DX LISTENING DIGEST 2-189, December 2, 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 1158: RFPI: Tue 1900?, Wed 0100, 0700, 1300? on 7445 and/or 15039 WWCR: Wed 1030 9475 WJIE: M-F 1300, daily 0400; Sun 0630, Mon 0700, Tue 0630 or 0700, 7490 [see also USA - WJIE below] ONDEMAND http://www.wrn.org/ondemand/worldofradio.html [High] (Download) http://www.k4cc.net/wor1158h.rm (Stream) http://www.k4cc.net/wor1158h.ram [Low] (Download) http://www.k4cc.net/wor1158.rm (Stream) http://www.k4cc.net/wor1158.ram (Summary) http://www.worldofradio.com/wor1158.html CIRAF ZONES Hi Glenn, Ciraf zones - Conferencia Internacional de Radiodifusion por Altas Frecuencias. Spanish - because these zones were defined at the World Administrative Radio Conference held in Mexico in 1948. Regards (Kathy Otto, SENTECH, RSA, Dec 2, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** AFGHANISTAN. Like CHRISTOPHER J WILLIAMS I am the proud owner of one of Radio Afghanistan's QSLs like the one shown on page 15 November CONTACT Magazine. Mine dates back to 1975 and 1975 is long before the Soviet occupation. At the time they broadcast in English 1130-1200 on 15195 kHz. As stated in Chris's letter these QSLs are now a rare collector's item. If I remember rightly, Radio Afghanistan did a relay via a Soviet transmitter site during the days of Najibullah and the Soviet backed regime. I think one at one time they transmitted on 21600 kHz but I may be wrong about this". (Edwin Southwell, member 465, Dec World DX Club Contact via Alan Roe, DXLD) CHRIS WILLIAMS, who drops in some Sunday afternoons on his way to open up the church, he being the custodian of the keys, a sad state of affairs when churches have to be locked to deter souvenir hunters and thieves brought along his rare Radio Afghanistan QSL. However, it proved to be of an unsuitable size to fit our pages and a photocopy reduction of the photocopy was also unsuitable. Thus, it was back with Chris to get a suitable copy from his original which was the one used last month. The object of this story is when you decide to submit a QSL for publication try to get a copy that will fit our pages as photocopies of a photocopy lose so much detail. Meanwhile, I rummaged around to see what I had on Radio Afghanistan, low and behold, the same card - postmarked 16th July 1973, Kabul for a report on their English Programme on May 26th of that year at 1800- 1830 on 15265 kHz and signed by S A S___ (a QSL undercover man, sorry for this in-joke but it had to be). The card could also be adapted for any day, any month; the alternative frequency of 11785 kHz and the German programme on 9510 & 11785 kHz at 1730-1800 GMT. Seems as if these particular Radio Afghanistan QSL cards are not quite so rare after all. I'll take a hundred quid for mine; failing that it's a London auction (Arthur Ward, member 615, ibid.) ** AFGHANISTAN. PICTURE BULLETIN AFGHAN BALKH TV 24 NOV 02 The following programmes in Dari were monitored on Balkh TV from the town of Mazar-e Sharif in northern Afghanistan's Balkh Province on 24 November; start of broadcasting missed due to power cut: 1. 1340 gmt In a programme in Dari called "Talks with officials" presented by Qais Shiva and shown on Balkh TV, in a report from Sar-e Pol, the deputy commander of Division No 26 in Sar -e Pol, Gen Azizullah Qahid, said that during the Taleban period, the division's first line was in Balkhab. He said that Ahmed Shah Masud, the former defence minister under then ousted President, Barhanoddin Rabbani, had sent soldiers to the line and Gen Abdorrashid Dostum, now the president's special representative for the northern zone, had helped with 200 horsemen. He said the Taleban had not been able to break through Balkhab and that there was a mass grave of men of the Hazara tribe who were killed by the Taleban in Balkhab. He also said that the Taleban burned down some houses there. The video showed Azizullah speaking to camera. 2. 1400 gmt A report from Hayratan presented by Bashir Ansary was about the work of Army Corps No 113 based in Hayratan. The report said that Cmdr Aka Yaseen was in charge of Army Corps No 113 and that there were 22 divisions in Hayratan. Cmdr Alam is in charge of the security of the transit of goods from Termez to Hayratan, it said. The TV showed a train carrying some jeeps from Termez border of Uzbekistan to Hayratan town, a mosque for soldiers and some photos of Gen Abdorrashid Dostum, and of President Hamed Karzai. 3. 1410 gmt Bashir Ansary in another report said that an FM radio station and a TV station were being helped by the BBC. The report said that the radio station broadcast BBC news round-the-clock in Dari, Pashto and English. A radio station official in charge of broadcasting, Engineer Azizullah, thanked the BBC for its assistance. The TV showed the station working. 4. 1420 gmt In a programme entitled "Education Voice", presenter Bashir Ansary said that Noor Optic hospital in Mazar-s Sharif had distributed 320 pairs of glasses for seven schools for 130 teachers and 200 students who had eye problems. An official said a further 5,000 more pairs of glasses would be distributed for all schools around the town. The TV showed students and teachers wearing glasses. 5. 1430 gmt Music 6. 1530 gmt News in Dari 7. 1600 gmt Film (power cut end time not known) Source: Balkh TV, Mazar-e Sharif, in Dari 1340 gmt 24 Nov 02 (via BBCM via DXLD) ** ARGENTINA. Radio Continental de Argentina, escuchada el domingo 01/12 a las 00 UT, con el espacio de rock clásico "Estados Desunidos del Rock n'Roll". En 15820 kHz, LSB. Mamas and the Papas, Rolling Stones, muy buen balance musical. Avances de noticias cada media hora con Servicio Informativo Continental. Anunciaba la frecuencia de 590 kHz, en onda media (desde Catia La Mar, VENEZUELA, Adán González, Dec 2, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** ARGENTINA. Hola GIB, y amigos de la lista.... Hace algún tiempo dijo que RAE cuenta con dos programas DX distintos en cada uno de los varios idiomas de la emisora. Por favor, explicar la diferencia (uno escrito por GIB, no?), los días y horas de transmisión, porlomenos en español e inglés (Glenn Hauser, Dec 1, Conexión Digital via DXLD) Hola Glenn y Amigos de la Lista, RAE, Radiodifusión Argentina al Exterior emite dos programas DX; uno de ellos se llama "Actualidad DX", y el otro "Suplemento de Actualidad DX". Ambos espacios son diferentes, y en ambos programas se tratan noticias sobre escuchas y novedades aparecidas en la prensa DX relacionadas con las emisoras que emiten en onda corta; así como de vez en cuando, artículos relacionados al DX, como ser propagación, manchas solares, expediciones DX, etc. La duración de ambos espacios es de aproximadamente 10 - 12 minutos. En español, Actualidad DX martes 1220 y 2315; Suplemento de Actualidad DX, viernes 1220 y 2315. 73's GIB (Gabirel Iván Barrera, Dec 2, Conexión Digital via DXLD) ** AUSTRALIA. RA preview: 2305 - Fri.: LINGUA FRANCA - about language. This week: "Galician". The tragic breakup of the oil tanker Prestige off Spain's North Atlantic coast has brought Galicia to the world's attention. The Celts are thought to have arrived in Galicia around 1200BC. The culture they established there lasted for over a thousand years. Indeed the bagpipe is still as ubiquitous in Galicia as it is in Scotland. But it was the Romans who gave Galicians their language. Galician is a Latinate language closer to Portuguese than it is to Spanish. Suppressed for nearly 500 years, since the death of Franco Galician has been enjoying a renaissance. Professor Roy Boland, Director of the Spanish Program and the Institute of Galician Studies at La Trobe University, talks about Galicia and its language (via John Figliozzi, swprograms via DXLD) Repeats UT Sat 0530; show had been on vacation for a while. Airs a week or two earlier on R. National, where audio is available well in advance of RA broadcasts (Glenn Hauser, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** AUSTRALIA. ABC ENTERPRISE BARGAINING, ABC Media Release 2 December The Australian Broadcasting Corporation held further negotiations with the CPSU and the MEAA this morning on a new enterprise agreement for around 4000 ABC employees. Management presented a new offer that includes a pay rise of 11.5% over three years. The pay offer would deliver an initial 1.6% salary increase, effective from January 2003. Another 3.2% is delivered in June 2003, followed by salary increases of 3.35% in June 2004 and 3.35% in June 2005. The unions have suspended their threatened strike and will be asking their members to consider the revised offer at meetings to be held later this week. If the agreement is endorsed by a formal staff vote, it is expected that it will be referred to the AIRC for certification in January 2003. For further information please contact: Don Smith, ABC Head, Workplace Relations (02) 8333-5508 (via John Figliozzi, NY, DXLD, who adds...) No break in the RN or RA schedule will be taking place, apparently ** AUSTRALIA. Hi Glenn, Saw this on the ABC Perth Web site today: "A radio transmitter is on its way to a remote location in the Kimberley, in north-west Western Australia, where it will be used to broadcast Christian programs to India and the South Pacific. The shortwave radio station, Heralding Christ Jesus Blessings, aims to begin broadcasting to a potential audience of millions from its base on farmland outside Kununurra by Christmas Day. The transmitter, which has been shipped from the United States, is the final element in a five-year battle by the proponents to get the station up and running. The group faced opposition from the local community. However, earlier this year, the state's town planning appeal tribunal ruled that the group's plans should be given the go-ahead. The station wants to begin broadcasting on December 22." (via Andy Sennitt, Netherlands, Dec 2, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Local opposition? On what basis? I don`t recall hearing about that from HCJB (Glenn Hauser, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** AUSTRALIA. DX Target: ========= RADIO VNG, AUSTRALIA'S STANDARD FREQUENCY AND TIME SIGNAL SERVICE By Richard A. D'Angelo The shortwave spectrum is littered with interesting signals to monitor. As members of a shortwave oriented club, we naturally place a high priority on high frequency broadcasting by domestic and international stations. Nevertheless, time signal stations have been staples on the shortwave bands for many years. Unfortunately, in recent years the number of such stations has diminished. This DX Target feature is about one such station, located in Australia, that has been a favorite among DX'ers for many years. When this station leaves the shortwave spectrum at year-end, it will be a loss of a long time favorite among spectrum users. Much of the material used for this feature came from the National Standards Commission website http://www.nsc.gov.au and direct replies from the station. The National Standards Commission ("the Commission") is a Commonwealth Statutory Authority established in 1950 and operating under the Australian National Measurement Act. The Commission has responsibility for advising the Government on the needs of the national measurement system and for coordinating that system. The Commission is charged with being a center of excellence in legal metrology, advancing Australian economic interests at a national, regional and international level. Their mission is to support commercial transactions and government regulations with a uniform national measurement system, harmonized to international standards. Introduction The National Time Committee under the auspices of the Commission coordinates Australia's time system. Precise measurements of time are carried out by a number of organizations including CSIRO in Sydney, Telstra in Melbourne and the Australian Surveying and Land Information Group ("AUSLIG") in