DX LISTENING DIGEST 8-088, August 3, 2008 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 2008 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 1419 Mon 0415 WBCQ 7415 Tue 1100 WRMI 9955 Tue 1530 WRMI 9955 Wed 0530 WRMI 9955 Wed 1130 WRMI 9955 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: http://www.worldofradio.com/audiomid.html or http://wor.worldofradio.org ** AFGHANISTAN [non]. R. Solh, 17700 via Rampisham UK, was fairly audible August 2 at 1335 so made the difficult choice of listening to it instead of the much more pervasive, but also just as repetitive, Firedrake on 17200 et al. Yes, same music as always including skipping CD at 1346-1349 (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** ALASKA. I went on the old IBOC site and I see most of the NPR stations in Alaska going IBOC or already have unfortunately. I believe KDLG is using it as the hash on 660-680 last night. Ugh. Alaska may be one of the worst spots to DX from in the future. 73, (Patrick Martin, Seaside OR, Aug 2, IRCA via DXLD) And a lot of them are on MW (gh) ** ALBANIA. 40 Years Ago in the August 1968 edition of Contact --- Des Colling wrote an article Radio Peking - China or Albania. Radio Peking had begun using un-announced relays in Albania. This had first been noted by Bob La Rose of the American Shortwave Listeners Club. Richard Buckby, who was working at BBC Ascension, monitored some transmissions and said that "they definitely sound like a relay with phase distortion not consistent with S-metre readings." On one occasion he had noted Radio Peking Portuguese service on 9780 at 0200 instead of 9495. The mistake was discovered at 0235 when Radio Tirana was due to use the frequency for its Spanish service and the Peking programme was hastily switched to 9495. It was thought that there was an SSB link between China and Albania so that programmes could be taped for later use however some of the relays were definitely off-air as the broadcasts from China could be heard on higher frequencies almost simultaneously. C.M. Stanbury in Canada had noted similar side-band splatter being broadcast on both 7120 and 9780 at 0300-0400. DX News reported that: Radio Tirana was using 5060 in Romanian, Greek and Albanian 1600-2100, BBC World Radio Club said the frequency was also carrying the Home Service. It had been noted in mid evening a few weeks ago relaying Radio Peking's Russian service (Radio Topics, August 2008 World DX Club Contact via DXLD) ** ARGENTINA. Re 8-086, 5600: Nao fica clara la Identificacao de esta emissora: ``5600 031 29.7 Radio Buenos Aires ARG Px Passando coordenadas metereológicas de Córdoba, Rio Grande, Cabo Uquen entre outros, Final da TX 0:35, e informe da rádio antes do término 33333;`` Esta e uma emissora obviamente utilitaria e nao de broadcasting. E dudo que ese sea o nome correto. Vc escutó alguma ID con ese nome? Podería ser emissora Ezeiza Aeradio... Eu acharia mais correto discriminar as categorias nos loggings divulgados como Onda Media, Onda Curta, (broadcasting), e Utilitaria separadamente. Disculpe mi portunhol (Horacio Nigro, Montevideo, Uruguay, radioescutas yg via DXLD) Bom Dia Horacio Nigro, Em 5600, a identificação da rádio foi dada conforme fiz constar no log, normalmente procuro transcrever como ouço, assim, no momento em que estava fazendo esta escuta, transcrevi exatamente como foi modulado ou transmitido, como preferir. Se eventualmente ocorre alguma outra transmissão de forma variada, não as ouvi. Quanto à voce duvidar do nome da emissora, infelizmente não tenho como solucionar está questão, mais posso afirmar que foi esse o nome dado pouco antes do final da transmissão que ocorreu às 0035 utc. Por hábito todos os meus logs são lavrados com horário UTC, justamente para atender os padrões. Espero ter-lhe ajudado e agradeço desde já. Atenciosamente, (Eduardo L. Castaldelli, Grid Locator: GG66qq, Mairiporã- SP- Brasil, ibid.) ** AUSTRALIA. RA closed 9580 two minutes earlier than usual at 1355 August 1, cutting off ``All in the Mind`` show in progress, about genetic bases for homosexuality. Continued on weaker 9590. RA fails to coördinate its programming with its transmissions (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** AZORES. For the second time this year, I am hearing extremely faint ES/TrS-type fade-ups on 87.6 MHz but audio is unintelligible. Again this co-incides with the skip map showing a path to the Azores. With keep on monitoring (William R. Hepburn. Grimsby, ON, CAN, Web Site: http://www.dxinfocentre.com 1654 UT August 1, WTFDA via DXLD) ** BOLIVIA. 5995, R. Loyola, Sucre. July 31, Spanish, 2240 OM talks "...novo [sic] liberalismo... Evo Morales... la falta de trabajo...", 2244 seems to be an interview, 2246 ads " Mercantil Santa Cruz...", 2247-2306 OM and YL talks. From 2248 significant signal deterioration with no return of some improvement, partially readable, 33423 (till 2248) (Lúcio Otávio Bobrowiec, Embu SP Brasil - Sony ICF SW40 - dipole 18m, 32m, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) Was it really on this fq? -- 5996.34, Radio Loyola, Sucre en español, 1035 to 1050, possible ID as Radio Loyola. Bolivia continues weak here. 29 July (Robert Wilkner, Pómpano Beach FL, Aug 1, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** BOLIVIA. A VOICE IN THE MOUNTAINS --- TREACHEROUS MQUNTAIN ROADS challenge Christian workers from the cities of Bolivia, who travel long hours to bring teaching and encouragement to remote Quechua villages. Each year the rainy season makes the roads impassable. Besides, there are thousands of villages, and only a few workers. That's why radio is such an important tool for developing church and community leaders throughout Quechua territory in the vast Andes mountains. MOSOJ CHASKI Radio Mosoj Chaski ("New Messenger"), a cooperative ministry of SIM and partners, has been broadcasting in the Quechua language since April 1999. Programming includes indigenous Gospel music, Bible teaching, leadership training, and a wide range of information to improve the lives of the mountain Quechua people. Pre-tuned solar- powered radio receivers are distributed as funds permit. After being trained, radio staff members prepare programs of interest for the full range of listeners: children, youth, men, women and the elderly. No other organisation prepares materials suitable for Mosoj Chaski, so programming depends on this small group of Quechua workers. Simón Chávez is a native Quechua speaker whose voice is heard on Mosoj Chaski, and his story is typical. After a childhood of poverty and hardship, he came to faith in Christ and eventually attended a Bible institute in the city of Sucre. Now he's a radio writer and speaker. Since his public schooling ended in the fifth grade, he first had to learn to write in the Quechua language and then to use a computer. Last year he finished his high school studies with honors. In addition to writing radio programs, he wrote and published a one year devotional book in Quechua called Janaj Pacha t'anti! ("Bread of Heaven"). BEYOND RADIO Literature is one of the ministries of Mosoj Chaski. Besides the devotional book mentioned above, the radio team members have produced a Bible dictionary, concordance, and handbook, and they are working on a Bible atlas. The Quechua Pastors' Book Sets project is distributing these materials and training leaders in their use. Radio staff also recognize the growing need to develop training related to HIV and AIDS. Mosoj Chaski is seeking funding and permission in order to dub the Quechua language over the sound track of selected Christian videos. As this form of media is becoming more available to semi-rural Quechuas, Mosoj Chaski would like to produce more Christian videos and DVDs in Quechua (Discipling by Radio, http://www.sim.org.au page 122 via Craig Seager, ARDXC via DXLD) This was on a PDF which produced some strange garbles when copied into text, including Quechua repeatedly showing up as `Qyechua`. Note the mention of `pre-tuned` radios, which means GALCOMs, capable of picking up only 3310, assuring these gospel huxters a captive audience. How would you like to have a SW radio which picks up only one frequency? SIM now means Serving In Mission; it was originally Sudan Interior Mission, as explained in their ``our story`` page, but strangely enough nowhere mentioning that they operated ELWA in Liberia! Not even Liberia mentioned in the more detailed 4-page history linked at http://www.sim.org.au/documents/whfuller-sim-history.pdf So was there really another Sudan Interior Mission, with ELWA?? No, see LIBERIA (Glenn Hauser, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** BULGARIA. Radio Varna heard at 2033 June 29 on 6000; nothing heard following Sunday but heard again July 13 from 2030, programme of non stop local pop music and frequent identifications, at 2100 identification, anthem and news (Edwin Southwell, England, August World DX Club Contact via DXLD) The R. Bulgaria A-08 schedule issued in March did not show this starting until 2100, and HFCC shows 2130. So was it really Varna at 2033? A prélude? Supposedly scheduled on 6000 until 2130 is VOR Samara, and also Lithuania until 2030 (Glenn Hauser, DX LISTENING DIGEST) RADIO VARNA 2100-2400 Sunday Black Sea 6000 V100/ND 0000-0300 Monday Black Sea 6000 V100/ND (DXLD 8-037 via 8-088) ** BURKINA FASO. RTV Burkina is back on 5030, heard July 7 at 1700 with weak signal, much stronger at 1900 re-tune with French talk and Afropop (Edwin Southwell, England, August World DX Club Contact via DXLD) ** CANADA. I was playing with a 'new' mode --- Globe Wireless has stations around the world used (primarily) to provide email to ships and pleasure boats at sea. They broadcast digital data bursts in Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplex (OFDM is also the modulation scheme used in European digital TV). MultiMode has the ability to pick up the 'idle' packets sent to hold a channel open when there is no traffic, and determine the 'code' imbedded in the signal that says where the broadcast is coming from [do those comments apply to this?:] 7335, CHU, English/French time pips *and* FSK data (I finally got it to decode!) which said: "CHU Year: 2008 DUT1: 0.4 TAI-UTC: 33 DST: 5 One leap second will be subtracted." (Second :31) and "CHU Day: 202 Hour: 19 Min: 55 Sec: 32" for example (during the other 9 seconds after the bottom of the minute) when interpreted. It took INORDINATELY long to figure out how to read this code. (My coming columns will have details of course!) 20/July 1930-2013 reception good at beginning, fading to poor by end of that time. And I can't remember a leap second being SUBTRACTED before ... has that ever happened before? //kvz (Ken Zichi, Williamston, MI, MARE Tipsheet August 1 via DXLD) Yes. Just do a Google search. --Ed. (Liz Cameron, ed., ibid.) ** CANADA. PROVINCE GIVES $20K TO NEW AMHERST, NS RADIO STATION Owners of town's only other station say they might be put out of business By TOM McCOAG Amherst Bureau Thu. Jul 31 - 4:33 AM http://thechronicleherald.ca/NovaScotia/1070532.html AMHERST — A non-profit group hoping to launch a community FM radio station in Amherst has received $20,000 from the province. The one-time investment from the Department of Economic Development will go to the Tantramar Community Radio Society build and equip the radio station if it gets its broadcasting licence from the CRTC, society spokesman Geoff de Gannes said Wednesday. The society estimates it will cost $150,000 to $175,000 in start- up funds and is conducting a fundraising campaign and a membership drive. Earlier this year the Department of Tourism, Culture and Heritage pledged $15,000 toward the project, and Cumberland County Council has committed $10,000. These contributions are also providing the society receives its licence. Construction of the radio station will begin as soon as the licence comes through, society chairman Bert McWade said. The CRTC is considering the application, which was filed earlier in the month. But the possibility of the new station has concerned the owners of CKDH-AM, a privately owned station that has served Amherst for years. Maritime Broadcasting has told the commission there isn't enough revenue for two stations in the town and granting a licence that would enable the non-profit community radio station to raise half its operating costs through advertisements could cause the demise of CKDH. The society maintains there is enough room for both a for-profit and a non-profit community radio station in the community. "I know there are some skeptics that say this is never going to happen," Mr. McWade said. "We are determined to make it happen." The society includes 12 local business people, lawyers and retirees led by Mr. McWade, a retired Atlantic Lottery Corp. vice-president. They organizers invested $8,000 of their own money to conduct an engineering study and frequency search. They created the society and obtained permission from Cumberland County, Amherst and Springhill to erect a tower on municipally owned property near Fenwick, about 10 kilometres outside Amherst. Last month, the society hired Mr. de Gannes, a radio reporter who covered the local community for more than 35 years before retiring from Amherst's CKDH in 2006 to co-ordinate the project. His salary and expenses are being covered by a one-year job creation contract that the society worked out with the Cumberland Business Development Corp. and Service Canada. "We are shooting to be on the air by the