DX LISTENING DIGEST 9-025, March 22, 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 2009 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 1452 Mon 0500 WRMI 9955 Mon 2200 WBCQ 7415 Tue 1100 WRMI 9955 Tue 1530 WRMI 9955 Wed 0500 WRMI 9955 [or new 1453] Wed 1530 WRMI 9955 [or new 1453] WBCQ is also airing new or archive editions of WOR M-F 1900 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 [non]. via Sri Lanka, 9990, Radio Free Afganistan-Radio Azadi, 1120-1331*, March 21, talk in unidentified language. Some short instrumental music breaks. Radio Azadi IDs. Interviews. Phone talk. Poor reception at tune-in but gradually improved. Good reception at 1135-1215. Poor-weak in noisy conditions by 1300. Very poor in noise by sign off. Thanks to tip from Glenn Hauser (Brian Alexander, PA, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** ALASKA. My best logging ever --- From my home about 25 miles east of San Francisco California, I logged KICY, Nome, Alaska on 850 kHz just after 0600 local time. The gray line here and two hours of darkness in Alaska must have made perfect propagation conditions for about 5 minutes before it faded away. It was mixing with KOA Denver and KHHO in Tacoma, Washington, but I good a good KICY ID on the recorder. Distance from my QTH to Nome is 2,566 miles. I use an Icom R-75 and a Quantum Phaser II Pro with two end-fed long-wires (100 feet and 47 feet). It was the Phaser than made this catch possible. My best MW catch ever (Neil Bell, March 18, mwdx yg via DXLD) ** ANDAMAN & NICOBAR ISLANDS. All India Radio Port Blair noted on 4700 kHz instead of 4760 with sign off at 1700 UT. 73 (Jose Jacob, VU2JOS, National Institute of Amateur Radio, Raj Bhavan Road, Hyderabad 500082, India, March 18, dx_india yg via DXLD) 4760, AIR Port Blair (presumed), 1330 + 1440, March 19 & 20. Heard back on their normal frequency again (Ron Howard, Asilomar Beach, CA, Etón E1, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** ANGOLA. 1088 --- No, I didn't hear Angola but I saw it. In fact, the carrier is reaching here from time to time. The following screenshot shows clearly RNA 1088 carrier, UK's TalkSport 1089 and WBAL 1090 with an horrible IBOC sideband on the right probably from WTAM: http://www.quebecdx.com/angola.jpg I don't expect to hear audio some day from this channel. Nevertheless, it is always interesting to observe that a carrier from a 25Kw transmitter can travel up to 11,000 Km! Perseus users, please don't take into account filter setting. I wouldn't listen AM as shown. (Sylvain Naud, Portneuf, QC, Canada, http://www.quebecdx.com March 19, MWDX yg via DXLD) ** ARGENTINA. 6060, RAE, 1015-1030, March 20, Presumed with Japanese talk. Spanish music. Poor, quite distorted audio. No //s heard (Brian Alexander, PA, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** AUSTRALIA [and non]. VL8 check March 20: at 1256, 2310 was best with M&M conversation in English audible, // weaker 2325 but no signal at all detectable on 2485 --- either off or more likely stuck on the daytime frequency 5025 as occasionally happens. So I check 5025 at 1308, as always dominated by R. Rebelde, but it is fading regularly at the rate of 40 times per minute, abnormal, and likely indicator of another weaker signal slightly off-frequency causing such a subaudible heterodyne, i.e. 0.67 Hz away. This was still the case at 1339, as Cuba weakens gradually, but so does Australia as we are well over an hour past sunrise here which was at 1235 UT. Never could pull any VL8 audio, however, under Cuba 5025. Has anyone else noticed the two are 0.67 Hz apart when they normally overlap until 0830 or after 2130? Perhaps someone further west will have had better copy of VL8K on 5025 this date past 1400. None of the 120m VL8s were audible March 21 at 1312, but I checked 5025 again in case VL8K was still stuck on its daytime frequency at night. Yes, at 1317, R. Rebelde still exhibiting fades of 40 per minute, the same SAH as 24 hours earlier, 0.67 Hz presumably caused by Katherine. Anyone further west hearing it for sure on 5025 at this time? (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** AUSTRALIA. CVC Australia A09 via DRW=Darwin: Chinese to China 2200-0200 on 15170 DRW 250 kW/340 deg 0400-1000 on 17830 DRW 250 kW/340 deg 0630-0900 on 17660 DRW (DRM) /340 deg [? DRM also involves kW! -- gh] 1000-1400 on 13660 DRW 250 kW/340 deg 1400-1600 on 11640 DRW 250 kW/340 deg English to India 0830-1130 on 15555 DRW 250 kW/303 deg 1130-1500 on 13635 DRW 250 kW/303 deg 1500-1600 on 11730 DRW 250 kW/303 deg 1600-1730 on 9680 DRW 250 kW/303 deg Indonesian to Indonesia 2300-0200 on 15250 DRW 250 kW/290 deg 0400-1000 on 17820 DRW 250 kW/290 deg 1000-1300 on 9670 DRW 250 kW/290 deg 1300-1700 on 6110 DRW 250 kW/290 deg (Updated 16 Mar, 2009) (via Alokesh Gupta, New Delhi, dxldyg via DXLD) ** BANGLADESH. 7250, Bangladesh Betar, *1228-1235, March 21, flute IS. Some flute music & muffled talk at 1230. Could not make out any further program details due to weak, muffled, low modulation and ham QRM. An overall very poor signal (Brian Alexander, PA, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** BELARUS. Request from Radio Belarus English Service In a Reply by letter, QSL card, post card, stickers! (two sizes), Mrs. Larisa Suárez (he [sic] speaks also Spanish) requested to the listeners to write in BLOCK CHARACTERS the listener`s address or add LABEL with listener`s address. Station has nice QSL card and Postcards with logo. No need to add IRC. ADDRESS: 4 Krasnaya St., Minsk, Belarus. Postal code 220807, Minsk. http://www.tvr.by/eng/ E-mail: radiostation-belarus @ tvr.by SW band [B-08; A-09 already published in DXLD]: 1200-0000 UT on the frequencies of 7390, 7360 1805-0000 UT on the frequency of 7135 MW band: 2000-0000 UT on the frequency of 1170 (Reginaldo Anunciação, Barra Mansa RJ, Brasil, via Dario Monferini, playdx yg via DXLD) ** BOLIVIA. 4409.8, Radio Eco Reyes, Beni, 0017-0029, 22-03, canciones latinoamericanas, locutor, identificación: "Son las 20 horas con 19 minutos en Radio Eco". 15321 (Manuel Méndez, Lugo, España, Escuchas realizadas en Friol, Lugo, Grundig Satellit 500 y Sony ICF SW 7600 G, Antena de cable, 10 metros, orientada WSW, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** BOLIVIA. Qual a emissora que transmite em 4699.40? Amigos, Tenho sintonizado uma emissora em 4699.30/4699.40 kHz e não estou conseguindo ouvir a identificação. Agradeço quem informar quando ouvir. Transmite em espanhol, entra melhor depois das 0 hs UT. Vai ai o desafio. Estou estudando montar uma antena dipolo, cortada para a frequencia com um refletor a uma distancia de 1/4 de onda direcionada para a Bolivia, para ver se consigo. TKS QRV (Ulysses Galletti, Brasil, March 22, radioescutas yg via DXLD) Ulysses, trata-se da Radio San Miguel. Ela transmite desde Riberalta na Bolívia. 73! (Rubens Ferraz Pedroso. Bandeirantes/PR, ibid.) Good, he asks now what it is rather than assuming Guatemala (gh, DXLD) ** BOLIVIA. 5580.20, Radio San José, San José de Chiquitos noted from 2330 to 0010 last night 20 and tonight 21 March. This station had been off or not audible in Florida for over a month (Robert Wilkner, Pómpano Beach, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** BOLIVIA. 6155.27, Radio Fides, La Paz, 1035-1045, March 20, Spanish talk. Short music breaks. ID. Weak but readable. Very weak by 1045 (Brian Alexander, PA, DX LISTENING DIGEST) 6155.21, Radio Fides, 0147-0159*, March 22. In Spanish; on-air calls; pop songs in English (“Rains Down in Africa”, “Saturday Night Fever”, etc.); almost fair (Ron Howard, Asilomar Beach, CA, Etón E1, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** BRAZIL. 11780, Rádio Nacional da Amazônia, Brasília DF, 0320-0329*, March 20, Portuguese talk. Promos. Announcements. Short music breaks. Abruptly pulled plug mid-sentence. Sign off time varies greatly. Fair to good signal (Brian Alexander, PA, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** BRAZIL. 2380, Radio Educadora, Limeira, 1157, 3/18/09, in Portuguese. Man and woman announcers, 1200 “Radio Educadora, Limeira”, more talk (maybe news) by announcers. Fair (Mark Taylor, Madison, WI, Winradio g313e & Flextenna, NASWA yg via DXLD) Hi Mark, If you didn`t have a definite ID, we`d have to think it was something else, since that`s almost 3 hours after local sunrise, which not far away in São Paulo city was 0908 UT, per http://www.gaisma.com/en/location/sao-paulo.html Comments? 73, (Glenn to Mark, via DXLD) But it`s certainly active: 2380, 16/3 2304, R. Educadora de Limeira, Limeira, SP "Camera Municipal" 33232 http://www.ipernity.com/doc/py5aap.morato (py5aap morato, gg46qu, cornelio procopio pr, radio kenwoold ts 570D antena dipolu 40 metros, dxclubepr yg via DXLD) Hi Glenn, I am pretty sure of the ID, and positive it was Portuguese. Conditions were poor, and the recording was not usable - I had the IF too far off on the g313's recording. I had it on two receivers, so it is not likely an image. What else is possible? (Mark Taylor, WI, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Mark, Maybe 2nd harmonic from some US station on 1190. Looking at the NRC AM Log, the only ones in Spanish are in California and Florida. Of course Portuguese much less likely, tho there are some on other frequencies in Massachusetts, etc. Formats do change. Might be worth checking 1190 around the same time of day, and of course further monitoring of 2380. I did see a recent report of it from Brasil, in the evening, so we know Limeira is active. Nothing would beat an intelligible recording. BTW, note spelling, and it`s pronounced Lee-MAY-ruh. Could be a mixing product from higher bands of very strong SW signals, the difference between which is 2380 kHz (like WWCR 9980 minus 5070 = 4910). Since those are transmitted they would appear on two receivers. I get images from very strong SW signals, usually WWCR here, and my local MW stations, like 1390 kHz away from a WWCR frequency. 73, (Glenn to Mark, via DXLD) ** BRAZIL. EMISSORAS BRASILEIRAS DE ONDAS TROPICAIS Adalberto M. Azevedo - Barbacena - MG --- MARZO 2009 Na coluna Observações está registrado a escuta mais recente da emissora ou informações recebidas da mesma, e discriminadas com data e fonte da informação. a) As emissoras escritas em azul estão ativas. b) As emissoras em vermelho estão inativas. c) As emissoras em preto necessitam de monitoramento ou notícias oficiais, pois não sabemos a situação, comprovadamente. [unfortunately the color-coding in the original is impossible here] Solicitamos aos amigos dexistas, que monitorem estas freqüências e informem suas observações ao endereço de e-Mail adalberto.azevedo @ gmail.com Freq. Emissora kW Localização Observações 2380, R. Educadora .25 Limeira - SP 02/02/2009 - Captada por Adalberto M. Azevedo - Barbacena - MG 3205, R. Ribeirão Preto 1 Ribeirão Preto - SP 3245, R. Clube Varginha 1 Varginha - MG 3255, R. Difusora 6 de Agosto 1 Xapuri -AC 06/02/2009 - Captada por Carlos Gonçalves - Lisboa - Portugal 3325, R. Mundial 2.5 Osasco-SP 24/12/2008 - Captada por Anker Petersen - Skovlunde - Dinamarca. ---- 06/03/2009 - Marcelo Pêra E-mail: vacil.m.pera @ daimler.com telefonou a emissora onde conversou com o Sr Douglas do Dpto de Adm da Radio Mundial de SP, o qual lhe informou que as frequencias de 3325, 660 kHz e 95.7 MHz pertencem a RADIO MUNDIAL de SP, que opera 24 hrs por dia e não com a Radio NOSSA VOZ como está nos boletins e listas de DX. 3365, R. Cultura 1 Araraquara - SP 3375, R. Clube 5 Dourados - MS 3375, R. Educadora 5 Guajara Mirim - RO CONFIRMADA COMO INATIVA --- 09/02/2009 - recebido E-Mail emissora comercial @ radioeducadoraam.com.br Ola amigo Adalberto, fico feliz em saber que voce é um ouvinte da Educadora, em resposta a sua pergunta, infelizmente não estamos mais emitindo sinal em ondas tropicais, mas estamos na internet para o mundo inteiro através do site http://www.radioeducadoraam.com.br Abracos e continue nos visitando. Ivan Mendes 3375, R. Municipal 5 S. Gabriel da Cachoeira-AM 17/03/2009, foi captada pelo Robert Wilkner, de Pompano Beach, Florida, nos EUA (Condig LIst) 4755, R. Imaculada Conceição 10 Campo Grande - MS 05/03/2009 - captada por Jorge Freitas - Feira de Santana - BA. 4765, R. Rural 10 Santarem - PA 4765, R. Integração 1 Cruzeiro do Sul - AC CONFIRMADA COMO INATIVA --- 13/08/2006 - está inativa conforme constatação de Paulo Roberto e Souza, de Tefé (AM). O endereço da emissora é o seguinte: Rua de Alagoas, 270, Colégio, CEP: 69980-000, Cruzeiro do Sul (AC). E-mail: rtvi @ omegasul.com.br A direção da emissora está a cargo de Albelia Bezerra da Cunha. 4775, R. Congonhas 1 Congonhas - MG 05/03/2009 - captada por Jorge Freitas - Feira de Santana - BA. 4785, R. Brasil 5000 1 Campinas - SP 11-02-2009 - Recebido E_Mail da emissora radio @ brasilcampinas.com.br Adalberto, continuamos na QRG 4.785 kHz, com o indicativo ZYG 857, Grato - Walter Paradella 4785, R. Caiari 10 Porto Velho - RO Emissora possivelmente inativa, pois não existem captações desta emissora desde Outubro de 2007, conforme DSWCI Tropical Bands Monitor publicado pelo Anker Petersen 4795, R. Difusora 1 Aquidauana - Emissora inativa pois não existem captações dela desde 2005, conforme DSWCI Tropical Bands Monitor publicado pelo Anker Petersen. 4805, R. Difusora do Amazonas 10 Manaus AM 10/02/2009 - Captada por Jorge Freitas - Feira de Santana - BA 4815, R. Difusora 10 Londrina PR 05-03-2009 - Captada por Jorge Freitas - `Feira de Santana - BA. 4825, R. Canção Nova 10 Cachoeira Paulista 02/02/2009 - Captada por Adalberto M. Azevedo - Barbacena - MG 4825, R. Educadora 5 Bragança PA 14/03/2009 - Captada por Roberto Pavanello, de Vercelli, na Italia. (BCL News) 4845, R. Cultura Ondas Tropicais 10 Manaus AM 14/03/2009 - Captada por Roberto Pavanello, de Vercelli, na Itália. (BCLNews) 4845, R. Ibitinga-Ternura FM 1 Ibitinga 11-02-2009 - Recebido E-Mail agnaldoambrizi @ hotmail.com Prezado Adalberto - Segundo informações obtidas na emissora, A radio ibitinga está transmitindo sim em cadéia com a Rádio Meteorologia Paulista OT ZYG 869 em 4845 kHz. - Agnaldo Ambrizi. 4865, R. Alvorada 5 Londrina PR 05/03/2009 - Captada por Jorge Freitas - Feira de Santana - BA. 4865, R. Missoes da Amazonia 5 Obidos 07/02/2009 - Captada por Chuck Bolland - Clewiston - Florida - EUA 4865, R. Verdes Florestas 5 Cruzeiro do Sul AC 07/02/2009 - Captada por Carlos Gonçalves - Lisboa - Portugal. 4875, R. Roraima 10 Boa Vista RR 08/01/2009 - Captada por Adalberto Marques de Azevedo - Barbacena - MG 4885, R. Clube do Pará 2 Belém PA 14/03/2009 - Captada por Bruce Barker, Broomall, PA, USA (Cumbre DX) 4885, R. Difusora Acreana 5 Rio Branco 11/02/2009 - Captada por Craig Seager da Austrália 4895, R. Novo Tempo 5 Campo Grande MS 05/03/2009 - Captada por Jorge Freitas - Feira de Santana - BA 4895, R. Globo Manaus 5 Manaus AM Possivelmente Inativa pois não existem captações dela desde Agosto de 2007, conforme DSWCI Tropical Bands Monitor publicado pelo Anker Petersen. 4905, Nova R. Relogio 5 Rio de Janeiro Possivelmente Inativa pois não existem captações dela desde Junho de 2008, conforme DSWCI Tropical Bands Monitor publicado pelo Anker Petersen. 4905, R. Anhanguera 1 Araguaina 05/03/2009 - Captada por Jorge Freitas - Feira de Santana - BA. 4915, R. Anhanguera 25 Goiânia 08/02/2009 - Captada por Francesco Clemente - Udine - Italia 4915, R. Difusora de Macapá 10 Macapá-AP 05/03/2009 - Captada por Bruce Barker, Broomall, PA, USA.(Cumbre DX) 4925, R. Educaçao Rural 5 Tefe AM 14/02/2009 - Captada por Brian Alexander, PA, USA. 4935, R. Capixaba 1 Vitória 02/01/2009 - Captada por Arnaldo Slaen - Buenos Aires - Argentina 4945, Emissora Rural 1 Petrolina 4945, R. Difusora 1 Poços de Caldas - MG INATIVA 4955, R. Clube 2.5 Rondonópolis - MT INATIVA 11-02-2009 - Recebido E-Mail adryanO @ hotmail.com : Sou de Rondonópolis- MT e posso afirmar que a freqüência 4955 R. Clube de Rondonópolis- MT, está desativada, não sei o motivo, porém vou verificar com a emissora - Adriano Rossoni. 4955, R. Cultura 1 Campos RJ 4965, R. Alvorada 5 Parintins AM 05/03/2009 - Captada por Jerry Strawman, Des Moines, IA (Cumbre DX) 4975, R. Nossa Voz - Mundial 1 Osaco - SP 05/03/2009 - Captada por Jorge Freitas - Feira de Santana - BA. 4985, R. Brasil Central 10 Goiânia 14/03/2009 - Captada por Bruce Barker, Broomall, PA (Cukmbre DX) 5015, R. Brasil Tropical 1 Cuiabá 5015, R. Pioneira 1 Teresina - PI 19/02/2008 - Conforme E-mail recebido de Sarmento Campos sarmento.campos@sarmento.eng.br - Adalberto, o transmissor de onda tropical está com o transformador de modulação queimado há 55 dias, por isso, inativo. A peça já chegou de São Paulo, e depois do Carnaval deverá ser reativado. A potência é de 1 KW nominal, emissão durante as 24 horas. QSLs são pagos, mediante informe correto enviado ao Sr. Rosemiro (Diretor da emissora). 5025, R. Vale do Xingu 1 Altamira 5035, R. Aparecida 10 Aparecida SP 07/02/2009 - Captada por Carlos Gonçalves - Lisboa - Portugal 5035, R. Educação Rural 5 Coari AM 28/01/2009 - Recebido E-Mail da emissora radiocoari @ hotmail.com Olá Adalberto, A nossa Rádio estava sim com um pequeno probleminha, mais já foi resolvido, graças a Deus e vc pode sim comunicar seus colegas, pois ela já está funcionando normal. E mais uma vez muito obrigada, mais obrigada mesmo. Abraços, Marinalva Verganho 5045, R. Guarujá 1 Guarujá - SP INATIVA 5055, R. Difusora Cáceres 1 Caceres MT Possivelmente Inativa pois não existem captações dela desde Maio de 2005, conforme DSWCI Tropical Bands Monitor publicado pelo Anker Petersen. 5055, R. Jornal A Critica 5 Manaus AM Possivelmente Inativa pois não existem captações dela desde junho de 2005, conforme DSWCI Tropical Bands Monitor publicado pelo Anker Petersen (via Dario Monferini, playdx yg via DXLD) DXLD never cited! ** BRAZIL. 6009.72, Radio Inconfidencia, Belo Horizonte, 2235-2305, March 22, Portuguese talk. IDs at 2237, 2239. Lite Portuguese pops- ballads. Poor to fair. Must use ECSS-LSB to avoid stations on 6010 (Brian Alexander, PA, DX LISTENING DIGEST) see also SOUTH AFRICA ** BRAZIL. 6185, Radio Nacional da Amazonia, Brasilia, 0625-0650, 23- 03 [sic], locutor, portugués, comentarios, canciones. Interferencia de Radio Educación en la misma frecuencia. 33333 (Manuel Méndez, Lugo, España, Escuchas realizadas en Friol, Lugo, Grundig Satellit 500 y Sony ICF SW 7600 G, Antena de cable, 10 metros, orientada WSW, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Must mean 22 March, as posted before 23 March! And UT Sunday is when RNA runs all-night, QRMing R. XEPPM more (gh) 6185.22, R Nacional da Amazonia, Brasília, Mar 22, 0905-0915, OM in Portuguese mentions Brazil as often as he can. Takes phone calls from listeners. Meanwhile signal is off frequency, drifting from 6185.22 to 6185.45 (Bruce Barker, Broomall, PA. Equipment: NRD535D with an Alpha Delta DX Sloper, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** BRAZIL. 9819.5, Radio Nove de Xulho [sic], São Paulo, 0817-0835, 22-03, locutor, portugués, comentario religioso, canciones, identificación: "Radio 9 de Xulho, Sao Paulo". 14321 (Manuel Méndez, Lugo, España, Escuchas realizadas en Friol, Lugo, Grundig Satellit 500 y Sony ICF SW 7600 G, Antena de cable, 10 metros, orientada WSW, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Means they pronounce Julho with an sh sound? (gh) ** BRAZIL. Observatório Nacional. Colegas, Já alguns dias não sintonizo em 10000 kHz o ON, alguém a escuta? Agora às 2319 UT chega a WWV do Colorado nos USA. 73 (Jorge Freitas, Feira de Santana Bahia - Brasil, March 20, dxclube pr yg via DXLD) Colega Jorge! Não é só você que tem esse problema; Eu não sintonizo em 10000 kHz o ON. Há muito não monitoro o ON. Infelizmente o sinal do ON é muito ruim e, impede de ser sintonizado nas Ondas Curtas. 73 à vossa pessoa (GLAUBER GLEIDSON PERES, RUA DOS JASMINS 126 VALE DAS ACÁCIAS PINDAMONHANGABA SÃO PAULO 12440.290, March 20, ibid.) ** CAMEROON. Re 9-024: As I reported in my previous e-mail, Cameroon is indeed still on the air on 6005 with poor audio including a distinctive hum. Some observations from 6005 kHz: 14/03/2009, 0700, audio heard under BBCWS. 0706, Cameroon in the clear, distorted audio, unidentified language. 16/03/2009, 1300, tone jingle, talk (news headlines) in English, followed by French. 1305, ID in English "The National Station of the CRTV", then listing of FM frequencies in major cities but no mention of shortwave. 1307 programme in English about the Pope's upcoming visit to Cameroon. 16/03/2009, 1700, heavy interference from Russia and Iran but Cameroon still heard briefly underneath, then transmitter seemed to go off I'm not surprised the signal isn't getting out very far. At my location in Niger State, Nigeria it is not strong. Reception is a little better in a location I visit further east in Nigeria. It may be that they sign off 6005 at 1700. I have not been able to find any night time frequency (James MacDonell, Niger State, Nigeria, March 20, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Thanks, James! Once upon a time, it was 3970 (gh) ** CAMEROON [non]. 9800, QSL, Sawtu Linjiila (Voice of the Gospel) via Wertachtal, Germany. Email confirmation from Charles Mbayanga (Senior Technician) at in three weeks. His personal email is He said, "The whole staff is sending you lots of greetings," and explained that Fulani is spoken from the east of Mauritania to the south of Sudan (David Foster, Australia, DXplorer Mar 15 via BC-DX via DXLD) ** CANADA. Radio Canada International Technical Schedule for Shortwave (Summer 2009) from March 29th (07:00 UTC) to October 25th, 2009 (07:00 UTC) MANDARIN 0000-0059 DAILY KIM 9690, KIM 11895 0105-0205 DAILY SAC 6100 1305-1405 DAILY SAC 7325 1500-1559 DAILY YAM 11805, YAM 6110 2105-2159 DAILY SAC 9515 2200-2259 DAILY KIM 9525, KIM 9870 ENGLISH 0000-0057 DAILY KUN 11700 0005-0105 TUE-SAT SAC 6100 0100-0159 DAILY EMR 9620 1500-1557 DAILY URU 17720, KUN 11675 1505-1705 DAILY SAC 9515 1705-1905 DAILY SAC 9515 1800-1859 DAILY KAS 9530, SKN 11765, SAC 17735, SKN 17810 2000-2100 DAILY SAC 15235, SAC 17735 2305-0005 DAILY SAC 6100 FRENCH 1900-1959 DAILY KAS 11765, SMG 13730, SKN 15320, SAC 17735 2005-2105 DAILY SAC 9515 2100-2159 DAILY SMG 9490, SAC 13650, SAC 15330, SAC 15235, SAC 17735 2300-2329 DAILY KIM 9525 SPANISH 0000-0059 DAILY SAC 11990, SAC 13725 0200-0259 DAILY SAC 9755, SAC 13710 0205-0305 DAILY SAC 6075 1205-1305 DAILY SAC 7325 2200-2259 DAILY SAC 11990, SAC 15455 2205-2305 DAILY SAC 6100 2300-2359 DAILY SAC 11990, SAC 15455 PORTUGUESE 0005-0035 SUN&MON SAC 6100 2100-2129 FRI-SAT-SUN SAC 17860 2130-2159 FRI-SAT-SUN SAC 15455, SAC 17860 2200-2229 FRI-SAT-SUN SAC 17860 2230-2259 FRI-SAT-SUN SAC 17860 2300-2329 FRI-SAT-SUN SAC 13710 UKRAINIAN 0035-0105 SUN&MON SAC 6100 1435-1505 SAT&SUN SAC 9515 1700-1759 FRI-SAT-SUN HB 5850 ARABIC 0200-0259 DAILY HB 5840, SMG 5950 0300-0359 DAILY MOS 9520 1105-1205 DAILY SAC 7325 1900-1959 DAILY SAC 15235, RMP 15180 1905-2005 DAILY SAC 9515 RUSSIAN 1405-1435 DAILY SAC 9515 1435-1505 MON-FRI SAC 9515 1500-1529 DAILY WOF 15325, HB 11935 1600-1630 DAILY RMP 15325, WOF 11935 DRM Transmissions (Digital Radio Mondiale) ENGLISH 1505-1705 DAILY SAC 9800 2100-2200 DAILY SAC 9800 FRENCH 1705-1905 MON-FRI SAC 9800 Transmitter Sites EMR: EMIRLER, TURKEY SAC: SACKVILLE, CANADA HB : HOERBY, SWEDEN SMG: SANTA MARIA GALERIA, VATICAN CITY KAS: KASHI, CHINA SKN: SKELTON, UNITED KINGDOM KIM: KIMJAE, SOUTH KOREA URU: URUMQUI [sic], CHINA KUN: KUNMING, CHINA WOF: WOOFERTON [sic], UNITED KINGDOM MOS: MOSBRUNN [sic], AUSTRIA YAM: YAMATA, JAPAN RMP: RAMPISHAM, UNITED KINGDOM Via Bill Westenhaver, Audience Relations/Relations avec l'auditoire Radio Canada International http://www.rciviva.ca (via Jaisakthivel, Chennai, India. Detail pdf schedule on http://www.adxc.wordpress.com via dxldyg via DXLD) WATCH OUT FOR POSSIBLE ANNOUNCEMENTS ABOUT THE FATE OF RCI NEXT WEDNESDAY OR THURSDAY: http://www.cbc.ca/arts/media/story/2009/03/09/cbc-funding-moore.html http://www.cbc.ca/arts/media/story/2009/03/17/cbc-budget-moore.html http://www.insidethecbc.com/cbc-to-sell-assets-to-finance-revenue-shortfall http://www.insidethecbc.com/bonus-cuts-attract-attention (Kai Ludwig, March 21, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** CANADA. "CBC EXECS WILL STILL RECEIVE HALF THEIR YEARLY BONUSES" Plan approved by board angers some members of 5,500-strong union (via Dale Rothert, March 19, DXLD) ** CANADA. BRIAN SMITH --- re 9-024, who suffered a brain aneurism In 1998 (or maybe 1999) I attended a Toronto Chapter meeting of the Ontario DX Association. I was rather proud of myself, because the weather was terrible, but I made it in from St. Catharines when most of the Toronto people didn't venture out. So a small circle of friends listened to a presentation by this guy named Brian Smith. I had seen the name but had never met him before. Remember this was pre-internet --- for me, anyway. I spoke to him briefly, he knew me from my column, and that was that. Late in 2000 when I got my first email account I got some feedback from him on something I had written. One of the things about writing a column or a newsletter, is that one rarely gets feedback at all. So when you do get some it stands out. And he liked my stuff so obviously he had good taste. A couple of years later, I got a notice via the Ontario DX Association yahoo group, that Brian was going to start a yahoo group for this new station called AM 740. I figured what the heck, I wasn't really interested in the station but I'll support that nice Brian fellow. Little did I know that I would be sucked into the cult of AM 740 by Brian's enthusiasm for the station, and the yahoo group. Our contacts became more frequent, soon it was daily email messages, and then hours spent on yahoo messenger. Almost every day. Eventually Brian asked me to help moderate the AM 740 group. I used to tell him that he only did that to make me stay on topic. Paraphrasing Bogart, AM 740 was the catalyst to the beginning of a beautiful friendship. For a time I took over the group newsletter once a week, to spell him off, but I had to bail on that when my own family situation became overwhelming at home. Just last Friday, I offered to start again, but he assured me he had everything set for several weeks to come. Once in a while, Brian would go away for the day, or the weekend. He would tell me I was in charge of the (AM 740 group) and he was leaving things in my capable hands. I would jokingly retort. "NO. Uh Uh...you're not going away, you didn't clear this with ME." He would go anyway of course, and upon his return I would assure him that I had banned someone improbable for being a trouble maker, or that the station changed format to all polka while he was gone. Since I heard the news out of left field that Brian had been hospitalized, all I've been thinking is, hey buddy, you didn't clear this with me (Fred Waterer, ODXA yg via DXLD) There are many more tributes to Brian on the ODXA yg from those who knew him or had met him at conventions (gh) BRIAN SMITH, CFZM 740 QSL MANAGER, RIP I just saw this on the Southern Ontario/Western NY forum...it looks like we've lost a great friend to the DX community. I never met Brian, but knew him well from his work with AM 740 and ODXA to provide nifty treats (special QSLs, etc.) to DXers over the years, and he'll certainly be missed: http://members2.boardhost.com/scrapbook/msg/1237521467.html (Scott Fybush, IRCA via DXLD) A Note from Craig Smith (no relation) at the Southern Ontario-Western NY Radio Board (Fred Waterer, March 20, ODXA yg via DXLD) Viz.: "Hi Folks, "Many people might be interested in this show that Don (Andrews) and I did with Brian back in January '08. "Go to http://www.sowny.ca and on the left click on the SOWNY Show. near the top of the page is a link to the interview that you can enjoy or download. "A wonderful show and one of my treasures to have." Craig (via Waterer, ibid.) obit ** CANADA. 740, CFMZ, Oakville ON with 'Friday Night Bandstand' oldies show with such hits as "Baby You're So Square, But I Don't Care" and "Love Potion #9" (one of my favorite songs of all time -- I really like the guy with the basso profundo!) Many, many "Toronto's AM 740" non IDs and OM announcer. Promo for "Applause" program and ads for 401 Dixie Kia car dealer and Timeshares Only and SIDs. Neil Sedaka is 70 today! Yikes! SIO 4+4+4+ 0140-0200. No legal ID at ToH. 14/Mar (Kenneth Vito Zichi, Williamston MI, MARE Tipsheet March 19 via DXLD) ** CHILE. CVC schedule has been further reduced as of March 15: B-08 Tentative A-09 Spanish 1200-0200 17680 1200-0200 17680 1200-2400 9635 1200-2300 9635 0000-0200 6070 2300-0200 6070 Portuguese 1200-0200 15410 1200-0200 15410 1800-2000 17860 DRM 1800-2000 17640 DRM[center frequencies +/- 5 kHz] I wonder if this is a cost-saving measure, or if some of their transmitters have crashed, as this accounts for only three at a time, plus the one in DRM for a bihour. WRTH 2009 says there are EIGHT 100 kW transmitters, altho I don`t think they ever had that many frequencies running at once, even including the defunct CRI relays (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** CHINA [and non]. 6060, CRI, *1059-1124, March 17. In English. Checking for any early signs of Sichuan PBS-2, but CRI’s 500 kW completely dominates here for a scheduled hour. Even the R. Nacional de Venezuela (via Cuba) sign-on at 1101 almost went unnoticed. Does CRI routinely block regional Chinese stations? Later, from about 1300 to 1515*, Sichuan PBS-2 is normally fairly well heard and // 7225. 6185, checking for any signs of China Huayi BC here at 1126, March 17, but only heard a strong North Korea in French; // 6285. After Singapore vacated this frequency, CHBC had a brief period of being in the clear till their 1200*, but now totally covered by N. Korea. Fortunately I can still hear them regularly on 4830 (scheduled from 1200 to 1700), usually heard with many on-air phone calls. Firedrake (music jamming), at 1644, March 17. Heard 8400, back to being parallel and in sync with 9000 (both vs. SOH) and 11920 (vs. VOA). Both Firedrake and CNR-1 jamming on 7445 and 11945 (both vs. R. Free Asia). Thanks to tip from Walter Salmaniw, checked for higher frequency Firedrakes. From 0155 to 0200*, March 19, heard 13970, // 14420 (both vs. SOH) and 16400 (vs. ?). At 0311 noted Firedrake on 13520 (vs. ?), // 13970, 14420 and 15545 (vs. VOA) (16400 not heard). Noted strong jamming by just CNR-1 (echo) on 17645 (vs. VOA) at 0155 (Ron Howard, Asilomar Beach, CA, Etón E1, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) Viz.: 20 meter intruder --- Just about forgot about the Chinese music jammer. While investigating signals on my Perseus SDR, came across a very strong signal on 14420 at 0030 UT with the usual format of continuous music. Another one in // is on 13970. Excellent conditions to the FE it seems, as I've heard a number of Japanese hams on 20 meters with good reception this afternoon (Walt Salmaniw, Victoria, BC, UT March 19, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) The 20 meter hamband runs from 14000 to 14350, so outside that range, Firedrake is not intruding in the hamband. Firedrake poor on 9300, March 19 at 1223, but inaudible on 9000 and 8400 which are usually best. Firedrake check March 22 at 1323: poor on 9000, seemingly mixing with other audio, Sound of Hope itself? Not heard on 8400 or 9300 (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** CHINA [non]. It`s jarring to be listening to an announcer speaking what seems to be perfectly good English, and then a common word is mispronounced. OM with CRI News on 6115 via Canada, March 21 at 0611, pronounced ``ally`` as if it were ``alley``! There was also another gaffe a few minutes earlier which I failed to note down. So you don`t have to speak perfect English to announce on the world`s greatest shortwave station where the talent pool must be enormous. Soon there will be more Chinese speaking some sort of English than Americans (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** CHINA. 