DX LISTENING DIGEST 4-005, January 8, 2004 edited by Glenn Hauser, http://www.worldofradio.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 For restrixions and searchable 2004 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 1215: Sat 0000 on Studio X, Momigno, Italy, 1584, 1566 Sat 0900 on WRN1 to Europe, Africa, Asia, Australasia, webcast Sat 0955 on WNQM, Nashville, 1300 Sat 1130 on WWCR 5070 Sat 1900 on IBC Radio webcast Sat 1930 on WPKN Bridgeport, 89.5, webcast Sat 2130 on WWCR 12160 [NEW] Sun 0130 on WBCQ 9330-CLSB Sun 0330 on WWCR 5070 Sun 0730 on WWCR 3210 Sun 0845 on Ozone Radio, Ireland, 6201v, time variable Sun 1100 on WRN1 to North America, webcast [ex-1500!]; also KSFC 91.9 Spokane WA, webcast and WDWN 89.1 Auburn NY Sun 1600 on IBC Radio, webcast Sun 2000 on Studio X, Momigno, 1566, 1584 Mon 0430 on WSUI, Iowa City, 910, webcast [last week`s 1214] Mon 0515 on WBCQ 7415, webcast, 5105 Tue 0400 on SIUE Web Radio Wed 1030 on WWCR 9475 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 1215 (high version): (stream) http://www.w4uvh.net/wor1215h.ram (download) http://www.w4uvh.net/wor1215h.rm (summary) http://www.worldofradio.com/wor1215.html [soon] WORLD OF RADIO 1215 (low version): (stream) http://www.w4uvh.net/wor1215.ram (download) http://www.w4uvh.net/wor1215.rm WORLD OF RADIO ON WWCR: Add Sat 2130 on 12160 WORLD OF RADIO ON WDWN Another station airing World of Radio. Dear Glenn, Hello, You might recall some time back I had mentioned that World of Radio had been carried on a local college station here in the Finger Lakes region of New York state via WRN. Then station management decided to replace WRN relays with automated music programming when there was no student/community programming available. Well I am happy to announce that with the time change for WOR on WRN to early Sunday mornings, WDWN (89.1 Auburn), would now be carrying the program at 6:00 a.m. EST. You see, the station later made somewhat of a "compromise" and decided to resume carrying WRN relays on weekends only, and keeping the music programming on weeknights. But I didn't bother to bring this to your attention because even though the station is carrying WRN on weekends, World of Radio was not being heard as there are locally produced ethnic shows which air later in the day on Sundays. So, assuming WRN keeps World of Radio on at its present time on Sunday mornings, it would appear listeners in this area will again have a chance to hear the show "over the air." Regards, (Jake Longwell, Dundee, New York, Jan 8, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** AFRICA. AFRICAN JOURNALISTS COMPLAIN ABOUT FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION ON RADIO --- Nico Colombant, Abidjan, 07 Jan 2004, 12:57 UT http://www.voanews.com/article.cfm?objectID=91CF2F93-1B08-424A-98E5017B4664E2B7# Listen to Nico Colombant's report (RealAudio) Colombant report - Download 439k (RealAudio) Journalists in West and Central Africa are complaining that authorities are blocking freedom of expression on radio stations. Music, state news and religious sermons are about all listeners can get on the radio in most countries in the region. In most countries it is either impossible or extremely expensive for radio station owners, to get a license to broadcast independent news. In a few countries, where laws have been passed to liberalize the radio and television sector, such as Chad and Cameroon, freedom of expression on the radio usually ends when elections are approaching. A dozen radio stations were simultaneously shut down in opposition strongholds in western Cameroon on December 31. Presidential elections are scheduled for October. In Chad, the main independent radio station - Radio Liberte - has been shut down several times in recent years after exposing alleged human rights abuses by the government during campaigning for general elections. The African investigator for the French-based group Reporters without Borders, Jean-Francois Julliard, is not surprised. He says authorities are afraid of local radio news because, he says, they realize it can have a greater impact than any other source of information in a region where most people can't read or can't afford to buy newspapers. "There have been private radios and TV stations for only two or three years," he said. "So I think the authorities don't know how to react in front of this new situation and maybe they used some very hard method and a very strong censorship for these radios. And you can [only] be free as a journalist when you speak of non-sensitive issues." Officials reached in Cameroon and Chad for this report refused to be interviewed. The main reason given for the closures of the radio stations has been missing paperwork required to get or keep a license. Journalist Pius Njawe says he was ready to start operating a new station, Radio Freedom, in Cameroon's largest city, Douala, last May. But police prevented his staff from going on the air. Mr. Njawe says he had applied for a license but received no response, and he says in that situation the law allows him to operate for six months while he waits for the government's answer. He says he still hopes his radio station can start broadcasting soon, because he says it could ensure a better election. "Cameroonian people are still waiting for Freedom FM because they believe in what we can say and they believe that with radios like Freedom FM we can help to go through a free, fair and transparent election in Cameroon," said Pius Njawe. Mr. Njawe says some listeners have access to international broadcasts, but he says people prefer local news presented by local broadcasters. Internet-based media are also trying to get around government restrictions in the region, but their web sites are only accessible to the elite, who can afford computers and Internet connections. In the meantime, Mr. Njawe continues to publish a newspaper. He feels frustrated though, saying its scope is limited and that a radio station would help improve the lives of many more people (via Kim Elliott, VOA, DXLD) ** ALBANIA. TWR, 6235.06v, Jan 2 *0600-0615* religious programming in unID language. Sign-off with TWR IS. Strong but frequency slightly unstable, varying +\- 10 Hz (Brian Alexander, Mechanicsburg PA, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Per sked it is Cerrik site, M-F only, in Slovak (gh) ** AUSTRIA. OE1 International --- As regards the reference to Austria's OE1 International and its web site in the first DXLD of the New Year -- I did some exploring and here's some further info of note: Österreich 1 (OE1) is "the most successful cultural broadcasting station in Europe" and now provides the programming for the Austrian Broadcasting Corporation's external service (It has for some months now.) "The programme mixture [of OE1], consisting of information, cultural features, music, literature, education, science and religion, has found wide acceptance among Austrian listeners and will thus be available to Austrian expatriates and a global listening audience interested in Austria. Broadcast times: 0500-2308 on 6155 (ant.: horiz./Quad.) 0600-1300 on 13730 (horiz./period) 1300-1900 on 13730 (vert.) 1900-0008 on 5945 (vert.) (All of these are intended for Europe and are in German of course, but 6155 can be quite listenable in ENAm from sign-on for several hours. The M-F program then is 'Guten Morgen Österreich" which is two hours long and includes a lot of excellent classical music. Checking the frequencies at other times might yield SW access to OE1 in parts of NAm at other times, as well.) 0600-0700 to Mideast on 17870 1300-1400 to Asia/Australia on 17855 1600-1700 to WNAm on 17865 via Sackville 0000-0100 to South America on 13730 0100-0200 to Central America on 9870 0100-0200 to WNAm on 7325 (OE1 in German when English is not being aired. [see below]) "'Report from Austria' (15 min.) in English covers the major political, social, cultural and economic developments in Austria for an international audience. Broadcast times: 1315 to Europe on 6155 and 13730 1315 and 1345 to Asia/Australia on 17855 1610 and 1640 to WNAm on 17865 via Sackville 0015 and 0045 to South America on 13730 0115 and 0145 to Latin America on 9870 0115 and 0145 to ENAm on 7325 As well, the weekly 'Insight Central Europe' (25 min.) in English is broadcast on Saturdays with a repeat on Sundays." Broadcast times: 0605 and 0635 to the Mideast on 17870 1305 and 1335 to Europe 1605 and 1635 to WNAm 0105 and 0135 to Latin America 0105 and 0135 to WNAm (same frequencies as above) The OE1 site http://www.oe1.ORF.at is comprehensive. Using it in conjunction with babelfish or another translation service if you can't decipher German will yield a wealth of information about OE1 and its programming. A particularly handy feature on its German domestic schedule pages is a label on each program in the left column classifying it as "musik", "kultur", etc. There is also an international page at http://oe1.orf.at/service/international_en (John Figliozzi, Halfmoon NY, Jan 7, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** BENIN. Rdif. Du Benin, 7210.27, Dec 31 2225-2320* church service with French talk, religious choral music, prayers; 2306 into local African folk music, Afropops, abrupt sign-off, which is normally closer to 2300. Fair but some ham QRM. Next nite, Jan 1, to 2302* with NA (Brian Alexander, Mechanicsburg PA, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** CANADA. A new FM station on Manitoulin Island in Ontario Canada. Hi again Glenn, I'm not sure if this information will interest you or not, but in October of 2003, the small community of Little Current Ontario on Manitoulin Island got its first FM radio station, CFRM at 101.1 MHz. They play classic rock music, but this is truly a community radio station, with Trading Post programs etc. They also have a web presence on the net complete with an audio feed. The URL for this station is: http://www.101rocks.com/ Best regards, (Sam Ward, Georgetown, Ontario, Jan 7, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ID audio automatically launches when you go to site, so be prepared; in Lake Huron (gh, DXLD) ** CHINA. Chinese Media Freedom --- We had a conversation some days ago here about the relative level of freedom reporters had under different circumstances. One of the countries discussed was China. This article discusses some recent developments in that regard at some length. It is especially relevant to this group given the focus the article gives to developments in Guangdong province. Guangdong is generally seen as having significantly more freedom than other regions and Radio Guangdong has a weekly broadcast to NA via WRN. http://www.nytimes.com/2004/01/08/international/asia/08CHIN.html?pagewanted=all (Note: The Times website is free, but registration is required.) (John Figliozzi, Jan 8, swprograms via DXLD) ** CHINA [non]. Still running across more CRI relays, unpublished as such, in Canada or Cuba. Jan 8 after 2200 found Spanish loud and clear on 13700, so suspect Sackville; rechecked in time for 2259* there was no RCI IS heard, however. Reception was about the same as CRI English relay from 2300 on nearby 13680, which we know is Sackville. Then tuned down to check out the open carrier I had noticed on 13650, and that turned out to be CRI in Portuguese, but poorly modulated and considerable crosstalk [in transmitter, not receiver] from CRI in English, so this one I pin on Cuba. That English was running a second or two behind the Canada relay on 13680. BTW, some of the CRI announcers have a strange accent in Spanish I would not have called ``Chinese`` (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** CONGO. R. Congo, 5985, Jan 3 *0430-0455+, sign-on with short opening announcement and into local African music. Fair-good but covered by WYFR sign-on at 0455 (Brian Alexander, Mechanicsburg PA, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** CROATIA. CROATIAN AMATEURS GAIN NEW BANDS AND 100 KHZ AT 40 METRES Croatia has become the first country in Region 1 to benefit from the expansion of the 40-metre band agreed at the World Radio Conference in Switzerland last summer. 