ... just in case. http://www.spaceweather.com/ (via Mike Terry, March 30, WOR iog via DXLD) DTV TROPO DX RECORDS TO NUEVO LEON Hola desde San Nicolas de los Garza, Nuevo León, México. Soy nuevo en este Foro, me anime a registrarme por sugerencia de Raymie por tener un registro de recepción a distancia muy interesante y para compartir mis experiencias en este foro. Soy Jubilado, parte de mi tiempo libre lo dedico a practicar Diexismo en mi ciudad de residencia en San Nicolás de los Garza, N.L. México. El pasado 14 de marzo del 2016 a las 22:00 horas recibí vía TROPO una transmisión de TV digital desde Jacksonville, Florida a 1,905.59 km (1,184 Mi) de distancia de mi ciudad, se trataba de la estación WJXT 4-1/4-3 RF 42. Horas después ya por la madrugada, el 15 de marzo de 2016 a las 2:55 hrs. recibí también de esa misma localidad la estación WJXX 25-1/25-2 RF 10, y la estación WJCT 7-1/7-4 RF 7 a 1,904.19 km. (1,183 Mi) de distancia. http://i63.tinypic.com/207rw45.jpg http://i65.tinypic.com/k1cq48.jpg http://i63.tinypic.com/9jemwx.jpg (McArt, March 13, WTFDA Forum via DXLD) I've dragged in another Mexican! (And with good reason!) I'm here to translate Arturo's initial post: "I'm new on this forum, I decided to register at Raymie's suggestion for having logged a very interesting distant tropo catch and to share my experiences on this forum. I'm retired, and in some of my free time I do DXing from my hometown of San Nicolás de los Garza, Nuevo León, México. On March 14, 2016, at 10pm, I received by tropo WJXT 4.x (RF 42) from Jacksonville, Florida, at a distance of 1,905.59 km (1,184 miles) from San Nicolás. Early the next morning, at 2:55am, I received from the same area WJXX 25.x (RF 10) and WJCT 7.x (RF 7) at 1,904.19 km (1,183 miles)." (The pics show WJXT, WJCT and then the third does not work. Arturo, sugiero que uses imgur en vez de TinyPic porque TinyPic es un poco...raro. No se puede incorporar las imágenes sin enlaces.) I've seen Arturo on one of the Mexican forums I follow for a couple of years now. It wasn't until very recently, though, that I realized he held the DTV tropo distance record. I saw he had WFTS earlier this year at 1,821 km, and I then checked Chris's WSFL catch to see how long that was (1,850 km). I realized there might be something further, and then I realized the very impressive Jacksonville stuff from last year was the record holder as I scrolled through the thread. I got in touch to suggest that he register here. It says something that the analog and digital tropo records were made in the same place: the Monterrey area. San Nicolás is less sheltered from local stations than Fernando García was in Guadalupe, but the general lay of the land east is the same. ¡Bienvenido, Arturo, y gracias por hacer caso de mi sugerencia! (Raymie Humbert, AZ, March 13, ibid.) And Arturo has also joined the club's Facebook group called TV and FM DXing. He has shared some photos of his DTV tropo catches. Welcome Arturo! (Mike Bugaj, Enfield, CT, ibid.) Arturo is the new Fernando, maybe! cd (Chris Dunne, FL, ibid.) Welcome, Auturo and congratulations on tour terrific DX. Looking forward to your fither accomplishments. I wonder if one of the older HDHomeRun scanning tuners (found on Ebay for atound $60) that many of us are using would work down your way and we could watch your DTV in real time (Doug Inman, SC, K4LY, March 31, WTFDA Forum via DXLD) GEOMAGNETIC INDICES – Compiled by: Phil Bytheway E-mail: phil_tekno@yahoo.com Geomagnetic Summary March 1 2018 through March 31 2018 Tabulated from status daily (K @ 0000 UTC). Flux A K Space Wx 1 67 6 2 no storms 2 68 4 1 no storms 3 68 6 3 no storms 4 68 6 1 no storms 5 68 5 1 no storms 6 68 4 1 no storms 7 68 4 1 no storms 8 67 4 1 no storms 9 68 12 4 no storms 10 68 12 2 no storms 11 68 6 1 no storms 12 68 3 0 no storms 13 69 4 0 no storms 14 68 9 4 no storms 15 69 15 4 no storms 16 69 20 4 no storms 17 70 12 3 no storms 18 69 25 6 moderate, G2 19 70 16 3 moderate, G2 20 69 8 2 no storms 21 69 4 1 no storms 22 69 7 3 no storms 23 68 16 4 no storms 24 68 9 3 no storms 25 68 16 4 no storms 26 68 12 3 no storms 27 68 9 1 no storms 28 69 2 0 no storms 29 69 4 1 no storms 30 69 5 1 no storms 31 69 7 1 no storms Gx – Geomagnetic Storm Level Rx – Radio Blackouts Level Sx – Solar Radiation Storm Level (IRCA DX Monitor April 7, published April 3, via DXLD) :Product: Weekly Highlights and Forecasts :Issued: 2018 Apr 02 