DX LISTENING DIGEST 7-105, August 31, 2007 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 2007 contents archive see http://www.worldofradio.com/dxldmid.html NOTE: If you are a regular reader of DXLD, and a source of DX news but have not been sending it directly to us, please consider yourself obligated to do so. Thanks, Glenn NEXT SHORTWAVE AIRINGS OF WORLD OF RADIO 1372 Sat 0800 WRMI 9955 Sat 1630 WWCR3 12160 [irregular; confirmed 8/25/07] Sat 2130 WRMI 9955 Sun 0230 WWCR3 5070 Sun 0630 WWCR1 3215 Sun 0800 WRMI 9955 Sun 1500 WRMI 7385 Mon 0300 WBCQ 9330-CLSB [irregular; not 8/27/07] Mon 0415 WBCQ 7415 [time varies] Mon 0830 WRMI 9955 Tue 1030 WRMI 9955 Tue 1530 WRMI 7385 Wed 0730 WRMI 9955 WORLD OF RADIO, CONTINENT OF MEDIA, MUNDO RADIAL SCHEDULE: 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 For updates see our Anomaly Alert page: http://www.worldofradio.com/anomaly.html WRN ON DEMAND: http://new.wrn.org/listeners/stations/station.php?StationID=24 WORLD OF RADIO PODCASTS VIA WRN NOW AVAILABLE: http://www.wrn.org/listeners/stations/podcast.php OUR ONDEMAND AUDIO [also CONTINENT OF MEDIA, MUNDO RADIAL] http://www.worldofradio.com/audiomid.html or http://wor.worldofradio.org ** AFGHANISTAN. Re: ``Radio Voice of Sharia reactivated in the south ?? http://www.newkerala.com/july.php?action=fullnews&id=46957 (via T. Jaisakthivel-IND Jul 17, 2007 in DXLD-ML)`` Sorry, but I believe this is Taliban propaganda which runs through media from time to time. The same I heard on BBC news and RNW´s editor Andy Sennitt[1] mid June quoting "a Taliban spokesman". No other source is mentioned. The same happens on BBC News [2]. With the same words the same story was published two years before from Peshawar (Pakistan) in the "Afghan Islamic Press"[3]. There you will find again no other source than Taliban spoeksman Mofti Latifollah Hakimi. He told about transmissions on FM, MW and SW - but nobody can heard it. Because it´s clandestine. A day later the story went through BBC media [4], with the same words as now in 2007. That doesn´t fit the "BBC Guidelines" [5] by the way. If you google the story of the relaunch of "Shari'ah Zhagh", you will find very similar reports all over the world [6][7] - and the same one and only sorce: Taliban spokesman Hakami. So let me ask you some questions: 1. From which location "Shari'ah Zhagh" should be transmitting? 2. Which equipment the mullahs are using? (which are radically against modern technology...) 3. Who was training the radio engineers? 4. Who is paying the operation? 5. Why doesn´t the allied forces stop the transmissions by bombardment? 6. Do you find any reception report? My opinion is: nothing but Taliban propaganda. ------------------------------ [1] http://blogs.rnw.nl/medianetwork/?p=8250 [2] http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/6224972.stm [3] Afghan Islamic Press news agency (AIP), Peshawar, in Pashto 1115 gmt 18 Apr 05 [4] http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/4459121.stm [5] http://www.bbc.co.uk/guidelines/editorialguidelines/edguide/accuracy/gatheringmateri.shtml [6] http://mail.sarai.net/pipermail/cr-india/2005-May/007029.html [7] http://www.clandestineradio.com/intel/stationnews.php?id=7&stn=725 ------------------------------ (T. Kamp, Germany, Jul 17, 2007 Jihad-DX via CRW July 31, just published via DXLD) ** ALGERIA. Re 7-085, R. Algerie Internationale: Just switched on my Hotbird satellite equipment tonight, and did a download of the latest registrations. on 12538 GHz horizontal TV: In total 1208 programmes amongst them on local #257 program Algerie TV. Radio: In total 472 programmes channels, amongst them chaine-1 on #131, and chaine-2 on #133, on my local radio channel #132 Radio Algerie Internationale program channel. Very irregular managed broadcasts. Foreign language segments or 5 mins lasting newscasts start sometimes up to xx.x4 minutes later. Sound track sometimes distorted and sometimes off frequency[upload]. Here is the summarization log of my Radio Algerie Internationale observation: 24 hr Arabic service, except 0515-0600 and 0900-1000 daily Holy Qur`an. No program at 1000-1100 UT slot. Whistle tone pause instead, due of noon break? - But chaîne-1 and chaîne-2 local radio relay still on satellite transponder channel at this time slot. French at 1100-1115, 1300-1330, [few days also 1330-1400 - but irregularly], 1430-1445, 1615-1630, 1700-1715, 1730-1800, 2030-2100 English 1400-1405, 1900-1930 Spanish 1930-2000 During night about ?0100-0400? UT heard "Musique du Monde" and announcements in French in between. Wonderful music mixture. Modern popular songs in French, Portuguese and Spanish from Third World - Cuba, Brazil, Mexico, and West African [Benin, Ivory Coast etc.] countries. At 0558 UT frequency schedule given in Arabic. http://www.algerian-radio.dz/Contact.htm Contact E-mail Administrateur du site info @ algerian-radio.dz Chaine 1 chaine1 @ algerian-radio.dz Chaine 2 chaine2 @ algerian-radio.dz Chaine 3 chaine3 @ algerian-radio.dz Radio El Bahdja radioelbahdja @ algerian-radio.dz Radio Mitidja radiomitidja @ algerian-radio.dz Directeur general adjoint dga @ algerian-radio.dz Radio Culture radioculture @ algerian-radio.dz Direction de la coordination des radios locales dcrl @ algerian- radio.dz Direction Technique technique @ algerian-radio.dz Direction Generale dg @ algerian-radio.dz Relations Exterieures relex @ algerian-radio.dz Direction Commerciale pub @ algerian-radio.dz Direction des finances et de la comptabilite dfc @ algerian-radio.dz Direction des ressources humaines et des moyens generaux drhmg @ algerian-radio.dz Direction Générale: 21, Boulevard des Martyrs Alger, Algérie Tel: 213 21 48 37 90, Fax: 213 21 23 08 23 Regie Publicitaire: 10, Rue Ahmed Zabana Alger, Algérie Tel: 021 66 44 13, 021 66 34 55 all LW/MW/FM frequencies at http://www.algerian-radio.dz/Frequences.htm http://www.algerian-radio.dz/radio-international/indexfr.asp (Wolfgang Büschel, wwdxc BC-DX Aug 30 via DXLD) ** ANGOLA. 7216.77, (presumed), R. Nacional Angola, Mulenvos, AUG 30 0112 - low modulation, best in USB, threshold audio with African pop vocals, talk by woman in lang, barely audible. Transmitter having issues, leaving air multiple times over the evening for anywhere from a few minutes to 15+ minutes at a time (Brandon Jordan, Memphis, TN USA (35.106764,-89.898027), Receiver: RFSpace SDR-14; Antenna: Wellbrook ALA-100 Loop (60/240 , 3m x 9m, 1m elevation); Accessories: GAP Hear IT DSP, Datong FL3, Ratzlaff 2.25 mHz High Pass Filter, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** AUSTRALIA. 4835, VL8A, Alice Springs NT, 0806-0830*, 23 Aug, English, phone weather report, talks about the "Great Grandstand" sports quiz, music; 35333, and rated 35444 on 27 Aug at 0805. 4910, VL8T, Tennant Creek NT, 0804-0830*, 23 Aug, English, as on // 4835; 25332, and rated 35444 at approx. the same time on 27 Aug. 5025, VL8K, Katherine NT, 0807-..., 27 Aug, English, talks; 22431, QRM de CUB; // 4835 & 4910 very good (Carlos Gonçalves, Portugal, Aug 31, DX LISTENING DIGEST) At this hour of course he is getting these by long path (gh, DXLD) ** BHUTAN. BBS, 6035: I checked their English programme 1430-1500*, Aug 19, but until 1458* there is strong Chinese jamming [see CHINA] on 6030 spilling over to 6035 causing severe QRM. At 1500 Adventist World Radio KSDA Agat Guam signs on co-channel 6035 with Urdu to Pakistan. The last 2 minutes of Bhutan is fairly clear (Victor Goonetilleke, Kolamunne, Piliyandala, Sri Lanka via DXplorer via DSWCI DX Window Aug 22 via DXLD) ** BOLIVIA. 5580.2, R. San José, S. José de Chiquitos, 2240-2247, 23 Aug, Spanish, flamenco style songs; 25321 (Carlos Gonçalves, Portugal, Aug 31, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** BOLIVIA. 4762.75, Radio Chicha, Tocla noticed signing off at 2358 on the dot, three times in the last week (Robert Wilkner, FL, date?, Japan Premium Aug 31 via DXLD) 4875.04, Radio Estambul, Guayamerín, Beni noted 2325-2335, only a bit stronger than 4762.41 [meaning Chicha as above?] on 27 August; 0950 tuned in and found carrier on, 1001-1030 OM into bass driven music, YL, fair signal here, weaker than Radio Yura and Radio Mallku, same time. 28 August (Robert Wilkner, FL, Japan Premium Aug 31 via DXLD) Any ID heard? (gh, DXLD) ** BOLIVIA. BOLIVIA: DONDE LA POLÍTICA ES INDÍGENA Airdate: Fri., 31 Aug. 2007 Listen mp3 By: Chellis Glendinning One of the poorest countries in Latin America, Bolivia struggles with the pressures of globalization, social reforms and grassroots democracy. Bolivia has elected its first indigenous president, Evo Morales, but the business elites, landowners and right-wing politicians struggle to keep their hold on power. New Mexico activist Chellis Glendinning hosts a special documentary that illuminates these tensions and struggles in Bolivia. Chellis Glendinning is a psychotherapist specializing in trauma recovery and the author of five books, including My Name Is Chellis and I'm in Recovery from Western Civilization and Chiva: A Village Takes on the Global Heroin Trade. She lives in Chimayó, New Mexico. http://kunm.org/news/current/index.php?id=EEllVEFlVpntpwfFml (via Glenn Hauser, DXLD) ** BRAZIL. 5035 R. Educação Rural, Coari AM, 2152-2207, 28 Aug, music, advertisements, ID prior to A Voz do Brasil at 2200; 34332, adj. QRM only meaning R. Aparecida was considerably poor even via the SoAm Beverage at 225º. 11749.9, R. Marumby, Florianópolis SC, 2132-2139, 27 Aug, preacher; 14431; // 9665 (Carlos Gonçalves, Portugal, Aug 31, DX LISTENING DIGEST) + additional Brazilian and other logs in dxldyg full report ** BRAZIL. Glenn, R. Cultura's directional antenna is in the final phases of adjustment, and so its operation with the authorized pattern (approximately a figure 8) will be in service soon (Ben Dawson, WA, Aug 30, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Ben, I guess you saw that listeners were concerned about its coverage. Where will the nulls and peaks be, different than before? Is there an online map ref showing Brazilian direxional patterns? 73, (Glenn to Ben, via DXLD) 1200 kHz Glenn, I'm not aware of a database of pattern info, altho I can look at my files and see what I may find. I have actually been surprised at the patterns of more than one Brazilian station, which have had evident substantial coverage problems within their community because of site location that was not ideal for the pattern shape. And, of course, I have seen others that were just plain ideal (R. Itatiaia, R. Panamericana). Who can say? (Ben Dawson, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Re 7-104, Rádio Cultura AM+OT+OC Denis, Foram raras as vezes que ouvi a Cultura em 16 metros por aqui, zona morta com certeza. Em 31 metros, depende da propagação, normalmente apenas durante o dia, mas no meio do ano o tempo de escuta é bem curto e muitas vezes não tenho recepção. Quanto aos 1200 kHz, chega o dia inteiro, mas é um pena que de uns tempos para cá eles começaram a apresentar a Voz do Brasil depois da meia-noite (quando saiam do ar, o encerramento agora se dá depois da 1 da manha), mas pior que isto é o transmissor ficar ligado ininterruptamente, portadora fortíssima, mais forte que quando da transmissão normal, foi-se um canal livre depois da meia-noite que possibilitava bons DX, como algumas outras brasileiras distantes, principalmente a Ceará Rádio Clube, ou então a Jornal de Maceió e depois da troca de freqüência desta emissora, ouvi por aqui Rádio Correio, tambem de Maceió, e ainda Radio Cotrisel do Rio Grande do Sul. De fora, podia ouvir Argentina, Paraguai, e também, ainda que já há algum tempo, Venezuela e Cuba. Enfim, um transmissor ligado sem informação alguma, impossibilitando ou dificultando outras escutas, para dxismo algo muito ruim. 73 (Samuel Cássio, Brasil, radioescutas yg via DXLD) Pois é Samuel, Infelizmente fui prejudicado diretamente por causa do novo trabsmissor que fica a 2 Km da minha casa, na outra margem da represa. O que eu estou tentando fazer é justamnte justificar corte de gasto do nosso dinheiro, em manter o transmissor ligado. A idéia é "sugerir" o desligamento por contenção de custos etc., etc., td bem justificado, com os informes dos nossos amigos junto, etc. Forte 73, (Denis Zoqbi, ibid.) En Buenos Aires se recepciona habitualmente tanto en 