9A amateurs have also been given privileges at 70 and 3400 MHz and now no longer have to pass a Morse code test for access to the HF bands. New amateur radio regulations came into effect in Croatia on the 26th Of December. Since then, amateurs there may operate between 7100 and 7200 kHz on a Secondary basis, with a maximum power of 1000 watts PEP, in addition to the normal Region 1 allocation of 7000 to 7100 kHz. On 4 metres, Croatian amateurs now have 70.000 to 70.450 MHz, with a power limit of 10 watts. They also gain a new band between 3400 and 3410 MHz, with a maximum permitted power of 150 watts. The Morse code requirement for an HF bands licence was also dropped with the new regulations and there are now only two licence classes there: the full licence and a beginners` licence. (Radio Society of Great Britain GB2RS Main News for January 11, posted on uk.radio.amateur January 7 by G4RGA via John Norfolk, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ! 7100-7200 is still full of broadcasters in Europe and everywhere except the Americas. Isn`t this a bit premature? Now they may count on annoying ham SSB interference just as NAm listeners have to put up with. This is progress? Note that Croatia also broadcasts to the Americas, via Germany, on 7285, our exclusive ham band (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** CUBA [and non]. RADIO MARTÍ LIBRE DE JAMMING, SOMETIMES... Hola Glenn, Saludos desde Catia La Mar, VENEZUELA. Definitivamente, Radio Martí está libre de JAMMING --- para desgracia de nuestros oídos --- luego de que Ventana a Cuba (VOA) entra en acción, a partir de las 0100 UT. Ya llevo varias semanas registrando los 11775 y los 13820, sin interferencia, hasta incluso bien pasadas las 0200 UT. Es bien extrańo. 73's y buen DX (Adán González, Catia La Mar, VENEZUELA, Jan 7, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Apparently the need to block VENTANA occupies some jammers that would otherwise be on Martí frequencies (gh, DXLD) ** ETHIOPIA. 9560, Radio Ethiopia, P.O.Box 1020, Addis Ababa. NO IRC. NO $. Tiempo de demora 50 dias, QSL- con datos y carta QSL con datos completos. Verificada por Melesse Edea, Head English Programmes (José Hernández Madrid, Cartagena, Espańa, Conexión Digital via DXLD) ** FRANCE. RMC Info was to start broadcasting yesterday, 5 Jan, in Nancy on 1485 and in Strasbourg and Mulhouse on 1584 kHz. So far no signal can be heard. Sources at the station say there will be further delays. The target date now mentioned is early February. Other sources (who insist on remaining anonymous) say RMC Info are re-considering their plan to broadcast on MW altogether. They were expecting DRM receivers to spread very quickly but so far there are none on the market. So the station may well hand back its license and keep applying for FM outlets in these cities (Remy Friess, France, Medium Wave Circle email list via Mike Barraclough, DXLD) ** GEORGIA. Continuing on Radio Hara: I have been mentioning that the station is spelled "Radio Hara" and not "Khara" as used in parts of the DX press. The Abkhazian language uses the Cyrillic alphabet and in Cyrillic letters the word "Hara" (meaning "we") is spelled "Xapa". However, Abkhazian has two letters "X": one without a tail and one with a tail. "X" in "Xapa" has a tail and the pronunciation (and Latin transliteration) is "H" and not "Kh". There is an excellent website explaining the various Abkhazian sounds and you may listen to the difference yourself: http://apsni.com/alphabet.htm Compare the word for "peach" ("X" with tail) with the word for "ax" ("X" without tail). Local Time in Abkhazia: according to Radio Hara, Abkhazia is using the same local time as the rest of Georgia (UT +4h, DST: UT +5h), not Moscow time as listed in some DX sources (Bernd Trutenau, Lithuania, Jan 7, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** GERMANY. ``Dinner for One`` (see 4-001) is the subject of the last item on the current BBCWS From Our Own Correspondent, heard at 1655 UT Wed Jan 7 on 15190 via Antigua. It`s also available 10 minutes into the current BBCWS version at http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/programmes/from_our_own_correspondent/default.stm for the next few days, and perhaps will then be retrievable as an individual item. Warning: spoiler if you haven`t seen it yet (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** GUINEA. RTVG, 7125, Dec 31 2300-0001* Jan 1 French talk, Afro-pops, sign-off announcements and NA at 2400; good (Brian Alexander, Mechanicsburg PA, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** GUYANA. Guyana Broadcasting Corp. noted on 3291.1 at 0106 with lottery results and adverts. Decent enough signal, but a boost in modulation would help. 8 January, 2004 (Steve Lare, Holland, MI, Drake R7, R8 and R8B, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** INDONESIA. 8,000 PRIVATE RADIO STATIONS IN INDONESIA OPERATE WITHOUT LICENSE --- Thursday, January 08, 2004 2:40:47 PM Malang - Some 8,000 private radio stations across Indonesia have not obtained a license from the directorate general for post and telecommunication, head for research and development of the Association of Indonesian Private Radio Stations (PRSSNI), Ary Maricar, has said. "Many of them go on the air without any license. Some 1,000 of them are in East Java," Ary told a seminar here Wednesday. He expressed hope that these illegal radio stations would suspend their operations until they obtain a license from the government, which might be issued before the election in April. http://www.antara.co.id/e_berita.asp?id=129889&th=2004 (via Mike Terry, DXLD) ** INTERNATIONAL. NORTH AMERICA. RELIGION FOR ADULTS A reply to John Figliozzi: |Can you think of one program on domestic North American radio that offers intelligent, dispassionate discussion about religion and spirituality? I can`t. from DXLD 4-004, January 6, 2004| I can think not only of one but of two such programs. The first program is Speaking of Faith™ produced by Minnesota Public Radio and distributed by PRI. The national distribution of the show began in July of 2003. It's a thoughtful "[p]ublic radio conversation about belief, meaning, ethics and ideas" hosted by experienced journalist and Yale-educated theologian Krista Tippett. Speaking of Faith™ is carried by many public stations in the US. Check out their very helpful web-site at http://www.speakingoffaith.org/ There, you'll find a full audio archive and much more. The second program titled Tapestry comes from Canada's CBC Radio One. It "examines faith as a force in the world: in politics, art, history, and in our own lives." Their site isn't as good but still decent: http://www.cbc.ca/tapestry/ A few years ago RCI used to broadcast Tapestry into the US on the short wave but no more. (Don't pay attention to what Tapestry's site says about that!) So if you don't live in Canada, China, SEAsia or near those areas, you have to listen to Tapestry online. Due to copyright limitations, there is no audio archive starting 2004 (Sergei Sosedkin, IL, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** INTERNATIONAL. CLASSICAL MUSIC IS DYING --- "Neither DVD nor super- audio CD will rekindle public interest..." By Norman Lebrecht 1-7-4 You may wish to jot this in your diaries and upbraid me with it in twelve months' time but I am about to make the rock-solid prediction that the year 2004 will be the last for the classical record industry. The unravelling has run faster than prestissimo. Major labels which, a decade ago, pumped out 120 new releases a year are now reduced to a trickle of two dozen. Epochal concerts are no longer recorded for posterity. Classical stars have lost their license to twinkle. Where labels once fought bidding wars over shimmering talent they now compete in shedding it. The latest on the dump pile is the tenor Roberto Alagna, once trumpeted as the next Placido Domingo, now a victim of poor sales. EMI has declined to renew Alagna's contract which expired earlier this year. His wife, Angela Georghiu, remains under contract but has no further recordings planned. The words 'record' and 'contract' can no longer be juxtaposed in any meaningful way. EMI recently announced an exclusive seven-year deal with the fine-toned Norwegian, Leif-Ove Andsnes. All it means is that the hottest of current pianists gets to cut one disc a year, just the one, if he's lucky. The precipitate collapse has decimated a generation of skilled producers, assuredly the final generation. Decca has made its A&R chief redundant. The last surviving suits are fingering their collars. Sony and BMG are being brutally merged. Warner Classics awaits fallout from the group's takeover by Edgar Bronfman's consortium. It has been, said one vice-president, 'a year from hell.' Only in Britain, where the public cannot tell the difference between a bare-chested belter and a genuine opera singer, have sales held steady. In Germany, France and the US, classical racks being replaced in stores by stacks of computer games. 'I don't know what we have to do to sell a record,' lamented a leading executive. 'I have just signed off the last opera we will ever record,' said another. Life has been no easier for cottage labels. The German firm Haenssler, which employed Sir Roger Norrington and Sir Neville Marriner to conduct symphonic cycles, ran into financial difficulties and had to be restructured by its parent company, a Christian books publisher. Andante.com, a French-financed venture which sold archive recordings and internet access to live performances, stumbled into a protective alliance with another French group, Naive. Hypothermia set in to classical sales. The lone exception is budget label Naxos, which plans 150 new releases in the coming year, plus 60 historical remasters. 'We are no longer in the same industry as Decca and DG,' laughs its founder, Klaus Heymann. Naxos apart, there is almost no activity left that is coherent enough to be described as 'industry'. The day of classical recording is done and the post-mortem has begun. High in corporate towers, overpaid executives blame a lack of compelling new repertoire, of charismatic artists and of public tolerance for long-winded classics - in short, they blame everything except their own failure to invest in talent, allowing it to grow a personality as it steadily acquires a following. They also misread the effects of social and technological revolution. Artists and orchestras, for their part, blame the avarice of label execs and the incessant pressure on them to promote records with anodyne interviews and finger-numbing autograph sessions, precious time that would have been better devoted to developing character in their art. Hurt and confused, these artists refuse to admit their own assault on the classical economy in the years when the money flowed. In the CD gold rush of the early 1990s, the Berlin Philharmonic charged Ł65,000 for a symphonic disc. Their fee remains the same today, but hardly anyone bothers to make records with the world's best orchestras any more. Instead, record companies use 'buyout' bands like the BBC Philharmonic which lease their work free of charge. The playing may not be exquisite but it is economically attractive. Naxos pays artists a no- royalties small fee, take it or leave it. These tight measures will sustain a certain level of recording activity after the industry is defunct, much as fountain-pens flicker on in an age of biros. These are sombre reflections and they are uttered with regret. Classical records brought delight and enlightenment to millions who never dared enter a concert hall. More than that, they fostered a sense of community by allowing listeners to compare and contrast one interpretation of Bruckner's fourth symphony with another, sometimes to a nerdish extreme but inherently, invaluably, as a commonly shared cultural artefact. The existence of Bruckner Fourths conducted