DX LISTENING DIGEST 2-118, July 25, 2002 edited by Glenn Hauser, wghauser@hotmail.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 HTML version of this issue will be posted afterwards at http://www.worldofradio.com/dxldtd02.html For restrixions and searchable 2002 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 WORLD OF RADIO #1141: (ON DEMAND) http://www.wrn.org/ondemand/worldofradio.html (DOWNLOAD) http://www.k4cc.net/wor1141.rm (STREAM) http://www.k4cc.net/wor1141.ram (SUMMARY) http://www.worldofradio.com/wor1141.html [available 7/26] WWCR BROADCASTS: Sat 0500, Sun 0230 5070; Sun 0630 3210, Wed 0930 9475 RFPI BROADCASTS: Sat 0130, 0730, Sun 0000, 0600 on 7445-USB, 15038.6 WRN BROADCASTS: Rest of world Sat 0800, North America Sun 1400 NOTE: our main site http://www.worldofradio.com may have some down time in next few days. If so, check for latest info at http://www.angelfire.com/ok/worldofradio/anomaly.html SELECTED ENGLISH LANGUAGE DX/SWL/MEDIA PROGRAMS ON SHORTWAVE July 25 update by John Norfolk: http://www.worldofradio.com/dxpgms.html ** AFGHANISTAN [non]. MISSION COMPLETE, From The Radio Magazine 23rd July 2002 London based Voice of Afghanistan has finished its short wave broadcasts to the country after nine months. The station broadcast news and comment during the transitional phase of the Taliban regime to the new Interim Government. Manned by a ten-strong editorial team of well-known broadcasters and journalists who had left Afghanistan to become refugees in London, the station was originally intended to be on air for just three months (via Mike Terry, UK, July 25, DXLD) So nothing here about a 3-month break, and then to return (gh) ** ARGENTINA. I was fascinated by the Radio Liberty item [DXLD 2-117], and although my Spanish is severely limited, I gleaned some insight regarding the "Tokyo Rose" of the 1982 Falklands War. I listened to her nightly as the conflict played out on TV news and BBCWS, a voice speaking from the other side, dreamlike, with all the bravado and naive psychology of that World War II seductress. I think I actually learned of these transmissions on one of your early WOR programs. "Argentine Annie", as she was being called, could be heard daily at midnight UT on 17740 kHz, usually with a good signal. The modulation, however, was mushy, making intelligibility poor. Since then I have been curious as to whom that syrupy voice belonged. Silvia Fernández Barrio styled herself as "...a woman who can say today, more than ever, that the world listens when Argentina speaks." With her taunting words, breathless delivery, and a throaty laugh that she could hardly suppress while speaking about young British soldiers coming to die in the Malvinas, you could picture the wicked femme fatale, a la Marlene Dietrich or Hedy Lamarr, dressed in black satin, smiling into the microphone. "Hel-lo! I'm back - were you waiting for me? Oh, yes! I am Liberty..." Every few minutes, she was interrupted by music guaranteed to make the UK servicemen homesick: Bee Gees, Rod Stewart, Matt Monro, Beatles; even the chimes of Big Ben. Then she would coo some more tidbits of intelligence, so we would know that they knew. The program always opened and closed with an instrumental recording of "Yesterday." It was pure propaganda and pure kitsch, and I doubt that we shall hear anything like it again (John Cobb, Roswell, GA, DX LISTENING DIGEST) I am tempted to translate the Liberty piece; would anyone like that? (gh) ** AUSTRALIA. R. Australia COMMONWEALTH GAMES COVERAGE Thu. 0910-1000 (replacing AUSTRALIA TALKS BACK) - A History of Australia at the Games. Thu. 1955-2145 - Opening Ceremonies - live from Manchester (on 11650 only) Fri. 0955-2130 - Live Games Coverage (on 11650 only) Sat. 0755-2130 - Live Games Coverage (on 11650 only) Sun. 0655-2130 - Live Games Coverage (on 11650 only) And on regular RA frequencies, CG Reports from Brendan Telfer pre- empting other programming: Fri 2030-2040, Sat 0405-0415, 2145-2200, Sun 0405-0415... (via John Figliozzi, swprograms via DXLD) ** AUSTRALIA. VOICE INTERNATIONAL, HINDI TO INDIA If you have entered the Voice International competition, then keep listening to find out if you're a winner. The winners is announced on the first week of the month. If you do not win then please keep trying and keep listening to The voice. Please email us with your requests and dedications for your family and friends. The Voice will bring you music and ministry to feed your spirit and soul. The Voice is currently being transmitted on 13,635 kHz shortwave frequency. As from 5th August 2002 you can hear the voice at the following times Indian Standard Time IST: Monday to Friday 16:30 to 19:30 Dharkhan with Raj Masih [1100-1400 UT] 19:30 to 22:30 Chahat with Harry Dass [1400-1700 UT] Saturday and Sunday 16:30 to 19:30 Jawani {1400-1700 UT] 19:30 to 22:30 Aaina with Reema Braich [1400-1700 UT] Kind regards from Narinder Choranji (Mrs) ****************************************** (via Swopan Chakroborty, Kolkata, India, July 25, DXLD) ** BURMA [non]. BURMA/NORWAY: CONFERENCE STRESSES NEED FOR INDEPENDENT MEDIA | Text of report in English by Burmese opposition electronic newspaper BurmaNet News on 20 July The media conference organized by the Oslo-based Democratic Voice of Burma (DVB) to commemorate its 10th anniversary came to an end on 20 July. The conference, attended by Burma's prominent journalists and experts, emphasized the importance of the role of independent media in Burma. Since 1962, media in Burma has been tightly controlled by the successive military governments. Free expression and the right to criticize government policy have been completely suppressed. Speaking to the Mizzima News, Mr Vincent Brossel, the Asia-Pacific Director of the Paris-based Reporters Sans Frontières [RSF] said that there can be no freedom of media in Burma unless there is democracy. "The SPDC [State Peace and Development Council] (Burmese junta) has sent to jail a large number of journalists and writers who are supporters of the democratic movement. In Burma, at least 16 journalists are still detained. The future of press freedom in Burma is deeply linked with the future of the democratic transition. "As we usually say in RSF, there is no freedom without press freedom. In the case of Burma, we might say, there would be no press freedom without democracy". DVB may be independent in near future The Democratic Voice of Burma (DVB) was established on 19 July 1992 in Norway after Burmese democratic leader Daw Aung San Suu Kyi was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. As DVB has completed 10 years identifying itself as a voice of the exiled government - the National Coalition Government of the Union of Burma [NCGUB], most of the DVB team members are keen to see DVB as an independent body in future. "DVB has been working under the banner of NCGUB. Even though we function independently, many see DVB as a propaganda machine of the NCGUB. We want to broadcast only the reliable, fair and true news and information. We want to continue DVB to become as an independent media in future Burma. However, we will not deviate from supporting the cause of democracy", said DVB's Director Ko Aye Chan Naing. Dr Sein Win, Prime Minister of the NCGUB, said that he would discuss with his cabinet ministers regarding the matter (whether DVB should be independent from NCGUB or not). "Whatever it may be the outcome (of cabinet decision), DVB has to be the voice of democracy movement and gives credible information to the people of Burma", he added. Since most of the participants were Burmese journalists in exile working for different Burma-related media organizations, they shared their experiences with each other and discussed possibilities for future cooperation among themselves. The two-day conference concluded that the role of media is important for the establishment of democracy in Burma and support programmes to strengthen the Burma media organizations-in-exile should be organized. Moreover, the participants also decided to regularly meet once a year. Source: BurmaNet News in English 20 Jul 02 (via BBCM via WORLD OF RADIO 1141, DXLD) And for more on the political and human rights background, read the special report by my colleague Yvette Turlings, who recently visited Burma. http://www.rnw.nl/development/html/history020718.html (A. Sennitt, Holland, in Jul 19, 2002 MediaNetwork-NL via CRW via DXLD) ** CANADA. http://www3.cbc.ca/sections/newsitem_redux.asp?ID=2380 ANNA MARIA TREMONTI NAMED HOST OF CBC RADIO ONE'S NEW NATIONAL WEEKDAY 8:30-TO-10 SHOW Today, CBC Radio announced Anna Maria Tremonti as host of CBC Radio One's new national weekday morning 8:30-to-10 show - a topical, spontaneous and provocative look at events around the world that are uppermost in Canadians' minds - which makes its debut November 18. "Anna Maria's range and depth of experience with Canadian and international news will be an enormous asset to this new national program," said Adrian Mills, executive director of programming for CBC Radio. "The level of journalistic excellence that Anna Maria brings to the table will help ensure that the new show is a must-listen event for Canadians across the country." An award-winning foreign correspondent and host of CBC Television's the fifth estate, Tremonti's CBC career began with CBC Radio in Fredericton in 1981. She worked in both radio and television news in the Maritimes, the west and in central Canada before joining The National as a Parliament Hill reporter in 1987. From there, she was posted to Berlin, London, Jerusalem and Washington. Major stories that she covered include the fall of Communism, the war in Bosnia, the rise of the neo-Nazi movement in Germany, the Georgian revolution and the split-up of Czechoslovakia, and Iraq's confrontation with the West - in a number of instances filing stories for both CBC Radio and CBC Television. "Anna Maria has made a great contribution to the fifth estate, and indeed to CBC Television News and Current Affairs as a whole," added Tony Burman, editor in chief, news and current affairs, CBC Radio and Television. "There is no doubt that she will captivate CBC Radio listeners in this exciting new role." In 2000, Anna Maria made the transition from foreign correspondent to investigative journalist when she joined CBC Television's the fifth estate. Her stories there included The Murdered Bride, which looked into allegations that a young Indian woman's mother and uncle arranged for her death; and Squamish Five: 20 Years Later, which explored the notorious guerilla group's cross-country spree of militancy and violence two decades ago. "My work with the fifth estate was richly rewarding, and gave me a chance to explore new ways of telling complex stories in greater depth," said Tremonti. "Launching a new national information program for CBC Radio presents new and different challenges, and is an opportunity that I just couldn't pass up." Among her numerous awards, Tremonti has received Geminis for her coverage of the war in Bosnia and the death of Diana, Princess of Wales. Her reports from Bosnia also earned her the Ron Laidlaw Award from the Radio-Television News Directors Association. In 1997, she received "Outstanding Achievement" honours from the Toronto Women in Film and Television. Last spring, she received an honourary doctorate from her alma mater, the University of Windsor. CBC Radio One's new 8:30-to-10 program, part of a new morning line-up on the network, complements the previously announced new 10-to-noon show, which will explore how Canadians are living their lives in the 21st century. Hosted by Shelagh Rogers, it debuts on CBC Radio One on October 14 (via Ricky Leong, QC, DXLD) ** CANADA. At the risk of posting