9810, CNR-2/China Business Radio, 1158-1210, March 21, Chinese talk. Some local pop music. English “China Business Radio” ID at 1201 & back to Chinese talk. Fair signal. Much weaker on // 6090, 7245, 7315, 7335, 7375 (Brian Alexander, PA, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** CHINA. Positive ID of CNR8 Music! Just before the top of the last hour I was listening to China National Radio 8 (The Voice of the Minorities) and they where playing a catchy piece of Chinese socialist music that I didn't know the title of. I reached for my iPhone on which I have a free music identification application called Shazam. Holding the iPhone with the mic pointing to the radio speaker and pressing "Tag It" on the Shazam application gave a positive ID of the song! The tune was correctly identified as "Love of My Motherland China" by Song Zuying. Pressing another key on Shazam I was launched into the iTunes store, and now I am the proud owner of a copy of the song which appears as track 11 on the album "Ode to the Communist Party : 1921 - 2001. Other great tracks DXers may be familiar with on the album includes "March of The Volunteers" and "There is No New China Without the Communist Party". Cheers, (Mark Fahey, Australia, 2256 UT March 21, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) Hi Mark, Well, this particular one isn't a real 'classic' like the others you mentioned. This is a 1991 number, and it is about the 56 minorities of China. Hence airing it on the minority channel. What a great application! And ideologically useful to boot! (Edwin Lowe, Australia, ARDXC via DXLD) Thanks for the info about that CNR8. I did buy that same CD on Itunes. Wish I could get the actual CD with the cover! (Bruce MacGibbon, OR, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** COLOMBIA. MW Updates to WRTH 2009 from Henrik Klemetz: 1070, HJAH Emisora Atlántico. Addr: Organización Radial Olímpica, Calle 72 No. 48-37, Barranquilla (Atlántico). 1140, HJKO Radio Esperanza "la estación que cambia tu vida". Addr: Torices, Calle Sta. Fe No. 13-113, Cartagena. Tel. +5756662072. Email: info @ radioesperanza1140.com Web: http://www.radioesperanza1140.net 1190, HJCT La Voz de la Costa, Barranquilla. Web: http://emisoralavozdelacosta.net 1310, HJAK La Voz de la Patria Celestial. Addr: Cra. 45 No. 76-125, Barranquilla. Tel: +5753692208. 1360, HJTU Emisora Oxígeno (Caracol), Addr: Matuna Calle 32 No. 8-21, Of. 1106, Edif. Banco Popular, Cartagena (Bolívar). Dir: Fredy Long Berrío. 1460, HJMN La Voz de Amalfi, "la primera". Addr: Cra. 19 Restrepo No. 19-61,Amalfi, Antioquia. Web: http://lavozdeamalfi.com Affiliated to Caracol. Heard plugging special prefix for collect calls via public phone cabins. 1490, HJAY Radio Vida Nueva "te acerca a Dios" Addr: Cra. 26 No. 75B- 07, Barranquilla. Web: radiovidanueva.net Email: contacto @ radiovidanueva.net Phone: +573126557929. 1520, HJLQ Radio Minuto. Addr: Calle 73 No. 41B-106, Barranquilla. Phone: +5753682832. Web: http://www.radiominuto.org Email: info @ radiominuto.org and radiominuto @ yahoo.com Owner: Funpripaz, Fundación Príncipe de Paz. Heard plugging for mobile internet service 1580, HJQT Sonríele a Jesús Radio "la última a tu derecha, la primera en tu corazón" Addr: Calle 71B No.83-43, Bogotá. Web: http://www.sonrieleajesus.org Email: sonriele1580 @ hotmail.com Mgr: Padre Mauricio Cuesta P. Tel.: +571704423. Owner: Comunidad Misioneros Predicadores de Jesús y María. (ARC South American News Desk, Tore B. Vik, ed., March via DXLD) ** COOK ISLANDS. 4149, 0618, Rarotonga Radio, Avarua, calls to U2190, E2274, E5R. Mixed with WB Jackson, positions of vessels, one at 33N 73W with 345 miles to run and vessel N5060 at 33N 74W, 990 miles to run (Neville McKenty, Napier, New Zealand, NRD 545 with various antennas, March NZ DX Times via DXLD) ** CUBA. All the info you want on Cuban Radio --- If you are interested in Cuban Radio, this is one good website: http://www.radiocubana.cu/ All the frequency data you want: http://www.radiocubana.cu/directorio_radio_cubana.asp This NEEDS to be bookmarked by all who listen to Cuban radio (Kevin Redding, TN, ABDX via DXLD) Yes, a starting point, but this is official info, i.e. not likely to reflect reality and even contain dis-information (Glenn Hauser, DX LISTENINGN DIGEST) IRCA Crew: In what province is Matahambres, Cuba is? (Chaz WD4INP, IRCA via DXLD) I've found this to be a good reference: http://www.fallingrain.com/world/CU/index.html (W. Curt Deegan, Boca Raton, (southeast) Florida, USA, IRCA via DXLD) BOLETÍN DE LA RADIO CUBANA EN INTERNET Things must be changing in Cuba, with respect to where they send email based E-zines. Radio Cubana signed up my email address to receive their periodic e-zine, regarding radio activities in Cuba. I just received their second edition today. If anyone would like to see it, please let me know. It is html script, so I can't post it to the WTFDA email reflector, however, I can forward it to anyone that is interested (Jim Thomas, wdx0fbu, Milliken, Colorado, WTFDA via DXLD) ** CUBA. CONDENAN CUBANOS POR VENDER ACCESOS A TV EXTRANJERA --- Fueron condenados a tres años de cárcel y otros al mismo tiempo de "trabajo correccional" LA HABANA.- Varios cubanos fueron condenados a tres años de cárcel y otros al mismo tiempo de "trabajo correccional" por negociar con equipos para recibir señales de televisión extranjera destinados a "desprestigiar y desestabilizar la revolución", informó hoy el periódico Granma. El diario, portavoz del gobernante Partido Comunista, menciona a uno de los condenados, Eduardo Isern, de quien dice que "no tenía ocupación laboral, pero disfrutaba de un sustento económico nada despreciable" gracias a la "piratería y transmisión ilegal de señales de televisión". Los clientes de Isern, según Granma, accedían ilegalmente a programas emitidos por la compañía estadounidense DirecTV, incluidas "novelas, musicales, deportes y, entre unos y otros, mensajes mediáticos con la mira puesta en desprestigiar y desestabilizar a la revolución cubana". Otro de los condenados, Alejandro Canetti, contactó con sus hijos residentes en Estados Unidos para que contratara allí los servicios de DirecTV y enviaran a la isla los códigos y elementos necesarios para ver los canales extranjeros, siempre según la versión del diario oficial. La red incluía a un funcionario, no identificado por Granma, que habilitó una cuenta de acceso a Internet "violando todas las ordenanzas y mecanismos establecidos para garantizar la seguridad informática de su entidad". La policía detuvo a los involucrados y el Tribunal Provincial de La Habana, los juzgó y condenó por el delito de "actividades económicas ilegales". El diario anota que "otros ciudadanos inescrupulosos" han tenido beneficios económicos, "sin detenerse a pensar en los costos moral e ideológico que representan para el país la recepción de mensajes que tratan de tergiversar la realidad cubana y socavar los valores culturales y patrióticos". Los cubanos solo tienen acceso legalmente a los medios de comunicación nacionales, todos estatales, y no pueden conectarse en forma privada a Internet, según el Gobierno de La Habana por culpa del embargo comercial y financiero que EE.UU. aplica a la isla desde 1962. La televisión por satélite o por cable solo se permite en Cuba a entidades estatales, instalaciones turísticas y extranjeros residentes, mediante el pago en divisas. De EFE Fuente: http://www.diariolibre.com/noticias_det.php?id=192917 (via Dino Bloise, FL, March 20, dxldyg via DXLD) So they blame the US embargo for the dictatorial DentroCuban government`s restrixions on internet, let alone wormy TV (gh, DXLD) ** CUBA [non]. 9810, 0242 25/2, CANADA, Radio República (reportedly via Sackville relay) at very good level with ident in Spanish, phone- in discussions. Closed at 0400 after extensive ident announcement with piano theme music. No sign of Cuban jamming here (Bryan Clark at Mangawhai with AOR7030+ and Alpha Delta Sloper, EWEs to NE, E and SE, plus various 100 metre BOGs to the Americas, March NZ DX Times via DXLD) ** CZECHIA [and non]. Hola: Nuevas frecuencias de R. Praga en Español A09 Hora Frecuencia site Target 0000-0027 7275 Ascension S.America 0030-0057 7345 Litomysl C.America 0030-0057 9440 Litomysl S.America 0200-0227 6200 Litomysl C.America 0200-0227 7345 Litomysl S.America 0430-0457 9955 Miami Caribe/S.Am 0800-0827 11600 Litomysl S.W.Europa 0800-0827 15710 Litomsyl S.W.Europa 0930-0957 9955 Miami Caribe/S.Am 1400-1427 11625 Litomysl S.W.Europa 1400-1427 13580 Litomysl S.W. Europa 1800-1827 5930 Litomysl S.W.Europa 1800-1827 13580 Litomysl S.W.Europa 1900-1927 5930 Litomysl S.W.Europa 1900-1927 5930 Litomysl S.W.Europa 2030-2057 5930 Litomysl S.W. Europa 2030-2057 11600 Litomysl S.W. Europa/S.Am 2300-2327 7345 Litomysl S.America 2330-2357 11730 Sackville Caribe/S.Am Cordialmente, (Tomás Méndez, QTH: El Prat de Llobregat-Barcelona España, dxldyg via DXLD) I believe they have not used Sackville before. There are probably additional bonus broadcasts via WRMI; see its own schedule (gh) CZECHIA [and non]. CZECH REPUBLIC: R. Prague A-09 Schedules Czech 0130-0157 N+SAM 6200 7345 0230-0257 NAM 7345 9870 0830-0857 EU/AF/ME 11600 15710 0930-0957 EU/sAS 9880 21745 1100-1127 EU/sAS 11665 15710 1230-1257 EU 6055 7345 1530-1557 EU/eAF 5930 17485 1730-1757 EU/AS/AU/AF 5930 17485 1930-1957 EU/s+seAS/AU 5930 11600 2100-2127 AF/EU/SAM 9410 11600 2330-2357 N+SAM 7345 9440 English 0000-0027 NAM 7345 9440 0100-0127 NAM 6200 7345 0300-0327 NAM 7345 9870 0330-0357 NAM/ME/AS 6080sa 9445 11600 0700-0727 EU 9880 11600 0900-0929 EU/SAM/sAS 9880 21745 9955rmi 1030-1057 EU 9880 11665 1300-1329 EU/sAS 13580 17540 1330-1357 EU (fr,sa) 9850wo/DRM 1400-1427 NAM 9955rmi 1600-1627 EU/eAF 5930 17485 1700-1727 EU/cAF 5930 17485 2000-2027 EU/s+seAS/AU 5930 11600 2130-2157 cAF/NAM 9410 11600 2230-2257 NAM 7345 9415 French 0600-0627 EU 5930 7345 0730-0757 EU 9880 11600 1330-1357 n+wAF 13580 17540 1630-1657 EU/cAF 5930 17485 1830-1857 EU/wAF 5930 13580 2200-2227 NAM 7345 9415 German 0630-0657 EU 5930 7345 1000-1027 EU 6055 9880 1200-1227 EU 6055 7345 1300-1327 EU (fr,sa) 9850wo/DRM 1500-1527 EU 5930 1630-1657 EU 11700si 11825kr Russian 0400-0427 eEU/swAS 9445 11600 1130-1157 eEU/swAS 11665 15710 1430-1457 eEU/swAS 7345 13580 1800-1827 eEU 5840du Spanish 0000-0027 SAM 7275as 0030-0057 C+SAM 7345 9440 0200-0227 C+SAM 6200 7345 0430-0457 Car/SAM 9955rmi 0800-0827 EU 11600 15710 0930-0957 Car/SAM 9955rmi 1400-1427 EU 11625 13580 1800-1827 EU 5930 13580 1900-1927 EU 5930 13580 2030-2057 EU 5930 11600 2300-2327 SAM 7345 9415 2330-2357 Car/SAM 11740sa Relays: as = Ascension Island du = Dushanbe kr = Krasnodar rmi = WRMI sa = Sackville si = Sines wo = Wooferton [sic] (From scan of printed sked posted by Kraig in dxldyg via Alan Roe, ibid.) ** DIEGO GARCIA. 4319 USB, AFRTS, 1350-1402, March 19. “You are listening to A-F-N”; Dr. Joy Browne call-in program, giving advice to callers; poor-fair (Ron Howard, Asilomar Beach, CA, Etón E1, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** EQUATORIAL GUINEA. Have not noted R. Africa on 15190 for more than a month now, including close check for it March 19 at 2143 next to YFR/Ascension 15195, and still no trace of a carrier on 15190 at 2202 after ASC was off. The last reports of it in DXLD were Feb 21-22, but in the morning to midday hours. This was shortly after the ``terrorist attack/attempted coup`` on Feb 17 as linked in DXLD 9-016. My last log of 15190 was Feb 14 at 1555, and Brian Alexander had heard it Feb 13 at 2110-2150, as in DXLD 9-015. So has anyone been hearing 15190 at any hour since then? (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) 15190, 1926 14/2, Radio Africa, man and woman with religious talks in English with discussion about lifestyles. Through bottom of the hour without a station break. p/f signal with very deep fades (Richard A. D`Angelo, PA, March NZ DX Times via DXLD) ** ERITREA [non]. 9610, V. of Asena, Mar 13 *1730-1745, 23332-23322, Tigrigna, 1730 sign on with Eritrea pops music, ID, Talk (Kouji Hashimoto, Japan, Japan Premium March 20 via DXLD) [to Eritrea], 9610, Voice of Asena via Samara, Russia. Friendly email verification received in 16 hours from unnamed Founder and Director at although report directed to The Director said, "The response we have got after our first broadcast is unbelievable. As has been the case with our website, the radio broadcast has also been the talk of the country among the people inside Eritrea and in the diaspora. 'Arsena' [sic] in our language (Tigrinya) means a sigh of happiness. If someone is happy about something, say 'Arsena'." (David Foster, Australia, DXplorer Mar 15 via BC-DX via DXLD) ** ETHIOPIA. 5980, Voice of Tigray Revolution, *0254-0310, March 22, sign on with IS. Talk at 0300. Horn of Africa music at 0301. Weak but readable with some adjacent channel splatter. // 5950 - weak under Okeechobee (Brian Alexander, PA, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** ETHIOPIA. Today, St. Patrick’s Day, is my wedding anniversary, I just received two job offers (some of you know, I was laid off in January), have a wonderful wife, lovely children, and got a QSL from Radio Fana - the card is green! As Overall, it has been a good day here in Greenback! Ethiopia makes country #85 for me. Erin go bragh QSL: Radio Fana (Addis Ababa). Freq: 7210. 0415-0432. 27 Sep 08. Amharic. Received an f/d card for an English report, $1, 1 IRC, applause card and a local post card. The card had the station’s seal on it, and the envelope had a nice selection of Ethiopian stamps. V/S Woldu Yemessel. Station addy: Radio Fana, POB 30702, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia (Joe Wood, Greenback TN, MARE Tipsheet March 19 via DXLD) ** ETHIOPIA. 6090, Amhara Regional State R, Bahir Dar. Short email verification statement with date/frequency from Dereje Moges in 2 days. Report sent to but reply from Amma Amhara Mass Media Agency whose website is http://www.amma.gov.et Suspect that transmitter may be located at Gedja rather than Bahir Dar (David Foster, Australia, DXplorer Mar 15 via BC-DX March 18 via DXLD) ** ETHIOPIA. 7165, Voice of Peace & Democracy, via Radio Ethiopia transmitter, *0356-0432*, March 20, sign on with instrumental music and ID announcements. Talk in Tigrinya at 0400. Some Horn of Africa music. Co-channel QRM at 0400 from a weak VOBME & a strong noise jammer which covered Ethiopia. Poor to fair on // 9559.59v - in the clear but drifting up to 9559.73. Mon, Wed, Fri only. VOBME can sometimes be heard on this frequency on the other days (Brian Alexander, PA, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** ETHIOPIA. 9704.19, Radio Ethiopia, *0259-0315, March 20, sign on with electronic keyboard IS. Amharic talk at 0300. Horn of Africa music at 0302. Echo announcements. Very weak. Fair signal on // 7110. Threshold signal on // 5989.99 - weak but readable at 0334 check (Brian Alexander, PA, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** ETHIOPIA [non]. via Samara, Russia, 9485, Radio Xoriyo Ogadenia, *1700-1730, March 20, sign on with Horn of Africa style music & ID announcement. One minute of Qur`an at 1702. Somali talk. Short breaks of Horn of Africa music. Fair. Very weak on // 7530. Mon, Fri only (Brian Alexander, PA, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** ETHIOPIA [non]. 7485, Ginbot 7, Mar 10 *1700-1710, 35333, Amharic, 1700 sign on with IS, ID, Opening music, Talk. 7530, R. Bilal, Mar 01 *1700-1720, 35232-25232, Amharic, 1700 sign on with ID, Kor`an, Talk. 7530, R. Bilal, Mar 08 *1700-1720, 25332, Amharic, 1700 sign on with ID, Koran, Talk (Kouji Hashimoto, Japan, Japan Premium March 20 via DXLD) [to Ethiopia] 9610, R. Bilal via Samara, Russia. Thank you style of email confirmation. The writer seemed rather peeved to receive the report, saying, "Why are you concern to the radio which you don't understand? Are you in shortwave radio business or you just monitoring because it is your hobby? Or are you doing research? study? Please let us know? We just want to save a time for you, we have enough people to give us a report." Reply within 24 hours from Website under construction is at It contains weather for Addis Ababa, a link to a prayer time calculator, audio files for its Sunday weekly programs, and postal address of P. O. Box 34264, Washington, D.C. 20043, USA (David Foster, Australia, DXplorer Mar 15 via BC-DX via DXLD) ** ETHIOPIA [non]. via Julich, Germany, 11810, Voice of Oromo Liberation-Sagalee Bilisummaa Oromoo, 1710-1759*, March 22, talk in Oromo language. Some Horn of Africa music. Closing ID announcements at 1759. Fair signal. Occasional ineffective weak noise jammer (Brian Alexander, PA, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** EUROPE. PIRATE, 6850, Playback International. Decent signal at 2108 14 March with syndicated mx pgm. 2108 M with song anmnt. End of program and "Island of nowhere"/"PBI" ID at 2126. 73 (Dave Valko, micro-dxpedition, Eton E1, 315' at 50 Beverage (BOG), QTH: Pennsylvania State Game Lands #26, near Dunlo PA, HCDX via DXLD) PIRATE. 6874.00, Radio Playback International, 0245-0300, March 20, very weak with pop music. ex-6850. Apparently moved away from 6850 to avoid Egypt (Brian Alexander, PA, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** EUROPE. 6220: What's up with this Mystery Radio? I understand it's a pirate station from Italy. Does it have a set schedule and web-page? (I couldn't find one.) Which city is it from? What's the transmitter's power? It seems like MR has a pretty good coverage (Sergei S., Russia, March 19, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) No web page, only email address. They send email QSLs for reports on their live broadcasts. On the air since 2004. Sometimes they relay other pirates, such as FRSH (Free Radio Service Holland) and CWR (Crazy Wave Radio). It's a real MYSTERY :) -- 73! (Serghey Nikishin, Moscow, ibid.) Re Mystery Radio - I believe I once read that it's location was in the Milan area. Obviously it's not a 'flea power' transmitter wherever it is (Noel R. Green (NW England), March 19, ibid.) You read this about "Pirate Music" 6878 (Roberto Scaglione, Sicily, ibid.) Saludos cordiales, hoy 21 de marzo pueden tener la oportunidad de escuchar un programa especial emitiendose conjuntamente por 6220 Mystery Radio y 6870 Playback Int, buena música, tremenda la señal con la que está llegando aquí en Valencia, (España). (José Miguel Romero, Spain, 2108 UT March 21, ibid.) Mystery and Playback DJ-Battle tonight on 6220 & 6870 kHz LIVE In SWpirates@yahoogroups.com, "Chris Ise" wrote: DJ Battle tonight on Mystery and Playback with JJ Clarence and Chris Ise. Join us on 6870 and 6220 kHz --- End forwarded message --- I hear them on 6220 with SINPO 35433 while nothing on 6870 or around it. Pops with DJ announcements; at 2111 two ID jingles were played: "Mystery Radio" and "This is Playback". --- 73! (Serghey Nikishin, Moscow, Russia, Rx: DEGEN DE1103, 2127 UT March 21, ibid.) 6220, Playback International via Mystery Radio, 2104 21 March, ID jingle for both, then into "The End of the World" by REM. Decent strength but signal seemed disturbed. 2107 M in Italian then English with song announcement and mention of Chris Ise coming up. Into "Cars" by Gary Newman. // 6870 which was abt 38 seconds behind and weaker, but still easily readable. 73 (Dave Valko, micro-dxpedition, Eton E1, 315' at 50 Beverage (BOG) with RF Systems matching transformer and 50 ohm coax lead-in, QTH: Pennsylvania State Game Lands #26, near Dunlo PA, HCDX via DXLD) 6870.00, Radio Playback International, 2055-2245, March 21, oldies pop music. Talk. Weak but readable on peaks (Brian Alexander, PA, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** FAROE ISLANDS. Talking about wideband MW channels, Faroer on 531 really beats it. The lower edge ends at 521 kHz. So I set the bandwidth to 18 kHz and do get an FM-like signal, demodulated audio spectrum goes up to 7.5 kHz (Jurgen Bartels, Suellwarden, N. Germany, Winradio G305 & Perseus, Dual-feed 30x4m EWE pointing 320 , 300m Beverage 320 Iceland - Central Canada - California, 300m Beverage 280 UK - US east coast - Cuba, http://dx.3sdesign.de/station_list.htm March 20, MWDX yg via DXLD) See also DIGITAL BROADCASTING below ** FRANCE. Re 9-024, RFI STRIKES AGAIN! I haven't attempted to hear RFI, but I have been listening to the Radio France domestic LW and MW services. Now at 1700 there appears to be three "services" on air. 162LW has music (I don't know how to categorise this, other than 'dreadful' - or typically French?) with occasional announcements and France Inter ID. On 864 I hear a speech (mostly) and music programme which appears to be live. But on 603, 711, 792, 945, 1206 and unsynchronised 1404 and 1494 I hear another music (pop) programme with occasional announcements. Other MW channels are indistinct due to poor signals/QRM. So, is someone in the office today and not supporting the 'French people's epic struggle against the regime of Nicolas Sarkozy', as Sergei puts it? Or have machines taken over? (Noel R. Green (NW England), March 19, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** GABON. Africa Numero 1 heard 19 UT March 18. Was missing for a while some weeks back [9580]. Other transmitter (15475/17630) gone, as widely reported (Dr Derek Lynch, Ireland, March 19, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** GERMANY. 693 kHz et al. MW: included in long thread under RUSSIA ** GERMANY. Radio Gloria International this Sunday --- 22nd of March 2009, 1300 to 1400 UT, 6140 kHz over the transmitting station Wertachtal in Germany, 100,000 Watts, and we will be using a non- directional antenna system (Quadrant antenna). Good listening 73s (Tom Taylor, March 20, HCDX via DXLD) ** GERMANY. 15745, CVC International via Jülich. Full data (with site, power and azimuth indicated) e-mail letter with confirmation and explanation of service to Africa. Report sent to dxer @ cvc.tv Reply in three (3) days from Brigitte Raper, whose e-mail address is BrigitteRaper @ cvc.tv 15745, CVC International via Jülich. Reply in 24 hours from Walter Brodowsky stating that Jülich is in ownership of CVC (?) using their own short wave radio station to broadcast their own program content. Walter was the only person at Media Broadcast to reply to my request for clarification and a confirmation. E-mail report sent to Media Broadcast and to various other personnel (Edward Kusalik, Alberta, CANADA, March 22, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** GERMANY [non]. 15610, DW in German, quite good tho with polar flutter, March 20 at 1349; kept going into English as they were interviewing someone to voice-over. What does PWBR `2009` say? Via SRI LANKA. In this case it is still correct! HFCC confirms it as 1200- 1358, 250 kW at 355 degrees, i.e. aimed right at North America beyond the central Asian targets. DW English, March 21 at 2019 concluding report from Jo`burg, ID in passing, on 15275, fair reception. What does PWBR `2009` say? Site is UAE. I don`t think so; doesn`t come in that well here, aimed at Africa from the other side. In fact it`s Sines, Portugal, 140 degrees off the back, the site having changed from UAE on January 1 (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** GHANA [non]. 16/03/2009, 9830, "Adventist World Radio Ghana", 2100 in English. Presumably not transmitting from Ghana (James MacDonell, Niger State, Nigeria, March 20, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Austria (gh, DXLD) ** GREECE. Re 9-024, anything on 12105? Nothing noted on 12105 kHz in this week yet! (Wolfgang Büschel, Germany, Mar 19, DX LISTENING DIGEST) When I listened to the opening frequency announcements on the Voice of Greece this morning, March 19, at 0000 UT, the lady announced the frequencies in Greek, mentioning 12105, with no break in tone when she went to the news in Greek. Last month, I awakened in time to hear the broadcast from 0300 on 7450. So, since 12105 has mot been propagating in this area, I will try to awaken in time to hear if anything is going on at 0300-0600 on 7450. As far as I can determine, the Continental is still out of action and Avlis has only the two 100-kW transmitters in operation. I am sure that Demetri will let me know when it is back on the air. Until then, I will go with my schedule. Regards, (John Babbis, MD, DX LISTENING DIGEST) VOG, 15650, Greek music until closing at 1352* March 19. At 2120 March 19, found things back to normal with 9420 again on the air and clashing at about equal level with CVC 1Africa, Zambia, producing a SAH of 3.5 Hz, i.e. 210 fades per minute, but in short term the fade rate varied slightly, either due to one or both unstable transmitters or propagation/Doppler effect. Usual collision of Greek music versus wacky religionist talk in English and praise music for impressionable young Africans. CVC went off at 2201, leaving VOG in the clear. Meanwhile at 2153 I checked the other VOG frequencies, and found both 7450 and 7475 on the air with similar music but not //. 7450 also had that annoying het less than a kHz on the low side. So that means all three Avlis transmitters are again funxional for the first time in weeks, a conclusion John Babbis, who never misses an evening monitoring Greece in Maryland, also came to at 2202. This may mean that 15650 resumes its previous schedule the next day, i.e. until 1550* and again colliding with Miraya FM from and for Darfur via Slovakia from *1500. But the days are numbered (to nine more) for the 9420 CVC/ERA collision, as CVC plans to move to 5940 in A-09 (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Glenn: All 3 transmitters of the Voice of Greece are back on the air at 2202 UT Thursday, March 19-7450, 7475, and 9420. 12105 (and 9420 after dark) do not propagate in this area. Regards, (John Babbis, March 20, DX LISTENING DIGEST) As suspected, when we found V. of Greece back to `normal` the day before with all three Avlis transmitters funxional again at 2200, the temporary curtailment of the 15650 transmission until 1352* is over. March 20 it continued at 1354, still with music at 1400, and at 1433. By 1502 I had local noise sources going, but there were still two carriers on frequency making a fast SAH, i.e., resuming collision with Miraya FM via IRRS via Slovakia to Darfur (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Hello John, Yes, I can confirm that THREE transmitters are on air today - Friday March 20 - at tune in 0900 UT. 12105 is only a fair to good signal peaking to about S-7 in Spanish at 0915 UT = SINPO estimated 35433 at best. There is lots of fading - some down to about S-2 - but no interference. However, a co-channel carried appeared at around 0925 and broadcasting began at 0930. I cannot positively identify the station, but suggest it's this one (from HFCC list:) 12105 0930 1100 42-44 TWR 100 315 1234567 261008 290309 D Mandarin USA TWR FCC It is in a Chinese language and causing harmful interference/ disturbance at my location. SINPO now 32422. 9420 is a stronger signal peaking to S-9+10dB, but dropping at times down to about S-5 in fades. I can hear a voice in the background, but it is too weak to identify what it might be. In SINPO I estimate 45(+?)544. 15630 is also peaking to S-9+20db with some fades. I can also hear unidentified voice with music in the background of this transmission, which sounds identical to that heard on 9420, so is there a "crossed" feed line somewhere?? In SINPO I estimate 4+5544 at best. Best 73 from (Noel R. Green, England, DX LISTENING DIGEST) All three ERA shortwave transmitters are back on air since March 20th. Voice of Greece / ERA3 are back on regular schedule B08 now. Noted Sunday 22nd at 0830 UT like S=9+30dB on both 9420 and 12105 kHz, and weak as usual on early mornings on 15630 kHz like S=2-3 signal. 12105 kHz carries different Foreign languages program (Wolfgang Büschel, wwdxc BC-DX TopNews Mar 22, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** GUIANA FRENCH. Some DRM fans were fearing that the TSW 2250 D installed especially for digital transmissions at Montsinéry is collecting dust now. They have been told that it does not but is instead in use for the Voice of Russia relays (Kai Ludwig, Germany, March 22, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) As ya in DXLD, not a spider- nest (gh) ** HAWAII. Re 9-024, is Kalawao a county or not?? http://hawaii.gov/dbedt/info/census/popestimate/2007-county-population-hawaii/county00to07_rank_all.pdf Maybe the US Census Bureau blows air too. Or not? Pretty funny how much disagreement there is on this everywhere (Terry L Krueger, Clearwater, Florida, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** INDIA. 9425, AIR National Channel from Bengaluru, with very distorted modulation March 22 at 1326. Is no one paying attention at the transmitter site? I fear for AIR converting to DRM since they can`t even handle AM; but at least they may get some new transmitters also capable of AM (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) DEMONSTRATION OF DRM AT BANGALORE Dear Friends, Digital Radio Mondiale (DRM) is a new terrestrial digital sound broadcasting technology in MW and SW bands. DRM can provide wide coverage - the inherent advantage of long distance propagation characteristics of this band. Due to robust digital modulation and coding schemes employed, DRM can provide FM like sound quality to the listeners. It also has additional advantage of carrying data transmission along with the audio, easy selection of the frequency for the user etc. World wide, DRM transmission by majority of the public service broadcasters like BBC, Deutsche Welle etc has already started. Recently, AIR too has inaugurated DRM transmission from Delhi. Expert opine that, in coming years, gradually, DRM shall replace the conventional analog sound broadcasting in MW and SW bands. Considering the importance of DRM technology in terrestrial sound broadcasting, Bangalore chapter of Broadcast Engineering Society, has arranged a presentation/demonstration of this technology by me on 23rd March 2009 at 1800 Hrs at BEL officers club, BEL, Jalahalli, Bangalore. Presentation will contain brief like necessity, objective, system summary, broadcast hardware infrastructure, service planning of DRM technology etc. Also, demonstration of field recorded sound of the DRM will be made. You are requested to attend the presentation. Yours faithfully R. Narasimha Swamy, Superintending Engineer, All India Radio, Raj Bhavan Road, BANGALORE, 560001, India Phone: +91-80-22261243(office), +91-80-23512445(Residence) FAX : +91-080-22261243, Mobile: 09880197441 73 (via Jose Jacob, VU2JOS, National Institute of Amateur Radio, Raj Bhavan Road, Hyderabad 500082, India, dx_india yg via DXLD) ** INDIA. AIR External Services really have changes in frequencies. Noted first on Feb 14th and again 4-7 March, for example at 1615 UT AIR in Persian on 7115, 9595 (here in January was AIR in Russian), 11585 kHz. From 1615 AIR in Russian is already only on 11620 kHz (in January was heard here on 9595, 11620, 15140 kHz) (on 15140 kHz only program in Arabic, probably Oman?). AIR in English at 1000 UT on March 8th reported on 13710, 15235, 17510, 17800 (here almost covered by buzz of Saudi Arabia), 17895, but no on traditional received here 15020 and 15260 kHz. On March 7th from 1745 UT in English only on 7410, 9445, 11620 kHz. Of course it has to be checked more, maybe conditions here were bad (Rumen Pankov, Bulgaria, March 10, wwdxc BC-DX TopNews Mar 18 via DXLD) ** INDIA. Shifting of AIR frequencies from 7100-7200 kHz Band wef 29th March, 2009 -- AIR changes for A09 - Regional SW Transmitters Station Time (IST) Time (UTC) Freq(kHz) Old New ------------------------------------------------- Bhopal 0755-1600 IST 0225-1030 UTC 7180 7430 Chennai 0830-1700 IST 0300-1130 UTC 7160 7380 Hyderabad 0755-1715 IST 0225-1145 UTC 7140 7420 Imphal 0800-1530 IST 0230-1000 UTC 7150 7335 Jaipur 1130-1645 IST 0600-1115 UTC 7120 7325 Lucknow 0945-1615 IST 0415-1045 UTC 7105 7440 Port Blair 0845-1615 IST 0315-1045 UTC 7115 7390 Shillong 1000-1615 IST 0430-1045 UTC 7130 7315 Reports to : spectrum-manager@air.org.in All India Radio HPT at Avadi (Chennai) would carry TAMIL/SINHALA/FM-Gold (Chennai) Services on 7270 kHz instead of 7360 kHz wef 29th March, 2009. 