by, say, Wilhelm Furtwaengler and Otto Klemperer, presented two philosophically antipodal accounts of a mighty score - and encouraged record buyers to assess these grainy treasures against gleaming modern interpretations by Karajan, Tintner, Harnoncourt and Abbado. In the industry's heyday every self-respecting label had its own catalogue version of every masterpiece, and every decade brought a technological improvement which prompted a further set of recordings. These were rhythms on which the industry ran happily for half a century: sensible, profitable rhythms that made great music continually relevant to changing times. Those rhythms were disrupted, distorted and ultimately destroyed by digital recording, which delivered sonic utopia and exposed the flaws in the process. Attentive listeners were able to hear underground trains rumbling beneath Decca's Kingsway Hall, and botched edits in supposedly authentic performances. Digital clarity revealed the artificiality of recording, the fundamental fakery of producing an inhumanly accurate replica of all-too human music. As the digital sheen wore off, so did the sales. Expectations of exponential growth were shattered and desperate execs polluted their labels with pop-like ephemeralities. Neither DVD nor super-audio CD will rekindle public interest. I shall miss the industry when it is gone, its grotesquely inflated egos, its lavish Salzburg junkets. I shall mourn the good men (and very few women) who gave their working lives to the pursuit of perfection and were ruined when it arrived. I shall particularly regret the loss of comparability, our future inability to concretize Simon Rattle's never-to-be-recorded Bruckner Fourth in the context of past masters. Such, though, is the price of progress. Every record comes to an end, but the music goes on. It always will. Visit every week to read Norman Lebrecht's latest column. (c) La Scena Musicale 2001 [sic] http://www.scena.org/columns/lebrecht/031231-NL-recording.html MainPage http://www.rense.com (via John W. Smith, DXLD) ** INTERNATIONAL VACUUM. The floodgates have opened: XM GOES LOCAL WITH TRAFFIC, WEATHER REPORTS Thanks to partnerships with Mobility Technologies and The Weather Channel, the satcaster on March 1 will begin providing localized traffic and weather reports for 15 major metropolitan areas, including New York, Los Angeles, Dallas, Chicago, Phoenix and San Francisco. Boston will begin receiving "XM Instant Traffic & Weather" reports on April 1 and five other markets will receive the service sometime later in 2004. The reports will run continuously on dedicated individual channels for each city serviced, and the broadcasts will update every 10 minutes. XM will air advertising on these channels, but promises the spot load will be lighter than terrestrial radio. (http://www.rronline.com via Brock Whaley, DXLD) THE NAB CRIES FOUL As first hinted on ALL ACCESS, XM SATELLITE RADIO is going commercial- free, as the service abandons the strategy of running advertising on several of its music streams. The move, scheduled for FEBRUARY, will not initially change the monthly $9.99 fee. XM had over 1,360,000 subscribers at the end of 2003, adding 430,000 customers in fourth quarter (23,000 on CHRISTMAS DAY). The company's Pres./CEO HUGH PANERO projects 2.8 million subscribers by the end of 2004. XM will add "Instant Traffic & Weather" channels in MARCH that will serve 21 major metros with "in-depth, up-to-date information about road and weather conditions" provided by MOBILITY TECHNOLOGIES and THE WEATHER CHANNEL. Slated as the markets for traffic and weather: NEW YORK, LOS ANGELES, WASHINGTON, DALLAS, CHICAGO, HOUSTON, DETROIT, PHILADELPHIA, PHOENIX, SAN FRANCISCO, TAMPA, ORLANDO, BALTIMORE, PITTSBURGH, and ST. LOUIS in MARCH, BOSTON, ATLANTA, MIAMI, MINNEAPOLIS, SEATTLE, and SAN DIEGO later in the year. XM's 2004 lineup will total 121 channels, with the addition of Country channel HIGHWAY 16, AC THE BLEND, Rock channel FUNGUS (Punk, Hardcore, and Ska), three new Spanish channels (Top 40, Rock, and Tejano), and MSNBC; MUSICLAB is now described as a "jamband" channel and CNET and SPECIAL X are missing from the new lineup. New XM products include FM modulators for the SkyFi and Roady lines, a home adapter for the Roady receiver, the previously-announced DELPHI "new boom-box" for SkyFi that includes a CD/AM/FM player, and the XM Direct universal car radio tuner. And, JETBLUE and AIRTRAN are both adding XM SATELLITE RADIO to their in-flight entertainment options. The NAB wasted no time in attacking XM's local weather and traffic plans, with Pres./CEO EDDIE FRITTS saying "XM SATELLITE RADIO's announcement today to provide weather and traffic reports to select major markets represents an appalling back-door attempt to bypass the FCC's intent to limit satellite radio to a national service only. The announcement also violates the spirit of a terrestrial repeater agreement NAB recently negotiated with XM barring XM from local programming delivery. NAB will explore the legality of XM offering this program service. But there is no doubt the 175 million daily listeners of local radio stations know that the best and most reliable source for news, school closings, and weather and traffic alerts continues to be their local broadcasters." (from http://www.allaccess.com via Brock Whaley, DXLD) |But there is no doubt the 175 million daily listeners of local radio stations know that the best and most reliable source for news, school closings, and weather and traffic alerts| ... plus essential news of toxic gas escaping from local derailments on weekend nights (Tom Roche, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** IRAN. AMATEUR RADIO ASSISTS IN IRAN EARTHQUAKE RELIEF The Turkey Amateur Radio Club president, Aziz Sasa, TA1E, reports that four amateur radio operators were among the Turkish teams that provided relief in Iran, following the disastrous earthquake that hit the city of Bam just after Christmas. Local communications were carried out on 2-metres simplex, with HF operations on 14270 kHz during the day and on 7092 or 3777 kHz after dark. Soyhan Erim, TA2IJ, part of the Turkish Ministry of Health team, handled HF operations at the Turkish Incident Command Post. TA2RJ, TA1CAN, and TA2NO were also in Bam as part of the Search and Rescue Teams (Radio Society of Great Britain GB2RS Main News for January 11, posted on uk.radio.amateur January 7 by G4RGA via John Norfolk, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** IRAQ. Al Iraqiyah TV (Iraq Media network) started broadcasting on the Arab Sat 26 Deg East on 11100 GHz vertical S/R 3000 FEC ľ and there's another IMN test card on 11108 Vertical S/R 3000 FEC 3/4 check http://www.lyngsat.com/arab26.shtml After the American attack on Iraq the management of both Arab Sat and Nile Sat announced that they will not let the IMN to broadcast on both satellites, but sounds like they gave it a second thought, which means maybe we can get that station on the Nile Sat 7 Deg West soon. All the best, guys (Tarek Zeidan, Cairo, Egypt, Jan 7, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** MAURITANIA. ORTM, 7245, Jan 3 *0758-0810+, sign-on with IS, 0800 short opening announcement and into Kor`an. Good-strong (Brian Alexander, Mechanicsburg PA, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** MEXICO. R. México Internacional, 9704.98, Jan 1 2305-2350+ nice, clean, strong signal for a change. Surprised to hear them this well. Spanish programming with talk, ballads, IDs (Brian Alexander, Mechanicsburg PA, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** MEXICO. Martin A. Hall in Scotland has been hearing two Mexicans which may be firsts for the UK. Radio Sinfonola, on 1410, is one of the two. The other one, was logged on 1430 with an absolutely fascinating signal, the NA and a full-scale sign on announcement at 1100 UTC. The call sign for this station, Radio Onda, in Veracruz, is easily misunderstood as it is given as X E doble L instead of an expected X E L L (Henrik Klemetz, Sweden, Jan 8, dxing.info via DXLD) ** MEXICO. XEKTT on 580 now??? Anybody in who can verify that XEKTT Tecate Mexico is now on 580? They started out on 550, then moved to 560. That's 20 kw day, 10 kw NON-Directional night! They made a mess of KUZZ, 550 kHz, Bakersfield; KSFO, 560 kHz, San Francisco; KLAC, 570 kHz, Los Angeles, KBLU, 560 kHz, Yuma (120 miles distance!!!) and KFYI, 550 kHz, Phoenix. Posted on the San Diego radio-info.com board, those stations filed a joint complaint with the FCC (Bill Frahm, Boise, Jan 6, amfmtvdx at qth.net via DXLD) Viz.: XEKTT, the AM station from Tecate, Baja California, Mexico, seems to be "drifting" around the dial. At first, it landed at 550 AM, then notched it to 560. Reports indicate the station is kicking the 580 spot around -- as owners of U.S. AM stations, KUZZ, 550 kHz, Bakersfield; ABC, licensee of KSFO, 560 kHz, San Francisco; and Clear Channel, licensee of KLAC, 570 kHz, Los Angeles, KBLU, 560 kHz, Yuma and KFYI, 550 kHz, Phoenix, have filed a joint interference complaint with the Federal Communications Commission. The FCC will, in turn, ask the Mexican government about the interference. Stay Tuned. The consulting engineer who filed with the FCC on behalf of the owners say 29-million people are receiving interference from XEKTT. Estancia Templada -- Stay Tuned (from http://sdradio.net/today.shtml via DXLD) ** MONGOLIA. Just got a nice surprise in the mail: a beautiful new year's greeting card from the Voice of Mongolia, along with a letter signed by Z. Densmaa, mail editor, and a program schedule effective 27 OCT 03 - 29 MAR 04, here compiled in UT order: 0830-0900 12015 Japanese As 0900-0930 12015 Mongolian As 0930-1000 12015 Chinese As 1000-1030 12085 English SAs 1030-1100 12015 Mongolian SAs 1100-1130 990 Russian Eur 1130-1200 12015 Chinese As/SAs 1200-1230 12015 Japanese As 1330-1400 9720 Russian Eur 1500-1530 9720 English Eur 2000-2030 9720 English Eur Transmissions at 0900, 0930, 1030, and 1130 are also // mediumwave 990. Notice that English at 1000 is on 12085 as previously. Frequency 9615 listed in WRTH-04 for many of these transmissions does not appear (John Cobb, Roswell, GA, June 7, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** NETHERLANDS. Plans for 2004 --- There will be stronger multimedia element to our media pages in the coming months. Jonathan Marks is putting the finishing touches to a video he made with Victor Goonetilleke in Sri Lanka. We also have a video of former Radio Canada International personality Ian McFarland, which Thorsten Koch made when he visited Ian a few months ago. Ian reflects on his career at RCI, and then Radio Japan, as well as giving his thoughts on the future of shortwave and DRM. We're making good progress with digitising the best of the more than 1000 Media Network radio shows that Jonathan made between 1981 and 2000. As of this week some 80 programmes have been digitised. We'll be launching an archive series very shortly, and due to public demand we'll be making the entire Hitchhikers Guide to DXing series available for the first time in more than 20 years (Andy Sennitt, Media Network Newsletter Jan 8 via DXLD) ** NIGERIA. 17800, V. of Nigeria Jan 4 2253-2300* 25322 English, Talk. 2259 National anthem. 