DX LISTENING DIGEST 4-058, March 29, 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 1225: Wed 1030 on WWCR 9475 Mon 0330 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 1225 (high version): (stream) http://www.w4uvh.net/wor1225h.ram (download) http://www.w4uvh.net/wor1225h.rm (summary) http://www.worldofradio.com/wor1225.html WORLD OF RADIO 1225 (low version): (stream) http://www.w4uvh.net/wor1225.ram (download) http://www.w4uvh.net/wor1225.rm WORLD OF RADIO 1225 in mp3 recorded from 5070 at 1130: (stream) http://www.piratearchive.com/media/worldofradio_03-27-04.m3u (d`load) http://www.piratearchive.com/media/worldofradio_03-27-04.mp3 CONTINENT OF MEDIA 04-02 is now available at http://www.dxing.com/conmedia.htm (Stream) http://www.dxing.com/com/com0402.ram (download) http://www.dxing.com/com/com0402.rm (summary) http://www.worldofradio.com/com0402.html While listening, why not take a look around the DXing.com site ** ANGOLA [non]. First non-official A-04 monitoring: Radio Ecclesia, 7205 Meyerton, at 1910, interview, Portuguese 32342 (Silvain Domen, Belgium, Sun. 28 March, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** ASIA [NON]. RADIO FREE ASIA A-04 SCHEDULES (All daily) (Time is UT) From web site March 29, 2004 Burmese 0030-0130 11540, 13680, 13820, 17835 1300-1400 9455, 11765, 13745, 15680 Cantonese 1400-1500 9780, 11715, 13790 2200-2300 9355, 9955, 11785, 13675 Khmer 1230-1330 13645, 15525, 15670 2230-2330 9490, 9930, 13735 Korean 1400-1500 7380, 11790, 13625, 15625 1500-1700 7210, 9385, 13625 2200-2300 7460, 9385, 9770, 11670, 12075 Lao 0000-0100 12015, 13830, 15545 1100-1200 9355,9775,15555,15680, Mandarin 0300-0600 13670, 13760, 15150, 15665, 17495, 17525, 17615, 17880, 21690 0600-0700 13670, 13760, 15150, 15665, 17495, 17525, 17615, 17880 1500-1600 9455, 11765, 9905, 12025, 13690, 13725, 15510, 15680 1600-1700 9455, 9905, 11795, 12025, 13690, 13715, 15510, 15680 1700-1800 9355, 9455, 9540, 9905, 11795, 13715, 13680, 15510, 15680 1800-1900 9355, 9455, 9540, 11520, 11995, 11740, 13680, 15510, 15680 1900-2000 9355, 9455, 9605, 11520, 11740, 11785, 13625, 13680, 15510, 15680 2000-2100 9355, 9455, 9850, 11520, 11700, 11740, 11785, 13625, 15680 2100-2200 7105, 9850, 9910, 11700, 11740, 11935, 13625, 15680 2300-0000 9910, 11785, 13640, 13800, 15430, 15550, 15680 Tibetan 0100-0300 9365, 11695, 11975, 15225, 15695, 17730 0600-0700 17485, 17510, 17720, 21500, 21690 1100-1200 7470, 11590, 13625, 15510, 15695 1200-1400 7470, 11590, 13625, 15510, 15695, 17855 1500-1600 7470, 11510, 11705, 11780, 13825 2300-0000 7470, 9365, 9395, 9805, 9875 Uyghur 0100-0200 9350, 11520, 11895, 11945, 15405, 17640, 21470 1600-1700 7465, 9350, 9370, 9555, 11750, 11780 Vietnamese 1400-1500 9455, 9635, 11510, 11605, 11680, 13775, 15705 2330-0030 9975, 11560, 11580, 11605, 11670, 12110, 13735, 15560 (via Bernie O`Shea, Ottawa, Ont., DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** AUSTRALIA. AUSTRALIA/UK: BRANSON TO LAUNCH VIRGIN RADIO AUSTRALIA Sir Richard Branson's Virgin Group and John Singleton's Macquarie Radio Network announced on 29 March that they are to form a partnership to create a new Australian FM radio network, the Sydney Morning Herald reported, citing Australian Associated Press (APP). The fifty-fifty joint venture will operate under the Virgin Radio Australia banner. The joint venture has applied to the Australian Broadcasting Authority (ABA) to bid for FM commercial radio licences in Sydney and Brisbane to be auctioned in April. "While Virgin Radio Australia will participate in the auction process, including Melbourne later in the year, it will consider a range of other possible options to launch its network in Australia," it said. "By bringing together Virgin and Macquarie we have created a 'dream team' that will shake-up FM radio in Australia," Sir Richard Branson said. "The Australian public has openly embraced the Virgin brand in the areas of airline services, credit cards and mobiles - we believe the same will be the case with Virgin Radio. "We are here for the long haul and participating in the auction process is one option we are pursuing to introduce Virgin Radio to Australians." Source: BBC Monitoring research in English 29 Mar 04 (via DXLD) ** BELGIUM [non]. Radio Vlaanderen International Americas: 2200-2230, 0400-0430 on 11635 via Bonaire. Europe 0700-0730 on 5985 via Jülich; 1930-2000 on 9925 via Moscow, 1515 via Wolvertem Europe and Middle East 1730-1800 on 9925 via Moscow, 11640 via Jülich. Asia and Australia 1130-1200 on 9940 via Irkutsk. Programs: At 0400, 0700, 1130, 1930 and 2200 UT [0400 is listed first, but I believe it`s actually the final broadcast of the cycle, not the first --- jn] Monday-Friday: News, Current Affairs, Reports and Music Saturday: Music From Flanders [It also says 0730 UTC: Network Europe; misprint for 0700? --- jn] Sunday: Radio World, Tourism, Brussels 1043 (RVI web site via John Norfolk, DX LISTENING DIGEST) RADIO WORLD - Sunday 28 March 2004 [still illustrated with:] SWL Winterfest Organisers Richard Cuff (left) and John Figliozzi Most Europeans - including yours truly - woke up on Sunday morning to the unpleasant reality