0000-0045 UTC Sinhala 0045-0115 UTC Tamil 0115-0430 UTC FM-Gold Information on changes regarding AIR external services still awaited. (via Alokesh Gupta, New Delhi, March 20, dx_india yg via DXLD) HPT = hi power transmitter?? See 9-005 for earlier plans about changes (gh) ** INDONESIA. 3987.05, RRI Manokwari (Manokwari), 1136-1204, 3/21/2009, Bahasa. Pop music with short announcements by man and woman. Announcement by man at 1159 followed by SCI. News by man at 1200. Poor signal initially, improving to good after 1155. Surprised to find them so strong, as other RRIs were at carrier level or missing today (Jim Evans, Germantown, TN, TenTec RX-340, Eton E1, Sony ICF- SW7600G, Random Wires (90' and 200'), Eavesdropper Dipole, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** INDONESIA. 4790.03. RRI Fak Fak, 1251, 3/21/09. Fair signal was pop mx. Actually stronger than CODAR (Jerry Strawman, Des Moines, IA, Icom R-75, Wellbrook ALA-100 Loop, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) Since I last reported RRI Fak2 missing from 4790, there have been signs of it on some mornings, but definitely back March 21 at 1320, lo-fi phone interview vs CODAR (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** INDONESIA. For A-09, RRI plans to move five regional transmitters in the 7100-7200 range up exactly 100 kHz higher, apparently without regard to any new collisions which may ensue, but these are not confirmed active anyway; in fact WRTH 2009 lists none of them on their `former` frequencies in the 7100s. So here are the new frequencies they will not be using and where you will therefore not hear them either: 7205, 0800-1400 50 kW Banda Aceh 7205, 1000-2400 7 kW Yogyakarta 7240, 0100-0800 10 kW Ambon 7270, 0000-0500 1 kW Serui 7275, 1100-1600 1 kW Serui (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** INDONESIA. 9524.97, Voice of Indonesia, 0952-1010, March 20, on the air at approximately 0952 with talk. Very weak. Too weak to identify the language. IDed by hearing their usual theme music at 1000. Stronger signal at 1303-1315+ with English news. IDs. But still an overall poor signal due to noise & adjacent channel splatter (Brian Alexander, PA, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** INTERNATIONAL. Dear Dave Askine, The following email IDs were returned to me; kindly cross check it please! Ref: DX LISTENING DIGEST 9-024, March 19, 2009 wwcr@wwcr.com es_nrcu@ukr.net vsru@nrcu.gov.ua crieng@crifm.com rnv@rnv.gov.ve fabrice.esnay@tdf.fr reloj@cenial.inf.cu 73’s (Jaisakthivel, India, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** INTERNATIONAL INTERNET. SPACE PROGRAMS --- Almost forgot to tell you, from Tue 17 March 2009 thru Mon 23 March 2009 you can hear the Those Were The Days program of Sat 14 March 2009 which has 6 half-hour episodes of space/science fiction shows from the 1950's. Just go to http://www.nostalgiadigest.com then click on those were the days (autumn) program highlights, then click on the radio dial to hear the program. I dont think it can be downloaded as an mp3 file, just listened to as streaming audio. Each Saturday`s program is available for one week starting the following Tuesday. Or you can listen live at http://wdcb.org from 1 to 5 pm Central [18-22 UT] on Sat. If I forget to set a VHS-HI-FI deck to record from an FM tuner on Saturday, I have to drag a recorder over here to the library to record if I want to save it. That`s what I did Sat; I didn`t start recording til the 4-hr program was half over and I recorded the first 2 hours from the internet here at the library today (Bill Hassig, March 18, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** IRAN. Schaedliche Stoerungen durch IM-Produkt von Iran Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB) im Band 7 zwischen 7055 und 7065 kHz. An: Bundesnetzagentur Pruef- und Messdienst 78464 Konstanz Sehr geehrter Herr xxxx, schon seit mehreren Tagen ist in den Abendstunden (2030-2130 UTC) ein starkes IM-Produkt von IRIB Teheran, IRN, im 40 m Band zu hoeren. Das Signal ist unstabil, stark verzerrt und erreicht bis S9+10dB an meinem Dipol. Es ist ueber 6 kHz breit. Es wandert zwischen 7055 und 7065 kHz. Die Grundfrequenz des IM- Signals ist 7130 kHz. Dort ist das Signal relativ sauber zu hoeren. Beide Signale laufen parallel. Mein Empfaenger ist ein FT-1000 von YAESU, der zwei unabhaengige VFOs aufweist. Wuerden Sie bitte die obigen Frequenzen beobachten und ueber Ihre Zentrale in Mainz eine internationale Beschwerde gegen diesen Rundfunksender abschicken. Vielen Dank fuer Ihre Muehe. Mit freundlichen Gruessen, Ulrich Bihlmayer DJ9KR, Leiter der Bandwacht des DARC (DJ9KR via wwdxc BC-DX TopNews Mar 11 via DXLD) ** IRAN. 7160, Islamic Republic of Iran Radio – Sirjan 0213–0228, 3/19/09 with short articles about the Iranian revolution's contributions separated by bits of mournful sounding music, 0226 ID as “The voice of justice.”, frequencies, postal address, e mail address, brief music, 0228 off. Fair (Mark Taylor, Madison, WI, Winradio g313e & Flextenna, NASWA yg via DXLD) 7160, Voice of Justice, 0154-0205+, March 20, tune-in to English news. IDs. Current affairs program at 0158 about President Obama & the Middle East. Good. Strong. // 6120 - fair with some weak adjacent channel splatter from 6125 (Brian Alexander, PA, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** IRAN. Estimados oyentes: Reciban un cordial saludo desde Irán. Quisiéramos mediante la presente informarle que el 22 de marzo tendrá lugar el cambio de hora en Irán, en el que adelantamos una hora el horario oficial, así pues el horario de la emisión de los programas de nuestra emisora también se adelanta una hora. Confiando en su atención, le saludamos atentamente. La Redacción Española, de la Voz Exterior de la R.I.I. (via Héctor Frías, Radioescuchas de FEDERACHI, CHILE, BCLNEWS.IT yg via DXLD) ¡Qué confusos están en VRII! Como aconteció el año pasado, según datos de WRTH, NO se cambiaron las horas de transmisión en español, sino se quedaron a las 0030, 0530 y 2030 Tiempo Universal tanto en verano como en invierno (temporadas A y B). Sólo en la oficina y la cabina se cambiaron los relojes, que no nos importa de ninguna manera en el exterior (Glenn Hauser, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** IRELAND [non]. 18 March at 1930 checking for RTE relay via Meyerton on 6220. Only strong Mystery Radio and occasional few second bursts of another station in English. Around 1946 suddenly the RTE signal covered the frequency pushing Mystery to background. Good signal from Meyerton, I left the frequency a few minutes later. Maybe the previous day (17 March) there was also some problems with the Meyerton relay of RTE on 6220. I don't think this sudden appearance of the signal around 1946 was propagation (Jari Savolainen, Kuusankoski, Finland, March 19, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) RTE on 19th was counter QRMing with Mystery Radio on 6220 at 2010 tune in till about 2015 (did not check my clock) at SINPO level of 32xx3 and S9 on R75 with 2x16 m inv V antenna. Same happened on 20th at 1930, S9 325x3 in favour of Mystery Radio (Zacaharias Liangas, March 20, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** ITALY [non]. A09/Summer 2009 schedule for IRRS-Shortwave Effective March 29, 2009 - 25 Oct, 2009 IRRS-Shortwave (Milano, Italy) Last update on March 12, 2009 in parallel with Internet Radio NEXUS (IRN) (24 hrs) Freq UTC Days ITU Zones Power Language 5990 0430-0530 Mon-Thu 18-19,27-30,37-39 150 kW English (1) 7290 1800-2100 Fri,Sat,Sun 18-20,27-30,37-40 150 kW English (1) 9510 0800-0900 Sat 18-20,27-30,37-40 150 kW English (1) 9510 0930-1200 Sun 18-20,27-30,37-40 150 kW English (1) 15650 1500-1800 Daily 18,27-30,37-40,46-48,52,53,57 150 kW English, Arabic (2) (1) To Europe, Middle East and N Africa (2) to Africa [WORLD OF RADIO times will presumably make the one-hour DST shift: Fri 2030 on 7290, Sat 0800 on 9510 --- gh] But see below http://www.nexus.org/NEXUS-IBA/Schedules For more information: IRRS-Shortwave, PO BOX 10980, I-20110 Milano, Italy. ph: +39-02-266 6971 fax: +39-02-706 38 151 email: info@nexus.org http://www.nexus.org/NEXUS-IBA/Schedules/IRRS-SW_A09.html --- (via Alokesh Gupta, New Delhi, dxldyg via DXLD) WOR on March 28 via IRRS --- Glenn, Next Sat March 28, we have to leave the WOR slot on IRRS Shortwave to our member Radio Rasant for a special 30 min program, that is from 1000 to 1030 CET (0900-0930 UT) on 9510 kHz in German & English. Radio Rasant is a radio project from the Realschule in Sundern, Germany. You can find more information on their website at http://www.radio-rasant.org WOR will resume on the second Sat in April, April 11, 2008 at 10 CET (0800 UT) on 9510 kHz. Best regards, 73 (Alfredo E. Cotroneo, CEO, NEXUS-Int'l Broadcasting Association, March 21, DX LISTENING DIGEST) I.e., WOR missing two weeks straight from 9510, as normally skips the first Saturday in the month for other programming, and in the meantime DST starts so when we come back it`s one UT hour earlier (gh, DXLD) SLOVAKIA. 7290, IRRS, 2037-2101*, Friday March 20, tune-in at 2037 looking for World of Radio but technical problems at IRRS causing an open carrier with no audio. WOR on the air with program in progress at 2042. Fair to good signal after 2042 but slight adjacent channel splatter from CRI via Albania on 7285. IRRS closing announcements at 2059 with contact information & National Anthem (Brian Alexander, PA, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Which nation`s anthem? ** JAMAICA. ADVENTIST UNIVERSITY IN CARIBBEAN RECEIVES RADIO LICENSE Adventist News Network, By ANN Staff, Silver Spring, Maryland, United States, 19 March 2009 http://news.adventist.org/2009/03/seventh-day-adventis.html Seventh-day Adventist-run Northern Caribbean University (NCU) is preparing to broadcast radio programming to the Caribbean after receiving a radio license for a student-run station. "We will pull ourselves together and set the pace for the highest caliber of programming in radio," said Herbert Thompson, president for the Adventist church in western Jamaica. Thompson said the station provides a way to impact the community as well as a training tool for university students. "We are going to be operating as a regular station with news, advertisement and programming," Thompson said. NCU received the license earlier in March, eight years after first applying to the government (via Mike Terry, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) What government, are we talking about Jamaica as mentioned in passing above? Yes, Googling puts the NCU in Mandeville, plus campuses in several other Jamaican cities. I expect it will be FM, with SW from Jamaica existing only in the hoary past, almost before I ever started a semi-century ago (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** JAPAN [and non]. NHKWNRJ, 11705 via Sackville, Sat March 21 at 1410 with World Interactive, accompanied by lite pre-echo from Yamata direct. R. Japan plans to continue colliding with itself in A-09, despite my repeated complaints, and others noting the same problem, which is worst in western North America. The least they could do would be to delay the feed to Yamata just enough so it doesn`t echo with Sackville fed by satellite. The hostess, whose name I can`t remember, and whose name still appears nowhere on the homepage for this show, http://www.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/english/radio/wi/index.html tho her smiling face does twice, said that from next fiscal year in April, she would not be losing her job, but the show would be moving to Sundays at 1410 JST/0510 UT instead of Saturdays at the same time. She announced this twice, and is apparently unaware of the several repeats later in the day such as the one I was listening to. So what will be aired on Saturdays? (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** JAPAN [non]. NHK Arabic starts using MW on 29/3/09 --- Hello DXers, Tha Arabic section of NHK announced today that starting 29/3/09 will start using the MW frequency of 1377 from 2015 till 2045 UT from the relay station in Armenia. That's the first time ever NHK Arabic starts using MW frequency for the Middle East area. Some info as well that they will start using FM to rebroadcast NHK Arabic for the listeners in Palestine ove the air waves of V of Peace. More details to come later. All the best (Tarek Zeidan, Cairo, Egypt, March 22, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) Wonder how well 1377 gets into Cairo? (gh, DXLD) And NHK starts using WRN AM relay in Moscow for its Russian programming. If I'm not mistaken, V of Peace relays are brokered by WRN, as well (Sergei S., Russia, ibid.) ARMENIA: Also NHK Arabic via Gavar site on SW 0400-0430 ME 5980ERV, Persian 0230-0300 ME 5960ERV and NHK Russian like 1600-1630 EU 738 kHz Moscow (Wolfgang Büschel, wwdxc BC-DX TopNews Mar 22 via dxldyg via DXLD) ** KOREA NORTH. 6350 with noise jamming at 1237 March 19, instead of the usual whoop-whooping. Apparently the juches are changing their tactix; now it sounds about the same as on 3918 and 3985 against other clandestines from the South. Altho missing the day before, the whoop-whoop jammer very much in evidence March 21 at 1330 on 6350, tho the noise jamming seemed there too, and no sign of its victim (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** KOREA NORTH. 9665, Korean Central BS, (Presumed), 0938-0950 March 19. Noted a male in Korean Language comments until 0939 when martial marche music is heard - lots of brass, drums and flutes. At 0941, a female comments briefly before more music. Signal was poor with some dips into the noise (Chuck Bolland, Clewiston, Florida, USA, NRD545, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) Used to be considerably off-frequency. Could you measure it to two decimals like the LA`s? (gh, DXLD) ** KOREA NORTH [non]. 9965, Nippon no Kaze (Korean BC) via T8WH, Palau (presumed). Replied back via e-mail to my e-mail report with short audio clip (MP3) in 4 days to info @ rachi.go.jp Acknowledged my audio and details but stated that they do not issue QSL cards and to check out their web site for additional information about abductions. Did not state the transmitter site per my request (Edward Kusalik, Alberta, CANADA, March 22, DX LISTENING DIGEST) see also PALAU ** LAOS. 6130, LNR, 1415-1427, March 19. Two women having a conversation in French; agrees with their schedule. 1418-1430, March 20 (Fri.). English lesson (“Functioning in Business”). I have never heard their scheduled “Sport Analyze Program” for Fri. & Sat.; some QRM from assume PBS Xizang from Tibet (Ron Howard, Asilomar Beach, CA, Etón E1, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** MADAGASCAR. 5010.0, RNM (presumed), 0253-0307, March 19. Still with transmitter that is on exact frequency and in USB + carrier mode. Various music; woman announcer; sounded like French; poor-fair. Listening to this, one would think everything was normal in the country! 6134.92, RNM, 1445-1525, March 19 & 20. Thanks to John Wilkins tip that they were here. Heard in conventional DSB mode, after the sign- off of a strong BBC via Singapore in Vietnamese; clearly parallel with 5010.0 (only in USB + carrier mode), with a delay of several seconds on 6134.92. Both days very similar reception; 6134.92 signal fading out and lost shortly after 1500, while 5010.0 continued improving after 1450. March 20 noted C&W type songs in English. Very nice to hear this frequency again (Ron Howard, Asilomar Beach, CA, Etón E1, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) 5010 LSB. 03-20-09 UT, abrupt sign on at 0245 with continuous ezl music. Excellent signal cutting in and out. At 0256 began interval signal numerous times. 0301 beautiful clear and full ID, then national anthem. Are they signing on one hour later now? They used to sign on anywhere from 0200 to 0245. 0302 full ID again and frequency announcements then into continuous local ezl music. Malagasy talk at 0318 then into local choir/religious/hymn type music going on and off with male announcements in between. Reception was excellent with a whopping signal strength of S-9 in LSB. Signal, modulation, and fidelity were absolutely astonishing. 0330 broke away from music without the regular "news song" and began talk, no ID. Drums at 0331 and announcements. At 0339, it sounded like someone addressing a crowd of people or speech. If this was the news at 0330, as always before at this time, Radio Madagasikara just sounds very different, other than the continuous music at times. That is just my opinion, however. Last night, 03-19-09 UT, RNM abruptly came on around 0330 with what sounded like what one would believe to be a political leader speaking to a cheering crowd. This type of programming went on until I fell asleep face down on the desk at 0345. The signal was on and off about twice a minute at times. This was sunrise in MGD and the day before (MGD time) Ravalomanana stepped down as president. It was very exciting to actually sit at your desk and hear FIRST HAND as a major political situation unfolds in an exotic country on the other side of the world as a radio signal squeaks in ON YOUR RADIO. THIS IS WHAT SHORTWAVE IS ALL ABOUT, FOLKS ! ! ! (Stephen J. Price, Johnstown, PA, USA, one big antenna, one big grounding system, and a Kenwood R-5000, March 20, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Very good, but I thought they were on USB + carrier, as Ron Howard has been reporting (gh, DXLD) Hi Steve, How are things over on the east coast? Glad to see you are still enjoying good reception of Madagascar. Enjoyed reading about your interesting March 20 log. Had a question for you. In your latest (March 20) log below you indicate "LSB". In an earlier post (March 16) you have them as "USB (suppressed LSB)". Was the March 20 "LSB" correct? Any chance a typo? I have been hearing them on 5010.0 with only USB + carrier mode, since March 13, during my mornings and evenings receptions. Not a big deal, but was curious. Thank you. Keep the great logs coming, as I enjoy seeing how reception is on the east coast! Wish you good listening! (Ron Howard, Asilomar Beach, CA, ibid.) You know, I was wondering about that myself. it does not appear that I would make a mistake like that, but it is possible. I was thinking about that as I now DO remember the discrepancy. chasing a 15 month old around the radio room some nights while jotting down some logs, and then posting them; there could be a memory lapse or typo errors without a doubt. All I do know now is that tonight 3-21 and last night (the log) it is USB, guaranteed. I have a question for you. If RNM is broadcasting in suppressed carrier "USB" with no audio in LSB, how is it supposed to be heard in the AM mode, as in, ARE the people in Madagascar hearing it clearly? When I listen to them in AM mode, well, the audio sounds like Donald Duck. I am sure you know how an SSB transmission sounds when tuned in the AM mode. So my question is this. Since RNM is transmitting in LSB, what is the advantage? And how does the regular everyday Malagasy person clearly hear the broadcast on a cheap-o shortwave radio that does not have the capabilities to tune in USB? Is suppressed carrier USB heard very clearly locally in MGD ? It is kinda like my local AM station broadcasting in suppressed carrier. 99% of the people in Johnstown would not be able to hear them, intelligibly. Unless RNM is using 5010 LSB as a feeder now to the local transmitters. Your thoughts are appreciated. PS, as I was enjoying them tonight, technical problems must be taking place because the station died at 0350 (Steve Price via Howard, DXLD) My Audio Clip compliation of Radio Madagasikara can be heard at http://intervalsignals.net/ Scroll down on the left hand side of the page and click "Madagascar" . My audio clip compilation is first on the list and flashing "updated" It is credited with my name, Stephen Price. This is how well I have been recently hearing them here in Johnstown, PA (Steve Price, DXLD) Hi Steve, Thank you for your response. Regarding your questions about AM/USB/LSB: I am forwarding this on to Glenn for his thoughts. Perhaps he can explain how it works, as I am afraid it is beyond my knowledge. Sorry! Thanks again for answering my email (Ron Howard, Asilomar Beach, CA, ibid.) Steve and Ron, First of all, I haven`t heard this myself so can`t offer my own direct opinion on it. Most reports I`ve seen say 5010 is USB plus (reduced) carrier. That means there is some carrier, but not as much as full AM. So it could still be understood on a common radio, depending on just how much it is reduced. That`s what WBCQ is trying to do on 5110, 9330 and 15420. If it is truly suppressed (zero carrier), then it would certainly be no good on a common radio. I suspect they would not be using such a transmitter for broadcasting in Madagascar if they had a better one available. Unless it was an engineer`s bright idea to save some power, it may have been second-hand utility unit originally designed for SSB. I never can remember which way LSB sounds and which way USB sounds on the FRG-7 or YB-400 which have a simple BFO, so have to check it on a receiver like the ATS-909, where you can switch between LSB and USB reception and tell immediately. You should be able to tell whether carrier is reduced or suppressed just by tuning back and forth a little. If there is any carrier there will be a het when you are slightly off-frequency, and that of course helps to tune in the signal exactly even if it doesn`t do much for the modulation. Regards, (Glenn to Steve, ibid.) Thanks for the info. When heard last year in USB and also often these past few months, there [was] certainly nothing in LSB. When listened in AM mode, sounds like Donald Duck, unlike CHU where one side has nothing and AM sounds fine. Tonight, RNM is back to AM mode with audio in both sidebands and heard clearly in AM, despite very poor reception conditions. Thanks (Steve Price, 0403 UT Mar 22, DX LISTENING DIGEST) 5010, RTV Malagasy, *0250-0330, March 21, abrupt sign on with local pop music. Euro-pop music. IS at 0256. National Anthem at 0258. Short Malagasy announcement at 0301 and local music. Malagasy talk. Fair to good. Reduced carrier USB (Brian Alexander, PA, DX LISTENING DIGEST) 5010, Radio Nasionaly, Ambohidrano, 1817-1840, 21-03, canciones africanas, vernáculo. 24322 (Manuel Méndez, Lugo, España, Escuchas realizadas en Friol, Lugo, Grundig Satellit 500 y Sony ICF SW 7600 G, Antena de cable, 10 metros, orientada WSW, DX LISTENING DIGEST) 5009.93, RTV Malagasy, 0310-0330, March 22, much weaker signal tonight. Back down on 5009.93 & in full AM mode. Perhaps a different transmitter? Local music & talk. Just too weak to catch many program details (Brian Alexander, PA, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Thanks Brian for keeping us up-to-date. This would indeed seem to confirm they are switching transmitters fairly often between the one with the exact frequency with USB + carrier mode and the other one being on 5009.93 with conventional DSB (both USB and LSB audible), as also observed by Steve Price (Ron Howard, Asilomar Beach, CA, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** MADAGASCAR [non]. From March 20, WRN has been transmitting Radio Mada on 5895 kHz to Madagascar at 1700-1730 and 0400-0430 UT. It is from a Swiss NGO, Tiako i Madagasikara, http://www.tim-sfv.ch A quick look at that website finds nothing about radio broadcasts; their main thrust seems to be water purification, which is a good idea (distilled) for cooling SW transmitters, but which? Site unknown, but probably not Talata, yet somewhere fairly close to be on 6 MHz band. Current registration for 5895 at 1700-1730 is IBB Lampertheim, which seems unlikely for this, really R. Liberty in Tatar-Bashkir. Nor if you hear this on 5895 should you assume it is the apparently inactive second frequency to 4750 of Voice of Peace in the Nuba Mountains of Sudan, which per Aoki claims to broadcast in English at 0230-0330 and 1600-1800. Where is Radio Mada coming from politically? Some items from Jan and Feb on the website call the TGV movement ``terrorist``, and they are pro-democracy and constitionalism. In fact, they publicize pro- Ravolomanana demonstrations scheduled for March 21 in Paris and Réunion. So now the resigned president has a clandestine voice. Looking for the new pro-Ravolomanana clandestine, via WRN, R. Mada, 5895, scheduled 0400-0430: March 21 at 0405, something there but too weak to copy, probably this since nothing else scheduled on frequency; also some clicking which is surely not jamming already, but maybe leaking from some DentroCuban jammer. WWCR 5890 could be a big super- power problem, but not so strong at this time. R. Mada is also scheduled at 1700-1730 on 5895, from a Swiss NGO, Tiako i Madagasikara, http://www.tim-sfv.ch --- I suspect the transmitter site is Meyerton; if not, somewhere else close to Madagascar, not likely from Talata itself (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Via ?, 5895, Radio Mada, *0400-0425, March 21, Tentative. Sign on with anthem. Talk in unidentified language. Tentative ID. Poor in noisy conditions. Thanks to Glenn Hauser tip (Brian Alexander, PA, DX LISTENING DIGEST) I presume this is the same Radio Mada that has a website at http://www.radiomada.com/ (Andy Sennitt, Netherlands, 1315 UT March 22, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) Station seems to be based in Bordeaux. Clicking on 'Webcam Studio' brings up http://www.bordeaux-webcam.com/ (Andy Sennitt, 1318 UT, ibid. Hmm, it seems there may be more that one station calling itself Radio Mada. I note from the Web page I found that: "Nous vous rappelons que nous sommes une radio et télévision indépendante créée à l'initiative de Madagascar Développement en 1995 pour aider notre pays dans sa quête de Démocratie, de Liberté, de Solidarité, de Responsabilité et de Pluralité d'Idées. Nous ne faisons pas partie et n'avons aucun lien avec l'autre média portant le même nom installé à Madagascar." (Andy Sennitt, 1410 UT March 22, ibid.) Found it! And the one on shortwave is indeed a different station: RADIO MADA INTERNATIONALE dit : 21 mars 2009 à 17 h 13 min COMMUNIQUE urgent : INFORMATIONS SUR MADAGASCAR Tiako i MADAGASIKARA! http://www.tim-madagascar.net * ECOUTEZ * *FLASH-INFOS MADA* RADIO MADA INTERNATIONALE ONDES COURTES : 5895 KHZ 7H-7h30 du matin & 20H-20h30 du soir Heure de Madagascar * ECOUTEZ * *FLASH-INFOS MADA* RADIO MADA INTERNATIONALE SUR WEB 24h/24h Toutes les 3 heures à partir de 6 du matin Pour écouter, cliquez ici : http://www.radiovazogasy.com Soutenons le Peuple malgache et son choix Soutenons SEM le Président Marc RAVALOMANANA pour le Respect de la Démocratie et de la Constitution vous pouvez nous envoyer vos news, photos, témoignages par mail ou mp3 à radiomada.int @ gmail.com Source: http://preview.tinyurl.com/co4ufh (Andy Sennitt, Netherlands, 1420 UT March 22, ibid.) And Tiako I Madagasikara is a political party in support of Marc Ravalomanana. What has been described to Glenn as NGO is just their Swiss arm, as openly explained at http://www.tim-sfv.ch/about/ "Mada" appears to be just a shortcut for Madagascar. I guess Tiako I Madagasikara was not even aware of the Bordeaux-based operation that already exists. Now things become interesting: It seems that nobody abroad recognizes the change of power in Madagascar. When going with this point of view Radio Mada would be the official station of Madagascar and the operation on the RNM transmitters (5010 kHz etc.) an illegitimate pirate. I think we did not speak about the transmitter site yet: Concerning the broker I have little doubt that 5895 kHz originates from Meyerton. (Kai Ludwig, Germany, ibid.) It's quite strong here 1708 March 22 with only slight fading (Mike Barraclough, Letchworth Garden City, UK, ibid.) No luck here 22 March when checking at 1722, only strong RFE/RL in presumed Tatar language (Jari Savolainen, Finland, ibid.) Only Radio Liberty in Tatar was heard in Moscow today 1700-1730 on 5895 kHz. 73! (Serghey Nikishin, Moscow, Russia, March 22, ibid.) In case somebody wonders about the referenced article not mentioning the broadcasts: The announcement is one of the many comments left there. This anchor link should lead directly to it: http://www.topmada.com/2009/03/21/madagascar-3000-personnes-defile-contre-le-coup-detat-dandry-rajoelina/comment-page-1/#comment-42587 (Kai Ludwig, Germanhy, ibid.) NEW CLANDESTINE STATION BROADCASTING TO MADAGASCAR A station calling itself Radio Mada Internationale (but apparently not connected with the domestic station called Radio Mada that has been on the air since 1995) has begun daily broadcasts on shortwave. The station supports the deposed president Marc Ravalomanana. Broadcasts are scheduled at 0400-0430 and 1700-1730 UT on 5895 kHz. There are also broadcasts every three hours from 0300 UT on the website at http://www.radiovazogasy.com The station is an initative of Tiako I Madagasikara (I Love Madagascar, TIM) which is a political party in Madagascar founded by a group of individuals on July 3, 2002 to support President Marc Ravalomanana. It is now the largest party in the National Assembly of Madagascar with 106 of 127 seats, after the parliamentary election held on September 23, 2007 (Source: Wikipedia). The existence of this station was first reported by Glenn Hauser on the DX Listening Digest mailing list. The location of the transmitters is not yet known. (March 22nd, 2009 - 14:48 UTC by Andy Sennitt. Media Network blog via DXLD) Not a chance UT March 23 at 0420 check: WWCR 5890 blasting away. Sometimes it weakens due to skip zone expansion (gh, OK, DXLD) ** MADAGASCAR. Radio Netherlands Madagascar relay station operating normally --- Despite the political upheaval in Madagascar in the past week, I'm pleased to report that the operations of our Madagascar relay station haven't been affected. I was actually listening to the station in our Programme Distribution Department a few minutes before typing this. We are in daily contact with our colleagues there, and their safety is our primary concern. In case there's any change to the situation, we will of course publish details in our Weblog and on the RNW website (Andy Sennitt, March 19, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Update: "Madagascar's new president was sworn in Saturday in a ceremony shunned by the international community. Former opposition leader Andry Rajoelina takes part in his inauguration ceremony as the new president of Madagascar. Thousands of supporters turned up at a sports stadium in the capital, Antananarivo, for the swearing-in of Andry Rajoelina. African radio stations broadcasting the inauguration live said no foreign diplomats attended the ceremony." CBC News, 21 March 2009. "Madagascan opposition leader Andry Rajoelina said here on Sunday that he would not mix religion with politics if and when he won presidency of the Indian Ocean island country." Xinhua, 15 March 2009. "The leader of the largest Protestant church in Madagascar has issued an appeal to Christian soldiers in the military not to commit murder. In a message broadcast repeatedly this morning on the radio station of the Church of Jesus Christ in Madagascar, Rev. Lala Rasendrahasina is calling on Christians in the military not to commit violence." World Alliance of reformed Churches press release, 17 March 2009. "The head of the largest Protestant church in Madagascar is reported to have been freed after being detained on 17 March by unspecified military personnel following the resignation of President Marc Ravalomanana." Ecumenical News International, 18 March 2009 (see http://kimelli.nfshost.com/index.php?id=5789 for linx, via DXLD) No word yet on whether these events have affected the construction of Madagascar World Voice, which may be the last major shortwave broadcast facility to be built anywhere in the world. See previous post about same subject. Posted: 21 Mar 2009 (Kim Andrew Elliott, ibid.) See LANGUAGE LESSONS on pronouncing the president guys ** MALAYSIA SARAWAK. 