DX LISTENING DIGEST 3-063, April 11, 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. CONTINUED from DXLD 3-062: ** ISRAEL. Mike Brand has informed ukRadio.com of a pending strike that could affect national radio and TV services in Israel. In a country that is hit by severe financial difficulties, the Finance Minister has put together an emergency economic reforms which will ultimately affect thousand of public sector workers. These plans include job losses and for those who remain a 9% wage cut. A national strike had been planned in protest of the reforms for (today) Wednesday, but this has been postponed for 24 hours. The Histradut has given the Finance Ministry another 24 hours (until 6 am Thursday morning) to come to some sort of compromise. The strike, if it goes ahead will include all the national radio and TV stations of the Israeli Broadcasting Authority, including Network B (Reshet Bet) the national news and current affairs station, and Network C (Reshet Gimmel) the Hebrew pop music station (From ukradio.com Wednesday, 9 April 2003 via Mike Terry, DXLD) THREATENED STRIKE AFFECTING IBA CALLED OFF Mike Brand reports: The General Strike that was threatened for this morning at 6am, and was to include all of the Israel Broadcasting Authority's radio and TV stations, did not materialise. Both parties in the dispute, the Finance Ministry and the Histradut Labour Union, have decided to keep on negotiating, whilst the Finance Ministry has frozen all sections of its emergency economic plan involving the firing of thousands of public sector workers, and wage reductions for those who remain (© Radio Netherlands Media Network 10 April 2003 via DXLD) ** ISRAEL. Apparently, WRN is picking up the 0600 GMT English news from REQA as the 0500 file and the 1900 GMT Reshet Heh broadcast as the 1730 file and the files change a very short time after the end of the news cast. The files available on the bet.iba.org.il website seem to be the 0600, 1115 and 1730 newscasts from REQA maybe half an hour or more after they are finished. The live reshet heh stream is supposed to have the 9 or 10 minute English news cast at 2100 GMT from REQA but the last few times I've checked they had a Hebrew stream and the Bet.iba.org.il file hasn't changed after 2100 either. When Israel will go back to the old schedule and domestic frequencies, I don't know (Joel Rubin, NY, April 8, swprograms via DXLD) ** ITALY. Hi Glenn, Finally a surprise on Short Wave from Italy: new station : RADIO 3 NETWORK on 6954.76 kHz best in LSB, strong signal in Milano at 1910-1920 UT 9 April. WEB: http://www.radio3net e-mail: staff@radio3.net Street address : Via Montorsoli 10, 53036 Poggibonsi (Siena). director: Andrea Settefonti. Thanks for first alert from Stefano Mannelli in Firenze (he has nothing to do with this station) (Dario Monferini, April 9, DX LISTENING DIGEST) 6955 kHz, Radio Tre Network at 1920, April 9. It is an FM radio station broadcasting (in Italian of course) from Tuscany also on SW. Very good signal here in Milano. Songs, announcements, commercials, classic music after 20. Thanks to Stefano Mannelli and PLAY DX for the real time information. URL http://www.radio3.net (Giampiero Bernardini, Avvenire, Milano, Italy, dxing.info via DXLD) [Later?] About Radio 3 Network heard on 6955. It is a real mystery. It is a real pirate broadcasting. According to Radio 3 Network they don’t know anything about this transmission. So they consulted also a lawyer. They answered to me via e-mail too. This is the translation (as I can do in my stupid English) of the reply they sent in Italian to the dxer that wrote to them: Dear Sir when I was really surprised in getting your mails, for what you told us about a presumed reception of aor radio on SW. I can say our radio broadcasts ONLY on FM in the area between Siena and Florence (Tuscany) and via Internet from our site http://www.radio3.net So, what you heard doesn’t depend on us, but on some unknown person who is rebroadcasting our signal without motive and without permission. I’ll be grateful with you if you’ll monitor the frequency in next days and give quickly information about our radio on SW. So we can report this strange fact to the authority. We have no responsibility about this. Our lawyer, Mr Fontana, will inform the authority and see what to do to protect our image and our work. Tank you for your precious reports, I’ll be happy to send you our stickers. Sincerely Yours Radio 3 Network, Mirco Roppolo (via Giampiero Bernardini, Avvenire, Milano, Italy, April 10, dxing.info via DXLD) I have copy here in the US (Maryland) at 2235z. There was some RTTY QRM, gone now. SIO 333. Sounds like an OM and YL talking in Italian at present. (Chris Smolinski, April 9, ACE Pirate Radio via DXLD) La estación privada de radio FM de Toscana, Radio Tre, ha sido captada a las 0256 UT, en la frecuencia de 6955.2 kHz. Con jingles en inglés e italiano y una selección muy buena de los 80: Nena "99 Luftballons"; Madonna "Material Girl"; entre otros grandes clásicos. Aún a las 0454 la radio proseguía en el aire, por lo cual asumo que transmitió casi toda la noche (ADÁN GONZÁLEZ, Venezuela, Apr 10, DX LISTENING DIGEST) But, but, that`s the North American pirate frequency; same station below?? (gh, DXLD) Radio 3 Network from Tuscany Italy - or their non authorized pirate rebroadcast as they write - is now broadcasting on 6275 kHz. Here in Milano at 1820 April 10 with S 8. Thanks again to Stefano Mannelli via Play DX. Their site is http://www.radio3.net Ciao (Giampiero Bernardini, hard-core-dx via DXLD) Good signal also here in South Italy. 1850 UT with Italian music and identifications (Roberto Scaglione, ibid.) Thanks Giampiero, Audible at poor levels here in NZ. Cheers, (Paul Ormandy, ibid.) New to SW Italian pirate Radio Tre audible at 1930z on 6275 with poor sig though reasonably clear. Cheers, (Paul Ormandy, ARDXC via DXLD) Am hearing the Italian station Radio Tre network on 6275.2, very strong in Scotland, 2000 UT and before. This is the old Radio Time channel (Ken Baird, Scotland, hard-core-dx via DXLD) This pirate seems to run a lot of power. At 2005 UT it's booming in here in the northern part of Germany with a rocksolid S9+30. 73 (Martin Elbe dxing.info via DXLD) Also very strong here in UK (S9 +10) at 2130 April 10 on 6275.15 parallel to audio on the Radio Tre website. 73s (Alan Pennington, BDXC-UK, Caversham, UK via DXLD) Radio Tre Network from Italy heard at 2300 UT with excellent signals on new 6275.178 kHz (Graham Powell, Editor - Online DX Logbook, April 10, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Radio Tre Network is again on the air on 6275 kHz. Very good signal here in south Italy (Roberto Scaglione, April 11, 3:28 pm [wherever that is – PDT?] shortwave yahoogroup via DXLD) Dear Ken, this relay has nothing to do with Radio Time, a souvenir of the past. The station called Radio Time based in Scandicci operating some years ago on shortwave and FM has been closed some years ago. This is a different station located in Poggibonsi: Radio 3 Network. WEB: http://www.radio3.net The matter is the station manager Mirko Rippolo assure the signal on short wave is coming from an unauthorized relay station. For this reason he is interested to know what's going on and asks for reports sent to the e-mail address of the station, promising stickers for all reporters. e-mail : staff@radio3.net Best regards, (Dario Monferini, Italy, ibid.) ** ITALY. I`ve been doing the monitoring thing for Rai; Mario, their technical director, tells me he`s sending me ``a little gadget`` every time he hasn`t heard from me for a while. He last time he did that I got a very nice long-sleeved polo shirt with the Rai logo (Sue Hickey, NL, April CIDX Forum via DXLD) ** ITALY. Santa Palomba 846 is again on now (2120), judging from the signal level running the reported 75 kW, perhaps even more (Kai Ludwig, Germany, April 10, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** JAPAN. 3373.5(USB), NHK Osaka, 1155, Apr 4, English lesson, 4 time clicks (3 short, 1 long) into Japanese program, poor-fair. Not a whisper heard on 3259(USB), Fukuoka, which I believe was recently reported somewhere as being back on. Also nothing on 3607.5(USB), Tokyo, nor 6005, Sapporo (Ron Howard, CA, DSWCI DX Window April 10 via DXLD) ** JORDAN. R. Jordan, 11690, April 6 1550-1634*, tune-in to local pop music. 1602 English news about the war, weather ID, 1626 pop music. Poor-fair with usual RTTY QRM. New summer sign-off time around 1630 instead of 1730 (Brian Alexander, Mechanicsburg PA, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** KASHMIR [non]. Hi Glenn, Azad Kashmir Radio, Islamabad on 4790 kHz has been heard every evening this week closing down 1813 UT giving Radio Pakistan ID. Reception is good. On 6100 kHz around 15 UT I heard Apr 9 an unID station with lots of references to Pakistan. It was not R Nepal, I suppose, but Voice of Kashmir via Dushanbe? Reception was poor to fair. 73´s (Jouko Huuskonen, Turku, FINLAND, DX LISTENING DIGEST) The latter would be Seda-ye Kashmir, but the last we heard it was thought to emanate from India (gh, DXLD) ** KURDISTAN [and non]. (As reaction on the war in Iraq (Ed): Voice of Iranian Kurdistan (3975v, Ed) and R Kurdistan (4140v, Ed) have left the air (Rumen Pankov, Bulgaria, Mar 30 via Bueschel, DSWCI DX Window April 10 via DXLD) see also IRAQ ** LIBERIA. 4760, ELWA Radio 2214-2232* 04/09 EG. Cont. contemporary rel ballads, YL w/ s/off anmt "This is ELWA Radio, broadcasting from Monrovia, Liberia, signing off. Please join us again tomorrow morning, Goodnight and God bless. Now the Liberian National Anthem" NA until 2232. Fair w/ mild het (Scott R Barbour Jr-NH USA, Sangean ATS 818, RF Systems MLB-1, RS longwire w/ RDA balun, hard-core-dx via DXLD) ** LIBERIA. There is a new Christian shortwave station testing from Liberia on 11515 kHz, I heard them on 9/4 around 1530 and got an e- mail reply just today: -------------- The 11515 was us...thanks for tuning in! We hope to have regular programming up in the next few days. God bless! In Christ, Doc Burkhart, General Manager, WJIE International Shortwave Voice Of Liberty (SW from Liberia), wjiesw@hotmail.com (Jarmo Patala, Finland, dxing.info via DXLD) Hi, Commentary WJIE/Liberia: Quote: "This transmitter is directed right to the HEART of the Islamic world, piercing through the Muslim veil in northern Africa and into the Middle East." To me, this sounds like middle ages, the Spanish Inquisition, the trecks to Jerusalem in the 11th or some other centuries. I won't publish their frequencies on my webpage. We've had enough wars because of religion. This is aggression, yet only on the semantic level, but that's already too much (Thorsten Hallmann, Münster, Germany, April 10, http://africa.coolfreepage.com/africalist DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** MADAGASCAR. 5010.0, R TV Malagasy, Antananarivo, 1930-2106*, Apr 5, usual Saturday night prolonged program in Malagasy with modern Afropop, best in USB, 34443 (Anker Petersen, DSWCI DX Window April 10 via DXLD) Also presumably logged 1716-1745, Apr 4, songs and some talks in Vernacular. 