DX LISTENING DIGEST 3-190, October 25, 2003 edited by Glenn Hauser IMPORTANT NOTE: our hotmail accounts are being phased out. Please do not use them any further, but instead woradio at yahoo.com or wghauser at yahoo.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 [note change] http://www.w4uvh.net/dxldtd3j.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 1204: RFPI: Sat 2330, Sun 0530, 1130, Mon 0030, 0630, 1230, Wed 0100, 0730 on 7445 [times nominal, subject to great variation] WWCR: Sun 0230 on 5070, 0630 on 3210, Wed 1030 on 9475 WBCQ: Mon 0515 on 7415, 5105 WRN : Europe Sun 0530, North America Sun 1500 WRN ONDEMAND: http://new.wrn.org/listeners/stations/station.php?StationID=24 OUR ONDEMAND AUDIO [also for CONTINENT OF MEDIA, MUNDO RADIAL]: Check http://www.worldofradio.com/audiomid.html WORLD OF RADIO 1204 (high version): (stream) http://www.w4uvh.net/wor1204h.ram (download) http://www.w4uvh.net/wor1204h.rm (summary) http://www.worldofradio.com/wor1204.html WORLD OF RADIO 1204 (low version): (stream) http://www.w4uvh.net/wor1204.ram (download) http://www.w4uvh.net/wor1204.rm UNSOLICITED TESTIMONIAL Re 3-189: Glenn, As usual, great stuff! I am proud of you, now drop and give me twenty son! DBF (Duane B. Fischer, MI) ** ALBANIA. This version appears to be more accurate than that in the previous issue, since it is copied directly from R. Tirana rather than retyped or scanned: e.g. 6115 and both 0200 and 0330, not `6165` at 0330 (gh) RADIO TIRANA, III-rd CHANNEL BROADCASTING PROGRAM IN ALBANIAN LANGUAGE During the Winter Season B 03 (26 0ctober 2003 ÷ 27 March 2004) ============================================================= Nr.|Language|Destinat.|Time-UTC |Tx/Pwr-kW |Frq-khz|Wave|Beam| ---|--------|---------|---------|----------|-------|----|----| | | | |Cerrik/100| 7110 | 41 |OND | | | |0900-1000|----------|-------|----|----| | | | |Fllake/500| 1395 |215 | 33 | | | |---------|----------|-------|----|----| | | |1500-1800|Shijak/100| 7270 | 41 |OND | | | | |Fllake/500| 1215 |247 |OND | 1. |Albanian| Europe |---------|----------|-------|----|----| | | | |Cerrik/100| 7295 | 41 |350 | | | |2130-2300|----------|-------|----|----| | | | |Fllake/500| 1458 |206 |338 | | |---------|---------|----------|-------|----|----| | | North |0000-0300|Cerrik/100| 7270 | 41 |305 | | |America |---------|----------|-------|----|----| | | |0300-0430|Cerrik/100| 7270 | 41 |305 | ------------------------------------------------------------- RADIO TIRANA, III-rd CHANNEL BROADCASTING PROGRAM IN FOREIGN LANGUAGES During the Winter Season B 03 (26 0ctober 2003 ÷ 27 March 2004) ============================================================== Nr.|Language|Destinat.|Time-UTC |Tx/Pwr-kW |Frq-khz|Wave|Beam| ---|--------|---------|---------|----------|-------|----|----| | | | |Cerrik/100| 9510 | 31 | 310| | | |1945-2000|----------|-------|----|----| | | | |Shijak/100| 7210 | 41 | 310| | | England |---------|----------|-------|----|----| | | | |Shijak/100| 7130 | 41 | 310| | | |2230-2300|----------|-------|----|----| | | | |Cerrik/100| 9540 | 31 | 305| 1.|English |---------|---------|----------|-------|----|----| | | | |Cerrik/100| 6115 | 49 | 305| | | |0245-0300|----------|-------|----|----| | | | |Cerrik/100| 7160 | 41 | 305| | | U.S.A. |---------|----------|-------|----|----| | | | |Cerrik/100| 6115 | 49 | 305| | | |0330-0400|----------|-------|----|----| | | | |Cerrik/100| 7160 | 41 | 305| ===|========|=========|=========|==========|=======|====|====| 2.|French | France |2000-2030|Shijak/100| 7210 | 41 | 310| ===|========|=========|=========|==========|=======|====|====| 3.| | | |Cerrik/100| 7185 | 41 | 350| |German | Germany |1830-1900|----------|-------|----|----| | | | |Fllake/500| 1458 |206 | 338| ===|========|=========|=========|==========|=======|====|====| 4.|Italian | Italy |1900-1930|Cerrik/100| 7240 | 41 |OND | ===|========|=========|=========|==========|=======|====|====| 5. | | Ex-Yugo-| |Shijak/100| 6135 | 49 |OND | |Serbian |slavia |2215-2230|Fllake/500| 1215 |247 |OND | ===|========|=========|=========|==========|=======|====|====| 6.|Greek | Greece |1815-1830|Cerrik/100| 6130 | 49 |OND | ===|========|=========|=========|==========|=======|====|====| 7.|Turkish | Turkey |1800-1815|Cerrik/100| 6130 | 49 |OND | -------------------------------------------------------------- Albanian Winter Time = GMT + 1 Albanian Summer Time = GMT + 2 = UTC + 1 = UTC + 2 Note: The foreign languages programmes will be prepared and aired only for the first six days of the week (from Monday to Saturday), while NO broadcasting will be available on Sunday (via Sandipan Basu Mallick, [DX Unlimited], Howrah, INDIA, BCLNews.it via DXLD) ** AUSTRALIA. DST starts this weekend, Sunday at 2 am local, and this has some impact on R. Australia scheduling, since some programs are taken live off one of the domestic networks. The main shifters until Marchend are Grandstand, the sporting alternative stream, Sat & Sun now from *0100 UT (length variable); and Australia All Over, expands from two to three hours, at 1900-2200 UT Sat (local Sunday morning). There will be some other minor changes [not specified]. On the other hand, some RN programs are carried live in winter, but delayed an hour by machine during DST so they will stay at the same UT [in the local evening/night, I think]. DST has already been observed in Tasmania for two weeks; from Oct 26 clocks in SA, NT, NSW and VIC are forwarded an hour, but not in WA or Q, making for a very confusing situation for travellers and broadcasters. In Victoria it is being discussed whether to have more or less DST. Because of maintenance at Shepparton, RA`s new schedule will be delayed until Nov 17! And has not yet been released. However, from Oct 26 there is a new RA broadcast towards Java and South India, perhaps Europe beyond that, at 1400-1600 on 11750, via 250 kW Darwin. Such an English transmission to S & SE Asia has been a high priority and missing for several years, so it will contain special programming, it seems, not \\ other RA frequencies, at least on M-F: In the first hour, local news, and the `PM` Program, which is considered so important that it is OK to delay it 6 hours; in the second hour, RA`s own production, non-delayed, Asia Pacific, and at 1530 an RA feature. Reception reports are wanted on this new transmission, to Box 428-G, Melbourne 3000; or english @ ra.abc.net.au (Roger Broadbent, with John Westland, RA Feedback Oct 24, notes by gh for DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** AUSTRALIA. /ECUADOR: Winter B-03 schedule for HCJB-Australia via Kununurra: 0100-0130 Urdu 15555 KNX 075 kW / 307 deg to South Asia 0130-0300 English 15555 KNX 075 kW / 307 deg to South Asia 0800-1100 English 11750 KNX 050 kW / 120 deg to South Pacific DXPL Sat 0830 1230-1700 English 15390 KNX 075 kW / 307 deg to South Asia DXPL Sat 1430 1700-1730 Urdu 15405 KNX 075 kW / 307 deg to South Asia (Observer, Bulgaria, Oct 24, via DXLD) 0830 airing had been on Tue for a few months; are they really moving it back to Sat? The DXPL homepage still says Tue, but it`s always behind the times (gh, DXLD) ** BELGIUM [non]. Re: ``1830-1855 13790 SAC 250 kW / 180 deg to SoWeEu [sic?, Sackville at 180 deg?, in A-03 was Skelton-UK 180]`` Sackville would be indeed plausible since 22 metres is too high for an European site at 1830 during winter, just compare it with the 41 metres from Tbilisskaya. This could be the result of all suitable antennas at UK sites being already occupied at this time, forcing Merlin to throw in Sackville as they did years ago with their Merlin Network One. In this case the beam heading of 180 degrees would be wrong of course (Kai Ludwig, Germany, Oct 25, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** BURMA [non]. BURMESE OPPOSITION RADIO TO CHANGE MORNING BROADCAST FREQUENCIES 27 OCTOBER | Text of report by Burmese opposition radio on 22 October Dear listeners, DVB [Democratic Voice of Burma] has planned to change the broadcasting frequencies of its morning transmission from Monday, 27 October. The new transmission frequencies will be 49 metre band shortwave at 5945 KHz and 25 metre band shortwave at 12055 kHz. We would like to inform our listeners that beginning from Monday 27 October the morning transmission will be changed from the current 31 metre band to 49 metre band and 25 metre band shortwave. Source: Democratic Voice of Burma, Oslo, in Burmese 1430 gmt 22 Oct 03 (via BBCM via DXLD) That would be via Germany and Madagascar resp. (gh) ** CANADA. Glenn, While this does not concern the SW bands, it is about the legendary "Big 8", CKLW in Windsor, Ontario on 800 kHz. CKLW-AM on 800 kHz in Windsor, Ontario is undergoing a complete rebuild of their antenna system. With a five tower system, CKLW transmits 24/7 with 50 kW. Four of the towers were brought down this past week after nearly 60 years of use. For several more weeks, CKLW is using reduced power of 10 kW fed into a single omni directional antenna. The four towers currently down are to be replaced a.s.a.p. and after they are up and the transmitter is switched over to them, the fifth tower will also be replaced. When that is done, the station is to return to its full 50,000 output. No changes are to be made to the current antenna configuration, simply a complete rebuild of the antenna structure. 73 (Bill Leal, Windsor, Ontario, Oct 25, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** CANADA. CIAO, 530, Toronto is Multi-culti. Here's their schedule, with everything from Portuguese to Hindi to Urdu: http://www.am530.ca/main.html s (Scott Fybush, NRC-AM via DXLD) ** CANADA. Have been enjoying CBC`s Vinyl Café on Saturday mornings via RCI at 1405 on 9515, 13655, 17800. As the title might not tell you, it`s mostly storytelling, not only by the host Stuart McLean, but he also reads/performs contributions from listeners in the Story Exchange. Sort of the Prairie Home Companion of Canada, except better. This is from CBC Radio Two, Eastern Zone feed, i.e. 10:05 am, but it`s also on CBC Radio One, Sundays at 12:05 pm local, i.e. 1505 UT in Atlantic feed, plus 1/2/3/4 hours westward. Show page: http://www.cbc.ca/vinylcafe/ Now for B-03 RCI changes 17800 to 17820, just as well since there`s a low het on 17800, probably Nigeria, and time shifts to 1505 UT Sats (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** CANADA. THE CBC IS WORTH FIGHTING FOR More cuts are destroying CBC/Radio-Canada's ability to portray this country's victories, concerns, and history, warns CBC chair By CAROLE TAYLOR From Wednesday's Globe and Mail POSTED AT 4:36 AM EDT Wednesday, Oct. 22, 2003 Public Broadcasting matters. Canadian public broadcasting matters even more. At its best, public broadcasting is an independent voice in a world of competitive broadcasting with no agenda other than to inform and entertain. Because of public financial support, public broadcasting is able to present cultural events, policy debates and other niche programming that is ''valuable'' but may not be ''profitable'' . . . programming that is challenging, sometimes controversial, but not necessarily ratings-driven. Democratic countries around the world, including France, Italy, Belgium, Britain, Australia, and even the United States believe that public broadcasting has a role to play in their sense of nationhood. The case is even stronger for Canada, a country sharing borders with the world's superpower. And, indeed, many Canadians do recognize the importance of having our own voice heard: In a recent survey, 9 in 10 responded in support of CBC/Radio-Canada. And yet, this spring, $50-million over two years was cut from the Canadian Television Fund, one week before CBC finalized its budget for the year. Last month, mid-year, an additional $10-million cut to CBC/Radio-Canada was confirmed. In fact, from the time I was working in the studio in the early 1990s until today, while our services to Canadians have