7270.03v, Wai FM (presumed), 1413-1445+ March 22. Vocal music with YL announcer; followed at 1429 by a 15-minute program of indigenous droning, with a one-minute intro of kroncong music; back to normal music at 1445. Fair signal but slowly losing strength. Stayed on 7270.03 for a while, then jumped up to 7270.22 around 1425. After staying there for 10 minutes, backjumped to 7270.03. Still having transmitter problems, obviously (John Wilkins, Wheat Ridge, Colorado. Drake R-8, 100-foot RW, Cumbredx mailing list via DXLD) ** MEXICO [and non]. 6010, Radio Mil, México D. F., 0737-0915, 22-03, canciones latinoamericanas, identificación: "En Radio Mil, vive la música de México". "Vive México en Radio Mil". Fuerte interferencia de La Voz de Tu Conciencia al principio, luego, a partir de las 0810 LVTC se fue debilitando y a partir 0830 Radio Mil más fuerte hasta desaparecer completamente la señal de LVTC. 22222 (Manuel Méndez, Lugo, España, Escuchas realizadas en Friol, Lugo, Grundig Satellit 500 y Sony ICF SW 7600 G, Antena de cable, 10 metros, orientada WSW, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** MEXICO. 6185, Radio Educación (Mexico City). 0540-0602*. 16 Mar 09. Spanish. Nice program of Mexican folk music. OM announcer that sounded very well versed in the music. He made extensive comments on each selection, including a recipe for eggs cooked in the ranch style. In addition to the expected guitars, accordions and violins, a couple of the selections featured the saxophone. I do not think I have heard that before. S/off announcements by YL as “Radio Educación Onda Corta- XEPPM” followed by English translations with website addys and calls for comments. VG (Joe Wood, Greenback TN, MARE Tipsheet March 19 via DXLD) Music is quite eclectic on XEPPM, including jazz shows. But are you sure they signed off at 0602? Mexican play the national anthem at local midnight and then may resume programming; I think I have noticed XEPPM lately after 0600, sometimes in the clear, or colliding with Brasília when it is on early (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) [and non]. Someone reported R. Educación signing off 6185 at 0602 after anthem, which could happen, but they have to play the anthem at local midnight whether signing off or not (0500 UT from first Sunday in April according to Mexico`s slightly more sensible DST season). I hear XEPPM after 0600, and still do: March 21 at 0604 there was Mexican music underneath Vatican Radio; see VATICAN. The usual rippling SAH also points to the considerably off-frequency XEPPM. No sign of Brasília, but there would have been on UT Sunday when RNA runs all-night. Vatican finishes with 6185 at 0620 after which XEPPM should be in the clear (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) see BRAZIL 6184.95, Radio Educación, 0203-0217, March 22. In Spanish; ranchera music; contact address given: “Why don’t you comment and send us a reception report to Radio Educación, shortwave, PO Box 44277, CP 03100 to Mexico City” (Ron Howard, Asilomar Beach, CA, Etón E1, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** MEXICO. XERF, 1570, UT Sunday March 22 at 0522 with CST timecheck, many informal IDs as ``La Poderosa 15-70``, and show called ``Palomitas de Papel``, reading notes from listeners who are searching for lost friends and relatives, giving contact phone numbers and mailing addresses, mostly P O boxes in Texas. Referred to it being on every Saturday night; 0530 played some dove and other bird chirps, full ID as XERF, a public radio station of IMER, election PSAs from the government, and into another show. What does the name mean? Paloma is dove, and palomita makes it diminutive, but the word also means pigeon, so apparently alludes to little paper notes sent by messenger pigeon, but a toll-free phone number was also announced. Here`s the website blurb about it from http://www.lapoderosa.imer.com.mx/index.php?option=com_wrapper&Itemid=121 ``Sinopsis: Escucha este foro abierto para la expresión popular, que se alimenta con las cartas del auditorio. La temática es libre, con sólo dos limitantes; no se permite el proselitismo religioso ni político. Emisora: XERF, La Poderosa, 1570 AM Días de Transmisión: Sábado Horario: 22:30 a 23:30 horas [0430-0530 UT Sun, 0330-0430 from Apr 12] Contenido Específico: Migrantes Género: Orientación Responsable: Carmén Rodríguez`` She is also identified as locutora, but tonight`s host was an OM, certainly not Carmén. He was reading all the messages, no listener voices heard. I can`t find a program schedule grid on the website; instead an alfabetical list of shows by title and you have to click on each one to find when it`s aired: http://www.lapoderosa.imer.com.mx/index.php?option=com_wrapper&Itemid=121 I am not at all sure it is complete; lacking e.g. ``La Victrola`` which once aired UT Thursdays at 0200-0400 and needs to be reconfirmed. XERF generally on top of 1570 but lots of co-channel QRM, a fine example of the travesty which the NARBAns have been made of the clear- channel concept (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) see also MUSEA ** MEXICO. 780-XEMF in Monclova, Coahuila was a strong station this winter, but doesn't seem to be there any longer. There was a recent report of 780 Monclova using XEWGR calls which have been in use on 1260. Local DXer John Wilkins has been monitoring a weak SS signal in the evenings and mornings on 779.93 kHz and thinks this could be them, but it is very weak. Has anyone else heard this or have ideas who it could be? 780 seems wide open now after WBBM is phase-nulled (Chris Knight - N0IJK, Fort Lupton, Colorado, USA, March 14, IRCA via DXLD) 780-XEMF is now XEWGR per this link http://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/XEWGR-AM Heard tonight on 779.93 kHz at 0600 UT using "XHWGR" callsign and "Exa FM" slogan. They are playing Spanish teen pop dance music and relay XHWGR-FM. Their signal is much reduced and they are slightly off frequency (Chris Knight, Fort Lupton, CO, March 21, ibid.) ** MEXICO. Hola a todos, Como lo hemos venido anunciando, marzo es el mes de cambio, y este se formalizara en una emision envivo este viernes 20 a las 16:00 Hrs, GMT, esperamos contar con su sintonia para ser participes de este momento de cambio en RMI. Saludos Fraternos (Ing. José Antonio Martínez Sánchez, XE1A, March 19, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Webcast only as per previous items ** MONGOLIA. 4820, Mongolian Radio, Altay, 2242-2255, 21-03, locutor, mongol, canciones. En paralelo con 4985, Mongolian Radio, Murun. 24322 (Manuel Méndez, Lugo, España, Escuchas realizadas en Friol, Lugo, Grundig Satellit 500 y Sony ICF SW 7600 G, Antena de cable, 10 metros, orientada WSW, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** MYANMAR. 1404-1414, March 20. Heard Myanma R. mixing with Shiokaze (in English) on 5985.0, both about equal strength, but with no jamming today. Myanmar Defense Forces BS on 5770, fair, in vernacular with indigenous singing. Recently have not heard anything of Myanma R. on 9730.84v (Ron Howard, Asilomar Beach, CA, Etón E1, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) Noted on 5915 from tune in around 1130 to past 1530. Not parallel to 5985 (Jose Jacob, VU2JOS, India, March 21, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) 5915.0, Myanma Radio - Minorities and Educational Service, 1335-1500, March 21 & 22. Thanks to Jose Jacob for finding the missing Minorities and Educational Service, ex: 9730.84v. Last time I heard them there was Feb 21 and shortly after that reported their apparent absence. Being off frequency before was a big help with their reception, but being exactly on frequency here is bad (CRI QRM). Lost after 1500, as another station seemed to sign-on. Heard in vernacular (the language was correct for Myanmar), with non-stop talking; lesson with some English words; chemistry lesson with formulas. No ID as such, but after listening to them so many times on 9730.84v, I am positive it’s them. Best reception from about 1400 to 1445 (Ron Howard, Asilomar Beach, CA, Etón E1, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** MYANMAR [and non]. RADIO VERITAS MYANMAR LANGUAGE SERVICE MARKS SILVER ANNIVERSARY The Radio Veritas Asia Myanmar language service has celebrated 25 years of service to listeners in Myanmar, especially those in remote areas. About 150 listeners gathered Jan. 11 in Yangon at the headquarters of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of Myanmar to mark the occasion. The previous day, about 200 Catholics participated in an anniversary Mass led by Archbishop Charles Bo of Yangon and concelebrated by the other 11 Myanmar bishops and 19 priests. In his homily, Archbishop Bo praised Radio Veritas Asia (RVA), based outside Manila, for its evangelizing role "amid the plethora of radio stations, TV stations, satellite news and websites." Some of these, RVA among them, are "good for the people," he said, while "many are harmful and dangerous." He praised RVA for programs promoting the "spiritual, physical and psychological development of people." Its services are invaluable, he added, "in remote places where there are no newspapers, priests or catechists." The archbishop said workers of other Churches and even Buddhist monks appreciate and make use of RVA programs in their work for people's welfare. "RVA is a matchmaker between the loving God and man, who needs God's love," Archbishop Bo concluded. Father Carolus Lariosa, manager of RVA Myanmar service, told UCA News its programs focus on evangelization, social and human development, family management and financial management. He also spoke of the service's ability to reach people in remote areas where there are no priests and missioners. In his estimation, 90 percent of its listeners are not Christians. The service's Mandalay office marked the anniversary Jan. 18 with a Mass led by Archbishop Paul Zinghtung Grawng of Mandalay that drew 500 RVA listeners and guests. Afterward, a festival of cultural dances, songs and sharing was held at St. Thomas Minor Seminary. Mandalay is 580 kilometers north of Yangon. RVA Myanmar Service has been on the air since Nov. 13, 1978. Besides broadcasting in the national language, formerly called Burmese, RVA provides three other language services for listeners in Myanmar. The Kachin and Karen services both began in 1982, while a Zomi-Chin language broadcast for several tribal groups in India and Myanmar began in 1996. There are an estimated 600,000 listeners of the Myanmar Service, 300,000 of the Karen Service and 200,000 of the Kachin Service. Meanwhile, the bishops' conference decided during its Jan. 6-11 plenary meeting that it will give all money from collections on this year's World Communications Day to RVA. The bishops also decided to form a national program board for the four RVA language services with listeners in Myanmar. RVA, operated by the Federation of Asian Bishops' Conferences, broadcasts in 17 languages throughout Asia.(from Union Of Catholic Asian News via Arnaldo Slaen, dxldyg via DXLD) See also PHILIPPINES ** NETHERLANDS [non]. Just as I tuned in RN`s morning broadcast in Spanish on 9835 via Bonaire, March 19 at 1219, heard Jaime Báguena mention frequency 9895, but he must have been referring to A-09 when the 1200 transmission will move back to the latter. I had tried a few times to hear RN Indonesian via Saipan, 15280 at 22- 23, to determine whether the severe audio glitches I had previously heard were still happening, but reception has been poor to nil. March 19, however signal was back to good here, way off the back of the beam, at 2202, YL with ``Warta berita dari Radio Nederland Wereldomroep`` with two chords between items. I listened carefully for four minutes and did not hear any of the skipping/looping as before, but the audio was still a bit `rough` as if fraxions of syllables were being cut off in the processing; not however noted during the musical chords, which could point to a studio problem rather than somewhere along the long line to Saipan. I never heard back whether the previous severe breakups could be correlated with satellite solar transit outages, which should be over by now, anyway (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** NETHERLANDS [non]. I was busy producing World of Radio during the 0100 hour UT Thursday March 19, so didn`t try to monitor then. Checking The Happy Station repeat of the `Dick Speekman` edition, Thursday March 19 at 1500: WRMI 9955 provided very good reception as it has been able to lately in the mornings, unlike the evenings --- but I could still hear DentroCuban jamming underneath it, a fine way to treat an alumnus of RHC (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** NETHERLANDS [non]. NETHERLANDS ANTILLES: 6165, R Netherlands in Dutch with news including items about AIG and Madagascar president. Did you know Dutch for 'bouns' is 'bonus'? Now how do you say 'waste of spectrum to cancel broadcasting in English to Americas and replace it with a language few speak here on SW but force the rest of us to listen on the internet, but then remove the link to the realaudio connection so we have to do it through a klunky web portal and eventually just give up in frustration because it is too difficult as compared to typing in 6165 on the radio and putting on the headphones'? :o in English we say Arrgh. 0401-0406, SIO 54+4+ 18/Mar (Kenneth Vito Zichi, Williamston MI, MARE Tipsheet March 19 via DXLD) RNW is about to put the nail in the coffin of English via Bonaire; after abolishing SW to NAm, one English broadcast remained in B-08, 20-21 UT on 17810 for West Africa, tho easily audible back here in NAm --- but that is to be cancelled shortly in A-09, when this hour in English to West Africa will be on 11610 via France instead, along with Madagascar on 5905 and 7425 for the rest of Africa, neither of which is likely to propagate here in our summer. So I felt a bit nostalgic as I heard Bonaire 17810, March 21 at 2006 beginning ``The State We`re In``, a co-produxion with WAMU Washington DC, Jonathan Groubert interviewing non-Americans about credit crunch, etc., so I`m not sure how much WAMU really had to do with it. WAMU is one of hundreds of American public radio stations which could have started a shortwave station, enormously improving the program content of US SW, but saw no need for it, instead leaving it predominantly to the gospel-huxters, pushers of silver as food, and other right-wing extremists (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** NETHERLANDS ANTILLES. Re USA: VOA logs below: Wait a moment: Bonaire running 125 kW? That would be a preset "half power" on a 250 kW transmitter, and the Thomson TSW 2250 transmitter has such a preset. However, I'm not sure if this applies to the TSW 2250 D variant as well. But then the now cancelled DRM from Bonaire used 120 kW, and are there any other transmitters rated at 250 kW AM carrier power around that can deliver 120 kW of DRM? If not it is quite clear what they have installed (Kai Ludwig, Germany, March 22, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) The identity of the newest transmitter at Bonaire has been top secret, for unfathomable reason. There had to be some clue like this for people in the know (gh, DXLD) ** NEW ZEALAND. The DX special final SW broadcast of ZLXA, 3935, is [allegedly] underway; from 0400 UT March 20 to 1900 UT March 22 Details in DXLD 9-013 and 9-022 (Glenn Hauser, DXLD) First attempt to hear ZLXA 3935 kHz on March 20, 2009 from 0628 - 1205 UT was a failure. Other than amateur comms, ZLXA not heard here in Manassas, Virginia. 73, (Kraig, KG4LAC, Krist, Manassas, Virginia USA, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) ZLXA 3935 Final Broadcast is absent to date. No sign so far this weekend that the 1 kW shortwave transmitter has made it to the air for the proposed final transmission. No mention either of this proposed broadcast at their website http://www.radioreading.org/ which still carries last year's 'shortwave listeners survey' request for feedback from the shortwave audience (Bryan Clark, Mangawhai (Northland) New Zealand, AOR7030+ and EWEs to NE, E & SE, 0710 UT March 21, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) Did they forget, never really meant to do it, or the transmitter just won`t work any more? The least they could do would be to explain on the website (Glenn Hauser, DXLD) Another day, same results. Tried for ZLXA 3935 kHz March 21, 2009 0628 - 1205 UT. Other than amateur comms, ZLXA not heard. Now I have a dilemma. Do I try again for ZLXA on March 22, 2009 or do I try for the WSAR 1480 kHz DX Test. I can not do both. Can only try for one or the other. Is ZLXA even on the air as planned? 73, (Kraig, KG4LAC, Krist, Manassas, Virginia, USA, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) Again this morning at 1400 not a peep from ZLXA (21 Mar). I guess they had transmitter problems. Sure hope they can still do a final farewell broadcast (Walt Salmaniw, Victoria, BC, ibid.) I was going to point out that from QRhaM + propagation standpoints, best time in NAm, should be from 0630 UT, but well before local sunrise when the hams start upwaking. Of course that varies by timezone, and a lot on the west coast would still be yakking at 0630 (Glenn Hauser, OK, DXLD) Goodbye uitzending R. Reading Service --- Beste mensen, Zoals door mij en anderen gemeld, was aangekondigd dat R. Reading Service (Levin, NZL) van 20-22 Maart een allerlaatste uitzending zou hebben op hun oude 3935.05 kHz frekwentie. Heeft iemand daar iets gehoord? Gisteravond en vanmorgen was er in de tijd dat er theoretisch ontvangst zou kunnen zijn hier in elk geval NIETS te horen. Niet eens een miniem draaggolfje. Zojuist via Global Tuners vanuit Brisbane geprobeerd – ook niets. Ter kontrole : 2485 (ABC) en 3995 (RRI Kendari) kwamen goed door. De vraag is duidelijk : Is het station eigenlijk wel in de lucht? In het bericht was een voorbehoud w.b. de technische toestand van de zender. Weet iemand meer? Groeten, (Aart Rouw, Germany, 1416 UT March 21, bdx mailing list via DXLD) Aart, klik op de link boven, hier vind je meer info betrefd ZLXA http://www.dxtests.info/2009/02/last-broadcast-of-zlxa-3935-khz-levin.html Gr (Maurits Van Driessche, Belgium, bdx mailing list via DXLD) The original announcement about it, but zero comments so far about it being a no-show (gh) Agree. I can confirm that once again there was absolutely nothing on the air the morning of March 22nd that was audible on the WCNA (Walt Salmaniw, Victoria, BC, dxldyg via DXLD) And it was to end at 1900 UT March 22 (gh) Hi Glenn, The planned final transmissions from ZXLA for this weekend never took place due to transmitter problems. Please see below. 73 (George Maroti, March 22, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ----- Original Message ----- From: Radio Reading Service To: George Maroti Sent: Sunday, March 22, 2009 6:10 PM Subject: Re: Decision on ZLXA 3935 kHz? Hi George, Unfortunately the transmission did not take place on domestic short wave, 3.935 MHz as this was for technical reasons with the transmitter. We are not planning any further transmissions on shortwave at this stage. Our listeners prefer MW 1602 AM and our VHF FM frequency. You may also listen on our streaming audio service on the internet. Regards, Steve, Radio Reading Service, New Zealand (via Maroti, DXLD) Nevertheless someone in Brasil heard it! Imagination, or fake spoiler broadcast? How about those program details? (Glenn Hauser, DXLD) Caros amigos, Um log que me deixou muitíssimo feliz: 3933 [sic], 22/03 0739, NZL, R. For The Print Disabled, Levin, comentários diversos, alternados OM/YL, 25332 Equipamento utilizado: Lowe HF-225, Wellbrook ALA1530S+, JPS ANC-4. Ouvi a emissora usando o modo LSB do Lowe que é simplesmente um espetáculo. O faseador ajudou de forma espetacular, bem como o silêncio da antena da Wellbrook com relação a estática. Quem ouviu a ZLXA, ouviu. Quem não ouviu, vai ficar na saudade, pois infelizmente é mais uma que se foi. 73 (Ivan Dias - Sorocaba/SP, Membro do DX Clube do Brasil Junte-se a nossa família! http://www.ondascurtas.com radioescutas yg via DXLD) Ivan, Parabéns! Esta foi uma grande escuta realmente, pelo horário mencionado confirmou minha previsão inicial. Como voce disse, quem ouviu, ouviu, pois é mais uma que deixa as ondas curtas. Voce gravou? Um grande abraço (Samuel Cássio, ibid.) {Ivan, I am very sorry to disappoint you but DXers all over the world have been trying for ZLXA this weekend, with zero results in Europe, North America and even New Zealand. Finally, George Maroti received a reply from ZLXA itself that due to problems with the transmitter the ``final SW broadcast`` has not happened, and they do not plan to try SW any more. Therefore Ivan, I am afraid you must have heard something else. ZLXA was supposed to be on 3935 anyway, not 3933. I guess it was in English? Altho you do not say so. Was there any ID or anything in the programming to connect what you heard to New Zealand? Possibly some spoiler with a ham rig put on a fake ZLXA broadcast to fool people? It will be very interesting to listen to your recording! 73, (Glenn Hauser, Oklahoma, to Ivan, via DXLD)} ** NEW ZEALAND. RNZI A-09 schedule effective 29 Mar 2009 - 25 Oct 2009 UTC kHz Target; all daily 0459-0658 11725 AM 11675 DRM Pacific 0659-1058 6170 AM 7285 DRM Pacific 1059-1158 9655 AM 7285 DRM NW Pacific, Bougainville, PNG, Timor 1159-1258 9655 AM NW Pacific, Bougainville, PNG, Timor 1259-1550 6170 AM Pacific 1551-1750 7285 AM 6170 DRM NE Pacific, Fiji, Samoa, Cook Islands 1751-1850 6170 AM 7285 DRM NE Pacific, Fiji, Samoa, Cook Islands 1851-1950 9615 AM 9890 DRM NE Pacific, Fiji, Samoa, Cook Islands 1951-2050 11725 AM 9890 DRM Pacific 2051-2235 13730 AM 15720 DRM Pacific 2236-0458 15720 AM 13730 DRM Pacific (RNZI Website, 22 March 2009 via Alan Roe, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) And 13730/15720 at 2051-0458 are supposed to be in use already this week per what Adrian Sainsbury said on Mailbox; not confirmed here, gone from 17675 (gh, DXLD) ** NIGERIA [non]. 17/03/2009, 7385, Aso Radio International, Abuja, Nigeria, 0529-0559 in Hausa mentioning correct broadcast times and frequency. 1600-1700 transmission on 15180 still heard weekdays. While it may be produced by the FM station in Abuja, I do not believe it is a relay of "Aso Radio". I once heard the programme stop at the same point several times before restarting from the beginning. I hope some of the above is of interest. Keep up the good work. With best wishes from: (James MacDonell, Niger State, Nigeria, March 20, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** NORTH AMERICA. The Voice of Puncho Villa (Kulpsville PA) 6925 AM, *0400-0407* 3/18/09 SIO=555. Pancho's annual broadcast from the Fest went out as usual on numerous parallel frequencies. Mention of the death of Tom Kneitel. Pancho goes to the White House. Sarah Palin to be named ambassador to Equatorial Guinea. Glenn Hauser to open a stationn there, with assistance from Larry Van Horn. Palin to get a new wardrobe to handle the duties in Equatorial Guinea, where she will be able to see Russia from the Embassy. Also some remarks de Hugo Chávez about all of these amazing developments (George Zeller, Kulpsville, PA, Free Radio Weekly via DXLD)) ** OKLAHOMA. As of March 19, OETA is now announcing that its remaining two full-power analog signals, KWET-12 Cheyenne and KOET-3 Eufaula will shut down analog March 30 at 9 AM [CDT = 1400 UT]. This is a change from the notice they had been running since Feb 17 when KETA-13 and KOED-11 shut down analog, that the other two would continue until June 12! I wonder why they changed their mind? Translators are supposedly continuing analog past June 12 until some unspecified date later this year. BTW, I`ve always found it odd that KOET-3 in some listings is lumped in with KOED-11 as part of the ``Tulsa market``, while KOET is really intended to serve the area S of Tulsa, and one could hardly get KOET inside Tulsa while KJRH-2 exists if one wanted to, unnecessarily with exactly the same programming on KOED (Glenn Hauser, Enid, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Every county is assigned to one (and only one) Nielsen DMA. The assignment is based on viewing habits in that county -- if the majority of viewing by Garfield Co. households is of stations licensed to Oklahoma City, then Garfield County is in the Oklahoma City market. In KOET's case, the station is licensed to Eufaula, Okla. Eufaula is located in McIntosh Co., and the majority of the viewers in McIntosh Co. watch Tulsa stations. **In theory**, a new Eufaula market could be created. *IF* the viewers with the ratings books in McIntosh Co. chose KOET for a majority of their viewing. Obviously that's VERY VERY VERY unlikely to happen today. Due to widespread cable/satellite, everyone in Eufaula has easy access to a full set of Tulsa network affiliates. Their viewing habits - in terms of choosing between ABC, CBS, Fox, NBC, and PBS for their local- station viewing - are likely to be little different from those of Tulsa residents. A few viewers will choose PBS for a majority of their viewing, but nowhere near enough to constitute a majority of McIntosh Co. setowners. And since Eufaula is in the Tulsa market, only Tulsa stations are entitled to must-carry protection. Cable operators *could* choose to voluntarily carry Fort Smith stations, but there's a better chance of Osama bin Laden being elected Pope. If Fort Smith stations aren't accessible to Eufaula cable viewers, then the chances of a majority of Eufaula viewing involving Fort Smith stations are also pretty much zero. It might have been different in the 1960s, IF KOET had been a commercial station. With no cable, the Tulsa/Fort Smith/OKA/Ada- Ardmore stations would have required expensive large antennas (which most viewers would have put up anyway) and delivered unreliable signals subject to tropo and skip interference and local noise. Chances are very good at least 50% of viewing would have been of our hypothetical NBC-affiliated KOET. -- (Doug Smith W9WI, Pleasant View, TN EM66, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Very interesting you should mention this. In the 1970's, people in SE Oklahoma did have tall towers, big antennas, and amplifiers. When KOET came on the air, it was not greeted by locals. They wanted the FCC to shut KOET down. Their new 100 kW signal was overloading their amplifiers and wiping out their "daily DX" from the Tulsa stations [or KVOO-2 at least --- gh]. The FCC argued that the local residents "were not getting the Tulsa stations in the first place". An article about this appeared in the VHF -UHF Digest (December, 1978, the first VUD I received as a member, IIRC). (Robert Grant, WTFDA via DXLD) True. The rest of the story --- was that a proposal was floated for KOED-11 (OETA's Tulsa station, which KOET simulcasts) and KJRH-2 to swap channels. Both Tulsa stations were amenable to the change. The swap would have made the problem go away. Viewers wishing to watch KJRH would be tuning to channel 11 (which would no longer suffer adjacent-channel interference from channel 3), Channel 2 would still be plagued with adjacent-channel interference from channel 3, but viewers wouldn't care because they could get a clear signal with the same program by simply tuning to channel 3 instead of channel 2. A UHF station in Tulsa put an end to that move. They insisted the removal of the noncommercial reservation from channel 11 constituted a new channel assignment, and that they were entitled to apply for that new assignment. When KJRH realized there was a chance (however small) that the other applicant would get channel 11 and they'd end up on UHF, they changed their mind about supporting the change (Doug Smith W9WI, Pleasant View, TN EM66, WTFDA via DXLD) KOET-3 was one of many `drop-ins` of that era, finding a spot on the map which just barely met not only the minimum adjacent-channel separations, but more importantly the minimum mileage separations among existing TV stations on that co-channel, in this case Wichita/Springfield/Memphis/Shreveport/Wichita Falls. Another one was Lakin in SW Kansas (gh, Enid) ** OKLAHOMA. DTV: STATIONS TRANSITIONING BEFORE JUNE 12: CHEYENNE PBS KWET 3/30/09 OK EDUCATIONAL TELEVISION AUTHORITY EUFAULA PBS KOET 3/30/09 OK EDUCATIONAL TELEVISION AUTHORITY LAWTON CBS KAUZ-TV 5/21/09 HOAK MEDIA OF WICHITA FALLS, LLC NORMAN IND KOCM 4/30/09 WORD OF GOD FELLOWSHIP, INC. OKLAHOMA CITY IND KSBI 6/ 1/09 FAMILY BROADCASTING GROUP, INC. OKLAHOMA CITY TBN KTBO-TV 4/16/09 TRINITY BROADCASTING OF OKCITY, INC. OKMULGEE ION KTPX 4/16/09 PAXSON TULSA LICENSE, INC. STATIONS TRANSITIONING ON JUNE 12: ADA NBC KTEN CHANNEL 49 ACQUISITION CORPORATION OKLAHOMA CITY NBC KFOR-TV LOCAL TV OKLAHOMA LICENSE, LLC OKLAHOMA CITY ABC KOCO-TV OHIO/OKLAHOMA HEARST-ARGYLE TELEVISION OKLAHOMA CITY ION KOPX PAXSON OKLAHOMA CITY LICENSE, INC. TULSA NBC KJRH SCRIPPS HOWARD BROADCASTING COMPANY TULSA FOX KOKI-TV NEWPORT TELEVISION LICENSE LLC TULSA ABC KTUL KTUL, LLC (from FCC listings as under DIGITAL TELEVISION below, via gh, DXLD) ** OKLAHOMA. FYI, since my last report reconfirming it active with the oldies test music playlist, I have not heard KEOR 1120 Catoosa/Tulsa/Sperry at all, in chex every day or two, usually on the caradio in the afternoon. One of these days it will no doubt revive in its reincarnation as an EWTN affiliate (Glenn Hauser, Enid, March 21, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** PALAU. 9905, Radio Free Asia, Korean via KHBN, Palau. Full data (with check mark for Asia indicated only) 'Year of the Ox' QSL card in 16 days for a e-mail report to qsl@rfa.org (Edward Kusalik, Alberta, CANADA, March 22, DX LISTENING DIGEST) see also KOREA NORTH [non] ** PALESTINE [non]. Radio Al Aqsa y Al-Quds, 1991: 5910 Al-Quds, Siria. --- Saludos cordiales, a principios de año y con motivo del conflicto bélico en Palestina, irrumpieron en el éter de onda corta dos emisoras clandestinas, Radio Al Aqsa que operó por 5815 y 5835, así cómo Al Quds TV en 6220. Hasta el momento se desconoce el origen de estas transmisiones; sin embargo, revisando unos boletines antiguos de el Dial, he encontrado unas referencias a una radio clandestina que emitía desde Siria por 5910; se trató de Al-Quds. Curiosamente, llegó a operar con dos frecuencias al mismo tiempo, igual que Radio Al Aqsa; me pregunto si pudo ser Siria el país de apoyo para estas emisoras. Publicado en el Dial de Diciembre de 1991: Al-Quds Radio, aparece ahora en 5910 kHz, en paralelo con 630 y 702 kHz, de 0600-1100 y 1300-1730. Se sospecha que el transmisor está en Siria y confirma en P O Box 5092, Damascus (Siria). Está operada por el Ahmed Jibril´s Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (FPLP) y se escuchó por primera vez en julio 88. Dicen que cambió recientemente a 580 ó 5990. Dial Enero 1992: Se confirma Al-Quds Radio en 5910, anunciando 5900 y 5990, en árabe de 0600-1100 y 1300-1700, con segmentos en hebreo a las 0800, ruso a las 0845 e inglés a las 0915. Dial Febrero 1992: Al-Quds Radio verificó en 60 días con QSL y datos completos en su dir: P O Box 5092, Damascus, Siria (José Miguel Romero, Spain, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** PAPUA NEW GUINEA. 3365, Radio Milne Bay (Alotau) (presumed), 1210- 1218, 3/21/2009, English (?). PNG pop music occasionally breaking through the noise. Short announcement also heard. Very marginal, threshold level signal. Other PNGs weak today with the exception of R. East New Britain on 3385 (Jim Evans, Germantown, TN, TenTec RX-340, Eton E1, Sony ICF-SW7600G, Random Wires (90' and 200'), Eavesdropper Dipole, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** PERU. 4805 tentative, Radio Rasuwilca, 1005 to 1025 under CODAR with OM in español 19 March. 73s (Bob Wilkner, Pompano Beach, Florida, Drake R8 NRD 535D, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** PERU. 6173.8, Radio Tawantinsuyo, Cuzco, 0003-0012, 22-03, locutor, locutora, comentarios, español: "Aquí en Cusco", "Muchas gracias, oyentes". Música andina (Manuel Méndez, Lugo, España, Escuchas realizadas en Friol, Lugo, Grundig Satellit 500 y Sony ICF SW 7600 G, Antena de cable, 10 metros, orientada WSW, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** PHILIPPINES. 15285, R. Pilipinas/VOP, 0211-0251, March 19. In English; "Dateline"; “Today in Philippines History”; "The Philippines Today"; IDs: "Radio Pilipinas Overseas Service, The Voice of the Philippines"; “Update Mindanao”; mostly fair, but with moderately strong hum (Ron Howard, Asilomar Beach, CA, Etón E1, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) Radyo Pilipinas corrected schedule to March 30th. English 0200-0330 11880. 15285. 17710. Filipino Service 1730-1930 15190. 11890. 11730. (Ricardo G. Lorenzo, Radyo Pilipinas, March NZ DX Times via DXLD) ** PHILIPPINES. Bombo Radyo Philippines seems to have revamped its website, http://www.bomboradyo.com/ which is now very informative with lots of information about the local stations, including many addresses (Geir Stokkeland, 9 Feb 2009, ARC Information Desk 16 March via DXLD) ** PHILIPPINES. 40 YEARS OF RADIO VERITAS IN ASIA Radio Veritas Asia (RVA), the only continental Catholic short-wave station in the world, will celebrate forty years of broadcasting on April 15 and 16, 2009. [Wait a minute: how do you define that?? What makes Vatican Radio ineligible for such praise, or for that matter WEWN?? --gh] The station first aired its regular overseas and domestic programs on April 11, 1969 after a longer period of test broadcasts. The jubilee celebration on April 16 will be preceded by a symposium on April 15. Radio producers, programmers and other invited professionals will share their experiences and insights on the theme "Catholic Radio Broadcasting in Asia." The jubilee celebration proper on April 16 stands under the heading "Crossing Borders, Sharing Christ." It will be opened by Archbishop Claudio Ma. Celli, president of the Pontifical Council for Social Communications in the Vatican, who will give the keynote address. This will be followed by greetings and reflections from the Apostolic Nuncio in the Philippines, Archbishop Joseph Edward Adams, and other Church and secular authorities. Radio Veritas Asia operates in the responsibility of the "Federation of Asian Bishops' Conferences" (FABC). It broadcasts in 15 different Asian languages via short-wave. Some programs are also available via the Internet. The studios of RVA are in Quezon City, Metro Manila; whereas the transmitter site is in Palauig, Zambales, some 230 kilometers north-west of Manila. Major parts of the programs are produced in the local target areas (Indian Catholic via Roberto Scaglione, Sicily, bclnews.it yg via DXLD) See also MYANMAR ASIA - Los 40 años de "Radio Veritas", la voz del Evangelio en Asia. http://www.fides.org/aree/news/newsdet.php?idnews=25520&lan=spa (via José Miguel Romero, Spain, and Arnaldo Slaen, Argentina, dxldyg via DXLD) ** PRIDNESTROVYE. Radio PMR 1430-1730 service; off or moved frequency? Radio PMR, Pridnestrovye not heard since the beginning of March on the usual frequency of 7370 for services in English, French and German starting at 1430. Scanned around 12135 which they used previously for new season but nothing noted. (Edwin Southwell, Basingstoke, UK, World DX Club, p-mail recived March 19) Nothing heard here on 7370 March 19 and 20 at 1445, nor can I trace another frequency. I did hear them on 6240 March 19, very strong signals at 2250 in French. 6240 is in their current schedule, 2230-2400, fifteen minute transmissions in English, French, German on Sunday to Thursday per Aoki and Bierwirth, WRTH Monday to Thursday but haven't checked their updates. They might have cut back to only one broadcast per day (Mike Barraclough, Letchworth Garden City, UK, March 20, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) The station might have stopped broadcasting in those languages all together. Radio PMR has already shut down its domestic Moldovan and Ukrainian services. The home and external broadcasts in Russian were reduced dramatically. In recent months there were persistent reports of Radio PMR's financial troubles. In the Pridnestrovian press some staff members accused the government of abandoning public radio broadcasting. There were some heated discussions in the parliament. The station's studios were badly affected by flooding last August. They haven't been fixed (Sergei S., ibid.) ** ROMANIA. 6140, R Romania, Spanish program heard under Radio Havana Cuba's English broadcast with ID and IS at 0356. WHY would they choose this frequency for a broadcast to the Americas? Silliness! 18/Mar SIO 32-2- (Kenneth Vito Zichi, Williamston MI, MARE Tipsheet March 19 via DXLD) Ahá, you give me another chance to dub Cuba an `outlaw nation` for refusing to participate in HFCC, so the Romanians may well have imagined the frequency was open for them (Glenn Hauser, DXLD) ** ROMANIA. Radio Romania International English A09 Schedule valid from 29th Mar 2009 WESTERN EUROPE 0530-0600 7305, 9655 1100-1200 15210, 11775 1700-1800 9535, 11735 2030-2100 9765, 11810 2200-2300 7440, 9675 For listeners in Western Europe via satellite Hot Bird 6 on 11 623.28 MHz, vertical polarisation, azimuth 130 East. CENTRAL AFRICA 1100-1200 11790, 15430 NORTH AMERICA 2030-2100 11940, 15465 2200-2300 9790, 11940 0000-0100 9580, 11790 0300-0400 (West Coast) 6150, 9645 THE PACIFIC AREA 0530-0600 15435, 17770 SOUTH-EAST ASIA 0300-0400 9735, 11895 0530-0600 15435, 17770 RRI programmes can be heard on the Internet, in WMA format, courtesy of Radiocom at http://www.rri.ro Listeners in the UK can listen to some of RRI programmes on demand, also in the DRM system (a 30-minute daily broadcast starting at 1700 UT in summer time), on 7460 kHz, by means of World Radio Network, at http://www.wrn.org RRI has also resumed, under a new contract, a weekly podcast in English, with an RSS feed; RRI programme, broadcast on Sunday at 1700 hours UT, will be available on the WRN servers and also on podcast directories, such as iTunes and Juicer. The schedules for the English shows, updated every week, can be downloaded from the World Radio Networks? web site at the following address: http://www.wrn.org If you are looking for a fresh perspective on events and life in Europe you can listen to Network Europe, a weekly co-production of leading international broadcasters, Radio Romania International included, at httdp://www.networkeurope.org All hours in UTC Frequencies in kHz ---- (via Alokesh Gupta, New Delhi, dxldyg via DXLD) ** RUSSIA. Tomado de la Web de la Voz de Rusia en español sobre la ampliación de emisiones para el próximo periodo; no menciona sin embargo como quedan las emisiones hacia España : EN ADELANTE, CINCO HORAS EN EL AIRE Atención, amigos oyentes. Les anunciamos que, a partir del 29 de marzo, las horas de transmisiones de “La Voz de Rusia” para América Latina aumentarán considerablemente, de dos, a cinco. Así las cosas, nuestros programas saldrán al aire todos los días a partir de la medianoche hasta las cinco de la madrugada, hora UTC. La información de de las ondas y frecuencias la difundiremos adicionalmente. Usted podrá leerla, además, en la página electrónica en español del sitio web de “La Voz de Rusia”. Su dirección: http://www.ruvr.ru 20.03.2009 Cordialmente, (Tomás Méndez, El Prat de Llobregat-Barcelona España, Mar 20, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** RUSSIA [and non]. As BBC Radio 4 Longwave was carrying Test Match Special (cricket) I tuned to BBC 5 Live's frequency on 693 kHz to get the news at 1700 UT, but it was swamped by the Voice of Russia in German from the 250 kW transmitter near Berlin. According to http://www.emwg.info the VOR transmissions on this frequency are either in DRM mode or sometimes in simulcast AM/DRM. The audio did seem to be very clipped, so maybe this was the mode they were using. But I've never noticed VOR swamping BBC 5 Live before, certainly not at 1700 UT. Has there been a change in the transmitter characteristics, or was it just weird propagation? (Andy (a few km from Hilversum) Sennitt, March 20, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) Oh well, if this is going to be the pattern in the future, BBC 5 Live is effectively unusable on mediumwave here for part of the day, even though I'm only about 250 miles from the nearest transmitter. The other frequency, 909 kHz, is OK after dark, but at 1700 it was a mess of fading and phase distortion. Fortunately I have satellite downstairs, but the convenience of being able to listen anywhere in the house on a portable radio seems to have gone. Oh well, it's a domestic service so I guess I shouldn't be able to hear it in the Netherlands anyway :-) (Andy Sennitt, ibid.) Curiously, DW is using the same frequency, 693 kHz, to cover Moscow and the region with its Russian and German programming (Kurkino, 10 kW). Looking at the map I'm actually surprised that before you could listen to BBC 5 on 693 without much QRM from VoR (Sergei S., ibid.) Well, there always was some QRM after dark, but in the daytime we get groundwave from Postwick, mostly over the North Sea, and at night that is replaced by skywave from the high power stations further away. But I've never heard such a strong signal from the German station well before sunset (Andy Sennitt, ibid.0 Here we should add that 693 kHz was not always at Kurkino but before at Khodynka, a.k.a. Oktyabrskoye polye (that's actually the subway station north of the transmitter site), the origin of the long gone 4055 kHz outlet recently discussed. In December 2005 all mediumwave transmitters at this station had been shut down because the authorization to operate them had not been renewed. This affected besides DW also the BBC and RFI and got big attention abroad. Shortly afterwards the transmissions resumed, but RFI finally cancelled 1440 kHz at yearend 2007, and both BBC-1260 and DW-693 have now moved out to Kurkino, bringing all AM operations at this site to an end it seems. Another parallel: DW is in Moscow also carried via DVB-T on ch. 34, from this very Khodynka site, and I see that this mux also contains -- - Voice of Russia. The other way round Voice of Russia is carried via DAB in Berlin, from a rather poor sounding source (at least during IFA 2007 the relay sounded pretty bad, with lots of artifacts in the audio). This is the former Brandenburg-wide ensemble, and now it has been reported that the only remaining transmitters for it are Berlin-Alexanderplatz (i.e. TV tower), Michendorf, Fürstenwalde and Booßen (Frankfurt/Oder). Anything else has been shut down after Rundfunk Berlin-Brandenburg bailed out in last year, as reported here (Kai Ludwig, Germany, ibid.) Subject: Re: Khodynka / Oktyabrskoye polye The Moscow rumor mill has it that Oktyabrskoye Pole (OP) transmitting site was "privatized" by one of the former Ministry of Communications guys back in 1990s. It's in parenthesis because Yeltsin-type privatization of state property usually didn't involve cash but rather personal connections. I'd like to make clear that everything might have been legally and financially fine in this particular case - I don't know for sure and I'm not accusing anyone of anything criminal or illegal. It is my understanding that OP site is the only transmitting site of such status that was privatized in Russia. Anyway, the new owner and his OP antenna field always had a cut-throat competition going with semi-governmental Kurkino. They fought for lucrative customers like DW and BBC. After some legal fighting, OP was about to be shut down - because its antennas are right in the residential part of the city and the Russian standards for electromagnetic emissions are notoriously tough. (Of course, usually no one cares about measuring those things but that's another story.) Around the time shutdown was announced the owner managed to quickly set up a few huge FM-antennas. He did that almost overnight, with help of helicopters. The job was done so fast that local inhabitants didn't even have time to complain. Now they have huge antennas right next to their apartment blocks. Well, what can you do? It's a private property. From what I know OP fully exited the AM market. Now they provide relay services to FM-stations. That is actually a much more lucrative business today (Sergei S., Moscow, ibid.) It's quite ridiculous statement that 'no one cares'. [Helicopter story above:] Another fictitious fable. PDF and many fotos about Octode Company: http://www.octode.ru/FOTO/Istoria/octode.exe (Self-Extracting Archive) or pure PDF http://www.flyupload.com/get?fid=489075653 (Victor Rutkovsky, Russia, ibid.) This "fable" was well-reported in the local press. I can't find the most hitting articles with pretty amazing pictures. But here's one I managed to locate (in Russian): http://www.vmdaily.ru/article.php?aid=11424 According to it, a 250-meter (820 ft) antenna was built in the residential area, just 300 meters (985 ft) away from the high-rise apartment blocks. Or is it even closer? I believe it's quite unusual for Russia, not to mention EU. It appears that Octode Ltd. has very close connections with the city government. Perhaps that's why it took such a long time to get rid of their AM transmitters. Here's a good list of what Octode used to operate on AM: http://www.octode.ru/ENGLISH/BROADCASTING/FMMWDVB/MW.htm Here's a (not updated?) list of their FM-transmitters: http://www.octode.ru/ENGLISH/BROADCASTING/FMMWDVB/FM.html And they also have TV-transmitters there! (Sergei S., ibid.) OK. Your words: ``Around the time shutdown was announced the owner managed to quickly set up a few huge FM-antennas. He did that almost overnight, with help of helicopters. The job was done so fast that local inhabitants didn't even have time to complain. Now they have huge antennas right next to their apartment blocks. Well, what can you do? It's a private property.`` By parts: > Around the time shutdown Not 'around the time' but in 8 months and these events (shutdown and construction) are not connected absolutely. 'Around' - Lie 1. > managed to quickly 'Quickly' because of the specific mode of construction but not of the crafty operator. 'managed' - Lie 2. > almost overnight, with help of helicopters. Helicopters are very usual in Russia for such construction and don't work at night, pilots are not suicidal. 'overnight' - Lie 3. > The job was done so fast that local inhabitants didn't even have time to complain. They had 2 years before and complained many times. During the last stage of construction very many people stared at huge helicopter for several days and shot many pictures. 'didn't even have time' - Lie 4. > Now they have huge antennas right next to their apartment blocks. Not 'antennas right next' but antennas at a great height. Like in Berlin, Paris, Madrid and almost every big city worldwide. Like Sears Tower, Empire State Building or like thousand others... 'right next' - Lie 5 (Victor Rutkovsky, ibid.) Victor, I'm afraid you didn't get some of the linguistic nuances of my posts. I guess this miscommunication is the reason for your emotional response. I'm perplexed thought that you see "lies" even if you agree with my statements :) Again, I'm not sure how many communities in "old" Europe would allow some murky private entity to construct a new huge (and rather ugly) antenna right in the city residential area, just 300 yards from a nearest apartment block. In Moscow the local government and powerful business structures almost never seek the feedback from the local communities before their construction projects. Moreover, those projects are often conducted in utmost secrecy. I had my personal experience of trying to take on those guys so I know what I'm talking about. That is quite different from public hearing procedures that are common in many other countries. 73, (Sergei S. ibid.) :) You confuse reality and your imagination. Less fiction - less perplexity. ;-) ``Again, I'm not sure how many communities in "old" Europe would allow some murky private entity to construct a new huge (and rather ugly) antenna right in the city residential area, just 300 yards from a nearest apartment block.`` Again wishful thinking. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bremen-Walle_Telecommunication_Tower http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Torrespa%C3%B1a http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fernmeldeturm_N%C3%BCrnberg http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sydney_Tower http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sky_Tower http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WHDH-TV_Tower http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Star_Tower http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hughes_Memorial_Tower http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mesquite_Tower http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Torre_TV_Bandeirantes (Victor Rutkovsky, ibid.) No DRM on 693 kHz anymore, neither pure (as done for demonstration purposes during IFA 2003, resulting in a lot of listeners complaints to the BBC from within the UK) nor in analogue/digital hybrid mode as it was the case since Dec 20 1994. This DRM pilot project ceased in last year. 693 kHz is in use in plain AM mode since April 1 2008 now, replacing 603 kHz which has been turned off. I'm not aware of any further changes made since. It could be that the antenna works better now than before, last week on a business trip to Zwickau the signal on 693 kHz appeared to be particularly strong to me. I will try to pay special attention later in the day. Other notes from the mediumwave band there: 1107 kHz from new Vilseck site is about the same signal than from the Grafenwöhr transmitter before. 1143 kHz was found to be a bad mess of SAH, apparently there is no any synchronization between the various AFN Bavaria transmitters on this frequency. 1485 kHz has dominant Power Network with AFN Bavaria underneath (and of course carriers are not synchronized here either), confirming my somewhat vague informations that the Ansbach transmitter now carries Power Network but Hohenfels still AFN Bavaria. Also of note: CRo 2 Praha on 954 kHz is a bad echo mess in Zwickau. The carriers are synchronized but the audio feeds are not. I think I already wrote about the audio processing of the new Transradio TRAM installation at Stara Role (Karlovy Vary) that sounds to my ear much less pleasing than 639 kHz (2 x SRV 750 transmitters with LK-12 limiter/compressor, both from Tesla). (Kai Ludwig, Germany, ibid.) What's surprising is that the EMWG, which is the only source I trust for up-to-date mediumwave information, seems to have overlooked this change for so long. I will be interested to see if you discover any recent changes that may explain the stronger signal in this direction. (Andy Sennitt, ibid.) Re EMWG: All I can say here is that it was out in English language not only here but also at http://blogs.rnw.nl/medianetwork/tenders-advertised-for-three-mediumwave-frequencies-in-berlin (where I tried to put it into a context) and certainly via Arctic DX Club and Ydun Ritz as well. Now for the groundwave signal: Nothing striking here, it's as always since they made the switch to 250 kW AM. Noel already wrote the likely explanation: Signals from eastern directions are prominent around sunset (at Berlin today at 1718 UT). Btw, the antenna is described in detail here: http://www.waniewski.de/id178.htm And now have a nice weekend! (Kai Ludwig, Germany, ibid.) Thanks Kai and Noel, That's no doubt the reason then - I was listening about 15-20 minutes before sunset in Berlin, though the sunshine was still streaming through the window here. As Noel said, I could have tuned around to see what else was audible from the East, but I don't do any active DXing these days, so I rely on others for advice (Andy Sennitt, ibid.) Andy - there may have been work done at the Zehlendorf site in Germany which could account for the strong signal you are hearing. I'm not within the service area of any of the BBCR5 transmitters on 693, and I can clearly hear Voice of Russia during 'darkness' hours. But, what time is sunset in eastern Germany and Hilversum? Very "strange" things happen during transition from day to night (and vice versa) which could account for an enhanced signal from eastern Germany at your location. I have been startled many times when hearing strong signals on medium wave frequencies that normally are not that good, and conversely, weaker signals on frequencies from relatively nearby stations (such as Lopik 675 and 'your' R5 on 747) that are usually much better. Postwick is a mere 10 kW and would easily be swamped by a stronger signal. If you notice this again then tune around and see what else you hear. 73 (Noel R. Green, England, ibid.) Well, there always was some QRM after dark, but in the daytime we get groundwave from Postwick, mostly over the North Sea, and at night that is replaced by skywave from the high power stations further away. But I've never heard such a strong signal from the German station well before sunset. I was reading the posts about the voice of Russia on 693. I also tried but BBC radio 5 live drowns it out. I do get VOR early Sunday mornings on 1323 around 0730 UT. I'm sure they used to share airtime on 1386 with other stations (Gary Drew, England, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) To finish off this Khodynka thread here's a pick of Octode antennas: http://www.panoramio.com/photo/3198540 The official pics of construction are here: http://www.octode.ru/ENGLISH/COMPANIA/news.htm Octode was careful not to include any residential buildings in its pictures. According to the Russian version of Octode.ru, the state construction commission gave its formal permission (#RU 77212000-000556) to start using antenna on Feb. 12, 2008 even though the construction was finished on Aug. 1, 2006. It sounds like antenna was used even before its state certification (Sergei S., Russia, March 22, ibid.) ** SAUDI ARABIA. 15250, BSKSA, English service heard with fair signal but persistent fading that made copy spotty. OM with program about prayer obligations of the faithful while traveling. Then to Yl with another program about practices of Islam, much more difficult copy now. 1212-1225 March 21. Bird calls heard between programs (Steve Wood, South Yarmouth, MA, Drake R8B, 30 x75 E/W Flag antenna, NASWA yg via DXLD) ** SAUDI ARABIA. [continued from UK: Pharos] And on the Lawo website I spotted a photo of one of the BSKSA studios in Riyadh, recently refurbished with Zirkon consoles. Unfortunately only screen savers on the unrelated displays, so the picture gives not away anything about the continuity/playout system: http://www.lawo.de/lawo-ag/company/up-to-date/news/riyadh.html (Kai Ludwig, Germany, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** SCOTLAND. RADIO SCOTLAND: PIRATE RADIO FEATURE ON THURSDAY Pirate Radio Scotland is now available on Listen Again. It includes Radio Scotland by the Carrick Folk Four which, with its catchy chorus of "Radio Scotland playing just for you, so beat the ban, and join the clan, on station 242" was played on a frequent basis to rally support against the forthcoming Marine Offences Act. The single was issued on Thistle Records, TM90. http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00jlzbn (Mike Barraclough, March 21, worlddxclub yg via DXLD) Presumably for one week (gh) ** SLOVAKIA. Enlace a los nuevos horarios de R. Eslovaquia Link to Slovak Radio A09 time & Frec. table http://www.slovakradio.sk/inetportal/rsi/core.php?lang=6&mainpage=maincontentfull&page=frequencies Cordialmente, (Tomás Méndez, QTH: El Prat de Llobregat-Barcelona España, March 20, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) Viz.: ** SLOVAKIA. R. Slovakia International A-09 schedule English 0100-0130 N,C+SAM 5930 9440 0700-0730 AU/OC/sAS 9440 11650 1630-1700 wEU 5920 6055 1830-1900 wEU 5920 6055 French 0200-0230 N,C+SAM 5930 9440 1700-1730 wEU 5920 6055 1930-2000 wEU 5920 6055 German 0800-0830 wEU 6055 5920 1330-1400 wEU 6055 5920 1600-1630 wEU 5920 6055 1800-1830 wEU 5920 6055 Russian 1300-1330 eEU/AS 7345 9440 1500-1530 eEU/AS 7345 9535 1730-1800 eEU/AS 5920 7345 Slovak 0130-0200 N,C+SAM 5930 9440 0730-0800 AU/OC/sAS 9440 11650 1530-1600 wEU 5920 6055 1900-1930 wEU 5920 6055 Spanish 0230-0300 SAM 5930 9440 1430-1500 wEU 9440 11600 2000-2030 wEU/SAM 9695 11650 (R. Slovakia website, thanks to tip by Tomás Méndez in dxldyg via Alan Roe, ibid.; also via A. Gupta) ** SOLOMON ISLANDS. Re 9-024: Hi Glenn, I can confirm that the SIBC on 5020 is still off the air. A recent email from the station did say technicians were hoping to reactivate that transmitter "soon." No word on a target date to get the transmitter back on. I was also directed to tune in to "9540 kHz" and spot-checks suggest they are running 24/7 on approximately 9541.45. Frequency drift and occasional bad modulation suggest there are a few problems with this transmitter, too. Also, I've heard them during my local daylight hours running occasional content from BBCWS, not just on local overnights (David Sharp, NSW Australia, March 21, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** SOUTH AFRICA [and non]. Essa noite, de 21 para 22, tive a grata satisfação de ouvir a R. Sonder Grense e a Inconfidência de Belo Horizonte com excelentes programas musicais e um bom sinal. Foi ótimo visto a propagação não está boa e não ter muito que logar. Realmente ouvir uma boa programação musical com uma boa voz de locução à noite e com aquele som de rádio de ondas curtas é algo ímpar e que causa uma relaxante sensação e que só o dexismo pode promover. 3320, 22/03 0232, (AFS), AFRICA DO SUL, R Sonder Grense, in Afrikaans, from Meyerton, with 100 kW, music U.S. years 40, 50, beautiful songs. At 0234 UT YL Talk, improving signal, 45333. 6010, 22/03 0201, BRASIL, R. Inconfidência, Portuguese, from Belo Horizonte MG, with 5 kW, programa "embalos de sábado na Inconfidência", music national years 70, surprisingly the sign tonight, 44333 Blog: http://www.ipernity.com/blog/75006 Escutas: http://www.ipernity.com/doc/75006/home?t=74925&c=6&s=uploaded (Jorge Freitas - Feira de Santana BA - Brasil, HCDX via DXLD) ** SPAIN [non]. Maybe this is nothing new, but not noticed before: REE is ``pulling a BBC`` by keeping a transmitter on a bit longer than its scheduled span in order to squeeze out one more newscast: The CR relay on 9675, supposedly 0200-0600 daily, still going at 0602 March 21 with news, 0605 sign-off announcement mentioning next frequency on 16m a few hours later, IS once and to open carrier. At 0605 also checked 5965, and could hear the voice of Antonio Buitrago in Amigos de la Onda Corta at its true time on UT Saturday, but heavy QRM as always de Vatican co-channel. Was REE 6055 direct still on? No, now it`s BBC French via Ascension. So we are left without any decent frequency for the DX program and REE at 0605, unless we can get 11895 or 12035 for Mideast, Europe. Note to other broadcasters, which I am sure they are not going to pay any attention to now, as they never have in the past: avoid co-channel with Vatican even if targets are wildly different, as VR really gets out in unintended direxions (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** SRI LANKA. SLBC noted sign off at 1230 UT on 7190 & 11905. So Hindi service in evening from 1230 is dropped again (Jose Jacob, VU2JOS, India, March 21, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** SRI LANKA. 9385, Radio Free Asia Korean via IBB-Iranawila. Full data (with site) 'Year of the Ox' Card in 16 days (Edward Kusalik, Alberta, CANADA, March 22, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** SUDAN [non]. via IRRS-Slovakia, 15650, Miraya 101 FM, *1458-1513, March 20, sign on with local African music. Time pips, IDs & English news at 1502. Time pips are always 1 or 2 minutes past the hour on this station. Gave website as _www.mirayafm.org_ = http://www.mirayafm.org Arabic at 1513. Fair to good over a weak Greece (Brian Alexander, PA, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** SWEDEN [and non]. Radio Sweden closes down its Swedish language department and hence stops producing programs intended specifically for Swedes abroad. This means disappearance of our weekend programs and weekday half-hour blocks of news and current events. Broadcasts on shortwave, mediumwave and satellite will continue until further notice. Daily programs will be mainly replaced by repeated newscasts of Sveriges Radio ('Lunchekot' in the afternoon, 'Dagens Eko' in the evenings and nights). These changes come into effect in April, and the budget resources released will primarily be put on the enhancement of SR International's Somali, Romani and English services. As late as September 24 Radio Sweden's Swedish crew was awarded the year's special prize for the big radio gala in Stockholm. http://www.sr.se/cgi-bin/International/nyhetssidor/index.asp?nyheter=1&ProgramID=2076 So, the end of 70-year history... Here is their Swedish schedule until and from March 29: Kortvåg Samtliga tider: UTC (svensk tid = UTC + 1 timme) t.o.m. 29 mars Europa/Afrika/Mellanöstern Vardagar [M-F] 0500-0600 P1 9490 (125 ) 0600-0800 P1 6065 (140 -240 ) 1500-1530 RS 9360 (125 ) 1645-1715 P1 5865 (140 -240 ) 1700-1730 RS 7475 (70 ) 7465 (140 ) 1800-1830 RS 5865 (140 -240 ) 1900-1930 RS 5865 (140 -240 ) 7465 (220 ) 2000-2030 RS 5850 (140 -240 ) 9895 (320 ) via Madagaskar 2100-2130 RS 7395 (280 ) via Madagaskar 2100-2200 P1 5850 (140 -240 ) 2200-2230 RS 5850 (140 -240 ) Lördagar [Sat] 1500-1530 RS 9360 (125 ) 1645-1715 P1 5865 (140 -240 ) 1700-1730 RS 7475 (70 ) 7465 (140 ) 1800-1830 RS 5865 (140 -240 ) 1900-1930 RS 5865 (140 -240 ) 7465 (220 ) 2000-2030 RS 5850 (140 -240 ) 9895 (320 ) via Madagaskar 2100-2130 RS 7395 (280 ) via Madagaskar 2100-2200 P1 5850 (140 -240 ) 2200-2230 RS 5850 (140 -240 ) Söndagar [Sun] 1500-1530 RS 9365 (125 ) 1645-1700 P1 5865 (140 -240 ) 1700-1730 RS 7475 (70 ) 7465 (140 ) 1800-1830 RS 5865 (140 -240 ) 1900-1930 RS 5865 (140 -240 ) 7465 (220 ) 2000-2030 RS 5850 (140 -240 ) 9895 (320 ) via Madagaskar 2100-2130 RS 7395 (280 ) via Madagaskar 2100-2200 P1 5850 (140 -240 ) 2200-2230 RS 5850 (140 -240 ) Asien och Stillahavet Ostasien 1200-1215 RS 7420 (40 ) vard. 1200-1230 RS 7420 (40 ) lö+sö 1315-1330 RS 7465 (40 ) vard. Sydostasien & Australien 0200-0230 RS 11550 (50 ) via Madagaskar för södra Asien 1215-1230 RS 11550 (70 ) vard. 1300-1315 RS 11675 (80 ) vard. 1300-1330 RS 11675 (80 ) lö+sö 1400-1430 RS 9400 (70 ) 11540 (95 ) Nordamerika 0200-0230 RS 6010 (240 ) via Sackville 0300-0330 RS 6010 (277 ) via Sackville Sydamerika & Kanarieöarna 0000-0030 RS 9490 (163 ) via Sackville 0030-0100 RS 6100 (227 ) via Sackville Våra sändningar till Sydamerika upphör fr.o.m. 29 mars, 2009 fr.o.m. [sic] 29 mars Europa/Afrika/Mellanöstern Vardagar 0400-0500 SR 9490 (125 ) 0500-0600 SR 6065 (140 -240 ) 0600-0700 SR 9490 (140 -240 ) 1500-1530 SR 13600 (120 ) 1545-1615 SR 6065 (140 -240 ) 1700-1730 SR 6065 (140 -240 ) 13600 (120 ) 1800-1830 SR 6065 (140 -240 ) 13710 (235 ) 1900-1930 SR 6065 (140 -240 ) 2000-2030 SR 7395 (320 ) via Madagaskar 2100-2130 SR 6065 (140 -240 ) 7395 (280 ) via Madagaskar Lördagar 1500-1530 SR 13600 (120 ) 1545-1600 SR 6065 (140 -240 ) 1700-1730 SR 6065 (140 -240 ) 13600 (120 ) 1800-1830 SR 6065 (140 -240 ) 13710 (235 ) 1900-1930 SR 6065 (140 -240 ) 2000-2030 SR 7395 (320 ) via Madagaskar 2100-2130 SR 6065 (140 -240 ) 7395 (280 ) via Madagaskar Söndagar 1500-1530 SR 13600 (120 ) 1545-1600 SR 6065 (140 -240 ) 1700-1730 SR 6065 (140 -240 ) 13600 (120 ) 1800-1830 SR 6065 (140 -240 ) 13710 (235 ) 1900-1930 SR 6065 (140 -240 ) 2000-2030 SR 7395 (320 ) via Madagaskar 2100-2130 SR 6065 (140 -240 ) 7395 (280 ) via Madagaskar Asien och Stillahavet Ostasien 1200-1230 SR 15735 (40 ) 1300-1330 SR 15735 (55 ) Sydostasien & Australien 0200-0230 SR 11550 (50 ) via Madagaskar för södra Asien 1400-1430 SR 15735 (70 ) 13820 (85 ) 1500-1530 SR 15735 (100 ) 13600 (120 ) Nordamerika 0100-0130 RS* 6010 (240 ) via Sackville 0200-0230 RS* 6010 (268 ) via Sackville * obvious mistake; should be SR, too -- 73! (Serghey Nikishin, Moscow, Russia, March 19, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** SYRIA. 12085, Radio Damascus, 1840-1850, March 21, strong carrier but very low modulation & strong hum. Local music & talk. Modulation to poor to understand any programming. Too weak to even identify the language. 9330 not heard. 9330, Radio Damascus, *2101-2130+, March 21, English programming with local music, opening announcements. News at 2106. // 12085 - both frequencies with a strong carrier but low modulation & hum making them basicly useless. To make matters worse 9330 was intermittently on & off the air (Brian Alexander, PA, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** TAHITI. 8867, 0629, NHJV [in contact with], TAHITI RADIO, position report at 0628 descending out of FL350, TAHITI request estimates and cleared for 5000 descent SQ200 (Roger Pryde, Dunedin, New Zealand, Sangean ATS 803A, FRG 7000 with various antennas, March NZ DX Times via DXLD) Dates are never given in this club`s utility logs (gh) ** THAILAND. 12095, Radio Thailand, 0058-0105, March 21, caught end of English broadcast with theme music, gongs, English ID, and anthem. Into Thai language at 0102. Surprisingly good, strong signal. Usually a very weak signal here. Threshold level at 0134 check (Brian Alexander, PA, DX LISTENING DIGEST) 15275, R. Thailand, 0218-0231, March 22. In English with good reception of the “Global News”; segment “Take on Thailand” about going to temples and monasteries to take meditation classes; chimes and into Thai (Ron Howard, Asilomar Beach, CA, Etón E1, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** THAILAND. 7270, Radio Liberty, Russian via Udon Thani. Full data (with site) RL & RFE Studio Front in Prague QSL Cards (2) in 18 days, for a postal report to Washington D.C. address (Edward Kusalik, Alberta, CANADA, March 22, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** TIBET. 6010, CNR-11, 1405-1439, March 18. In assume Tibetan till 1430, then into English. The March 15 broadcast of English from 1400 to 1430 was probably just an anomaly (Ron Howard, Asilomar Beach, CA, Etón E1, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** TIBET [non]. 17550, V. of Tibet, Mar 07 *1400-1409, 25332, Tibetan, 1400 sign on with opening music, Opening announce, Talk. Mar 13 *1400- 1420, 35433, Tibetian, 1400 sign on with opening music, Opening announce, Talk (Kouji Hashimoto, Japan, Japan Premium March 20 via DXLD) 17565.0, 1328-1330 18/3, Voice of Tibeth [sic] - Provável, ND, TAJIKISTAN, (ND) música típica da região Tibeth/China; 13h30 fim TX. 25222 (Antonio Laurentino Garcia, PR7BCP, HCDX via DXLD) What does ND mean? Did you really measure the frequency to one decimal place? One should always measure VOT frequencies in this area, because they vary to avoid jamming, not always in 5-kHz steps, either. WRTH 2009, page 491: besides transmissions via Taiwan and Madagascar, Dushanbe site for this is shown on 17560 at 1030-1415 alternating Tibetan and Mandarin: 1030 TB, 1115 MD, 1145 TB, 1215 MD, 1345 TB. And there was no update in February. HFCC has Dushanbe registered on 17550 at 1430-1530, 17555 at 1100- 1400, 17560 at 1100-1600, and 17565 at 1030-1200, all 100 kW, 131 degrees to CIRAF 41, which strangely enough is Pakistan, India and Bangladesh, pretending it`s for the Tibetans there and not in Tibet itself. Only one of these would likely be used at any one time, but this covers the bases for jumping around or varying. They are not specified as V. of Tibet, however, just something managed by the CIS agency TRW. On 17550, however at 1400-1427 only is Voice of Tibet overtly via Madagascar at 45 degrees. Aoki shows VOT via Madagascar on 17550 at 1400-1430 and since January 1, also 1530-1600, both jammed. And via Dushanbe-Yangiyul, Tajikistan: only on 17560, only at 1045- 1130 in Tibetan, 1130-1145 Chinese, jammed. Nothing on 17565 or higher Eibi also lists V. of Tibet, only via Madagascar relays on 17550 at 1400-1430 and 1530-1600. The log on 17565 until 1330* would have been in the middle of a segment in Chinese when it is not supposed to close down. Nothing else is listed there, but there is always the possibility it was really Chinese jamming, Firedrake (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Madagascar, Relay, 17550, Voice of Tibet, (Clandestine), 1400-1427, came on the air abruptly at 1400 March 19. During the half hour on the air, noted a series of news and commentary in the Tibetan (presumed) language. Signal was good. Had trouble finding this listed in WRTH 2009 or the Passport? Both EIBI and AOKI had it listed however. WRTH 2009 had a short mention of it on the SW Stations of the World section. Not much info there (Chuck Bolland, Clewiston, Florida, NRD545, DX LISTENING DIGEST) It`s on page 491 of the WRTH 2009, full listing as a target broadcast to ``China.`` 73, (Glenn Hauser, ibid.) Already found it. Thanks (Chuck, ibid.) Re odd V. of Tibet outlets. --- Noted only China mainland Firedrake jamming today at 1140 UT on 17560, and later at 1410 UT on 17565 kHz, but nothing VOT original from Dushanbe, Tajikistan heard on either 17563; or later neither on 17568 kHz odd! Aoki lists also 11603 and 11608 kHz channels ... 73 (Wolfgang Büschel, March 22, ibid.) ** TINIAN. Yet another discrepancy report on the 7575 IBB transmitter: Sunday March 22 at 1320 in VOA Jazz America show, with BFO on, could tell the carrier was slightly unstable, but worse, a continuous het. During talk segment, as best I could tell, there were matching `carriers` at slightly more than 1 kHz on both sides of the main carrier, and thus a modulation defect rather than external interference (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** TURKEY [non]. Chalk up yet another misfeed depriving VOT`s myriads of SW listeners in NAm from the English broadcast they are entitled to as on the schedule, 0400 UT via Sackville on 7325 --- UT March 19 at *0400 sharp into Turkish talk, joining some non-English program in progress. But the TRT chief engineer is now aware of the problem and will be working on correcting it. Another day of no English on 7325 via Canada, at 0430 check March 20, instead Turkish talk. VOT via Canada, 7325, STILL in the wrong language, Turkish instead of English, UT March 21 at 0408 check as YL was talking about Azerbaijan, Ankara – but this time unlike previous nights suffering heavy QRM from big dirty FMy blob spur. At first I suspected the Sackville transmitter was upacting, but the modulation peaks of the QRM were obviously coming from some other source. Could it be GUF, VOR`s big signal from 7335, only 10 kHz away? No, that`s clean and nothing like it on 7345. Tuning a bit further up the band, I heard similar distortion on R. Martí via Greenville 7405. Ahá: another R. Martí transmission is on 7365, and 7405 is leaping over that to produce the spur on 7325. Then I confirm on a second receiver that the mod peaks on the 7325 QRM match R. Martí on 7405, so Greenville is definitely the source – but it doesn`t have to be, as none such ever noted before on my nightly chex of Turkey`s misfeed on 7325. The GB mix potentially happens 0300- 0500, when both 7405 and 7365 are active, except UT Mondays when the weekly truce starts at 0300. For once, the DentroCuban Jamming Command is innocent. O well, we aren`t missing any English from VOT, and the handful of Turx in NAm who might be listening probably aren`t aware of this unintentional opportunity. Altho VOT fails to broadcast in English as scheduled via Sackville 7325 at 0400, the webcast funxions properly, so I brought it up for the so-called DX Corner, UT Sunday March 22 at 0420. I missed a bit since it had already started, but Seref Isler spent the rest of the program reading reception reports and commenting on them, promising QSL cards for even the most perfunctory reports. He also recited the current English schedule once again, including 7325. Apparently he is ignoring my direct notification to the English Desk that it has not been showing up since the beginning of March! Just to be sure, I tuned in 7325 at 0432, and sure enough, that was still in Turkish, but no Greenville/Martí spurblob like the night before. UT Monday March 23 at 0420 check: 7325 still in Turkish, weaker but clear (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** TURKEY. TURKEY TO LAUNCH ARMENIAN-LANGUAGE RADIO STATION Fri Mar 20, 2009 11:05am EDT ANKARA, March 20 (Reuters) - Turkey's state broadcaster plans to launch an Armenian-language radio station, Anatolian state news agency said on Friday, amid tentative moves by Turkey and its neighbour Armenia towards restoring diplomatic ties. Relations between the two countries are haunted by the killing of Armenians by Ottoman Turks during World War One, which Armenia says amounted to genocide. Ankara accepts many Armenians were killed, but denies genocide was committed. Since then large numbers of Armenian speakers have left Turkey but some 40-50,000 remain, mostly in Istanbul... http://www.reuters.com/article/mediaNews/idUSLK48273720090320 (via Yimber Gaviría, Colombia, DXLD; also via Sergei S., dxldyg) ** UKRAINE. Re 9-024, transmitter site discussion mixed in with RUSSIA: I don't have essential info about Ukrainian transmitting centre, but I remember that another complex of the broadcasting transmitters had been placed between Kyiv and Brovary in Bykovnya. That was "Kyiv Radio Centre". Now it isn't existing. In Brovary itself there are two sites or grounds: the first one is at North-Western part of Brovary, near the road Kyiv-Chernihov, and the second one - at South-Eastern edge, near the railway to Nezhin. The first site had had two mediumwave and four shortwave transmitter. Now here only one MW transmitter is operating, it relays BBC programmes on 594 kHz. On the second site there were LW (207 kHz - its antenna is shown on the QSL card, which I sent on reports to the National Radio transmissions), MW (549 kHz), and two SW transmitters (one of them is now operating on 5970 kHz). All SW transmitters are of 100 kW, but I remember that they could be combined to 200 kW, and even to 400 kW. Best regards! (Alexandr Egorov, Ukraine, wwdxc BC-DX TopNews Mar 16 via DXLD) ** U K. 'PAINFUL' BBC CUTS TO HIT TOP TALENT By Vicky Shaw, Press Association Media Correspondent BBC director-general Mark Thompson outlined plans today to slash 400 million pounds in "painful cuts and reductions" from the corporation's budget. The cuts to balance the books would range from freezing senior management pay to the amount paid to the corporation's top talent. Mr Thompson also defended the licence fee, saying that the idea that the creative industries needed further investment reductions made little sense. Mr Thompson's speech to the Changing Media Summit in London comes in the same week that Tory leader David Cameron said that the Conservatives would freeze the BBC licence fee for one year in response to the recession. Mr Cameron challenged the Government to match his pledge, which he said would provide a lead in showing how taxpayer-funded institutions can "deliver more for less". He said he wanted to see the BBC prosper and succeed but in the current tough economic climate, all public institutions had to show that they can "live within their means" and the compulsory fee of .139.50 a year for a colour set should be frozen for one year. Mr Thompson said today that the idea that the BBC was swimming with cash was out of step with current times. He said: "Later this morning I'm discussing the BBC's budget for the next three years with the BBC Trust. "Even given those savings, the impact of the likely falling-away of household growth, the collapse of the commercial property market and pressure on our commercial revenues mean that without further significant reduction in our spending plans we would exceed our statutory borrowing limit within two years. "So we will be proposing a budget which includes a further 400 megapounds of painful cuts and reductions in expenditure, from freezing senior manager pay and withdrawing discretionary bonuses to the amount we pay top talent." He said the BBC did not face the same scale of financial challenge as some of its commercial colleagues, "but the picture of a BBC swimming with cash and people and able to make additional savings at the drop of a hat is simply out of date". "We will protect programmes and services over the next few difficult years. As far as we can, we will also protect jobs and our investment in independent production and in the digital future. "We can only do those things because we began the difficult process of reform nearly five years ago. And even so the economics are tight." The BBC has faced controversy in the past over the pay of presenters such as Jonathan Ross, whose earnings have been estimated at around 6 million pounds a year. Mr Thompson said the BBC is not immune to job losses - including 7,200 jobs which have gone over the last four and- a-half years and 1,200 still to go. He said this was a "bigger programme of restructuring and redundancy than has been announced by any other broadcaster, public service or otherwise". The director-general described the licence fee as a unique privilege with advantages and responsibilities. He described the fee as "an integral and critical element in investment in the creative industries and specifically in creating content". The Government is currently looking into the future of public service broadcasting as part of its forthcoming Digital Britain report. The BBC has already announced various ways in which it is looking to partner up with other broadcasters, including sharing facilities. Mr Thompson continued: "More than a third of the licence fee goes straight out of the BBC each year in external contracts with independent producers and other suppliers. "Most of what remains pays directly for creative talent and creative content from Comic Relief to Newsnight. "The idea that what this country's creative industries need now is a further reduction in investment is not one that makes much sense to me. "And yet the broader challenge - is the BBC going to stand by, secure in its own funding, while much of the rest of British media faces the abyss, or is the BBC going to take tangible, measurable steps to partner, to support, to share some of its advantages with other broadcasters and media players? - that broader challenge is a fair one and one that the BBC must answer." He continued: "I believe though that a BBC which visibly helps support and strengthen the rest of UK media, a BBC for whom success is not just about its own programmes and services but about the success of the whole sector in the country but also around the world: I believe that such a BBC will not be weaker, but stronger." end 191427 MAR 09MX03-19-2009 14:27UTC (via Dave Alpert, ABC News, Los Angeles, DXLD) I suspect this is another of those maddening stories which makes ``BBC`` equivalent to ``BBC Television`` without saying so, with BBC Radio just a minor appendage to that, and BBC World Service, an even tinier one. There is a tip-off in mention of the licence fee for a colour set. So how much of this may apply to what really matters, radio, and external broadcasting, is anyone`s guess (gh, DXLD) ** U K [non]. Re the BBC leaving 6005 [ASCENSION] at 0706. If I remember correctly, some years ago there used to be 5 minutes of news at 0700, followed by 25 minutes of BBC Learning English programmes until sign off at 0730. When these programmes were dropped, the transmitter went off at 0705. But then the World Service shifted its news to 1 minute past the hour and for a while the news was cut off a minute early until sign off was corrected to 0706. It has caught me out occasionally, as normally I would only expect to have to retune just before the hour (James MacDonell, Niger State, Nigeria, March 20, DX LISTENING DIGEST) See also CAMEROON ** U K [and non]. BBC on March 29 schedule pages --- I hope what is on the schedule pages for Sunday March 29 is wrong. If correct there are major cuts to shortwave service in all areas. This is what's there now for Sunday. South Asia 0000 7105 9410 (0000-0030: 5970) 0100 5970 11955 15310 0200 9410 15310 East & Southeast Asia 2100 5965 5975 2200 3915 5955 5965 6135 6195 9740 2300 5965 6000 6195 9570 9740 (2330-2400: 6170) 0000 6195 9740 13725 15335 15360 17615 0100 9740 15335 15360 East & South Africa 0800-1300 17640 21470 1300 17640 West Africa 0300 6145 That's all that's there. Check Monday for E&SE Asia & there are no frequencies listed. S. Asia same as Sunday except no 0000-0030: 5970 listed. No frequencies listed for Sunday for Mideast and Europe (PeterTheRock, March 22, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) Must be incomplete as far as Africa is concerned. I can not imagine such drastic cuts there; Africa is about the last stronghold for shortwave broadcasting. However, Asia is a different story. A year ago the BBC World Service has made first cuts to the shortwave distribution of its English programming there. I have not seen a detailed explanation of their plans in this regard, but I would not be surprised if the shortwave distribution in Asia will be further reduced now and eliminated altogether at a not too distant point in future. Of course no frequencies are listed for Europe (except the former Soviet Union); it is no target for any shortwave transmissions of BBC World Service anymore since February 18 2008, perhaps with the exception of some specials like Persian for expatriates. But what about the Middle East? Either just missing in this list --- or the next target area will be abandoned without much fanfare. Needs to be seen (Kai Ludwig, Germany, ibid.) ** U K. Re 9-024, Pharos at BBCWS: UK +non BBCWS+ >>> The audio routing system consists of dual Lawo Nova73 routers scalable up to 8,192 mono channels. http://www.pharos.tv (via AIB via DXLD) Should that be 8,196, = 2 to the tenth power <<< There are indeed 8,192 channels that can be routed through such a Nova 73 unit at the most: http://www.lawo.de/en/products/routingsystems/nova73-hd/technical-details.html The original of this news release also contains a photo and a screenshot: http://www.pharos.tv/news/bbc-world-service-goes-to-air-with-pharos-mediator/ (Kai Ludwig, Germany, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) See SAUDI ARABIA ** U K. On the subject of BBC Radio 5, I used to work in Potters Bar in Hertfordshire near the AM transmitter site at Brookmans Park. This still broadcasts BBC radio 5 on 909 kHz and other services into London and south east England and is very strong. When I used the telephone at work in Potters Bar, I could hear BBC Radio 5 under the dialing tone and in telephone conversations. It must have earthed through the phone lines. The power of radio never ceases to amaze (Gary Drew, England, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A. 3-Minute Interview: Joan Mower By Michael Neibauer, Examiner Staff Writer 3/19/09 http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/local/people/3-Minute-Interview-Joan-Mower_03_19-41445252.html Joan Mower is director of public relations for Voice of America (voanews.com). You grew up in Africa. Do you remember hearing VOA? Those were the days before CNN, before satellite television. Voice of America and the BBC, Voice of America especially if you were American; we would almost have a listening club. Do Americans know about Voice of America? Not enough. VOA is the largest international broadcasting organization, and we are supported 100 percent by U.S. taxpayers. We’re a federal agency. We broadcast in 45 languages to an audience of about 134 million. We are, however, prohibited from broadcasting to the United States. The only way you can find out about us is the Internet. Why not broadcast inside the U.S.? That was a law passed in 1948. There was a concern at the time about the government propagandizing its own citizens. How do you gauge listenership? We have a contract with a research company, and we do research in every country. We’re all over Africa. We’re all over Asia. We have an audience of more than 20 million in Indonesia, for example. Eleven percent of the Pakistanis are either watching us on television [or] listening to us on the radio, and increasingly we’re seeing our Internet audience grow. How do you broadcast to closed nations? Our mission is news and information. In closed radio environments, we use shortwave and medium-wave radio. In Burma we have quite a large shortwave audience, as well as in North Korea and Vietnam. In Iran, one in four adults listens to us or watches us. VOA offers tours of its D.C. studio? It’s about 45 minutes. It’s a great way to introduce people to what we do. It’s a little-known gem in the tour cycle of Washington. We are taxpayer supported, and we want to let as many people know what we’re doing. Visit http://voatour.com (via Robert Wilkner, DXLD) ** U S A [and non]. Another check of VOA Spanish the morning of March 20: at 1258, 9885 // 13715 // 15590 closing Buenos Días, América show and plugging next broadcast at noon local, 16 UT, sports, which of course is irrelevant to SW listeners. Shortly after 1259 the two lower frequencies went off, while 15590 converted to English, opening VOA Music Mix with newscast. Without embargo, when rechecked at 1350, 15590 was now in Spanish, plugging http://voanoticias.com and announcer giving his own e-mail address at VOA. Also mentioned ``De Capital a Capital`` perhaps the name of the program just ending, and some more rock music in Spanish. If you go to the website above for more info on the Capital program, first you see linx to audio of it as a musical program on Saturdays and Sundays. But on the webcast schedule it is shown with two different editions on Fridays, at 1430 and 1730 UT! And furthermore, the axual audio linx on the previous page claiming Sat and Sun have 1439aFri and 1730aFri in them. So that was probably the first edition on Friday, which has really daylight-shifted to 1330 UT, even tho a 4- hour conversion to ET is shown on the same list! The title bar of this page http://www.voanews.com/spanish/webcasts.cfm also misspells ``transmiciones``. How can listeners take VOA Spanish seriously with all these mistakes? After anomalous findings on VOA Spanish frequencies this week, I checked earlier in the morning on March 19: at 1216, 9885 was already on in Spanish, or rather Gringo-Spanish, some official being interviewed about indocumentados. So the broadcast is probably starting at 1130 instead of 1230 due to DST in Wáshington and nowhere in Latin America except the running dog of Cuba which follows USA DST change dates. At 1229 I was listening to // 13715 as the Enfoque Andino hour was ending, complete with English outro, ``This program has come to you from the Voice of America, Washington``. Semi-minute of dead air to fake out listeners thinking the transmission is really over --- Then at 1230 re-starting, ``Welcome to the Voice of America in Spanish`` and into ``Buenos Días, América`` the morning news magazine, which presumably ran until 1300 when 9885 and 13715 went off. I.e. one UT hour earlier than during USA standard time. Rechecked third frequency, 15590, at 1353, when ID in English as VOA Music Mix, 1359 standard sign-off but cut off after 2 or 3 notes of Yankee Doodle. What self-disrespect! The 13-14 hour on 15590 the day before had started out in English but ended in Spanish; seems they can`t decide which language to run on this unscheduled transmission (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Re 9-024, VOA Hausa/English mixup at 2030 on 15185: Personally I'm all for English. I guess the fact that no one bothered to complain about this mishap earlier only underscores the lack of listeners' interest in Hausa broadcasts. Or maybe they complained to the Hausa Branch. - Journalists are commonly dismissive of such "minor" issues. When RAI was still on SW, for a year or two it would close its Russian broadcast at 09 UT with the Romanian news bulletin instead of instrumental music that was announced every time. I don't know if anyone complained. IRIB seems to have the most relaxed approached to its languages and frequencies. It's common for them to forget to turn a transmitter on or off. The Cuban radio broadcasts (including jamming) are reflective of similar approach. Both Iranian and Cuban cultures are very relaxed and people-oriented (Sergei S., Russia, March 18, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGESET) VOA French to Africa, 15225, March 21 at 2016 seems quite undermodulated despite S9+20 signal. Watching the meter and listening more carefully, I soon realize that the big signal is rock-steady, but the French audio is fading up and down in normal shortwave propagational fashion. What`s really happening is that we have two transmitters, the stronger one open carrier, and the weaker one with the programming. What does PWBR `2009` say? Nothing. No VOA listings at all on 15225. At 2030 the programming stopped briefly and then resumed after a couple of false starts at normal modulation level, for the ``English USA`` show of language lessons, nicely done and just as useful for learning French as English, as each sentence is translated one at a time. This turned out to be lesson four-score-and-eleven, part one, subject being modern life and the future tense, followed at 2041 by part two. At 2055, I found a USG editorial (in French) about Rwanda, off at 2059:30* Unfortunately this waylaid me from Music Time in Africa which I had started listening to on also very good 11975, altho only 125 kW from Bonaire aimed eastward at 80 degrees; but then returned to it at 2041 while some percussion from Benin was playing. Announcer said show is scheduled Sat and Sun at 09 and 20 UT; but there are no SW frequencies at 09 (I think). A quick check of registrations confirms it. This is another case of nonsensical transmitter-site switching in the middle of a broadcast. Until 2030 it`s Bonaire daily with 250 kW at 80 degrees, and after 2030 it`s Greenville Saturdays and Sundays only, 250 kW at 94 degrees --- I suppose the same transmitter which is on 15185 M-F with Hausa, just corrected from almost five months of English relays by mistake; nothing on 15185 today. But why run open carrier for at least a quarter hour on the same frequency already carrying a program? Greenville should warm up somewhere else if really necessary, and crash-start 15225 just as the Bonaire relay is ending. Even an open carrier causes co-channel interference, as I just experienced. It could be equally bad with both of them aimed at the same target area, even tho they were quite zero- beat, with no SAH as a tip-off (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Concerning Greenville: Most of their equipment are ancient transmitters with manual tuning, with a basic design that is more than 60 years old. Probably it is just impossible to avoid a tune-up on the operational frequency here. Which of course would mean that such schedulings like on 15225 are simply impossible with this broadcasting museum (Kai Ludwig, Germany, March 22, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) R. Martí spur on 7325, QRMing Turkey via Canada: see TURKEY ** U S A. Sorry to note that WWCR-1 is developing a `squeal` problem like WEWN, tho relatively minor so far, audible only during talk segments and pauses in Spanish broadcast, March 19 at 2157 on very strong 7465; obscured when music plays (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A [and non]. WORLD OF RADIO OBSERVATIONS --- Glenn, Yes it is a long time since I have been in contact. Sorry about that! I haven't been able to give much time to DXing recently but I do try to catch World of Radio most weeks. Best reception for me is via WWCR on 15825, better now that the time has shifted to 2030 on Fridays. The IRRS airing on Saturday morning 0900 on 9510 is weak here (James MacDonell, Niger State, Nigeria, March 20, DX LISTENING DIGEST) WRMI 9955 is usually prompt to get a new edition on the air/webcast as soon as it is available, and #1452 was confirmed on webcast only a couple hours after it was uploaded, UT Thu March 19 at 0530. Unfortunately, the Thursday 1530 next airing has been replaced by a Happy Station repeat, but Jeff White has given us another airing temporarily on Saturdays at 1530 until another program takes over in April. Next evening chance is UT Friday 0100. Checking the first opportunity for WBCQ to run new 1452, Thursday March 19 at 1900 on 7415, just barely audible here, being totally daytime path with the sun getting higher and higher, but I hope it works better close-in. However, I could make out it was still last week`s show, #1451. Two hours later during Ted Randall`s program, 7415 reception had greatly improved. Try again Friday at 1900, and on 5110 at 2300 (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Missing again at 2300 UT Friday on 5110, so Larry Will and I have discussed moving to WOR to a time which can be more reliable: UT Friday 0000, i.e. Thursday 7 pm Central, effective immediately (gh) Area 51 is heard Saturday and Sunday from 6 to 8 PM eastern United States time (2200 to 0000 UTC) and Monday through Friday from 7 to 9 PM eastern time (2300 to 0100 UTC) on WBCQ The Planet at 5.110 MHz worldwide international shortwave. Sunday, March 22, 6PM: Pirates Week with Ragnar Daneskjold; 6:30PM: KNBS 19; 7:30PM: Radio Jamba International Monday, March 23, 7PM: Hour of Slack 1196 - Robert Anton Wilson and “Bob”; Priestess Pisces & Rev. Carter LeBlanc at Baltimore Devival; 8PM: “Bob”’s Slacktime Funhouse Tuesday, March 24, 7PM: Radio Free Euphoria; 8PM: Idio-Audio Wednesday, March 25, 7PM: Off The Hook (live); 8PM: The Jean Shepherd Show Thursday, March 26, 7PM: Best of Complex Variables Studio; 8PM: Glenn Hauser’s World of Radio; 8:30PM: International Radio Report Friday, March 27, 7PM: Radio Garbanzo 8; 8PM: Allan Weiner Worldwide Saturday, March 28, 6PM: The Lost Discs Radio Show (live); 7PM: The Lumpy Gravy Radio Show (de http://www.worldmicroscope.com/?page_id=782 via DXLD) ** U S A. Glenn: I have noticed this "Squealing" sound on WBCQ's frequency of 7415 during "Marion's Attic" among other shows. 73's, (Noble West, TN, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) I listen to M. Attic too and have never heard any such squealing on 7415. It must be her voice you are referring to (Glenn, ibid.) Glenn: I have heard what sounds like the squealing of the transmitter either of WBCQ or nearby channel causing the squealing to possibly produce a spur. I'll check this evening to see if I hear the squealing again. I also note WWCR has QRM from some utility station centered around 5070 and vicinity around 0200 UT weeknights, usually on Saturday during "The DX Block", including World Of Radio. Stranger things have happened on SW in the past from my QTH. 73's, (Noble West, TN, ibid.) A heterodyne is one thing, a spur is another, and a transmitter producing its own squeal is yet another (gh, DXLD) ** U S A. While checking out RNW Bonaire and BBC Ascension on 16m, March 21 at 2010, not a trace of KVOH on 17775, let alone its septuplet of spurs at 144 kHz intervals, so off the air? Chile and Costa Rica were also in well on the band (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A. Had not heard any sign of KJES on 11715 for a week or more, but Sunday March 22 at 1350 check, it was on at S9+20, somewhat undermodulated but sufficient, unlike some previous logs. No robokids this time, but instead one adult OM reciting verses, immediately repeated by another adult OM, e.g.: ``May God rain burning coals upon them! --- May God rain burning coals upon them!`` What a nice thought. Frequently referred to Yahweh, which I am sure R. C. Pope Benedict XVI would not approve of; further reinforcing that KJES tho nominally Catholic is run by a wacky splinter group (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A. 7505.30, WRNO Worldwide. Full data (with no site) 'You'll rave about the Wave' QSL card, in 20 days, for a postal report to Fort Worth, Texas address (Edward Kusalik, Alberta, CANADA, March 22, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A. An MW bandscan on caradio at Arby`s parking lot in Enid turned out to be a pretty hot spot; March 21 at 1940 UT, slightly more than an hour after local mean noon at 1832, I was getting three very weak signals on 720. A slow SAH of 2.5 Hz fits for WGN Chicago and KSAH San Antonio, per numerous previous logs day and night, but there was also a very fast SAH overlain, too fast to count. What could be the third station in the daytime? Nothing at all likely, but KDWN in Las Vegas NV is 50 kW nondirexional daytime, further than Chicago and over mountainous terrain, low ground conductivity. Or something spurious much closer, but have never had spurs or images from the three local MW stations on this frequency. (By nulling KRMG-740 on a portable, however, some time ago in the daytime, I was startled to hear sports talk, which turned out to be a receiver image of KFXY-1640 minus 2 x IF 450 = 900 kHz.) Also at 1943 March 21 I could just barely hear Spanish on 1250, i.e. KYYS Kansas City, which despite 25 kW is not normally audible here daytimely, almost 500 km (Glenn Hauser, Enid OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A. WSAR DX Test announcement --- I've finalized it with our engineer and will load it in to the computer Thursday. WSAR will be conducting a DX test this Sunday 3/22 from 2 to 3:00 E.D.T./0600-0700 G.M.T. There will be the announcements, the station ID in Morse Code, sweep tones, train whistles, etc. (including a jingle). Please send reception reports to production @ wsar.com or via mail to: WSAR 1 Home St. Somerset, MA 02725 U.S.A. WSAR is mono; 5 kW DA-U using 2 towers. Most likely our sister 1 kW class C station: WHTB/1400 will be doing the same test the following week at the same time. Good DX & sorry about the short notice as it was finalized yesterday. One last thing, which is kinda important: WSAR is on 1480 kc. 73, (Jay, N1WVQ/WQBI410, Rogers, March 18, ABDX via DXLD) And looking at WSAR's pattern, not very many people out in the west will hear it, but I bet our friends in England, Scotland and etc. will hear this test well! (Paul Walker http://www.onairdj.com IRCA via DXLD) Paul, after checking for myself the FCC site patterns page, I would have to say you are at least 97% correct. The major portion of their signal is every direction, EXCEPT west. With low K and A indices, you never know what you might hear. BUT, I will try to hear the station. I might get lucky and log a new station, even if I don't hear WSAR. Should be fun (Willis, Old Fort, TN, Monk, ibid.) Believe it or not, I caught them here in IL about 5 years ago when there were about 3 days of superb conditions to the east. WSAR faded up over NYC's Chinese station for an ID at the end of a locally oriented ad. I was flabbergasted to say the least. 73 KAZ (Neil Kazaross, Barrington IL, ibid.) WSAR was heard and verified from Omaha in February, 1958. May have been a DX test as v/c says 3:09 EST (John Sampson, IRCA via DXLD) Altho scheduled without the usual lead-time for the benefit of print- only publications, not to mention weekly DX programs, this was publicized days in advance on the dxldyg. Numerous reports of it from NE USA, SE Canada, and: (Glenn Hauser, DXLD) Test heard 0600-0606 UT with announcement, morse, siren tones (despite flag antenna now pointing to South America!) (Paul Crankshaw, Troon, Scotland, UK, IRCA mailing list via DXLD) I am glad to hear that last night's ABDX DX Test from WSAR-1480 was widely heard throughout the Eastern US and Eastern Canada and also in Scotland and Germany. This station is a daytime regular here (40 miles east of Fall River) but is normally just part of the jumble on 1480 at night. I think they may have run non-directional during the test as the signal really picked up after 0201 EDT (Marc DeLorenzo, South Dennis, Cape Cod, Mass., March 22, NRC-AM via DXLD) ** U S A. KYES 1180: This brand-new 50,000-watt giant is still slumbering on the Northern Prairie, waiting for the ground to thaw, so we can get the ground system installed. Then (sometime in early May?) we'll bring it up, hopefully scheduling a DX Test. Regards, (Mark Durenberger, March 19, NRC-AM, via DXLD) 2008-2009 NRC AM Log says KYES is 50000/5000, CH 8000, U7 in Rockville MN. Where? That COL is not even in the Rand McNally 2009 Atlas index! What has that tiny town done to deserve such a behemoth? AAA has it somewhere around Sauk Center/Sauk Rapids, NW of the Twin Cities, some 50+ miles from there so presumably Rockville was desperately in need of local radio service, which when activated will have enough power to get into MSP as a bonus. So I look at the info via FCC AM Query. Day pattern is non-direxional, while nite has one big lobe at about 18 degrees, no good in MSP then (Glenn Hauser, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A. 1210, WPHT Philadelphia PA with discussion of New Jersey thinking of regulating bikini waxing. Now THAT sounds like important legislation. Let me make this perfectly clear: I don't want the government sticking its nose into my crotch, hairless or not! Fascinating and creepy all at the same time! :) (non)IDs as "The Big Talker 1210" SIO 444, 0205-0227 14/Mar (Kenneth Vito Zichi, Williamston MI, MARE Tipsheet March 19 via DXLD) ** U S A. I hear IBOC noise on 1680, 1690 and 1710, which indicates at least two stations are running it, on 1690 and 1700, March 21 at 1343 UT. 1690 itself was dominated by ``The Talk of Chicago, WVON`` ID. 1700 had at least two talk stations mixing, their AM signals strong enough to override the IBOC on the high side of WVON. But which one on 1700 is radiating IBOC sidebands? At this hour, has to be Des Moines or one of the Texans, but nothing on 1700 shown as IBOC in the 2008- 2009 NRC AM Log (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) The place to check for current AM IBOC info is: http://topazdesigns.com/iboc/station-list.html I haven't heard of any on 1700 up to now, but after checking ownership of the stations, I'd put my money on KVNS, since they're owned by Clear Channel. Of the handful of new arrivals using the mode in the past six months or so, the majority have been owned by Clear Channel. (Barry McLarnon VE3JF Ottawa, ON, ABDX via DXLD) ** U S A. I made a tough decision…. http://www.peterbcollins.com/i-made-a-tough-decision/ On Friday, I delivered the news of my decision to end the daily broadcasts of the PBC Show. Our last live broadcast will be Friday, March 20, which will replay on some stations through March 22. Since we started on KRXA in 2005, I’ve been covering the costs of producing the show and delivering it to our affiliate stations by satellite. With phone bills and the other expenses, it adds up to more than $5,000 a month. We get a little advertising revenue and some generous listeners contribute, but most of it is absorbed by my small business, Collins Media Services. Until last summer, I was able to cover the costs from my work as a radio producer and consultant. Like everyone else, the Bush recession has hit me hard. To make money in syndication, we need to be on 20+ stations and at least one of the big 3, NY, LA, Chicago. As an independent, self- syndicated show, we’ve had to compete with Air America, Dial-Global and Nova M programs, and for various reasons, the PBC Show didn’t break through. Air America is the brand that most people connect with progressive talk radio, and their bankruptcy and sequence of blunders has, unfortunately, defined our collective efforts in a negative way that has provided an easy target for the non-liberal media. As a result, the total number of stations offering progressive talk in the US peaked at about 105 in 2006, and is now around 70. Miami, DC, and even Ann Arbor have lost their progressive stations in the last month. Over the past 3.75 years, I’ve tried it all. I pitched all of the Air America programmers except the current one, who never returned my calls or emails. I was offered a deal by Nova M, but they reneged in a bizarre story I’m saving for my talk-n-tell book. Air America just announced that Montel Williams will be their new offering in the Thom Hartmann time slot, which tells us that Jerry Springer’s flameout was just their first attempt to retread a tabloid TV host as a “progressive” radio host. As I said on Friday, I’m very proud of what we’ve done here, and grateful to my partner, Kathee Shatter, for indulging my risky business, and to two exceptional producers: Matt Renner (now DC editor at Truthout.org) and Katrina Rill. Katrina was with me when we euthanized my satellite radio show, and I’m sorry she has to go through it again. I’m grateful to every listener, even the ones who think I’m full of it, for taking the time to listen. And to those who called and emailed and sent letters and checks, I couldn’t have done this without you. To the many fine guests who spent time on the show, and especially to the regulars, I thank you for your immeasurable contributions to my program and to the knowledge base of my listeners. Thanks for all the emails in response to this news, I will try to answer as many as I can, and all will be saved so we can notify you of future plans. I’m not going away, and may launch a podcast and/or weekend radio show after I take a break to recharge and re-wealth. Special recognition to generous individuals who have clicked on “You Can Help” and made contributions, including the whopper from Seattle. Your contributions will be used to retire some debt, pay off the bills and give Katrina and Nick something extra for their dedication. No pressure, no guilt, but if you can help, you have my gratitude. Many people who heard the $5,000 monthly cost figure have emailed to pledge $10 a month and said, “how do we find the other 499?” We have tried that to some extent, but I don’t want to turn the show into a pledge-a-thon, ’cause I listen to the radio, too, and don’t like them. Plus, I’m well aware that many of my listeners can’t even spare $10 a month right now. Overall, I don’t think we can shift to a voluntary subscription plan to produce a reliable funding stream. If you disagree, email me: fullofit@peterbcollins.com Tell me if you’re willing to subscribe for at least 6 months, and how much you can pay. If enough people respond by Monday night 3/16, I will make a final review of this decision. Dave Berman in Eureka, Tom McAfee in SF, and Aldous Tyler in Madison have offered to coordinate this kind of effort, but I need to give them your names and emails. Keep listening this week, call in when you can–we’ll try to get all of our favorite guests to check in, too. warmly, pbc (via Artie Bigley, DXLD) ** U S A. Notice of Apparent Liability for Forfeiture of $20,000 for running commercials on non-comm station. POWER RADIO CORPORATION, Licensee of Noncommercial Educational Station KXPW-LP, Georgetown, Texas, )))))) EB-03-IH-0687, Facility ID No. 133411, NAL/Account No. 200932080020, FRN 0006560650 http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DA-09-51A1.pdf (via Artie Bigley, OH, DXLD) 11-page pdf, last three of which are transcripts of the commercials. Other stations with non-commercial licenses should take careful note! It`s 11 watts on 106.7, CP for a hefty increase to 12 watts. With such mini-power, how did they line up all those advertisers, and will they now plead that they can`t afford the fine? (Glenn Hauser, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A. KERRY, SNOWE CALL FOR INVENTORY OF AIRWAVES FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: March 19, 2009 CONTACT: DC Press Office (Kerry), 202-224-4159 http://kerry.senate.gov/cfm/record.cfm?id=310100 WASHINGTON, D.C. –Senators John Kerry (D-Mass.), Chairman of the Commerce Subcommittee on Communications, Technology, and the Internet, and Olympia Snowe (R-ME), a senior member of the Commerce Committee, today introduced legislation requiring a thorough inventory of available radio spectrum managed by the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) and the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) within 180 days. The Radio Spectrum Inventory Act was also cosponsored by Senators Bill Nelson (D-FL) and Roger Wicker (R- MS). The bill represents a first step in what the sponsors believe should be a comprehensive assessment of how best to use the public airwaves. “Our public airwaves belong to the American people, and we need to make certain we are putting them to good use in the best interests of those citizens,” said Sen. Kerry. “Last year’s 700 MHz auction resulted in $20 billion for the treasury and will create greater opportunity and choice for consumers and businesses that need broadband service. We also took a great step forward when the FCC established a way for unlicensed devices to operate in white spaces. These two initiatives are evidence of how valuable spectrum is and how it serves as fertile grounds for innovation. We need to make sure we’re making as much of it available to innovators and consumers as possible.” “Used by millions of consumers and countless businesses on a daily basis, wireless technology is a proud part of America’s innovative history and a key to its economic future,” said Sen. Snowe. “But as radio spectrum is already a scarce yet valuable resource in many areas, we must ensure that this public good is allocated and used efficiently for the needs of the American people. This legislation is the first step to addressing comprehensive spectrum reform and will work to enhance advanced communications services to keep people on- line and in touch.” The Radio Spectrum Inventory Act directs NTIA and the FCC to report on the use of all spectrum bands between 300 Megahertz and 3.5 Gigahertz, including information on the licenses or government user operating in each band, the total spectrum allocation of each licensee or government user, the number and types of radiators that have been deployed in each band, and contour maps illustrating signal coverage and strength. The legislation also includes an exemption for licensees or users if they can demonstrate that disclosure would be harmful to national security (via Benn Kobb, DXLD) ** U S A. HAMS ASSIST WOMAN INJURED IN DESERT It was a sunny day, not a cloud in the sky, when Hal Whiting, KI2U, Todd Kluxdal, Kluxdal's father and Whiting's two sons decided to go out to the Poverty Mountain area in Arizona to search for airplane crash sites. Whiting, who lives in St George, Utah, and Kluxdal, who lives in Mesquite, Nevada, took two vehicles that day. According to Whiting, they always take two vehicles, just in case a problem pops up: "We always have two spare tires, extra gasoline and a tow rope. We take enough food and supplies to stay two or three days." In addition to the extra equipment, Whiting took the one thing he never goes without -- his ham radio. . . http://www.arrl.org/news/stories/2009/03/18/10706/?nc=1 (via Dick Pache, DXLD) ** VATICAN [and non]. CANADA: 6040, Vatican Radio, English via Sackville with talk of the Virgin Mary in the Gospel of John over mid eastern music -- kinda misleading -- as well as discussion of miracles and how to interpret them, including saying that an image of Jesus in a piece of toast is 'ludacrus' [sic]; we presume people with such claims are either charlatains [sic] or nuts -- what a refreshing attitude -- from the editor of "The Catholic Response". Two full IDs and website URL at :18, into IS and continuing in Spanish with ID and into news re "el Papa" in Africa, etc. SIO 4+4+4+ 0310-0322 18/Mar (Kenneth Vito Zichi, Williamston MI, MARE Tipsheet March 19 via DXLD) R. Vaticana continues to be an annoyance, QRMing other stations by inept frequency management allowing co-channel clashes. See SPAIN for what it does to 5965, and MEXICO for what it does to 6185. VR 5965 at 0605 March 21 blocking REE`s DX program via Costa Rica on its only audible frequency here; VR with English report on papal visit to Cameroon. Second European program on 6185, March 21 at 0604 blocking XEPPM, in Scandinavian language, but which? Current VR program folder is no help with such minor details, nor is WRTH! EiBi and Aoki show Finnish on Saturdays. There was a lot of QRM, but I was leaning toward a non-Finno-Ugric one. Of course it`s more politically correct to consider the Finns just `Nordic`, separate from the Scandinavian countries to the west whose languages are closely related, while Finnish is totally different, but VR lumps them all together; is VR keeping its options open, not to be tied down to specific days of week for each? (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** VENEZUELA [non]. CUBA, Radio Nacional Venezuela-RNV Relay, 17750, 1816, Spanish, 444, March 15, Two OMs with comments and mentioning Venezuela often. // 13680 [333] via Cuba (Stewart MacKenzie, WDX6AA, Huntington Beach, California, USA, DX LISTENING DIGEST) That`s the Sunday-only Aló, Presidente service, so this confirms it was running at least that long last week. Sunday March 22 chex of the Aló, Presidente service via CUBA: 11875 open carrier already on the air at 1342, along with lite crackle, perhaps cross-mod from one of their nearby jammers. Modulation finally brought up at 1405 with program in progress, Bárbara Betancourt speaking. BTW, she is 51 years old this week, as one of the birthday babes mentioned on En Contacto, the RHC Spanish DX program at 1335 on 12000 et al. At 1405 checked other A,P frequencies: // 13750 underway, much weaker 13680 also audible and echoing against 13750 audio, so from different transmitter site. 11690 also echoed against 13750 and 11875, and totally overrode HCJB, producing no more than a SAH, but HCJB is always weak here on this frequency, aimed oppositely from 11960. At 1407 found the fifth A,P channel 17750 definitely on the air with strong open carrier, but no mod, a good idea, since it kept dumping off the air multiple times, and when on was noisy. Finally at 1419 some modulation started to appear fitfully, also cutting on and off, and more or less stayed on from 1421. Final check at 1436 found it still going but distorted, in pre-show from Habana prior to expected appearance of the crybaby himself. That alludes to a very interesting C-SPAN2 show I watched the night before by someone who had written a book highly critical of Chávez, maintaining that he is a much bigger threat to the US than it seems, and we ignore him at our peril. He`s a bully while he has power, but cried when he lost power, has kidnapped Venezuela. Worth considering even tho tainted by Heritage Foundation sponsorship. Here`s the BookTV blurb about it at http://www.booktv.org/program.aspx?ProgramId=10290&SectionName=&PlayMedia=No ``THE THREAT CLOSER TO HOME: HUGO CHÁVEZ AND THE WAR AGAINST AMERICA Watch now! [yes, there is video and audio on demand:] http://www.booktv.org/watch.aspx?ProgramId=FV-10290 About the Program: A political consultant who lived and worked in Venezuela presents a critical look at the rule of Hugo Chávez. Commentary is provided by Otto Reich, former U.S. Ambasssador to Venezuela and Assistant Secretary of State. This event was hosted by the Heritage Foundation in Washington, DC. About the Author --- Michael Rowan is a political consultant for U.S. and Latin American leaders. He has advised former Bolivian president Jaime Paz Zamora and Costa Rican president Oscar Arias. Mr. Rowan is a former president of the International Association of Political Consultants.`` (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** ZANZIBAR. Tanzania --- Talking of buzzing and broken transmitters, the relatively new Radio Tanzania transmitter from Zanzibar on 11735 kHz has badly modulated and distorted audio (1800-1915 UT, March 19). Audio used to be good, including for music, a pleasant and exotic mix of Arab and African influences (Dr Derek Lynch, Ireland, March 19, DX LISTENING DIGEST) 11735, Radio Tanzania-Zanzibar, 1800-1815, March 22, English “Spice FM” news at 1800-1809. Local music & Swahili talk at 1809. Poor signal with slight wobble in audio & slight distortion. Very low modulation after 1809 (Brian Alexander, PA, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** ZIMBABWE. 3396, R. Zimbabwe 0151 22 March, end of English announcement by M and into Pop song. Another rapid announcement and hi-life music running through the ToH. Program ended at 0300. Then long drum sequence, and M with full 2+ minute ID in local vernacular including all AM, SW, and FM frequencies with mentions of a gazillion "megahertz"s. Music bridge at 0304, and studio M in vernacular. Fair at best and fady. 73 (Dave Valko, micro-dxpedition, Eton E1, 315' at 50 Beverage (BOG) with RF Systems matching transformer and 50 ohm coax lead-in, QTH: Pennsylvania State Game Lands #26, near Dunlo PA, HCDX via DXLD) ** ZIMBABWE [non]. EXILED MEDIA REFUSES TO BE SILENCED Thulani Mpofu, Foreign Correspondent * Last Updated: March 22. 2009 8:30AM UAE / March 22. 2009 4:30AM GMT Gerry Jackson, the founder and station manager of SW Radio Africa, says the service is popular in Zimbabwe's rural areas. Jonathan Player for The National BULAWAYO, ZIMBABWE // Immediately after Zimbabwe’s Supreme Court declared the monopoly of the state broadcaster unconstitutional in Sept 2000, a prominent disc jockey, Gerry Jackson, set up the country’s first independent radio station. Capital Radio managed to broadcast from a hotel room in central Harare for six days before armed police raided the studio and confiscated equipment. In Dec 2001, Jackson moved to London, recruited six Zimbabwean journalists and launched SW Radio Africa, which has beamed news into Zimbabwe ever since, becoming a trailblazer in what has become a thriving Zimbabwean media-in-exile [sic] . . . http://www.thenational.ae/article/20090322/FOREIGN/724383645/1017/ART (via Bob Wilkner, DXLD) UNIDENTIFIED. Someone on 1180 is way off frequency and I can hear the beat note in the DAYtime. I am not sure who that is yet (Powell E Way, somewhere near Silverstreet, SC, NRC-AM via DXLD) I know it's not KYES. This brand-new 50,000-watt giant is still slumbering on the Northern Prairie, waiting for the ground to thaw, so we can get the ground system installed. Then (sometime in early May?) we'll bring it up, hopefully scheduling a DX Test. Regards, (Mark Durenberger, ibid.) See U S A for more on KYES A few weeks ago someone else in the SE US inquired of me about such an 1180-off-frequency, I recollect, but can`t find the item in my archives or DXLD, drat (Glenn Hauser, DX LISTENING DIGEST) I could hear one [1180 het] during the day here in rural western Newberry county, SC. I am 5 miles north and a tad west of Silverstreet, SC. I noticed I could even hear it tonight. Now Trion, GA is a daytimer, but they often stay on at night, and at one time were even advertising they stayed on until 10 or so on their website. That's not very smart is it? (Powell E. Way III, NRC-AM via DXLD) UNIDENTIFIED. 600 Hz het at 1340 kHz --- I got a chance to evaluate the het at 1340 kHz before sunset. It's actually a double signal, at 1339.4 and 1340.6 kHz, strongest with phasing aimed east which would indicate one of the 1340 Maine stations as the source. It appears on the SDR IQ spectrum analyzer as two distinct signals of equal strength at + and - 600 Hz centered on 1340 kHz as if it were an amplitude modulated 600 Hz tone (Bruce Conti - Nashua NH, http://www.bamlog.com March 20, NRC-AM via DXLD) John Connor in Ontario (on the GY List) came to the same conclusion using Spectran. Barry doesn't hear it though (Russ Edmunds, Blue Bell, PA (360' ASL), [15 mi NNW of Philadelphia], ibid.) Actually, I have been hearing it the last few nights (hearing it right now, in fact), and also observed that it was 600 Hz on either side of the channel, and thus likely a 1340 station transmitting a 600 Hz tone. Interesting to learn that it might be in Maine, though; just two 1340 stations there. I did a quick check for new 1340 CPs in New England, but didn't find any (Barry McLarnon VE3JF Ottawa, ON, ibid.) I wonder, could this be another military test like the one on 1610 a few years back? (Adam Myrow, ibid.) Who knows ? Maybe the Shadow does (Russ Edmunds, ibid.) UNIDENTIFIED. 2600, 1108 poor signal, sounded latino, including a sort of doorbell jingle. Vanished at 1109, pattern/power change? 3/8 (Larry Russell, MI, DXPedition, MARE Tipsheet March 19 via DXLD) 2 X 1300? UNIDENTIFIED. 2980, 0720 and 1043, latino sounding. Too much storm noise to ID, 3/8 (Larry Russell, MI, DXPedition, MARE Tipsheet March 19 via DXLD) Likely 2 x 1490, one of hundreds of stations (gh) UNIDENTIFIED. 4840-4880, weak OTH radar pulses, presumed at 1252 March 20. Also at 1254 on 3860-3870 (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) UNIDENTIFIED. 4877.67, 1015 to 1030 19 March. This close to the Brasil station inactive for over a year. 73s (Bob Wilkner, Pompano Beach, Florida, Drake R8 NRD 535D, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Presumably broadcast UNIDENTIFIED. 4900 and 4920, and perhaps some frequencies in between with uncopyable brief SSB transmissions, March 20 at 1341. I could never get them tuned in to demodulate, and suspect they employ speech inversion, i.e. reversing the proper audio frequencies as in normal SSB, a lite form of security, but certainly effective for listeners who do not have the equipment to re-reverse them. I could not even be sure of the language. I hope the narco-traffickers and poachers are not getting this sophisticated (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) UNIDENTIFIED. Hello Glenn. Thanks for the links to broadcast frequency and time data. I've been using them rather than my copy of Passband and found them more accurate as you suggested. I checked the frequency I had reported Turkmen Radio at about a week ago. I hear the English language VOA until 6 PM [? means 0600 UT?], then the much fainter signal I reported back then at 4930 kHz. Today I heard the faint commentary between 0605 and 0620 but the signal today was weaker than last week when I was able to tell the commentary was not English. It was there today, UT time 3/19/09, 0605- 0620, behind strong codar. About half the time there was no signal, then you could hear it begin to fade back in, first as a hiss, then some audio barely detectable as someone speaking about something. Then it would fade back out for a minute or two. Switching between my two dipoles, I could tell the codar was coming from SE or NW while the faint commentary was coming from NE or SW, as it should. I checked the adjacent frequencies to 4930 in that 0600-0620 period and they were consistently quiet except for the codar. By the way, I recorded what I could hear today but it was so poor that I suspect the recording is even worse and of no use. The signal was so weak it required not only the antenna pointing the correct direction, but the gain turned up nearly all the way and the antenna tuner adjusted very precisely, and some patience for the signal to fade in, then back out. There is a window around 0200-0230 UT or something like that, just before VOA fires up on that frequency that would be more optimum to listen for this station so I may try that time interval in a day or two. Thanks again for the links to better broadcast schedules (Bill Holliday, New Braunfels, TX, March 19, DX LISTENING DIGEST) I made one last attempt to identify a signal on the Turkmen Radio frequency. There was something there. However it was again too weak to make anything out. So I thought it still might be a spurious signal from some other band. I flipped up to the 8000-8800 khz range where there should be very few or no AM stations. Sure enough there must have been 20 or more very faint bogus stations that even had fading like real stations. So I am thinking about upgrading the radio instead of fooling with adding another low noise antenna which I was about to act on. Thanks (Bill Holliday, New Braunfels, TX, March 20, ibid.) Hi Bill, It does look like you need a better receiver than the Heathkit if it has those 8 MHz images, and 4930 may be too. I guess the bogus signals on 8 MHz are probably 2 x IF images from the 9 MHz band. You might try to correlate some of them, 910 or 900 kHz displaced? Those are from the common IFs, 455 or 450 kHz. I thought of your 4930 being an image from 5830 or 5840 but nothing fits there either. And you should be getting a whole bunch more at same displacement from 5-6 MHz band (Glenn to Bill, via DXLD) UNIDENTIFIED [non]. Re 9-024: 6850.00, 1403 1435, R. Playback International, E, F, It, pops, ID, live show JJ, Miss Venusia & Lady Electra, Tina Turner, blues, 35333. Also 1503 at 0640 E, pops, ID, jingle, ballad, funky, 35443 (Silveri Gomez, FRAGA - CATALUNYA NORTE, R-2000 & ATS 909, via Dario Monferini, playdx yg via DXLD) UNIDENTIFIED. 6900-6970 approx., presumed OTH radar pulses March 19 at 1236, perhaps from China (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) UNIDENTIFIED. 6997.4/AM, Odd goings on; 2330-2345+, 19-Mar; Talk plus music in AM! The music is short cuts of a wide variety of things; Rock, rap & Afro-chant! The talk might be a separate 2-way, but sounds preachy and is in AM! Too buried to get much out of it. Pirate, smugglers, spurs, Somalia? (Harold Frodge, Midland MI, MARE Tipsheet March 19 via DXLD) UNIDENTIFIED. 20 March 2009 from 1319 to 1330 UT on 7325. Program consisted of a female announcer in an UNID language in between brief interludes of music. I was listening in the hope of logging PNG-Wantok Radio Light. Weak signal but in the clear -- Passport 2009 doesn't list anyone else broadcasting in this time slot. Your thoughts/ideas on this would be appreciated. 73's, (Ed Insinger, NJ, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Stations active on 7325 at that time include CRI in Japanese, and Polish Radio in English via Germany. Also maybe AIR Mumbai, India. 73, (Glenn to Ed, via DXLD) UNIDENTIFIED. 7385, 2102 20/2, USA, tentative WRMI fair in Spanish with comment and organ interludes, choir singing 2015 [sic] (Ken Baird, Christchurch, Kenwood R5000, R1000, 18m Wire, SW Eavesdropper, March NZ DX Times via DXLD) WRMI abandoned 7385 years ago. And is one of those times an hour off, or just out of order? Only stations listed around those times are Vatican and Lhasa, neither in Spanish (gh, DXLD) UNIDENTIFIED. Distorted splattering mess covering part of 31 mb. 9665 source? Spurs around 9525, 9580, 9635, 9695, 9720. 0316 3/8 (Larry Russell, MI, DXPedition, MARE Tipsheet March 19 via DXLD) 9635 and 9695 anyway would match a central 9665 source. Brasília relaying CRI has been caught outputting spurs before (gh, DXLD) UNIDENTIFIED. 11690, 0526 same fill music loop tape heard last DXpedition. Poor signal. 3/8 (Larry Russell, MI, DXPedition, MARE Tipsheet March 19 via DXLD) Probably R. Okapi to Congo DR, lost feed to Meyerton; was it VTC music? (Glenn Hauser, DXLD) UNIDENTIFIED. 