DX LISTENING DIGEST 9-018, February 27, 2009 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 1449 Sat 0900 IPAR/IRRS/NEXUS/IBA 9510 [exc first Sat] Sat 0900 WRMI 9955 Sat 1730 WWCR3 12160 Sun 0330 WWCR3 5070 Sun 0730 WWCR1 3215 Sun 0900 WRMI 9955 Sun 1615 WRMI 9955 Mon 0600 WRMI 9955 Mon 2300 WBCQ 7415 [confirmed Feb 9] Tue 1200 WRMI 9955 Tue 1630 WRMI 9955 Wed 0600 WRMI 9955 [or new 1450] Wed 1630 WRMI 9955 [or new 1450] WBCQ is also airing new or archive editions of WOR M-F 2000 on 7415 Latest edition of this schedule version, including AM, FM, satellite and webcasts with hotlinks to station sites and audio, is at: http://www.worldofradio.com/radioskd.html or http://schedule.worldofradio.org or http://sked.worldofradio.org For updates see our Anomaly Alert page: http://www.worldofradio.com/anomaly.html WRN ON DEMAND: http://new.wrn.org/listeners/stations/station.php?StationID=24 WORLD OF RADIO PODCASTS VIA WRN NOW AVAILABLE: http://podcast.worldofradio.org or http://www.wrn.org/listeners/stations/podcast.php OUR ONDEMAND AUDIO: http://www.worldofradio.com/audiomid.html or http://wor.worldofradio.org ** AFGHANISTAN. The remains of Radio Solh --- Over the past week I have been talking to various intel people and spooks who are here on base. I have been directed to this area of Kandahar where there is a fixed frequency dipole, roughly about ½ wave at 6700 kHz along with its ATU (antenna tuning unit). The picture attached does not show the antenna very well, but it is still there and in good condition. One of the fotos shows the sealed container where the transmitter lies and the transmission cable is buried underground. In the foreground of this picture is a communications satellite and I do not yet know if this is part of the Radio Solh operation. http://www.w4uvh.net/Sohlmuick1.jpg http://www.w4uvh.net/Sohlmuick2.jpg I am trying to find someone who may have keys or know who has the keys to the container so I can get a good shot of the transmitter. I will take better pictures of the antenna and ATU in the coming days for your publication use. Please bear with me as I have to work this in between setting up the internet service on base here. I’m working 14 hour days and am quite exhausted at the end of it. I have been told that the studios, etc., have already been dismantled and removed. Best 73, (Al Muick, Kandahar Air Base, Afghanistan, Feb 26, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** ALGERIA. 702 kHz, R. Algérienne, Al-Aghwat (Laghouat), 1116-1245, 23 Feb, local program, Arabic, chanting; 35433 but deteriorating and getting some QRM de France (Carlos Gonçalves, Portugal, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** ANDAMAN & NICOBAR ISLANDS. 4760, AIR Port Blair, 1443-1526, Feb 25. In vernacular; subcontinent music; program of indigenous chanting / singing; ToH local news. At 1512 switched over to programming from New Delhi. At 1512 became parallel with 9425. In the past I have often heard AIR Shillong (4970) also changing over to Delhi programming at 1512. Assume they start at this odd time to give them a chance to run some ads before the start of the news at 1515 (which was // 4775, 4880, [4970 AIR-Shillong had only a carrier on today, no audio heard] 4990, 5010 and 5040). Today’s reception was well above the norm (Ron Howard, Asilomar Beach, CA, Etón E1, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** ANGOLA. 945 kHz, RNA-Serviço Internacional, Mulenvos, 2311-2324, 21 Feb, vernaculars, African songs, pops; 23441, QRM de France (Carlos Gonçalves, Portugal, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** ARGENTINA. 11710.71, RAE, 0142-0147, Feb 28, tune-in to English DX Special program reading loggings from various sources. Gave full credit to dxld for logs used. Even heard my own name mentioned. Fair to good signal (Brian Alexander, PA, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** AUSTRALIA. 2310, VL8A, Alice Springs NT, 1939-2129*, 20 Feb, cf. 11 2325 VL8T & 2485 VL8K; 25342, but rated 35343 at 2110. 2325, VL8T, Tennant Creek NT, 1937-2129*, 20 Feb, English, weather report, pops, chatter, C&W, more chatter; 25332, then rated 35343 at 2110. 2485, VL8K, Katherine NT, 1937-2129*, 20 Feb, cf. \\ 2310 VL8A & 2325 VL8T, but later with a different program of phone-ins and chatter at 2100; 25342, but rated 35343 at 2110. 4835, VL8A, Alice Springs NT, *2130-2236, 20 Feb, English, announcements, ABC newscast until 2140, music, sports news prior to another ABC bulletin at 2230 that started without the usual orchestral jingle; 44433, CODAR QRM for some time. 4910, VL8T, Tennant Creek NT, *2130-2235, 20 Feb, cf. \\ 4835 & 5025 till end of news bulletins, then only VL8A 4835 was parallel to 4910. 5025, VL8K, Katherine NT, 2132-2239, 20 Feb, cf. \\ 4835 & 4910 till 2140, when aired some chatter, but all back in parallel later; 34433 via the K9AY antenna so as to decrease QRM from R. Rebelde, CUBA (Carlos Gonçalves, Portugal, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** AUSTRALIA. 12010, poor with RA news in English, Feb 25 at 2201. Seldom-heard frequency, at least by me; per Aoki it`s via Darwin at 22-24, 250 kW, 317 degrees (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** AUSTRALIA. Show About Radio Shows in Australia Hi, Sunday 1st March on ABC1 TV at noon on Landline. The promotion showed an episode of Blue Hills being recorded along with some shots of old radios. I assume it will turn up on http://abc.net.au at some time. Regards, (Wayne Bastow, Wyoming, NSW, Australia, 33 23' 44.29" South, 151 21' 11.99" East, Feb 28, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** BANGLADESH. 7250, Bangladesh Betar, *1229-1240, Feb 27, sign on with flute IS. Some local flute music & muffled talk at 1230. Fair level but modulation too weak to catch any further program details (Brian Alexander, PA, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** BIAFRA [non]. USA: Voice of Biafra via WHRI 15665 at 2000+ with usual talk. Moderate signal but clear. 27 Feb (Liz Cameron, MI, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** CANADA. CFRX 6069.97 at 2114 with talk program. Good signal strength 27 Feb. (Liz Cameron, MI, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** CANADA. CBC Northern Quebec is on frequency, 9625.00 at 2108 in Inuit with strong signal. 27 Feb (Liz Cameron, MI, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** CANADA. 6250, Sackville Spur, 0130-0140, Feb 28, weak leap-frogging spur. 6100-RCI in Spanish leapfrogging over 6175-Voice of Vietnam via Sackville, and landing on 6250 (Brian Alexander, PA, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** CANADA. KEEP CBC RADIO AD-FREE Comox Valley Echo, February 20, 2009 http://www.ottawacitizen.com/Keep+radio+free/1311073/story.html I speak for millions of Canadians who do not want advertising on CBC Radio. I don't even have a TV because the advertising is so repugnant to me. Advertising manipulate people into buying more than they need or can afford. It is shocking how many families owe thousands of dollars to credit card companies because of this manipulation. Everything we buy uses resources in its manufacture, and pollutes the environment in that process. We need to encourage people not to buy anything they don't really need. It is the government's responsibility to help people learn this, not to use the CBC to make it worse! In a call-in on CBC this morning for feedback from the public, every caller deplored having the advertising on CBC radio, and everyone I've spoken to is opposed to it. Furthermore, the Conservative government has made continual funding cuts in the CBC. CBC Radio binds Canada together. It's listened to all across the nation. The station has good background information on what's happening not only in Canada, but throughout the world. The public needs to know these things. CBC does the only investigative reporting, and has rendered the country an invaluable service by these means: the tainted blood scandal comes most readily to mind. Funding for the radio station should be increased. Ms. Betty Gidlof, Courtenay (via Ottawa Citizen via Kim Elliott, DXLD) ** CANADA. TORIES TALK TOUGH AS CBC SEEKS FINANCIAL HELP February 25, 2009 Cassandra Szklarski THE CANADIAN PRESS http://www.thestar.com/article/592977 The CBC already receives "substantial financing" from federal coffers, Finance Minister Jim Flaherty said today as the public broadcaster sought help from Ottawa to stave off cuts to staff and programming. The public broadcaster says it's in talks with the Heritage Department about the dire effects of a sinking economy, which it says will plunge the corporation into a deep deficit in 2009-2010. But Flaherty said the CBC already receives a significant amount of public money each year. "There's substantial financing for CBC in the budget – $1 billion," Flaherty said in a scrum with reporters in Ottawa. "And traditionally, in recent years, they've received an additional $60 million on top of the $1 billion." CBC president Hubert Lacroix has said that a $65-million advertising shortfall forced the corporation to draw from reserve funds to balance its books this fiscal year. But he said the outlook for next year is significantly worse and will require "decisive action in the coming months" that could involve cuts to programs and staff. A CBC spokesman said Wednesday that those decisions would be made by mid-March. "We anticipate ... that it's going to be a very difficult year," Jeff Keay said of 2009-2010. "Like every other media organization in the country, we're facing significant challenges and those challenges do in fact put programming, services and our own people at risk." Over at CTV, the private broadcaster said today that the economy was forcing it to close two of its television stations. CTV said A channel stations in the southern Ontario communities of Windsor and Wingham would be shuttered when their licences expire at the end of August and that closures in other communities may follow. Tough times were also in store for the CBC, Lacroix said in an internal memo to staff this week. "The combination of a severe slump in our commercial revenues, coupled with rising costs of production, is a menacing test that will demand some tough choices on our part," Lacroix writes in the memo, distributed Tuesday. "Tough choices that will affect, in one way or another, jobs, services and programs in our corporation. We are still working away at finalizing plans. Nothing has yet been determined." The comments follow several days of conflicting reports regarding the financial state of the CBC. While some critics suggest the CBC's current fiscal year will end in the red, Keay insists the corporation projects balanced books. The dire outlook comes after the corporation took the unusual step of buying broadcast rights to U.S. shows including "Jeopardy" and "Wheel of Fortune" last year, a move heavily criticized by the broadcast industry watchdog group Friends of Canadian Broadcasting. Keay said the investments were made to draw more viewers to the CBC and its Canadian programming. And while he says the game shows have delivered viewers, he admitted that an industry-wide advertising slump has mitigated those gains. "In the context of the falling advertising revenues, it's too soon to say, but the model is perfectly sound and valid," he said of the CBC's decision to invest in U.S. shows (via Dale Rothert, DXLD) And 7+ pages of comments including a lot of numbskulls bashing the CBC (gh, DXLD) Wonder how what's left of RCI will fare in this? (Dale Rothert, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** CANADA. LOOMING CUTS WOULD SHAKE CBC TO ITS CORE http://www.thestar.com/News/Canada/article/593930 The CBC may have to sell some of its assets in order to cope with the economic downturn, president Hubert Lacroix said Thursday, a day after the federal government suggested it wasn't willing to extend financial help to the public broadcaster. (Feb. 26, 2009) Chief sees cash crisis bringing asset sell-offs and more U.S. programs Feb 27, 2009 04:30 AM The CBC is facing major cost-saving measures "that would change the very nature of our service to Canadians" as it copes with its deepening financial crisis, the national broadcaster's president said yesterday. More ads, more American programming, selling or downgrading parts of its TV/radio services and consolidating local stations are all on the table, Hubert Lacroix said, admitting the measures would alter what Canadians are accustomed to seeing and hearing on the CBC's networks. "Nonetheless, these are some of the scenarios we are analyzing as we finalize our plans for our next fiscal year, which starts on April 1," Lacroix told a business-group luncheon in Toronto. A CBC spokesperson said after the speech that changes could mean anything from unloading Radio 3 to putting a website up for sale. Lacroix's scenarios would jeopardize the CBC's mandate of defining Canada to Canadians and are unlikely to produce more advertising, critics say. It "could lead to the end of the CBC," Steve Waddell, chief of the actors' union ACTRA, told the Star. Lacroix has requested a meeting with Conservative Prime Minister Stephen Harper to explain CBC management's options. He has already met with Heritage Minister James Moore, and has another meeting scheduled next week. His speech to broadcast industry executives and senior CBC staffers at the Empire Club of Canada yesterday follows revelations this week that the CBC, like other media organizations, is facing a budget shortfall this fiscal year because of a severe drop in advertising revenue. CBC insiders fear 600 or 700 layoffs in the coming year, and full- scale commercialization of English-language radio, which would bring an estimated $95 million in additional revenue. CBC will ask the federal government to authorize either a line of credit, to be repaid over a set period, or an advance on CBC's annual $1 billion annual appropriation to pay downsizing costs in 2009-2010, Lacroix confirmed yesterday. As a Crown corporation, the CBC has no access to private-sector financing. Referring to Finance Minister Jim Flaherty's recent assessment that the CBC already has "substantial financing" from the government, Lacroix said: "It's not about a handout. We are not begging for more money, or new money. "We are trying to manage ourselves out of the current economic mess. To do that, we need the co-operation of government." The cost-cutting options he outlined yesterday "would cost the government no more dollars than those they would normally invest in CBC-Radio Canada." Lacroix did not say how much the CBC wants to borrow or detail what downsizing measures management is considering. A dramatic media-wide advertising slump, combined with the global economic recession, has ravaged the Canadian broadcasting industry. Private television networks have made substantial layoffs. CTV eliminated 105 jobs in November, while rival Canwest cut 560 in the same month, including 210 at its broadcasting divisions. The CBC, with 100 per cent Canadian prime-time content, is facing a $65 million – or 7 per cent – shortfall in advertising revenue this year, despite increases in audience shares for both English and French TV services. "More American programs on CBC-TV and commercials on CBC Radio won't help to define it as Canada's national public broadcaster," ACTRA's Waddell told the Star. "If the changes Mr. Lacroix envisages are made, there'll be no distinction between public and private broadcasting operations in this country. His scenario could lead to the end of the CBC. He's going down the wrong road." Ian Morrison, spokesperson for the broadcast industry watchdog group Friends of Canadian Broadcasting, said he doubts Canadian taxpayers would be willing to pay for a public broadcaster that carries American TV shows and commercialized radio. The Canadian Film and Television Production Association, which represents 400 Canadian film, television and interactive media companies, has a strong partnership with the CBC and is committed to long-term stable funding of the public broadcaster, national executive vice-president John Barrack said. "We don't want to see the CBC undermined or torn down in haste. More American programming won't help Canada's public broadcaster. We look to all parties to support stable funding for the CBC." Lise Lareau, president of the Canadian Media Guild, said the economy has left Lacroix with little wiggle room. "I really hate to see the nation's public broadcaster ... being affected by partisan politics at a time where Canada needs both solid information, and information from communities across the country, and jobs in communities across the country." With files from The Canadian Press (The Star via Anthony Markewicz, MB, and via Fred Waterer, ON, dxldyg via DXLD) Glenn: Also CTV will not renew the licence for CKX-TV in Brandon, MB and their rebroadcasters in April unless they get a buyer. Too costly for them to upgrade to digital and about 40 individuals will be losing their jobs. CKX was the affiliate for CBC in Western Manitoba (Anthony in Winnipeg, Feb 27, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Viz.: ** CANADA. CTV SHUTTING DOWN CHWI AND CKNX - BOTH A STATIONS CTV Inc. has announced that, given the ongoing structural problems facing the conventional television sector in Canada and the current global economic crisis, it will not be applying for renewal of the CKNX-TV Wingham (43 years on the air) and CHWI-TV Wheatley licences (and its rebroadcaster in Windsor)/Detroit.. "This decision was difficult but necessary. The traditional economic model for Canadian television is broken. The financial pressures facing our conventional television operations are further compounded by the Commission's decision to turn down requests to implement a fee- for-carriage regime for local television in October 2008," said Paul Sparkes, Executive Vice-President, Corporate Affairs, CTVglobemedia. "Unfortunately, we may need to consider similar actions in other local markets given the current regulatory framework." These stations, which operate under the 'A' brand, offer a diverse schedule of entertainment and local news. As a result of today's announcement, the communities of Wingham and Windsor will no longer be provided with their own distinctive local programming. News related to the broader Southwestern Ontario region will be provided through 'A' London. The CKNX-TV Wingham and CHWI-TV Wheatley licences