Canberra. CSIRO also coordinate Australia's contribution to the international time system. The implementation of civil time including time zones and daylight saving from these measurements is still the responsibility of the individual States and Territories. Time signals are disseminated throughout Australia by Telstra's landlines, the speaking clock and Radio VNG the national standard frequency and time signal service. Radio VNG is Australia's standard frequency and time signal service. For years people and organizations throughout Australia and the world have made use of the time signals broadcast by Radio VNG. The time signals are used for surveying, geophysics and navigation. Radio VNG users include seismologists, astronomers, upper atmosphere physicists, surveyors, geophysicists studying the Earth's magnetic field, amateur radio operators and shortwave listeners. This service forms part of Australia's technological infrastructure by providing a signal of moderate accuracy (1 millisecond) that can be readily accessed with relatively inexpensive equipment. It is also used to confirm any ambiguities inherent in more precise methods of time comparison. In addition, for short-wave listeners Radio VNG provided a useful barometer to gauge reception conditions toward Australia and New Zealand. Background The time signal service was inaugurated by the Australian Post Office on 21 September 1964. For approximately 23 years, Radio VNG was broadcast from Lyndhurst, Victoria, which is about 37 kilometers southeast of Melbourne. Telstra (formerly Telecom Australia) funded it and their research laboratories at Clayton, Victoria, conducted the monitoring and research. In late 1986 users of the service provided by Radio VNG were rocked by the news of its impending closure. The Precise Time Working Group, now the National Time Committee, conducted a survey to ascertain the usage of the service and the scientific and economic impact of its closure. The survey results showed that there was extensive and diverse usage of the service throughout the community. This usage by the very nature of its application was difficult to quantify economically. Following the closure of Radio VNG in October 1987, a seminar was convened to investigate what provisions needed to be made for an intermediate accuracy time service and to consider the extent to which the provisions for high accuracy time comparisons were meeting Australia's needs. Several alternatives to Radio VNG were discussed but each was found to have significant disadvantages in terms of accessibility and cost compared with Radio VNG's time service. It was recommended by the many participants at the meeting that Radio VNG be reinstated; that the service be recognized as part of Australia's technological infrastructure and be funded by the Federal Government. At this time no single department or authority was identified to fund the operation of Radio VNG. VNG Users Consortium The VNG Users Consortium ("the Consortium") was formed to re-establish Radio VNG and to collect donations from former users to dismantle, pack and transfer the transmitting equipment to a new location. At their inaugural meeting on 25 February 1988 the organizers wrote to all known Radio VNG users requesting contributions towards the cost of acquiring the Radio VNG plant and reinstating the service. The response was overwhelming. Private individuals, many of whom were not paid for the activities for which they used Radio VNG, contributed up to $100.00 Australian out of their own pockets, and some organizations contributed up to $2,000.00 Australian to try to save this national facility. This enabled the VNG Users Consortium to pay for the relocation of Radio VNG from Clayton in Victoria to what was then the Civil Aviation Authority's International Transmitting Station at Llandilo, NSW, in June 1988. Today, Radio VNG broadcasts from the AirServices Australia, International Transmitting Station, located at Llandilo, NSW, position 33 42'52"S, 150 47'33"E. As a result of users being willing to contribute money to save the service, AUSLIG agreed to meet the costs of setting up at Llandilo and to cover the running costs on a partial recovery basis from users. The role of the VNG Users Consortium was to raise some of this money, to represent user interests to various Government bodies, to answer queries, and to verify reception reports. The Consortium also negotiated with the Department of Transport and Communications and the Royal Australian Navy for extra frequencies for Radio VNG, since its old frequencies were in the wrong part of the radio frequency spectrum. As a result of protracted efforts over several years, Radio VNG transmits on five frequencies instead of the original three. Other contributions by the Consortium include provision of station identification announcements, the addition of a talking clock, and the purchase of the first 2,500 kHz transmitter and a new AWA digital announcing machine. The Present Situation As part of its responsibility of coordinating the national measurement system, the Commission took over the funding of Radio VNG from AUSLIG in November 1992 and on 12 January 1993 became the owner of the transmitting license. The Commission also administers the National Measurement Act of 1960 and the Regulations empowered under it. These Regulations define the units of measurement used for legal purposes in Australia, including the units of measurement for time. The Commission took over the recurrent funding of Radio VNG on a non- cost recovery basis in 1992 taking a large burden off Consortium volunteers, who have always done their work unpaid on their own time. The Commission now issues most of the QSLs, though the VNG Users Consortium also answers queries where appropriate. The Consortium still provides the voice announcements and represents user interests to the Commission through its National Time Committee. The most recent improvements to the Radio VNG time service were the addition of a talking clock that went to air on 15 January 1992, and a 1 kW 2,500 kHz transmission which began on 7 October 1992, to improve reception in the Sydney metropolitan region. Additional transmitters have also been acquired to provide backup to the existing system. A digital voice-announcing machine, with no moving parts replaced the less reliable tape cartridge machines in early 1994. Future Developments The provision of infrastructure services such as the Radio VNG standard frequency and time signal services are essential to support continued research, development and innovation in a technologically advanced society. An important part of the Commission's role is ensuring that these basic technological infrastructures are readily available to the community at a reasonable cost. Recently the National Time Committee has been considering the possibility of introducing a low frequency time signal service. This would facilitate the use of self-correcting time pieces in Australia. These devices regularly correct themselves to the national time and automatically make adjustments for daylight saving and leap seconds etc. Although it was announced that Radio VNG would close on 30 June 2002, the Commission decided to postpone its closure for six months to ensure that all users were given every opportunity to make alternative arrangements. The offer is subject to the following conditions: * The VNG Users Consortium provide a voice announcement for broadcast on Radio VNG from mid-July 2002, advising all users that the service will close on 31 December 2002. * The VNG Users Consortium inform its members in writing, before the end of July 2002 and again before the end of September 2002, that they will need to make their own future arrangements to receive time services from other sources after 31 December 2002. * It is clearly understood that the Commission is unable to provide any alternative to Radio VNG and the VNG Users Consortium needs to encourage users to develop means of obtaining the time information that they need from alternative sources. * In the event of a major breakdown in equipment, the Commission will not be able to guarantee the continuation of the service for the full six-month period. Therefore, it looks certain that the end of 2002 will relegate Radio VNG to the great scrap heap of shortwave radio signals. Technical Information The service employs STC double sideband, full carrier AM, high frequency broadcast transmitters. The 2,500 kHz service uses a STC 4SU55A/S transmitter while the 5,000 kHz, 8,638 kHz, 12,984 kHz and 16,000 kHz services employ STC 4SU48B transmitters. The transmitter frequencies, powers and transmission modes are 2,500 kHz at 1 kW, emission mode to be advised, 5,000 kHz at 10 kW, emission mode 6K00B9W, 8,638 kHz at 10 kW, emission mode 3K00A1A, 12,984 kHz at 10 kW, emission mode 3K00A1A, 16,000 kHz at 5 kW, emission mode 6K00B9W. The 8,638 kHz and 12,984 kHz frequencies are on loan from the Royal Australian Navy. Antennae consist of a 2,500 kHz monopole (vertical antenna), a 5,000 kHz Wells quadrant antenna, and 8,638 kHz delta-matched quadrant antenna with a single wire per arm for 8,638 kHz, 12,984 kHz and 16,000 kHz. The transmission schedule offers continuos service on 2,500 kHz, 5,000 kHz, 8,638 kHz and 12,984 kHz. The 16,000 kHz channel provides service from 0200 to 1000 UTC. A voice station identification announcement is provided on the 2,500 kHz, 5,000 kHz and 16,000 kHz services only using an AWA digital voice recorder. It is given during the 15th, 30th, 45th and 60th minutes without interruption to the time signal. The speech is "notched" to allow seconds markers to continue and has spectral components around 1,000 Hz removed to avoid erroneous operation of tuned relay time circuits. Morse station identification is provided on the 8,638 kHz and 12,984 kHz frequencies only. It is given during the 15th, 30th, 45th and 60th minutes without interruption to the time signals. VNG is transmitted in slow Morse at a frequency of approximately 400 Hz up to six times per minute. Broken identifications may occur at the beginning and end of the minute. Awards Consideration As many WDXC members know, the North American Shortwave Association (45 Wildflower Road, Levittown, PA 19057, USA) offers an extensive array of interesting awards for shortwave listeners to earn. The club's Awards Program, managed by Gary Neal (7410 Orchard Hills Lane, Sugar Land, TX 77479-6122, USA) is one of the most comprehensive in the hobby and is open to members and non-members. Currently, there are over fifty individual awards in five different categories available. Further information about awards is available online at the NASWA website http://www.anarc.org/naswa/ or by obtaining a hardcopy of the Country List and Awards Program booklet for US$3.00 direct Bill Bergadano, KA2EMZ ka2emz@cybercomm.net at the Company Store (P O Box 484, Colts Neck, NJ 07722, USA). NASWA offers two specialty awards for hobbyists that collect QSL verifications from time signal stations. The first is the Senior Time Station DXer for verification of at least 10 different Time Stations with at least one station broadcasting from each continent. The other is the Master Time Station DXer for verification of at least 20 different Time Stations with at least one station broadcasting from each continent. These awards are interesting to chase and challenging to obtain. When Radio VNG leaves the air on 31 December 2002, the ability to earn these awards will be severely diminished unless a replacement time signal station commences operation on the shortwave bands from Australia. Conclusion Radio VNG is Australia's standard frequency and time signal service. This service provides a signal that can be readily accessed with inexpensive shortwave equipment. Unfortunately, its days on the shortwave bands appear to be limited. Without further intervention on the part of its users, Radi VNG is scheduled