multiplied, CBC's parliamentary appropriation, in constant dollars, has dropped by $319-million. This death by a thousand cuts cannot go on. Canadians are living at a particular moment in history when the pressures to harmonize and globalize are enormous. In the North American context, there is an inevitability to this integration. We know that our country is working closely with the United States to ensure that border security and immigration policies are complementary, not in conflict. The free-trade agreement is a formal means of enabling a closer integration of our economies, and we're now talking about a joint North American missile defence system. And to say we and our children are swamped with American music, American heroes, American television is an understatement. The trick is not to drown. So what does all this mean to Canada, the true north strong and free? How does all this harmonization affect our ability to be independent thinkers? Does it matter? Does Canada matter? I don't pretend to have the answers, but I am opinionated about how we must position the questions. It is time for a Canada agenda. If we are going to continue to exist as a strong, independent nation in any meaningful way, we must balance the scales of North American integration with a strong sense of who we are as a country. To do this, we, as Canadians, must actively identify and support those institutions that tell our stories, hold our history, protect and project our values: our justice system, our academic institutions, our cultural and social service organizations . . . our public broadcasting system. This is a dangerous time for Canadians to be passive. It is the mandate of CBC/Radio-Canada to be the Canadian stage for Canadian voices. Pieces of our history -- Trudeau, Canada: A People's History, A hauteur d'homme, The Trial of Louis Riel, Chartrand et Simonne -- are written, produced and presented, not only for us, but for our children and their children as well. This is our history; our stories won't be told by anyone else. At times of international crisis, Canadians turn to CBC/Radio-Canada for accurate information and independent analysis. On Sept. 11, we needed to see this international tragedy through Canadian eyes, analyzed by Canadian experts, commented on by Canadian politicians. Beyond the horror of the event, what did it mean to Canada, to our security, our immigration policy, our values? A public broadcaster must provide context, a forum for debate. How else are we to test our ideas as citizens or question our policies as a country? How else are we to have a national conversation? Of course, there are moments of lightness and jubilation for CBC/Radio-Canada as well. Were you watching when Canada's women, and then our men, won hockey gold at last year's Olympics? I was, along with 10 million other Canadians -- a shared moment of celebration across our vast country. The fact is, a public broadcaster has the luxury and the responsibility of pre-empting its schedule for breaking news, a national emergency, or the Olympics in a way that private networks cannot -- because we are supported by taxpayers from every part of Canada and, therefore, are not dependent on advertising revenue to make a profit. CBC/Radio-Canada presents a prime-time schedule that is almost 90-per-cent Canadian so that our best artists, performers, thinkers and storytellers can be heard. We broadcast on radio, television and the Internet, in French, English and eight aboriginal languages . . . all for $29 per Canadian per year. But, and I say this flatly: We cannot fulfill our mandate, we cannot fulfill our dreams of regional reflection and cultural diversity, we cannot do the job you want us to do, without adequate, stable financial support. To those critics who accuse CBC/Radio Canada of being inefficient and wasteful, I invite them to take a closer look. Across the country we are reevaluating all of our properties; when we find excess space we sell or lease it so that those dollars can be put back into programming where they belong. The leasing of space in Toronto and Regina has resulted in a $5-million boost to our budget. As well, an aggressive energy conservation initiative has already saved us $1.8-million per year . . . and we've only just begun. And finally we are actively encouraging a closer working relationship among our four media lines that should result not only in better programming but also in a better sharing of our resources. However, at the end of the day, public broadcasting is either an idea Canadians value, or it is not. It is either part of a strong, independent Canada, or not. I will appear tomorrow, along with CBC president Robert Rabinovitch, before the Senate Committee on Transport and Communications, which is now looking at the state of media industries in Canada, to argue that Canadians need choices, and that CBC/Radio-Canada should be enthusiastically supported as one of the broadcasting options available to all Canadians. Carole Taylor is chair of the CBC/Radio-Canada board of directors. (c) 2003 Bell Globemedia Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved. (via Mike Cooper, DXLD) ** CHAD. RSF PROTESTS CLOSURE OF RADIO STATION UN Integrated Regional Information Networks October 24, 2003 Posted to the web October 24, 2003 http://allafrica.com/stories/200310240383.html Abidjan --- The government of Chad has closed down the community radio station FM Liberté for criticising President Idriss Deby, the media watch-dog Reporters Sans Frontières (RSF) said. The radio station was taken off the air indefinitely by the Public Security Ministry on Tuesday for "illegal operation and deviant behaviour," it added. RSF said the radio station was closed after airing a broadcast that compared Deby to his brutal predecessor, Hissene Habré, whom he overthrew in 1990. The radio station had also accused Deby of bringing into Chad "predators, destroyers of the economy and professional killers who hold the power of life and death over other citizens". Condemning the closure of FM Liberté, RSF secretary general Robert Menard said: "The evolution of freedom of expression in Chad had been relatively positive in recent years. Unfortunately, we are compelled to note that certain subjects remain taboo, especially when the president and his entourage are involved." He said two journalists of the radio station had spent two months in prison after criticising the President's mother-in-law a few months back. "This is not the first time that the country's authorities have attacked FM-Liberté, which is known to have close ties to human rights organisations," Menard added. On 17 October, the radio station's editor-in-chief, Dobian Assinge,r was officially cautioned on the orders of Communication Minister Moctar Wawa Dahab, RSF said. FM-Liberté has been subject to government pressure in the past, it noted. During the 2001 presidential election, the station was ordered to stop broadcasting political debates. And in February 2002, it was taken of the air for three weeks for disrupting public order after reporting on a student demonstration in Cameroon. (via Mike Terry, DXLD) ** CHINA [non]. CRI in Chinese on 9790 at 0423 Oct 25 accompanied by whistles, just like at 1400 on 17720 via Cuba, so I suspect this is also via Cuba, tho unscheduled at this hour --- just English at 0300- 0357. I wonder where the whistles are coming from --- off the satellite feed, or out of the transmitter in Cuba (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** CUBA [non]. Caught the title of the nostalgia music show on R. Martí, this Sat Oct 25 at 1345 on 7405: ``Cubanola``; don`t know when it started, maybe 1305, and henceforth 1405 and no longer on 7405 (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** DOMINICAN REPUBLIC. HIAF, 580, Monte Cristi, Oct 24, 0033, Man talk followed by a bachata song with nice synthesizer, then ID with possible call-letters and "Radio Monte Cristi" slogan, then a more up- tempo meringue tune. Strong signal, just under WTAG. New for me, Dominican Republic #3! I`m sure I had them last November at a fair level in mess with WTAG and Jamaica, but they were in for just 30 minutes with merengue music and I didn`t hear any ID, so I could not confirm it. I had a very big chance to DX the last evening in nice auroral conditions. I had Latins on half the frequencies from 530 to 1110 in the car-radio after a road to Île-Perrôt and to the commercial center of Fairview in Pointe-Claire to eat an extremely great Chinese food and to play chess (Bogdan Chiochiu in Pierrefonds, QC, DX`ing on his father`s Mazda Protégé 2002 car-radio, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** EGYPT. R. Cairo to Europe, 2115-2245 on 9990 [but now changing B-03 to 9985, per 3-182]: DAILY: 2117 Oriental Music, 2120 News Headlines, 2130 News, 2215 News in Brief, 2242 Oriental Music Mon: 2125 Knowing Islam, 2140 Commentary, 2145 Arabic Song, 2150 Tourism in Brief, 2200 In the Mailbag, 2220 Reception Reports, 2225 Top Hits Tue: 2125 Around the World, 2140 Spotlight on the Middle East, 2150 Arabic Song, 2155 Sports round-up, 2205 A Short Story, 2120 Tourism in Egypt, 2230 Music Box Wed: 2125 Islamic Panorama, 2140 Commentary, 2145 Arabic Song, 2150 Europe in the Arab Press, 2200 A Story of a Place, 2205 Egypt on the Internet, 2210 Road to Progress, 2220 Cairo Magazine Thu: 2125 Galleries & Exhibitions, 2140 An Eye on Events, 2145 Arabic Song, 2150 Egypt in the Eyes of a Visitor, 2200 When Science Spoke Arabic, 2210 Road to Progress, 2200 Cultural Life in Egypt, 2230 Down Memory Lane Fri: 2125 Light Domestic News, 2140 Commentary, 2145 Arabic Song, 2150 Book Review, 2155 Egyptian-European Relations, 2200 Women`s Corner, 2210 On the Silver Screen, 2220 Scientific Lie in Egypt, 2230 The Holy Kor`an and its Meaning Sat: 2125 Economy in Focus, 2140 Press Review, 2150 Arabic Song, 2155 Stamp Collectors Club, 2205 The Environment, 2220 Islam in Intellectual Focus, 2230 Egyptology Sun: 2125 Guess the Answer, 2140 Commentary, 2145 Arabic Song, 2150 You ask...We Answer, 2155 Vanguards from Ancient Egypt, 2205 Listeners Mail, 2220 Sunday Show (via Patrick Travers, Radio World, Oct World DX Club Contact via DXLD) ** FRANCE [and non]. Radio France International. The dates are not on the website but I believe this is the B03 schedule. 0400 East Africa and the Indian Ocean 11910, 11700, 13610, 9550 0500 East Africa and the Indian Ocean 11685, 15155, 17800 0600 East Africa and the Indian Ocean 17800, 21620, West Africa 11665 0700 West Africa 15605 1200 West Africa 17815, East Africa and the Indian Ocean 25820, 21620 1400 Middle East 17515, Asia 11610, 17515 1600 West Africa 15255, Central Africa 17850, 9730, Middle East 15605, East Africa and the Indian Ocean 15605, 9730 (Dan Sampson, WI, Prime Time Shortwave http://www.primetimeshortwave.com 10/25, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** GUADELOUPE. Radio Guadeloupe, 640, Pointe-à-Pitre, OCT 24 0013 - Man announcer talking with young women about their relationships in Parisian accented French and also gave an RFO e-mail address. At 0024 when he mentioned "Radio Guadeloupe" my father was amazed ! Booming way over any QRM like co-channel Radio Progreso-Cuba, though occasionally Progreso was stronger: I heard them playing zouk music too, but at times the interference was bigger so I probably mixed up zouk and salsa on 1 occasion. Usually I replay my tape before writing a report ! I will be able to do this soon again. [see DOMINICAN REPUBLIC] (Bogdan Chiochiu in Pierrefonds, QC, DX`ing on his father`s Mazda Protégé 2002 car-radio, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** HONDURAS. 4832.05, R. Litoral, 25 Oct., OC, then *1055:10 ID, sign- on announcement by M in echo over instrumental music. 1056-1115 agonizingly long (repetitive melody) live religious pop-like song. 1115 M over end of song briefly, 1115-1118 talk by 2 men over subtle instrumental music with mention of "casa de Israel". 