that it was an hour later than it was the day before when we woke up. But that's only a minor inconvenience. Most people love the one hour of extra daylight they get in the evening. And this will last a full seven months, until the end of October. I hope we didn't lose listeners because of the change. The only thing I would like to say this week about our new schedule is that there is a slight change, which might be of importance for DXers who want to log particular transmitters. Earlier I told you that at 1730 UTC we would be broadcasting to Europe on 9925 kHz from Moscow and on 11640 kHz from Juelich. Well, this has been changed: the signal is coming from Moscow on 11640 and from Juelich on 9925 kHz. The reason is that the German authorities suddenly realised, or decided that the frequency of 11640 kHz could not be used for commercial or public transmissions. We have not been informed what the frequency is supposed to be used for: maybe one of you DXers could find that out for the benefit of all of us. Having said this, let's go back to the SWL Winterfest at Kulpsville. One of the old friends I met there was Dr. Kim Elliott of the Voice of America, well-known for his now defunct programme "Communications World". The news from the VOA is not good this year: SOUND Kim Elliott; listen to the programme via audio link on this page Kim Elliott of the Voice of America. More from Kulpsville next week. FRANS VOSSEN Radio World (broadband) http://www.vrt.be/wm/rvi/rw_HI.asx Radio World (narrowband) http://www.vrt.be/wm/rvi/rw_LO.asx (from http://www.rvi.be/rvi_master/uk/radio_world/index.html via John Norfolk and gh, DXLD) ** BIAFRA [non]. 7380, CLANDESTINE, Voice of Biafra International via Sentech, South Africa, *2100-2140 Mar 27, man with opening ID and announcements for English program targeted to Biafra. Music, News Analysis and Commentary ("A Call to reason: No More Presidential Projects, Please"). Frequent formal IDs: "You are tuned to the Voice of Biafra International broadcast coming to you from Washington, DC transmitting on 7380 kHz frequency equivalent to 41 meter band. There is more to come so please stay tuned for the entire hour of broadcast. Thank you." (Rich D`Angelo, PA, NASWA Flashsheet via DXLD) ** BULGARIA. R. Bulgaria A-04 monitoring: 0205 UT March 29, 2004 9700 SINPO 55555, 11700 SINPO 55555 2101 March 28, 2004 5800 SINPO 25422 7500 SINPO 44544 QRM WJIE 7490 2302 March 28, 2004 9700 SINPO 45554, 11700 SINPO 45554 (Kraig Krist, KG4LAC, Annandale, VA, March 29, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** CANADA. Radio Canada labour trouble? --- I just heard a news report on CKAC 730 about how, two years after a nine-week-long lockout at SRC/CBC in Quebec, labour discussions are going badly, according to a union type interviewed on CKAC. Although the union says it doesn't want a strike, it appears they aren't afraid to flex some muscle. In fact, we are to expect "something splashy" Monday ("un coup d'éclair" -- literally a flash of lightning -- is what I thought I heard.) The report didn't describe what this would be... Please see: http://www.scrc.qc.ca/docs/040322Negose.pdf for a union update of the affair. Cheers, (Ricky Leong, QC, March 29, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** CANADA. Bill, May we tie up a loose end? Based on what the press release said, I assumed the first Portuguese SW broadcast would in fact be last Friday March 26, and publicized to the radioescutas group as such. But no one in Brazil could hear either frequency. Can you confirm that it did not start last week, but will start this week April 4? Or was there a program produced last week for the other means of distribution but not SW? Brazilians are sad that the timing is too early for many workers, 5 pm local. Wonder why it wasn`t put at 21 or 22 UT at earliest --- transmitter non-availability? Hmmm, I see there`s nothing from RCI itself on Sackville at 2100-2130. Anyhow, you might want to pass on these concerns to the PTB (Glenn to Bill Westenhaver, RCI, via DXLD) Hi Glenn, Yes, there was a Portuguese broadcast put out last Friday. I would presume that it was not broadcast on shortwave, since the A04 sked, in which Portuguese is listed, hadn't yet started at that point. The time strikes me personally as being too early, I must say. I will ask about that (Bill Westenhaver, RCI, March 29, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Canadá Direto Caros amigos: Estou no momento ouvindo o primeiro programa CANADÁ DIRETO, programa semanal da Rádio Canadá Internacional em português para o Brasil, com o jornalista HECTOR VILAR, pela Internet. Visto que se menciona SEXTA-FEIRA, dia 26 DE MARÇO. Creio que seja a reprise do programa que deveria ter saido ao ar pelas Ondas Curtas no dia mencionado. O programa começou às 0030 UT [not anytime??] e pode ser ouvido em: http://www.rcinet.ca/realaudio/live/live.ram Haja emoção, mesmo que seja a escuta pela Internet deste primeiro programa em português para o Brasil, sendo o retorno da Rádio Canadá Internacional em nosso idioma. 