to conclude shortwave broadcast operations on 31 December 2002. Historically, Radio VNG has been an excellent verifier of listener reception reports. All correspondence, including reception report and requests for QSL verifications should be addressed to: Radio VNG National Standards Commission P. O. Box 282, North Ryde, NSW 1670 Australia In the past, QSL verification cards and letters and information about the VNG Users Consortium has been available directly from the Consortium by writing to: Dr. Marion Leiba, Honorary Secretary VNG Users Consortium GPO Box 1090, Canberra, ACT 2601 Australia Dr. Leiba has been an enthusiastic Consortium volunteer since the user group was established in 1988. Naturally, reception reports should be sufficiently detailed to permit verification and should include return postage, preferably in the form of an International Reply Coupon (or US$1.00), which would be appreciated from other than VNG Users Consortium members. As always, remember to send in Radio VNG logs to Edwin Southwell for the Shortwave Logbook and those interesting and rare QSL verifications should be sent to Mark Hattam for inclusion in the QSL Report column. Since its days are numbered, you should try to catch this station on shortwave radio while you can! Good luck with this DX Target (Rich d`Angelo, Dec World DX Club Contact via Alan Roe, DXLD) ** AUSTRIA. Below is a letter am about to email radio Austria. I thought you all should have a preview. I urge equally everyone concern to seeing SW remaining what is it, to do some about not having Radio Austria off the radio. Dear Whom it may concern, Closing Radio Austria down! Firstly I thought It was dream, because the first guy that I believed mentioned the information on Glenn Hauser's DX listening digest was about to go to sleep. Then it continued like a rumour, here and there. Now it has been confirmed. What a tragedy. Well, I hate to be insultive, but I sincerely think that someone needs to have their head examined. Why for Christ sake would you take Radio Austria off air. It is a big mistake. Firstly as Dxer and a keen listener to radio Austria I think that this will simply break hearts. Come to think of it how now can we get news about Austria? Before you start pointing to the internet, let me inform you that not everyone has access to this technology. Here in Nigeria, and may be for rest of this continent news about Austria is a very rare thing, in the media. For us Radio austria represented our gateway to Austria, her people and their history and culture, the government and the whole European stuff. Regardless of whatever alternatives you are considering there is nothing like old fashion Shortwave Radio like we know it. It is easier, cheaper, readily accessible and and gives wider coverage. Please I hope that those concerned will reconsidered the decision, before it is too late Like Radio Finland. Thanks. Yours, (Emmanuel Ezeani, P. O. BOX 1633, SOKOTO, SOKOTO STATE 840001, NIGERIA, WEST AFRICA, via DXLD) ** BENIN. 7210, R. Dif. Du Benin (Presumed) 0615+ Songs in French, with slight interference, but generally good. Mentioned something about election and Cotonou. Receiver: PANASONIC RX - CT990, External antenna, with10 metres wire through my window. Yours (Emmanuel Ezeani, Sokoto, Nigeria, Dec 1, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** BRAZIL. Uma pesquisa no sítio da Agência Brasileira de Telecomunicações - Anatel, demonstra que existe apenas um canal de rádio, em ondas curtas, em implantação, no Brasil. O nome não é informado, mas aparece como sendo para o estado de Minas Gerais. Portanto, o futuro canal da Rádio 9 de Julho, de São Paulo(SP), ainda não tramita no órgão. BRASIL - De acordo com plano de metas do Ministério das Comunicações, publicado em seu sítio http://www.mc.gov.br existem dois canais de radiodifusão, para ondas tropicais, sendo implantados, no Brasil: um para o Estado do Amazonas e outro para o Estado de Rondônia. Os nomes das emissoras não são conhecidos. De acordo com o mesmo estudo, existem, no momento, 546 canais de rádios disponíveis para as ondas tropicais. No balanço final, o Brasil possui, atualmente, 76 emissoras emitindo sinais em ondas tropicais. BRASIL - Ainda conforme estudo do Ministério das Comunicações, existem 10 canais, em ondas curtas, disponíveis para utilização, no Brasil: 3 para a Bahia; 2 para o Ceará; 2 para o Distrito Federal; um para o Paraná; um para Santa Catarina e também um para o Estado de São Paulo. Atualmente, existem 62 canais de emissoras de rádio em ondas curtas no Brasil. São Paulo lidera, com 22. Em seguida, o Paraná e Rio Grande do Sul aparecem com 10. O Rio de Janeiro possui 6, enquanto que Minas Gerais tem 3. Já Goiás e Santa Catarina têm 3, cada um. O Amazonas possui 2 e, por fim, o Maranhão, Distrito Federal e Bahia possuem um canal, em ondas curtas. Se estes canais estão ativos, aí é outra estória ... BRASIL - Duas emissoras brasileiras transmitem na freqüência de 3375 kHz: a Rádio Educadora de Guajará-Mirim (RO) e a Nacional de São Gabriel da Cachoeira (AM). Com a mudança da Rádio Educação, de Tefé (AM), de 3385 para 4925 kHz, descongestionou um pouco o espectro. Conforme Paulo Roberto e Souza, de Tefé (AM), ainda é difícil a sintonia da Rádio Educadora, de Guajará-Mirim (RO), naquela região. A exceção foi em 26 de novembro. Ele ouviu a emissora, entre 0932 e 0938, com o programa Brasil Caboclo. Em seguida, às 0939, a Rádio Nacional iniciou suas emissões, com um programa evangélico, transmitido numa das línguas indígenas do Alto Rio Negro. Em conseqüência, o sinal da Educadora desapareceu. BRASIL - Nas madrugadas de domingo, a Rádio Nacional da Amazônia permanece no ar, em 6180 e 11780 kHz. Entre 0500 e 0700, vai ao ar o programa Forromania, apresentado por Eneias Oliveira. Além da boa música típica do Nordeste brasileiro, o destaque é o grande pique do apresentador, capaz de ler várias notícias e mandar recados aos ouvintes por diversos minutos seguidos, quase sem respirar (Célio Romais, @tividade DX Dec 1 via DXLD) ** BRAZIL. 9645.79, Radio Bandeirantes (presumed), São Paulo, Dec 2, 0844 end music, fast-paced morning program with cat meowing at each TC, ads galore, but not even a passing ID in 10 mins. Fair (Al Quaglieri, NY, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** CANADA. Caught Paul Harvey ending at 0729 UT Sun Dec 1 on CFRX, 6070. Not sure if TROTS or his Saturday noon playback, which would have started around 0715. Heavy co-channel from Voz Cristiana, Chile, periodically overtaking CFRX (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** CANADA. Aboriginal Voices radio, 106.5, is on the air in Toronto. DXer Wayne Plunkett was on the way to its studio to see what was up with a nearly two-year delay when he heard it. I have it on right now, yet to ID. Just after 2 pm Monday Dec 2. Funny, I was just updating my log. This will be tough from Burnt River, and should be easily nulled at my Snowball site. Will do interesting things to Buffalo NY WYRK, and likely will itself get hammered. Very strong here downtown. Native singing and drumming (Saul Chernos, Toronto ON, Dec 2, ODXA via DXLD) You can see their website at http://www.buffalotracks.com/avr/about.shtml They have an online form for submitting reception reports. 73 (Bob Chandler, VE3SRE, ibid.) They have big plans for a national network, starting here (gh, DXLD) CJMP is now 350 watts per recent approval (Saul Chernos, WTFDA via DXLD) Somebody just informed me that CJMP continues to be the call letters for 90.1 Powell River BC. So the Toronto 106.5 station must be something else (Bruce Elving, WTFDA via DXLD) ** CHINA. Hello all, China seems to have abandoned the long standing relays via Inner Mongolia on 4815, 4883. During the period 1200-1600 today these were on new 5915 and 5990. Only two or three days ago they were still active on their traditional frequencies. The new frequencies are listed by the HFCC, so the move must have been planned long ago. The Beijing outlets for the same transmissions in Russian and Mongolian have been changed from 5145 and 5850 to 6140 and 7160. These go off at 1357. A third Beijing outlet (different site) is on 7255. Since all these transmissions are using beams that in the extension go right into Europe, reception here is good to very good (Olle Alm, Sweden, 2 Dec, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** CHINA. This is the full email I received from CRI concerning monitors. Yours, Emmanuel Ezeani SOKOTO, NIGERIA From: "crieng" crieng@cri.com.cn To: "Emma Elo Ezeani" Subject: Re: monitor Date: Thu, 14 Nov 2002 15:37:06 +0800 Dear Mr. Ezeani, After carefully studying your application for monitoring CRI’s programs, we are considering to include you on our monitors’ list. But as you may know, the job is a volunteer one. You’re supposed to write us a reception report once every two weeks, if there is any unusual interference on our frequency, let us know as soon as possible. We’ll appreciate it if you can take an active part in activities held by CRI, such as knowledge contest, send us feedback in important events, help us to organize get-togethers among our listeners in the local if necessary. We’re expecting your reply in a week. If you accept the job, please include your full name and physical address in the next e-mail, so that we can prepare a monitor card for you. English Service CRI (via Ezeani, DXLD) ** COLOMBIA. 5958.18, CARACOL Villavicencio, 1124 Dec 1. Spanish talk by man with many mentions of Caracol, Bogotá and Colombia. Strong and in the clear. 1130 Caracol ID, then more news. 1140 fading fast, splatter increasingly strong (Dan Ziolkowski, WI, Cumbredx mailing list via DXLD) This one varies considerably ** COLOMBIA/CLANDESTINE. 6175.07, Voz de La Resistencia, 1 Dec 1032- 1100, probable sign-on with anthem and ID "Al aire C-R-B Cadena Radial ?Bolivariana? Voz de la Resistencia transmitiendo desde la cordillera de los Andes...de las Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de Colombia FARC, ejército del pueblo." Into talks and rock music. Good signal (Mark Mohrmann, VT, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Voz Res has not been reported on SW for quite some time, thought to be inactive; previously had been well above 6.2 MHz, out of band. WYFR is scheduled on 6175 until 1000; and then, per HFCC, RFI via French Guiana in Spanish until 1030. FARC would pick up a lot of listeners that way, by starting right after another Spanish broadcast on the same frequency. 6175 1000 1030 7S,8S,10,11,12N GUF 500 295 1234567 271002 020303 D Spanish F RFI TDF 1169 (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** COSTA RICA. RFPI again active on 15039 at the early hour of 1425 Mon Dec 2 when checked, with New Dimensions Radio (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** CUBA. 2540.00, Radio Reloj, Camagüey (harmonic 2 x 1270). 