35433 (Carlos Gonçalves, Portugal, DSWCI DX Window April 10 via DXLD) Also heard *0257-0312, Apr 2, opened with choral national anthem followed by a woman with presumed ID and a man and woman with opening announcements followed by brief music segment and a woman with the news. Poor to fair (Rich D`Angelo, PA, DSWCI DX Window April 10 via DXLD) ** MALI. 4833.3 which is where R Mali, Kati, has been for some time now, 0735-0759*, Mar 31 and Apr 1, uncopiable talks, but presumed in Vernacular, IS+ ID+ frequency announcement in French prior to the transmitter closed down at 0759. 15331 but slightly better on Apr 1. Their other // 60 m outlet is dreadfully because of utility QRM. 5995, R Mali, Kati, 0740-s/off 0759, Mar 31, talks, etc. as above; 15342. A higher frequency might provide better signals over here (and/or elsewhere!), but this 49 m outlet of theirs is mediocre. 7284.3, R Mali, Kati, *0801- fade out 0850, Mar 31, Vernacular talks and traditional songs. 15342 (Carlos Gonçalves, Portugal, DSWCI DX Window April 10 via DXLD) ** MALTA [non]. VOM A03 VOICE OF MEDITERRANEAN BROADCAST SCHEDULE 30 March 2003 - 25 October 2003 Monday to Saturday 0530-0600 6110 Arabic 1700-1730 9605 Italian 1730-1800 9605 English 1900-2000 12060 English* 2000-2100 12060 Arabic * Except on Friday Friday 1900-2100 12060 Arabic Sunday 0500-0600 17570 Japanese 0700-0800 9605 Italian 0800-0900 9605 English 0900-1000 9605 Maltese 1000-1100 9605 French 1100-1200 9605 German 1900-2000 12060 English 2000-2030 12060 French 2030-2100 12060 German Transmitting Site: Rome Transmission Power: 100 KW Frequency: 6110 kHz, 9605kHz Transmitting Site: Moscow Transmission Power: 240 KW Frequency: 12060 kHz Transmitting Site: Komsomolski Transmission Power: 178 KW [sic; others should be so candid --- gh] Frequency: 17570 kHz (Ramón Vázquez Dourado, España, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** MEXICO. PRESENTAN REFORMAS PARA QUE IGLESIAS OBTENGAN CONCESIONES DE RADIO-TV - jueves 10 de abril, 02:03 PM México, 10 Abr (Notimex).- El PAN en la Cámara de Diputados presentó una iniciativa de reformas que permitiría a las agrupaciones religiosas obtener concesiones o permisos para operar empresas de radio y televisión, así como medios de comunicación impresos. En la sesión ordinaria en el Palacio Legislativo de San Lázaro, el diputado federal Carlos Raymundo Toledo, del Partido Acción Nacional (PAN), destacó que en la iniciativa se propone que las iglesias puedan acceder a dichos medios de comunicación, siempre y cuando no busquen el lucro o la participación política. En la tribuna de la Cámara Baja, sostuvo que las reformas a la Ley de Asociaciones Religiosas y Culto Público y a la Ley Federal de Radio y Televisión plantean una mayor claridad y la modernización en las relaciones entre la Iglesia y Estado. "Las asociaciones religiosas podrán poseer y hacer uso de estaciones de radio y televisión, cualquier tipo de telecomunicación o medios de comunicación masiva, incluidas las comunicaciones impresas de carácter religioso, sin fines de lucro", destaca la propuesta. De igual forma, establece que las diferentes organizaciones religiosas podrán acceder a la operación de medios de comunicación bajo el esquema de permiso, para realizar su labor religiosa, siempre en apego a lo que marca la Ley de Radio, Televisión y Cinematografía. Toledo planteó la necesidad de fijar las bases para una clara regulación de las iglesias a fin de canalizar sus creencias religiosas y su derecho a acceder a los medios de comunicación. "La personalidad jurídica otorga a las asociaciones religiosas la capacidad y el patrimonio por lo que se sujetan al régimen fiscal", por lo cual las iglesias tienen capacidad para operar medios de comunicación, siempre y cuando no lo hagan con fines lucrativos. El legislador recordó que en más de 120 países se reconoce la existencia jurídica de la iglesias y la libertad de creencias para manifestarlo e, incluso, en México ya cuentan con presencia importante en canales de sistema de cable y en espacios de la televisión abierta (via Héctor García Bojorge, DF, Conexión Digital via DXLD) ** MOROCCO. Re: 11920, R Morocco, 0428, Apr 06, news on the half- hour, followed by an interesting ID at 0435: ``Idhaat ul-mamlyakat il-Maghribiya min Tanjer``. Excellent signal.. . (Mezin in HCDX). Dmitry, I think you heard a report from a local studio in Tanger. From my DBS-notes I can tell you that this station has been heard by DX-ers as follows during the past winter: 7135 2200-2400, 11920 0000- 0500, 15335 1100-1500, 15340 0900-1500 and 15345 1500-2200. (Anker Petersen, Ed., DSWCI DX Window April 10 via DXLD) ** NIGERIA. Seems that VON has two different services in parallel now: In the mornings there's an English-only service announced as "broadcasting to Europe on 15120, 19 meterband" till after 1000. No sign-off heard and no sign of any other frequency. In the evening, 2100 to 2300, there's English on 15120 and vernaculars on 7255. Both Frequencies blocked before. Closedown on both frequencies at exactly 2300. Still no new schedule on the webpage... (Thorsten Hallmann, Münster, Germany, April 10, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** NIGERIA [non]. 15170, Jakada R International heard *1900-1929* on Apr 7. very good signal, with intermittent side splatter from 15165. I was on 15170 at 1859 and heard the VOA s/off announcement in English. Then there was a one minute or so pause in the audio, but no break in the transmitter, and Jakada started up and stayed on until the transmitter went off at 1929. IBB shows 15170 as Morocco to 1900 (Jerry Berg, MA, DSWCI DX Window April 10 via DXLD) If true, a first? IBB not usually caught clandestining (gh, DXLD) ** OKLAHOMA [and non]. CONCERT PIANIST-HAM IS OFF AND RUNNING TO BENEFIT CANCER RESEARCH NEWINGTON, CT, April 11, 2003--Concert pianist and cancer survivor Martin Berkofsky, KC3RE, turned 60 on April 9. On that day, he set off on the run of his life. The 860-mile ``CelebrateLifeRun`` from Tulsa to Chicago is to celebrate his recovery from cancer and to raise money for research into the disease. Berkofsky, who has ham gear along with him, says so far, so good. ``I just finished the second day--20 miles and going strong,`` he reported early today. ``Even the mayor of Tulsa [Bill LaFortune] ran along for the first three miles on day one!`` Berkofsky plans to cover 10 miles a day and run six days per week. An ARRL member who lives in Northern Virginia, Berkofsky got a gala sendoff from a sizeable crowd at the Cancer Treatment Centers of America Hospital in Tulsa, where he was treated. Before leaving, he played a Chopin piece and then let the crowd serenade him with a round of ``Happy Birthday.`` The internationally known pianist, music scholar and veteran ham operator has a hand-held quad-band transceiver with him. He`s hoping to contact as many hams as possible on VHF and UHF as he makes his way to Illinois, using FM on 6, 2 and 1.25 meters, and 70 cm. He also invites anyone else -- elected officials or otherwise -- to run along with him for as long as they want. Berkofsky has assured that he`ll be managing only ``a mild jogging pace.`` Berkofsky expects to reach his destination--the headquarters of the Cancer Treatment Research Foundation in Illinois--in late August. Prior to his departure, he treated fans to a free piano concert in Tulsa April 8. He`s also set to perform in St Louis while en route as well as to celebrate the end of his run in Illinois. He said he`s obtained a copy of ARRL`s ``TravelPlus`` for Repeaters CD-ROM to determine the locations of repeaters along his route. Berkofsky will raise funds through donations at his three performances and through per-mile sponsorships from groups and individuals. All proceeds from the events go to the Cancer Treatment Research Foundation. Details on fund raising are spelled out on his CelebrateLifeRunWeb site http://www.celebrateliferun.com/ Cancer Treatment Centers of America plans to track Berkofsky`s progress on its Web site http://cancercenter.com (scroll down and click on ``CTCA News``). Photos and map of the beginning of the run as well as above story at http://www2.arrl.org/news/stories/2003/04/11/3/?nc=1 (ARRL April 11 via John Norfolk, OKCOK, DXLD) ** PAKISTAN [and non]. PAKISTAN/BULGARIA Poor coordination also between HFCC and ABU-HFC members BUL and PAK. PAK/US-FCC 9385 suffers QRM by RFA Saipan Korean til 1700, and KSDA 1700-1800. PAK/BUL 9400 suffers co-channel at 1700-1800. PAK 9400 was totally underneath Bulgarian signal at around 1725-1738 UT only. 9385 I made a short recording of just 45 seconds, Tue Apr 8th, 2003, 1700-1800 UT. At the end of the PAK/KSDA 9385 recording, I put a little piece of bubble jamming, which occured just at 1801-1802 UT down on 9395 kHz. Seemingly the jamming transmitter put ready for another 'jamming' period later that day/night. It could be a transmitter being set up to jam something later. But can't find any Persian language outlet registration entry there. Israel is much higher on 11 and 15 MHz in summer. In A-01 RFA Mandarin was there at 2200-2400, via TJK 200 kW. PAK was always 1630-1800 Turkish/Persian on odd 9385.67 kHz, which caused a heavy whistle tone to RFA Korean via Saipan, and KSDA in Tagalog and English. 1600-1700 KOREAN 7210irk 9385S 13625T 9385 1700-1730 SDA 100 kW / 300 deg Tagalog 9385 1730-1800 SDA 100 kW / 300 deg English PAK 11550. On 11550 kHz I found Ukraine in German with 45444 only. A little PAK whisper underneath maybe, but very very thiny. PAK 7550.04 kHz at 1700-1800 UT, very, very low modulation. Even when compared both receivers signals with AOR set to 9385 upper flank, I couldn`t identify any audio. I would recommend that PAK 9385 should move 5 kHz down to 9380. And either PAK 9400 Urdu or R BUL should move 5 kHz down to 9395 kHz (Wolfgang Bueschel, Germany, Apr 9, BC-DX via DXLD) ** PERU. Hace muchos dias que no puedo sintonizar a Radio Macedonia, de Arequipa. Alguno de ustedes la escucho????? 73's (Arnaldo Slaen, Argentina, April 10, Conexión Digital via DXLD) Arnaldo, en un mensaje electrónico me dijo Chris Gardner que se fundió el transmisor y que están buscando algún que otro repuesto. Al volver al aire, ya no retransmitirán el Canal 33, dice (Henrik Klemetz, ibid.) ** PHILIPPINES. R. Veritas Asia is a Catholic station broadcasting in 17 languages. Technical section of http://www.rveritas-asia.org/ is chockfull of useful info and there is even mention of CIDX in the DX Clubs section. Unfortunately, there isn`t any English programming, unlike when I first head them in 1982 (Dr John Barnard, AB, Signals Unlimited, April CIDX Messenger via DXLD) ** PHILIPPINES. FEBC is another religious global organization. As with R. Veritas Asia, there is quite the dearth of info, so I will cut to the chase and point you to the good stuff. First point your browser to http://www.febc.ph/ then click on `main page`. Then click on `FEBC International` which takes you to the world-wide listing of the various FEBC/FEBA sites, and then click on the first `Voice of Friendship` icon. This will take you to a page with links to all sorts of useful and neat info such as the sounds of light to heavy jamming, frequency info, photos, etc. (Dr John Barnard, AB, Signals Unlimited, April CIDX Messenger via DXLD) ** RUSSIA. 