73's (Jailton C. Amaral, Pres. do SRDXC, March 28, radioescutas via DXLD) ** CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC [non]. Radio Ndeke Luka: 15470 Woofferton 1830-1930 French, nice Afro mx, various topics 32442 (Silvain Domen, Belgium, Sun. 28 March, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** CHINA [non]. CRI English via Albania now on 1215 kHz According to the Web site of China Radio International, the morning mediumwave broadcast in English to Eastern Europe originally advertised for 1395 kHz is now on 1215 kHz. It was scheduled at 0700- 0900 UTC, but may have moved to 0600-0800 UTC with the start of summer time in Europe. This transmission is via a relay station in Albania. # posted by Andy @ 15:11 UT March 29 (Media Network blog via DXLD) ** CHINA [non]. CRI RELAYS VIA WESTERN HEMISPHERE [excerpted by gh from complete CRI A-04 frequency schedule; note some of the Sackville entries are in `CHN` rather than CAN! Now to research the languages; with CIRAF zones, kW, azimuth, slew, antenna, country, administration] BKO = Bamako, Mali BRA = Brasília, Brasil GUF = Montsinéry, French Guiana HAB = La Habana, Cuba NOB = Noblejas, Spain SAC = Sackville, Canada 5960 0000 0100 7E,8 SAC 250 240 0 141 CHN CRI RTC 5960 0000 0100 8,11NW SAC 250 240 0 141 CAN CRI RCI 5960 0400 0500 6,7 SAC 250 277 0 141 CHN CRI RTC 5960 0500 0600 6,7 SAC 250 268 0 141 CAN CRI RCI 5990 2300 0100 8S,10E,11 HAB 250 0 0 930 CUB CRI RTC 6040 1000 1100 7E,8 SAC 250 240 0 141 CAN CRI RTC 6040 1000 1100 7SE,8 SAC 250 240 0 141 CAN CRI RCI 6040 1100 1200 8 SAC 250 240 0 141 CAN CRI RTC 6040 1100 1200 8E SAC 250 240 0 141 CAN CRI RCI 6090 0300 0400 10-12 SAC 250 189 0 218 CAN CRI RTC 6090 0300 0400 10 SAC 250 240 0 141 CAN CRI RCI 6090 0400 0500 6,7 SAC 250 277 0 141 CAN CRI RCI 6090 0500 0600 6,7,8W SAC 250 277 0 213 CAN CRI RTC 6090 0500 0600 6,7 SAC 250 277 0 141 CAN CRI RCI 6145 2300 2400 7E,8 SAC 250 240 0 141 CHN CRI RTC 6145 2300 2400 8E SAC 250 240 0 141 CAN CRI RCI 9560 0300 0400 12 SAC 250 189 0 141 CAN CRI RCI 9560 0400 0500 6,7 SAC 250 277 0 141 CAN CRI RCI 9570 1200 1400 4,8,9 HAB 250 10 0 206 CUB CRI RTC 9580 0100 0300 4,8,9 HAB 250 10 0 206 CUB CRI RTC 9650 1300 1400 8N SAC 250 240 0 143 CAN CRI RTC 9650 1300 1400 8N SAC 250 253 13 218 CAN CRI RCI 9665 0100 0200 14,16 BRA 250 215 0 206 B CRI RTC 9665 0300 0400 10-12 BRA 250 314 0 216 B CRI RTC 9690 0200 0400 4,6-11 NOB 350 290 0 218 E CRI RTC 9720 0300 0400 6-8 GUF 500 295 0 146 F CRI RTC 9755 0000 0100 7N,8N SAC 70 268 0 141 CAN CRI RCI 9755 0400 0500 6-8 GUF 500 295 0 146 F CRI RTC 9790 0100 0200 8,9 SAC 250 285 0 213 CAN CRI RTC 9790 0100 0200 6-8,10 SAC 250 277 0 141 CAN CRI RCI 9790 0300 0500 6,7 HAB 250 305 0 216 CUB CRI RTC 11640 1730 1830 46 BKO 100 85 0 206 MLI CRI RTC 11640 1830 1930 47E,48NW BKO 100 85 0 206 MLI CRI RTC 11640 1930 2000 52S,53W BKO 100 111 0 216 MLI CRI RTC 11640 2000 2130 48,53 BKO 100 111 0 216 MLI CRI RTC 11750 1100 1200 7E,8W SAC 250 253 13 218 CAN CRI RCI 11805 1100 1200 7 SAC 250 285 0 213 CAN CRI RTC 11850 0000 0100 13,15 GUF 500 155 0 151 F CRI RTC 11855 1200 1300 8,9 SAC 250 240 0 153 CAN CRI RTC 11855 1200 1300 7SE,8 SAC 250 240 0 218 CAN CRI RCI 11930 0000 0100 6,7 SAC 250 272 -13 213 CAN CRI RCI 11975 2130 2230 37 BKO 100 20 0 216 MLI CRI RTC 11975 2230 2400 37,38W BKO 100 20 0 216 MLI CRI RTC 13630 1930 2000 52,53 BKO 100 111 0 206 MLI CRI RTC 13630 2000 2130 48,53 BKO 100 111 0 206 MLI CRI RTC 13630 2130 2230 46,47,52 BKO 100 111 0 216 MLI CRI RTC 13650 2300 2400 12,13 HAB 250 135 0 218 CUB CRI RTC 13670 1730 1830 46 BKO 100 111 0 206 MLI CRI RTC 13680 2300 2400 4,6,7,8N,9 SAC 250 285 0 213 CAN CRI RTC 13680 2300 2400 6,7 SAC 250 285 0 218 CAN CRI RCI 13685 0200 0300 10,11,12N GUF 500 280 0 156 F CRI RTC 13685 1300 1400 46 BKO 100 111 0 206 MLI CRI RTC 13685 1400 1600 48,53 BKO 100 111 0 206 MLI CRI RTC 13700 2200 2300 11-16 SAC 250 176 0 218 CHN CRI RTC 13700 2200 2300 11E,12,13W,14,15SAC 250 176 0 218 CAN CRI RCI 13710 0000 0100 7 SAC 250 272 0 141 CHN CRI RTC 13740 1400 1600 6,7 HAB 250 305 0 216 CUB CRI RTC 15120 0000 0100 12 HAB 250 160 0 218 CUB CRI RTC 15125 1400 1600 47,48 BKO 100 85 0 206 MLI CRI RTC 15125 1600 1700 47E,48NW BKO 100 85 0 206 MLI CRI RTC 15125 1700 1730 48SW,53NW BKO 100 111 0 216 MLI CRI RTC 15220 1500 1700 6,7W,7NE SAC 250 272 -13 218 CAN CRI RCI 15260 1300 1400 7SE,8S,10 SAC 250 240 0 218 CAN CRI RCI 15505 2230 2300 46-48 BKO 100 85 0 206 MLI CRI RTC 17880 1300 1400 46,47,52 BKO 100 111 0 216 MLI CRI RTC 17880 1600 1700 37,38 BKO 100 20 0 216 MLI CRI RTC (via BC-DX, Feb 2 via Wolfgang Büschel, March 29, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** CUBA. FWIW, RHC English at 2030 is still on 9505 in A-04, as noted March 29, but this date at least, no signal on 11760 which is sometimes \\. The true RHC A-04 schedule won`t emerge for some weeks (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) see also CHINA [non] ** CZECH REPUBLIC. R. Prague: 2231 UT March 28, 2004 7345 SINPO 45554, 9415 SINPO 32542 QRM from UnID on 9420 0001 March 29, 2004 7345 SINPO 43543 QRM bubble type noise on 7345, 9440 SINPO 32432 with QRM from UnID on 9435 (Sweden?). 0101 March 29, 2004 7345 SINPO 45544, 6200 SINPO 45544 (Kraig Krist, KG4LAC, Annandale, VA, March 29, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** EL SALVADOR. 