2300 s/off (Kouji Hashimoto, Japan Premium via DXLD) Also noted here after 2200 UT Jan 8, with the usual low het on the frequency; is anyone else hearing that or is it my birdie? (gh) ** NIUE. BAD NEWS FROM SHATTERED NIUE As Auckland Niueans waited anxiously for news of relatives, Deputy Premier Toke Talagi managed to get a call through late on Thursday to tell them the worst. "This is the worst cyclone ever," he said from the capital, Alofi. Cyclone Heta has left Niue with power cuts, water in short supply, petrol rationing and only satellite telephone communication. It took Mr Talagi a few tries with a satellite phone to get through to Pacific Island journalists at the Otahuhu studios of community radio station 531PI. He said it would be up to three months before life returned to anywhere near normal. Most of the Government buildings, businesses, infrastructure and public records have been damaged or destroyed by the 40m waves and up to 300kmh winds that swept through with the cyclone on Tuesday. One person was killed and two injured. Mr Talagi said a dozen houses had been destroyed in the coastal area south of Alofi that bore the brunt of the storm. Some had been washed up to 100m inland by the monstrous waves. He had no idea when telecommunication would be restored as the country's satellite dish had been damaged, even though it was taken down before the cyclone hit. Some villages had no water at all, and although the reservoir had water, villagers had no tankers to transport it. Mr Talagi said petrol was being rationed because the waterfront fuel depot had been damaged, and the hospital's medical supplies had been washed away. The National Museum was "gone". "When you drive down the road to it, now all you can see is the sea." Mr Talagi said Niueans had still to assess damage to their taro and fruit crops, one of the country's major industries. "There are no bananas, no grapefruit and no pawpaws. They have gone with the wind into the sea." The airport was open, and "for some reason, the wharf is still standing". Mr Talagi said he had seen four cyclones batter his homeland, "and this is the worst". On Thursday morning, he was joined by Premier Young Vivian, who arrived on a New Zealand Air Force Hercules carrying emergency supplies. Mr Vivian was in Auckland when the cyclone struck, after the death of his wife last week. He said he was "shocked and more shocked" to see the devastation. "The houses are not flattened, they are wiped out." Mr Vivian was concerned that unless Niueans were given some assurances, many might leave the island to live in New Zealand. Auckland's Niuean community groups were scrambling to organise meetings and church services. ©AAP 2003 (via Sam Dellitt, Australia, DXLD) No doubt our major sources of Niue news on SW are RNZI and R. Australia (gh, DXLD) ** OKLAHOMA. SALE MAY HELP CLEAR UP TV STATION'S 'CONFUSED MESS' 1/7/04 By Robert Barron Staff Writer http://www.enidnews.com/story.php?story_id=54827&c=29&PHPSESSID=f6cf656f735c9acd1452ca42194de396 Ownership of the FCC license for Enid's low-power television station is at the center of a dispute that could be settled at a sale later this month. According to a Garfield County District Court ruling, a foreclosure sale set for 10 a.m. Jan. 22 at Garfield County Court House will determine the owner of the FCC license for the station, Channel 32. Chuck Pearson is the rightful owner of the license, according to his attorney Tom Leonard of Ponca City. However, Enid attorney Rex Faulkner said by contract he has an interest in the license. Pearson and Faulkner both claim ownership in the FCC license, Leonard said. Pearson said he is owed between $50,000 and $60,000 by Faulkner and is selling the license to recover his costs. The foreclosure action originally was filed in 2002. Faulkner said he will be the sole owner of the license when the proceeding is over. An FCC license cannot be sold, however, said J. Douglas Williams, owner of a low-power television station in Woodward. The FCC must approve the transfer of a license, he said. A license is not a mortgage and not a mortgageable piece of chattel. The present owner would have to petition the FCC to transfer ownership, he said. Leonard agreed the FCC license could not be sold and called the situation a "confused mess." He said this is the course of action chosen by the two sides to re-solve the issue. Leonard said in addition to the license, there is about $100,000 worth of "fairly decent" television equipment available to operate the station. Channel 32, which operates on Cox Cable channel 18 in Enid, currently is showing old movies. Williams said cost of starting a station could be more than what has been invested in Channel 32. He uses a power transmitter atop a 900-foot tower to boost the broadcasts and made other improvements as well. The Woodward station is affiliated with PAX network and is on the basic tier of service for 24 cable television systems in northwest Oklahoma, he said. "That's not as big a deal as being on Cox because there are a lot of people over there (Enid)," he said. Low-power television stations are expensive to get into, he said, and generally are not extremely profitable unless they are located in a large metropolitan area. Comments Bob writes: "With 25 plus years in radio. Watched with great interest as Channel 32 hit the air waves. Enid area is large enough to support a DECENT TV station. And Channel 32 promised oh so much to Enid. Even tho delivered very little. It tried doing news. So ineptly, reminded me of my Introduction to Radio college courses in late 50's. Then station reverted to that silly auction tho must have made owners buck or two --- then went to a series of tapes made 20 years ago in L A of Dr Gene Scott --- now is Nothing Programming. Enid needs a T V station with local news, local flavor." Enidnite writes: "Wrong!!! Everything in Enid is wrong, jobs, economy, people who run Enid, the so called police force, the animal control, etc. And how can you say Channel 32 is crappy? It's been in limbo for a long time. Geez people, quit bickering over small things and find a way to help the people of Enid." T_ann writes: "When the dust settles, it would be very beneficial if channel 32 would become a PAX affiliate station! Programming is great on PAX, which can be viewed on a station out of OKC at the present time." [duh --- gh] dennis writes: "We have lived here for just over a year and the only thing really crappy about Enid is channel 32." (via DXLD) You may be frustrated trying to research this situation with the FCC, but the facility number is 41006. The Eagle has suddenly discovered there are broadcast media in Enid: (Glenn Hauser, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** OKLAHOMA. STATION'S NEW FORMAT IS A LAUGHING MATTER 1/8/04 By Robert Barron Staff Writer http://www.enidnews.com/story.php?story_id=54875 "Did you hear the one about ..." Enid radio airwaves could be filled with comments like this if a new radio station catches on. KMMZ radio in Enid has begun an all-comedy format on 1640 AM. Although many stations have funny disc jockeys, the idea of an all-comedy station is a new concept in broadcasting, said Hiram Champlin, owner of Chisholm Trail Broadcasting in Enid. Chisholm Trail Broadcasting, which owns the station, said KMMZ features parts of stand-up comedy routines by well-known and not-so- well-known comedians. Routines by such artists as Jerry Seinfeld and George Carlin will be common, interspersed with song parodies and prank phone calls. However, content is a concern, Champlin said. "It will be FCC-friendly. Any bad words will be bleeped out," Champlin said. The segments are tied together with comedy disc jockeys and presented like music radio, he said. KMMZ is the newest radio station for Chisholm Trail Broadcasting. The fifth in the company line of stations, it signed on Dec. 19 after approval of the FCC license. It features a new 10,000-watt, state-or- the-art transmitter and tower. Comedy radio is a new concept in broadcasting, Champlin said. The programming originated in California on station KISX in Los Angeles, and the time period during which comedy programming was featured saw ratings increase tenfold, he said. "It's pretty popular and signing up affiliates right and left. It's just like Paul Harvey or Rush (Limbaugh)," he said. KMMZ receives the signal from California by a satellite feed in a syndicated format. The format also is in a 24-hour, seven-day format. [sic] "We're bringing something totally new and different to Oklahoma," Champlin said. "The Oklahoma radio dial is crowded with most every kind of music and talk. "We figured everyone needs a laugh button." (via DXLD) ** OKLAHOMA. Has anyone heard when Clear Channel will sign on AM 1210 in OKC? haven't heard much about it lately or is it going to happen (X-man, Dec 28, Oklahoma Radio Board via DXLD) The deal is still in process with the FCC. It is a huge undertaking considering how CC is going to acquire the 1210 signal here in town. We're now approaching 2004 after two years waiting and I'm skeptical about the deal up to this point. My sources say it's going to happen but they too have been told that before. Film at 10 (Whatsupwitdat Dec 29, ibid.) There probably isn`t as much demand for yet another AM signal in OKC as there is for the AM to remain in Guymon. Has anyone talked to the fine citizens of the panhandle to see what they think about all this? I cannot believe the FCC is letting this happen. Why does the FCC even bother with having stations keep public files anymore? What a charade! (wa0yzr Dec 30, ibid.) I can bet you that the citizens of Guymon have no idea that their station that continues to be "High Plains Proud" with today's hottest country and weather updates from the TV station in Amarillo have no idea that their heritage radio station is going bye-bye, and in that part of Oklahoma, Kansas, Texas, and New Mexico, that is like their own little version of KVOO. I'm against it personally just because of the fact that I like listening to the station as it is down here in Little Rock. It booms into Arkansas at night, and I can listen to the Oklahoma High School Scoreboard and other things... I'll actually miss it. But I know that CC and most everyone else could care less about whether Guymon, OK loses its heritage station. Kinda like losing KVOO again on a smaller scale. But we'll survive.... (Mediamogul, Dec 31, ibid.) Well we all know that Clear Channel is all about serving the public. Yeah, right. They have one more station owner that has to be bought off/outmuscled before they can steal the allocation from Guymon and start the "New KTOK" project. After they get the green light from the Federal Check Cashers (you send money, they give you whatever you want), it'll take about 7-12 months or possibly more to get that messy 1210 pattern to work. And the good people of Guymon can eat cake... if they have any left (--- THE Insultant ---, ibid.) ** PAPUA NEW GUINEA. UTILITY PULLS PLUG ON NEW BRITAIN RADIO STATION PORT MORESBY, Papua New Guinea (The National, Jan. 7) - Radio West New Britain is off-air indefinitely. PNG Power disconnected electricity supply to the studio, office complex and the transmitter on Monday. NBC West New Britain acting director Darius Gilime said electricity was cut because of non-payment of bills. The province has a radio audience of about 184,000 people. The station owes PNG Power K24,000 in electricity bills, calculated from April to Dec 1, 2003. Mr Gilime said the radio station’s existence is dependent on the annual provincial budget allocations. Of the K58.3 million budgeted for the province last year, the radio station’s operational budget allocation was K100,000. However, only K35,000 was released during the first and second quarters of 2003. The remaining K65,000 has not been released. January 7, 2004 The National: http://www.thenational.com.pg/ Copyright © 2003 The National Online. All Rights Reserved (via E. Baxendale, UK, DXLD) WTFK??? 3235. Same story: http://pidp.eastwestcenter.org/pireport/2004/January/01-07-12.htm (via Sam Ward, ON, WORLD OF RADIO 1215, Scott Walker, New Cumberland, DXLD) ** PERU. R. Santa Mónica, Cusco, 4965v, Jan 1 10910-1030+ Spanish announcements, canned IDs, OA folk music. Carrier slightly unstable. Fair but slight co-channel QRM from a weak presumed Brazilian. R. Bambamarca, 4427.89, Jan 1 1035-1045+ Spanish talk, ID, huaynos, fair (Brian Alexander, Mechanicsburg PA, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** ROMANIA [non]. ROMANIA: FOREIGN MINISTER WANTS RADIO FREE EUROPE TO CONTINUE BROADCASTING | Text of report in English by Romanian news agency Rompres Foreign Minister Mircea Geoana on 7 January told Radio Romania Actualitatsi that [Radio] Free Europe, a radio station financed by the US Congress, should go on broadcasting in Eastern Europe and even in the Balkans, adding that Romania is ready to offer the necessary technical support. Geoana believes that, although the countries in Central Europe, for which Radio Free Europe has broadcast so far, reached a consolidated democracy level, the values of democracy should be still promoted in Eastern Europe. Romania, Geoana said, could put its relays and technical capacity at the disposal of Radio Free Europe. The US Congress suspended financing for Radio Free Europe but diplomatic sources say that it is possible the Romanian Foreign Minister tackle this issue with US officials and US bodies, on the occasion of his visit to the United States early this year. Source: Rompres news agency, Bucharest, in English 1712 gmt 7 Jan 04 (via BBCM via DXLD) ** RUSSIA. 