DX LISTENING DIGEST 3-081, May 10, 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 later at http://www.worldofradio.com/dxldtd3e.html For restrixions and searchable 2003 contents archive see http://www.worldofradio.com/dxldmid.html NOTE: If you are a regular reader of DXLD, and a source of DX news but have not been sending it directly to us, please consider yourself obligated to do so. Thanks, Glenn NEXT AIRINGS OF WORLD OF RADIO 1181: RFPI: Sat 2330, Sun 0530, 1130, 1830, Mon 0030, 0630, 1230 7445 15039 WWCR: Sun 0230 5070, 0630 3210, Wed 0930 9475 WJIE: Sun 1030, 1630 7490 13595 WBCQ: Mon 0445 7415 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/wor1181.rm (Stream) http://www.k4cc.net/wor1181.ram [High] (Download) http://www.k4cc.net/wor1181h.rm (Stream) http://www.k4cc.net/wor1181h.ram (Summary) http://www.worldofradio.com/wor1181.html WORLD OF RADIO ON WJIE: I finally managed to wake up during one of the scheduled airings, Sat May 10 at 0952, but all I could hear on 7490 were the Russian tune-up tones, for the one-hour broadcast at 1000 which will also presumably override the scheduled WOR airing Sunday 1030. Needless to say, nothing audible on 13595 either. Now if I can just remember to check both Sun 1630 (gh) WORLD OF RADIO ON WWCR: Sat May 10 at 0600 on 5070, last week`s 1180 edition aired instead of 1181 (John Norfolk) We`ve asked WWCR to make sure the remaining airings are 1181 (gh) UNSOLICITED TESTIMONIALS Dear Glenn: I really look forward to the DXLD 2 or 3 times a week. If something is happening in the area of broadcast media (particularly radio) you can be sure that it will be in DXLD. Its format by country is quite useful. For those sections one is not interested in, just skim through them. While many are opposed to your often irreverent, seldom irrelevant, comments regarding religion, religious broadcasters, and other broadcasting "sacred cows," it is refreshing to see someone unafraid to express a controversial and unpopular opinion. Your recent kudos to Allen Graham show that you recognize as legitimate, differences of opinion expressed with respect and grace. Despite that, please keep stressing the importance of the separation of church and state. As this is an international list, your inclusion of brief reports in Spanish, Portuguese, French, or German are welcome. It gives one with some knowledge of other languages a chance to practice briefly their reading in those languages. Also, your brief translations of the main points of longer articles or comments is appreciated. Please continue, for many years hopefully, to provide the broadcast schedule and program information in a very timely and accurate format, and crediting your sources (one of your strongest points). Continue with the opinion pieces on FCC regulations, changes in media ownership, etc. as they are a very important part of broadcasting. Continue to give 'em hell, be they FCC bureaucrats or lawmakers, technical "wizards" that continue to insist of using too high frequencies at Dubai, Thailand, or Romania, or producers and managers at the big guns like BBC, VOA, DW and others who while they do provide some very fine programming, simply do not seem to understand the complexities (and sometimes the simplicities) of providing a quality service in a technically efficient and professional manner. Keep up the great work (Roger Chambers, Utica, NY) I must say that you have, as I see it, the best DX-site on Internet today and I wonder how you can make power for that. I am impressed! Have a nice week-end! (WIK/Rolf Wikström, Sweden) I used to be a Red Sox fanatic, but then as the years went by and the salaries became obscene I`ve gone over to the Glenn Hauser camp and truly believe that professional sports are now the biggest waste of time and money. Yesterday our cable company announced a 20% increase because all of the Sports Networks (ESPN, NESN etc.) have increased their fees (Jim Strader, "Go Red Sox", swprograms) ** AFGHANISTAN. Recent changes as reflected in the IBB online schedule: A 24h relay of IBB's Radio Free Afghanistan started on 30 April in Kabul on 1296 kHz (ND). (Bernd Trutenau, Lithuania, May 8, MW-DX via DXLD) ** CANADA. I think that RCI has to rethink its evening frequency usage for NAm, given the fact that the current crop have been overshooting my QTH pretty regularly. I'm getting no groundwave and no skywave reception about three out of every five nights on average. I would suggest using 49 meters again, something they abandoned with the summer season schedule (John Figliozzi, Halfmoon NY, May 9, swprograms via DXLD) 15170 kHz at 0100 UT is almost FM quality here on the west coast (Eric Cooper, southern California, ibid.) ** CANADA. Please check out the Radio Netherland web site link below for a great story on the ODXA's own, Neil Carleton. A big thank you to Andy Sennitt for this wonderful story. Neil is an amazing gentleman and his promotion of shortwave and amateur radio to both children and adults is tireless. ---------------------------------- 10 Years Of Radio In The Classroom (by Andy Sennitt) In 1993, a newly qualified Canadian schoolteacher called Neil Carleton had a brilliant idea: he decided to use shortwave listening as a teaching aid. Through publicity on international broadcasts and in publications such as Passport to World Band Radio, Neil was able to make contact with other teachers around the world whom he inspired to start similar projects in their own schools. . . more in: http://www.rnw.nl/realradio/features/html/classroom030509.html (via Brian Smith, ODXA May 9 via DXLD) See also ECUADOR ** CHINA. The "Plum Blossom Award" is China's highest award for theatre, and almost all the former winners of this prestigious prize gathered in Beijing to celebrate its 20th anniversary. The grand get- together provided award recipients and theatre experts opportunities not only to review the contributions of the award to Chinese theatre, but also to exchange views on how it could be further improved in the future. Details during the May 11 In the Spotlight. (Jim James Richard LeQuesne, CRI/English, May 10, http://pw2.netcom.com/~jleq/cri1.htm swprograms via DXLD) ** CHINA [non]. BRASIL China Radio Intl Relay 9665, 0335 GMT C/SS 433 May 4th YL and OM with Chinese Language lesson. QRM via the Voice of Russia in Russian on the same channel (Stewart MacKenzie, CA, WDX6AA, via DXLD) ** DENMARK [non]. R. Denmark: The station was heard at 0630-0655 today [May 10] broadcasting the domestic 'Special Programme' of 5 minute news broadcasts in English, Arabic, Urdu, Turkish & Somali - programming ceased at 0655 before the start of Serbo-Croatian. Very good reception on 7180 and 11615. The same transmission is being heard again at 0730 on 9590 and 11615. 73 (Noel R. Green [Blackpool, UK], Cumbredx mailing list, Cumbre DX via DXLD) ** ECUADOR. Some of the postings on the EDXP HCJB Forum: I have been reading the literature sent out by HCJB to its supporters. These are people who financially support the ministry and often do not ever tune in.I wonder how the news of the virtual demise of HCJB on shortwave will be viewed by them, and how will future promos be worded from HCJB? (Don Rhodes e net and Mt Evelyn Christian Fellowship, Melbourne (a Church of about 2500 members), Apr 23) As Secretary General of the European DX Council I kept running the monthly "EDXC European Report" hosted by HCJB's DX Partyline since many years. I highly appreciated the way Allen Graham and his program used to give voice to DXers and their organisations. Closing down an English program with listeners everywhere in the world! I'm speechless. English is the first international language. How can one imagine to stop using it? (Luigi Cobisi, Florence, Italy, Apr 23) Shock waves have rumbled across the world in the closing of most English programs and the DX Party Line. From the E-mail that I have read most can't believe it being done. Sometimes I feel we are a little selfish, in that we expect HCJB to always be there, but what about us? Are we always there? I think we all know the work that goes into producing these programs and how much time it takes. We must remember the objectives of HCJB in it's ministry to attract people to their religious beliefs. Could it be that they feel North America is no longer a hot bed for prospective believers? I'm sure that they have pondered over these questions and are holding out too some degree simply to let us address the question and see how many people are actually interested. If there are only a handful of responses to the dropping of these programs, then I could see why they would say it must be done. On the other hand, if there is a worldwide interest and response, then I'm sure HCJB would probably give it another thought. I know of some people who listen just about every week and enjoy the programming very much. Then there are those like myself that listen maybe only a couple of times a month. Though I try to listen each week sometimes time just slips away and before you know it, I've missed the program. It indeed would be a loss to many of us for many reasons, but we must remember that those who work in the studio have a bigger obligation to their Ministry. The time producing the program takes away from their concentration upon the Ministry and does more harm then good to the people they are trying to bring into the faith. What is it I would like to see? I would like to see possibly a shortened version of the DX Party Line rather than dismiss it completely. As for the other programs, sometimes I listen but not that often. Again I know of some that listen to other programs on HCJB most of the time. If the programs at HCJB do come to a close, then we need to say to them, THANK YOU for all the wonderful years we had with you, all the special events you put on for us, and all the call in shows you had for us. As we know, money does not grow on trees and I'm sure that this is another consideration that has prompted HCJB to lessen their programming or just target area they feel are in more need of their time. It is also very hard to always have Allen Graham in studio due to the times when he needs to be traveling. Yes, he can still do the programs remote, but it takes a lot more time and effort. Thank you Allen for all your efforts to make all your programs interesting for us (Bill Fisher/ Southern California Area Dxers) Dear sirs: May the Lord bless you! Just a few words to ask you to reconsider your decision to terminate your English transmissions to North America and Europe. Maybe I am not familiar with the inner happenings of GRMF but as a listener for about 30 years it is with bewilderment and shock that I have learned about your decision. I already wrote a letter to Mr. Allen Graham about this subject where I shared with him my preoccupation that the SW radio station with one of the most balanced presentations of the Gospel will not be there any more. Some of the other SW Christian stations are not my best choice for an unbeliever to listen. HCJB sounds like a friend that can share with simple[ness] and meekness the Gospel. How about somebody in the jungle or in a war(like my experience in Nicaragua) that has limited access to the outside world and suddenly on SW hears a friendly voice Heralding Christ Jesus' Blessings? And you know how void is Europe of the True Gospel of Jesus Christ. You do not have an idea how blessed I was of the live radio endeavor of DXPL and Saludos Amigos! Maybe since not many people e-mailed or called, you might have thought that as a solid good reason to end the English service. Whatever the reason, you should have considered letting the listeners voice their opinions on this. I do not know about others but I was initiated in the DX hobby because of HCJB. Please reconsider your decision. I believe that in heaven you will then realize how a great a blessing HCJB has been in ALL the language services including the English Service in the Americas, Europe and Asia. May the Lord