0443 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/weekly.html # # Weekly Highlights and Forecasts # Highlights of Solar and Geomagnetic Activity 26 March - 01 April 2018 Solar activity was mostly at very low levels with the exception of 30 Mar when an isolated C4/Sf flare was observed at 30/0804 UTC from Region 2703 (S08, L=193, class/area Axx/010 on 31 Mar). Associated with the flare was a Type II radio sweep (805 km/s) and a coronal mass ejection (CME) off the east limb first observed at 30/0840 UTC in SOHO/LASCO C2 imagery. No Earth-directed CMEs were observed during the period. No proton events were observed at geosynchronous orbit. The greater than 2 MeV electron flux at geosynchronous orbit reached high levels throughout the period with a maximum flux of 43,750 pfu observed at 28/2045 UTC. Geomagnetic field activity began the period under continued effects from a negative polarity coronal hole high speed stream (CH HSS). Solar wind speed ranged from approximately 450-550 km/s on 26-27 Mar with total field between 2-8 nT. By 28-29 Mar, solar wind speeds slowly returned to nominal levels while a solar sector boundary crossing was observed around 29/0710 UTC into a positive sector. Solar wind speed showed a slight increase in speed to 380-480 km/s from 30 Mar-01 Apr with total field variable between 2-9 nT suggesting possible intermittent connections with a northern polar extension positive polarity CH HSS. The geomagnetic field was mostly quiet with periods of unsettled activity observed on 26-27 Mar and again on 31 Mar. FORECAST OF SOLAR AND GEOMAGNETIC ACTIVITY 02 APRIL - 28 APRIL 2018 Solar activity is expected to be at very low levels with a slight chance for a C-class flare from 02-10 Apr due to potential further activity from Region 2703. Very low levels are expected through the rest of the period. No proton events are expected at geosynchronous orbit. The greater than 2 MeV electron flux at geosynchronous orbit is expected to be at moderate to high levels on 02-04 and 12-28 Apr due to CH HSS influence. Geomagnetic field activity is expected to be at unsettled to active levels on 05-07, 10-16, 18-23 Apr with G1 (Minor) storm levels likely on 12 Apr due to recurrent CH HSS activity. :Product: 27-day Space Weather Outlook Table 27DO.txt :Issued: 2018 Apr 02 0443 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 2018-04-02 # # UTC Radio Flux Planetary Largest # Date 10.7 cm A Index Kp Index 2018 Apr 02 69 5 2 2018 Apr 03 69 5 2 2018 Apr 04 69 5 2 2018 Apr 05 69 8 3 2018 Apr 06 69 8 3 2018 Apr 07 69 8 3 2018 Apr 08 69 5 2 2018 Apr 09 69 5 2 2018 Apr 10 68 10 3 2018 Apr 11 68 15 4 2018 Apr 12 68 20 5 2018 Apr 13 68 18 4 2018 Apr 14 68 18 4 2018 Apr 15 68 15 4 2018 Apr 16 68 10 3 2018 Apr 17 68 5 2 2018 Apr 18 68 8 3 2018 Apr 19 68 15 4 2018 Apr 20 68 15 4 2018 Apr 21 68 15 4 2018 Apr 22 68 12 4 2018 Apr 23 69 10 3 2018 Apr 24 69 5 2 2018 Apr 25 69 5 2 2018 Apr 26 69 5 2 2018 Apr 27 69 5 2 2018 Apr 28 69 5 2 (SWPC via WORLD OF RADIO 1924, DXLD) UPCOMING METEOR SHOWERS Lyrids Active from April 16th to April 25th , 2018 (Peak night Apr 21-22) The Lyrids are a medium strength shower that usually produces good rates for three nights centered on the maximum. These meteors also usually lack persistent trains but can produce fireballs. These meteors are best seen from the northern hemisphere where the radiant is high in the sky at dawn. Activity from this shower can be seen from the southern hemisphere, but at a lower rate. Radiant: 18:04 +34 - ZHR: 18 - Velocity: 30 miles/sec (medium - 48.4km/sec) - Parent Object: C/1861 G1 (Thatcher) Eta Aquariids Active from April 19th to May 26th , 2018 (Peak night May 6-7). The Eta Aquariids are a strong shower when viewed from the southern tropics. From the equator northward, they usually only produce medium rates of 10-30 per hour just before dawn. From the equator to 25S they can produce rates of 40-60 per hour just before dawn at maximum. The longer nights in the southern hemisphere allows the radiant to rise higher in their sky. South of 25S the radiant altitude actually decreases. Activity is good for a week centered the night of maximum activity. These are swift meteors that produce a high percentage of persistent trains, but few fireballs. Radiant: 22:32 -1 - ZHR: 55 - Velocity: 42 miles/sec (swift - 66.9km/sec) - Parent Object: 1P/Halley (American Meteor Society via April WTFDA VHF-UHF Digest via DXLD) ###