7200, R. Respublik Sakha, Jan 5 0910-0918, 35333, Yakut and Russian, 0910 with IS. Yakut and Russian ID. Talk. // 7345 kHz. Russian ID as "Govorit (?) Respublik Radio Sakha Program". Also Jan 6 0910-0923 35333 Yakut and Russian, 0910 with IS. Yakut and Russian ID. Talk // 7345 kHz. 7345, R. Respublik Sakha, Dec 28 0910-0920 33433- 34433 Yakut and Russian, 1810 with IS. ID. News. Local program (Kouji Hashimoto, Japan Premium via DXLD) ** RUSSIA. VOR --- what`s new: RUSSIA - 1000 YEARS OF MUSIC This musical multi-sequel leads you, year by year and century by century, through the history of Russian music. Hundreds of volumes of encyclopedic stories, thousands of recorded masterpieces are yours! The program will go on the air at 1730 and 1930 UTC on Thursdays and at 0430 UTC on Fridays, beginning January 8. We wish you all good listening. MUSICAL TALES It's a series of weekly 19-minute programs for classical music fans. A wealth of eye-opening information, little-known facts, popular music and rare recordings will help our listeners to know more about the past and present of Russian music. The MUSICAL TALES are prepared by the Voice of Russia team that made our best musical series of the past few years. The author, Ol`ga Fyodorova, editor Emil Akopov, producer Svetlana Afanasyeva and your hosts Svetlana Yekimenko and Carl Watts invite you all to tune in every Tuesday at 0410 UTC, beginning January 6. The program is repeated on Wednesdays at 0330 and 2130, on Thursdays at 0230 and 1830, on Saturdays at 0710 and 1710, on Sundays at 0510 and 1910, and on Mondays at 0510 UTC. Stay tuned! Copyright © 2003 The Voice of Russia (via Maryanne Kehoe, Jan 8, swprograms via DXLD) ** RWANDA. R. Rwanda? 6055, Jan 2, 2030-2100* tentative. English pops, Afro-pops, talk in unID language, 2055 instrumental anthem, 2057 choral anthem. Fair-good, no ID heard (Brian Alexander, Mechanicsburg PA, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** SOUTH AFRICA. SOUTH AFRICA'S RADIO VERITAS RETURNS ON 11TH JAN South African Catholic broadcaster Radio Veritas, which has been off the air since 15th December, says it will resume its broadcasts on 11 January 2004 at 1200 South African time (1000 UTC). The schedule will be daily at 1000-1400 UT on 7240 kHz shortwave, via a 100 kW transmitter at Meyerton. Radio Veritas is partly funded by donations, and currently has 3000 donors. It also sells recordings of some of its programmes. The station says that in March it will be broadcasting on a special [FM] licence in Gauteng, Cape Town and Durban. Contact information: Radio Veritas, 36 Beelaerts Street, Troyeville, 2094 (Postal Address: P.O. Box 53687, Troyeville, 2139, South Africa). Tel: +27 (0)11 624- 2516 Studio: +27 (0)11 614-6225 Fax: +27 (0)11 614-7711. E-mail: info @ radioveritas.co.za Web site: http://www.radioveritas.co.za # posted by Andy @ 13:50 UT (Media Network blog Jan 7 via WORLD OF RADIO 1215, DXLD) ** SUDAN [non]. Sudan Radio Service, 15530, Jan 2 1500-1530+: tune-in to the end of VOA programming with VOA ID at 1459 and into detailed English sign-on announcements at 1500 with ``Sudan Radio Service`` and ``S.R.S.`` IDs. Nairobi, Kenya and e-mail addresses given. Said programs were developed in Kenya and transmitters in UK. Sked as M-F only. 1505 into unID language, local African music, 1515 English news, 1520unID language. Good signal (Brian Alexander, Mechanicsburg PA, DX LISTENING DIGEST) 15530, Sudan Radio Service (via Javoradio Oz) heard announcing the following schedule at 1501: 6-8 AM (0300-0500 UT) on 9625 kHz and 6-8 PM (1500-1700 UT) on 15530 kHz. The 0300-0500 broadcast is a recent expansion (Hans Johnson, FL, Jan 6, Cumbredx mailing list via WORLD OF RADIO 1215, DXLD) ** SWEDEN. RADIO SWEDEN -- Coming up on Radio Sweden: Thursday: "Nordic Lights" Friday: Our weekly review Saturday: "Sweden Today" Sunday: In "Sounds Nordic" the Latin Kings and a sneak preview of who might be singing for Sweden at the Eurovision song contest (SCDX/MediaScan Jan 7 via DXLD) ** TURKEY. 2330 UT, Voice of Turkey, 6015 kHz with English news music with a signoff in English with an interval signal. SIO 444 good signal but the audio was sub par (Robert Thompson, TX, Jan 7, swl at qth.net via DXLD) ** U K. BBC WORLD SERVICE HIGHLIGHTS [Americas stream times only here] Saturdays, 2201 and Sundays 0201: Play of the Week highlights include: Loyal Women on Saturday/Sunday, January 10th / 11th, by Gary Mitchell is a vivid portrait of entrenched attitudes in north Belfast`s Protestant community. In a close-knit community, where everyone knows your business and prejudice is entrenched, it`s hard to break free from the past. Man of All Work on Saturday/Sunday, January 17th / 18th, by prolific Afro-American writer, Richard Wright is a dark comedy about white middle class attitudes in 1940`s America. Carl, a middle-aged African- American single parent, needs money to care for his baby daughter. Unable to find employment he devises a desperate ploy. Dressed in women`s clothes, renamed Lucy after his former wife and fortified with the belief that black people all look the same to whites; he sets out to find work as a servant in a well-off white family. The Joy Luck Club on Saturday/Sunday, January 24th / 25th, is a play that tracks the lives and relationships of four mothers and their daughters. The mothers have escaped unhappy lives in their native China to make a fresh start in America. They form The Joy Luck Club, which meets once a week to play Mah Jong. They are suspended between two cultures, wanting their daughters to be able to enjoy all that America has to offer while at the same time retaining their Chinese identity (Richard Cuff, Easy Listening, Jan NASWA Journal via DXLD) ** U S A. WWCR has posted a new program schedule effective Jan. 7. We see there is an additional broadcast of WORLD OF RADIO, Sat 2130 on 12160, thanks! DX PARTYLINE has been dropped from Sat morning at 1530; the remaining times are: UT Sun 0300 on 5070, Tue 1030 on 9475, Thu 2100 on 9475 (Glenn Hauser, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A. In last issue`s report on WJIE 7490, I neglected to mention that the slogan ID frequently heard was ``Praise 95`` from the originating FM station in Florida, as heard again Jan 7 (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A. WWRB --- Hi Glen[n]: We are going to add a 3 MHz frequency to our broadcasting lineup --- working on a low 3.200, 3.220, 3.225. Our fiberglass radome is ready we will begin construction of our experimental VOR (VHF Omni range). The FAA has approved 108.00 MHz as our assigned frequency. We will be experimenting with new antenna designs. Our Avionics Repair Station is moving swiftly towards FAA certification. Soon we will be repairing aircraft electronics such as Weather Radar, Navigation, Transponders, DME's Glide Slope, etc. We have a complete avionics repair station right here at the WWRB transmitter site. The avionics shop is totally enclosed in an RF tight Screen Room this will allow us to be able to repair avionics while WWRB is transmitting. Our Aircraft Enroute Communications Business is working out very nicely! It is much more profitable than the broadcasting business! With much less headaches! We NEVER have to chase our money; we get paid as agreed, whereas the broadcasting business is always a challenge! In the broadcasting business, you drop the ball by not getting paid up front and you`re going to get it! We are planning to build a Helipad here at our facilities. This will allow us to service and install Avionics, Public service support electronics, in Helicopters. Plenty of money is being spent on law enforcement helicopter electronics upgrades for home land security, More and more hospitals have "life fight" helicopters that require avionics maintenance. We will be offering deep discounting to aviation operators for our on site aviation services (Dave Frantz, WWRB, Jan 7, WORLD OF RADIO 1215, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A. WHRI, 4920, Jan 1 and 2, 1010-1100+, still hearing this sub- harmonic of 9840 occasionally, 0.5 x 9840. Irregular. Good-strong these mornings, but some mornings not even a weak het. 9840 always heard with English religion (Brian Alexander, Mechanicsburg PA, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A. WMLK, 9465, Jan 2 *1600-1615+, sign-on announcements with ID, address, into the usual Sacred Name Broadcast with Elder Jacob O Meyer. Good-strong (Brian Alexander, Mechanicsburg PA, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A. More spurs from R. Martí, this time the 13820 transmitter, heavy splatter blobs at modulation peaks, no carriers, at multiples of about plus and minus 78 kHz, near 13976, 13898, 13742, 13664, around 2230 UT Jan 8. This is the Delano-3 transmitter on 100 degree antenna (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A. 1500 UT is a popular time for miscellaneous SSB nets in the 7 MHz band. Jan 7 at 1515 on 7448 again ran across Broadway Consumer, the Arizona National Guard group, with callsigns of two numbers and one letter, this time including a check-in by Ruby, so it`s not totally a boy`s club. Usual friendly discussion of last night`s low temps and the prospects for precipitation. NCS seemed to be up in the mountains, and most of the rest down in the valley. Then tuned down to 7420 or so, and was surprised to hear check-ins from operators with all kinds of call-signs, starting with A, N, W and even D, like Navy, Army and Air Force MARS, Army Corps of Engineers? At one point the NCS mentioned `USDOT Net`? Not sure of the last letter, maybe USDOC. What is this? Just as I was in the process of measuring the frequency, maybe 7420.5, the net secured at 1530. Must tune in earlier sometime (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A. Transcript -- Election 2004: NPR Debate Susan Feeney, NPR's Morning Edition Senior Editor Wednesday, January 7, 2004; 10:00 AM What is your opinion of Tuesday's radio debate hosted by National Public Radio? Which of the Democratic presidential hopefuls helped their candidacy the most? How important are these debates? What does it take to put one on? Susan Feeney, senior editor of National Public Radio's Morning Edition and coordinator of NPR's debate in Iowa, was online to take your questions and comments on the event. The transcript follows. . . http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A56932-2004Jan5.html (via Larry Nebron, CA, DXLD) ** U S A. DEMOCRATS SEARCHING FOR THEIR VOICE - ON TALK RADIO AIRWAVES Posted on Thu, Jan. 08, 2004 BY COLLEEN MCCAIN NELSON The Dallas Morning News FARGO, N.D. - (KRT) - The caller from Fargo wants to know why Ed Schultz hates the president. "You have selective hearing," is the angry retort. "You are hard right-winger with no brain. Obviously, I'm over your head." Long drowned out by conservatives who ruled the radio, Democrats say they've finally found their voice - a booming one emanating from this frigid city. In a nondescript studio on a snow-packed road, Schultz is preparing to take on the right wing of the radio world. "They can dish it out. Let's see if they can take it," he says. From North Dakota to New York City, the push is on by left-leaning broadcasters who aim to take back the airwaves. . . http://www.aberdeennews.com/mld/aberdeennews/news/nation/7663131.htm?template=contentModules/printstory.jsp (via Mike Cooper, DXLD) ** U S A. JERSEY OUTLET 'MTR-ETRO FITTED FOR OLDIES By David Hinckley, Daily News Staff Writer Hoping to pick up some of the fans of early rock 'n' roll who feel abandoned by WCBS-FM, WMTR (1250 AM) in Morristown, N.J., yesterday became the first area station to launch a "Classic Oldies" format, devoted entirely to rock 'n' roll from the pre-Beatles era... http://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/story/152076p-133961c.html (via Bill Westenhaver, QC, DXLD) ** U S A. WDFH, *90.3, Ossining NY, finally gets on the air, apparently to stay. It`s Mark Sophos` dream. He has wanted to put a station on the air since he was in high school. Its new studio is on the campus of Mercy College in Dobbs Ferry NY, where Sophos is an assistant professor of radio. Students can learn the radio business from this experienced professional. It serves the area, with pf (progressive and folk, plus blues and jazz), and it expects to provide coverage of community events. It`s also on the internet at http://www.wdfh.org (Bruce Elving, Dec Fmedia! via DXLD) ** U S A. Low Power FM in South Western Mass. GREAT BARRINGTON, MASS. BOARD AWAITING DETAILS OF FM RADIO STATION By Derek Gentile, Berkshire Eagle Staff GREAT BARRINGTON, MA -- Planning Board Chairman Donald O. Goranson said Friday that, although he and other board members are generally in favor of the plan for a broadcast antenna for a low-power radio station, they also are eager to see the details. "I've spoken informally with those folks, and I don't think as a board we'll have any objection to what they're doing," Goranson said. "But I think we'll have to take a look at what they've proposed before we make any decisions. It's a case of us looking at this as positively as possible." Berkshire County Radio Alliance, a local grass-roots organization, announced plans last week to have a nonprofit, low-power FM station up and running by October 2004. FCC permit The nonprofit, volunteer organization was granted a construction permit by the Federal Communications Commission in April. The BCRA now has 18 months, or until October, to have its station up and running or it will lose the broadcasting license. The group is negotiating with Fairview Hospital to place its antenna on the building's roof. The antenna would be only 6 to 8 feet tall and would emit an extremely low power signal, according to BCRA representatives. Goranson said that after speaking with two members of the BCRA, Nicholas Ring and Anne Condon, about the application, his interpretation of the town bylaws is that the broadcasting equipment could fall under the town's ham radio bylaw. "If that's the case, we can't prevent ham radio operators from broadcasting," he said. "We have some say over the location and the aesthetics, but we can't prevent them." But, said Goranson, he was reluctant to make a formal declaration in connection with the broadcasting setup until the Planning Board sees the plans. Benjamin Shalles, another BCRA member, said at a recent public meeting that his group intends to meet with the Planning Board and to update it on the group's plan. He said the BCRA is confident that it can prove the broadcasting setup will pass muster. The broadcast frequency, according to BCRA representatives, is 97.1. The 100-watt station would have a range of between four and 10 miles. That wattage might push the signal north into Stockbridge and south into Sheffield on clear days. Primarily, said the organizers, the station will serve Great Barrington. Start-up costs for the station could range from $20,000 to $50,000, depending on the quality of equipment purchased. Because the station will be run by volunteers, annual costs could run between $10,000 and $18,000, including rent, utilities, materials and other expenditures. Some of that money will be available through grants, some through fund-raisers. To join or to donate money, equipment, studio space or time, contact the organization at http://www.berkshireradio.org (via Pete Costello, NJ, DXLD) So `clear days` have a bearing on coverage? And I fail to see why this should have anything to do with ham radio (gh, DXLD) ** U S A. Sunday, January 11, 2004 - WKDK-1240, Newberry, SC will conduct a brief DX test at 5:57-6:00 am EST [1057-1100 UT]. The test will have the following format: 5:56 am EST carrier on 5:57 am EST 30 seconds of morse 5:57:30 sign on cart 5:59:30 earlier :30 of morse A SASE is required for a QSL; for verification, a refrigerator magnet from WKDK will be sent. Reception reports may be sent to: Powell E. Way III DX TEST coordinator WKDK Radio PO 753 Newberry, SC 29108 Arranged by Powell E. Way III (IRCA Soft DX Monitor via WORLD OF RADIO 1215, DXLD) ** YEMEN. 9780, Sana`a, received full detail card and letter in 260 days. Sent taped report, not registered with $1 US for return postage. Nice stamps on envelope. V/S: Eng. Mohammed H. Bather. Address: Sana`a Radio, Tech. Dept., PO Box 2371, Sana`a Republic of Yemen. I am really pleased with this one! (Patrick Martin, Seaside OR, hard-core-dx via DXLD) ** ZIMBABWE. MASOLA WA DABUDABU --- A Day In the Life of Mafikizolo Jonathan Moyo 07/01/04 . . .Having satisfied myself that the nation was going to listen to acceptable propaganda from the radio service and watch party dogma on national television, I then called the intelligent officers to map out a way to ban or interfere with subversive material on the internet. Well, I have to admit that I have never claimed to be a computer genius, but I know that internet could be tempered with for the purpose of national security and sovereignty. It is not a secret that after successfully banishing the Daily News to the obscure streets of Johannesburg and a one-off in Abuja, the internet has become the medium of choice for spreading malice against the dear president, myself and the ever humorous Chinotimba! The head of computer espionage from the security department was quick to brief me that the internet could be monitored using sophisticated equipment that could be obtained from the USA. I prodded him for the possibility of getting such equipment; even if it were of an illegal generic release from the People's Republic of China. The intelligence officer promised to brief me later on the day. If I can avoid giving back to the Americans those American Dollars we are taking from the people, I would. At that point, I wondered why the Chinese Yuan did not attract as much financial weight as the green buck in international financial circles! When the intelligence officers had left my office, it dawned on me that the previous night I had tuned into very damaging radio broadcasts on shortwave. I was just playing with the tuner when the mention of Zimbabwe got my attention. There in clear terms, some imperialist in London was barking that Mugabe and I were like Hitler and Gobbels. Whilst the kind president has metaphorically accepted to be called Hitler ten times, I think that comparing me with Gobbels is a bit on the silly side. As such, radio stations that spew malicious comparisons should be blocked from the airwaves. It was then that I decided that we beam to the people of Zimbabwe a stronger signal at the same frequency to the foreign broadcasts in order to counter them. Experts in my department told me that radio receivers would naturally lock on the strongest signal. For the better part of the day, I remained pondering the possibility of even beaming Hondo Yeminda jingles to London! This way, the Queen, Tony Blair and all of West Minister would feel the cruelty of interfering with other nations' airwaves! I formally declared that this project will be planned, implemented and managed by me. . . [a dream?] http://www.newzimbabwe.com/pages/day.1277.html (via Larry Nebron, CA, DXLD) ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ PUBLICATIONS ++++++++++++ EUROPEAN MW GUIDE 4-004 item neglected to include: http://www.emwg.info/ (gh, DXLD) X-BAND INFO SOURCES There are several sources of info on x-band broadcast stations. Please let me know if I have missed any. For New Zealand DX Times, Tony King updates a list of US (and Canadian) almost every month, and I include it in DX Listening Digest. The latest is at http://www.worldofradio.com/dxld3221.txt Compare this to the other X-band webpages we know of: http://www.dxing.info/lists/x_na.dx http://www.hard-core-dx.com/distance/x-band.htm#X-Band%20List%201610-1700 And there is another one, not just limited to broadcasters: http://www.angelfire.com/mb/exband/index.html Within the above, the broadcasters are here, not limited to licensed stations, but also carrier current, pirate 15, experimental, pirates, and applications and construction permits: http://www.angelfire.com/mb/exband/na.html Argentine list, compiled by Marcelo Cornachioni for Conexion Digital: http://www.worldofradio.com/dxld4004.txt Australian list for Australian DX News: http://www.worldofradio.com/dxld3229.txt About KMMZ 1640 Enid OK only: http://www.worldofradio.com/enid.html 73, Glenn Hauser (to various lists covering MW) via DXLD MEDIASCAN BLOG The MediaScan blog is now up and running at http://mediascan.se Feel free to make comments there on items in the bulletins, or share news and comments of your own. I now have two other blogs in operation: http://Globalwatch.se offers personal comments about news and events in Sweden and (less often) comments on international news from a Swedish horizon, while http://swgalaxies.se is probably the only active website in Swedish covering the online game Star Wars Galaxies. Please note that both are personal sites and have no connection with Radio Sweden. Opinions offered there are not those of Radio Sweden (and I don't intend to mention them again here). (George Wood, SCDX/MediaScan Jan 7 via DXLD) ACTIVESIGNALS.COM A brand new site and for anyone into radio monitoring. From hams, shortwave, to scanner listeners. Active Signals features a forum board for every ones needs along with a complete members directory viewable to every registered member. Please visit us at: http://www.activesignals.com (Activesignals Forum via SCDX/MediaScan Jan 7 via DXLD) NUEVO SITIO DEL NAYARIT DX CLUB Estimado amigos: Espero hayan pasado muy buenas fiestas y por supuesto iniciado el 2004 con más optimismo, salud y mucho trabajo. Hoy brevemente les comento sobre la apertura de un nuevo sitio de nuestro modesto club dx, por supuesto que se trata de sólo un par de páginas. Se trata de que sea un sitio amable y práctico. De momento se ha puesto lo más básico y claro irá creciendo poco a poco, espero que con su ayuda. Así pues la invitación está hecha para que lo visiten y les pido tomen un minuto para firmar mi libro de visitas. Por favor actualicen la dirección del NDXC que es: http://mx.geocities.com/naydx2003/ Muchas gracias por su atención y quedo como siempre a la espera de todos sus comentarios y sugerencias. 73 desde Tepic. IVAN LOPEZ ALEGRIA. NDXC-001 (also via Bill Westenhaver, DXLD) CONVENTIONS & CONFERENCES +++++++++++++++++++++++++ SEATTLE GET-TOGETHER 2004 FEB 28 Bruce Portzer sends word: "Hello Everyone -- It's time for my annual DX Get-together. This year it will be on Saturday, February 28, beginning at 2 p.m. Here's a chance to meet other radio listeners and talk about hobby stuff - medium wave, SWBC, utility, TV/FM, or whatever flavor of listening you like to do. "Feel free to bring stuff like receivers, QSL cards, antennas, and other paraphernalia to show off or demonstrate. Please bring a potluck snack or something to drink. At dinner time, we'll pass the hat around and order some pizzas. "My address is 6546 19th Avenue N.E. in Seattle. It's not hard to find, since the streets are numbered and parallel around here. But if you need directions, let me know. If you have questions or want to RSVP, my phone number is 206-522-2521. See you there" (IRCA Soft DX Monitor via DXLD) POWERLINE COMMUNICATIONS ++++++++++++++++++++++++ ARTICLE ON BPL AND INTERFERENCE In my Computerworld daily update today I noticed this article and thought it might prove interesting to some. There are many quotes from both the ARRL and computer industry types. http://www.computerworld.com/governmenttopics/government/policy/story/ 0,10801,88829,00.html?nas=PM-88829 (Eric Breon, Middletown PA, NRC-AM via DXLD) AUSTRIAN AUTHORITIES PULL PLUG ON BPL PILOT PROJECT NEWINGTON, CT, Jan 8, 2004 --- The Austrian Amateur Transmitter Federation (ÖVSV --- Öesterreichische Versuchsenderverband) http://www.oevsv.at/index.shtml reports that a Broadband over Power Line (BPL) field test in the city of Linz has been cut short as a result of excessive radio interference. ÖVSV, Austria`s International Amateur Radio Union (IARU) member-society, said in December that the Government Ministry for Commerce, Innovation and Technology closed down Linz Power Company`s BPL pilot project because it was generating interference on the HF bands. Shortwave broadcaster Radio Austria`s futureZone service http://futurezone.orf.at/ says the case that brought the issue to a head was a Red Cross report that emergency services radio traffic during a disaster response drill last May was the victim of massive BPL interference. ``The Commerce Ministry Order not only means the end of the Linz BPL pilot project,`` the Radio Austria report said, ``but the end of the deployment of this technology in Austria, especially given the interference to radio communication in places of business.`` According to the broadcaster, measurements were said to have indicated that radiation from the BPL system exceeded permissible field strength levels by a factor of 10,000. ÖVSV says radio amateurs in Austria have opposed deployment of all BPL experiments on the basis of Austrian communication law as well as International Telecommunication Union international regulations due to the ``massive interference to international communication on the important shortwave bands.`` The Federation maintains that in its current form BPL --- also known in Austria as ``Internet from the Electrical Outlet`` --- is neither legal nor compatible with ``vital, worldwide shortwave radiocommunication.`` Among other problems with BPL, ÖVSV has cited its potential to disrupt emergency communications and safety-of-life services as well as military operations on HF and navigation and aeronautical communication. Last fall, ÖVSV representatives and Linz amateurs got together with power company representatives in an effort to resolve BPL`s incompatibility with HF radio operation. The meetings followed news reports of interference to emergency service communications and QRM complaints from several area hams. ``Because of the racket, expensive installations, such as a 20-meter monobander on a high-rise building, become totally worthless,`` ÖVSV said. The utility agreed to look into the possibility of a 100-meter protective zone around each amateur`s location, notch filters for amateur frequencies, network system filters and the use of 5 GHz wireless local area networks. Copyright © 2004, American Radio Relay League, Inc. All Rights Reserved. (via John Norfolk, DXLD) RADIO EQUIPMENT FORUM +++++++++++++++++++++ CRYSTAL SET SW CHALLENGE The plans consist of 22 pages which are a mixture of text, text and drawings, text and photos and schematics. There are three ways I can send this to you. 1. Printed out and sent by regular mail. Cost is $3.50 or $4.50 for airmail. 2. Put on a CD and sent by regular mail $2.50 or $3.50 for air mail 3. Adobe Acrobat format sent by e-mail. This is large, about 3 Meg! You must have Adobe Acrobat software to use this! Version 5.0 or higher. My personal recommendation is to get the already printed copy. Then you are assured it will work! Good quality, so it is easy to read and the drawings, diagrams and photos are clear. This is my cost, I am not making anything on this. Make the check payable to Duane Fischer, W8DBF. Thanks! Duane Fischer, W8DBF 5028 Merit Drive Flint, Michigan 48506-2127 USA E-Mail: dfischer @ usol.com (Fischer, swl at qth.net via DXLD) [WARNING: PUFF ALERT] Consumer Experiences Digital Radio Revolution With Sale of First HD Radio(TM) Receiver. Wednesday January 7, 12:02 pm ET iBiquity Digital, Kenwood and Ultimate Electronics Launch HD Radio with Iowa's `First in the Nation' CEDAR RAPIDS' KZIA-FM Z102.9 SCORES FIRST HD RADIO LISTENER LAS VEGAS, Jan. 7 /PRNewswire/ -- International Consumer Electronics Show -- iBiquity Digital Corporation announced today that an Iowa buyer became "first in the nation" to purchase an HD Radio tuner. Nathan Franzen purchased a Kenwood KTC-HR100 HD Radio tuner from the Ultimate Electronics store in Cedar Rapids, Iowa on Monday, January 5, 2004. Following installation in his 2001 Pontiac Grand Prix, Franzen tuned to KZIA-FM Z102.9, Cedar Rapids' home for today's hit music, becoming the first consumer nationwide to personally experience the CD-quality sound of HD Radio receiver, the biggest revolution in radio since the advent of FM broadcasting more than fifty years ago. "Our community is known as the home to radio pioneers," said The Honorable Paul D. Pate, Mayor of Cedar Rapids. "It's fitting that the first consumer to purchase an HD Radio receiver in the United States should purchase it in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. The transition of the radio industry into the digital age provides enormous potential for all broadcasters, manufacturers, retailers and consumers throughout America." The sale comes on the eve of HD Radio's commercial introduction during this week's 2004 International Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas and follows a decade of development and testing by iBiquity and its numerous industry partners with the FCC approving the technology for broadcaster use in October 2002. The technology's commercial introduction will allow AM and FM radio stations to reap the benefits of this 100% digital technology as listeners can now take advantage of the vastly improved sound quality and the host of new, user-based features offered by HD Radio. KZIA-FM Executive Vice President Rob Norton commented, "We are very proud to be the first HD Radio signal heard on the nation's first HD Radio receiver. Today puts Cedar Rapids in the history books with yet another radio first, just as our very own amateur radio pioneer Arthur Collins did in the 1920s." Cedar Rapids, Iowa was selected partly because of its heritage as the hometown of Arthur Collins and the Collins Radio Company. In 1925, Collins, as a fifteen-year-old, received radio transmissions for the first time from Greenland. He eventually founded Collins Radio, which provided voice communication technology for every American traveling in space. Robert Struble, iBiquity Digital's president and chief executive officer, said, "With today's purchase of an HD Radio receiver, AM and FM radio has officially launched in the consumer marketplace. Soon many more Americans will be able to experience their local AM and FM radio stations in subscription-free digital sound, without the static and hiss associated with analog broadcasts. Our employees and partners have spent years developing HD Radio technology, and I am extremely proud to be here today making radio history in Cedar Rapids." HD Radio technology transforms today's radio experience by allowing AM and FM broadcasters to seamlessly transmit digital signals with superior audio and new data services alongside today's analog-based broadcasts. Nearly 300 radio stations in 100 U.S. markets across 38 states have licensed HD Radio technology. "The HD Radio revolution has arrived for consumers," said Dave Workman, president and chief executive officer of Ultimate Electronics. "Ultimate prides itself with firsts. Just as we sold the first HDTV, it is a privilege to partner with iBiquity Digital and Kenwood to sell the first consumer HD Radio receiver in the country. As the HD Radio format continues to expand its reach, we will aggressively showcase this technology for consumers in our retail locations." "Kenwood was the first licensee of HD Radio technology, and we are now the first manufacturer to sell an HD Radio receiver," said Dan Petersen, executive vice president of Kenwood USA. "All of us at Kenwood are proud of our role in this historic day for broadcasters, retailers and consumers." iBiquity Digital and its partners will formally debut commercial HD Radio products during a media conference at the International Consumer Electronics Show to be held on Wednesday, January 7, 2004 at 2:00 p.m. at Booth #4619 in the Las Vegas Convention Center's North Hall. HD Radio products and demonstrations will be available at the booth through the show's conclusion on Sunday, January 11. About KZIA, Inc. http://www.kzia.com KZIA, INC., an Iowa corporation, owns KZIA (Z102.9), a 100,000 watt radio station in Cedar Rapids broadcasting today's hit music at 102.9 MHz. to the Cedar Rapids/Iowa City area in FM and HD Radio. About Ultimate Electronics http://www.ultimateelectronics.com Ultimate Electronics, Inc. (Nasdaq: ULTE) is a leading specialty retailer of home entertainment and consumer electronics products in 14 states. The company operates 65 stores, including 54 stores in Arizona, Idaho, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nevada, New Mexico, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Texas and Utah under the trade name Ultimate Electronics, and 11 stores in Colorado under the trade name Soundtrack. In addition, the company operates Fast Trak, Inc. an independent electronics repair company based in Colorado and a wholly owned subsidiary of Ultimate Electronics. About Kenwood USA http://www.kenwoodusa.com Founded in 1961, Kenwood USA Corporation is a leading developer and manufacturer of audio and video products for home, car, and personal use. Offering more than 250 products, Kenwood is one of the three largest selling brands of audio and video entertainment products in the United States and is recognized by consumers and the consumer electronics industry for providing superior quality, reliability and value. Kenwood USA Corporation, based in Long Beach, Calif., is the largest subsidiary of Kenwood Corporation (Japan). Further information can be obtained by contacting Kenwood USA Corporation, P.O. Box 22745, Long Beach, CA 90801, by calling 1-800-Kenwood, or by visiting http://www.kenwoodusa.com About iBiquity Digital Corporation http://www.ibiquity.com iBiquity Digital is the sole developer and licenser of HD Radio technology in the U.S., which will transform today's analog radio to digital, enabling radically upgraded sound and new wireless data services. The company's investors include 15 of the nation's top radio broadcasters, including ABC, Clear Channel and Viacom; leading financial institutions, such as J.P. Morgan Partners, Pequot Capital and J&W Seligman; and strategic partners Ford Motor Company, Harris, Texas Instruments and Visteon. iBiquity Digital is a privately held company with operations in Columbia, MD, Detroit, MI, Redwood City, CA and Warren, NJ. Source: iBiquity Digital Corporation via http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/040107/phw024_1.html (via Horacio Nigro, Uruguay, Jan 8, DXLD) NRC IBOC THREAD CONTINUES || Doug Smith, wrote: From my understanding of IBOC-FM, the statement "frequency range will double to span frequencies 88.5 to 88.9 MHz" is wrong. IBOC-FM does *not* spread outside the assigned channel, in WICR's case 88.6-88.8. || It depends on what power level you're talking about. For FM, the IBOC sub-carriers must be approximately 20 dB below the power of the station's unmodulated carrier, i.e. 1/100 the average power. Thus, if you have a 5 KW ERP like WICR (FM) the digital ERP is 50 W. For a full Class C it would be 1 KW. HOWEVER, nearly ALL the IBOC digital power IS SPLIT BETWEEN THE UPPER AND LOWER ADJACENT CHANNELS. So, yes, it's true that the signal is spread across three channels, but the level in the upper and lower adjacents is very low. It SHOULD not interfere with a station's PROTECTED coverage, but there's a huge difference between what's protected and what's useful in the average situation. This will disrupt the "rimshot" Class A's (6 kW ERP @ 300 Ft. HAAT or equivalent) that are very successfully covering large metro areas with analog from nearby towns. And, perhaps that's one of the advantages for the major groups. | Like IBOC-AM, what it *does* do is present greater power densities at the outer edges of that channel. | No, that's the way Ibiquity would like you to think it works, but the fact is it is allowed to max out the radiation limits of the NRSC mask, (-25 dB from 120 to 240 kHz deviation from center freq. and -35 dB at 240 to 600 kHz deviation. The average sum of these sub-carriers the cover both adjacents PART OF THE SECOND ADJACENT CHANNELS is about 20 dB below carrier power. It's 1% (Ibiquity would say ONLY 1%) but the tests have shown there is "slight" interference to "protected" contours. Notice I said AVERAGE SUM, that's the rub. Digital contains PEAKS, lots of them. But they have been allowed to play be interference rules written around analog signals. Following precedent, they can't go back and change the separation tables. All the existing stations would be grandfathered, and the band is essentially built out, so what's the point? Then, too, there wouldn't be enough spectrum to refarm the band unless they gave it TV-Lo Chs. 5 & 6, and that would cut into the future auction revenues they expect. | The analog signal might have little energy between, say, 88.6 and 88.65MHz, while the digital signal has plenty of power in this range. If, then, you're trying to listen to an 88.5 station on a radio with 220 kHz filters, it's going to pass 88.39-88.61 and you're going to hear buzz... | That depends on: A) How close you are to the IBOC Tx; B) The strength of the desired signal; C) the design and manufacturing quality of the receiver you are using - including detection method. And beware, because some of this is non-intuitive to normal receiver understanding. In the early days of FM we were able to get capture (d/u) ratios of 2:1, but the modern receiver technology is different and front ends may overload more easily from strong "adjacent" signals. Since the undesired signal is IN the channel you are trying to receive, capture and quieting will depend on limiting and detection. I'm not sure, but I think an ancient receiver with 1st and 2nd limiters and a Foster-Seeley discriminator would work best PROVIDED the circuit balance was excellent. I really think I'd prefer an manual RF gain control too. Even then, the sub-carrier QRM will significantly raise the noise floor. I can remember when we could get 20 dB Rx quieting on a Fisher or Sherwood tuner with 0.5-0.7 uV antenna signal. I don't think that will happen with IBOC next door. :( Most distant VHF catches in the IBOC future will probably depend on ducting kicking out a very strong signal. Once this is over, and we move to the second phase when analog becomes obsolete, the sub-carriers move into the channel and everybody kicks the power up 10 or 12 dB so the world can become lovely once again. Since this system works, and favors the Class B and Class C high power licensees, I can't see that happening until the automotive Rx fleet has essentially turned over - IOW, at least 10 years - because the system will work for most of the casual listeners most of the time, and the high power licensees with political clout will benefit from driving out the independent competition that they have not acquired. That comes under the heading of good business. Unlike the AM situation, they have everything to gain and almost nothing to lose by delaying the obsolescence of analog. I'm sorry, but I just don't know how to discuss IBOC in any depth without some comments that might be considered political in the sense of lobbying for advantage, because thus has it ever been, thus will it ever be. That is to say that commercial broadcasting is, in its heart and essence, one of the most political activities I know. That started in the 1920's and I've known it first hand since the late 1950's. Stories about broadcasters involved in under-the-table activities abound, including a former US President who, when he was a congressman, managed to acquire control of quite a broadcast empire - in other names of course. |g| IBOC is intensely political in that there is a large amount of money on the table, and favors probably |g| have been called to protect it. IOW, the fix is in, and most of us in the industry understand that. We don't necessarily like it, but all the signs are there. If my somewhat "political" comments about why it appears some things may or may not happen in the future having to do with complete take- over of the FCC by politico/lawyer types at the expense of any consideration for scientific facts has offended anyone, I do apologize, but facts speak for themselves. Lack of effective leadership at both the FCC and the NAB has helped a broadcasting industry that was the envy of the world 40 or 50 years ago to degenerate into what we have today. In some ways I consider that a political fact, but I don't mean to offend anyone by stating it. Maybe I'm wrong - I often am - but I don't see that it's arguable. When I can, I lurk here often. I seldom come out of "lurker mode" unless someone asks a question to which I think maybe I can contribute something, but if a few want to say that's offensive, then I'll cheerfully "put a sock in it" and turn set the read-only bit. |g| Finally, IBOC, at least in its present incarnation, will severely impede DXing IMHO, and the only possibility I can see that might have a chance of changing the course of events is if it catches the interest of a Senator with sufficient clout to make the FCC answer some very embarrassing questions. Twenty years ago, that might have been Barry Goldwater, not for his politics, but because he would have understand the issues and have no fear of asking for hearings. Alas, I don't know who might fill that bill today. :( And that's my 2˘ for tonight |g| (Phil Alexander, CSRE, Indianapolis, Jan 6, NRC-AM via DXLD) There is a big (1/4 page) article about IBOC in today's edition of Investor's Business Daily. In the article, it is referred to as HD Radio. Here are some quotes from the article. "Backers tout HD Radio as the biggest advance in terrestrial radio since the introduction of FM more than 50 years ago." Quotes from Mike Bergman, senior manager of digital broadcast for Kenwood USA: "It's going to completely revitalize the AM band and it's going to inject a lot of life into FM". "With AM, the sound quality improvement is absolutely stunning. you go from that tinny, mono sound that AM has to a fabulous stereo signal that sounds great". "Ibiquity CEO Bob Struble said 'tens of thousands" of HD Radios will be sold this year, 'hundreds of thousands' next year and in the millions in 2006" It talks about the features of the concept such as sound, and peripheral information availability. Also mentioned are Ibiquity's investors such as CC and Viacom. All in all, it is very complimentary to IBOC, but as we all know --- It's the content, stupid! (Bob Anthony N2SU, WGHT Pompton Lakes NJ, http://www.ghtradio.com Jan 7, ibid.) Re Digital radio DXed in CANADA: I'm happy to hear that I wasn't the only one with a horrible time with digital radio when I tried it out a year ago. Unlike Mr. Hepburn, I returned my set and am waiting for a superior model to hit the market. I am hoping that this Perstel set is simply poorly designed, just many of the horrible (and cheap) FM radio receivers available on the market today (Ricky Leong, QC, DX LISTENING DIGEST) PROPAGATION +++++++++++ GB2RS PROPAGATION NEWS Solar data for the period from the 29th of December to the 4th of January, compiled by Neil Clarke, G0CAS. http://www.g0cas.demon.co.uk/main.htm Solar activity was low except for an impulsive low strength M-class Solar flare on the 31st. The solar flux declined slightly to 106 by the 31st but then increased to 119 by the end of the period. The average was 114. The 90-day solar flux average on the 4th was 136. X- ray flux levels averaged B3.7 units but on the 1st increased to B7.5. Geomagnetic activity started at quiet levels with an Ap index of 6 units on the 29th but, due to a small coronal hole, activity increased and by the 3rd it was up to 26. The average was Ap 17 units. The ACE spacecraft saw solar wind speeds increase from 370 kilometres per second to 700 by the 4th. Particle densities were moderate until the 3rd, with 25 particles per cubic centimetre recorded on the 31st. On the 4th, densities were down to 3 particles per cubic centimetre. Bz varied between minus 11 and plus 8 nanoTeslas except on the 3rd when it fluctuated between minus 15 and plus 11 nanoTeslas. And finally the solar forecast. This week the active side of the sun is expected to be rotating into view. Solar activity should be mostly low, however, there is a small chance of an M-class solar flare taking place. The solar flux should increase and by next weekend be around the 130s. Geomagnetic activity should be mostly quiet, but could become more disturbed later in the week due to a coronal hole. MUFs during daylight hours at equal latitudes should be around 32 MHz for the south and 27 MHz for the north. The darkness hour lows should be about 7 MHz. Paths this week to South Africa should have a maximum usable frequency, with a 50 per cent success rate, of around 33 MHz. The optimum working frequency, with a 90 per cent success rate, should be about 25 MHz. The best time to try this path should be between 1000 and 1500 UT. The RSGB propagation news is also available in a Saturday update, posted every Saturday evening and for more on propagation generally, see http://www.rsgb.org/society/psc.htm (Radio Society of Great Britain GB2RS Main News for January 11, posted on uk.radio.amateur January 7 by G4RGA via John Norfolk, DXLD) ALASKA EXPERIMENTAL LF BEACON SHUTS DOWN Laurence Howell, KL1X, in Anchorage, Alaska, reports that his experimental (Part 5) WD2XDW beacon on 137.77356 kHz ceased transmitting at 1400 UT on January 6. Howell --- who is also GM4DMA -- - is relocating to ``The Lower 48`` in the near future. Until his tower comes down, he says he`ll continue to listen for very slow-speed CW (QRSS) signals and publish receive captures on his Web site http://www.kl1x.com/ KL1X hopes to reestablish the LF beacon at his new plains (Oklahoma or Kansas) location, pending FCC approval. ``The beacon`s 1 W ERP signal has been successfully heard down the Pacific coast and recently in Minnesota,`` Howell reports, adding that partial call sign have been received in England and Europe. ``The beacon`s location and the transpolar route close to the north geographic pole have shown the dramatic differences in LF propagation between East Coast US stations and Europe,`` Howell said. He notes that the auroral belt sometimes acts as a brick wall during geomagnetic disturbances. At other times, he said, it provides excellent reception while lower- latitude stations are still receiving poor signals. ``During strong daytime X-ray events, signals from Europe have popped out of the noise as the increased ionization makes the D layer temporarily reflective off its bottom layer,`` he said. Howell reports that in December his Alaska station and some East Coast US stations successfully received low-power 137 kHz experimental slow Morse transmissions from ZL6QH, the Quartz Hill station in New Zealand. He`s also been able to copy DF6NM`s approximately 170 mW ERP DFCW signal on 135.922 kHz as well as G3LDO`s QRSS 1 W ERP signal. ``This was the first time I had received a station from mainland Europe,`` Howell said, ``and a remarkable result given the very low power.`` Howell also says he was delighted to receive the Radio Society of Great Britain (RSGB)/Nevada 2003 Nevada LF Experimenter`s Cup (ARRL Jan 8 via John Norfolk, DXLD) ###