guide you in your decisions. In Jesus, (Rev. Serafin Pagan Caro, Missionary in Jinotega, Nicaragua, Apr 24) OK, what's the excuse for this one??? New technologies??? No Money??? Some loudmouth consultant recommending it to get his commission???? Shortwave is antiquated???? These current trends in international broadcasting are becoming tiresome. Not exactly what I had in mind when I purchased my Zenith Transoceanics. I sincerely hope that unlike the BBC and DW, that HCJB will wake up and realize it's making a dreadful mistake! (Vince Ponzio, Pittsburgh PA, Apr 25) Irony- crucifixion story and news of going off air Here I was in Jalisco state in Mexico, 4500 miles [sic] from home over Easter. On Friday I saw the spectacular Good Friday pageant in Ajijic, and on Saturday was listening to the wonderful and moving radio play of the crucifixion, and then they tell me they're going off the air. No resurrection? No empty tomb. I guess not: they said they wouldn't be convinced whatever we say. The problem with corporate decisions is that the big choices reflect big issues and ignore the individual. Ironic that I heard the news on Easter when the message is clearly the value of the individual. Sadly, (Jim A, April 28, Sask.) I definitely hate to see any SW broadcaster going away, especially one with the history of HCJB and one that broadcasts in English. They were the first SW station I ever logged in 1992. However, I believe their programming has been going down hill for nearly a year. I'm a spiritual guy and appreciated the HCJB of a year and more ago... where I could get an hour of Ham Radio Today and Saludos Amigos on weeknights intermixed with great Christian messages. My wife and I would relax with HCJB's strong signal booming in. Then, for some reason, all the "non-religious" programming was shifted to the weekend. Lengths of programs were shortened. And any time during the week I'd tune in, I'd get fire and brimstone. I couldn't tell sometimes the difference between Dr. Gene Scott and HCJB. Please don't go, HCJB, but if you are just going to give us more of the same, I'd have to say you won't miss me. Ever since the above mentioned programs were stomped on, schedules changed, you only have a token place on the memory of my radio. Thanks for the QSL cards, the new defunct Andex DXers club... Your friend in Christ, (Adam Christian Smith, Apr 30) Adam, Thanks for conveying better than I can these points. I am extremely distressed by the decisions being made indicating that the US is not worth broadcasting to in English language. Shortwave is central to helping me avoid slipping into social isolation, this hobby gives me immeasurable enjoyment. The idea that there is no English speaking audience for shortwave broadcasting is not accurate. Shortwave listening is alive and well in the US. I have to agree though that the "fire-and-brimstone" approach to programming will turn listeners away. I believe God is more forgiving than this ranting would claim. I hope HCJB will reconsider the English language cutbacks. Thanks! (Chuck Ermatinger, MO) Chuck, Thanks for responding to my post. I had emailed HCJB several times in the last 1.5 years with no responses, not quite as harsh as this posting. I REALLY hate to see them leave but hearing them slip away from some of the most enjoyable programming to me (i.e. HRT, the mailbags and such, intermixed with the "message") to just wiping out everything. Good to hear from you, (Adam) THE GOSPEL OF MURDOCH After all the serious shortwave broadcasters abandon their North American audiences and Homeland Security clamps down on web surfing to wrong-thinking web sites, Americans can look forward to even more Fox "News" for gaining a perspective on the world. I suppose HCJB's management sees that as a victory for the gospel, right? (Anon May 5) I too am very upset at hearing of the discontinuation of English programming from Ecuador. HCJB is especially significant to me personally because I have been there twice to do volunteer work for them in Quito. I have been aware for some time that they will be building a new airport outside of Quito, which will be close to the present HCJB transmission site, and that they will have to take down their towers because of this; but up till now the plan had been to relocate to a coastal site in Ecuador, and re-establish the shortwave facility with reduced programming, but which was to include most of the present English program. This is the first I've heard that they would outright-discontinue it. If this is true, it is like a death-knell to part of the world's shortwave history! ( say it isn't so!! ) I get regular mailings from them with news and updates on their activities, so I am a little upset that I had to hear the most significant piece of news via word of mouth from other hams and SWL's!! This month their mailing has no hint of any of this, and neither any update on the airport project (which - - I think -- may be a part of the reason for the decision). Yes, there is still a REAL NEED for English Christian programming via Shortwave!! In the Boston area at least, the only Christian programming is on underpowered AM stations, (most riddled with hours worth of weight-loss "info-mercials" instead of good programming) and all of which go to flea-power after sunset! And THAT's just about when HCJB's signal starts coming in here in English, with S-20 signals! Several have commented on their friendly program style, and I agree. I have had the privilege to meet some of the HCJB "voices behind the mike" in person, and there really was some true sincerity and dedication among them! If HCJB staff or management are reading this, then I ask, PLEASE reconsider!!!!! (Harry Chase May 8; all: HCJB EDXP Forum via DXLD) Hi gang... After 24 years, what will most likely be the last edition of ODXA Perspectives will be heard this weekend on HCJB's DX Partyline (HCJB is discontinuing English to North America as of June 1). The program features a chat with Harold Sellers as we do a bit of a retrospective on ODXA Perspectives and the club's relationship with HCJB. Best time to listen: 0000 or 0300 UT Sunday on 9745 kHz. 73, (Greg Schatzmann, May 9, ODXA via DXLD) ** ETHIOPIA [non]. Clarification on two previous e-mail replies: 15275 TISJD/Radio Fathiriu via Juelich. Prepared QSL letter returned after requesting further clarification to an e-mail response for this station. 15670, Voice of Ethiopian Medhin/Voice of Ethiopian Salvation.via Juelich. Prepared QSL letter from DTK-Juelich, on behave of the organization. This to after requesting verification clarification. Reply on both in 36 days after sending a MS Document of the Prepared QSL's. to Walter Brodowsky at DTK-Juelich (Ed Kusalik, Alberta, May 1, 2003 for CRW via DXLD) ** ICELAND. AFRTS FROM ICELAND BACK ON SHORTWAVE American Forces Radio and Television Service (AFRTS) has restarted shortwave transmissions from Iceland. Broadcasts from Grindavik in southwestern Iceland have been heard on 13855 kHz USB, serving U.S. ships in the North Atlantic waters. Aside from hosting an important fish processing center, Grindavik is also home to a U.S. military base including a Naval Radio Transmitter Facility (NRTF), located some 20 kilometers from a NATO base in Keflavik. The signal is fed from AFRTS in California, but local announcements can be inserted. The reactivated station was first reported heard on May 3 by Dan Goldfarb and Noel Green in the United Kingdom (DXLD 3-077 and Cumbre DX). Reception reports may be sent by email to Patricia Huizinga, officer- in-charge. A station identification of AFRTS [PR 6458.5] can be found in the DXing.info audio archive and logs in the DXing.info Community Europe forum (DXing.info, May 9, 2003 via DXLD) ** INDIA. A visit to AIR Warangal --- Jose Jacob, VU2JOS Warangal is a District Head Quarters of the Andhra Pradesh state in South India. It is about 150 km northeast of Hyderabad. It was the capital of the Kakatiyas and still bears mute testimony to the glorious empire that flourished there. The Warangal Fort and Thousand Pillar Temple are important tourist attractions. It was peak summer during my visit to AIR Warangal yesterday with maximum temperature of 43.8 degrees Centigrade and the minimum at night was 27.7 C. It was the 17th station of AIR that I visited. The AIR Studios and Transmitters are co-sited at Hanamkonda on the edge of the city. It is a Local Radio Station, which was inaugurated on 17th February 1990. It operates on the FM band 103.5 MHz in mono. Their transmitters are 2x5 kW BEL HVB 165/A made by Bharat Electronics, Bangalore though most of it is of Rhode & Schwartz, Germany. The serial No. of the transmitter is 001 and it was made in 1988. The antenna tower is 100 Meters tall and on the top are 6 dipole antennas directed towards the city. It has a range of 70 km. There are 2 studios there. One is a Talk Studio and the other a Multi purpose studio. Initially the station had only one transmission but now the station has 3 transmissions as follows: [UT+5.5] 5.55 am - 9.00 am (Sundays up to 10.00 am) 12.00 pm - 5.00 pm 6.00 pm - 11.00 pm Most of the programs are in the local language Telegu. Besides local programs, many programs are relayed from AIR Delhi and from the State Capital station AIR Hyderabad. Vividh Bharati programs in Hindi are relayed from Mumbai at 12:30 pm to 5:00 pm daily. There is standby generator in case of any power cuts. I could see a SONY digital receiver along with a Videocon SL 3127 and several other local receivers. Even the Security person at the gate was listening to the station using a small transistor. There are some security people in the campus to protect the station from any terrorist attacks. There is also a High Power Doordarshan TV Relay station not far off from the Radio Station. The address of the station is All India Radio, K.U.C.Road, Hanamkonda, Warangal 506001, Andhra Pradesh. ===== 73 (Jose Jacob, VU2JOS/AT0J, National Institute of Amateur Radio, May 9, dx_india via DXLD) ** INDIA. MW MAKES WAVES AGAIN, TO TRANSMIT COMMUNITY RADIO Nivedita Mookerji New Delhi: Used medium wave transmitters of All India Radio (AIR) are being turned into money spinners. With the state broadcaster on a phase-out drive, as far as medium wave and short wave are concerned, time on the old transmitters is up for rent. To begin with, AIR has been allowed to offer time on the phased-out medium wave transmitters to organisations/institutes for educational purposes, according to a Prasar Bharati official. Although community radio programme was launched with much fanfare a few months ago, it is yet to pick up in a big way. Instead, many organisations are seeking a wider area coverage than what is being offered under the community radio scheme. And this is where old medium wave transmitters can come handy, says the official. While the low-wattage transmitters under the community radio scheme cover a radius of 5-8 km, those in medium wave frequency can reach up to 30 to 40 km. So, welcome to community radio — part II. In the first case, a decision has been taken to give 8-10 hours of airtime on a medium wave transmitter to a Hyderabad-based institute (National Institute of Agricultural Extension Management) for one year. At a price of around Rs 25 lakh for a year. More cities are likely to follow. While the operations at the stations would be handled by AIR, content will be provided by the organisation taking time on the medium wave transmitter. AIR Resources (a division of AIR) had earlier entered into a pact with private FM operators for co-locating their transmitters on the AIR towers in Delhi, Chennai and Kolkata. While that has been a good source of revenue for AIR Resources, the arrangement to rent out time on old medium wave transmitters will add to its pie. For co-location of transmitters on the AIR tower, AIR Resources charges Rs 25 lakh per annum per operator in Delhi and Rs 13.36 lakh each in Chennai and Kolkata. Besides, private licencees pay Rs 8,000 