31 metros como en 16 metros. Evidentemente, acá estamos fuera de la zona "gris" o "muerta" 73 (Arnaldo Slaen, Argentina, radioescutas yg via DXLD) A QRG de 49 m da Cultura, 6170 kHz tem sido bem sintonizada aqui nos últimos dois dias, com áudio bom acompanhando a portadora. Por ser QRG mais baixa, tem a propriedade de atingir áreas não muito distantes. A QRG de 31 m 9615 kHz não tem propagação por estas bandas. As ondas são refletidas para lugares mais distantes. Lá, sim, são ouvidas. É normal. [remember this one was reported way off-frequency, 9350-9355] A QRG de 16 m 17815 kHz também não tem propagação por aqui, visto que esta frequência, por ser alta, reflete na ionosfera enviando os sinais para mais distante do que os de 31m e 49 m. Os novos transmissores de ondas curtas da Cultura SP, serão instalados em Guarapiranga e terão sua potência reduzida. Hoje têm 7.5 kW e passarão a ter 1.5 kW, segundo o que informou um técnico de trasmissor da emissora, sr. Sebastião. Seria economia? Em tempo: a Rádio Cultura de SP NÃO TEM Ondas Tropicais. Ela trabalha com ONDAS MÉDIAS, ONDAS CURTAS E FM, só. Forte 73 a todos (Luiz Chaine Neto, Limeira -sp-, 31- 8-2007, radioescutas via DXLD) ** BURKINA FASO. 7230.00, (tentative) R. Burkina, Ouagadougou, AUG 30 *0801 - s/on with stringed instrument then lively female in lang, African pops. Poor and fading fast (Brandon Jordan, Memphis, TN, details at ANGOLA, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** CANADA. CFVP 6030: see CHINA [and non] ** CANADA. CJCH-920 Halifax NS has applied to the CRTC to move to FM (101.3 MHz, 100 kW, 160.1 metres). As CHNS-960 is moving to FM if approved there will be exacty zero AM stations in Halifax (and zero shortwave stations as well, as CHNX has been silent for a few years). http://www.crtc.gc.ca/archive/ENG/Hearings/2007/n2007-12.htm#21 21. Halifax, Nova Scotia, Application No. 2007-0198-9 Application by CTV Limited to convert radio station CJCH Halifax from the AM band to the FM band. The new station would operate on frequency 101.3 MHz (channel 267C1) with an effective radiated power of 100,000 watts (non-directional antenna/antenna height of 160.1 metres). The proposed station would maintain its current oldies music format. Approval of this application will see the licensee exceed the ownership limits for commercial radio licensees as set out in Public Notice CRTC 1998-41, Commercial Radio Policy 1998. Under the policy, in markets with 8 commercial stations or more, operating in a given language, such as Halifax, a person may be permitted to own or control as many as 2 FM stations in the same language. In the case of CHUM Limited, approval of its CJCH Halifax conversion application will see the licensee own the new FM along with its existing Halifax commercial radio holdings CIOO-FM and 50% of CKUL-FM. CHUM has indicated that in the event that the Commission approves its application to convert CJCH from the AM to the FM band, it will divest its interest in CKUL-FM so as to comply with the Commission’s common ownership policy. The applicant is requesting permission to simulcast the programming of the new FM station on CJCH for a period of 3 months from the date of implementation of the new station. 73, (Deane McIntyre VE6BPO, Aug 31, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** CANADA. The move of CFWB-1490 Campbell River BC to FM has been approved by the CRTC but they must find another frequency (they had asked for 663 watts on 106.1). It seems that the CRTC does not want their coverage area expanded beyond what they have on their AM graveyard frequency. http://www.crtc.gc.ca/archive/ENG/Decisions/2007/db2007-343.htm CFWB Campbell River, British Columbia – Conversion to FM band The Commission approves in part an application by Vista Radio Ltd. (Vista) for a broadcasting licence to operate a new English-language, commercial FM radio programming undertaking at Campbell River to replace AM station CFWB. Specifically, the Commission approves the conversion to the FM band, but denies the proposed technical parameters. Vista must submit for the Commission’s approval, within three months of the date of this decision, an amendment to its application, proposing the use of another frequency and technical parameters that are acceptable to the Commission and the Department of Industry for use in the Campbell River market. 18. The Commission is satisfied that CFWB’s conversion to the FM band is in the public interest. However, based on its analysis of the theoretical contours filed in the present application, the Commission is of the view that the use of the contours proposed by Vista would expand the existing coverage of CFWB 19. The Commission also notes that Vista proposes to use a directional antenna to serve Campbell River. The Commission finds that the proposed parameters do not maximize the use of this class B frequency. 20. In light of the above, the Commission considers that a transmitter site closer to Campbell River with parameters that reflect CFWB’s existing contours would represent a better use of the spectrum for a new local FM station. Accordingly, the Commission denies Vista’s proposal to use frequency 106.1 MHz (channel 291B) with an average ERP of 663 watts. As set out in the appendix to this decision, Vista must submit, within three months of the date of this decision, an amendment to its application proposing the use of an FM frequency and technical parameters that are acceptable to both the Commission and the Department of Industry (the Department). 73, (via Deane McIntyre VE6BPO, DXLD) ** CANADA. RADIO STATION FREQUENCY SIGNS IN CANADA --- Some questions for our Canadian readers. In some parts of the country, you find on the Trans-Canada Highway signs announcing the presence of radio stations. Plain signs simply say something like "CBK AM Radio 540 KHz". - Who puts up these signs? Presumably some level of government as identical signs appear for all stations, including CBC and non- commercial outlets like Regina's community station. Come to think of it, I don't recall seeing any in Alberta, so maybe it's the (some) provincial governments? - How is it decided where the signs go? I noticed one for CKSW-570 well to the east of Swift Current, though probably well within CKSW's service contour. In general the signs appear well before the city where the station is located. - Who decides which stations get signs? Signs existed for several - but by no means all - Regina stations. In Brandon I saw only the CKX AM/FM sign. CKSW was the only Swift Current station (of four) on a sign. A sign existed in eastern Saskatchewan for an FM TIS. I found it interesting that there was one east of Brandon that promoted both CKX-FM 96.1 *and* long-defunct CKX-1150 -- but one just west of Regina promoted FM station CILG-100.7 which has been on the air for less than a year. So some of these are being updated & others aren't (Doug Smith, TN, NRC-AM and WTFDA via DXLD) [and non]. May we expand this thread to the US? In Oklahoma, one sees white on blue signs (implying official sanxion), along the lines of ``For severe weather information, tune to`` followed by 2 or 3 AM/FM frequencies but no call letters. Some of the stations concerned don`t strike me as being strong for their weather coverage. Near smaller towns, they may be the only local frequencies, anyway. How is it in other states? 73, (Glenn Hauser, Enid, ibid.) I have seen such signs in Indiana along Interstates, but very spotty (Mike Glass, Indy, WTFDA via DXLD) ** CHINA. 7274.99, CNR8/PBS Xinjiang, Urumqi, AUG 30 *0603-0714* and *0758-1215 - possibly PBS Xinjiang relaying CNR8 here in presumed Uighur from *0603 s/on with program in progress. Poor with monologues by man and woman, Asian music and suddenly off at 0714*. Back on at 0738 with OC until PBS Xinjiang IS at 0758. Major QRM from DW DRM via Woofferton at 0800 until it faded out around 0850. Still audible at 1215 end of SDR recording. Aoki lists PBS Xinjiang here from 0300 to 1200 relaying CNR8 from 0600 to 0700, and Eibi has CNR8 from 0600 to 0700 and PBS Xinjiang from 0700 to 1500 and finally HFCC lists Urumqi here from 2300 to 1800 (Brandon Jordan, Memphis, TN, details at ANGOLA, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** CHINA [and non]. Another obstacle to CFVP, 6030 reception: Aug 31 at 1345, Firedrake mixing with something else. At least its primary CKMX 1060 is no longer in Chinese, possibly confusing the Chicom. Per Aoki, the jamming target is, if B-06 info is still in effect: 6030*Ming Hui Radio 1300-1400 1234567 Chinese 100 325 Tanshui TWN 12129E2513 MHR b06 followed by jammed VOA for another hour: 6030*VOICE OF AMERICA 1400-1500 1234567 Tibetan 250 324 Udon Thani THA 10245E1725 IBB a07 So the only window for morning reception of CFVP is 12-13, after Martí and jamming are off, tho jamming tends to linger. However, that`s not all, per Aoki: 6030 CNR 1 0850-1730 1234567 Chinese 50 ND Beijing 572 CHN 11627E3957 CNR1 a07 (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** COLOMBIA. Balance de las emisoras colombianas en línea -- La mayoría de emisoras nacionales ya tiene su señal en la Red. Incluso, algunas abandonaron el dial y se mudaron del todo al ciberespacio. Las emisoras de radio que han llevado su señal a Internet son solo una parte del contenido de audio que se encuentra en la Red. [caption] Iván Luzardo ivaluz @ eltiempo.com.co Agosto 27 de 2007 Escuchar vallenatos en China, reggaeton en Rusia, cumbias en Medio Oriente, música andina en Noruega y noticias colombianas en África es una alternativa viable gracias a Internet. A través de una conexión a la Red es posible enlazarse a cualquier emisora colombiana que tenga presencia en el ciberespacio y disfrutar de su programación como si uno estuviera en cualquier ciudad de Colombia. Esto comenzó hace aproximadamente 10 años, cuando varias estaciones de radio del país –entre las que se encuentran Caracol, RCN, Radio Santa Fe, Todelar y Cadena Súper– decidieron seguir el ejemplo de otras en el mundo. Llevaron su señal a Internet para que la audiencia pudiera oír los programas de su predilección desde un computador . . . http://enter.com.co/enter2/ente2_inte/ente_inte/ARTICULO-WEB-NOTA_INTERIOR_2-3618243.html (via Yimber Gaviria, Colombia, Aug 30, playdx yg via DXLD) ** CONGO DR [non]. SOUTH AFRICA, 11890, R. Okapi via Meyerton, Aug 25, *1559-1610, 34433, French, 1559 sign on with IS, ID, Talk, SJ at 1602 and 1605 and 1608 (Kouji Hashimoto, Japan, Japan Premium Aug 31 via DXLD) ** CUBA. I don't recall ever hearing the Rebelde callsign before, but 'CMBA' was announced on 670.: 670, CMBA, Radio Rebelde, Arroyo Arenas; Rebelde IDs at TOTH with significant echo. At 0430 “desde La Habana, Cuba, CMBA, Rebelde” W 0400 29/08 PC (Paul Crankshaw, Troon, Scotland, MWC via DXLD) But did the ``CMBA`` call, as listed in WRTH for 670, also go out over all its national network of relay stations? (Glenn Hauser, DXLD) ** ERITREA. 7174.98, (presumed), VoBME, Asmara, AUG 30 *0353 - OC from 0350 into possible NA at *0353, then monologue by man then woman in lang. Lower modulation combined with much stronger UNID on 7175 playing non-stop HoA type pop vocals until 0503 made for poor signal. In the clear after 0503 although too weak for audio (Brandon Jordan, Memphis, TN, details at ANGOLA, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** ETHIOPIA. 7110.005, R. Ethiopia, Gedja, AUG 30 *0259-0454* - Transmitter on at 0246 with OC until *0259, brief IS (stringed instrument) into presumed Amharic with s/on announcement and ID "reyd- e-yo It-yop-iyah" by man then 3 church bells at 0300, announcement, Ethiopian pop vocal into monologue until 0330, ID then into news with many reports from correspondents. 0454* s/off without fanfair. Very good signal in USB but starting to fade after 0400 (Brandon Jordan, Memphis, TN, details at ANGOLA, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) 9558.93, R. Ethiopia, Aug 26, 1357-1410, 34433, Amharic and Arabic, Ethiopia pops music, IS at 1359, Opening announce, 1400 Three gongs, News, ID at 1358 and 1359. 9704.20, R. Ethiopia, Aug 25, 1457-1505, 23432, Amharic, Talk, 1459 IS, 1500 Three gongs (Kouji Hashimoto, Japan, Japan Premium Aug 31 via DXLD) ** HONDURAS. 