DX LISTENING DIGEST 4-024, February 9, 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 1219: Tue 0400 on SIUE Web Radio http://www.siue.edu/WEBRADIO/ Wed 1030 on WWCR 9475 Mon 0430 on WSUI 910 http://wsui.uiowa.edu 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 1219 (high version): (stream) http://www.w4uvh.net/wor1219h.ram (download) http://www.w4uvh.net/wor1219h.rm (summary) http://www.worldofradio.com/wor1219.html WORLD OF RADIO 1219 (low version): (stream) http://www.w4uvh.net/wor1219.ram (download) http://www.w4uvh.net/wor1219.rm FIRST AIRINGS OF WORLD OF RADIO 1220: Wed 2300 on WBCQ 7415, 17495-CUSB Thu 2130 on WWCR 9475 ON DEMAND: change 1219 to 1220 above from early UT Thursday ** ANDAMAN & NICOBAR ISLANDS. AIR Port Blair, 4760, 1200-1212, Feb. 8, YL wITH brief talks between Hindi musical selections. Fair/poor, fading by tune-out, gone at 1223 re-check (Scott R. Barbour, Jr., Intervale, NH, USA, R75, MLB-1, RS longwire with RBA balun, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** ANTARCTICA. Radio Nacional Arcángel San Gabriel, Base Esperanza; (15475.6 kHz) Full data QSL sheet for 195 days from Base Esperanza. V/S: Director (UEMURA, Feb Radio Nuevo Mundo via Hideki WATANABE, DXLD) ** ANTARCTICA. Keii/JA6KTY and Sanae/JF6PMO have been active as EM1U from the club station at the Ukrainian "Akademik Vernadsky" base on Galindez Island (AN-006). Information and pictures of this Antarctic station are available at http://www.qsl.net/em1u/ http://www.antarctida.kiev.ua/english/ http://home.t-online.de/home/Purtz-Guestrow/stationen3a.html (Feb. 7 2004 4 2 5 DX News via Canadian Amateur Radio Bulletin Week of Feb. 08 2004 via Jim Taylor, VA3KU, ODXA via DXLD) ** ANTARCTIC. ANTARCTIC ACTIVITY WEEK. Gianni, I1HYW, announced this past week that several special Italian callsigns have already been issued for the Antarctic Activity Week which will be held from February 22 to 28th. The callsigns issued so far are: TM0ANT by F5NOD, IR1ANT by I1HYW, II6ANT by I6DHY, IR6ANT by I6YOT, II7ANT by IZ7AUH, IR8ANT by I8ACB and IR0ANT by IZ0EGC. Gianni also states that as soon as other callsigns are received from the Ministry of Communication, he will up date the list. They have arranged to use a unique QSL card (printed by IT9EJW) and a QSL Manager in Germany (Manfred, DE0MST) during this event. Manfred will do the Bureau service for all the callsigns used during the Antarctic Activity Week. Readers may have noticed that the Italian stations in Antarctica are already using a special prefix callsign, IR0PS. This station will join the activity only for few days starting February 24th. The actual crew has to leave the Base, but they have promised to try to be active from the Ship, as /MM (KB8NW, OPDX February 9, BARF-80 via John Norfolk, DXLD) ** AUSTRALIA. 2310, Alice Springs with good signal 09 Feb 1000-1010; indication of the approaching change in seasons (Robert Wilkner, Pompano Beach, Florida, NRD 535D Icom R75, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** AUSTRALIA. Good morning Glenn, You might be able to use some of this info which I received from Nigel Holmes this morning for your radio program. All is well with my technical monitoring of the nine shortwave radio broadcasters. Best regards (George J. Poppin, San Francisco, Feb 9, DX LISTENING DIGEST) WIND & FIRE DAMAGE AT SHEPPARTON transmitters --- Last night (Sunday 8 Feb. 2004) at about 0600 UT a ten minute wind squall passed through the Shepparton district causing extensive structural damage to buildings and trees. At the Radio Australia transmitting station two aerials were damaged and rendered inoperative. Aerial P2 which directs transmissions to the south-west Pacific region suffered a torsion on a vertical feeder, shorting out the aerials dipoles. P2 is scheduled between 1400-1800 UT on 5995 kHz for ELP broadcasts and 1800-2100 UT on 7240 kHz for ELP (18-20 UT) and Tok Pisin (20-21 UT). None of these transmissions was broadcast this morning. P2 will be undergo repairs today and may be available for tomorrow's broadcasts. Aerial JR (Japan Rhombic) suffered a break in its vertical feeder at the driven end and caused a grass fire when the feeder fell to the ground. JR is scheduled 2300-0800 UT on 13630 kHz in ELP to PNG and the west Pacific region and 0800-1100 UT on 9710 kHz with ELP 08-09 UT and Tok Pisin 09-11 UT. The transmissions after 0600 UT last night were lost; services today on 13630 are also off-air. JR schedule may be restored today in time for the 9710 kHz transmissions. The restoration times are dependent on weather conditions allowing staff to ascend 30+ metres to effect repairs. Broadcasts from the Brandon transmitters on 9660 kHz (2100-0800 UT) and 5995 kHz (0800-1400 UT) in ELP and Tok Pisin provide an alternative service for PNG listeners while 12080 kHz 2000-1200 UT also in ELP and Tok Pisin supports listeners in the Coral Sea / south- west Pacific region. The grass fire burnt about 70 acres without causing significant damage to plant or livestock (400 sheep were in the south paddock - the fire was confined to the north paddock). I am in touch with BTS contractors and Broadcast Australia. Any developments will be reported as they arise. Regards, (Nigel Holmes, Radio Australia, Feb 9, via George J. Poppin, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** AUSTRALIA. FM LICENCE BIDS HANG ON PAPER By Jane Schulze 09feb04 A NEW element has emerged in this year's $250 million-plus auction of three FM radio licences, with the UK parent of frontrunner Nova owner DMG Radio Australia considering a large acquisition. News that UK group Daily Mail & General Trust is keen to make a pound stg. 500 million ($1.2 billion) bid for Hollinger Inc's Daily Telegraph has sparked speculation the Australian business may be sold to help fund the bid... http://townsvillebulletin.news.com.au/printpage/0,5942,8626761,00.html (via Mike Cooper, DXLD) ** BANGLADESH. Bangladesh Betar, full data verification letter after 116 days on 7185 kHz, v/s Station Engineer, Mr. Ahmed Quamruzzaman. 73s (Swopan Chakroborty, Kolkata, India, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** BHUTAN. ENGLISH SCHEDULE CHANGE --- 8 February 2004 Monitoring by Alok Dasgupta has established that BBS Bhutan now broadcasts in English daily at 1400-1425 UT on 6035 kHz, but has dropped the weekend broadcasts in English that were scheduled at 1000- 1100 (DX Asia via DXLD) ** BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA. SPECIAL EVENT. To celebrate the 20th anniversary of the XIV Winter Olympic Games, look for special event station T90ZOI to be active from Sarajevo between February 8-10th. Activity will be on all bands and modes. QSL via the bureau (KB8NW, OPDX February 9, BARF-80 via John Norfolk, DXLD) ** BULGARIA. RFE/RL CLARIFIES STATUS OF RADIO NEW EUROPE IN BULGARIA Sources at Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) have clarified the position of the former RFE/RL Bulgarian service that is now operating under a different name. In effect, the service has been privatised, and is no longer funded or editorially controlled by RFE/RL. The official RFE/RL Bulgarian service ended on 31 January. Because of the unique status of RFE/RL re-broadcasting in Bulgaria, a local foundation (Radio Free Europe Foundation) held a broadcast licence and the rights to use 9 frequencies in Bulgaria until 2010. Bulgarian language broadcasts continue to be produced by former employees of the RFE/RL Bulgarian Service who are now employed by this foundation. The foundation's name (soon to be known as "Radio New Europe Foundation") and registration are being changed to ensure that the new organization can no longer be considered a subsidiary of RFE/RL, Inc. The mission of this foundation, however, has not and will not change. The foundation is seeking funds to maintain its broadcasting mission from a variety of sources including the Bulgarian government, local grantmaking organizations, advertising and the possible lease of broadcast time on the frequencies it controls. None of the funding comes from RFE/RL. # posted by Andy @ 15:07 UT Feb 8 (Media Network blog via DXLD) ** CHILE. 1380.0, R. Corporación, Santiago; 0650-0805, p on 01/10. Information program. Simply ID was heard (Hideki WATANABE, Saitama, Japan, Feb Radio Nuevo Mundo via DXLD) 1380.0, R. Corporación, Santiago; 0755-0805, p on 01/10. Simple ID was heard as "...Radio Corporación" by OM. I am surprised that this AM station was heard at Hasunuma (UEMURA, Feb Radio Nuevo Mundo via Hideki WATANABE, DXLD) ** CHILE. 9635, R. Voz Cristiana, Santiago; 2222-2302, p/f on 01/30. Program "Fin de Semana deportivo", News, Religious talk. 2258 ID "Ésta es Radio Amistad, 99.1 FM, Radio Amistad en Córdoba, Argentina --- Voz Cristiana." 2300 ID "Vía satélite, transmite Radio Voz Cristiana." Relays R. Amistad program(?) (Hiroyuki WATANABE, Japan, Feb Radio Nuevo Mundo via Hideki WATANABE, DXLD) Ahá. This could be the true identity of the station previously reported as Radiodifusora Nacional de Colombia, same time, same frequency (gh, DXLD) Here`s the pertinent entry from Mark Mohrmann`s LA DX archives http://www.sover.net/~hackmohr/swarchive.htm showing it was last reported 16 months ago, in DXLD, and note the frequency variation, always on the low side: 9634.97 COLOMBIA R Nacional, Bogota [2000-0504*](.95-.97)(9655/85) Oct 02 L That`s derived from this log in 2-169, Oct 31, *2002*: COLOMBIA. The following was heard on the R-390A and roof mounted Hustler 6BTV. Radio Nacional, Bogotá. 9635 kHz, SINPO 24232-34333, Rough copy, used modest "limiting". 0415: Male commentator. Not sure of subject. 0422: Music spot then female commentator with remarks by male. Blast that noise! 0430: Brief music spot and male gave station ID "Radio Nacional" and something else I didn't catch. 0433: Tuned out, enough noise. Worse than my beacons, at least CW punches through the noise! 73 de (Phil KO6BB Atchley, Merced CA, Oct 31, 2002, swl via DXLD) Haven`t seen this one reported in ages (gh, DXLD) Two years ago in Feb 2002, Anker Petersen reported from Aruba: ``en 9635 Radiodifusora Nacional de Colombia, Bogotá sólo entre las 21 y 02.`` A sesquiyear ago, an update to the DSWCI Domestic Broadcasting Survey: B 9635 20 R Dif. Nacional de Colombia, (Su 1100-)1700-0500 S, alt fq to 4955. Also ID: ``La Voz de la Santa Fé de Bogotá Cultura``, poor modulation FEB02 (Anker Petersen, DSWCI DX Window Aug 14 via DX LISTENING DIGEST 2-128, August 13, 2002) ** CHINA. Got up nice and early today and gave a band listen. While not a rarity, BPM, China on 5000 kHz was coming in quite nicely under WWV to the tune of actually hearing the Chinese woman's voice announcement clearly. Usually the CW comes through, but the voice is lost (Bob Combs, New Mexico, Feb 7 1409 UT, swl at qth.net via DXLD) ** COLOMBIA. 9635 maybe CHILE instead; q.v. ** COLOMBIA. 2200.08 [harmonic], Emisora Ideal, Planeta Rica, 1000- 1045 09 Feb, strong signal, OM with ID's (Robert Wilkner, Pompano Beach, Florida, NRD 535D Icom R75, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** DJIBOUTI [and non]. Updated R. Sawa coverage map on MW, FM and satellite footprints, showing Rhodes 1260 instead of never-built Cairo; Rhodes has very similar coverage to Cyprus 990, but unlike all the other MW sites, has a minor backlobe toward mainland Greece. With that exception, I suppose the patterns are a form of cardioid, but very flattened hearts; see Acrobat reader page 5 of: http://www.bbg.gov/Sawa_Presentation_9-25.pdf Or more conveniently: http://www.w4uvh.net/sawacov.jpg (Glenn Hauser, tnx to Wolfgang Büschel for the link, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** ECUADOR. 