something actually about radio, all I know is that Gary Hooper has been granted authority to operate 10 limited duration low power FM radio stations in various languages (Arabic, Croatian, Czech, English, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Polish, Portuguese, Romanian, Slovene, Slovak, Spanish, Ukrainian as well as in Aboriginal and Chinese languages). The frequencies being used are 89.9, 90.7, 91.9, 96.9, 98.7, 99.5, 101.7, 102.7, 103.9 and 104.9 and the effective radiated power is supposed to be 10 watts. The licenses expire on July 28. For what is worth, I checked all of the frequencies yesterday afternoon (July 23) and again this morning from a location very close to where the Papal Mass will be on the 28th. I didn't hear any of them. I suppose that today might be a good day to listen on these frequencies if you are near Exhibition Place. Ironically, in the Downsview part of North York, 99.5 is blocked by WDCX Buffalo, which is religious, and 101.7 has both CKNX-Wingham and WLOF-Attica NY. WLOF is part of the EWTN network (Niel Wolfish, Ont., ODXA via Saul Chernos, WTFDA via DXLD) A couple observations re WYD stations during my brief stop-over in Toronto to log the stations (whereupon I'm escaping the madness and heading back to DX-land at Burnt River until the weekend when I must return for a day or so). * Ironically, 101.7 WLOF in Attica NY was carrying what *appeared* to be live coverage of the WYD events yesterday - Tuesday evening (speeches etc...), and the WYD people have chie chosen 101.7 for one of their frequencies. EWTN, the network that WTOF is on, is a Catholic network. * Upon my arrival downtown (where I live) last night, around 11 pm, I noted open carriers on 90.7, 91.9, 101.7, 102.7, 103.9, and 104.9. Toronto DXer Wayne Plunkett heard six stations broadcasting in different languages, but our frequencies don't quite match. I had fluttering on some of the others, but the signals are MONO, rather than stereo, so the proof will be in the pudding if there is any actual programming. I am here till noon, then must depart (Saul Chernos, Ont., July 24, WTFDA via DXLD) As an update I noted all but 2 of the 10 frequencies had programming on Wednesday evening. They all seemed to be simulcasting the same World Youth Day concert, including one rocking tune that began with the line "J-P 2, we love you". This was around 9 p.m. with the signals heard on 90.7, 91.9, 98.7, 99.5, 101.7, 102.7, 103.9 and 104.9. The Signals were in mono and were pretty good on 90.7, 91.9 and 104.9 in and around the Leaside neighbourhood. The other frequencies were still being dominated by the usual station that would occupy the channel (such as CBC Radio Two in Peterborough on 103.9), but one could detect traces of the concert underneath the dominant signal. No sign of anything on either 89.9 or 96.9, however. By the time I got up to Yonge and York Mills CBC Ottawa was ruling the roost on 90.7 (Niel Wolfish, Toronto, July 25, ODXA via DXLD) Glenn, I took a drive past Exhibition Place in Toronto, site of WYD, and tuned in all ten frequencies you had mentioned on WOR. Nothing was heard on any of them around 1600 July 24. Perhaps these are only used during specific times and events. The CN Tower is very close by, so there was a lot of bleeding from other FM stations. 73, (Ivan Grsihin, Ont., July 25, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** CHINA. Chinese "musical" jamming Jamming signal: Chinese instrumental folk music. Special nonstop compilation. Loop playback from hard drive. Duration of 1 cycle - 1 hr 00 min 00.2 sec._ Modulation - AM (non-distorted). Most suitable time for reception in Europe - from 1600 to 0900 UT. Frequencies, on which the musical jamming could be heard 1 and more hours per day, kHz: 21700, 21690, 21650, 21540, 21500, 17720, 17640, 17615, 15680, 15665, 15515, 15510, 13690, 13675, 13670, 13625, 13610, 11945, 11935, 11795, 11785, 11750, 11700, 11520, 11510, 9955, 9945, 9915, 9455, 9355, 7515, 7190, 7160, 7150, 6035, 5925. Musical jamming is a long distance high power (100-500 kW) skywave jamming operation. Other known Chinese jamming modulations: programs of China National Radio in AM mode (non-distorted, skywave, high-power); programs of China National Radio in Narrow FM mode (distorted; groundwave, low-power). (R. Pleikys, Lithuania, Jul 15, 2002 for Clandestine Radio Watch July 24 via DXLD) ** COLOMBIA. Glenn, I have been listening to that station on 6064.57 kHz for more than an hour hoping to hear the ID. It 's now 1109 UT. The station gave a possible ID at 1000 UT, but I didn't catch it. All I heard was "... para Quito, Ecuador". I am wondering what is up here? According to what I have read in DXLD recently, this is supposed to be a Colombian station? The format is religious. A man talks for a couple of minutes then a couple of secular Spanish tunes are presented and then back to the Religious comments. Like I said, it's after 1100 and the station is still pretty strong here in South Florida. Have you heard anything further on this station on 6064.57 kHz? Hoping to hear from you. Thanks (Chuck Bolland, Clewiston, Florida, July 24, WORLD OF RADIO 1141, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Sounds like Conciencia to me, even if you heard Quito mentioned (gh) Hola Amigos, Para reportar qué está de nuevo en el aire La Voz de tu Conciencia a través de los 6064.5, luego de un par de semanas. A pesar que había posibilidad que saliera al aire en la frecuencia autorizada por el Ministerio de Comunicaciones 6.060 Khz.; escuchada esta mañana hacia las 1130 con un programa llamado Fuerza de Paz; mejoró en la modulacion de audio, la señal en 5 (Rafael Rodríguez, Bogotá, July 24, Conexión Digital via WORLD OF RADIO 1141, DXLD) Glenn, The station on 6064 has possibly moved down to 6060.21 kHz. Same format as yesterday that was on 6064.57 kHz is on 6060.21 kHz with music and then brief religious comments. Still can't get the ID. Heard one at 0900 UT but as usual the QRN crashes and the low tone of the announcer's voice didn't produce anything worth logging. The constant sameness of the music is enough to drive one crazy. It would be better if they gave a few more ID's instead of that music! Anyway, I'll leave this for someone else to catch (Chuck Bolland, Clewiston, Florida, July 25, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Here`s your confirmation: Hola amigos, después de regresar del trabajo, me encuentro que ya está transmitiendo en la frecuencia autorizada La Voz de tu Conciencia, 6060.2, aunque está retransmitiendo la señal de la onda media 1530 kHz con el programa "La Verdad sobre La Verdad"; Identificándose como: "...Alcaraván Radio, transmitiendo su señal en los 1530 kHz A.M., 1530 emisora de interés público del municipio de Puerto LLeras..." La señal continúa llegando en 5 (Rafael Rodríguez, Bogotá, Colombia, July 24, Conexión Digital via DXLD) ** ECUADOR [and non]. When I owned HCRM1 and some others in Quito, Ecuador, I discovered that the May-September period in the Andes at the Equator had lightening like Florida and NE New Mexico. Every few weeks, when I did transmitter maintenance on each AM, I carried a file and a bunch of emery paper to file the tower baseplate that sat on top of the base insulator; a corner of this 3/8 inch plate pointed at a home-made metal ball on a rod that was spaced to take lightening hits to ground. I would carefully file and brush the baseplate where it had been pocked, and use the emery paper on the ball to work off any surface irregularities. Then the gap was carefully spaced. I used the headlights from my 4WD to illuminate the tower base, as this was always done at abut 2 AM on a Sunday morning. One of the towers sat on a hill at 9900 feel AMSL with no other mountains or hills nearby, so it took multiple daily hits at times. Only once in 7 years did either station on the tower (HCRM1-570 and HCFV-805) get knocked off the air with this constant maintenance of the gap. My HCSP at 590 was located in a wide valley with peaks on either side; I don't believe it ever got hit by lightening, although it may have gotten some static discharges (David Gleason, CA, NRC-AM July 23 via DXLD) ** FINLAND. From swradio@swradio.net -- Hi folks, Following interesting Scandinavian Weekend Radio-programme will be aired 3rd of August 0900-1100 UT. 6170 and 11690 (9-10)/ 11720 kHz (10-11) . Alpo Heinonen, SWR, The History of Finnish Radio: Radio Meteor. DJ Tex Willer presents the history of legendary Finnish Free Radio Radio Meteor. Stories, audioclips, etc. DJ and operator Rick Random will give us a live interview by telephone. You can take part in the show by sending your Radio Meteor -questions and memories beforehand to tex.willer@swradio.net (via Mike Terry, DXLD) ** FRANCE. Plans Sept 16-30 for `compatible` DRM tests on 981 kHz: Ciao ! L'articolo originale compare su ACTU FM della Francia ma non è riproducibile per via del copyright; se volete leggerlo cliccate su: http://www.radioactu.com/index.php?goto=flash&edit=T&id=9514&id_rubrique=6 (Dario Monferini, Italie, July 24, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** GERMANY. According to DLF announcement at 0555 UT today, the longwave 153 unit will be OFF for maintenance July 22nd til FRIDAY 26th, (break usually at 0610-1548 UT). 73 de wolfy df5sx (Wolfgang Bueschel, Stuttgart, July 24, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** GUYANA. 3290 kHz, Guyana Broadcasting Corporation, Georgetown. Partial Data letter signed by W. Carr along a sheet with geographical data of Guyana. Sent reception report and 1 IRC to GBC, 44 High Street, Werk-En Rust. 64 Days (Marcelo Toniolo, Greenvale, NY, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** HAWAII. TEST OVER KAUAI BROADENS COMMUNICATIONS HORIZON Associated Press Communications equipment aboard an unmanned, solar-powered plane flying 12 miles overhead successfully transmitted mobile telephone and high-definition television signals in a test of technology that aims to bring satellite systems closer to Earth. The test of SkyTower Inc.'s telecommunications system aboard a NASA-developed prototype plane took place 65,000 feet above Kauai on Saturday, company officials said. Developers of the technology say it will provide higher bandwidth for a host of communications systems, allowing users to videoconference over Palm Pilots or download Internet files at five times the speed of cable modems or digital subscriber line connections -- all at a fraction of today's cost. SkyTower executives have declined to provide exact figures on how much it would cost to operate the equipment. The system establishes a new, high-altitude wireless communications base between satellites thousands of miles in space and the world's highest communications towers. It allows clearer transmissions of signals by bringing satellite technology closer to Earth, but keeping it high enough to avoid interference from buildings and trees. The technology also could be used to monitor natural disasters such as hurricanes and assist emergency services, said Stuart Hindle, vice president of strategy and business development for SkyTower. Saturday's tests involved the beaming of signals for mobile telephones and handheld devices and transmission of a high-definition television signal to the prototype plane Pathfinder-Plus (via Brock Whaley, GA, July 23, DXLD) WTFK?? ** INDIA. Friends, Look out for the normal Delhi channels of 11830 and 15135 for the running commentary of the swearing in ceremony of the new President tomorrow from 0350 UT. [Later:] Dr. A. P. J. Abdul Kalam will be sworn in as the new President of India tomorrow 25th July 2002. AIR will be relaying the live running commentary of this from 0350 UT. All stations