3339.96, HRMI-Radio Misiones Internacionales, 1010-1055, August 31, Variety of local music, Spanish pops/ballads, and Spanish contemporary Christian music. Spanish announcements. "Radio MI" ID at 1030. Spanish religious talk. Poor. Weak. Barely audible by 1055. Also heard earlier at 0625-0640+ with Spanish religious talk (Brian Alexander, PA, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** INDIA. 4810.03, AIR Bhopal, *0023-0052, Aug 12, Hindi greeting, hymn, frequency announcement, instrumental music, 0030 TS, "Akashvani", news, 0035 Indian songs, 44434. Drowned *0052 by Armenian Public R. (Anker Petersen, Skovlunde, Denmark, DSWCI DX Window Aug 22 via DXLD) ** INTERNATIONAL INTERNET. Re 7-104, Wi-Fi+: ...of course, all this talk of WiFi is mainly the province of you city-based "decision makers" as opposed to us serfs and villeins grubbing in the fields and middens of the countryside. No cable where I live. No DSL. No WiMax. No WiFi. Cellular works about 40% of the time. This despite the fact that the landscape is littered with 3000' mountains that could cover vast tracts of land with good signals. No dialup above about 8 kbits/s due to phone lines that were only put in to carry the results of the Truman-Dewey run-off. If it wasn't for the fact that I can use (traffic-limited) VSAT net access I'd find shortwave radio the *only* way of listening to foreign stations. Just like the average third world inhabitant. And this is in 21st century New England (Lee Reynolds, Swprograms mailing list via DXLD) ** INTERNATIONAL VACUUM [non]. UK listed buildings --- Glenn, Just used the Goonhilly item in 7-095 in September Contact. You asked about Grade II, link below to UK listed buildings definitions: http://www.heritage.co.uk/apavilions/glstb.html (Mike Barraclough, England, Aug 30, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Also re: 7-104, MUSEA ** IRELAND [non]. RTÉ RADIO COVERAGE FOR ALL-IRELAND FINALS 30 August 2007 RTÉ Radio will broadcast the GAA All-Ireland Hurling final on Sunday 2 September and the All-Ireland Football final on Sunday 16 September on all wavelengths to Irish people living abroad in countries across Europe, Africa and the Far East. - In Africa and the Far East, the finals will be available on shortwave. See frequency details below. - At home, audiences can listen to the GAA finals, as usual, on RTÉ Radio 1 FM, Medium Wave and Longwave 252. - Across most of Britain, listeners will receive our coverage on Long Wave 252. - For the second year, RTÉ will also transmit the finals on DRM (Digital Radio Mondiale - digital AM radio) to most of Europe. For those living in Ireland, who wish to get details of the shortwave frequencies to friends or family living abroad, RTÉ is providing a special phone text service. Listeners can text the word 'shortwave' to 51101 and they will receive a short text message with the shortwave frequencies. This service is part of RTÉ's continued commitment to Irish people overseas, particularly in geographically or technically isolated areas. In addition to RTÉ Radio broadcasts, RTÉ will also broadcast the All- Ireland finals on RTÉ Two and RTÉ.ie/sport (island of Ireland only). There will also be live uninterrupted audio coverage from The Sunday Game available worldwide here on RTÉ.ie/sport, while we also have a live text matchtracker updating events as they develop throughout both afternoons. RTÉ Aertel will also carry live score updates and a match report and reaction, as will RTÉ.ie/sport. SHORTWAVE FREQUENCIES FOR AFRICA AND THE FAR EAST Target Frequencies West of Central Africa 17860 kHz/11735 kHz East of Central Africa 17710 kHz/11635 kHz Southern Africa 9470 kHz DRM (Digital AM Radio) FREQUENCIES FOR EUROPE Europe 17495 kHz/11735 kHz For further details of RTÉ coverage abroad please see http://www.rte.ie/radio/worldwide.html http://www.rte.ie/sport/gaa/2007/0830/radio.html?gaa (via Mike Terry, dxldyg via DXLD) Hmmm, what more do we need to know? Transmitter sites? Azimuths? TIMES??? So in Europe on SW you have to listen in DRM, elsewhere analog. Woe betide those poor Europeans who only have analog SW (Glenn Hauser, DXLD) No times given in this RTÉ release; both finals start at 1430 (Mike Barraclough, England, dxldyg via DXLD) [Later:] RTÉ via Media Network say coverage will be from 1200 (Mike Barraclough, Aug 31, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** ISRAEL. 6971.7, Galei Zahal (presumed); 2328-2334+, 24-Aug; M in Hebrew (presumed) with pop music. I believe this is the lowest frequency I've heard them on. SIO=343, weak audio QRM; also music plus some ute clatter from 2333 (Harold Frodge, Midland MI, MARE Tipsheet Aug 31 via DXLD) ** ITALY. Re: ``Tuning around today shortly after 1000 UT I also noted something on 6140 but assumed it was RAI Italy and quickly moved on. However, I believe that RAI should have already been on by 0930 rather than signing-on (the schedule is 0700-1300 in Italian to Eastern Europe/Russia according to their website), so perhaps it was another station (Tony Rogers, Birmingham UK, AOR 7030+ / LW, ibid.)`` Hi Glenn, I check today or Saturday, it's true that RAI should have already been on by 0930 but this 0700-1300 some time goes on and off out of schedule and, very often, abrupt without IS and ID. [later:] Hi Glenn, at 0915 UT a big carrier and an imperceptible audio (Roberto Scaglione, Sicily, Aug 31, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** ITALY. Hi all, I strayed into 7285 kHz on Aug 31 at 1814 UT and heard IRRS, Milan, Italy with station ID, then a relay of United Nations Radio, New York with news and report from the UN Security Council. I haven't heard UN Radio for ages. At 1828 IRRS gave another ID, address (in Milan) and said that reception reports were welcome. Has it been confirmed 100 % that this transmitter is indeed in Bulgaria? I've read a lot of speculations about this, too many so my mind is swamped by them, and the last WRTH I bought was that of 2006. Just fair signal here in western Sweden. SINPO 33443 on my AOR AR7030 with a 30 m longwire. 73 from (Johan Berglund, Trollhättan, Sweden where night frost is imminent, DX LISTENING DIGEST) IRRS is still claiming it is ``Milano`` even in HFCC registrations. WRTH 2007 says ``leased relays abroad ... Eastern Europe`` (gh, DXLD) ** JAMAICA. Re 7-104: Jamaica-720 - new slogan? Last night on 720 after 100Z [sic] amid a ton of QRN, during TOH programming, I heard the familiar Jamaican accent, coconut cadence, of a woman discussing the "national election" a phrase used over a dozen times in no more than two minutes. Hurricane Dean delayed the August elections until Sep. 3rd. No ID heard in ten minutes. Baseball game on WGN nulled. R8. Quantum Loop. Savannah GA (Gil NN4CW Stacy, Aug 30, IRCA via DXLD) On 7/29, via FM Es, heard Jamaica on 94.9 promoting the then-as- originally-scheduled elections and ID'ing as RJR so if the change is universal, it is since then. Russ Edmunds Blue Bell, PA ( 360' ASL ) [15 mi NNW of Philadelphia], ibid.) ** KASHMIR [non]. CLANDESTINE, 5102, V. of Jammu Kashmir Freedom, Aug 25, *1300-1315, 43443, Kashmiri, 1300 sign on with opening music, ID, Kor`an, Talk (Kouji Hashimoto, Japan, Japan Premium Aug 31 via DXLD) ** KURDISTAN. V. of Iraqi Kurdistan [6335] is a "regular" radio station these days (via FM, MW, SW), broadcasting from Iraqi soil (not Iran). It is run by the Democratic Party of Kurdistan (a.k.a. Kurdistan Democratic Party), a registered political party in Iraq. In a QSL-letter to a Russian DXer, the station wrote earlier this year that V. of Iraqi Kurdistan started on 28 September 1963, and initially was using former military communications equipment installed deep in the mountains near Salah Ad-Din (Iraq). (B. Trutenau, Lithuania, Jul 15, 2007 in DXplorer-ML via CRW July 15, just published, via DXLD) ** LATVIA. Relays on 9290 kHz Sat September 1st Radio Six International 0700-0800 UT parallel 945AM Riga and internet http://www.radionord.lv Latvia Today 0800-0900 UT Radio Joystick 0900-1000 UT Sun September 2nd Latvia Today 1900-2000 UT Good listening (Tom Taylor, Aug 31, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** LIBYA. 17600, V. of Africa, Aug 25, 1203-1217, 25432-35433, Swahili, Talk and local music, ID at 1207, // 17725 kHz. 17725, V. of Africa, Aug 26, 1407-1418, 35322, English, Afro pops music and talk, // 17870 (Kouji Hashimoto, Japan, Japan Premium Aug 31 via DXLD) Re DXLD 7-103, ``shows Libya direct except at 16-18 on 17870 as via France. Can anyone hearing these better notice a transmitter site switch at 1600 on 17870? (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)`` I remembered to tune today (Aug. 31) and found 17725 empty at 1557 and nothing on 17870 at 1605. If 21695 is being used I can't hear it either. I guess this needs more research - again! (Noel R. Green (NW England), Aug 31, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** MALDIVE ISLANDS [non]. MINIVAN RADIO LAST SHORTWAVE BROADCAST TOMORROW Media Network understands that Maldivian opposition radio station Minivan Radio will end its current series of shortwave transmissions tomorrow. The shortwave broadcasts, at 1600-1700 UT on 11965 kHz, were resumed on 1 August in the run-up to a referendum that was held on 18 August. It’s likely that further shortwave transmissions will be made to cover significant events (August 30th, 2007 - 13:22 UTC by Andy, Media Network blog via DXLD) & in advance on the dxldyg Yes. It was just a one-month contract. But I wouldn't be surprised if they decide to do more broadcasts at some point in the future, since they have been unable to get a license for local broadcasting in the Maldives (Jeff White, RMI, Aug 31, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** MALI. 7285.65, (tentative), R. Mali, Bamako, AUG 30 *0800 - Possible brief IS into long monologue by male in likely Arabic. Poor signal with muffled audio (Brandon Jordan, Memphis, TN, details at ANGOLA, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** MALTA. MALTESE MP CALLS FOR STATEMENT ABOUT VOICE OF THE MEDITERRANEAN The Malta-based international broadcaster Voice of the Mediterranean may have gone off the air nearly four years ago, but it’s still the subject of much discussion in the island’s political circles. Opposition MP Leo Brincat yesterday said it was difficult to understand why Foreign Minister Michael Frendo has made no statement about the fact that workmen were dismantling furnishings and equipment at the Voice of the Mediterranean studios. Mr Brincat said the silence was deafening, especially in view of the fact that the station had been out of commission for four years amid allegations of irregularities and wasting of public funds. Moreover, Mr Brincat said, the Foreign Ministry has ignored various calls for explanations from sections of the media. He said that the public deserved to know where the furniture and technical equipment was going and whether a professional and independent inventory of the contents had been taken. He also said the public deserved to know the findings of audit accounts of the station and whether shareholders might have liquidated some assets. If that was the case, he asked, how much were they sold for? Mr Brincat also questioned whether items declared obsolete were truly obsolete. He also called for a clear and categorical confirmation that no furniture and sophisticated equipment “disappeared” during the radio station’s four years of silence. (Source: Malta Independent Online) (August 30th, 2007 - 12:00 UTC by Andy, Media Network blog via DXLD) ** MEXICO. 4810, XERTA music and IDs, 1100-1130, with the usually noted hash on the high side of the signal absent for once. 24 August (Robert Wilkner, FL, Japan Premium Aug 31 via DXLD) ** MONGOLIA. 12085, V. of Mongolia, Khonkhor, 1016-1025, 26 Aug, English to Asia, Mongolian pops & traditional music; 35433 but very fluttery towards 1030 as typical (Carlos Gonçalves, Portugal, Aug 31, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** MOROCCO. 