28 Nov 0321, Weak talk and "RR" CW ID (Mark Mohrmann, VT, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** CUBA. RHC on new 15570: see VENEZUELA [non] ** CUBA [non]. NEW BOOK REVEALS LINKS OF TWO PRESIDENTS AND THE GOVERNOR OF FLORIDA WITH EXILED HARDLINERS Duncan Campbell in Los Angeles, Monday December 2, 2002, The Guardian The brother of President George Bush, the Florida governor, Jeb Bush, has been instrumental in securing the release from prison of militant Cuban exiles convicted of terrorist offences, according to a new book. The Bush family has also accommodated the demands of Cuban exile hardliners in exchange for electoral and financial support, the book suggests. ... http://www.guardian.co.uk/usa/story/0,12271,851913,00.html (via Jay Novello, DXLD) ** CZECH REPUBLIC [non]. WRMI continues to relay R. Prague at unscheduled times: Mon Dec 2 at 1400 checked 15725, sign-on? and 1401 late joining Prague in English, which turned out to run about 16 seconds behind their own \\ 21745; 1430 pause, ID, and WRMI into classical music – also joined in progress. There was intermittent het QRM from a carrier about 15726 (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** ECUADOR. Shortly after the logging below, I remembered to check out HCJB`s little-publicized Spanish DX segment, Aventura DX. Yes, it is still running on 15140 Sundays in the 2230 half-hour program, this time, Dec 1, about 2239-2248. Allen Graham was interviewing an Ecuadorian ham whose call I didn`t catch, named Édison, along with another silent guest (they probably tape several segments at once), Alejandro. Mentioned something about 52 shows, so perhaps this was the first anniversary. Put some listener questions to Édison, and he talked about antennas for various ham bands; reference to Grupo DX del Ecuador, http://www.hcdx.net -- or so I thought, but nothing accessible there (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** ECUADOR [non]. Checked 12025 before and after 2200 UT Dec 1, and found Arabic at a level typical of Sackville, certainly not from UK as previously, so new HCJB relay tho I heard no sign of an ID around hourtop; scheduled 2100-2230. Re previous item saying this is for NAm rather than NAf --- it might as well be, the kind of signals Sackville bounces in here off the back – might even be better at one hop backwards than multihops forwards. Wrapping up at 2229, still speaking Arabic, but giving address in Málaga, Spain, in French! Is this standard practice in Arabic evangelism? But what business does a Canadian public corporation have propagating one particular brand of Christianity to a predominantly Moslem area? That may be why RCI has tried to keep such deals under wraps. Oh oh, before transmitter cut off at 2229+, a fragment of RCI IS and ID (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** EL SALVADOR. 17835.24, R. Imperial, 2159-2210 Dec 2, finally got some clear, readable audio out of this, with mentions of "El Salvador" and "Radio Imperial" at 2201, into some sort of hymn-like brass music and occasional bits of Spanish talk. Best in USB to avoid BBC on 17830. Most of the time audio was nonexistent or just at threshold level; carrier had at least fair strength all the time, so it must be low modulation. Guess I experienced the inverse of Murphy's (DX) Law regarding fades during ID time! New country for me, actually, as I never managed to log El Salvador back in the 60s and early 70s when YSS etc. were still on shortwave. Not really enough for a report (and I didn't have the damn cassette deck on in time to catch the ID!), but definitely something to keep trying for! (Randy Stewart, Battlefield (Springfield) MO, Yaesu FRG-100B; indoor wire Stewart Dec. 2, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** EQUATORIAL GUINEA [non]. I need your expert opinion on a DX question. I picked up Radio Africa International on 15265, 13 October 2002 at 1840-1900Z in English. I heard a definite ID, but no local address. One of the NASWA publications says that frequency/time is Equatorial Guinea in EG. The address listed in Passport has offices in California USA with a transmitter in Africa, the address mentioned in broadcast was NYC. I have heard both that it is really R. Africa International transmitting from Africa, and that the signal was from Moosebrun [sic], Austria with HQ in NYC and no tie to EQ Guinea. Any ideas? 73 Joe Wood, TN, member 2376, World DX Club, Contact, Dec, via Alan Roe, DXLD) !! Now we have a three-way confusion, all caused by stations, programmers who don`t look into, or don`t care, who may already be using the same name. Equatorial Guinea transmitter on 15185v does use R. Africa (but not International?) name for US religion brokered by Panamerican Broadcasting, Cupertino CA, but that has nothing to do with the 15265 emission, which was the Methodist RAI out of New York via Germany. Neither of these have any connexion, except for the unfortunate communality of nomenclature, with the R. Afrika International, Vienna, via Moosbrunn at different times on different frequencies as recently published here. I am astounded that NASWA would list 15265 as Equatorial Guinea. What publication? (Glenn Hauser, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** FINLAND. Radio Finlandia ha dejado de emitir en idioma inglés, y sólo transmite al exterior en idioma Finés, Sueco y Ruso. El siguiente es su nuevo esquema con destino a las Américas, vigente del 27/10/02 al 12/01/03: HORA UTC IDIOMA KHZ 0200-0250 Fines 9755*, 12035* 0250-0300 Sueco 9755*, 12035* 0530-0600 Fines 9715 1200-1250 Fines 21800* 1250-1300 Sueco 21800* 1300-1330 Fines 15400, 17660 (Lun a Vie) 1300-1345 Fines 15400, 17660 (Dom) 1300-1400 Fines 15400, 17660 (Sab) 1345-1400 Sueco 15400, 17660 (Dom) 1630-1700 Fines 15400 1800-1900 Fines 15400 (Sab y Dom) 2000-2100 Fines 9805 (Vie) Nota: (*) Frecuencia con destino a Sudamérica. QTH: YLE, Radio Finland, Box 78, FIN 00024 Yleisradio, Finlandia. E mail: rfinland@y... [truncated] Web: http://www.yle.fi/rfinland (Marcelo A. Cornachioni, Argentina, Conexión Digital Nov 30 via DXLD) ** GEORGIA. Radio Georgia noted here regularly in English 0630-0700 on 11805, 0830-0900 and 0930-1000 on 11910. They seem to have done some work on the transmitter as modulation and signal strength is much improved though audio still slightly distorted (Mike Barraclough, Letchworth, UK, Dec World DX Club Contact via DXLD) ** GERMANY. DW`s easily overlooked monthly DX program in English was caught here UT Sun 0235-0245 via webcast on the Asian service. In their usual highly-jargonized style, the two ex-RBI hams started with examples of long-path echoes indicating superb worldwide propagation, e.g. on DW Nauen 25740. This is on the last Saturday of each month, Asian service only, with a couple of earlier airings that day. Next: Dec 28-29. Those frequently consulting our MONITORING REMINDERS calendar would not have missed it (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** GERMANY [non]. Relaying an e-mail from Radio Rasant, Germany: Dear RADIO RASANT listeners, there will be a new broadcast of RADIO RASANT, the students' radio of the Städtsiche Realschule Sundern, Germany, and Junior- Ambassador of the German UNICEF 2002, at the coming weekend. The topic of this issue ia an economic topic: The EURO currency. The review again lightens the introduction of our new currency and reminds us of the problems we had. What are the advantages we have with this new currency? Advantages to ourselves, to the members of the other EURO- countries and finally the advantage to people of Non- EURO- countries? This transmission will be broadcasted on coming weekend on 7th and 8th December 2002 via IRRS Milano on 13840 kHz from 8.30 h to 9.30 h UTC. Finally we are interested in Your experiences with the EURO. Please tell us about your experiences you have had with this new currency and mail them to info@radiorasant.org ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Since last week RADIO RASANT is member of the Network Youth Radio Northrhine-Westfalia which will be created throughout the coming weeks by the Landesarbeitsgemeinschaft Lokale Medienarbeit NRW and sponsored by the Ministry of Youth, Familie and Health Northrhine- Westfalia. 460 regular broadcasting radio groups and about 300 project radio groups are now able to exchange their experiences and present themselves into the internet. This page will be finalized throughout the coming weeks at http://www.jugendradio-nrw.de That's the end of this letter now. Good luck and take care (RADIO RASANT, via Michiel Schaay, Dec 2, Cumbre DX via DXLD) ** GREECE [and non]. Hello to everyone out there in the E-NET, I wanted to know if the Voice of Greece still broadcasts an English news to Australia, so I e-mailed them and received a reply stating that ERA-5 (The Voice of Greece) broadcasts English news to Australia from 0700 to 0730 on 11900 [Delano], 17520 and 21530. Having a listen this evening at 0700 (UT) revealed the Voice of Greece very poorly on 11900 and 17520 and fair on 21530 but the program was only in Greek with Greek songs and music, no news bulletin and especially not in English. Can anyone please shed any light on the subject, maybe they only broadcast English on certain days and neglected to inform me in their e-mail. Thanks and best wishes, (Michael Stevenson, Port Macquarie, N.S.W., Australia, Dec 2, EDXP via DXLD) Michael, I believe the English was dropped about a year ago from the Greek broadcasts to Australia. The English segment used to be about 40 minutes past the hour, and was read by totally bored announcers who obviously believed no-one, but no-one was listening. There seemed to be little effort put into it, so I don't think you have been missing anything (Paul Robinson, Boronia, Melbourne, Australia, ibid.) Michael, I sat on 15630 for a couple of weeks in October and eventually got English between 0930 and 0950 on Saturday and Sunday. Received a QSL for it in 19 days (Wayne Bastow, Gosford, Australia, ibid.) Don`t forget the weekly hours in English, Sat 1700 and Sun 1900, tho not conveniently timed nor aimed at Au, direct, and via Delano 17705 (gh, DXLD) ** INDONESIA. 4789.11, RRI FakFak (Presumed), 0940 Nov 24. Asian music and talk in Indonesian. Fair. 4874.57, RRI Sorong, 0845 Nov 23. Local Indonesian music. 0848 Local ID. Fair signal but bad audio (Nobuo Takeno, JAPAN, Jembatan DX via DXLD) ** IRAN [non]. R. Farda: we are filing stories about this under USA because like R. Sawa, it is essentially a US external service, not a surrogate home service/clandestine, tho some may disagree (gh, DXLD) ** IRAN/IRAQ/KURDISTAN [and nons]. IRAQ/IRAN: SURVEY OF KURDISH AND IRAQ-IRAN OPPOSITION RADIOS The following broadcasts were observed during a monitoring survey on 20 and 25 November (all times in GMT, frequencies in kHz): BROADCASTS TARGETED TO IRAQ Voice of the People of Kurdistan (radio of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan, PUK, based in Al-Sulaymaniyah, northern Iraq): 1400 (Fade-in)-1800 programmes in Kurdish 1800-2000 Programmes in Arabic 2000-2100 programmes in Kurdish. Frequencies: 1206, 4025 and 4400 kHz Voice of Iraqi Kurdistan (radio of the Kurdistan Democratic Party, KDP, based in Salah-al-Din, northern Iraq): 1400 (fade-in) to 1930 in Kurdish 1930-2030 in Arabic 2030-2100 in Kurdish Frequency: 4085 kHz. Voice of Kurdistan Toilers: 1430-1600 in Kurdish 1600-1700 in Arabic. Frequency: 4245 kHz. The radio announces that programmes begin at 1430 and are repeated at 0300 the next day. This radio station identifies the weekly Sorani Kurdish newspaper, Alay Azadi, based in Al-Sulaymaniyah, northern Iraq, as the organ of the Iraqi Kurdistan Toilers Party. Kurdistan Radio, Voice of the Kurdistan Socialist Democratic Party: 1500-1630 in Kurdish 1630-1700 in Arabic Frequencies: 4140 kHz. (fair/poor) Radio Freedom (Radio Azadi): 1600-1700 in Kurdish Frequency: 3900 kHz. This radio is associated with Voice of the Iraqi People, Voice of the Iraqi Communist Party, which broadcasts in Arabic at 1730-1900 GMT on 3900 kHz. Voice of the Iraqi People, Voice of the Iraqi Communist Party: 1730-1900 in Arabic Frequencies: 3900 and 5900 kHz. Announcement says programmes are broadcast 1730 and 0400 the next day on 49 and 75 metres. This radio is associated with the Kurdish- language Radio Freedom (Kurdish: radio Azadi), the Kurdistan Communist Party Radio. Radio Freedom programmes in Kurdish are broadcast on 3900 kHz 1600-1700 gmt. Voice of the Iraqi People, Republic of Iraq Radio (believed to broadcast from Saudi Arabia): 1500-2300 in Arabic Frequencies: 1053, 9563, 9570 and 11710. (Also heard on 4785 kHz, believed to be a sub-harmonic from the 9570 kHz transmitter.) BROADCASTS TARGETED TO IRAN Voice of Iranian Kordestan: 1430-1600 in Kurdish 1600-1630 in Persian Frequency: 3975 kHz Voice of the Iranian Revolution: 1530-1630 in Kurdish: Frequencies: 3880 and 4380 kHz Voice of the Iranian Communist Party: 1730-1830 in Persian: Frequencies: 3880 and 4380 kHz Radio Komala: 1700-1800 in Kurdish and 1800-1830 in Persian Frequencies: 3930/3927 and 4610 kHz Voice of the Strugglers of Iranian Kordestan: 1700-1800 in Kurdish Frequency: 4260 kHz Voice of Mojahed, radio of the Iraq-based Iranian opposition Mojahedin-e Khalq Organization (MKO): 1500-1930 (approximately) in Persian Frequencies: 5360, 5630, 6750, 6990, 7020, 8240, 8300, 8600, 8950, 10450 and 13450 kHz. All these frequencies vary constantly to avoid jamming; the radio is heard briefly on each frequency. Similar jamming is also heard on other frequencies. Some of the morning repeat broadcasts of the above radio stations have not been confirmed. The following radios were not heard during this survey: 1. Voice of the Kurdistan Conservative Party. 