9665 kHz, 0200 with English news, then Moscow Mailbag. Pretty good signal, April 10th, but much splashover from Vatican Radio signing on with IS from 0227 on 9660 kHz. Not heard on either 7180 or 6155 kHz. One listener asked Joe about doing a memoir. He said that he has an outline, and would be quite interesting, but he doesn't have much time to work on it. "Who haven't I interviewed," Joe asked. "Dwight Eisenhower (twice), Charles Lindbergh who made a solo flight across the Atlantic in 1927, the likes of Bob Hope, and Mr. Hearst, the newspaper man. When I met Mr. Hearst, being naïve, I asked him "Are you related to THE Mr. Hearst?" "No," came the reply, "I am not related to THE Mr. Hearst, I AM THE Mr. Hearst." He concluded with the usual jokes, some what corny, but admittedly quite funny. "My wife is an angel," says a man. A second man replies, "You're lucky. My wife is still living." I hope Joe does complete a memoir. As one of the longest survivors of international broadcasting, through the Soviet era and into the post cold war era, this would be quite interesting for anyone interested in history of international broadcasting or history of modern Russia (Roger Chambers, Utica, NY, April 10, ODXA via DXLD) ** SAUDI ARABIA [non]. 12025, Voice of Reform, via Kvitsoy, Norway, Mon-Sat *1900-2100*, Apr 4, political talks and phone-in`s in Arabic (anti Saudi Arabia), ID: ``Sawt al-Islah`` with its usual audio gaps // with the satelLite feed on 11096 MHZ on Hotbird 13 E, ex 9925. 244433, always jammed by Sa`udi Arabia even long before sign on. HCJB signs on from Ascension Island in Arabic at *2100 and continues till 2230* (25333). (Zacharias Liangas and Anker Petersen, DSWCI DX Window April 10 via DXLD) ** SINGAPORE. The Radio Corporation of Singapore is responsible for maintaining Singapore`s voice on SW, in the form of RSI, http://www.rsi.com.sg/ The website is available in 4 languages including English and even has an option for downloading info into a palm pilot. Lots of archived material to read and to listen (Dr John Barnard, AB, Signals Unlimited, April CIDX Messenger via DXLD) ** SINGAPORE. I´m pretty convinced on WRTH Singapore listings. WRTH 2003 is very accurate. I can tell you I heard all the Singaporean SW frequencies this Friday evening Apr 11 just before their close down at 16 UT: 6000 kHz Chinese, 6150 kHz English, 7170 kHz in Tamil and 7235 kHz Malay under heavy QRM. Tnx to WRTH for good and very precise information! 73´s (Jouko Huuskonen, Turku, FINLAND, April 11, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** SRI LANKA. Hi Glenn. Last Wednesday April 9 Sri Lanka Broadcasting Corporation offered good reception on two of their three frequencies: 11930- and 15745 kHz. The third 6005 kHz is dominated here in Finland by Deutschlandradio, Berlin. Even the 19 mb outlet 15745 kHz is really good these days here in my QTH. No QRM anymore by WEWN Birmingham, Alabama in the afternoon hours. 1430 UT ID: "This is the All Asia Service of Sri Lanka Broadcasting Corporation". After that nice country music. I do like their music taste! 73´s and happy DX- ing! (Jouko Huuskonen, Turku, FINLAND, April 11, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** SWITZERLAND. Beromünster 531 could be the next victim of the "Elektrosmog" matter. Reportedly the authorities at Luzern will decide soon whether or not Swisscom will be allowed to keep the transmitter on air despite fieldstrengths up to 70 V/m on some farmsteads about 200 metres away from the antenna. In 1998 a limit of 8.7 V/m was introduced in Switzerland. Page of the people who want the transmitter being silenced: http://www.gigaherz.ch/586/ (Kai Ludwig, Germany, April 10, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** TAIWAN. Re DXLD 3-061, Radio Taipei International English on 11550 heard April 11th at 1600-1700 and 1700-1800, same as in the B02 season. (Mike Barraclough, Letchworth, UK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** TIBET [non]. 12100, UNID, *1430-1506+, Apr 5; it is possibly an Unofficial Broadcaster in Tibetan (mostly with Male talk) been severely jammed by China ``dragon``. Sign off varies (approx 1502- 1520). (Vlad Titarev, Ukraine, DSWCI DX Window April 10 via DXLD) 12100.0, Tuned in Apr 6 at 1421 and found open carrier. At 1428 tones (about 4-5 seconds long, 4-5 sec. off, etc), music and singing, Female announcer in unknown lang. (Tibetan?), jammed with Chinese instrumental music. Mostly talking. Sometime around 1500 language changed to Mandarin Chinese, Female announcer talking about Lhasa, Tibet, Chinese music and singing, 1517 sign-off announcement, three tones, 1519*. My wife listened to the tape. She says the Chinese used was definitely not that of the PRC or Taiwan, but was overseas Chinese. Unable to make out ID but she heard mention of being sponsored by some organization. I am not familiar with the Voice of Tibet, but could this be them or a similar group? My wife, Jiaying, is a native speaker of Chinese and is the head of the Chinese Language Department of the Monterey Institute of International Studies, a local graduate school. Thanks to Vladimir Titarev for the tip (Ron Howard, DSWCI DX Window April 10 via DXLD) It was heard here at 1455, Apr 8, with 43433 with QRM from weaker music jammer and strong splashes from BBC 12095 and the Voice of Greece on 12105 in Spanish (Anker Petersen, DSWCI DX Window April 10 via DXLD) It is indeed the Voice of Tibet, cf. new schedule under Clandestines! Thus our member in Bulgaria solved the problem via a member in Germany for other members in Ukraine, California and Denmark! True DSWCI! (Anker Petersen, Ed., DSWCI DX Window April 10 via DXLD) As in DXLD 3-061, 12100 via Tashkent ** TURKS AND CAICOS ISLANDS. 530 MW, R. Visión Cristiana which I have heard in Miami, sent me a full detailed QSL. Mr. Peter Polanco, Chief Engineer of the station, wrote: ``Radio Vision Cristiana International broadcasts at a power of 40 kW into a single 485 foot antenna using a Nautel Brand Ampfet50, 50 kW AM broadcast transmitter. This transmitter facility is located at the North end of South Caicos. Our main offices and studios are located in Paterson, New Jersey and our program audio is distributed via Galaxy 6 satellite. Our local Manager on South Caicos is Mr. Wendell Seymour. He has been with the station since it was the Atlantic beacon on 1570 AM prior to 1991``. E-mail address: radiovision@tciway.tc (Kyriakos Dritsas, Thessaloniki, Greece, DSWCI DX Window April 10 via DXLD) ** U A E. I was asked a question about what station it was on 13650 at 2300, turns out it's UAE Radio Dubai, in presumed Arabic. // 11950, among others I'm sure, but did not check. Not sure if this is a new frequency or not (Steve Lare, Holland, MI, April 9, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Yes, new as in last issue (gh, DXLD) Re DXLD 3-061, UAE Radio Dubai heard 1615 April 11th strong on 13675, not 13650, parallel to 13630 15395 and 21605. The programme was in Arabic; usually there is English at this time (Mike Barraclough, Letchworth, UK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U K / U S A. RADIO REBORN --- DIGITAL AUDIO BROADCASTING WILL SOON BE SEEN AS WELL AS HEARD, SAYS KEVIN HILTON From Thursday April 10, 2003, The Guardian http://www.guardian.co.uk/online/story/0,3605,932882,00.html When the BBC's digital broadcasting services launched in earnest a few years ago, they were promoted by an advertising campaign that claimed one of the benefits of the new technology was that listeners would be able to "see" radio. This was later played down in favour of more channels and electronic programme guides but the potential for DAB (digital audio broadcasting), the technology behind digital radio, to carry pictures as well as sound is now being adapted for the mobile market. In trials held during the National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) Convention in Las Vegas, which ends today, NTL Broadcast and Tandberg Television, leading companies in TV and radio transmission and network distribution for cable, satellite and IP respectively, have been working with Microsoft to demonstrate real-time video streaming using DAB as the carrying medium. The demo aimed to show that video and audio can be transmitted to PCs, PDAs and mobile phones at rates of 120 kbps. The demonstration highlighted mobiles but DAB receivers with reasonably sized screens are in production and will appear this year. These will be able to handle HTML for web connection and video, as well as more flexible browsing of electronic programme guides. Material for the NTL demonstration came from two sources: Capital Radio Group which includes Capital FM, Capital Gold London, XFM and Century 105 - and video from CNN International. The DAB sound and video signals were IP encapsulated and multiplexed using technology from RadioScape, which recently demonstrated non real-time video over DAB. The CNN video was encoded through hardware designed by Tandberg for use with Windows Media 9 and carried on the DVB (digital video broadcasting) platform, the core technology of digital TV transmission. The DAB and DVB streams were uplinked from NTL's teleport in the UK, bounced off an Atlantic Ocean satellite and received by a dish at the convention centre in Las Vegas. The signals were then decoded to be retransmitted over DAB. The MPeg-encoded live audio could be heard on a Windows XP PC fitted with a RadioScape DAB card and handheld PDAs. Store and forward capability, which allows material to be received, saved and accessed later, was also demonstrated on Pocket PCs, as well as desktop units. It is the audio and video content that is seen as crucial in attracting people to mobile "broadcasting". "The only problem with the business model is finding the people to produce mass market receivers and make watchable content," says Simon Mason, head of new product development at NTL Broadcast. "There is an increasing number of people on the move who are demanding news and information that is not tied to a broadcast schedule and the technology is available today to deliver it to them." Mason believes that DAB is regarded as better able to deliver audio and video than either 3G or DVB. "3G is not a broad enough network for a lot of content and DVB is best suited to fixed receivers," he says. There were once fears that DAB could become cheap TV. Now there are indications that it could be the technology that carries forward the mobile dream (via Mike Terry, DXLD) ** U K. After 2100 there is indeed BBC Arabic on 5875. It should be remembered that the BBC used this frequency to transmit foreign language programming to Europe for many years, so probably expatriates are the, ahem, target audience of this additional outlet. However, the signal level right now is quite poor, so it remains to be seen if 5875 is indeed beamed to mainland Europe this time (Kai Ludwig, Germany, April 10, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U