1141.5, RTM-"A", site?, 2152-2203, 23 Aug, Arabic/main network, Arabic music, newscast 2200; 54444 but noisy, weak & bubbling audio, and poor signal at 2200, adjacent QRM de 1143 (Carlos Gonçalves, Portugal, Aug 31, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** MOZAMBIQUE. I'm wondering if someone out there has better command of the Portuguese language and might get an email off to Radio Terra Verde in Mozambique to find out what their situation/plans are. They were last reported to be on 7135 in April of 2005. I had sent an email to them in English but received a reply back that pretty much wanted to know just why I was interested in what they were doing. After that all attempts failed. Here is the last email address that I had: flordosares @ hotmail.com Not certain if it will still work, but perhaps worth a try (Steve Lare, Holland, MI, USA, Aug 25, via DXLD) Dear Glenn, I've been away, and downloaded your message only moments ago. Well, that's the address I have too. Florentino Chassafar reported to me, that there was a technical problem with their HF transmitter, but the most critical issue is that the local radio authorities would not allow private stations to operate on HF. Best 73, (Carlos Gonçalves, Portugal, Aug 30, DX LISTENING DIGEST) That is certainly bad news :-( Thanks for helping check that out, much appreciated (Steve Lare, ibid.) ** MYANMAR. BURMA, 5040.54, Tentative, Burma, Radio "Myanmar", 1100- 1120, last few mornings with minority program. 20-24 August (Robert Wilkner, FL, Japan Premium Aug 31 via DXLD) ** MYANMAR. 7185, Myanma R, Yangon (tentative), 0031, Aug 20, Bamar (?) female opening announcement after one-minute intro on some indigenous instrument. Unfortunately spoilt by co-channel North American hams constantly yakking away. CRI 7180 and SLBC 7190 were not really bothersome. To my surprise this was exactly on frequency. If you stay up late for Bhutan, you might like to help confirm? (Martien Groot, Schoorl, The Netherlands, DSWCI DX Window Aug 22 via DXLD) ** NETHERLANDS. 1008 has been handed over by Radio 10 Gold to the new users as announced. Probably Radio 10 Gold bid a farewell to mediumwave listeners before tune-in at 2153 when I found a song "thank you for being a friend" was in progress, at 2157 followed by "celestial sounds" which were abruptly cut off after 1.5 minutes. 35 seconds of open carrier, then cut into ongoing "True Colors" by Cindy Lauper which stayed on for 32 seconds, then cut into another ongoing song which stayed on air for 30 seconds until the carrier was switched off, presumably at midnight sharp (if not the mention of 2157 would have to be corrected accordingly). What were these song fragments, apparently not meant to go on air? The transmitter stayed off, leaving co-channel Belarus in the clear, until I gave up at 2204. At 2220 recheck I found 1008 back on air with programming from the new users. Song in progress at tune-in, then talk by two gentleman about the plans of the station with distinct background noises (apparently computer fans) and some reverb, so probably from a provisional studio. The ID used in this talk appeared to be shorter than "GrootNieuws Radio", but I'm not sure since I could not really copy it, perhaps it was just quickly spoken. Still the same audio processing than before, remarkable since some fuss had been made about a new Optimod installed for Radio 10 Gold (until then it was the processing from the NOS days, as still in use on co-located 747). [later:] Patrick Robic just wrote in the A-DX list that GrootNieuws Radio started at 2204. Seems I gave up just a few seconds too early (Kai Ludwig, Germany, Sept 1, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** NETHERLANDS ANTILLES [and non]. La cadena evangélica holandesa EO, ofreció disculpas a los oyentes que tuvieran familiares en la Antillas Neerlandesas. El pasado lunes la cadena EO transmitió por radio un reportaje sobre un ataque de Venezuela a Curazao, durante el cual habrían resultado cuatro muertos. Pasado algún tiempo se comprobó que el mensaje era falso. El señor Pedro Atacho, miembro de la fracción del partido PAR de Curazao calificó a la cadena EO de "periodismo de cloaca". En una misiva de Atacho al director de la EO, Henk Hagoort, se protestaba por la falta de consideración. Los progamadores de radio no tuvieron en cuenta que la nota haría cundir el pánico entre personas con familia en las Antillas (del boletín de noticias de Radio Nederland, via Arnaldo Slaen, Argentina, Aug 30, condiglisgt yg via DXLD) see also VENEZUELA; not gutter, but ``sewer journalism``(gh) ** NIGER. 9705, La Voix du Sahel; 2126-2202+, 24-Aug; M commentary in LL [unknown language, not Latin] -- didn't sound like FF; heavily accented if it was. Mentioned Niger, pronouncing with a long i. Commentary interspersed with flute tune or vocal chant. Long drum chant 2145-49 then more flute music & W speaking, sounding more like FF, then more flutes, drums & chanting. Brief announcement by M in French at 2159:40 into bouncy tune past 2200. SIO=332 (Harold Frodge, Midland MI, MARE Tipsheet Aug 31 via DXLD) ** OKLAHOMA. Radio station road signs: see CANADA [non] ** OMAN. 15140, R. Sultanate of Oman, Aug 23, 1420-1435, 35433, English, Music and news, Gongs at 1430. 15140, R. Sultanate of Oman, Aug 25, 1428-1440, 35333, English, Music and news, Gongs at 1430 (Kouji Hashimoto, Japan, Japan Premium Aug 31 via DXLD) ** PAKISTAN. 5080.14, R. Pakistan, Aug 25, 1651-1703, 35443, Urdu, Talk and news, ID at 1657 and 1658 and 1700 (Kouji Hashimoto, Japan, Japan Premium Aug 31 via DXLD) ** PERU. 4790.2, Radio Visión, Chiclayo, 0530-0550, 30-08. Escuchada de nuevo, luego de varios meses inactiva. Canciones religiosas y comentarios de locutor en español, "Están escuchando La Voz de la Salvación", "Los esperamos el próximo lunes en nuestro progama de La Voz de la Salvación". 14221 variando a 24221. Mejor en LSB. 9720, Radio Victoria, Lima, 0620,0645, 30-08. Luego de 2 meses que no lograba escucharla en esta frecuencia, hoy de nuevo en el aire en paralelo con su frecuencia habitual de 6019.6. Programa "La Voz de la Liberación", locutor, comentarios religiosos en español. 24322 (Manuel Méndez, escuchas realizadas en casco urbano de Lugo, Spain, Grundig Satellit 500 y Sony ICF SW 7600 G Antena de cable, 8 metros, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** POLAND. POLISH RIGHT-WING RADIO STATION TO GET EU MONEY Spiegel Online reports that a right-wing Polish radio station founded by an ultra-conservative Polish Catholic priest is in line to get European Union funding. Radio Maryja, which has been accused of being anti-Semitic and anti-EU, may receive more than €15 million in EU funding for a private university, Poland’s Minister of Regional Development Grazyna Gesicka said on Tuesday. The project has fulfilled all the necessary criteria and will get the EU grant, Gesicka said. Read the story http://www.spiegel.de/international/europe/0,1518,502644,00.html (August 30th, 2007 - 11:45 UTC by Andy, Media Network blog via DXLD) ** RUSSIA [and non]. Re: BBC RUSSIAN SERVICE OFF THE AIR IN MOSCOW http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/article2277998.ece [and several other stories previously referenced in DXLD] This incident should ring all firebells at the managers of BBC, VoA, Deutsche Welle, as well as of those political crew in those states. After forcing the media into line within the reach of President Putin it is to force the Russian people not to get any uncensored access to the pernicious influence of those foreign media. Remember: internet censorship may be done with some technical installations (already installed) activated. That means: only shortwaves can ensure quick and uncensored information from abroad. That means, too: refurbish the cocooned transmitters, save the production of new ones. We don't have a Cold War? Sorry, that is not true: we have a different level and a different site! And I fear that is only the beginning (Walter Eibl, WWDXC DX Magazine Aug-Sept via DXLD) ** RWANDA. DW is interfering with 15235 --- Your 15235 RCI frequency is having severe interference from a DW program which keeps sweeping up and down across the frequency, before and after 1900 UT today (Friday). At first I thought this was another Sackville transmitter, but checking the listings, it appears to be Rwanda which is supposed to be on 15275 (where it does land briefly from time to time). You may want to get in contact with them to advise them of the problem, since it is ruining RCI reception at the moment, and they really need to fix it. Regards, (Glenn Hauser, Enid OK, 1918 UT Aug 31, to RCI Master Control, via DXLD) DW Rwanda haywire vs RCI --- From before 1900 UT Aug 31, I was hearing a strong signal sweeping past RCI 15235 continuously, with bits of German audio causing a variable heterodyne. This appears to be DW Rwanda supposed to be on 15275 until 1955*. The extremely unstable transmitter goes as low as 15205 up to 15245, at times mostly around 15215. Snatch of DW theme music at 1900. Still doing it at 1930 recheck. Hear it yourself if in time. 73, (Glenn Hauser, OK, 1939 UT Aug 31, as amended, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) [Later:] Quite possibly the same will be happening with the same transmitter around its frequency after 2000. Per EiBi I can find three of them: 7130, 9875, 13650, but there are four transmitters there. Perhaps the other is relaying something other than DW (Glenn, ibid.) [later2:] After 2000, 13650 was just fine in Arabic, 9875 inaudible, and 7130 unchecked (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** SAO TOME E PRINCIPE. A REMARKABLE RELAY HOST FOR VOA "Remarkably, other than the Voice of America relay transmitter station that broadcasts to most of Africa, the United States does not maintain a permanent official presence in São Tomé and Príncipe: the ambassador in Gabon is concurrently accredited to the island state and makes occasional visits. Fortunately for U.S. interests, unlike other geostrategically important and resource-rich countries, this absence of an American presence has not resulted in the People's Republic of China (PRC) filling in the vacuum. As it happens, São Tomé and Príncipe is one of only five African countries (the others are Burkina Faso, The Gambia, Malawi, and Swaziland) to have maintained diplomatic relations with the Republic of China on Taiwan, perhaps not so coincidentally another island nation that has escaped the plagues of the mainland nearby." http://worlddefensereview.com/pham083007.shtml (World Defense Review, 30 August 2007. Posted: 30 Aug 2007, kimandrewelliott.com via DXLD) ** SAUDI ARABIA. Peter, I have investigated your request and find no email address. However, upon further research, I turned up a mailing address. Sometimes I face the same problem and have to resort to conventional mail service. The address that I discovered is as follows: BSKSA Director of Frequency Management Kingdom of Saudi-Arabia Ministry of Information P. O. Box 61718 Riyadh 11575 Saudi Arabia According to what I found out, "BSKSA" is the name of their broadcast company. Good luck! Very truly yours, (Tyrrell C. Burns, Aug 29, dxing.info via DXLD) Broadcasting Service of the Kingdom of S. A. ** SPAIN. 1622 kHz, RNE, site?, R1 & R5Todo Noticias airing the same, so I was unable to ascertain whether it was a Radio 1 or a Radio 5 transmitter causing the spur observed at 2210-..., 29 Aug; 35344, distorted signal, so hard to read, and frequency is approximate. I checked all the R1 & R5TN channels but couldn't detect anything unusual (Carlos Gonçalves, Portugal, Aug 31, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** SRI LANKA. 6005.12, SLBC Colombo, August 30, 0057, drums & sung NA preceding English service. Weak but in the clear now that Deutschland Radio is still off. However, strong R. Sweden opening on adjacent 6010 [via Canada] at 0059 proved a great nuisance. Clearly off freq as was // 9770.21 which got blocked by co-channel TRT (Martien Groot, Schoorl, Netherlands, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** SUDAN. 7200.00, R. Omdurman, Al Fitahab, AUG 30 *0231 - s/on with traditional vocal accompanied by drum, then announcements by man in Arabic mentioning Omdurman. Monologues mixed with traditional vocals until 0300, then long discussions. Fair signal until mixing with R. Bulgaria from 0300 (Brandon Jordan, Memphis, TN, details at ANGOLA, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** SUDAN [non]. UAE, 13720, Sudan R. Service via Dhabayya, Aug 23, 0501-0513, 25432, Arabic, Talk, Theme music at 0501 and 0510, // 15325 kHz (Kouji Hashimoto, Japan, Japan Premium Aug 31 via DXLD) ** SYRIA. In the German program it was said to use only one SW frequency per program in future, and also to have an internet stream (Walter Eibl, WWDXC DX Magazine Aug-Sept via DXLD) ** TAJIKISTAN. 