1118 short canned ID by M over piano music. Then another live religious song. Fairly good with some slop QRM from 4830. Heard the night before as well signing off at 0459* (Dave Valko, PA, Cumbre DX via DXLD) ** INTERNATIONAL WATERS [and non]. Back on the water again: David Clark, KB6TAM --- the oldest person to circumnavigate the globe solo - -- is back under sail, this time to spend some time in the Caribbean. Clark, now 79, completed his near-disastrous round-the-world sail on December 7, 2001, when he sailed into Fort Lauderdale, Florida, after two years on the high seas. During his adventure, Clark used ham radio to keep in touch with his wife, Lynda, in California, and with friends around the world. Ham radio also helped save his life after his first vessel, the Mollie Milar, foundered off South Africa and was lost. Clark subsequently resumed his voyage in another vessel, which he named Mickey in honor of his canine traveling companion of the same name who was lost when the Mollie Milar went down. Lynda Clark reports that her husband planned to spend a few days in Nassau, the Bahamas, and might play clarinet at one of the Poop Deck restaurants owned by his friend Eloy Roldan. He has ham radio aboard the Mickey. She says Clark is continuing to work on a book about his circumnavigation. An article by Clark appeared in the September issue of Soundings, http://www.soundingsonline.com/ a boating industry publication (ARRL Letter Oct 24 via John Norfolk, DXLD) ** IRAQ [and non]. THE MEDIA IN POST-WAR IRAQ - UPDATED 24 OCTOBER In October 2003 the Coalition Provisional Authority (CPA) invited applications for broadcasting licences in Iraq. According to the CPA web site, the Iraqi government will eventually have full responsibility for radio frequency spectrum management, including the licensing of all users of the radio spectrum. However, "during this interim period, the CPA, under Order Number 11, is the licensing authority and radio frequency spectrum manager." Applications will be processed by the Ministry of Communications. In an initiative to launch a domestic broadcasting service independent of Coalition influence, the Iraqi Broadcasting Corporation (IBC) was set up in September 2003 by a number of Iraqi businessmen and media figures with an initial investment of 10m US dollars to produce TV and radio broadcasts. The IBC has stated its intention to operate independently from any government or authority. However, for the time being the Iraqi Media Network (IMN), operated by the Coalition Provisional Authority, still dominates domestic broadcasting. A political debate is under way in the USA about the future of the IMN, according to the Washington Post on 16 October. Republican Senator Richard G. Lugar, chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, wants the Senate to block the US Army's 100m-dollar plan to expand the IMN and create a major national newspaper out of the small publication currently printed in Baghdad. Instead, Lugar wanted funds for the project to be transferred to the State Department. The IMN will soon be renamed the Al-Iraqiya Network, the Post report added. A joint UN and World Bank needs assessment mission to Iraq in August concluded that the country needed a genuine public service oriented broadcaster that could provide the population with credible news about developments in their country. Decisions on following up this assessment will be taken at the donors' meeting in Madrid on 23-24 October. At the time of writing, more than 210 newspapers and other publications are available. The following new Iraqi press and broadcast sources have been traced since the previous 1 October 2003 issue of "The media in post-war Iraq": NEW RADIO BROADCASTS IN IRAQ SINCE 1 OCTOBER 2003 Holy Koran Radio - Karbala A Holy Koran Radio station was due to open in the Shi'i city of Karbala on 11 October, the Baghdad newspaper Al- Dustur reported on 6 October. The station would operate under the supervision of Grand Ayatollah Sayyid Muhammad Taqi al-Midrasi. A Holy Koran TV station was already broadcasting for two hours a day in Karbala, the report noted. NEW IRAQI PRESS SINCE 1 OCTOBER 2003 [list snipped for DXLD] SURVEY REVEALS FAVOURITE PRESS, RADIO AND TV STATIONS The London-based newspaper Al-Zaman on 14 October published highlights of the results of a survey conducted by the Iraq Centre for Studies and Strategic Research. Al-Zaman was the preferred choice of most Iraqi newspaper readers. The report went on: "The survey revealed that 40 per cent of Iraqis watch the Iraqi Media Network [IMN] and of those, 50 per cent believe that it is credible. Meanwhile, 95 per cent of Iraqis watch nine Iraqi (?pan-Arab) satellite channels, of which Al-Jazeera received 14 per cent with regard to viewing and credibility, followed by Al-Arabiyah. [Sentence as published] Meanwhile, the percentage of those watching Iranian television reached 75 per cent. "The survey revealed that 62 per cent of those included in the survey listen to the radio, 17 per cent of whom listen to the BBC, followed by the IMN while Kuwait Radio scored only one per cent." PRESS [long list snipped for DXLD] ADVERTISING AND PRICES OF BAGHDAD NEWSPAPERS Most papers charge 300 Iraqi dinars per centimetre on inside pages and 1,000 Iraqi dinars per cm on the front page. (The approximate exchange rate is 1,570 dinars to the US dollar.) The Coalition-sponsored Al- Sabah charges 750 Iraqi dinars per cm on the inside pages and 2,500 Iraqi dinars per cm on the front page. The cost for adverts in Al- Zaman is the highest. As of early July, Al-Zaman charged the same rates in its Baghdad and London editions, with a 7 cm x 5 cm advertisement running for three days costing over 1,000 US dollars. At the same time, Al-Zaman is the most popular newspaper for advertising, with several government agencies and commercial enterprises in Iraq running adverts in the paper. The prices of Iraqi papers available in Baghdad generally range from 150 Iraqi dinars to 350 dinars, with most costing 250-300 dinars. However, prices change as demand for the paper fluctuates. For example, the Shi'i-backed Al-Hawzah has a published price of 250 dinars but has actually sold for 350 dinars. More expensive Arabic papers from Jordan and Kuwait are sold at 400-450 Iraqi dinars. KURDISH PRESS [snipped] POST-WAR BROADCAST MEDIA RADIO FM BAND IN BAGHDAD (MHz) 89.0 - BBC World Service in Arabic 89.9 - Iranian Payam network in Persian 90.1 - Iranian Voice of the Mujahidin in Arabic 93.0 - Iranian Javan (Youth) network in Persian 93.5 - Radio Monte Carlo-Middle East 94.8 - Continuous Arabic music - no announcements 96.7 - Iranian IRIB Arabic Service 98.0 - BBC World Service in English 98.1 - Iranian Payam network in Persian 98.3 - Baghdad FM Radio 100.4 - US Radio Sawa in Arabic 101.6 - Iranian Javan (Youth) network in Persian 102.4 - Radio Free Iraq (RFE/RL) 104.1 - IQ4 Radio Iraq in English 107.8 - American Forces Network in English AM/MEDIUMWAVE (kHz) 531 - (Iranian) IRIB Radio Sarasarye network in Persian 540 - Radio Kuwait Main Programme in Arabic 549 - (Saudi) BSKSA General Programme in Arabic 558 - IRIB Radio Farhang network in Persian 576 - IRIB Arabic Service 585 - (Saudi) BSKSA General Programme in Arabic 594 - IRIB Radio Sarasarye network in Persian 612 - IRIB Arabic Service 630 - Radio Kuwait Koran Programme in Arabic 639 - IRIB World Service in Kurdish 648 - (Saudi) BSKSA General Programme in Arabic 657 - New Iraq Radio in Arabic and Kurdish 666 - IRIB Radio Sarasarye network in Persian 693 - US Information Radio in Arabic 702 - IRIB Radio Sarasarye network in Persian 711 - IRIB Ahwaz regional in Arabic 720 - Voice of the Mujahidin in Arabic 729 - Emirates Radio, UAE, in Arabic 756 - Information Radio in Arabic 783 - BSKSA 2nd Programme in Arabic 819 - Syrian Arab Republic Radio Main Programme in Arabic 837 - IRIB Isfahan regional in Persian 855 - BSKSA Koran Programme in Arabic 864 - Radio Nejat in Persian 873 - BSKSA Koran Programme in Arabic 882 - BSKSA Koran Programme in Arabic 900 - IRIB Radio Sarasarye network in Persian 909 - Radio Nahrain 918 - Syrian Arab Republic Radio Main Programme in Arabic 936 - BSKSA Koran Programme in Arabic 954 - Radio Qatar in Arabic 972 - IRIB Radio Sarasarye network in Persian 981 - IRIB Radio Sarasarye network in Persian 990 - IRIB Radio Sarasarye network in Persian 1000 - Voice of the Worker Communist Party of Iraq 1026 - Iraqi Media Network - Radio Baghdad in Arabic 1053 - Republic of Iraq Radio, Voice of the Iraqi People in Arabic 1071 - IRIB Radio Ma'aref network in Persian 1089 - BSKSA 2nd Programme in Arabic 1089 - Radio Russia in Russian 1134 - Radio Kuwait Main Programme in Arabic 1152 - IRIB Radio Farhang network in Persian 1161 - IRIB Arabic Service 1170 - (US-run) Radio Farda in Persian 1179 - Voice of Iraq 1188 - IRIB Radio Payam network in Persian 1197 - IRIB Moghan regional in Persian 1224 - IRIB Arabic Service 1233 - Radio Monte Carlo Middle East, Cyprus 1242 - Radio Sultanate of Oman 1251 - IRIB Radio Sarasarye network in Persian 1260 - (US-run) Radio Sawa, Rhodes, Greece 1269 - Radio Kuwait Modern Arabic Music Service 1278 - IRIB Kermanshah regional in Persian 1287 - IDF Radio, Israel, in Hebrew 1295 - Voice of Azerbaijan in Azeri - Radio Liberty relay 1305 - Radio Al-Mustaqbal 1305 - IRIB Bushehr regional in Persian 1314 - (US-run) Radio Free Iraq via Abu Dhabi 1323 - BBC World Service, Cyprus, in English 1332 - IRIB Tehran regional in Persian 1341 - Radio Kuwait 2nd Programme in Arabic 1395 - Voice of Armenia in Armenian 1422 - BSKSA Foreign Language Programme in French 1430 - IRIB Radio Sarasarye network in Persian 1440 - BSKSA General Programme in Arabic 1449 - IRIB World Service in Russian 1467 - BSKSA General Programme in Arabic 1476 - Emirates Radio, UAE, in Arabic 1485 - IRIB Radio Sarasarye network in Persian 1503 - IRIB Radio Sarasarye network in Persian 1512 - BSKSA Koran Programme in Arabic 1521 - BSKSA General Programme in Arabic 1521 - IRIB Radio Farhang network in Persian 1530 - IRIB Radio Sarasarye network in Persian 1539 - (US-run) Radio Farda in Persian 1548 - (US-run) Radio Sawa in Arabic 1566 - Radio of the Land of the Two Rivers in Arabic 1575 - Continuous pop music - no announcements observed 1575 - Radio Asia, UAE, in Urdu 1593 - VoA English/Kurdish/Persian + Radio Free Iraq Iraqi Media Network, Voice of New Iraq - operated by the Coalition Provisional Authority. Has also identified as Republic of Iraq Radio from Baghdad and Voice of Free Iraq (Sawt al-Iraq al-Hurr). Broadcasts on 98.3 MHz FM in Baghdad. On 27 May 2003 the station was observed on 1026 kHz announcing as Iraqi Media Network-Radio Baghdad. Shamin Rassam, an Iraqi-American, directs IMN's FM radio outlet as well as news bulletins on the mediumwave station, according to the Washington Post. Radio Nahrain Since the end of March 2003, Radio Nahrain, also known as Twin Rivers Radio, has been transmitting on FM on 100.4 and 94.6 MHz from a location south of Basra. It has also been monitored on 96.0 MHz and 909 kHz mediumwave. The station is operated by British forces, but was due to be taken over at some stage by the Coalition Provisional Authority. A new radio station called the Voice of Iraq was launched in Baghdad on 27 August, the Iraqi newspaper Al-Zaman reported. Voice of Iraq is supervised by the International Agency for Free Media, a media institution run by Iraqis that was active abroad during the Saddam Husayn regime and covered Iraqi news and domestic developments via the Internet. The station broadcasts on 1179 kHz. It covers Baghdad and nearby towns including Mahawil, Ba'qubah and Fallujah. In its news bulletins, Voice of Iraq reports news about Iraq from an international perspective as well as from local sources, and cites reports from news agencies such as AFP. The bulletins are interspersed with Shi'i