4773.6, R. Centinela del Sur, Loja; 1103-, f on 01/10. Information program by OM. ID at 1206 (UEMURA, Feb Radio Nuevo Mundo via Hideki WATANABE, DXLD) ** ECUADOR. Tuned in for `Música del Ecuador` on HCJB, 9745, UT Sun around 0440, and did hear some Ec music, but also talks about the country; formerly was an all-music show. O, at end mentioned `Conozca el Ecuador` so the schedule must have changed. A good time to hear the National Anthem is at 0500 UT when HCJB closes 9745. Feb 8 this was followed by a brief piece of Andean music, then open carrier and off. BTW, I understand that the DXPL recordings on Alex`s website off HCJB Australia were actually made by Tim Gaynor in Australia (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** ERITREA [non]. ERITREAN OPPOSITION PARTY TO LAUNCH RADIO STATION ON 22 FEBRUARY | Text of report in English by Eritrean opposition web site Eritrea1.org on 7 February [The] EPLF-DP [opposition Eritrean People's Liberation Front- Democratic Party, a splinter group of the ruling People's Front For Democracy and Justice, PFDJ] announces the birth of "Voice of Liberty". To coincide with its founding congress [due to be held in Frankfurt, Germany], Voice of Liberty will be launched on 22 February 2004 in the following frequency: 15675 kHz, which is in the 19 meter band. The frequency corresponds to 19.14 meter [band]. The programme will be transmitted at 0400-0500 UTC on Sundays, which corresponds to 7 to 8 a.m. local time in Eritrea. During the first and second quarter, transmissions will be made in Tigrinya. Work for the Arabic programme is already under way. We invite you to take part in this historic event by sending us your views and comments at the following address: VoL-Comments @ eritreaone.com Source: Eritrea1.org web site in English 7 Feb 04 (via BBCM via DXLD) ** FRANCE. France Inter will broadcast a concert by Ben Harper live from Studio 104 of the Maison radio France in Paris on Sunday, February 15, the French Associated Press reports. Harper will be accompanied y his group, the Innocent Criminals, in the concert, which will start at 2000 UT (Mike Cooper, GA, Feb 8, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** HONDURAS. 3250.0, R. Luz y Vida, San Luís; 1213-, f on 01/10. This day was good condition so the station blocked P`yongyang power house. ID was heard many times as "Radio Luz y Vida" by OM (UEMURA, Feb Radio Nuevo Mundo via Hideki WATANABE, DXLD) [non] P`yongyang log on slightly different frequency: 3249.6, 2.2 2030, R. P`yongyang slutade med marchmusik vid detta sändningsstopp som varar till 2100. 2. LRH (SW Bulletin via DXLD) ** INDIA. BES Expo: see RADIO EQUIPMENT FORUM; RVA listeners` meeting: see PHILIPPINES; BBC road show in India: see U K ** INTERNATIONAL INTERNET. SPYWARE CURES MAY CAUSE MORE HARM THAN GOOD By John Borland Staff Writer, CNET News.com Feb. 4 2004 Web surfers battling "spyware" face a new problem: so-called spyware- killing programs that install the same kind of unwanted advertising software they promise to erase. Millions of computers have been hit in recent years by ads and PC- monitoring software that comes bundled with popular free downloads, notably music-swapping programs. The problem has attracted dozens of companies seeking to profit by promising to root out the offending software. But some software makers are exploiting the situation, critics allege, turning demand for antispyware software into a launch pad for new spyware attacks. A small army of angry Web users has set up a network of Web sites where they post reports of antispyware programs said to prey on consumers by installing offending files. Some of these charges could get a hearing soon, as public-interest group The Center for Democracy & Technology plans to file complaints with the Federal Trade Commission against specific companies. "If people feel as though their privacy has been violated by a company that claims to be protecting them, that clearly is an unfair and deceptive practice," said Ari Schwartz, an associate director of Washington-based CDT. "You would think that an antispyware company would hold itself up to the highest standards." The boom in spyware, adware and other PC hijackers has led to increasing calls for regulation from lawmakers, including presidential candidate Sen. John Edwards, D-N.C., and from public- interest groups. Many software makers have turned to advertising as a way to make money from consumers who are reluctant to purchase programs. The same approach has been taken by some antispyware companies, even though they promise that their products will root out unwanted advertising from others. But the failure of some to disclose their practices has raised the greatest outcry. Like viruses, adware and spyware programs can sneak into a user's computer hard drive with little or no warning and can hide their tracks in ways that make it difficult for even the most sophisticated computer users to find and permanently delete. As adware and spyware have spread, demand for applications that clean up infected hard drives has grown, drawing a large group of competitors eager to profit. More than 50 programs claiming to erase adware and spyware are available online, and many of these are offered as free downloads. Several major Internet service providers, including EarthLink and America Online, have also moved to provide spyware-removal applications to their subscribers. But as these programs proliferate, some software makers face mounting criticism that their products install the very things they promise to defend against. Some antispyware companies have pointed fingers at rivals and have added competing programs to their list of applications that contain adware or spyware. These lists are used to identify and sweep out offending software during antispyware scans. Keeping track of spyware One such tool facing allegations of abuse is SpyBan, an antispyware program that has been downloaded some 44,000 times in the last four months, according to Download.com, a software download site owned by CNET Networks, the publisher of News.com. Download.com removed the software this week, noting that SpyBan had failed to disclose and explain all the software components included in its installation, a violation of the Web site's policies. Numerous competing antispyware companies, including Spybot- Search & Destroy parent PepiMK Software and Sweden-based Kephyr.com, have identified SpyBan as a potential source of unwanted spyware--notably a program listed by many spyware cleaners as Look2Me. Download.com had also independently warned that Look2Me might be installed along with SpyBan. "I classified SpyBan as a Trojan Horse, since it gives the impression that it will protect your privacy, but does the opposite--installs spyware," alleged Kephyr's Roger Karlsson in an e-mail interview. A CNET News.com test of SpyBan on Jan. 29 found that the software did remove some adware components but also confirmed that it led to the installation of a file that Spybot and security firm Symantec identified as Look2Me. Symantec lists Look2Me as a spyware application, while its rival PestPatrol defines the same application as an adware program. "Look2Me is a spyware program that monitors visited Web sites and submits the logged information to a server," Symantec reports on its Web site. According to PestPatrol, Look2Me is categorized as "software that brings ads to your computer. Such ads may or may not be targeted." Who is SpyBan? Information and links on SpyBan's Web site disappeared late on Monday, following inquiries from a CNET News.com reporter. An e- mail to a generic "info" address at the SpyBan Web site elicited an initial reply, but the company did not reply to questions about its software. Prior to going dark, the SpyBan Web site contained no information about its corporate parent, and the domain name database-- Whois-- that typically contains contact information for companies contained none for SpyBan. A Look2Me license agreement found on a cached Google Web page identified Minneapolis-based NicTech Networks as the software's "owners/authors." A trace of SpyBan.net's Web domain name late on Tuesday showed that the site was hosted at the same Internet address as NicTech Networks. The SpyBan e-mail also originated from that IP address. Repeated calls to NicTech were not returned. A question of trust The effects of spyware and adware programs vary. Some spyware programs run quietly in the background, sometimes capturing what a computer user types or what Web sites are visited. Some of these applications, which are called keystroke loggers, are so potent that they can record user names and passwords for the most closely guarded Web sites, including online banks. Far more common are "adware" programs, which can operate unseen in the background. These periodically pop up windows with advertisements, change a Web browser's home page, install unwanted search toolbars or add bookmarks to a browser. Many of these software programs track Web surfers' habits online and send the data to their parent companies. Security experts say it is difficult to keep up with spyware programs, which constantly shift their way of working inside a computer to evade detection and which generally contain many times more programming instructions than an average virus. The confusion is underscored by differences in how security firms describe specific programs. "I doubt anyone knows precisely what these things do, apart from the authors," PestPatrol researcher Roger Thompson said. "They are really complex. Viruses are easy compared to these things." There is little doubt that millions of PCs have been infected with spyware and adware programs. A recent unscientific EarthLink survey gives some indication of the spread of the problems. The company offered its subscribers a free online spyware-scanning tool, similar to an antivirus scan program. In the course of 426,500 scans, EarthLink found more than 2 million adware files installed and more than 9 million "adware cookies"--a type of cookie that tracks people's surfing habits. A few independent antispyware companies, such as Lavasoft's Ad- Aware and Spybot, have been around long enough and have been used by enough people to have gained a reputation as safe. For the most part, Net experts warn consumers simply to be careful, to make sure that they trust the source of any software they install on their computers and to contact authorities such as the Federal Trade Commission if they think that their privacy has been violated. "My first advice, if you get spam advertising a piece of software: You should really think twice before downloading that program," the CDT's Schwartz said. (via Ted Cowie http://www.dawsonacademy.com VE3AAP via Canadian Amateur Radio Bulletin Week of Feb. 08 2004 via Jim Taylor, VA3KU, ODXA via DXLD) ** INTERNATIONAL VACUUM. Hi Bill, Glenn, hello and how are you? Don`t think I ever read your views on satellite radio. I have both services and can not tell you anything bad about either service. The Sirius gives me a lot of programs on the World Radio Network, BBC World Service, which is different than XM`a BBC World Service which carries some entertainment. When I ask any other satellite radio subscribers, they are either for XM or Sirius, but not both. The XM carries a lot of music and formats terrestrial radio stations forgot about and a wide variety of any type of music. Also I have read comments from different writers in Monitoring Times and they all will tell you it`s Sirius. My question to you is, do you have it and how do you like it and do you have a favorite? Many thanks and hope to hear from you soon (Bill Eckart, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) I don`t have either service so that explains it. Spend a lot more time in front of the computer than in the car, and listen to streaming audio a lot, in addition to SW. When I am in the car I am usually playing tapes of programs recorded off the internet. 