4635.06, Tajik R., Aug 23, 1405-1415, 45433, Tajik, Talk and music, singing jingle and ID at 1410 (Kouji Hashimoto, Japan, Japan Premium Aug 31 via DXLD) ** TUNISIA. 7275.00, R. Tunisia, Sfax, AUG 30 *0259-0530* - OC from 0254 into *0259 s/on in Arabic with announcement by man, Kor`an recitation from 0301 until 0319, into talks and vocals. Huge signal. Listed as HFCC: 0400-0800, EiBi: 0400-0530 and Aoki: 0400-0700 (Brandon Jordan, Memphis, TN, details at ANGOLA, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U K. Re 7-104, R. Salaam Shalom, it may not be easy to find the direct audio link active for a few more days, so here it is: http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/ram/mon1100.ram (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U K. BBC Birthdays Beckon --- BBC Radio 4 is to receive the audio equivalent of the famous big red book on 30th September, as Stephen Fry stars as the narrator of an "irreverent satirical romp" to say "Radio 4: This is Your Life" on the station's fortieth birthday. Matt Lucas, star of Little Britain, will be the embodiment of Radio 4 in the comedy special recorded before an audience in Broadcasting House. Surprise guests will include such Radio 4 fixtures as John Humphries, Barry Cryer, Jonathan Dimbleby and Rabbi Lionel Blue. The affectionate funfest is written by the team behind some of the station's top comedy shows including Dead Ringers, so expect some special birthday parodies of such national institutions as The Archers and The Today Programme. Also lined up to commemorate four decades of Middle Britain's favourite listen are a documentary "4 at Forty", which will look at how the station has changed over the years,from a sometimes awkward mixture of classical music, schools programming, drama and magazine shows to the network it is is today. In an unexpected 'Move', another documentary on the station looks at the history of "Flowers in the Rain", the first record played on Radio One, also celebrating this landmark birthday with the other quadruplets- Radios 2 and 3- which were 'born' on the last day of September, 1967. The above story is my re-write of a piece in today's Media Guardian (to avoid copyright infringement). Read more at: http://media.guardian.co.uk/radio/story/0,,2158372,00.html There's also more on the BBC Birthdays in the September edition of "Communication", including a look back at the frequencies used in those heady days of the sixties. The bulletin now gone to the printers and should be with you in the next few days. It may arrive slightly later than usual due to the recent bank holiday in most of the UK (Mark Savage, Aug 30, BDXC-UK yg via DXLD) ** U S A. 7811 USB, AFN, Saddlebunch Keys FL, 2247-2305, 27 Aug, program Market Place followed by AP Network news at 2300; 45343. 73, (Carlos Gonçalves, Portugal, Aug 31, DX LISTENING DIGEST) 5446/USB, AFRTS, Key West FL; 1138. 24 Aug. English. NPR ID then Morning Edition dealing with illegal immigration to the US. Fair; 1128. 31 Aug. English. Ads for NPR then mentions of satellite transmissions. Good (Wood, TN) [non] GUAM: 5765/USB, AFRTS (Barrigada). 1129-1144. 31 Aug. English. First log of this station. National Public Radio relay of Morning Edition. Several IDs for NPR. Mentions of Virginia Tech, death of Princess Diana & events in Iraq. Fair (Joe Wood, Greenback TN, MARE Tipsheet via DXLD) ** U S A [non]. Confirmação Recebida --- Olá amigos! A confirmação que recebi da RÁDIO FREE ASIA veio com a seguinte inscrição, feita a mão: "Xmtr = IBB Tinian". No entanto, a escuta foi feita no seguinte horário UT: 2001-2020. Segundo o "EIBE" este horário, na freqüência de 7260 KHz é correspondente a um parque transmissor de TAIWAN! De qualquer forma, segue os dados abaixo. MARIANAS DO NORTE (?) 7260 KHz R. Free Asia, Tinian. 32 dias. Recebido: Cartão QSL. V/S: A. Janitschek. Informe de recepção enviado por e-mail 73, (Fábio Mattos, Garopaba - SC - Brasil, radioescutas yg via DXLD) Yes, EiBi has /TWN for Taiwan, but HFCC and Aoki have TIN = Tinian. Perhaps EiBi slipped in this case. BTW, since this Chinese service is jammed, are you sure you really heard RFA rather than the Chicom jamming? That is always something to beware of (Glenn Hauser, DXLD) ** U S A. Re Martí, 1180: ``I don`t think the 100 kW could have been purchased and installed yet. From several other reports, it does appear Marathon is `loosening up` its once-tight direxional pattern (Glenn Hauser, DXLD)`` Here's a possibility: Could the sudden pattern and/or power increase be the result of this having switched back to the US Navy Saddlebunch Keys site, the one Armed Forces Radio and the old NAR [NAS?] RTTY signals emanate from? Remember: when Marathon was undergoing refurbishing (including the construction of a permanent building to replace the Cold War-era metal trailer), 1180 broadcast briefly from the USN facilities and power was 100 kW, or at least the transmitter was capable of 100 kW. Possibly that transmitter is still in place and back in use while Marathon is being prepped for the new transmitter. The only way to tell for sure is to do a physical drive-by (as close as possible, that is) at both sites and see what signal levels are like. I know for a fact the transmitter at Saddlebunch is/was 100 kW because the on-site engineer at Marathon, back in the early 80's, told me so when I gained access to the facilities. He also said they initially tested it into a dummy load at very low power on 640 kHz. Unfortunately, the closest I was two weeks ago was Key Largo and the 1180 Marathon signal improvement (to this degree) as well as the 1181 Cuban jammer were unknown to me until I departed for the Everglades. I might have considered a drive to at least Marathon otherwise. And I don't envision being back down that way until at least sometime next year. And just maybe south Florida DGI [dentroCuba`s spy agency, Dirección General de Inteligencia] became aware of the move (if true) and their reporting back to Habana quickly prompted the 1181 carrier jammer in response. ***************************************************** (Terry L Krueger, Clearwater, Florida, USA, 27.55.83 N, 82.46.08 W Visit my "Florida Low Power Radio Stations" at: http://home.earthlink.net/~tocobagadx/flortis.html or: http://www.geocities.com/geigertree/flortis.html ***************************************************** DX LISTENING DIGEST) See also UNIDENTIFIED. 1181 ! below ** U S A. 1550, FLORIDA, WWFE (670 kHz, Miami) audio via (presumably) WRHC, Coral Gables; 0032-0118+ 1 September, 2007. Huge signal, with Tampa's WAMA's Hispanic (currently, XE music) weak underneath and no trace of the Cuban WAMA target jammer. WWFE audio relay is all-English coverage of the "South Florida high school game of the week" from Lockhart Stadium in (I think) Ft. Lauderdale, with many refs and even a quasi-ID as "This is WWFE 670 AM, Miami" during a soft break. Ads for mostly Ft. Lauderdale area businesses on hard breaks. What gives? WWFE 670 is (per FCC db) owned by Fenix Broadcasting Corporation, and 1550 is still the spooky WRHC Broadcasting Corporation (Terry L Krueger, Clearwater, Florida USA 27.55.83 N, 82.46.08 W, DX LISTENING DIGEST) To expand WWFE coverage for hyper-important HSFB, instead of merely running day power and pattern illegally on 670? Which of course always has CubaRM from Rebelde anyway, especially at night (gh, DXLD) ** U S A. 1190, KVSV-KS, 2230 CDT 29 AUG 07 [0330 UT Aug 30] with KC Royals post-game show, then 2234 CDT s/off announcement mentioning FM 105.5, into Star Spangled Banner by female vocalist (may have been Whitney Houston?) then gone. On day power/pattern? An actual s/off and SSB is a real rare treat for this DXer! Might be worth a check for DXers to the NW of Kansas as their pattern shoots mostly NW (Bruce Winkelman, Tulsa, OK R8, 50 foot wire, IRCA via DXLD) Beloit KS, 2300 watts day, 90 watts night. Is in N Central KS, near the geographic center of the conterminous US (gh, OK, DXLD) Bruce: Every night at sunset, I play our station theme song, followed by a 2 minute announcement containing the station call letters, frequency, city of license, power output and various methods of contact information. I conclude by saying, "Goodnight, god bless america and most importantly.. God Bless the troops serving overseas.. ladies and gentleman, here's the US Naval Band performing your national anthem".. into said clip, followed by one last legal id, then I cut the carrier (Paul Walker, Operations Manager/Program Director, Cool Country 1590, WABV, Abbeville, South Carolina http://www.wabv1590.com (IRCA via DXLD) ** U S A. WWBD 95.7 Bamberg, SC: Radio change - Miller says shifting license for Bamberg's WWBD to Isle of Palms won't impact local service By Gene Zaleski, T&D Staff Writer | Wednesday, August 29, 2007 Miller Communications Inc. submitted an application in June to change the community of license of Bad Dog WWBD 95.7 FM from Bamberg to Isle of Palms. Harold Miller, Miller Communications president and CEO, said the transition is aimed at improving the company's and other radio broadcasters' and groups' facilities and stations. "If approved, in time Miller will reach an opportunity to dramatically improve several of its stations," Miller said. . . . http://www.timesanddemocrat.com/articles/2007/08/29/business/12719242.txt (via Kevin Redding, ABDX via DXLD) I was once associated with this station in the old days when it was operated as a local station. The only local concession made by the management for local coverage is local high school football and a paid for recording of a church service on Sunday night. There is no network affiliation, no local news or anything of local value on this station at all. At present, the main studios are 25 miles away from our community, with the antenna 6 miles out in the same neighboring county (Orangeburg). The ERP is 11,000 watts, not Miller Communications hype of 25,000 watts. The move to the Isle of Palms will involve changing the frequency from 95.7 to 95.9 with an increase in power to 50,000 watts. The transmitter will be located such that the signal will have to cross the entire Charleston, S. C., peninsula before reaching the Isle of Palms, essentially, just another Charleston station. At a distance of 75 miles, we will be lucky to hear it at all. This newspaper article was so full of lies and half-truths, I hadn't really planned to say anything about it, but since it was posted, you now have my 2 cent's worth (Bob Smoak, Bamberg, SC, ABDX via DXLD) ** U S A. WIRL 1290 kHz Peoria, IL DX Test. Date: Sunday morning (late Saturday night), Oct. 21, 2007. Time: 2 – 4 a.m. Central Time [0700- 0900 UT]. 