2. Harim radio, Voice of the Regional Government of Iraqi Kurdistan. 3. Radio of Jihad, Voice of the Iraqi Islamic Movement, which broadcasts in the name of the Islamic al-Da'wah Party, associated with the Supreme Council of the Islamic Revolution in Iraq, SCIRI, led by Muhammad Baqir al-Hakim. 4. Voice of Islam, Voice of the Islamic Movement in Iraqi Kurdistan. Source: (Dave Kenny, Monitoring research 20-25 Nov 02, BBCM via DXLD) ** IRAQ. 11785.2, 1630-1715* 28-11 Rep. of Iraq R, Baghdad, Arabic, talks and Arab songs, 1702 mentioned Baghdad, poor modulation 32332. At about 1650 the transmitter was off for 45 seconds and the cause for the low heterodyne was heard: BSKSA Holy Qur`an // 13710 on 11785.0. That station signed off at 1700*, but their open carrier continued till past 1940! (Anker Petersen, Denmark, @tividade DX Dec 1 via DXLD) ** ISLE OF MAN. BUSINESS AS USUAL FOR MANX RADIO (BRITISH ISLES' FIRST COMMERCIAL STATION) From http://www.manxradio.com/ (also reported by Media Network today) Business as usual - for the moment, is the message from the non- executive Chairman of Manx Radio. Charles Fargher was speaking after a board meeting at the station, which comes a week after the strategy report on Manx Radio was dropped from last month's Tynwald, and two weeks ahead of the next sitting of the court, when it is likely to be discussed. There had been concerns that the station might have to reduce services if its future funding was not assured. But Mr Fargher says everything will be done to ensure the output is unchanged while the Island's parliament considers what its response to the report will be: The strategy report outlines some of the options available for the station's funding, including increasing the amount of Government support to £800,000 per year. An amendment has been tabled by Speaker of the House of Keys, Tony Brown, saying Tynwald should accept the recommendations, and establish a statutory charter for Manx Radio to officially become the national broadcaster. Notes: Manx Radio has a history which makes it unique in broadcasting within the British Isles. It first went on air in June 1964, long before commercial radio became part of everyday life in Britain. This was made possible because the Isle of Man has internal self-government: it is a Crown Dependency and is not part of the United Kingdom. But Manx Radio did need a licence from the UK authorities and this was eventually agreed to with reluctance, suspicion and not a little alarm. Remember these were the heady days of pirate radio ships anchored just outside the three mile limit! When the station went on air it was on FM only, 89.0 MHz in stereo. The programmes came from a caravan parked on a hilltop in Onchan, near to the capital Douglas. The single cramped studio was linked to the transmitting mast which was just outside the door. Being situated on a headland and exposed to high winds the station was prone in those days to needles skidding off records and the occasional bout of staff sickness from the rocking motion! In October 1964 the station gained its first medium wave/AM channel: 188 metres. And the first commercial was broadcast, for a Douglas jeweller's shop. 1965 saw the caravan abandoned for studios on the Douglas seafront. A second medium wave/AM channel was allocated -232 metres (1295 kHz) - but this was limited to daylight hours only. Then in October 1969 the radio station moved to Broadcasting House, a former Royal Navy radar training establishment built during the Second World War on top of Douglas Head. The station added a second FM channel, 91.2 MHz to cover parts of Douglas not reached by 89.0 MHz, now transmitting from Snaefell Mountain. A general realignment of radio frequencies throughout Europe in November 1979 led to both 188 & 232 metres being replaced with 219 metres/1368 kHz. Shortly after, a new FM service was opened on 97.3 MHz to provide improved stereo coverage for many parts of the Island from Richmond Hill, later realigned to 97.2 and transferred to Carnane. Finally a Northern transmitter was added on 103.7 MHz to extend full FM stereo coverage across the whole of the very hilly Isle of Man. (more on the web site...) (via Mike Terry, DXLD) ** ISRAEL. I received an e-mail QSL from Kol Israel on 23 June 2002 at 1900. Veri signer was Raphael Kochanowski, Kol Israel External Service, P O Box 1082, 91010 Jerusalem, Israel. E-mail address was raphaelk@iba.org.il (Robert Thompson, swl via DXLD) Is this something unique to you or are they doing this for listeners as a promotion? The Voice of Israel has been sending out the E-Mail verifications since the Summer of 2001. I received one in reply to a written and air mailed report. I e-mailed them and requested one in print and they did comply (Duane B. Fischer, ibid.) This raises several questions: How did he `sign` the E-mail QSL? Why couldn`t Duane print it out himself? And why are printed documents so important to Duane, who is blind? (Glenn Hauser, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** KASHMIR. Friends, Radio Kashmir, Srinagar has slightly modified the timings of their special Ramzan broadcast. It is now at 2345-0030 (ex 2330-0015) on 1116 and 4950. These special broadcasts will end on 6th December 2002 (Jose Jacob, VU2JOS, Dec 1, dx_india via DXLD) ** KASHMIR [non]. PAKISTAN, 5102, Voice of Freedom of Jammu Kashmir, 1401 Dec 2, political commentary in English, 1410 talks in local language interspersed with local music, off after short piece of Muslim music 1430. Buzzy carrier and English talk was difficult to follow due to muffled audio, better audio on the rest of the transmission. Fair signal fading up on clear channel (Mike Barraclough, UK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** KOREA NORTH. 3025.5, Frontline Soldiers R., escuchada el pasado 16 de noviembre a las 1550 con un programa en el cual se interpretaba un drama. Buena recepción (Juichi Yamada, Japón, en Jembatan DX 143 via Conexión Digital Nov 30 via DXLD) ** KYRGYZSTAN. Listening this morning, I heard 4050 go on with carrier at about 0210 and music just after 0230. The signal faded gradually i pace with 4010. Both frequencies are slightly off nominal and both transmitters seem to produce a weak second harmonic (2x fundamental). The likelyhood that 4050 is the old Bishkek 2nd programme transmitter is indeed very high (Olle Alm, Sweden, 2 Dec, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** LATVIA. Laser Radio starts Dec. 22: see UK [non] ** LIBYA. Voice of Africa heard on 15435 30th November with 3 minutes of news headlines in English followed by the same in French at 1820- 1826 and 1920-1926 (Mike Barraclough, England, Dec World DX Club Contact via DXLD) ** MALI. 5995, RTV Malienne, good and in clear at 0746 tune-in Dec 2 with M in vernacular, fights Brasil 5990 *0751, 0800 s/off package including 10-tone IS, W ID "Vous écoutez Radiodiffusion Télévision Malienne, émettant de Bamako," frequency, sked info, off 0802*; noted past 0827 on 7284.37 (Al Quaglieri, NY, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** MALTA [non]. V. of the Mediterranean: Anfang nächsten Jahres will die Station, die Malta in sieben Sprachen bekanntmacht und dafür 2002 beim ersten Malta-Tourismus-Preis auch belobigt wurde, in neue Räumlichkeiten umziehen (Dr. Hj. Biener, Deutschland, 19.11.2002, NTT Aktuell via DXLD) ** MAURITANIA. When I am up late I often listen to the Qur`an, and not much else, on 4845, 0600 onwards. But Sun Dec 1 it stopped without any particular announcement at 0702, open carrier to 0711:45* This used to stay on, and stay audible, way past 0800; perhaps still so but on weekdays. No, UT Mon was also off by 0700 (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** NIGERIA. Radio Nigeria - Enugu 6025 kHz, I have tried these station for the last few days on the frequency, both morning and night without any reception. And I think my previous report of 4775 kHz was not Radio Nigeria, Enugu? I must have written the wrong data. Give me another week to cross check. Sorry for any inconveniences (Emma Elo Ezeani, Sokoto, Nigeria, Dec 1, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** OMAN. recently I received an email confirming my report to Radio Sultanate of Oman. It was sent to Salim Al-Nomani" abulukman@hotmail.com It reads "dear sir, Thank you very much for listening to our Radio, and I confirm our transmission to your area on freq 15355 kHz and I will send you a QSL card soon. Bye Salim" I will inform you again when the QSL arrives (Emma[nuel] Elo Ezeani, Sokoto, Nigeria, Dec 1, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** PERU. 6797.5, R. Ondas Rio Mayo, 2320 Nov 30, Fair to good signal strength, but UTE QRM. Audible either with narrow receiver bandwidth or in USB mode. Peruvian folk music with Spanish speaking male announcer who took an on air phone call from a woman. ID mentioned by the DJ at 2326 (David Hodgson, TN, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Meanwhile, at almost the same time in a country far away... 6797.87, Radio Ondas del Rio Mayo, Nueva Cajamarca, 2312+, November 30. Andean tropical music. Announcement by male. 33433 (SLAEN, Arnaldo, Buenos Aires, Argentine, Receivers: Icom ICR75, Icom ICR2, Sony ICF2010, Lafayette BCR-101, Realistic DX 160, SuperadioGeneral Electric, Hiscan Sony Pro80. Antenna: T2 FD, Cumbredx mailing list via DXLD) ** PERU. 4389, Radio Imperio, Chiclayo, Lambayeque, 0028 0050, Nov 27, Spanish, Musical Program (huaynos), IDs "presentando su música --- Radio Imperio", "Radio Imperio para toda la provincia...", 24232, (Nicolás Eramo, Villa Lynch, Prov. Buenos Aires, Argentina, Receivers: ICOM IC R-75, Kenwood R-2000, SONY ICF 2010; Antennas: T2FD, V Inverted 15 mts, V Inverted 12 mts, V Inverted 20mtsMFJ 959B Receiver Antenna Tuner/Preamplifier, DX LISTENING DIGEST) 4388.90, Radio Imperio, Chiclayo, 0005+, Diciembre 1. Música tropical andina. 