religious and patriotic songs. IQ4 Radio Iraq In Baghdad, a previously unidentified FM radio station on 104.1 MHz playing continuous Arabic and Western pop music was observed on 16 August with the following announcement in English: "This is IQ4 Radio Iraq, Iraq's first independent music station, 104.1 FM". Voice of Freedom, Voice of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan radio in Arabic and Kurdish is operated by the PUK. It broadcasts daily from 1000-1900 gmt on 95.0 MHz. The station identifies on air as "Radio Freedom". Turkomaneli TV and radio was launched in Kirkuk in April 2003 and broadcasts on behalf of the Iraqi Turkoman Front. Turkomaneli Radio opened radio stations in Talla'far and Mosul on 6 and 8 May respectively, the Iraqi Turkoman Front newspaper Turkomaneli reported on 11 May. Dangi Komal-Kirkuk radio broadcasts on 1341 kHz in Kurdish, Arabic and Turkish to Kirkuk on behalf of the Kurdistan Islamic Group. The Worker-Communist Party of Iraq's "Radio Bopeshawa" is reportedly back on the air. The internet site of the Worker-Communist Party of Iraq http://www.wpiraq.org reports that Ila al-Amam (Forward) Radio [usually rendered as Radio Bopeshawa, meaning "Forward"], voice of the Worker-Communist Party of Iraq, broadcasts for one hour a day on shortwave from 1100 gmt (half an hour in Arabic and half an hour in Kurdish), to the areas of Arbil, Kirkuk and Mosul. The same programme is repeated between 0500-0600 gmt the next day. Identifies on air as "Voice of the Worker Communist Party of Iraq". Polish Radio --- The 4 September edition of Radio Polonia's "Multimedia" programme included information on relays of Polish Radio in Iraq. Polish Radio Programme 1 is received in Iraq by satellite and rebroadcast in the canteen on one of the four Polish bases; further loudspeaker relays will be added at the other bases. A studio has been set up to insert local programming and contribute to Polish Radio Programme 1, and there are plans to establish FM radio stations in the Polish controlled sector in Iraq to carry the programmes. Funding has also been provided for all Polish troops to be given radio receivers so they can listen to the broadcasts. The following are among stations in operation before April 2003 that continue to be heard inside Iraq: Voice of the People of Kurdistan, operated by the PUK Voice of Iraqi Kurdistan, operated by the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) Radio Azadi, Voice of the Communist Party of Iraqi Kurdistan Ashur Radio - The station reportedly began operation in April 2000 and is operated by the Assyrian Democratic Movement, an opposition organization in northern Iraq. It broadcasts in Assyrian and Arabic on shortwave, reportedly from a transmitter in Azerbaijan. Voice of the Iraqi People, Voice of the Iraqi Communist Party - The station broadcasts from northern Iraq, possibly using Kurdish facilities. Voice of the Mojahed, the Mojahedin-e Khalq Organization's radio, may still be located in Iraq. This radio broadcasts via shortwave, satellite and with archive audio files on the Internet. Following the fall of Saddam Husayn, the station was observed to have ceased broadcasting for a few days in April. The station is currently heard on various shortwave frequencies and on the Telstar 12 satellite at 15 degrees west, on frequency 12588 vertical, in parallel with the terrestrial frequencies. The web site of the radio station is at: www.iran.mojahedin.org Al-Mustaqbal [The Future] radio is operated by the Iraqi National Accord. TELEVISION The Iraqi Media Network launched on 13 May 2003. The Washington Post reported on 11 May that the US planned a nationwide Iraqi TV network to succeed the airborne Towards Freedom TV. The programme, initially for two hours but projected as a 24-hour full-service network, includes 30 minutes of news each night, including a local news segment, the report said. The station began broadcasts amid squabbling between its US and Canadian advisers, and complaints from its Iraqi journalists about "American censorship", international agencies reported. Since around 20 June the Iraqi Media Network TV has broadcast to Iraq from Eutelsat W1, located at 10 degrees east. At present Iraqi Media Network TV and radio programmes are prepared and pre-recorded in facilities in the Convention Centre near the headquarters of the Coalition Provisional Authority (CPA). They are physically taken to the TV and FM radio transmitter site some two km away to be broadcast. With 10 reporters and a staff of 50 in Baghdad only, the TV station broadcasts for up to 12 hours per day. The same reporters also work for radio. The role of the IMN in shaping post-war national broadcasting in Iraq, and the extent of its powers, came under the international spotlight at the beginning of August, when senior IMN official Ahmad al-Rikabi, head of US-backed Iraqi TV, resigned. Rikabi complained that inadequate funding prevented the station from competing with rival channels from Iran and the Gulf states. The IMN's director, George Mansur, said in an interview with the French news agency AFP on 22 August that the network had received new equipment and would broadcast 24 hours a day "within a few weeks". "The move is hoped to end weeks of squabbles at the channel, seen by many as nothing more than a mouthpiece of the coalition authorities in Iraq," the AFP report added. According to the Washington Post, the IMN's television network is capable of reaching about two-thirds of Iraqi homes. Iraqi TV Director George Mansur has said that Iraqi Satellite TV will resume broadcasting in October 2003, once 80m dollars worth of equipment arrives from the US and Britain, the Iraqi newspaper Al- Dustur reported on 28 September. TV operations will move from the Palace of Conferences to the old TV and radio training building within two weeks, Mansur added. US political debate about future of Iraqi Media Network A report in the Washington Post on 16 October said that Republican Senator Richard G. Lugar, chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, wanted the US Senate to block the US Army's 100m-dollar plan to expand the Iraqi Media Network and create a major national newspaper out of the small publication now printed in Baghdad. Instead, Lugar wanted funds for the project to be transferred to the State Department. "He has an amendment to the bill, now being debated on the Senate floor, that if passed would require President Bush to justify why money for the Iraqi Media Network is going to Defence Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld and not to the State Department, the Agency for International Development or the Broadcasting Board of Governors, three agencies familiar with foreign media projects," the Washington Post report said. It added that the IMN would soon be renamed the Al-Iraqiya Network. The new network "is to have two land-based television channels, one of which would be all news, and two radio stations, one all news. Its television news and public affairs material would also be made available throughout the Middle East by satellite," the Post reported. The Iraqi Broadcasting Corporation (IBC) was set up in September 2003 by a number of Iraqi businessmen and media figures with an initial investment of 10m US dollars to produce TV and radio broadcasts, the London-based newspaper Al-Zaman reported. Shahla Husayn, an IBC spokeswoman, said that the IBC would be a professional TV channel, "independent from any government or authority". Karbala - a local TV channel was launched on 16 April, according to United Arab Emirates Abu Dhabi TV on 6 May. Similar small-scale local channels are reported to be operating in Najaf and Kut, according to BBC News Online reporter Tarik Kafala, who visited the stations in June 2003. Ninawa TV was launched in mid-July 2003. The Baghdad newspaper Al-Ittihad reported on 14 July that an independent radio station called Ninawa Radio also operates in the city. Tikrit - US soldiers are working to fill a relative media vacuum in Tikrit, Saddam Husayn's home town 120 miles north of Baghdad, which has been bypassed by the proliferation of local print media that has occurred in many other cities across Iraq, the Associated Press news agency reported on 22 October. Maj Joe Cox, from the US Fourth Infantry Division headquarters, is leading a four-man team in charge of getting local media outlets up and running in Tikrit. They have set up a radio and TV station operating from Tikrit University as well as a transmitter to carry Iraqi Media Network radio and TV signals from Tikrit across the northern Salah al-Din Province, AP reported. Three weekly newspapers are distributed in Tikrit, but are published in Baghdad because there is no printing press in the town, the AP report added. Freedom TV [Al-Hurriyah TV] is a PUK-sponsored television station that began test transmissions from Baghdad on 30 April. A PUK statement said viewers can access Freedom TV on UHF channel 38 from 1700-2200 gmt. Mosul TV was the "first station" to resume transmission in Iraq after the overthrow of Saddam Husayn, Dubai-based news channel Al-Arabiya TV reported on 10 May. Kirkuk TV channel started broadcasts on 23 April "under the supervision of the coalition forces", according to a report by the Iraqi Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) newspaper Brayati on 25 April. Turkomaneli TV and radio was launched in Kirkuk in April 2003 and broadcasts on behalf of the Iraqi Turkoman Front. Turkomaneli Radio opened radio stations in Talla'far and Mosul on 6 and 8 May respectively, the Iraqi Turkoman Front newspaper Turkomaneli reported on 11 May. The Mojahedin-e Khalq Organization's (MKO) "Vision of Resistance TV" (Sima-ye Moqavemat) which was relayed by the former Republic of Iraq Television before and after normal broadcasting hours has not been reported on the air recently. Reportedly the studios were in Ashraf, north of Baghdad in Central Iraq. The only MKO TV programmes being traced at present are via satellite on the station "Simaye Azaidi Iran National TV" (Vision of Freedom National Iran TV), which is not located in Iraq but which the sat-address.com web site gives UK-based contact details. The web site is http://www.iranntv.com and satellites are the trans-Atlantic Telstar 12 at 15 degrees west (12588 MHz vertical), beamed to Europe and the Middle East. KurdSat, the television station of the PUK, has expanded its broadcasts to Kirkuk and Khanaqin. The KDP's television station Kurdistan TV now beams its programmes to Kirkuk and Mosul. The Iraqi newpaper Al-Qabas reported on 3 June that eight million satellite dishes would be imported from the United States, Japan, Korea and China. TV BAND IN BAGHDAD (sound frequencies in MHz ) VHF 194.75 - Iraqi Media Network Television 222.75 - Iranian Television First Channel UHF 484.75 - Iraqi Media Network Television 508.75 - Iranian Television First Channel 532.75 - Iranian Television Regional Service 604.75 - Iraqi Media Network Television 644.75 - Patriotic Union of Kurdistan Radio (in parallel with radio transmission on 4025 kHz) IRANIAN BROADCAST MEDIA ACCESSIBLE IN IRAQ TELEVISION The Iran-based Al-Alam TV channel in Arabic and English is a 24-hour news channel transmitted on four satellites (Arabsat, Asiasat, Telstar and Hot Bird satellites) and can be received in Europe, the Middle East, Asia and America. Al-Alam broadcasts into Baghdad from a powerful transmitter about 150 km away, just over the Iran-Iraq border. It is the only foreign channel that can be viewed by Iraqis without a satellite dish. That has sent its viewership soaring among Iraqis, who cannot afford a satellite dish and receiver. The Arabic channel began broadcasting in February 2003. English content currently is limited to horizontal news subtitles or news tickers. The station has a web site at www.alalamnews.com. Sahar Universal Network 1 and 2 television, Iran's