will expire at the end of August 2009 (via Markewicz, DXLD) CTV CLOSING TV STATIONS IN SW ONTARIO From CBC news (see link below) CTV Globemedia is allowing their licenses for CKNX in Wingham, ON and CHWI in Wheatley, ON to expire along with a rebroadcaster in Windsor. CHNX is one of the oldest TV stations in the country. Stan Cepukas, a former ODXA member, used to work there. http://www.cbc.ca/canada/toronto/story/2009/02/25/ctvstatsions.html (Mark Coady, Feb 25, ODXA yg via DXLD) They have also put CKX TV in Brandon Manitoba up for sale at $1. Seems to be an issue with the Millions needed to convert to digital in a few years. CKX has been a fixture in Brandon since the early 50's (Mick Delmage, Sherwood Park, Alberta, ibid.) ** CANADA [and non]. CJAM FM 91.5 is in peril Thursday, February 26, 2009 Susan Whitall: Radio http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20090226/OPINION03/902260324 Signal interference endangers CJAM-FM O, Canada --- we love your shops, casino and cool accent; you like our big-box discount stores and cheaper liquor prices, eh? Detroit and Windsor also swap radio signals, adding an international flavor to our cultural mix. But it also leads to problems like what is happening to Windsor community radio station CJAM-FM (91.5). CJAM's license was in danger because its signal is interfering with Michigan Public Radio 's WUOM- FM (91.7) in Ann Arbor, and now a Christian station, SMILE-FM may start broadcasting from China Township (near Port Huron) on 91.5 FM. CJAM had been airing an eclectic mix of alternative rock, world music and public affairs shows from the University of Windsor since the late '70s. Over the years, it was allowed to increase to 500 watts by agreeing to keep its classification as a non-protected, low-wattage station. Under Canadian rules, "non-protected" means any station can come along and grab the frequency. Recently, CBC Radio informed CJAM that it was going to take 91.5 FM. The CBC engineers helpfully pointed out that CJAM could move to 99.1 FM without getting in anyone's way. The CBC withdrew its application, but that wasn't the end of the problem. The FCC resisted allowing CJAM to claim 91.5 permanently because its signal is too close to WUOM at 91.7. In border cities, the FCC and the CRTC (Canadian Radio-television Telecommunications Commission) have to play nice with each other. Allowing SMILE-FM to use 91.5 out on the eastern edge of southeastern Michigan would also crowd CJAM out. According to CJAM station manager Adam Fox , all is not lost. CJAM can stay on the air if the CRTC allows it to switch to the 99.1 FM frequency, and it looks good. "It's now open for public comment, so folks should let them know that they support the move to a new signal," Fox said. "It would be a full Class A, protected radio station then and we wouldn't have to go through this again." Fox encourages American listeners to contact the CRTC as well. "They care what people think, although of course they care the most about Canadian taxpayers," Fox said. "But our American listeners are really important to us." Currently, CJAM can be heard in Detroit, with the right weather conditions as far out as Royal Oak. If it moves to 99.1, most of Detroit's suburbs could hear its signal every day. Listeners in support of CJAM's move may contact the CRTC at its Web site at http://www.crtc.gc.ca/eng/archive/2009/2009-41.htm by fax at (819) 994-0218, or by conventional mail to: CRTC, Ottawa, Ontario K1A 0N2 (via Kevin Redding, ABDX via DXLD) This article was far less informed, technologically speaking, than most of the "high-definition radio" articles that get certain parties around here all stirred up. Here's the deal: for reasons known only to CJAM and the Canadian authorities (*NOT* the CRTC, but Industry Canada, the separate agency that regulates technical issues related to Canadian broadcasting), CJAM has been operating at 500 watts but has been reported internationally *by Canada* to the FCC as a 50-watt class D facility. When the FCC wanted to grant the CP for 91.5 in China Township, it had to get Canadian concurrence, as it does for all border broadcasters. Industry Canada signed off on the new China Township signal. Which is to say that it's kinda CJAM's own fault that it ended up in this pickle. And I think what's really happening here is that CJAM is trying to paint itself as being in some kind of a bind caused by "the big, bad FCC" in order to get public support for its application to move to 99.1. From what I can see, that 99.1 app is nearly a slam-dunk anyway, so CJAM really isn't in any peril of any sort. But they got someone to put their call letters in the newspaper, and they even got the calls right, and that's how the game is played, right? s (Scott Fybush, ABDX via DXLD) ** CANADA [non]. Listening to KRKO 1380, Sat night at midnight, heard official announcement of KRKO's transmitter start up and power boost complete with Canadian national anthem before American anthem and Short transmitter history with power and location info. This is the station's fourth power boost and tower site change since 1922.The current signal here now is hashy on adjacents and is not quite local daytime but after sunset boost comes in without background noise here in Vic. But will "wave" slightly and the audio sounds like surf coming in on a beach??????? (Bill Kral, BC, Feb 24, IRCA via DXLD) 107 question marx replaced by only 7 here, if you don`t mind (gh) ** CHAD. 4905, R. Nationale Tchadienne, Gredia, 1534-1802, 22 Feb, French, sports bulletin, ..., Arabic program at 1700; it's not usual to find them here this early; 35443. 6165 ditto, 1008-1315, 21 Feb, Vernacular, talks, tribal songs, French, news at 1300, vernacular again at 1400; 25342 except 1100-1130 during which RNW in Castilian via Bonaire causes some QRM (Carlos Gonçalves, Portugal, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** CHINA [and non]. /TAIWAN. Notes of some stations in the 14-15 UT slot on Feb 24th. 9450 kHz, CRI Russian service from SZG as usual, but also another 2nd pop music station ahead. Seemingly either Taiwanese "Xi Wang Zhi Sheng" SOH sound of hope clandestine station - or accompanied China mainland music jammer (Wolfgang Büschel, Germany, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) see also MANCHURIA ** COLOMBIA. 6034.98, LV [del] Guaviare, 0240-0303*, Feb 28, romantic ballads. Spanish announcements. IDs. Sign off with National Anthem. Fair level but poor overall signal with adjacent channel splatter from 6040-Vatican Radio via Sackville & unidentified noise from 6030. Reception much better prior to 0230 (Brian Alexander, PA, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** CONGO DR. 5066.33v, 18/02 0417-0420, Tele Radio Candip, Bunia, Congo [sic]. Low Modulation, French Talks. Suff Boc15 (Giampiero Bernardini, Milano, Italy, Dx-Nights Bocca Di Magra (La Spezia) 44 02,70' N - 09 59,40' E with Dario Monferini, Feb 26, Receivers : AOR 7030, Perseus PC, SDR-IQ, RF pace SDR-14, CiaoRadio H101, Winradio G33EM, Degen 1103 (FM filters 80 + 110 kHz), ATS 909 Sangean (FM filters 80 + 110 kHz), pocket Grundig G6; Antenna: Wellbrook LFL 1010; My Short Wave blog: http://radiodxsw.blogspot.com/ dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** CONGO DR. Sent an e-mail to R. Kahuzi [6210] just on the outside chance they might respond on 26 Feb. Was surprised to get a response from Barbara (Smith) the next day saying to send an MP3 and they'd be able to tell if it was R. Kahuzi I heard. Of course I whipped off a report with MP3 from an 26 Oct. 2007 reception right away!! After a few hours, got another reply from Barbara at BESI saying that it was indeed R. Kahuzi I heard/recorded!! Turns out her and brother Richard McDonald and her husband all grew up in nearby Clearfield county!! Will follow up with an e-mail to Richard and see if I can gather any info. (27 Feb.) 73 (Dave Valko, Dunlo, PA, USA, NRD-535D and T2FD, Cumbre DX via DXLD) ** CUBA [and non]. Dentro-Cuban Jamming Command with a different sound than usual against R. Martí, 7405, Feb 25 at 2234. Carriers putting out warbling, almost musical pulses, from 1 or 2 kHz on the low side, but also bothering Radio Bulgaria in English on 7400 --- why should the Cubans care about those ex-Commies? The same type of jamming heard on 9955, Feb 26 at 1411, allowing bits of WRMI to be audible, as well as some weak grindjamming too (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** DESECHEO. K5D will be running three stations today as preparations are made to leave, and closing down at local dawn on Thursday (Steve Lare, Holland, MI, USA, Feb 25, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) So it`s history now (gh, Feb 27) Also see the note here about QSLing - http://69.89.25.185/~trexsoft/t-rexsoftware.com/desecheo/qsls.htm http://69.89.25.185/~trexsoft/t-rexsoftware.com/desecheo/news.htm February 26, 2009 --- And so... it's over.. The K5D 2009 Desecheo Island DXpedition is in the history books. Every one of our goals was exceeded; most significantly, the number of QSOs. Total Qs: 115,728! Because our Special Use Permit (SUP) expires today, and because of the size/complexity of the infrastructure to dismantle, we decided to use helicopters to clear the island. Flights began at 1100Z and will continue until all gear and personnel are safely back in Puerto Rico. Return here to our website for final photos and operations statistics later today or tonight. Thanks to all who worked and helped us; we think we've driven KP5 Desecheo to near the bottom of the "most wanted" list! (DX-NEWS via I.C.P.O. Bulletin February 26 - March 06, 2009, via editor Dave Raycroft, ODXA yg via DXLD) ** EQUATORIAL GUINEA. 5005, RNGE/"R. Bata", Bata, 1852-1910, 22 Feb, vernacular but mostly Castilian, music dedications program, then religious propaganda program La Senda de Vida (I'm not sure whether I got the name correctly) at around 1900; 45433 (Carlos Gonçalves, Portugal, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** ETHIOPIA. Today in Radio History - Feb 26th --- This item came across my computer screen this morning ... ``Feb. 26th, 1963 - The Lutheran World Federation's missionary radio station at Addis Ababa, in Ethiopia, was dedicated.`` I've done some minimal Googling, but cannot find any references to the station. Does anybody know which station this is referencing? I first thought of ELWA because of the call letters (E-LW-A, "LW" referring to Lutheran World), but I was way off. ELWA was a missionary radio station in Monrovia, Liberia. DX'ers, get those brain juices bubbling! 73, (Steve N5WBI Ponder, Houston TX, ABDX via DXLD) It was ETLF Radio Voice of the Gospel. The transmitter site was at Geja Jawe (outside of Addis Ababa), the same site that R Ethiopia now uses. I suppose that the government appropriated the facility after the revolution that deposed (and murdered) Haile Selassie (Jerry Lenamon, Waco, ibid.) Viz.: ** ETHIOPIA. 5989.48, 18/02 0408-0415, R. Ethiopia, Addis Ababa. Afro corn [horn?] sounds. Good Boc15 (Giampiero Bernardini, Milano, Italy, Dx-Nights Bocca Di Magra (La Spezia) 44 02,70' N - 09 59,40' E with Dario Monferini, Feb 26, Receivers : AOR 7030, Perseus PC, SDR-IQ, RF pace SDR-14, CiaoRadio H101,Winradio G33EM, Degen 1103 (FM filters 80 + 110 kHz), ATS 909 Sangean (FM filters 80 + 110 kHz), pocket Grundig G6; Antenna: Wellbrook LFL 1010; My Short Wave blog: http://radiodxsw.blogspot.com/ dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) After RA SHP close down on 9560.00 kHz at 1400 UT noted an odd carrier like 9559.91 Feb 24, or 9559.83 kHz on Feb 26th, probably from Ethiopia (Wolfgang Büschel, Germany, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** ETHIOPIA. 6110, Radio Fana, Addis Ababa, *0257-0400, Feb 28, sign on with IS. Opening ID announcement at 0300 & into lite jazz music. Amharic talk. Horn of Africa music. Covered by Albania at *0327-0357*. And covered by the BBC at their 0400 sign on. Good signal prior to 0327. No //s heard. Checked all of the usual 6889, 7210-7220 frequencies but no //s found (Brian Alexander, PA, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** EUROPE. EUROPirates 1385.8, UNID Greek, 2211-, 20 Feb, Greek songs; 35443. 1628.9, UNID Greek, 2114-, 20 Feb, Greek songs; 45343. 1700, UNID Greek, 2111-, 20 Feb, Greek songs, talks; 45343. 1730, UNID Greek, 1934-, 21 Feb, talks, Greek tunes; 45433. 1745.9, UNID Greek, 1938-, 21 Feb, pops, talks; 35443. 3236, UNID Greek, 2345-, 22 Feb, Greek songs; 35332; Harmonic 1618. 3244.5, UNID Greek, 2252-, 21 Feb, talk, Greek music; 15331; Harmonic of 1622.25. 3278, UNID Greek, 2238-, 20 Feb, Greek songs; Harmonic 1639; 25332. 6880, R. Playback International, site?, 1833-..., 22 Feb, English, pops; 45444, sporadic utility QRM (Carlos Gonçalves, Portugal, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) PIRATE. 6880, Radio Playback Int, 2315-2345+, Feb 27, pop ballads. Announcements. Poor. Weak in noisy conditions (Brian Alexander, PA, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** FALKLAND ISLANDS. Re: ``Very pleasant mailbox surprise on Monday, January 12, 2009. A QSL for the FIBS reports of 1983 and 1987... To see the QSL please visit my site, http://www.kg4lac.com and click the now active Falkland Island link on the left. Ms. Bishop tells me these cards are rare and only a few have been sent out. Only took about half my life, but worth it! 73, (Kraig, KG4LAC, Krist, > Manassas, >Virginia, USA, Jan 15, 2009, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) Just checked the site whilst preparing my monthly World DX Club column. Interesting that you heard them on 3958; I had forgotten that they used that frequency. I can remember occasionally hearing them tentatively on 2370, along with other UK DX'ers, but there was always so little audio it was impossible to send them a reception report. I found an interesting webpage online "The Famous Falkland DX Sessions" about the Three Mile Island DX Association in Pennsylvania in the late 70's, photographs and a recording of FIBS on 2370 as well as the QSL, which is a different one. It's part of Brett Saylor's website which has lots of other DX material and recordings. http://www.personal.psu.edu/faculty/b/d/bds2/swl.html (Mike Barraclough, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** FAROE ISLANDS. 531 kHz, Kringvarp Føroya Útvarpið, Akraberg, 2217- 2238, 17 Feb, jazz program still on at 11 PM, no break; 33442, QRM de Spain. No speech or ID heard, but confirmed by checking against their webpage (Carlos Gonçalves, Portugal, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** FRANCE. LES SALARIÉS DE RFI SONT TOUJOURS MOBILISÉS CONTRE LE PLAN SOCIAL --- LE MONDE 24.02.09 16h09 • Mis à jour le 25.02.09 | 15h52 C'est l'attente à Radio France Internationale (RFI). Depuis l'annonce d'un "plan de modernisation", début janvier, qui prévoit la suppression de 206 postes, sur plus d'un millier de salariés, et la fin de l'émission en six langues (allemand, albanais, polonais, serbo- croate, turc et laotien), les personnels de la radio multiplient les initiatives pour ne pas se faire oublier. "Nous essayons de continuer à travailler normalement face à une direction qui veut passer en force. La modernité ne signifie pas être chômeur", dit Elisa Drago, déléguée SNJ-CGT au comité d'entreprise qui, avec ses collègues, a refusé de signer un "accord de méthode" sur une éventuelle procédure de licenciements. . . http://www.lemonde.fr/actualite-medias/article/2009/02/24/les-salaries-de-rfi-sont-toujours-mobilises-contre-le-plan-social_1159694_3236.html (via Mike Cooper, GA, DXLD) ** GERMANY. MV Baltic Radio is on this Sunday --- On the 1st of March 2009 at 1300 UT on 6140 kHz, MV Baltic Radio is on the air from the transmitting station in Wertachtal Germany. We will be using a non- directional antenna system (Quadrant antenna). New time slot of MV Baltic Radio for summertime 2009: From April to October 2009 Time 09 to 10 UT (11 to 12 CEST) Channel 6140 kHz. Good Listening 73s (Tom Taylor, Feb 27, HCDX via DXLD) ** GIBRALTAR. 1458, R. Gibraltar, Wellington Front, 1316-1347, 15 Feb, English, oldies menu; 35332. The channel was partly dominated by Sunrise R, London, shortly after the end of the observation (Carlos Gonçalves, Portugal, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** GREENLAND. 3815, *2058-2212* 17+21+22.02, KNR, Tasiilaq (USB) Greenlandic announcement (language definitely identified!), local pop songs, 2130:30 KNR news jingle and news in Greenlandic, 2147 KNR news jingle again, more pop songs, announcement[s], 2200 KNR news jingle and news in Danish about the economical situation on Greenland, interview. 25333 except *2141-2142* Netcall from Russian airports. KNR much weaker on 22.02: 14221, CWQRM. Best 73, (Anker Petersen, from Skovlunde on my AOR AR7030PLUS with 28 metres of longwire, via Dario Monferini, playdx yg via DXLD) ** GUATEMALA. I meant to point it out in time, but Radio Verdad, Guatemala`s ninth anniversary was February 25. Still no sign of their coming back on the air on 4052.5. I`m sure Dr. Edgar Amilcar Madrid is sad to be passing another anniversary without being able to broadcast on SW, altho I was able to connect to the low-quality stream, mentioning their 9th anniversary at 1509 UT. And a local celebration Saturday the 28th at 4 pm on the campus in Chiquimula. If you have ever heard or QSLed Radio Verdad, you might send him a greeting. Contact info is at http://www.radioverdad.org At 1512 cooking show, Todos a Cocinar, with Scott Joplin theme music (Glenn Hauser, Feb 26, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** GUINEA-Conakry. 1386.2, R. Rurale, Labé, 2218-2245, 22 Feb, vernacular, announcements being repeated twice after a jingle, tribal songs, talks; 55444, good modulation. This was absent for quite some time (Carlos Gonçalves, Portugal, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** ICELAND. 