23432 (Arnaldo Slaen, Argentina, Noticias DX via DXLD) ** QATAR. AL JAZEERA BREAKING THE MOLD IN ARAB TV BY STEPHEN FRANKLIN, Chicago Tribune Posted on Mon, Dec. 02, 2002 DOHA, Qatar - KRT NEWSFEATURES (KRT) - Hassan Shweiki's head swims as air time nears for "The Harvest," a television news show viewed nightly by 65 million in the Arab world. Shweiki, a senior news producer for Al Jazeera, has not yet decided what is the top news for the evening. But he can shift gears in a second. That is what happened the night last year that the U.S. launched its war in Afghanistan. As viewers saw pictures of U.S. bombs hitting Kabul, he was told that the station had an urgent message from Osama bin Laden. After briefly viewing it, he decided it was OK to broadcast, and Al Jazeera promptly scooped the world with the videotape of bin Laden denouncing the United States. He and his colleagues, a mix of staff from around the Arab world, also have learned that their 6-year-old around-the-clock offering of news and talk has become Public Enemy No. 1 in some Arab countries, where its reporters have been arrested and its offices closed. Some Arab governments, furious over Al Jazeera news reports, have also blamed the Qatari government and ordered their diplomats home. Though Qatari officials privately fret about a nerve-racking flood of complaints from Arab leaders, Al Jazeera goes on operating as the Arab world's loudspeaker, saying things never heard before by Arab audiences. It has broadcast allegations about government corruption and Islamic views on sex techniques and presented interviews with people never seen on Arab stations, such as Israeli leaders or Arab opposition leaders in exile. "The Arabs say we are a CIA operation. They also say we are a Mossad (Israeli intelligence) channel. The Americans say we are a bin Laden tool. And the Kuwaitis say we are Saddam's spokesmen," said Mohamed Jasem Al Ali, the station's managing editor and a veteran of more traditional Arab broadcasting efforts. Yet despite the pressure and Arab leaders' calls for commercial boycotts, Al Jazeera broke even financially for the first time last year and plans to launch an English-language version next year, according to Al Ali. With at least three Arabic 24-hour news and talk channels expected to open in the coming year, Al Ali said the station is under pressure to remain the leader. For the time being, it gets by on a $30 million annual budget, enough to field 27 bureaus around the world. But it operates out of a cramped one-story building. Whether the station is an accident of history, or a natural development for the Arab world is a matter of debate. In the 1990s, the BBC launched an Arabic station, financed by the Saudis. But Saudi complaints about what they considered controversial content led to the station's demise within 20 months. Qatar's ruler, Sheik Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani, eager to present a progressive vision of his tiny nation rich in oil and natural gas, invited most of the BBC staff and opened Al Jazeera with government funding in 1996. Ever since, it has broken the mold of Arab television, which traditionally has been a boring mouthpiece for Arab leaders. Watching Arab leaders meet other Arab leaders in their palaces is still nightly fare for a number of stations. "The idea is to tell the Arab world that there are problems. Before, there was no debate. Everything was taboo," said Al Ali, adding that Qatari officials do not tell him what to do. "If the government tried to put its stamp on certain news stories, we would lose our credibility and our viewers." Still, critics say Al Jazeera puts its own spin on the news. Saudi officials, who have banned it from operating there, say the station plays up "scandals." In reply, Al Jazeera officials say they are simply trying to get both sides of the news, but when the Saudis shut them out, they have to rely on Saudi dissidents in exile. The Israelis have complained about the station's alleged pro-Palestinian bias, and reporters calling Palestinian fighters "martyrs." The word is, indeed, used, says Shweiki, adding its usage is "weighed heavily every time." At the same time, he noted that some Arab viewers have protested Al Jazeera's interviews with Israeli leaders, among them peace activists, and stories that included details on Israeli casualties. Al Jazeera's legacy, according to Douglas Boyd, a communications expert at the University of Kentucky familiar with the Arab world, is that it has provided "an alternative source of electronic information in an area where - with the exception of a few stations in Lebanon - radio and television news is directly or indirectly controlled by governments." Boyd notes that other Arab stations have "made some format and functional changes to appear more modern and up-to-date, and more Al Jazeera-like." Still, he says, few are brave enough to air programs where criticism is aimed at everything from the PLO to Islamic fundamentalism. --- © 2002, Chicago Tribune (via Mike Cooper, DXLD) ** ROMANIA. Glenn, Received the following printed sked in the postal mail today, Monday December 2, 2002. R. Romania Int Winter 2002 - 2003 English on the "Open Radio" service. Email address engl@rri.ro 02-03 UT 9550, 11830 both to North America; 9625, 11740 both to Japan; 11940, 15370 both to New Zealand. 04-05 UT 9550, 11830 both to North America; 15335, 17735 both to India. 06-07 UT 9530, 11830 both to NW America 0636 - 0656 UT 9510, 9570, 9625, 11790, 11940 all to Western Europe 07-08 UT 17720, 21480 both to N-E Africa 14-15 UT 15365, 17790 both to Western Europe 17-18 UT 9690, 11940 both to Western Europe; 7155, 9625 both to Northern Europe 21-22 UT 7105, 9690 both to Western Europe; 5955, 7215 both to Northern Europe 23-00 UT 7195, 9570 both to Western Europe; 9510, 11940 both to North America (-.. . Kraig Krist, KG4LAC, Dec 2, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** ROMANIA. RADIO ROMANIA COMPETITION Here is a cut, copy, paste (I'd hate to have you think I'm typing these all out !) of Radio Romania International's winter's competition. The deadline for this one is the end of December, so it would be timely to have it in the next magazine. Nice grand prize don't you agree? I'll certainly be entering. RRI had a competition "Down the Arges" with a similar grand prize also this year, so it seems to be a workable idea for them. I hope they can keep it up, I've told them I would be passing the competition details onto Contact Magazine for the editors consideration. I know they would be pleased to hear it was being given publicity in the DX world. So I leave it in your hands. In 2002 - the International Year of Eco-tourism, Radio Romania International invites you to participate in a new prize-winning contest entitled "The Danube Delta - A European Sanctuary of Nature". As usual you will have to send us written answers to several questions. Tune in to the programs broadcast by RRI, give correct answers and you have all the chances to be a winner. The questions will be broadcast in our programs on a regular basis. The competition will stay open by December 31st, 2002, the date of the postmark, and will offer many enticing prizes, granted by the Tulcea County Council, the Administration of the Danube Delta Biosphere Reserve and the Bucharest-based Finesse Travel & Explore and EuroDelta Travel firms. The grand prize consists in a 10-day trip to the Danube Delta for two people, in the summer of 2003 (expenses for visa to Romania and transportation outside Romania are not covered). During an initial 3- day stay at Hotel Teo in Mahmudia, the grand prize winner will get to know the tourist attractions of county Tulcea, and during the further 7 day-stay at Hotel Cormoran in Uzlina, the winner may admire the scenic routes of the Danube Delta. Here are the questions: 1. What are the names of the three arms of the Danube, that have formed the Delta ? 2. What is the name of the easternmost city of Romania, located in the Danube Delta? 3. Name three of the tourist attractions of Tulcea county and the Danube Delta. Please share with us the reasons why you have decided to participate in this new competition launched by RRI and mention the sources you have consulted (atlases, books, the Internet) in order to answer the questions. We'll be waiting for your answers by December 31st, 2002, the date of the post. The winners will be announced in February 2003. Good luck. All the best, (via Jonathan Murphy, member 2414, via Paul Youngs, Dec World DX Club Contact via Alan Roe, DXLD) ** RUSSIA. Voice of Russia Competition THE BATTLE OF STALINGRAD: 60 YEARS LATER February 2, 2003, marks 60 years since heroic Red Army troops completed their routing of invading Nazi armies near Stalingrad in a momentous battle that turned the tide of the Second World War. The Voice of Russia is holding a quiz to commemorate that event. With our world awash with crime, war and terrorism in all forms, your answers on Stalingrad are certain to contribute to international efforts to combat these evils. Here are the questions: 1. What was the wartime name of the Russian city that is now Volgograd? 2. What is the name of the main Volgograd memorial to the battle of Stalingrad? 3. What is the name of the great Russian river that flows past Volgograd? 4. What's special about the so-called 'Pavlov House' in Volgograd ? 5. What is the name of the Soviet military leader who led this country's side in the battle of Stalingrad? 6. What was the role of the battle of Stalingrad in the overall course of the Second World War? 7. Does the history of the Second World War suggest similarity between Fascism and Nazism, on one side, and modern international terrorism on the other? 8. Do you believe the human race can prevent new world wars from breaking out? What do you think can guarantee security to nations ? 9. King George the Sixth of Britain and President Franklin Delano Roosevelt of the United States presented symbolic awards to the defenders of Stalingrad. What were these awards? You are welcome to supplement your answers with stories and pictures. The winners will receive prizes from a Panel of Judges under Volgograd Mayor Yuri Tchekhov [sic]. The most interesting entries will be posted on our website. We'll also publish them in a special booklet and quote from them on the air. All participants will be awarded memorial diplomas. Your answers should be mailed before May 9, 2003. The winners will be announced on the air and on the Internet on June 20, 2003. Send your letters marked "Stalingrad" to us at: Voice of Russia World Service, Moscow, Russia, or E-mail them to us at: letters@vor.ru We look forward to hearing from you. Good luck! (via Jonathan Murply via Paul Youngs, Dec World DX Club Contact via Alan Roe, DXLD) ** RUSSIA. HISTORIC SOUND STUDIOS GET A REVIVAL By Andrei Zolotov Jr., Staff Writer If the dark wooden walls of Moscow's once-famous sound studios could talk, they would sing with the sounds of Soviet culture, from its unsurpassed classical music to its most propagandistic Communist songs. It was in the studios at 24 Ulitsa Kachalova, as Malaya Nikitskaya was known in Soviet times, that operas, symphonies and radio plays were recorded and broadcast around the world. In these acoustically perfect studios, the biggest in Europe, one of the fathers of the Soviet school of conducting, Alexander Gauk, led the Grand Symphony Orchestra of All-Union Radio in the 1950s. Later, his students Alexander Melik-Pashayev and Yevgeny Svetlanov conducted exemplary recordings of Mussorgsky, Tchaikovsky and Prokofiev, while Gosteleradio's several choirs and soloists had to fill a 30 percent quota for Soviet music with hymns to Lenin, the Communist Party and the Motherland.... http://www.themoscowtimes.com/stories/2002/11/29/003.html (Moscow Times Nov 29 via Fred Waterer, DXLD) ** RUSSIA. Yakutsk again confirmed on 6150 and 7140 this morning, and still nothing on 4825. Could it be that 4825 moved up to 6150? (Olle Alm, Sweden, 2 Dec, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** SOUTH AFRICA. Südafrika: Die Frequenzverhandlungen für den Sommer 2003 sollen vom 3. bis 7.2.2003 in Sandton bei Johannesburg stattfinden. Es ist nach 1998 (Tunesien) das zweite Mal, dass die Tagung auf dem afrikanischen Kontinent stattfindet. Bei der letzten großen Frequenztagung in Bangkok waren im August 2002 erstmals Frequenzangaben von High Frequency Coordinating Committee, Arab States Broadcasting Union und Asia-Pacific Broadcasting Union gemeinsam verhandelt worden (NASB NL, Nov 2002 via Dr. Hansjoerg Biener, NTT Aktuell via DXLD) Lotsa nice junkets ** SOUTH CAROLINA [non]. Tuning around at 0727 UT Sun Dec 1, found Brother Stair holding forth on 7415. No ID heard, but I must assume he is back on WBCQ, from which he quietly disappeared during his incarceration last summer (tho his broadcasts on other stations continued unabated). Strangely enough, the WBCQ schedule still posted at http://www.complexvariablesstudio.com/wbcqus_004.htm shows Radio Timtron Worldwide at the end of the `Saturday` schedule: RTTWW - rebroadcast 7.415 MHz 01:30am - 02:30am EST - 06:30 - 07:30 UT And B.S. also came on immediately after WOR UT Mon 