per square metre annually as rental charges to AIR Resources. The turnover of AIR Resources for the past 18 months stands at Rs 24 crore. The idea to turn old transmitters into a source of revenue struck AIR when advised by the government to phase out short wave and medium wave transmitters, and focus on FM instead. Out of the 39 medium wave stations, only 11 are left. The remaining have been shifted to FM. In a report of the working group for the Tenth Plan, the benefits of FM radio were highlighted as against medium wave and short wave. The quality of transmission and reception of FM radio is much superior to the other bands, it had stated (Financial Express 9th May'03 via Alokesh Gupta, New Delhi, India, DXLD) ** INTERNATIONAL INTERNET. Check out the Cool Cube media player -- has a thousand stations on it including R. Free Iraq, Al Jazeera with a little screen, etc. (Ron Trotto, IL, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** INTERNATIONAL VACUUM [non]. SATELLITE RADIO REACHES THE PC Follow-up to the item in DXLD 3078: I ordered one of the $70 PCR units, and it arrived May 9 and I installed it that evening. You install the software first, then plug in the hardware. Both installations went fine, and it's running on a fairly old PII 266 MHz Micron PC. The audio is fed into the sound card of the PC, or can go thru separate powered speakers. The software puts a display of the available channels, and in most cases the specific track of music playing on each, on the PC monitor. The receiver is about the size of an outboard floppy disk drive, and draws power thru the USB connection to the PC; nice to miss out on yet another wall-wart. The antenna (about the size and configuration of one of those folding travel alarm clocks) comes with a 20-foot lead-in, a 50-foot extension can also be purchased. 20 feet was long enough for me to trail the antenna over to a south-facing window, which is recommended. The receiver tuned right into the preview channel. From the software's signal strength indicator, the local re-transmitter is overriding the weaker satellite signal. I activated the radio on-line and saved five bucks on the activation fee, but their Web site was running so slow that I was sorely tempted to call up their toll-free number and do it over the phone. The receiver was activated about 15 minutes later, and I'm now sampling the 120+ channels the XM service runs. Good audio. 24-hour access to the BBCWS on one of the news channels. The whole shebang is small and light enough that I can probably drag it in the road and run it thru a laptop, but that's for another day (Chuck Albertson, Seattle, Wash., May 10, DX LISTENING DIGEST) WIDER LOSS, LONGER SUBSCRIBER LIST AT XM SATELLITE RADIO http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A32302-2003May8.html (via Matt Francis, DC, ARDXC via dXLD) ** IRAQ. IRAQ'S 'COMICAL ALI' A LIAR TO THE END: Al-Sahaf worked after others fled - Information chief 'ran battle alone' --- By Mitch Potter, Middle East Bureau Toronto Star, May 5 http://www.thestar.com/NASApp/cs/ContentServer?GXHC_gx_session_id_=4cc7304e6da637c7&pagename=thestar/Layout/Article_Type1&c=Article&cid=1052128942035&call_pageid=968332188492&col=968793972154 BAGHDAD - The revolutionary image of Saddam Hussein's statue bowing before the eyes of the world April 9 should have signalled the end to weeks of astonishing performances by Iraqi Information Minister Mohammed Saeed al-Sahaf. Having earned the nickname "Comical Ali" for his breathtaking defiance in the face of imminent defeat, it was apparent Sahaf no longer had a regime for which to pay fealty. But let the historical record show, Sahaf's tragicomedy was far from finished. Even as U.S. forces were hitching their cables to the statue, Sahaf was only a few blocks away, the Star has learned, in the cab of a Nissan pickup truck, calmly motoring toward the Palestine Hotel to deliver his daily dose of televised denial. Now completely cut off from his superiors by the U.S.-led assault on Baghdad, Sahaf ordered a U-turn when he spotted the American tanks, returning to Hikmat AV, a well-known recording studio in suburban Adhamiya. Sahaf had spent the previous day and night at the studio, sleeping on the floor, living on tea and the occasional slice of cake, feverishly scrawling out scripts for radio broadcast. Each message was a variation on the theme that made him a cult figure worldwide - Iraq will crush the invasion. In a hidden garden behind the studio was a Mercedes bus commandeered from Iraqi Television. Wired to a generator and equipped with broadcast antenna, the system kept Sahaf on the air. But only just. One day earlier, his audience was global - now, the paltry signal reached only the scant few blocks surrounding the studio. "There was nothing comical about him. He was very tense and nervous," said Hikmat studio manager Raibah Hassan, 35, an Egyptian national who spent those hours at Sahaf's side. "But he was convinced it was not yet over. He pushed it to the very end." For nearly 40 hours, from the afternoon of April 8 to the early morning hours of April 10, Sahaf staunchly turned aside the obvious. With a bodyguard at his side, Sahaf ordered the station to broadcast his messages, taking to the airwaves three times himself for extended interviews. Tapes of Saddam speeches, patriotic music and Islamic prayer recordings filled out his impromptu broadcast schedule. With each passing hour, disaster drew closer. When a firefight erupted on the nearby bridge marking the gateway to the neighbourhood, Sahaf calmed the fearful studio staff, assuring them everything was normal. "Then, I saw people looting the officer's club down the street, stealing the guns," Hassan said. "I confronted Sahaf with this news and he seemed confused." "Why are they looting?" Sahaf asked. "There is still a government in Baghdad." By late afternoon on April 9, a large group of cars convened at an Iraqi military checkpoint just outside the studio doors, Hassan said. They were Baath party members, and Sahaf seized on their presence as reassurance the situation was improving. And Sahaf's spirits soared at 7 p.m., when a courier arrived with a videotape of Saddam's last public appearance - footage of a visit to Adhamiya. Its package arrived with a handwritten note ordering it to be broadcast immediately. "As it told you, this is Saddam, this is the government. Everything is normal," Sahaf beamed to the studio staff. But minutes later, Hassan stepped outside to check on the situation. The Baath party officials were getting into their cars and fleeing in all directions. A few minutes later, the street was empty. Even the Iraqi military checkpoint had disappeared. But not Sahaf. With the groundfight at the edge of Adhamiya growing louder by the minute, he ordered Saddam's audio message to be aired in a loop, over and over. And he kept writing scripts. Studio owner Majeed Hikmat yesterday showed a sample of Sahaf's work to the Star, dated April 9: "The U.S.A. has made ugly propaganda to hide the truth. They have suffered heavy casualties in this war, day by day by day." Midnight came and went. At 1 a.m., April 10, Hassan witnessed signs Sahaf's resolve was fading. "Sahaf slowly removed his black beret. He folded down his epaulettes on his military jacket to hide his rank," Hassan said. "Then he reached for a red and white kaffiya scarf. And wrapped around his head. As he did this, he told us: `Keep on broadcasting until 3 a.m. and close up as usual. I'll see you in the morning." Sahaf and driver slipped out the back door, where a red GMC Suburban was waiting to whisk him into the darkness. It was the last the people of Hikmat AV studio ever saw of him. "Two hours later ... the U.S. troops became our neighbours," Hassan said. "There were tanks outside." Still in hiding in Baghdad, Sahaf triggered a media manhunt last week when an intermediary attempted to negotiate his conditional surrender via two Portuguese journalists. The gambit failed when U.S. commanders signalled they were not particularly interested. In an interview Friday, a former Iraqi general who has been co- operating with U.S. military leaders in Baghdad said he, too, has been approached by a relative of Sahaf. "I think the condition is he wants to be able to go to Egypt. He has money there," said General F., the only name to which he would agree to be quoted. With a short-wave radio as his only source of communication, according to Portuguese reports, it is unclear whether Sahaf is aware of his cult celebrity status, which continues to grow by the day. In addition to Web sites created in his honour, including http://www.Welovetheiraqiinformationminister.com Sahaf's face has triggered a surge in novelty T-shirt sales. For Hassan, Sahaf was anything but delusional. "I think he ran the battle alone. For two days he stayed with me with no food, nothing. He did his duty to the end. "I think America loves and admires him, so they won't do anything. Even (U.S. President George W.) Bush loves him." (Toronto Star May 5, 2003 via A. Sennitt, Holland, CRW via DXLD) ** IRAQ. TOWARDS FREEDOM TV TO CLOSE A source close to the operations of Towards Freedom TV, the American psyop programme that launched in early April, tells Media Network that broadcasts are now winding down. Staff are returning to their normal work as journalists for Radio Sawa, and all hired contractors were laid off on Wednesday. From now until next week the transmissions will consist of reruns and stock TV programming. Sometime next week the PA Air National Guard that flies Commando Solo will return home. BROWSING IN BAGHDAD DOESN'T COME CHEAP The Internet is back in Baghdad. But Salam [sic] Pax thinks the current charges are a bit steep: "5 US Dollars for a single hour of browsing. Talk about someone milking it, I wonder if they would let me pay for only half an hour. I am not complaining; I would not have believed anyone who would have told me a week ago that I will be able to browse at all. There are more of these centers popping up here and there so the prices will go down." US MILITARY COMMANDER CONCERNED AT CONTENT OF MOSUL TV PROGRAMMES The Commander of the 101st Airborne Division, Major General David Petraeus, says he's considering putting a US Army officer and a translator inside the local Mosul TV station to monitor what goes on the air. The US military are concerned that local politicians and returning exiles may be bullying their way onto the station, which broadcasts 5 hours a day. ''I want to be certain that nothing is shown that would incite violence in a city that was extremely tense when we took over two-and-one-half weeks ago, and which still has folks who are totally opposed to what we're doing and are willing to do something about it,' said Petraeus (all: RN Media Network May 9 via DXLD) ** IRAQ. WHAT WENT RIGHT? By Kim Burger, JDW Staff Reporter, Nick Cook, JDW Aerospace Consultant, Andrew Koch, JDW Washington Bureau Chief, Michael Sirak, JDW Staff Reporter http://www.janes.com/defence/news/jdw/jdw030428_1_n.shtml [gh excerpted only brief portions of long article concerning radio:] With the regime of Saddam Hussein soundly defeated by overwhelming military force, coalition leaders are analysing what initial lessons can be drawn from Operation 'Iraqi Freedom'. . . .The war was also notable for how 'psyops' - psychological operations - was brought to bear on the enemy in new and unusual ways. Psyops against the Iraqi military included the dropping of more than 40 million leaflets prior to hostilities and during the conflict itself. These leaflets, which urged Iraqi commanders not to use weapons of mass destruction and for front-line troops to desert, appeared to have had the desired effect. Vice Adm Timothy Keating, head of US naval forces in the Gulf, said on 12 April that the fact that Iraq launched no 'Scud' surface-to-surface ballistic missiles during the war may have been directly attributable to this aspect of the campaign. Others state