17834.81, R. Imperial, 1707-1720 3/28. Presumed with religious talks, largely unreadable due to crummy band conditions. Looks like this is their "regular" frequency now, with no drifting to speak of (John Wilkins, CO, Cumbre DX via DXLD) I don`t hear them on occasional chex around 2200, 2300 (gh, DXLD) 17834.85, Radio Imperial (Presumed); 1825-1903+, 28-Mar; M in Spanish with religious program, possibly called, "La Hora de la Palabra de Dios". Preacher occasionally sounds like Jimmy Swaggert confessing. Possible ID spot at 1832, but only heard "radio". SIO=222, occasional copiable peak; best heard in a few months; usually only get a het after about 2000 (Harold Frodge, MI, Cumbre DX via DXLD) ** ERITREA [non]. BEHAVIOUR OF ERITREAN OPPOSITION RADIO ON 28 MARCH Please note that the news bulletin of the Eritrean opposition radio, Voice of Eritrean People, on 28 March was a repeat of last Sunday's bulletin. Source: BBC Monitoring research in English 28 Mar 04 (via DXLD) ** ERITREA [non]. Voice Of The Eritrean People: 17660 Skelton 1730-1800 ID, Tigrigna 35443; 7125 tx not heard (Silvain Domen, Belgium, Sun. 28 March, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** ETHIOPIA [non]. Voice Of Ethiopian Salvation (Medhin): 15670 Julich 1600-1700 Flute music intro, full ID, Amharic 44343 12120 Samara 1830-1930 seemingly a repeat Voice Of Oromo Liberation (Sagalee Bilisummaa Oromo) 15670 Julich 1700-1800 Sig-tune, ID, Oromo & Amharic 44444 (Silvain Domen, Belgium, Sun. 28 March, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** FINLAND. Those dying to hear English from YLE Radio Finland will be pleased to know that the words ``Finnish as a second language`` are spoken at least twice between 1555 and 1559 UT on 15400, as heard Monday, March 29, with the usual punchy if slightly fluttery signal; unfortunately, the rest of the lesson required you to know some Finnish in the first place; and the same phrase in Russian was thrown in for good measure (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** GERMANY [and non]. Re: Deutsche Welle has another transmission via Juelich beneath 6140: 0457-0656 on 9590 (130 degrees), not found in the schedule that originated from Deutsche Welle itself, so what's this? (Kai Ludwig-D, Mar 28) Hi Kai, is the exchange programm between DW, RNW, RVI Brussels. B03: 5965, now 9590 in A04, RVI Dutch/Flemish program towards SE EUR, Mediterranean, Near East. 0500-0530 DT 9590 SE Europe Julich 115 0530-0600 DT 9925 SE Europe Julich 115 0600-0700 DT 9590 SE Europe Julich 115 1730-1800 EG 11640 SE Eur/Mideast Julich 130 1800-1900 DT 11640 SE Eur/Mideast Julich 130 1800-2000 DT(Sat) 5910 Europe Julich ND In exchange DW uses GERMAN 1512 1400-1600 25 WOLVERTEM 0ND EUR ENGLISH 15410 0500-0600 250 TALATA-MDG 320 SAF # # # # RNW: 0500-0600 Wolvertem 1512 ND 300 Dutch C+ W Europe 2100-2200 Wolvertem 1512 ND 300 English C+ W Europe and some Bonaire relays for RVI provided for RVI. RNW is the broker and frequency management for RVI/RTBF Belgium (Wolfgang Büschel, Germany, March 29, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** GERMANY. Re. DXLD 4-056: ´´I assume the figures labeled ``kHz`` are actually kW ERP, as implied in the header seemingly for that column.´´ Certainly not ERP, since at least some of these transmissions should use antennas with a considerable gain. Actually I wonder why nobody gives ERP's for shortwave transmissions; 500 kW with 20 db antenna gain must be a really impressive figure! (Some 50 MW if I am not terribly wrong.) The figures given by DW should be DRM power which I understand is physically the amount of HF the transmitter churns out; the power level a transmitter is able to run in DRM is always lower than the AM carrier power it is designed for. (Again another story is the circumstance that the level of a DRM transmission must be kept 7 db below the power level coordinated for AM because the roaring white noise of a DRM signal is more harmful than co-channel AM.) (Kai Ludwig, Germany, March 29, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Well, effective power, rather than effective radiated (gh) ** GREENLAND. I visited http://www.ibcradio.com/shortwave-radio.htm and found this text: "SHORTWAVE IBC Radio Network has suspended all shortwave broadcasts to North America. Later on this year we intend to broadcast to Europe and other areas where shortwave is more popular. Watch this space for updates." Perhaps the Greenland transmissions reported are a hoax? (Dan Srebnick, NJ, March 28, DX LISTENING DIGEST) This is the same IBC Radio page which previously had the claim that they were broadcasting from Greenland. In case we haven`t noticed before, something`s really fishy about IBC. Their carrying my program last year should not be taken as an endorsement by me, nor should any of my credibility rub off on them. Caveat emptor (Glenn Hauser, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** HUNGARY. Marcali 1188 carries 2100-2130 now indeed VOA Serbian but 2130-2200 only the internal RFE/RL circuit ID. Recording of this nonsense: http://kailudwig.bei.t-online.de/1188_2135UT.mp3 