DX LISTENING DIGEST 3-016, January 28, 2003 edited by Glenn Hauser, ghauser@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/dxldtd3a.html [note change] For restrixions and searchable 2003 contents archive see http://www.worldofradio.com/dxldmid.html For restrixions and searchable 2002 contents archive see http://www.worldofradio.com/dxldmid2.html NOTE: If you are a regular reader of DXLD, and a source of DX news but have not been sending it directly to us, please consider yourself obligated to do so. Thanks, Glenn NEXT AIRINGS OF WORLD OF RADIO 1166: WWCR: Wed 1030 9475 RFPI: Wed 0100, 0700, 1300 on 15039 and/or 7445 WJIE: M-F 1300 on 7490... WRN ONDEMAND: http://new.wrn.org/listeners/stations/station.php?StationID=24 [Low] (Download) http://www.k4cc.net/wor1166.rm (Stream) http://www.k4cc.net/wor1166.ram [High] (Download) http://www.k4cc.net/wor1166h.rm (Stream) http://www.k4cc.net/wor1166h.ram (Summary) http://www.worldofradio.com/wor1166.html FIRST AIRINGS OF WOR 1167: Wed 2300 on WBCQ 7415, 17495-CUSB Thu 2130 on WWCR 9475 Fri 1930 on RFPI 15038.6 ** AFRICA. Several pages have just been updated on the British DX Club club web site at http://www.bdxc.org.uk Africa on Shortwave - by country Africa on Shortwave - by frequency These lists, which give times and frequencies for all known African domestic and opposition broadcasters on shortwave, have been fully updated by Tony Rogers. They can be found on the Articles Index Page (Dave Kenny, BDXC-UK via DXLD) ** ALGERIA. For those, like me who do not miss the 252 Team Talk try the QRG and have superb daytime reception of Algiers Chaîne 3, French with loads of US rap music at 1330, news at 1400, followed by more music. It was interesting to notice that the severe ME situation was not the top story in the news , but an Italo-Algerian trade and culture treaty, then an item concerning the Sarahoui question. So priorities are of course different in let`s say Kuwait and in Algiers. Although my French is rusty a spot just before the news seemed to be a very commercial one. 73 (Johan Berglund, Trollhättan, Sweden, Jan 28, AOR AR7030, K9AY, longwire, EDXP via DXLD) ** ANTARCTICA. Hi Glenn, 28 January, 2106, LRA36 R. Nacional Arcángel San Gabriel reactivated; just heard signing off at 2106 on 15476.1 kHz. Audio is very distorted, worse than normal, weak signal with noisy band conditions (Stuart Austin, Blackpool, England, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** ANTARCTICA. The US base at McMurdo has been heard using 7995 and 9032 kHz USB to work aircraft and remote ground operations in various parts of the continent. Callsigns continue to be associated with ice and snow, such as SKIER and SKATER. South polar summer brings the iceberg season, when the bergs drift free of melting sea ice. The Argentine Navy has South Atlantic ice reports on 4305 and 8448 kHz CW. Argentina and Chile, both of which reach to South America`s extreme southern tip, conduct an international ice patrol, similar to the more familiar operation by the US and Canada in the North Atlantic ice season... (Hugh Stegman, HF Communications, Feb MONITORING TIMES via DXLD) ** ARGENTINA. With RHC off 11705-USB past several months, it`s nice to hear RAE, English hour to NAm at 0200 on 11710, weekdays, not UT Sun and Mon (Bob Thomas, CT, Jan 23, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** ARGENTINA [and non]. Dear friends, It is a pleasure to contact you. As a manager of http://www.deradios.com a place exclusively dedicated to growing Radios in Argentina and Latinoamerica, I would like to propose you to visit the web site and publish an banner on it. If you are interested in the strong diffusion of your event we could make the arrangements for it. I hope to hear from you. Best regards Queridos amigos, Es un placer contactarme con Uds. Como Director General de http://www.deradios.com, un lugar dedicado exclusivamente a las crecientes Radios en Argentina y Latinoamérica, me gustaría proponerles que visiten el sitio en la Web y publiquen un banner en él. Si están interesados en su fuerte difusión podríamos coordinar algo para ello. A la espera de vuestras noticias. Los saluda cordialmente (Darío Durán, Director GeneraL, http://www.deradios.com DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** AUSTRALIA. Here's a message from Anker Peterson regarding HCJB- Australia tests on 15480. I also heard the tests at 1305 playing some music with SINPO of all 4 although I missed the first half hour of the test as I was at office. Went off the air at around 1326 (do no remember the time exactly). Regards (Alokesh Gupta, Jan 28, Cumbre DX via DXLD) Thanks to Alokesh, I have since *1230 today (Jan 27) been listening to the first test from HCJB Kununurra on 15480. It is a test program in English with announcements requesting reception reports to a phone number or an e-mail address, and playing hymns and music. Reception here in Denmark on 15480 which is clear itself, is much disturbed by BBC Skelton on 15485 (QSA 3) carrying its World Service in English towards Europe. SINPO of HCJB is: 23343. Best 73, (Anker Petersen, via Alokesh Gupta, ibid.) HCJB Asia was heard here too, from 1220 to 1320 rather more or less with the same reception quality as Anker Pedersen reports. BBC WS 15485 QSA 4 could be avoided thanks to LSB mode. Mostly Christian songs and music, but also a good old cha-cha-cha. Repeated announcements giving mail address english@hcjb.org.au and phone numbers. A couple of short religious messages also heard. My mail to them has so far not bounced. 73 (Johan Berglund, Trollhättan, Sweden, Jan 28, AOR AR7030, K9AY, longwire, EDXP via DXLD) I listen with SINPO 25322 in the 15480 in Santiago, Chile, South América, 1235 UT Music and ID English. R-5000, dipolos "V" (Hugo López C. SWL - CE3 TIB, Jan 27, Cumbre DX via DXLD) Currently testing on 15480 1230 27 Jan. Very nice signal here in "DXers Paradise". SINPO 55544 or better. Lots religious music and IDs as "HCJB Australia testing on 15480..." giving a phone number and english-@hcjb.org.au email addy. Featuring none other then our own famous newsreader, Roger Climpson with a religious pre-recorded message. "In Touch with Roger Climpson". They seem to be tweaking their equipment as there are occasional sudden changes in the signal or audio quality. All good fun. 73 de jem Cullen, Australia, ARDXC via DXLD) Sounds like this Asian service does better within Australia than the Pacific service! (gh, DXLD) ** AUSTRALIA. MEDIUMWAVE NEWS --- I'm not sure if this is common knowledge, but I'm informed that 4KZ is now on air from Ingham [Queensland] on 1620 kHz (Ian Baxter, Jan 28, [Pacific FM Megabase - Research] http://www.fmmegabase.cjb.net ARDXC via DXLD) ** AUSTRALIA. 1701 kHz, Radio Brisbani (probably) 0940, 25th Jan, Australian Indian station, big, big signal DXing at Matarangi, Coromandel Peninsula, New Zealand, AOR 7030, 300m long wire (until stolen) then 50m on ground through balun (David Norrie, hard-core-dx via DXLD) ** AUSTRALIA. Here in Melbourne, the fall-out from the Alpine fires has resulted in smoke, haze, and ash over the city (and most of the State as well). On two mornings, visibility was down to less than 1 km across the city - normally 50 km. Our members outside of Australia may not be aware of the terrible damage caused by the fires, which continue to burn in several States and territories. In the Australian Capital Territory alone, over 500 homes were destroyed in one day and the world famous Mt. Stromlo Observatory has been almost totally lost. Here in Victoria, over 20 houses in rural regions have been burnt out, and more than 383,000 hectares of forest have been destroyed. The toll of the native animal population is incalculable. There has been an incredible level of deployment of volunteers and equipment for fire control and containment; here in Victoria, the efforts of the Country Fire Authority have been untiring, in relentless heat, often topping 40 degrees, day after day. Last Saturday, the shade temperature reached over 44 degrees (about 112 F.) here in Melbourne, the second highest on record. The temperature in the open in my back garden was OVER 60 degrees C! I had to spray the budgerigars to keep them from melting - the cold-water goldfish in their aquarium were given iceblocks throughout the day and night as their tank water temperature went up to over 30 C. At one point I thought that I had lost the two cats, but they survived by hiding under the zucchini plants and ferns. The temperature has dropped to the mid-20's, but is expected to rise to 40C tomorrow. Yesterday was a Public Holiday, to commemorate Australia Day, but many activities and festivals were cancelled, and the usual holiday atmosphere was very much subdued, out of respect for the thousands of people involved in fire control, and who had lost their homes and property. During this protracted period of very hot and extremely dry weather, with dense bands of swirling smoke, ash, and haze across Melbourne, low-angle HF daytime propagation has not been affected. Daytime HF conditions on the bands below 12MHz have resulted in no DX signals at all on 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, and 7 MHz between 0000-0400 UTC, which is a pattern similar to the previous summer. There have been some interesting DX openings on 9 and 12 MHz during the day, but not enduring. The bands can be very active at one moment, but a few minutes later, nothing!!! the continuing and increasing high levels of power-line noise around Melbourne is appalling. Regards! (Bob Padula, Mont Albert, Vic, Australia, Jan 27, EDXP via DXLD) ** BOLIVIA. 4930, Radio San Miguel, 0931, big, clear ID on two evenings (21st and 25th Jan) at sign on and huge signal here, no mention of Bolivia, nothing on 4926. Move up from 4926? DXing at Matarangi, Coromandel Peninsula, New Zealand, AOR 7030, 300m long wire (until stolen) then 50m on ground through balun (David Norrie, hard- core-dx via DXLD) ** BOUGAINVILLE. PNG, 3850, R. Independente, Bougainville (presumed), 0951 25th Jan, weak even here, South Sea island music, AM signal. DXing at Matarangi, Coromandel Peninsula, New Zealand, AOR 7030, 300m long wire (until stolen) then 50m on ground through balun (David Norrie, hard-core-dx via DXLD) ** CANADA. CFAN closure I was sorry to read in Glenn Hauser's DX Listening Digest 3-015, January 26, 2003, of the impending closure of CFAN AM 790 kHz. For 9 months after the Cuban missile crisis in the early 1960's I was working at RCAF Station Chatham as a field engineer for Hughes Aircraft Company. Hughes built the RADAR fire control system and air-to-air missiles used on the CF-101B interceptor aircraft based at RCAF Chatham. In those days I lived in a farm house on the only highway between Newcastle and Chatham. Miramichi was not yet a town, just a beautiful river I could see out the front window where the annual breakup of the ice was a welcome harbinger of spring. In those days this station was the only one I could hear reliably during the daytime. There was no FM in that region at the time. I remember an interesting program they used to run on Sunday afternoons. Somebody from the station would visit the homes of old timers in the region to record songs from the late 1800's and early 1900's when the region was a big coal mining empire. The songs were usually sung without benefit of instrumental accompaniment. The recording were assembled into 15 minute programs presented on Sunday afternoons. The project reminded me of the recordings John Lomax and his family made for the Library of Congress in Washington DC back in the 1930's. http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/lohtml/lojohnbio.html He traveled all over the South and the Appalachian Mountain regions of the eastern USA capturing music that would otherwise have died with the old timers who remembered those songs. I wonder if the tapes of those shows from the early 1960's have survived the years. I hope they have survived as they would be a treasure of Canada's heritage. Thanks for organizing the DX test. Here in southern Delaware WNIS in Norfolk Virginia dominates the 790 kHz frequency but maybe I will luck out and get a geomagnetic storm this week. They often enhance the level of Canadian MW stations down here. As I was typing this, a country music station faded in with a weather report saying the high temperature tomorrow would be minus 16 degrees. That is more like it. They just ID'ed; it is CIGM in Sudbury, Ontario which is listed at 50 kW. 73, N2JB [to Brent Taylor] ~*-.,_,.-*~'^'~*-.,_,.-*~'^'~*-., (Joe Buch, DE, cc to DX LISTENING DIGEST) -*~'^'~*-.,_,.-*~'^'~*-.,_,.-*~'^ ** CANADA. Re NEWFOUNDLAND & LABRADOR, 3-015: Anyone who routinely mails parcels to Canada knows all too well that Sue Hickey's experience is hardly the exception -- indeed, she got off easy. Not only are exhorbitant customs fees the rule, but major delivery delays, damage, and even outright thievery abound. A set of 5 books I shipped well-packaged and protected arrived with the box opened haphazardly and barely re-sealed, a third of the styrofoam peanuts missing, and the books strewn about with pages creased and dust jackets ripped. I am currently on my 3rd attempt to ship some videotapes (fortunately dubs, not masters) to a gentleman who lives TWO BLOCKS from the International Bridge in Windsor -- the first two shipments simply vanished. The 3rd attempt was made 15 days ago via Registered Air Mail, and they have still not arrived. If you have to send something of value to Canada, and the recipient is within 50 miles of the border, consider shipping it to a U.S. facility and having it hand-carried across the border (Stan Jones, Orlando FL, Jan 26, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** CHINA. PAK-CHINA AGREE TO ENHANCE MEDIA COOPERATION Updated on 2003-01-16 11:07:58 BEIJING, China: Jan 16 (PNS) - China and Pakistan on Wednesday agreed to enhance media cooperation to further strengthen the existing bonds of friendship... ...During the meeting with Chen Min Yi, Vice President of CRI, it was decided to take steps for improving the voice quality and reception of their radio programmes. They will consider setting up strong news boosters at appropriate places for improving signal receiving system. Chen said that CRI is also considering increasing its Urdu service from 30 to 60 minutes daily keeping in view its growing popularity in Pakistan... http://www.paknews.com/main.php?id=4&date1=2003-01-16 (via Jill Dybka, TN, DXLD) ** CONGO DR. 9550, 11.1 2015, Radio Okapi, also here with one or another western pop tune among the hot African rhythms. Fantastic how this station now can be heard once in a while after trying so hard to finally get a report. But you have to use antenna pointing towards Africa. QSA 4. Unreadable on the other antennas. JE/RFK (=Jan Edh + Ronny Forslund, SW Bulletin Jan 26, translated by editor Thomas Nilsson for DXLD) ** CUBA [and non!]. CUBANS TO REMEMBER HERO JOSE MARTÍ By ANITA SNOW Associated Press Writer HAVANA (AP) -- The little yellow house with blue trim where Cuban independence hero and poet Jose Marti was born 150 years ago is a shrine visited by hundreds of people every day... http://www.austin360.com/aas/news/ap/ap_story.html/Intl/AP.V1770.AP-Cuba-Jose-Marti.html (via Jill Dybka, TN, DXLD) ** ERITREA. VOBME sure used to be a lot easier to hear. Best I could do tonight was to catch their IS at 0326 on 7175 underneath presumed Radio Free Iraq. 7100 much weaker but clear as co-channel presumed Voice of the Islamic Revolution in Iraq didn't come on till 0330 Jan 27 (Hans Johnson, Rio Hondo TX, Cumbredx mailing list via DXLD) ** EUROPE. Stations heard regularly with programming: Laser Hot Hits currently 24/ 7 (24 hours a day) on 3970, 6219, 7465, and 9385 from unknown location, reputed to be Eire. There are certain times of the day even the long established 6220 is susceptible to Middle Eastern QRM, as is 9385. Weekend Music Radio still active every few weeks on 7525.7 wmrsw@37.com Wrekin Radio still logged 12256.5 Sensation AM noted recently on 15725/ 30 area. Radio Black Arrow and friends also noted in this part of the band, around 15810. Radio Brigitte still continues sometimes, with signals noted Dec 1st on 6373.5, 8th on 7540.3. Assume station uses the old PO Box 12, Rouveen, NL address?? Ozone Radio can turn up almost anywhere on 48 or 41m, from Dublin, Eire (Ken Baird, Unofficial Radio, Dec DSWCI SW News via DXLD) ** FIJI. HALF COUNTRY STILL WITHOUT RADIO FIJI AFTER CYCLONE | Excerpt from report by Radio New Zealand International audio web site on 27 January Efforts continue to restore services in northern and eastern Fiji, which was hit by Cyclone Ami nearly two weeks ago. Most of the town of Labasa is still without a clean and safe supply of water. Savusavu town [also on the main northern island, Vanua Levu] is also without water because of damaged equipment... Meanwhile, efforts also continue to re-establish radio services in the cyclone-hit areas. Radio Fiji's chief executive officer, Francis Herman, says about half the country has been left without the services of the country's public broadcaster as masts were blown down and transmitters damaged. Mr Herman says this has affected the easternmost islands in the Lau group [in the southeast], Rotuma in the very north and much of Vanua Levu. He says he hopes that despite the poor weather the service for Vanua Levu can be restored. [Herman] Our engineers, as we speak, are trying to get the only [presumably heavy-lift] helicopter that's operating in Fiji right now to ferry the mast and the transmitters up to the mountain. The roads leading up to the mountain have been washed away. Source: Radio New Zealand International audio web site, Wellington, in English 0431 gmt 27 Jan 03 (via BBCM via DXLD) To state the obvious(?), all of Fiji could be covered with *one* tropical band SW transmitter --- but SW was deemed obsolete there sesquidecades ago (Glenn Hauser, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** GERMANY. Hello Mr. Hauser, Received an e-mail response from Margot Forbes of DW in response to my letter and e-mail to them lamenting their decision to end SW to N.America/Australia. Here's an excerpt: "DW plans to introduce digital shortwave transmissions to East Asia and Europe with analogue shortwave transmissions to Asia and Africa continuing for the foreseeable future. However, shortwave broadcasts to the highly developed media markets of North America and Australia and New Zealand will be terminated. Instead, DW will focus on expanding the number of radio stations, like Canadian Broadcasting Corporation or ABC News Radio, who rebroadcast DW-Radio's programmes successfully. Listeners in those regions will of course still be able to hear us via satellite or by means of our Internet page at http://www.dw-world.de/English." I AM listening to them via satellite, but it's a Grundig! Regards, (Ben Loveless, WB9FJO, Michigan, Jan 27, DX LISTENING DIGEST) HOW MANY PEOPLE IN THE US ACTUALLY LISTEN TO SATELLITE RADIO? I am still confounded by DW's belief that satellite radio (combined with far too few rebroadcasters) can pick up the slack from dropping their SW broadcasts. I think I know a fair amount of people through community organizations, local government, and friends, and I have yet to meet one person who has a satellite dish with an MPEG decoder and listens to international broadcasting. On the other hand, several people within that group do listen to shortwave radio. Am I just mixing with the wrong people? If anyone out there has some sense of how many people here in the US are listening to these types of broadcasts via satellite please respond... Or, are there any stats on the sales of MPEG decoders versus shortwave radios over the last few years? I have heard that the sale of shortwave radios has increased since September 11, 2001, but haven't seen any stats for that or the sales of MPEG decoders for satellites. Please post your thoughts and comments! (Matt L., Jan 27, swprograms via DXLD) I just don't get it either. I have introduced many people over the last few months to shortwave radio here just in my area. I have also told the same people they can hear these broadcast over their computer but they don't seem interested in that concept at all. I can safely say listenership of international broadcasting with RADIOS has grown exponentially as of late here in the West Kentucky-Tennessee area. To think that I have to explain to these new listeners and friends that stations I have been listening to since I was 10 years old (I am now 26) have decided that these new listeners are not worth broadcasting to just makes me sick. I can not carry my satellite receiver or computer around to different rooms of the house, out in the yard, or out to my shop for that matter. People can say whatever they want to about internet, satellite, and other forms of broadcasting but there is not and will not be anything with the convenience of a RADIO. OK, enough rambling, time to go bed and fall asleep listening to yes, a RADIO (Ryan Ellegood, Northwest Tennessee, USA, ibid.) ** GRENADA. GRENADIAN MEDIA FIRM RESOLVES LABOUR DISPUTE | Text of report by Caribbean Media Corporation (CMC) news agency on 25 January St George's, Grenada: An agreement has been reached ending two weeks of protest action at the Grenada Broadcasting Network (GBN), led by workers aligned to the militant Technical and Allied Workers' Union (TAWU). Under the agreement announced late [on] Friday [24 January], as the dispute headed to the Office of the Prime Minister, the company has agreed to withdraw all letters of termination issued to the protesting workers, to make way for a full resumption of duties on Monday 27 January. However, ten workers, whose planned retrenchment by the media company triggered a work stoppage at GBN on 7 January that later escalated in a full blown strike, will not be required to show up for work until 31 March 2003. They will be paid their full monthly salaries from January 2003 and for the period they are off-duty they are entitled to travel overseas or to engage in any form of employment up to that period. "Within a period of fourteen (14) days from the execution hereof, the parties shall recommence discussions about the proposed retrenchment by the company, which said discussions began on Thursday 7 January 2003," the agreement further states. It said discussions shall be terminated at the end of March, unless otherwise mutually agreed between the parties for termination at an earlier date. However, it was made clear that the final decision on retrenchment rests with the company. At the end of the discussions with the union, GBN may therefore decide to issue three months' notice of retrenchment to workers or make payment of three months' salaries in lieu of notice, together with any other benefits to which workers are entitled under the Collective Agreement. "All workers, other than the ten who are being proposed for retrenchment, shall be paid salaries for the month of January 2003, less payment for the period during which they were engaged in work stoppage at the company, [that] being 8 January to 24 January 2003," the agreement adds. GBN is 60-per-cent owned by the Trinidad based Caribbean Communications Network (CCN) and 40-per-cent owned by the Grenada government. Source: Caribbean Media Corporation news agency, Bridgetown, in English 2004 gmt 25 Jan 03 (via BBCM via DXLD) ** INTERNATIONAL INTERNET. Saturday's massive outage shows the folly of international broadcasters' reliance on the Internet (and faulty Microsoft product). Internet traffic was brought to a near standstill in the U.S. for a 15-hour period. Problems persisted days later in some parts of the world. And broadcasters think this method of delivery adequately replaces shortwave radio?!? Thanks to the Internet disruption, I was unable to access content from major Internet sources and service providers for many hours. Every page at Radiofrance.fr was completely 404. Forget listening to a Webcast! And of course, if you can't get on the Internet, you learn that the Internet has been rendered useless and you're wasting your time going there. The international broadcasters apparently think that what they have to offer is so trivially insignificant that we can do without it for, er, 15 hours. Observers describe the Internet attack as the "most damaging ... in 18 months" and warn it could have been a lot worse. Compare this transmission method (business model?) to shortwave radio! The Internet is clearly clumsy, imperfect and unreliable -- using a bucket-brigade chain instead of efficient electromagnetic transmission through thin air. What are the international broadcasters thinking? Are we supposed to move to Africa to listen to them? (Mike Cooper, Jan 25, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** INTERNATIONAL VACUUM. Radio Caroline back on the airwaves Jason Deans, Monday January 27, 2003, Guardian Radio Caroline, the original pirate radio station that launched the careers of DJs including Tony Blackburn, Tommy Vance and Kenny Everett [wrong!! - Mike], is back on air - and this time permanently. The station, which broke the BBC's monopoly on UK radio broadcasting when it launched in 1964, based on a ship moored outside British territorial waters, is broadcasting on Sky Digital's network. It has not yet been awarded a slot on Sky's electronic programme guide, but can be tuned manually. Radio Caroline purists may quibble with the fact that the station is now broadcasting from a studio in Maidstone, Kent, rather than a ship. But securing carriage on Sky Digital gives Radio Caroline its first regular transmission slot after a decade in which the service has been only been on air intermittently via analogue satellite and a series of 28 day restricted service licence broadcasts. Radio Caroline, a non profit-making organisation, is branding itself as "Europe's first and only album station" and has a 24-hour daily schedule that majors on easy rock. The service is also available via satellite to dedicated Worldspace radio sets in the UK and Europe, the Middle East, Africa and India. Radio Caroline has always had a precarious existence since launching at Easter 1964, with Simon Dee presenting the station's first show. The first Radio Caroline ship, Mi Amigo, sank in a storm in 1980. Radio Caroline was back on the air three years later, broadcasting from a new vessel, Ross Revenge. But that ship ran aground on the Goodwin Sands in 1990, effectively ceasing regular Radio Caroline broadcasts. Ross Revenge was towed to Dover harbour and has now become something of a Radio Caroline museum, maintained by enthusiasts. The ship is currently moored on the Isle of Sheppey (via Mike Terry, DXLD) Radio Caroline are planning a second specialist service which will be broadcast via satellite. This will be in addition to the main Caroline service currently available via the Eutelsat and Hot Bird satellites, as well as on the Worldspace platform. Peter Moore, Radio Caroline's station manager, revealed the plans while speaking on The Media Show on Laser Radio. He said that the new service would also use the Eutelsat bird at 28.5 East. "If you look at the comments about Caroline there's always a lively debate about whether we're playing the right kind of music," Moore continued. "It's long been our ambition to have a Radio Caroline 2 or a specialist Caroline that concentrates on a focused kind of music." (From Radiowaves via Mike Terry, Jan 26, DXLD) ** IRAN. MPS TO PROBE INTO THE JAMMING OF SATELLITE TV SIGNALS | Text of report, entitled: "MPs will follow up the issue of the centres that jam satellite TV signals in Tehran"; published by Iranian newspaper Iran web site on 28 January We found out yesterday that a number of MPs are planning to hold talks with the president and other high ranking officials about the jamming of some satellite TV channels. A parliamentary source said yesterday: After some satellite TV channels were jammed, investigations were made about the sources of jamming. It was made clear that an organization is producing the jamming signals in seven areas in Tehran. He said that the stationing of jamming centres could create very serious and dangerous physical [health] problems for the citizens. He added: What is important is that mainly the satellite TV channels with political content are being jammed and the networks known for their unethical content are not affected by jamming. Source: Iran web site, Tehran, in Persian 28 Jan 03 p2 (via BBCM via DXLD) ** IRAQ [non]. ANTI-SADDAM OUTPUT ON ARABIAN STAR BROADCASTING SATELLITE TV The satellite TV channel Arabian Star Broadcasting (ASB), in Arabic, was viewed by BBC Monitoring between 1830 and 2035 gmt on 23 January. The output appears to be intended to oppose Saddam Husayn and the Iraqi government. One of the satellites on which ASB can be viewed is a Hot Bird satellite, at 13 degrees east. It can be received in Iraq, but at lower signal levels than those available in Europe. Satellite receivers are not normally available for sale in Iraq and the public is not permitted to receive satellite TV channels directly. According to the Lyngsat satellite information web site, the ASB digital signal on the Hot Bird satellite is uplinked from Spain and is part of a multiplex, a bundle of TV channels which is digitally combined, operated by Telefonica Servicios Audiovisuales of Madrid. Information on the Lyngsat web site also lists ASB TV on the NSS 806 satellite at 40.5 degrees west. That satellite normally carries communications and TV across the Atlantic Ocean, and the ASB signal could be received in Iraq on a dish several metres across. The Lyngsat web site indicates that the ASB signal on the NSS 806 satellite is part of a multiplex of signals uplinked by Globecast America from the Hero Teleport uplink station in Miami, Florida. When compared side-by-side, the ASB signal uplinked from the USA is observed to be broadcast a few moments ahead of the Spanish uplinked version, which could indicate that the signal from Spain is sourced from the USA signal. However, it is not yet clear which country the station operates from. An article in the London-based newspaper Al-Sharq al-Awsat web site on 22 January said that ASB was London-based and originated from offices in London. It said the station was run by a group of British journalists led by a British politician known for his opposition to the war on Iraq. BBC Monitoring has learnt that the station is not been licensed to operate from the UK by the British TV regulator, the Independent Television Commission. Programme output The first monitored item on 23 January, which was already in progress when monitoring commenced at 1830 gmt, was a report over video footage condemning "barbaric" human rights violations by Saddam Husayn and his regime against those who oppose the regime. The item recalled the elimination of opponents and the use of chemical warfare against Iraqi Kurds. The item reported oppression of Iraqis by Saddam and his regime, and showed pictures of people executed by hanging. The next item ridiculed Saddam Husayn. It showed a picture of Saddam on a palace wall, with his lips apparently moving (through TV special effects) as he addressed the Iraqi people, denying all reports of his health being poor. The character representing Husayn said that his health is very good and the proof of this is that he swims 50 metres every day and he moves huge sums of money by transferring billions abroad, saying that this miracle has led people to worship him. It also said that he does not use his heart, to let it rest, and that is why it is strong, by not showing mercy to the people. He also says that he moves daily from one palace to another, not out of fear, but to give jobs to people as he has 50 palaces. He also says to his people: "You need me to show you what is right and what is wrong." There followed miscellaneous items of minor international news and then an item in which Saddam Husayn blamed UN sanctions for the lack of food and medicines in Iraq; however, the report said that all Arab countries have no doubt that Saddam has spent huge sums of money on chemical and other mass destruction weapons and has built large and very expensive palaces. There followed an interlude and "Information Circus" - a programme about painters and paintings. Next, there was a report over video saying that Iraq had agreed to buy food and medicines as part of the oil for food programme, but the report said that Saddam and his aides even steal children's food, by misusing huge sums of money, as these have been used for acquiring weapons and building palaces; Saddam and his regime are responsible for the paralysis of the Iraqi economy and starving the Iraqi people, the report said. There then followed an Arabic language teaching programme, a report over video on the Philippines, an Arab song and a musical interlude before monitoring ended at 2035 gmt. Source: Arabian Star Broadcasting in Arabic, 1830 gmt 23 Jan 03 (via BBCM via DXLD) ** ISRAEL. The Reshet Bet live feed is now available in both RealAudio (as before) and in Windows Media (which you can use from inside more corporate firewalls then Real). http://bet.iba.org.il You'll see the Real and Windows Media icons on top of the "Reshet Bet Chai" (Hebrew) "Live" (English) graphic. The 'on-demand' Reshet Bet broadcasts and other languages, are still only available in Real. Direct links (as of now, at least) Windows Media mms://a1371.l856922155.c8569.g.lm.akamaistream.net/D/1371/8569/v0001/reflector:22155 Real Audio. http://bet.iba.org.il/reshetbet.ram (Daniel Rosenzweig, Jan 27, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** ISRAEL. The latest info from BEZEQ is that 17525 will be used to test reception conditions in Australia from today 27/1 until Thursday 30/1. Time is 1100-1130 (Craig Tyson, WA, Jan 26, EDXP via DXLD) ** ITALY. Methinks something`s up at Rai, Radio Roma. Their North American service in English is daily 0055-0110 on 9675 and 11800. Lately I`ve tuned in and no shows. At times only on 9675, at times only on 11800; at times on neither (Bob Thomas, CT, Jan 23, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** JAMAICA. RADIO STATIONS RESTRICTED TO SINGLE FREQUENCY ON FM BAND STEVEN JACKSON, Observer staff reporter Wednesday, January 22, 2003 http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/news/html/20030122T000000-0500_38440_OBS_RADIO_STATIONS_RESTRICTED_TO_SINGLE_FREQUENCY_ON_FM_BAND.asp THE Spectrum Management Authority (SMA) has been restricting existing stations to a single frequency band in a bid to free up room on the overcrowded FM band spectrum. This move comes against the background of a growing demand for radio licences by new operators trying to get in on the shrinking FM-band spectrum, which the SMA feels could be distributed more efficiently to accommodate new stations. Presently, some stations broadcast the same programmes on scattered frequencies on the FM dial, utilising more space than is necessary, according to Roy Humes, the SMA's chief technical director. Consequently, the SMA has started a clean-up programme dubbed "channel rationalisation", which will essentially place each station in a single dial location, while at the same time making room for new ones. "What we are doing now is clustering the channels so that they would use just one sub-band. For instance, a station may be scattered across the FM band on 88.1, 93.5 and 101.1 bands, we would make that station control the entire 88 band (88.1 88.3 88.5 88.7 88.9)," he explained. Humes said between four and five bands were expected to be cleaned up within the year, just enough to allow new players access. In fact, Humes told the Observer that a "major broadcaster" was requested to stop operating on a number of sub-bands as of New Year's Eve. "We are now going to monitor whether they have moved based on our paper trail and investigations. (So that) in February when someone asks if they can get a certain band, I can say that it is available for broadcast," Humes added. He pointed out that there were several people lining up to get spectrum space, while the Broadcasting Commission told the Observer that it received three applications for commercial radio licence last year. "The commission has completed evaluation of the applicants. The next stage of the process is for the minister of information to decide whether to accept the commission's recommendations," said Sonia Gill, assistant director at the Broadcasting Commission. But some operators have not welcomed the move to expand the radio arena. Unhappy at being bounced from their spread on the spectrum, some operators have argued that the reduced space will increase issues of interference between stations. For example, last year the Broadcasting Commission recorded a total of 16 complaints of interference from Radio Mona, Irie-FM, Zip-FM and Radio 2 FM. But Humes said that while there was a possibility that the complaints of interference could increase as more people rushed to fill the remainder of the spectrum, the SMA had a responsibility to ensure its efficient usage. "There are several people asking for spectrum so what we now have is a situation where we are trying to make more available for those that request it. "Persons realise that once the spectrum is licensed out there can be no more unless companies fold," he added. The FM band in theory can accommodate approximately 20 nationwide stations without interference, one megahertz per station between the 88 to 108 megahertz frequency -- 16 stations now bombard the airwaves, most with nationwide coverage, four launched last year alone. Prior to the liberalisation of the industry in the early '90s when space was not an issue, the SMA allowed broadcasters such as Jamaica Broadcasting Company (JBC) and Radio Jamaica (RJR) to have scattered frequencies. "How it occurred in the first place was that there was only three channels but when the government opened up the market 10 years ago and a slew of others came in the market. They are now being asked to come to a different location so that there can be more room for others." (via Jill Dybka, TN, DXLD) ** KASHMIR [non]. CLANDESTINE from ? to SOUTH ASIA: 9890, Voice of Kashmir (tentative) getting closer, 0237 Jan 27 with man and woman talking and sub-continental music. Still there at 0300 but fading by then (Hans Johnson, Rio Hondo TX, Cumbredx mailing list via DXLD) ** KOREA SOUTH [non]. Reception, propagation has not been the best here on the east coast. I`m not getting RKI Seoul at 0200 via Sackville very well lately, 9560 in English; I have to rely on their 1130 via Sackville 9650 (Bob Thomas, CT, Jan 23, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** KURDISTAN [non]. [notes accompanying an audio file] .MP3 7560 kHz Voice of Komalah, 'Aira Dengi Komala' Hello Glenn, here is another recording of todays's outlet for your selection. 2 min. 39 sec recording of station of Jan 26th, 2003, 1659- 1757 UT, Sundays only. At start of the recording you can hear a jump-over 'Overload' program of just nine seconds from ISDN feed at Kvitsøy, from nearby Voice of Eritrean People program in Tigre [of 7530], which was noted at 16.59:30 to 17.00:20 UT also on 7560 kHz. 73 Wolfgang - - - - - Since Sunday, November 3, 2002 on Suns via frequency 7560 kHz on installations of Norskring from Kvitsoe Norway. Voice of Komalah, 'Aira Dengi Komala' Denge Mezopotamya, Kurdish/Persian 1659-1757 UTC, Suns only 7560 KVI There are two Komala stations, [exSoviet ties]: http://www.komalah.org http://www.komalah.org/English/English.htm and radio station page http://www.komalah.org/Kurdish/Kurdi.htm --- and separate Chinese? ties of http://www.komala.org or http://www.radiokomala.org http://www.komala.org/radio/rindex.htm All addresses on http://www.komala.org/adress/adress_index.htm E-mail: komala_int@hotmail.com Radio Komala E-mail: komala_radio@hotmail.com Fax: 001-561-7605814 - - - - - And Robertas Petraitis wrote this: Komala-Revolutionary Organization of the Toilers of Iranian Kurdistan. ID (Kurdish): "Eira dengi Komala, dengi azadi e socializmu" (English translation: Voice of Komala, voice of freedom and socialism). ID (Farsi): "Radio Komali" also "In seda-ye Radio Payama, Radio Payam- seda-ye parezgaran-e azadi Kordestana, seda-ye amnestizi y irbayda ..., seda-ye azadi e socializmu". I think (I'm sure for about 80%) that the reported station is operated by ANOTHER organization of Komala. http://www.komalah.org -"your" Komala in Intel; has a link to CPI - Comm. Party of Iran http://www.komala.org -another (2nd) Komala is presumed broadcasting on 4615/ 6810 kHz I think Komala (1st) runs a station Voice of Communist Party of Iran (as noted in Organization) and maybe also Voice of Iranian Kurdistan. The 2nd Komala has been established after summer 2000 when the majority of members of Komala left the C.P.I. and formed the new Komala (2nd). see: http://www.komala.org - English - A brief history And the new radio station has heard soon after the mentioned time - in 2001... I suggest to put the reported schedule under the head "Voice of Kudilara" (existing now in Intel) but to change that name to "Voice of Komala" (last time I didn't hear ID "Voice of Kudilara"- anyway the station is Voice of Komala). (as reported by R. Petraitis, Lithuania, Feb 22, 2002 for CRW, via Wolfgang Bueschel) ** MEXICO. It seems I`m not the only one hearing XEP-1300 with its supposed 500 watts night power... (gh) 1300.0, XEP, R. 13, Ciudad Juárez; 0529-0540, p/f on 12/30. "Sintonizan XEP R.13, 1300 de amplitudo modulada con 50 mil watts de poder musical emisión(?) de su señal .. 23-29 colonia .. Chihuahua ..R. 13, tu música. Grupo Radio México." (H. Watanabe, Japan : AR7030Plus, Corazón DX via DXLD) ** MEXICO [and non]. XEPRS 1090 operated through last week with a US sales agreement granted to an LA group that programmed La Gigante Tropical. The licensee, in Monterrey, has yanked the rights from the US group as of last Monday. The old programming remains, but the staff was notified that they are now part-time only. A new format, rumored to be Sports in English, is coming. If it is sports, it makes sense. XEPRS does not cover LA, but is a big San Diego signal. Clear Channel recently combined 1150 in LA with 690 in San Diego with one format; there is little local sports in SD. Noise levels of the 90's and today are so high that unless a station has a pretty consistent 10 mv/m signal, it is no longer listenable. Some engineers in LA believe that a 15 to 20 mv/m signal is a minimum for receivability above the noise level created by computers, dimmers, ignition, medical equipment, motors and deteriorating power line maintenance. XEPRS u7sed to show in the LA book; it has not appeared for about 10 years, maybe longer (David Gleason, CA, Jan 27, NRC-AM via DXLD) I wondered how long it would be before that sports-talk gap would be filled. I also wonder if there might be a long-term strategy regarding XETRA, because the recent simulcast doesn't seem to make sense for the San Diego market. Regarding 1090, though, XEPRS doesn't even seem to have the signal strength it did when I moved to Phoenix in 1993. I wonder if their facility has deteriorated significantly, like XEROK's in Juárez has. If so, maybe maintenance or upgrades would make sense before a format change takes place (Rick Lewis, AZ, ibid.) The signal needed today to overcome urban noise and cochannel interference has gotten out of hand. KCOH 1430 Houston has just submitted an Amendment to their nighttime request for 1000 watts, up from 330 watts and the Interference Free Nighttime Contour is 27.8mV/m! Even with 1000 watts KCOH will only cover about 10% of the population within the Houston city limits and the transmitter is within the city limits on the near east side. When KCOH first went to 330 watts in 1996 IIRC, the signal was normally usable. Now until after midnight and sometimes all night, the signal is heavily QRM'd. I've noticed much more QRM on many Houston stations, much of it from low power non directional stations and to a greater extent Mexico and Central America (Mike Westfall, Houston, ibid.) ** MEXICO [non]. El pasado sábado, 25 de enero, logré captar muy claramente a la emisora colombiana, que eliminó por completo la señal de Radio Mil, ¡aqui en la misma ciudad de México! Desde las 5:30 hasta pasado de las 06:00 UTC, que estaba monitoreando la frecuencia (Héctor García Bojorge, DF, Jan 27, Conexión Digital via DXLD) sorpresa, no ** NETHERLANDS. EXTRA RNW SHORTWAVE COVERAGE ON 1 FEBRUARY This week is the 50th anniversary of the North Sea floods which devastated The Netherlands, covering 7.8% of the total land area, with the loss of 1835 lives. In all, approximately 600,000 people were affected. The anniversary will be marked by special programmes in all our language services. For the Dutch service, there will be additional shortwave coverage on 13700 kHz at 1100-1300 UT on 1 February (Media Network 27 January 2003 via DXLD) ** NETHERLANDS. REORGANISATIE WERELDOMROEP VOORLOPIG VAN DE BAAN De omstreden reorganisatieplannen voor de Wereldomroep zijn voorlopig van de baan. Dat zijn de directie, de hoofdredacteur en de afdelingshoofden overeengekomen. Afgesproken is dat hoofdredacteur Freek Eland en de afdelingshoofden een nieuw plan gaan uitwerken over de toekomst van de Wereldomroep. Het oorspronkelijke reorganisatieplan van de directie zorgde voor veel onrust onder het personeel. Er zouden onder meer zestig arbeidsplaatsen worden geschrapt, en veel radio-uitzendingen zouden verdwijnen. Daarnaast maakte het personeel zich ernstig zorgen over de gevolgen van het plan voor de journalistieke onafhankelijkheid. Al deze onderdelen zullen nu door de hoofdredacteur en de afdelingshoofden worden herzien, en vervolgens worden voorgelegd aan de directie. De journalistenvakbond NVJ heeft verheugd gereageerd op het bereikte resultaat. Glenn, the above just in my mail-box and is translated as follows: REORGANISATION RNW WORLDSERVICE DISCONTINUED FOR THE MOMENT The plans for reorganisation of the Worldservice are temporarily off the table. This is agreed with the directors, Chief editor and department managers. The agreement is that Chief editor, Freek Eland, and the department managers will think of a new plan about the future of the worldservice. The original reorganisation plan caused a lot of concerns with personnel. 60 members of personnel would lose their job, and a lot of radio programmes would disappear. Personnel were also very concerned about the plan regarding independent reporting by journalists. All of these parts will be reviewed and brought under the attention of the Board of Directors. The union representing journalists were pleased to hear the achieved result. Regards, (Harm Deenen, Ireland, Jan 28, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Good news! Tnx, Harm, this scoops even the RN/Media Network websites, where I find nothing about this yet, in English, as of 0040 UT Jan 29 (gh, DXLD) ** NETHERLANDS. DEFENDAMOS A RADIO NEDERLAND --- Nuevos datos de contacto con los Países Bajos Organization: Grupo Pasteur Buenos Aires, 28 de Enero de 2003. Amigos de la lista: Para ampliar la información suministrada en el día de ayer, se entrega la nómina de embajadas, consulados generales y consulados de los Países Bajos en el continente americano, España y Portugal --- con excepción de Argentina, cuyos datos ya fueron ofrecidos --- a los efectos de llevar adelante una campaña de cartas, faxes y correos electrónicos dirigidas a las autoridades del Reino de Holanda en defensa de Radio Nederland. Esta emisora sufrirá una serie de recortes en su plantel de trabajadores de la prensa y en las emisiones al exterior por ondas cortas. Porque la peor opinión es el silencio, quienes quieran emitir su voz lo pueden hacer a las direcciones que se ofrecen. Un abrazo para todos y suerte con la campaña (CLAUDIO MORALES, Argentina, Conexión Digital via DXLD) [gh excerpted only these from long list of Iberoamerican consulates and embassies] CANADÁ: Embajada Website: http://www.netherlandsembassy.ca/ Embajador: J.G.S.T.M. van Hellenberg Hubar Dirección: 350 Albert Street Suite 2020 Ottawa On. K1R 1A4 Tel. 00-1-613-2375030 t/m 5035 Fax. 00-1-613-2376471 E-mail: nlgovott@n... [truncated] ESTADOS UNIDOS: Embajada Website: http://www.netherlands-embassy.org/ Embajador: Mr. B.J. van Eenennaam Dirección: 4200 Linnean Avenue NW Washington D.C. 20008 Tel. 00-1-202-2445300 Fax 00-1-202-3623430/ 3631032/ 2378303 E-mail: nlgovwas@n... [truncated] Fuente: (Ministerio de Asuntos Exteriores de Países Bajos, adaptación y traducción de Claudio Morales, Argentina, Conexión Digital via DXLD) ** NEW ZEALAND. RNZI 6095 kHz: It is probable that RNZI will be on air overnight tonight and the next few nights as well, as I have just heard on the midday news that there is a tropical cyclone near the Solomon Islands and a second is forming between Fiji and Tonga. RNZI is on 6095 kHz until 1650 UT when the usual morning transmission begins. The programme is the overnight National Radio transmission, the announcer reads the cyclone warnings after the news at the top of the hour. I wonder if you will hear any of this in Europe? Too much QRM I would think! (unattributed, via Büschel, Cumbre DX via DXLD) Hello Everyone, at 1400 UT nil, but at 1500 UT fade-in and solid S=8 signal here in southern Germany. Carrying National program with some rock-n-roll music at 1530 UT, female announcer. News at 0500 local time Tue in NZ (1600 UT). Very exciting signal. Never heard RNZI with such strong signal in the 49 mb, here on the antipode, some 23.000 kilometers away. 73 (Wolfgang Bueschel, Germany, Jan 27, Cumbre DX via DXLD) ** NIGERIA. Last week I received a nice e-mail QSL from Katsina State Radio and Television Service (they use this name on the air!) 972 kHz which was heard on May 25th, 2002 at my home QTH between 2211-2300 UT. This QSL includes the following information: "...Your report in respect of our radio station is correct. We are transmitting on 972 KHZ in the medium wave Band. As you rightly observed the strength of our signal was fluctuating between poor and fair. The reason for such poor reception has to do with the fact that our Radio station is transmitting on short Wave band (AM) [sic] and using a very old 50 KW Transmitter (13 years old), which is being powered at half strength. After going through out transmission log book, we found out the voice of the man you monitored speaking in Hausa to be that of Salele Yan- Kyaure who was presenting a Hausa request programme and the Duty continuity announcer, but made the closing announcements in English is called Mustapha |Sallau Jibia. Your letter was read on our Radio station and acknowledged on 20th January 2003 at 11:15 (Nigeria time). Please continue to monitor our station. We received similar letters from some listeners with a similar hobby from South Africa and Namibia. It is normal for radio signals to stay to places beyond the coverage area of the station especially at night or early morning hours, depending on the atmospheric condition. Once more I wish to confirm to you that your reception is correct and we thank you most sincerely for writing to inform us. Please keep it up. Yours Faithfuly, Musa Muhammad Kankara, Managing Director." _________________ (via Jari Korhonen, FIN-82500 Kitee, dxing.info via DXLD) ** PAKISTAN. See CHINA ** PALESTINE [and non]. Subject : Alleged BBC bias - DXLD3014.txt After giving so much space to the extremely biased view of the BBC coverage of the Palestine/Israel situation submitted by Joel Rubin (he wouldn`t be Jewish by any chance?) I think that you should give as much prominence to a view that at least corrects the balance. There are many who look at the occupation by force by the Israelis since 1967 of land that was supposed to be the basis of a Palestinian State as an outrage that should long ago have been reversed. I am trying to think of an analogy that might enable some people to focus on this. Suppose all those years ago, North Korea had seized control of the entire Korean Peninsula and had subjugated the South Koreans with tanks, helicopter gunships and the like ever since. If the South Koreans had fought back with mortar attacks and even suicide bombers, I think that the UN, perhaps the USA unilaterally would long ago have gone in to help them and removed the North Koreans. So why is the world standing by while Israel continues its illegal occupation and the denial of all efforts to negotiate by the Palestinians to have their own sovereign state free from all incursions by the Israel Defence (so-called) Force? In view of the above, I consider that the terminology used by the BBC in describing events in the Israel/Palestine conflict has been very moderate. I guess that it is difficult in any one issue of DXLD to balance one extreme view with another, but I hope you will redress this very soon (Morrison Hoyle, Victoria, Jan 28, DX LISTENING DIGEST) It was already redressed in the intervening issue, and let`s not get into a flamewar here over the Israel/Palestine issue. The article was from Jerusalem Post, merely forwarded by Joel and even by BBCM (gh) ** PHILIPPINES. 15120, 0200, Radyo Pilipinas English with a big splash opening then the news 353 in // 15270 353 but no sign of 12015 (Michael Stevenson, Port Macquarie NSW, Jan 27, EDXP via DXLD) QATAR: ** RUSSIA/QATAR. AL-JAZEERA TV NOT AWARE OF ITS RUSSIAN NAMESAKE WEB SITE | Text of report by Russian TVS television on 24 January [Presenter] A web site publishing news broadcast by the most powerful mass media outlet in the Islamic world, the Qatari channel Al-Jazeera, has begun operating in the Russian Internet. The news is translated into Russian and - but for one thing - one could say that Al-Jazeera has begun its expansion to Russia. However, when we asked the Al- Jazeera Moscow bureau for comment, its representatives said that they had learnt of the existence of the new web site from us. Our correspondent Oleg Goryunov has been investigating the scandal. [Correspondent] A year ago the little-known Arab information agency Al-Jazeera became world famous after it had become the first agency to publish interviews with terrorist number one Bin-Ladin. The source of this information still remains a secret for all secret services. Five days ago, Al-Jazeera's Russian mouthpiece, as it were, came into being in the building behind me, in the very centre of Moscow. The office of this Internet site is located on the second floor of a private school for rich people's kids. The site is called Al-Jazeera and has a staff of 12 people. The editor in chief, Vadim Yegorov, is a teacher by education. He is known to have tried himself in business but in August 2002 he became the head of the Centran information agency. He says that the idea to set up a Russian-language site named Al-Jazeera belongs to him. [Vadim Yegorov, editor in chief of the Centran information agency] Yes, we know that - or is it being said that - it [Al-Jazeera] became known largely in connection with terrorist activities, in particular, after the well-known events in the USA. Nevertheless, especially after the interview given by the head of their Moscow bureau, we understood that they have a claim to objectivity or at least so they declared. [Correspondent] Yegorov said that the web site under the notorious name is owned by - I quote - a group of individuals. He added that despite its youth, the website has many hits, that is over 1,000 people visit it daily. The web site's staff do not write the news but translate it from Arabic. Two people do it from home. It is surprising but despite the fact that the site is clearly anti-American and anti-Israeli in tone, not a long time ago an Israeli paper, although a Russian-language one, addressed the virtual Al-Jazeera with a request to reprint its news. As for copyright and registration issues, the websites' representatives say that everything is in order. [Malik Aminov, system administrator of the website] We registered a long time ago and our domain is registered. It is a standard procedure - through the ROSNIIROS [Russian Institute for Public Networks]. [Correspondent] The Al-Jazeera [TV] Moscow bureau - incidentally, the television company, like the Russian web site of the same name, is also very young, only six years old - had the following to say on the situation. [Akram Khuzam, head of Al-Jazeera Moscow bureau, in Russian] There are a lot of thieves everywhere, not only in the MID [as received, Russian: Foreign Ministry] but also in economics, in politics, in the social sphere and so on. So yesterday I learnt from you that such a website exists. When I had a look at it, I was horrified. Only today - again from you - I learned the telephone number of their office. If they carry on like this, then on Monday [27 January] I will file a lawsuit. [Correspondent] The story of the mysterious appearance of the Al- Jazeera site among the Russian media would be incomplete but for one little detail. During a preliminary discussion with the web site administrators, their offices were adorned with pennants and calendars of the Russian FSB's special unit Vympel. With the arrival of our camera, they for some reason were put out of view. [Video shows the website offices, computer monitors with http://www.centran.ru and http://www.aljazeera.ru websites on screen.] Source: TVS, Moscow, in Russian 1400 gmt 24 Jan 03 (via BBCM via DXLD) ** RUSSIA/U S A. MOSCOW INSISTS ON "RECIPROCITY" IN ISSUE OF ENLARGING RADIO LIBERTY BROADCASTING IN RUSSIA MOSCOW, January 28, 2003. /from a RIA Novosti correspondent/ - Mikhail Seslavinsky, Russia's first deputy minister of information and press, met with member of the US Board of Directors for Broadcasting Issues Jeffrey Hirshberg and Director of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty Broadcasting Jeff Trimble in Moscow on Tuesday. During the meeting the American side raised a question of enlarging RFE/RL broadcasting on Russian territory. At present it is "hard to expect a positive decision on the issue", Seslavinsky said. First of all, this is caused by restrictions in American legislation. Because of the restrictions Russian radio stations "still do not have free access to the American market". Furthermore "any steps in this sphere must bear a reciprocal character", Seslavinsky pointed out. According to the official, "Russia took its step when it entitled Radio Liberty to broadcast on its territory". At present much depends on whether the American side is ready "to promote Russia's adequate informational presence on the US territory", the Russian representative said. (RIAN.ru via Sergei Sosedkin, IL, Jan 28, DXLD) see also UKRAINE/RUSSIA ** SAINT HELENA. I heard a ham on 20m out of this South Atlantic island, Barry, ZD7MY, on 14217 around 0100 (Bob Thomas, CT, Jan 23, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** SAINT LUCIA. Another country now webcasting: see RSL, The Sun Station: http://www.rslonline.com/ (Glenn Hauser, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** SLOVAKIA. En un reciente mensaje, el diexista Karl Michel de Reims, Francia me informó haber escuchado, a través del espacio semanal "Intermedia" de Radio Austria, la noticia referente al anunciado inicio -por primera vez- de las transmisiones de Radio Eslovaquia Internacional en idioma español dirigidas a Europa y América del Sur a partir del 30 de marzo de 2003. Frecuencias y horarios desconocidos por el momento. Internet: http://www.slovakradio.sk/rsi Cordiales saludos (Rubén Guillermo Margenet, Jan 27, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** SOUTH AFRICA. Hi Glenn, Last night while testing a new South America facing EWE antenna, Radio Sondergrense came in loud and clear. 1/25/03 0317 - 0410 UT, 3320 kHz. SINPO 34333 in Afrikaans with Afrikaans and English pop music, ID, News (presumed). (Mark Taylor, Madison, WI, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** SUDAN. 7200, R. Omdurman: I think they are now *0400, ex *0300. Hard to tell Jan 27 as channel is blocked. Perhaps to coincide with sign on of Voice of New Sudan on 6985 (Hans Johnson, Rio Hondo TX, Cumbredx mailing list via DXLD) ** SUDAN [non]. CLANDESTINE from ERITREA? to SUDAN: 6985, Voice of New Sudan, 0355 Jan 27 tune in to music. 0400 clock chimes and start of programming in Arabic. Nice signal the last few nights (Hans Johnson, Rio Hondo TX, Cumbredx mailing list via DXLD) ** TURKS & CAICOS. Radio Turks & Caicos, now webcasting; see: http://www.turksandcaicos.tc/RTC/ (Glenn Hauser, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** UKRAINE/RUSSIA. The Russian President Vladimir Putin is beginning his working visit to Ukraine... Meeting on the fringes of the next Russian-Ukrainian summit in Kiev on Monday and Tuesday, the heads of the VOICE OF RUSSIA and THE NATIONAL RADIO COMPANY OF UKRAINE, Armen Ogsnesian and Victor Nabrusko, will sign a deal to exchange important relay services. Transmitters in Ukraine will relay VOICE OF RUSSIA radio programmes in Russian, and transmitters in Russia, Ukrainian programmes for listeners in Asia. Ukraine is a great strategic partner of Russia, and THE VOICE OF RUSSIA attaches great importance to covering every aspects of tries [sic!] between the sides (Voice of Russia News, Jan. 27 2003 via Sosedkin...) Actually, Ukraine has been relaying the VoR on AM and SW for some time now. I guess Russia might re-start the SW relays of RUI to the West Coast of North America (Sergei Sosedkin, IL, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Russia`s state-run radio company ``The Voice of Russia`` and Ukraine`s National Radio Company have signed an agreement on cooperation in Kiev today. The two sides have agreed to exchange information and relay services, aiming to strengthen the long-standing friendship between the two states and to give a boost to economic and humanitarian contacts. The Voice of Russia President Armen Oganesyan has characterized this achievement as a breakthrough in information exchanges between the two countries. This agreement will step up the development of contacts in other fields as well, he said. Armen Oganesyan emphasized that his company would pay paramount attention to the harmonization of the Russian and Ukrainian cultures and to the strengthening of the two countries` age-old relations. An agreement on cooperation between the ITAR-TASS and the UKRinform news agencies was signed on the same day as well (VoR News, January 28 2002 via Sergei Sosedkin, IL, Jan 28, DXLD) ** U K. A NEW `RADIO` STATION FROM THE UK Mediasound.net is a brand new internet radio station from the UK, which plans to offer 40% of its time for music, 60% of its time for speech programming from local community groups which would like to be heard around the world. Test transmissions are currently airing from 1000 to 2300 UT, and if you would like to hear the station, go to:- http://www.mediasound.net You will need to be equipped with a computer which has the winamp programme, but I believe you can download this from the site if you don't already have it installed (Paul David, Wembley Park, England, Jan 27, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U K. UK CLUB ASIA PREPARES FOR 2003 LAUNCH CLUB ASIA is preparing for its launch next year, after winning the London wide licence from Liberty Radio. The bid was one of a total eight applicants applying for the re-advertised AM licence, which was then awarded last week. The sound of the station will be urban and contemporary and CLUB ASIA will play Bhangra, Modern Bollywood, Asian dance and pop, as well as mainstream RnB. CLUB ASIA has been campaigning for nearly two years to win this licence and has had strong support from the Asian and mainstream music industry. The Chairman is Baroness Flather, the country's first woman ethnic minority peer. The group also includes founders Sumerah Ahmad and Humerah Khan; the country's biggest selling Asian newspaper, Eastern Eye; Infinity Radio; radio professional John Ogden; and the Chief Executive of Sunrise Radio Yorkshire, Usha Parmar. Part of its application process involved taking airtime on Spectrum Radio for a year, and also broadcasting on Sky Digital 895 and via the web at: http://www.clubasiaonline.com Music and Promotions Director Sumerah Ahmad said: "One in eight Londoners are Asian and 70% per cent of them are under 34. Until now they didn't have a radio station they could call their own- but all that changes with this award CLUB ASIA will promote the exciting new wave of Asian music as well as tackling the important social issues confronting young London Asians." CLUB ASIA's Business Development Director John Ogden said: "We are absolutely delighted to have won this licence. It reflects the strength and experience of our board, the fact that we did the biggest research project ever undertaken into Asian tastes, and the professionalism and commitment of all the team. CLUB ASIA knows its audience and has huge support. The new station is destined to become an important part of this great city!" The new station will take over from Liberty Radio, broadcasting on 963 and 972 AM, in the New Year. Via Radio Newsletter (Dec DSWCI SW News via DXLD) ** U K. Since I've complained in the past about some Outlook programmes, let me send you my complements on the programme aired on Jan 27 2003. This one was excellent, and contained all the positive things that made Outlook one of my favorite BBC programmes in past years. This is what Outlook should be ALL the time: a pleasing mix of human-interest (the Mexican surgeon's story), music (the Quebec band), and food (the banana discussion and cooking/sampling), with NO politics or social-agenda issues that you've been spoiling Outlook with over the recent years. The next day's edition was less enjoyable, with the suicide discussion, but even that would be OK if it came once a week or so amongst a continual series of shows as good as the one I cited above. I hope to hear more of the good stuff (William Martin, Saint Louis, Missouri USA, Jan 28 to BBC, cc to DXLD) ** U K. BBC LICENCE FEE UNDER FIRE AGAIN Monday, 27 January, 2003, 13:01 GMT The BBC licence fee has come under attack from the deputy chairman of Channel 4, who said it should be abolished and part-funded by a subscription instead. Barry Cox described the BBC as a "cultural tyranny - a largely benevolent one, admittedly, but a tyranny none the less". But he added that its "great creative strength" across a whole range of programmes meant "it can and should afford, in the digital world, to rely on our willingness to pay for it voluntarily". The BBC is overwhelmingly funded by the £2.3bn a year it receives from TV households paying the licence fee. This is not the first time the fee has been criticised - more than half of people polled about it suggested it should be abolished, according to survey in the Daily Telegraph last October. As well as his post at Channel 4, Mr Cox is also chairman of the digital TV stakeholders' group, which was set up last year to promote digital TV and advise the government on policy. Writing for The Guardian, Mr Cox said that when TV switches from analogue to digital, which he thought would be in 10 years' time, the majority of homes in the UK "will effectively become electronic retail outlets". While this would be a "highly positive development", he cited three major obstacles "which could frustrate such an outcome" saying: The law prevents ITV and Channel 4 from charging for any of the programmes on their core services The BBC licence fee would have be replaced by subscription. Viewers have to pay for channels they do not watch on cable and satellite TV in order to watch premium channels, such as sport and film networks' They would end up restricting their programmes to those that appeal to the most valuable audiences, such as younger people, he said. This would mean that programmes such as expensive drama, comedy and documentaries would "rarely find a place on channels in the digital era". Mr Cox said a way around this would be for ITV and Channel 4 viewers to pay directly for such programmes. Another suggestion was for the existing pay-TV market to be "substantially reformed" so viewers could pay for individual channels rather than whole packages of channels on offer. At least two competing "impartial and high quality news and current affairs services" would have to be available to everyone free, while a range of "other culturally desirable services" would need to be free or "at an affordable price". The BBC was unavailable for comment (via Mike Terry, DXLD) ** U K [non?]. 4009.74, 11.1 1945, Laser Hot Hits here. Quiet on 6219, but later in the evening also returning back there. QSA 2-3. JE/RFK (=Jan Edh + Ronny Forslund, SW Bulletin Jan 26, translated by editor Thomas Nilsson for DXLD) ** U S A. VOA BEGINS SPECIAL ZIMBABWE BROADCASTS Washington, D.C., Jan. 28, 2003 – The Voice of America (VOA) yesterday launched a new, five-day-a-week, half-hour English-language program for Zimbabwe called Studio 7. The new program, which can be heard on shortwave and medium wave (AM) from 7:30 to 8:00 p.m. Zimbabwe time and on demand on the Internet at http://www.voanews.com/EnglishtoAfrica provides listeners with accurate, balanced world and U.S. news and information along with reports from Zimbabwe and the region. Health reports on subjects such as AIDS, polio, and child nutrition will be regular features. "Our new programming will be for all Zimbabweans," said VOA Director David Jackson. "We`ll offer news and information about issues that matter to them and to their lives. Free, credible and unbiased information is sorely needed in Zimbabwe to counteract the government repression of media there." The VOA Zimbabwe Broadcasting Project, which will eventually expand to one hour every day with programming in English, Shona, and Ndebele, is funded by a grant from the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID). VOA has hired a group of journalists specifically for the project, including Ray Choto, one of Zimbabwe's best known print journalists. Mr. Choto, formerly the principal reporter for the Standard newspaper in Harare, was arrested in 1999 for allegedly violating Zimbabwe's Law and Order Act, which prohibited journalists from writing and publishing information "likely to cause alarm and despondency among members of the public." (VOA press release Jan 28 via DXLD) Time would be 1730-1800 UT; WTFK? Would it be too much trouble to possiblize actual intuning? IBB schedule does not break this out, so if still part of regular English to Africa service: 1730-1800 UT 13710 15240 15445 17895 1730-1800 UT M-F 909 [Botswana] (gh, DXLD) see also RUSSIA/USA ** U S A. [White House press briefing:] Q. On this new White House Office of Global Communications, how big will it be, who is going to head it, and does it have authority over the VOA or the IBB? MR. FLEISCHER: No, on the last part. It's about a dozen people. It will be headed by Tucker Eskew, very well known to people here -- Deputy Assistant to the President who has very ably been involved in this area for quite a considerable period of time. http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2003/01/20030121-7.html (via Jill Dybka, TN, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A. DIFFERENT KIND OF OLDIES SHOW Program News Update: 1/28/2003 In repeats on live365.com: Last weekend's "Mish-Mosh" show and The Vault Of Vintage Vinyl show from 1/25/03. Starting this Saturday night, 2/1, We will begin our live feed over live365.com at 7:30 PM Eastern time with an Old Time Radio show. Join us this week for "Gangbusters". This Saturday, 2/1/03: February 9th is Carole King's birthday and February 11th is her ex-husband and writing partner, Gerry Goffin's. For the next two weeks, the D*K*O*S show will feature their hit music as performed by the artists that made them hits. While the early hits will be featured on the WBCQ portion, most of the later, longer songs of the 70's, will be on our 2nd live365.com only hour. Next week, 2/8/03: More of King & Goffin's hits, but his time we'll feature the versions from Carole King's solo career of the 70's. To listen to the D*K*O*S show on Saturday nights, tune in to WBCQ @ 7415 kHz Shortwave at 8 PM Eastern Time/0100 UT (Sunday Mornings). If we are broadcasting live, and we usually are, you can also hear us in MP3 Streaming audio on the net by way of live365.com. The net broadcasts run 24/7 and are reruns of the previous Saturday night show, usually starting on Sunday morning and also our Sunday afternoon show starting mid week. These repeat broadcasts are in mono over a 33.6 dial-up. Live broadcasts are now in stereo and require a 56kb modem or better line. To listen via the net open up the url http://www.live365.com/stations/15660 in your browser. This may not work if your firewall rejects the cookies. Live365.com now requires first time listeners to register in order to listen and offers an audio ad blocking option for a fee. This fee is purely voluntary on your part. We suggest you use the url http://www.live365.com/play/15660 as the "open location" in your MP3 player program to go directly to the audio stream without the graphics, registration or pop-up ads, (this option may not work with Real Player). "The Vault Of Vintage Vinyl" show is heard on Sundays at 3PM, Eastern by way of Doo Wop Café Radio AND is now also simulcast on our live365.com station in stereo, (56k modem minimum connection). To listen to the V*O*V*V show follow the above procedures to listen via live365.com or go to http://www.doowopcafe.net. You can also open the url: http://www.doowopcafe.net/doowop.ram in your Real Player. For the complete program schedule go to http://www.doowopcafe.net/schedule.html Check the Doo Wop Café website out for more information, the club has exclusively moved to Yahoo! While the DJ's are on the air, our members can use the chat room to be interactive with the host, http://groups.yahoo.com/group/doowopcafe is the url. Sunday nights at 8 PM, (Midnight UT Mondays), I play side kick to Johnny Lightning on his A Little Bit Of Everything Show, a/k/a The 11- L Network presents Radio New York International on WBCQ. For live talk, news commentary and outrageous humor tune into WBCQ or listen on the net at http://www.live365.com/stations/222095 Vintage Johnny Lightning, 11-L RNI shows are now being presented over the net 24/7. To listen, copy and paste this URL into the "Open Location" window in Winamp, (or most other MP3 players): http://64.185.135.77:9292 You can also do a search at http://www.shoutcast.com for "lightning". The rerun service is limited to 6 listeners at any one time and is operated by Joel Glickman. Remember to tune in Dave Kirby, N1DK, and his Cybershortwave Live program on live365.com Join him at 11 AM Eastern, 1600 UT, on alternate Sundays. The next scheduled program is on Ground Hog Day, February 2nd. During the week the program repeats on Live365.com along with many old time radio classics. Go to http://www.n1dk.com for the latest schedule. If you're reading this on our website or on a newsgroup but would like to get it in your mailbox instead, please write me back |^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^| | "Big Steve" Coletti | | A Different Kind Of Oldies Show on WBCQ, 7415kHz Shortwave | | Saturday Evenings at 8:00 ET, 0100 UTC-Sunday | | E-mail: bigstevecole@email.com - http://www.dorsai.org/~bigsteve | | | | US Mail: P.O. Box 396, New York, NY 10002 | ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ (Big Steve Cole, Jan 28, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A. WSRR - 7355 - Solid Rock Radio. Jan. 26, 0634-0705 UT, fair on AM with non-stop rap and hip-hop songs, "WSRR, Solid Rock Radio" IDs by male dj, asked for reports to Box 1, Belfast, NY 14711 address (maildrop used by U.S. pirates). Promos for http://www.solidrockradio.net web site. Mentioned 104.9 FM simulcast. (Mike Brooker, Ont., Jan 27, hard-core-dx via DXLD) Are you sure this wasn`t on 7385? SRR is a scheduled broadcast at that very time, UT Sundays on WRMI, as recently reported in DX LISTENING DIGEST (Glenn Hauser, ibid.) Yes, I did hear SRR on 7385, not 7355. Typing error. If this is a "legit" station, why are they using one of the maildrop addresses favored by the many hobby pirates on 6955? 73 (Mike Brooker, Toronto, ON, ibid.) WRMI is a legit station, and SRR is a program on WRMI. As for what else they do, I don`t find any listing of a 104.9 in the Buffalo NY area, and the real WSRR-FM is in Millington TN on 98.1. According to the blurb on the http://wrmi.net website, mail is to be addressed c/o WRMI, so it seems they don`t want to give out their true postal address. So apparently their FM broadcasts in Buffalo are piratical... 73, (Glenn Hauser, ibid.) ** U S A. WRMI Schedule/Horario Effective January/Enero 27, 2003 Days are local days in the Americas; times are UTC. Días son días locales en las Américas; horas son UTC. [gh deleted gospel huxters and far-right talkshows, leaving...] MONDAY-FRIDAY/LUNES-VIERNES To the Caribbean and Latin America on 9955 kHz/ Hacia el Caribe y Latinoamérica en 9955 kHz: 1100-1130 La Voz de la Junta Patriotica Cubana (español) 1130-1230 Entre Cubanos (español) 1230-1300 Viva Miami (English/español) Note: This transmission at 1000-1300 UT is temporarily not aired on Tuesday and Thursday. To North America on 15725 kHz/ Hacia Norteamérica en 15725 kHz: 1430-1530 Stock Talk Live (English) 7385 kHz to North America (except as noted)/ 7385 kHz hacia Norteamérica (excepto donde anotado): Note: following are Tuesday-Saturday UT. Los siguientes son martes-sábado UT. 0300-0330 Radio Praga (español; hacia el Caribe y Latinoamérica) 0330-0400 Radio Praha (Czech) 0400-0430 Radio Prague (English) SATURDAY/SABADO To the Caribbean and Latin America on 9955 kHz/ Hacia el Caribe y Latinoamérica en 9955 kHz: 1000-1030 Viva Miami (English) 1130-1200 Wavescan (English) 1200-1230 Viva Miami (English/español) To North America on 15725 kHz/ Hacia Norteamérica en 15725 kHz: 1300-2300 Music 2330-0000 Wavescan (English) To the Caribbean and Latin America on 9955 kHz/ Hacia el Caribe y Latinoamérica en 9955 kHz: The following are Sunday UT. Los siguientes son domingo UT. 0000-0100 Foro Militar Cubano (español) 0100-0130 Conversando entre Cubanos (español) 0130-0145 La Hora de Chibás (español) 0145-0200 La Verdad Para el Mundo (español) 0200-0300 Radio Revista Lux (español) 7385 kHz to North America (except as noted)/ 7385 kHz para Norteamérica (excepto donde anotado): 0300-0330 Radio Praga (español; hacia el Caribe y Latinoamérica) 0330-0400 Radio Praha (Czech) 0400-0430 Radio Prague (English) 0430-0500 Viva Miami (English/español) 0500-1000 Solid Rock Radio (English) SUNDAY/DOMINGO To the Caribbean and Latin America on 9955 kHz/ Hacia el Caribe y Latinoamerérica en 9955 kHz: 1000-1100 Foro Militar Cubano (español) To North America on 15725 kHz/ Hacia Norteamérica en 15725 kHz: 1300-1400 Viva Miami (English) 1400-1430 Wavescan (English) 1500-2100 Solid Rock Radio (English) 2200-2230 Wavescan (English) 2230-0000 Viva Miami (English) To the Caribbean and Latin America on 9955 kHz/ Hacia el Caribe y Latinoamérica en 9955 kHz: The following are UT Monday. Los siguientes son UT lunes. 0000-0100 Radio Revista Lux (español) 0100-0115 Radio Vaticano (español) 0130-0230 Radio Oriente Libre (español) 0230-0300 Conversando entre Cubanos (español) 7385 kHz to North America (except as noted)/ 7385 kHz para Norteamérica (excepto donde anotado): 0300-0330 Radio Praga (español; hacia el Caribe y Latinoamérica) 0330-0400 Radio Praha (Czech) 0400-0430 Radio Prague (English) 0445-0500 Radio Naciones Unidas (español) 0500-1000 Jupiter 400 (English) And details about the last entry, something new: Jupiter 400 - The International Mélange of Talk and Music. Jupiter 400 Presents (English) The flag ship broadcast and yes it's "LIVE" and brought to you via your shortwave set weekly. This is a 5 hour variety show with music, phone interviews, powerful commentary, talk and of course ............. comedy bits and humor seeks to entertain the listener. So, whether it's serious discussion with political leaders or ordering a pizza for delivery to Pakistan from Domino's, you the listener are there "LIVE". Your hosts Susan and the Bee Man guide you through the journey that is the Jupiter 400 experience. Yes!! Jupiter 400 Radio Network is broadcasting via shortwave from 0500 to 0959 UT Monday on the North American Beam at 7385 kHz from WRMI in Miami, FL. Send reception reports and e-mail to: shows@jupiter400.net. Part of the Jupiter 400 time block will include the "Edge of Reality" show hosted by Dr. Wayne E. Haley. Dr. Haley has been a professional psychoanalyst and paranormal researcher for over thirty years. Recently retiring from the University of California system, Dr. Haley now works exclusively on research in the area of the unusual and bizarre. He is presently the Director of HRL, Inc. a not-for-profit scientific research organization. Over the past twenty years he has written books, screenplays and various professional articles. He is still practicing analysis in the State of Washington where he specializes in UFO abductions and with patients that have had unusual encounters with the paranormal. His current late night radio program is designed to introduce listeners to the strange and unusual world as well as the enigmas that surround us all. http://radio.jupiter400.net (WRMI website Jan 27 via DXLD) ** U S A. WHRI on 5745 kHz seems to have been off the air for a week or two continually; it was back as of this past weekend but was off again last night (UT Jan 28). Anybody know what happened? I expected some explanation or discussion of it on the last Cumbre DX broadcast, since that's one of their main outlets, but nothing heard (Will Martin, St. Louis, MO, DX LISTENING DIGEST) See DXLD 3-013 ** U S A. ENFORCEMENT: FCC CANCELS EXPERIMENTAL LICENSE WC2XZV The FCC has cancelled an experimental license to California company because the agency says its being used for other purposes. According to the CGC Communicator, the FCC cancelled experimental authorization of WC2XZV after Enforcement Bureau monitoring confirmed the operation. In a short letter dated January 17th, the Commission stated that the California station's emissions were not in compliance with the terms of its experimental radio license. But a story on recnet.com says a lot more. It says that that there were published reports of an alleged pirate station operating in the Antelope Valley area prior to the experimental license grant. The station was operating on 104.7 MHz and identifying as Frequency Radio with its website at http://www.1047.fm A check of the website makes no mention of the experimental license or the FCC action to cancel it. A copy of the FCC's letter is posted in cyberspace at http://www.recnet.com/fcc/wc2xzv_cancel.pdf (CGC Communicator via Amateur Radio Newsline via DXLD) ** U S A. From this morning's "Inside Radio" headlines e-mail: ENGINEER LEONARD KAHN PETITIONS THE FCC TO HALT THE ROLLOUT OF IBIQUITY'S HD RADIO Kahn lists a menu of alleged problems, including the "huge costs" and "dramatic increase in interference" in AM signals, which he says "may force many independent rural stations out of business." (Wally Wawro, WFAA-TV Dallas, TX, NRC 2003 in Big D, NRC-AM via DXLD) Wow. Leonard killed AM stereo, now he wants to kill Ibiquity's project. Someone should tell him to retire and go to Cape Coral and buy a home (David Gleason, ibid.) ** ZAMBIA. Hello Glenn, Just a quick note to report that I am hearing Radio Zambia nightly on 6,265 kHz from as early as about 0300 to past 0430 UT. Some periodic ute interference. Programming is mostly very nice local music with man announcer in heavily accented EG, also the occasional longer talk. Signals have varied from poor to quite listenable. I'm currently located on Whidbey Island in Puget Sound, NW of Seattle. Regards, (Ed Tilbury, Jan 28, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** ZIMBABWE [non]. CLANDESTINE - 7119.97, V. of the People, 0334-0400+ 1/26. Tuned in to what was presumably the final transmission in this time slot. Missed sign-on; tuned in at 0334 to a typical discussion with mentions of "elections," "constitutional crisis in Zimbabwe," etc. Music break at 0342, then back to talk at 0347. VG signal but local noise problem here. Had faded somewhat by 0400 (John Wilkins, CO, Cumbre DX via DXLD) MADAGASCAR ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ POWERLINE COMMUNICATION +++++++++++++++++++++++ GOODBYE DX? POWER LINES SPARK NET ACCESS By Associated Press 03:45 PM Jan. 15, 2003 PT Story location: http://www.wired.com/news/technology/0,1282,57240,00.html WASHINGTON -- The same power lines that bring electricity to televisions and toasters may become the next pathway into homes for high-speed Internet access, federal officials said Wednesday. They said the technology offers an alternative to cable and telephone lines as a way to get broadband service, with its ability to quickly deliver large amounts of data and high-quality video signals. "Every power plug in your home becomes a broadband connection," said Edmond Thomas, chief of the Federal Communications Commission's Office of Engineering and Technology. He said companies developing the technology have overcome many hurdles in the past year. "It's starting to look like a very viable technology," said Thomas, who described the technology in a presentation to the agency's five commissioners. "We're very excited." But it is uncertain whether most consumers will get to use it anytime soon, said Mark Uncapher, senior vice president with the Information Technology Association of America, a Washington-based trade group. "It is still very much an open question just how commercially feasible it is," he said. "It's going to need a company or companies that are really going to champion it." Internet access over electric lines would be similar in capability to connections over cable modems and telephone DSL, Thomas said. Such an alternative could lead to more competition and lower prices, Uncapher said. The FCC has been studying the technology for several months and will pay more attention to it this year, Thomas said. He said no regulations prohibit the technology, but the agency is concerned that Internet transmissions carried over power lines could emit signals inside and outside the home that could cause interference. "We want to make darn sure this isn't going to cause problems to your TV," he said. Utility companies PPL in Allentown, Pennsylvania, and Ameren in St. Louis are conducting trial programs with consumers to test the technology, representatives of the companies said. "It is working," said Alan Shark, president of the Power Line Communications Association, which is promoting the technology. The trade group includes Internet companies including Earthlink and 11 utility companies that provide power to about 30 million homes. Earthlink, the No. 3 Internet service provider, has been in talks with utility companies, exploring partnerships to develop and market the technology, said Dave Baker, the company's vice president for law and public policy. "The engineering challenges are largely being overcome," Baker said. "The biggest challenges now are getting the product to market." Shark said the technology works by sending information over existing electric power lines. Cables carrying high-speed Internet information would likely be linked to electric lines after they have left power stations. Internet connections could then flow directly into the power outlets in homes and offices or to an outdoor pole that broadcasts a wireless broadband signal to a neighborhood. The current technology cannot send signals over high-voltage lines that carry greater amounts of electricity to isolated areas, Shark said. Shark said the technology has other potential benefits, including helping utilities monitor the condition of power lines and providing a backup communications system for communities worried about terrorism, natural disasters or other emergencies (via David Crawford, hard-core- dx, and Mike Terry, DXLD) In case you'd like to comment: POWER LINE COMMUNICATIONS ASSOCIATION 200 N. Glebe Road Suite 1000 Arlington, VA 22203 Phone: (202) 331-7773 Fax: (202) 331-9062 Email: plcaonline@plca.net President, Alan R. Shark (202) 835-7814 Email: shark@plca.net Director of Strategic Comms., Craig E. Schaar (202) 835-7819 Email: schaar@plca.net Chairman, Keith Brightfield (314) 554-3464 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- (David E. Crawford, Titusville, Florida, hard-core-dx via DXLD) RECEIVER NEWS +++++++++++++ GRUNDIG INTRODUCES SATELLIT 900 AT CES 2003 Dear Jim, Thank you for your interest in Grundig Eton. Enclosed with this e-mail you will find our press release regarding the Satellit 900. We will also be notifying you again with updated information and the final details one month prior to the release of the S900 to market. Thanks again for your interest. Best regards, The Eton / Grundig Sales Team ************ LAS VEGAS, Nevada, January 9, 2003 --- Grundig today unveiled the new Satellit 900 AM/FM/SW Radio, the premier microprocessor-controlled, fully frequency synthesized, high performance world band receiver. With continuous frequency coverage between 100 kHz and 30 MHz plus FM broadcast band coverage the Satellit 900 sets the standard for high performance receivers of the future. "Grundig represents the leader in shortwave technology and the Satellit 900 delivers the ultimate in world radio enjoyment," said Esmail Hozour, Grundig - Eton Corporation's CEO. "Whether you're an experienced shortwave listener or a newcomer to the wonderful world of international broadcasting the Satellit 900 is an exciting radio with performance standards of sensitivity, selectivity and dynamic range." Sharp, sleek yet compact, the Satellit 900 pairs highly intelligent design with the power of its predecessor, the Satellit 800, known as "the best radio on the planet" by Passport to Worldband Radio. With the large dot matrix liquid crystal display with backlighting, the Satellit 900 provides clear display of all radio modes and settings. The built-in ferrite rod antenna and telescoping whip antenna for longwave, medium wave, shortwave and FM frequencies in addition to the external antenna connector and switch-selected preamp allows customers to optimize reception of hard to pull in stations in spite of location. Tuning abilities have also been revolutionized with the Satellit 900. In addition to tuning by the rotary main tuning encoder or by direct numeric keypad frequency entry, customers can also select stations with the convenient channel increment select keys. This innovative new feature simplifies the tuning process and enables users to scan and store up to 500 of their favorite channels. Attendees of the International Consumer Electric Show were among the first to test the new Satellite 900 for themselves. Release of this simple and intuitive to use Satellit 900 Radio is expected for the fourth quarter of the 2003 fiscal year. About Grundig /Eton Corporation Grundig/Eton Corporation - With headquarters in Palo Alto, California, Grundig/Eton Corporation is a leading manufacturer of shortwave audio and portable audio products for the consumer market. Its focus is to keep customers informed through a variety of shortwave radios, which receive local and international stations from around the world. Information about Grundig Eton and its products can be found on the World Wide Web at http://www.grundigradio.com (via Jim Dickey, DXLD) XM SATELLITE RADIO RECEIVERS Wall Street Journal tech reporter Walt Mossberg has changed his tune on XM Satellite Radio, since the introduction of the Delphi SkyFi receiver. Mossberg especially liked the easy-to-read display and compared the unit favorably to the Bose Wave radio ("which is stuck playing FM and AM"). Read more in today's issue of "RAIN: Radio And Internet Newsletter," online at http://www.kurthanson.com "When I reviewed XM last year (Wall Street Journal subscription required here; see RAIN's coverage here), I gave high marks to its 100 channels of programming (now 101), which feature dedicated stations for everything from classic country, folk, comedy and oldies to multiple flavors of rock, rap, jazz and blues... "But I panned the actual radios that were being sold to receive all this stuff... "Today, however, I am pleased to say that the hardware has caught up to the content. XM's rich programming is now available through a new, very well-designed radio that works in a car or a home and is much less expensive -- around $200. And that makes XM Radio a service I can wholeheartedly recommend. "The factor that changed my mind is a product from Delphi, the Detroit auto-electronics giant, designed in close collaboration with XM. It's called the Delphi XM SkyFi Radio. The SkyFi system consists of a small, palm-size modular satellite receiver you use in conjunction with various home or auto adapter kits... "The receiver has a roomy screen that shows at a glance the channel you're on, and the names of the song and the artist...Not only that, but the new SkyFi receiver can display channels either by name, or by the names of the artists or the titles of the songs playing at any moment, a brilliant way to help drivers make quick choices. If you're using the SkyFi at home, the text on the screen can be blown up to a size large enough to read from across a small room... "There are $70 kits for hooking up the radio in a car and for connecting the SkyFi to your home audio system. "But my favorite is a $99 kit called the SkyFi portable audio system, which turns the little receiver into a tabletop radio, or boombox...It can run on either batteries or via an included AC adapter and is relatively wire-free, except for the wire leading to the small satellite antenna. With the remote control, it makes a great tabletop radio -- better, in my view, than the heavily touted $350 Bose Wave radio, which is stuck playing FM and AM." Read Mossberg's entire column in the Wall Street Journal (via Mike Terry, DXLD) DRM +++ Hi Chaps, I've given in to temptation and bought myself a DRM receiver. It's a modified Yaesu FRG-100, which has turned out to be a nice little receiver in its own right. If anyone wants to hear the results of my tinkering so far I have set up a web page on my site at: http://www.owdjim.gen.nz/chris/radio/DRM/ I was going to put the DRM logo on this page, but it has to be referred to the Euro lawyers first apparently... Cheers, (Chris Mackerell, P.O. Box 2241, Wellington 6015, New Zealand Telephone: +64 (4) 232-4216 Fax: +64 (4) 232-4218 http://www.owdjim.gen.nz Mobile & SMS: +64 (21) 238-9861 Email: chris@owdjim.gen.nz & chris@radiodx.com ICQ# 91488073, hard-core-dx via DXLD) ###