0615. BTW, has anyone heard anything further about the Brother Stair case; are charges and/or a trial still pending? Our main informant about that has not been heard from for some weeks (Glenn Hauser, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** SPAIN. Glenn, Received the following printed sked in the postal mail today, Monday December 2, 2002. Spanish Foreign R. English sked covering October 28, 2002 thru March 29, 2003. Email address ree.rne@rtve.es 00-01 UT 6055 to America 20-21 UT 9595 Mon-Fri to Africa 21-22 UT 9595 Sat-Sun to Africa 20-21 UT 9680 Mon-Fri to Europe 22-23 UT 9680 Sat-Sun to Europe 73, (-.. . Kraig Krist, KG4LAC, Dec 2, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** SPAIN. ESPANHA - A Zarzuela é um gênero musical tipicamente espanhol. A Rádio Exterior de Espanha apresenta, aos sábados, La Zarzuela, com apresentação de Wenceslao Pérez. Bom momento para relaxar, às 1330, em 21570 e 21700 kHz. E-mail para contato: ree.rne@r... [truncated] (Célio Romais, @tividade DX Dec 1 via DXLD) ** TUNISIA. B-02 schedule for RTTunisia in Arabic: 0200-0400 9720 12005 1400-1700 11730 11950 15450 17735 0400-0500 7190 7275 9720 12005 1700-1900 7225 9720 11950 12005 0500-0700 7190 7275 1900-2100 7190 7225 9720 12005 1200-1400 15450 17735 2100-2300 7190 7225 (Ivo and Angel! Observer, Bulgaria, Dec 2 via DXLD) ** U K [non]. From http://laserradio.net/ Laser Radio will launch its regular service on Sunday December 22nd. We will be broadcasting every Sunday on our usual frequency of 5935 kHz from 1700 until 2300 UT. The LaserRadio.net shortwave broadcasts are fully authorised and originate from a 100,000 watt transmitter located at Ulbroka in the Republic of Latvia (picture on the web site). Our most distant reception reports to-date have come from the USA, Brazil, Indonesia and Japan. The primary content of our shortwave 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. Our regular Sunday service will also be available via live365, if you can't hear music already, then just click the 'on-air' button located to the top left (via Mike Terry, DXLD) ** U S A. IRANIAN DAILY REPORTS IMMINENT INAUGURATION OF NEW US PERSIAN-LANGUAGE RADIO | Text of report entitled "Only the saddle pack has changed", published by Iranian newspaper Kayhan web site on 1 December In an attempt to put the finishing touch on its psychological warfare against the Islamic Republic of Iran, the CIA is closing down the radios known as "Azadi" [Freedom] and preparing a new style radio "Farda" [Tomorrow]. Iraj Gorgin, the head of the Persian service of the so-called Azadi radio, said: According to the decision of the board of management of the United States' international broadcasting, which supervises the work of the Free Europe radio organization, from the first week of the month of December, the Persian service of Radio Free Europe will end its work and Farda Radio will begin broadcasting. The radio is funded and managed by the State Department and the American espionage organization. Source: Kayhan web site, Tehran, in Persian 1 Dec 02 p 2 (via BBCM via DXLD) Evidence? AFAIK it is quite openly funded by IBB, all US government ultimately (gh, DXLD) ** U S A. Hello Kim, perhaps you can help with this: At present Radio Azadi is also transmitted for emigrants in Europe 2000-2300 on 7165 and 9835 (both via Morocco). What will happen with these outlets once Radio Azadi was discontinued to make way for Radio Farda? Switching them to Radio Farda, too, replacing them by an arrangement with VOA Farsi (which I understand will continue) or just terminating them without a substitute? Enclosed a record I just made off 9835. Best regards, (Kai Ludwig, Germany, Dec 1, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A. While checking the http://wbcq.us website fruitlessly for Brother Stair, (see SOUTH CAROLINA [non]) I found a `Fall 2002 Press Release`: FREEDOM`S STRONGEST VOICE CELEBRATES! MONTICELLO, MAINE, USA ~ On September 8th, 2002, International Shortwave Radio Station WBCQ – The Planet celebrates its 4th year on the air, and the world’s strongest voice of free speech continues to broadcast its powerful message for everyone to hear. WBCQ -- The Planet, dubbed by many the ``real`` Voice of America, with its powerful anti-censorship policies and an ever-growing audience throughout the world, celebrates the United States of America’s Constitutional First Amendment Right to free speech, and is the only North American broadcast outlet to have policies that allow for complete freedom of expression. This makes for a truly unique and challenging broadcast line-up of politics, entertainment, information, religion and more. WBCQ – The Planet provides talk radio that rides the cutting edge of our society, along with entertainment and information programming that will challenge the minds of people who want more out of their radio. With it`s three 50,000 Watt transmitters, WBCQ -- The Planet reaches out directly to the world… No strings, cables, modems or dishes attached. The strongest voice of free speech, direct and uncensored, WBCQ -- The Planet is the beacon of freedom for the 21st century. ~FREE SPEECH -- IT`S MORE THAN JUST WORDS~ (via gh, DXLD) ** U S A. Even if WJIE`s power is no longer flagging on 7490, the signal weakens drastically here as the night progresses, the MUF decreases, and the skip zone increases --- to boot, there is Norway co-channel much of the time. But UT Mon Dec at 0526 I could barely recognize WOR 1157 as having started a few minutes earlier, an unscheduled time; previous week`s show --- guess Thanksgiving prevented timely download of 1158 (Glenn Hauser, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A. TEXAS MILITIA OUTBANDERS Recently I have noticed a few illegal radio operators operating on or near 6990 LSB nightly beginning around 0100 UTC. When I first heard these "outbanders," or bootleg operators there, I thought they were just a couple of pirates chatting back & forth. One of them even ID'ed as "Radio Free Texas." After monitoring them for some time, it became apparent that they were not pirates as we know them, but simply unlicensed operators that showed up there to have a place to talk. I wouldn't even mention them if it weren't for the fact that they appear to be communications for a militia group in Texas. Militia groups have used frequencies for communications just outside the ham bands for inter-group communication for about the past ten years or so. The lower edge of 20 meters has been known to harbor some militia activity, as well as 6660 and possibly around 6200-6300 kHz. The 6990 group is very informal, and most members of the net are apparently from Texas. They don't use any callsigns except for the one using "Radio Free Texas," but prefer to use first names. There are roughly six or seven regular members of the group. At least two of them are in Texas, one near Dallas and the other farther south. Communications might sound like what you'd hear on the CB bands, but slightly more interesting. It's obvious that the group does have militia ties, or at the very least are strong supporters of militia groups. Their discussions usually lean toward anti-government feelings and some of the conspiracy theories popular with "patriot" groups. For example, I once heard one of them talking about Satanic cults in his county in Texas, who had entire cities located underground and regularly abduct people to use as sacrifices during Satanic rituals. It's doubtful they are all playing with a full deck. I haven't heard them using anything I could definitely consider as a code or cipher, but they have used cryptic communications that when I was in the military we referred to "talk-around." It's kind of like the way you'd talk around small children when you don't want them to know what you're talking about. Two people "in the know" would understand, but a third party might not. The group regularly uses 6990 LSB, but I have heard them referring to using 13950 USB. They also have another frequency they constantly refer to as "primary," but I have not located that frequency. I don't believe that it is 13950 since "primary" seems to be used for shorter range communications. For example, if conditions aren't that great, they'll say, "go to primary." For two stations in Texas maybe one or two hundred miles apart, it makes sense that they would use a lower frequency to make use of groundwave propagation. My guess is that it's around the lower or upper edge of the 80 meter ham band. The upper edge in the 4 MHZ band is filled with MARS and maritime stations, so it's likely they use a frequency below 80 meters, around 3400-3500. If you enjoy the stuff you hear on WWCR & similar stations, you'll enjoy tuning these guys in. It is with regret that I mention that this will be my last "Covert Comms" column. I have found it increasingly difficult lately to find the time to meet a deadline for a column every month. Also, my interests in radio have been shifting to other areas and I am finding it hard to devote more time to writing about numbers stations. I rarely even find time to do much shortwave listening these days, let alone hunting for numbers transmissions. I have devoted the past five years to writing this column, and now find it time to move on to other pursuits. I have enjoyed contributing what I could to the hobby, but now must move on to other things. With that, the job of writing a monthly numbers column for the ACE is now open. If anyone is interested, please contact Harry Helms or John T. Arthur and let them know that you're interested. I'm sure they'll be glad to have you (Covert Comms By Tom Sevart, Frontenac, KS, Dec the A*C*E via DXLD) ** U S A. KHPY FROM CALIFORNIA TESTING ON 1670 KHZ A new X-band station is testing from California, the United States. KHPY from Moreno Valley was first logged testing on November 22 by Patrick Martin in Oregon. The station played 80's type of rock and adult contemporary music. KHPY has been a 10-kW daytime only station on 1530 kHz, and announced in October that they would be moving to 1670 kHz shortly. The station was closed down to install new equipment. 1670 kHz was originally assigned to KSUL, but the station changed calls to KHPY in November, while sister station KHPY 1530 kHz changed calls to KHPI. KHPY is broadcasting from San Bernardino Valley, but with the new frequency, the station plans to reach Los Angeles as well. According to the NRC AM Radio Log, KHPY is licensed to broadcast on 1670 kHz with 10 kW of power in daytime and 9 kW nighttime, with the address as 24490 Sunnymead Blvd #215, Moreno Valley, CA 92553, United States (dxing.info Dec 1 via DXLD) ** U S A. NY SPANSKSPRÅKIG "LATINAMERIKANSK" RADIOSTATION I DALLAS, TEXAS! 1630.00 KNAX Radio Año, Dallas, Texas (USA). 