First it was intended to fill this hour with VOA News Now, but obviously putting it on any mediumwave outlet in Europe is verboten now (Kai Ludwig, Germany, March 29, DX LISTENING DIGEST) {see 4-059} ** HUNGARY. R. Budapest: 0110 March 29, 2004 9590 SINPO 45444 (Kraig Krist, KG4LAC, Annandale, VA, March 29, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** INTERNATIONAL WATERS [non]. Birthday bash! By Stewart Payne Daily Telegraph 29/03/2004 Some of the best-known names in British broadcasting gathered yesterday to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the launch of Radio Caroline. Johnnie Walker, Tony Blackburn, Dave Lee Travis, Simon Dee, Keith Skues, Paul McKenna, Emperor Rosko and Tommy Vance launched their careers on Caroline. It was the most famous of the pirate radio stations, which broadcast pop music from ships beyond the legal reach of the Government. When it opened in 1964, Caroline was able to operate without restriction, providing its ships, the MVs Caroline and Mi Amigo remained anchored outside British territorial waters. Advertising poured in, it had an audience of 20 million, and its DJs became household names. The station challenged the establishment, smashed the BBC monopoly and helped give momentum to the Swinging Sixties. Caroline was founded by Ronan O'Rahilly, an Irish club owner and band manager who was trying unsuccessfully to promote the talents of two unheard of musicians, Georgie Fame and Alexis Korner. He recalled yesterday: "Two or three record companies had a stranglehold on the industry and they had bought up all the airtime on the only pop music outlet, Radio Luxembourg." O'Rahilly decided to start his own station. His ships were fitted out in Greenore, a port owned by his father. He named his station after Caroline Kennedy, the daughter of President John F Kennedy. The Conservative government of Alec Douglas Hume was less than enthusiastic about the arrival of pirate radio and the Labour administration which replaced it was openly hostile. "I remember talking to some Labour MPs and they said they were concerned that if the working man was given entertainment at eight in the morning he wouldn't go to work," said Mr O'Rahilly. The Labour government introduced the Marine Broadcasting Offences Act in August 1967, which made it illegal to work for, advertise on or supply the pirate stations, and they all closed with the exception of Caroline. At midnight on Aug 14, when the act became law, Johnnie Walker, then aged 21, and Robbie Dale were behind the microphone to declare that Caroline would continue. Walker said yesterday: "I remember it so clearly. We were taking on the Government and we had no idea what was going to happen to us. "We spoke from the heart that night and captured the mood of a generation of young people who were not prepared to be dictated to by a government out of touch with the people." Caroline continued broadcasting from the high seas until the early 1990s, when its replacement ship, the Ross Revenge, was driven on to the Goodwin Sands in a gale. The station now broadcasts legitimately on satellite and the internet. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2004/03/29/ncaro29.xml&sSheet=/news/2004/03/29/ixhome.html (via Mike Terry, DXLD) SWEET CAROLINE MAR 28, 1964 --- HELLO ENGLAND, CAN YOU HEAR US? On March 28, 1964, Radio Caroline became the first pirate radio station to broadcast off the coast of England. MegaStar was on hand to tune in... Watch out pop pickers, there's a new sound in town! Well, afloat, somewhere, drifting round the channel. Today, we were illegally treated to some fast talking jockey's and hip rock music. The kids will lap it up. Until now, listeners had to find the frequency for Radio Luxembourg or Normandy, with the government piling the pressure on newspapers not to print the programme schedules. The tired BBC were also 'encouraged' not to employ any of the popular presenters, even though it's exactly what their station needs. Founder, Ronan O'Rahilly, is said to have named the ship after seeing a photo of John F Kennedy's daughter Caroline playing in the Oval Office of the White House and disrupting the business of government. According to reports, this is exactly the sort of image he wants for his station. Today, Chris Moore and Simon Dee announced, "This is Radio Caroline on 199, your all day music station", before playing The Rolling Stones. Music never sounded so good. May she sail the seas for many years to come. http://www.megastar.co.uk/news/news/2004/03/26/sMEG01MTA4MDMxODE2Mjg.html (via Mike Terry, DXLD) PIRATE DJS UNITE FOR ANNIVERSARY (updated today) Last Updated: Monday, 29 March, 2004, 14:35 GMT 15:35 UK http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/tv_and_radio/3579767.stm (via Mike Terry, DXLD) CAROLINE CREW GATHERS FOR MEMORY VOYAGE By Stewart Payne (Filed: 29/03/2004) Some of the best-known names in British broadcasting gathered yesterday to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the launch of Radio Caroline. . . http://news.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2004/03/29/ncaro29.xml (via Bill Westenhaver, DXLD) ** IRAN. Some IRIB services in A04, all at 0600 UT: 13740 Dari, co-channel BBC French. 