5,000 watts using their normal daytime pattern. Programming will consist of voice IDs, Morse code, 1,000 Hz tones and regular format Classic Country music. Reception reports may be sent to Wayne R. Miller, Chief Engineer, WIRL Radio, 331 Fulton, Suite 1200, Peoria, IL 61602. The station will accept recordings by e-mail or on disk (.mp3 or .wav OK but no cassettes please). Address for e-mail reports is wrm @ jmpradio.com. NOTE: All requests for verifications must be accompanied by return postage in order to receive a reply. No eQSL service is being offered for this test. Our sincere thanks to Chief Engineer Wayne Miller for agreeing to conduct this test (Jim Pogue – KH2AR @ comcast.net http://www.dxtests.info IRCA/NRC Joint BTC Coordinator Aug 30, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A. 1640.1, WKSH, Sussex WI; 2338-2343+, 24-Aug; Usual disgustingly perky music; Radio Disney AM 16-40 Milwaukee. Local ads at 2341; Noah's Ark Water Park at WI Dells. Good in QRN. [that`s pretty far off frequency; anyone hearing het on WTNI, KXFY, etc.?] ---SPAM [sic], 1640, Birch Run MI, Suski Chevy-Buick; 12:30 PM & 9:25 PM EDT, 25-Aug; The Suski Signal, Birch Run Jaycees spot; deals & rock tunes during the day, loop at night. Copiable 2-3 miles out during the day; had to be right at the dealership at night to copy, due to Mickey Mouse QRM (Harold Frodge, Midland MI, MARE Tipsheet Aug 31 via DXLD) ** U S A. RADIO STATION PROVIDES VITAL LINK FOR PEOPLE ON INDIAN RESERVATION --- By Greg Flakus Porcupine, South Dakota 28 August 2007 http://www.voanews.com/english/2007-08-28-voa50.cfm watch Radio Station report / Windows broadband - download watch Radio Station report / Windows broadband watch Radio Station report / Windows dialup - download watch Radio Station report / Windows dialup There are many ethnic radio stations and broadcast programs in the United States, but there are only a few fully independent community radio stations serving the residents of a Native American Indian reservation. One of them is KILI radio on the Pine Ridge reservation in southwestern South Dakota. It operates from the top of a butte near the village of Porcupine and broadcasts in both English and the native Lakota language. VOA's Greg Flakus went there and filed this report on "the Voice of the Lakota nation." Radio station KILI serves the Lakota community in the Pine Ridge reservation The Pine Ridge reservation is the eighth largest in the United States and its close to 30,000 residents are spread out over nearly 9,000 square kilometers of hilly, rocky land. Some people here are involved in ranching, but this is one of the poorest places in the United States, with unemployment at around 70 percent and an average annual family income of just $3800. For the Lakota people who live here and in the nearby Black Hills and Rapid City, KILI radio is a beacon of hope as well as a way of keeping in touch with the community at large. Derek Janis, a volunteer, on the air [caption] "Hey, everybody,” says Derek Janis, a volunteer broadcaster on air at the station, “I hope you are enjoying your day and things are good with you, because everything is good up here at KILI Radio, 90.1 on the FM dial…" KILI roughly translates to "cool" or "awesome" in English. The station provides news about activities and events on the reservation, as well as music -- ranging from country to hip hop, with lots of native traditional singing as well. Local college professors and students come in every week to discuss Lakota myths and stories. The station also does live broadcasts of tribal council meetings. Melanie Janis and Business Manager Tom Casey on the station's porch Melanie Janis is one of KILI radio's popular on-air personalities who volunteers her time. "We are such a large reservation that we actually can warn people of tornadoes or just little things going on, maybe someone is having a rummage sale. For me, it is just a way of giving back," she says. One of the longest-serving members of the KILI Radio staff is Business Manager and Development Director Tom Casey. "The station has a way to connect people, keep people connected, information-wise, issue-wise, culture-wise, things that are happening in the community, things that are going on. It just connects people," says Casey. Part of each day's broadcast is done in the Lakota language, which is still widely spoken by older people and is being taught to school children. The language was in danger of dying because of government efforts to force American Indians to speak English in decades past. Derek Janis in the station's main control room [caption] Tom Casey says using Lakota on the station sends a powerful cultural message. "When the radio station first went on the air, February 25th, 1983, the first DJ [disc jockey] on the air spoke in both Lakota and English and that was really powerful." That power is not lost on younger volunteer broadcasters, like Melanie Janis' 25-year-old son Derek. He is trying to learn more Lakota. "You hardly see young guys my age talking fluently. Everybody has slang words they mix in with the English, so it kind of gets broke up. I am working on it. I am trying to learn myself." KILI radio is supported by donations as well as grants from charitable groups, and can be heard around the world on the Internet at http://www.kiliradio.org (VOA News via Kevin Redding, ABDX via DXLD) ** U S A. KRLN 1400 KSTY 104.5 Canon City, CO Canon City radio station goes local once again By TRACY HARMON, THE PUEBLO CHIEFTAIN CANON CITY - KRLN 1400 got a 60th birthday present, the return of its sister station, KSTY FM 104.5, which had been leased to a Denver- based broadcasting company for two years. Royal Gorge Broadcasting LLC owner Lisa Warner Simon terminated the management agreement with Superior Broadcasting of Denver after two years of the five-year lease. Superior, which owns Colorado-Springs country station KKCS FM, had used the KSTY frequency to reach Canon City and Pueblo West listeners. KSTY will return to the dial at 104.5 FM on Saturday with local news, sports, weather, advertisements and country music, said Joan Wood, the radio station's general manager for the past 37 years. http://www.chieftain.com/business/1188375307/3 Its sister station, KRLN News Radio 1400, is an AM station that first hit the airwaves in Canon City Aug. 15, 1947. The Warner Family has owned KRLN since 1965. Simon lives in New Jersey (via Kevin Redding, ABDX via DXLD) ** U S A. WITH LOW RATINGS, POST RADIO VENTURE TO END NEXT MONTH By Paul Farhi, Washington Post Staff Writer Tuesday, August 28, 2007; C01 Washington Post Radio, which brought the newspaper's journalists to the local airwaves, will go off the air next month after failing to attract enough listeners and losing money during its 17-month existence. Post Radio, which is broadcast regionwide on 107.7 FM and 1500 AM, was not able to draw even 1 percent of listeners during its first year. Although ratings have improved somewhat in recent months -- partly because of Nationals baseball broadcasts and Tony Kornheiser's morning program -- the gains weren't enough to convince WTWP's owner, Bonneville International Corp., that the station could be profitable any time soon, executives said. Bonneville and The Post had a three- year agreement. The two companies will announce Friday that WTWP -- whose call letters abbreviate the newspaper's name -- will go off the air by the end of September. The stations will continue to carry news and talk programming without an association with The Post. . . http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/08/27/AR2007082701332_pf.html (via Mike Cooper, DXLD) Here's the text of a press release from Bonneville's local boss, Joël Oxley: WASHINGTON, D.C. August 28, 2007 Bonneville International Corporation announced today that it will replace Washington Post Radio (WTWP) on 1500 AM, 107.7 FM and 820 AM with a personality-driven station, Talk Radio 3WT (call letters WWWT). Talk Radio 3WT will feature a lineup of personalities currently heard on the station - David Burd, Jessica Doyle, "The Tony Kornheiser Show," and Pat Goss - along with established, nationally-recognized personalities Neal Boortz, Bill O'Reilly, Glenn Beck, and Stephanie Miller, as well as play-by-play sports. The station's slogan will be "Left, Right, and Whatever We Want," reflecting 3WT's diverse collection of personalities and opinions. Earlier this week, Bonneville International Corporation and The Washington Post agreed to end their broadcast alliance which had resulted in the creation of Washington Post Radio. Washington Post Radio, owned and operated by Bonneville International Corporation, was a collaborative effort which launched in March 2006 and featured station hosts interviewing editors, reporters and columnists at The Washington Post. "Washington Post Radio was a tremendous experiment in broadcasting, and it was wonderful working with The Washington Post, a world-class newspaper," says Bonneville D.C. Sr. VP Joel Oxley. "While many advertisers were satisfied with the results the station generated, we just did not garner the Arbitron ratings we had hoped for. When we launched the 'Tony Kornheiser Show,' it was met with such success that we realized we needed to take the station in the direction of personality-driven talk with more opinion and less hard news. Since this did not meet the original vision of Washington Post Radio, The Washington Post and Bonneville mutually agreed to end the broadcast alliance." "We'll continue to work together as media professionals as we always have," Oxley added. "The Washington Post has a huge array of talented people that we've featured for years on our radio stations in many capacities, and we will continue to do so. We're fortunate to have a great relationship with, and access to, one of the finest organizations with some of the best professionals in the world." 3WT will debut on 1500 AM, 107.7 FM, and 820 AM in Frederick on September 20 (via John Figliozzi, dxldyg via DXLD) My three cents: 1. It would seem to me to be lunacy to put liberal and conservative talkers on the same station. You'll only annoy both groups. Picture this: a right-wing fan who shuts off his car while tuned to his favorite liberal basher comes back to the car when a liberal talker is on. He starts his car, hears the "liberal propaganda" and vows never to listen to that station again... 2. I listened online a couple times to WTWP, capturing audio at 7 AM and then listening on the way to work at 8 AM. For rush hour radio, it was insipidly chatty and interrupted with advertising. It was in no way a substitute in tone or tenor for NPR programming; the segment I heard focused on celebrity gossip which is something NPR steadfastly (thankfully) ignores. 3. WTWP died because it offered no compelling reason to tune in. WTWP would soon challenge Buffalo's WWKB as the country's biggest waste of 50 kW clear channel watts, if it weren't for WTWP's carriage of Major League Baseball (Richard Cuff / Allentown, PA, swprograms via DXLD) Another station that mixes left and right is WJNO in West Palm Beach. They end Rush Limpaw at 1500 (local) and immediately switch to Randi Rhodes for three hours of unapologetic Bush bashing. The contrast is great and in my opinion fun to hear. Ms. Rhodes is also heard daily on what is left of Air America. When I am in northern latitudes I hear her on the "Air America" channel on XM Satellite Radio. WJNO also has streaming audio when I last checked. They had very good live coverage of hurricane Wilma passing through town in 2005 (Joe Buch, ibid.) Well, that`s one less alternative to Coast to Coast. This and the impending demise of CBA 1070 to FM status is going to leave very few alternatives. I wonder if CBE 1550 will also disappear soon. It seems progress is eroding our imagination (Paul Shaffer, Cheshire, CT, Aug 31, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) One of the most bonehead plays Bonneville ever pulled in the DC market was dropping all-news from 1500 (and dropping the classical format from 103.5). The 1500 signal would blanket most of the Mid-Atlantic even at midday and it was a great way to keep up on your news while in the car. I listened to it regularly here on the Delmarva as I always liked it better than the all-news on KYW on 1060, especially since Washington is my hometown. Then they put that Washington Post format, which was nothing more than a more-boring version of NPR on 1500. Now 1500 is going to be yet another talk station (and every market has at least a half-dozen of those it seems) while the all-news format remains on FM. How many more blows in the pocketbook will it take to get Bonneville to do the smart thing and put the all-news back on 1500 where it belongs? (John Cereghin, KB3LYP, Smyrna DE, ibid.) [This was already rumored more than a month ago:] Post Radio Is Subject of Speculation --- 7.27.2007 “Word around the Post newsroom is that listener ratings are so low that the newspaper will close down its radio operation this fall at the end of the Washington Nationals baseball season.” That’s according to writer Harry Jaffe on the Web site of Washingtonian magazine. He also quotes Jim Farley, head of news and programming for Washington Post Radio and WTOP, both owned by Bonneville, as saying no hard decisions have been made. WTWP is heard at 1500 AM and 107.7 FM. “Bonneville hoped that Post reporters could provide scintillating radio commentary, which is why the radio company decided to pay the Post to provide content,” Jaffe wrote. “But most Post reporters couldn’t perform. They might be good reporters, but many lack the gift of gab ... The few who can tell good radio stories are all over NPR and MSNBC.” He thinks it is likely the station will eventually transition to