of AIR will be relaying it. Look out for the regional stations on 6 and 7 MHz and any additional channels on 9, 11, 15 MHz. The commentary is expected to last about 1 hour. The following new frequencies used last time are worth checking: 11595, 15140, 15220. ===== 73 (Jose Jacob, VU2JOS, July 24, dx_india via WORLD OF RADIO 1141, DXLD) [this was posted in advance on our MONITORING REMINDERS CALENDAR] ** INDIA. From The Hindu... Online edition of India's National Newspaper, Tuesday, July 23, 2002 NATIONAL AIR COMPLETES 75 YEARS Mumbai, July 23. (PTI): "This is All India Radio" the once-familiar baritone sound that the nation woke up to every morning and tuned in without fail, along with their hot cup of tea, turns 75 today. To celebrate its platinum jubilee, the Mumbai division of All India Radio (Akashwani) has chalked out a series of programmes aimed at boosting its reach and widening the listeners' base, Assistant Station Director Kirit Barot said. Starting today, listeners could dial 2875705 or 2875708 to relate their experiences with All India Radio and their special relationship with the organisation. The entire programme would be broadcast live, Barot said. Listeners would also be treated to a week-long special programme in Marathi on Mumbai B channel from 9.30 PM to 10.30 PM while listeners of Mumbai A would have an opportunity to listen to multi-lingual programes, comprising talks with some of the well known celebrities connected with the AIR. Also on the cards is an archival special that would take listeners down the memory lane with a nostalgic flashback of some of the most popular programmes in the over seven decades of the existence of the AIR. A special programme would also be aired on 23rd of every month all throughout the year to mark the occasion. A unique museum showcasing some of the old equipment used by AIR during its 75 year history was also inaugurated today. The museum has also on display signatures and comments of some of India's celebrities, including Jawaharlal Nehru, Sarojini Naidu and C V Raman. Copyright © 2002, The Hindu (via Kim Elliott, DC, DXLD) ** INTERNATIONAL VACUUM. RADIO HAM FINDS LOST SATELLITE From BBC News Wednesday, 24 July, 2002, 14:48 GMT 15:48 UK A radio enthusiast has traced the whereabouts of a communication satellite which had been lost in space. Dave Rowan found the Oscar 7 satellite, which stopped working in 1979, using equipment he has set up in his garden shed. The enthusiast had recognised the code because he had tracked the satellite when it was working in the late 1970s. Now scientists at the University of Surrey have asked Mr Rowan to monitor Oscar 7 so they can work out why it went wrong. Mr Rowan said: "It was an old friend. I had spent many hours in the early hours of the morning tracking this satellite. "When it made a reappearance and I confirmed it was Oscar 7 I was quite delighted." The satellite stopped working in 1979 Mr Rowan believes the battery on the satellites stopped working but somehow the solar panels have begun to work again. "It is live but not necessarily that well. "It has no battery and the guess will be how long will this spacecraft last again. "After 20 years in space with millions of miles to its credit, there is no reason it shouldn't last further time." Mr Rowan's wife said he spends much of his spare time in his shed which is fitted with powerful radio equipment with a satellite dish outside. She calls herself a "radio widow" and Mr Rowan has fitted an intercom from the shed to the house so she can get in touch with him. Mrs Rowan said: "He has got everything in his shed but a bed. "And I won't allow that." (via Mike Terry, DXLD) WTFK??!! ** IRAQ [non]. Voice of Iraqi People, 9570.0 via Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, Jul 18, 1715-1725, heard here ex 9568.5 under much QRM // 9563 (best with 24333) and 11710. Talks in Arabic about Iraq (A. Petersen, Denmark, Jul 18, 2002 for Clandestine Radio Watch via WORLD OF RADIO 1141, DXLD) Voice of the Islamic Revolution of Iraq, 9685, via VOIRI, Iran, Jul 20, 0410-0440, Arabic talk about Iraq, Kuwait and Washington, 0424 ID: "Sawt el-Sawra el-Islamya fiel-Iraq", 33333 (QRM Romania 9690), heard // weaker 7120 and 7245 (Anker Petersen, Denmark, for CRW via DXLD) ** ISRAEL. SUMMER TIME WON`T STOP FOR YOM KIPPUR Shas has once again done an about-face on the matter of daylight- saving time and yesterday recanted its demand that summer time come to an end early to make fasting on Yom Kippur somewhat easier. At a meeting yesterday of the Knesset House Committee, it was agreed not to shorten daylight-saving time by three weeks and that it would continue until October 7, as set out in a law passed two years ago. Two weeks ago, the Knesset approved the preliminary reading of a Shas proposal to shorten daylight-saving time by three weeks. This contradicted a historic compromise agreement reached between the religious and secular Knesset factions in July 2000. But after this amendment was approved, Shas leader and Interior Minister Eli Yishai agreed to a compromise initiated by Justice Minister Meir Sheetrit under which daylight-saving time would be halted for two days before Yom Kippur and resume after the fast. At yesterday's committee meeting, MK Moshe Gafni (United Torah Judaism) surprised those present by calling on the Shas representatives to freeze their amendment to shorten summer time. "There is no reason for this issue to become a point of contention between the two publics," Gafni said. Shas then asked for time to confer, with MK Yair Peretz subsequently announcing that the party would acquiesce and that he would withdraw his bill. House Committee Chair, MK Yossi Katz (Labor), welcomed the decision, saying: "It is good that Shas has acted in this way and has thus saved millions for the economy and reduced the friction between the secular and religious." The Shinui faction said in response that Shas had apparently decided not to stretch its luck with the secular public just one day after the passage of the Tal Law, which anchors draft deferral for thousands of yeshiva students in legislation. By Gideon Alon (Ha`aretz July 25 via Bill Westenhaver, DXLD) ** ISRAEL. A CHRONICLE OF ABJECT FAILURE The franchises of 13 regional radio stations have been extended for four years. It is difficult to understand why By Anat Balint and Uri Ayalon Quietly, almost secretly, the council of the Second Television and Radio Authority decided to extend the franchises of 13 regional radio stations by another four years. This was made possible thanks to the media uproar that accompanied the government's decision to support the extension of Channel 2's franchisees. Next year, the first eight years of the franchises granted to the regional radios will come to an end. To win an extension the owners will have to prove that their radio stations meet the original conditions of the franchise and offer ways to improve programming.... http://www.haaretzdaily.com/hasen/pages/ShArt.jhtml?itemNo=190096 (via Bill Westenhaver, DXLD) ** NETHERLANDS. Here is a summary of Dutch mediumwave news from a German bulletin board: Q - The Beat has again ceased to broadcast, the transmitter (that's 1224) was switched off after only the open carrier was transmit for some time. On September 1st a thorough reshuffling of the Dutch FM networks will take place. It is said that it will be forbidden to distribute the same program on both FM and mediumwave from this date. This would require Radio 10 FM to leave 675, Business Nieuws Radio to leave 1395 and last but not least NOS 1 to leave 1008 and 891. At least a shut- down of 1008 and 891 (the latter one frequency is anyway off air at present due to transmitter maintenance) is considered as very likely. Word is also that Business Nieuws Radio would remove the transmitter installation, so another broadcaster could not simply take over the frequency. That's at least how we interpret this news item: "Officieel is er voor de 1395AM vanaf 1 september geen opstelpunt meer beschikbaar. De frequentie wordt wel in de vergelijkende toets uitgedeeld, maar de winnaar kan er niets mee, aangezien je de zender nergens neer mag zetten. Business Nieuws wil naast een verlenging van de vergunning voor 1395 AM dus ook dat de vergunning voor het huidige opstelpunt, Trintelhaven, wordt verlengd. Dit totdat de zender klaar is met het aanzetten van het FM zendernet." http://www.radio.nl/home/medianieuws/001.zero_base/zerobase_nieuws/default.asp?readid=11014 (via Kai Ludwig, Germany, July 25, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** NEW ZEALAND. RNZI has an interesting special election-related dramatization: UT Sunday 0406 on 17675: LIVE TO AIR - An Election Drama. In a break to the serialization of "A Suitable Boy", RNZ presents a "news drama" made over the weeks leading up to the election. Recorded on the streets of Wellington, at election press conferences, offices, bars, the Westpac Trust Stadium, Vox Pops tells the story of a political reporter, John and his ex-partner Claire, a GP intent on moving abroad, as they make life-defining decisions about their own future. Building into it the very latest news events, the production will be completed only moments before it goes to air. Sunday 0806-1000 on 9885 - SOUNDS HISTORICAL with Jim Sullivan. This week: "Early days of aerial top-dressing". (via John Figliozzi, swprograms via DXLD) ?? Referring to `hats` which used to be put on MW antennas to dampen skywaves?? (gh, DXLD) ** PALESTINE. VOICE OF PALESTINE RESUMES SCHEDULED PROGRAMMING The Ramallah-based Voice of Palestine, the official radio station of the Palestinian National Authority (PNA), was observed on 24 July to resume its scheduled programming. The station had carried only music for the previous three days after it was observed back on the air on 21 July. Prior to that, Voice of Palestine had not been heard since 1015 gmt on 24 June, when Israeli troops entered Ramallah. The station was heard with good reception on the FM frequency of 90.7 MHz. The radio signed on at 0400 gmt on 24 July. After Koranic recitations, the station at 0430 gmt carried the daily 90-minute news programme "A New Day". The programme included updates by correspondents on various developments in PNA areas, an interview with PNA Information Minister Yasir Abd-Rabbuh and a scheduled newscast. It also included an interview with PNA Health Minister Riyad al-Za'nun on the condition of Palestinians wounded as a result of the Israeli air raid on a Gaza district on 22 July. The radio carried its scheduled news summaries on the hour, in addition to patriotic songs. Source: BBC Monitoring research 24 Jul 02 (via DXLD) ** PARAGUAY. Mr Glenn Hauser, World of Radio, U.S.A. Dear Mr Glenn Hauser: I have the privilege of writing to you, in order to share information, concerning our test transmissions, which may be of interest to the DX Community. We are Radiodifusión América (Radio América), ZP20, in Asunción, Paraguay. Our station ZP20 operates on 1480 kHz, with a power of 1 kW, feeding a quarter-wavelength vertical tower. The station operates 24-hours-per-day, and serves the area of metropolitan Asunción. ZP20 has been in existence for approximately 50 years, having been located in Villeta, for many years, and earlier on, in San Juan Bautista, Department of Misiones. We have been in the process of constructing a new transmitter plant, near Villeta, the better to serve our audience on the Medium and Short Waves. At present, 1480 kHz continues to transmit, from Ñemby, a suburb of Asunción. We are also transmitting, 24-hours-per-day, on 15185 kHz, 19 Metres, from Villeta. The initial power is low, 5 Watts, feeding a 5/8-ths- wavelength, omnidirectional antenna, with a