that it may simply have been because Iraq had no 'Scuds' or that the regime was dissuaded from launching them by the persistence of coalition 'eyes and ears' in the air and on the ground. Psyops also involved the direct 'piping' of propaganda into Iraq via platforms like the US Air Force's (USAF's) EC-130E Commando Solo aircraft. . . Although net-centric warfare has a long way to go, the way in which it is spreading across the warfighting spectrum was visible in Iraq. Gen Magnus specifically cited wearable squad-level radios deployed among US and UK ground troops as a key innovation. . . (Jane's Defence Weekly Apr 28, 2003 via N. Grace for CRW via DXLD) ** IRAQ. Hi Glenn, re the UNID on 909 according to the BBCM. I made some contacts with Mr. Dave Kernick who informed me about the ID recorded on his site http://www.intervalsignals.net I checked it out and YES it was Iraq Media Network and the slogan as well, V. of New Iraq :) So that means IMN moved to 909 kHz leaving ex frequency 1170 kHz to Radio Farda from UAE. Unfortunately here in Cairo, 909 is occupied with Yemen! :( All the best, Glenn (Tarek Zeidan, Egypt, May 10, DX LISTENING DIGEST) IRAQ MEDIA NETWORK NOW ON 909 KHZ Thanks to Tarek Zeidan and Dave Kernick, we can now confirm that the station monitored a few days ago by BBC Monitoring on 909 kHz is indeed Iraq Media Network. As previously mentioned, their original frequency of 1170 kHz is now occupied by a 24 hour relay of Radio Farda from the UAE. 909 kHz was the frequency used by the Baghdad transmitter prior to the fall of Saddam. We assume that the transmitter currently being heard is the one in Umm Qasr. There's an updated recording of the ID announcement and slogan on Dave's site at http://www.intervalsignals.net/ (Media Network blog May 9 via DXLD) ** IRAQ [non]. It sounds like this may be an interesting segment. http://www.wnyc.org/onthemedia/ Secret Air Waves The U.S. war in Iraq began long before any bombs fell on Baghdad. The weapons-of-choice were covert radio signals beamed in from neighboring countries. Nick Grace of ClandestineRadio.com tells Brooke about the variety of CIA-backed radio stations that until recently could be heard in Iraq. (via Larry Nebron, DXLD) ** IRAQ [non]. Interesting development in the ongoing Radio Tikrit (now called Radio Sumer) saga. It seems that Tarek Zeidan heard a glitch in the satellite uplink Tuesday, which suggests that it's recorded and produced in London and sent to Kuwait via WRN. I don't think this settles the debate Newsweek magazine stirred last week with its report that the station could be a MI6 product instead of a CIA one. Rather, it seems that the project manager behind the planning of the broadcasts turned to a British production house. On the other hand, Tarek is adamant that the main announcer for Sumer/Tikrit, Mr. "Ibrahim Nasser," is the same announcer as heard on the Pentagon's "Information Radio" psyop program. If correct then his discovery of the WRN connection suggests that in this case at least much of the radio psyop programming was produced outside of Fort Bragg and the theater of operations (Kuwait/Iraq). Someone is making a lot of money off of this! (Government contracts!) (N. Grace-USA Apr 30, 2002 for CRW via DXLD) ** IRAQ [non]. Re R. Bopeshawa claiming to use 5000, 7000 kHz: My suspicion is that the frequencies are incorrect. The [WCPI] Web site is maintained by their activist in Canada while the people who recorded the Bopeshawa broadcasts (in 2002) are in London. Most likely the folks in London mis-communicated the exact frequencies (N. Grace- USA, May 6, 2003 for CRW via DXLD) ** ISRAEL. In case of strike, Israel English at 1045, 1635 GMT: Per an announcement at the end of the 1015 GMT broadcast, should a general strike begin Sunday, English will be at 1:45 P.M. and 7:35 P.M. Israel Summer Time (GMT+3) (Joel Rubin, NY, May 9, swprograms via DXLD) ** JAPAN [non]. ::=::=::=::=::=::=::=::=::=::=May 9,2003::=No.57:=::=::=::=::=::=::= NHK WORLD e-GUIDE *-*-* Notice from NHK WORLD *-*-* ::=::=::=::=::=::=::=::=::=::=::=::=::=::=::=::=::=::=::=::=::=::=::= *Temporary Cessation in Relay Transmissions from Sri Lanka The following NHK World Radio Japan's broadcasts via Sri Lanka have been suspended now, because of the transmitter trouble of relay station. To Middle East & North Africa: Persian UTC 2:30 - 3:00 (15240 kHz) Japanese UTC 3:00 - 4:00 (15240 kHz) Arabic UTC 4:00 - 4:30 (15240 kHz) English UTC 14:00 - 15:00 (17755 kHz) Listeners can have access to Radio Japan news through 'Radio Japan Online', the internet service of NHK WORLD (via Craig Seager, ARDXC via DXLD) ** KOREA SOUTH. Re are these still direct, or relays now? (gh, DXLD) Signal strength and behaviour seems to indicate that both 6150 and 7150 [RKI] originate from Kimjae as 1:1 replacements for 6480 and 7550. 7150 is in the clear but 6150 suffers seriously from dozens of decibels stronger Moosbrunn on 6155 (Kai Ludwig, Germany, May 9, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** MEXICO. It appears that some of the Televisa stations with new, small supered IDs are changing the wording and/or positioning of the IDs. XEZ-2 San Miguel de Allende GTO had been received here in the past with the ID upper right. Wednesday the ID was seen lower left. XHAJ-5 Las Lajas VER ID was seen last week with new wording. "Las Lajas VER" had been replaced with "Televisa Lajas." The location on the screen moved from upper center to upper right. XEPM-2 Juárez CHIH, I think, has replaced their two-line upper right ID with a one-line ID upper left. The signal was poor, so I'm not totally sure about this one. Somebody will soon see this one when the Es season heats up. XERV-9 Reynosa dropped the odd ID from their CBs a few days after my mentioning it here on WTFDA. The ID had been like that since March 2002. Now the bars don't even have a blacksplash rectangle for an ID. Does somebody at Televisa read this list? (Danny Oglethorpe, Shreveport, LA, May 7, WTFDA via DXLD) ** MEXICO. 1319.88, XECPN (presumed) Piedras Negras, COAH. MAY 4 1113- 1140 - XE music, "La Mexicana" slogans, CDT time checks; mention of Piedras Negras in an ad at 1119; partial ID at 1129, "diversión, alegría, e información, através de... radiofónico... La Mexicana... 1320 AM... RADIORAMA de Piedras Negras," the latter part sung to the usual RADIORAMA tune. Continued fair until 1140 when started to deteriorate. Also heard as an unID the night before at 0321 UT with soccer. Heard on May 5 and 6, as well, with música romantica and announcing power of 20,000 watts. Mentioned a Mother's Day promo on May 6 and gave phone number 68 (or 78)-20-854. Have not heard a call letter ID yet. Separable on LSB from the 1320 group. First time here, XE #192 (John Wilkins, CO, NRC IDXD May 9 via DXLD) ** MEXICO. Re: 1320, at 0630, XEJP, Track 1320, Mexico City, Mexico, Regular IDs, including Radio A and Track 1320 (Stu Forsyth, Wellington, New Zealand, IRCA Soft DX Monitor May 10 via DXLD) Pronounced in English? Pronounced in Spanish, i.e. "Track trece- veinte" and "Radio Ah" (Paul Ormandy, NZ, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** NEW ZEALAND. How much was RNZI's budget? They could have used the money from this with better return on investment: WHAT *REALLY* HAPPENED WITH THE NEWZEALAND.COM CASE By Kieren McCarthy Posted: 02/05/2003 at 16:59 GMT Following the saga over the NZ$1 million (£350,000) that it was recently revealed the New Zealand government had paid for NewZealand.com, further parliamentary questions have uncovered more revelations behind the expensive cock-up. MP Rodney Hide, a specialist in finance in auditing, has been unearthing quite what happened and how come so much public money was unnecessarily wasted. In answers given today to Parliamentary questions asked just over a week ago, it appears the government reached agreement with Virtual Countries to pay it NZ$1 million for NewZealand.com, just 19 days after its attempt to steal the domain at domain arbitrator WIPO had failed and the government was accused of reverse domain name hijacking. . . http://www.theregister.co.uk/content/6/30544.html (via Pete Costello, DXLD) ** OKLAHOMA. Friday May 9: No tornado action so far in Enid; we have been just west of the dry line, tho some severe weather clips other parts of Garfield county. For those interested, I have been following the wall to wall coverage by the OKC TV stations. During the 10 pm CDT hour Friday night, a tornado crossed northern Oklahoma City, within a mile of KFOR-4 and consequently of all the other major TV stations in the neighborhood. It was reported to have gone between a couple of the towers. I was watching both on Cox Cable Enid (which has satellite feeds of some of the OKC stations) and on antenna. KFOR-4 was off the air for a few minutes, but continued uninterrupted on satellite/cable. Said the tornado passed overhead at the station. KOCO-5 was relayed by CNN for a time. KWTV-9 apparently uninterrupted. KETA-13 lost video early on and put up a ONE MOMENT PLEASE (make that LOTS of moments), but continued more or less with audio. Did not go off the air. By 11 pm, went haywire, briefly switching in garbled sound and video from other stations(?), mostly silent. At 11:30 pm started relaying KWTV-9 audio. Hard to tell if this was deliberate or if they were messing with the STL feed. But finally went off the air around 11:35. We wonder what happened to the rest of the OETA network across the state, with full-power and translator stations. De- centralization could be advantageous. KTBO-14 was off the air. (There were large areas of power outages; not necessarily hit by tornado). Their studio at NW 63 and Portland at NW Expressway must have been close to the path. ``Studio`` is not exactly the right word --- despite a large building, there is no known local origination other than IDs and phone numbers on the TBN satellite feed. Perhaps the large building is needed for processing all the $$$ gullible Oklahomans send them. KOKH-25 stayed on with some breakup. Takes some doing to get the Fox station to drop programming for continuous weather, but they did. KOCB-34 off the air. KAUT-43 on with normal programming. KSBI-52 off the air --- and/or weakened so much that cable pickup went to bluescreen. KOPX-62 on the air and carrying KFOR-4 half an hour delayed at 10:30 as usual -- including tornado warnings half an hour late!!! Way to go, Pax! By the next morning around 8 am CDT all stations were back on the air with normal programming. This raises another side issue: for the second night in a row, the primetime schedules of all 3 major networks were totally blown away in the OKC market (tho one of them delayed it all till after 11 pm Thursday night). Being the prime source of public safety info does NOT mesh with being the sole outlets for national network programming! I am tempted more than ever to demand satellite wavers since here in an area not affected by the continuous weather coverage I have been denied access to network programming. I should think the networks and advertisers would be incensed that, especially in sweeps, their first-run programming is missing from one of the top-50 markets! Perhaps the era of multi-stream DTV will put an end to this all-or-nothing nonsense, but I`m not counting on it. Did not extensively check FM, as the fate of OKC`s boring commercial FM stations is of little concern, but Classical KCSC, whose tower is mixed in with the NE OKC antenna farm, is missing Saturday morning from 90.1, tho still webcasting; no ID break at 1400; allowing KHCC KS to come thru unimpeded on 90.1. But KCSC was back in time for the afternoon opera (Glenn Hauser, Enid, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** OKLAHOMA. This concerns the previous tornado on Thursday May 8: TORNADO STRIKES OKLAHOMA CITY AREA; FCC DECLARES COMMUNICATIONS EMERGENCY NEWINGTON, CT, May 9, 2003--ARRL Oklahoma Section Manager John Thomason, WB5SYT, reports that amateurs responded ``within minutes`` of a tornado that struck the Oklahoma City area May 8, and they remain in place. News reports say more than 100 people were injured as a result of the tornado that leveled or damaged hundreds of structures, including a General Motors manufacturing plant. Hardest hit was the suburb of Moore. ``Emergency communication, delivering supplies to Salvation Army canteens and helping with health and welfare are in process,`` Thomason said. ``This tornado hit some of the same areas as did the F5 tornado of May 1999.