K [non]. USA/Latvia/UK (non)/Internet The following information was posted at http://www.laserradio.net LaserRadio.Net NEWS FLASH Several weeks ago we were informed that our broadcasts were to be moved to a new, coordinated frequency of 9520 kHz. We received this information at short notice and were not able to undertake a 'final' broadcast on our 5935 kHz frequency. We were informed the new frequency would be 9520 kHz and it would be available on April 6. This then changed to April 13 due to the difficulties of re-tuning the Antenna and necessary work on the transmitter itself. Since being told we would be 'moved' to 9520 kHz, we have been monitoring the frequency with increasing concern. Following many exchanges with Latvia we have now been informed that due to inter-departmental problems, the 9520 kHz frequency has NOT in fact been coordinated with Geneva or HFCC. This explains why we are all hearing Radio Liberty and Radio Tirana on this channel. In a nutshell it means that Laser Radio will be unable to broadcast via the Latvian transmitter until this problem has been resolved. Needless to write, we are all extremely upset at this outcome given all the incredible effort put into the station by its voluntary presenters and backroom people. We are all rather in a state of shock at this latest development but be assured this is NOT the end - we shall find a way to return to the airwaves in Europe as soon as it is legally possible. Given the situation we have suspended our North American relay pending clarification regarding our future on shortwave. Keep checking this website and our news group for further updates. Laser Radio.Net offers a mix of music from the last four decades blended with innovative talk shows for the short wave listener. ----- laserradio.net has a fabulous bi-weekly show called The Media Show, hosted by Julian Clover. It follows in the tradition of Media Network, and I listened regularly on WBCQ (9330). Hopefully, this frequency coordination problem can be resolved and the programming will continue (Daniel Srebnick, April 10, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Laser Radio may be off the air on short wave, but we continue to bring you first class programmes on the net over the weekend. From 1400 UT (1500 UK time) on Saturday up to 2200 UT (2300 UK time) on Tuesday next, we will be featuring 8 hours of classic programming from Laser Radio's archives. This will feature the very first official hour from last December, and include some surreal programming from Christopher England, Media news and great music from the likes of Chris B, Paul Goodwin and Gary Fosster. Also a little bit of radio anorakking from me and Stewart Ross. So do join us via http://www.laserradio.net from 1400 UT tomorrow afternoon (Geoff Rogers, Laser Radio, April 11 via Robert Scaglione, South Italy, shortwave yahoogroup via DXLD) ** U K [and non]. BFBS: Received this in response to why they switch off at 2000. Looks like they turned on another FM transmitter in Basra. "Thank you for your email to Dave Raven, which has been passed on to me. Firstly, thank you for your kind and positive comments about what BFBS is doing in support of UK troops in the Gulf. It's heartening to know that other listeners understand the vital role we play in maintaining morale in the forces. Unfortunately, the issue of the shortwave transmitters is something that is beyond our control: the worldwide frequency coordination body has allocated to BFBS just two shortwave broadcast 'windows' each day: 0300-0700 and 1400-2000 GMT. But in any case, the idea of these shortwave broadcasts is as a back-up for the benefit of those troops who have moved beyond the range of the BFBS FM transmitters in the camps in Kuwait. As it becomes safe for our engineers to install new transmitters in the new camps in Iraq, they do so. And indeed BFBS has now been on air via FM in Basra for nearly two weeks. Since Basra is where most of the British Forces who have left Kuwait are now located, I'm happy to tell you that they will have heard all of the coverage of Real Madrid thrashing Man Utd, and not suffered the 2000 GMT cut-off. I hope this puts your mind at rest! And once again, thank you for taking the time to contact us. Best wishes, Alan Phillips, Managing Editor BFBS UK" (via David Norrie, NZ, April 10, DX LISTENING DIGEST) BFBS is heard via two new frequencies - 6015 (ex listed 6105) now heard at 1800-2000 at very strong level, and new 17635 is in use at 1600-1800 (ex listed 15245 & 15150). The complete schedule via Merlin transmitters, Russia and Uzbekistan should now be: 0300-0400 on 7260 and 15795 0400-0600 on 11975 and 15795 0600-0700 on 15425 and 15795 1400-1600 on 13860 and 17895 1600-1800 on 13860 and 17635 1800-2000 on 6015 and 13760 (Noel Green, England, DSWCI DX Window April 10 via DXLD) 13760, probably BFBS, 1830, Apr 05, in the background with rock music, but WHRI was powerful on the channel, and, interestingly, they were having ``Soldier Salutes,`` call-ins with a religious slant for soldiers serving in the Middle East (Jerry Berg, MA, DSWCI DX Window April 10 via DXLD) Publicity mentioned this would only be on WHRA, and WHRI-5745. Still no details in program schedule or elsewhere on WHR website about exact times for this, but probably during their 2-hour live show several times daily? (gh, DXLD) ** U S A. Loggings Done by: Alan Roberts, St Lambert, Quebec. Equipment : Fairhaven RD500 and 26 MHz dipoles. 26.300 nFM WHBQ-TV (Ch 13) Memphis TN 12 Feb time? "Fox 13 News at 5" with report from Shelby County. Fair signal. 26.450 nFM WJXT (Ch 4) Jacksonville FL 22 Jan 1715, TV news ID'd by "Live from WJXT this is ...." Poor signal (Alan Roberts, 25 Plus, Apr CIDX Messenger via Sheldon Harvey, DXLD) ** U S A. Shortwave Broadcast Schedule Changes WJIE International Shortwave Apr 10, 2003 Please check our web-site for updates to our broadcast schedule effective April 14, 2003: http://www.wjiesw.com Also, please remember that we are now broadcasting on both 7.490 and 13.595 MHz. Please tune in and send your reception reports to: wjiesw@hotmail.com If you are a church or ministry, and would like to broadcast on international shortwave on a strictly love-offering basis, please contact us at the following: wjiesw@hotmail.com 502-968-1220 ext 23 Please remember to pray for our troops everyday! God Bless! (Doc Burkhart, WJIE International Shortwave, April 10, DX LISTENING DIGEST) And see UK non BFBS above for WHRI clash with Soldier Salute See top for new WORLD OF RADIO times; I don`t see anything else secular on the schedule, and the M-F 1230 UT time for WJIE Update is also gone, now showing only: UT Sun 0245-0300. Note that Denmark/Norway are making little use of 7490 this season, DENMARK [non] above, 1800-2100 and 0300-0400, not including other clients but probably not on that frequency (Glenn Hauser, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A. 5920, WBOH verified with a full data lighthouse card in 12 days from v/s R. L. Bendick indicating ``Test.`` (Rich D`Angelo, PA, DSWCI DX Window April 10 via DXLD) Nice blue-gold-white card with Bible passages, full-data veri statement, check boxes for WBOH and WTJC, as applicable. Written in is ``Test, 20 kw.`` V/S A. Robinson. In one week for CD report. Different from the card I have from them (from 1999). (Jerry Berg, MA, DSWCI DX Window April 10 via DXLD) ** U S A. Planet World News on WBCQ has expanded, now M-Sa 1945-2000 UT, and an evening edition at 0415-0430 Tu-F, the latter including a techno-minute, and E-mail input from listeners on these topics: Tue Arts, Wed Health, Thu Science, Fri Politics. Send to news@wbcq.us Plus Thu 2100-2130 the weekly Planet World News Roundup, says Michael Ketter. Frequency not specified, but 7415, and sometimes also 9330- CLSB, gh assumes. Most of the deadbeats on WBCQ which have run up a big bill and skip, leaving us holding the bag are religious. Why is this? I just don`t understand it. The Last Roundup, three times a week, Tue 2100-2200, Thu 2130-2230, Sun 2000-2100, a hard-hitting news show about injustices of the justice system, attorneys, etc. 9330 carries R. Caroline M-F 2000- 2100. Check program schedule frequently at http://wbcq.us (Allan Weiner, Worldwide, April 12, notes by gh for DX LISTENING DIGEST) Just checked, and none of this new stuff is in it; in fact, times still shown in ET with +5 UT misconversion (gh, DXLD) ** U S A [non]. Hi Glenn, AFRTS Roosevelt Roads from Puerto Rico came with decent signal this morning Apr 11 04 UT. Live broadcast from Baghdad on USB 6458.5 kHz. This is the only AFRTS-outlet I`ve heard. 73`s (Jouko Huuskonen, Turku, FINLAND, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A [and non]. 6458.5 USB, AFRTS, Isabela, Puerto Rico, 0825- 0840, Mar 28, English, pop songs, news on the war in Iraq // 12689.5, 25333 (Anker Petersen, DSWCI DX Window April 10 via DXLD) 12689.5 USB, Boca-Chica, Key West, Florida, 0825-0840, Mar 28, same program as // 6458.5, 22332 with utility QRM. These seem to be the only two AFRTS stations still being broadcasting on SW! (Anker Petersen, DSWCI DX Window April 10 via DXLD) Yes, at least AFRTS Guam on 5765 and 13365 were off the air around Mar 25 (Roland Schulze, Philippines, DSWCI DX Window April 10 via DXLD) ** U S A. TV FROM THE HOME FRONT U.S. servicemen and their families receive a balanced offering of news and prime-time programs thanks to the Armed Forces Network. By Brian Lowry, Times Staff Writer, April 9, 2003 http://www.latimes.com/news/custom/showcase/la-war-brian9apr09.story While the war in Iraq plays out on television at home, what are U.S. servicemen abroad watching? Those with the time actually face their own choice between news and escapism, sifting through the gamut of television fare -- from "The Bernie Mac Show" to Jay Leno's monologue to "The O'Reilly Factor" -- courtesy of Armed Forces Radio and Television Service. Operated by the Department of Defense, the service makes television available to 800,000 servicemen and their families outside the U.S., providing troops what's billed as "a touch of home" by broadcasting programs from domestic networks. The satellite feeds (staggered for time zones in Asia and Europe) are currently available to U.S. forces across the world, including Turkey and naval ships in the Persian Gulf, with closed-circuit service reaching areas such as Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain, Oman, Saudi Arabia, Yemen and the United Arab Emirates. Programming decisions are orchestrated from March Air Reserve Base -- located near Riverside, about 75 miles east of Los Angeles -- by Lawrence Marotta, a civilian and former ABC executive who has served as chief of Armed Forces Network's television division since 1987. According to Marotta, it's pretty much business as usual, with no concessions made to the fact the country is at war. The stated goal, in fact, is to approximate what servicemen and their families would be seeing at home, which explains why the lineup includes everything from news to children's shows such as "SpongeBob SquarePants" and "Sesame Street." Since the war began, AFN, much like