fall of 2008," Mr. de Gannes said. "That's an ambitious goal because we still have a lot of work to do to make this a reality." Along with start-up funds, it's expected to cost nearly $300,000 to operate the station, which will have three full-time employees — a general manager, a technician and an advertising salesperson. Most of the programming will come from volunteer disc jockeys. The society hopes to raise the money through advertising revenues, fundraising, government support and society memberships. "We see the station being used by bands and singers to promote their own works, a place where a charity can do the same," Mr. de Gannes said. "We also see the news being more local and the opportunity for talk radio to return to the area." The station is also looking at launching a training facility (via Kevin Redding, ABDX via DXLD) In my opinion, MBS Radio has a lot of gall crying foul on this one. MBS Radio has just about destroyed CKDH and several other small stations they own. Geoff de Gannes used to be newsdirector and part owner of CKDH before MBS radio gobbled it up. The story I heard was that MBS Radio forced him out. CKDH is so stripped that the morning guy, who is also the PD, has to read his own news. Having say the 8 a.m. news Monday through Friday read by the morning host on a regular basis is unheard of in this part of the world. MBS Radio will run a feed to several of its small stations, with a delay of a minute or so [to avoid being accused of simulcasting]. CKDH, CJCW and CKNB get this feed. This is common at night, but also has been known to happen during the middle of tha day M-F. MBS Radio, to save $ with newsstaff, created the MBS radio news. Stations are usually paired. Thus, when CHLQ Magic 93 93.1 Charlottetown [hardly a "small" station] airs MBS Radio News, it is paired with 94.9 in Kentville. The result? PEI folks driving home during afternoon rush hour hear a 50/50 diet of PEI and Annapolis Valley NS news - an odd mix. Perhaps it would be best for all concerned if MBS radio sold CKDH and real broadcasters, not beancounters who permitted a 10 KW radio station to operate with an open carrier and with a surrendered license, bought CKDH and ran it as a real local radio station. And, made use of that salt marsh transmitter site, the available frequency of 840 kHz already allocated to Amherst NS, or the recently vacated 1070 kHz in nearby Moncton NB, and upped the power from 1 kW. You see, many MBS AM radio stations come with a valuable asset - real estate - many acres of it - that can be freed for development by flipping to FM. But, CKDH's site is a salt marsh - not so valuable for planting box stores. Maybe I'd better buy a lotto 6/49 ticket... because, properly done, a high power, AM CKDH could put a hot signal into not only its small Amherst NS, Sackville NB and Springhill NS market but also greater Moncton NB and most, if not all of PEI. 50 kW omni AM Stereo on 1070 on a salt marsh would be fun (Phil Rafuse, PEI, ibid.) ** CHAD. Radiodiff. Nationale Tchadienne heard on 4905 from 2033 July 22, Afropop and French announcements, sign off 2055. On July 23 noted past 2100 (Edwin Southwell, England, August World DX Club Contact via DXLD) ** CHINA. DW's Chinese website is again accessible in China. But now they investigate a disruption of DW-TV on the cable net for Olympic facilities on July 29, which happened while a documentary about doping in China aired. The disruption had the appearance of a frozen image, as happens when a digital distribution chain loses its source. http://www.dw-world.de/dw/article/0,2144,3529745,00.html (Kai Ludwig, Germany, August 1, DX LISTENING DIGEST) "Next week come the Games themselves, so lavish, so decorated with trappings of China's new power, so prefaced with human-dwarfing ceremonies of mass power, that we will be awoken sharply to a rising might that will soon dominate our century. In the meantime, we have the weasels of the IOC, showing this week how institutions we trust to spread Western values to a totalitarian regime, may in fact help instead to spread totalitarian values to the West." Andrew Bolt, Herald Sun (Melbourne), 1 August 2008. Posted: 01 Aug 2008 (kimandrewelliott.com via DXLD) ** CHINA. Re: The turning off of the New Tang Dynasty signal into China --- The extensive coverage of the NTDTV ./. Eutelsat matter got criticized as off-topic in DXLD. Here is something that should be reason to reconsider, a commentary which links this matter with an earlier BBG decision: http://en.epochtimes.com/n2/opinion/bbg-helps-the-chinese-communist-regime-control-voice-of-america-2011.html I would need to check out the story in detail, but at a first look the argument sounds plausible (Kai Ludwig, Germany, Aug 2, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) Viz.: BBG HELPS THE CHINESE REGIME CONTROL VOICE OF AMERICA By Wang Hua, Special to The Epoch Times As an old saying goes, “Greed makes people stupid, and shortsightedness makes people foolish.” Recent decisions by Eutelsat CEO Giuliano Berretta and some board members of the U.S. Broadcasting Board of Governors (BBG) attest to the truth of that saying. In June, hoping to win a contract to cover the Beijing Olympics and kowtow to the Chinese regime, Eutelsat discontinued NTDTV’s signal on its W5 satellite, saying there had been a “technical anomaly.” However, despite the fact that the Olympics are fast approaching, Berretta hasn’t met with any of China’s competent authorities, let alone being offered any contracts. Undoubtedly, what Eutelsat has gained is simply a cold shoulder from the regime. Since canceling its broadcast of NTDTV, the value of Eutelsat’s stock has fallen about $800 million. In fact, its share value had increased over $2.7 billion from the time it was first listed, at the end of 2005, until the time it discontinued NTDTV’s signal on June 16, 2008. In addition to Beretta’s shameful greed, let’s take a look at the foolishness of the Broadcasting Board of Governors (BBG.) (The BBG is an American body that overseas broadcasting, including U.S. government transmission, on overseas satellites, among other duties.) In recent years, due to the Chinese regime’s interference, temptations, and machinations, BBG moved the signal of Voice of America (VOA) and Radio Free Asia (RFA) from the W5 satellite to the China-controlled satellite, AsiaSat 3S, at the end of 2007, and has chosen to formally end its contract with Eutelsat on July 31, 2008. That being the case, Eutelsat will have a better excuse to stop carrying NTDTV’s signal on Eutelsat’s W5. According to feedback form viewers in mainland China, Chinese viewers can pick up VOA and NTDTV with a small satellite dish, 45–75-cm (18–30 inches) because the stations broadcast on the Ku band (Kurtz-under band) on W5. To pick up signals from the C-band of AsiaSat 3S, they have to install a 1.2m (4 feet) satellite dish. Because the Chinese regime would rather its citizens not get uncensored information from NTDTV and VOA, the regime forces all satellite viewers to register; so they viewers can be tracked and their programming monitored. To get uncensored information viewers must use unregistered dishes; and a four-foot diameter dish is much harder to hide than an 18-inch diameter dish. Apparently, not only will the BBG’s move cause tremendous damage to NTDTV, but the BBG itself may suffer a huge loss. Once VOA starts transmitting its signal through AsiaSat 3S, it would be easy for the Chinese authorities to terminate, filter, and interfere with VOA’s programs, with all kinds of reasons similar to the “technical anomaly.” This destroys the effectiveness of VOA’s broadcasts, which are created specifically to being uncensored news of the world into Asia. The BBG’s decision is undoubtedly helping the Chinese regime to control VOA, and in turn, the regime will manipulate the BBG, and step by step force it to broadcast only programming acceptable to the communist regime, eventually turning the Voice of America VOA into the “Voice of the Chinese Communist Party” (CCP). The United States was founded on freedom of belief, democracy, and human rights. To TV viewers in mainland China, NTDTV is like fresh air, their only hope and light under the Chinese regime’s overwhelmingly autocratic control. As NTDTV is confronted with a relentless crackdown by the Chinese regime, it is a pity that the BBG goes against its nation’s founding principles, and fails to support NTDTV in stopping Eutelsat’s shameful deeds. NTDTV is a self-financed company, with all the expenses for using W5 covered by the company itself. What the BBG has done is tantamount to aiding and abetting the Chinese regime. It is not groundless to say that the BBG is helping the Chinese regime to control VOA. If the BBG fails to support NTDTV for fear that it may offend the CCP today, it may sacrifice VOA for its board members’ interests tomorrow. If the BBG doesn’t want to insist on a bottom line of democracy, freedom, and human rights, it totally subverts the reasons why the U.S. government established VOA. The original objective of establishing VOA was to usher in the hopes of democracy, freedom, and human rights to people who are under autocratic rule. It is indeed lamentable and shameful that the beacon of hope has turned into a minion of the dark forces. This article represents the author’s personal opinions. The opinions stated herein do not necessarily reflect the official viewpoint of The Epoch Times. Read the original article in Chinese. Last Updated Aug 2, 2008 (via Kai Ludwig, ibid.) I am completely confused. What does the fact that a BBG contract with Eutelsat expired on July 31st have to do with Eutelsat's alleged decision to pull the plug on NTDTV? There is no way in hell that NTDTV will show up on any Chinese controlled and operated satellite. It seems to me the party that is to be blamed is the party that has broken a contract - Eutelsat. Since VOA will be leaving Eutelsat W5 this makes those apparently perfectly working satellite transponders available for NTDTV use. All that Eutelsat would have to do to restore its respectability and its stock price is to make those transponders available to NTDTV. Will Eutelsat makes those transponders available for NTDTV? There is plenty of Ku band [45–75-cm dish] satellite bandwidth available in the skies over China. Will another non-Chinese satellite player step up to the plate? Australia perhaps? Reference: http://www.lyngsat.com/ew5.html http://www.lyngsat.com/asia3s.html (tribby2001, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) 1/ I think the point the Falun Gong followers tried to make is that Eutelsat could not get away so easily with the excuse of technical problems (they do not believe in) if the BBG would be affected as well. 2/ But evil BBG programming, the one that gets the full blow of Firedrake on shortwave, in fact is now on such a Chinese controlled satellite. Indeed one of the major shareholders of AsiaSat is a Chinese state venture called CITIC. This makes me wonder if the BBG/IBB mux on AsiaSat 3S also contains what must be considered as most evil programming at all, RFA in Tibetan and Mandarin. Lyngsat mentions only VOA and RFE/RL, but this is not necessarily true. But if RFA is really missing from this mux things become really interesting ... (Kai Ludwig, Germany, ibid.) I have not read anything about the BBG's programming being affected by Eutelsat's alleged malfunction. If you have more information please provide a link/source. Keep in mind the reciprical mainland China programming available on the U.S. controlled DishNetwork satellite; Beijing TV, CCTV, etc., which incidently also offers Taiwan TV programming. Of course NTDTV is no where to be found on DishNetwork OR DirectTV although NTDTV is often requested by its Chinese subscribers. However, NTDTV is available independently as free-to-air in the U.S. and Europe. http://www.lyngsat-address.com/ln/NTD-TV.html If you are able to receive and confirm the programming on AsiaSat, or any other satellite, please send Lyngsat an update: http://www.lyngsat.com/updates.html (tribby2001, ibid.) Epoch Times and NTDTV are both related to the Falun Gong religious movement. On 30 July, I saw one woman in front of the VOA headquarters protesting BBG's exit from Eutelsat W5. BBG has not disputed Eutelsat's explanation (previous post) that channels were removed from W5 because of "an anomaly which led to the loss of the use of one of the spacecraft’s two solar arrays." In any case, the W5 footprint centers more on Southeast Asia than China. Asiasat 3 appears to be the most popular among home dish users in China. Less affluent households in China use C-band more than Ku-band dishes, because programming on the former tends to be free-to-air. The new official Chinese DTH satellite system, coming in the next few years, may change satellite use patterns (Kim Andrew Elliott, more at http://kimelli.nfshost.com/index.php?id=4518 via DXLD) continued under U S A ** CHINA. Firedrake with big S9+15 signal on new 17200, August 2 at 1317, stronger than any 16mb station which could only reach S9+10 at this hour. Including another Firedrake on 17705 at 1315, much weaker, presumably against India, past 1315 scheduled closing, and finally off 17705 when rechecked 1332. I also scanned entire 18, 16, 14, 13 and 12 MHz out-of-band MHz ranges looking for more Firedrake, and found only 14420 at 1319, much weaker than 17200; both presumably provoked by Sound of Hope. FD was also on 17560 at 1325, and on 17550 at 1422, the latter with some victim audible underneath and a SAH. Per Aoki, 17560 would be against V. of Tibet via Tashkent, and 17550 vs. VOT via Madagascar. Took some time to enjoy the Firedrake performance with such excellent reception on 17200, never forgetting that it`s employed by the Chicom as if they were spoiled children, screaming so they can`t hear what their parents are trying to say to them. The great disparity in signal between 17200 and the other 17 MHz Firedrakes makes one wonder about how the transmitter sites, powers and azimuths actually differ. Would the SARFT please register details about these transmissions, purely to aid propagational research? 