30 november 2002 - 1000 UTC. Känner inte till precis när stationen startade men säger vid ID att det rör sig om en ny station och själv har jag inte noterat något speciellt på frekvensen under dom senaste dagarna, dvs fram till i morse, lördagen den 30 november då detta anrop kom: "La nueva estación cristiana en el metrópolis KNAX 16-30 AM Radio Año, (Fudmore?), Dallas "La Voz de la Verdad" transmitiendo el evangélico. Operamos con 10.000 vatios de potencia". Programmet bestod av neutral religiös musik men även en del låtar med TexMex- och Bolero-stil. IDade ganska sällan. En ID-variant var att "Radio Año, Radio Año........." upprepades 7 ggr i rad. Några "brasklappar": Det är svårt att i spanskan höra skillnad på N/M men det lutar åt "N" i prefixet. Det borde heta "metrópoli" men är säker på att den manlige DJen säger "metrópolis" med ett "s" på slutet (betyder "huvud-stad/- ort, metropol, centrum"). Före QTH "Dallas" uppges ett ortnamn som jag inte är säker på, gissar på "Fudmore" eller kanske "Foodmore". Språk- och geografiexperter är välkomna att höra av sig. 73 från BM i Quito! (Björn Malm, back in Quito, Ecuador, SW Bulletin Dec 1 via DXLD) KNAX-1630 is a semi-local here, but I am loath to listen to it long enough to give my take on its slogan, which other North Americans have thought to be ``Radio A y O`` as in alfa y omega (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A. NEW STATE-OF-THE-ART RADIO STATION IN MEMPHIS Nighttime coverage, while at low power, has the advantage of the taller than 1/4-wave tower and produces a signal usable over Memphis. Nighttime coverage is also increased by the fact that there is no dominant station on 1600 that is receivable in Memphis, TN. With no other audio detectable in the receiver, WMQM has a greater nighttime coverage than you would expect from a low power nighttime operation. WMQM, 1600-AM, 50,000 Watts in Memphis, is the sister station to WWCR. World Wide Christian Radio serves Europe, Middle East and Africa on Shortwave from Nashville, Tennessee WMQM "ON-AIR" DATE DELAYED For Immediate Release 26 November 2002 POC: George McClintock (615) 255-1300 The "On-Air" date for WMQM, 1600-AM, Memphis, Tennessee's newest Christian Radio station has been delayed. Due to an unforeseen accident the tower man can not meet the original projected on-air date of October 1, 2002. He was involved in a motorcycle accident last month and has been in the hospital. By necessity, WMQM has hired another crew to complete the tower work needed to bring WMQM on the air. With the existing rain produced by tropical storm Isidore and a subsequent additional storm, no work could take place at the tower site because of the muddy conditions. A new projected "On-Air" date is December 2nd. Currently, WMQM is only waiting for the building to receive power from the Memphis electric company. These are portions of press releases at http://www.wwcr.com/fwr_press_releases.html#WMQM where there are also some construxion photos. I don`t know if the Dec 2 airdate has slipped again, but that release was only last week. Even tho WMQM has managed to get 50 kW authorized, there is hardly a less favorable place to put it than at the top of the band. I expect most of the lower-powered Memphis stations toward the bottom end will have greater groundwave coverage. But WMQM should get out on SRS and SSS! (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Will they be protecting KATZ St. Louis, MO during the day? (Eric Bueneman, St. Louis, IRCA via DXLD) Good question, Eric. I wondered the same thing. This application smells a little like the KFDX move from Wichita Falls to Plano insofar as the new transmitter site will be about 75 miles southwest of the old plant. [that was KWFT-620; KFDX is channel 3 -gh] WMQM is a call that's kicked around Memphis for years...but the 1600 frequency has been a localized operation at Milan, TN. The information I've been able to locate indicates that the new 1600 in Memphis will be 50 kw non directional daytime and 35 watts non- directional night. Their claim of a listenable nighttime signal across the Memphis metro area seems far-fetched to me. As far as interference to KATZ, I suspect there might be some about halfway between the two transmitters. However, considering the poor ground conductivity around Memphis, and the fact that high frequency signals dissipate rapidly (even 50 kW), I can't imagine that KATZ listeners will even be aware of the new signal (Tom Bryant / Nashville, ibid.) These may be of help: http://www.fcc.gov/fcc-bin/amq?list=0&facid=42369 http://www.radio-locator.com/cgi-bin/pat?call=WMQM&service=AM&status=C&hours=D http://www.radio-locator.com/cgi-bin/pat?call=WMQM&service=AM&status=C&hours=N (Dennis Gibson, IRCA via DXLD) First site above leads i.a. to SR/SS times. For December they are 1300 and 2245 UT; January 1315 and 2315. So best to check just before 2245, and after 1300 --- tho they might have pre-sunrise higher power from 1200 as so often the case, tho I don`t see it mentioned. The second is a nice daytime coverage contour map, showing `local` contour about 40 miles radius, not as far north as Blytheville AR; `fringe` contour some 140 miles, which knicks the very SW tip of KY, and includes little more of MO than the Bootheel. The third is a nighttime coverage contour map, showing `local` red circle does not even reach the Mississippi, about a 6-mile radius; while the `distant` contour barely includes West Memphis AR. Of course, even there, with 35 watts, skywave QRM may be a problem. Site is NE of Memphis, about a third of the way to Lakeland, the city of license (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A. Glen[n], I checked 1130 on Friday night November 30. Both KWKH Shreveport and WBBR New York were back on their nighttime pattern. Neither one's signal was heard in Nashville TN (Charles Gossett Jr, Dec 2, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A. KKSU-580, Manhattan KS, has posted audio archives of its last day on the air Nov 27, in a number of segments: http://www.oznet.ksu.edu/dp_kksu//StreamingArchives/FINALDAY/FINALDAY.htm And on Monday morning heard WIBW plugging its expanded market reports, at 12:30, 1:30 and 2:30 CST, so apparently attempting to take up some of the loss WIBW caused with the demise of KKSU - but I bet WIBW won`t devote a full hour to farm & market (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** VENEZUELA [non]. Aló presidente de Hugo Chávez, los domingos a partir de las 1400 UT, variable a 1500, en 15230, 15570 y 17750kHz, via Radio Habana Cuba. Siempre es interesante escucharlo. Saludos (desde Catia La Mar, VENEZUELA, Adán González, Dec 2, DX LISTENING DIGEST) 15570 -- that`s new for RHC. Wonder if they use it any time but Sunday morning? Cuba have been extremely conservative in staying inside traditional bands, to feign obeisance to international regulations, while jamming other stations all over the place, both exile and innocent bystanders (gh, DXLD) UNIDENTIFIED. Check out 4840-4845 kHz in FM mode...ran across an FM'ing signal around 2335, flipped to FM mode for a laugh, and still listening (0215) with good quieting! Haven't had time to analyze my recordings yet for an ID (Al Quaglieri - NY, UT Dec 3, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Not checked until 0411, and then I only hear the usual Mauritania on AM 4845 (gh, OK, DXLD) UNIDENTIFIED. 4920.00 1 Dec 1018-1126, religious programs, preacher, hymns, all in English. Could not find any // signals in 49 meter band. Also not // 5050 or any Dr. Gene Scott programming. As Radio Quito fades, it starts to mix with presumed China and India (Mark Mohrmann, VT, DX LISTENING DIGEST) I think we already computed likely fundamentals: 1640, 1230, 820 (gh) UNIDENTIFIED. I have a Spanish station on 6015 kHz which I can't id because there's a jammer of some type there like a woodpecker. It is very loud and I am wondering what it could be? I never heard this type of jammer before (Chuck Bolland, FL, 0129 UT Dec 3...) [Later:] At 0136, the signal that I referenced as a jammer is still using 6015 kHz. However, the Spanish station left the air at 0125 UTC that was on 6015 kHz. The ID I heard was "... Voz Exterior de República San ...." . Don't know who it could be? Signal at my QTH (Clewiston Florida) of the Spanish station was fair. I am hoping someone out there might have an idea about both the Jammer and the Spanish station. My guess on the Spanish broadcast is Iran, but the word "San" does [not?] fit (Chuck Bolland, FL, DX LISTENING DIGEST) 6015 does fit for Voz de la República Islámica de Irán, Spanish at 0030, as in the latest Mundo Radial. Perhaps the `san` you heard was the middle syllable of ``islámica``. Suggest you try parallel to the 9 MHz frequencies. As for the jammer, who knows? IRÁN Nuevo esquema de Irán en español, através de los Observadores, 57 minutos cada una: 0030 en 6015, 9650 y 9570; 0130 en 6175, 9650 y 9570; 0230 en 5960; 0530 en 15320 y 17590; 2030 en 7130 y 9750 (Glenn Hauser, Mundo Radial, Noviembre, via DXLD) UNIDENTIFIED. Glenn, I have an unident on 6074.78 kHz at 1140 to 1200 plus on 12/02/02. Noted a man and woman in comments. Language is not known due to weak signal. The carrier is pretty fair, but the audio is too weak to ident even the language. I have a feeling it is Chinese or some other Oriental language (Chuck Bolland, Clewiston, Florida, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ DIGITAL RADIO MUNDIAL +++++++++++++++++++++ DRM tests: 0900-1000 11660 BON 025 kW / 050º 1305-1455 5975 JUL 100 kW / 060º 0930-1200 15440 SIN 250 kW / 040º 2130-2230 11755 BON 025 kW / 050º (Ivo and Angel! Observer, Bulgaria, Dec 2 via DXLD) DRM tests are normally for a specific limited timespan; what about these? (gh, DXLD) RECEIVER NEWS +++++++++++++ NEW CAR SW RADIO; and a very inexpensive one Two recent SW radio models of note: First, Jackys.com in Dubai is listing a new MW/FM/SW model, the Sony XRCA440X, see http://www.jackys.com/product/default_DET.asp?cat_id=35&cat_name=Car%20Audio The price is about $110 plus the usual $50 or so air freight. Jacky's page has only limited info/specs/user reviews at this time on this new unit but it seems to cover the same bandwidths with the same features as other recent Sony car SW's. However the big difference is a radically redesigned futuristic faceplate on the unit. There is a close up view of the unit on a UK page http://www.caraudiodiscount.com/acatalog/large/sony2002/xrc-ca430x_l.jpg Second, perhaps you have heard of the "closeout retailer" Big Lots. They have store in 46 US states and feature a weird variety of bulk-purchased household products, even some discontinued grocery items. (My wife calls their food section "The Museum Of Failed Products." Think peach-flavored cheese and you get the idea.) Anyway this weekend I noticed in their electronics aisle they are selling a COBY AM/FM/LW/SW portable model CX-CB12 12-band radio for just $7.99. See a picture of it at http://www.epinions.com/587620_Coby_CX_CB12_AM_FM_LW_SW_Pocket_Radio So I picked one up for a test drive. It's very very basic, but does get up to 13m coverage, 60m too. There's space for a speaker twice the size of the tiny one they put there. It's sensitive enough to pull in all the 500kw transmitters in my state... OK, I'm being a bit mean here, it actually does all right; after all, what do you want for $7.99? A check on the web shows it's usually priced between $15-$20 and gets moderately good user reviews. I do think it would be a fine SW radio to give a teen or pre-teen for Christmas if you are on a budget, and I'll give this one to my young niece and see if it opens any new worlds for her (Tom Roche, DX LISTENING DIGEST, Atlanta, Georgia, Dec 2) Hot dog! A Big Lots just opened in Enid, where Wyatt`s Cafeteria used to be, but was in no hurry to visit (gh, DXLD) SLOW RADIO (This might be useful for some of us in a few years!!) From http://www.orange-today.co.uk/news/story/sm_720081.html JVC has revealed it is to market a new type of radio that will make it easier for the elderly to keep track of news broadcasts. According to the Japan Times, the device will work by recording announcers' voices first. When it plays back it employs voice signal processing technology to slow down the first part of each spoken sentence. Broadcasts will still end at the designated time, because silent parts of the programme are eliminated to compensate. The device is expected to go on sale next month for around £180. Story filed: 16:23 Monday 2nd December 2002 (via Mike Terry, DXLD) PROPAGATION +++++++++++ MUF/LUF DATA Thanks Glenn, and thank you Pete. I now have a place where I can get MUF data, but I am still looking for a place to find LUF data, so if any of you know of a site where I can get LUF data, please let me know. Unfortunately, the FOT data at http://www.hfradio.org/propagation.html only seems to be relevant to North America. I reside in Europe, so if any of you know a site which provides FOT data for Europe, please let me know. Thanks again, (Henry Brice, Dec 2, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ###