DX LISTENING DIGEST 3-035, March 2, 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/dxldtd3c.html [note change] HTML version of all January issues: http://www.worldofradio.com/dxldtd3a.html 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 1171: WWCR: Wed 1030 9475 RFPI: Mon 0030, 0630, 1230, Tue 1900, Wed 0100, 0700, 1300, 7445 and/or 15038.6 WBCQ: Mon 0545 7415 WJIE: M-F 1300, Mon and Tue 0700 on 7490 WRN ONDEMAND: http://new.wrn.org/listeners/stations/station.php?StationID=24 OUR ONDEMAND AUDIO: Check http://www.worldofradio.com/audiomid.html [Low] (Download) http://www.k4cc.net/wor1171.rm (Stream) http://www.k4cc.net/wor1171.ram [High] (Download) http://www.k4cc.net/wor1171h.rm (Stream) http://www.k4cc.net/wor1171h.ram (Summary) http://www.worldofradio.com/wor1171.html NETS TO YOU: new March 1 revision is now available: http://www.worldofradio.com/nets2you.html UNSOLICITED TESTIMONIAL A BIG Thank You to Jeff White, and to your Good Self for all the Typing necessary. This account regarding the A03 Frequency Planning Season Conference made VERY interesting reading, giving a fascinating insight into the nitty gritty of Frequency Co-Ordination and Band Management (Ken Fletcher, UK, 1st March 2003 1115 UT) Wolfgang's Top News... as always very good... I personally think that and Glen[n] Hauser's ...it`s like a huge book and something for everyone... (Johno Wright, ARDXC Feb 28) ** ABKHAZIA. GEORGIA'S BREAKAWAY PROVINCE OF ABKHAZIA LAUNCHES OFFICIAL INTERNET SITE | Excerpt from report by Georgian news agency Kavkasia-Press Sukhumi [Abkhazia], 28 February: The official ceremony of launching a state Internet site "abkhazia.info" has been held in the office of the president of the self-declared republic of Abkhazia. The site was presented by the president's press secretary, Ruslan Khashig. The site was designed by Yelena Yermolenko. The information for the site is being provided by the president's press service and the state news agency Apsnypress, while Internet support is being provided by the A- Telecom company. The web pages will include information about the structure and the main directions of the activities of all the branches of authorities. The site will also include the text of the constitution of the republic of Abkhazia in the Abkhaz, Russian and English languages, the state independence act, major state legislative acts and material depicting the history of Abkhazia. A special page will be dedicated to the president of the republic. The site will incorporate various sections: politics, history, geography, culture, science, tourism and the mass media. It will have links to 15 web pages where the visitors will be able to get additional information on Abkhazia... Source: Kavkasia-Press news agency, Tbilisi, in Georgian 1648 gmt 28 Feb 03 (via BBCM via DXLD) DISCLAIMER: An individual radio-country entry in DXLD does not constitute endorsement of the independence of the entity in question by the United States government, or by Glenn Hauser. ** ALASKA. A-03 Schedule: USA - KNLS, Alaska March 30, 2003 to April 27, 2003 0800 11765 English 0900 11765 Russian 1000 11765 Mandarin 1100 9615 Russian 1200 11765 Mandarin 1300 11870 English 1400 11870 Mandarin 1500 11870 Mandarin 1600 9615 Mandarin 1700 12105 Russian (KNLS Website via Alan Roe, Teddington, UK, March 1, DXLD) ** AUSTRIA. Yesterday I visited a listeners meeting with Wolf Harranth at Dresden. He feels that the federal government of Austria winds up ROI because the station refused to act as its mouthpiece but instead kept always the policy of independent reporting. Wolf also pointed out how large investments of taxpayers money will be destroyed by this policy: New studio equipment was installed at the ORF centre (otherwise home of TV and administration), then ROI had to leave to the radiohouse, so the just finished studios / control rooms had to be dismantled again and new facilities at the radiohouse established. As well-known, two new shortwave transmitters were installed at Moosbrunn, now for the benefit of foreign clients but no longer of the Austrian taxpayer. I think there were already enough reports about what will happen in four weeks unless a wonder will happen; presumably ROI will still formally exist but only with very little foreign language programming and none of its own German productions anymore. Check out the website of the widely published appeal to the ORF's board of trustees http://www.radio-portal.org/roi/votum.html --- Not a single board member has responded so far. So can we expect them to vote against the decision to axe ROI? (Sorry, I cannot resist...) Of course not! (Kai Ludwig, March 1, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** BELARUS`. 4855 kHz: I heard this new retransmission in the 60 mb: Radiostation Vertikal, Sankt-Peterburg, 19/02 2105, 22/02 1510, 27/02 1350. Modulation in SSB mode. It seems the already known Belorussian transmitter (Army) / feeder has been reactivated. Program Russian pop music, slogans, for Sankt-Peterburg (Ruslan Slavutskiy, Moskovskaya oblast, Feb RUS-DX via DXLD) ** BIAFRA [non]. SOUTH AFRICA, 7380, Voice of Biafra International. 2100-2200 UT Saturdays only. || Voice of Biafra International in English to WAf via ARM 200 kW / 235 deg effective Feb 22: 2100-2200 Sat on 7380 (55544), ex 1900-2000 Sat on 12125 (Bulgarian Observer #246 Feb 25, 2003) || Really, or wishful thinking --- coming from Samara Russia location? Heard a very thiny, poor signal, fluttery like coming from the south, like mentioned in DXpress from Meyerton, South Africa site, no doubts. In Europe came in on lousy S=1-2 level at 2100 UT, but signal increased during the broadcast, so from 2120 UT onwards til 2159 UT the speaker was readable. Heavily interfered signal, splatter from V of Russia, Moscow in English on 7390 kHz. Mentioned many times Biafra land, Nigeria, frequency of 7380 in 41 mb. Praised the struggle against Apartheid in South Africa for example. All Nigerians should share resources and democracy with Biafrans. Latter have no rights in Nigeria. Danger Muslims living in Nigeria, and occupied Biafra land. "Voice of Biafra International coming to you from Washington, D.C." Address: Voice of BIAFRA International, 733 15th Street NW, Suite 700, Washington DC 20005, USA. End of broadcast at 2159:33, sign off at 2159:45 (Wolfgang Bueschel, BC-DX Mar 1 via DXLD) Excellent reception this morning of the relatively new clandestine Voice of Biafra International, on new frequency and at new time, 7380 kHz *2100-2145 f/out. PPCs are already being received so worth a report. I think this is a Saturday only transmission. Was interesting to hear an English language clandestine for the first time. 73s gd dx de (Sam Dellit vk4zss Tamborine, Qsld., March 1, ARDXC via DXLD) ** CUBA [and non]. 1180 is Rebelde's biggest transmitter, easily heard local level at my QTH daytime. Anyone's likelihood of hearing Radio Martí on 1180 kHz is rare: whilst the transmitter (reportedly 100 kW) is always active, it is blocked by the Rebelde signal. When I am in the Florida Keys, I can easily null out Martí a mile or so south of the transmitter (at the 'Seven Mile Bridge') and receive Rebelde exclusively. If you are ever uncertain about whether you are hearing Rebelde, first try paralleling the audio with shortwave 5025 which is generally active (Terry L. Krueger, Clearwater FL, March 1, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** DENMARK. Radio Denmark QSLs: I have been in recent correspondence with Erik Křie at Radio Denmark following their station's Radio Luxembourg special on New Year's eve on 1062 kHz. It transpires that there are broadcasts in English but only of News between Monday to Friday at 0930, 1610 and 2100 UT on the medium wave outlet of 1062 kHz. Reception of this channel is reasonable here in Southern England and QSLs are available for the asking. You may like to contact Erik who is a short wave listener as well at ERK@dr.dk or direct to the station rdktek@dr.dk Whilst the above QSL is the current issue you can still obtain by asking for one of the four parts that makes up a painting symbolizing the Danish national anthem "Der er et yndigt land". I have now obtained all four parts of the QSL Cards and have produced a photocopy of what the picture looks like. Finally the information sheet states that transmissions may be cancelled without warning which I assume related to the use of the two Radio Norway transmitter sites at Kvitsřy, and Sveiř. So if you want to show your support of Radio Denmark and obtain the QSLs before they go off air on short wave please write to them. (NS 996) (NICK SHARPE via Paul Youngs, Mar World DX Club Contact via Alan Roe, DXLD) ** DJIBOUTI. /USA: VOA TRANSMITTER IN DJIBOUTI TO BROADCAST RADIO SAWA | Text of report by Djibouti news agency ADI web site A delegation led by the RTD [Djibouti Radio and Television] technical department's head, Mr Moussed Yahya will, tomorrow, leave for Tangier (Morocco), the base of Voice of America transmission center, in the framework of cooperation between RTD and the US International Broadcasting Office and following various cooperation agreements signed in January between the Djibouti president and his American counterpart. For about 10 days, the RTD technicians will study the functioning of the centre in order to prepare an agreement protocol on the exploitation and functioning of the new American station under construction at PK 12. The Voice of America centre due to start operating at the end of this year will be equipped with a mediumwave 600-kW transmitter and will continuously broadcast Radio Sawa Arabic programs. Some 20 Djibouti nationals will be employed in accordance with the wish expressed by the president during his recent official visit to the USA. Source: ADI news agency web site, Djibouti, in French 28 Feb 03 (via BBCM via DXLD) ** ECUADOR. HCJB still heard in SAs service on 12040 with DX Partyline UT Sat March 1 at 0200 (George Thurman, TX, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Wonder if that was the final time? They were talking about keeping it on until end of Feb (gh, DXLD) ** ERITREA [non]. Voice of Democratic Eritrea on 5925: Carrier on at 1459 only after starting the recording, resulting in a crash-start into the theme music. Signal not very strong but still sufficient to wipe out co-channel Tbilisskaya completely. Program content: Mostly shouting, accompanied by an amount of mains hum any PA sound engineer would be ashamed off. Altogether I see no reason for assuming that this would be no longer Jülich (6140 was weak, too), especially since this would be not just a site switch (DTAG ./. Merlin). And once again, has this program producer, transmitting via Jülich for years now, anything to do with all the new stuff from Norway? (Kai Ludwig, Germany, March 1, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Yes Kai, agree, I had my doubts, when Silvain reported: || ERITREA [non]. NORWAY. Voice Of Democratic Eritrea on 5925 via Kvitsoy 1500-1600 Feb 22, Saturdays only. First part in Tigrigna, second in Arabic when I could get the full ID. Reception much better here in Belgium, now it's coming from Norway. (Silvain Domen, Belgium, DXLD) || I checked 5925 twice, on Feb 22nd and today Mar 1. Compared to another 49 mb channel 6110 kHz from Juelich, the 5925 kHz signal had up and downs like 'pulse modulation pump'. Checked the sign-on times on Juelich around 1455-1500 UT: Carrier sign on time: 5925 1456:13 6110 1459:16 11655 1459:14 At 1500 UT Norway/Denmark uses two channels only: 15735 and 17525 kHz. Only people living 100 km around Juelich in the DEAD zone, like at Aachen, Cologne, Essen, or Dortmund for instance could declare the truth. 73 (Wolfgang Bueschel, March 1, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** INTERNATIONAL VACUUM [and non]. TAIWAN SAYS ``NO SOLID EVIDENCE`` SATELLITE JAMMING ON MAINLAND CAME FROM TAIPEI | Text of report in English by Taiwanese Central News Agency web site Taipei, 27 February: There is no solid evidence proving that a batch of illegal radio frequency devices that were intercepted late last year in Taipei was related to the alleged jamming of satellite television signals in mainland China, an official from the Directorate General of Telecommunications (DGT) said Thursday [27 February]. Wu Jih-tien, deputy director of the DGT`s Radio Wave Regulatory Department, said it is true that the DGT uncovered illegal radio frequency devices in Taipei last November but the agency could not confirm nor verify that the devices and their owners were the source of satellite interference that hijacked mainland Chinese television broadcasts via its state-run SINOSAT satellite twice in September 2002. According to Wu, a man was arrested last November when he was transporting a number of illegal radio frequency devices on Pateh Road, downtown Taipei. The owners of the devices were also nabbed later because they could not produce an import permit and a user`s licence issued by the DGT. Beijing accused Falun Gong followers of hacking into its state satellite television signals from Taiwan. The mainland authorities said the signals that hijacked mainland Chinese television broadcasts via SINOSAT were transmitted from the mountainous Wulai region, located some 25 km from downtown Taipei. Wu said that local telecommunications police have investigated the mainland`s claims but no suspicious source of hacking has been discovered. However, coincidentally, the mainland Chinese have not complained about any jamming of satellite signals ever since the confiscation of the illegal radio frequency devices in Taipei, Wu added. Source: Central News Agency web site, Taipei, in English 0809 gmt 27 Feb 03 (via BBCM via DXLD) ** IRAN. I arrived home from work February 12th and was told a strange man had been on the phone and would ring back. I received a telephone call from a gentleman named, I think, Brad Berry for Voice of Islamic Republic of Iran. He was ringing, he said, from Tehran, had received my letter and would like to interview me for a programme. My brain immediately ceased to function correctly. He seemed like a nice guy and asked why I had listened to the station and what I thought of the programmes. He asked what I knew of the people of Iran, then realised I knew very little, and what I thought of a possible war with Iraq. I always think it best to be diplomatic so shared my concerns about innocent people being killed. Further questions followed about what I thought about the British governments current comments and position with regard to Iran. I am not usually politically thick but I had not heard anything to comment about recently, obviously I spend too much time listening to foreign radio stations, so I explained that I was not aware of any comments or other issues. I was quite taken aback by the contact, but nevertheless think it is something if any station makes an effort to contact its listeners personally, some can't even be bothered to write back, even for IRCs and American Dollars. I have not heard my interview broadcast, but hope I didn't sound to noncommittal! (RICHARD LOWIS via Mike Barraclough, World DX Club Contact March via Alan Roe, DXLD) I have heard other listeners report that Iran has rung them after they have sent in reception reports. Did you quote your phone number or have they looked it up in international telephone directories? (Mike Barraclough, ibid.) ** IRAQ [non]. The article in DXLD 3-027 (reprinted in CRW 127e) titled "US PSYCHOLOGICAL OPERATIONS ESCALATE AGAINST IRAQ" was written by a civilian analyst with a defense contractor called Global Information System http://www.gisresearch.com/About-GIS.htm and does not represent a disclosure by the Pentagon. Rather, it was Clandestine Radio Watch (CRW) that first disclosed much of what the author reports as fact and analysis. Unfortunately for GIS, various branches of the U.S. federal government, including eop.gov (Executive Office of the President), visit CRW and ClandestineRadio.com regularly (Nick Grace, DC, March 1, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** IRAQ [and non]. In case you don`t find enough in DXLD under this heading, hard-core-dx has an IRAQ SPECIAL section grouping this material in one place, much of it from or via DXLD: http://www.hard-core-dx.com/index.php?topic=iraq&page=2 (Glenn Hauser, DXLD) ** ITALY. If they think morale is low at RAI TV, what must it be like at the shortwave service? 73- (Bill Westenhaver) ------- RAI COMMENTS: A NORTH-SOUTH TUG OF WAR IS THREATENING TO TEAR STATE TELEVISION APART AND MAY EVEN BRING DOWN THE GOVERNMENT Sophie Arie, Wednesday February 26 2003, The Guardian On February 15, when millions marched in the name of peace around the world, Italian state television decided not to broadcast the protests live, saying it would ``put undue pressure on the politicians``. The decision sent a ripple of outrage through Italy as critics protested that Radiotelevision Italiana, RAI, had been reduced to a ``public disservice``. Among the critics, even the Vatican newspaper, the Osservatore Romano, lamented the missed opportunity in a country officially playing ``hawk`` in the buildup to a war on Iraq, but whose public is over 70% against a war. The episode came after long months of simmering discontent in ``la RAI``, where staff and members of the public have warned that news is being censored, turning RAI, in all but name, into the mouthpiece of the government of prime minister Silvio Berlusconi. In Italy, where the prime minister already controls three private television channels, and where the average citizen spends over four hours each day in front of the box, the control of RAI is a battle that could decide the future of the government. And this week, RAI has lurched into a crisis as the fiery members of Berlusconi`s government coalition fight each other for a share of the multimillion euro public service. ``In the world people are only talking about Saddam (Hussein) and the prospects of war, but in Rome there`s a mini-Iraq going on that is much more explosive for the merry-go-round of power,`` said influential Italian daily Corriere della Sera. At the heart of the battle are Berlusconi`s two right-hand coalition men, firebrand far-right federalist, Umberto Bossi, and Gianfranco Fini, deputy prime minister and leader of the formerly neo-fascist National Alliance. In a decision that breaks with decades of tradition, news emerged that the headquarters of RAI 2 was to be uprooted from Rome to Milan. The decision, reportedly supported by Berlusconi, was seen as a triumph for Bossi, who has long campaigned for devolution of powers from what many in the north of Italy regard as the creaking bureaucracy and southern slowness of Rome. Milan is not just Italy`s modern, financial capital. It is also Bossi`s city, and the headquarters of his Northern League party, which hopes one day to make part of northern Italy an independent country called Padania. Bossi argues that is high time Italy broke from its tradition of ``Romecentric racism``. But what is Bossi`s joy is Gianfranco Fini`s pain. He protested against the move, seeing it as favouritism for Bossi. In a political twist almost only possible in Italy, his ultra-right wing party threatened to break away from the government coalition and vote with the Communists to block the RAI 2 shift north. ``People think Italian politics is about extreme left and right. This crisis is revealing that what it is really all about is the north- south divide,`` said Franco Pavoncello, professor of political sciences at Rome`s John Cabot University. For the first time since Berlusconi won a landslide election victory in June 2001, his coalition this week looked seriously shaky, along north-south lines. Echoes of the coalition collapse that brought down Berlusconi`s first government in 1994 - when Bossi turned against the prime minister because of a corruption scandal - reverberated around government and television corridors. ``If they vote with the Communists, the government falls,`` Bossi warned in an interview with Corriere della Sera. Berlusconi, while trying to concentrate on presenting Italy as a solid and influential player on the international diplomatic stage amid the build up to a war on Iraq, was frantically working to play down the crisis and hold his volatile coalition together. ``It`s clear that all these problems are not problems,`` he said emerging from a crisis meeting after midnight on Tuesday night. But critics argue that Berlusconi is himself indirectly undermining the integrity of RAI, encouraging a gradual degradation in quality so that viewers switch to the three private channels run by his own media empire, Mediaset. In January, according to a Corriere della sera report, Mediaset took over RAI for the first time in the prime times ratings race. Last year, three of the five RAI board members resigned in protest that RAI was been bulldozed into toeing the government line. Three presenters, were forced out last Autumn after criticizing Berlusconi. Now, the Union of RAI workers, Usigrai, is threatening to present a register of the daily ``manipulatory interventions`` controlling political reporting on state television. Moral is low at la RAI, and on February 15 some of the staff hung their peace flag from window railings at the television building in Rome, like prisoners, protesting that they had not been allowed to broadcast the march. ``It`s the first time,`` one RAI journalist told La Repubblica newspaper, ``that you feel there is someone inside the company rowing against the tide from inside, who wants to sink it, humiliate it and impoverish it.`` A board reshuffle may win time, but it is not clear if a new board, nominated by the parliament, will rescue RAI or sink it further. Copyright Guardian Newspapers Limited (via Bill Westenhaver, DXLD) ** JOHNSTON ISLAND. Q-News reports that the Air Force has closed down Johnston Island and demolition will start shortly on the remaining buildings. There will be probably DXpeditions to the island later but not under the call of KJ6BZ. The good news is that the history of the Johnston Island Amateur Radio Club will be held in the Air Force archives (via Amateur Radio Newsline Feb 28 via John Norfolk, DXLD) ** KASHMIR [non]. Dear Friends, Today on 6135 at 0230-0330 Radio Sadayee Kashmir's programs were noted mixing with that of Urdu Service of AIR. At the same time on 6155, the regular Channel of AIR was also noted with the same type of mixed signals. At 0330 when Radio Sadayee Kashmir's transmissions ended, normal program (without any mix up) noted on 6155. Also yesterday (Saturday) after Radio Sadayee Kashmir's program was over at 0330, for a very short time a Hindi program (of AIR type) in progress was noted. So it looks like an AIR transmitter after all! ===== 73 (Jose Jacob, VU2JOS/AT0J, National Institute of Amateur Radio, Box 1555, Somajiguda Hyderabad 500082, India, March 2, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Very good; now to track down the site, and the studio or agency behind it. No India listings in current HFCC for either frequency (gh, DXLD) ** MEXICO. XEPRS-1090 is currently off the air, leaving a mixing product of KSDO-1130 and KCBQ-1170. The San Diego Union newspaper reports that they are going to return to the air as "The Mighty 10-90" with sports talk in English, using many former personalities from XETRA-690 (XETRA recently began simulcasting KXTA-1150). I don't know when they went off the air, but if we're lucky, maybe they'll stay off all weekend and come back with the new format on Monday. I've already logged Little Rock and Baltimore on 1090, but I'd sure like to get Hartford on 1080! 73, (Tim Hall, Chula Vista, CA, March 1 http://www.inetworld.net/halls/dx/index.html amfmtvdx via DXLD) ** MEXICO. 2390, R. Huayacocotla, 1253 Feb 28 with kids singing. Nice canned ID with call, slogan, and address at 1300. Not as strong as it was in south Texas, but interesting to hear it in the mornings here as well (Hans Johnson, Tallulah, Louisiana, USA, Cumbre DX via DXLD) ** OMAN. Radio Oman A'03 Frequency Schedule ---------------------------------- (30th Mar'03 to 26th Oct'03) UT FREQ STRT STOP CIRAF LOC POWR DAYS LANG 6085 0200 0400 39N,40W SEB 100 1234567 Arabic 6085 2000 2200 39SW,48 SEB 100 1234567 Arabic 6190 1800 2000 39SW,48 SEB 100 1234567 Arabic 9515 0400 0600 39N,40W SEB 100 1234567 Arabic 9760 2300 0200 28,39N THU 100 1234567 Arabic 13640 0600 1400 39N,40W SEB 100 1234567 Arabic 13640 2000 2200 28,39N THU 100 1234567 Arabic 15140 1400 1500 28,39N THU 100 1234567 English 15140 1500 1800 28,39N THU 100 1234567 Arabic 15355 2200 2400 28,39N THU 100 1234567 Arabic 15355 0200 0300 48,53 THU 100 1234567 Arabic 15355 0300 0400 48,53 THU 100 1234567 English 15355 1800 2000 48,53 THU 100 1234567 Arabic 15375 1400 1800 39SW,48 SEB 100 1234567 Arabic 17590 0400 0600 48,53 THU 100 1234567 Arabic 17630 0600 1000 28,39N THU 100 1234567 Arabic Locations of transmitters : THU Thumrait 100 kW; SEB Seeb 100 kW (Alokesh Gupta, New Delhi, India, March 2, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** PAKISTAN. Glenn, Very good reception today of Radio Pakistan on 5080.68 kHz at 1755 UT. Programme was in English until 1800 when switched to Urdu for short announcements, ID, Anthem and signoff at 1804 UT, (Graham Powell, Wales, Editor of the Online DX Logbook http://www.shortwave.org.uk DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** POLAND. Today I checked if Radio Polonia really broadcasts after 1300 on 6095 as the schedule suggests: Yes, noted with English and after antenna switching break from 1400 with a weaker signal in Russian. At least during the English broadcast the 6095 audio contained also the bass range, contrary to // 9525. Years ago one of the Leszczynka transmitters singled out from all other units by not having the tight audio highpass (estimated cut-off around 200 Hz) otherwise typical for Leszczynka, alongside with the infamous growl and the absence of any gain riding. Since then I found the bass range always suppressed, so I thought this particular transmitter was scrapped in the meantime, but not so. Or did they remove the highpass from another unit to try if the output sounds better this way? (Answer: Yes, and of course you guys are able to monitor your own modulation, aren't you?) (Kai Ludwig, Germany, March 1, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** RUSSIA/U S A. LEADING TELEVISION PERSONALITY SAYS RUSSIAN PRESS FREER THAN U.S. PRESS. Television journalist Vladimir Pozner, who in the late 1980s and early 1990s conducted a series of joint broadcasts with U.S. journalist Phil Donahue, commented that MSNBC's 25 February decision to fire Donahue was politically motivated, ORT reported on 26 February. Pozner rejected the argument that Donahue's show was cancelled because of its low ratings and said instead that the decision was made because of Donahue's vocal opposition to a possible U.S.-led military operation against the regime of Iraqi President Saddam Hussein. Today, Russian journalists are much more free to criticize their government than U.S. journalists are to criticize theirs, Pozner said. Pozner was a leading journalist in the Soviet era, and his integrity has been frequently called into question. In 1996, Pozner interviewed former KGB Chairman Vladimir Kryuchkov and asked him whether he would send Pozner to a labor camp if the Communists returned to power. "No," replied Kryuchkov, "a journalist with your talent will find a place under any regime." ("RFE/RL Newsline," 27 February via RFE/RL Media Matters Feb 28 via DXLD) ** RUSSIA [non]. Voice of Russia via Jülich: Judging from the programming they obviously transmit the Intelsat feed primarily meant for 603 kHz. I guess these are basically test transmissions so far, not a really big surprise because Voice of Russia is an established customer of T-Systems MediaBroadcast, but of course it will be interesting to see what will finally arise from (Kai Ludwig, Germany, March 1, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** SOLOMON ISLANDS. 1035, Honiara, 2/28 0845 UTC/0045 PST. Weak with man reading the news in English. Not very readable, so I checked 5020 kHz with the DX-398 and heard the same program with a mention of the Solomon Is. I've been after this since last September. PFM: 1034.9989 kHz (Albert Lehr, Livermore, CA, Allied A-2515 receiver, Homebrew external sync detector, frequency measurement system, Two 35 ft. Ewe antennas at 218 and 293 degrees, IRCA via DXLD) ** SYRIA [non]. CLANDESTINE from CIS? to SYRIA. Arabic Radio lists the following schedule on their website: 0430-0500 7510, 1600-1630 on 7470 and 12085 (Hans Johnson, LA, Mar 1, Cumbre DX via DXLD) ** TAIWAN. Central Broadcasting System (CBS) has announced the result of "CBS Mascot" design contest. This contest was organized by CBS to mark the CBS's 75th Anniversary. The result can be found in Chinese Homepage of CBS http://www.cbs.org.tw/big5/activities/lucky/reward.htm There are 59 winners in this list. Regards, (MD. Azizul Alam Al-Amin, Rajshahi, Bangladesh, March 1, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** UKRAINE. R. Ukraine International, March 2, 2003, 7375 kHz around 0133 UT on the "Hello From Kiev" program: Announcers, replying to a listener letter, said RUI will go completely digital and satellite in a few years once upgrade of equipment is complete. Male announcer, Andrew, said "time marches on". Sounds like RUI will no longer be broadcasting on SW in the future. I don't believe digital means DRM. Are most international broadcasters giving up on DRM? 73, (-.. . Kraig Krist, KG4LAC, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Hard to say what `go completely digital` means here. I don`t recall if RUI is involved in the DRM consortium, but that keeps signing up more members, so I would not be surprised. Another story recently emerged that Peshawar, Pakistan was going `digital` -- meaning studio equipment! Perhaps the item has something to do with the following (gh, DXLD) ** UKRAINE. UKRAINE LAUNCHES FOREIGN RADIO BROADCASTS VIA SATELLITE | Text of report by Interfax-Ukraine news agency Kiev, 1 March: The Ukrayina-Svit company began satellite radio broadcasting to 50 countries in Europe and Asia today. The amount of broadcasting is nine hours a day within the framework of the worldwide foreign broadcast service, the head of the State Committee for Television and Radio Broadcasting, Ivan Chyzh, has said. "Regular radio broadcasts to 50 Eurasian countries - from Japan to the Netherlands - were started on 1 March," Chyzh told journalists today. He said that programming will consist of morning, afternoon and evening blocks. A total of 8m hryvnyas [1.5m dollars] has been allocated to Ukrayina- Svit's broadcasts. The Ukrayina-Svit radio broadcaster has been formed on the basis of the main editorial board of foreign broadcasts of the National Radio Company of Ukraine. It is expected to begin radio broadcasts to the USA as well. Source: Interfax-Ukraine news agency, Kiev, in Russian 1142 gmt 1 Mar 03 (via BBCM via DXLD) Anything in English? ** U K. Hi Glenn, you noted: ``It`s Merlin, but I thought the `Network One` name went out of use years ago?`` --- Again the story of three-letter HFCC abbreviations: Merlin transmissions are still shown there as ``MNO``, although Merlin Network One is dead and gone (Kai Ludwig, Germany, March 1, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U K. BRITISH GOVERNMENT ATTACKING PIRATE WEB SITES ...The last paragraph of the Znet UK account sounds like the old bogus lines that the FCC used to insert into its press releases on the bust of USA pirates. That paragraph reads, ``Because pirate radio stations are not allocated radio frequencies by the RA, but instead transmit without regard for authorised users, they can interfere with the radio transmissions of the emergency services and the Civil Aviation Authority.`` This claim, from either the RA or the FCC, is of course completely bogus, since I have never seen a case where a North American shortwave pirate genuinely interfered with aircraft in flight, or similar inflammatory claims that the FCC routinely made in the past. This is one of the most outrageous accounts that I have seen in quite some time. It is one thing to enforce RF radio regulations against pirates, but it is quite another thing altogether to go after criminal sanxions against internet web sites that mention unlicensed broadcasting. The censorship of internet web sites on the grounds of radio enforcement against pirates is something that is normally associated only with dangerous political dictatorships. Thus, it now turns out that Tony Blair is not only willing to slit his own throat by the drastic curtailment of the BBC North American service during a time of world crisis, but also, like Saddam Hussein, Mr. Blair is operating a dangerous dictatorship that precludes the freedom of UK internet service providers to host we sites. Since Mr. Blair also admits to having weapons of mass destruxion under his control, a good case can be made that he should be upgraded to membership in President Bush`s ``Axis of Evil.`` It is hard to say if the original story is still posted on the internet, but if you would like to try and take a look at the article, http://news.zdnet.co.uk/story/0,,t269-s2130717,00.html was the original URL for the story that Artie Bigley noticed in the first place (George Zeller, March The *A*C*E via DXLD) Still there, March 1 once I straightened out the punxuation; another version was in DXLD 3-031 (gh) ** U K. TOP SECRET RADIO SITE TO CLOSE From The Shropshire Star Thursday, February 27, 2003 A top secret communications station that has been a landmark on the Powys/Shropshire border for more than 50 years is to close. The high security Criggion radio station, near Welshpool, will stop operating at the end of March. Although the exact role of Criggion is wreathed in secrecy, it is believed it acts as a contact point for nuclear submarines across the world and was a 'category A' target during the Cold War. Around 15 employees who work on the site will either be redeployed or will leave on 'voluntary terms'. There will be no compulsory redundancies, BT said today. Opened by the old GPO in 1945, it was run by the Post Office and then BT when it split from the Post Office in 1984. Though a BT official confirmed today that the site was to close, he would only say: "Criggion will close at the end of next month when the contract with our client comes to an end." He would not confirm that the client was the Ministry of Defence, something that neither BT nor the MOD have ever publicly admitted. "From the end of March transmissions from the site will cease and in the months that follow the masts will be dismantled," added the spokesman. During the 1960s, when its work was at its height, 160 people were employed on the site. Visitors were not permitted and it is surrounded by high fences and monitored by surveillance equipment. It became a target for anti-nuclear protesters, including Kath McNulty from Dolgellau who was one of the Trident Ploughshare 2000 protesters. She said today the protesters' aim had been to get rid of Trident nuclear submarines. "We felt that we wanted to do something locally in Wales and Criggion. "We were talking to the people there to try and convince them that they did not want to be involved in this because they were working for BT and were not part of the war machine. "I am very sad if the station is closing. I am very sad if people are losing their jobs and sad that we have not achieved our goal of persuading the government that we do not need the deterrent. "The low frequency system will just be moved somewhere else. Our aim was not to close down the station." (via Mike Terry, BDXC-UK via DXLD) ** U K. UNIONS CONDEMN WORLD SERVICE SACKINGS Owen Gibson, Friday February 28 2003, The Guardian Staff unions at the BBC World Service have fired off a strongly worded letter to their management demanding the reinstatement of two journalists sacked by the corporation earlier this month. The World Service branch of the NUJ has written to the BBC chairman, Gavyn Davies, saying it "strongly condemns" the actions of director general Greg Dyke and World Service chief Mark Byford in firing the two men. The union claimed the BBC failed to follow the correct disciplinary procedure, choosing instead to sack the two journalists "following a secret 'Star Chamber' hearing at which no defence was permitted". "The branch is also appalled by the subsequent email sent by Mark Byford and [head of human resources] Stephen Dando to thousands of members of BBC staff, riddled with half-truths and falsehoods, attempting to justify their illegal action," the letter added. "Why, for example, was no mention made of the fact that Adli, the local union rep, only days before his dismissal helped the BBC avert a strike ballot in the Arabic Service, with his skilled negotiations over a much disputed restructure," it said. The two producers for the BBC Arabic Service, Adli Hawwari and Dr Abdul Hadji Jiad, were sacked last week by the BBC, which said it had spent up to Ł1m over the past five years defending "vexatious" and "frivolous" complaints about alleged discriminatory treatment. Mr Hawwari, who is of Palestinian descent, and Dr Jiad, an Iraqi, claimed their sacking was tantamount to "ethnic cleansing" but the BBC said it had run out of patience with the pair after 17 tribunals, 20 appeals and over 51 days in court. The NUJ pointed out that, on the day of the sacking, Mr Hawwari was producing the flagship World at One programme while Dr Jiad was duty editor, responsible for the day's news. "By sacking them 90 minutes before transmission, Byford and Stephen Dando caused maximum disruption to the Arabic Service output," it said, adding that the last complaint from either of the men was almost a year ago. The letter comes in a week in which a claimed 100 people protested outside the World Service's headquarters at Bush House. The BBC, however, put the figure nearer to 30. The letter goes on to ask why the BBC failed to adhere to its own internal procedures: "These procedures have always been followed, even when people have been accused of theft, physical violence, bullying and intimidation. "The corporation needs to explain why two experienced and well- respected journalists, whose professional standards have never been questioned, have not been afforded these basic rights," it said. The BBC claimed it was left with no choice but to dismiss the two men, saying they had a long history of making "spurious and malicious complaints against colleagues", which had affected staff health and morale. Together, legal documents relating to complaints by the pair stretched for 190ft, said the corporation . Copyright Guardian Newspapers Limited (via Bill Westenhaver, DXLD) ** U K. WIDER WORLD FOR RADIO 3 Matt Wells, media correspondent, Friday February 28, The Guardian Radio 3 is to raise the profile of its non-classical music programmes, hiring Woody Allen, Jools Holland, André Previn and George Melly to present its jazz documentary series. Andy Kershaw's world music programme is to be extended and given a new Sunday night slot, swapping with the experimental music show Mixing It, which moves to Friday nights. The controller, Roger Wright said "non-core" aspects of Radio 3's output took up no more of the schedule than before, but it had greater coherence. Mr Wright also announced yesterday an expansion of the traditional classical repertoire, with a new focus on baroque and early music: the singer Catherine Bott and the baroque violinist Andrew Monze have been signed up to present a new programme on Saturdays and Sundays. Radio 3 is also developing a diversity project. The BBC Symphony Orchestra is working with musicians from Rajasthan; the Philharmonic is working with Chinese musicians; the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra has teamed up with Hungarian musicians; and the BBC Concert Orchestra is exploring classical music by Jewish composers. Guardian Unlimited (c) Guardian Newspapers Limited 2003 (via Mike Cooper, DXLD) ** U K [non]. Laser Radio: This week, we welcome Chris B/ent [sic] to the Laser fold - his excellent programme airs in Europe at 1800 UT via 5935 kHz, and in North America via 9330 kHz at 2200 UT (5 pm EST). We also have a new England's England with Chris feeling increasingly paranoid, a repeat of the Media Show with Julian Clover and an hour of music from me, Geoff Rogers. During the USA segment of programming, at 2100 UT (4 pm EST), this programme will be live and hopefully interactive. Our paid-for relay this week comes from our friends at Radio Marabu. This airs at 1600 (5935 and internet only). Finally, starting off the whole thing at 1500, we have an hour of the classic 1970s Land based pirate station, Radio Kaleidoscope. All last week's programmes are currently repeating till 1300 UT tomorrow via the net, and the full schedule is available on our newly revamped website at http://www.laserradio.net . European Schedule (5935 kHz) 2 March 2003 (Times UT) 1500 The Big K remembered (LaserRadio.net RELAY service) 1600 Radio Marabu (LaserRadio.net RELAY service) 1700 Geoff Rogers - with an hour of music and topical chat 1800 Chris B. - with his first show on Laser 1900 The Media Show with Julian Clover (Repeat) 2000 England's England - a new edition of the show where nothing is as it seems with Christopher England 2100 Closedown North American Schedule (9330 kHz) 2 March 2003 (Times UT) 2000 England's England - a new edition of the show where nothing is as it seems - with Christopher England 2100 Geoff Rogers - with an hour of music and topical chat *live* from London 2200 Chris B. - with his first show on Laser 2300 The Media Show with Julian Clover (Repeat) 0000 Closedown HAPPY LISTENING (Geoff Rogers via Mike Terry, March 1, BDXC-UK via DXLD) ** U S A. We are testing 13.595 MHz today and this weekend. Any chance on a possible QSL from the great state of Oklahoma? (Doc Burkhart, WJIE, Feb 28, DX LISTENING DIGEST) So far no luck, at various checks, tho there may have been traces of a carrier (Glenn Hauser, OK, 1647 UT March 2, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A. Frequency Sort for WYFR, A-2003 KHZ TIME UTC LANG AZ ZONE PWR 5850 1100-1245 ENGL 315 2 100 5950 1000-1245 ENGL 355 "4,5,9" 100 5985 0000-0200 SPAN 181 11 50 5985 0200-0300 ENGL 181 11 50 5985 0300-0445 SPAN 181 11 50 5985 0500-0600 MAND 315 2 100 5985 0600-0700 CANT 315 2 100 5985 2200-2300 SPAN 181 11 50 5985 2300-0000 ENGL 181 11 50 6015 1100-1245 MAND 315 13 100 6065 0000-0445 ENGL 355 "4,5,9" 100 6065 2300-0000 FREN 355 "4,5,9" 100 6085 1000-1400 SPAN 181 11 100 6175 0900-1000 PORT 160 15 100 6175 1000-1045 SPAN 160 15 100 7355 0304-0400 RUSS 44 "27,28,39" 100 7355 0500-0600 GERM 44 "27,28,39" 100 7355 0600-0745 ENGL 44 "27,28,39" 100 7355 1100-1200 ENGL 222 12 100 7355 1200-1400 SPAN 222 12 100 7520 0504-0600 RUSS 44 "27,28,39" 100 7520 0600-0700 FREN 44 "27,28,39" 100 7520 0700-0745 SPAN 44 "27,28,39" 100 9355 0300-0400 GERM 44 "27,28,39" 100 9355 0400-0600 ENGL 44 "27,28,39" 100 9355 1100-1200 SPAN 160 15 100 9505 0000-0445 ENGL 315 2 100 9505 1100-1145 FREN 355 "4,5,9" 100 9550 0800-1000 SPAN 160 14 100 9550 1000-1100 PORT 160 14 100 9550 1100-1200 SPAN 160 14 100 9605 0804-1045 PORT 142 15 100 9605 1100-1400 SPAN 222 11 100 9625 0900-1000 PORT 140 13 100 9625 1000-1045 FREN 140 13 100 9715 0304-0400 SPAN 285 10 50 9715 0400-0500 ENGL 285 10 50 9715 0500-0600 SPAN 285 10 50 9985 0400-0500 GERM 44 "27,28,39" 100 9985 0500-0600 SPAN 44 "27,28,39" 100 9985 0600-0700 ITAL 44 "27,28,39" 100 9985 0700-0745 PORT 44 "27,28,39" 100 11530 0400-0500 PORT 87 "47,52,57" 100 11530 0500-0600 FREN 87 "47,52,57" 100 11530 0600-0700 ARAB 87 "47,52,57" 100 11530 0700-0800 ENGL 87 "47,52,57" 100 11530 0800-0845 FREN 87 "47,52,57" 100 11565 2100-2200 SPAN 44 "27,28" 100 11565 2200-2245 PORT 44 "27,28" 100 11580 0400-0500 ENGL 44 "27,28,39" 100 11580 0500-0600 ARAB 44 "27,28,39" 100 11580 0600-0700 ENGL 44 "27,28,39" 100 11580 0700-0800 ITAL 44 "27,28,39" 100 11740 0200-0300 SPAN 222 12 100 11740 0300-0400 ENGL 222 12 100 11740 2200-2345 ENGL 315 2 100 11770 0800-1045 PORT 142 13 100 11830 1300-1700 ENGL 315 2 100 11855 0000-0200 SPAN 222 11 100 11855 0200-0300 ENGL 222 11 100 11855 0300-0445 SPAN 222 11 100 11855 0800-1100 SPAN 160 16 100 11855 1100-1200 ENGL 160 16 100 11855 2200-2300 SPAN 222 11 100 11855 2300-0000 ENGL 222 11 100 11865 1300-1500 SPAN 315 13 100 11865 1500-1600 MAND 315 13 100 11970 1000-1100 FREN 151 15 100 11970 1100-1300 SPAN 151 15 100 11970 1300-1500 ENGL 355 "4,5,9" 100 13570 0800-0900 ENGL 87 "37,46" 100 13695 0500-0600 ARAB 87 "37,46" 100 13695 0600-0700 FREN 87 "37,46" 100 13695 0700-0745 ENGL 87 "37,46" 100 13695 1200-1300 ENGL 355 "4,5,9" 100 13695 1300-1500 MAND 355 "4,5,9" 100 15130 0000-0100 ENGL 142 15 100 15130 0100-0145 PORT 142 15 100 15130 1200-1500 SPAN 285 10 50 15130 2200-2300 PORT 142 13 100 15215 2300-0100 SPAN 160 14 100 15255 0000-0100 FREN 151 15 100 15255 0100-0200 SPAN 151 15 100 15255 0200-0300 ENGL 151 15 100 15255 0300-0345 SPAN 151 15 100 15255 2300-0000 ENGL 151 15 100 15440 0200-0245 SPAN 285 10 100 15695 2000-2100 ARAB 44 "27,28" 100 15695 2100-2200 GERM 44 "27,28" 100 15695 2200-2245 ENGL 44 "27,28" 100 15770 1600-1645 RUSS 44 "27,28" 100 15770 2100-2200 PORT 87 "47,52,57" 100 15770 2200-2245 ENGL 87 "47,52,57" 100 17525 1700-1800 FREN 87 "37,46" 100 17525 1800-1845 PORT 87 "37,46" 100 17725 2000-2200 ENGL 140 13 100 17725 2200-0145 PORT 140 13 100 17750 0000-0100 PORT 160 15 100 17750 0100-0200 SPAN 160 15 100 17750 0200-0300 PORT 160 15 100 17750 1200-1700 ENGL 285 10 100 17750 1700-1800 RUSS 44 "27,28" 100 17750 1800-1900 FREN 44 "27,28" 100 17750 1900-2000 ENGL 44 "27,28" 100 17750 2000-2045 GERM 44 "27,28" 100 17750 2300-0000 ENGL 160 15 100 17805 0000-0045 PORT 142 15 100 17845 1900-2000 ARAB 87 "37,46" 100 17845 2000-2245 ENGL 87 "37,46" 100 17845 2304-0100 SPAN 160 14 100 18930 1600-1700 ARAB 44 "27,28" 100 18930 1700-1800 GERM 44 "27,28" 100 18930 1800-1900 ITAL 44 "27,28" 100 18930 1900-2000 GERM 44 "27,28" 100 18930 2100-2200 ENGL 44 "27,28" 100 18930 2200-2245 ARAB 44 "27,28" 100 18980 1600-2145 ENGL 44 "27,28,39" 100 21455 1600-1800 ENGL 44 "27,28,39" 100 21455 1800-1945 FREN 44 "27,28,39" 100 21525 1600-1700 ENGL 87 "47,52,57" 100 21525 1700-1800 PORT 87 "47,52,57" 100 21525 1800-1900 FREN 87 "47,52,57" 100 21525 1900-2000 ARAB 87 "47,52,57" 100 21525 2000-2045 FREN 87 "47,52,57" 100 21670 1600-1700 ITAL 44 "27,28" 100 21670 1700-1845 SPAN 44 "27,28" 100 (E. March, WYFR, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A. Re the recent query about how to contact Lubavitcher Radio, 1710 in Brooklyn: A logging of this by George Zeller, PA, in the March A*C*E is accompanied by this website which I think we mentioned previously: http://www.therebbe.com At the site, I haven`t found any mention of the radio outlet, but there are some hidden E-mail addresses on the `Get More` page, thru which it might possibly be reached. In any event, you can learn more about the sect (Glenn Hauser, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A. Re where WMAL-630 has nulls and lobes: I'm taking the info from the NRC AM Night Pattern Book, and while not scientific in the exact plotting of signals, it shows me that WMAL protects toward Savannah GA and Wilmington NC. So, if you're on that vector from Washington, then you should not get WMAL with any good level of signal. On the sides of that vector, it all depend how far to go east or west to increase the signal level from WMAL. So I guess we're not talking about a signal dispute, we're disputing descriptions of geography. |grin| (Fred Vobbe, NRC-AM via DXLD) ** U S A. MICHIGAN PIRATE BROADCASTER BANNED FROM HAM RADIO FOR FIVE YEARS NEWINGTON, CT, Feb 27, 2003 -- The FCC has canceled the license of a Michigan Amateur Radio operator and told him he may not apply for another ham ticket until 2007. The Commission took the action against Thomas A. Brothers, ex-KI8BE, of Berkley, because he`d been the operator of an unlicensed FM ``pirate`` radio station. FCC Special Counsel Riley Hollingsworth wrote Brothers February 14 to confirm receipt of his amateur license -- which Brothers had agreed to surrender. The FCC also had imposed a $10,000 fine against Brothers, who`s in his early 20s, but rescinded the forfeiture last December because of Brothers` demonstrated inability to pay. Brothers` Advanced class ticket was cancelled December 5, 2002. He had been licensed since 1997 and formerly held the call sign KC8CRI. Hollingsworth said he requested the five-year reapplication hiatus. FCC sources say the Commission`s Detroit Field Office became aware as early as 1998 that Brothers was operating an FM pirate radio station on 88.3 MHz from his home. An FCC agent used direction-finding gear to track the signal to Brothers` residence, where the agent also spotted an antenna. The agent unsuccessfully attempted to inspect the station, but the FCC did send Brothers a Warning Notice ordering him off the air. In July 1998, Brothers reportedly admitted to FCC agents that he had been broadcasting without a license and said he would cease operation. By 2000, however, he was back on the air, and an agent from the Detroit Field Office again traced a pirate broadcast signal to Brothers` home. He was issued another Warning Notice and ordered to stop transmitting. In August 2001, the FCC Detroit Field Office received an anonymous telephone call alerting them of a pirate broadcaster on 88.3 MHz -- this time giving out a telephone number over the air. Once again, the signal was traced to Brothers residence, where agents attempted to inspect his station. On that occasion, Brothers reportedly claimed he had not been on the air, but he received another Warning Notice. In January 2002, the FCC issued Brothers a Notice of Apparent Liability for $10,000 for repeatedly violating Section 301 of the Communications Act by operating an FM station without a license. The fine was affirmed last June in a Forfeiture Order that also noted that Brothers had not responded to the NAL. The FCC said that, in his Petition for Reconsideration, Brothers did not dispute that he willfully and repeatedly has violated Section 301, but he asked the FCC to cancel the fine because--among other factors--his inability to pay. The FCC said Brothers backed up his claim with financial documentation. With the fine rescinded, the Detroit Field Office turned the case over to Hollingsworth late last year to consider sanctions against Brothers` Amateur Radio license. Brothers` case was reminiscent of the case of Leslie D. ``Doug`` Brewer, ex-KC4HAZ, of Tampa, Florida, who lost his ham radio and General Mobile Radio Service (GMRS) licenses in 2001 and was fined $11,000 for operating a pirate radio station and for ``other unlawful activities.`` The FCC also said that Brewer lacked ``the basic character qualifications to be and remain a Commission licensee.`` FCC and other sources say Brewer operated ``The Party Pirate`` on 102.1 MHz from his home in the 1990s. (ARRL February 27 via John Norfolk, OKCOK, and Mike Terry, and W5USM DXLD) ** U S A. ARRL EXPRESSES CONCERNS ABOUT HAM RADIO IMPACT OF 70-CM CHANGES NEWINGTON, CT, Feb 24, 2003--The ARRL says two FCC-proposed actions could negatively affect Amateur Radio. One would substantially expand the geographical area in the US subject to power limitations on 70 cm. The other would deploy National Weather Service wind-profiler radars in the 448-450 MHz segment. ``The Commission has proposed two actions that have a potentially substantial adverse impact on a large number of Amateur Radio operators in this proceeding,`` the ARRL said in comments filed this month in ET Docket 02-305. ``In each case, the Commission can minimize that impact.`` In a Notice of Proposed Rule Making (NPRM) late last fall, the FCC proposed on behalf of the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) to --- among other things --- more than double the size of the geographical area in New Mexico and Texas where amateurs in the 420-450 MHz band would be limited in power to protect military radiolocation service operations. Amateur transmitters in certain geographical areas already are limited to 50 W PEP unless the FCC can reach an agreement with the applicable military frequency coordinator. The NPRM also reflects action by NTIA specifying the operation of federal government wind profilers in the band 448-450 MHz. Acknowledging that the Amateur Service is secondary to government services in the band, the ARRL nonetheless asked the FCC to ensure that the affected zone in Texas and New Mexico ``is minimized as much as possible, consistent with protection of military facilities.`` The ARRL also requested the FCC to create ``a streamlined procedure for case-by-case exemptions`` from the power restrictions. ``It is difficult for ARRL to address the contention of the Army that amateur power in excess of 50 W PEP in the additional protected areas requested by the Army would cause interference to military radiolocation facilities involved in missile tracking,`` the League said in its comments, ``because the claim made by the Army is not substantiated by any technical information.`` In supporting its request via the NTIA, the Army stated that the current restriction boundaries only include the northern half of El Paso --- apparently too close for comfort from New Mexico`s White Sands Missile Range and to McGregor Range at Ft Bliss. ``Amateur operations in the metropolitan area of Albuquerque and Santa Fe present a threat to missiles launched at Fort Wingate, New Mexico,`` aimed at the airspace over White Sands, the Army said. The Army also said Kirtland Air Force Base now incorporates Department of Defense test and evaluation facilities that use areas south and west of Albuquerque. ``Some testing in this area is vulnerable to higher-power amateur operations,`` the Army said. The League asserted that it is ``most certainly a priority`` of hams to avoid interfering with primary government radiolocation facilities. But, the ARRL continued, ``it is not intuitively obvious`` that such a large restricted area is necessary. The proposed area would include all of New Mexico and all of Texas west of 104 degrees W longitude. The ARRL said the newly proposed area is ``in most respects far beyond line-of-sight paths to any military facilities`` and does not take ``terrain shielding factors`` into account. The ARRL asked the FCC and NTIA to cooperatively evaluate the restriction to determine whether it is, in fact, overly broad. The League also wants the FCC to come up with an expedited method of processing requests for exceptions to the restrictions. A 50-W power restriction is ``not a substantial burden`` on many FM repeater users, the ARRL concluded, but it could mean lowering the outputs of some critical repeaters used for emergency and public service work or taking them off the air altogether. It also could affect so-called weak-signal, experimental and Earth-Moon-Earth operations, the ARRL said. The ARRL estimated that 67 repeaters in the proposed region could be affected. ``While not all these utilize output power above 50 W, a substantial number inevitably do and would be required to shut down or have their coverage areas substantially reduced, absent some case- by-case relief,`` the League`s comments asserted. The ARRL offered to act as a repository for granted waivers and to keep an on-line database. Concerning the wind profilers, the League said it had understood that the National Weather Service --- which operates the radars --- would notify ARRL of their locations as selected. ``Ideally,`` the League said, ``since the amateur repeaters are incumbent in the band now, the National Weather Service should select sites that minimize the effect on those repeaters.`` The League said compatibility between wind profilers and amateur operations at 440-450 MHz is possible only if the radar sites are in non-metropolitan areas ``and only if there is prior consultation on site selection.`` Docket 02-305 is entitled ``Amendment of Parts 2, 25, and 87 of the Commission`s Rules to Implement Decisions from World Radiocommunication Conferences Concerning Frequency Bands Between 28 MHz and 36 GHz and to Otherwise Update the Rules in this Frequency Range.`` The proceeding also incorporates RM-10331, to allocate spectrum for government and nongovernment use in the radionavigation- satellite service. The complete text of the ARRL`s comments is available on the FCC Web site at http://gullfoss2.fcc.gov/prod/ecfs/retrieve.cgi?native_or_pdf=pdf&id_document=6513410699 The text of the NPRM in ET Docket 02-305 is available on the FCC Web site at http://gullfoss2.fcc.gov/prod/ecfs/retrieve.cgi?native_or_pdf=pdf&id_document=6513299030 Comments and other documents are available via the FCC`s Electronic Comment Filing System site at http://www.fcc.gov/cgb/ecfs/ Click on ``Search for Filed Comments`` and enter ``02-305`` in the ``Proceeding`` field. Page last modified: 03:07 PM, 24 Feb 2003 ET Page author: awextra@arrl.org Copyright 2003, American Radio Relay League, Inc. All Rights Reserved (via John Norfolk, OKCOK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A. GRAND OLE OPRY STARTS [ANOTHER!] RADIO PROGRAM 2/26/03- The Grand Ole Opry will launch America`s Grand Ole Opry Weekend, a two-hour weekly syndicated radio program beginning this April. America`s Grand Ole Opry Weekend will feature Grand Ole Opry performances from today`s biggest Country Music stars recorded live from the Grand Ole Opry stage in Nashville, Tenn. Westwood One is proud to bring the Grand Ole Opry, a staple of Country radio on WSM for more than 77 years, to listeners nationwide. America`s Grand Ole Opry Weekend will feature live performances from today`s top country music artists while keeping the flavor and tradition that has earned the Opry its legendary reputation. America`s Grand Ole Opry Weekend affiliates will also receive a daily two-minute feature, ``Backstage at the Opry,`` featuring the behind-the-scenes stories that make Opry performances so memorable for both the artists and the audience. ``The Grand Ole Opry is the most recognized brand and the leading authority in country music,`` said Colin Reed, president and CEO of Gaylord Entertainment. ``Our goal is to build upon the rich heritage of the Opry by expanding the brand and its distribution to every market across this nation.`` ``We are very excited about being able to provide this renowned programming to radio stations coast to coast,`` said Charlie Cook, SVP of Programming for Westwood One. ``Listeners love to hear their favorites in this legendary setting and programmers have asked for live music on the radio. Now we`re giving them the strongest brand in Country Music and the top stars that they play everyday.`` Over the past year, the Grand Ole Opry has hosted the debuts of some of country music`s superstars such as the Dixie Chicks, Toby Keith and Tim McGraw, in addition to appearances by the talented musical cast of Grand Ole Opry members from Vince Gill and Brad Paisley to Bill Anderson and George Jones. ``The Grand Ole Opry is the revered home of Country Music that enjoys tremendous awareness and respect across this nation. Radio syndication underscores our commitment to showcase the Opry`s unique content and to further the relationship between artists and fans,`` said Steve Buchanan, senior vice president of media & entertainment, Gaylord Entertainment. ``As an industry, we welcome this opportunity with Westwood and the Grand Ole Opry to provide greater exposure for our artists and their music,`` said Joe Galante, chairman, RCA Label Group. Westwood One, First in Country, delivers the best country programming and biggest country music events exclusively to radio including Dixie Chicks: Home Album Premiere, Lee Ann Womack: Something Worth Leaving Behind Album Premiere, Toby Keith: Unleashed Album Premičre, Martina McBride`s Greatest: Live In Concert, Dixie Chicks On The Fly, the CBS Television simulcast of The Grand Ole Opry 75th - A Celebration featuring Garth Brooks, Reba Takes Manhattan with Reba McEntire, and exclusive coverage of Brooks and Dunn`s Neon Circus & Wild West Show Tour. Westwood One also provides the most popular weekly country programs including Country Gold, The Weekly Country Music Countdown, Stars of Country, CMT`s Country Countdown USA with Lon Helton and Country`s Cutting Edge. The Grand Ole Opry has over its 77-year history become synonymous with the best in country music. The world`s longest-running radio show, the Opry has not missed a Saturday night broadcast on 650 WSM since it first aired on Nov. 28, 1925. Today, the Opry can also be heard via the Internet at http://www.opry.com and http://www.wsmonline.com and on Sirius Satellite Radio. Additionally, a one-hour portion of the Opry can be seen on CMT: Country Music Television each week as Grand Ole Opry Live. It is CMT`s highest-rated weekly series. Westwood One serves more than 7,700 radio stations. Westwood One is managed by Infinity Broadcasting Corporation. For more information visit http://www.westwoodone.com For more information about the company, visit http://www.gaylordentertainment.com http://www.wlnc.com (via Kim Elliott, DXLD) OPRY'S RANGE GETTING MORE GRAND WEEKLY RADIO SHOW WILL GO NATIONWIDE http://www.usatoday.com/usatonline/20030225/4894769s.htm (via Mike Cooper, DXLD) ** U S A. FORTHCOMING FIRESIGN THEATRE CD AND OTHER FT STUFF This is from the Borders web page. Although it does not give a release date the official Firesign Theatre web site http://www.firesigntheatre.com gives is as March 11. All Things Firesign Bibliographic Data: 1 Compact Disc, Artemis Records, 2003 Performer: Firesign Theatre Borders Price: $18.99 May not reflect any in-store discount Status: Not Yet Published BINC: 7172266 UPC: 699675116729 Shelf Location: Multimedia Department | Misc | Comedy Description: Features pieces originally aired on National Public Radio`s ``All Things Considered.`` Firesign Theatre includes: Peter Bergman. Producers: The Firesign Theatre Company, Warren Dewey. Track List: 1. Undermutter Moment, An 2. Grass Roots Gourmet, The 3. Crisis In Terror 4. Beat St. Jack`s ``Famous Accountants School`` 5. TIPs Hotline Spot 6. Mutt `N` Smutt Are ``Huntin` Blind`` 7. Art Of Defense, The 8. Undermutter Murmurs 9. Pinata! Pinata! 10. Everything You Know Is Wrong (About Shoes!) 11. Unwanted Workers Of America 12. Hal Stark Is ``Off The Road`` 13. No Jokes About America 14. Nick Danger In ``Lucky Liability`` 15. It`s Saddam Shame! 16. Beat St. Jack`s ``Baghdad Bush Suit`` 17. Harry`s World (The Pilot) 18. S**t Happens! 19. Our Holiday Wine Testing 20. Bob Heeblehauser`s ``Tacomasaur`` 21. Mutt `N` Smutt`s ``Scary Sale!`` 22. Undermutter`s Update 23. Inside ``Cabletown`` 24. Mask Your Movies Spot 25. Hal Stark`s ``Parking Woes`` 26. Thanksgiving Or Pass The Indian Please! 27. St. Nick Dangerous Christmas Eve, A 28. Goodbyes And Hellos! Meanwhile, the Firesign Theatre`s 2001 WHYY\PBS special ``Weirdly Cool`` has been released on DVD by Rhino Home Video, catalog number R2 970157. This includes: 1. Radio Free Oz 2. How Can You Be in Two Places At Once? 3. Jack Poet VW 4. Before the Beginning 5. Billville 6. Nick Danger, Private Eye 7. Bear Whiz Beer 8. Don`t Crush That Dwarf, Hand Me the Pliers 9. Jack Poet VW 10. Give Me Immortality Or Give Me Death 11. End Titles Sony Music/Columbia has done absolutely no followups to last year`s (or year before last—-it`s hard to me to remember) CD reissues, which means that my favorite Firesign albums, ``The Tale of the Giant Rat of Sumatra`` and ``Everything You Know Is Wrong`` remains unavailable. And while has another DVD,``The Firesign Theatre`s All Day Matinee, Martian Space Party and The Yokes of Oznard`` in their computer, every time I try to order it it comes back as being unavailable. In case it is, the UPC number for that is 688321202527 (John Norfolk, OKCOK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A. Commentary --- FRED ROGERS: A CLASS ACT Fred Rogers, the Reverend Fred Rogers, passed away this week from a rapidly progressing stomach cancer. He was 74. Few Americans will not know who he was; for readers elsewhere in the world, the Rev. Fred Rogers was the host of the daily program for small children, ``Mr. Rogers` Neighborhood,`` a fixture on national public (cultural noncommercial) television since 1968. Reverend Fred Rogers, because he was an ordained Presbyterian minister. The Rev. Rogers, upon graduating from college with a degree in working with small children, spent a great deal of time at institutions learning from experience how children think, relate, imagine, act. He adapted his views and learning accordingly, and when the opportunity presented itself, he began a weekly television program for them. That program, unlike all the other children`s programming, did not condescend to them, did not seek merely to amuse them with slapstick puppetry, mindless games, riotous cartoons and, worst of all, did not pose itself as a program merely to sell toys or sugary foods. In short order, when the Canadian public broadcasting network CBC wanted to begin a children`s program, he applied and won the job. Then, in 1968, the rather new public television system in the United States was just getting off the ground with Federal funding and support and with it an attempt to wield some kind of national network out of dozens of isolated, localized, mediocre stations. When WQED Pittsburgh wanted to begin a daily program, they hired the Rev. Fred Rogers. He adapted the Canadian title to the now famous ``Mr. Rogers` Neighborhood.`` His easygoing, simple presentation that took children where they were and neither condescended to them nor imposed some ill- fitting philosophy on them became a sensation. One writer in eulogizing Mr. Rogers said that grownups could not stand his program but small children loved it. Indeed. Another called it ``slightly hokey`` but superb. Indeed. In the course of my real job and in doing this newsletter I visit dozens of professional media websites every day. The pages there are filled with cynicism and anger. But for the first time, I did not encounter any of that in noting the passing of the Rev. Fred Rogers. No, Mr. Rogers was a formative personality. He taught children how to handle their joys and their sadnesses, how to cope with frustration and how to respect themselves and each other. Better, he taught them how to love each other and to love themselves. God knows how many children, in this age of instant divorces and self-absorbed parents, he gave a sense of self-worth and self-esteem. Many of those writers and many of America`s leading minds today grew up with Mr. Rogers. They long ago outgrew him, but now past the youthful age of mockery and unease with the trappings of childhood, they recognized what a debt they owed him. Time and again, writers and people interviewed reported their amazement in discovering, off camera, that the Rev. Fred Rogers was the same off camera as on. He was what he portrayed himself to be. There was no posing, no cunning, no off-camera cynicism and contempt, like exhibited by that legendary figure who, in the 1930`s, after reading the Sunday comics to an audience of children over the city-owned WNYC radio, and thinking his live microphone was dead, commented, ``Well, that ought to keep the little bastards for another week!`` In this sad age of mass marketing and image fabrication, the likes of the Rev. Fred Rogers are rare. As the head of a group of Protestant broadcasters told a reporter, ``Fred did more to teach kids about God`s great love for them than all those so-called religious programs ever do.`` Amen, brother (Michael Dorner, editor, Catholic Radio Update March 3 via DXLD) ** U S A. CLARENCE PAGE: HOW TO SMITE THE RIGHT'S RADIO WAVE 2/27/2003 WASHINGTON --- Some liberal Chicago venture capitalists are trying to start a liberal-leaning radio network to offset the dominance of conservative talkers like Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity and the ex- convict G. Gordon Liddy. I wish them luck. I have long maintained that liberals can be just as obnoxious as conservatives, once they put their minds to it. Obnoxiousness seems to be the key to success in the popular culture these days, whether as a chatterbox on talk radio or a judge on American Idol. That's why success with liberal talk on radio or TV is not going to be easy. For one thing, liberals want too desperately to be loved. That's why so many don't even like to own up to the label. (By the way, some people actually have called me a liberal, but you didn't hear that from me, OK? I just have some liberal views.) In fact, unlike conservatives who tend to react as if everyone who criticizes conservatives must be a liberal, liberals relish criticizing their fellow liberals. This tends to make Democratic Party conventions about as easy to organize as a herd of cats, as Will Rogers observed, but more fun for journalists to cover than Republican Party conventions, which tend to come off like coronations. I can see why Atlanta radio executive Jon Sinton, slated to be the new network's chief executive, calls it "a tremendous business opportunity." The investment group called AnShell Media L.L.C., led by Chicago's Anita Drobny, says they have approached Al Franken and some other lively liberals as possible hosts. The more voices, the merrier. That's the beauty of free speech. Perhaps the new venture will be more successful than earlier attempts by unrepentant liberals like Mario Cuomo, Phil Donahue or Jim Hightower to grab a Limbaugh-large share of the radio market. Conservatives say this lopsided success reflects public anger at liberals. Yet, election turnouts show the country to be much more evenly divided between liberals and conservatives. That's Americans for you. We like to take sides but we don't like labels. Besides, I wonder how long audiences can listen to what seems like thousands of conservative talkers yammering all across the AM radio dial and various 24-hour cable TV news channels about how conservatives just can't get heard anywhere? And how long, I wonder, do conservatives have to maintain control of Congress, the White House and the Supreme Court before they tone down their complaints about not having enough power? With all that in mind, I offer a few tips for liberals, borrowed from the techniques that seem to have made conservative talk such a success: 1. Do not check your ego at the door. Talk about yourself a lot in order to make larger points that are supposed to apply to everyone, based upon your own boundless wisdom. 2. Remember to use terms like "boundless wisdom" to describe yourself. 3. Stay upbeat. People tune in to be entertained, even when they say they want to be educated. Throw in some big-beat music. Be loud! No, louder!!! 4. Talk over your guests so they can't rebut you. Better yet, don't invite guests who will even try to rebut you, unless they are far out enough on the fringe to make their own side look stupid. 5. Better yet, don't invite guests at all. (More air time for you, star!) 6. Grow a sense of humor. Liberals too often seem to have never met a piety they didn't like. Look for humor in obvious places. The Bush administration is trying to help: Can you say "duct tape"? 7. Tell us more about yourself. Wonderful. Marvelous. Fascinating. Tell us more. 8. Define others before they can define you. Try saying "Con-swerve- itives," the way Republican activists refer ungrammatically-but- suggestively to "the DemocRAT Party." Or call them, "Right wingers." That really gets their goat. 9. Say it loud: You're a big-hearted liberal and you're proud. You're proud to belong to a movement that campaigned for women's suffrage, the 40-hour work week, Medicare, the Civil Rights Act and other ideas that conservatives in BOTH parties tried to block. Next time you hear right-wingers call for a "color-blind society" or to "save Social Security," compliment them for endorsing such fine liberal ideas. 10. And, when all else fails, tell us again about how wonderful you are. Louder! CLARENCE PAGE writes for the Chicago Tribune. His column is distributed by Tribune Media Services Inc. (via Denton, Texas, Record- Chronicle via John Callarman, Krum TX, NRC-AM via DXLD) ** U S A. LEONARD PITTS: DO WE NEED A LIBERAL VERSION OF TALK RADIO? 02/28/2003 "Think! It ain't illegal yet." --- George Clinton So I saw the other day in The New York Times where a group of wealthy Democrats is thinking about starting - get this - a liberal radio network. That same day, I ran into Osama bin Laden ogling girls in bikinis while having a bacon cheeseburger in Miami Beach. Preposterous, you say? Utterly absurd? OK, you're right. And the thing about bin Laden eating a bacon burger is a little far-fetched, too. Of course, that one I made up. On the other hand, "Lib Radio" - my name for it - is apparently as real as solar-powered cars, Earth Day and tofu. This, despite the fact that, in the pantheon of bright ideas, it probably falls somewhere between New Coke and Ishtar. Evidently, actual rich people ready to spend actual money have been in talks with actual potential air talent (Al Franken's name has been mentioned) about putting together an actual slate of programming designed to counteract the Oliver Norths and Rush Limbaughs of the world. We'll have blowhards on the right balanced by blowhards on the left. Your radio will put out so much hot air you'll never need a hairdryer again. But at least one radio executive, Kraig T. Kitchen, a conservative purveyor of conservative programming, doesn't think Lib Radio will fly. He doubts it will have mass appeal because liberal blowhards don't blow hard enough. That is, they present issues with too much complexity. This, apparently, is a bad thing. I guess that means the alternative approach - simplistic, chest- thumping demagoguery - is ... what? Good? Well, there's a scary thought. I mean, naďf that I am, I'd like to think the ability to see the world in multiple dimensions, to think beneath the surface, to handle complexity, is inherently neither liberal nor conservative. I'd like to think it is the mark of thoughtfulness, maturity and intelligence, period. And I'd like to think those are things we'd all hope to be. Certainly dialogue rooted in those qualities would be of significantly higher quality than most of what now passes for social and political discourse. I'll grant Kitchen's point: Liberal talk show hosts have yet to prove their ability to draw an audience of simple-minded yahoos. However, I would submit that simple-minded yahoos, whether they are stumping for causes precious to the left or the right, contribute little to any discussion about the significant issues of the day. They are, after all, yahoos. And one of the reasons conversation about those issues so frequently bogs down in trivialities, stupidity and flat meanness is that yahoo values have, in large part, become the nation's values. Yahoo standards drive the debate. I don't know about you, but I've about had it with bumper sticker dogmatism, become fed up with the Crossfire/ McLaughlin school of discourse, in which he or she who yells the loudest is perceived to have the best ideas. I'm bored with the lack of substance, the shallowness and the intellectual dishonesty. Most of all, I'm tired of ideology as armed camp, in which the goal is not to find an answer, not to figure out the best way, but simply to win the fight. Don't get me wrong. Spirited, pointed and even bruising debate is the lifeblood of a democracy. But to watch politicians wrangle sometimes, to see the talking heads go at it on public affairs programs, even to read certain rigidly ideological pundits, is to get the sense, not just that the argument has no point, but that the argument is the point. And that critical thinking has become a lost art. Far be it from me to tell millionaires how to spend their money, but I don't know that the nation really needs a liberal version of that. I'd consider it a public service if backers of the proposed radio network instead added to that short list of public spaces designed for people who are not boxed in by ideology, people who are not yahoos, people who think. There's a word for people like that: grown-ups. And they own radios, too. LEONARD PITTS writes for the Miami Herald. His column is distributed by Tribune Media Services Inc. (via Denton, Texas, Record-Chronicle via John Callarman, Krum TX, NRC-AM via DXLD) ** U S A. Vlad Pozner`s take on MSNBC cancelling Donahue: see RUSSIA ** U S A. REPORTER ERNIE MILLS REMEMBERED Airdate: Wednesday, February 26, 2003 By: Leslie Clark Listen/Real Audio http://kunm.org/cgi-local/stream/streamit.pl?str=022603-erniemills.rm Ernie Mills died this morning and he is being remembered for his many accomplishments as a State Capitol reporter and broadcaster (via DXLD) ** U S A. You are receiving this message because you maintain, or were perceived to maintain, a web page linking to the rec.music.dementia web site at http://php.indiana.edu/~jbmorris/ This URL is being changed to http://mypage.iu.edu/~jbmorris/ The old URL will still be active until May, but the new URL is already active now, so please update the link as soon as possible (Jeff Morris, IN, March 2, DX LISTENING DIGEST) I.e. Doctor Demento ** ZAMBIA. Transmitter problems? ZNBC missing from 6265 around 2130 UT March 1; something else is on 6165, so not sure if Zambia is there (Chris Hambly, Victoria, DX LISTENING DIGEST) UNIDENTIFIED. 4890.00 kHz. On Feb 28, at 0230 a revival meeting was sent from the town of Arequipa in southern Perú with an American preacher and a man with American accent translating to Spanish. Two fast talking and very excited gentlemen. When the meeting was finished a diploma was handed over to many people living in Arequipa, even if I couldn`t the aim with [?] these diplomas. At one occasion in the same sentence were the words "Radio" and "Arequipa". The town "Juliaca", which among others also Glenn Hauser has heard mentioned, is located quite near Arequipa. A great deal of the program consists of TV/video-audio. Most of it seems to be about "the destruction of the world". All the time they take parallels between what the bible says (read foresees) and what has happened back in history and also today. "La última década en este mundo...". For example a promo for 3 video films named ``El mundo sepa``, about the history of Israel. Maybe there is a preacher from U.S.A. behind all this and I contacted our member CB/ Christer Brunström. I quote chosen parts from his e-mail. Christer, thanks a lot! CB: "Now to Brother Stair which I think is all in English. His message is solely about the end of the world, planet X and such. I have never heard that he should produce programs in Spanish; additionally it is without exception only Brother Stair who can be heard in the programs all day and night. What you tell about sounds like a TV-audio channel rebroadcast. As I can see it also seems that is nearly impossible to get any kind of ID. What you mentioned about the Catholic Church maybe wasn`t Catholic programs but instead critical parts about the Catholic doctrine??? Evangelic Christian groups in USA talk mainly about the following subjects: the end of the world and Armageddon, support for Israel and the Jews, no to abortions, no to all types of child limitations, against the Catholic Church, a purified faith based on an often old version of the Bible. Harold Camping at Family Radio in Oakland, CA, as well thinks that you no longer can find any God in church. Family Radio as well broadcast in Spanish but with announcements included. I have thought of Trinity Broadcasting Network where the TV-audio is broadcast over KTBN, Salt Lake City, UT and of Radio Paradise, St Kitts/Nevis. But also these programs are in English as far as I know. Slaen in Argentina (I think) believes in southern Peru because some of the speakers have that kind of accent. I heard 4890 at one occasion when we were listening in our cabin. As said it sounds like TV-audio or a relay of a satellite channel. Here videos and such are offered and in that case addresses ought to be given. If it is TV you could imagine that addresses, etc. could be shown on the screen without any verbal announcements. Now on Saturday my part on HCJB Partyline is just about Family Radio and Harold Camping. I don`t believe that it is Brother Stair". 73 from BM in Quito! (Translated by SWB-editor Thomas Nilsson for DXLD) ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ RECEIVER NEWS / DAB / DRM +++++++++++++++++++++++++ REVIEW OF PERSTEL DR-100, Canadian Digital L-band DISCLAIMER: All my observations are made holistically, as a listener, using only my eyes and ears; I had no access to any engineering equipment to measure field strength or anything similar (even if I did, I wouldn`t know what to do with it). I used a Perstel DR-100, the model without the MP3 player. It does not receive AM stations. In a few words, it sucked. (Don`t worry; I`ll expand a bit on this harsh judgment.) 1) Audio The audio was good, as long as you had perfect reception. Without perfect reception, you will suffer drop-outs, and unlike Internet radio, you won`t get the lost data back. Of course, audio quality depends also on the broadcaster`s chosen bit rate. On stereo channels, the separation was good, but there is a hint of artifacts when you turn up the volume, even on high bit rate channels. There are fewer detectable artifacts on monaural channels. 2) Coverage: DAB portable reception pales in comparison to conventional analogue modes. DAB fails inside buildings in the city`s core, where FM works well; DAB fails in the city`s periphery, indoors and sometimes outdoors, where AM works well. I`ve observed that the best locations for reception are in the outdoors, downtown. The radio failed to receive any digital stations while I walked in Montreal`s extensive system of underground walkways. In fact, it failed to receive any digital stations the minute I walk inside *any* modern office building/shopping complex. There are patchy with reception indoors, usually near/underneath skylights or other similar structures. The radio was very picky inside our wood-frame house, too. I was lying in bed and positioned the whip antenna such that the maximal signal strength was received (according to the radio`s own display). I remained immobile, but the signal would eventually drop out and not return, usually when someone else in the house has moved or if a car had whisked by the house (!). (Unlike FM, I can`t tell whether it`s multipathing or simply weak signal strength.) It was even more woeful in the basement. The receiver did well on the bus, when it travels on a bridge over the St. Lawrence and there is a perfect line of sight with the CBC tower. But even then, when we travel through the steel superstructure, you risk losing the audio from time to time. 3) Radio receiver design/unease of use: The radio is very tiny, so it can theoretically fit more easily into a pocket. However, the whip antenna quadruples the length of the radio when fully extended --- try sticking that into your pocket! Besides, the whips are inconvenient and dangerous. It was dreadfully cold the week I owned the radio. In extended the whip a little and stuck the radio into my parka`s pocket. If I lost audio while outside, I didn`t even bother re-tuning or switching to FM until I got to the bus or somewhere warm. In any weather, the whips are dangerous when fully extended because it can get caught on somebody or something. Another sore point is the battery consumption: it sucks power out like a baby sucks milk out of a bottle. You can tell not only by the short battery life, but also by the amount of heat it gives off. A pair of AA alkalines or NiMh will go for 6 hours of continuous use; lithium batteries go for longer. And another problem with this particular model was the low volume, even when turned up to the maximum setting (20), using my own headphones (the ones supplied gave even lower volume). I returned the device after owning it for about 8 or 9 days. I explained it all to the Radio Shack staff, who appeared very interested. Let`s hope DRM does better than this! Cheers, (Ricky Leong, QC, Feb 27, DX LISTENING DIGEST) I`ve been playing radio geek this month --- every hear of something called ``DRM``? It`s a new system for transmitting audio on SW using a digital signal You have to have a radio with a 15-20 kHz bandwidth IF and an IF output frequency of 12 kHz. You can then feed that signal into your PC`s soundcard and decode it into regular audio with the right software. Betcha didn`t know that the inexpensive Ten-Tec RX-320 (a fine radio and one that`s quite good for Pirate listening, too) can be made to do the job! I think I have to be one of less than a dozen hobbyists in North America that are now able to receive that stuff (Lee Reynolds, Lempster NH, Dialogs, March A*C*E via DXLD) There are now estimated to be some 135,000 DAB radios in the UK. 75,000 sets were put onto the market in the run up to last Christmas and retailers report most were apparently sold. The Digital Radio Development Bureau is forecasting a rise to between 300,000 and 500,000 receivers by the end of the year. Pure has announced that 3 more models will be on sale this month. The Evoke Two is a battery powered standalone DAB and FM radio with integrated stereo full range hi fi speakers, an optical digital output for DAB and a 3.5mm socket for analogue output of DAB and FM. It can also be powered from the mains and has a recommended retail price of 159 pounds 99 pence. The Evoke One, the best selling DAB receiver, has been released in a special edition version, the Elgar, with a varnished cherry wood casework surrounding a pearlescent white front with silver grille and control panels with a white on blue scrolling text display. Retail price is 119 pounds 99 pence. The Pure DRX-701ES hi fi tuner features DAB reception on both Band 3 and L Band as well as FM and AM. It has 99 FM, 99 AM and 99 DAB presets and can be used with any standard hi-fi amplifier. Retail price is 399 pounds. Further information on the products is available at http://www.pure-digital.com (Mike Barraclough, March World DX Club Contact via DXLD) RULES OF PROCEDURE CHANGE BY ITU'S RADIO REGULATIONS BOARD CLEARS THE REGULATORY PATH FOR DRM IN MEDIUM-WAVE/AM AND LONG-WAVE A recent change in Rules of Procedure by the International Telecommunications Union's (ITU) Radio Regulations Board (RRB) has cleared the regulatory path for broadcasters who want to use the Digital Radio Mondiale (DRM) system for the medium-wave/AM and long- wave frequency bands. "A great advantage of the DRM system is that it uses existing frequencies and bandwidth," says Dr. Donald Messer, Chairman of DRM's Technical Committee and Director, Spectrum Management at IBB/ Voice of America. "This formal, operational decision by the RRB to allow digital modulation means that any broadcaster in the world now has clearance to use DRM in medium-wave/AM and long-wave, without waiting for an ITU conference." The procedural change allows for digital modulation on a provisional basis to any broadcaster who wants to use current assignments in these AM bands for digital broadcasting. It affects all three ITU regions, which means it spans the globe. Digital broadcasts must conform to the same protection levels safeguarding other broadcasts (both analogue and digital) already established for analogue broadcasts in international agreements. DRM is the world's only non-proprietary, digital system for short- wave, medium-wave/AM and long-wave with the ability to use existing frequencies and bandwidth across the globe. With near-FM quality sound that offers a dramatic improvement over analogue AM, DRM will revitalize the AM broadcasting bands below 30 MHz in markets worldwide. DRM will launch its inaugural broadcasts toward the ITU's WRC 2003 in Geneva in June. In 2002, DRM received endorsement by the ITU for all three broadcasting bands below 30 MHz. The administrations of the ITU's member countries approved a revised version of Recommendation BS1514, now called Recommendation BS1514-1 (Digital Sound Broadcasting Below 30 MHz). It states that DRM is an ITU-R Recommendation for all the broadcasting bands spanning 150 kHz to 30 MHz. No other digital radio system has received such broad recommendation (including short-wave, as well as medium-wave/AM and long-wave) by the ITU (From ukradio.com Thursday, 27 February 2003 via Mike Terry, DXLD) WIRELESS INTERNET RADIO Without turning this into a dissertation, there is no difference between streaming audio (or video) simultaneously to multiple recipients over the internet and sending text, graphics, etc. simultaneously to multiple recipients over the internet. All that's necessary is the listener know the URL/IP address of the desired stream and the connection can be established. Look at sites like Yahoo, etc., that often have traffic counts of over one million unique simultaneous visitors; serving the same packets to a large number of users is not a huge, insurmountable problem. The real limit is the traffic load your server (or server "farm") can handle and the bandwidth of the "pipe" connecting your server to the internet. The "beefier" your server and the greater the bandwidth of its connection to the internet, the more users you can simultaneously stream to --- much like the coverage area of a 0terrestrial transmitter is increased when you increase transmitter power. Audio and video uses more internet bandwidth than static text and figures, but the load-carrying capacity of the internet infrastructure is rapidly growing and will be easily able to accomodate plenty of audio and video in the near future. | IMHO "Internet radio", as currently implemented, works only because | almost nobody listens. I mean, by comparison to over-the-air radio. "Almost nobody listens"? Then why did Real Networks have over 800,000 subscribers at the end of 2002 paying over $100 annually to listen to internet radio and streaming audio via RealPass? When so many people "vote" with their dollars, that's all the evidence I need to conclude there is a viable market for internet radio right now. | Wireless Internet is even worse. Rather than having WOR tie up 40 | kHz of spectrum for its analog and IBOC signals, it would tie up 40 | kHz for *each listener* within the range of a given cell. Hard as we | try, we still haven't come up with a way of making more spectrum... Surely you've heard of spread spectrum, which has been around for several years and allows multiple users to share the same frequency range without QRMing each other? It's now being used in the new generation of digital cell phones and WLANs using 802.11b. Drop by a Wi-Fi "hotspot" (like those in some Starbucks outlets) and watch several users happily share the same frequency range. I attended the Wireless Systems Design Expo in San José this past week and there are some eye-popping developments in wireless/internet convergence that will be emerging within five years (and which IMO will eventually result in hams losing the 2.4 GHz band to WiFi applications). Before I left on Monday, I picked up a new Sprint PCS with a color LCD display and the Openwave web browser. I was able to amuse myself at the San Jose airport Thursday night by surfing a few web sites while waiting for my flight back to LA. It's only a minor step up from that to a web-enabled cell phone with a media player that will let you receive streaming audio from thousands of radio stations around the world. Think of a combination cell phone/PDA/personal audio system that's the size of your current cell phone. It's coming, and in the next decade most people in America will have one. Every time you see a cell phone antenna tower, you're looking at a future "broadcasting" tower. And for the more isolated areas, there will be satellites (Harry Helms AK6C, Ridegcrest, CA DM15, March 1, NRC-AM via DXLD) PROPAGATION +++++++++++ TA MW PROPAGATION IMPROVING Ben speaks: TA reception has been gradually improving here during the last part of February. As you know, I keep a daily count of TA frequencies heard from as my barometer and in four of the last six days this figure has been more than 30 - a good sign. Last night the count went up to 70! Yes, the night of Feb 26/27 brought a big TA opening, mostly from Spain, the biggest of the 2002/2003 season so far. Of course I don't expect many repeats of this, but it was exciting. The first sign of this opening was, for me, on the low end of the band when some of the big RNE-1 stations appeared. This then spread to the middle and then to the high end. Things were still going strong after midnight. I had more than 40 Spain stations, more than half with good audio and most of them low powered. France was also in the mix, especially Nice-1557, some from Portugal and later Vatican- 1611 was in. With my signal path theory, last night's path was on a line with Spain and North Africa to the east, and Colorado to the west (KDDZ). (Ben Dangerfield, Wallingford PA; R8A, four slopers, DXP-3A phasing unit, Kiwa loop back-up, NRC IDXD March 2 via DXLD) Conditions recovered during the early part of the week with propagation returning to normal after last week's coronal hole induced geomagnetic activity. However effects from another coronal hole have been affecting things again since around Feb 26 with the geomagnetic field becoming active to minor storm levels on Feb 27. here have been no flares to report. After today's disturbances subside conditions should remain fairly quiet for the next few days though a flare producing region is rotating back onto the solar disk. Prepared using data from http://www.ips.gov.au (Richard Jary, South Australia, March 1, Cumbredx mailing list via DXLD) ###