the major networks, has weighed the appetite for additional news against providing an escape to those seeking one. On its Web site, the service notes that it is trying to "balance between providing critical news coverage to the deployed audience with the desire to be able to offer other alternatives." A sampling of e-mail coming to AFN underscores that how much news to provide is a challenge for the service -- "probably close to what broadcasters deal with here," Marotta noted. "I know that the war coverage is important, but at the same time I feel that children still need to be children and to go about with some of the same routine," said one anonymous respondent. "Sometimes the war coverage can be too much and is too much to watch. Is there any way to keep the children's shows on during this time?" A military spouse, however, offered this: "I just wanted to let you know that my husband and I really appreciate that you are playing the news full-time right now on AFN Pacific. We live off-base and only have access to the one channel. It is so important that you show the news, as we have family and friends involved in this war. I'm sure you have gotten complaints, but people need to realize that this directly affects us military people and you must show the news at this juncture." In addition to AFN, which approximates a mainstream network, there is a news and sports channel, all of them mixing and matching programming from multiple networks because of the limited channel capacity. Tonight's entertainment lineup, for example, features CBS' "Touched by an Angel," NBC's "The West Wing" and PBS' "Masterpiece Theatre." On other nights, Fox's "American Idol" is followed by the WB's "Gilmore Girls," or Fox's "Bernie Mac" leads into ABC's "The George Lopez Show" and NBC's "Fear Factor." And only on Armed Forces Network does NBC's "The Tonight Show With Jay Leno" lead into CBS' "Late Show With David Letterman." AFN News provides a similar cross-section, with rotating blocks of time allocated to CNN, Fox News Channel and MSNBC in addition to network newscasts. Military briefings are covered in their entirety. Initiated during World War II to provide troops with popular music and radio shows, programs are made available to the service free or at a nominal cost, with Hollywood guilds waiving residual fees. Most prime-time programs lag several months behind their U.S. broadcast and run commercial-free, bridging breaks with military news and interstitial segments. Armed Forces Network doesn't edit news that might depict the military in an unfavorable light, nor does it shy from series that do the same. Much of the programming is geared toward family members, since military personnel often have less access to TV. "The troops on the ground are either busy moving, or if they stop, they sleep," Marotta noted. Given the breadth of programming at his disposal and absence of ratings pressure, Marotta has called AFN "the best job in television." In fact, one serviceman wrote to say it's too bad AFN isn't available stateside to distill all of television down to a couple of channels. The service is expected to add some capacity in December, introducing AFN Family and AFN Movies, which will allow alternative network AFN Spectrum to carry more programs from the likes of cable's Discovery Channel, History Channel and TLC. For the most part, AFN has managed to avoid controversy. Conservative legislators did publicly complain a decade ago that the service wasn't offering Rush Limbaugh's radio show and its daily broadsides against then-President Clinton. Limbaugh subsequently joined the lineup and can be heard along with a range of talk and music, including Charles Osgood, Dr. Laura and "Car Talk." Based on viewer response, the audience is hardly monolithic in its tastes. Although the Dixie Chicks were dropped by some radio stations for criticizing President Bush, for example, an e-mail to the radio arm urged programmers to "keep playing the Dixie Chicks! In America, you're allowed to speak your views without being castigated." Similarly, despite what has frequently been a politically charged debate surrounding the media's war coverage, Marotta said the service has registered few complaints. "In normal times, most of our feedback is 'Why did you pick that sports event over this sports event?' " Marotta said. "As we rotate among the cable news networks, of course each has its constituency. As long as people complain in equal increments, we feel we have a pretty good balance." (via Brock Whaley for DXLD April 9,2003) ** U S A. LISTENER-SUPPORTED WMNF GETS A TUNEUP By JENNIFER BARRS, Published: Apr 10, 2003 TAMPA - The proof is in the programming. After only a few weeks and umpteen changes - including new shows, new people and expanding news coverage - Tampa's most eclectic radio station got a six-figure stamp of approval. To the tune of $430,000. That's how much listeners donated during WMNF's most recent fund drive. In March, the weeklong fundraising frenzy for 88.5 FM attracted pledges from a record 4,500 faithful listeners. And while it wasn't a revelation to WMNF management, it gave program director Randy Wynne a chance to recite a creed of community-based radio: ``We are not audio wallpaper.'' . . . http://www.tampatrib.com/Baylife/MGA103KTBED.html (via Terry Krueger, DXLD) ** U S A. Do you care about new format of WNEW-FM, once rock then extreme talk on 102.7? It will launch Thursday 4/10. Tag is ``Blink 102.7``. Under construxion website http://www.blink0127.com It`ll probably be hip-hop and dance. There are two such FMs in NYC fighting it out (sigh!). The only classic rock station in NYC is WAXQ 104.3 with two `NEW-FM alumni: Scott Muni and Ken Dashow (Bob Thomas, Bridgeport CT, Apr 5, DX LISTENING DIGEST) no; but see http://www.nytimes.com/2003/04/10/nyregion/10RADI.html?pagewanted=print&position=bottom (via Mike Cooper, DXLD) ** U S A. 1170 San Diego: once an innovative Bartell top 40. Birthplace of the "Q" single letter top 40 format latter used on WMYQ (FM) Miami, and the quick "shotgun" jingle (Brock Whaley, GA, April 11, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Viz.: SALEM News/Talk KCBQ-A/SAN DIEGO is in danger of going dark after the SAN DIEGO COUNTRY BOARD OF SUPERVISORS yesterday (4/9) voted to deny the station's application to relocate their operation towers to nearby rural LAKESIDE, reports sdradio.net KCBQ has been looking for a relocation site for three years. Their current transmitting facilities are leased and the site is due to become a home improvement center. If the station cannot find a site in the next few months, they will officially shut down on SEPTEMBER 13th of this year. The station, which has served the market for 54 years, has set up a website with information on their fight to stay alive at savekcbq.org (From allaccess April 10,2003 via Brock Whaley, DXLD) ** U S A. DIGITAL RADIO GAINS SLOW ACCEPTANCE IN U.S. http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-radio7apr07001439,1,2360264.story RADIO TUNES IN WARILY TO ITS DIGITAL FUTURE Technology offers better quality, sophisticated services. But only 20 stations use it, amid concerns about making the investment pay off. By Jon Healey, Times Staff Writer Advocates of digital broadcasting technology descended on the National Assn. of Broadcasters' annual convention in Las Vegas Sunday, hoping the promise of higher quality and profits will persuade local stations to go digital long before their audience is ready to tune in. This time, the target is radio broadcasters, not television stations, the majority of which have already started down the dimly lit path to digital. But though many radio executives are excited about the digital future, most are moving cautiously -- if at all. The new technology delivers better reception, higher fidelity and more sophisticated services, such as providing traffic information on demand or letting listeners rewind to the beginning of a song. The concept is so appealing that 14 of the country's largest radio chains have invested in the company that developed the technology, IBiquity Digital Corp. of Columbia, Md. The first receivers that can tune in digital signals, though, won't be sold until later this year. And there's no telling how long it will take to develop a digital-radio audience large enough to be meaningful to advertisers and other potential sources of revenue. That helps explain why so far, fewer than 1% of the more than 10,000 radio stations around the country have obtained the rights to use IBiquity's technology. Only about 20 stations -- including Los Angeles' KROQ-FM, owned by Viacom Inc.'s Infinity Broadcasting Corp. – have turned on a digital signal. The radio industry is in the same vexing spot the television industry has been in for six years: shifting to a new technology well ahead of consumer demand, with no clear way to recover the investment. The consolation for radio broadcasters is that it won't cost them nearly as much to go digital as it's costing their TV counterparts. "That makes it a lot more palatable," said Entercom Communications Corp. Chief Executive David Field, chairman of the NAB's radio board. For TV stations, the move has been underway since 1997, when the Federal Communications Commission gave them a second channel for digital broadcasting and ordered them to start filling the channels by May 2003. Radio stations, on the other hand, are making the change voluntarily. The technology they're converting to squeezes the digital signal into the same frequencies that a station uses for its AM or FM broadcasts. In addition to near-CD-quality sound, the digital signal has enough capacity to deliver at least as much data as a dial-up modem, said Bob Struble, chief executive of Ibiquity. Not only does digital significantly upgrade the sound quality, particularly of AM radio, but it also sharply improves reception. There's no static or fading with a digital signal -- it's all or nothing. Many stations can make the shift to digital by installing two refrigerator-size racks of equipment at their transmission towers. An engineer for a major radio chain estimated the cost at $250,000 for a typical FM station, and $60,000 to $70,000 for an AM station. Field said Entercom, which has 101 stations in 19 markets, will spend up to $2 million a year on digital upgrades for three to five years. That's hardly pocket change, but it's not much compared with the chain's annual revenue of $400 million. The scale of the investment means that digital radio is likely to succeed, and do so faster than digital TV, said broadcasting analyst Laura Behrens of GartnerG2, a technology research firm. Many stations are justifying the expense in defensive terms, as a way to keep their audience from switching to other, digital sources of music and information, Struble said. "The perspective of most of these folks is that it's a small insurance investment for the good of the industry," he said. The leading satellite radio service, XM, has signed up about 483,000 subscribers. That number may not threaten local radio stations today, but XM got there in only 1 1/2 years. Over