theoretical gain of 8,84 dBi. The vertical take-off angles of this antenna are from 3 to 27 degrees. Programming on 15185 consists of the regular programming of Radio América, and classical music. Tests are underway on 7300, 41 Metres, also from Villeta. On this frequency, the beam is directed on 184 degrees, from Magnetic North. The antenna has a theoretical gain of 25 dBi, a horizontal beamwidth of 22,5 degrees, and vertical take-off angles of 3 to 27 degrees. Power varies from 100 Watts to much more, depending upon the tests underway. On the frequency of 1610 kHz, 202,7 Metres, also from Villeta, tests are underway, using a vertical tower, 125 Metres tall, which represents 5/8-ths wavelengths at 1480. This antenna also has a theoretical gain of 8,84 dBi. Power varies from 100 Watts, upwards. Reception reports are most welcome, and will be verified, promptly. With best regards from Paraguay! Maiteípa! (Adán Mur, Technical Advisor, Radiodifusión América, Asunción, Paraguay, ramerica@rieder.net.py July 24, WORLD OF RADIO 1141, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Dear Mr Mur: Many thanks for the news of your station. Please keep me informed about future developments. No doubt everyone will shortly be straining to hear your 5 watts on 15185. I am not aware of anyone reporting actually hearing your 7300 yet either. Have you had some DX reports of it? Regards, (Glenn Hauser, to Dom Mur via DXLD) Dear Mr Glenn Hauser: Thank you very much for your message, and for your kind encouragement. Our experimental frequency of 15185 kHz is on-air, around-the-clock. We hope to augment the transmission power, shortly. The frequency of 7300 kHz is on the air, sporadically, owing to improvements being realised in the equipment. We have severe energy- related problems, in the rural zone of the transmitter plant, and operate our transmitters from a large group of accumulators, recharging them from rectifiers. In a sense, we have a stationary, non-submersible equivalent of a diesel submarine. It is the same, basic system! The 7300 kHz is beamed at 184 degrees, from Magnetic North. We have not received reports on this frequency, although we did receive several reports for tests on 7740 kHz, realised a few months ago. The frequency 1610 kHz tests, in substitution for 1480 kHz, so as not to cause interference with the mother station. In future, 1610 kHz will offer a community service. DX Reports may be sent to us at: E-Mail: ramerica@rieder.net.py FAX: 595 21 963 149; Post: Casilla de Correo 2220, Asunción, Paraguay. With greetings from Paraguay (Adán Mur, Radiodifusión América, Asunción, Paraguay, July 25, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** SOMALIA. SOMALI GOVERNMENT RADIO OFF AIR AGAIN; THIS TIME AFTER BEING LOOTED BY MILITIA The radio station operated by the Transitional National Government (TNG) of Somalia - which calls itself "Radio Mogadishu, Voice of the Republic of Somalia" - is off the air again. A separate station in Mogadishu, STN radio, reported on 24 July that "last night" Radio Mogadishu was attacked by a militia group and looted of some of its equipment. "The radio is now off the air," the report said. Radio Mogadishu had been off the air for most of the first half of July, apparently owing to a business dispute. BBC Monitoring observations early on 24 July confirm that the radio is again silent. Sources: BBC Monitoring research 24 Jul 02; STN radio, Mogadishu, in Somali 0400 gmt 24 Jul 02 (via DXLD) ** SOUTH CAROLINA. I have nothing to report from Brother Stair except that as late as this morning U.S. time his radio show was still going, running old tapes. They re-ran the sermon that I've heard often (even before his jailing he used to do re-runs mixed in with recent material) to the effect that there NEVER were any such things as dinosaurs, are not now, and "never will be." (That's the gist of the sermon, classic Brother Stair. I wish they'd re-run my "favorite" brother Stair sermon, the one in which he denounces the concept of airplanes. He says of the pilots flying over his farm: "That pilot is somebody's father, somebody's brother, somebody's son. Yet they defile themselves to fly such an abominable contraption." Words to that effect.) Incidentally, in the past week I've heard other shortwave radio preachers mention the Planet X crash (with Earth) that is scheduled for May of 2003. Some preachers approach this from the angle that the regular news media are censoring this information. Others say that it's the U.S. government that's censoring the information. And Brother Stair says simply that it's the wrath of god and doesn't get into any discussion about who's censoring whom and why. He merely treats it as common knowledge among his listeners that Planet X will be crashing into Earth in May 2003. Knowing Brother Stair, he will still be airing re-runs of his prediction in July of 2004 (Robert Arthur, July 24, DX LISTENING DIGEST) [non]. On UT Thursday, July 25 at 0100 on 7415 [Table of Truth, on WBCQ] I heard an anti-Brother Stair broadcast. It was very lamely and unprofessionally produced, and consisted of an inarticulate religious nut who kept referring to his audience as "Saints of the God Most High" or "Saints of the Most High God" (which is how Brother Stair himself addresses his own audience) who repeatedly played tapes from May of newscasts about Brother Stair's arrest (as though that proves something). (During the 30 minutes, the same arrest newscast was replayed three times!) Nothing new or more recent was given in terms of the latest news, but I did hear a reference to some charges against Brother Stair being "reinstated." I don't know what that means and whether to trust guys like this with technical terminology. Anyway, most of the broadcast consisted of an interview with some guy who's in his mid-20s, who, back in 1999, along with his young wife, went to live at Brother Stair's community, after having listened to him on the radio. Brother Stair and his staff treated him and his wife very nicely until after they moved there. Once they were moved in, 95% of the days he was screamed at for being "rebellious" and for similar infractions. Finally, after three months he was kicked out without even being allowed to pack his belongings. The next day at his own expense he got a U-Haul to collect his stuff. All in all this guy lost about $8000, and says he will probably never see any of it unless his lawsuit is successful, which it might not be. His credit is ruined and he can't buy another house, etc. The host of the show said, "But you're young." And the guy responded, "Yes, I'm young and I can probably recover, although that will take time. How do older people do it? How do older people do it?" I was disappointed in the broadcast as it was just like a Brother Stair broadcast in every way except that it was anti-Brother Stair. It was incoherent, a hodge-podge that was impossible to follow from one segment to the next, without transition in between segments or even thoughts. Like a schizophrenic experience. Perhaps this is deliberate to reach Brother Stair's own audience, which would be accustomed to this. But I doubt it. I think the anti-Brother Stair forces are as messed up in the brain as the Brother Stair forces. It's sad to see them duke it out, like blind leading the blind. It's as though both sides have agreed, "Rational arguments not allowed," and they're duking it out within those agreed bounds (Robert Arthur, July 25, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U K. EXECUTIVE SALARIES CONCEALED Matt Wells and Kevin Maguire, Wednesday July 24, 2002, The Guardian The BBC is concealing the extent of its executives' salaries and bonuses at the same time as it is imposing one of the worst pay deals in the public sector on lower ranking staff. Full details of the salaries drawn by the 17 strong board of management did not appear in the BBC's annual report, published last week, and details of a £50,000 incentive scheme for the head of its commercial division were omitted altogether. Meanwhile, union leaders are furious at the 2.8% offered to thousands of junior staff, complaining it compares unfavourably with the £1.2m in bonuses banked by executives. Rupert Gavin, chief executive of BBC Worldwide, is the BBC's highest paid executive after director general Greg Dyke. Last week's report said he was paid a basic salary of £270,000 plus bonus and benefits worth £69,000. Last year's annual report revealed him to be the beneficiary of a long term incentive plan in addition to his performance-related bonus. This year's report referred to the incentive plan, but made no reference to the April 2002 timescale - a month after the end of the financial year - or the fact that it was "in addition" to the performance related bonus. If paid in full, it would be worth at least £50,000. This year's report detailed the total pay earned by top executives over 12 months to March 2002, but did not list present salary levels. "We think that what matters is what they get in their pay packet, not what their nominal annual salary is," a BBC spokesman said. The board's bonuses and benefits totalled £1.2m. Jeremy Dear, general secretary of the National Union of Journalists, said: "When BBC bosses are paying themselves huge bonuses, they should be ending the disgrace of low pay." Guardian Unlimited © Guardian Newspapers Limited 2002 (via Mike Cooper, DXLD) ** U K. Good news for cricket fans! The BBC announced on 25 July 2002 that they will once again be providing live cricket commentaries on the internet via http://www.bbc.co.uk.tms [sic] or via the England & Wales Cricket Board's website. This is especially good news, bearing in mind the problems of internet sports rights over the past few years. The remaining test match dates in England this year are 25-29 July, 8-12 August, 22-26 August and 5-9 September. If this situation also applies to domestic cricket commentaries in the Cheltenham and Gloucester knock-out trophy, the remaining dates there will be 31 July, 1 and 31 August (PAUL DAVID, Wembley Park, England, July 25, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U K. Entries in MONITORING REMINDERS for Thursday July 25 could also be applicable later for those interested: 2000-XXXX *BBC Manchester Commonwealth Games Radio: http://www.bbc.co.uk/manchester/2002/radio/schedule/index.shtml 2000-XXXX *BBCR5 COMMONWEALTH GAMES OPENING CEREMONY http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio/aod/fivelive/shtml [didn`t work] Webcam: http://www.bbc.co.uk/fivelive/commonwealthgames/webcam.shtml [turned off, swamped?] The 5LIVE audio link can be reached by going through the main page: http://www.bbc.co.uk/fivelive (Ivan Grishin, DXLD) See also AUSTRALIA ** U K [non]. Laserradio news update From http://www.laserradio.net/ BROADCASTING EVERY SUNDAY ON 5935 KHZ SHORTWAVE --- NEWS UPDATE Results from our Sunday 21st July test broadcast are very promising. We received reports from several countries across Europe and the majority stated a 'strong' signal was being heard at most locations. The most distant reception reports to-date have come from the USA and a listener in Brazil ! The Laser Radio group is experimenting with high-powered shortwave transmissions beamed into the UK and Europe. An hour-by-hour cross- country analysis of signal strength and viability with be conducted during all of our test broadcasts during the month of July. The date of our next broadcast on 5935 is : Sunday July 28 - 14h00 to 22h00 UT If you can hear the broadcast please send a reception report. Our broadcasts on 5935 originate from a 100,000 watt transmitter located at Ulbroka in the Republic of Latvia. When regular operations commence, the primary content of our