13790 Arabic 15150 Arabic 15235 Bosnian 15340 Bosnian 15490 Spanish {the Spanish, at least, start at 0530; frequencies heard 17690 Spanish contradict previous schedule} 17810 Hausa 21810 Hausa (Wolfgang Büschel, Germany, March 29, DX LISTENING DIGEST) see ISRAEL ** IRAQ. ANALYSIS: IRAQ TO HAVE INDEPENDENT REGULATOR FOR BROADCASTING The US administrator in Baghdad, Paul Bremer, has set up the Iraq Communications and Media Commission (ICMC) to function as an independent regulator for the broadcasting and telecoms sector. The new regulator will license broadcasters, manage the frequency spectrum and administer the three licences already granted to mobile phone operators. Tenders for new licences for commercial broadcasters will be issued soon. "The Iraqiya TV channels now run by the CPA will be incorporated into a new publicly funded broadcaster that might resemble Britain's BBC," Reuters news agency reported. There are currently more than 90 TV and radio stations broadcasting in Iraq. So far 63 applications for broadcasting licences have been received (28 for TV and 35 for radio). Of these, 42 are for new broadcasters. The ICMC board will have an annual budget of six million dollars, with initial funds provided by international grants until it can raise its own revenues from licence fees it will collect. "No politicians" A senior official in the US-led Coalition Provisional Authority (CPA) told journalists on 26 March that Mr Bremer will name the nine-member commission by 20 April. The US-appointed Iraqi Governing Council has agreed that the ICMC will be independent of a future interim government and will not act as a new Information Ministry, said the CPA official, who asked not to be named. The ICMC will comprise academics, businessmen, lawyers and other professionals who have no conflicts of interest or involvement in politics. "They will have no political affiliation and we do not wish to have clerics on the board... We are determined to keep at arm's length the politicians," the French news agency AFP cited the CPA official as saying. There are no provisions for commissioners to be chosen for their ethnic background, although Iraqis from all factions are likely to be represented. The body will be structured along Western guidelines, based on models such as the UK's Office of Communications (Ofcom) and the US Federal Communications Commission (FCC). Experience has also been drawn from regulatory bodies set up in Bosnia and Kosovo following the wars in those regions in the 1990s, the CPA official added. The print media will be allowed to operate without a licence, though the ICMC will work with the Iraqi press to develop a code of ethics that will be self-regulated. "We want to prevent the introduction of repressive press laws," the CPA official said. US moves against Shi'i paper On 28 March, the US-led administration shut down the weekly Al-Hawzah newspaper, viewed as a mouthpiece for the radical Shi'i cleric Moqtada Sadr, accusing it of publishing articles that incite violence against American troops. US soldiers handed the paper's editor Ali Yasiri a letter from US administrator Paul Bremer, citing a breach of an order issued last year that bans incitement to violence. The letter referred to a series of articles it said had incited hatred, including an editorial entitled "Bremer follows the steps of Saddam". "These false articles not only mislead readers but constitute a real threat of violence against coalition forces and Iraqi citizens who cooperate with the coalition in the reconstruction of Iraq," the letter signed by Bremer said. Dozens of US troops then padlocked Al-Hawzah's offices after ordering staff to leave. The New York Times on 29 March said that many Iraqis felt closing down a popular newspaper at such a crucial time would not curtail anti- occupation feelings but only inflame them. It quoted Hamid al-Bayati, a spokesman for the prominent Shi'i grouping Supreme Council for Islamic Revolution in Iraq, as saying: "When you repress the repressed, they only get stronger... Punishing this newspaper will only increase the passion for those who speak out against the Americans." Source: BBC Monitoring research 29 Mar 04 (via DXLD) ** ISRAEL [non]. Kol David via VOIRI: 3985 from 1900- on. ID, website, etc, Hebrew 35443 (Silvain Domen, Belgium, Sun. 28 March, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** ITALY [and non]. As of Sunday March 28, 2004, we enter in the new A04 period, and our summer 2004 schedule will be extended with an additional broadcast hour on Saturday and Sundays, signing on one hour earlier at 0900 Central European Time (0700 UTC, summertime) on 13,840 kHz. Our A04 schedule as of March 28, 2004 will be as follows : Daily: 5,775 kHz at 2100-2230 CET (1900-2030 UTC) [20 kW, except Fri: 100 kW] to Europe, Africa and ME Sat & Sun : 13,840 kHz at 0900-1400 CET (0700-1200 UTC) [20 kW] To Europe N Africa & ME Fri : 15,665 kHz from 1300-1400 CET (1100-1200 UTC) [100 kW] to Africa (*) Our 20 kW broadcasts can be heard in Europe, North Africa and the Middle East as a primary area. Reception