`` The 1999 storm claimed nearly 50 lives. To keep an open frequency for amateurs to support The Salvation Army`s relief efforts, the FCC has declared a general communications emergency for the Oklahoma area. Effective immediately, amateurs are required to refrain from using 3900 kHz, plus or minus 3 kHz, unless they are taking part in the handling of emergency traffic. The order remains in effect until rescinded. Thomason said many of the hams helping now also were active following the 1999 storm as well as in the wake of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building bombing in 1995. In addition to HF, amateurs were making use of repeaters on 146.82, 147.09 and 146.67 MHz ``and perhaps others,`` Thomason said. ``The Amateur Radio effort will be under way for some time,`` he said, ``and relief help is needed.`` He advised amateurs in the Oklahoma City area to check in on the 146.82 repeater to advise of their availability. ``These types of events are stressful and demanding, so be patient with the public, the process and your fellow Amateur Radio operators,`` Thomason urged in a message to his Section. ``By pulling together during these times the public which desperately needs our help benefits. Courtesy and brevity are crucial. Thank you for your support and willingness to assist in this emergency.`` More than 30,000 homes in the Oklahoma City area were without power in the aftermath of the tornado, which struck around rush hour and tied up traffic on two major interstates. (ARRL May 9 via John Norfolk, OKCOK, DXLD) ** OKLAHOMA. OKC Tornados --- The Oklahoma City area was pummeled again by severe tornado activity this afternoon. Major damage in Moore, the suburb where KOMA's towers are. I've been watching the coverage from the OKC TV stations here at work and from the looks of it, this is a repeat of the storm they had 4 years ago. The storm has been on a NE track, which is the bearing toward Tulsa. I would not be surprised if the major AM's in OKC and Tulsa would remain on day facilities well into the evening due to the weather and the aftermath (Wally Wawro, WFAA-TV, Dallas, TX May 8, NRC-AM via DXLD) ** PARAGUAY. [HCDX] IMPORTANT NEWS FROM RADIO AMERICA, PARAGUAY Hi! Adan Mur, from Radio America, sayed me this important news: Medium wave: 1590 kHz (ex 1610) - Radio Villeta. On air 24 hours a day. Power: 200 w. Antenna: 5/8, omnidirectional, at 125 msnm [metres above sea level]. Gain: 8,84 dBi. PIRE: 1,6 KW. [ERP] 7370 KHZ - Radio América. On air 24 hours a day. Power: 1000 w. Antenna: Corner reflector on Buenos Aires. Gain: 25 dBi. PIRE: 316 KW. [ERP!] 15185 KHZ - Radio América. On air 24 hours a day. Power: 200 w. Antenna: 5/8, omnidirectional. Gain: 8,84 dBi. PIRE: 1,6 KW. [ERP] Please, send your reception reports to: radioamerica@lycos.com 73's & 55's (Arnaldo Slaen, Argentina, May 9, Hard-Core-DX mailing list via DXLD) ** PERU. 4904.66, Radio La Oroya, 1023-1036, May 10. Noted Huaynos music with a man in Spanish comments between each tune. At 1033 man gives TC and ID: "...36 minutos en Radio Oroya...." During comments following this, man mentions another radio station name. Sounded like, Radio Ma-ca-rain-a. [Macarena?] Signal was poor during period, but better than usual (Bolland, Chuck, FL, Clewiston, Listening Digest, DX) ** RUSSIA. Radiostation "Voice of Russia". SW. 30/03/2003 - 25/10/2003 [meaning this is the English-only schedule??] kHz UTC kW Tx 5950 1700-1800 500 Moscow 5950 1900-2100 500 Moldova 5985 1900-2100 100 Germany 6170 2000-2100 100 Germany 7130**** 1500-1600 400 Sankt-Petersburg 7300** 0100-0300 500 Moscow 7310** 2000-2100 250 Moscow 7315 1300-1400 250 Vladivostok 7330 0200-0300 500 Sankt-Petersburg 7350 1500-1600 200 Novosibirsk 7390 2000-2100 250 Moscow 7390 1200-1400 250 Vladivostok 9405 1900-2100 100 Germany 9450* 2000-2100 400 Sankt-Petersburg 9470** 2000-2100 400 Sankt-Petersburg 9480 0100-0300 500 Sankt-Petersburg 9480** 1700-1800 250 Moscow 9480** 1900-2000 250 Moscow 9485 1200-1300 250 Samara 9745 1200-1400 500 Chita 9890* 2000-2100 250 Moscow 9920 1200-1300 250 Moscow 11630* 1700-1800 250 Moscow 11630* 1900-2000 250 Moscow 11640 1200-1400 500 Novosibirsk 11720 0100-0300 500 Ukraine 11750 0100-0300 500 Moldova 11745* 1900-2000 200 Ekaterinburg 12020** 1900-2000 200 Ekaterinburg 12030 2000-2100 250 Moscow 12055 1500-1600 250 Samara 12055 1900-2100 200 Sankt-Petersburg 12060 0100-0300 500 Krasnodar 12070* 0100-0300 500 Moscow 15350 1600-1900 200 Ekaterinburg 15455** 0100-0300 250 Komsomolsk-na-Amure 15470 1200-1400 200 Novosibirsk 17565* 0100-0300 250 Komsomolsk-na-Amure 17580*** 1500-1700 400 Sankt-Petersburg 17620* 0100-0300 100 Petropavlovsk-Kamchatskiy 17645 1300-1400 500 Moscow 17650 0200-0300 250 Petropavlovsk-Kamchatskiy 17660 0100-0300 500 Vladivostok 17690 0100-0300 100 Petropavlovsk-Kamchatskiy 21755** 0100-0300 100 Petropavlovsk-Kamchatskiy * = Till 06/09/2003 ; ** = Since 07/09/2003 ; *** = Till 27/09/2003 ; **** = Since 28/09/2003 (Nikolay Rudnev, Belgorodskaya obl.) Radiostation "Voice of Russia". Russian World Service. Programme "Sodruzhestvo" SW. 30/03/2003 - 25/10/2003 --------------------------------------------------------------------- kHz UTC kW Tx 7370 1300-1900 200 Ekaterinburg 9450** 1400-1900 500 Novosibirsk 9485 1300-1700 250 Samara 9800 1400-1800 100 Irkutsk 9820* 1400-1900 500 Novosibirsk 9875 1600-1800 500 Novosibirsk 9920 1300-1500 250 Moscow 11830 1400-1700 160 Kaliningrad 12055 1700-1900 200 Sankt-Petersburg 15540 1500-1600 250 Moscow 15540 1700-1800 250 Moscow 17705 1400-1500 100 Germany * = Till 06/09/2003; ** = Since 07/09/2003 (Nikolay Rudnev, Belgorodskaya obl., May "RUS-DX" #118 - B via DXLD) ** RUSSIA. Hello Glenn; I just got this in my mail today. Let's hope that this will be of help to you. I also hope FEBC doesn't let some of those preachers on who just want to line their pockets. I've made it a point to only give to ministries which actually help people, Far Corners Ministries being one of them, instead of vanity preachers who entertain the masses and run off with their money. Your Christian friend, (Bruce Atchison, ve6xtc, May 9, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Thursday, May 8, 2003 FEBC ANNOUNCES NEW RADIO STATION IN RUSSIA: FEBC ST. PETERSBURG 1089 AM -- By Michael Ireland, Chief Correspondent, ASSIST News Service LA MIRADA, CA (ANS) -- Far East Broadcasting Company`s Russian Ministries now has a radio presence in St. Petersburg, Russia`s second largest city. FEBC has purchased a local AM station named Teos on April 30 in St. Petersburg, enabling FEBC to establish a local radio ministry in the ``Northern Capital of Russia.`` FEBC St. Petersburg, 1089 AM, will broadcast to the city of St. Petersburg as well as towns outside the city with its 20kW transmitter. ``After many months of praying, FEBC Russian Ministries has purchased an AM station in the second-largest city in Russia,`` stated Rudi Wiens, director of FEBC Russian Ministries. ``The people are in desperate need of a Christian station that is Christ-centered and of service to the community. Our main goal is to let some five million people in St. Petersburg know that God loves them and help them choose a good church to attend.`` FEBC Russian Ministries first broadcast radio programs in St. Petersburg in June 2002 from another local station. Since May 1, 1089 AM has been on the air from 7 a.m. to midnight daily. The emphasis of the station will be on evangelism and building a bridge between the community and churches, modeled after FEBC Moscow`s ministry in connecting radio listeners with local churches in the area. Types of programs on the station will include Bible teaching, counseling, talk- shows and music. . . http://www.assistNews.net/stories/s03050034.htm (via Bruce Atchison, DXLD) ** SOUTH AFRICA. HISTORY --- ANTI-APARTHEID FIGHTER WALTER SISULU DIES Walter Sisulu, South African Anti-Apartheid Activist, Dies at Age of 90 JOHANNESBURG, South Africa May 6 [2 extracts] Walter Sisulu, the quiet giant of the South Africa's anti-apartheid struggle for five decades, has died after a long illness. He was 90. Sisulu died at 9 p.m. Monday at home in the arms of Albertina, his wife of nearly 59 years. [I noticed in the obit that :] "He went underground and joined the ANC's guerrilla wing, exasperating the government when he used a secret ANC transmitter to send a pirate radio message exhorting the nation to unite to overthrow apartheid." http://abcnews.go.com/wire/World/ap20030506_315.html (AP / ABC News May 6, 2003 via A. Sennitt, Holland for CRW via DXLD) ** SRI LANKA. SLBC has dropped 7115 in favour of 7300 at 0020-0400 & 0800-1530 in Hindi, Tamil, Telegu, Malayalam & Kannada. 9770 continues in parallel. That leaves 7115 only for VOA Sri Lanka at 0100-0300. SLBC HS Noted with relay of BBC Sinhala & Tamil Service as follows: 1515-1545 Sinhala 4902, 1545-1615 Tamil 5020. 73 (Jose Jacob, VU2JOS, ATOJ, National Institute of Amateur Radio, Box 1555, Somajiguda Hyderabad 500082, India, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** TAIWAN. NUEVA ACTIVIDAD-CONCURSO DE PREGUNTA --- Los apreciados amigos de radio Taipei Internacional están promocionando un nuevo concurso que comparto con todos ustedes. Aqui están las bases del mismo. Nota: hay que entrar en la página de RTI y hacer click en Concursos (José Elías Díaz G., Cumbre DX via DXLD) Hola amigo: Aquí le presento la nueva oportunidad para llevarse la camiseta de CBS-RTI. Participe en el CONCURSO DE PREGUNTA en: http://www.cbs.org.tw/Spanish/index.htm No se olvide, cuando mande su respuesta, tiene que escribirnos siempre con su nombre y dirección completa. Tip: si no sabe la respuesta, puede ver el video que adjuntamos que la misma página; allí descubrará [sic] el resultado. Mucha suerte! (via Díaz, ibid.) ** TIBET [non]. VISIT TO V OF TIBET OFFICE IN NORTHERN INDIA http://www.timesoftibet.tibetsearch.com/artman/publish/article_1287.shtml "I was very satisfied with this visit and everyone seems excited to do more for the cause of Tibet," says Mrs. Takla, who also was invited to visit the office of Voice of Tibet (VOT), the Norwegian Tibetan language radio station based in Oslo and with an editorial office in Dharamsala in northern India, seat of the Tibetan government in exile (Times of Tibet via J. Dybka, TN, Apr 30, 2003 for CRW via DXLD) ** UNITED ARAB EMIRATES. Recent changes as reflected in the IBB online schedule: Since 7 May, IBB's Radio Farda is being transmitted from the Al Dhabbaya site 24h on the additional frequency 1170 (ND) //1539 kHz (D 10 degrees). (Bernd Trutenau, Lithuania, May 8, MW-DX via DXLD) ** U K. I have found the BBCWS exceedingly irritating in that they edit together a bunch of "highlights" with no continuity in an attempt to create artificial suspense about the outcome. A few years back, it literally took them 17 minutes(!) to give the results of the two FA Cup semifinals -- despite the fact that the result of the first match was well-known to anybody who had been listening to the BBCWS, since it was reported in NewsHour (IIRC -- it was one of their news programmes). I'm fully in the camp that says they should give the %$!