73, (Glenn to Bill via DXLD) ** INTERNATIONAL VACUUM. Sunspots and a spaceship. Hi all. Just under a couple of hours ago, at 1227 gmt, I was lucky enough to be right on the centre line for a solar transit by ISS. The station was nearly 900 kilometres downrange, weather conditions here, broken cloud, winds gusting 50 mph plus. Fortunately, a break in the cloud just at the right time allowed me to capture the transit as ISS shot straight through Sunspot group 551! Result for broad band users can be seen here: http://mysite.freeserve.com/satcom_transits on my webpage or here: http://mysite.freeserve.com/satcom_transits/ISSFEB8.gif which is a direct link to the gif animation (1.8 mb) A smaller size file is up at: http://www.satcom.freeserve.co.uk/isstrans.htm (bottom of the page) (By following the "WirralCam" link, in the left frame of the animation you can also see just what the weather conditions are like here at present) Best wishes, John. http://www.satcom.freeserve.co.uk/ (Feb 8, SWM Readers via DXLD) ** LATVIA. Checked for EMR on 9290, Feb 7 around 2130, but inaudible; recheck at 2255 maybe a carrier. When will these stations learn to move their countries further away from the auroral zone? (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) 9290 kHz, European Music Radio, 2106 UT Feb 7. Mentioned the US and a very good morning to Australia. Said the broadcast was coming from the Latvia transmitter on 9290 kHz. Heard an EMR ID by the announcer and also a canned ID at 2107. The announcer also said to stay tuned for 55 more minutes of music. He then played a song by Heart called "If Looks Could Kill". Signal more or less S8 with occasional quick fades to S3 although still readable at that level. Signed off at 2305 saying they would be back on Feb 22 (John Sgrulletta, Mahopac, NY, USA, JRC NRD- 515/K9AY & A/D Sloper, Cumbredx mailing list via DXLD) Greetings Mr. Hauser --- Heard European Music Radio via Latvia 9290 kHz at 2230-2304 Feb 7, weak signal improving to fair by 2245. 60's- 80's pop tunes, including Beatles "I Am The Walrus" at 2255. Upbeat British DJ, starting to come in decently when they signed off. (Grundig Satellit 800, 40M ham dipole). Best Regards (Ben Loveless, WB9FJO ex-WPE9JLQ, Michigan, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Estamos escuchando en estos momentos 2109 UT con muy buena señal a EMR European Music Radio por los 9290 KHz con música pop de los años 80. La oportunidad de verificar un nuevo transmisor. La transmisión dura hasta las 2300 UT (Arnaldo Slaen y Nicolás Eramo, Argentina, Conexión Digital via DXLD) 9290, EMR (European Music Radio) via Euronet, Riga, 2101-2245, Feb 7, English, man announcer, Musical program, several IDs and Jingles of EMR, 34333 (Nicolás Eramo, Argentina, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Por el sureste de España EMR se está escuchando con un SINPO de 5 a nivel local muy buena música de los 80 como dicen los compañeros Arnaldo y Nicolás. Saludos (JOSE HERNANDEZ MADRID, Spain, Feb 7, Conexión Digital via DXLD) EMR aquí próximo a São Paulo com SINPO 45544. Sensacional. Algo sem precedentes. Acabo de escrever um email para eles informando a qualidade de sinal. Acabo de enviar um informe de recepção a European Music Radio. O momento é sem precedente. A qualidade do sinal supera em muito às transmissões da Radio Seagull também por 9290 kHz, vindo creio eu dos mesmos transmissores (Rudolf Grimm, São Bernardo, São Paulo, Brasil, http://www.radioways.cjb.net ibid.) 9290, European Music Radio, 2120-2211 Feb 7, Frequent IDs and e-mail address, mentioning that they were once a pirate station. Dedicated "California Dreaming" to all the Dxers in North America. SINPO 33333. (George Maroti, NY, Cumbre DX via DXLD) 9290, EMR relay, OC 7 Feb from 2057 to 2100, sign-on a few seconds after 2100 with M giving ID over music, continuous pop music. I left the MD record on this but unfortunately I accidentally erased it!! Weak but readable. Finally on a time favorable for (EC) NA (Dave Valko, Dunlo PA, Cumbredx mailing list via DXLD) Tom, Only a weak carrier with no intelligible modulation heard here in Milano using a Sony SW77 at 2110 UTC on 7/2/2004. I also tried with an external, amplified antenna, with no improvement. I think the transmitter antenna beam and time/frequency is no good for this region :-)) (Alfredo Cotroneo, Milano, Italy, [IRRS/NEXUS/IBA], Cumbre DX via DXLD) ** LATVIA. Today Feb. 8th I've heard R. Marabu via Latvia from 1530 to s/off 1700 on 9290 kHz, with IDs in German and various kinds of rock music. The signal was very good (Luca Botto Fiora, Italy with R7 Drake, Satellit 500 Grundig, Dipole 49m, Longwire 20m and MFJ1026, BDXC-UK via DXLD) ** LIBERIA. I've also checked 11515 kHz for Liberia at 1700 and the channel (at my site?) is totally empty (Luca Botto Fiora, Italy, Feb 8, with R7 Drake, Satellit 500 Grundig, Dipole 49m, Longwire 20m and MFJ1026, BDXC-UK via DXLD) ** LITHUANIA [and non]. RADIO WORLD - Sunday 8 February 2004 Only 3 months to go now, before 10 new member states join the European Union. Many people are a bit apprehensive about this development: too many too soon, they say. Well, all we can do is hope for the best, and we certainly could start by learning a bit more about these countries. One good way is to listen to shortwave broadcasts from the new member states. Most of them are former east bloc nations, so they have a history of cold war international transmissions. If we start in the north, there are the 3 Baltic countries: Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. These countries didn't have an independent voice in the days when they were part of the Soviet Union, and certainly not an independent international radio service. The Russians didn't care much for the linguistic and cultural independence of these countries, which partly explains the difficulties now encountered by the large ethnic Russian minorities in these countries. For the moment, only Lithuania has shortwave transmissions in foreign languages, that's Radio Vilnius, broadcasting in Russian to Russia and English to Europe and North America. The programmes in Russian are broadcast as follows: On Saturdays and Sundays from 1330 to 1345 UT on 9555 kHz. Monday-Friday from 1330 to 1425 UT on 9555 kHz. English for listeners in Lithuania, or not too far away, is from 2030 to 2100 on medium wave 666 and 1557 kHz, and also 0930-1000 on the same frequencies, but also, for listeners in Europe, on shortwave 9710 kHz. English to North America is at 2330-0000 on 9875 kHz and again 0030- 0100 UTC on 7325 kHz - but I'm not sure about that last one. Anyway, these two transmissions to North America are supposed to be preceded by a half-hour programme in Lithuanian on the same frequencies. If you want to know more about the history of radio in Lithuania you should visit the website of Sigitas Zilionis, the well-known Lithuanian DXer and broadcaster. Just go to http://www.zilionis.lt and you'll discover plenty of information, it's not all in English, but still. You'll find a few recordings as well, like this very old one: SOUND Polskie Radio Wilno (listen to the programme via audio link on this page) Polskie Radio Wilno, an announcement used by Radio Vilnius from May 3 1928 to September 1939, because in that period Lithuania was administered by Poland. And then the Second World War broke out and when that was over, Lithuania returned to Russian rule, no longer a tsarist regime as in the old days, but as a soviet republic. And the interval signal of the foreign service of Radio Vilnius changed again: SOUND Radio Vilnius interval signal in Soviet era Also on the website of Sigitas Zilionis is the saga of the battle between Lithuania and Russia for the medium wave frequency 1386 kHz. It's still not finished and began in March 2002, when Radio Baltic Waves International, based at Vilnius, obtained a licence to broadcast on 1386 kHz with a power output of 1622 [sic] kW. There was a slight problem though: at Bolshakovo in the Russian enclave of Kaliningrad, the same frequency is used by the Russians to broadcast the Voice of Russia in German and English to listeners in Western Europe. This is a high-power outlet, reportedly with a 1200 kW transmitter and an 8-mast directional antenna. Sigitas gives a detailed history of the conflict, but what it boils down to is that the Russians continue to use the frequency of 1386 kHz, despite a number of promises made by Moscow. For the Lithuanians this is clearly an illegal operation. In July 2002 Radio Baltic Waves noted that the Russian station had extended its presence on the disputed channel. It no longer signed off at the usual time, 2100 UTC, but one hour later. That was seen as a provocation in Vilnius and a demonstration of Russia's attitude towards its small neighbours. On May 26-27, 2003 talks were held in Vilnius between Lithuanian and Russian telecommunications authorities. The Russians proposed to divide the channel: from 1100-2100 CET the frequency would be used by the Russians, and the rest of the time by the Lithuanians. The Lithuanians rejected the proposal and the talks ended in deadlock. And then the latest news from Sigitas Zilionis: on September 9-10 2003, talks were resumed between the communications authorities of both countries. This time the Russians agreed to gradually decrease their transmissions on the disputed channel, and an agreement was reached that the frequency of 1386 kHz would be abandoned by the Russians by the end of 2007. To be continued, I presume? FRANS VOSSEN Radio World (broadband) http://www.rvi.be/wm/rvi/rw_HI.asx Radio World (narrowband) http://www.rvi.be/wm/rvi/rw_LO.asx (RVi Radio World Feb 8 via DXLD) ** MALDIVES. Maldives has been on for some time through the night. At 1740 aprox. Radio Maldives sign-off with the National Anthem, then Radio One (Radio Eke) takes over until 0020 when it stops and R. Maldives starts the sign-on procedure. Now is it Voice of Maldives!!! (Victor Goonetilleke in Sri Lanka via Jose Jacob, India, Feb 8, DXLD) ** MEXICO. 2390.0, R. Huayacocotla, Huayacocotla; 1259-, f on 01/10. Mariachi music program. ID as "Están Uds. escuchando XEJN Radio Huayacocotla, La Voz de los Campesinos, que transmite en la frecuencia de 2390 kHz y 500 watts de potencia onda corta --- 92600 Huayacocotla, Veracruz, México" by YL (UEMURA, Feb Radio Nuevo Mundo via Hideki WATANABE, DXLD) ** MOLDOVA. Radio DMR (Radio Pridnestrovya) adesso ha una nuova QSL in bianco e nero (fotocopia) formato A4. Così mi ha confermato un rapporto di ascolto del dicembre 2002 su 9560 kHz per la seconda volta. Su una facciata, oltre al logo in russo e l'immagine di un eroe a cavallo, sono riportati i dati dell'ascolto. Inoltre c'è la schedule con frequenze e rispettivi orari. 