17200 went to open carrier between 1400:20 and Firedrake resumption at 1404:40; but at 1409 recheck 17200 was gone. Firedrake check the morning of August 3: at 1244, poor on 15795, 15465 and 15255, frequencies where I don`t usually hear it. Per Aoki, the victims: 15795: All India Radio, Bangalore, in Chinese 15465: R. Taiwan International, in Chinese 15255: VOA, Tinang in Chinese Checked the far out-of-band ranges, and at 1253 found FD only on 14420, as also Aug 2. Good signal stronger than the 15 MHz ones above. Aoki now has 14420 as SOH, jammed. FD also on 13750, good signal at 1254, open carrier pause 1300-1305:30 when resumed. This is not in Aoki, nor a likely target, but probably a new frequency for SOH. IIRC, Sound of Hope used this channel long ago. If this goes past 1400, will clash with Cuba. At 1328, FD poor on 17565, probably today`s V. of Tibet, Uzbekistan variable frequency. And 17705 also poor, vs AIR Bangalore Chinese, which ends at 1315 per schedule, but FD runs until 1330. No sign of FD on or around 17200 as on Aug 2 (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** CHINA [and non]. [cf ECUADOR] This Saturday morning (Aug. 2) I tuned 9740 at around 0640 and was surprised to hear someone in Chinese - Mandarin I think, altho the signal was mainly threshold. It was continuous speech by male and female voices, and it faded almost completely by 0700. Could this have been PBS-1 Sichuan? Is that service (started during the earthquake) still on air? I couldn't hear any signal on former(?) 12015 same time. Also audible were XJBS in Uighur via 9560 - plus a het from assumed ETH at around 0700. There was also Chinese on 9835 after RNW (Dutch) left the frequency at 0700 and also Kazakh on 9470 when HRT Croatia via WER went off same time. A very weak signal was detected on 9510 - possibly Mongolian - tho no signal could be found on the always hard to hear 9600 in Chinese. No parallel signals were traced on 7, 11 or 13 MHz (Noel R. Green (NW England), August 2, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** CHINA. 3900, PBS Hulun Buir, Hailar. August 3, Chinese, 0946-1006 lite instrumental music, 0950 short YL talks, then silent audio till 0956 returning with Chinese YL talks, 1000 musical bridge, YL and OM talks segment. From 1006 slowly deteriorating, poor 23232. 73 (Lúcio Otávio Bobrowiec, Embu SP Brasil - Sony ICF SW40 - dipole 18m, 32m, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** CHINA. [see TAIWAN below, 6150]. I guess you are right about CNR1. When I tried to copy the very last RSI English broadcast, I heard the same music (non-Firedrake) along with Singapore on both 6080 and 6150, plus voices in Chinese (presumed RTI) on 6150. Looking into Aoki again: 6080 CNR 1 1200-1735 1234567 Chinese 100 236 Geermu 916 CHN 09459E3624N CNR1 a08 By the way, can anybody explain me what do the numbers in transmitter locations such as "Geermu 916", "Shijiazhuang 723" etc. denote in Aoki's table? 73, (Dmitry Mezin, Kazan, Russia, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) Hi Dmitry, These sites are operated by the Radio Station Administration Bureau of China's State Administration of Radio, Film and TV (SARFT). SARFT allocates an official station number to each of its transmitting stations, and also to some other facilities such as monitoring stations. The number indicates the year when the site was officially commissioned. For example, 916 could either mean "the sixth site commissioned in 1991" or more probably "June 1991". Why use numbers, rather than site names? Presumably the communist habit of obscurantism and secrecy is behind it, although nowadays the actual site locations are published quite openly. SARFT's central administration operates the big shortwave sites in various parts of China, including some used partly or solely for jamming purposes, and also several high-power mediumwave sites. Most mediumwave broadcast sites around China, as well as some of the smaller domestic SW broadcast and jamming sites and larger TV/FM sites, are operated by province-level adminstrations within the SARFT hierarchy rather than directly by the Radio Station Administration Bureau at the centre. These provincial administrations usually have their own numbering systems for the sites that they control, either following a similar "date" system to SARFT, or some other system. As a result, the same number will sometimes be used for different sites in different provinces. Regards, (Alan Davies, Indonesia, August 3, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) e.g.: Beijing Gaobeidian SARFT 491 Now re-imaged in high resolution (less woodland!). Still a very random group of antennas serving the 5 X 150kW and 9 X 50 kW of CNR2/Jingji zhi Sheng. At 39 53 14N, 116 33 26E there is a row of masts. More masts are around (on a north/south axis) 39 53 18N, 116 34 37E. The most likely array is shown faintly around 39 53 06N, 116 34 24E. It then runs north along 39 53 09N, 116 34 18E. At 39 53 09N, 116 34 36N there is definitely a mediumwave antenna. Perhaps others can improve on my initial observations. 73's (Dan Goldfarb, Brentwood, England, shortwavesites yg via DXLD) If you are interested in seeing transmitter sites from above and analyzing them, there are MANY more posts along these lines in that yg which you need to join; see http://shortwavesites.googlepages.com/home (Glenn Hauser, DXLD) ** CUBA [non]. EMISORA DE RADIO DE MIAMI RETIRA PROGRAMA DIRIGIDO A OPOSICIÓN EN CUBA http://www.lostiempos.com/noticias/01-08-08/01_08_08_ultimas_int3.php La emisora Radio Mambí de Miami, de la cadena Univisión, retiró el programa "Lunes de Comunicación con Cuba", espacio dirigido a los periodistas independientes y a la oposición en la isla, informó hoy un medio local. El programa, que salía al aire una vez a la semana y estaba dirigido por la periodista Nancy Pérez-Crespo, fue retirado el pasado 7 de julio sin que su directora recibiera una explicación previa por parte de la empresa, informó el diario El Nuevo Herald. "Lunes de Comunicación con Cuba" contenía, entre otros segmentos, el espacio "Mesa revuelta", que llevaba trece años saliendo al aire y contaba con "un alto nivel de sintonía en el sur de Florida y múltiples oyentes", según el rotativo. "Estoy muy decepcionada, sinceramente no sé qué razones tuvieron para sacarlo del aire", dijo al periódico Pérez-Crespo, directora de la agencia Nueva Prensa Cubana (NPC), con sede en Miami. "La empresa no ha dicho nada en público sobre esta decisión", añadió. La cadena Univisión Radio declinó realizar cualquier comentario sobre las razones de la retirada del programa. "Lunes de Comunicación con Cuba" salió al aire por primera vez en 1995 de la mano del desaparecido periodista Agustín Tamargo (1924-2007) y con la participación de Pérez-Crespo. Tras la muerte de Tamargo, Pérez-Crespo continuó sola al frente del programa que, según dijo, "abrió un foco de discusión verdadera y eliminó ciertas dudas y suspicacias que podían quedar en el exilio respecto a las personas que, estando en Cuba, luchan por la libertad de expresión y la democracia". El espacio de radio se caracterizó por invitar a personas de "múltiples tendencias y posiciones políticas dentro de la isla", como los disidentes Oswaldo Payá o Elizardo Sánchez, "personalidades opositoras que han dejado de figurar en la agenda informativa de Radio Mambí", indicó el diario. Pérez-Crespo señaló que nunca consultó a la dirección de la emisora sobre los invitados a su programa, ya que ese era "un derecho de su espacio como expresión del periodismo libre", apuntó el rotativo. RADIO MAMBÍ SACA DEL AIRE PROGRAMA DE ENLACE CON LA OPOSICIÓN CUBANA JUAN CARLOS CHAVEZ, El Nuevo Herald http://www.elnuevoherald.com/167/story/253478.html (via José Miguel Romero2, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) more of same ** DJIBOUTI. Glenn: thanks for the note about Radio Djebuti's Arabic bit as I hear R.D and I never caught them broadcasting in Arabic at all ;) but not so many people can tell the difference between Afar / Swahili / Somali / Amharic and Arabic :) All the best guys (Tarek Zeidan, Cairo, Egypt, August 2, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** ECUADOR. Has the last service direct from HCJB to Europe ceased? This is/was Low German at 0630 and High German at 0700-0730 on 9740. I haven't been able to hear it over the last few days - I can't recall exactly when I did last log it. This Saturday morning (Aug. 2) I tuned 9740 at around 0640 and was surprised to hear someone in Chinese - Mandarin I think, altho the signal was mainly threshold. It was continuous speech by male and female voices, and it faded almost completely by 0700. Could this have been PBS-1 Sichuan? Is that service (started during the earthquake) still on air? I couldn't hear any signal on former(?) 12015 same time. [continued under CHINA] (Noel R. Green (NW England), dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) HCJB was VG here but too late for me (gh, DXLD) I have not seen reports about this transmission having ceased, and this is something that would be presumably noted by the German DX scene. 9740 is also still shown at http://deutsch.hcjb.org/content/view/3/5/ Anyway they are (were) already on a reprieve. These transmissions were supposed to cease back in last year, because by then they were to dismantle this antenna. The last I heard was that the transmissions to Europe (and this concerns the DRM tests as well) can continue until the end of this year (Kai Ludwig, Germany, ibid.) ** EGYPT. According to Al Akhbar news paper, dated today 2/8/08, three new FM stations will be launched soon by the ERTU. according to instruction from the minister of media, Mr. Anas El Feqi. He gave the green light for the head of Radio sector, Ms. Inas Gohar, to launch three new FM stations: The first one will be launched on the first day of Ramadan (around 1/9/08) called Radio Drama. The schedule will be from 8.00 A.M till 3.00 A.M next day, mainly broadcasting radio drama and with an idea of broadcasting live TV dramas as well so people can follow TV dramas over the radio as well. Second station will be called "Songs 2" as we have already a network called Songs radio, but the new station will be mainly for the new muci [?] targeting the youth. I guess just trying to get the attention of the youth to compete with the other semi-government network called Nogoum FM which is getting a lot of attention by the youth over here in Cairo. The new Songs 2 network will be launched at the first day of the Bairam-Feast, after the holy month of Ramadan around 1/10/2008; no further details given. The third network will be called Comedy Radio, mainly dedicated to broadcasting funny radio drama or plays; it will be launched on 1/1/2009. All the best, guys (Tarek Zeidan, Cairo, Egypt, August 2, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) How about some relays on SW? (gh) ** FALKLAND ISLANDS. QSL recibida --- hola amigos, acabo de recibir una QSL de las Islas Malvinas. La emisora, Falklands Radio, fue sintonizada en los 530 kHz. Les envié un informe por mail, con un clip de lo escuchado. Me contestaron enseguida para decirme que habían recibido, para agradecer y para decirme que no tenían tarjetas en ese momento, pero que apenas llegaran me enviarían una. Pasaron unos 60 días y me llego la tarjeta. Si tienen la posibilidad de escucharla, no dejen de escribirle y enviarles un clip de audio; seguro responden. Saludos (Víctor Castaño, Uruguay?, Aug 1, condiglist yg via DXLD) ¡Gracias por el dato, Víctor! Ahora que se cómo hacer para oirla es relativamente fácil, salvo por la QRM de LV de las Madres, pero el nivel de ésta en Montevideo varía mucho de día a día lo que hace a veces más fácil sobre y por supuesto fuera de MVD mucho más fácil. A veces cuando me desvelo la busco y suelo encontrarla. Hace como un año les mandé unos mp3 por e-mail pero la gerente de la estación (Mrs. Bishop) me contestó que no tenían QSLs... lo que yo interpreté como "no tenemos ni volveremos a tener" :-) por suerte parece que me equivoqué! :-) El problema es que a la hora que se puede escuchar por acá esa emisora sólo retransmite BBCWS, lo cual no se si será prueba suficiente para ellos. ¿Qué material les enviaste tu Víctor? 73 (Moisés Knochen, Montevideo, ibid.) ** GABON. PAN-AFRICAN RADIO STATION STAFF ON STRIKE OVER SEVERANCE PAY | Text of report by Gabon-based pan-African radio broadcaster Africa No 1 on 1 August Following the strike by its staff, Africa No 1 is unable to broadcast its programmes. Listeners to the African radio, accept our sincere apologies. The staff of Africa No 1 decided to go on strike on 31 July 2008 at 1200 [local time] to press for the payment of legal rights in line with the ongoing restructuring process. [Africa No 1 is a prominent broadcaster in Francophone Africa] For that reason, the Gabonese state which pledged to pay the severance allowance, released the sum of 6bn CFA francs [about 15m dollars], a sum of money which is in agreement with the calculations made by the Africa No 1 accounts department and sent to the privatization committee. Despite the discussions that the representatives of the staff held with the privatization committee, the latter ignored the consensus and acted unilaterally. Thus a worker with 10 years' service in the organization find himself getting 1.5m CFA francs [3,638 dollars] in all as the rights paid when he finds himself unemployed. It is this injustice that we are denouncing. This disorderliness which lays bare corruption that we are finding within the privatization committee. The staff are also soliciting the intervention of the head of state, Omar Bongo Ondimba, to find an immediate and concrete solution and an end to be put to this trickery. (Source: Africa No 1 radio, Libreville, in French 1115 gmt 1 Aug 08 via BBC Monitoring) (August 1st, 2008 - 13:00 UTC by Andy Sennitt, Media Network blog via DXLD) This should explain absence of 17630, 15475, 9580. Or some still on air with fill music? (Glenn Hauser, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) I could hear a signal on 9580 at around 0630 that I assumed would be Africa #1- it usually (if not always at this time) is - altho I didn't pay too much attention to it. On reading the item via Andy and Glenn I tried 17630 and African pop style music is playing on that frequency at 0910. There is speech in French between items, mentioning the station, and which didn't appear to be canned, but actual. So - has all been settled now? (Noel R. Green (NW England), August 2, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** GEORGIA. A new time table of Abkhaz Radio on 9495 kHz has been observed recently: daily from 04 to 05 hours, from 11 to 1130 hours and from 14 to 1430 hours; from 07 to 08 hours and from 1430 to 15 hours both without Sunday (Rumen Pankov, R. Bulgaria DX Program Aug 1 via DXLD) ** GERMANY. Hello Glenn, Re 8-087: 6005 kHz, Kall-Krekel has new antenna On Air since last Thursday, which is capable of 20 kW. When there will be a high-power test, we'll inform you. 6005 also now relays Radio Schweden German Programm. So the schedule is: Monday - Friday: 0759-1959 UT: Radio 700 - Das Europaradio (parallel to program on cable and web) 2000-2030 UT: Radio 700.info with Rebroadcast of Radio Schweden German Programm. Saturday / Sunday: 0759-2000 UT: Radio 700 - Das Europaradio Additionally we have for Radio 700.info a website: http://www.radio700.info This is a portal where we try to include all German foreign services as podcast (later also as stream). The first stations are online already; more will hopefully follow soon. Best regards from hot Euskirchen (40 km south of Cologne), (Christian Milling, Radio 700, July 31, DX LISTENING DIGEST) See also CHINA; INDONESIA ** HAWAII. 2863-USB, Honolulu radio with weather conditions 1100 on July 31, seems a reliable indicator for 90 meter PNG conditions. 31 July (Robert Wilkner, Pómpano Beach FL, Aug 1, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** HONDURAS. 3340, HRMI Tegucigalpa, 0908-0917, July 30, English, Spanish. M with English religious talk & W with Spanish translation; poor-fair (Scott R. Barbour, Jr., Intervale, NH, R8, R75, MKII8600, CLR/DSP, 200' Bevs, MLB1, 60m Dipole, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) What exactly is the schedule of this station? That`s 3 am in Honduras. Do they intend to run 24 hours? WRTH does not attempt to give any hours for it. PWBR `2008` shows 1200-0600, which is obviously wrong. BTW, also says it`s USB, irregular, either/both 150 or 2500 watts, and Spanish, etc. Has anyone heard them broadcasting in etc.? Do translations like that count, or does that imply some native languages too? (Glenn Hauser, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** INDIA. 5010, AIR Thiruvananthapuram, 0040 to 0050 strong signal, 29 July (Robert Wilkner, Pómpano Beach FL, Aug 1, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** INDONESIA. RADIO REPUBLIK INDONESIA GOT 130 FM SITES This is old news from two years ago, but perhaps not mentioned so far: http://www.audioone.de/flash/main/news.html (scroll down to 14.09.2006) Radio Republik Indonesia got a network of 130 FM sites with transmitter powers ranging from 0.1 to 5 kW plus satellite connectivity between 21 region capitals, managed from Jakarta and Bandung. Contractor for this project was Studio Hamburg Media Consult International; the construction had been managed by Audioone. RRI allowed only six months for completion, which required to work with six installation teams in all parts of Indonesia simultaneously. Further expansion plans include gap-fillers for still uncovered areas and the implementation of an RDS-based early warning system. So one should not believe that shortwave is still important for domestic coverage in Indonesia. Not so anymore. Audioone considers the Indonesia project also as an important reference for further FM installations. In last year they realized the first one in Germany for Derutec, the joint Regiocast/RTL transmitter operator, at Oelsnitz [not Ölsnitz] near Plauen where they identified an old smoke-stack as suitable antenna carrier, as mentioned and shown on the referenced news page under 07.11.2007. As reported Derutec recently went to court to challenge the plan of the regulation authority Bundesnetzagentur to stipulate the operator of a certain FM frequency, leaving broadcaster no choice of contractors whatsoever (Kai Ludwig, Germany, August 2, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** INDONESIA. Glenn, Concerning Dan Henderson’s request for SW info from Nusa Tenggara Timur and Maluku provinces, please be informed that it is too difficult to get their signal here. This might be also due to low ability of my receiver. But on Jan 5, 2008 from 2122 to 2127 on 3345 I heard RRI Ternate with chorus, music, local time info, and ID with SINPO 24222. Last week, in a short family visit to East Java I tried to search for their signal, but the result is not so reliable. On July 26 from 1300 to 1314 on 2960 I only heard non stop Indonesian pop songs with SINPO from 44333 to 24231 on tune out. I asked my swl friends in Makassar and East Lombok to arrange monitoring, and hope to get the response before end of this month (Tony Ashar, Indonesia, August 3, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** INTERNATIONAL VACUUM. Eutelsat and BBG to China: see CHINA; USA ** IRELAND. Re 8-027: Dear Glenn, I am campaigning in Ireland on broadcasting matters and I thank you for help given re the closure of MW Tullamore 567 kHz on March 24th last. Longwave digital being abandoned by RTE is another issue for us. At present the new Broadcasting Bill is passing through the Irish Parliament and our amendments to have RTE restore the power of LW 252 kHz to its former level of 500 kW got a lot of support in the Irish Senate. It will go to the Dail in the autumn (Enda O`Kane, Ireland, July 31, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** ISRAEL [and non]. REKA - new FM transmitters / IBA satellite continued / IBA VOD via Israeli cellphones At the below Hebrew website (posted July 29), they mention about REKA's new FM transmitters. http://www.iba.org.il/spokesman/index.asp?classto=DoverInnerYedia&entity_code=452118 This is a summary... not a direct translation: The IBA, together with Bezeq, finished a 1.7 million shekel (there are currently 3.5228 shekels to the US dollar) project for new FM transmitters for the REKA (Immigrants') network. This is the station which broadcasts the English news domestically in Israel. The website mentioned reception areas and not transmitter sites. They are Bezeq transmitter sites. The following are the newly added coverage areas: Coast- Ashkelon until Netanya: 88.5 Netanya: 104.8 Acco: 101.3 Northern Galillee and northern Golan Heights: 94.4 Jezreel Valley, Jordan River Valley, Southern Golan Heights, Beit She'an: 104.8 The transmitters are from Neutel, Canada (sorry, I don't know transmitter company names, and the Hebrew doesn't have the diacritics to be sure of the pronounciation, to figure out the spelling in English [Nautel, and see below -- gh]) and are using LDMOS technology. The coverage areas chosen, are areas where there are higher concentrations of immigrants - which had poor or no coverage until now. They will be adding more transmitters to other areas in the future. == http://www.iba.org.il/reception/index.asp?classto=TedarimKlali&type=hodaot&entity_code=445764 The IBA updated (July 31) the "Reception" website at the URL above, to mention that while the IBA broadcasts have started on Amos 3 on 11,647 MHz as of July 31, the broadcasts on Amos 1, will cease on August 5. They also give a phone number for more information: Voice: 03-6133410 (+972-3-6133410) Fax: 02-5003107 (+972-2-5003107) BTW, some info about AMOS-3: http://www.amos-spacecom.com/amos1/page.asp?cat=45&type=4&lang=1 http://www.amos-spacecom.com/UserFiles/File/PDF%20files/AMOS-3%20new%20Brochure%20(web%20version%20portait)%200808.pdf === http://www.iba.org.il/spokesman/index.asp?classto=DoverInnerYedia&entity_code=448625 A summary (article is from July 21). The IBA has started a service for cellphone users in Israel. Dialing *11, you can get videos of the IBA news programs -- Hebrew Mabat, English IBA News, Arabic IBA News, Hebrew news, headlines and weather, for the standard price of regular video call (personally, I have no idea how much that costs). It's a Video On Demand service available on all of the Israeli cellphone providers (Doni Rosenzweig, UT August 3, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) Nautel: http://www.nautel.com Apparently they do not consider this further delivery to Israel worth a news release, unlike three 300 kW mediumwave transmitters for Turkey: http://www.nautel.com/02-27-2008.aspx Here in Germany I'm not aware of Nautel-made FM transmitters (it's usually Telefunken/Transradio, Rohde&Schwarz and RVR, the latter being an Italian company), but I don't know about AFN-operated sites. However, various public broadcasters purchased mediumwave transmitters from Nautel, because for some time (until what now belongs to Thomson and Telefunken/Transradio released their M2W/S7HP and TRAM designs) no European manufacturer was able to compete with Nautel's solid-state units (Kai Ludwig, Germany, ibid.) ** JAPAN [non]. At last, NHKWNRJ via Sackville, 6120, free of Singapore QRM! In the clear, Saturday August 2 at 1220, monthly haiku feature in World Interactive with Shokan, subjects fireflies, water lilies, cicadas. Name of British-accented Japanese hostess mentioned in passing sounded like Kimie Oshima. Yes, she is pictured on the WI page http://www.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/english/radio/wi/index.html but identified only as doing the Just for Laughs segment, and Shokan is just above her, altho unnamed, and I still haven`t caught his full name. Why are the RJ presenters so reticent in identifying themselves? Tuned in earlier for the final repeat two hours later, 11705 also via Sackville but with traces of pre-echo from Yamata direct on same frequency. World of Haiku started at 1416. 13m struggling to open brought usual Libya, Portugal, Spain, Ascension frequencies, but also some very weak talk on 21560 at 1309 August 2, music at 1313. Any help in PWBR `2008`? Of course not! Aoki shows this could only be Japan in Swahili via France, so close to off the back here (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** KOREA NORTH. Re: Haeju 1080 kHz 1500 kW 4-mast 38 01 08.52 N, 125 43 31.46 E (Ian Baxter, Australia, shortwavesites yg June 1) This is certainly 1053 kHz for Voice of National Salvation, a propaganda/clandestine station closed on 31 July 2003. http://www.abiweb.jp/clan/clandest.htm Actually modulation of Voice of National Salvation ceased on 1 Aug 2003 at 00:05 local time. Most if not all carriers stayed on for an extended period afterwards, a quite extraordinary behaviour for North Korean transmitters (reportedly they use to cut the carriers within a few seconds), suggesting that transmitter site staff had not been notified about the way the station closes in detail. Less than two weeks later some shortwave frequencies of Voice of National Salvation, including 4557 kHz from Haeju, started to relay KCBS. I saw no follow-ups on this story, so I don't know if and when these frequencies stopped again. But never mentioned in these reports was 1053 kHz, suggesting that it went off for good five years ago. If you look closely you will note the traces of the feed line path. Follow it, and after a bit more than 1.5 km northwest of this four-tower antenna you will find two more towers: http://maps.google.de/maps?f=q&hl=de&geocode=&q=Haeju&sll=51.151786,10.415039&sspn=10.19095,19.775391&ie=UTF8&ll=38.031749,125.708914&spn=0.006245,0.009656&t=h&z=17 I think the T-shaped building, with a presumed cooling pond in front of it, houses the transmitters. And one of the towers should be the antenna for 1080 kHz. During the nineties this frequency had been listed in WRTH as 500 kW; now it shows up as 1500 kW. Thus it could be that the former 1053 transmitter is now in use on 1080 kHz, provided that these power levels are correct. Btw, a good amount of FM transmitters in North Korea got "lost" from WRTH when P`yongyang Pangsong had been moved into the International Broadcasting section. This station has a comprehensive FM network, not identical to P`yongyang FM Pangsong which provides alternate programming. Concerning the Haeju installations I think this is an arrangement somewhat similar to Wachenbrunn in Germany: The big directional antenna, in this case of course aiming at Seoul, has been added later at a remote location, connected to the existing transmitter site with a long feed line, even crossing streets in between. Now one could continue and stare at the imagery to spot the shortwave antenna(s), but perhaps a simple dipole just can not be seen there (like the 6190 kHz antenna at Berlin which I think is invisible on aerial images as well), so I do not waste my time for it (Kai Ludwig, Germany, shortwavesites yg via DXLD) ** KOREA NORTH. 2850, Korean Central Broadcasting Station, P`yongyang, 1040 to 1100 signal improving toward end of July, as Asia slowly returning to southeast Florida tropical bands (Robert Wilkner, Pómpano Beach FL, Aug 1, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** KURDISTAN. Iran [sic]. Radio Voice of Kurdistan was heard for a while around 0310 hours on 4840 kHz (Rumen Pankov, R. Bulgaria DX Program Aug 1 via DXLD) I doubt the Iranians would allow it to operate from inside Iranian Kurdistan (gh, DXLD) ** LAOS [non]. Hmong Lao Radio, via WHRI 11785, Sunday August 3 at 1302 check, suffering from a lot of QRM: Indonesian het, Firedrake and VOA (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** LATVIA. RELAYS THIS WEEKEND VIA 9290 KHZ Sat August 2nd Latvia Today 0800-0900 UT Radio Joystick 0900-1000 UT Sun August 3rd Radio Victoria 1100-1200 UT Latvia Today 1200-1300 UT Good listening 73s (Tom Taylor, August 1, DX LISTENING DIGEST, in advance on the dxldyg) ** LIBERIA. See BOLIVIA; ELWA`s website explains the comings and goings of Sudan Interior Mission and their connexion with it: The ELWA Ministries Association (EMA) is an interdenominational Christian organization that comprises of ELWA Radio, ELWA Hospital, ELWA Services, and ELWA Academy. The purpose of the EMA is to propagate the Gospel, disciple believers, minister to human needs, and partner with churches to build the Kingdom of God. The objectives of the EMA are fivefold: 1) demonstrate the love of God by providing “quality and affordable” education, health care and community services to our target communities; 2) minister the Word of God to the reached and unreached; 3) disciple believers towards Christian maturity in collaboration with “sound Biblical-believing churches” for effective ministry; 4) train staff members in technical excellence, Christian maturity and effective ministry in fulfillment of the mandate to reach our target communities with the Gospel Message of Christ; and 5) to promote Biblical prayer. [as opposed to what kind of prayer??] History The ELWA Ministries Association traces its roots back to 1952 when SIM (then known as the Sudan Interior Mission) joined with the West Africa Broadcasting Association that was attempting to start the first Christian radio station in Africa. Radio ELWA (Eternal Love Winning Africa), located in the Paynesville area east of central Monrovia, started to broadcast in January 1954. SIM expanded its ministry in Liberia when it opened ELWA Hospital in 1965. The department that built and maintained the institutions and residences of the missionaries and some of the staff is now called ELWA Services. Also formed during this formative period was the ELWA Academy in 1957, which was responsible for educating the children of the missionaries and a few of the Liberian staff. In the 1970s, SIM started to plant churches in some of the areas where Radio ELWA was broadcasting. These churches are now grouped together in an association that is called the Evangelical Church Union of Liberia (ECUL). SIM’s activities in Liberia formally closed in July 1990 when the last of its missionaries were forced to flee from ELWA campus after the National Patriotic Front of Liberia (NPFL) clashed with government troops on the ELWA campus. The Liberians and missionaries returned in 1991 and started to reopened these ministries. All of the missionaries fled again when fighting broke out in Monrovia during the “April 6” crisis of 1996. When missionaries started to return in 1997, they joined forces with the able Liberian staff that had remained behind to resume the above mentioned institutions. SIM-Liberia continues to be active in Liberia, working with its primary partners, the EMA and ECUL (from http://www.elwaministries.org via DXLD) ** LIBYA. V. of Africa, 21695, poorly audible in Swahili, August 2 at 1306; and around 1420 in music, presumably now during English broadcast. The 130 degree azimuth on this, per Aoki, is close to directly off the back from us, 310 degrees, and so somewhat favorable for North America. Spain, Portugal and Ascension also audible on 13m. Solar flux may have leaped up a notch or two, but as of August 1 was still 66, per SWPC, while K-index Aug 2 at 12 was 0, at 15 was 2 (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** MEXICO. 4800, XERTA, 0900 to 1015 with occasional IDs in English, more often in español. "...en Jesu Cristo... no es correcto... no es bíblico..." 30 July also"... un programa de Luis Palau" 25 July (Robert Wilkner, Pómpano Beach FL, Aug 1, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** MEXICO [non]. Border TV to stay analog? See U S A ** NETHERLANDS. BIG L’S DUTCH MEDIUMWAVE TRANSMITTER ON 1395 KHZ SWITCHED OFF The Dutch mediumwave transmitter on 1395 kHz that has been carrying the programmes of UK-based commercial station Big L has been switched off. There has been no official announcement of its closure by the station, but only Sky channel 0190 and the station’s website are now being announced. According to a report on the listeners’ support website Friends of Big L, presenter Mike Read said this morning it was for “environmental reasons”. We understand that the transmitter site at Trintelhaven is powered by a diesel generator, and operating costs must have increased enormously due to the high price of oil. The choice of music is distinctly odd today. On the so-called ‘Happy Hour’, one of the songs played was Surround Yourself With Sorrow! (August 1st, 2008 - 15:51 UTC by Andy Sennitt, Media Network blog via DXLD) My provincial ho-hum attitude toward this story is contradicted by 24 comments about it so far on the MN blog as of 1730 UT Aug 3: http://blogs.rnw.nl/medianetwork/big-ls-dutch-mediumwave-transmitter-on-1395-khz-switched-off#comments (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** NEWFOUNDLAND. CHVO still on air --- Hi Glenn, I spoke to a person in Engineering at VOCM re 560 CHVO. It will remain on the air for some time yet (Andy Reid, Ont., August 1, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** NEW ZEALAND. RNZI on the wrong frequency again: August 1 at 1330, no trace of 6170, tho RA 6020 was in very well, and even CKZU 6160 was audible. So checked 9655, supposed to close at 1300, and there were indeed two signals instead of one, no doubt RNZI prolonged, mixing with RNW via Tinang, SAH of about 6 Hz as usually heard before 1300 when IBB is already warming up 9655 and colliding with RNZI. 1357 check, still two signals on 9655, but RNW soon off. Always with heavy sidesplash from Sackville 9650. That took a brief break at 1359, allowing NZ-ish music alone to be heard on 9655, 1400 timesignal and news in English, could not catch ID but NZ accent and surely RNZI continued on wrong frequency (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) BTW, I must say I find it odd that hardly anyone else mentions subaudible heterodynes in reporting loggings, as they are a significant factor in interference and identification (gh, DXLD) ** OKLAHOMA. The KZLS 107.1 North Enid CP is now on the air // 99.7 KNID. 107.1 was originally for Alva, but COL has been changed to North Enid, and transmitter site to the existing tower just N of Carrier on OK Hwy 132, where KNID 96.9 was located before being moved halfway to Oklahoma City near Crescent, LMA`d, sold and transformed into KQOB, Bob-FM. A few weeks ago, we had noticed driving by, that the Carrier tower again had FM elements on it after being denuded for a while. The plan of Champlin Broadcasting is to have 107.1 programming replace 99.7 KNID, which is being moved from its present site near Helena halfway between Enid and COL Alva, far to the south to rimshot Oklahoma City, like 96.9 before it, this time from COL Mustang. I expect that the 99.7 for OKC will ultimately be sold off at a tidy profit, and that 107.1 will wind up with the KNID calls, unless further jumbling in the Enid market ensues. The transition is underway. For now the informal ID goes ``99.7 KNID and 107-1 FM``. Legal ID at hourtop 0000 UT August 3: ``Today`s best country, 99-7, KNID, Alva-Enid, and 107-1 KZLS, North Enid.`` 99.7 is running static RDS as `KNID-FM` while 107.1 has no RDS. But yes, Brucey, 107.1 like 99.7 is in stereo. This was noticed as I was trying to DX FM August 2 during a big sporadic E opening from both coasts, and finding fewer and fewer open spots on the dial; see USA (Glenn Hauser, Enid, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** PALESTINE. HAMAS SHUTS DOWN GAZA RADIO STATION The radical Islamic movement Hamas has ordered the closure of the al- Sha’b radio station operated in Gaza City by a faction of the rival PLO. Employees of the radio station denounced the closure as a violation of their freedom of expression and are demanding that the ban be lifted immediately. The closure is thought to be linked with an attack last weekend which killed five Hamas members and a six-year-old girl in the Gaza Strip. Hamas has blamed the attack on Fatah, which denies the allegation (Source: RNW News)( August 2nd, 2008 - 14:49 UTC by Andy Sennitt, Media Network blog via DXLD) WTFK?? ** PAPUA NEW GUINEA. 3204.88, Radio West Sepik, Vanimo 1040 to 1115 fade, providing some audio 26; 29 July. 3385, Radio East New Britain, Rabaul by far the strongest on ninety meters. 3315, Radio Manus, Lorengau same time under a hammering ute, OM below, 31 July (Robert Wilkner, Pómpano Beach FL, Aug 1, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** PERU. Radio “Vision” was heard in Sofia on July 7 with an announcement in Spanish at 03 hours and a sermon at 0305 hours on 4790 kHz until the signal faded out at 0345 hours. This frequency is known for having been used by Radio Atlántida in Iquitos and it’s likely that Atlántida is selling radio time to Radio Visión. The QSL address is: Radio Visión, Calle Juan Fanning No. 457, Urb. San Juan, Chiclayo, Peru or informes @ visionradioperu.com (Rumen Pankov, R. Bulgaria DX Program Aug 1 via DXLD) No, it`s likely that Atlántida is NOT selling radio time to Radio Visión; two different cities, two different transmitters, one of them currently inactive but at times both have been on the air, on slightly different frequencies (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) however: 4789.8, Radio Nueva Atlántida seemingly 1015 to 1020 during break in transmission of Radio Visión, Peru. 1 August. 4790.10, Radio Visión, Chiclayo 1021 back on; Radio Visión has a distinctive transmitter hum, same as when was on 4385 several years ago. 1 August. 3173v, Radio Municipal, Panao seems off after 30 July, previously was logged 1100 and 0000 some español, but poor generally (Robert Wilkner, Pómpano Beach FL, Aug 1, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** PERU. 4835, R. Marañón, Jaen. July 31, Spanish, 2313-2332 OM sounding like ads "...comercio...", 2319 maybe a local pop music, 2321 OM talks, seems commentaries about local authorities, 2321 OM "La noticia, la noticia!", male outside, OM and YL talks. Poor, deteriorating, almost unreadable, 22422 (Lúcio Otávio Bobrowiec, Embu SP Brasil - Sony ICF SW40 - dipole 18m, 32m, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** SERBIA [non]. International Radio Serbia is reported between 11 and 1330 hours on 7200 kHz including an emission in English from 13 hours in which the following address was announced: International Radio Serbia, Hilendarska 2, 11000 Belgrade, Serbia (Rumen Pankov, R. Bulgaria DX Program Aug 1 via DXLD) ** SINGAPORE. RADIO SINGAPORE INTERNATIONAL ENDS TRANSMISSION http://www.chinaview.cn 2008-08-01 00:31:08 http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2008-08/01/content_8885538.htm SINGAPORE, July 31 (Xinhua) -- Singapore's regional radio station, Radio Singapore International (RSI), ceased broadcasts on Thursday, ending its 15-year run. At a closing ceremony on Thursday, RSI's parent company MediaCorp CEO Lucas Chow presented momentos [sic] to transmitting station staff and together they bid farewell to an era of shortwave broadcasting in Singapore, according to local TV Channel NewsAsia. The regional shortwave radio service was set up in 1994 and broadcasted in English, Mandarin, Malay and Bahasa Indonesia. It had a listenership base of half a million listeners around Southeast Asia, including East and West Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam. MediaCorp announced the decision nearly two months ago, saying it was because the effectiveness of a shortwave radio service had diminished over time, with changing technology and media consumption habits. It then said while FM radio broadcast remains strong, audiences are turning to other channels such as the web and television International feed for their news (via Alokesh Gupta, dxldyg via DXLD) The RSI website http://www.rsi.sg/english is no longer available (Alokesh Gupta, New Delhi, August 1, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) What`s the big hurry? (gh) Radio Singapore International: R.I.P. --- Lamentablemente la onda corta sigue desapareciendo; la señal de Radio Singapur Internacional ha pasado a la historia. En su página web se ve lo siguiente: Thank you for visiting this page. Please note that Radio Singapore International’s shortwave service has ended with effect from 1 August 2008, and the domain http://www.rsi.sg no longer exists. Please visit http://www.mediacorpradio.com.sg and http://www.podcast.sg for more information on MediaCorp’s radio stations. Pues, ¿qué podemos hacer respecto a esta actitud? Mientras tanto, sigamos haciendo DX y difundiendo la onda corta. Saludos desde la sede del XIV Encuentro Nacional de Diexismo en Ciudad Gómez Palacio, Durango México!!!! Les esperamos - a los que están cerca de aquí -, hoy GRAN INAUGURACIÓN!!!!!!! y si no, el próximo año, estén pendientes (Magdiel Cruz Rodríguez, México, August 1, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Re: ``R. Singapore International closed down after July 31, but SW relays of domestic services should remain audible in Europe around 2300, on 6000, 6150, 7235, 7275`` (WOR 1419 summary) The domestic relays continued as usual until 1600 sign-off on 31 July, but now in the morning of 1 Aug everything is gone (usually they sign on at 2300 UT). It looks as though MediaCorp have pulled the plug on shortwave entirely. Regards, (Alan Davies, Surabaya, Indonesia, August 1, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) MEDIACORP'S RSI ENDS TRANSMISSION ON THURSDAY Date : 31 Jul 2008 2257 hrs (GMT + 8hrs) SINGAPORE: A chapter of broadcasting history came to an end on Thursday, with the final transmission of MediaCorp's Radio Singapore International (RSI) shortwave service. With its closure, the Kranji Shortwave Transmitting Station is also ceasing operations. From the station, RSI's four news and current affairs services in English, Chinese, Malay and Bahasa Indonesia could be heard up to a radius of 1,600 kilometres around Singapore. RSI began its shortwave broadcasts in 1994 and had a listenership base of half a million listeners around Southeast Asia - namely, East and West Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam. At a closing ceremony on Thursday, MediaCorp CEO Lucas Chow presented momentos to transmitting station staff and together they bid farewell to an era of shortwave broadcasting in Singapore. - CNA/vm (from http://www.channelnewsasia.com/cna/cgi-bin/search/search_7days.pl?status=&search=shortwave&id=364130 via kimandrewelliott.com via DXLD) ** SINGAPORE. RSI missing from 6080, 6120 and 6150 when checked around 1230 August 2, as promised. According to monitoring by Alan Davies in Indonesia and this story http://www.channelnewsasia.com/cna/cgi-bin/search/search_7days.pl?status=&search=shortwave&id=364130 via kimandrewelliott.com, it`s not just RSI which has vanished (website also deleted much too hastily), but all SW relays of domestic services from the Kranji site. If this was the intention all along, how come it was only the RSI external service that was publicized starting two months ago to be closed as of August 1? The domestic service SW relays were already considered inconsequential? We would have settled for those remnants. See JAPAN, TAIWAN for what else is being heard on above frequencies (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** SPAIN. REE, 17595, started interesting discussion about Maya-Quiché language and music of Guatemala, Sat Aug 2 at 1405, but couldn`t stay with it. Per sked in UT +2 at http://www.rtve.es/archivos/70-9383-FICHERO/ParrillaREE_2008_VERANO.pdf show is Página Abierta, Sat 1405-1430, and repeated Sun 0405 and also airs Wed 0630, not sure which comes first (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** SPAIN [non]. 15170, REE relay, Aug 3 at 1247 with folk music, big signal but modulation really deficient: low level, and to hear the higher audio frequencies in the music, crowd whistles, you had to tune to one sideband or the other (no, not using narrow receiver filter), and that added distortion. Then drumming, surprisingly speaker in English saying ``let`s dance!``, and a reel (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** SRI LANKA. SLBC Colombo, 15745 kc, 0245-0305 UT, SIO 333. ID at TOH into news. News feature program by man in English. LP/SP propagation echo (Thomas Giella, KN4LF, Lakeland, FL. Rig Icom IC-746 Pro. Antenna 90-11 meter doublet up at 35 feet, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** SURINAME. 4990, R. Apintie, Paramaribo. August 3, Dutch, 0931 English pop ballad, 0933 OM talks on reggae, 0934 seems religious haleluya music returning to OM talks on music, 0936 another romantic maybe in Dutch then YL and OM talks till 0945. At tune-in, Apintie easily murdering Brasilian 4885 with 33233, but started to change quickly around 0942 (Lúcio Otávio Bobrowiec, Embu SP Brasil - Sony ICF SW40 - dipole 18m, 32m, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST)0 ** TAIWAN. Singapore may be gone from 6150, but I am still hearing something, August 2 at 1230 song, 1232 lively M&W announcements, sounds like Chinese. Aoki shows: 6150*R.TAIWAN INT. 0900-1400 1234567 Chinese 100 310 Kouhu TWN 12010E2335N CBSC a08 Which means it is also jammed, altho I was not hearing any Firedrake. Has this been there all along, colliding with RSI? Could have been hearing CNR1 jamming instead (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) see CHINA for reply ** U K. A reminder that the next edition of Passport to World Band Radio will be coming off the presses in late October. As I have asked before, I only wish there would be more BBC program information included in the "What's On Tonight?" section -- all there was would be the information for the dwindling Caribbean service, now off the air. Could Passport try to include programs heard on other BBC services, such as those aimed to Africa and Russia, which can be heard in North America? There's really no reason for the PWBR staff not to make this info available (Joe Hanlon, NJ, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Who needs PWBR for that? ** U S A. Re: VOA Russian radio ceased on July 26 ``previously VOA Russian plus Special English could be heard, from August 1 after a gap of five days. Can anybody check that out? (Glenn Hauser, DX LISTENING DIGEST)`` I tried today, but all I can confirm for now is that at 1700 and 1800 a transmitter was on 9520. Unfortunately the signal was just a little bit too weak for me to get audio. But then detailed confirmations by monitoring are perhaps unnecessary, since most of the former frequencies of VOA Russian now indeed show up at the respective times on the RFE/RL schedules at both http://www.rferl.org/howtolisten/RU/ondemand.html (click on "Waves") and http://www.svobodanews.ru/AffiliatesFlash.aspx (click on "KB"). As a result RL Russian got three additional hours of shortwave airtime per day and is now continuously on shortwave from 1200 to 2100. This is quite contrary to earlier announced BBG plans to cut back the shortwave distribution of RL Russian. Thus I first suspected that they simply can not get rid of the airtime leased for VOA Russian from VTC and Antenna Hungária, but own IBB sites are involved as well, so this does not appear to be the explanation. But why do they not announce this extended RL service and prefer to get bashed for axing VOA Russian? Has the BBG a hidden agenda to phase out VOA altogether and replace it by its other broadcasting brands completely? (Kai Ludwig, Germany, August 1, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) Alexander Solzhenitsyn told the Wall Street Journal in 1981, "American broadcasts are the mighty non-military force whose kindling power in the midst of Communist darkness cannot even be grasped by the Western imagination." The U.S. Information Agency http://dosfan.lib.uic.edu/usia/ performed a vital function during the Cold War. On October 1, 1999, the Clinton administration dismantled the U.S. Information Agency and replaced it with the Broadcasting Board Governors (BBG). http://www.bbg.gov This was the result of the 1998 Foreign Affairs Reform and Restructuring Act (Public Law 105-277). DISARMED IN THE WAR OF IDEAS? By Frank J. Gaffney Jr. The Washington Times [Moony] | Thursday, March 27, 2008 http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2008/mar/25/disarmed-in-the-war-of-ideas/ (tribby2001, dxldyg via DXLD) see also CHINA ** U S A. It`s August 1, but still no sign of WRNO on 15590, altho Vatican in French was audible on 15595 at 1607. [Later!] WRNO back on the air testing with variety of music, on 7505, from tune-in 2132 UT August 1 during ``Crazy`` by Patsy Cline. VG S9+22 signal. Modulation quality generally good but with some clicks and pops, occasionally cutting to low-level. 2150 started Beatles` ``Come Together`` but cut off after opening. 2152 Celtic song. Pauses of one or two minutes between music cuts. 2200 the first ID I have heard, nor have I seen any reported before this, apparently by engineer at transmitter site rather than from studio, clicking on mike and with some feedback: ``This is WRNO, broadcasting on 7 dot 505 megacycles``. 17 kb clip of this only at http://www.w4uvh.net/wrnoid1.rm [in original hasty post I wrote `transmitting` instead.] Back to more music cuts, ``Solitary Man``, sounds like Roy Orbison, piano solos, Bertie Wooster theme, 2218 big band, New Orleans swing music, pause at 2239, a bit of feedback as mike apparently turned on again. Then just before 2241 another ID, same text as above, but sounds like another live announcement, another long pause, 2243 music resumed, etc. After that I left a radio on but was not paying very close attention. Open carrier ran from 2250 to 2300, no ID, 2301 Celtic fiddle music, more open carrier. 2312 Bertie Wooster theme again, carrier off at 2320:40*. Back on shortly, open carrier off and on. 2359 another ID this time mentioning New Orleans, Louisiana, United States of America, various music, off again at 0020* August 2; mostly off until 0100, full ID and piano rendition of What a Friend We Have in Jesus, 0114 some preaching. After 0145 some classical music; 0158 ``Summertime``, then more preaching. Now seems to be in regular programming? 0211 speaker mentioned owner Robert Mawire in connexion with The End Times --- here we go again! and plugging a book of his, Fort Worth address; more music, still going at 0230, YL ID with frequency, ``transmitter site in New Orleans, Louisiana``. Music audio was dropping out, during Mendelssohn`s Midsummer Night`s Dream, so still needs some work. If they get their act together and play full pieces of classical music without interruption for proselytizing I will be very pleasantly surprised. Before 0300, preaching by presumed Mawire, with strange accent, apparently from his African background, abruptly interrupted by commercial for his book. Tuned out; 0430 recheck, off. 15590 not yet on as of 1609 UT August 2. Neither frequency heard from 2150 and later into Sunday August 3 (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) A 10 over S9 signal in Star City AR. Swing music being aired at 2315 UT (Aug 1). -- (Fritze, KC5KBV Prentice, Jr., Star City, AR, Grid: EM43aw, HCDX via DXLD) The well known in the past station WRNO (World Radio New Orleans) famous for its pop music and religious programs has come back on air, running test emissions on 7505 or 15590 kHz at different hours. The station has announced that it would start regular broadcasts on August 1. Transmitters of the already closed down station KTBN are used (Rumen Pankov, R. Bulgaria DX Program Aug 1 via DXLD) No, they aren`t. The only things of KTBN that WRNO is using are its former frequencies! Where does he get this misinformation? It`s pretty clear he got his non-misinformation from us, never attributed (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A. Hi Glenn, Just a note. AREA 51 returns Sundays 7-9 pm Eastern [Sunday 2300-0100 UT Monday] on 5110. Jennifer and I felt the free radio folks should have some dedicated time on WBCQ. Also Brother Stair cancelled his time for now. This leaves the 9330 and 5110 transmitters open and available. Any ideas? Take care, (Allan Weiner, WBCQ, August 1, DX LISTENING DIGEST) So 9330 is off the air at 1615 check; another temporary chance to hear Syria unimpeded later in the day (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A. We invite you to listen on WBCQ 7415 kilohertz Saturday nights 11 PM EDT, 10 PM CDT, 9 PM MDT, 8 PM PDT, 0300 UT [Sundays]. If you are not near a radio you can listen on line live at http://www.wbcq.com/?page_id=7 On QSO’s this week on 7415: Andy Carstarphen of the Mesquite Amateur Association in Mesquite Texas. They have a monthly Ham Radio in the park activity for the public. Incredible radio club and really aggressive and on the ball. Also Dennis Kidder W6DQ, Nate Brighton (age 90) and John Rodgers KF6TTR of the Associated Amateurs of Long Beach. They have their club station W6RO aboard the Queen Mary. This is sit on the edge of your chair listening! Listen as John Rodgers KF6TTR talks about the ghosts that haunt the Queen Mary even in photographs. They are also going to help us spread the word about the “Wish List” for Captain Hammer and our boys in Iraq. Nate Brighman W6OLZ now age 90 pioneered the restoration of the radio room of the Queen Mary and the the club ham station coming on board. Any licsened ham may come and operate this is the restored radio room the home of W6RO. The Queen Mary is a museum open to the public. 73’s (Ted Randall, QSO Radio Show, http://www.tedrandall.com WBCQ 7415 kilohertz, Monticello Maine August 2, in advance in the dxldyg, via DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A. Dear Glenn, a government (occasional) user of 7778.5 kHz complained of interference, so we had to move. Subject: WYFR A-2008 frequency Changes --- Please note the following changes to the WYFR A-2008 Frequency Schedule, effective 25 July 2008: Del 7780 222 degrees zone 12 1100-1400 UTC Add 7730 222 degrees zone 12 1100-1400 UTC Del 7780 44 degrees zone 27 0300-0745 UTC Add 7730 44 degrees zone 27 0300-0745 UTC (Evelyn Marcy, WYFR, July 31, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A [non]. On 9865, August 3 at 1231, word-by-word, less than dictation speed rendering in English of story about Pharaoh and Moses. Must be WYFR programming, but whence? Pet-Kam, DV Russia (Glenn Hauser, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A. Ran across Pirating with Cumbre on WHRA 15710, Sat Aug 2 at 1250, with R. Azteca clips from Kulpsville, full of censor-bleeps --- apparently you can`t even say ``ass`` on WHR (unless Biblequoting?) -- - but Marie ended DXing with Cumbre already at 1255, into WHR promos, so did it start earlier than 1230? VG signal, but on S-meter could see some flutter, not audibly. This airing is an apparent recent addition. Same show #593 repeated at 1431 on 11785 WHRI, after music ceased late with excessively echoey Hmong announcement. BTW, Marie says she lost her job and previous e-mail at Syracuse University last year; yet her p-mail address is now via WCNY, sister station of WAER where she worked. I see that the nice portrait of her has disappeared from the WAER website staff page (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Glenn, now that you mention it, I sure find it irritating to have every second word "bleeped" out during the Pirating with Cumbre segment. To be honest, why bother airing it if all these bleeps are included. What does one expect from pirate broadcasting? My thought would be to either broadcast the pirate intact (as the Pirate podcast from Ragnar D does), or don't bother airing it at all (Walt Salmaniw, Victoria, BC, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A. KVMN 89.9 Cave City, AR with rock/classic rock and live on- air announcer at 0855 CDT. Images as "Caveman Radio" (the station is owned by the Cave City Public Schools and the Caveman is the HS sports teams mascot). However, the station is running full advertising which seems odd since the station operates on the Non-com portion of he band. Glenn, it seems that KVMN can get away with this. All the FCC seems concerned about during this Bush Administration is allowing CC/CBS/Citadel-ABC/Entercom to acquire as many stations as possible and "nipple patrol". I wouldn't have a problem with "Caveman Radio" if they were a commercial station (well except for the ad KVMN aired for the First Baptist Church), and the 80's play list being REM and Husker Du instead of Poison (Fritze Prentice, Jr. KC5KBV, Star City, AR, Grid EM43aw, http://tvdxseark.blogspot.com August 1, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A. One is tempted to see how high a sporadic E opening into the FM band goes, but this time I`m glad I checked out channel 6 audio on the low side. These days I`m more into quality than quantity of FM DX, so this will not be condensed into a one-line report. August 2 at 1749 UT, after confirming area skip was coming from Los Ángeles, with KPFK-FM RDS ID on 90.7 Mt Wilson, I found not one but two Spanish-speaking stations on 87.75, and both with (FM) stereo pilot cutting on periodically at fadeups. One was talk, one music, at the moment singing about ``Sangre de Jesús``. After checking other frequencies inside the FM band, I came back at 1756 to find one of them with an abogado ad, 1758 a 1-800 number for Nationwide Options Systems, real estate. Then in English, commercial for the 18th National Catholic Family Conference, sponsored by the Diocese of San Diego, register online at http://www.nationalcatholicfamilyconference.org {which was currently underway at Anaheim, not San Diego} 1759, ID fading in and out from one of them ``Cielo[?] 87.7 FM, la estación . . . Los Ángeles.`` Then legal ID in Spanish by woman, ``KSFV-LP, Canal 6, San Fernando Valley``, and slogan as ``Guadalupe Radio``, opening live(?) program with YL host ``Mundo Mujer`` mentioning that they are heard as far as San Bernardino, Riverside [but not Enid??], obviously Catholic program, ``Guadalupe Radio`` mentioned once or twice more. But there was still co-channel from the other station. Quit at 1804; time for lunch. So KSFV is another of those lowpower TV stations funxioning as a radio station in a major market where real FM channels are filled up. Here`s the FCC info about it: http://www.fcc.gov/fcc-bin/tvq?list=0&facid=49704 Showing that they are licensed on channel 26, but only have a CP for channel 6 with 499 watts ERP video, so what`s the audio ERP?? {One tenth of that as is typical for real TV stations? In this case you`d think they would want as much as possible.} --- nevertheless obviously on the air on 6. I first diligently tuned to 87.75 on the DX-398, but eventually decided the signal was closer to center if I really tuned to 87.70, which is NOT a legal frequency for channel 6 audio (nor is FM stereo as opposed to TV stereo, but other stations like this ignore the distinxion too and get away with it). And it was farther from center if I stepped to 87.80. Here`s the brief wikipedia entry re: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/KSFV-LP But what was the second Spanish FM/TV station on 87.70? Surely not XETV-6, the real TV station in Tijuana/San Diego which I assume is not yet really in Spanish, or is it? Anyhow it would not be running FM stereo. I was surprised to find no listing for KSFV-LP channel 6, at http://www.w9wi.com/tvdb/channels/6.htm in the analog low-power and translator section or anywhere else. The separate FM database only goes down to 87.9. [see below] Licensee of KSFV is Venture Technologies Group, and they may well have some other channel 6 LPTVs in California masquerading as FM stations (or vice versa). Redding and Chico are way off in northern California, but a third one is in Banning, which is on I-10 east of Riverside, so this could be the one alluded to above, KRPE-LP with 999 watts video: http://www.fcc.gov/fcc-bin/tvq?list=0&facid=129651 However, the two Spanish radio stations I was hearing on 87.7 were definitely not in parallel. Perhaps those in SoCal more familiar with the situation can elucidate. Per FCC, Venture also has applications for channel 6 LD (digital lowpower TV) in Los Ángeles itself, and Glen Arbor CA, wherever that is, not appearing in the indices in AAA or Rand McNally atlases. Other FM DX in this opening: August 2 at 1734 UT tune-in, 97.5, ``Cruisin` 97.5`` slogan, then mentioned Santa Bárbara in English; must be KRUZ, but I find no mention of Cruising or Cruisin on their website http://www.kruz.com/ 97.5 had co-channel not only from semi-local KPAK Alva OK, which I nulled as best I could with the swervable whip, but from something in Spanish, which was dominating by 1739 with romantic music in stereo; 1742 promotion for something in Los Ángeles, 1-800-833-1236 for something to do with credit; Ralph`s [?] Alimentos Frescos with prices in centavos por libra, so not Mexico; 1745 about cupones at McGuire`s, mentioned ola de calor (heatwave). Must be KLYY, La Cumbia Caliente, Riverside per 3-year-old FM Atlas XX. 90.7 with big steady signal, discussion in English, stereo pilot on, no RDS decode until 1748 when it displayed KPFK-FM, i.e. Los Ángeles. 96.5 at 1755, stereo, ad in Spanish for El Chaparral disco, mentioned Tecate, ads in pesos. But there are no Baja California 96.5 stations in Cantú`s list nor in the Mexico FM Directory 2005, the closest being XHITA in Sonoita, Sonora. There is KYXY in San Diego, which I don`t think is in Spanish, so this may be a new one in Tecate or further afield if I misheard Tecate. Any ideas? (Glenn Hauser, Enid OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Glenn: -- I can confirm your 97.5 as KLYY, which functions as an L.A. station, and has a pretty huge signal everywhere in L.A. except the San Fernando Valley. Your other would indeed be KRUZ. The 87.7 situation is essentially as you perceive, although the "second" station could be emanating from Bell Mountain north of Victorville, or El Paso Peak near Ridgecrest, as well as Banning. No clue on your 96.5. I am living in an area about the size of an envelope, so having a dormant ICOM R7100 lacking an antenna, I'm glad to see someone taking advantage of an Es-opening involving the God-forsaken hell of Southern California. Very 73z – (GREG HARDISON (L.A.), dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) Hard to say, about the aural ERP. For full-power stations, 73.682(15) limits the aural power to 22% of visual. For KSFV this would be, what, 110 watts? With the antenna on Mt. Wilson I would certainly expect it to "skip out". It's my belief (remembering that I'm an engineer and not a lawyer) that it's *legal* for TV stations, including low-power and Class A operations, to use the FM stereo standard. As I understand it, TV stations may not use the 31.5 kHz aural subcarrier frequency or the 15.75 kHz stereo pilot frequency unless they use the TV stereo standard. These two frequencies are peculiarly suited to use for TV stereo, as they can be locked to the video horizontal sync, eliminating any heterodyne "beat notes" with stray video energy. But FM stereo uses a 38 kHz subcarrier and 19 kHz pilot. So it complies (as I understand it) with this rule. And I concur that it's not legal to operate one's aural transmitter on 87.70 MHz. The visual frequency is required to be maintained within 1 kHz of the correct, assigned channel, which in KSFV's case is 83.24 kHz. So the lowest KSFV's visual carrier could legally be is 83.239 MHz. The aural frequency is required to be within 1 kHz of 4.5 MHz above the visual. So, if both the visual and aural frequencies are at the limit of acceptable tolerance, the aural could be 2 kHz below assignment, or on 87.738 MHz. (KSFV is assigned to negative offset, so the "correct" visual frequency should be 83.24 and the aural 87.74) ``I was surprised to find no listing for KSFV-LP channel 6, at http://www.w9wi.com/tvdb/channels/6.htm in the analog low-power and translator section or anywhere else. The separate FM database only goes down to 87.9.`` KSFV is a Class A station and shows up with the Class A stations at the top of that web page. I have no idea who the other Spanish station was on 87.7 (Doug Smith W9WI, Pleasant View, TN EM66, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Ha, third listing from top, but my initial search of the page on the call letters did not find it. However, as I reported above, the audio ID called it KSFV-LP, not -CA. How come? And FCC listing too shows it as -LP: http://www.fcc.gov/fcc-bin/tvq?list=0&facid=49704 Perhaps this is hairsplitting but there must be a reason for the different classifications and suffices (Glenn Hauser, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Seeing that DX was still in on lowband TV, and lots of FM Es reports on the WTFDA list, I resumed monitoring five hours later at 2316 UT August 2, again with DX-398 on battery power using only the whip antenna, from the porch away from household digital hash, temp 101 but with partial shade, less than at noon. 87.75 was several (TV) stations deep, as were many FM frequencies, so the challenge was to find a few with a dominant DX station. On 105.1, at 2316 UT, North Carolina`s Spas, 1-888-SPASALE, ID as ``105.1, Z-105`` or so I thought, but this must be G-105, WDCG Raleigh-Durham, etc. as at http://www.g105.com/main.html I was able to uncover bits of classical music on 89.7, at 2319 by carefully nulling local KJTH. This was very likely WCPE also in Raleigh NC, which is also relayed overnight by several stations including KCSC 90.1 in OK. Prairie Home Companion was poking thru various other DX spots in the non-comm dial. On 93.9 at 2322 UT, ``The new 93-9, Kiss-FM``; YL promo saying it`s ``mostly upbeat --- listen for an hour and see how you feel``. Sorry, it won`t likely stay in that long even if I wanted to park on the frequency. Geez, yet another ``Kiss``, how unimaginative, and except for one station somewhere, cannot possibly be a legal call. What do you know, that also Googles to Raleigh-Durham, with a website looking suspiciously like 105.1, but where will we find the legal calls? Not on the homepage http://www.939kissfm.com/main.html but on the station info page, admits it`s really WKSL-FM. Then at 2331, on 96.5, RDS as ``CLASSIC / HITS / 96.5 FM`` often sticking on one of those fields due to fading, rather than switching or scrolling. 2333 audibly said ``18 classic hits in a row, 96-5, The Drive``, and RDS with song info, Miller B & Rock`n Me. Googling the RDS slogan points on 96.5 to Milwaukee, or Asheville NC, WOXL. But what about ``The Drive``? Googling that points to WFLB Fayetteville NC: http://www.oldies965.com/ As in golf, or conducting a vehicle? At 2336 UT on 97.3, had ``Coast 97 point 3`` audible ID, 2337 ad for James Sprunt Community College, Wilmington NC address. Then unexpected off-hour ID as ``WMNX, Wilmington . . . a Cumulus station . . . a better job is just a click away`` from their website, which is http://www.coast973.com/ Also had mariachi music briefly at 2323 on 94.5, evidently not from NC (Glenn Hauser, Enid OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A. The News is Better Here! On the off-chance you haven’t heard, there is a powerful new local journalism site run by some first-rate New Mexico journalists. The New Mexico Independent launched earlier this year and instantly became a must-read for anyone interested in great reporting on New Mexico. Find them today at http://www.newmexicoindependent.com because you’ll want to add them to your independent media diet. I’ve been enjoying the growing list of contributing journalists adding new perspectives to the site. Once you have enjoyed the Independent’s front screen stories, I encourage you to click on the “About” tab to meet the team of reporters contributing to the site. Important Hint - the “About Our Team” link is way at the bottom of the home page. Way, way at the bottom but well worth finding. You will find a first-class group of local, committed journalists with a fairly stunning accumulation of experience (both wide and deep) that make the site a valuable hub for independent journalism in New Mexico. You’ll see some familiar folks and folks that you may not know yet. Every Thursday evening during All Things Considered on KUNM, we talk with journalists from New Mexico Independent for a discussion of the latest news and we preview the news that’s just ahead. Check this out between 5:45 and 6:00 pm each Thursday [2345-2400 UT]. The New Mexico Independent will be a gigantic journalistic force for the betterment of our communities. They merit your attention (Richard Towne, KUNM GM, August Zounds via DXLD) Good NEWS, Socorro Listeners! KUNM’s new transmitter for 88.7 was knocked out of commission in early June when the air conditioning in the M Mountain transmitter shack failed. It simply got too hot for the electronics. We are now pleased to announce that our new transmitter has been fixed and we are back up to full power! Thanks for your patience during this time and thanks for your support of KUNM! Let’s Hear it for PUBLIC RADIO (August Zounds via DXLD) That`s KBOM, ex- translator ** U S A. The US Senate has unanimously passed a bill to extend analogue TV broadcasting for a further four years for stations located within 50 miles of the Mexican border. Introducing the bill, Republican Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison said some viewers will not be ready for the switch to digital, and will continue watching analogue TV stations from Mexico. This means they would be at risk of missing emergency and Amber alert messages. The bill now awaits a vote in the House of Representatives. (Source: News agencies)(August 3rd, 2008 - 12:24 UTC by Andy Sennitt, Media Network blog via DXLD) ** U S A. WEAR, of course, is the most DX friendly station I know of with their sync bar that mentions their calls and location. Sure does help when you have a local on 3 to your south and have to face right at it to get WEAR. That transparent sync bar shadow is a godsend, and it always shows up across the middle of my screen (Chris Kadlec, Fremont, Mich., August 2, WTFDA via DXLD) Pensacola FL, transmitter in AL ** VENEZUELA. YVTO. Freq: 5000. 0516-0522. 19 Jan 2008. Received a no data confirmation via email in 3 days for a follow up English report. The email confirmed the reception, and said a QSL would be sent via airmail. V/S Jesús Alberto Escalona. Email addy: shlv @ dhn.mil.ve Postal addy: Observatorio Cagigal, YVTO, Apartado 6745, Armanda 84- DHN, Caracas 103, Venezuela. Well, I have managed to reconstruct all of my QSL data and received this one as a result. It is country number 78 for me. 73 (Joe Wood, Greenback, Tennessee, USA, MARE Tipsheet Aug 1 via DXLD) Probably should read Armada ** VENEZUELA. 4940, R. Amazonas, Puerto Ayacucho. July 31, Spanish, 2215 folk music, 2216 OM and YL talks "...Amazonas...", sometimes sounding like ads (eloquent speech) until 2229. Distorted audio, short pieces readable, 23322 (Lúcio Otávio Bobrowiec, Embu SP Brasil - Sony ICF SW40 - dipole 18m, 32m, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) UNIDENTIFIED. Hello DXers, here are some news from Cairo, Egypt. around 1915 UT today 2/8/08 I noticed a XYL talking in French on 5670 kHz. I tried to get an ID but I couldn't. Anyone can ID that station, guys? (Tarek Zeidan, Cairo, Egypt, August 2, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) Most likely a mixing product from two 49 mb frequencies at the same site, or a B minus A mix from higher bands (Glenn Hauser, DXLD) UNIDENTIFIED. 6104.8v, possibly Mexico, 1040 to 1055 on 1 August. [KM- Cedar Key] report Mexican active here, off and on (Robert Wilkner, Pómpano Beach FL, Aug 1, DX LISTENING DIGEST) UNIDENTIFIED. 6105.3, weak signal 1040 to 1050 29 July; 1045 on 1 August. Bolivia or Brasil? (Robert Wilkner, Pómpano Beach FL, Aug 1, DX LISTENING DIGEST) UNIDENTIFIED. More cut numbers in Morse, surely Cuban spy station, August 1 at 1325 on 8096.5. It was hard to pin down the center frequency since the tones were 1 kHz. Altho the carrier did not go completely off between dits and dahs, the S-meter fluxuated (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) UNIDENTIFIED. 15675 strong with tone test at 1427 Saturday August 2, 1428 to open carrier briefly and off. Prime suspect is VOA Greenville, scheduled Sat/Sun only at 17-18 in English to WAf (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ PUBLICATIONS ++++++++++++ RADIO TOWER WEB PAGES Come join the fun and share your passion! I am writing a web page with links to radio tower web sites. If you have radio tower web pages and would like to share your URL so that you can be listed with other similar sites, please let me know. Even if it is just one tower or hundreds of towers, they can be listed. Sites featuring pages you've taken and historical tower photos are all welcome. I would just like to get the permission of the site owners before listing the URLs. Hope to hear back from you. If you don't have a web page but have pictures of radio station towers you would like to share, I have some web space on my site that you can use to show off your photos. Just let me know (Bill Harms, philcobill @ verizon.net DX LISTENING DIGEST) CONVENTIONS & CONFERENCES +++++++++++++++++++++++++ PRIMERAS FOTOS DEL EVENTO DIEXISTA DEL AÑO EN MÉXICO!!!! Cordiales saludos desde la ciudad de Gómez Palacio, en el norteño Estado de Durango en nuestro querido México. Aquí las primeras fotos del evento, asistentes y organizadores; estaré informando a detalle más adelante. Gracias por visitar el sitio: http://entre-ondas.blogspot.com Ahí está la información (Magdiel Cruz Rodríguez, Gómez Palacio, Dgo. México, August 1, DX LISTENING DIGEST) No doubt much more to follow as the annual Mexican DX meeting is wrapping up Aug 3 (gh, DXLD) PRIMER ENCUENTRO DE RADIO LIBRES DE OAXACA Este 7, 8 y 9 de agosto de 2008 http://www.kaosenlared.net/noticia/64279/primer-encuentro-radio-libres-oaxaca (via José Miguel Romero, Spain, noticiasdx yg via DXLD) READING INTERNATIONAL RADIO GROUP The next meeting will take place on Saturday August 16 at 2.30 p.m. [1330 UT] in the Main Hall, Reading International Solidarity Centre, 35-39 London Street, Reading. Please note the room change. Dates for the rest of 2008 are October 4 and November 22. Between 15 and 20 attend these meetings and all are welcome, for further details email me or phone 01462 643899 (Mike Barraclough, Aug World DX Club Contact via DXLD) MUSEA +++++ What's too outdated for even the Smithsonian? (bw) AMATEUR STATION AT SMITHSONIAN QRT AFTER 32 YEARS After more than 30 years on the air from the nation's capital, NN3SI http://americanhistory.si.edu/events/programdetail.cfm?newskey=48 the Amateur Radio station at the National Museum of American History http://americanhistory.si.edu/index.cfm -- part of the Smithsonian Institution http://www.si.edu/ -- became silent on Thursday, July 31. Originally located in the Nations of Nations exhibit, the station first went on-the-air in 1976 in celebration of the US Bicentennial. The FCC caught the patriotic spirit, giving the station a temporary call sign -- NN3SI -- standing for Nation of Nations, Smithsonian Institution. The Commission later made the call sign allocation permanent. According to NN3SI volunteer Carl Lagoda, W3CL, a Special Event operation was planned for earlier this week, with certificates available to those who contacted NN3SI. DX Summit http://www.dxsummit.fi/ spotted NN3SI on 75, 40 and 20 meters SSB. NN3SI has been situated in several different exhibitions in the Museum; it was most recently housed in the former Information Age exhibit. This exhibit chronicled the birth and growth of the electronic information age -- from Samuel Morse's invention of a practical telegraph in the 1830s through the development of the telephone, radio, television and computer. The Museum has been closed since 2006 while undergoing a major renovation and is scheduled to reopen to the public this fall. The station participated in many special events throughout its history. During the dedication of the World War II Memorial on the National Mall, station operators made many contacts and taught children visiting the Museum how to spell their names in Morse code. Over the years, operators at NN3SI -- who hailed from the District of Columbia, Maryland and Virginia (and the occasional guest operators from various parts of the globe) -- have logged contacts with amateurs in all parts of the world and with astronauts and cosmonauts in orbit. By operating the station, NN3SI ops promoted Amateur Radio as a national resource for emergency communications, trained operators, technicians and engineers -- as well as an outstanding hobby -- to the more than 4 million people who visit the Museum each year. QSL via NN3SI, Smithsonian Institution, National Museum of American History, 17701 Bowie Mill Rd, Derwood, MD 20855 (ARRL email letter via Brock Whaley, HI WH6SZ, DXLD) KURRAJONG RADIO MUSEUM Offers visitors a nostalgic trip through the golden years of radio. The museum caters for individuals and groups of all ages and interests. You do not need to have any technical knowledge to enjoy this extremely comprehensive collection. All of the several hundred items are individually labelled for easy recognition. With well over 60 years of teaching experience between us we (the curators) will make your visit very rewarding. Presentations can be tailored to meet your group requirements. The museum is light and alive. The hundreds of exhibits include domestic, armed service, professional and commercial radios along with studio and transmission equipment. Multiple display boards trace the history of radio throughout the decades with particular relevance to the Australian scene. Try your hand at sending Morse code even to another person over our telegraph line. Check out the radio station control room and listen to a tape recorder that costs more than a car. Browse in the AWA Room to view the past achievements of a once great Australian company. View domestic radios from yesteryear, drive a teleprinter and see a ship's radio station with a very dark past. Listen to Australia work and play on short wave, stroll through one of the finest armed services radio collections on public display anywhere or just relax and take in the atmosphere of all the sounds and smells of the World of Radio [sic]. All at the Kurrajong Radio Museum, 842 Bells Line of Road, Kurrajong Hills 2758 [ergo: NSW], Phone 02 4573 0601, e-mail vk2zio @ yahoo.com.au open most Saturdays and Sundays 10 am to 5 pm and for weekday group visits by appointment. Adults $10, children $5 (ROBERT WILSON, Australia, August World DX Club Contact via DXLD) DIGITAL BROADCASTING IBOC: ALASKA. DRM: ECUADOR. DTV: USA/MEXICO ++++++++++++++++++++ RADIO EQUIPMENT FORUM NAUTEL TRANSMITTERS --- see ISRAEL +++++++++++++++++++++ PROPAGATION +++++++++++ SECOND SOLAR MINIMUM Posted Saturday August 2, 2008 on http://www.kn4lf.com/kn4lf5.htm : It appears that we are seeing a second minimum in solar cycle 23 and solar cycle 24 may not get underway in earnest until winter 2009. The below information is courtesy of Tad Cook K7RA- ....This brings us to our practice of presenting the average daily sunspotnumber for the past three months, then comparing it with a monthly 3-month moving average for the past couple of years. There were 92 days in May, June and July, and 70 out of those 92 days had no sunspots. This brings us back toward the low of 3 from last fall, centered on October. The average daily sunspot number for the last three months, centered on June, was just 3.7 Jun 06 28.9 Jul 06 23.3 Aug 06 23.5 Sep 06 21.2 Oct 06 24.1 Nov 06 23.1 Dec 06 27.3 Jan 07 22.7 Feb 07 18.5 Mar 07 11.2 Apr 07 12.2 May 07 15.8 Jun 07 18.7 Jul 07 15.4 Aug 07 10.2 Sep 07 5.4 Oct 07 3 Nov 07 6.9 Dec 07 8.1 Jan 08 8.5 Feb 08 8.4 Mar 08 8.4 Apr 08 8.9 May 08 5 Jun 08 3.7..... Take Care & God Bless, (Thomas F. Giella, Lakeland, FL, USA, Aug 3, KN4LF Daily Solar Space Weather & Geomagnetic Data Archive: http://www.kn4lf.com/kn4lf5.htm dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) ###