external satellite TV service on the Hot Bird 1-6 satellites, is viewable across Iraq and includes Arabic programming. It broadcasts on the 13 degrees East Hot Bird 1-6 satellite daily from 0500-2300 gmt. Its web site is located at http://www.sahartv.com. Vision of the Islamic Republic of Iran television in Arabic is based in Tehran and sponsored by the state-run Vision of the Islamic Republic of Iran. It broadcasts daily to Iraq on the satellite parameter 11172 MHz V (6.8 MHz) 62 degrees East Intelsat 902. Al-Thaqalayn TV This channel, affiliated to an Iranian cultural institute of the same name, is targeted at viewers in Iraq and broadcasts religious programmes, the Tehran Times newspaper reported on 14 July. People in Iran's Ilam Province can watch the programmes as well, the report noted. Resistance Channel - this TV channel is called "Al-Estiqamah TV" in Arabic; in April 2003 it was reported to be using the facilities of Iranian radio and TV, including the aerial of Iran's Education Channel, to broadcast to Iraq. The station was inaugurated in early April 2003 by Ayatollah Baqr al-Hakim, the head of the Supreme Council for the Islamic Revolution in Iraq [SCIRI], according to the Tehran- based Baztab web site. The channel was untraced when checked from 5-7 July 2003, and may no longer be operational. A search of internet sites on 6 July revealed that the channel has left Intelsat 902, Hot Bird and Arabsat. RADIO Voice of the Mujahidin --- First observed on 17 April and broadcasting in Arabic, the station's content suggests that it is operated by the Iranian-backed Supreme Council for the Islamic Revolution in Iraq (SCIRI). In addition, the station is transmitting on one of several frequencies used by Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting for its external transmissions. Has been heard on 90.1 MHz FM, in parallel with 720 kHz. The content generally parallels that of the main SCIRI web site located at http://www.majlesaala.com. Voice of the Islamic Republic of Iran (VIRI) external service in Arabic can be heard on mediumwave and shortwave inside Iraq as well as via the Internet at http://www.irib.com. Voice of Rebellious Iraq --- broadcasts in Arabic and supports the Iranian-sponsored Shi'i group, the Supreme Council of the Islamic Revolution in Iraq (SCIRI); believed to transmit from Iran. The station was untraced when checked from 5-7 July 2003. INTERNATIONAL MEDIA Major international radio and television stations, such as pan-Arab satellite television stations, the BBC Arabic and World service radio, the Paris-based Radio Monte Carlo-Middle East, US Radio Sawa and US- sponsored Radio Free Iraq are available in Iraq. BBC World Service is now 24 hours a day in Arabic on FM in Baghdad and Basra. The FM frequencies are 89.0 MHz in Baghdad and 90.0 MHz in Basra in Arabic. BBC World Service in English can be heard on FM in Baghdad on 98.0 MHz, and in Basra on 88.0 MHz and 98.1 MHz. Radio Monte Carlo-Middle East is now on FM on 93.5 MHz in Baghdad for 24 hours a day. Radio Sawa is on FM in Baghdad (100.4 MHz), Arbil (100.5 MHz) and Sulaymaniyah (88.0 MHz), as well as on 1548 MW. Since mid-May 2003, Libya has been broadcasting specifically to Iraq in Arabic. The shortwave broadcasts carrry the following announcement: "This is the general centre for broadcasts beamed from the Great Jamahiriyah: A message to the people of the two rivers [Iraq]." Libya broadcasts to Iraq daily on 17600 kHz from 1200-1300 and on 7245, 9605, and 11660 kHz from 1800-1900 gmt. Syrian Arab Republic Radio is the Syrian state-owned radio's external service. It broadcasts on shortwave on 12085 and 13610 kHz. It has also been heard in Iraq on the MW frequency of 819 kHz between 1100 and 1145 gmt. Its satellite parameters are 11572 MHz H (7.2 MHz) on 16 degrees East Eutelsat W2, and 3803 MHz LCHP 40.50 W NSS 806. Its broadcast times are from 1100-1145, 1350-1450, 1830-1915 and 2215-2315 gmt. Radio Kuwait is the state-owned Kuwaiti radio. It can be received in Iraq on the MW frequency of 540 kHz 24 hours. Voice of Israel is Israel's state-owned radio. It broadcasts daily in Arabic on shortwave from 0300-2115 gmt on 5915 kHz and 12150 kHz. Access to all broadcast media is limited by the availability of electricity, radio and TV sets and the satellite equipment. INTERNET Uruklink, the Iraqi state internet service provider, operates a web site at http://www.uruklink.net which includes links to live audio streams from the BBC Arabic Service, Radio Sawa and Radio Monte Carlo- Middle East. The US-led Coalition Provisional Authority (CPA) that administers postwar Iraq has a web site (http://www.cpa-iraq.org). The web site carries transcripts of speeches by CPA administrator L. Paul Bremer and other officials, fact sheets on Iraqi ministries, public service announcements, press releases and official documents such as regulations and orders issued by the CPA. Source: BBC Monitoring research 24 Oct 03 (via DXLD) ** MAURITANIA [and non]. The Muslim holy month of Ramadan begins this Sunday 10/26. Look for stations from Muslim countries to stay on later than normal or to run 24 hours. During this current period of Auroral conditions, one station that should be widely heard is Mauritania-783, easily identifiable via its shortwave parallel on 4845 kHz. Good DX, (Marc DeLorenzo, Marstons Mills, Mass., NRC-AM via DXLD) ** MEXICO. I've heard XEEP 1060/6185 twice during the last week (Oct 19-24) with parallel music. This is so common that I don't write it down in my log book, so I can't give accurate details ... but it appears to be 6185 as far as I'm concerned! (Jim Renfrew - Byron NY, Oct 24, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ID mentioning 49m band at 0428 Oct 25 on 6185; weaker than usual, possibly due to propagation disturbances (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** MOLDOVA. L'adresse électronique de radio DMR radiopmr@ibox.ru semble ne pas fonctionner. Les courriers reviennent à l'expéditeur. Cest pourtant l'adresse qui est annoncée dans toutes les langues (Christian Ghibaudo - 24 octobre 2003) (informations issues de http://perso.wanadoo.fr/jm.aubier via DXLD) ** NETHERLANDS [non]. Hello, enclosed [mp3] the start of RNW's last hurra via Jülich. It was only on this occasion that I noted that Wertachtal 9860 used (actually: still does so for one and a half hour from now) to be a distinctive delay behind Jülich 6045. Probably Jülich took the Astra satellite output directly while Wertachtal received a feed from Deutsche Welle control room, probably via Eurobird, causing the delay. By the way, so far RNW transmissions started at xx27; now they are scheduled to start at xx00. Does this mean that there will be a "from Hilversum in Holland, this is" procedure at xx00, of course an abridged version instead of the full three minutes they did until now? Have a nice Saturday, (Kai Ludwig, Oct 25, DX LISTENING DIGEST) I think it was mentioned that the opening will be cut to one minute at xx59 (gh, DXLD) ** NEW ZEALAND. RADIO NZ'S NEW AUSSIE HEAD WANTS PROGRAMMING FOR ALL KIWIS --- 24 October 2003 Veteran Australian public broadcaster Peter Cavanagh does not think being a non-native will be a handicap to him in his new job as head of Radio New Zealand... http://www.stuff.co.nz/stuff/0,2106,2702866a11,00.html (via Jilly Dybka, TN, DXLD) ** OKLAHOMA. An article in this morning's Tulsa World speculates that KAKC-1300 "The Score" will soon change formats. Clear Channel dismissed the Tulsa general manager this week. The Tulsa metro area is currently graced with *3* all-sports stations -- KAKC-1300 "The Score", KTBZ-1430 "The Buzz" and KYAL-1550 simulcasting "The Sports Animal" WWLS-640. It'll be interesting to see how this develops..... 73, (Bruce Winkelman AA5CO Tulsa, OK, R8, Quantum Phaser, 2-130 foot wires, Oct 24, NRC-AM via DXLD) ** PHILIPPINES. WINTER B-03 SCHEDULE OF RADIO VERITAS ASIA: Bengali 0030-0055 15215 PUG 250 kW / 300 deg 1400-1425 9590 PUG 250 kW / 300 deg Burmese 2330-2355 11725 PUG 250 kW / 280 deg 1130-1155 11835 PUG 250 kW / 280 deg ex 9615 for B-02 Cantonese 2300-2325 11870 PUG 250 kW / 331 deg ex 12010 for B-02 Filipino 2230-2255 7265 PUG 250 kW / 331 deg 1500-1525 15360 PUG 250 kW / 300 deg Wed/Fri/Sun 1525-1555 15360 PUG 250 kW / 300 deg Mon/Tue/Thu/Sat Hindi 0030-0055 15570 PUG 250 kW / 300 deg 1330-1355 9590 PUG 250 kW / 300 deg Hmong 1000-1025 11850 PUG 250 kW / 280 deg ex 9555 for B-02 Indonesian 2300-2325 11820 PUG 250 kW / 222 deg 2300-2325 9505 PUG 250 kW / 222 deg 1200-1225 9505 PUG 250 kW / 222 deg Kachin 2330-2355 11705 PUG 250 kW / 280 deg 1230-1255 11835 PUG 250 kW / 280 deg ex 9615 for B-02 Karen 0000-0025 11725 PUG 250 kW / 280 deg 1200-1225 11835 PUG 250 kW / 280 deg ex 9615 for B-02 Mandarin 2100-2255 6190 PUG 250 kW / 350 deg 1000-1155 9520 PUG 250 kW / 355 deg Russian 0130-0225 17830 PUG 250 kW / 015 deg 1500-1555 11795 PUG 250 kW / 330 deg Sinhala 0000-0025 11820 PUG 250 kW / 280 deg 1330-1355 9520 PUG 250 kW / 280 deg Tamil 0030-0055 15520 PUG 250 kW / 280 deg 1400-1425 9520 PUG 250 kW / 280 deg Telugu 0100-0125 15530 PUG 250 kW / 280 deg 1430-1455 11880 PUG 250 kW / 280 deg ex 9535 for B-02 Urdu 0100-0125 15335 PUG 250 kW / 300 deg 0100-0125 17860 PUG 250 kW / 300 deg 1430-1455 11795 PUG 250 kW / 300 deg ex 9670 for B-02 Vietnamese 2330-2355 11770 PUG 250 kW / 280 deg ex 9670 for B-02 0130-0225 15530 PUG 250 kW / 280 deg 1030-1125 11850 PUG 250 kW / 280 deg 1300-1325 11850 PUG 250 kW / 280 deg ex 7265 for B-02 Zomi-Chin 0000-0025 11705 PUG 250 kW / 280 deg (Observer, Bulgaria, Oct 24 via DXLD) ** ROMANIA. RADIO RUMANIA INTERNACIONAL "A finales de este mes de octubre, cambiamos de hora y cambiamos de frecuencias!", me dijo en su atento mensaje Eugenio Hac y Martin de la Sección Española de RRI Radio Rumania Internacional. Los dos primeros programas (ver esquema más abajo) son de media hora y el tercero, dirigido solamente a América, es de una hora de duración. "Y pensar que hasta ahora teníamos cuatro programas, cada uno de ellos de una hora de duración", dijo Hac y Martin. RRI es otra emisora más que se suma a la larga lista de emisoras internacionales que reducen su tiempo de programación en la cada vez menos utilizada onda corta. Al respecto, Eugenio Hac y Martin me ha remitido un interesante comentario que -con su gentil autorización- seguidamente les transcribo: "Estimado amigo Rubén Margenet: Muchas gracias por su solidaridad con nosotros. En Europa, hay muchas etnias 'por metro cuadrado'!. Si Austria o Suiza han renunciado a sus servicios en onda corta, países tales como Hungría, Chequia o Eslovaquia, a partir de este año, han reanudado sus programas en español. Espero que Rumania aprecie y siga el ejemplo de estos últimos países, dado que, como ellos, los rumanos no tenemos la ventaja de hablar un idioma muy conocido, como es el alemán o el francés. Los casi 30 millones de rumanos hablamos una lengua latina, pero que es la benjamina de las lenguas romances: no tiene circulación internacional! Desafortunadamente, desde hace decenas de años, no se ha invertido nada en las instalaciones técnicas para mejorar las transmisiones en onda corta. El Banco Mundial anuncio, el mes de marzo de este año, que concedería una ayuda de 15 millones de dólares a Rumania para comprar cuatro emisores nuevos de onda corta. Hasta hace poco teníamos en estado de funcionamiento ocho emisores de onda corta, cada uno de 400 kW de potencia. A partir del próximo mes de noviembre, sólo quedarán cinco, con los que podremos emitir 31 horas diarias de programas. El estatuto del idioma español es muy curioso en Rumania. Por un lado, hay una enorme simpatía hacia esta lengua, a la que los rumanos consideramos como la mas bella lengua del mundo. Por otro lado, como en las instituciones estatales y los foros políticos ocupan cargos importantes personas de formación inglesa, francesa o alemana, el español queda relegado a un segundo y hasta un