programming will feature items of interest for radio hobbyists, anoraks and radio amateurs, all blended together with the very best music from the 60’s, 70’s and the 80’s (via Mike Terry, July 25, DXLD) From laserradio@yahoogroups.com This being the final weekend of July, on Sunday it's the last week of LaserRadio.net in test transmission mode on 5935 kHz. We should then be in a position to announce our plans during the middle of next week. It is quite important that we collect your reception reports and comments. So could we please ask for as many as possible this Sunday? We need to know what you think of the audio quality and whether you'd be happy to listen to 5935 on a regular basis. We are also examining a number of other options during August, and may well go through another period of tests elsewhere. Again, we'll be in a position to announce what is what next week. It has been mentioned before that LaserRadio.net intends to be a campaigning radio station, and it will rely very much on listener support. No, we are not talking money here, although that's always welcome! We mean that we need your support in our aims. LaserRadio.net has a number of things to say. For example, we don't understand why satellite broadcasts are encrypted so that only certain countries can receive them. Okay, yes, we do understand why they are of course, but we want to know why the bodies that want to exert control over such things can't give way to global audiences and the idea of sharing. The same things happen with `regions' on DVDs and games. Why? As we move towards a single united world this is destructive and divisive. It is the division in this world that we want to challenge beyond the technologies as well. We want to see if we, with your help, can set people thinking. No, we are not anarchists or politically motivated in any way, but questions need to be asked. LaserRadio.net wants to ask those questions and set people thinking about how to make this world a better and safer place to co-habit in. Once people are thinking about it, they change their attitude and start to live more harmoniously. We aren't stupid enough to believe LaserRadio.net can make a big difference, but all we need to do is get the ball rolling and let nature take its course. We also want to do this in a fun way, and have no intention of being a dirgey and boring station banging on like a religious broadcaster. Laughter and comradeship, which is what holds together a lot of `anoraks', are what binds LaserRadio.net, and this will reflect in our eventual programming. If we are going to kick butt, we are going to need your help! We've got to work together (via Mike Terry, July 25, BDXC-UK via DXLD) ** U S A. NEO-NAZI BROADCASTER DIES http://www.nytimes.com/2002/07/24/obituaries/24PIER.html William Luther Pierce, an ascetic physics professor who built an organization of young supporters for George Wallace for president into the nation's largest neo-Nazi group, and whose novel "The Turner Diaries" was credited by Timothy J. McVeigh with inspiring the Oklahoma City bombing, died yesterday. He was 69. Four weeks ago, Dr. Pierce, as he preferred to be called, learned that he had terminal cancer and began preparing for others to continue the work of his organization, the National Alliance, said Kevin Strom, editor of its magazine, The National Vanguard. [...] Last broadcast (link from Eastern European Jewish History Yahoogroups list) http://www.natall.com/pub/072002.txt AMERICAN DISSIDENT VOICES: Broadcast of July 20, 2002 Katyn, By Dr. William Pierce Hello! A background noise that seems never to go away is the constant whining and yammering of the Jews about how the world owes them a living because of their losses during the so-called "Holocaust." They do it, of course, because they make such a big profit on it. The latest flare-up of this Jewish play for a handout came more than a year ago when they began demanding that the Swiss pay them $7 billion, which "Holocaust" victims allegedly had stashed in numbered Swiss accounts before being hauled off to gas chambers during the Second World War. [...] (via Joel Rubin, July 24, swprograms via WORLD OF RADIO 1141, DXLD) http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/news/3721360.htm The Miami Herald Wednesday July 24, 2002 WILLIAM PIERCE, 68, TURNER DIARIES AUTHOR CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) White supremacist leader William Pierce, whose book The Turner Diaries is believed to have inspired Oklahoma City bomber Timothy McVeigh, died Tuesday of cancer. He was 68. Pierce died at his compound in Mill Point, said his business manager, Bob DeMarias. He became ill three weeks ago and his kidneys failed, DeMarias said. The novel, which some have called a grisly blueprint for a bloody race war, includes a chapter entitled the ``Day of the Rope.`` It describes white corpses hung from every street corner with placards reading, ``I defiled my race.`` FBI investigators said McVeigh was a fan of Pierce`s book and used it as a blueprint for bombing the Oklahoma City federal building in 1995. The book includes a truck-bombing of FBI headquarters. The Oklahoma City bombing wasn`t the first violence that federal prosecutors linked to The Turner Diaries, which was published in 1978. In 1985, 10 members of a supremacist group called The Order were convicted of racketeering and other charges in Seattle. Among the crimes they were accused of were armored-car robberies and the 1984 machine-gun slaying of Jewish radio talk-show host Alan Berg. One witness testified that a defendant told him, ``You should read it, partner, it`s all there. Everything that`s going to happen is in The Turner Diaries.`` Pierce led his group, the National Alliance, from a two-story steel building on 400 acres deep in the Appalachians four hours southwest of Washington. The Southern Poverty Law Center, which tracks hate groups, estimated the group makes more than $1 million a year, mainly through sales of white power music and supremacist or neo-Nazi literature. ``This is the major hate group in the United States. It`s the most organized, the best run and the wealthiest,`` said Mark Potok, editor of the center`s intelligence report on hate groups. Pierce`s death is a significant development because the group has no clear heir, Potok said (via rec.radio.shortwave via John Norfolk, OKCOK, DXLD) ?? What about Kevin Alfred Strom? (gh, DXLD) American Dissident Voices (ADV) has been airing on American station WWRB on Saturdays. ADV started on shortwave in December 1991. While the website of the National Alliance http://www.natvan.com does mention his death in an obituary written by Kevin Alfred Strom, it is unclear whether the radio program will continue. In the early years of ADV, Strom was often heard, but in recent years the program has simply been Pierce monologues (Hans Johnson, WY, Jul 24, Cumbre DX Special July 25 via DXLD) Time and frequency for ADV on WWRB? (gh, DXLD) ** U S A. WNNY Noticias 1380 NY ha cambiado hoy al formato de música ranchera identificándose ahora "La X 1380" (Dino Bloise, Jersey City, NJ, July 25, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A. Re: [NRC-am] NEW CEO AT CLEAR CHANNEL I`ll make a prediction. Look for him to champion payments to media for downloaded songs, etc. Look for fees, or for him to ask Congress to tax users of the Internet for their usage of media. Look for licensing of services like Real Audio and WinAmp with some compensation going to CC. Think of something bizarre and it might just happen, Dave (Fred Vobbe, OH, NRM-AM July 23 via DXLD) Scott, Randy Michaels may be a great guy and a talented engineer. He may not even be the root problem. IMHO the root problem is the trend toward monopoly and concentration in the industry, with a concomitant disregard for the public interest. Monopolies, if allowed to come into existence, ought to be regulated to protect the public welfare. Guess I would've made a good Progressive... (Dave Hochfelder, NJ, ibid.) Precisely so. Clear Channel as we know it today exists only because the 1996 Communications Act made it possible. CCU simply moved faster than anyone else (Infinity, Cumulus, Citadel, etc) to exploit the provisions of the law to an extent I doubt its framers ever envisioned. The problem with a bill like the '96 law is that undoing it is so very much harder than doing it. How do you force a company to sell 1100 of its 1200 stations? (And even if you could, who'd be in a position to buy them now - in most markets, any company buying part of an existing cluster would end up with a license, *maybe* a tower but more likely just a lease, some equipment and a small fraction of the staff they'd need to run the individual station solo. But they'd need to find new office and studio space, hire a stand- alone sales and promotions staff, find an engineer, etc. It wouldn't be an easy task, especially if the spin-offs are the "pseudo-stations" like the two CC runs in the Rochester market (WISY 102.3 and WLCL 107.3) that have *no* airstaff and in fact no staff of their own period, depending on playlists sent up from Cincinnati and being sold as additional "combo" buys with the "real" stations like WHAM and WVOR. -s (Scott Fybush, ibid.) Well said, David. To that, I'll add that while they don't provide community service, they are running promos saying how good they do, how they are the weather leader, the one to turn to, etc. Reminds me of a kid standing in a pile of glass and cookies with chocolate on his face telling you "no, I didn't steal a cookie." The one thing that will have me at odds with CC and their clones, as well as some members of Congress that support these monopolies, is that they have removed my opportunity to own a station. Since 1996, values of stations have gone up as much as 400%. A station that my wife and I were looking at that was appraised at $390k is now listed at $1.9mil. The owner makes no excuses. He is convinced that CC, Cumulous, or someone else with fat pockets will eventually come his way. When they do, he will get his price and the station will be automated to just another voice-tracked repeater. Along with the fact that the large corporations own everything, the costs of properties are now so high that it's impossible to bid against someone like CC for a property, so the system is stacked dramatically against the average public and favors the large corporation. And while I'm on a rant, let us not forget all the little divisions of these corporations which are not normally claimed. I find it interesting when you follow the money, and dig through the "whose who", that many stations who appear to be independent are controlled by larger companies (Fred Vobbe, OH, July 24, NRC-AM via DXLD) Broadcasting IS heavily regulated by the government. Who do you think tells CC, Infinity, etc., the frequencies, transmitter powers, antenna patterns, call letters, etc., they can use? You can't start a new AM, FM, or TV station in your community without government permission. Just who has lost sight of the "public interest" (whatever that means) here --- the broadcasters or their purported regulators, the FCC? The current mess was a bipartisan effort---both Billy Tauzin (R-LA) and Ed Markley (D-MA) and their friends were bought and paid for a long time ago by the NAB. Broadcasting deregulation was pushed by NAB and its lobbyists, and, as others have noted here, those who voted for the bill had no real idea of what the ramifications would be. Deregulation coincided with new competitors for local ad dollars (like cable TV systems) so it's no surprise that so many stations had to either sell to someone like CC or become terrestrial relays for satellite-delivered programming. The best hope for