549 0500-0530 150 kw russo 999 1800-1830 500 kw russo 5960 1700-1742 1000 kw (sic!) inglese/francese/tedesco (eccetto sab/dom) Altre frequenze FM: 74,0 - 100,7 - 105,0 - 106,0 - 106,4 Sull'altra facciata c'è una bella cartina politico-amministrativa con una marea di informazioni (in russo) della Pridnestrovya (in russo), regione autonoma filorussa appartenente formalmente alla Moldavia, ma che vorrebbe l'indipendenza. (in rumeno si chiama Transnistria). v/s Vlad Butuk, engineer of QSL-office E-mail: radiopmr @ inbox.ru (pmr non rmr!) Web: http://www.president-pmr.org dove però non vedo pagine sulla radio (G. Bernardini, Italy, Jan 8, in BCL-News-ML via CRW via DXLD) ** NEPAL. REF your posting. Yes Nepal was off for a day or so and is now back on 5005.3 I suspect with the 5 kW transmitter, very low signals (Victor Goonetilleke in Sri Lanka via Jose Jacob, India, Feb 8, DXLD) Nepal noted back by me from the evening of Saturday 7th Feb 04 after being off air for some days. 73 (Jose Jacob, VU2JOS, National Institute of Amateur Radio, Raj Bhavan Road, Hyderabad 500082, India, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** NICARAGUA. According to a personal letter dated January 19, 2004, from Sr. Evaristo Mercado P., Director Radio Miskut, their shortwave transmitter [5770] has been out of service since August 2003, damaged by fluctuating power supply. Dr. Freeman will visit the station in March in order to bring the transmitter back to US for repair. He will also help them to increase power of a small FM transmitter (Tetsuya Hirahara, Tokyo, Feb Radio Nuevo Mundo via Hideki WATANABE, DXLD) ** PARAGUAY. Estimado amigo Nicolás: Referente la emisora "La Voz de la Libertad", parece que funciona desde Hernandarias, en la frecuencia de los 1190 KHZ. Ofícialmente, no figura en los registros paraguayos. Lo más probable es que están probando. Hace un tiempo, existió un proyecto, en esta frequencia, en Hernandarias, lo cual utilizaría una potencia de 2,5 KW. Hasta el momento, no he captado la emisora, en Asunción. Seguiré investigando. ¡Con Un Fuerte Abrazo! (Adán Mur, Radiodifusión América, Asunción, Paraguay, Feb 7, Conexión Digital via DXLD) ** PERU. Website of Radio Nacional del Perú http://www.radionacional.com.pe/ now carries a very detailed history of the station titled "67 aniversario Radio Nacional del Perú Nuestra Historia" with historical photos (Tetsuya Hirahara, Tokyo, Feb Radio Nuevo Mundo via Hideki WATANABE, DXLD) ** PERU. R. Melodía, Arequipa; (5906.4 kHz) QSL letter, CD and 3 stickers in 28 days. V/S: Jefa de Comercialización en AM. R. Unión, Lima; (6535.7 kHz) Big QSL card, letter and 3 stickers for 65 days. V/S: Sr. Augusto Ruiz Tello (UEMURA, Feb Radio Nuevo Mundo via Hideki WATANABE, DXLD) ** PERU. 5470.8 kHz, Radio San Nicolás, 1106 UT Feb 3. Station signed on as I was sitting on freq. Carrier was promising, but modulation low. Religious-sounding music featuring the harp, then a female announcer spoke. More religious music then a male announcer with at least 2 Radio San Nicolás IDs. Another announcer came on, whom Henrik Klemetz says is a preacher, spoke for about a minute, so possibly an opening prayer. Into Peruvian music but fading even more from a signal that was at times barely above threshold when it started. Chuck Bolland has a recording of this very day of reception on his website, but I have not been able to match his recording with mine (John Sgrulletta, Mahopac, NY, USA, JRC NRD-515/K9AY & A/D Sloper, Cumbredx mailing list via DXLD) ** PERU. 5019.93, R. Horizonte, 09 Feb 1040 to 1100 ID's, music, blasting in with incredible signal (Robert Wilkner, Pompano Beach, Florida, NRD 535D Icom R75, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** PHILIPPINES [non]. RVA LISTENERS MEET --- Dear radio friends, I am pleased to inform you that yesterday, 7/2/2004, Radio Veritas Asia (RVA) annual listeners meet successfully held at Krishnanagar, Nadia, West Bengal, India, with a presence of more than 80 heads from different parts of India, and Bangladesh also. Top officials from RVA Philippines and regional offices in Dhaka and Kolkata jointly participated the programme. Some of the eminent DXers who participated were Mr. Alok Dasgupta, Mr. Hiranmoy Mondal, Mr. Swopan Chakroborty, Mr. Pranab Kumar Roy, Mr. Ashik Eqbal Tokon of Rajshahi, Bangladesh, Mr. Anand Mohan Bain of Raipur, Chattisgarh, etc., etc. Five best listeners were selected for their valuable contribution in RVA; Mr. Sanjoy Kumar Biswas was selected for his support to audience relation dept. and our bangladx guy Swopan Chakroborty was selected best DXer of the year 2003 and awarded a Philippino national dress along with a certificate. In his welcome speech, RVA Bengali co-ordinator Fr. Rev. Sunil Rojario hinted some changes in programme format which will be soon announced in the programme. Proposal was also given for a commemorative QSL card for RVA's 25th year anniversary and 400th edition of Bengali DX programme "Ajker Ganamadhyam". Next year RVA will celebrate its 25th anniversary and a big listeners meet is planned at Chittagaon, Bangladesh. We, new and inexperienced DXers, shared some golden moments with above experienced DXers. 73 & 55, (Rajdeep Das, Kolkata, India, Feb 8, GRDXC via DXLD) ** RUSSIA. 6075, Radio Rossii, Arman, 1314-1340, Feb. 6, Russian, OM and YL with talks at tune-in, ID at 1318, again at 1330 then music program featuring very nice ballads by male vocalist, OM and YL with talk between selections. Fair/poor, tho clearing up a bit during broadcast. // 7320 a bit clearer tho weaker in strength. Thanks to tips from Bernd Trutenau's "Domestic SW Broadcasting in Russia" Monitoring Times article (Scott R. Barbour, Jr., Intervale, NH, USA, R75, MLB-1, RS longwire with RBA balun, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** SAIPAN & TINIAN. FBO DAILY ISSUE OF APRIL 13, 2003 FBO #0499 SOLICITATION NOTICE M -- Operation of Radio Transmitting Facility The Broadcasting Board of Governors/International Broadcasting Bureau (BBG/IBB) requires a Contractor to provide maintenance and operations of the Robert E. Kamosa Transmitting Station (REKTS) consisting of radio transmitting facilities located on the island of Tinian and the island of Saipan, in the Commonwealth of the Northern Marina Islands (NMI). These facilities, hereafter referred to as the Tinian Transmitter Plant and the Saipan Transmitter Plant, shall be operated in accordance with the policies and procedures established by the IBB Office of Engineering and Technical Operations. The above noted policies and procedures are delineated in a set of publications identified as Transmitter Station Instructions (TSI's). A copy of the relevant TSI's will be available with the solicitation. The Tinian Relay Station has a current configuration of six (6) 500 kW shortwave transmitters, two (2) 250 kW shortwave transmitters and eleven (11) curtain antennas, each configured as a high-low pair and a midband curtain antenna. The six (6) 500 kW transmitters are ABB Model 55 C3- 2P. The two (2) 250 kW transmitters are Continental Model 419F-2. All eight (8) transmitters were relocated to Tinian from another IBB facility. Telefunken manufactured the eleven (11) curtain antennas. A contract was recently awarded for the installation of three (3) new low-band antennas at the Tinian site. The Contractor selected for this requirement may have to work with the Contractor on the installation of the three (3) new low-band antennas. There are five (5) building structures at the Tinian Transmitter Plant, the Transmitter Building, the Generator Plant Building, the Water Pump Building, the Fuel Storage - Fuel Pump Building and the Warehouse. Program feeds will be provided through a satellite ground station with telephone backups. The Tinian Transmitter Plant broadcasts program for Radio Free Asia (RFA), Voice of America (VOA) and Australian Broadcast Corporation (ABC). RFA broadcasts an average of 89 hours daily and 623 hours weekly. VOA broadcasts an average of 33.5 hours daily and 234.5 hours weekly. ABC currently broadcast 1 hour a day; seven (7) hours a week. Additional hours would be added as world events dictate. The Tinian Transmitter Plant operates on commercial power. The station design includes a power plant capable of operating at least three (3) transmitters at full output, or all eight (8) transmitters at reduced power setting. The station plant is designed as back-up power only. It can provide 2.75 MW of continuous backup power. The Saipan Transmitter Plant has a current configuration of three (3) 100 kW Continental 418E transmitters, three (3) Technology for Communication International (TCI) Model 611 curtain antennas, an 11/9 megahertz diplexer, a 100 kW dummy load, a 750 kW standby diesel generator, a 4.75 meter satellite receiving system with an active uplink and associated ancillary equipment. There are four (4) building structures at the Saipan Transmitter Site, the Transmitter Plant Building, Administrative Office Building, the Caterpillar 3508 Generator Housing and the Warehouse. Program feeds will be provided through a satellite ground station with telephone backups. The Saipan Transmitter Plant broadcasts program for RFA and VOA program broadcasts. RFA broadcasts an average of 28.5 hours daily and 199.5 hours weekly. VOA broadcasts an average of 5 hours daily and 35 hours weekly. Additional hours would be added as would events dictate. The Saipan Transmitter Plant is run by commercial power and has a sufficient backup power plant. All programming will originate in Washington, DC and will be delivered to the station via a satellite system. The Contractor shall be responsible for ensuring that the program feeds are routed to the proper transmitter as specified by the program schedule. This schedule is developed by IBB in Washington, D.C. It is imperative that the transmitters are operated on the proper frequencies, power outputs, antenna assignments, and broadcast times as specified in the schedule. The broadcast schedule undergoes major changes twice a year (Spring and Fall), and may be modified on very short notice at other times as the needs arise. Offerors are encouraged to conduct an on-site visit before submitting a proposal. An offeror will need demonstrated prior experience in operating similar facilities. Offerors shall be required to submit a technical and firm fixed price proposal. The IBB intends to issue a request for proposal (RFP) solicitation for this negotiated firm-fixed price procurement with a proposal response date of 45 calendar days after the RFP issuance date. The solicitation will include site visit at the offeror's expense. Offerors interested in receiving a copy of the RFP must respond in writing to the Contracting Officer, Ms. Kristine Muschette-Hicks via E-mail to KMHICKS@IBB.GOV, or facsimile at (202) 260-0855 or via letter to the above listed address not later than 15 calendar days after the publishing date of this Federal Business Opportunity (FBO) Notice. Please reference Solicitation No. BBGCON3603S5366 on all correspondence regarding this notice. All written request for copies of the RFP must include your company name, mailing address, telephone number and facsimile number. No telephone requests for this RFP will be honored. All responsible sources may submit a proposal in response to the forthcoming solicitation document, and all proposals shall be considered by the Agency. This public notice is not a RFP, IFB or RFQ. http://www.fbodaily.com/archive/2003/04-April/13-Apr-2003/FBO-00301400.htm (via Wolfgang Büschel, DXLD) ** SERBIA & MONTENEGRO. SPECIAL QSL CARD ON THE ANNIVERSARY OF THE INTERNATIONAL RADIO OF SERBIA AND MONTENEGRO http://www.radioyu.org/Fokus/EnglishFokus.htm On the occasion of the anniversary of the International Radio of Serbia and Montenegro, which will be marked on March 8, we have decided to issue a special QSL card for our old and new listeners. If you contact us between February 10 and March 10, you will also receive a gift flag of our Radio station. We remain open to all your suggestions and questions. Write to as at: RADIO SRBIJA I CRNA GORA POSTANSKI FAX 2000 BEOGRAD - SRBIJA I CRNA GORA We would like to remind you that you can also visit our web site: http://www.radioyu.org (RSCG via Glenn Hauser, DXLD) ** SOUTH ORKNEY ISLANDS. Henry, LU4DXU is now active as AY1ZA from the "Orcadas" base on Laurie Island. His radio is interfering with the commercial HF station and when both are on the air Henry has to turn the amplifier off and run 10-15 watts only. QSL via LU4DXU. [TNX DL5EBE] (Feb. 7 2004 4 2 5 DX News via Canadian Amateur Radio Bulletin Week of Feb. 08 2004 via Jim Taylor, VA3KU, ODXA via DXLD) Henry, LU4DXU, has arrived on Laurie Island (South Orkneys) and has started to operate as AY1ZA. He has been very active on 20 meters SSB. Henry has also been active on 80/40/15/10 meters usually operating split and by the numbers. It was reported earlier by Dominik, DL5EBE, that Henry's radio is/was interfering with the commercial HF radio of the base. When both radios are operating, Henry has to reduce his output to 10-15 watts. The use of the linear amplifier is only possible when the commercial radio on Orcadas Base is not operating. However, his digital equipment works fine on AMTOR, RTTY + PSK31. Unfortunately, the conditions are very poor at the moment (KB8NW, OPDX February 9, BARF-80 via John Norfolk, DXLD) ** SURINAME. 