syndicated radio talk. http://www.rwonline.com/pages/s.0105/t.7496.html (via Kevin Redding, ABDX via DXLD) ** U S A. A RARE OPPORTUNITY FOR EMPLOYMENT WITH THE FCC The FCC is looking for Electronic Engineers for employment in Washington and at many field offices across the United States including Los Angeles and San Diego. On-the-job training is provided. Openings like these are rare and the application window closes September 21, 2007. The following URL will allow you to both browse job openings and apply for work. http://www.fcc.gov/jobs/fccjobs.html (CGC Communicator Aug 29 via Kevin Redding, ABDX via DXLD) ** VENEZUELA. The Venezuelan TV channel, RCTV, that was forced off the air by the government in May is facing serious financial problems. Without its terrestrial transmission licence, the channel has been forced on to satellite but this, combined with the political situation, has caused advertisers to shy away from what was one of Venezuela's most popular TV channels. The channel's CEO, Marcel Granier, spoke about the problems facing his company as he received an award from Chile's National Press Association on 22 August, saying his channel's revenues are "virtually reduced to zero" (AIB Industry Briefing 30 Aug via DXLD) ** VENZUELA [and non]. RUMOURS OF VENEZUELAN INVASION OF NETHERLANDS ANTILLES --- By Jos de Roo [translated] 23-08-2007 For a moment it seemed that the borders of the Kingdom of the Netherlands were in danger. Venezuelan president Hugo Chávez allegedly wanted to annex the islands of Aruba, Bonaire and Curaçao, according to the weekend edition of Dutch newspaper De Telegraaf. As it quickly turned out, Mr Chávez had made an exception for the 'ABC Islands' and actually had his eye on the Aves atoll, which is located in the northern part of the Caribbean basin, not far from Dominica. The commotion caused by inaccurate news coverage shows that the Netherlands might, against its will, become involved in an ongoing conflict between Venezuela and the United States. What's more, the Dutch press might, before they know it, become an instrument in the US anti-Venezuelan campaign. . . http://www.radionetherlands.nl/currentaffairs/ven070823 (via Media Network blog via DXLD) see also NETHERLANDS ANTILLES ** VENEZUELA [non]. Rechecking RNV CI via CUBA, 15290, Aug 31 at 1855, big S9+20 carrier already on, slight hum especially when side-tuned. 1859:30 began IS, and opening announcement mentioning today`s date, so a current show for a change. BTW, EiBi doesn`t have this one yet, last updated Aug 22, but the RNV broadcasts he does list are labeled M-F only; is this correct? (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) UNIDENTIFIED. I listened to the 1181 tone last night around 10:15 pm [0315 UT Aug 29] and was unable to get a total null on the signal using either the ICF-2010 or C Crane radio with their internal loopsticks --- no matter how I turned or tilted the radios, there was always a residual tone which could be clearly heard. This was very unusual, as I have previously been able to get a total null on the signal using just the ICF-2010 internal loopstick. The signal was also very strong last night. I wonder if there was more than one station on 1181 last night. . . . (Harry Helms, W5HLH Smithville, TX EL19, Aug 29, ABDX via DXLD) [occasionally same problem here --- gh, Enid OK] I have previously mentioned that in view of the frequency measurements made, the signal is *exactly* on 1181 kHz. And I mentioned that such was uncommon in the MW broadcasting world. And I mentioned that perhaps a frequency synthesizer was used and that would clearly implicate an outside and well-heeled influence. Now I point out that the PTS frequency synthesizer, and probably a lot of others, can be locked to a GPS 10 MHz standard. There is nothing to prevent a whole herd of transmitters all being locked to that standard. Maybe one in Washington state to lead folks astray. Hypothesis: multiple transmitters operating on 1181 kHz exactly, for testing, conceivably monitoring this group to get feedback. When the moment comes they all go to some other, perhaps nearby frequency, for their real mission. Propaganda. I know it sounds like a sci-fi goon talking but this is actually quite plausible. ``was unable to get a total null on the signal`` Cause it was coming from outer space! Come one, guys, that was "comedy relief" ! (JimTonne, ibid.) I agree with that hypothesis, Jim. In the case of the 1140 mystery from early 2001, it was clear in retrospect that the operators were monitoring SWL/DXer and broadcast engineering lists----that signal disappeared just before a group of stations on 1140 agreed to power down at midnight Pacific time to allow for DFing. If the CEs on some 1180 stations get similarly upset about the 1181 signal, we might see an equally abrupt vanishing act (Harry Helms W5HLH Smithville, TX EL19 http://topsecrettourism.com ibid.) Ok, then who is the secret agent on our list??? (Brian Leyton, Valley Village, CA, ibid.) Unlax. The operative ain't me. I'm just as baffled as anyone else about why this 1181 kHz thing appeared as it did. It may be part of a vast plot to overthrow the Universe, but something suddenly popping up on 1181 kHz almost exactly seems to be something intended, not to be mistaken for an errant Cuban or Dominican Republican. And I still don't know if Señor Castro has put his sweet little murderous heels in the air yet, either. Someday soon, he's going to a place where it gets purty durn hot, sez I. Oh, and yeah, don't anyone bother Señor Arnie Coro about 1181. Either way, he ain't going to be of any help. Jolly Cholly (Charles A Taylor, WD4INP, Greenville, North Carolina, ibid.) Well, for the record, I am NOT a member of the CSE although I did buy some gear from a hands-on radio guy at the CSE. For the benefit of you folks in the USA who are not up on every single letter agency worldwide, the CSE stands for the Communication Security Establishment. Very much the Canadian equivalent of the NSA. The CSE used to be a hyper-secretive bunch, and for many years Big brother [a.k.a. "the Government of Canada"] denied its existence. here is an interesting report on the CSE: http://www.parl.gc.ca/information/library/PRBpubs/bp343-e.htm It`s interesting background reading for the CSE and its equivalents in other lands. For the record, it is a public document available by a mere Google search. Now, I recognize that by posting this link, the operative among us will report to the NSA, who will report to the CSE, who will watch me closely - possibly try to conscript me into their midst by offering me a Collins HF-2050 [yes!], a bunch of old worn out fluky Racals [I'll pass] and maybe a missing Fowler Five R-390A [sorry CSE, I already have a 55 Collins and its easier to keep up than a 55 Chevy]. Along with the missing CF-105 Avro Arrow for my basic Mach 3 transportation needs :) Sure would like to have an Orenda Iroquois engine strapped to the Vibe though! I'm sure that my wife has her suspicions about me, especially when I am listening to 1181 kHz "the Tone" or "The Het" (Phil VY2PR Rafuse, PEI, ibid.) Just checking to see if 1181 carrier is still there, two weeks after first report: yes, UT Aug 30 at 0608, along with ID from dominant 1180 station, ``La Bonita``. That would be Ómaja, whatever the calls are now; a bit too frivolous a slogan for Rebelde or Martí. Another check UT Sept 1 at 0130: yes, 1181 carrier still there and bearing still about 125 degrees from here (Glenn Hauser, Enid OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) See also U S A for theories about R. Martí UNIDENTIFIED. 7175.00, AUG 30 *0353-0503* - OC from 0343 then directly into non-stop HoA-style pop vocals at 0353. Occasional 1-2 minute silence between songs. Very strong, over co-channel R Liberty (until 0403*) and presumed VoBME. No announcements and suddenly left the air at 0503*. I presumed this was an Ethiopia jammer, so was surprised by the 0503* (Brandon Jordan, Memphis, TN, details at ANGOLA, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ COMMENTARY ++++++++++ THE FUTURE OF SHORTWAVE BROADCASTING: A CRITICAL POINT OF VIEW By Bob Zanotti, NEXUS-IBA There is much pessimistic talk today about the validity of shortwave as the prime vehicle of international broadcasting. Critics present several arguments: high operating costs, environmental considerations, a need to re-channel available funds into satellites and the Internet, and what is loosely termed a decline in shortwave. From the point of view of the broadcast planner and decisionmaker, this catalogue of negative arguments appears sound and reasonable. From the perspective of a large segment of the audience, however, reductions in shortwave services are inexplicable and a source of frustration and even anger. Let us examine the issues carefully, using the senses and instincts of the investigative journalist . . . http://www.undpi.org/index.php?name=News&file=article&sid=181 Glenn, If anyone wants to receive a copy, please address them to info @ nexus.org If anyone is interested in the subject, we are attempting to set up a working group to discuss the above issues and make some intelligent proposals, hopefully. More than in desperation, or in an attempt to set up a "Shortwave Preservation Society" (as if SW was dead already), I would like to try to bring something more positive, that we could all benefit from (broadcasters and listeners). I am trying to get people from the HFCC involved, but since they are mostly engineers, the intimacies of the issues are not fully understood there, with a few notable exceptions. My idea is to have a working group that may share ideas and thoughts, that could help either people/organizations in doing some better marketing/PR job about Shortwave, better than what was done in the last few years. And I mean strictly NOT to promote any station or services, but promote Shortwave itself as a still-very-viable medium. We discussed and formulated these ideas at NEXUS since the early 80's and 90's. The paper basically stayed in my folder for at least 5 years, and then was slightly revised to take the latest developments (like DRM) into account. Thanks and take care. 73, (Alfredo E. Cotroneo, CEO, NEXUS- Int'l Broadcasting Association, email: alfredo @ nexus.org http://www.nexus.org ph: +39-02-266 6971 - Toll free: 1-888-612-0039, fax: +39-02-706 38151, Aug 31, DX LISTENING DIGEST) CONVENTIONS & CONFERENCES +++++++++++++++++++++++++ PRIMEIRAS INFORMAÇÕES SOBRE A 1A. REUNIÃO DE CONSCIENTIZAÇÃO DAS ONDAS CURTAS Olá Amigos, No dia 25 de agosto último, na cidade de Lagoa de Dentro, Estado da Paraiba, foi realizada a 1a. Reunião de Conscientização das Ondas Curtas. Tivemos 73 presentes, em meio a uma mesa redonda de palestras (composta de Jailton Amaral e Leonaldo Ferreira - foto dos mesmos em anexo), uma deliciosa favada e o sorteio de muitos materiais promocionais das emissoras internacionais. Nesta ocasião, foi instituido pelo SRDXC o dia 25 de agosto, como o Dia Nacional de Conscientização das Ondas Curtas. Se nos próximos anos, neste dia, os radioescutas falarem da importância das Ondas Curtas em suas vidas para pelo menos um conhecido, terão cumprido o objetivo desta data. Atentamente e agradecendo a divulgação, »»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»» Jailton C. Amaral, Pres. do SRDXC, http://www.srdxc.com.br info @ srdxc.com.br Telefones: (83) 3217 0107 - Oi Fixo (83) 8812 1974 - Oi Móvel (83) 9989 0356 - Tim MSN: jailton @ srdxc.com.br Comunidade SRDXC no Orkut: http://www.orkut.com/Community.aspx?cmm=16519230 (Amaral, Aug 31, DX LISTENING DIGEST) This item posted in record time, less than one week. SRDXC`s DX and station news is deliberately delayed about 6 months before posting on the radioescutas list, at least (gh, DXLD) DIGITAL BROADCASTING ++++++++++++++++++++ DON'T EXPECT LOTS OF AM HD RADIO INTERFERENCE COME SEPT. 14 I don't think that AM nighttime IBOC is going to be the Armageddon that some are predicting. Based on our own company's facilities, I doubt there will be 100 stations on the air at night before the end of the year. Within our company, we are simply not ready with most of our AM night facilities. Further, we are not planning to invest heavily in additional transmitter and antenna work to get those facilities up at