outside Europe is possible, and it is sometimes reported from as far away as the USA, Australia, New Zealand and Japan. Finally, let me mention that our popular IPAR International Public Access Radio, http://www.nexus.org/IPAR slot that includes Radio 510 International http://www.radio510.org will be slightly modified as of March 28, 2004, and will air as follows: Saturday on 13,840 kHz 1030-1130 CET (0930-1030 UTC) Sunday on 13,840 kHz 0900-1000 CET (0700-0800 UTC) (repeat) Thursday on 5,775 kHz 2100-2200 CET (1900-2000 UTC) (repeat) We hope that starting one hour earlier on week-ends we can provide some more opportunity to those listening from far away countries such as Australia, NZ and the USA to hear at least the first part of our broadcast. All broadcasts are in parallel with our streaming audio service at http://mp3.nexus.org The latest updates on our schedule are always available online at http://www.nexus.org and http://www.egradio.org (for our religious broadcasts). Please send reports and comments by email to: reportsv @ vnexus.org - With best regards from Milano, Alfredo -- Alfredo E. Cotroneo, CEO, NEXUS-Int'l Broadcasting Association PO Box 11028, 20110, Milano, Italy email: alfredo @ nexus.org ph: +39-335-214-614 (try first)/+39-02-266-6971 fax: +39-02-706-38151 (via Cumbredx mailing list via DXLD) ** JAPAN. Subject: request for special monitoring To All Technical Monitors Dear Monitors, We depend on your monitoring support again this year. This is to inform you that Radio Japan will conduct work on its back- up transmitters at the Yamata Transmission Station. We therefore wish you to conduct special monitoring at the times shown below to check that switching has been performed successfully. Period: 4 days from April 8 to April 11 Target area Frequency (kHz) Broadcast Time (UTC) Oceania 21610 03:00 04:00 21755 05:00 11:00 7140 17:00 19:00 Please send your reports by e-mail or fax as quickly as possible after hearing the broadcasts. Monitor Division, NHK World Radio Japan, Mail: info @ intl.nhk.or.jp Fax: +81-3-3481-1877 (Radio Japan March 29 via Wolfgang Büschel, DXLD) ** LUXEMBOURG. SECOND DRM TRANSMITTER IN LUXEMBOURG Broadcasting Center Europe (BCE) has started a second DRM service on shortwave. In addition to its existing transmissions on 6095 kHz, RTL DRM 2 is now broadcasting from Junglinster, Luxembourg (G.C: 49.43N 06.15E) at 0600-2400 UTC on 5990 kHz. Beam is ND to Europe, and power is 50 kW RMS. BCE is currently working on a new transmitter control interface, so service interruptions may occur without notice. There has not yet been any decision what programme will be attributed to which frequency, so a rotating programme scheme will be adopted for the next weeks. Transmissions on 6095 kHz are daily, and there will be no fixed maintenance day on 6095 kHz in the future. http://www.bce.lu # posted by Andy @ 12:54 UT March 29 (Media Network blog via DXLD) Second DRM channel 5990 confirmed on air today at 1945, destroying Jülich 5985 (VOR) and Skelton 5995 (RCI). Aaaaaawh! (Kai Ludwig, Germany, March 29, DX LISTENING DIGEST) The DRM promoters really seem to be oblivious to all the harm they cause and self-defeating negative publicity they generate by insisting on operating in the analog HF broadcasting bands, when so much spectrum in the fixed bands is relatively vacant (Glenn Hauser, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** OKLAHOMA. I remember, KVOO 1170 used to have an interesting program on Sunday nights, old country music, Texas swing, etc. I only heard it once. I was in Arizona, and, I guess KVOO beams to the west at night, probably to protect WWVA. KVOO rare and poor here. Well, I know they went talk, KFAQ, I guess, so, are you familiar with this program, and has it surfaced anywhere else. 73, (Tim Hendel, Huntsville AL, March 29, DX LISTENING DIGEST) No, I`m not, tho the country music format was supposed to be maintained on KVOO-FM 98.5 which I can`t hear (gh, Enid, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** PAPUA NEW GUINEA. 3205, R. West Sepik, 1032-1042 Mar. 29. PNG land commission member being interviewed by female announcer in English; comparisons between PNG and other countries land use policies. Fair signal. 3335, R. East Sepik, 1143-1205* Mar. 29 with weak level of male and female announcers in English; seemed to be discussing parliamentary votes & government issues. Familiar PNG wild birdcall & drums fanfare at 1200, brief filler music, then "Radio East Sepik" ID, frequency, and timecheck by male announcer at 1203. National anthem & sign-off 1205*. Surprisingly, after about 30 sec. of carrier, Sepik(?) came back on MUCH stronger with a canned PNG public service announcement in English and into rock and roll music to 1211, and off abruptly. Engineers testing transmitter? 3355, R. Simbu, 1033-1100 Mar. 29 Sermon or Bible reading by man in Pidgin; many mentions of HIV/Aids at 1055 and phone interview with health worker or doctor. Nice Melanesian folk music at 1056; quick "Radio Simbu" ID and "good night" at 1058. Female announcer in Pidgin with "Karai bilong Mambu" ID, and "Radio Simbu IDs again at 1100. Good signal level. 