4990, R. Apintie, 0433-0502, Feb. 6, Dutch/English, Pop ballads in English, several by Lionel Ritchie, right thru top-of-hour, ad/music promo block from 0447-0450 in Dutch. Good signal tho no ID noted (Scott R. Barbour, Jr., Intervale, NH, USA, R75, MLB-1, RS longwire with RBA balun, DX LISTENING DIGEST) 4989.98, R. Apintie, 4 Feb 1003-1020, M mentioned telefoon and internationaal, 1004 music started, then canned (presumed) ads with singing by W. 1006 discussion. 1015 presumed program outro, then canned promo by W and M with clear ID. Talk by M over instrumental music mentioning Surinam. 1019 short ID jingle by M, more canned announcements. Pretty good signal at tune-in, but dropped down almost immediately (Dave Valko, Dunlo PA, Cumbredx mailing list via DXLD) ** TIBET [non]. FOREIGN RADIO A LIFELINE FOR LISTENERS By IFEX Feb 8, 2004, 09:53 http://www.timesoftibet.com/artman/publish/article_958.shtml Tibet may be one of the most isolated and politically repressive places in the world, but foreign radio broadcasts offer hope for a populace that refuses to accept Chinese propaganda, reports the "IPI Global Journalist." Despite China's entry into the global marketplace, press freedom in Tibet remains severely restricted, writes Tibetan journalist Palden Gyal. The only functioning radio stations are controlled by the Communist Party, which also controls all print media. In effect, the media function as tools for Communist propaganda, says Gyal. With the recent introduction of the Internet in Tibet, authorities are also cracking down on users by threatening to interrogate anyone caught using the Internet to find information on Tibet and the Dalai Lama, Tibet's exiled leader. However, despite decades of absolute control over Tibetan media, the Chinese government has failed to convince Tibetans that their culture is backward and that the Dalai Lama is a traitor to China, Gyal writes. For Tibetans, foreign radio broadcasts provide a lifeline for uncensored information on Tibet and the outside world. Currently, three broadcasters provide programs in Tibet - Voice of America, Radio Free Asia and the Norway-based Voice of Tibet. "These broadcasts are vital and effective because radio remains the most accessible and popular media in Tibet," says Gyal. This is especially so in areas outside of the capital, Lhasa. "The shortwave radio has emerged as a popular gift and item of exchange," Gyal notes. The broadcasts have attracted large audiences. Almost all Tibetan households tune into the Voice of America's early morning newscasts. And Radio Free Asia's shows allow listeners to call in using a toll- free number from a public phone that can't be traced by authorities. Gyal says the role of foreign broadcasts in Tibet shows how vital radio is in low-income regions and areas where press freedom barely exists. The "IPI Global Journalist" is a quarterly magazine published by the International Press Institute. © Copyright 2001 by TimesofTibet.com (From: http://timesoftibet.com) Regds, (via Alokesh Gupta, New Delhi, India, Larry Nebron, DXLD) From the same source, an item about the Dalai Lama's upcoming visit to Canada http://www.timesoftibet.com/artman/publish/article_955.shtml Unfortunately, Radio Canada International doesn't broadcast in Tibetan. 73 (Mike Brooker, Toronto, ON, GRDXC via DXLD) ** TINIAN. See SAIPAN above ** TRINIDAD & TOBAGO. TRINIDAD'S GOVERNMENT DISCRIMINATED AGAINST HINDU GROUP --- By MICHAEL SMITH Associated Press Writer PORT-OF-SPAIN, Trinidad (AP) -- A court has ruled that the government discriminated against Trinidad's largest Hindu group by not granting it a license to operate a radio station. Thursday's ruling does not stipulate whether the Sanatan Dharma Maha Sabha should receive the license they applied for twice, in 1999 and 2000, only that the government must re-evaluate the application. The decision, issued by High Court Justice Carlton Best, focuses attention on the Caribbean nation's racial divide. Blacks usually back the governing People's National Movement party, while those of East Indian descent tend to support the opposition United National Congress. The 1.3 million population is roughly split between the two groups. "They want to manipulate the culture," Sat Maharaj, the Hindu organization's secretary general, said of the government. Government officials did not return phone calls for comment. In court, the government had argued that inefficiencies caused by staff shortages and personnel changes in the state telecommunications division had led to the Hindu organization's difficulties in getting a license. Best's ruling says the government must pay for the Hindu group's legal costs and rectify the "unequal treatment" it gave to the organization, but does not say how it should do so. The Hindu group had argued that it was unfair to have its applications rejected for years, while the Cabinet in 2002 granted a license to government supporter Louis Lee Sing only a few months after his application. Lee Sing said Friday his license was received legitimately, and cited his previous experience operating a ratio station. The government was responding to his immediate need to keep his staff of 40 employed when they lost their previous frequency in a dispute with business partners (APws 02/06 1523 via Mike Cooper, DXLD) ** UKRAINE. Glenn, checked RUI 5910 kHz February 8, 2004 0101-0158 UT. Minimum S meter S9 and maximum S meter reading S9 +30 dB. Slight QRM from unID station on 5905. Also, from time-to-time, slight to moderate QRM on 5910 from RTTY? or other digital communications. RUI signal off at 0131 until 0133. I did not hear the RTTY/digital communications while RUI was briefly off the air. Perhaps the RTTY/digital communications are actually part of the RUI signal or a mixing product at the transmitter? 73, (Kraig Krist, VA, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U K. HUTTON, THE BBC, AND BRITAIN'S PLACE IN THE WORLD by Dr Kim Andrew Elliott, 9 February 2004 Lord Hutton's report on the David Kelly affair, and the BBC's role in it, may have an unintended impact on Britain's influence in the world. Internationally, Britain's equivalent of a three-ocean blue-water navy is the BBC World Service and, increasingly, its television counterpart, BBC World... http://www.rnw.nl/realradio/features/html/bbc040209.html (RM Media Network via DXLD) ** U K. WANTED: NEW CHAIRMAN TO GUIDE BBC IN TIME OF 'REGULATORY CHANGE' By Robert Verkaik 09 February 2004 Andreas Whittam Smith: The chair of the BBC has to know all about lying There was no mention of Alastair Campbell, the Today programme or the fact that the previous chairman and his chief executive had been forced to fall on their swords. Instead, yesterday's newspaper advertisement for a new BBC chairman focused on the positive: the -L- 81,320 salary in return for a four-day week. The quarter-page advert did address the question of something called "The Hutton Report" but gave no more details except to say that the successful candidate "will need to respond to its conclusions"... http://news.independent.co.uk/low_res/story.jsp?story=489253&host=3&dir=61 (via Mike Cooper, DXLD) ** U K. JUST A MINUTE - *WITH* REPETITION I did not actually hear the incident referred to, but I have just listened to the BBC's "Write On" programme in which numerous listeners around the world complained that the Just a Minute programme was broadcast not only at its scheduled time, but also in the previous half-hour when a completely different programme, "Health Matters" should have aired. This apparently happened several times before being corrected, if it ever was corrected. This is just another example of the problems caused by increasingly automated broadcasting which means that no Continuity Announcers are around at least to apologise for, and explain, the cause of any problems. It seems that on this occasion human error resulted in the computer playout system recording Just a Minute when Health Matters should have been recorded, but Just a Minute was also recorded in its correct spot, resulting in it being heard twice in one hour. One correspondent had made 2 attempts to listen to Health Matters at 2 different scheduled air-times, but on both occasions Just a Minute aired instead. As you can imagine, however good Just a Minute is (and it is certainly *not* one of my favourite shows), 4 times in less than 12 hours is overdoing it! (PAUL DAVID, Wembley Park, United Kingdom, Feb 6, swprograms via DXLD) ** U K. BBC-HINDI ROADSHOW BBC-Hindi has started 2 month roadshow covering most of the cities in Uttar Pradesh & Bihar. Sam Miller, Managing Editor, BBC World Service, South Asia region launched the roadshow in Lucknow on 4th Feb 2004. According to Mr Miller, despite various radio stations here, there is a need for more interactive programmes on air that involve audience participation and new shows are an attempt to do just that. Research has shown that listeners in UP are now asking for more variety in the type of programmes that they listen to. There is a demand for programmes that are more relevant to their daily life. They have used these insights to develop morning and evening news programmes. The interaction with the listeners is far too minimal and that is why they have shows that are aimed at introducing the real face of radio listeners in cities and towns throughout UP. Starting from Gonda, BBC Hindi Team will visit 15 towns and through interactive road shows introduce on-air programmes. BBC Hindi Programme content is a mix of national and international news and current affairs with reflections on modern Indian life. The programmes are being relaunched in a new format with an engaging interactive style of presentation. Schedule of BBC Hindi roadshow: UTTAR PRADESH 04 Feb - Lucknow 05 Feb - Gonda 06 Feb - Faizabad 07 Feb - Akbarpur 08 Feb - Sultanpur 09 Feb - Pratapgarh 10 Feb - Allahabad 11 Feb - Mirzapur 12 Feb - Jaunpur 13 Feb - Varanasi 14 Feb - Mugalsarai 15 Feb - Gazipur 16 Feb - Mau 17 Feb - Balia 18 Feb - Azamgarh 20 Feb - Basti 22 Feb - Devaria 23 Feb - Padrauna BIHAR 25 Feb - Patna 26 Feb - Chapra 27 Feb - Siwan 28 Feb - Motihari 29 Feb - Betia 01 Mar - Sitamarhi 02 Mar - Muzaffarpur 03 Mar - Samatipur 07 Mar - Madhubani 08 Mar - Supaul 09 Mar - Saharsa 10 Mar - Madhepura 11 Mar - Purnia 12 Mar - Katihar 14 Mar - Khagaria 15 Mar - Begusarai 16 Mar - Lakhisarai 17 Mar - Bhagalpur 18 Mar - Banka 20 Mar - Biharsharif 21 Mar - Nawada 22 Mar - Jehanabad 23 Mar - Gaya 24 Mar - Aurangabad 26 mar - Buxor For any questions or comments regarding the roadshow can e-mail at: bbchindi @ yahoo.com More info regarding roadshow at [better have your Hindi text support]: http://www.bbc.co.uk/hindi/regionalnews/story/2004/02/040204_roadshow_sched.shtml (via Alokesh Gupta, New Delhi, India, also via Chris Brand, DXLD) ** U S A. Re: [SWL] 15 MHz WWV Spurs --- Apparently NIST does not care. One of the engineers on base heard the signal earlier this week and sent a couple of emails via official channels. I sent an email on Thursday. Neither have received a reply. The spurious signals are still loud and clear. Oh well. It gives us two more signals to listen to that aren't radio preachers! Hehe (Tom Norris, KA4RKT, Feb 7, swl at qth.net via DXLD) ** U S A [and non]. CHANGE THE CHANNEL, SAM --- by Fahad Bishara http://www.dailytrojan.com/article.do?issue=/V151/N18&id=01-change.18v.html [illustrated with cartoon] When I was in high school, there were only two English radio stations to listen to in the entire country of Kuwait. The station sponsored by Kuwait's Ministry of Communications followed no real format — listeners were mainly subjected to top 40s bubblegum pop music with brief interjections of country and electronica. The other station, a U.S. Armed Forces radio station which I credit for molding my musical tastes, played classic rock all day, every day. Those who tuned in were treated to the sweet sounds of Hendrix, Dylan, Zeppelin, Sabbath, the Black Crowes, AC/DC — and after every few songs, they were treated to "One minute of our proud American heritage," a shameless broadcast of pure propaganda detailing American military victories, values and chest-pounding declarations of liberty. Much to the chagrin of the Kuwaiti classic rock aficionados, the station was pulled off the air to the general public some time after 2001. Though the music was sorely missed, the "one minute of shameless American propaganda," as my friends and I liked to call it, was given the "and don't let the door hit you on the way out" treatment. Well, it seems the door did hit it on the way out — and on the way back in as well. President Bush announced Wednesday that the U.S. government would next week begin broadcasting "Al Hurra" or "the Free One," an Arabic- language satellite TV channel designed as an alternative to Middle Eastern broadcasts that are perceived as overly critical of the United States. The broadcasts will include news, sports, movies and educational programming and will be aimed at the young audience that dominates most Arab countries. The channel will broadcast 24 hours a day to match Al Jazeera. The broadcasts will be transmitted from a facility in Springfield, Va., and will cost the government $62 million for the first year of operation. The channel will be overseen by Mouaffaq Harb, a Lebanese- born news director, who will be hiring a staff of more than 200, including many Arabs. And just like that, the one minute of American propaganda turned into 24 hours — and for what? To battle the baseless anti-American propaganda that permeates throughout Arabic media, according to Bush. The model for the station, of course, is "Radio Sawa" a station that began broadcasting after 9/11, offering its listeners a mix of Arabic and English music with what is considered fair and balanced news coverage from time to time. Though Radio Sawa has been successful in reaching an audience of over 15 million, there is little to suggest that listeners are more interested in the news than they are with the latest Britney Spears single. The problems with the inception of Al Hurra, however, are much larger. First and foremost, the very idea behind it suggests that there are no "free" television broadcasts in the region. This is simply not true. Although Al Jazeera has come under strong criticism for being, as some perceive, "all Osama all the time," its positive aspects far outweigh the negative, which are few and far between. The news network provides Arabs with in-depth coverage of news beyond the reach of the many poorly funded state-run stations in the region. More importantly, however, it provides Arabs with forums in which they can discuss their opposing viewpoints on a range of different issues. The most popular of such programs is "Al Ittijah Al Mo'akis" (the Opposite Direction), a talk show hosted by the popular Faisal Al- Kasim. The program has entertained debates on topics such as religion versus democracy, defining terrorism, and even on the journalistic practices of Al Jazeera. In a recent article, Al-Kasim explained that "Al Jazeera's editorial policy is so lax that I am hardly ever given orders regarding program content. My program is the most controversial show on the network, but no one interferes. I choose the subjects, and I choose the guests. No one has ever influenced my decisions. The network has an even wider scope of freedom than the BBC Arabic radio." The reason behind this is simple. Al Jazeera is a privately run news network, motivated by profit rather than policy. We know that this cannot be and is not the case with Al Hurra, which can only be seen as a tool of the American government, both by pundits on American soil and viewers in the broadcast region. Besides, the last thing the Middle East needs is another government-run television station. Moreover, the likelihood of the channel reaching out to "the hearts and minds" of the Arab people will be severely limited by U.S. policies in the region. It is naïve to think that anti-American sentiment in the Arab world stems from anti-American broadcasts. Rather, it makes more sense that they are a product of American policies and practices in the region, particularly with regards to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and the current Iraqi situation. To have this dichotomy between policy and diplomacy in the region is idiotic at best. To think that viewers will gleefully watch and agree with pro-American propaganda while constantly being challenged with the failures of U.S. policies in the region is to reach a level of idiocy that even I, a self-proclaimed idiot, cannot comprehend. What is more naïve, however, is to think that Arabs don't already have access to pro-American broadcasts. Reportedly, anyone with a satellite dish will be able to view the channel. But let us consider what else those in the region with a satellite dish are able to view: CNN, BBC, MTV, VH1, the Paramount Channel, the Orbit news and entertainment network, Sky News, European programming. The list goes on and on. When presented with more subtle purveyors of pro-Americanism, it makes no sense that the Arabs would venture to watch Al Hurra. Trying to change Arab perceptions of the United States is going to take a lot more than a television station, particularly one aimed at broadcasting pro-American programming. All in all, the station is nothing more than a symbol of the misunderstanding of Arab societies and mentalities and will only be a sore attempt at "fair and balanced" news coverage. They might as well begin broadcasting Fox news. Or maybe just continuous minutes of their "proud American heritage." ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Fahad Bishara's column "It's Your World" runs on Monday. Copyright 2004 by the Daily Trojan [University of Southern California]. All rights reserved. This article was published in Vol. 151, No. 18 (Monday, February 9, 2004), on page 4 (via Kim Elliott, DXLD) ** U S A. Ask WWCR for the fortnight of Feb 6 repeats an interview with gh and deals with propagation (Glenn Hauser, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A. For many SW is a means of gathering money, not the broadcast itself, but by telling the flock it takes money to do this. They then broadcast to an audience in the US. A country already saturated with religious programming, but, rich. There are "real" Christian evangelists out there; you will find them quietly living the life of a Christian, you will find them sharing their faith in prisons, old folks` homes, jails, missions, and etc.. You will find them unpaid and asking for nothing. Money begets powerful stations and powerful stations beget money. This is why there are so many religious stations. PS: Notice I say "faith" not religion (Chaplain Ken, Feb 2, swsidebar yahoogroup via DXLD) Ah, Ken, what you forward is an interpretive meaning to what's written, and the whole point of Secular Bible Study [WBCQ 7415, UT Tue 0200-0300] is to examine what people have sworn to be written, even in the face of so many different versions. The verse is what it is without further interpretation, as the line has already been interpreted by the translator. Where SW comes in isn't only per the concerns you've posted, but in the re-re-re- interpretations of what's in whatever version of The Bible is being preached (in the case of EWTN, not much at all but mind-mooshing chantings which teach nothing). No doubt about it, money's at the base of all of it, and more broadcasts mean more money beg-a-thons, to be sure. But in the matter of faith as distinguished from religion, I would have thought it would be an equally big issue with folks like you at the image of Christianity being forwarded by the garbage that gets on the air by such like as Stair and Scott, to name but a small few (Clara Listensprechen, ibid.) Ah, but we must read the entire word, not just a verse or two. Verse 1. I killed. Verse 2. A bug. The question is, was I interpretive or was I reading the verse in context. I think we need to be very careful here (I say we, me included) old habits and teaching die hard. Ahhh, free speech, I defended it for 20 years in the military, and will continue to defend it. I do disagree with those who put their own spin on scripture, hence, I don't listen to them. I think the call of those who believe in the Bible is to live it. The fruit of our faith is shown in our lives and others are watching. A pastor once preached "The only Bible most people will ever read is the daily walk in the life of a Christian, and what the world needs most today, is a revised edition." False teaching may be as old as human existence, Radio, TV and other media made it more available. On the flip side, the truth is also more available. In the end the right will win and those who use the media to mislead will pay the price. A question for you: How would you regulate the issuing of broadcasting licenses? What would be the criteria, keeping the issue of free speech in mind (Chaplain Ken, ibid.) Unfortunately, you ask me to do what no evangelist does, and that's take something IN context – posterboy classic case of this is where a British king authorizes his own "translation" of The Bible because he takes issue with the Geneva Version's wording of Romans 13:1. Request denied. As it happens, the contexts as translated into English are themselves of questionable interpretive influence even when context is considered, given the choice of using Masoretic texts as "original documents" from which even the Old Testament gets translated; that's a post-Christian-era version. Request denied. And then you have the nerve to say... ``Ahhh, free speech, I defended it for 20 years in the military, and will continue to defend it. I do disagree with those who put their own spin on scripture, hence, I don't listen to them.`` ...when King James is the posterboy for putting convenient spin on "translations". The very evangelists who say they're against spin put their faith in a book put together by the biggest spinmeister of all time as if King James' word = The Word of God. Request denied. I'm willing to place a wager that you're not a Baptist. :-) (Clara Listensprechen, ibid.) There is so much mis-information out there about translations that it takes a Bible scholar to sort it out. I am not a Bible scholar. All I can do is take the most accurate translation and trust it, I use the NASB but do a lot of cross referencing. I do not believe there is such a thing as a literal translation possible, too much time and too many changes in society`s mores and language usage. Be encouraged, the false teachers will fail and be off the air in due time. A pastor friend of mine says that he spends a great deal of time fixing people broken by false teaching. There is hope (Ken, ibid.) I prefer the SAB http://skepticsannotatedbible.com/ ;-) -- (Eric W., Colorado Springs, CO, ibid.) Uh-oh, Version Problem detected... A quick check of this website reveals that its book count mirrors that of the KJV, meaning that just like the KJV, it's The Bible Lite. No Psalm 151, either. Bzzzzzt! You have to be able to sort out which translation is an accurate translation of which "original" documents --- and to pass that sort of a judgment, you HAVE to be a scholar. For example, even the most accurate translation of a Masoretic Old Testament isn't going to get you an accurate original Old Testament. See also the issue over the absent Psalm 151 --- among other things. Whereas King James authorized the KJV "translation" to serve political purposes (not only for the purpose of persecuting the Geneva Version- using Puritans, who held sway in Parliament, but also to bring Scotland and the rest of England under a single Stuart crown) --- the same is also true of the Latin Vulgate, the formation of which Constantine had high political interest to the point of presiding over the ecumenical councils causing its formation. "The most accurate translation" is a Camelotish grail ---and then you'd have to ask "translation of WHAT, exactly?" Any version that incorporates the word "Standard" or "Standardized" is necessarily a compilation of a number of different version sources and has no single version as an original source document --- except for the fact that the book count is correspondent to the KJV Bible Lite. ``Be encouraged, the false teachers will fail and be off the air in due time.`` If the shortwave bands are any indication, I'd have to disagree with that assessment -- there's more of them and they're increasingly less informative as they proliferate. That's why they're a problem. In terms of world political volatility, they're a serious liability to peace as well (Clara Listensprechen, ibid.) ** U S A [and non]. FOCUS: SHOCK IN THE USA! ANARCHY IN THE UK! A breast flops out in America and all hell breaks loose, from the courts to the White House. It could never happen in Britain, the land of Page 3 and Jordan in the jungle - where the ultimate swear-word pops out live on TV and most viewers carry on regardless. Here Andrew Gumbel explains why Janet Jackson bared the US soul and DJ Taylor speaks up for our last verbal taboo 08 February 2004 America is upset. A scandal has provoked outrage across the nation and condemnation from the White House. The cause is not poverty or war or terrorism but the slightly exposed right breast of a faded pop star. Janet Jackson's mammary gland appeared on network television for 1.7 seconds last Sunday, but the storm it caused has sucked in the White House and the law courts, and changed the way major events are broadcast. It shows no sign of abating. Even as Ms Jackson was apologising for baring (not quite) all at the Super Bowl, another televised confession was about to take place on the other side of the world. The father of Pakistan's nuclear weapons programme admitted selling atomic secrets to Iran, Libya and North Korea - slightly more worrying than breast-flashing in the global scheme of things, you might think, but whereas Abdul Qadeer Khan received a presidential pardon after his mea culpa, Jackson now faces the wrath of the Bush administration... http://news.independent.co.uk/low_res/story.jsp?story=489075&host=3&dir=61 (via Mike Cooper, DXLD) ** U S A. Following logged at Matarangi, Coromandel Peninsula, North Island NZ using an AOR 7030 and 30m long wire: 1630, KKWY (Presumed), WY, 0654 6th Feb, "Snow Bird" Ann Murray, peaking briefly through the NZ beacon. 1650, KBIV, TX, 0704 6th Feb, "Wichita Linesman", Glen Campbell then ID'ing as "classic hit country here on 1650" and into Roger Miller's "King of the Road" at 0707. 1650, KWHN, AR, 0657 7th Feb, "I'm Darren... at newstalk 1650 KWHN". 1690, WRLL, IL, 0656 6th Feb, "Real oldies right here in Chicago... all night long" being outgunned generally by KDDZ Radio Disney and KFSG. 1700, KQXX, TX, steady all night, heard at 0639 7th Feb, Penny Lane, Beatles, 0640, You made me so very happy, Blood Sweat and Tears, Abba, Dancing Queen at 0653. Regards (David Norrie, Bucklands Beach, Auckland, New Zealand, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Still unheard: KMMZ 1640 ** U S A. I check in on 1630 at various times, still curious about the "mystery tone" (station) widely reported. I'll commonly hear WRDW [Georgia] until 9-10 a.m. and starting after 4 p.m. ¯ they pack a good signal up here in SW PA. And if WRDW is audible, there is that tone, right along with WRDW, which tells me the tone's source experiences the same propagation phenomenon that brings WRDW to us, and therefore that the source is perhaps in DC-MD-VA-NC. Several listeners reported hearing the tone, and I had hoped that we'd nail down the location, but we never did. Anyone else hearing it or know what/where it is? (Fred Schroyer, Freelance Science Writer / Editorial Consultant, Feb 7, Waynesburg, PA 15370, SW corner of Pennsylvania, NRC-AM via DXLD) ** U S A. 1690, WSWK Avondale Estates, GA, was heard with testing announcements and instrumental music on 2/8 at 1700 EST. Very nice signal, so they're probably technically ready to start from the new location (Gerry Bishop, Niceville, FL, NRC-AM via DXLD) ** U S A. PACIFICA, POLITICS AND WPFW [letters to the editor] http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn/A20457-2004Feb6?language=printer Saturday, February 7, 2004; Page A21 Marc Fisher's Feb. 3 Metro column displayed a serious misunderstanding of the board elections at WPFW (89.3 FM). While it is exciting that Fisher would choose the elections, which indeed are critical to the future of WPFW, as a subject, I am sorely disappointed with his mischaracterization of the key issues in the debate. WPFW is supposed to be a community radio station. As Fisher mentions, a commitment to jazz programming is part of its mission. But the station also must be accountable to the community. The discussions among candidates during these elections, which I have been following closely as a candidate myself, are not focused on a divide between music and public affairs programming. I don't know where Fisher has been during the debates, but that divide has not been the primary focus. Actually, some of the most important discussions have focused on how to involve more youth and community members with the station and how to improve the visibility of the station in the community. I was also distressed by Fisher's portrayal of race relations at the station. The young people that we are bringing into the station, mainly through our D.C. Radio Co-Op project, are diverse and multicultural. There is no battle at WPFW between young white radicals and old black jazz deejays. The project, which has been working with the morning "Metro Watch" show, has also been covering many local events and issues, contrary to what Fisher writes, leading me to wonder whether Fisher even listens to the station. -- Darby Hickey, Washington Marc Fisher displays appalling ignorance and lack of respect for WPFW's informative programming when he terms it "a steady diet of political propaganda" and "an outlet for political whining and grousing." Either Fisher did not bother to research WPFW or his political bias rendered him hopelessly one-sided and ill-informed. Had Fisher done just elementary homework for his column, he would undoubtedly have found the comprehensive article of March 10, 2003, by your paper's Michael Powell that disabuses any objective observer of the notion that such crass characterizations are appropriate for WPFW. The article describes the invaluable program "Democracy Now," hosted by Amy Goodman, wherein Powell states that "Goodman is a daily polestar for those who crave the antiwar perspective that mainstream networks often consign to the margins." Perhaps if more of the nation had tuned in to WPFW's high-quality, in-depth coverage in the days preceding the assault on Iraq, we and the rest of the world would not be facing the human and economic disaster we are confronted with now. -- Alfred Gluecksmann, Silver Spring (Washington Post via Mike Cooper, DXLD) ** U S A. STORY OF CLEVELAND RADIO Posted on Sun, Feb. 08, 2004 Barbara McIntyre Special to the Beacon Journal How did Cleveland get to be one of the most important radio markets in the world? In the 1970s and '80s, WMMS did battle with its competitors to rise to the top of the FM heap, using a canny combination of talent, aggressive promotion and occasional dirty tricks. Author Mike Olszewski documents the rise of Cleveland radio in Radio Daze: Stories from the Front in Cleveland's FM Air Wars. Mostly by telling the story of WMMS, and by using extensive research and interviews, he dishes on legends like ``Kid Leo'' Travagliante, ``Matt the Cat'' Lapczynski and the elusive Mr. Leonard. Olszewski, a longtime radio journalist, covers the development of the buzzard logo, the popularity of the Michael Stanley Band and the many rock icons helped along their way by WMMS endorsement. Radio Daze (468 pages, softcover) is available for $29 from Kent State University Press http://www.kentstateuniversitypress.com -- Barbara McIntyre, Special to the Beacon Journal (c) 2004 Beacon Journal and wire service sources. All Rights Reserved (via Mike Cooper, DXLD) ** ZIMBABWE. Glenn, The ZBC has reactivated the use of 3306, an old frequency of theirs but not one that I think they have used for several (perhaps many) years. It is being used in the early morning and during the evening. During the daytime they are still on 6045. These SW frequencies are relaying the "Radio Zimbabwe" (formerly Radio 2) service in Shona and Ndebele. Regards, (Chris Greenway, (currently in Lusaka, Zambia), Feb 8, DX LISTENING DIGEST) 3306, unID, African music at 0356 Feb 8, announcement by woman 0359, talking drum-type melody at 0400, then talk by woman until man took over at 0411. Fairly weak, and deteriorating, and probably English but I'm not absolutely certain. This was a pretty good African night; ELWA-4760 better-than-usual at 0630. 3306 is an old Zimbabwe channel (Jerry Berg, MA, DX-plorer via DXLD) Also heard around 2200+ Feb 7, but couldn't get much audio (Bob Hill, MA, ibid.) ** ZIMBABWE [non]. CLANDESTINE (ZIMBABWE) 6145, SW Radio Africa - The Independent Voice of Zimbabwe. Full data QSL letter, with my Prepared card and Prepared QSL letter, returned and signed. Postal report sent to UK address after my posting my report on their web site. Reply in 28 days from the UK. Address for reports: SW Radio Africa Ltd. P.O. Box 243 Borehamwood, Herts WD6 4WA United Kingdom. v/s illegible. Note: on QSL Reply the Transmitter location is restricted for obvious reasons, yet the power is listed as 100 kw --- interesting (Edward Kusalik, Alberta, Canada, Feb 7, Cumbredx mailing list via DXLD) UNIDENTIFIED. SPANISH NUMBERS. 5926, Big OC before 0950 8 Feb, then W with Spanish #'s at 0958. Strong. Splatter from 5920 [WBOH]. (Dave Valko, Dunlo PA, Cumbredx mailing list via DXLD) UNIDENTIFIED. 9900, very strong carrier and tone appear here briefly, such as 1522-1524 UT Feb 9, and bleeding at least 30 kHz above and below, since I noticed it while listening to RNZI on 9870. It came on again a few minutes later, fortunately not for long (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ PUBLICATIONS ++++++++++++ BOOK REVIEW: TRUTH BETRAYED --- January 11, 2004 George Saunders, an ex BBC engineer and Reading International Radio Group member, has supplied a bibliography of books on the topic of black broadcasting following recent talks and videos on the subject at the meetings. The first of these is Truth Betrayed by W. J. West published by Gerald Duckworth and Co, London in 1987, ISBN 0 7156 2182 3, paperback, 262 pages including photos. George says that this is a serious and excellently researched book covering: * Pre-war relations between government and the BBC, particularly the BBC and Foreign Office. * The setting up of prewar covert section (Joint Broadcasting Committee) to place specially made programmes on stations like Radio Luxembourg to radiate British government propaganda. * The start of British black broadcasting. * The start of German black broadcasting. * A detailed analysis of German black broadcasting - Buro Concordia etc - and the role of P.P. Eckersley1s wife in setting up the Norden transmitter which radiated Lord Haw-Haw. * Two German black propaganda scripts from written archives broadcast by the Workers Challenge station. * British official reaction to German black propaganda and their leaflet/sticker campaign in London. * An excellent bibliography. Though out of print copies are still available from Chevet Book Supplies, 157 Dickson Road, Blackpool FY1 2EU, telephone 01253 751858, at £8.95 plus £2.50 postage and packing. A used book search on Amazon.co.uk showed 6 copies available from £3.10 plus postage and the book should be obtainable through the public library inter-loan system (M. Barraclough, UK, Jan 11, 2004 for CRW via DXLD) RADIO EQUIPMENT FORUM +++++++++++++++++++++ RADAR SWEEPER is now heard here in these ranges: 4765-4840, and 4895- 4925. Seems to be expanding by the week!! (Dave Valko, Dunlo PA, Cumbredx mailing list via DXLD) Also in 12, 13 and 24 MHz bands (gh) BES EXPO 2004 International Conference & Exhibition on Terrestrial & Satellite Broadcasting was held here in New Delhi from 4th to 6th Feb 2004. International players showcased their products, facilities and services. On display were whole range of products like Amplifiers, Antenna systems, Attenuators, Inductors, Antenna testers, Audio measuring & test equipments, Audio mixers, Audio processors, Automation systems & softwares, Broadband access products, Cables & accessories, Channel automation systems, Compact & digital disc production systems, DAB systems, Digital Audio & Video recording systems, Digital storage, archival & retrieval systems, DTH systems, Earth stations/systems, Fibre optic solutions/services, Filters & splitters, Frequency monitoring systems, Mixers, Network management systems, Radio data systems, Satellite receivers, Switchers, Transmitters (AM,FM,TV), VSAT systems, Wireless systems. As usual Prasar Bharati (Broadcasting Corp. of India) put up a huge stall in which half of the portion was for All India radio and the other half for Doordarshan. Among the systems displayed at the AIR stall were : a) Radio news room automation system. b) Remote programme switching of VLPTS. c) Data on radio channel (DARC) - This has a huge response this year. Being tested by AIR R&D, in this broadcasting system text, picture or video can be transmitted from existing FM transmitters via DARC encoders to Billboards, PDA's, Computers or receivers (FM receiver with a built in DARC demodulator). It allows information providers to transmit data to any place within the coverage of the FM radio network. DARC applications range from mobile finance, mobile rescue, billboard advertising to air situational awareness etc... d) DAB transmission - Simulcasting of five channels carrying five different streams of music on a single FM frequency of 105.0 MHz using a Philips DAB receiver. They are displaying this since last four years but still no concrete answers from the engineers present there when regular broadcast will commence. e) Low cost 100 w stereo FM transmitter. BEL (Bharat Electronics Ltd) also displayed their range of transmitters, power amplifiers & filters. Among some of the prominent exhibitors were BECIL (Broadcast Engineering Consultants India Ltd.), Apple Computers, Broadcast Tecnologies, Cartoni S.P.A (Italy), Digital Broadcast India Pvt Ltd., Falcon Tech, HFCL Satcom, Nautel (Canada), Radio Freq Systems GmbH, Sony, Tektronix, Teracom. A conference was also held for which theme was "Broadcasting in the era of multimedia". Some of the prominent speakers were - Mr. David Astley (Secretary General, ABU, Malaysia), Mr. A. S. Guin (Chief Engineer, Doordarshan), Dr. H. O. Srivastava/Mr. V. K. Lamba (Chief Engineer, AIR), Dr. Kazuyoshi Shogen (NHK, Japan), Dr. R. Ramani (PanamSat, India), Mr. Peter Senger (Deutsche Welle), Mr.Yasushi Yamamoto (Sony, Hong Kong), Mr. Sharad Sadhu (ABU, Malaysia), Ms. Tiffany Hall (BBC News, UK), Mr. Richard Cooper (BBC, UK), Mr. K. S. Sarma (CEO, Prasar Bharati) etc. Regds, (Alokesh Gupta, New Delhi, India, DX LISTENING DIGEST) POWERLINE COMMUNICATIONS ++++++++++++++++++++++++ SAULT ST. MARIE TELCO PUTS BROADBAND OVER POWER LINES Technical trials turn Ontario city into one big WiFi hotspot by Shane Schick FEB. 4 2004 An Ontario utility wants to prove to its peers that broadband over powerlines offers an economical alternative to providing high-speed service in rural areas. PUC Telecom Wednesday said it was working with Andover, Mass.-based Amperion Inc. on what could be the first Canadian example of harnessing medium-voltage power lines to deliver data transport. Broadband over power line (BPL) products take data signals running through fibre-optic lines and injects them into the power grid. Data packets are caught by special devices and reamplified or repackaged before signals can break apart and are then sent out again. Using Amperion's Connect hardware and software products, PUC Telecom will essentially turn Sault Ste. Marie, Ont. into one city-wide WiFi hot spot, allowing customers to access the service through specially placed utility poles. Amperion says Connect provides 24 Mbps of delivered throughput per injection point depending on line quality and equipment spacing. BPL is still a fairly young market but some utilities see it as a way of getting around the high cost of laying cable or building satellite towers, because the technology makes use of ubiquitous power lines. PUC Telecom general manager Martin Wyant said the company approached Amperion because it wanted to find a way to more effectively compete in the mid-level market traditionally dominated by cable or DSL providers. "You can buy and resell that stuff, and there's a whole bunch of hurdles you have to go through, but at the end of the day, when you look at your margins -- there's not much left," he said. "We have a fibre-optic network that's deployed in many areas in our city, but we're not going to do fibre builds to the home. We'll go broke." Amperion was formed almost three years ago with investments from Cisco Systems and American Electric Power, among others. The firm's marketing manager, Amy Burnis said Amperion has about five customers in various stages of testing and deployment, including a Pennsylvania utility that is already offering commercial services. "The typical steps are that a lot of customers will do a small technical trial, which goes into a market trial," she said. "As they get comfortable with the technology and understand how to provide the service, they expand it into more commercial offerings." Wyant said he expected to see strong customer demand, particularly because the service is easy to install. Instead of drilling holes, customers would simply put a wireless bridge within sight of PUC Telecom's network, and they'll be able to roam wherever the network exists. The initial setup of Connect was completed on Tuesday, he said. "I was just flying (when I used it)," Wyant said. "And we had a snowstorm up here. That's why we wanted to do it at this time of year, because it's really cold. If you're going to talk to the other utilities, they want to make sure it works up here." In the United States, the Federal Communications Commission is trying to address concerns that ham radios can interfere with BPL services. Wyant, however, said the fact PUC is using wireless as both its beginning and end points will allow it to avoid the problems encountered by providers who send signals into customers' homes through the electrical current. Early BPL adopters are deploying in a variety of ways, Burnis said. "It takes some time before there's a comfort level," she said. "The industry as a whole has proven in the last year that the technology works . . . people now are focusing more on the business model." Wyant said PUC Telecom would let its technical trial run a few more weeks and may be in a position to start offering service by the end of next month (it business.ca via Canadian Amateur Radio Bulletin Week of Feb. 08 2004 via Jim Taylor, VA3KU, ODXA via DXLD) Re 4023: BBC "White Paper" PLC/PLT effects see http://www.bbc.co.uk/rd/pubs/whp/whp067.html We referenced a BBC study about this some months ago, so I wonder if there have been more, or if this be exactly the same material (gh, DXLD) It`s the same material (Mike Barraclough, DX LISTENING DIGEST) UNSOLICITED TESTIMONIAL +++++++++++++++++++++++ I want to take this opportunity to thank you for making things so easy. The Nice Slow 'Stream' for World of Radio, which comes in here, flawlessly and also for doing DX Listening Digest on a plain '.txt' Format. These 'things' make it so much easier for those of us with lower powered Computers, for one reason or another, not having the latest 'kit', I wish ALL sites were like that. Many Thanks Again (Ken Fletcher, UK, 1452 UT 8th February 2004) PROPAGATION +++++++++++ Date: Mon, 9 Feb 2004 10:10:19 GMT From: Solar Influences Data analysis Center Subject: SIDC Weekly Bulletin :Issued: 2004 Feb 09 1009 UTC :Product: documentation at http://sidc.oma.be/products/bul #--------------------------------------------------------------------# # SIDC Weekly bulletin on Solar and Geomagnetic activity # #--------------------------------------------------------------------# WEEK 162 from 2004 Feb 02 SOLAR ACTIVITY: --------------- The situation on the Sun was rather quiet during the most of the week. The reason is low background X-ray flux (around B2.0). NOAA Active Region 0547 (Catania number 49), NOAA AR 0549 (Catania number 51) and NOAA AR 0551 (Catania number 55) produced just weak flares of the C- level. The exception was a C9.9 flare in the NOAA AR 0547 (Catania number 49) on February 4. On February 7 NOAA AR 0554 (Catania number 57) appeared on the eastern limb. It immediately produced a C2.5 flare and later on February 8 - an M1.2 flare. No coronal mass ejections directed to the Earth were registered by the SOHO instruments. On February 2 a large low-latitude coronal hole was situated mostly in the western hemisphere with its eastern edge near the central meridian. Near-equatorial NOAA AR 0547 (Catania number 49) was dividing this coronal hole in two parts - one in the northern hemisphere, another in the southern. Additionally, the southern polar coronal hole was very well developed. GEOMAGNETISM: ------------- The geomagnetic situation during the most of the week was determined by the fast solar wind flows from the above-mentioned low-latitude coronal hole. On February 2 ACE spacecraft registered the arrival of an interaction region between the fast flow form this coronal hole and the slow wind flow. This interaction region contained substantial portions of southward interplanetary magnetic field, so the Kp index suddenly jumped from 1 to 5. Another interaction region arrived late on February 5 and produced an increase of Kp up to 5 next morning. The fast flow producing this interaction region was probably coming from the same low-latitude coronal hole. It is not excluded, however, that these geoeffective fast flows (especially the second one) were produced by the southern polar coronal hole - the Earth is now situated below the helioequator. During the rest of the week the geomagnetic conditions were quiet with Kp index reaching 4 just occasionally. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- DAILY INDICES DATE RC 10CM Ak BKG M X 2004 Feb 02 100 102 021 B1.6 0 0 2004 Feb 03 100 120 020 B1.5 0 0 2004 Feb 04 109 101 021 B2.3 0 0 2004 Feb 05 089 106 016 B1.6 0 0 2004 Feb 06 108 107 024 B1.5 0 0 2004 Feb 07 070 111 008 B2.1 0 0 2004 Feb 08 070 116 006 B3.0 1 0 # RC : Sunspot index from Catania Observatory (Italy) # 10cm: 10.7 cm radioflux (DRAO, Canada) # Ak : Ak Index Wingst (Germany) # BKG : Background GOES X-ray level (NOAA, USA) # M,X : Number of X-ray flares in M and X class, see below (NOAA, USA) ---------------------------------------------------------------------- NOTICEABLE EVENTS DAY BEGIN MAX END LOC XRAY OP 10CM TYPE Cat NOAA NOTE 08 2024 2051 2102 S08E68 M1.2 SF III/1 57 0554 #--------------------------------------------------------------------# # Solar Influences Data analysis Center - RWC Belgium # # Royal Observatory of Belgium # # Fax : 32 (0) 2 373 0 224 # # Tel.: 32 (0) 2 373 0 276 # # For more information, http://sidc.oma.be (via Jim Moats, DXLD) ###