night in the digital mode until we can evaluate the effectiveness and impact of AM nighttime digital. I suspect that much the same situation exists across the board. As such, I think we will have some time to really get a look at this thing before we have a thousand stations radiating digital signals at night. P.S. The current stats show the total number of AM stations on the air with HD signals is 227. Assuming that our company is representative of the overall AM spectrum of stations, I would expect somewhere around 90 to light up nighttime digital signals within the next few months. Cris Alexander, CPBE, AMD crisa (at) crawfordbroadcasting.com Crawford Broadcasting Company, Denver, Colorado (Letter to the Editor, CGC Communicator Aug 29, via Kevin Redding, ABDX via DXLD) IS IBIQUITY RENEGING ON A REBATE OFFER? CGC #791 mentioned a limited-time price for the entry- level Radiosophy HD100 digital radio receiver and there was a handsome rebate offered from iBiquity. It now appears that iBiquity's rebate contractor is balking on issuing some rebates, and we'd like to determine the extent of the problem. If you purchased the Radiosophy HD100 and were (a) given a rebate or (b) not given a rebate but believe that you properly filed all the material required for a rebate, we'd like to know. Please send mail to: r.gonsett @ ieee.org We'll let you know if significant trends develop (CGC Communicator Aug 29, via Kevin Redding, ABDX via DXLD) RE: WILL WYSL-1040 FIGHT WBZ'S NIGHT-TIME IBOC? And they have a neat site against IBAC; check it out: http://www.wysl1040.com/?pg=nohd I'll tell you what, you will also see every argument that has been brought up in threads here in the paragraphs which are here from WYSL. Finally a broadcaster sees the real problems and is doing something about it. I suggested that they make up bumper stickers and sell them: Circle and cross over: You Don't Need AM-HD, Find Out Why I have often mentioned the problems that will exist after WBZ and KDKA start their racket at night especially in New York right in the middle and this is just the beginning, obviously there are others who want to fight this stuff, maybe we are not alone after all (Bob Young, Analog, MA, NRC-AM via DXLD) DIGITAL RADIO UPDATE Re 7-104, JAMAICA, corrected URL, or rather home page for more: http://radiomagonline.com/digital_radio_update/ (via Deane McIntyre VE6BPO, (who was wondering how a station at 1700 kHz could use IBOC if the band ends at 1705 kHz yet IBOC would extend this to 1720+, well out of the assigned AM broadcast band), NRC-AM via DXLD) DIGITAL RADIO GUIDE The World Broadcasting Union's Digital Radio Guide is for use by engineers and managers in the radio broadcast community worldwide. It covers a wide base of digital radio technology and services, written by the technical experts who work with them. Along with gaining an understanding of digital radio, readers will also acquire insights into international digital terrestrial and satellite transmission systems including: - Digital Radio Mondiale (DRM) - Digital Audio Broadcasting (DAB - Eureka 147) - Japan's Digital Radio Broadcasting (ISDB-TSB) - iBiquity's HD Radio System (IBOC) - WorldSpace - Sirius and XM Satellite Radio - Mobile Broadcasting Corp. and TU Media Corp. - Internet Radio The guide includes references to relevant sources and websites with technical descriptions of the aforementioned systems. The Digital Radio Guide has been compiled by the World Broadcasting Union`s Technical Committee and can be downloaded by clicking on this link : http://www.nabanet.com/wbuarea/library/Docs/Public/DRG-2007.pdf The Guide should be cited as a reference if any of its content is used in other publications (Source : World Broadcasting Unions via Alokesh Gupta, India, Aug 31, dxldyg via DXLD) 118 pages DRM AT IFA [DRM: see also CHINA; IRELAND; COMMENTARY] Pictures of the DRM receivers on display at IFA, which opened today, were posted here: http://knallfunke.de/drm/ifa2007/index.htm Available receivers are the well-known Morphy Richards and Himalaya 2009 units, both using the RS-500 chipset, and the big 400 Euro Truckbox, a car unit which sends its output as FM signal to a standard car radio, using the RDS PS code to display text info. Presented prototypes: The Russian Orlyonok and the German Multyradio, presumably using the RS-500 chipset as well, a sample from a manufacturer of an alternative chipset (Analog Devices) and a Blaupunkt car radio prototype with an own DSP solution (Kai Ludwig, Germany, Sept 1, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) POWERLINE COMMUNICATIONS ++++++++++++++++++++++++ BPL NEWS: CGC #806 reported on certain BPL equipment manufactured by Current Group, and an ARRL official gave that gear high marks for not contaminating the HF (3-30 MHz) radio spectrum. The ARRL remarks came from Ed Hare, W1RFI, who is spearheading ARRL's monitoring of BPL testing and deployment - and doing a fantastic job (CGC Communicator Aug 29, via Kevin Redding, ABDX via DXLD) RADIO EQUIPMENT FORUM +++++++++++++++++++++ CAMOUFLAGED CELLULAR AND PCS SITES The National Geographic Society's (NGS) September 2007 magazine has a feature on camouflaged cellular and PCS sites. I'm quoted in the article, and I provided the photos to illustrate the article from my http://www.CellularPCS.com site The NGS website is running a parallel feature, also using my photos, which can be reached at the URL below. I think it was the photo of the 'Bison' cellular site in Colorado that hooked them! (Jonathan L. Kramer, Esq., Kramer (at) CableTV.com or http://tinyurl.com/yv7stm CGC Communicator, ibid.) Editor's note: Cellular antennas disguised as trees, e.g. "monopines" and "monopalms," are becoming better camouflaged than ever. Check out this faux tree on the north side of Pechanga Pkwy in Temecula. What makes this particular tree noteworthy is that its panel antennas are covered with fake foliage, enhancing the camouflage. "Shaggy panels" may be the next rage: http://earthsignals.com/add_CGC/Images/DSC00480.jpg (CGC Communicator Aug 29 via Kevin Redding, ABDX via DXLD) APRS FOR HOOKERS This story concerns the use of electronic over-the-air Automatic Position Reporting Systems (APRS) by prostitutes -- with radio equipment built right into specially designed platform shoes. See and read more at the URLs below. Note the mentioned use of Amateur Radio frequencies which, if true, would be an unauthorized use unless the hooker is a ham. http://tinyurl.com/2xcp69 http://theaphroditeproject.tv/saftey/ (CGC Communicator Aug 29 via Kevin Redding, ABDX via DXLD) re: MARCONI UHF PIONEER Hi Glenn, Years ago I visited, and actually DXed, from the "Torre Marconi" - an ancient watch tower on the Ligurian sea shore used as a ground station for transmissions toward Marconi's "Elettra" yacht. I'm quite sure I saw some pictures of aerial hardware and texts describing it as antennas used by Marconi for his tests in the UHF band in the 30s. Perhaps the original antennas were still there! Today, Torre Marconi is located in a seaside hotel and resort in the beautiful Ligurian port and beach of Sestri Levante (not far from the world-famous touristic area of Cinque Terre and my own DXing location in the hinterland of Levanto), and is being mantained and operated by the local chapter of ARI, the Italian amateur radio association http://www.museocilea.it/typo3conf/ext/naw_securedl/secure.php?u=0&file=fileadmin/documenti/pdf/SESTRI_LEVANTE_01.pdf&t=1188041605&hash=bd968c624b158151f40e896174cc9d35 or, in English, http://www.hoteldeicastelli.com/eng_html/storia_marconi.html If you follow the official link provided by the Roman municipality of Santa Marinella, another seaside location not far from Rome where Marconi conducted his UHF tests: http://www.santamarinella.comnet.roma.it/portal/page?_pageid=1514,608957&_dad=portal&_schema=PORTAL you'll be able to access, mid-page, a story (in Italian) about Marconi. You can easily recognize it from the scientist's autographed picture. Now, I'm not sure of how authoritative or accurate this source is, but it mentions tests on 60 centimeters wavelenghts, or, the text goes, "up to 545 MHz". You have to follow the "(continua)" link from the above mentioned URL to get to actual figures. These informations seem fairly reliable to me. Original notebooks which can be found on the Guglielmo Marconi Foundation's Web site, http://www.fgm.it/site/ing/archivi/scritti/scrittiel.php particularly those related to his last years: - Radiocomunicazioni a onde cortissime (1932)(*) - Decade (A) of scientific research in Italy (1933) - Sulla propagazione di micro-onde a notevole distanza (1933)(*) - Applicazioni (Le) diatermiche delle micro-onde (1935) - Radiocomunicazioni (1936) contain several references to direct knowledge Marconi had gathered on the behavior of waves under one meter of wavelength. 73s (Andy Lawendel, Italy, Aug 31, DX LISTENING DIGEST) BES REVIEW APR-JUNE 2007 BES Review is a quarterly publication of "Broadcasting Engineering Society (India)" containing articles on latest development in the field of broadcasting and related science. APRIL - JUNE 2007 issue (4.46 MB) is now available for download using this link : http://www.besindia.com/april-june07.pdf (Alokesh Gupta, New Delhi, India, DX LISTENING DIGEST) HIGH POWER TRANSMITTING ANTENNA SWITCHING MATRICES While glancing through a book about Radio Australia I came across an illustration of an antenna selector switch that allowed any antenna to be selected for any transmitter at the Shepparton transmitter site. Briefly described, it consisted of a semi-circular grid (maybe 30-50 feet tall), with an equally tall column at the focus of the semi- circle, with what appears to be shielded feed lines connected from the grid to the column. What I don't see in the illustration is how the feeds are connected to the column. Does anyone have any knowledge of how this set-up works? (Jerry Lenamon, Waco TX, shortwavesites yg via DXLD) Hi Jerry, I worked at Himatangi Radio Station in New Zealand as a RadioTech for a few years. Our antenna farm had a switching matrix also for all the Rhombic antennas. Bear with me as this was 30 year ago. Our antenna switches were a weatherproofed geared down 240v AC motor with phosphor/bronze wiper blades connected to the feed line via a flexible braided flat cable. The switches I seem to recall only went 180 degrees in either direction. The entire shebang was controlled via separate switches on a floor mounted/angled control panel mounted in the xmitter hall. I recall it took about 30 seconds or so to turn these small monsters to the desired direction. FYI the transmitters at Himatangi ranged from 1 to 50 kW. Cheers (Chris Fleming, ibid.) Thanks for the info. I'm getting a better handle on this but the picture is still a little fuzzy. I can imagine the switch you describe is rather like a regular rotary switch, with a single blade on one side of the circle connecting through its entire transit of the semi- circle. And another blade on the opposite side of the circle that connects to only one receptacle at a time. The feed for each antenna would then be at a separate level, with the entire assembly resembling a ganged rotary switch. I guess there would be some sort of interlock to keep a single transmitter from connecting to more than one antenna at a time. Something like that? (Jerry Lenamon, ibid.) Spot on, Jerry! As well as I remember. Those old switches really kept the riggers busy (Chris Fleming, ibid.) It's simpler than I first imagined. Without your clue about the wiper blade I couldn't picture it in my mind. I'm sure there could be some refinements to my description but it seems like a reasonable design. Thanks for the clue (Jerry Lenamon, ibid.) WORLD OF HOROLOGY +++++++++++++++++ RAMADAN The Islamic Ramadan will start this year on September 13th and will end on October 11th. Remember that a lot of stations broadcasting from Islamic countries will have extended broadcasting schedules during this time. 73 (Walter Eibl, WWDXC DX Magazine Aug-Sept via DXLD) Dates may vary slightly depending on local sightings of New Moon (gh, DXLD) PROPAGATION +++++++++++ MYSTERIOUS SOLAR RIPPLES DETECTED http://news.yahoo.com/s/space/20070830/sc_space/mysterioussolarripplesdetected (via Curtis Sadowski, Aug 30, WTFDA via DXLD) ###