the longer term, radio broadcasters hope digital technology will produce new revenue. The capacity of digital signals makes it possible to enhance programs with related data, such as song titles and artist names. The technology also opens the door to a host of information and e-commerce services offering regional reports on road conditions, CDs or concert tickets. And if manufacturers find ways to integrate digital radios with cell phones and other devices, the extra services could become interactive, Struble noted. Behrens said broadcasters are used to making large upfront investments in technology with no immediate promise of a return. What's different about digital, she said, is that stations are unusually unclear about how, or whether, the technology will make them any money. The transition to digital will take more than a decade, Struble said, largely because there's no government pressure on radio broadcasters to cut off their current analog signals. Another factor affecting the pace of the transition, Behrens said, is the advertising market, which is mired in a prolonged slump. If the largest station group, Clear Channel Communications Inc., decides not to convert the bulk of its more than 1,200 stations, "it would make it tougher for the rest of the industry to move forward," she said. Clear Channel officials were not available for comment. Record companies eye the emergence of digital radio warily because the signals aren't scrambled, making them susceptible to being copied and redistributed freely over the Internet, said Mitch Glazier, senior vice president of government relations for the Recording Industry Assn. Of America. Gary Richardson, owner of WJLD-AM, a 1,000-watt urban station in Birmingham, Ala., has been through the new-technology drill before. In the early 1990s, Richardson invested about $20,000 to convert his station to AM stereo, a much-hyped upgrade that never caught on with consumers. So he had second thoughts about spending $35,000 on digital technology -- calling it "a significant amount of money for a stand-alone AM station my size." The concerns evaporated after the equipment was installed. "Once that digital signal was turned on and I heard it on a receiver, all doubts were removed," Richardson said. "It is an awesome signal." (Relayed by Harry van Vugt, Windsor, Ontario, Canada; and via Ray Robinson, CA, radioanoraks.uk via Mike Terry, DXLD) ** U S A. Re the recent discussion about different levels of IBOC buzz on the upper and lower adjacent channels, here's an article that has some info on the problems involved with getting a directional array to work with AM IBOC: http://www.rwonline.com/reference-room/iboc/rackley.shtml (Barry McLarnon, NRC-AM via DXLD) ** U S A. Heard in Alcoa, Tennessee, TRF, Select-a-Tenna, Intermatic DT-17 timer: 1640, WTNI, MS Biloxi, 4/7 0200 - "This is South Mississippi's home for talk, news and information - TalkRadio 1640, WTNI Biloxi." 0300: "Bill O'Reilly! Sean Hannity! Laura Ingram! Jim Bohannon! George Noory! The new TalkRadio 1640, WTNI Biloxi." Solid signal, no WKSH. Thanks to Greg Myers for posting the tip on this! Time flies: WTNI is the fiftieth USA/USVI/PR x-bander to sign on. Two of them are silent (KALT-1610 TX and WPHG-1620 AL), but substitute Montreal-1610 and Tijuana-1630, and an even 50 expanded band stations are on the air. Seems like yesterday that NJ-1660 was the only one. 73 and best of DX, (Steve Francis, April 9, NRC-AM via DXLD) Apparently, the folks at 570 Biloxi are planning to perhaps move off the old frequency? 570 seemed from my observations recently, to have a nice signal in the Mississippi Gulf Coast area. And in parts of N.E. and N. Central Louisiana too (at night). I wonder if they're going to sell off 570, if this is the case. 570 has five or six top loaded towers. Unfortunately, due to the skies being overcast, my photos of the site didn't turn out too well. Was 1640 assigned to Biloxi in the original batch of expanded band allotments? For some reason, I mistakenly thought that Biloxi was getting the expanded band station allotment originally used in Atmore, AL on 1620... my goof. When I was in Atmore, AL at the 1620 site, a lady who seemed to know something about the station (perhaps part of the ownership, but she wasn't telling) told me that the license was sold and that a different party was going to re-start 1620 there in Atmore, AL. Anyone know about what's becoming of the 1620 Atmore, AL allotment? The Atmore, AL site, I thought someone told me (Pat Martin?) that they used to be on 1590. There are tower base foundations for at least one other tower on that site. I have the photos. Soon I'll be able to scan them and offer them to whoever asks for a jpg. 73 (Ron Gitschier, Palm Coast, FL, Formerly Biloxi, MS, April 10, ibid. [later:] Abandoning 570 kHz 5kw/1kw? Wow, there must have been something that I haven't noticed about 570 WVMI. Or another 570 or 560/580 is bribing them to make the move. With that low dial position who would want to move to the X-Band?? Funny (Ron Gitschier, Palm Coast, FL, ibid.) They did it in Redding, CA, dropping 600 and going to the X-band. (Pete Taylor, Tacoma, ibid.) My guess would be extremely restrictive DA pattern means the X-band facility still covers more territory despite the higher dial position. On 570 on the Gulf, I'll bet Cuban interference is a factor too (Doug Smith, ibid.) I've spent some time in Biloxi (a couple of months this fall mid Oct - Mid Dec) and I didn't notice any interference from Cuber or the Tampa Bay 570. But then again, I didn't look real hard for interference to their signal. Whenever I tuned in it was a solid copy through southern MS coastline day and night Ron Gitschier, Palm Coast, FL, ibid.) WTNI 1640 audible here tonight, just barely, currently running Bohannon. WKSH seems to be having problems tonight - they appeared to be off the air completely earlier, now on with an open carrier that occasionally breaks into odd screeching noises (Barry McLarnon, Ottawa, Ont., April 10, ibid.) Audible here tonight, just barely, currently running Bohannon. WKSH seems to be having problems tonight - they appeared to be off the air completely earlier, now on with an open carrier that occasionally breaks into odd screeching noises (Dave Hochfelder, NJ, ibid.) The FCC's database lists them as U1 10000/1000 from, what looks like, one of their four 570 towers. But the tower is listed at 344' (207 degrees) vs the 394' of the 570 set-up. They must have 6 towers as the day and night tower alignments show a box of 4 for days, and 4 in-line for the night operation. Their latest entry for 1640 is dated 30 August 2002. 1640 in unusable here due to 1630 slop from KNAX at 6 miles. Both day and night patterns on 570 favor the Gulp of Mexico and maybe south Texas; not much toward land where they seem to protect Pinellas Park, Dallas, Youngstown, Yankton, etc. Plus adjacent channels (Bill in Fort Worth Hale, ibid.) Heard in New Brunswick, NJ on a Sony ICF-2010 with Quantum QX Pro: 1640 WTNI MS Biloxi 4/11 0030 fair to good at occasional peaks. Carrying Jim Bohannon show and ABC news at top of hour. City and call ID at bottom of hour. Thanks to Barry McLarnon's DX tip; he's apparently the first to log this one. WKSH off or open carrier. New (400). (Dave Hochfelder, NJ, ibid.) Nope, I wasn't the first - I was checking 1640 because of earlier reported loggings by Greg Myers (April 4) and Steve Francis (April 7). I also had some help with the ID from Jerry in Wisconsin on the #MWDX IRC channel, as he was hearing them much better than I was. At a little over 2000 km, Biloxi is just out of one-hop range here, and WTNI was only occasionally making it over the TIS jumble. At one point, though, they jumped very suddenly out of the noise to dominate the channel for about 30 seconds, and then faded back down. It was really reminiscent of a meteor burst at VHF. Come to think of it, I see no reason why there couldn't be meteor trail reflections at MW. They would just be a lot less obvious when they occur against a background of high noise levels and skywave propagation. I bet I know where Pat Martin's receiver will be tuned for the next few nights... :-) (Barry McLarnon, Ont., ibid.) ** U S A. SPECTRUM SHARING: SATELLITE-FED TRANSLATORS IN THE COMMERCIAL FM BAND The FCC has assigned RM-10609 to a proposal by Calvary Chapel of Twin Falls and two smaller broadcasters. This, for authority to allow satellite-fed translators or Satellators in the ``non-reserved`` FM 92 to 108 MHz band. Amateur Radio`s Bruce Tennant, K6PZW, has more. As we all know, 92 to 108 MHz is the band that is currently used by commercial broadcasters, over-the-air-fed translators and most Low Powe F-M stations. Currently, what are called Satellators are restricted to the 88 to 92 MHz band and the translator must be owned by the primary station. But Calvary Chapel of Twin Falls and the other petitioners want the FCC to allow satellite-fed translators in the non-reserved FM 92 to 108 MHz band. The petitioners claim this proposal will have little impact on existing stations in the spectrum. This is because there is currently a freeze on new terrestrial translators in that band. The FCC has not indicated when it might act on the Calvary Chapel of Twin Falls rules change request. For the Amateur Radio Newsline, I`m Bruce Tennant, K6PZW, in Los Angeles. So far the only major objection has come from National Public Radio. N PR generally supports the Twin Falls petition, but proposes that coverage distance limitations be set for Satellator operations. More is on the web at http://gullfoss2.fcc.gov/prod/ecfs/comsrch_v2.cgi (CGC Communicator, via Amateur Radio Newsline Apr 11 via John Norfolk, DXLD) ** UZBEKISTAN. R. Tashkent (freq.?), QSL plus pocket calendar and postcards in 9 weeks. Also received a prize for coming in second place in their Listeners Radio Tashkent 2002 competition. Received a videotape of historic cities in Uzbekistan; too bad I can`t watch it because it`s not compatible with North American systems (Sue Hickey, NL, Verie Interesting, April CIDX Messenger via DXLD) ** VATICAN. VATICAN RADIO DENIES ANY WRONGDOING | Text of report by Vatican Radio on 10 April [First presenter] The trial against Vatican Radio officials over the issue of electromagnetic pollution caused by the antennae of the transmission centre in Santa Maria di Galeria will have to take place. The First Penal Section of the Court of Cassation [Italy's supreme court] ruled this yesterday, overturning the dismissal of the case on 19 February 2002 by the First Section of Rome's Penal Tribunal. [Second presenter] The Cassation did not accept the argument that Italy did not have jurisdiction over three officials of our radio accused of launching dangerous objects [as heard], under the former Article 674 of the Penal Laws, an argument which the Rome Tribunal accepted last year. Let's now listen to a statement on the matter by our director of programming, Fr Federico Lombardi. [Fr Lombardi] Vatican Radio's defence opposed the request to overrule the original sentence, based on Article 11 of the Lateran Treaty, which says that