15463, March 21 at 1429-1439+, two-way Spanish contacts on SSB, as always, hard to understand, but one of them kept whistling into the mike, which is not the sign of a polished operator, and also was heard to use the expression ``puta madre`` which is not polished either. For a while they were discussing things to do at midnight on the next few dates, perhaps arranging a rendezvous for drug shipments. I assumed it would be USB, but just in case I checked on the ATS-909 and they were using LSB, too bad since there was het from a broadcaster on 15460, but none on 15465. One never sees any logs of these intruders from Latin American DXers, who would have a much better chance of understanding the conversations, and perhaps picking up clues about what they are about, and even their locations (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ PUBLICATIONS ++++++++++++ ITU MONITORING FILES The following ITU monitoring files have been updated on March 20: Monitoring Period Date of last update 01.01.09 - 31.03.09 20.03.2009 01.10.08 - 31.12.08 20.03.2009 Download files here: http://www.itu.int/ITU-R/terrestrial/monitoring/ (Dragan Lekic, Serbia, March 21, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) NASWA SWL GUIDE 0930 WWCR1 6 World of Radio (news of shortwave radio w/Glenn Hauser) A E DX 3215 Hi Glenn, Please can you confirm if the above is still valid? I got this info from http://www.naswa.net/swlguide/ I was unable to try it today but 3215 often has analogue cordless telephone calls spilling over onto shortwave in the AM mode. Usually they appear on 31.000 - 32.285 in FM mode with 5 KHz steps although I should point out it is illegal to listen to them in the U.K. Is 3215 targeted to Europe as it claims on NASWA if you select the day being Friday and then shortwave communications as programme type. Should I be able to get this broadcast in England? Regards, (Gary Drew, England, March 20, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Gary, The NASWA SWL Guide is notoriously out of date. Much of the info in it has not been updated for YEARS. I have brought this to their attention several times, but apparently nothing has been done. It should be taken down if not kept current. I can only advise you NOT to rely on anything in it. The only WOR broadcast on 3215 is Sundays at 0630 (during winter: 0730). And it has been that way for many years. I don`t recall it ever being at 0930 on that frequency or on any other day. It`s aimed toward Europe but most listening is in North America, even western NAm at that late-night hour. You would be lucky to hear it anyway at 0730, and even more so at 0930 long after sunrise except at mid-wiinter (Glenn Hauser, DX LISTENING DIGEST) AJP`s FREQUENCY DATABASE There is often lots of interesting things happening from 3200 to 4100 and there are web lists of unadvertised frequencies from these links (UK intended): http://www.ajpotts.fsnet.co.uk/links.html and http://ukradiodx.com/first.html Regards, (Gary Drew, England, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Sorry, just looking at the first few entries in the 3 MHz band of the SWBC database, it`s full of long outdated info and obvious mistakes, imaginary listings (Glenn Hauser, DXLD) I like finding stations in the range 3200-4100. I heard radio Fax many years ago on 3910 and found this interesting letter. http://www.radiofax.org/september1992.html (Gary Drew, England, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) CONVENTIONS & CONFERENCES +++++++++++++++++++++++++ 22 ANNUAL SWL WINTER FEST REPORT: The SWL Winter Fest has come and went. It was a great time in spite of the economic times. The raffle prizes were quite nice, with a Drake R8B, CC Wifi Radio, Eton E1, Microtelecom Perseus Software Defined Radio (SDR), and RFSpace SDR-IQ. Thank you, John Figliozzi, Rich Cuff and all the others respronsible for a great time. The best indicator of the good time had by all, was the half keg of Yuengling beer in the Hospitality Room was finished off and two cases were needed to quench the thirst. Jay Smilkstein (a.k.a. Boozo) was not at the fest due to a serious medical problem. A "Get Well" was circulated and many people signed it. It was delivered to him by one of the Fest attendees. There was two forums on Free Radio Operations. Andy Walker and Steve Underground told us how it is done in the United Kingdom. They provide video of operations, setting up antennas and other general mayhem. Everyone was interested in the way power was provided from a local street sign light. The other was the traditional Pirate Forum headed up by George Zeller, with a little help from his friends, Chris Lobdell, Larry Will, and myself. A jpeg picture file is attached. It shows from left to right, Larry Will, myself, Chris Lobdell, and George with a mike. The discussion was on how to hear a Free Radio station, helpful web sites, the WBCQ Area 51 (5110 KHz) activities, recent activity and effect of propagation on activity. There was a good number of Free Radio stations operating during the Fest. I noted the following active frequencies, 650 KHz, 6925 KHz, 6950 KHz, 90.5 MHz, 91.3 MHz and 91.9 MHz. One could heard Radio Azteca, WBZO the Voice of Boozo, WBNY with the good Commander Bunny, and Radio Jamba International. Of special interest was the station WNKR (Western & North Kent Radio) from the UK. It used special Area 51 technology from the Roswell incident to be heard. Activity was near constant. Of course the traditional Voice of Puncho Villa was heard at 0400 UT Sunday on all frequencies. George's log gives you the program information. Another forum was done by Tim Lemmon, which showed the radio shacks of various people. Some were quite simple and others elaborate. Rangar provide a picture of his listening post, a very nice setup. It was well laid out with enough equipment to keep most people happy. It was complete with a ICOM receiver tied to the Internet and allowing remote tuning. I sent in my own of my Eton E1 and its antenna switch. I think the best picture was that of a log periodic antenna that cover from 3 to 30 MHz. Tie that beast to a several kilowatt transmitter and you could give WBCQ a run for the money. The last forum that caught my attention was by Rob de Santos on "the Future of Radio in Our Lives". It covered possible developments that could have a large impact on our lives from use of RFID to track items to wireless networks that would allow cars to drive themselves. It was a bright picture of the future that caused a lot questions. There were many other forums and demonstrations that I can not adequately describe. They cover a wide range of topics on the history of radio to building a shortwave broadcasting station. Sheldon Harvey of Radio Harvey was there with a nice collection of technical books (Passport to World Radio, World Radio TV Handbook, ARRL and RSGB books). I left a good number of US dollars with him. He also has a wide range of RF adapters for connecting equipment. If you did not make the Fest this year, then I invite you to be there next year. It is a great place to meet people and see what is going on in the world of radio. Enjoy Life, (Greg Majewski, Free Radio Weekly March 21 via DXLD) See also DIGITAL BROADCASTING - DRM below LANGUAGE LESSONS ++++++++++++++++ MADAGASCAR Seems I`m not the only broadcaster uncertain about the proper pronunciation of Malagasy names. BBCWS in English, March 21 at 2013 on 17830 via Ascension, edited together multiple attempts to pronounce the new leader`s name. But here`s the definitive answer from the VOA News online pronunciation guide: RAJOELINA, ANDRY, Madagascar: AHN-dree rah-joh-ee-LEEN-ah http://names.voa.gov/sounds/6398.mp3 And it looks like the news correspondents I`ve been hearing have been mispronouncing the ex-leader`s name, for VOA says: RAVALOMANANA, MARC, Madagascar, MAHRK rah-vah-lo-mah-NAHN http://names.voa.gov/sounds/2654.mp3 Notes: In Malagasy, the final "a" in last name is not pronounced. Some native speakers, however, may say the final "n" with such force as to produce a slight "uh" following it (via Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) PAS DE JOUAL MAINTENANT Hi, Listening to MW round 0545 UT this morning. French Canadian on 1570, that's got to be CFAV-Laval QC (no ID heard but the "joual" accent was unmistakable). Cheers de Patrice Private, Beauvais, France, March 20, mwdx yg via DXLD) Pat, it must have been basic French Canadian accent. You will rarely hear "joual" through the medias nowadays. In the 1970's, "joual" which was a popular and strong accented French Canadian, was more widespread even through arts (music, literature and movies). It has been a way to express and claim Quebec's unique character. Despite that some people of older generations still speak that way, among the majority it is now outdated. Salutations, (Sylvain Naud, Portneuf, QC, Canada, http://www.quebecdx.com ibid.) MUSEA +++++ EXPONE MUSEO SEMILLA "HISTORIA DE LA RADIO" Primeros aparatos que datan desde 1918 a 1996. Foto: El Heraldo de Chihuahua, 21 de marzo de 2009, De la redacción Chihuahua, Chihuahua.- Unas 200 piezas de los primeros aparatos que se usaron para hacer radio y que datan de 1918 a 1996, se exhiben desde ayer en el Museo Semilla dentro de la exposición "La historia de la Radio, casi 100 años en México", Entre las piezas que se muestran destacan Vitrolas RCA de 1927, radios de capilla de 1927-1940, fonógrafos de 1918, micrófonos de 1950, radios ART deco, consolas, radiorreceptores, bulbos, así como material discográfico, fotografías de locutores y artistas importantes en la historia de la Radio. . . http://www.oem.com.mx/elheraldodechihuahua/notas/n1092355.htm (via José Miguel Romero, Spain, dxldyg via DXLD) DIGITAL BROADCASTING ++++++++++++++++++++ LATEST FCC ANALOG TV SHUTDOWN DATES: http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DA-09-589A2.pdf (prior to 6/12) http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DA-09-589A3.pdf (on 6/12) (via Doug Smith W9WI, Pleasant View, TN EM66, WTFDA via DXLD) See also OKLAHOMA Re: [Tvfmdx] MYSTERIOUS 60 MINUTES ANOMALY KDKA-2 suffers from similar problems switching between network and local programming on their digital signal. The video will stutter and freeze briefly then finally begin playing normally. It is horrible that a station with such a broadcasting history going back to the days of Dumont, and now a CBS O&O, can't seem to do this simple procedure (Jeff Kitsko, Latrobe, PA, WTFDA via DXLD) Same thing happens with WCVB-5 Boston. On the other hand, WFXT does a visibly smooth transition from 16:9 to 4:3 for local commercial breaks during primetime. Hopefully all that will be settled post June 12. (Aaron Reed, from Brockton, MA (21 miles south of Boston), ibid.) I see that a lot here on WRC 4 a lot when Jimmy Fallon (previously Conan)'s show in HD ended, and the station switched to the SD feed of Last Call with Carson Daly. I also see it a lot on WJLA 7 many times during commercial breaks when they would switch out of the HD network feed for SD local commercials. There have been quite a few times that they would be late switching back to the HD network feed once the network program came back, so it'd be in SD for about 5-10 seconds before returning in HD. WJLA's local news is in HD, and they frequently switch to the SD feed a split second early before the commercial breaks start, which means I can see the news in SD for a moment with pillars on each side of the TV. This is all on Comcast cable, but I think the same thing happens OTA. I'll have to check to confirm (David Pierce, Woodbridge, VA http://home.comcast.net/~dlp85x/ ibid.) Exactly the same thing happened again on March 22, when 60 Minutes was very late starting due to a stupid ballgame. At 2353 UT via KWTV via Suddenlink. So it must be caused by something coming out of CBS itself. I don`t think it has anything to do with switching among different HDTV formats or in and out of SD (Glenn Hauser, Enid, DXLD) Re 9-024, Remapping Two Different Channels Into One: Scott has it exactly right. On my Insignia, tuning to channel 16, KTCI-DT, results in remapping to 2.3 and 2.4. I have been wondering if any other broadcasters would do this? I believe when your tuner is set to a mapped channel, you normally are able to watch all of the subchannels. With 2.1-2.4, that may not be the case. Somewhere on the tpt website, I even saw a disclaimer to that effect. They said that the coverage area for channel 16 is smaller than for channel 34, and even though you may have a fine signal on 2.1 and 2.2, you may not see 2.3 and 2.4 (Fred McCormack, March 17, WTFDA via DXLD) I did rescan the other day and do get 2. thru 2.4. It is a really funny way to do things. The analog 17 signal seems much weaker than before, maybe a power drop prior to the June cut-off (John Ebeling in MN, ibid.) That's very likely - a lot of stations are doing that to save some money as they cope with the unbudgeted extension of analog service. I'd be interested to know, if you ever happen to be watching at ID time, how the TPT stations are doing their legal IDs. In theory, 2.1 and 2.2 should be ID'ing as "KTCA-DT St. Paul" and 2.3/2.4 as "KTCI-DT St. Paul"... s (Scott Fybush, ibid.) INDOOR ANTENNAS AND DTV There has been a lot of discussion, and confusion, over the use of indoor antennas to receive digital TV. To be sure, a great many people, myself included, have run into real problems receiving DTV when using indoor antennas. The mainstream media, in an attempt to avoid confusing the general public with the details of a highly technical issue, have tried to set a "distance limit" (usually quoted as a figure between 10 and 20 miles) for indoor antenna DTV reception. Being DXers, and having an interest in the science of wireless communications, nearly all of us know this "distance limit" concept is bankrupt, that some people can get reliable DTV reception with an indoor antenna at 50 miles, and others have no hope getting their favorite 1000 kW blowtorch from less than a mile away. While a weak signal can certainly cause a fatal problem with a small antenna, the REAL problem is usually a different problem editors don't want to try to explain: MULTIPATH. Trying to watch DTV with an indoor antenna could be as futile as a symphony orchestra staging a performance in a 1,000,000 gallon underground water tank. When you use an indoor antenna, your antenna is really just the feed point of a far more complicated antenna system. Every wall, window, ceiling and nearby tree, building or truck will act as a reflector, director, and/or attenuator. If your house has few surrounding buildings, the exterior walls are wood or vinyl, and the interior walls drywall, you just might find that DTV actually improves indoor reception (strong urban/suburban signals can easily overcome the attenuation of the walls, and the direct-line path dominates). However, if your set is on the wrong side of a brick or aluminum house, the signal reflected from other buildings can be as strong, or stronger, then the direct signal coming through the brick wall and bouncing all over the house. Digital converts everything to numbers, and where there is multipath, all these numbers from different paths add up to gibberish. The first thing to try would be to move the TV (or at least the antenna) to a point near a window IN A ROOM THAT FACES YOUR LOCAL TV TRANSMITTERS. Coupon-eligible converter boxes (CECBs) that cam on the market in early 2008 (and, perhaps some newer digital TV sets) come with far more tolerance to multipath that the earlier tuners, and often work quite well indoors. Many people report problems in windy weather when using CECBs indoors - this is because windblown trees cause multipath that is always changing, and the converter cannot adjust to the changing multpath proble quickly enough. One more thought: Many of the people who complain that they have no digital reception actually never had suitable ANALOG reception to begin with, e.g, UHF reception that would fade and roll, especially in windy weather (Robert Grant, March 19, WTFDA via DXLD) Another way to look at the advent of DTV vs antennas is: the great thing about DTV is that even using an old external antenna with broken elements, and I have resurrected a few, if it gets enough signal to surpass the cliff effect, then there`s your `perfect` DTV signal, whereas with analog it may have been all snowy and ghosty. UHF antennas even work to an extent with VHF signals and vice versa, all depending on the signal strength, of course, and how broadband they are (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) WPLG CHANNEL 10 DIGITAL BROADCAST TOWER Friday, March 20, 2009 12:19 PM Amateur Radio Newsline Report 1649 - March 20 2009 A webcam in Florida is bringing the construction of WPLG-TV's new 1049 foot high candelabra tower in Miami, right to your computer screen. Billed as one of the tallest such towers in the South-Eastern United States, each individual section is thirty feet long with the heaviest section weighing in at about 26,500 lbs. Its total weight is 1,013,450 pounds and it features a 12 foot wide face with a two person elevator to take repair crews to the top. Once completed, it will permit 50 foot center-to-center separation between antennas. Besides WPLG-TV, stations WSVN-TV and WLYF-FM will be moving to the new tower. Fabrication of the new tower began on March 12th. The webcam lets anyone watch the work progress at http://tinyurl.com/d9vw8l (CGC, Gary Blau) http://www.wirelessestimator.com/t_content.cfm?pagename=Miami%20Tower%20Construction (via Mike Terry, dxldyg via DXLD) WHY NOT VARIABLE BITRATES FOR DTV, HD RADIO? A question --- something I've been wondering about. Most of us have seen internet feeds. Since the technology is basically the same for internet audio and video as it is for HD radio and DTV, why in the heck don't they have variable streams?? You've seen them. When the internet slows a bit and the data rate drops, then the video quality will drop some or the audio quality will drop some in order to compensate for not being able to receive as many packets. I've seen this on just about any internet streaming site. Windows Media Player and Windows Media Encoder has done it for years. WHY can't they implement something like this for HD radio and DTV? It's like with those, there is only one rate; it's there or it's not. If the signal is bad or weak, then why can't the radio just drop down the quality to a lower bitrate?? Sure seems like it would cut down on all this analog/digital switching. Believe me, there have been some days or night where the troposphere ain't that great and I'm listening to one of the Salt Lake stations in HD on my Accurian and the thing will just keep jumping in and out of HD. It's damn-near unlistenable. Especially a station like KODJ 94.1 where the analog side comes in pretty crappy yet the HD makes it through. And it can really drive you nuts if their synchronization is off!!! I think if the signal quality were to drop, then the radio should just drop to a lower bit rate til the signal is solid again. Yes I'm sure it would have to drop all the way out if there just aren't any packets getting through and that's understandable. I also think the Accurian should have a setting to set it to analog only. How about the Sony? Does it have this? Do ANY HD radios have a setting to switch to analog only? Most radios have a MONO switch for FM so when the signal gets crappy you can switch from stereo to mono. Most car radios do this automatically. So why not be able to disable the HD on an HD tuner (Michael n Wyo Richard, ABDX via DXLD) An interesting question. Here's the problem: your internet streaming connection is a two-way connection - you're not only receiving a data stream from the streaming provider, but also sending a data stream back. So the streaming provider knows whether or not you're getting all the bits being sent your way, and can throttle back the connection speed if too many of those bits are being lost. HD Radio, being a broadcast (one-to-many) technology, can't do that, since the transmitter has no way of knowing how many receivers are listening or how well they're getting the signal. It *is* possible to send out redundant data streams at variable rates and let the radio pick which one to lock in on depending on reception conditions. Many flavors of DRM work this way, and so does the AM HD system, to a certain extent. But that consumes even more of the bandwidth that's already in VERY short supply to begin with. If we ever get to the point where analog FM goes away and we have all-digital FM stations, there's technology in development that would provide what's called an "acquisition channel" in some of the bandwidth now occupied by the analog signal - a low-bitrate, highly robust stream that will allow receivers to lock on to some sort of usable audio both while the higher-bitrate audio decodes and when signal conditions are lousy. I just sat through a long presentation about all this from the transmitter manufacturer Nautel a few nights ago, and my head was spinning at the end - it's really a miracle that HD works at all, in AM or FM, given how truly complicated the system has to be to squeeze any kind of data rate at all out of what's already a very crowded analog dial, without causing any more interference than it does. The Sangean HDT-1X can do it, and I think someone has done a mod to the Sony that will enable forced-analog. It's not as common a feature as it ought to be. s (Scott Fybush, ibid.) IBOC: See USA: WVON+ Re Sony XDR-F1HD Notes 3/19/09 I've noticed that sometimes when my XM temporarily loses signal it will "fuzz" out rather than abruptly go silent. I've wondered if this is due to a complex data streaming mechanism that allows for short interruptions in reception without completely blacking out. Or maybe the system is capable of some level of interpolation on lost data, much like CD players are. It's also interesting to note that in Florida I only lost signal when under a large overpass or when right next to a rather tall building. Here in Illinois practically anything taller than 20' can cause a signal interruption (Jay Heyl, March 20, ibid.) I suspect you had more service from terrestrial repeaters in Florida than you're getting in Illinois. The terrestrial repeaters probably provide more usable signal to most XM subscribers, at least in densely-populated areas, than the actual satellites do these days. s (Scott Fybush, ibid.) XM has 2 sats., one on the east coast over the equator, the other on the west coast over the equator. If you lose signal from one bird, the stream can be received from the other bird. Some areas have a ground repeater as well. As far as the fuzzy sound when it`s about to drop out, that`s something in the hardware chipset. Sirius sat radio just drops to silence (Norbert Starship, ibid.) DRM: see also AUSTRALIA; CANADA; CHILE; CZECHIA; GUIANA FRENCH; INDIA; NETHERLANDS; NEW ZEALAND; ROMANIA; RUSSIA DRM CONSORTIUM PLANS THE WAY FORWARD WITH INDIA AND RUSSIA PRESS RELEASE Date: 19/03/2009 With India and Russia deciding to implement DRM as the solution for digitising radio, the technology is poised to become a widely-used open digital standard worldwide. This is the belief of the DRM Consortium which is planning its next steps for extending reach and expanding the DRM family. At its annual General Assembly to be held in Erlangen, Germany on 26- 27th March at the invitation and headquarters of Fraunhofer IIS, the DRM Consortium will hear and debate how the recent decisions of these two big countries to implement DRM for SW and MW bands, will become the driving force for the roll-out in the rest of the world. And this becomes a clear opportunity for manufacturers to tap into these huge markets with smart receivers offering the consumers an enhanced radio experience. […] If you want to read the complete press release, please click under http://www.drm.org Kind regards (Fanny Podworny, Project Office Manager, Digital Radio Mondiale (DRM), March 19, DX LISTENING DIGEST) BBC 1296 DRM spectrum too wide When DXing 1290 for US/CAN stations the adjacent 1296 BBC-DRM signals causes quite a lot of noise, even when using LSB for 1290 which is far away from the DRM channel. Now each morning when DRM is shut off, the noise on 1290-LSB goes down dramatically, and 1290 becomes much better audible. I never understood what went on. So this morning 1296-DRM was shut off for just a few seconds, and I captured the entire spectrum for both cases. You can clearly see that the noise floor for 1284 - 1291 goes down when DRM is off. This does not occur on the other side of the DRM channel (above 1301 kHz) Load both images in the same window and then press back/forth buttons on your browser to see it "animated" http://dx.3sdesign.de/unid/1296-DRM-OFF.PNG http://dx.3sdesign.de/unid/1296-DRM-ON.PNG I doubt it is caused by the Perseus receiver. So far I have not checked other DRM signals. I am wondering have you observed the same thing? If so, is there a filter problem at the BBC transmitter? (Jurgen Bartels, Suellwarden, N. Germany, Winradio G305 & Perseus, Dual-feed 30x4m EWE pointing 320 , 300m Beverage 320 Iceland - Central Canada - California, 300m Beverage 280 UK - US east coast - Cuba, http://dx.3sdesign.de/station_list.htm http://fewo.3sdesign.de - Vacation home: DX right at the Northsea coast, March 17, mwdx yg via DXLD) Hello Jurgen, Take a look here http://www.schotmans.net/1296.jpg what happens when you are as close to the transmitter site like me. It is clearly visible that the DRM signal is much much wider then the specs of DRM says. And I don't notice much difference between the upper and lower side band of the 1296 kHz signal. It is however possible that this has more to do with the transmitter then with DRM itself. When looking at analog signal on 648 kHz, it is also very wide. 73, (Guido Schotmans, Antwerp-Belgium, March 18, ibid.) I have had only a little bit of experience with DRM transmission, and that was on shortwave. The sudden descent from passband to stopband at 4500 Hz is correct. But the jpg image shows that it only goes down 30 dB. It should be 60. I have personally seen nearly 80 (at the transmitter site). This is most likely due to lack of envelope delay correction between the AM and the PM channels in the transmitter (Jim Tonne WB6BLD, ibid.) Can you take screenshot shortly before DRM goes off and one after that? That will better demonstrate *how* big the difference is. A good time is 0700 UT. Yes, I know that with some analog transmitter (BBC is among them), but usually the channel curbs are very steep and don't reach as far as DRM into the adjacent channel. Only some transmitters in east Europe like BLR 279 have no sharp edges and reach into the adjacent channels. Stephan Schaa replied on it via another list (see below). If he is right, then DRM specs are very loose, and this will invite interference. Living close to a DRM transmitter must then be a nightmare. I still wonder why are limits being followed for analog and not for DRM, just to encourage sloppy manufactures? (Bartels, ibid.) Viz.: This is not directly a problem with the transmitter. The shoulders of the DRM signal are a "planned in" part of the DRM spectrum mask. They have to be at least - as far as I know - about 25 dB lower than the payload-signal. Usually a DRM Exciter modulates a (wide) bandwidth between 48 and 96 kHz in such a manner that a) the DRM Payload Signal is clean enough to fit the criteria, b) the antenna & transmitter technically match (SWR...) and c) shoulders are within or lower as regulations claim. Some transmitters achieve shoulder attenuation of 40 dB or even more, others hardly achieve the necessary 25dB. A very bad example is the Spanish transmitter working at the morning in the 31m Band [9780 07-09 UT]. It spreads noise more than 50 kHz up- and downwards. On the other side the transmitters in Sines [Portugal] work very good. The shoulders of these devices are usually down between 40 or 50 dB, but with the well selected frequencies and the good antennas you can even espy them easily. Here's a screenshot from the LW transmitter in Donebach as example: http://www.transradio.de/Donebach_Spectrumgross.jpg The red color marks the needed spectrum mask, the blue one is the real measured mask after calibration (Stephan Schaa, via Bartels, ibid.) DRM DEMOS AT THE WINTER SWL FEST For the sixth year in a row, I demonstrated the somewhat-FM-like DRM shortwave reception at the Winter SWL Fest, 13-14 March, at Kulpville, Pennsylvania. My two e-mails to the DRM Consortium in London were, this year, unanswered. However, through separate channels, we were able to arrange special DRM transmissions with the kind assistance of Vatican Radio and TDF France. At the Fest, we were mostly unable to receive the Vatican Radio DRM transmission all the way from Italy at 1300-1400 UT on 15500 kHz. However, listeners elsewhere in the United States were able to hear it. Furthermore, Vatican Radio has a regularly scheduled transmission to North America from its transmitter near Rome, 2300-2345 on 7370 kHz. This I can almost always receive successfully at my home in northern Virginia. The TDF transmission from French Guiana, 1300-2000 on 17545 kHz, was received at the SWL Fest with about 90% success. Reception would probably have been even more reliable in a location with less electrical noise than our hotel. In addition, we listened to the DRM transmissions from Radio Canada International, via Sackville NB, throughout the day on 9800. We also had some success with a Radio Kuwait DRM tranmission on 11675 kHz. Alas, there is still no standalone DRM receiver available in North America. DRM reception, therefore, is a grueling process of compiling 1) a shortwave receiver with some sort of IF output, 2) a device to convert the IF to the 12 kHz required for DRM decoding, 3) an antenna up on the roof of the hotel, 4) a good PC, 5) in our case, an extra sound card, 6) speakers, 7) DRM decoding software, and 8) all the necessary cables, connectors, and power supplies. I am really getting too old for the rigors of DRM reception. It was, however, a bit easier this year thanks to our US-made receiver, the RFSpace SDRIQ, a software-defined small black box than connects to a PC. It also takes power from the PC via USB, so one less wall wart to worry about. Furthermore, with the proper setting, but without the need for an extra downconverter (are you with me so far?), the SDRIQ can produce the 12 kHz IF output to input input into the DRM decoding software. It is a relatively easy and inexpensive way to receive DRM. (See screenshot.) (The SDIRQ also receives analog broadcasts, with a spectrum display that is great fun to use.) At the Fest, we like to test the limits of DRM shortwave by decoding trans-oceanic signals. In reality, DRM shortwave is more reliable over modest distances, such as the new BBC and Deutsche Welle intra- European DRM transmissions. The use of DRM shortwave for reception within India also seems feasible, provided, as mentioned above, DRM receivers become available. DRM might also bring new life to medium wave and longwave in countries where those bands are no longer popular with listeners. On the same table as our Rube Goldberg DRM receiving setups, we also displayed and listened to five wifi internet radios. They are all standalone devices, needing a broadband connection but no external antenna. They were able to receive thousands of stations, domestic and international, as compared to, usually, one on the DRM receivers. Posted: 21 Mar 2009 (Kim Andrew Elliott, for linx see http://kimelli.nfshost.com/index.php?id=6136 via DXLD) And see C&C RADIO EQUIPMENT FORUM +++++++++++++++++++++ Another one gone BURGHARDT TO NO LONGER SELL AMATEUR RADIO EQUIPMENT On March 16, Jim Smith, W0MJY, owner of Burghardt Amateur Center in Watertown, South Dakota http://www.burghardt-amateur.com/ announced that the company will no longer sell Amateur Radio transceivers and accessories. The company, now called Burghardt Radio Repair, has canceled all backorders. In an e-mail, Smith blamed the current economic conditions for the change that forced the company "to re- evaluate our goals and direction. We will continue to provide radio repair service as it has become a very busy business. Our technicians are very experienced and parts inventories are good. Thank you for your support in the past and we look forward to continuing our relationships through our servicing facility." Jim Smith's son, Mike Smith, KC0FTM, told the ARRL that even though the company has had to lay off employees in the past couple of months, "Burghardt will concentrate on service, just like we have been doing since 1973." Burghardt was founded in 1937 by Stan Burghardt, W0IT (SK), as Burghardt Radio Supply. He sold the company to Smith in 1982, remaining active in the company until January 2002. Burghardt passed away in 2004 at the age of 93 (From the arrl email newsletter Brock via Brock Whaley, HI, DXLD) PROPAGATION +++++++++++ 31 M DAYLIGHT LOGS, SATURDAY The low sunspot numbers are allowing multiple hop paths on 31 m even during full daylight on both ends. All logs on Sat Mar 21. Sweden: R Sweden in English, 9400 at 1430z. Aoki lists this with two transmitters, 250 kW at 70 degrees & 250 kW at 100 degrees. 5172 miles Germany (non): DW in Urdu, 9380 at 1440z, splash from 9385 but listenable on LSB. Via Moldova, 500 kW at 105 degrees. 6066 miles USA (non): Trans World Radio in Russian, 9495 at 1510z, via Moosbrun, Austria, 100 kW at 55 degrees. 5584 miles UK (non): BBC in Urdu, 9505 at 1515z, via Cyprus, 250 kW at 97 degrees. 6845 miles (Jerry Lenamon, Waco Texas, Eton E-1, 30' vertical, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) ###