tercer plano. Yo suelo efectuar informes para los directivos de esta emisora, en que señalo la importancia del español en el mundo. Entre los argumentos y pruebas que aduzco, figuran peculiaridades cualitativas y cuantitativas: hay 400 millones de hispanohablantes; hablan el castellano muchos pueblos (como lengua materna --- desde este punto de vista --- ocupa el primer lugar en el mundo); es portador de una gran riqueza de valores culturales y espirituales, creados por estos pueblos; el estudio del español conoce un auge sin precedentes, el futuro habla español! Basta con mencionar que el presidente norteamericano George W.Bush --- y de ahora en adelante lo harán todos los candidatos a la presidencia de EEUU --- habla el castellano! Los cuarenta millones de hispanohablantes de EEUU forman un segmento electoral importantísimo! Ejemplos hay en abundancia! Un último ejemplo lo representan los libaneses: en el Líbano viven unos 4 millones de habitantes, mientras que en el extranjero residen unos 8 millones de libaneses. Y cuando se reúne la familia fenicia, el idioma que utiliza es el español! El árabe, el inglés y el francés quedan a un lado dado que la mayoría de los libaneses viven en América Latina. Ahora bien, como Rumania anhela integrarse a las estructuras europeas por miedo a no volver a caer en la esfera de influencia de Moscú --- la experiencia de hasta ahora ha sido desastrosa --- este anhelo se ha convertido en una verdadera obsesión! Las puertas a las cuales suele llamar nuestro país son Alemania, Francia y el Reino Unido. España: no! Hasta hace poco, España se opuso (no en declaraciones pero sí en hechos) a nuestro ingreso en las estructuras europeas, por razones... de dinero: no quería compartir con nadie las ayudas que recibía por parte de la Unión Europea, ayudas eufemísticamente denominadas: fondos estructurales o de cohesión! Bien, amigo Rubén Margenet, creo haberle ofrecido una idea acerca de lo que se siente o piensa en este país, en relación con el castellano. Claro que los hombres políticos de este país y los directivos de esta casa pueden cambiar de [algo]. Los oyentes si! los pueden convencer de la importancia que tiene esta emisora como ÚNICO SUMINISTRADOR DIARIO, de momento, de LA IMAGEN DE RUMANIA en el mundo hispano y en el mundo entero! Un abrazo, Eugenio Hac y Martin" Nuevo esquema de horarios UTC y frecuencias de RRI en español a partir del 26 de octubre de 2003: Para Europa 19.00-19.30 en 11.725 y 9.645 Khz. Para Europa y América 21.00-21.30 en 9.645 y 11.725 Khz (para Europa) 11.940 y 15.285 Khz (América del Sur). Para América 02.00- 03.00 en 5.995 y 9.550 Khz (México) y 9.530 Khz (Buenos Aires). E-mail: span@r... [truncated] Agradeceré su difusión a través de los medios a vuestro alcance. Saludos! (Rubén Guillermo Margenet, Argentina, Conexión Digital via DXLD) Avec la nouvelle grille qui entre en vigueur le 26 octobre, la programmation change également. Si les principales rubriques subsistent, la rubrique littéraire prend désormais le nom de "La Roumanie en toutes lettres". Côté musical, arrivée du "tube de la semaine" et du "tube de la journée". Autre nouveauté, une nouvelle rubrique (NDR : quotidienne ?) intitulée "le calendrier traditionnel". Côté tourisme, "La Roumanie sur les rails" fera un grand voyage dans les 41 départements du pays avec une escapade supplémentaire à Bucarest (Radio Roumanie Internationale - 24 octobre 2003) (NDR : souhaitons que " La Roumanie sur les rails " obtienne le même succès que " La tasse d'été " !) (informations issues de http://perso.wanadoo.fr/jm.aubier via DXLD) ``tube`` = ??? (gh) ** SOUTH AFRICA. Dear Glenn, Here is the B2003 transmissions schedule from Meyerton Transmitting Station, South Africa. Kind regards, Millingo Nkosi, Transmission Planning, Sentech Ltd Private Bag X06, Honeydew 2040, SOUTH AFRICA Tel: +27 11 471 4489 Fax:+27 11 471 4754 SHORTWAVE TRANSMISSIONS FROM MEYERTON, SOUTH AFRICA EFFECTIVE FROM 26 OCTOBER 2003 TO 27 MARCH 2004 CHANNEL AFRICA Time UTC kHz Language 0300-0500 3345 English + Various 0300-0355 9685 Swahili 0300-0355 9770 English 0400-0455 9565 French 0500-1600 9525 English + Various 0500-0555 11710 English 0600-0655 15215 English 1500-1555 17770 English 1500-1555 17780 Swahili 1600-1655 15265 French 1800-1855 15265 English 1900-2200 3345 English + Various RADIO SONDER GRENSE 0500-0700 7185 Afrikaans 0700-1700 9650 Afrikaans 1700-0500 3320 Afrikaans RADIO VERITAS PRODUCTIONS 1000-1400 7240 English RADIO FRANCE INTERNATIONAL 0300-0400 7135 French 0700-0800 15170 French 1100-1400 17720 French 1230-1300 21760 French 1600-1700 15160 English 1600-1700 9730 English 1900-2200 7160 French RADIO VLAANDEREN INTERNATIONAL 0600-0630 17730 Dutch 1100-1200 21630 Dutch* 1200-1230 21630 Dutch * Sundays SOUTH AFRICAN RADIO LEAGUE 0800-0900 9750 English * 0800-0900 17780 English * 1900-2000 3215 English ** * Sundays ** Mondays BBC 0300-0330 11865 Swahili 0300-0700 11765 English 0300-0500 3255 English 0300-0500 6190 English 0400-0430 15400 Swahili 0430-0500 3390 Portuguese 0430-0500 6135 Portuguese 0430-0500 7205 Portuguese 0500-1700 6190 English 0500-1700 11940 English 0530-0600 15400 Kirundi ** 0700-0730 17695 French 1500-1530 21490 English 1530-1700 21490 Swahili/Kirundi* 1530-1615 21490 Swahili** 1615-1700 21490 English** 1700-2200 3255 English 1700-2200 6190 English 1700-1900 15420 English 1730-1745 3390 English teaching 1730-1745 7230 English teaching 1730-1745 9685 English teaching 1745-1800 7230 Swahili 1800-1830 7230 French 2030-2100 3390 Portuguese 2030-2100 6135 Portuguese 2030-2100 7205 Portuguese * Monday-Friday ** Saturdays and Sundays RADIO ECCLESIA 1900-2000 7205 Portuguese FEBA RADIO 1515-1545 11885 Nuer / Dinka 1545-1600 11885 Makonde 1600-1700 11885 Amharic UNITED NATIONS RADIO 1700-1715 7170 French * 1700-1715 21535 French* 1730-1745 7170 English * *Monday to Friday ADVENTIST WORLD RADIO 0330-0400 11870 Swahili 0430-0500 11945 French 0500-0530 5960 English 0500-0530 11970 Yoruba 0500-0530 6015 English 0530-0600 15225 Ibo 0530-0630 15345 English 0600-0630 15225 Hausa 1700-1730 12130 Swahili 1730-1800 12130 Masai 1800-1830 5960 English 1800-1900 11985 English 1800-1830 7265 English 1930-2000 15255 Hausa 1930-2000 15365 Ibo 2000-2030 15365 French 2000-2100 15295 English 2000-2030 12105 French 2030-2100 12105 Yoruba TRANS WORLD RADIO Time UTC kHz Days Language 0330-0345 7215 34 Sidamo 0330-0345 7215 5 7 Amharic 0600-0615 11640 1234567 English 1600-1630 9675 1234567 Kirundi 1625-1640 9660 67 Somali 1625-1655 9660 12345 Somali 1645-1700 9930 123 Oromo 1645-1700 9930 45 Kambaata 1645-1700 9930 67 Hadiya 1657-1712 9660 123456 Juba 1700-1730 9930 1234567 Amharic 1703-1718 7265 1234567 Sena 1718-1733 7265 1234567 Yao 1730-1800 9930 6 Amharic 1730-1800 9930 12345 Oromo 1733-1748 7265 2 5 7 Yao 1815-1830 9720 6 Songhai 1830-1900 9720 1234567 Bambara 1830-1900 9510 1234567 Fulfulde 1830-1900 9695 1234567 Hausa 1900-1930 9510 1234567 Yoruba 1900-1945 9720 1234 67 French 1900-1930 9720 5 Songhai 1900-1915 9695 1234567 Kanuri 1930-1945 9720 5 Moore 1930-1945 9510 67 Ewe 1945-2000 9510 6 Igbo 1945-2015 9510 7 Igbo Day 1 = Monday, Day 2 = Tuesday ... FAMILY RADIO 1900-2100 3230 English (SENTECH via DXLD) ** SOUTH CAROLINA [non]. STAIR'S WAY TO NIRVANA 'Round about 1400-ish, somewhat thereafter, I was bopping around the bands just to see for myself what sort of sunspot phenomena I might encounter, and I encountered what I thought was the first bar of Strauss' Blue Danube Waltz played on calliope, but launched into something quite different in the second and subsequent bars. It started to sound like a religious hymn, so I said to myself "hmmmm." The vitals: 9475 [WWCR], 10/25, roughly 1415. Now, under usual circumstances, when I tune in what I've determined to be just another carboncopy religious program, I tune out to anything more interesting. But this carnival rendering of an apparent hymn was something I found irresistible. I stayed tuned, and there was some preaching --- rather, carbon-copy praise ejaculations --- and then voices beginning to chant Hallelujah, soon followed by the calliope launching a fishing expedition to find some sort of tune to go with it. And it took its sweet ole time actually landing on the tune to the Hallelujah Chorus. Between the time it went fishing and the time it actually caught something was painful cacophony, and by the time it caught the big one, the chanters started sounding like drunken sailors. Anybody who remembers the old HeeHaw TV program, and can remember the "Gloom Despair & Agony" sequence would get a flashback listening to this, while noting that Hee Haw's rendition was still far and away more tuneful. Here it is Saturday morning and these blokes are Praising The Lord after what had to be a serious Friday night hangover. You could indeed say that "they got the spirit" so long as you spell that last word in the plural form. I was tuned in with bated breath, expecting that at any moment a renowned basso profundo would break out in solo, "Asleep In The Deep". Well, that didn't happen, dern it. Instead, they wailed out "Amazing Grace", launched by yet another calliope fishing expedition, during which I was now expecting either "The Whiffenpoof Song" or "What Shall We Do With A Drunken Sailor." At that point I decided to just tune out, after this string of disappointments and with some very irritated eardrums caused by what sounded to me like so many toms caterwauling in heat. But I wasn't out free just yet, unfortunately. I eventually ran smack into 21590, where propagation conditions added wobble to the warbling, and I reflexively threw a shoe at my radio. Unfortunately, this shoe was actually a steel-toed boot, so now if you good folks will excuse me for a while, I've got a stack of repair work to do (Clara Listensprechen, USA, ShortwaveBasics yahoogroup via DXLD) ** SUDAN [non]. Re DXLD 3-189 : ``** U K. Merlin B-03 schedule shows smtwtfs non-BBC relays via Woofferton, including something new: Educational Development Council, to EAf == What`s that?`` Hello Glenn, My guess is that this is the B-03 schedule for the Sudan Radio Service produced by the EDC in Washington, DC (Scott R. Barbour, Jr., Intervale, NH, DX LISTENING DIGEST) It is the organisation that produces the Sudan Radio Service programmes to Southern Sudan (Mike Barraclough, Letchworth, UK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U K. Re BBC WS ANOMALIES == Switching problems have been sporadic and endemic to the BBCWS since they adopted the split stream approach. What appear to be seven (actually eight) separate streams is actually a weaving effect where often more than one stream is usually carrying the same program. Sometimes the wires cross. They just haven't seemed to be able to work out all the bugs, even after all this time. Of course, you should know that I've never been a fan of the stream concept. Not a good value for the money and -- as seen by the persistent flubs -- too complicated to implement successfully (John Figliozzi, NY, swprograms via DXLD) ** U S A. VOA NEWS NOW CHANGES Hi Glenn, Just after my appearance on Talk to America, I was informed by the producers of Main Street that I will no longer be heard weekly on that program. My future contributions to Main Street will be occasional, not longer than two minutes each, and dealing with non- technical aspects of media. This is partly due to the conversion of Main Street to a weekend-only show, with the Sunday program (on which I would be heard) reduced to 21 minutes to make room for an editorial. The new News Now schedule includes several program changes. Details about these were not finalized until 24 October. As of 25 October, new schedule information is not available at voanews.com, and the VOA Guide schedule publication will not arrive in listeners' mailboxes until December. Below are excerpts of a memo from Neal Levon, acting chief of the VOA English Programs Division, about the new News Now program lineup (Kim Elliott, DC, Oct 25, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Viz.: NEWS BLOCKS To provide us with the ability to cover news during the hours when news here takes place most often, you will see seven consecutive news blocks (including Talk to America at 1700 UT) between our 1200 sign-on and the playing of Border Crossings at 1900. This means we can cover live press conferences, speeches, briefings, or special events. Another news block at 2000 follows Border Crossings. The American Gold series remains in its 2100 block to maintain its loyal and large Africa audience. In the 2200 block, a new weekday business program called Close of Business--- with Martin Secrest and Les Carpenter --- will examine the business day in North America and look to the next day across the globe. More news flow to wrap up the day in Washington and preview the next day in Asia through 9 pm [Eastern] when the American Gold series returns at 0200. The news continues through the evening with another new business program, the World Business Report. In that show, Paul Westpheling looks at what's gone on in the business world so far in Asia, and looks to the business day in North America and Europe. The Opinion segment is being moved into the same bloc as Dateline. Dateline, in turn, has been shortened from 11 minutes to eight to accommodate this change. In addition, the editorial is now part of this bloc. PUBLIC AFFAIRS Public Affairs shows will maintain their presence although at reduced levels. Dateline retracts to eight minutes from 11; the weekend shows will have fewer plays due to the cuts in hours and the mandate to play On the Line and the editorial. But they maintain their full 25-minute lengths. Encounter and Press Conference, USA, will also get plays on Monday and Tuesday to fill back-half slots. The weekend shows continue as they are; Dateline's contraction means the show could be more easily redone during the day to reflect breaking news, if needed. It still is long enough to explore issues in depth. TALK TO AMERICA Talk to America continues live at the 1700 UT slot. Beginning on Monday, Oct. 27, Talk will be a radio show only. With the emphasis of television resources on foreign language television, and the limited number of television affiliates carrying the program, the consensus decision was to make Talk the best international radio call-in show it can be. Efforts are underway to achieve that. When we do move to the MBC [new Multimedia Broadcast Center in the VOA building] where television production will be somewhat easier and more visually- friendly, TTA will return to a radio-TV simulcast. Additionally, the TTA repeat at 0800 is gone because of the hours cuts as is the Best of TTA. However, TTA will produce a shortened version of Best of, renamed Talk to America Again on Wednesdays in the back half of the 1400 block. POLICY SHOWS The editorials and On the Line will continue on the VNN schedule. They were cut proportionately with the hours cuts, although on weekends, due to the nature of the OTL/editorial package, there are instances where these shows get an additional play. This occurred because of efforts to increase some playbacks of Feature Shows. FEATURE SHOWS Due to the departure of one of its senior editors, the Features Division realigned the Americana show lineup with Coast to Coast becoming a five-day-a-week "weekday" program, and Mainstreet taking up the weekend position. The Features Divison asked that the shows be "stripped", that is, played at the same times on the same days, each week, across the board. This was granted in the schedule. Unfortunately, due to too many longform shows SA and around the world [sic]. It also previews upcoming weekend action. Our sports reporters and outside guests, as well as language service experts, will gather around the table to give our listeners the latest from the playing field, court, field, link, pitch, diamond, gridiron, track, and rink. VOA NEWS REVIEW The News Review maintains its 1930 broadcast on Friday as a radio-TV simulcast. The replays at 0200 and 0500 on Fridays have been eliminated for other programming considerations reflective of the reduced schedule (via Kim Elliott, DC, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A [and non]. For anyone interested in Commando Solo here is a link to a page with info and Pictures http://www.fas.org/man/dod-101/sys/ac/ec-130e.htm (via Ray Browell, Cumbredx mailing list via DXLD) Three sesquiyears old; does not mention actual missions (gh) ** U S A. MIT STUDENTS GET MUSIC LEGALLY VIA CABLE By JUSTIN POPE The Associated Press 10/24/03 12:42 PM CAMBRIDGE, Mass. (AP) -- Keith Winstein and Josh Mandel may soon be the most popular guys on campus. They say they've discovered a way to give their fellow students at MIT and elsewhere dorm-room access to a huge music library, without having to worry about getting slapped with a lawsuit from the recording industry. On Monday, the pair planned to debut a system they've built that lets MIT students listen for free to 3,500 CDs over the school's cable television network. And, they say, it's completely kosher under copyright law. . . http://wizzer.advance.net/cgi-free/getstory_ssf.cgi?g0424_BC_MA--File-SwappingAlte&&news&aphfr (via Mike Cooper, DXLD) ** VENEZUELA. CIRCUITO RADIO VENEZUELA Amigos de la Lista, Les recomendamos escuchar el audio en vivo de dos programas del Circuito Radio Venezuela. A saber: CUÉNTAMELO TODO --- Conductora: PATRICIA POLEO Horario: Lunes a Viernes 7:00 AM a 9:00 AM = 1100 a 1300 UT Programa basado en el acontecer político y social, trantando con inteligencia, ingenioso y pertinente; revelando la percepción del Venezolano en referencia a temas controversiales con entrevistas y llamadas telefónicas dirigidas al ciudadano común buscando la información caliente del día. Patricia Poleo es sinómino de Periodísmo Profesional y Responsable. PREMIO REY DE ESPAÑA PLOMO PAREJO --- Conductor: IVAN BALLESTEROS Horario: Lunes a Viernes 3:30 PM a 5:00 PM = 1930 a 2100 UT Una hora y media dedicados a la denuncia cruda y certificada desde su propia fuente. Profesional polémico donde la norma es la veracidad, con la intervención de los oyentes vía telefónica y entrevistas en vivo de figuras importantes. http://www.radiovenezuela.com (Jorge García Rangel, Barinas, Venezuela, Conexión Digital via DXLD) ** WALES [non]. Wales Radio International WINTER FREQUENCIES APPLY FROM SUNDAY OCTOBER 26 2003 Country Frequency Time Day Europe 7110 2130-2200 Friday N. America 9735 0300-0330 Saturday Australasia 17625 1130-1200 Saturday (Dan Sampson, WI, Prime Time Shortwave, 10/25, DX LISTENING DIGEST) UNIDENTIFIED. LA (probably Perú) 4990.93, Ancash??, 25 Oct 0918-1011+, Sev. OA Huayno songs at tune-in, 0923 M with seemingly UT-5 TC, possible mention of Andina and Huanta. Back to music at 0924. 0930 sounded like "El Condor Pasa" with voice-over by M possibly mentioning radio. Other unreadable announcements at 0935 and 0938. Returned at 1003 and heard long talk by W past 1011. First time to get any audio here. The audio was extremely weak. OK on the voice but it seemed distorted on the music. Drifted up from .91 to .93 (Dave Valko, PA, Cumbre DX via DXLD) ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ PUBLICATIONS ++++++++++++ B03 ENGLISH SW SCHEDULES The first version of the B03 English shortwave schedules has been uploaded to the Prime Time Shortwave website at http://www.primetimeshortwave.com For users of screen reader programs the ascii files are located at http://www.primetimeshortwave.com/time.txt and http://www.primetimeshortwave.com/country.txt In addition to ascii the schedules are available in Excel, DBase, and Palm OS versions. Mickey Delmage also provides a listing of DX media programs which should be updated shortly. Good listening, (Daniel Sampson Oct 25, 2003 09:11 PDT, swprograms via DXLD) POWERLINE COMMUNICATIONS ++++++++++++++++++++++++ VIRGINIA BPL STARTUP SPARKS ARRL RESPONSE The ARRL this week put officials in Manassas, Virginia, on notice that the League will act on behalf of its members to ensure full compliance with FCC regulations when the city`s Broadband over Power Line (BPL) system starts up in a few months. The League was responding to media reports that Manassas --- a Washington, DC, suburb --- has approved plans for a citywide BPL rollout. Manassas City Council reportedly voted unanimously October 16 to grant a 10- year franchise to Prospect Street Broadband to expand a BPL field trial and offer high-speed Internet service to the entire community over municipal power lines. ARRL CEO David Sumner, K1ZZ, on October 22 faxed Manassas Mayor Marvin L. Gillum to point out BPL`s dark side --- the potential for RF interference from and to any BPL system. ``Your advisors no doubt have made the Council fully aware of the great potential for radio interference from such a system,`` Sumner said. ``In particular, you are no doubt well aware that Title 47 CFR º15.5 requires that no harmful interference is caused to any radiocommunication service, and that the operator shall be required to cease operation upon notification by a Federal Communications Commission representative that the device is causing harmful interference.`` Sumner noted that the same FCC Part 15 rule also provides no protection against interference from the operation of an authorized radio station. ``Tests conducted by ARRL technical personnel have shown that the system planned to be deployed in Manassas causes harmful interference to the Amateur Radio service,`` Sumner said. ``We also have reason to believe that the system will be susceptible to interference from normal amateur station operations.`` An article in Potomac News.com touted the impending Manassas BPL rollout as the first of its type in the US. Sumner said he was writing to alert the City of Manassas ``on behalf of its members who live in and use the public thoroughfares of Manassas`` that the ARRL ``will ensure that there is full compliance with the FCC regulations`` once the city`s BPL system is in operation. Prospect Street Broadband reportedly will offer the BPL service for $29.95 a month. One estimate predicts the city stands to gain up to $4.5 million over the 10-year life of the contract, due to be signed this week. The Manassas BPL field trial is one of the smallest now under way and involves fewer than a dozen homes and businesses. It was installed in an area that has underground utility wiring and no Amateur Radio licensees nearby. BPL articles in major media have proliferated in recent weeks, many of them painting the service in rosy hues and neglecting to point out the potential for radio interference to and from BPL by other HF spectrum occupants. An October 13 article in The Wall Street Journal, ``A New Outlet,`` by Walin Wong, quotes one trial user who calls the service ``fantastic.`` But Wong also notes that one ``Achilles` heel`` of BPL is that serving rural areas would require installing costly repeaters every mile or so along the power line. The article also deals with the reluctance on the part of some electric utilities to embrace the technology. Sumner also reacted to the WSJ article. In a letter to the editor not yet published, he pointed out that BPL ``amounts to sending a wideband radio signal over unshielded wires that were not designed for the purpose`` and that do not work well for the 2 to 80 MHz signals common in BPL systems. Instead, ``they function as antennas,`` he said, and that can lead to interference to radio services, including some involved with public safety. Sumner said potential broadband technology and delivery investors would be far better off considering fiber in densely populated areas and adaptations of wireless LAN technology in rural areas. Additional information on BPL and video clips from field trial sites are on the ARRL ``Power Line Communications (PLC) and Amateur Radio`` page http://www.arrl.org/tis/info/HTML/plc/ To support the League`s efforts in the BPL fight, visit the ARRL`s secure BPL Web site https://www.arrl.org/forms/development/donations/bpl/ (ARRL Letter Oct 24 via John Norfolk, DXLD) RADIO EQUIPMENT FORUM +++++++++++++++++++++ TEXAS ANTENNA CASE SHOWS PRB-1 IS NO PAPER TIGER A Texas amateur antenna case has affirmed again that the limited federal preemption known as PRB-1 http://www.arrl.org/FandES/field/regulations/local/prb-1.html has teeth when it comes to compelling municipalities to reasonably accommodate Amateur Radio communication. It took some time, persistence and considerable aggravation, but in the end the US District Court for the Southern District of Texas --- Houston Division ruled in favor of Orin Snook, KB5F, of Missouri City. The court determined in late August that Snook could keep his 114-foot antenna structure. In a 63-page Findings of Fact and Conclusions of Law http://users3.ev1.net/~osnook/34.pdf that Snook has posted on his Web site, US District Judge David Hittner said the city ``failed to meet the FCC`s requirement of reasonably accommodating Snook`s amateur communication needs in accordance with PRB-1.`` Missouri City had attempted to limit Snook`s tower to 65 feet, limit the size of his antenna array and required removal of the 100-foot structure for which it already had granted him a building permit. Snook, who is ARRL Fort Bend County Emergency Coordinator and an Official Emergency Station, argued that he needed the higher structure to permit him to operate VHF and UHF effectively in an emergency. The court declared the city`s height restrictions, antenna array restrictions and structure removal requirement ``preempted, void and unenforceable.`` Hittner ordered the city to grant Snook a specific use permit allowing his tower and antennas to remain, although Snook must maintain an existing screening of mature trees surrounding the tower. Although Texas adopted a PRB-1 statute in 1999, it was Snook who made the city council aware of PRB-1. Even so, the city rejected the recommendation of its planner and building inspector to issue Snook whatever permit was necessary under the relevant federal law. The court found the city ``failed to attempt to negotiate a satisfactory compromise with Snook`` and rejected consideration of any height extending above the trees. Snook secured the services of professional engineer Kent Marshall, W5TXV, who testified to Snook`s need for a 100-foot structure instead of the compromise 65 footer. For Snook, Hittner`s decision is half a loaf because he failed to prevail on several other non-PRB-1 issues, including purported malicious prosecution and his convictions on 21 counts of violating city statutes in the course of the years-long row. Snook alleges that his wife also lost her job with the city as a result of the dispute. The battle, he estimates, also has left him some $35,000 poorer. ``It`s a tough victory that`s extremely hollow right now,`` Snook told ARRL. ``The 21 criminal convictions of ordinances written after the antenna went up were largely ignored.`` Hittner determined that the city had, indeed, changed its ordinance, then required Snook to comply with it, even though it already had issued him a building permit in 1999. Snook also points out that while the court ordered the city to pay his costs, that does not include his attorneys fees or a damage award. In addition, the city gets to keep its ordinance --- which he`d tried to get thrown out. ``The judge ruled strongly in our favor but protected the city as best he could too,`` he said. Hittner`s decision was based on case law that`s well known in amateur antenna legal circles. Among decisions cited was Pentel v City of Mendota, argued successfully by attorney and ARRL Dakota Division Director Jay Bellows, K0QB. Also cited was Marchand v Town of Hudson. In that case, ARRL New England Division Vice Director and Volunteer Counsel Mike Raisbeck, K1TWF, represented the amateur involved in written and oral arguments before the New Hampshire Supreme Court, while ARRL General Counsel Chris Imlay, W3KD, filed an amicus brief. Imlay and Bellows both discussed Snook`s case with him by telephone. Snook seeks contributions to his KB5F Legal Defense Fund via his Web site http://users3.ev1.net/~osnook/ (ARRL Letter Oct 24 via John Norfolk, DXLD) CONVENTIONS & CONFERENCES +++++++++++++++++++++++++ HAM GATHERINGS: RSGB INTERNATIONAL HF AT MONTH`S END Turning to the ham radio social scene, if you plan to be in the United Kingdom from October 31st to November 2nd. listen up. That`s the weekend of the Radio Society of Great Britain`s International High Frequency and Islands on the Air Convention. This years venue is the Britannia Country House Hotel at Didsbury in Manchester England. Planned events include presentations on DXpeditions, technical lectures, presentation of trophies and awards, a contesting forum, and specialist areas for 5 MHz, 136 kHz, 6 meters and QRP. More information is on-line at the RSGB website It`s in cyberspace at http://www.rsgb.org (RSGB via Amateur Radio Newsline Oct 24 via John Norfolk, DXLD) PROPAGATION +++++++++++ WHAT IS THE FORECAST FOR THE FUTURE OF SPACE WEATHER PREDICTION. SOLAR FLARE BRINGS ISSUE TO LIGHT PRESS RELEASE Friday, October 24, 2003 House Science Committee http://www.spaceref.com/news/viewpr.html?pid=12866 WASHINGTON, D.C. - Cell phones, television service, air navigation systems, and electric grids could all be degraded Friday as a result of the latest space weather incident, first detected on Wednesday. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA's) Space Environment Center in Boulder, CO, detected a large solar flare on Wednesday that is expected to reach Earth by today. The Space Environment Center (SEC) works to predict such solar events, minimizing the risk to systems that rely heavily on satellite performance. The SEC is facing many challenges in the annual appropriation process, including being eliminated in the Senate's version of the Commerce, Justice and State Appropriations bill. A House Science Subcommittee will hold a hearing to examine the role of the United States' space weather forecasting program, including the impact of the current budget environment. Thursday, October 30, 2003 Subcommittee on Environment, Technology, and Standards - Hearing What is Space Weather and Who Should Forecast It? 10:00 A.M. - 12:00 NOON 2318 Rayburn House Office Building (WEBCAST) Witness List: Dr. Ernest Hildner, Director Space Environment Center, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). NASA Witness, TBD Col. Charles L. Benson Jr., Air Force Weather Agency. Mr. John Kappenman, Metatech Corporation, Duluth, Minnesota. Mr. Hank Krakowski, Vice President of Corporate Safety, Quality Assurance and Security, United Airlines Weather Forecasting Office, Illinois. Dr. Robert Hedinger, Executive Vice President, Loral Skynet, New Jersey. (via spaceref.com via Jilly Dybka, DXLD) FASCINATING Discussion at Glenn Hauser`s DXLD 3-189 about aspects of Propagation and the 'current Propagation Scene'(Last few Paragraphs of Bulletin) I reckon this is a 'MUST READ' for all Interested in such things, REALLY thought provoking/ (Ken Fletcher (up in the night!!!) 25th October 2003, BDXC-UK via DXLD) K INDICES HIT 9 As of approximately 1500 UTC today a strong K-7 geomagnetic storm began at mid latitudes of the northern hemisphere, with a moderate K-6 geomagnetic storm in the southern hemisphere. High latitude northern hemisphere locations are seeing severe K-8 to extreme K-9 geomagnetic storming. The present geomagnetic storm should begin to slowly subside tonight but renewed strong K-7 geomagnetic storming may return tomorrow. Sun facing locations will also continue to see occasional radio blackout conditions with new solar flares, with high latitude propagation paths suffering from extra D layer signal absorption due to elevated energetic proton flux levels >(10+0). This outlook does not take into consideration more huge X class solar flares and associated Coronal Mass Ejections from sunspot group #10484 currently located at N04W00, which is now in a geo-effective position (Earth facing). Any new solar flares from this region could blast Earth's magnetic field directly with a CME, which could result in K-8 to extreme K-9 geomagnetic storming at mid latitudes. Bottom line, for the next 48 hour time period high latitude propagation paths for LF, MF and HF signals will be very poor, with some short term mid latitude poor propagation conditions also. 73, (Thomas F. Giella, KN4LF, Plant City, FL, USA, Oct 24, Cumbre DX via DXLD) PROPAGATION FORECAST BULLETIN 43 ARLP043 FROM TAD COOK, K7RA Seattle, WA October 24, 2003 To all radio amateurs Big news this week is a colossal sunspot that appeared on Sunday, October 19. It first emerged at about seven times the earth`s diameter, but two days later on Tuesday, it had grown to around the size of Jupiter, which is equivalent to eleven earth diameters. This is one of the largest sunspot groups to appear during the current cycle 23. Along with this large spot have been coronal mass ejections, keeping the earth`s magnetic field upset, and an additional spot by mid-week. An ejection caused a radio blackout on Sunday around 1650z. This is a big change from the recently spotless sun. Now a large coronal mass ejection threatens, and the predicted arrival time is Friday, October 24. This is not good news for contesters who hoped to work the CQ Worldwide DX SSB Contest this weekend. Currently on Thursday evening, the forecast is for a planetary A index of 50 for Friday through Sunday, October 24-26, but this could be a modest projection. Solar flux has risen since October 14 when it was only 92, and should top 200 by the middle of the coming week. The growing solar activity is dramatic enough that it is now national news. Check the following sites for articles. http://www.msnbc.com/news/984388.asp?cp1=1 http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/national/144998_solar23.html http://www.al.com/news/huntsvilletimes/index.ssf?/base/news/1066931170176140.xml http://the.honoluluadvertiser.com/article/2003/Oct/23/ln/ln14a.html http://rockymountainnews.com/drmn/state/article/0,1299,DRMN_21_2369006,00.html The solar flux value of 191 shown below for October 22 is the value measured at the Penticton observatory. The number from the NOAA Space Environment Center was lowered to 154, probably because of a flare enhancement to the Penticton reading. Those who keep records may want to lower the value for that day to 154 from 191, which would make the week`s average for the daily solar flux 123.4 rather than 128.7. Not shown here is the following day, October 23, when the observatory at Penticton measured 209.3 and the SEC reported it as 183. These seem to be estimates based upon the morning measurements made three hours before local noon, which were both around 154 and 183 for the two days. Sean Blackburn, KB7OOH of Everett, Washington wrote to inquire about a source for sunspot numbers to use with the W6ELprop software for propagation prediction. The numbers are at, http://www.sec.noaa.gov/ftpdir/indices/DSD.txt It is probably best to average several days of sunspot numbers to use with this program. As always, it is available free at. http://www.qsl.net/w6elprop/ For more information about propagation and an explanation of the numbers used in this bulletin see the Propagation page on the ARRL Web site at http://www.arrl.org/tis/info/propagation.html Sunspot numbers for October 16 through 22 were 28, 66, 91, 89, 113, 144 and 117, with a mean of 92.6. 10.7 cm flux was 95.2, 98.8, 108.6, 120.4, 135.1, 151.5 and 191, with a mean of 128.7. Estimated planetary A indices were 26, 31, 27, 32, 30, 39 and 33, with a mean of 31.1. Copyright © 2003, American Radio Relay League, Inc. All Rights Reserved (via John Norfolk, DXLD) ###