meaningful competition would be expanded LPFM with fairly liberal licensing requirements and measures to keep licensees truly local instead of part of a national religious group. That will never happen because of NAB opposition. Like the rest of the entertainment industry (movies, music, etc.), the NAB enjoys disproportionate influence because of its fund-raising ability and uses that clout to fight any incipient competition (like LPFM or netcasting). CC, Infinity, and their ilk are part of an oligopoly, but that oligopoly was created and is maintained by the government (Harry Helms, AK6C, Ridgecrest, CA DM15, ibid.) It beats me how anyone could actually think that a lot of the stuff that CC has done in theory to stop the bleeding would help. - Will the loss of listeners due to elimination of local news/programming/identity offset the savings of expenses? - Will any possible increase in listeners on an already viable station offset the expense of the consultants and focus groups ? - Will the above translate into a lose/lose - lose money on the expense side and lose listeners as well ? - Will the loss of listeners from the practice of voice-tracking offset the cost savings? And on and on. This stuff reminds me of the kind of thing management does in any company to plug the holes when the ship starts sinking. How much of this was Randy Michaels' idea and how much he actually believed in we'll never know, but whether or not he engineered his change, he's probably moved out at the right time. CC has managed to reduce the base value of so many of the stations they bought - particularly so for any potential individual sale - that when they inevitably have to shed the excess, it will be far more painful than they ever thought (Russ Edmunds, Blue Bell, PA, ibid.) I beg to differ. Strenuously. The current problems will never be solved by *more* stations, whether they're LPFM or otherwise. This transcends any LPFM-specific issues. Meaningful competition and variety will at minimum require CC to shed a lot of its excess baggage of stations, and their purchase by people who are experienced, knowledgeable, have moderately deep pockets and are dedicated to providing variety and diversity. It will also require that some number of excess stations pass out of existence. But, given the current political and economic climates, that is also just as unlikely, and for the same reasons (Russ Edmunds, Blue Bell, PA, NRC-AM via DXLD) "More competition" is not the same thing as "more stations" (although that might be the short-term impact). It means that others can more easily enter the business and offer alternatives to CC and existing broadcasting monoliths. Something like LPFM (and why not "LPAM" while we're at it?) is just one way---IF done correctly!---to offer locally produced alternatives to CC, Infinity, etc. What I liked about LPFM is that it would've lowered the entry cost for new local broadcasters to a few thousands of dollars, making broadcasting a much more viable option for one or two people with more creativity than cash. That (and the increased competition) is what made LPFM anathema to NAB. I think CC will eventually crash unless it trims some of its station holdings because it will be unable to generate sufficient revenues to keep its "empire" broadcasting. Empires are expensive and can drag you down -- ask the British or the Soviets! I still stick with my prediction that alternatives to terrestrial broadcasting (like satellites and 4G wireless) will eventually result in some AM and FM stations going dark. While Randy Michaels clearly got kicked upstairs at CC, it also shows CC is aware that it will soon be facing competition from new sources. Maybe Randy had some shortcomings as a day-to-day manager, but he does have a good track record of seeing what the future holds (Harry Helms AK6C, Ridgecrest, CA DM15, ibid.) Hi Scott and List, I must admit that what I took in that Randy comment was a bit of a cheap shot. I know that one person isn't responsible for the state of radio in this country. I thank that Randy has become "the guy radio folks love to hate", he's the Bill Gates of our industry. I was not aware of those little morsels of his background. From a pure intellectual perspective I know that Randy isn't the one cause of radio's sorry state. I do disagree with a large variety of Clear Channel's policies, extensive voice tracking, lack of localism, out of market air talent pretending they are live and local, total centralized control and market semi-domination, etc. I will give CC credit where it is due, regarding upgrading of physical plants. I would be interested in getting the opportunity to talk with Randy. Like him or dislike him, he is one of the movers and shakers of this industry and has achieved remarkable success in a relatively short time. I think CC only had their Texas properties before 1996. I am not the total media expert and I don't have a monopoly on all the answers but as I said before I do find more than a few of CC's practices distasteful to say the least (Dave Marthouse, VA, ibid.) Randy is probably neither the ogre he's portrayed to be nor anything close to a broadcasting saint. His reputation on the specific scores Dave mentioned is well-deserved. He earned it. While the industry types and some DX'ers may recognize engineering accomplishments, the average listener is largely oblivious. And his 'private' interests and what he may be like as a person are completely obscured in the eyes of the public and media critics by what is both more obvious and more important to those groups - exactly what Dave has indicated above. (Russ Edmunds, Blue Bell, PA, ibid.) Does Clear Channel *have* a monopoly? (in the sense of holding 100% of the stations in a market, of course not. In the sense of holding the vast majority of the viable stations in a market, I don't think so either) Might it be not the FCC's job to determine whether one owner has a monopoly, but that of the people in the Justice Department who deal with monopolies in other industries? (not that the Justice Department is doing particularly well, witness the Microsoft situation) Some argue that radio stations do not compete only with other radio stations. Competition includes television, newspapers, outdoor (billboards), even direct mail. CCU isn't into newspapers at all, nor are they into cable. (which means they would have to own all the Big 3 network TV affiliates in a market to have a TV monopoly) They are into outdoor but at least around here they have plenty of competition. Arguably, they could own every radio station in Nashville and still not be a monopoly. (I don't agree with that interpretation, but many do) I would imagine coming up with the capital would be the big problem. Especially with the soft advertising market. Who would lend the money? Chances are many stations would simply turn in their licenses and go silent. (which may not be a bad thing) Or end up losing money under the control of an under-capitalized local owner. (which could really mess up the AM band. When's the last time you've heard of a CCU station running day power all night? Now, when's the last time you've heard of a *locally-owned* station doing so?) (Doug Smith, ibid.) What good is a listing at such an inflated price if a) it really isn't worth it; and/or b) there are no buyers anywhere near that price ? It's meaningless! At some point down the road, I suspect there will be stations there for the buying at affordable prices - trouble is the buyer will have to start from scratch because all they'll have is the core physical plant and the license, no staff, no programming, and not much reputation. CC paid inflated prices for what they acquired, did it too many times, and then has tried to scrimp and save their way out of the mess they created. Now all these independent owners think they're sitting on a gold mine which they expect to increase further in value (Russ Edmunds, ibid.) Many owners are holding out for the bucks, and speaking with appraisers that seem to feel the same way. One appraiser showed me statistics that in some markets stations are being sold for 7x value. While you and I would not buy a $2,450 Sony ICF-2010 or a $350 GE SuperRadio III (cost comparison), there are people that will pay because they want the property and have the cash. Starting from scratch is a challenge, but it can be done. As we have said here often, give people what they want and they will support your station. I would love to see many stations become available for the communities that need a good local service. Heck, look no further than Cleveland OH where a daytimer sold for $7- mil. I was looking at a station with an asking price of $2.1-mil. I asked the broker what the station would go for if the 7/7 rule was back. He replies, "$425,000". Nuf' said (Fred Vobbe, ibid.) Yes, but overpaying for things based on speculation can backfire. Ask the people who paid $400 a share for Amazon if you doubt it! :-) Maybe CC overpaid for many of their properties and suddenly the cold wind of reality is starting to blow? (Harry Helms AK6C, ibid.) Does anyone remember the Clip Clop Corp., from back in the 1880s? Clip Clop's founder, Cumulus Citadel General, determined that there was a great financial future in horseshoes, and sought to corner the market. He offered operators of blacksmith shops all over the country buy-out prices they could not refuse. Soon, a farmer could not shoe his horse without taking it to a CC smithy. CC equipped its shops with standard-size molds ... small, medium and large. Each mold was made to conserve on iron, and CC horseshoes were 3/16ths of an inch thinner than those that usually were produced individually by the corner smithy. Not quite so strong, but there was repeat business. It cost a horse owner much less to shoe his horse at Clip Clop. Because there were only three sizes of shoe, some horses' hooves were too big or too small for a standard CC shoe. Too bad. The horse owner had two choices ... he could apply an ill-sized shoe to the hoof and hope for the best, or he could find a hold-out local smithy who could still produce custom-built shoes. The latter option, though, became narrower and narrower, because the mass trade switched to Clip Clop and the niche market blacksmith couldn't stay in business. That left the horse owner one more option ... horse meat. By 1890, nearly every horseshoe in America was emblazoned with the Clip Clop logo, which looked like two Cincinnati Red logos, side-by- side. Clip Clop's penetration appealed to investors, who ponied up to supply venture capital for CC's expansion into the harness business. For a while, CC bought horses with non-standard-size hooves ... at a deep discount ... for the leather for its harnesses, but horsemen complained that some of their horses sensed where the leather came from and were spooked. CC experimented with cotton and wool derivatives and came up with a secret formula that was much less expensive than leather. Not quite so strong, but there was repeat business. Horseman, attracted by the lower prices, turned to CC for their harnesses, just as they had for horseshoes, and CC cash reined in most of the local harness shops, leaving only a handful to fight the competition. Cumulus Citadel General was a true visonary. At the peak of Clip Clop's financial success, he surprised his happy investors by selling them his entire interest in CC. Of course, the investors paid top price. Old C.C. used the money to found a new company. While memories of Clip Clop Corporation have faded into the murk of distant memory, surely you are familiar with the name General Motors? (John Callarman, Krumudgeon, TX, ibid.) Before long, there will be a seller's market and CC's problems just might trigger it. The current appraised prices, even though there are always some folks with more money than sense to buy, are simply unsustainable over time (Russ Edmunds, July 24, NRC-AM via DXLD) ** U S A. ANALYSIS: INTERNET RADIO UNDER THREAT IN USA | Text of editorial analysis by Martin Peters of BBC Monitoring's Foreign Media Unit on 25 July In the United States, thousands of Internet-only radio stations look set to close following a decision by the American Librarian of Congress who ruled that from 20 October 2002, web radio broadcasters must start paying royalties to record companies and artists. In addition, many traditional broadcasters who also stream over the Internet are likely to close off this alternative method of delivery before fees become due. Traditionally, royalties are split into two categories: those paid to the composer, and those paid to the performing artist and their recording label. Conventional radio stations are generally exempt from paying the latter, since they are considered promoters of new music. The royalties due to the composers are paid on a "per-song" basis and are calculated as a percentage of stations' revenue. The proposed fees are based on the number of listeners and the number of songs played, equating to 70 US cents per song per 1,000 listeners. Moreover, royalties due would be backdated to 1998. In May, hundreds of webcasters united in a "Day of Silence" in protest against the implementation of the levy. Most stations remained off the air from dawn to dusk while others, keen to keep their listeners on board, managed only the occasional "moment of silence" throughout the day. More recently, on 22 July, a live webcast of a concert organized by the International Webcasting Association (IWA), and aimed at promoting their campaign to rescue the independent Internet radio concept, was broadcast out of the State Theatre near Washington DC. It's being claimed that the vast majority of American Internet-only stations will be forced off the air by this ruling. Many of them are privately-run hobby webcasters with little or no financial backing. Only the largest of the established terrestrial broadcasters with an online presence are thought likely to continue streaming. A number of stations pre-empted the ruling by closing down well ahead of the October deadline - StarDogRadio and Radio Free Tiny Pineapple are among two of the more recent casualties. "We're toast", declares the web site of the latter. Live365.com, which offers a hosting service to radio hobbyists, enabling users to transmit niche programming, announced it will add a monthly 5 US dollars fee for each station, beginning 1 August. According to chief operating officer Raghav Gupta, that move alone is expected to reduce the number of stations on their books from 25,000 to about 5,000. On 15 July the National Association of Broadcasters, as well as several entities with interests in Internet radio, appealed against the new ruling, claiming that the US Copyright Office had misinterpreted the law when it decided that radio stations would have to pay musicians and recording companies when streaming over the web. The appeal claims that Congress intended the fees to apply only to music download sites, and that Internet streams should be subject only to those royalties paid for conventional over-the-air broadcasts. The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), an organization representing several major record labels, claims that Internet radio stations pose a threat to the industry since it is possible for listeners to record digitally the music being broadcast. The RIAA added that it hoped the radio stations would lose their appeal. The future of Internet radio in the United States now hangs in the balance. What happens will depend on whether the royalty ruling is reversed or amended. Over the last few years, Internet radio stations have flourished, partly because of their associated low start-up and running costs. Without an 11th hour change in policy, the vast majority of Internet radio may be consigned to history. Source: BBC Monitoring research 25 Jul 02 (via DXLD) ** U S A [and non]. Subject : 1470 kHz monitoring Despite it being summer, and despite the splatter across the band here, I have been amazed with the results I've had from audio analysis of some MW channels recently. In particular, 1470 has yielded carriers (i.e. stations) with pretty distinct s/off's or darkness power-downs. I've tuned my AOR 7030+ 1 kHz lower than the desired channel, e.g. I've tuned to 1469.000 kHz in USB mode, and fed the audio from the receiver to the PC's sound card. On the PC, I've analysed the audio using Spectrum Lab software --- free from http://www.qsl.net/dl4yhf/spectra1.html --- with FFT settings to enable a resolution down to around 20 milliHertz. Thus, it's easy to discern individual carriers either side of 1000 Hz, the expected pitch of stations having carriers on the 1470 kHz channel. The software allows you to auto-save the spectrum display at intervals, and I've uploaded these spectrum plots to my website. They range in size from around 1 MB for channels like 1350 kHz where there's a whole 24 hour display, to around 400-500 kb for channels like 1470 kHz where there's only the night-time activity to record. http://www.dxradio.co.uk/mwoffsets/index.html For 1470 kHz, there are currently 6 traces on the website covering the nights 18-19, 19-20, 20-21, 21-22, 22-23 and 23-24 July. The "carrier ends" could mean either a sign/off or a significant power drop. Not every night is the same by a long way. 18-19 July fade in 2200 2300 UTC carrier at 1003.0 Hz ends 2310 UTC carrier at 984.5 Hz ends 0100 UTC carrier at 1020.0 Hz ends 0105 UTC carrier at 993.0 Hz ends 0210 UTC carrier at 996.0 Hz ends fade out 0430 19-20 July fade in 2150 2255 UTC carrier at 1006.5 Hz ends 2300 UTC carrier at 1001.0 Hz ends 0100 UTC carrier at 1020.0 Hz ends 0105 UTC carrier at 993.0 Hz ends 0200 UTC carrier at 996.0 Hz ends fade out 0400 20-21 July fade in 2130 2312 UTC carrier at 1020.0 Hz ends 0100 UTC carrier at 993.0 Hz ends fade out 0440 21-22 July fade in 2110 2320 UTC carrier at 1020.0 Hz ends 0012 UTC carrier at 1002.0 Hz ends 0300 UTC carrier at 996.0 Hz ends --hour later than other days 0300 UTC carrier at 1024.0 Hz ends 0325 UTC carrier at 970.0 Hz ends fade out 0440 One of the carriers - the one on approx 995 Hz - would appear to be CPN, Lima, Peru which peaks 0300-0330 UTC, and which fades in later that some at around 2320 UTC ... just when the daylight/darkness terminator crosses Peru. It was also interesting that on the 19-20 plot especially, some of the carriers were much "fuzzier" than others that night. Perhaps due to auroral activity? Comparing these fade-in times with GeoClock (or other daylight / nighttime / greyline "calculators") is interesting too, in as much that Eastern Brazil and Argentina get sunset at much the same time as the UK, with everything else trans-Atlantic still in daytime. I was actually amazed at how early some of the fade-in's occurred, and the probability of sun-down DX from Latin America. If only I could extract audio too ... plotting carriers by audio analysis is actually easy. I haven't yet ID'd any of them as the audio (when I've listened) has been almost non-existent. Some of that though is due to my location here in west London, and also the limitations of just having a 40 inch square MW loop and/or a Wellbrooke ALA1530. There's the possibility of other interpretations too of the "carrier ends", e.g. propagation changes or my receiver's AGC being hi-jacked by 1467 kHz. But with a few more night's worth of monitoring, the pattern should emerge. It would be good obviously to correlate these plots with other people's experiences too - whether on 1470 or some other commonly accessible channel. (Mark Hattam, Hayes, Middlesex, UK, July 23, NRC-AM via DXLD) ** UZBEKISTAN. SYSTEM TO MONITOR USE OF NATIONAL RADIO FREQUENCIES IS SET UP A system of technical control over the radio frequency spectrum has been put into operation in Uzbekistan to guarantee the efficient use of radio frequencies and to detect illegal users of the airwaves. Computer management of the system makes it reliable and extends the range of control. The following is an excerpt from a report on the subject, entitled " The airwaves: control and compatibility" and published in the Uzbek newspaper Pravda Vostoka on 16 July. Subheadings have been added editorially. At present, nearly 179,000 radio-electronic transmitting, receiving, relaying or producing stations, devices and installations go on air daily in Uzbekistan on various waves and frequencies. They help enterprises, organizations and individual citizens to carry out modern production, technical, research and cultural information work. The Uzbek Agency of Communication and Information Technology has issued an order approving a state commission enactment putting into operation a radio frequency spectrum technical control system. An important stage has been completed in strengthening and upgrading the material and technical basis of a service providing technical control over the state of Uzbekistan's radio frequency resources and their efficient use, and over the extent to which all those using the airwaves observe the rules for cooperation and electromagnetic compatibility when using various radioelectronic devices and installations. In all, 53 legal entities and individuals have been granted licences to operate in the fields of radio communication, radio broadcasting and television to design, build, use and provide services... Electromagnetic Compatibility Centre In Uzbekistan, these functions are carried out by the Electromagnetic Compatibility Centre, which will mark its 15th anniversary this year... "The development of advanced technologies in the field of radio communication is leading to a considerable growth in the number of radioelectronic devices," R.P. Mansurov, head of the Electromagnetic Compatibility Centre, says. Accordingly there is a higher demand for control over their use so as to ensure their efficient operation, exclude mutual interference and determine the lawfulness of their use. The Uzbek Posts and Telecommunications Agency together with the Electromagnetic Compatibility Centre have carried out a great deal of work to introduce a radio frequency spectrum technical control system. In accordance with a Cabinet of Ministers resolution dated 26 May 2002, "On implementing the project for supplying equipment, assembling, adjusting and putting into operation a radio frequency technical control system", a contract was signed with the German company Kurt Mitterfellner GmbH, and advanced radio monitoring and direction-finding equipment produced by the well-known German company Rohde & Schwarz was bought... Centralized control Now the radio monitoring and direction-finding system includes four stationary and one mobile station located in the towns of Tashkent [the capital], Termez [in the south] and Samarkand [in central Uzbekistan]. All the stations are managed from the control centre. Information is transferred from the stations working autonomously. The centre makes it possible to control the operation of receivers and direction-finders and also to see the processes occurring in the airwaves in real time. The control system also makes it possible to hear and make digital recordings of the transmitters monitored. The direction-finding module of the system enables the operator to quickly and accurately find the location of a transmitter, displaying the data on an electronic map, which makes the search easy. The computers linked to a single control centre have been deployed. Now it is possible, without going to the site, to quickly and precisely determine both the geographical location and the actual source that is causing concern, and to take measures quickly. Experimental operation of the system started in October 2001. Over that short period of time, radio control efficiency has increased considerably, the search for complicated radio disturbances and their detection have become simpler, the percentage of detecting illegally used radioelectronic devices has grown and instrumental surveying of the frequency range from 1,000 to 3,000 MHz has become possible. So the operation of the system has considerably influenced the number of illegally used transmitters: the number of radioelectronic devices used without licences was 492 in 2000, and 1,020 in 2001. With the help of a mobile radio monitoring station a great deal has been done in Tashkent to survey the GSM 1,800 waveband, which our cellular operators are starting to use. Decoding and location capability Now the system has been put into permanent operation. As a whole, the new system performs a number of functions simultaneously. They are to analyse the loading of the radio frequency wavebands, to measure the spectral characteristics of radio signals, to file the sound messages and to display a map of the observation range with the possibility of changing its scale and of representing pictograms of various facilities against the background of the map, besides decoding various radio signal codes, etc. Computer management of the system ensures its high reliability along with simplicity and ease of management, as well as quick access to the measurement results which are permanently preserved in its own database. The current configuration of the system developed from the need to ensure monitoring of regions with a large number of radioelectronic devices. For the time being, it makes it possible to carry out the functions mentioned above on a regional level, while, with the help of a mobile complex, it can carry out measurements and direction-finding in remote areas too. Measurements and direction-finding in medium and short wave can be done throughout the country. The facility was built in a short period of time, the major work being carried out by local specialists with the help of foreign consultants. Four of the specialists were trained in Germany and also combined work with study with the help of specialists from the supplier company. The software was developed with due regard for the specifics of our tasks, today we have a good database of the radioelectronic devices currently operating, their use is monitored and any deviations from the norm, including any unregistered radioelectronic facility going on air, are immediately detected. Thus, purity and order in everyone's using the national radio frequencies are guaranteed. Source: Pravda Vostoka, Tashkent, in Russian 16 Jul 02, p3 (via BBCM via DXLD) ** WESTERN SAHARA [and non]. Radio Nacional de la R.A.S.D. En la página http://www.ongsario.com/ se puede acceder a la programación de la Radio Nacional de la R.A.S.D., que también se transmite en la banda de 41 mts. Onda Corta, 7470 kHz en el horario: de 1800 a 0000 horas GMT. Cabe señalar que las últimas ocasiones en que se captó esta estación (yo no la puedo sintonizar desde hace bastante tiempo) pudo ser escuchada por los 7460v hacia las 2230+UT. Además, otra cosa curiosa. En la página hay un acceso que permite conocer la nómina de los radioaficionados y estaciones autorizadas para emitir desde la República Árabe Saharaui Democrática. Con licencia oficial: S01A Naama. S01MZ Mahfoud. S01CNU, EA2CNU Roberto. S01XC, EA2XC Julian. S01JG, EA2JG Arseli. INDICATIVOS AUTORIZADOS: S0RASD, S0LYNX, S0EA, S01A, S01MZ, S01HA, S0A, S02A, S02UN, S03UN S04UN, S02R, S03A, S03R, S04A, S04R, S05A, S05R, S06A, S06R, S08A, S08R, S09A, S09R, S0R (A. Slaen, Argentina, Jul 16, 2002, Conexión Digital via CRW via DXLD) UNIDENTIFIED. From alt.radio.pirate Tuesday, July 23, 2002 5:57 PM Heard three unidentified stations last night on 6777 khz talking about a clandestine ship being outfitted somewhere along the U.S. east coast with broadcast transmitters. Said the ship will broadcast outside U.S. jurisdiction, as soon as it is ready to sail. Stations QSY'd to another unidentified freq. (lost in QRN.) Anyone have further on this? Will (via Mike Terry, DXLD) UNIDENTIFIED. Re 6985, from Ian Baxter, Australia, DXLD 2-117 SOMALIA: Glenn, My immediate response would be Voice of Freedom and Renewal, broadcasting to Sudan, as 6985 was used by this station until it moved to 6965. And the time fits. But I haven't heard the station for a while and was only speculating the other day that it may have closed. But, interestingly, Ian notes that it is erratic, so maybe I have just been unlucky with my occasional checks. But I wouldn't jump to conclusions. There have been various red herrings around that frequency - Kurdish stations, Galei Zahal, spurious signals from Radio Jordan. I'll listen out again myself. I may be a while in reporting back as I'm going to be on leave and out of e-mail range for a week or so (Chris Greenway, Kenya, July 24, DX LISTENING DIGEST) UNIDENTIFIED. I'm hearing weak Spanish after 1000 UT on 5241 LSB, which has the sound of the Argentine SSB feeder relays. Has it been reported here? (John Cobb, Roswell, GA, July 25, DX LISTENING DIGEST) UNIDENTIFIED. Dear Mr Hauser, I have read and respected DXLD for many years but never before written. I have been hearing an unknown Arabic station on 12085 and 12110 kHz at 1500-1530 UT. Both are generally SIO 444 here in Delhi. At first I thought it might be Syria but the modulation is quite different. Good in fact. It plays a lot of Arabic music. Perhaps an Arabic speaker can identify the broadcast. Sincerely, (K. M. Patel, New Delhi, India, July 24, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ PUBLICATIONS ++++++++++++ SHORTWAVE GUIDE Here`s another review, pointing out a lot more mistakes: http://www.rnw.nl/realradio/booklist/html/swguide.html (gh, DXLD) RECEIVER TIPS +++++++++++++ Glenn, Radio Shack (USA) has the DX-396 receiver (cat no. 20-226) on sale at $49.99 for the August sale period. A single conversion "AM" mode only set. Reg price is $99.99. Regards, (David Zantow, Janesville, WI, July 25, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Dave's Radio Receiver Page: http://members.fortunecity.com/swradios PROPAGATION +++++++++++ :Product: Weekly Highlights and Forecasts :Issued: 2002 Jul 23 2212 UTC # Prepared by the US Dept. of Commerce, NOAA, Space Environment Center # Product description and SEC contact on the Web # http://www.sec.noaa.gov/weekly.html # # Weekly Highlights and Forecasts # Highlights of Solar and Geomagnetic Activity 15 - 21 July 2002 Solar activity alternated between low and high levels during the period. Major solar flares occurred on 15, 17, 18, and 20 July from two active regions: Region 30 (N19, L = 012, class/area Fkc/1350 on 16 July) and Region 39 (S12, L = 212, class/area Dac/330 on 22 July). Region 30 produced an X3/3b flare at 15/2008 UTC, an M8/1b at 17/0713 UTC, and an X1/2b at 18/0744 UTC, all of which were associated with Earth- directed coronal mass ejections (CME). Region 30 entered a decay phase on 16 July, though it remained large and magnetically complex with multiple delta magnetic configurations. It rotated out of view on the day of this report. Region 39, which rotated into view on 22 July, was the likely source for an X3 X-ray flare at 20/2130 UTC from beyond the southeast limb. It was also the likely source for multiple far side CME activity observed during the period. On the day of this report, Region 39 produced an X4 X-ray flare associated with a halo CME, which will be summarized in next week’s report. Region 30 was still too close to the limb for a detailed analysis, but appeared to be very large and magnetically complex. Solar wind data were available from the NASA Advanced Composition Explorer (ACE) spacecraft for most of the summary period. A weak high-speed solar wind stream associated with a positive-polarity coronal hole was observed during 15 – 16 July with peak velocities to around 440 km/sec. CME passages occurred during 17 – 18 July and 19 – 21 July following major flare activity from Region 30. The 17 – 18 July passage was relatively weak. It began about 17/1520 UTC and was associated with peak velocities of about 500 km/sec and brief periods of southward IMF Bz with maximum deflections to minus 16 nT (GSM). Multiple CME passages occurred during 19 – 21 July with velocities as high as 920 km/sec detected on 19 and 20 July. IMF Bz was mostly southward from late on 19 July through 21 July with maximum deflections to minus 10 nT (GSM). A greater than 10 MeV proton event began at 16/1750 UTC following the X3/3b flare on 15 July. This event peaked at 234 pfu at 17/1600 UTC, and ended at 18/1550 UTC. Another greater than 10 MeV event began at 19/1050 UTC, reached a peak of 13 pfu at 19/1515 UTC, then ended at 19/1535 UTC. Greater than 10 MeV fluxes remained enhanced and began to gradually increase on 21 July following the X3 flare of 20 July. Greater than 2 MeV electron fluxes at geo-synchronous orbit were at normal to moderate levels through 20 July, then increased to normal to high levels on 21 July. Geomagnetic field activity was at quiet to active levels during 15 – 16 July due to weak coronal hole effects. Quiet to active conditions occurred on 17 July due to a CME passage. Field activity ranged from quiet to minor storm levels during 19 – 21 July due to multiple CME passages. Forecast of Solar and Geomagnetic Activity 24 July - 19 August 2002 Solar activity is expected to range from low to high levels. Isolated low-level M-class flares are expected throughout the period. Region 39 is likely to produce isolated major flares before it rotates out of view on 04 August. Proton events will be possible until Region 39 rotates out of view on 04 August. There will also be a chance for a proton event during the rest of the period with the return of old Region 30 on 06 August. Greater than 2 MeV electron fluxes at geo- synchronous orbit are expected to be at normal to moderate levels for most of the period. Geomagnetic field activity is expected to be at unsettled to minor storm levels during 24 – 26 July due to a CME passage. Active conditions will be possible during 03, 06, and 09 August due to coronal hole effects. Quiet to unsettled conditions are expected for the remainder of the period. :Product: 27-day Space Weather Outlook Table 27DO.txt :Issued: 2002 Jul 23 2211 UTC # Prepared by the US Dept. of Commerce, NOAA, Space Environment Center # Product description and SEC contact on the Web # http://www.sec.noaa.gov/wwire.html # # 27-day Space Weather Outlook Table # Issued 2002 Jul 23 # # UTC Radio Flux Planetary Largest # Date 10.7 cm A Index Kp Index 2002 Jul 24 190 15 3 2002 Jul 25 195 40 6 2002 Jul 26 195 30 5 2002 Jul 27 190 12 3 2002 Jul 28 180 10 3 2002 Jul 29 180 10 3 2002 Jul 30 180 7 2 2002 Jul 31 180 7 2 2002 Aug 01 180 12 3 2002 Aug 02 180 15 3 2002 Aug 03 175 12 3 2002 Aug 04 170 10 3 2002 Aug 05 165 15 3 2002 Aug 06 170 12 3 2002 Aug 07 175 10 3 2002 Aug 08 175 15 3 2002 Aug 09 180 10 3 2002 Aug 10 185 8 3 2002 Aug 11 185 8 3 2002 Aug 12 185 8 3 2002 Aug 13 185 8 3 2002 Aug 14 185 8 3 2002 Aug 15 185 8 3 2002 Aug 16 185 8 3 2002 Aug 17 185 8 3 2002 Aug 18 190 8 3 2002 Aug 19 190 8 3 (from http://www.sec.noaa.gov/radio via WORLD OF RADIO 1141, DXLD) SPACE NEWS - Space weather experts meet in Adelaide Scientists have gathered in Australia for the first time to discuss space weather and how to better predict it. http://www.abc.net.au/science/news/space/SpaceRepublish_615553.htm (via Daniel Say, swprograms via DXLD) ###