207 kHz, RÚV, Eiðar, 0833-1120, 10 Feb, light music, newscast at 0900, talks; 25332, then at 1200 Morocco finally activated Azilal (Carlos Gonçalves, Portugal, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** INDIA [and non]. DRM transmission from France to New Delhi --- Just received this message from TDF regarding change of frequency --- Due to propagation conditions more difficult than expected on F=21620 kHz, the DRM transmission from Issoudun - France to BES_New Delhi - India will use the following frequencies on Wednesday 25 February 09 : F = 17570 kHz from 0830 to 1159 UT F = 15530 kHz from 1200 to 1300 UT Thank you for any report (via Alokesh Gupta, New Delhi, Feb 24, dx_india yg via DXLD) Today's DRM log All India radio, Khampur - 6100 kHz 0435 UTC SNR 24.6 Good reception BBC/DW 12055 kHz 0500 UTC SNR 26.3 - no audio,only text ---- (C. K. Raman, VU3DJQ, New Delhi, India, via Gupta, ibid.) ** INDIA [and non]. New 4800.01, 1950-2000 23.02, AIR Hyderabad Hindi (presumed) speech and singing in a special All-Night broadcast, from *1955 QRM from Voice of China, Ge'ermu signing on with Chinese folkmusic, IS and ID in Mandarin 53443. Best 73, (Anker Petersen, from Skovlunde on my AOR AR7030PLUS with 28 metres of longwire, via Dario Monferini, playdx yg via DXLD) 4800 is not new for Hyderabad, as listed in WRTH 2009, etc. Does he mean 4800.01 makes it ``new`` or being on late makes it `new`?? (gh) ** INDIA. 4700, AIR, 1536-1549, Feb 27. Which site was this? Heard with the usual segment of “News at Nine”, with ads in assume Hindi and news in English; followed by another Hindi ad; program “Spotlight” in English with dialogue about Pakistan and the Mumbai terrorist attack; weak, but clearly // 9425. Assume this is just another case of AIR being off-frequency (Ron Howard, Asilomar Beach, CA, Etón E1, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** INDONESIA. 9525.00v, Voice of Indonesia, 1310 + 1410, Feb 25. Off-the-air today. More evidence of a new transmitter? (Ron Howard, Asilomar Beach, CA, Etón E1, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) VOI, which was on 9525.0 instead of 9525.9 the day before, was totally missing Feb 25 at 1343 and 1444 checks --- not even a carrier on either frequency, nor anything on 11785v; what next? [Next:] Since VOI had shifted to 9525.0 on February 24, and was missing Feb. 25, I looked for it again on Feb 26 at 1400. At first I thought it was still missing, but there was a very weak signal on 9525.0, which at 1402 I could recognize as VOI, starting, rather than ending English at this time with usual YL announcer, contact info. 1403 news. So has this English transmission been permanently shifted an hour later as well as 900 Hz lower, and maybe to a less favorable antenna? Only time will tell. Here`s what`s next for VOI. After shifting from 9525.9 to 9525.0, missing a day, and English at 1400 instead of 1300 --- On Feb 27, zero again on 9525.0 and 9525.9, so I check their other frequency and there it is – on 11785.0, good signal at 1350 with Indonesian songs, 1356 YL announcement, and at 1359 concluding English hour which then was back to its former time starting at 1300. After some dead air, 1401 opening Malay, 1402 drops off the air for a moment; carrier comes back on and then the modulation gets interrupted briefly. When on, good signal but with own hum; no het or other QRM. 1510 recheck seemed to be off, but by then my noisy computer was on. As happened the last time VOI used 11785 last year at these hours, it will be blown away on Saturday and Sunday by WHRI with Hmong Lao Radio at 14-15, and I believe WHRI is also on before 1400, weekends only (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** INTERNATIONAL. Ona curta amb música --- Us faig arribar una nova edició dels meus llistats de programes. Cordials salutacions. L´ONA CURTA AMB MUSICA Nº 47 02/09 FEBRUARY 2009 DISSABTE-SATURDAY 0000 MYSTERY R. -EMISSIONS IRREGULARS, RELAY OCASIONAL D'ALTRES RR.LL- 6220 0000 PLAYBACK INTL -HORARI IRREGULAR- 6878v-6800v 0900 R. JOYSTICK (1er DISSABTE DE MES) 9510 1030 BBC WS AF "CHARLIE GILLETT'S WORLD OF MUSIC" (REP 2230) 15400 1330 VOICE OF NIGERIA "TIME FOR HIGHLIFE" 9690 1805 VOICE OF NIGERIA "AFRICAN SAFARI" 15120 1930 VOICE OF NIGERIA "TIME FOR HIGHLIFE" -REPETICIò- 15120 2000 VOA AFRICA "MUSIC TIME IN AFRICA" 6080 DIUMENGE-SUNDAY 0000 MYSTERY R. -EMISSIONS IRREGULARS, RELAY OCASIONAL D'ALTRES RR.LL- 6220 0000 PLAYBACK INTL -HORARI IRREGULAR- 6878v-6800v 0910 AFRICA Nº 1 "MANU DIBANGO SUR AFRICA Nº 1" 17630 [sic; off air] 1300 MV BALTIC RADIO -1er DIUMENGE DE MES- 6140 1300 R. BLUESTAR -2n DIUMENGE DE MES- 6140 1300 EUROPEAN MUSIC R. -3er DIUMENGE DE MES- 6140 1300 R. GLORIA INTL -4rt DIUMENGE DE MES- 6140 2000 VOA AFRICA "MUSIC TIME IN AFRICA" 6080 DILLUNS-MONDAY 1040 RFI AFRIQUE "MUSIQUES DU MONDE" (DILLUNS A DIJOUS) 15300 1540 RFI AFRIQUE "COULEURS TROPICALES" (DILLUNS A DIVENDRES) 15300 1710 AFRICA Nº 1 "KILIMANDJARO" (DILLUNS A DIVENDRES) 15475 [off air] 1815 RTBF "LE MONDE EST UN VILLAGE" (DILLUNS A DIVENDRES) 9970 2000 VOA AFRICA "AFRICAN BEAT" (DILLUNS A DIVENDRES) 6080 2105 VOA "AMERICAN GOLD" 6080 2100 RFI AFRIQUE "COULEURS TROPICALES" (DILLUNS A DIVENDRES) 6175 2130 THE MIGHTY KBC (DILLUNS A DIUMENGE) 6055 DIMARTS-TUESDAY 2105 VOA "ROOTS & BRANCHES" 6080 DIMECRES-WEDNESDAY 1130 VOICE OF NIGERIA "TIME FOR HIGHLIFE" 9690 1820 R. TAIPEI INTL "JADE BELLS & BAMBOO PIPES" (REP 2220) 3965 2100 WWCR "INTO THE BLUE" 12160 2105 VOA "CLASSIC ROCK SHOW" 6080 DIJOUS-THURSDAY 2100 WWCR "ROCK THE UNIVERSE" 15825 DIVENDRES-FRIDAY 1040 RFI AFRIQUE "L'éPOPéE DES MUSIQUES NOIRES" 15300 1930 VOICE OF NIGERIA "NIGERIAN POPULAR MUSIC" 15120 DIES I HORES UTC. PROGRAMES QUE ES PODEN CAPTAR A EUROPA VIA SATéLLIT A MéS DE LES FREQUéNCIES RECOMANADES, ELS GRANS SERVEIS INTERNACIONALS COM LA VOA, BBC, RFI, ETC FAN SERVIR ALTRES FREQUéNCIES EN PARALLEL; PER A MéS INFORMACIò CONSULTEU LLISTATS, REVISTES, INTERNET, ETC. ALGUNS DELS PROGRAMES ES PODEN ESCOLTAR ALS WEBS D'AQUESTES EMISSORES EN DIRECTE O DESCARREGAR EN ARXIUS MP3. LA SELECCIò DE PROGRAMES éS TOTALMENT PERSONAL I SUBJECTIVA (Rafael Martínez, via Dario Monferini, Feb 25, playdx yg via DXLD) ** INTERNATIONAL WATERS. Release dates for "The Boat That Rocked This film drama about a fictitious offshore radio station in the 1960s goes on worldwide [sic] release on the following dates: UK 3 April 2009 Australia 9 April 2009 Germany 16 April 2009 Netherlands 16 April 2009 Austria 17 April 2009 Denmark 17 April 2009 Finland 17 April 2009 Norway 17 April 2009 Sweden 17 April 2009 Belgium 22 April 2009 France 22 April 2009 Russia 30 April 2009 Argentina 28 May 2009 Brazil 29 May 2009 Spain 29 May 2009 Turkey 19 June 2009 Also Known As: Merirosvoradio Finland Radio Encubierta Spain Radio Rock Revolution Austria (dubbed version) http://www.imdb.com:80/title/tt1131729/releaseinfo Described as "A period comedy about an illegal radio station in the North Sea in the 1960s." (via Mike Terry, dxldyg via DXLD) They must think no one in Canada or the US would be interested. No more than North Americans could possibly be interested in a film about a guy from Mumbai. Either that or Tom Cruise isn't in the cast (Fred Waterer, Ont., who was cheering for the Martians halfway through War of the Worlds, ibid.) It`s already being trailed in the USA, but apparently held for later release (Glenn Hauser, DXLD) Second, and longer, trailer now at: http://www.imdb.com/video/imdb/vi34800409/ (Mike Barraclough, dxldyg via DXLD) RADIO CAROLINE TO BROADCAST BOAT THAT ROCKED EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW Radio Caroline's Breakfast jock Tony Paul caught up with actor Bill Nighy recently in Hollywood and persuaded him to give Radio Caroline listeners the inside scoop in his upcoming movie The Boat That Rocked. Bill, who plays the owner of a pirate radio station, spoke exclusively to Tony about making the film and about his fond memories growing up in the south of England listening to Radio Caroline. Nighy, the star of Love, Actually, The Pirates of the Caribbean, and The Girl in the Café, is an avid rock fan and talks with Tony about his favorite bands and the indulgence rock and roll has had on his life. The Boat That Rocked is written and directed by Richard Curtis (Four Weddings and A Funeral, Notting Hill, Love Actually) and also stars Rhys Ifans, Kenneth Branagh, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Jack Davenport, Nick Frost, and Emma Thompson. It is inspired by the Radio Caroline story and parts of the studio on the radio ship Ross Revenge were used to re-create the pirate ship. Ex-Caroline man Johnnie Walker acted as adviser during filming. Tony Paul's world exclusive interview with Bill Nighy will be broadcast on the Radio Caroline Breakfast show, between 0700 and 0900 UT, all next week starting Monday 2 March. Radio Caroline is on Sky Channel 0199, can be added as an extra satellite channel on Freesat or is available via the web at: http://radiocaroline.servemp3.com/ (Media Network via Mike Barraclough, UK, Feb 25, worlddxclub yg via DXLD) ** IRAN [non]. As I was looking for Syria on 9330, Feb 25 at 2129 --- nothing, noticed 9335, in unID language I was trying to figure out, but off abruptly at 2130* without ID. Only thing that fits per Aoki is R. Farda via Sri Lanka at 1900-2130, 250 kW, 344 degrees. I see that Harold Frodge, MI, was listening to this at exactly the same time and came to the same conclusion. Obviously the studio and transmitter make no effort to coördinate openings and closings (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) SRI LANKA: 9335, Radio Farda (presumed); 2126-2130*, 25 Feb; M in LL [unknown language, surely Persian] taking phone call; off abruptly in mid-commentary after call. No ID, which they usually do often. SIO = 453+ (Harold Frodge, Midland MI, USA, Drake R8B + 125 ft. bow-tie; 85 ft. RW & 180 ft. center-fed RW, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** KOREA NORTH [non]. 5910, Shiokaze/Sea Breeze, Feb 25 opening at 1400 with piano music, then YL in heavily accented English, ``from Tokyo Japan``, and giving contact addresses ``if you have any information`` about the abductees. Poor signal today, but presumably stayed in English this semi-hour on Wednesday. No jamming audible (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** KOREA NORTH [non]. ARMENIA, 7530, Radio Free North Korea, Yerevan- Gavar, 1920-1925, escuchada el 27 de febrero en coreano a locutora con entrevista a invitado; se aprecia conversación distendida con alguna risa, SINPO 24432. 7550, Open Radio North Korea, Yerevan-Gabar, 2115-2118, escuchada el 27 de febrero en coreano a locutora con comentarios, música de sintonía, musiquita muy pegadiza, locutor con comentarios, SINPO 24322 (José Miguel Romero, Burjasot (Valencia), España, Sangean ATS 909, Antena Radio Master A-108, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** KOREA NORTH [non]. AUSTRALIA, 9880, JCI, Furusato no Kaze in Japanese, S=7 signal, deep fades noted 1430-1500 Feb 24. From CVC Darwin relay site (Wolfgang Büschel, Germany, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** KURDISTAN [non]. UCRANIA, 7540, Dengue Mezopotamya, 1925-1932, escuchada el 27 de febrero en idioma kurdo, emisión de música pop melódica interpretada por una cantante con coros, locutora con comentarios, cánticos étnicos con coros sin música, SINPO 45544 (José Miguel Romero, Burjasot (Valencia), España, Sangean ATS 909, Antena Radio Master A-108, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** MADAGASCAR. 5010.9v, 15+18+19/02 1756-1915*v Radio TV Malagasy, Malagascian and talks, ID, news, folk music sounds Like Tahitian. Suff/Good Boc15 (Giampiero Bernardini, Milano, Italy, Dx-Nights Bocca Di Magra (La Spezia) 44 02,70' N - 09 59,40' E with Dario Monferini, Feb 26, Receivers : AOR 7030, Perseus PC, SDR-IQ, RF pace SDR-14, CiaoRadio H101, Winradio G33EM, Degen 1103 (FM filters 80 + 110 kHz), ATS 909 Sangean (FM filters 80 + 110 kHz), pocket Grundig G6; Antenna: Wellbrook LFL 1010; My Short Wave blog: http://radiodxsw.blogspot.com/ dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) Madagascar was originally settled by Polynesian humans IIRC (gh, DXLD) ** MALAYSIA. MALAYSIA TO ALLOW CHRISTIANS TO USE 'ALLAH' --- see LANGUAGE LESSONS, below. That sure is generous of them (gh) ** MALAYSIA. 7295, 15/02 1520-1530, Radio Traxxx FM, heavy metal & punk sounds, mad DJ, Jingles, IDs. Heard also with pocket Grundig G6. Suff/Good Boc15 (Giampiero Bernardini, Milano, Italy, Dx-Nights Bocca Di Magra (La Spezia) 44 02,70' N - 09 59,40' E with Dario Monferini, Feb 26, Receivers : AOR 7030, Perseus PC, SDR-IQ, RF pace SDR-14, CiaoRadio H101, Winradio G33EM, Degen 1103 (FM filters 80 + 110 kHz), ATS 909 Sangean (FM filters 80 + 110 kHz), pocket Grundig G6; Antenna: Wellbrook LFL 1010; My Short Wave blog: http://radiodxsw.blogspot.com/ dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** MANCHURIA. CHINA, PEOPLE’S REP. - MANCHURIA --- Hi folks, Can anyone tell me what Chinese transmitter locations are within Manchuria? (Brandon Jordan - Memphis, TN, Feb 24, NASWA yg via DXLD) Looking at the maps in the 2009 WRTH, the transmitters that look like they would fall into Manchuria are Hailar, Qiqihar, Shangzhi, and possibly Wuchang. Unless there is a CRI relay I'm not aware of, I believe the only chances to hear "Manchuria" on shortwave are the Chinese regionals PBS Heilongjiang and PBS Hulun Buir. And I think Heilongjiang may be inactive, since I can't recall the last time I saw them logged. PBS Hulun Buir is still reported on 3900 occasionally, but is pretty low-powered and not an easy catch. I had some difficulty even hearing them from Beijing on a visit there (Mark Schiefelbein, MO, ibid.) Hi Brandon, WRTH continues to list 4840 for the Heilongjiang PBS transmitter in Shangzhi (near Harbin). Aoki dropped the entry after B07. The last time I saw a log report for this station was in 2003. Its been one of my targets for years, but I have no reason to believe its currently active on SW (Jim Evans, Germantown, TN, ibid) I know that years ago it was the Heilongjiang PBS in Harbin. However, I don't think anything from Manchuria is on the air anymore (Sheryl Paszkiewicz, Manitowoc WI, ibid.) NASWAns may count Manchuria as a separate radio country since it used to be separate from China; even transmitters which are now in what was Manchuria (Glenn Hauser, DXLD) ** MAURITANIA. 4845, R. Mauritanie, Nouackchott, 0858-0904 (s/off between 0902 & 0916), 21 Feb, Arabic, chanting, newscast at 0900; 54444. Did not s/on on 7245 immediately afterwards (Carlos Gonçalves, Portugal, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** MOROCCO. 1079.9, RTM-"Q", Casablanca, 1042-1318, 22 Feb, Arabic, talks, channel 1 newscast 1300-1313, then music; 34443, QRM de Spain, often not even audible. 1716 kHz, RTM-"A", site?, 2209-2226, 22 Feb, Arabic, talks; 35443. This is a kind of the weird 1640v signal which is being absent of late, i.e. FM-like, but now it's muffled - you really need to switch to the FM mode to copy something. I found it with a fair signal during daytime too (Carlos Gonçalves, Portugal, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** MYANMAR. 5770 USB, 15/02 1502-1529*, Myanmar Defences Forces Radio, light music, talks, news, S/Off with Xylofon play. Heard also with Grundig G6 Portable! Poor/Good Boc15 (Giampiero Bernardini, Milano, Italy, Dx-Nights Bocca Di Magra (La Spezia) 44 02,70' N - 09 59,40' E with Dario Monferini, Feb 26, Receivers : AOR 7030, Perseus PC, SDR- IQ, RF pace SDR-14, CiaoRadio H101, Winradio G33EM, Degen 1103 (FM filters 80 + 110 kHz), ATS 909 Sangean (FM filters 80 + 110 kHz), pocket Grundig G6; Antenna: Wellbrook LFL 1010; My Short Wave blog: http://radiodxsw.blogspot.com/ dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** NETHERLANDS [non]. ZIMBABWE WEEK ON RN: see ZIMBABWE [non] ** NETHERLANDS [non]. THE HAPPY STATION --- Hi Glen[n], Please find attached a copy of the press release + the two QSL Cards which will be sent out. [Feb 17 press release already published a few issues ago] Just a glimpse of the first show`s guests: Bob Zanotti and Bob Thomann (SRI’s two Bobs) Dick Speekman (Radio Australia's Spectrum and RN’s DX Jukebox) Felix Chung (RTHK news anchor) David Smith (Radio Canada International, Radio Netherlands, UN Radio) Beta Wayne (CINQ and Radio Shalom) Jazz vocalist Anna Jacyzsan Allen Graham (DX Partyline) Past HS listeners And of course Tom Meijer The show for March 25 Interview with 60s pop singer Frank Ifield Future shows will have: Tara Conniff, daughter of Ray Conniff Feature of Dutch pop singers popular in Asia Henk Belevlo, the new head of the Dutch cultural center in Taipei Each show will feature a classic Happy Station moment from Tom’s own archives. I was reading some comments from others who wrote what they thought and I would like to respond. There won’t be any hard rock. Why? This has been in the works for a number of years. From a conversation I was having with Tom back in 1994. Why shortwave? Why North America? Well I thought that since NA has been the region with the most drastic SW cuts, because some managers and directors feel SW has no future, because they never lived in an underdeveloped country or feel that everyone can tune into webcasts (which is not convenient), I felt it would be a nice idea to do the show first for an area that seems unimportant to SW broadcasters. Over the past 10 years or so I found that almost every SW station sounds the same. News news news news and more news. More or less all covering the same stories, plus their own local stories. I expected negative comments and honestly it does not bother me. Tom told me this would happen with a group of hard core DXers. Some of the comments are so off the mark and funny. When did I say I was a “representative of South East Asia”? Why do people automatically assume that? I find it funny because it is like certain critics who will blast a book but never read it. More than anything, it gave me a good giggle. They have no idea. I have to say again it’s just too funny. My question would be to the critics who have not heard it: Do you have any SONY products? If yes, are they Chinese or Japanese? If they say Japanese I would have to say you`re wrong. The majority of SONY products are now made by contract parties in Shenzhen, Shanghai and Dalian. So Chinese, right? One of the best one was someone writing, ``another example of an Asian country taking something European and removing its soul etc., etc., etc. etc. This makes react in two ways. 1. If these so-called European radios or whatever were so great, then why are they being made here? Why are these GREAT European companies going under? 