the Catholic Church's central bodies do not fall under the Italian state's jurisdiction. Vatican Radio acknowledges the court's decision and awaits the explanation for the sentence, which will be submitted at a later stage. Anyway, Vatican Radio reiterates it has always borne in mind the international recommendations for protecting people from electromagnetic waves and that it has dealt with the issues prompted by Italy's new laws constructively and within the framework provided by bilateral Italian state-Holy See commissions. This is demonstrated by the results of the several measurements carried out jointly by Italian and Vatican technicians. Therefore, Vatican Radio hopes that a new trial will finally dispel unjustified and unfounded allegations against it and that its activity can continue with serenity within the framework of a responsible and appropriate relationship with Italian authorities and the people in the surrounding areas - once they are reassured there are no threats to health. Source: Vatican Radio, Vatican City, in Italian 1200 gmt 10 Apr 03 (via BBCM via DXLD) ** VATICAN [and non]. A03 operational schedules for VATICAN RADIO overseas relays are: 6020 Palauig (Philippines) 1230-1315 Mandarin 6210 Samara 1610-1645 Russian 7305 Irkutsk 2200-2245 Mandarin 12055 Tchita 1315-1345 Vietnamese 12065 Tashkent 1450-1600 Hindi, Tamil, Malayalam, English Reciprocal HF relays of VOICE OF RUSSIA transmissions via Vatican for Europe are: 9450 2100-2130 French 11825 0100-0200 English Regards! (Bob Padula, April 9 , EDXP via DXLD) ** VENEZUELA. CHAVEZ SUPPORTERS DEFEND VENEZUELA RADIO By CHRISTOPHER TOOTHAKER, Associated Press Writer, April 9 CARACAS, Venezuela - Tucked away in one of Caracas' poorest districts, Radio Perola is raising the hackles of Venezuela's big media executives. From a room the size of a walk-in closet, Radio Perola — and dozens of other small, government-sponsored stations — broadcast programs supporting President Hugo Chávez and his self-proclaimed revolution. Chávez argues the stations counter opposition-allied commercial broadcast media that don't address issues vital to Venezuela's poor. Media executives argue the unlicensed stations interfere with their signals and are Chávez propaganda machines. "They use frequencies that overlap those of other stations, and all they do is spread government propaganda," said Miguel Martínez, president of the Venezuelan Chamber of Broadcasting Industries. "We aren't neutral," concedes Radio Perola manager Carlos Carles. "We have a position. It just so happens that most people here in this district support the president." Chávez, a former paratroop commander who was elected in 1998 and re- elected in 2000, frequently accuses Venezuela's news media of conspiring to overthrow him. Many private broadcasters promoted a recent two-month general strike to demand Chávez quit. Now Congress, dominated by Chávez's ruling party, is considering legislation to strictly regulate broadcast content. "It's no secret that the private media is against Chávez. That's why the government turns a blind eye to the abuses by pro-Chávez community radio," said opposition lawmaker Alberto Jordán, a member of Congress' media committee. "Many are operating in a clandestine form, moving from place to place so they can't be located." Dominated by ruling party members, the media committee has shelved complaints, said Jordán. At Radio Perola, disc jockeys spin tunes by the late folk singer Ali Primera, a social activist. Guests announce workshops for single mothers or meetings on neighborhood problems. "Most of our programming focuses on community issues," Carles said in a room sporting photos of Ernesto "Che" Guevara and Chávez and pro- government graffiti. Licensed private stations complain there are too many loopholes in legislation regulating community radio, and that the government permits abuses. Alvin Lezama, an executive at the state-run communications watchdog, says new rules will allow citizens, rather than the government, to regulate noncommercial stations. "What is the best way to control this? That the communities take possession of these stations," Lezama said. "We have to open channels so consumers control their media outlets because we are never going to have the technology or human resources to do it," added Lezama. "It's a truly revolutionary idea." The rules put the same limits on signal strength for both commercial and community broadcasters. But community stations routinely exceed those limits. "They are a threat. Our signal has been affected in some cities ... including Caracas and Maracaibo by these community stations," said Antonio Serfati, executive vice president of Union Radio, which broadcasts nationwide. "Interference isn't the only problem. They broadcast more advertising than they are allowed to and don't pay taxes," added Serfati. Community radio stations are permitted 5 minutes of advertising each hour. In a nod to local development, no more than half the ads can promote companies that don't operate within the station's respective "community." Private radio owners also complain that many community stations violate a rule demanding they "abstain from transmitting partisan or propaganda messages" and "avoid discrimination due to political beliefs." "They constantly talk about the marvels of Chávez's revolution," said Alejandro Hiduera, owner of the Radio Reloj AM-FM station in western Zulia state. It's unclear how many community stations exist. Conatel, Venezuela's telecommunications agency, says 13 have been licensed. The National Association of Free and Alternative Community Radio says there are 23. Jordan claims there are more than 130. Carles denies his station receives government money, as private media owners claim. Makeshift studio microphones, beat-up amplifiers and frayed cables appear to support his claim. "Communication is a right of all individuals, not a business for a privileged few," said Carles. http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ap/20030409/ap_on_re_la_am_ca/venezuela_revolution_on_radio_2 (via yahoonews via Artie Bigley, Mike Cooper, DXLD) ** VENEZUELA. El pasado domingo 06/04, el espacio DX de Radio Bulgaria informó acerca del comienzo de emisiones de Radio Nacional de Venezuela, el 30/03 y dio como uno de los horarios la franja de 00 a las 0300 UT, en 9540 kHz. Lo cierto es que aún brilla por su ausencia Radio Nacional. Prometo investigar más al respecto. Saludos, (Adán González, Venezuela, April 10, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** ZAMBIA. ZNBC, 5915, April 6 *0242-0310+, sign-on with Fish Eagle IS, 0251 into local religious music; 0300 vernacular talk and religious music. Poor with co-channel QRM and splatter from 5920 (Brian Alexander, Mechanicsburg PA, DX LISTENING DIGEST) UNIDENTIFIED Re 6095, French at 0630: BCE/RTL Luxembourg tested Digital mode on April 3rd/4th towards Digital congress in Munich later these days. Maybe RTL started very early carrying with RTL French sce in common AM audio? (Wolfgang Bueschel, BC-DX via DXLD) Re 15210/15205: Glenn, SW1 has a digital readout and is rated for 2uv @10 dB S+N/N sensitivity. It uses double conversion and up converts short wave to 42 MHz 1st I.F. and down to 455 kHz. It uses PLL LO tuning with a simulated tuning knob to the nearest kHz resolution and front panel up down arrow keys to the nearest 5 kHz and has a ceramic I.F filter with rather poor skirt selectivity which can give +/- 5 kHz reception or more off of the carrier center frequency for moderate to strong signals. With fair to weak signals it seems to be accurate to within a kHz. Although the signal was somewhat noisy, the English news and ID were given every hour and I am fairly certain the ID was the "Voice of Iraq" and the context was nearly identical to the pronouncements by the Iraqi Minister of Information i.e. "We have crushed the Americans at Saddam International Airport" etc. I took sick leave today and tuned the same frequency at the same time and got the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia broadcasting recitations from the Holy Kor`an. BTW I did tape record two sessions of the English News on last Sunday which I would be glad to copy and forward to you for academic interest. Thanks for taking the time to respond and I look forward to your next program. [later:] Glenn, I think you probably called it right. I checked the HFCC and Radio Riyadh is also on 15205 as well. I may have interpreted "Africa" as "Iraq" through a combination the carrier noise and the talking speed of the announcer. Thanks for your help in solving this "mystery". (Dave Penney, IL, April 9, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Doesn`t the SW1 have a BFO? Then there should be no uncertainty about frequencies (gh, DXLD) Heard OTH bursts in 9391...9393 kHz range around 1700-1800 UT here in Europe. Also heard woodpecker signals in 22 mb at center 13661, which covers the range 13630 to 13710 kHz totally, around 1200-1450 on March 31 and Apr 10, in Ukraine and Germany. See under WOODPECKER also, wb Apr 10. WOODPECKER [see under Australia OHR] Heute Abend (eingeschaltet gegen 1730 UTC, bis nach 1830) war das Spektrum von ca. 13625 bis ueber 13700 kHz von einem saegenaehnlichem Stoersender belegt, peaks bei 13650 und 13670 kHz. Das Signal kommt offensichtlich aus 290 Grad (gemessen in Muenchen und Nuernberg). Bei wem darf man sich da bedanken? (Walter Eibl-D, BC-DX Apr 10) War auch schon vor 10 Tagen zugange. Hussein's Mannen duerften ja wohl heute ausscheiden. (wb, Apr 10): Also noted by Vlad Titarev in UKR at same time. Concerning 'woodpecker': the same 13630-13710 range was blacked out here in UKR at around 1400-1435. Not found them at 1452 UT on re-check. More likely it was Mykolayiv (Nikolayev), not Poltava (all: BC-DX Apr 10 via DXLD) ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ FREQUENCY MANAGEMENT ++++++++++++++++++++ Dear Glenn, I hear at the end of your current World of Radio that you complain about the contents of the HFCC A03 public schedule. Please be aware that the countries you mention are NOT inside the HFCC group, they are all ABU countries (Asia-Pacific Broadcasting Union). For their schedules you should turn to the ABU. All the best, (Erik Køie, Copenhagen, April 11, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Yes, but the ABU info was once included in the HFCC, and then withdrawn. In case they haven`t noticed, SW is a worldwide medium, and there needs to be one comprehensive and coördinated schedule, not this silly and counterproductive fragmentation. One cannot find any equivalent of the HFCC frequency schedule at http://www.abu.org.my/technical/technical.htm altho several documents are listed available ftp (Glenn Hauser, DX LISTENING DIGEST) DRM +++ 11 METRE TESTS FROM FRANCE The weak signals on 25.765 and 25.775 MHz that first came to light in Sept '02 were reported in "25 +" in last fall's Oct and Nov Messengers. I wrote about them in our Dec edition, confident that the transmission using bilingual French & English audio came from France and that the other, with its all English BBC feed, was from the