#$@! results first. (Ted S., swprograms via DXLD) ** U K. Who would have thought it? Apparently Tony Blackburn was the first person to have a name ID jingle. On that basis, he was invited to speak at the Radio Academy's recent talk on the role of jingles, 'Wham, Bam thank you Jam!' in London. . . http://www.radiolondon.co.uk/kneesflashes/happenings/current/hapcurr.html (via Mike Terry, DXLD) ** U S A. Another story about Kevin Alfred Strom, of the SW program American Dissident Voices, thru the eyes of his ex-wife: `I FEEL THESE PEOPLE RAPED MY SOUL` AFTER 6 YEARS AWAY, REFORMED WHITE SUPREMACIST REMAINS ANGRY By Scott Finn, STAFF WRITER Kirsten Kaiser once believed that every Jewish synagogue was built on the bones of a Christian woman and Christian boy. She watched a version of ``Jurassic Park`` that edited out star Jeff Goldblum because he is Jewish. And if she disagreed with her husband, a leader of the white- supremacist group National Alliance, he argued and kept her awake for 48 hours at a time until she finally gave in. Six years ago, she broke away from her husband and the National Alliance. She lost her children, her home, and her identity. Today, Kaiser has rebuilt her life. She regained custody of her three children, she is taking classes at a community college in Rochester, Minn., and she`s remarried a man whom she calls kind and gentle. But Kaiser still feels angry. She`s furious at the years of lies and brainwashing she endured from the National Alliance, which is headquartered in Pocahontas County [WV]. So she speaks out — in media interviews with ``20/20`` and Good Housekeeping; with a new book, ``Bondage of Self``; and to groups like the West Virginia Hate Crimes Task Force, which she is scheduled to address Thursday afternoon. (The meeting is not open to the public.) ``I feel these people raped my soul,`` Kaiser said. ``They took away everything that made Kirsten, Kirsten. ``Hundreds of women like me have gotten hooked up with some man from a racist group who controls their lives. I want them to know that if I can escape and regain my soul, they can too.`` Abuse and neglect Kaiser grew up in a middle-class suburban home, but her mother`s mental illness and her father`s drinking made her miserable. As a child, she had trouble walking through her house and couldn`t eat at her dining room table because stacks of newspaper and piles of empty peanut-butter jars blocked her way. Her mother couldn`t throw anything away. Also, her mother dressed her up as Shirley Temple and sent her to school that way, leading to relentless teasing from her peers. ``She said that if you ignore it, it will go away. But it never did. It got worse and worse. I was the most hated person in school.`` At 14, she began using drugs, but because she received good grades, no one in school paid any attention. She married at 19. Her parents said she couldn`t leave the house unless she did. That marriage lasted only six months, and she moved back with her parents. Three years later, she met a man named Joseph at an Alcoholics Anonymous meeting. He seemed extremely intelligent, and treated Kaiser like a princess. He also was a white supremacist, although Kaiser didn`t know that at first. ``He said he was a Nationalist. I had no idea what that meant,`` she said. ``He kept talking about this book, `The Turner Diaries.` I didn`t have any friends that talked about books. I thought it would be nice to sit around and talk about anything with anybody.`` Three days after they were married, Kaiser said that Joseph changed. He began beating her and told her she had six months to find a job and leave the house. During this time, she met Kevin Strom, who was at the time the Washington D.C.-area leader for the National Alliance. He also was intelligent (he scored a perfect 1600 on the SAT college-entrance exam) and well-mannered. He read Edgar Allen Poe and other authors she loved, Kaiser said. ``He was cute, he didn`t look like he would hit anybody, and I already knew I had to leave,`` she said. Life in the compound They soon married, and in 1991, Strom moved her to the Pocahontas County compound founded by William Pierce, the leader of the National Alliance and author of ``The Turner Diaries,`` which is said to have inspired Timothy McVeigh`s bombing of the federal building in Oklahoma City. At the time, Pierce lived with ``Sue,`` his mail-order Hungarian bride. Sue knew almost no English, but she was the only person Kaiser could talk to. Her husband worked 12-hour days on his shortwave radio show and newsletter, and Pierce shunned nearly all human contact. Kaiser said Sue did not try to hide her contempt and dislike of Pierce, Kaiser said. Pierce didn`t seem to mind. He only wanted the women for cooking, cleaning and sex, she said. Like his other mail- order brides, Sue ran away the moment she could receive permission to stay in the United States without Pierce. Kaiser clashed with Pierce because she refused to work without pay. ``I told Kevin, `I`ll work for love or money, and Dr. Pierce will give me neither.``` At first, they lived on about $300 a month in a run-down trailer next to Pierce, and then they moved to an apartment in Hillsboro. Some local women tried to reach out to her. One took care of her children one day a week. But when they found out about her racist ideology, some shied away. She broke off one friendship when she found out a relative was dating someone who wasn`t white. She had three children — two boys, Oskar and Edgar, and a girl, Klara Vita, named after Adolf Hitler`s mother. In 1995, they moved to Rochester, Minn., a nearly all-white city. But the move didn`t break Kaiser`s isolation. She couldn`t invite friends to her house, for fear they`d find the racist pamphlets stacked on the dining-room table. Strom said she couldn`t take her children to the YMCA because it was dedicated to the destruction of the white American family. Kaiser began to clash with Strom more often. She questioned why the family could not eat meat (Hitler was a vegetarian) and whether women should have the right to vote. Strom would argue with her for hours at a time, until finally she agreed with his point of view. But when her son Edgar was diagnosed with autism, social workers began to visit. Kaiser remembers one incident where Strom told social workers that Edgar could not attend a special program because children of other races were included. ``He had his hand on my shoulder, and they asked me, `What do you think about that, Kirsten,` and I froze up, I was so terrified.`` One worker slipped her a pamphlet called ``You Deserve Better`` about domestic violence, and Kaiser eventually ran to a women`s shelter. She spent 10 days in a hospital under psychiatric evaluation. Meanwhile, Strom maneuvered to gain control over their children. He called Kaiser crazy and moved the children to his mother`s house in Texas. It took Kaiser more than four years to regain custody. Even today, her children must spend six weeks a year with their father. One time after her children came home, her 8-year-old son Oskar announced, ``I hate black people.`` Kaiser responded by bringing them to a black friend`s house to play with their children, and asking, ``Do you hate them?`` Her children are just now beginning to learn about their father`s ideology, Kaiser said. After Pierce`s death last year, Strom has become one of the most powerful men in the National Alliance. With his Web page and radio show, it is hard to shield them, Kaiser said. But Kaiser believes that she is teaching her children to make their own choices, and they will choose to reject their father`s beliefs, even as they love him as a person. Kaiser said schools need more counselors to identify the sort of anti-social behaviors that can lead to hateful activity. And, she promised to continue to speak out about her own experience. ``No one warned me,`` she said. ``I had no clue how crazy these people were.`` May 07, 2003 http://wvgazette.com/section/News/2003050630 (via Jilly Dybka, DXLD) ** U S A. SAP news: NY New York WPIX, channel 11, has Spanish news. Part of the cost of the SAProgram is paid by a Pontiac dealership. NC Raleigh WRAL-TV, channel 5, drops Spanish SAP. Was used for local news Spanish translation. Executives of the station simply didn`t think it was worth it. They ``got little feedback. Conflicts with video description for the blind.`` (May FMedia! via DXLD) ** U S A. Clear Channel stations have been testing dMarc`s data delivery system using SCSignals most likely at 57 kHz. The tests have been at several CA stations, including KIIS-FM 102.7 and KOST 103.5 Los Angeles. That test was supposedly successful enough that the ``Radio Data Service`` is to expand to 53 southern CA stations. ``In less than 10 months after launching the service, we booked over $100,000 in dRDS advertising,`` said Roy Laughlin, CC regional VP. The system allows stations to send news, traffic and promotional announcements, including commercials, to special RDS-equipped receivers. According to the M Street Journal, dMac is expanding to other markets and looking forward to starting a national data network by yearend (May FMedia! via DXLD) ** U S A. IBOC AM Talk Radio Add KCUV / 1150 which is presently // to KNRC / 1510 here in Denver to the list of digital talk stations. Here is an e-mail I received from one of their engineers just tonight. ------- We will be broadcasting in digital on the 1150 signal. The exciter is installed and we are now getting the iBiquity software loaded. From there it's proving that everything is working to specs for the FCC. Should have a daytime digital signal emitting within the next 30 days. The 1150 signal has been a major improvement over the 1510 signal. We did the engineering right though. Replaced everything from the ATU's, to transmitters to phaser to grounding system (Patrick Griffith, Westminster, CO, USA, May 8, NRC-AM via DXLD) ** U S A. From Stanley Swanson, KBNL *89.9 Laredo TX: ``Digital IBOC FM has a digital delay of between 5 and 10 seconds. [It`s] a disaster for call-in programs. Digital hash is on both sides of the analog channel, so that the FM band will be two-thirds digital hash. There will be a flood of complaints from listeners who cannot hear their favorite station because of digital hash interference. Estimated cost to the station $70,000. Great for equipment suppliers, but disaster for the stations. I doubt that most listeners will notice a difference in audio quality. Don`t tell me that it is coming. Now is the time to revolt. I refuse to install it.`` (May FMedia! via DXLD) ** U S A. FLOOD OF TRANSLATOR APPLICATIONS I can't believe no one has mentioned this, but on a radio message board I saw what has to be the most horrifying thing yet for an FM DXer. Hundreds of translator applications for New Jersey alone. Near me, Clinton on 104.9, Somerville on 96.7, 103.9, and 93.5. Harmony Twp on 98.3. Maybe 10 translator applications for the small South Jersey town of Manahawkin? It seems like they are letting translators come on on Class A frequencies just where their strong signal ends. This list is crazy, and will probably end FM dxing for good. Is this going on elsewhere? Have the rules changed? This is insane!!!! Is it happening elsewhere, this flood of translators? How about 105.5 in Atlantic Highlands, WDHA will have a fit. The companies requesting these translators, Burlington County College, NJ Public Broadcasting (I thought the state was short on money, where will the money come from to put all these dumb stations?), religious outfits, Press Broadcasting, someone named Susun Clinton, and many others. (Bob Smolarek, May 6, WTFDA via DXLD) This is certainly interesting. I count 67 apps for the general Nashville area, including two for this county and one for Coopertown four miles away. (if granted it would be by far my closest FM station) There could be more as there were quite a few for towns I've never heard of. Maybe over the weekend I'll have a chance to make a better assessment of this. There are twelve applications for nine different frequencies for Nashville proper. Some of these are ungrantable. For example, 92.9 at Murfreesboro, whose (250-watt!) transmitter site is within the 65 dBu contour of WJXA on the same frequency. I also noted a 95.3 app in Cleveland, Tennessee which is the city of license of WALV on the same frequency. One applicant for 98.9 in the county seat already held a CP for that frequency for several years, allowing it to expire unbuilt. Will they actually bother to build this time? Good question... In other cases, the same applicant requested two or more frequencies at the same site. Calvary Chapel of Twin Falls requested *SEVEN* different channels at Goodlettsville. The licensee of WQZQ-102.5 and WBUZ-102.9 filed four different applications for Nashville - two of them on the same frequency. It is also interesting (and IMHO disturbing) to note that most of these specify channels that are second-adjacent to locals. Channels that are not allowed for LPFM use. "K-Love" seems to be the most prolific applicant around here. Even if all of these are granted, they won't totally destroy DX here. 104.1 is the only one that will *definitely* kill a channel. 98.9, 99.3, and 100.5 are also possible victims (98.9 most likely) but that leaves a lot of available channels. -- (Doug Smith W9WI, Pleasant View (Nashville), TN EM66, WTFDA via DXLD) There are already LPFM's seeking to rebroadcast partial-day from other facilities. I think once you get to hear a few of these you may find they're not much better than some of the existing high school, college and local religious stations at the low end which are amateur in nature, sound bad and program mostly non-stop music of the operator's personal liking. I've pretty much heard most of what I can get here under non-enhanced conditions, and either tropo or Es should still punch through LPFM's, Sattelators and even IBOC noise (Russ Edmunds, Blue Bell, PA (360' ASL), ibid.) I have heard it suggested (on a reliable source, not just someone ranting) that some conservative religious groups have been establishing translators at the fringe of NPR stations' coverage areas with the express intent of limiting access to "undesirable" NPR programming. Legal, if the translators only interfere outside the NPR stations' protected contour. As a recent IBOC discussion mentioned, most modern car radios deliver good quality signals well past the protected contour. I think this explains some recent full-license NPR stations as well. Such as WTMH-91.5 and WHRS-91.7 on the fringes of WPLN-90.3's coverage area. I think WBEZ in Chicago has filed for a couple as well (Doug Smith W9WI, Pleasant View (Nashville), TN EM66 May 7, ibid.) And with the political clout those folks have in Congress and their Administration, when push comes to shove on MX [mutually exclusive] apps from Public Radio stations and those of the religious groups, there's little doubt about who will win. And given the budgetary disparities, the same parties would win in any potential court battle. Can you say 'unlevel playing field' ? (Russ Edmunds, Blue Bell, PA, ibid.) Mutually-exclusive applications for reserved spectrum (88-92 MHz) are to be resolved by lottery. 'Course, in the PA Lottery the more tickets you buy, the more likely you'll win - that goes here too... Mutually-exclusive applications in 92-108 MHz will still go to auction. I'm not sure that applies when all the applicants are non- commercial - but I strongly suspect it does. (since they can switch to commercial service at any time) (Doug Smith W9WI, ibid.) Important! Please notify us immediately of any LPFM applications containing errors caused by the FCC database. The FCC will be investigating database errors we report on Thursday 4/8. Christian Community Broadcasters has just updated its Statistics in the right hand column at: http://www.ccbroadcasters.com/ These statistics include just released FCC totals of ALL radio and TV stations in America. In the center column is a link to a commentary on multiple ownership of LPFM stations. (John Broomall, Christian Community Broadcasters May 7, WTFDA via DXLD) Thanks John Broomall for the information about the 13,000 translater applications. What I'd like to know is where are the real broadcasters? Can they let this happen, it will doom their stations. The interference will be horrendous. I will enjoy the next few years because when these translators come on, I'm retired from FM DXing. (Bob Smolarek, NJ, ibid.) I've put up a page on my website at http://www.w9wi.com/articles/fxlist.html It lists applications received for new FM translators within 150 km of the L&C Tower in downtown Nashville (there are roughly 120 of them). A few observations... One is ungrantable. It requests 250 watts on 92.9 in Murfreesboro - at a transmitter site where Class C station WJXA-92.9 is predicted to deliver 65 dBu, well within WJXA's interference-protected contour. Another specifies Hendersonville, Tennessee as the principal community but then lists transmitter coordinates that plot near Portageville, Missouri, roughly 150 miles away. It looks like they typed 89 degrees instead of 86. A LPFM station in Dickson has filed for a translator, also in Dickson. The translator is roughly 15 miles from the LPFM. 26 different primary stations are specified. Six are regular commercial stations; four are public radio stations; one is a campus station; one is not yet on the air; one is the LPFM in Dickson; and the other half are religious. Most translators per primary: 23 WMXX-103.1 Jackson 16 KAWZ-89.9 Twin Falls, ID 15 WAYM-88.7 Columbia 14 WFIX-91.3 Florence, AL ("K-Love") 8 WMOT-89.5 Murfreesboro & WAYW-89.7 New Johnsonville WAYW and WAYQ-88.3 Clarksville are satellites of WAYM-88.7. (the Clarksville station is not yet on the air) If you add the translators of these stations, the network has a total of 27. Not to mention the ones already licensed and operating in many Middle Tennessee cities. The WMXX translators (and three of WLQK-95.9) are licensed to religious organizations in Twin Falls, Idaho. I suspect they intend to change primaries to KAWZ or co-owned KEFX-88.9. ========================================= Again, these are applications that have been received by the FCC. They have not even been accepted for filing. The engineering review process will kick some of them out. (for example, the one that's trying to jam WJXA |grin|) Others are mutually exclusive; only one of a group will be granted. I have not examined the non-technical parts of these applications; it's possible some of them are unacceptable for administrative/legal reasons. You can get a list for your state by going to http://svartifoss2.fcc.gov/prod/cdbs/pubacc/prod/app_sear.htm Under "Service", select "FM Translator"; type the USPS abbreviation for your state in the "State" box; under "Application Status" select "Received but not yet accepted for tender". Click "Submit Search". You get a list of applications. Which unfortunately doesn't tell you much. Click on "Info" to see general information (including city) about an application; this page also has a link that shows technical information. Clicking on "Application" will show you the actual application that's been submitted. There's more detailed technical information. It also shows the address of the applicant and the primary station to be translated. (however, FM translators can change their primary with little notice) Many FM translators are never built. (I note WMOT-89.5 has applied for one on 98.9 in Ashland City. Again. They held a permit for W255AD but never built it and never requested an extension; it expired unbuilt...) Don't assume everything on this list will eventually ruin your DX! For what it's worth, I've done another run on the entire state of Wisconsin. http://www.w9wi.com/articles/wifx.html (Doug Smith W9WI, ibid.) LPFM MX Settlement Window Very Soon --- with some FCC processing plans revealed. Second story: 4,000+ Translator Applications Filed by Calvary Affiliates ... and other surprises Both important 5/9 stories available via home page links at: http://www.ccbroadcsters.com (John Broomall, Christian Community Broadcasters, ibid.) Or maybe THIS is what they wanted to do: Put up a satellite dish at listed station on the ap, feeding that signal with their programming into the stations' subcarrier? It sounds possible to me. Years ago, stations who didn't have dishes when they were expensive tapped into sports networks' feeds this way at a much cheaper cost! The group mentioned filed many apps in this area proposing to do just that. You never know, in this day of the toothless FCC (Mark Erdman, Herington/Salina KS, NRC-AM via DXLD) ** U S A. NY Bronx – eastern part, near the Throgs Neck and Whitestone Bridges, three Spanish pirates: 87.9 in stereo, 96.1 stereo, ``very good signal``; 105.5 monophonic (May FMedia! via DXLD) Heard some station on 106.5 around Ledgewood playing Dixie Chicks songs -- un-American lowlifes that they must surely be! Also a pirate on 87.9 on the Turnpike near Secaucus with Spanish -- I think that one is in the Bronx. I think there's a 95.1 in Manhattan too (Rick Shaftan, NJ, May 6, WTFDA via DXLD) ** U S A. RE: [NRC-am} Orlando pirate fined $10K I read the items about the Orlando $10K fine with interest and the comments about how the corporate fellows seem to be treated differently than the 'schlubs' who run low power FM, etc. By coincidence on the broadcast list are some comments about when Coral Gables FL was using 1560 when assigned 1550. Note the remarks about the reaction of the FCC to this operation. Another coincidence there, are remarks about religious broadcasters in Idaho who are filing thousands of FM translator apps, promising to use them to relay commercial stations then intending to flip them to non-commercial religion, once filed, in an effort to get around FCC filing rules This stuff is fascinating, great history (Bob Foxworth, FL, NRC-AM via DXLD) Viz.: WRHC Coral Gables FL is (or was) co-owned with the 670 station licensed to Miami (WWFE if memory serves). Four or five years back (maybe a bit longer), WRHC became quite famous (I mean infamous) here in the northeast. Back then, Disney was not yet LMAing WQEW New York and WQEW's unique American Popular Standards format could be heard all over the northeast at night until... the station became subject to the most incredible nighttime interference from a Spanish-language station that was also quite far off frequency. The interfering station was WRHC. As was stated, WRHC's 1550 day site had been destroyed by Hurricane Andrew and the station held a CP to move to 1560 with 44 kW-D/4.6 kW-N DA-2 from dual sites. The day site was to be a diplex with WWFE using a couple of WWFE's existing towers and at least two new, shorter ones. The WWFE site is a fair distance north of Miami and Coral Gables. WRHC's night site was to be closer to Miami than the day site. The night site was in the Everglades maybe six miles south and slightly west of WWFE. Anyhow, Herb Squire, who was then CE of WQXR and WQEW, told me that a friend of his from Toronto had found WRHC completely obliterating WQEW at night at his summer home several hundred miles north of Toronto. Herb and the New York Times, which owns WQEW, tried unsuccessfully for several years to get WRHC to cease operating on 1560. Turns out that although WRHC held a CP for 1560, the FCC had never granted program test authority or even an STA, which it might have done if an application had been filed, because WRHC's 1550 facilities (at least the day site) had been destroyed by a tragedy over which the station had no control. Moreover, WRHC was operating 24/7 from the WWFE site with 50 kW ND -- this despite the presence in Ft Lauderdale of a 1580 station that runs 10 kW-D/5 kW-N DA-2 from a complex array. It took several more years to get the issue settled. The FCC issued an NAL citing WRHC for operating on the wrong frequency (1560) for some LONG period of time -- seven years comes to mind, but I'm not sure of that part. I don't know whether WRHC ever paid a fine, but I was amazed to learn of WRHC's application (and I think the subsequent grant of a CP) for 1560 with 25 kW-D/5 kW-N DA-2 from dual sites. As far as I know, neither site is one that WRHC had specified in its previous