2. To make a wide generalization like that could be taken as racist by some. Yes, I’m Canadian. But the only true Dutchman to host Happy Station was Edward Startz. Tom, Swiss/Dutch, Pete Myers was born in Bangalore, mother English and father Indian. Jonathan Grubert, American. It seems like the same group of people that, let’s say, would hate Rush Limbaugh, but it’s the same group that would listen to his show. Who’s paying? You? Oh let’s see. I’m renting studio time, paying for broadband connection to feed the program, paying for transmitter time, paying for printing for QSL Card. So I thank you for your concern for spending my own money. Asking RN to use the name was a courtesy. Yes, it is true, Happy Station was a product of its time. But as they say, if you keep your clothes in your closet long enough, they come back into fashion. At least once a week there will be a show which is silly and hopefully fun. And a chance for many to relive why they got interested in SW. What’s wrong with a little Dutch barrel organ music? (kidding) Like I said above, expected the negative comments. Tom even told me it would happen. It’s normal. If anything, it makes come interesting reading. I welcome all comments and some of them will be used, both positive and negative. The show will be recorded at the studios of Taiwan Music Radio in Taipei. Air time is 0100 UT. Also, Tom will not just be on the first show, but will appear from time to time. If you need any other information please let me know. Regards, (Keith Perron, Feb 25, DX LISTENING DIGEST) see also SAIPAN ** NIGERIA. 02/25/09. Voice of Nigeria (Ikorodu). Freq: 15120. 1957- 2046. 18 Oct 08. Received a partial/data card featuring Zuma Rock Mountain, station sticker and a schedule in 125 days for an English report, applause card, local post card, and $2. English. Station addy: Ayedeke Suleimun, Director of Programming, Voice of Nigeria, 6th and 7th Floor, Radio House, Garki, Abuja, Nigeria. I am very happy to receive this one. I have listened to VoN for over 15 years and have sent many reports in over the years. I just hope that I don’t start getting investment letters!!!! It makes country 83 for me (Joe Wood, TN, MARE Tipsheet via DXLD) Anyone with e-mail already gets plenty of `investment letters` from Nigeria; what difference would a few more make? (gh, DXLD) ** NIGERIA. FRCN KADUNA GETS 200 KW MEDIUMWAVE TRANSMITTER In order to enhance educational broadcasting in Nigeria, the Japanese government today hands over a 200 kW mediumwave transmitter to the Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria (FRCN) in Kaduna. This was made known in a statement signed by the corporation’s head of corporate development and communications, Ike Okere. It read in part: “The Nigerian and the Japanese governments are cooperating in enhancing educational broadcast in the country through their donation of transmitters to be installed at Kaduna and Enugu zones of FRCN which, with adequate antennas, will cover most parts of the country.” The statement, which mentioned that the effort is part of the Japanese Grant Aid project for the improvement of mediumwave broadcasting in Nigeria, explained that with the handover of the transmitter, it is expected that grassroots and educational broadcasting will be enhanced. The event, which is billed to take place in Jaji, Kaduna State, will be attended by officials of the Japanese government and the FRCN. (Source: LeadershipNigeria.com)( February 27th, 2009 - 12:12 UTC by Andy Sennitt, Media Network blog via DXLD) WTFK? So what about the `adequate antenna`? Is the transmitter being `handed over` ready to operate, or still in crates? (Glenn Hauser, DXLD) ** OKLAHOMA. Despite occasional absences, KEOR is still running most of the daytime on 1120 with the same old oldies, Feb 26 and 27. On Feb 26 we visited the transmitter site near Sperry OK, north of Tulsa. I had already located the site from FCC info. Driving north on Peoria Ave., a.k.a. State Highway 11, thru Turley, and then it veers to the left before resuming its northward route. I expected to be able to see the towers directly ahead before the veer, but could not. I had to go to the intersection of 106th street and then turn east. The twin towers are at its intersexion with Peoria, which by then is a country road which dead-ends. Due to their shortness and all the trees around, they only became visible once we were quite close. They are just beyond a rickety bridge on 106th. It`s obviously a newly-installed facility, with shiny aluminum, etc., no red and white striping. Each tower has a hat. The northern one is by the transmitter hut, both inside a fence, and the southern one is inside another fence, but also surrounded by trees. All these trees are still leafless, and once Green Country regains its name, KEOR will be even less visible. I think the towers are so short that they do not need lighting, but not positive as this was in the afternoon. A few photos we took are at: http://www.w4uvh.net/KEOR1.jpg http://www.w4uvh.net/KEOR2.jpg http://www.w4uvh.net/KEOR3.jpg On the way up Peoria we passed a much more impressive 6-tower transmitter site on the right side of the street; KCTO-970 is the only Tulsa station I`ve found with six towers, but the Tiger map location puts it further west. It`s certainly not KRMG or KFAQ (Glenn Hauser, Feb 27, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** PERU. 4805, New Peruvian! 2235 UT, Radio Rasuwilca, Ayacucho, QTH: Faldas del Cerro La Picota, Ayacucho. Recién está en el aire; espero que den su numero de teléfono para llamarlos. 73´s (DXSPACEMASTER, ALFREDO BENJAMIN CAÑOTE BUENO, Lima, Perú, Feb 26, condiglist yg via DXLD) WRTH 2009 lists on 4805 as active: Radio San Juan, Huamanga. Googling a bit, seems that Rasuwilca is the name of a mountain peak, and possibly a deity to some (Glenn Hauser, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** PERU. 4940, R. San Antonio, Villa Atalaya, 2250-2259, 20 Feb, Castilian, ballads; gone at recheck at 2305; 34332. 4955, R. Cultural Amauta, Huanta, 2347-2357, 22 Feb, Castilian, sermon; 35332. 5120.2, R. Ondas del Suroriente, Quillabamba, 2317-2335, 21 Feb, Castilian, Indian songs, talks in Quechua too; 34422. 6535.7, Radiodifusora La Voz del Rondero (?), Huancabamba, 2325-2342, 21 Feb, Castilian, Indian songs; 24432, utility QRM (Carlos Gonçalves, Portugal, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** POLAND [non]. 9450, PRES English hour via Germany at 1300 is getting weaker and weaker as equinox approaches, but also with co- channel QRM now, Feb 25 at 1340 check, singing in Polish mixed with YL fluttering in oriental language, possibly Vietnamese. None of the online schedules have yet caught up with this, showing nothing but PRES on 9450 during this hour. Could well have something to do with Sound of Hope and extended Chicom jamming which supposedly don`t start until 1400 (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** PORTUGAL. RDPI with super-signal on 12040 during stupid ballgame coverage, announcer willingly losing sanity, Feb 25 at 2117, and // 11960 only slightly weaker; the two combined to produce a very weak but definitely audible mixing product on 12120, another 80 kHz higher, but no match could be detected on 11880, 80 kHz lower. Both fundamentals are listed as 300 kW; 12040 at 300 degrees toward us and 11960 at 226 degrees toward S America (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** PORTUGAL. 1386, Antena 1, several transmitters using 666 & 720, external mixing spur, 1114-1155, 23 Feb, program "Antena Aberta"; 25432 (Carlos Gonçalves, Portugal, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** RUSSIA. On the Russian side, there are persistent rumors that funding for both VoR and RT will be cut dramatically very soon. Today Putin said that economic situation in Russia will worsen and that we haven't reached the bottom yet (Sergei S., Moscow, Feb 27, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** RUSSIA. 5900, at 1400 Feb 25 going from open carrier to ID as Golos Rossii; weak signal, listed as 117 degrees from Samara; maybe long path (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** RUSSIA. 6005.00, 1805-1850, Monday 23.02, GTRK Adygeya, via Tbiliskaya. Adyghian (presumed) talks, 1830 Arabic talk, 1845 Turkish talk 43443 QRM R 700, Kall-Krekel, Germany 6005. 6005.00, *1830-1900* Wed 25.02, GTRK KabbalkTeleradio, via Tbiliskaya. Kabardino announcement, native music, talks and interview - heard after BBC WS signed off in Somail 1830*. 43433, QRM R 700, Germany on 6005 and R Bulgaria in Turkish on 6000. Best 73, (Anker Petersen, from Skovlunde on my AOR AR7030PLUS with 28 metres of longwire, via Dario Monferini, playdx yg via DXLD) ** RUSSIA. Have uploaded brief snippet of audio recorded today (25 Feb 09) at just before 1300 GMT of a recording of an unID station on 10105 kHz, right over the top of the K5D dxpedition. Programming before this sounded Arabic in nature. The recording is not great but you can hear what sounds like an ident. Any ideas? (Richard Wormsley, UK, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) Hi Richard, Voice of Rusia, Mx sintonía 73 JMR (José Miguel Romero, Spain, ibid.) I.e. Great Gate of Kiev by Mussorgsky (gh) This was discussed at length in 9-106; here`s part of it in English: Just listen to the recordings. Yes, this is Radio Russia from Moscow in Urdu announced as 'Ye Radio Sadaye Russ hai' (This is Radio Russ) in Urdu. Will check it live tomorrow. Bye for now (Alok Dasgupta, India, Jan 19, via Wolfgang Büschel, DXLD) Checked the freq 'live' this afternoon but signal on 10105 kHz is complete 'zero' today. But noted the same announcement (as per the recordings you've sent yesterday) in Urdu on 9695 kHz. Sounds like it is from 9695 kHz you heard on 10105 kHz (Alok Dasgupta, Jan 20, ibid.) Hi dear Alok, today January 20 at Stuttgart noted: Voice of Russia in Urdu language. 9695 kHz Samara S=6 at 1215 UT. 12025 kHz Moscow S=9+10 dB at 1220. 9900 kHz Samara S=9+10 dB at 1229:01 started "empty" tx carrier. At 1251:48 started 1000 Hertz test tone procedure. Intruder intermodulation signal modulated by \\ 9695 kHz program: 10105 kHz Intermodulation in Samara, S=2-3 -115 dBm level at 1230, from 1229:01 till 1300:18 UT on air! Noted also 'Ye Radio Sadaye Russ hai' identification. At 1259:20 both channels 9695 and 9900 kHz carried Kremlin Chimes transmissions, but NOT synchronously. 73 (Wolfgang df5sx Büschel, DX LISTENING DIGEST via gh, dxldyg via DXLD) Re 10105 kHz. Taken from Ham Radio German DARC and European IARU Intruder Bandwatch. Is a complaint issue matter on German FCC BNA Bundesnetzagentur Konstanz monitoring site, since Jan 18th. see also attached PDF file, included Ham Radio BANDWATCH April 2009: in DARC "CQ-DL" Magazine. 73 wolfgang df5sx Intruder intermodulation signal modulated by \\ 9695 kHz program: 10105 kHz. 10105 intermodulation 1245-1300 UT at Samara site (9695/9900). 9899.9986 kHz, 9694.9996 kHz, 10104.9976 kHz signal strength 55 dBµV/m 30 dBµV/m 16 dBµV/m Just listen to the recordings. Yes, this is Radio Russia from Moscow in Urdu announced as 'Ye Radio Sadaye Russ hai' (This is Radio Russ ) in Urdu. Will check it live tomorrow. Bye for now (Alok Dasgupta-IND, Jan 19, via wb, wwdxc BC-DX TopNews Jan 20, 2009) 10104.974 kHz Checked the freq 'live' this afternoon but signal on 10105 kHz is complete 'zero' today. But noted the same announcement (as per the recordings you've sent yesterday) in Urdu on 9695 kHz. Sounds like it is from 9695 kHz you heard on 10105 kHz (Alok Dasgupta, Jan 20, 2009 ibid.) (via Wolfgang Büschel, DXLD) ** SAIPAN. Rechecking RNW relay in Indonesian on 15280, after yesterday`s log when the audio kept looping back and repeating itself every few seconds --- Feb 25 at 2204 it was much better, doing that only once a minute or so, but still unacceptable. News about Schipol crash of Turkish jet. More interesting was the long/short path echo I was hearing when the signal faded a little. This goes out on azimuth 225 degrees, which crosses eastern Indonesia near Sorong, Kendari, etc., far from the Java population centers. Then it carries on across the Indian Ocean near Crozet, the South Atlantic, and South America; while the short path, 45 degrees off the back, hits North America on the Oregon coast, and crosses central Kansas, only two degrees away from Enid, 47 degrees from Saipan. LP is approximately 11,200 miles longer than the SP, which divided by the 186,000 miles per second speed of radio, amounts to a delay of 0.06 second (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** SAUDI ARABIA. 11915, Feb 25 at 2200, time signal 4 seconds fast, Saudi ID, poor in Arabic, // 11820 somewhat better, by 2203 Qur`aning. 11915 is 295 degrees, 11820 320 degrees from Riyadh, both 500 kW, per Aoki, and are the Holy Qur`an service (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** SIERRA LEONE [non]. 11875.00 0745-0800*, ASCENSION, 26.02, Cotton Tree News, Freetown, Sierra Leone. English conversation about living costs in Sierra leone, "CTN"-jingle, talk and abrupt sign off, 45434. Best 73, (Anker Petersen, from Skovlunde on my AOR AR7030PLUS with 28 metres of longwire, via Dario Monferini, playdx yg via DXLD) ** SLOVAKIA. On the first of February, the Slovak radio service for minorities “Radio Patria” stopped its transmissions in the Ukrainian language on medium-wave frequencies 702, 1017 and 1098 kHz. So, this is the end of almost 75-year broadcasting of this station on medium waves. Now, the station broadcasts on the Internet. Ihor Danilevych from Zbarazh, Ukraine, recorded the last transmission of “Radio Patria” from the Internet which was simultaneously broadcasted on medium waves, too. (Sound) Ihor said that, by and large, programmes of the station have produced positive impression on him. There one can hear contemporary Ukrainian music, folk songs in modern arrangement, and even fairytales (Olex Yegorov, RUI Whole World on the Radio Dial Feb 21 via DXLD) But subsequently resumed with low power on 1098 as ya reported here (gh) ** SPAIN. 4665 REE, Noblejas, 1912-, 22 Feb, Castilian, football match report; this is an external mixing spur from their frequencie being used at this time; 44433, utility QRM (Carlos Gonçalves, Portugal, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) 11940 minus 7275 = 4665 (gh, DXLD) ** SUDAN [non]. ALEMANIA, 7315, Radio Dabanga, Wertachtal, 0522-0527, escuchada el 25 de febrero en árabe a locutor con comentarios con referencias a Sudán, locutor con ID “..Radio Dabanga a Sudan”, locutor con reportaje en dialecto sin identificar, cuña de identificación con música “Radio Dabanga”, despedida, SINPO 34443 (José Miguel Romero, Burjasot (Valencia), España, Sangean ATS 909, Antena Radio Master A- 108, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** SWITZERLAND. Nice QSL back from 531 DRS1 Musikwelle on its closure. Card and letter in 63 days. For Email report. Veri-signer Natalie Grob. Media Services (David Onley, Den Haag Zuidwest, http://home.kpn.nl/tebe88ar/ Feb 25, BDX via DXLD) ** SYRIA. 9330, Radio Damascus; 2130-2201 February 23, 2009. English programming with female news items, Arabic folk vocal fills. Into Spanish at 2200. Good, but with bad audio hum. Parallel 12085 nearly threshold (Terry L Krueger, Clearwater, Florida, USA. 27.55.83 N, 82.46.08 W, DX LISTENING DIGEST) 12085, Radio Damascus, 2213-2302*, Feb 27, local Mid-East music. Spanish talk. Fair level but with slight hum and very low modulation. Nothing heard on 9330 (Brian Alexander, PA, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** THAILAND. Re 9-017: ``6040, Voice of America, Udon Thani, 23 Feb, 1157-1314; transmitter on at 1157 into Chinese programming at 1200. Weak and noisy but steadily improving to almost fair by 1314 tune-out. (Jordan-TN) GH > Chicom jamming with echo dominates here when I check this frequency each morning a bit later, around 1330-1400; so are you sure you were hearing VOA and not the jamming? Evidently not both (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)`` Glen[n], it was definitely the VOA that I heard at sign-on, although it is well possible that ChicoJam logged on afterward. I recall only listening to the initial s/on and then fast-forwarded to end of recording at 1314. The programming was still Chinese and no echo noted, but it could have been indeed China by then. I was going to go back and review the session, but notice that I have deleted the .wav files (Brandon Jordan, TN, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** UKRAINE. RUI Lays Off Its DX-Editor Dear colleagues: Due to my leaving National Radio Company of Ukraine (NRCU), my email address egorov[at]nrcu.gov.ua will no longer be valid. Please keep in touch with me at aseg{at}rambler[.]ru. About NRCU's QSL-policy. Our radio company has a significant number of QSL-cards left. They were printed to confirm the reception reports of the Home Service. I'd suggest directly contacting the editorial office of the program you heard for QSL-verification. You can also try writing to NRCU Monitoring Department. The farewell broadcast of my DX-program WWORD-161 will go on the air Feb. 21/22. Its future will depend mostly on whether I'll be able to negotiate a part-time work at RUI. Of course, I feel very sad about closing the program after almost 13 years. But one can't survive just on moral satisfaction from his hobby when he only has a meager state pension to lean on. In these difficult times we all are forced to think about our daily bread and survival. It's unclear what awaits us ahead. I have to say that producing an English language program has never been easy for me. I am not a linguist or professional narrator. The most unfortunate part is that RUI's director publicly spoke against my DX-program. In reality he never listened to it since he doesn't understand English. But he confidently pronounced that no one needs it and that my position should be taken up by a specialist in politics and information. I wish they would hurry up and finally set up a Russian Service (Alexander Yegorov, Kiev, Ukraine in open_dx via midxb 621, Translated from Russian by Sergei S., Feb 26, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) Darn, yet another loss to the DX hobby. Alexander was an excellent source for developments in the media seen, especially radio, in Ukraine. Over the years I enjoyed his programs very much. Yes, he wasn't a linguist, and at times his English was a little difficult to follow, but no matter. Another DX program bites the dust. Another nail in the coffin of international shortwave? PS: Listening to RUI on my Grace Wi-Fi radio as I type this! (Walt Salmaniw, Victoria, BC, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) Walter, I guess this unfortunate development has mostly to do with the world crisis. Many public broadcasters throughout the region have already been affected. The economic meltdown hit Ukraine worse than other economies in Central/Eastern Europe. This nation is widely expected to default on its sovereign debts, and it has been pressured by international lenders to dramatically cut its budget. I'm afraid fully funding the external service looks like a luxury in such a context. On the Russian side, there are persistent rumors that funding for both VoR and RT will be cut dramatically very soon. Today Putin said that economic situation in Russia will worsen and that we haven't reached the bottom yet. I'm pretty sure Alexander will continue providing the international DX-community with local news. Maybe not as regularly as before, but I hope there will be something (Sergei S., Moscow, ibid.) ** UKRAINE. Reductions in Ukrainian Radio transmissions continue. From the 1-st of February, the following changes were made in its transmissions on AM bands: Broadcasting has been cancelled on the following frequencies: On 549 kHz via Kyiv (Brovary), Mykolaiv (Luch) and Lviv (Krasne); on 837 kHz via Kharkiv (Taranivka); on 936 kHz via Starobilsk (Luhansk region); on 1242 kHz via Oktiabrske (the Crimea) and Dokuchaevsk (Donetsk region). The following transmitters have reduced their power: The 500 kW transmitters on 207 kHz in Kyiv (Brovary) and on 972 kHz in Mykolaiv (Luch) have reduced their power to 250 kW. The time of the following transmissions has been shortened: On 657 kHz via Chernivtsi – to 17.00 through 23.00; on 936 kHz via Lviv (Krasne) – to 18.00 through 23.00; on 1431 kHz via Mykolaiv (Luch) – to 18.00 through 22.00. The transmissions of RUI via Mykolaiv (Luch) on 6020 and 7285 kHz have been cancelled. On UKW-FM lower band the network of the transmitters of UR2 channel, which from the 13-th of November relayed the UR3 channel, as well as Kyiv’s UR2 transmitter on 71.3 MHz, have been switched off. Finally, a dozen of UKW transmitters of the UR1 network have been switched off too, and the power of UR1 transmitter on 68.51 MHz in Kyiv has been reduced from 15 to 4 kW. Those were the changes in the Ukrainian Radio’s transmissions made on the 1-st of February. But, here is good news: the UR1 and UR3 channels of the Ukrainian Radio are now broadcasting 24 hours a day on the Internet, via satellites and some new FM transmitters in the frontier regions of Ukraine. It’s a pity that these popular channels of the Ukrainian Radio aren’t available at night via the main transmitter facilities. But, as it was stated by a Ukrainian radio listener Andriy Baranskiy from Vancouver, Canada, this night broadcasting is ideal for listeners in other time zones of the world (Olex Yegorov, RUI Whole World on the Radio Dial Feb 21 via DXLD) ** UKRAINE. UCRANIA, 5970, Ucranian Radio, Kyiv, 0443-0447, escuchada el 25 de febrero en ucraniano, locutor con noticias, ID “..Nacional Ucraine”, locutor y locutora con comentarios, referencias a “Ucraina”, SINPO 24432 (José Miguel Romero, Burjasot (Valencia), España, Sangean ATS 909, Antena Radio Master A-108, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) ? Is there really a cognate to `Nacional` in Ukrainian? (gh) ** U S S R [and non]. “The foreign voices” was the title of the paragraph in issue number 617 of the Moscow Information DX Bulletin. It has the following story: “90 years have passed this year since invention of international broadcasting. The idea was born in Russia. They say that it belonged to Georgiy Zinoviev – a prominent figure in Bolshevik government, who at the time occupied the very important post of the Chairman of the Executive Committee of the Communist International. However, his high position did not save him. Zinoviev was executed on a fabricated charge of being a member of the “Anti-Soviet Trotskiy-Zinoviev plot”. And this so-called counter-revolutionary proposed as far back as in 1919 to build a few powerful radio transmitting towers to begin propaganda on the air in some foreign languages. Bolshevik government supported this proposal of Zinoviev, and soon realized it. The main goal of propaganda was to speed up the advent of the world revolution… After World War Two, the Western countries picked up this idea, but aimed it against the Soviet Union and other countries of the Socialist camp. An effective ideological means during the Cold War, radio propaganda was used by both sides. Radio waves could easily get through the “Iron Curtain”. Lots of Western radio stations appeared – Radio Liberty, Voice of America, Deutsche Welle, and others. From the 60s to the 80s many of them broadcasted rock-music, which became almost “a perfect weapon” of Western democracy which conquered the hearts and minds of young people in the Socialist states, transforming them from members of the Komsomol to beatlomans, hippies, rockers, anarchists, and, of course, to anglofils.” Such was the history of international broadcasting. It is obvious that the West succeeded in wining the Cold War against the Soviet Block because it was competent enough in mounting a massive anti-Soviet ideological propaganda on its radio stations. I personally felt a powerful influence of the foreign anti-Soviet radio stations. In the 60s, when I was a young man, I was an avid listener to information programmes of Voice of America, Radio Liberty, BBC, Deutsche Welle. But most of all I liked their musical programmes, especially those broadcasted by the Czech, Polish, Hungarian, Romanian services of Radio Free Europe. For about 3 hours a day, each language service broadcasted on short waves pop and rock music in conjunction with the latest news and other information. Now music is almost absent on short waves (via Olex Yegorov, RUI Whole World on the Radio Dial Feb 21 via DXLD) But who wrote it, who is ``I``? (gh) ** U A E. 6140, Gospel For Asia program, Dhabayya; 0033-0053 February 19, 2009. Tune-in to subcontinental language (listed Malayalam till 0045; Telugu after). Preacher, mention in English of a post office box, gfa.org and "Gospel for Asia" a couple of times in apparently unconvertible translation. Clear and good (Terry L Krueger, Clearwater, Florida, USA. 27.55.83 N, 82.46.08 W, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U K [and non]. Re ``BBCWS running 6005 until 0706* Any other such odd timings?`` English on 9410 Seychelles ends at 1746; as does 11860 Seychelles. 11820 Swahili via Meyerton ends at 1746. df (Dan Ferguson, SC, NASWA yg via DXLD) ** U K. NEW HEAD FOR BBC WORLD SERVICE http://radiotoday.co.uk/news.php?extend.4444.12 Not surprising to see that Mr. Horrocks has multimedia experience given the World Service commitment to new technologies ; it's encouraging, at least on paper, that he has editorial experience too. (Rich Cuff / Allentown, PA, Feb 27, Swprograms mailing list via DXLD) But has he heard of SW? (gh, DXLD) ** U K. Re: UK's digital action plan unveiled --- A discussion site about the report has now been launched. There has already been a comment about possible FM switch off; contributors can raise any issue from the report that they think is important: http://www.digitalbritainforum.org.uk/category/general/ (Mike Barraclough, Feb 25, BDXC-UK yg via DXLD) ** U S A. IBB Greenville again late starting the VOA Creole service: Feb 25 at 2202 just big open carrier on 11895, 2203 cut on modulation. This and the two other Kriyol broadcasts are expected to shift one UT hour earlier March 8 when Washington goes on DST even tho Port-au- Prince does not (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) see HOROLOGY ** U S A. PUBLIC AFFAIRS OFFICER LED TOUR GROUPS AT VOICE OF AMERICA By Joe Holley, Washington Post Staff Writer Thursday, February 26, 2009; B05 Margaret E. Jaffie, 88, a retired public affairs officer for the Voice of America who conducted thousands of public tours of the international broadcasting operation during a 20-year tenure, died Feb. 12 at her home in Sun City Center, Fla., after having a heart attack while swimming. She was a former resident of the District. Leading five or more tour groups a day through VOA's headquarters at 330 Independence Ave. SW, Mrs. Jaffie explained the broadcast network's mission and operations, answered countless questions and, in her words, "told America's story to the world." Those to whom she gave tours included entertainer Pearl Bailey, an African king, the boxers Muhammad Ali and Sugar Ray Leonard and U.S. service people who listened to VOA while stationed overseas. They also included, on one occasion during the Cold War, two heavyset men with Russian accents who said they were from New York. They actually were journalists from Pravda, the official Soviet newspaper. "They wrote that they visited the Voice of America and met a feisty old lady, wearing tennis shoes, who was spreading propaganda," Mrs. Jaffie recalled in a 2002 VOA interview. Her tennis shoes were a way to cope with the long, uncarpeted corridors of the VOA building. She also recalled a young man from Hungary who took her tour. "He said, 'I want you to know my uncle went to jail for listening to the Voice of America. That's why I'm here. I wanted to hear it, too.' "I was thrilled," Mrs. Jaffie said. In 1989, she received the Congressional Award for Exemplary Service to the Public. The citation read in part: "Mrs. Jaffie's pride and affection for VOA and its people are contagious. Visitors -- be they members of Congress, foreign diplomats or American high school students -- come away from her tours excited by what she has shown and told them." She was born Margaret Elizabeth List in Scranton, N.D., and received a bachelor's degree in 1941 from St. Cloud State Teachers College (now St. Cloud State University) in Minnesota. After graduating, she moved to California, where she lived with an aunt and taught international relations and English at Burbank High School. (Future film star Debbie Reynolds was one of her students.) She also married a fellow teacher, Robert Jaffie. A few years later, her husband joined the U.S. Information Agency Foreign Service, and in 1955, the couple began a 16-year odyssey that took them to India, Nepal, Pakistan and China. During their first overseas assignment in Calcutta, Mrs. Jaffie worked as a volunteer with Mother Teresa's Missionaries of Charity. She also volunteered teaching American English and American culture to young Indians. The Jaffies moved back to Washington in 1972 because of Robert Jaffie's failing health. After his death in 1973, Mrs. Jaffie became a State Department escort officer, arranging itineraries and accompanying foreign officials, academics, journalists and other visitors on tours of the United States. She became a VOA tour guide the next year. At her retirement ceremony 20 years later, her colleagues presented her with a pair of tennis shoes dipped in bronze. In retirement, Ms. Jaffie lived in Falls Church and had a second home in Sun City Center, where she swam daily. She made frequent trips to Egypt and later Botswana to visit her daughter and also made several trips to New Delhi to visit old friends. Survivors include her daughter, Nancy Jaffie of Springfield; and a sister (via Mike Cooper, DXLD) ** U S A. 7811/USB, AFN Key West FL; 1948-2003+, 24 Feb; Call-in program, Ask Larry Mann?; mainly about old movies & TV shows -- didn't know that the Benny Hill Show theme had a name -- Yakety Sax; 2000 "This is AFN" then "This is ? Radio News". SIO=2+52+; // 5446.5/USB covered by wind-blowing QRN/M; // 12133.5/USB, SIO=223-, QRM'd by rapid pulse 12100-12200, National Windshield Wiper Synchronization Service on high? The tropical version is slower -- of course. All via Key West [sic] (Harold Frodge, Midland MI, USA, Drake R8B + 125 ft. bow-tie; 85 ft. RW & 180 ft. center-fed RW, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A [non]. Some observations on the coverage of Pres. Obama's speech --- On 25 February 2009 (0200-0308 UT, 3.00 Central European Time) Pres. Obama delivered his address to the American Nation. A band scan of European medium wave stations showed a double coverage by BBC channels: The BBC World Service (648 kHz) took the speech in parts during the news related segments (0200-0230, 0300-) of their programme schedule and had the correspondent comment on the content and the atmosphere in Congress. BBC 5 live relayed the speech on 693 and 909 kHz even though it went to 0308 UT. There was no direct coverage by the common night time news service of the German public stations, but the 0300 UT newscasts took up Obama's main points. One might have expected that the American Forces' Network would transmit the speech of the American president to the American servicemen in Germany, but it was not on their main medium wave 873 kHz nor on the others. (AFN FM not available in Nuremberg any more). On short wave no frequency of the Voice of America was heard, while some US private stations had the usual diatribes against the Washington establishment (e. g. "True news" on 5850 kHz WHRI) including the Communist in the White House. On TV, the speech was carried live by public television (ARD Fernsehen, simultaneous translation) but not by the private news channels ntv and n24. Live coverage was also available through CNN (Dr Hansjoerg Biener, Nuernburg, UT Feb 25, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Perhaps some European outlets such as AFN broadcast it later in the day when people are awake (Glenn Hauser, Feb 24, dxldyg via DXLD) Canadian CBC TV carried it in full, at least from their Windsor ON station on Channel 9, across the river from Detroit (Don Hosmer, ibid.) ** U S A. Heard on a DX398 and 150 foot wire: 15825, WWCR Nashville, TN, 2107 2/26 with some radio show that is featuring some real nice doo-wop stuff from the 50s. Signal fair but definitely usable (Kevin Redding, Cosmic Crump, TN, Center of the Known Universe, Feb 26, ABDX via DXLD) Rock the Universe, one of its scheduled times, Thu 2100-2200. But you`re far too close to Nashville for 15 MHz; backscatter? (gh, DXLD) ** U S A. IMPORTANT AIRING OF WORLD OF RADIO DROPPED BY WBCQ On tonight's broadcast (UT 2/28) of Allan Weiner WorldWide on WBCQ, Allan announced that the 0030 UT Friday broadcast of World of Radio on 7415 kHz would be replaced by a new program. I'm not really sure just what the content of this new program will be; I was listening on a portable SW set away from home and was somewhat distracted. The selection of this specific time for the new program was justified by Allan by citing the other times and frequencies that World of Radio is currently being carried on WBCQ. However, this assertion was undercut by the fact that WoR was NOT aired during the preceding hour on 5110 kHz during the "Area 51" timeslot that had been carrying WoR and International Radio Report -- instead 5110 was used that day for simulcasting the "867-5309" music program that was on 7415 kHz during the 0000 UT Saturday hour. The other problem with the early-afternoon 2000 UT weekday times WoR is being carried on WBCQ is that working people will not be home yet to listen to it then. Even I, as a retiree who could take the time to listen then, do not listen then very often, as I have other things to do mid-afternoon than to stay home and listen to SW. Couple this with the difficulty of hearing WWCR's "DX Block" on 5070 Saturday evenings these days (often unhearable here in St. Louis, MO) and the un-hearability of WRMI's 9955 kHz WoR airings here in the midwest US, and the poor reception of the Saturday-morning 12160 kHz WWCR broadcast many weeks, and the fact that I can never hear their Friday-afternoon airing on 15825 kHz at all, and this leaves a great difficulty in receiving WoR over the air at all! I think that we should lobby Allan to air WoR on 5110 kHz after the two-hour "Area 51" broadcast finishes on Wednesday and Thursday nights (that is 0100 UT Thursday & Friday); it costs him less to run the 5110 transmitter, and he has it on as a favor to the "Area 51" people, so it should be simple to just leave it on and feed the new Wednesday edition of WoR to it those two nights each week. I think propagation at that time will function to get the signal to the US midwest, and hopefully further, too. That early-evening time should be good to allow people to listen after work. This would be good to get the up- to-date new edition of WoR out to us gh fans each week. 73, (Will Martin, MO, UT Feb 28, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A. Whenever I check 5920v, all I hear is an open carrier. Presumably nobody at FBN is monitoring their own transmission, or they too would have noticed that WBOH has lost its modulation, and would either fix it or turn it off. First reported Feb 24 at 0650, but still/again the case Feb 25 at 0718. Carrier was extremely strong this time, unlike WWCR 5890 and 5935 which were too close, and turning up the volume on 5920, could barely hear a bit of singing, but not sure it was from the same transmitter. Might have been Russia, or something else. Again at 1356, still just OC, but off-frequency WBOH now making a big het with VOR Irkutsk, Russia as is always the case at this hour whether WBOH is modulating or not. 9370 WTJC was OK, with usual Alex Scourby Bible readings after 1400. 5920, WBOH, STILL with open carrier only for the third day, Feb 26 at 0643; at least this allowed RFI to be heard clearly on 5925 without splash. Nothing audible on 9370 from WTJC, probably just not propagating in the nightmiddle. At 1348, 5920 still with OC and het, 9370 strong and modulated. Finally, Feb 27 at 0627 UT check, 5920 was modulating well, with hymns, three days after noticing it unmodulated (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A. 5755, WEWN, Feb 26 at 1345 just with background noise for a minute or two. That`s what we get for their putting the ``Daily Mass: Our Lady`` TV show on the radio at 1300-1400. Finally YL with (fake?) British accent prays to Mary, since Jesus is busy (?). 1352 also found same service on 7555, but on this frequency the squealing helps to fill up the dead air, and voice-over translation into Spanish. No translations needed when service went into Latin, which everyone understands, or should I say, no one? (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A. Hi Glenn, I was reading the latest DXLD and you had a question concerning WRNO. I tuned in last evening at 0150 UT on 7505 and their carrier was on. The news was read at 0200 and announcer Johnathan Peters specified that it was via the BBC. Excellent signal last evening, peaking at S9 + 30 dB, with 45444 rating. 73's, (Ed Insinger, NJ, Feb 25, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A. The following is the Final 29 March 2009 to 25 October 2009 High Frequency Schedule for Family Stations, Inc., WYFR. kHz Time (UTC) Az Zone(s) Power 5850 0500-1000 181 11 50 5950 0300-0900 285 10 100 5950 0900-1300 355 4,5,9 100 5950 2200-0300 355 4,5,9 100 5985 0500-1300 315 2 100 5985 2000-0500 181 11 50 6085 1000-1945 181 11 100 6175 0900-1100 160 15 100 6915 0300-1200 355 4,5,9 100 6985 2245-0445 355 4,5,9 100 7520 0100-0200 142 13 100 7520 0500-0600 222 11 100 7520 0600-0800 44 27 100 7730 0300-0500 160 16 100 7730 0500-0800 44 27 100 7730 1100-1400 222 12 100 9340 0445-0900 87 46 100 9355 0400-0800 44 27 100 9355 1100-1200 160 15 100 9505 0000-0445 315 2 100 9505 0445-1000 222 11 100 9550 0800-1200 160 14 100 9605 0800-1100 142 13 100 9605 1100-1400 222 12 100 9625 0800-1300 140 13 100 9680 0145-0800 315 2 100 9715 0300-1200 285 10 50 9755 0900-1145 285 10 100 9985 0400-0500 160 16 100 9985 0500-0800 44 27 100 11530 0345-0900 87 46 100 11580 0300-0400 160 14 100 11580 0500-0800 44 28 100 11670 1400-1600 222 11 100 11740 2145-0000 315 2 100 11740 0200-0500 222 11 100 11770 0800-1100 142 13 100 11830 1300-1700 315 2 100 11835 0000-0300 285 10 50 11855 0800-1200 160 16 100 11855 2000-0500 222 11 100 11865 1300-1700 315 2 100 11910 1300-1700 355 4,5,9 100 11970 0800-1600 151 15 100 13615 1700-2200 315 2 100 13690 1700-2200 355 4,5,9 100 13695 1200-1700 355 4,5,9 100 13800 1200-1600 160 14 100 15130 1200-2400 285 10 50 15190 2200-0400 142 13 100 15215 2100-0400 160 16 100 15255 2200-0500 151 15 100 15440 2145-0300 285 10 100 15600 1845-2300 44 27 100 15695 2000-2200 44 27 100 15770 1200-1600 160 16 100 15770 1600-1700 44 27 100 15770 2100-2245 87 46 100 17555 1200-1600 160 14 100 17725 1700-0200 140 13 100 17750 2245-0300 160 15 100 17750 1700-2045 44 27 100 17795 1200-2145 285 10 100 17805 2200-0100 142 15 100 17845 1800-2245 87 46 100 17845 2300-0300 160 14 100 17885 1700-1800 87 46 100 18930 1600-2200 44 27 100 18980 1400-1600 142 15 100 18980 1600-2145 44 28 100 21455 1600-2000 44 28 100 21525 1600-2100 87 46 100 21670 1600-1845 44 27 100 (Evelyn Marcy, WYFR, Feb 26, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Cf 9-016, for three more versions (gh, DXLD) ** U S A. 1710 kHz, Radio Soleil International, Brockton MA; 2341, 24 Feb W, sounding French, took phone call, answering "Soleil". Poor mixing with music station. First time anything like an ID heard! MA #10 (Harold Frodge, Midland MI, USA, Drake R8B + 125 ft. bow-tie; 85 ft. RW & 180 ft. center-fed RW, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A. (Following-up the item on the voice of WWV before Mr. Heald was heard) --- Yes, George Fenneman was Groucho's announcer, but he may be better known as the voice of Dragnet on both radio and television. You already know the line, "The story you are about to see is true..." (David, N5FDL, Coursey, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A. Commentary: 'THANK YOU, MR. EDWARDS' STARTED IT ALL, SO IT'S A FITTING WAY TO SAY GOODBYE --- By Paul J. Gough Feb 23, 2009 INSIDE THE BOX --- THR's television department takes a deeper look at personalities, trends and inside moves within the industry. NEW YORK -- One of the many things I will take with me as I leave the media beat and The Hollywood Reporter after five great years is that I have met all five anchors of the "CBS Evening News." Two, Bob Schieffer and Katie Couric, have been exceptionally gracious to and open with me. And it was a chance encounter with the first anchor, the late Douglas Edwards, that got me started on a career that ends this week, when I move to the nonprofit world. Beyond my journalist parents, Paul K. Gough and Harriet Davies Shelton, it was Edwards who inspired my love of the news. In 1983, I was a 15-year-old Southern Californian who never missed "The World Tonight," which Edwards anchored, on KNX-AM. While visiting my father in Connecticut, Edwards was speaking to the Connecticut Society of Professional Journalists, and Dad brought me along. Afterward, I told Edwards he had a fan in Coronado, Calif. He seemed surprised his show skewed so young; I was floored when he invited my father and me to visit him at CBS News headquarters at West 57th Street. That day, Edwards showed us the studios, control room, his office and the newsroom. He told stories, explained how breaking news made it to the air and spent more than an hour with us. I wouldn't have been more excited had Joe Strummer invited me backstage. I never wanted to work in TV, but the glimpse behind the curtain fostered a passion for breaking news and a love of the history and lore of journalism. It was the best prep I could have had for what I do here. You don't hear much about Edwards or his contributions to the business these days. By the time I met him, he was nearing the end of a long career. He doesn't get a lot of credit for being around in the early years of broadcast news, but he was, along with NBC's John Cameron Swayze, the first TV news anchor. And Edwards was the consummate newscaster in his 45 years at CBS News. "He was affable and charming and had a terrific broadcast voice," "60 Minutes" founder Don Hewitt told me the other day. Hewitt was Edwards' producer-director. Hewitt's enduring memory of Edwards is their coverage of the sinking of the Andrea Doria, an Italian cruise ship that collided with the SS Stockholm off Nantucket in 1956. When Hewitt heard, he called Edwards at home and convinced him to charter a plane to fly over the stricken ship. They arrived at the airport to find that they had been beaten by others but went anyway. But over the wreck, camera rolling, they caught a break. "The pilot said, 'Don't stop that camera, it's going down,' " Hewitt said. "Doug and I were the only ones flying over it when it sank." The film clip is famous. "It was dumb luck, but Doug and I lived on it for years on the banquet circuit," Hewitt said with a laugh. Edwards would continue as anchor for six years but was replaced in the chair in 1962 by Walter Cronkite. Edwards took it in stride. "He never pretended to be anything other than a newscaster and not a reporter of the caliber of a Cronkite, Charles Collingwood, Eric Sevareid or Howard K. Smith," Hewitt said. "He was in awe of them." Added Richard Leibner, a longtime agent and force in broadcast news: "He was a very mild-mannered, easygoing guy. He was one of the nicest gentlemen you could ever meet." Edwards spent 25 more years at CBS, mostly on radio, and did the midday and afternoon newsbreaks on TV. His last broadcast was in 1988; he died two years later. I never got to thank him for his kindness, though I wrote his obituary for the daily paper near his home. But the interest he fostered has stayed with me as I've chronicled TV news in a later era. I've thought a lot about it during the countless times I've written about the "CBS Evening News," covered how the media reports breaking news or visited West 57th Street. It's true that you don't have to have a background or interest in TV news to cover it effectively, but I've found it sure makes it a lot more fun. And I'll say again what I said that day in the summer of 1983: Thank you, Mr. Edwards. You truly brought me inside the box (via Brock Whaley, DXLD) ** U S A. ED SCHULTZ TAKES 'LIVE AND LOCAL' RADIO SHOW TO NATION'S CAPITAL, HINTS AT POSSIBLE TELEVISION DEAL, Dave Olson. Beginning next week, Ed Schultz and his local “News and Views” show will come at listeners from a new vantage point – the nation’s capital. Schultz said Friday that his show is leasing studio space in a facility operated by the Center for American Progress in Washington. CAP, founded in 2003 and headed by John Podesta, former chief of staff for President Bill Clinton, describes itself as a progressive think tank. “‘News and Views’ – the show – is not going to change, just the location of it is going to change,” said Schultz, adding that the show will be broadcast from Washington at least 50 percent of the time. He stressed that the content and focus of the morning radio talk show will remain the same. “It will still be ‘News and Views’ as it’s always been: live and local and regionally focused, with some national content to it,” he said. Schultz said the evolution of his national radio program, “The Ed Schultz Show,” dictates he spend more time in Washington. “I need to be more accessible to the networks,” he said, adding that a couple of business deals now in the works could come to fruition in the next few months. “There is a real possibility of a television opportunity on the horizon, but that’s really all I can say about it right now,” said Schultz. Schultz said certain stories and situations, like major flooding, will require him to be in Fargo. “I’m still going to be doing a good number of shows from the KFGO studios,” he said. Schultz, who lives in Detroit Lakes, Minn, said he has an apartment in Washington, where he has developed many contacts and friendships in recent years. “This is just a real exciting time for the country, and I want to be there,” he said. “I want to see it. I want to be around it. That’s another reason for this change.” (Inforum Jan 19 via Dale Park, HI, via IRCA DX Monitor Feb 28 via DXLD) ** U S A. Noted what sounded like Indian-subcontinent pop music and a British or Indian-accented woman announcer on 700 this morning around 7:35-7:50 am Central [1335-1350 UT] while driving to work. She went into a lengthy newscast, mostly wire copy I would guess-national (U.S.) news and a long stretch of news about India and Bangladesh. Commercials mentioning Dallas/Fort Worth area and (214) area code. Splatter from KCMO-710 and powerline noise as I drove through town made copy sometimes difficult, but this was WAY atop channel for much of the time-no sign of the Houston station. Never heard calls, but she occasionally gave a slogan that I couldn't copy-had to look it up. (Apparently she was saying "FunAsiA Radio.") Presumably KHSE, licensed to Wylie, TX. Listed as 1.5 kW day power. Don't think I've logged them before (Randy Stewart, Springfield MO, 2003 Toyota Tacoma pickup stock radio, Feb 25, IRCA via DXLD) I can hear this all the time (noise level permitting) daytimes via groundwave here (Glenn Hauser, Enid, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Yup, it was KHSE you heard, a quick google search brought me this: http://www.funasia.net/Files/rs.htm (Paul Walker, NE, ibid.) ** U S A. Those of us of a certain age and involved in the classical music business tend to get stuck in our ways. Sometimes it helps to be reminded how much grey area exists between our world and the world of popular music and culture. In March, we present an antidote called “Wordless Music.” “Wordless Music” is an innovative series that pairs classical chamber music with more contemporary musical genres in an intimate concert setting to create an entirely new concert broadcast experience. Hosted by “Radio Lab’s” Jad Abumrad, the four, one-hour programs seek to demonstrate that the various boundaries and genre distinctions segregating music today—popular and classical, uptown and downtown, high art and low—are artificial constructions in need of dismantling. The series is devoted to the idea that the worlds of classical and contemporary instrumental music share more in common than conventional thinking might suggest. The goal of “Wordless Music” is to demonstrate that continuity and introduce listeners to composers whom they might otherwise not encounter. “Wordless Music” concerts create a distinctive experience for curious music fans who are eager to explore musical genres rarely heard side- by-side. Featured will be performances by artists such as The Berg Sans Nipple, Prefuse 73, Times New Viking, and A Sunny Day in Glasgow along with the American Contemporary Music Ensemble. Each piece is illuminated with surprising background information and lively conversation, and the classical repertoire is carefully tailored for each concert, drawing inspiration from the featured band’s sonic and musical influences. “Wordless Music” will be heard at 11:00 p.m. Fridays in March, right after “Last Set at Birdland.” It should be well worth staying up (Daniel T. Berry, Program Director, WUOT, March E-Notes via DXLD) i.e. 0400 UT Saturday March 7, 0300 UT Saturdays March 14, 21, 28 (gh) ** U S A. AFTER 59 YEARS, WMUB ENDS BROADCAST COLLEGE CAN NO LONGER AFFORD TO SUBSIDIZE RADIO STATION BY PAM THARP • CORRESPONDENT • February 26, 2009 http://www.pal-item.com/article/20090226/NEWS01/902260306/1008 (via Artie Bigley, OH, DXLD) ** U S A. COMMUNITY RADIO MOVEMENT GETS BOOST AS LPFM BILL IS REINTRODUCED IN HOUSE News By Jesse Masai, Reporter, BroadbandCensus.com http://www.broadbandcensus.com/blog/2009/02/community-radio-movement-gets-boost-as-lpfm-bill-is-reintroduced-in-house/ WASHINGTON, February 26, 2009 - Members of Congress, public interest advocates and community organizations applauded the reintroduction of legislation to authorize a new wave of low power FM radio licenses during a Wednesday conference call organized by public advocacy group Free Press. Supporters of the Local Community Radio Act say the bill would unleash the potential of low power FM radio to create jobs and serve diverse communities across the United States. The LCRA would provide a mechanism for licensing approximately 3,000 low power community radio stations. Licensees would be limited to local governments and non-profit entities including educational, religious or labor organizations that serve specific audiences or small markets. The Federal Communications Commission began to issue Low Power FM licenses in 2000 after an intense lobbying effort. But Congress later placed restrictions on the licenses at the behest of the National Association of Broadcasters, drastically limiting the power levels and spectrum available to LPFM stations. The LCRA is sponsored by Reps. Mike Doyle, D-Pa., and Lee Terry, R- Neb. The bill would lift current restrictions and allow the FCC to begin issuing new licenses. The Doyle-Terry bill does not yet have a Senate companion. “It is in everyone’s interest to promote community radio,” Doyle said. Doyle has been negotiating with colleagues to find co-sponsors and hasten the bill’s passage. He said he was confident it would find bipartisan support in the House. Low power FM stations “are a powerful tool to communicate with and connect people” in small communities, Terry said. He was not sure of a timetable for the bill’s passage, but was confident it would clear the House easily. “I’m not sure when this bill will pass, but am sure it will,” he said. Cory Fischer-Hoffman of the Prometheus Radio Project, which won a protracted lawsuit against the FCC to block rules allowing newspaper- broadcast cross-ownership, said that “now is the time to clarify public interests” by localizing more media ownership. “As media outlets are increasingly consolidated, local voices are being forced off the airwaves,” she said. “It’s time for Congress to remove the unfair restrictions that stand in the way of community organizations, religious groups, students and senior citizens getting their own LPFM stations,” Fischer-Hoffman declared. LPFM will give communities access to local programming and important emergency information, she said. “Expanding LPFM is a concrete action that will provide this important service.” And the national financial crisis has fostered an environment conducive for community radio, said Shawn Campbell of the Chicago Independent Radio Project. “Two of Chicago’s newspapers are in trouble,” he noted. “Community radio might be our last best hope.” The Local Community Radio Act garnered wide support in the 110th Congress, with nearly 100 co-sponsors in the House. Both President (then senator) Barack Obama and Sen. John McCain., R-Ariz., his opponent in the 2008 election, co-sponsored a companion bill which cleared the Senate Commerce committee by unanimous consent, but did not receive a vote on the Senate floor (via Benn Kobb, DXLD) Good, but same page has a search, WHAT ARE YOUR BROADBAND INTERNET OPTIONS? Enter zipcode. I tried 73702 and to my astoundment, found that I am supposed to have Cox Communications, which was axually sold out to Suddenlink a few years ago. So much for that (gh, DXLD) ** U S A [and non]. SENATE TUNES OUT FAIRNESS DOCTRINE, 87-11 By Alexander Bolton Posted: 02/26/09 02:55 PM [ET] http://thehill.com/leading-the-news/senate-tunes-out-fairness-doctrine-2009-02-26.html The Senate voted Thursday in favor of an amendment to the District of Columbia voting-rights bill that would prohibit the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) from reinstating the so-called Fairness Doctrine, which critics say would decimate conservative talk radio. The Senate passed the measure 87-11. Republicans have introduced the Broadcaster Freedom Act in the House as well, but Democrats are not expected to allow a vote on the bill. Legislation would have to pass both chambers of Congress and receive President Obama’s signature. The FCC first implemented the doctrine in the late 1940s to balance the political content of broadcasters, requiring them to give equal time to liberal and conservative viewpoints. The agency scrapped the regulation in the mid-'80s after determining that it was no longer necessary because the public had a wide array of political news sources from which to choose. Since then Congress has tried twice to re-implement the Fairness Doctrine but failed because of vetoes by former Presidents Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush. The amendment, sponsored by Senate Republican Steering Committee Chairman Jim DeMint (S.C.) and Senate Republican Conference Vice Chairman John Thune (S.D.), would block the FCC from reviving equal- time requirements by enacting the Broadcaster Freedom Act. Specifically, it would prohibit the agency from forcing broadcasters to present opposing viewpoints on “controversial issues of public importance.” Conservatives fear that forcing stations to make equal time for liberal talk radio would slash profits and pressure radio executives to scale back on conservative programming to avoid escalating costs and interference from government regulators. Opponents of the Fairness Doctrine argue that liberal talk radio has not proven popular or profitable. For example, "Air America," liberals’ answer to “The Rush Limbaugh Show,” filed for bankruptcy in October 2006. The FCC discarded the policy in 1985 after deciding that it restricted journalistic freedom and “actually inhibit[ed] the presentation of controversial issues of public importance to the detriment of the public and in degradation of the editorial prerogative of broadcast journalists,” according to a Congressional Research Service report (via Fred Waterer, Canada, dxldyg via DXLD) Whether you love talk radio or want to hush Rush, this has been a favorite of all the gabmeisters for what seems to be forever. "The Liberals are going to bring back the FAIRNESS DOCTRINE!! Just to silence us!" There was no move afoot, but it got the audience motivated, and it lit up switchboards. It will be interesting to see what non-issue they find now that their favorite whipping boy has died (Dan Malloy, ODXA yg via DXLD) Gotta keep the Faux Nooze watchers skeered (Kevin Redding, TN, ibid.) Balanced conservative TV news coverage IS threatened, in a sense, by the absence of a so-called Fairness Doctrine. It is the left-wing bias of most of TV that makes Fox News seems conservative by comparison. Conservative viewpoints get little and slanted coverage on most TV networks, in both news and entertainment programming. However, we know that the left-dominated imbalance on TV existed both during and after the enforcement of the so-called Fairness Doctrine. As with so many government programs, it falls far short of what it promises. So we don't go crying to the government for help. So we're for a free speech, free market solution. If the TV stations can get the ratings they need with their left-wing slant, let them do it. If radio stations can get the ratings they need with a predominately conservative talk show line-up, so be it. And BTW, this just passed the Senate. The language could and probably will be changed in the House, and may be deleted entirely. It has a ways to go before the President will get a chance to sign it and it can become law. 73, (Curt Phillips W4CP, Raleigh, NC USA, ibid.) Obama said he was against it (Kevin Redding, ibid.) And so has Pelosi. With all due respect, "balanced conservative news coverage..." is oxymoronic, Curt, just as the phrase "balanced liberal news coverage" would be. The words "balanced" combined with either "liberal" or "conservative" contradict each other. I'm for fairness, but I'm against reinstatement of the Fairness Doctrine. Mainly because the more the right wing talks these days, the better it seems to go for those of us on the other side. :-)) To keep this within the scope of the ODXA list rules, can anyone tell me if Canada has anything in the way of a fairness doctrine or requirement in its broadcast, cable or satellite media? (John Figliozzi, NY, ibid.) Canadians are too polite to argue in public :-) But seriously... to my knowledge, no we do not have anything like a fairness doctrine per se. There is the Canadian Broadcast Standards Council, which you can read about here: http://www.cbsc.ca/english/index.php My impression is that Canadian talk radio tends to be conservative- ish but not to the extreme that you have in the United States. There also are not many programs that are national in scope. Some programs run in multiple markets, but most talk programs are limited to one market. Cross Canada Checkup is the rare exception. Rex Murphy is usually pretty fair. Most talk programs are equal opportunity; they will blast members or policies of any party, or praise them, when justified. Reportedly, Obama is against the Fairness Doctrine as is Pelosi as has been mentioned. It seems to me its the moveon.org types that were pushing it. To my mind the whole discussion has been one giant red herring. It got a heckuva lot of people like Limbaugh and Hannity et al. wound up and off their game plan. Just my 2 cents worth (Fred Waterer, Ont., ibid.) ** U S A. My 40' tower has 10 ground radials around it, but I am currently using it for my longwave beacon (SMV 186.585 kHz), using an EXP1750 Curry Communications beacon transmitter. When tuned to 187 kHz USB, the ID format is a Morse ident of "SMV" ... - - ...- repeated 20 times using a 415-Hz sidetone, followed by a 5-note chime at the 60.0 second mark. The next minute's ID cycle is USB-voice ID "This is Radiobeacon SMV, Simi Valley, California, USA" alternating with a Morse ident - the ID's voice alternates between mine and my wife's. The 60-second ID cycles alternate as the beacon runs 24-7. My daytime groundwave is approximately 400 miles using a tuned whip or box loop into a DX440 receiver. At night, the beacon has been heard by several people in northern Washington, eastern New Mexico, Arizona, and 24 hr reception in Las Vegas. Skywave can exceed s-6 on the receiver at 500 miles at times - I can use KIRN 670 as a skywave gauge because when it is getting skywave, my beacon signal does, too - I get some pretty good juice from the 5kW "3-barrel array" I am looking straight into two miles north of here - had to have the phone company put a filter on my phone line (due to KIRN, not my signals). (Darwin Long, CA, Feb 25, ABDX via DXLD) ** WESTERN SAHARA [non]. 6300 with considerable open carrier before 0700 UT Feb 26, so I stayed with it and at 0700 LV de la RASD band played (national?) anthem, somewhat undermodulated, generator hum, and usual ute on low side, 0701 sign-on in Hassania Arabic, Qur`an soloist, still at 0706. Before 0700*, Cairo had a much louder signal on 6290 (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** ZANZIBAR. 11735, 15+19/02 1532-2000, R. Tanzania, Zanzibar, In Swahili, News In English At 1800-1815. Heard also with Grundig G6. Suff/V. Good Boc15 (Giampiero Bernardini, Milano, Italy, Dx-Nights Bocca Di Magra (La Spezia) 44 02,70' N - 09 59,40' E with Dario Monferini, Feb 26, Receivers : AOR 7030, Perseus PC, SDR-IQ, RF pace SDR-14, CiaoRadio H101, Winradio G33EM, Degen 1103 (FM filters 80 + 110 kHz), ATS 909 Sangean (FM filters 80 + 110 kHz), pocket Grundig G6; Antenna: Wellbrook LFL 1010; My Short Wave blog: http://radiodxsw.blogspot.com/ dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** ZIMBABWE. 3396, ZBC, Guinea-fowl, 2242- 20 Feb, Vernacular, talks & African pops; 35333. 4828, Voice of Zimbabwe, Guinea-fowl, 2244-, 20 Feb, African pops; 44322 (Carlos Gonçalves, Portugal, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** ZIMBABWE [non]. SHOUT WITH SHORT WAVE - ZIMBABWE'S CRISIS Next week there will be a special series of programmes on RNW about the current situation in Zimbabwe, produced in cooperation with our colleagues at Voice of the People. RNW's Eric Beauchemin has just returned from an undercover visit to the country, and his reports will feature in Newsline every day next week. Our programmes Bridges with Africa and The State We're In will be devoted to Zimbabwe, and on Friday there's a live Newsline Shout with Short Wave special. For all the details, including how to take part in the programme, visit this page on our website: http://www.radionetherlands.nl/currentaffairs/region/africa/090227-shout-zimbabwe (Media Network Newsletter Feb 27 via DXLD) UNIDENTIFIED [non]. USA, 1500, unID "Radio Olympics", 2302-2324, 22 Feb, English, ads, news including a report from Greece, Greek program at 2312, Greek music; they mentioned several other "R. Olympics" stations that were in parallel; 33442, QRM de VENEZUELA + adjacent frequencies. 1690, UNID with ethnic program in Greek, 2336-2351, 22 Feb, Greek music; 44433, QRM de NAm (Carlos Gonçalves - Portugal, DX LISTENING DIGEST) He assumes 1500 is USA since it`s not on a European 9-kHz channel, but I wonder if it could be another pirate in Greece. Any ideas about an American station on 1500 which would fit? Surely not Washington DC. I see that 1500 WMNT in Manatí, Puerto Rico is Radio Atenas, but presumably in Spanish (Glenn Hauser, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST, and several MW lists) But see below Glenn, If I had just an omnidirexional antenna, then I might, just might assume this on one 1500 and the other one on 1690 were nothing but another set of the sometimes too many Greek pirate stations between 1600 & 1700+ kHz. The case is a lot different. Not that those Greek stations don't use frequencies below 1600, for they do use, but the bulk of them and the strongest signals are to found on the said range. Apart from that, even the pattern of fading can give you some clues. On 1500 kHz, they were airing a normal American newscast in American English that included a piece from a female reporter in Greece, then switched to Greek and to some Greek music. I'm sure this pattern applies to many other N American stations airing what you call "ethnic" programs, i.e. non-English language programs. The second station, on 1690, was handled the same way, i.e. direction finding and some listening, and I am pretty much convinced this is just another NAm station broadcasting an ethnic program like many that one can listen to and which often prefer to use names, e.g. "R. Única", as IDs instead of the regular 3-4 letter USA call-sign pattern. The standard modulation of a Greek pirate station also differs somewhat from that of a regular broadcast station. It can be strong and even clear, but is not difficult to label. 73, (Carlos Gonçalves, Portugal, ibid.) I don't have a handy reference here at work, but as a hint, Glenn, I think there is a small station on 1500 just north of St. Petersburg, FL that is owned and operated by a family of Greek descent. Best, (Ron Gitschier, Palm Coast, FL, ABDX via DXLD) Quick chek of the station's Website shows they are Greek, but no mention of Radio Olympics. http://www.wpso.com/ They are a 250 watt daytimer (Eric Berger, ibid.) Glenn, I've no idea about the 1500 station but the 1690 is probably Toronto (Marc DeLorenzo, South Dennis, Cape Cod, Mass., WTFDA-AM via DXLD) Boy, this is a biiiggg reach --- and a helluva catch if it was, but from Barry's list: 1500 WPSO NEW PORT RICHEY FL 250 ----- NDA ETHNIC GREEK Is it possible? (Bruce Collier, York, PA 722ft ASL, FM19px, ibid.) Well, anything is possible and propagation conditions HAVE been good. I wonder if Mr. Goncalves has a recording that someone in the Tampa Bay Area could listen to. That would help a great deal (Marc DeLorenzo, South Dennis, Cape Cod, Mass. Ibid.) Hi Glenn, That unidentified logging by Carlos sounds like CHTO 1690 Toronto, Ontario which does feature Ethnic Greek programming. 73 (Allen Willie, St. John's, Newfoundland, DX LISTENING DIGEST) The station on 1690 is surely CHTO Toronto. Greek music 21 hours a day! (Jeff Kopp, WI, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) Indeed! I simply forgot the EXCEL list I have where both this one is mostly certainly from CANADA whereas the R OLYMPICS is also most certainly WPSO New Port Richey FL so the double mystery is apparently solved! (Carlos Gonçalves, Portugal, ibid.) Glenn: This [1500] is WFED in DC with regular Greek show. http://www.dcgreeks.com/event_display.asp?EventID=2009022101 Hope that helps (Steve Whitt, UK, Feb 25, MWC via DXLD) I.e. a program, Radio Olympus, not Olympics, Sat 10 am repeated Sun 6 pm = Sat 1500, Sun 2300 UT, soon one hour earlier; and that`s exactly the hour Carlos was hearing it on Sunday (Glenn Hauser, DX LISTENING DIGEST) UNIDENTIFIED. Does anybody know who might be carrying EWTN and H2Onews.org programming on 1640 kHz at 2300 UT [6 pm EST]? Heard last night without any ID across the TOH. I'm near Washington, DC. This reception was on a Wellbrook phased array facing largely south. Thanks (Bill Whitacre, Feb 25, IRCA via DXLD) Hi Bill, I am completely stumped. I did look up h20news.org today and saw that their programs are relayed by EWTN. EWTN's website has lengthy list of stations, but none on 1640. FCC website shows about six stations (same as NRC logbook) and it would appear the best fit would be WTNI in Biloxi MS, but their website still shows that they are news talk and sports. I have logged them from the Detroit Michigan area, and the only other 1640 that comes in here is WKSH in Sussex WI and they were still running Disney when I last heard them about 2 weeks ago. So unless there was a very recent programming change, I just ran out of clues. 73 de (Joe Miller, Troy, MI, ibid.) Was this in English or Spanish? I believe R. Juventus Don Bosco, 1640 in Dominican Republic is Catholic (Glenn Hauser, DXLD) UNIDENTIFIED. 1995/AM, 0515-0605:45*, 25 Feb; Continuous 60s-70s rock hits including: In The Year 2525, Smile on Your Brother, Spirit in the Sky, Green Tambourine, Somebody to Love, Whiter Shade of Pale, Aquarius, War-What Is It Good For (yes, I know that's not the title), Time of the Season (cut short at s/off). SIO=443 on peaks with fades to zilch, occasional short tone and trill QRM (Harold Frodge, Midland MI, USA, Drake R8B + 125 ft. bow-tie; 85 ft. RW & 180 ft. center-fed RW, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Heard very faintly here same time, etc. (Liz Cameron, MI, MARE Tipsheet via DXLD) UNIDENTIFIED. 6220 25/02 2123 (IRN)IRAN, Al Quds TV, in Arabic, tentative, OM Talk, the site indicates an organization against the "occupation of Israel in the Holy Land", end of the transmission 2130 UT, very low signal and occasionally listening to the speech of speaker, 25322 (Jorge Freitas - Feira de Santana BA - Brasil, HCDX via DXLD) Thot it had quit a few weeks earlier; not Mystery Radio? (gh) UNIDENTIFIED. Garbled mess on 7210 at 0138 in ?? Possibly English. Signal strong but modulation horrible. EiBi shows only China and Vietnam, which I doubt. 27 Feb. (Liz Cameron, MI dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) Possibly Eritrea/Ethiopian radio wars; V. of Broad Masses and Radio Fana have been reported jumping on 7210 recently, tho not that early in the morning, I think (gh, DXLD) UNIDENTIFIED. 9000, 2136-2138*, 25-Feb; Ran into S30-35 OC (local WMPX doesn't quite make it to S40!) Weak Crash & Bang music jammer there after it went off. Centers on 9000.0. Something anti-Crash & Bang in the works? (Harold Frodge, Midland MI, USA, Drake R8B + 125 ft. bow- tie; 85 ft. RW & 180 ft. center-fed RW, DX LISTENING DIGEST) UNIDENTIFIED. 9923, Superpower S=9+20dB multi 6-tone scale piccolo ute station at 1435 UT Feb 26 (Wolfgang Büschel, Germany, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) UNIDENTIFIED. 11895: RE: DXLD 9-017: Glenn, I think it’s likely you did hear the BBC. Random/intermittent checking from 1330 to 1402, Feb 24: 11895 – Nothing heard. 9605 - BBC in Chinese, with fair to good reception. CNR-1 very weak underneath, clearly // 5030. At 1330 BBC ID and later “You are listening to BBC Learning English” program in English and Chinese. 7330 – CNR-1 and BBC mixing together. 6095 – Two stations mixing together. One was CNR-1 (after 1400 becoming much stronger), unable to ID the other one. Random/intermittent checking from 1311 to 1530*, Feb 25: First portion of my reception very similar to yesterdays, except unable to hear 9605. “BBC Learning English” seems to be a daily program and certainly was a big help with identification. The big difference was after 1500. Finally heard the BBC on 11895, much stronger than CNR-1, which had distinct echo. BBC ID at 1529 before sign-off. Yes, CNR-1 also went off. The reception on 9605 (after 1500 I was able to hear them), 7330 and 6095 were all almost identical after 1500 with the BBC and CNR-1 mixing together in equal strength. Hope this helps (Ron Howard, Asilomar Beach, CA, Etón E1, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) UNIDENTIFIED. 13970-14000, presumed over-the-horizon radar pulses, Feb 26 at 1417. Looks like they were careful to keep it out of 20m, but too bad for MARS and other users just below; I looked for a twin elsewhere in the 13-16 MHz range, but did not find any. Normally they are within 100 kHz of each other (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ PUBLICATIONS ++++++++++++ ALAN STRIPP: WARTIME CODEBREAKER The Times, February 25, 2009 Alan Stripp added a new layer of mystery to his wartime career as a codebreaker when, in his late seventies, he recounted (in his one and only novel, The Code Snatch, 2001) a dramatic tale of subterfuge set in the final year of the war against Japan. Late in 1944, when the action of his novel opens, Alan Stripp was based with the Army Intelligence Corps in India, reading Japanese radio traffic transmitted in a code that had long since been broken by the Allies. In the novel, he tells the story of how, when it was learnt from intercepted signals that the Japanese planned to change this long-established code for a new one, the Allies' consternation led to a daring plan being hatched to snatch the only two volumes of the new codebook in existence. How much of his plot is fact and how much fiction it is difficult now to say. . . [much more] http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/obituaries/article5798312.ece . . .In 1989 he published Codebreaker in the Far East, and in 1994 co- edited a second book, Codebreakers: The Inside Story of Bletchley Park, with another old GC&CS hand, Professor Sir Harry Hinsley. Alan Stripp, wartime codebreaker, was born on October 17, 1924. He died on February 18, 2009, aged 84 (via Mike Terry, dxldyg via DXLD) LANGUAGE LESSONS ++++++++++++++++ KHMER IS NOT PRONOUNCED ``KHMER`` Re: ``U S A [non]. Shortly after KSDA finished with 11850 [see GUAM], Feb 24 at *2230, a seamless transition to R. Free Asia, opening in English with Khmer to follow. At first I thought they said ``Thai`` as the name has an almost-long I, the way RFA pronounces it, as I have noticed before and must be closer to the proper pronunciation in that language itself (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)`` Glenn, You're not alone in thinking that. I recall hearing an episode of CBC's Dispatches where the correspondent spoke to a Cambodian woman. Even though there was an English voice-over, I could hear the woman pronounce Khmer almost exactly the way you heard it, K'mai. Makes you wonder who thought of pronouncing it as K'mer? (Jon Pukila (Thunder Bay, ON, Canada), dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) Maybe whoever thought of spelling as 'Khmer' ? df (Dan Ferguson, SC, ibid.) I think its pronounced "k-mai". I prefer to call it Cambodian. df (Dan Ferguson, SC, NASWA yg via DXLD) Yes, KHMER is pronnounced K'MAI in English. Take a listen to VOA Khmer: "Welcome to the Voice of America in [K'mai]": ftp://8475.ftp.storage.akadns.net/real/voa/eap/khme/khme2200a.rm (Dragan Lekic, Serbia, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) PRONOUNCING IRAQ Here's another funny one, how to say Iraq in English : Is it I'Raq , or IeRaq... I heard it in different accents but I guess it's a bit difficult for English speakers as the first letter of Iraq in Arabic doesn't exist in the English language. The one that REALLY made me laugh when I hear VOA/BBC announcers trying to pronounce "alqada ". This is really hard to explain ;) All the best, guys (Tarek Zeidan, Cairo, Egypt, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) We are glad you are amused, but it`s not clear what sounds you are referring to about Iraq. What is the international fonetik symbol for the ``first letter``? One hears both ee-rak, and eye-rack, the latter being no attempt at all to pronounce the Arabic word, but blatant ignorance by those who try to Americanize everything. Hmmm, that somehow fits this situation. Ditto eye-ran (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) This is one issue that should not bother me, but it does.. It is "ee-rak,". Same as Italy, not EYE-taly. The latest concern i have is for American to pronounce Mumbai as MOOMbai (even CBS New recently) and the family name Gupta as GOOOPTA. I'll keep quiet about Costa Rica and Ur (Andy O`Brien, NY, K3UK, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) Italy is not pronounced EE-taly. You must mean `short i` in both cases. No one says EYE-taly, but the uneducated do say ``EYE-tal-ian`` (Glenn Hauser, DXLD) MALAYSIA TO ALLOW CHRISTIANS TO USE 'ALLAH' By JULIA ZAPPEI – 6 hours ago KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP) — The Malaysian government has softened an earlier ban on the use of the word "Allah" by Christian publications to refer to God and is allowing them to use it as long as they specify the material is not for Muslims, a church official said Thursday. The government had earlier argued that the use of Allah in Christian texts might confuse Muslims, who might think Allah refers to their God. The revised order was issued Feb. 16 by Home Minister Syed Hamid Albar, said the Rev. Lawrence Andrew, the editor of the Herald, the Roman Catholic Church's main newspaper in Malaysia. He said the publication has already started printing "For Christianity" on its cover. The Herald publishes weekly in English, Mandarin, Tamil and Malay with an estimated readership of 50,000. The ban on "Allah" concerns mainly the Malay edition, which is read mostly by indigenous Christian tribes in the eastern states of Sabah and Sarawak. The other three editions usually do not use the word "Allah." The dispute has become symbolic of increasing religious tensions in Malaysia, where 60 percent of the 27 million people are Muslim Malays. A third of the population is ethnic Chinese and Indian, and many of them practice Christianity. Malaysia's minorities have often complained that their constitutional right to practice their religions freely has come under threat from the Malay Muslim-dominated government. They cite destruction of Hindu temples and conversion disputes as examples. The government denies any discrimination. Andrew, the Herald's editor, said although the order "makes things easier" for the Herald, the newspaper will not drop a legal challenge against the ban. A court is due to hear arguments in the case Friday. The Herald is arguing that the Arabic word is a common reference for God that predates Islam and has been used for centuries as a translation in Malay. Andrew said the new order is still a violation of religious freedom guaranteed by the constitution because Christians will not be able to use any literature that does not carry the warning on the cover, including much imported material. He said most Malay-language Bibles in Malaysia are imported from Indonesia, which uses a variation of the same language. "If this (order) is enforced, it will be difficult to possess materials ... from Indonesia, and thus practicing our religion will not be easy. This goes against ... the constitution," he told The Associated Press. Andrew said the order also prohibits the use of three other Arabic words — "solat," or prayer, "Kaaba," a holy site in Saudi Arabia, and "baitullah," or house of God — without the warning. Ministry officials could not immediately be reached for comment. Home Minister Syed Hamid's aide said he would not be available for comment until Monday (via Zacharias Liangas, Greece, DXLD) WORLD OF HOROLOGY +++++++++++++++++ March 8: Daylight Savings [sic sic] Begins! Just a friendly reminder, move your clocks up one hour Sunday, March 8! We stumbled on this website about DST: Check it out... http://www.webexhibits.org/daylightsaving/b.html Full Spring Ahead! (KOSU Newsletter, Feb 26, via DXLD) March 8 is the earliest possible date for DST to start in NAm under current rules, the second Sunday of March, thus producing two sesquiweeks, rather than only two weeks, of confusion until most of the other DST-observing areas bring it on the last Sunday in March, the 29th when the A-09 frequency changes also go into effect (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) GMT vs UTC I think it's great the Beeb uses GMT, which reminds us of the UK's prominent place in scientific discovery. I don't think anyone is confused. Further, GMT really describes what it is better than UTC does. GMT says that time "starts" at one meridian and advances around the globe. That makes the term much more useful to the layperson's understanding than UTC, which you still need to explain in terms of a meridian that runs though England (David Coursey, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) DIGITAL BROADCASTING DRM: see INDIA ++++++++++++++++++++ CHECK YOUR WHITESPACE CHANNELS HERE Started a thread in the forums on our new post-transition TV Band. Very disappointing if it comes to fruition. http://www.wtfda.info/showthread.php?p=7022#post7022 (Greg B, Greensburg, IN, WTFDA via DXLD) Viz.: I've been doing some research lately as to how this soon-to-be new technology is going to affect my local reception and future DX possibilities. Finally, after poking around the net for a week, I found a site that's already determined which channels we will be allowed and the ones they're going to use for free, for financial gain. From here, this looks like a train wreck and there's no adjacent channel protection this far out. http://www.showmywhitespace.com/ This is what the chart looks like. The ones marked green are just outside the Grade B contours-fair game for these folks. All Louisville DT's now receivable will take a hit, plus my local DMA PBS channels will be fair game. The only protected PBS stations will be from Cincy. Plus, one of my independent favorites, WHMB is sucked up also. "Sorry, it's ours now". Bob Cooper thinks there is a glimmer of hope, but I think these people are going for the throat and will let nothing get in their way (midwestdxer, WTFDA forum via DXLD) Just what we need...more RF crap. And, of course, when these devices get interfered with it'll be the Ham Radio operators fault. 73, (Ed NN2E, Owner / Operator - Murphy's Law Test Site & Thunderstorm Proving Grounds, Benton KY, Feb 24, ibid.) OK, I am not familiar with all this, but this is a good time to ask: Remember how there were FCC tables of NTSC TV channel allocations that one could see (in my case, in Broadcasting magazine)? You'd see something like Miami 2+ 4 7- 10+ 17- 23 33+ 39+ 45 Now --- will there still be room for added digital channels, once June 12 comes to pass? And, is there a website for these allocations, that is laid out something like is shown above? cd (Chris Dunne, Pembroke Pines FL, ibid.) Yes, there is supposed to be room for more channels, and according to what I've read, there's supposed to be a master channel list in a database that will be updated daily by a yet un-named entity. If I had to guess, it will be the fox overseeing the chicken house (midwestdxer, ibid.) Maybe you are saying that there will only be room for more "FOX" affiliates cd (Chris Dunne, ibid.) This doesn't seem very good. There's a device sold in the UK for sending data/video round the house via the mains wiring which causes a lot of problems on shortwave and no doubt with harmonics onto lowband VHF: http://www.frequencycast.co.uk/blog/...shortwave.html http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8XT99wSm4Gw Hope nobody clutters up my lowband whitespace; so far OK (Hugh Hoover, Portugal, ibid.) Hugh has DXed trans-Atlantic TVDX from North America (gh) Another GIGO service, thank you very much. I searched on an Enid address and found the unavailable channels shown as: 3, 4, 5, 7, 9, 13 15, 24, 29, 31, 32, 33, 37, 39, 40, 45, 46, 50, 51 There is no local or near-local signal, DTV or not, on channel 3, so it is available (tho I wish it were not!!) It misses the strongest DTV signal on UHF here, KFOR-27!! On the contrary it does list channel 39, which has just been abandoned by KWTV Feb 17 when it went back to 9!! It misses KTBO-14 which remains on analog plus DT-15; as well as KOKH-25 and KOCB-34 which are both still running nightlight as of Feb 27. BTW, KXOK-LP-DT-31 Enid has fixed its remapping so it no longer displays as imaginary channel 12 (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Re: Failure of AM-HD not entirely fault of Ibiquity or radio manufac Yes, I understand iBiquity decided to begin "covering up" the definition of "HD" as it began to emerge as what they thought to be a viable product tagline paralleling that of TV, and figured it was the easiest vehicle for public brand penetration, even if they had to go so far as to lie and say that they "made it up and HD really means nothing". I'd be wary of buying something that stands for nothing, too. But this seems to fit the norm of today's unethical business model for large corporations - mislead the customer with half-truths and cut corners while the execs walk away with the tax-sheltered money bag. I am not saying that ALL of the problems of AM-HD acceptance (or HD in general for that matter) entirely stem from AM broadcasters. Ibiquity has done a LOUSY job in promoting their product and making it easy for manufacturers of receivers and for broadcasters to easily adopt it - just as Motorola, Harris, and Kahn-Hazeltine did in the late 70's and early 80's with regard to AM stereo (and yes, we're back to that same "vaporware game" again between broadcasters offering it and manufacturers putting it in radios). But it seems to be SPECIFICALLY the AM iBOC BROADCASTERS that are making the largest contribution to the failure of acceptance this time around by: A. completely ignoring the air-chain with regard to offering stereo and an audio bandwidth more compatible for audio compression by the iBOC codec to avoid artifacting, and B. still treating the full potential of their AM transmission facility, the handling of the source audio, and the design of the programming under the tunnel-vision label of existence as just being a "talk signal". Being a talk station is NO EXCUSE to ignore your audio chain and fail to upgrade it to it's full modern potential, especially after investing a hundred grand in transmitter upgrades and licensing - rewiring an audio chain, console, and adjusting the processing is comparatively a tiny fraction of that cost. You don't replace your old 19" mono tube-TV with a nice 50-inch plasma HD home-theater TV, and merely plug the little 75ohm coax jumper from your HD satellite DVR back into the new TV, and tune to Channel 3... you obviously won't get High-Def picture and stereo sound, but will get a bigger Low-Def digital picture of what you had before... and that's the EXACT ANALOGY of what most AM iBOC broadcasters are doing. The audience does not get the full benefit of the iBOC technology UNLESS the station FIRST considers their air-chain, and then upgrades it for stereo, proper bandwidth, and proper processing ALONG WITH the iBOC hardware upgrade... otherwise the station's huge financial investment is for the most part a GREAT BIG WASTE of the true end-product potential that could have been obtained. The bottom line is that an AM station CANNOT make their signal any more palatable SIMPLY BY ADDING AN iBOC EXCITER. A station can't just "leave their blinders on" to everything else once the iBOC exciter is installed and think it's going to make their signal phenomenal and magically win over a big listener base (or market). Operating under the same audio-chain engineering principles and programming philosophies as had been done over the past 15 years before they got their iBOC gear will do NOTHING to bolster listener acceptance and market enthusiasm for their new HD signal. A new package of liners, bumper music, and a stereo-rewired STL and audio chain processed correctly MUST be added CONCURRENTLY, and WOULD make a difference... as would the creation of a more engaging lineup of programming than the syndicated one-sided ideology prevalent every weekday morning (and on "best-of" reruns all weekend, interspersed with snake-oil health, credit-consolidation, and "powerful free tape" ads). Is it any wonder that FM stations consistently outscore AM stations on ratings? Today's younger generation aren't stupid - they have "workarounds" - listening to iPods and net-radio on their computer or iPhone, or flipping on FM radio. My wife and I rarely listen to AM talk-radio, except for actual NEWS STATIONS (like heard on KNX , KCBS, KFWB, or our local NPR affiliate on 1340). We might listen to a LOCALLY-ORIGINATING talk program or two (a few on KABC or KGO), or to AM MUSIC stations that have programming that cannot be found on FM or satellite (and THOSE stations are the ones that should be FIRST IN LINE to upgrade their transmitter plants and audio chains for iBOC, instead of simply serving as a monaural warehouse for their music format until another FM slot opens somewhere). Don't get me wrong - a few AM iBOC stations are doing it all correctly, such as KNX (temporarily on an "OFF" phase), KDIS, KABC (temporarily on an "OFF" phase), KFWB, WBBM, WLS, WGN (temporarily on an "OFF" phase), KNEW, and KLOK - all are stereo and well-processed to minimize artifacting for a fairly decent over-the-air product, and have lots of local programming (WBBM is programmed much the way KNX used to be before the GM of KFI came in, booted the GM of KNX, and messed up their programming a few years ago). Ibiquity is currently running an HD Radio ad, which ironically sums up not only most AM broadcasters, but HD Radio itself: (answering machine beeps) "Hey, It's your Radio - how's it going?" (voice becoming disgusted) "Have you heard of all these stations that people are discovering with their new 'HD Radio' receivers... huh... sounds just like another fad to me, like... the Internet, or... Pockets... we all know those ain't gonna last!" (voice becoming concerned and more pleasant) "Yeah, I'm more of a 'same-old, same old' type myself... You are too, right?" (sigh) "Huh... Pockets..." (Darwin Long, Feb 24, ABDX via DXLD) I would be willing to bet that a rather large percentage of those upgrading to HDTV do exactly what you just said. A friend had been watching his HDTV for months and never realized he had to tune to the special HD versions of the network channels to get the better picture. Even after I pointed out that the cable system had separate HD channels, he still often tunes to the regular channel. Most people never touch the settings on their TV when they remove it from the box. They'll watch for years with the brightness and color cranked up so the colors literally glow and the reds bloom over half the screen. They'll even brag about how vibrant the colors look, apparently never noticing that all the people with orange faces don't look all that realistic. I've seen this happen many times. It does seem reasonable to expect a bit more from the radio engineers, but most of the people I know with TV glowing like the surface of the sun work in technical fields where I'd expect a bit more from them too (Jay Heyl, FL, ibid.) J.D. POWER: HD RADIO IN 5 PERCENT OF CARS http://www.radioink.com/Article.asp?id=1186155&spid=24698 WESTLAKE VILLAGE, CA -- February 26, 2009: J.D. Power and Associates surveyed 19,000 consumers who have bought or leased a car in the past five years and found that HD Radio has about 5 percent penetration in those new cars. Among the vehicles that have HD on board, 55 percent had the technology installed at the factory. That 5 percent figure is for 2008, but it should be going up in the years ahead, as Ford Lincoln Mercury, Audi, BMW, Hyundai, Jaguar, Kia, Mercedes, Mini, Scion, and Volvo are all on board with HD Radio in current and future models (via Zacharias Liangas, DXLD) IBOC vs C-QUAM AM STEREO As someone talks about IBOC vs C-QUAM AM STEREO, what does AM STEREO really sound like? Is it still used today, at least by Radio Disney or by some Spanish folks ? I never heard AM STEREO before. May the good DX be with you! (Bogdan Chiochiu, QC, ABDX via DXLD) It sounds pretty good. Nice separation. However, when you had lightning, you still got the static but in stereo. It`s still used by a few like Michael Richard at KEVA and others. It was around in the 80s and 90s. It didn't mess up other stations that were adjacent. There were some problems in the early days with platform motion and it bothered lots of people. Eventually most of it was worked out. There are some AM stereo clips to listen to. go here: http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/kevtronics/ click on: Audio Advantage, scroll down to the bottom of the page and click where it says "click here", scroll down and click on the MP3s of AM Stereo. It sounded pretty good but the radios outside of cars were hard to find. I had cars with AM stereo and a couple of other radios (Kevin Redding, TN, ibid.) RADIO EQUIPMENT FORUM +++++++++++++++++++++ Radio Shack Price Cuts --- Could be worth checking out for deals on radios, antennas, etc. RADIOSHACK BANKING ON PRICE CUTS TO REMAIN SOLVENT After posting a 39 percent dropoff in fourth quarter profit this week and watching its stock price fall more than 24 percent on Tuesday, RadioShack on Wednesday stepped up to do something about it. Effective immediately, the retailer has cut prices on a range of items, including toys, in an effort to lure shoppers back to its stores (source? via Tim Kridel, Feb 25, IRCA via DXLD) ###