UK. It ain't so. Both came from France. Télédiffusion de France is finding out about interactions between AM and DRM signals on adjacent channels. (See Loggings under FRANCE). DRM - Revelations at Kulpsville A highlight of this year's SWL Winterfest - 7 & 8th March, in snowy SE PA - was a two day live demonstration of DRM reception, organised by Kim Elliot of VOA. Jan Peter Werkman of R. Nederland and Merlin's James Briggs showed the equipment and took part in an hour-long talk about Digital Radio Mondiale. Up to then, I hadn't known that a DRM signal split its output power into approximately 200 carriers spread across its 9 or 10 kHz of bandwidth. The dominant central carrier of AM mode transmission isn't there. Tuned to a DRM signal, a conventional receiver can only detect white noise. The absence of the traditional carrier raises the hope of a 50% reduction in power consumption at transmitter sites. In the question period after the talk, I asked James Briggs what audio bandwidth a DRM receiver could deliver. His answer, "It sounds like mono FM", triggered my curiosity. Later, he told me that the transmitted signal only carried 8 or 9 kHz of audio and that the receiver's DRM decoder generated appropriate harmonics to widen the bandwidth to 18 kHz. Briggs and Werkman told me of two 11m DRM tests in 2002 that I'd not found. R Nederland ran a 100 Watts on 25.970 MHz and Merlin's test with three 10W transmitters was on 26.000 MHz and not, as I'd supposed, on 25.765 - hence the "Correction" atop this article (Alan Roberts, 25 Plus, Apr CIDX Messenger via Sheldon Harvey, DXLD) RECEIVER NEWS +++++++++++++ SHACK I stopped at a Radio Shack this evening to pick up a cable for the DVD player, and it looks like they're blowing out their radio stuff. The AM loop is half off at $10 and I bought a compact (and presumably not terribly accurate...) SWR meter for $7. It will be OK for portable and travel operating. Their 10M transceiver is $60, down from $150 and there's a bunch of CB, business band, and Family Radio stuff at substantial markdowns. One-channel Family Radios for $4 each, that kind of thing. So go take a look. It's kind of like a flea market except you can't haggle (Dave Hochfelder, NJ, April 9, NRC-AM via DXLD) Radio Shack is getting out of the shortwave, ham, CB, etc., market too. There are now some incredibly cheap prices on communications stuff at Radio Shack while the stock lasts. Radio Shack is really in a bind. The parts, pieces, connectors, cables, etc., segments don't generate the revenue and margins they need (and Wal-Mart, etc. is offering increasing competition there), while they are getting killed on the high end (stereo, TV, computers) by Circuit City, Best Buy, and other megaretailers. Radio Shack has a lot of long-term leases for stores that are too small and cramped to offer the selection and layout consumers want today. In recent years, cell phone sales have provided the biggest chunk of Radio Shack revenues (I think it was over 40% a couple of years) ago but that revenue stream is in a free fall now that cell phone kiosks are popping up everywhere. Radio Shack/Tandy is in deep trouble, a legacy from the catatonic years of former CEO John Roach and his good ol' boy board of directors. I wouldn't be surprised to see Radio Shack join Woolworths, Montgomery Ward, etc., in the Museum Of Vanished Retailing Giants. Wal-Mart sells stuff like video cables, speaker cables, "wall warts," various connectors and adapters for consumer electronics, etc. (And I've actually seen coax in a couple of Wal-Marts, albeit cheap stuff for CB use.) For years, that was also Radio Shack's bread-and-butter in the parts and pieces segment. RS is dropping the ICs, solderless breadboards, etc. as fast as they can---their selection is only a fraction of what it was just three years ago, and they're even dropping the project books by people like Forrest Mims. The hobby electronics market as a whole is dying and Radio Shack just reflects that. The only hobby segments showing growth at Radio Shack are robotics and embedded systems (PICs, Basic Stamps, etc.). (Harry Helms AK6C/7 Las Vegas, NV DM26, April 11, NRC-AM via DXLD) COMMENTARY ++++++++++ QSLing BELLABARBA Hi Fabrizio, You wrote: no, Bellabarba really exists, I met him in person several years ago in Bologna. You can even find his address and phone number on the Italian White Pages. Do you know if he collects stickers and verifications for himself, or is he selling them to someone else? Best 73, (Jim Solatie, MWDX April 10 via DXLD) Hi Jim, Really curious question, why you ask if he sells verifications card or stickers? Do you want to buy some one??? I have seen in eBay many FAMOUS Dxers are selling their rare QSL cards, and they are getting lot of money, Mr. Carlo Bellabarba will NEVER sell his INCREDIBLE personal collection and as far as I known he is very much careful to the replies he receive (he call them QSO) he has 30000 differents in 35 years of activity started by his father Giovanni (luckly he is no more interested to this "sport activity"). Carlo is his son (he is not married, unfortunately) he is spending ALL HIS TIME, to compile letters to be sent to radio stations FM, AM, SW, and even Utility stations. The "replies" are all catalogued by country and ALL THE ITEMS he receive usually are together the replies. They are stored in two rooms and he doesn't sell them... sorry. Usually he surf the WEB searching for TIPS. He looks at the TIPS, and start to compile the letters. Well I agree this is not a correct way. But unfortunately we have MANY bulletins on the WEB doing the same. And rarely these DX sources report the first REPORTER. All report the LAST reporter, cause is too much work to report the original source. Only Glenn Hauser is doing the perfect service. I think it is a good idea, Jim, to write messages to Carlo Bellabarba. He surely will reply to all the messages he will receive with greetings for coming EASTER time. But... please don't hope he will ever sell one of his "precious QSO documents" --- these are his life. Well I don't want to take too much time. But just another example of Religious fanatic station, Radio America in Paraguay. The manager has confirmed all the reports from Europe (naturally also the one of Mr. Carlo Bellabarba). WHY?? cause he needs letters to go on with his station and needs founds $$$$$$ the "US brothers" are sending only if he shown his broadcast has been heard in the whole world. Every one is doing his business. PS: I start to believe the Faiallo people want the "head" of Mr. Carlo Bellabarba cause some one living in Finland one year ago told to the whole world in Italy there are only fake reporters. Of course is up to you evaluate this particular item, and please do not mix the two stories. Best regards (Dario Monferini, April 10, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Sorry, Dario, but I disagree. Not all of the religious stations are run by lunatics, and the fact, that Bellabarba is faking reports has nothing to do with the kind of station. And it is a pain in the arse, if you manage to hear for example a first-from Germany RSL, send a report and the answer is: Pah, nothing special at all, we even get reports from Italy. (If you get a QSL at all! Another possibility is, that the station engineer is a clever one, and getting Bellabarba- reports is spoiling the image so severely, that in the future he'll throw reports by other DXers into the dustbin). (Martin Elbe, Germany, MWDX yahoogroup via DXLD) A good example is KCNM Saipan 1080 kHz. I heard them two years ago. When they replied, they told me that it is the second report they have received from Europe and the first one was from Bologna. Well, DXing is just a hobby and I should't get upset ... but it is a dear hobby and behaviour like this really pisses me off! Thanks for your writing Martin, (Jim Solatie, ibid.) As a Italian and proud NRC member I have unfortunately to say a word on this sad story. Bellabarba claims to be the owner of the largest QSL collection in the world, something like 30.000, as his father started this game in the Seventies. Apart from people finding his reports in every radio station in the world they visit and posters getting replies like "a guy in Bologna already got us...", the BB psychiatric case wasn't much of a problem in the community until Dario Monferini's Play-dx decided to openly back him, a few years ago. Dario's argument is ridiculous (his confirmations give good hints to every QSL hunter). Not even the progressive loss of the most valuable contributors for Play-Dx made Dario change his mind. Many of us suspect a trade-off between the largest collector of stickers on the Earth (Dario) and the largest for QSL (BB), which just increases sadness to the story. The real problem for us has been to defend the whole Italian dx community from allegations, like faking tips and qsl, from time to time. Even a few messages in his thread generically refer to "Italian Dxers". You may imagine the pain... (Rocco Cotroneo, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, April 11, NRC-AM via DXLD) PROPAGATION +++++++++++ Flare activity has been fairly light of late. Early in the week the solar wind showed some fluctuations and led to some minor storm geomagnetic activity briefly on Apr 4. A weak shock was noted on Apr 7 from a Coronal mass ejection on Apr 4. Late on Apr 7 solar wind speed started increasing as a coronal hole moved into a geoeffective position leading to minor storm levels which are expected to persist until Apr 14. Another coronal hole is expected to affect conditions from Apr 16-19. Prepared using data from http://www.ips.gov.au (Richard Jary, SA, Apr 11, Cumbredx mailing list via DXLD) SOLAR UPDATE Propagation prognosticator Tad ``Moment in the Sun`` Cook, K7RA, Seattle, Washington, reports: Sunspots and solar flux values dropped this week after rising the week before. Average daily sunspot numbers were down nearly 72 points, while average daily solar flux values were down nearly 21 points. Solar flux is expected to drop below 100 by April 13. It should reach a minimum of around 85 April 16-17. A solar flux value of 85 is approximately equivalent to a nominal sunspot number of 28.7. Solar flux at 70 or below is generally what you see when the sunspot count is zero. For instance, for more than a month--from September 13 to October 20, 1996--the sunspot number was zero every day. Solar flux during this period ranged from 66.4 to 70. This was another week with active geomagnetic conditions, although the planetary A index never went above 26. April 8 brought a brief G1-level geomagnetic storm caused by solar wind. On April 10 Earth entered another solar wind stream. Predicted planetary A index value for April 11 is 20, followed by 15 for every day through April 19. Sunspot numbers for April 3 through 9 were 154, 148, 94, 75, 77, 52 and 88, with a mean of 98.3. The 10.7-cm flux was 155.7, 165.5, 137.4, 125.9, 115.6, 112.3 and 109.4, with a mean of 131.7. Estimated planetary A indices were 14, 26, 23, 9, 6, 20 and 25, with a mean of 17.6 (ARRL Letter April 11 via John Norfolk, DXLD) ###