application for 1560. Also, to complicate matters, one of the hardships that WRHC claimed to explain its illegal operation on 1560 was that one of its sites (I think the 4.6 kW night site that went with the daytime diplex with WWFE) had been rendered inaccessible because the FAA had cordoned off the portion of the Everglades in which it was located. Debris from a spectacular and well publicized fatal airline crash had fallen in the area that surrounded the site. So there were extenuating circumstances, but the offenses seem grievous enough that you would think that WRHC would have once-and- for-all lost its opportunity to move to 1560. Instead, the owners of WRHC and WWFE apparently flaunted the law and ultimately got away with doing so (Dan Strassberg, BC via Foxworth, NRC-AM via DXLD) There was a long and sad 1550 1560 Miami saga that I thought had ended. Ed? Squires, then of WQEW 1560 New York, can give you a blow- by-blow. The following is not exactly accurate, but gives the flavor: Basically, the Florida people violated almost every rule you can imagine. IIRC, after WQEW complained bitterly for a couple of years, the FCC finally told WRHC to stop being way over-power on an unauthorized frequency and wrong pattern at night (after 30 days grace period), and to not do it again - total penalty. I once looked up one of the sites they said they were using and there was no sign of a radio station. WRHC means Radio Havana Cuba - Cuban expatriots [sic]. (R. J. Carpenter, BC list via Bob Foxworth, NRC-Am via DXLD) ** U S A [and non]. Subject: DXing on 1100 KHz. Paul, Since our last shut down was such fun for the DXers out there, I wanted to give you a heads up that we'll be shutting WTAM down this Sunday night at midnight (actually 12:07 A.M.) for a contractor replacement. We plan on being off for at least one hour, but should return no later than 1:30 A.M. Monday morning. As always I'd be interested in reports from the field! [0407-0530 UT Monday, presumably] (Dave Szucs, Director of Engineering, Clear Channel Radio Cleveland, 6200 Oak Tree Blvd., Cleveland, Ohio 44131 via Paul Jellison, WLW, NRC-AM via DXLD) ** VIETNAM [non]. Chân Troi Moi Radio: Today, March 21, I received 2 QSL cards for reports to Radio Chân Troi Moi: 15,715 via Jülich in January 2002, and 15,750 in September 2001. There was some speculation 15750 was via High Adventure in Palau; cards have complete data except sites. Veri signer is Micheal [sic] N. He also included a personal note requesting that I monitor from Bao Loc, Vietnam, the next time I visit there (which I hope will be later this year if the SARS situation subsides). Address on the cards --- Correspondence Section, Radio CTM, P.O. Box 48, Hishi Yodogawa, Osaka 555, Japan --- is basically the address to which I sent my reports. I suspect, and hope, others are now receiving their QSLs for this one (Wendel Craighead, KS, Mar 21, 2003 for CRW) Scanned pictures of this card can be seen in the CRW gallery already since March 2003 - I only forgot to use Wendel`s logs here in CRW! (M. Schöch CRW May 8 via DXLD) UNIDENTIFIED [non]. Re: 1490, 0733 19/4, R. Reforma, Unlisted. Fair with Religious program, many IDs (Stu Forsyth, Wellington, New Zealand, IRCA Soft DX Monitor May 10 via DXLD) Turns out to be YVXD La Dinámica, Caracas (Paul Ormandy, ZL4TFX, EchoLink Node 87378, Host of The South Pacific DX Report, http://radiodx.com May 10, DX LISTENING DIGEST) UNIDENTIFIED. Re: ** ARGENTINA. 1700, 0938 17/4, R. Restauración, "BA, Argentina" Relaying BBC in Spanish (Stu Forsyth, Wellington, New Zealand, IRCA Soft DX Monitor May 10 via DXLD) Hi Glenn, This was a tentative... it wasn't Argentina, according to Arnaldo Slaen. Several DXers listening from Tiwai heard this one over Easter. A full trail from the 11 participants will be posted on http://radiodx.com soon. WJCC wasn't considered as they carry religious programming and KBGG has been discounted as their Spanish is during daytime. Other US DXers have heard this too (see unID in DXLD 3-080), so it's a mystery at the moment. Just who would carry BBC Spanish (or one of their programs) - someone testing???? (Paul Ormandy, NZ, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ PUBLICATIONS ++++++++++++ ALFA LIMA INTERNATIONAL BOARD Great new forum online. Completely related to al kind of short-wave stuff. And if it is not there just send us an email and we will place that topic there. You can also be a moderator/administrator of one you would like to see there. Jus tell us and we will place it. there are lots of topics but if necessarily we will ad more. Just tell. Topics right now are about antenna's , tech stuff, listening, loggings and a lot more. Just go there. Updates of the raids in Holland will be placed there also. http://www.alfalima.net/forum Greetings from Alfred Zoer (Alfa Lima Int via DXLD) M STREET JOURNAL Most of its features are moving to the Internet, with a weekly faxed update for subscribers, announces Gene McKay, GM. ``M Street and Inside Radio editor Tom Taylor, with the help of new M Street contributing editor Scott Fybush, will post news to the website every business day`` (May FMedia! via DXLD) Hefty subscription required (gh) According to a fax posted on the Radio-Info.com Coast-to-Coast Message Board, M Street is turning the 100000watts.com site into a pay service as of June 1st. http://radio-info.com/boards/ctc/index.cgi?read=24479 (Mike Bugaj - Enfield, CT USA, WTFDA Circulation, May 7 via DXLD) It won't be June 1. It will probably happen. But, folks, when the guy who runs the site is also a member of the club, things have a way of working out. Or at least they will if I have my way. Stay tuned, and don't let the folks at radio-info (who have some very personal and very deep axes to grind with my employers at M Street) scare ya. Oh, and make those hotel reservations for WTFDA 2003 in Western NY! s (Scott Fybush, May 8, WTFDA via DXLD) CONVENTIONS & CONFERENCES +++++++++++++++++++++++++ PUBLIC RADIO CONFERENCE One of the national conferences in radio is about to fold. It`s the PRC, which has been put on by National Public Radio. The May 14-18, 2003 conference [where??] was to have been its last. In a letter to affiliates, Ken Stern, NPR executive vice [sic] and Dana Davis Rehm, VP for member and program services, stated that ``the growth of other significant public radio forums and meetings, declining attendance and recent financial constraints`` drove the decision. Noted were other conferences, like the NPR Engineering Conference at NAB, the Music Personnel Conference, and the National Federation of Community Broadcasters annual conference. ``While these meetings are not a substitute for the PRC, their practical value has led to a real and material drop in the strength of support for an annual industry-wide conference,` the letter stated. I can remember when the National Association of Educational Broadcasters had a conference in Washington DC in 1979. I attended that conference, and the following year in New Orleans they voted to disband (Bruce Elving, May FMedia! via DXLD) RECEIVER NEWS +++++++++++++ XM PC RADIO: see INTERNATIONAL VACUUM [non] above CHANGING OF THE GUARD: ED JUGE, W5EJ, S.K. Some sad news to report. Word that well-known amateur Ed Juge, W5EJ, has passed away. According to longtime friend and colleague Bob Miller, K2RM, Juge, the former W5TOO, was an executive at RadioShack for many years and one of the people who kept ham radio on the company`s radar. Outside the world of ham radio, W5EJ was a well-known and well-respected figure in the computer industry. Ed Juge also had served on the ARRL No-Code committee in the late 1980s, chaired the ARRL Digital Committee in 1992 and was particularly active in QRP. He is survived by his wife, Jo, KA5ABC, by two children and three grandchildren (CQ via Amateur Radio Newsline May 9 via John Norfolk, DXLD) EMERGING TECHNOLOGY: COGNITIVE RADIO - IT LIVES Believe it or not there a movement underway at the FCC to increase spectrum efficiency through the use of a new technology being called cognitive radio. What is cognitive radio you ask? This is radio gear and antenna systems that could adapt to their operating environments by automatically identifying vacant spectrum, switching to that spectrum and carrying out a specific communications mission. Cognitive radio will also be the subject of an upcoming workshop at FCC headquarters. More information is at the http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DOC-233615A1.doc (CGC via Amateur Radio Newsline May 9 via John Norfolk, DXLD) IBOC INSTALLATIONS NOT FOLLOWING EXPECTED PATTERN, SAYS BE More broadcasters are using lower-power FM transmitters to implement HD Radio, according to Broadcast Electronics, which makes transmitters in those power ranges, said Tim Bealor, VP of RF systems. "People originally thought the majority of FM stations would have to go with common amplifier combining or high-level combining techniques that called for a higher-priced, full-powered transmitter. But that's not turning out to be the case at all," he said in a company statement. "We're finding that a lot of those stations can actually combine at the antenna or set up a separate antenna using a lower-powered transmitter." Entercom, Greater Media and Clear Channel are among the groups using low-powered FM transmitters to implement IBOC, the supplier said. Entercom, for example, will be using a new high-level approach that combines analog FM and digital through a shared master antenna. By introducing a separate HD Radio path into one polarity of its existing circularly polarized master antenna, Entercom can broadcast HD Radio at the same time as analog FM, which is radiating from the opposite polarity of the antenna. The approach reduces the injector loss typical of high-level combining (10dB loss in HD Radio and a .45dB loss in analog). Other stations are using BE's low-powered FM transmitters in a separate antenna system for the HD Radio path, which also eliminates the 10dB loss and the cost of a high-powered transmitter to handle the loss (RW News Bites Date posted: 2003-05-05 via Mike Bugaj, WTFDA via DXLD) POWERLINE COMMUNICATIONS ++++++++++++++++++++++++ [Re: eham.net article in 3-080:] "In Japan, where PLC systems have been in operation, amateurs complained so much about the RFI that the PLC companies were forced to place 30 dB notches in the PLC frequencies to protect the amateur allocations." in DXLD 3-080 is incorrect. Japanese government decided to reject PLC last year. Now the major broadband technology adopted in Japan is ADSL, and in-house radio LAN using 2.4 GHz. No PLC in Japan (Takahito Akabayashi, Tokyo, Japan, DX LISTENING DIGEST) PROPAGATION +++++++++++ Only one M class flare to report, noted back on May 2. Coronal hole activity has been keeping conditions disturbed for much of the week with elevated solar wind speeds causing the geomagnetic field to be disturbed on May 2-3, 5-current. The field levels have been ranging from unsettled to minor storm at these times causing degraded conditions especially at higher latitudes. Conditions are expected to remain fairly similar with broad coronal holes causing disturbances all the way through until May 22. A previously flaring region may return to the visible side of the sun on May 11 leading to an increase in flare activity as well. Prepared using data from http://www.ips.gov.au (Richard Jary, SA, May 10, Cumbredx mailing list via DXLD) Has anyone else noticed that reception in ENAm from the South Pacific (RA and RNZI) during our local evenings has been slow to come around this season? Usually by this time of year in recent years, reception of both these stations becomes quite reliable (five or six nights out of every seven on average in my experience) from around 0200 UT on. Not this year, so far. I'm averaging good reception only one or two out of every seven days. Any theories? The declining solar cycle perhaps? (John Figliozzi, Halfmoon NY, May 9, swprograms via DXLD) ###