3905, R. New Ireland, 1106-1115 Mar. 29 female announcer in English with news items; mentions of PNG and various provinces. Good signal level but tough copy, and equal level with presumed RRI Merauke in Indonesian (Guy Atkins, Puyallup, WA USA, modified RA6790GM and R-75 receivers, Kiwa MAP / ERGO software / 700 ft. West Beverage antenna, Cumbre DX via DXLD) ** PARAGUAY. 9736.97, R. Nacional, heard with their opening ID at 0759 Mar 28, giving call letters ZP1, ZPA1 and ZPB1, frequencies 920, 9735 and 95.1. Also gave address just as it appears in PWBR: "Blas Garay 241 entre Yegros e Iturbe." Long NA, then prayer. Very good level, and this good be a great signal if they fixed the hairy modulation (Jerry Berg, MA, NASWA Flashsheet via DXLD) ** PHILIPPINES. Hi Glenn: About the sked posted in DXLD 4-057 Radio Pilipinas. I check the 1730-1930 broadcast on weekends (including yesterday) and English is only heard as an occasional word with the remainder in Tagalog. I'll check the 0200 transmission and see what language is used at that time. Perhaps a mix up. 73 (Mick Delmage, AB, March 29, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** POLAND. Polskie Radio. In regards to the Polskie Radio schedule in DXLD 4-057. I received this schedule from Silvain Domen with different frequencies for 1700-1800 of 7265 and 7285. It needs to be determined which is correct. From: Silvain Domen To: Daniel Sampson Sent: Saturday, March 27, 2004 1:09 PM Subject: more English schedules DAYS UTC FREQ STATION ITU SITE LANGUAGE 1700-1800 7265 Radio Polonia POL Warsaw E 1700-1800 7285 Radio Polonia POL Warsaw E 1200-1300 9525 Radio Polonia POL Warsaw E 1200-1300 11820 Radio Polonia POL Warsaw E Regards, Silvain Domen, Belgium (via Dan Sampson, Prime Time Shortwave, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Polish Radio A04 - correction --- Ref the Radio Polonia A04 English schedule posted yesterday, the frequencies listed at 1700-1759 UT were incorrect. Thanks to a tip from Sheila Hughes, who heard the schedule announced 16 March on the station's Multimedia show, I've confirmed today the schedule is actually: 1200-1259 on 9525 11820 1700-1759 on 7265 7285 (Alan Pennington, Caversham UK, AOR 7030+ / longwire, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** PUERTO RICO. LA TELEVISIÓN DE PR CUMPLE 50 AÑOS: El Canal 2 de la televisión puertorriqueña, conocido en la actualidad como Telemundo, celebró el 50 aniversario del comienzo de la primera programación regular. La competencia que todavía existe hoy entre los canales se remonta a los inicios de la televisión en Puerto Rico, en lo que fue una carrera por la primera transmisión de imágenes en la isla en 1954. El entonces propietario del periódico ''El Mundo'', Ángel Ramos, comenzó las operaciones de WKAQ-TV Canal 2 con la primera señal el 29 de enero de 1954, que consistió de una imagen a rayas y música, para que el público ajustara los televisores en sus hogares. Según informes periodísticos de la época, unas 7.000 familias en Puerto Rico habían comprado televisores, cuyos precios variaban entre 200 y 400 dólares, precios no muy distintos a los de la actualidad, pero que en aquellas épocas se consideraba un artículo de lujo. Mientras Telemundo continuaba con las pruebas, la empresa WAPA Televisión Canal 4 se le adelantó, al llevar al aire un programa grabado el 5 de marzo y otro en vivo (Dino Bloise, South Florida, USA, March 29, Conexión Digital via DXLD) ** ROMANIA. Radio Romania International. On March 29 I found 1700-1726 11865 French and 1700-1756 11765 Romanian. The published schedule shows the frequencies the other way round (Silvain Domen, Belgium, DX LISTENING DIGEST) R. Romania International early A-04 monitoring: 0100 UT March 29, 2004 9690 poor/fair with QRM from UnID on 9696, 11940 not heard, 15430 not heard, 17760 not heard. 2130 March 28, 2004 7285 not heard, 9725 poor with QRM from Dr. Gene Scott on 9725, 15285 not heard, 17735 not heard. 2300 March 28, 2004 7280 not heard, 9590 not heard with QRM from CBC on 9590, 9645 poor, 11940 not heard. (Kraig Krist, KG4LAC, Annandale, VA, March 29, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** ROMANIA. SE RECUPERAN LAS CUATRO HORAS DIARIAS DEL SERVICIO DE ESPANOL DE RADIO RUMANIA INTERNACIONAL: De acuerdo a la información que me suministra Eugenio Hac y Martín, uno de los integrantes de la Sección Española de RRI-Radio Rumanía Internacional, vuelven las cuatro horas que habitualmente se utilizaban en las emisiones diarias en español. Como se recordará, a partir del 26 de octubre de 2003 y hasta el 28 de marzo de 2004 cuando entró en vigencia el período B-03, la radio rumana sufrió sensibles recortes que afectaron también a su programación en castellano reduciéndose a dos primeros programas de media hora, y un tercero, dirigido solamente a América, de una hora. \"A finales de este mes (marzo\'04), cambiamos de hora --- dijo Hac y Martin --- volvemos a tener cuatro programas de una hora de duración cada uno\". El nuevo esquema de RRI en idioma español que entrará en rigor a partir del 29 de marzo de 2004, según la información de Eugenio Hac y Martín, es el siguiente: HORA UTC KHZ DESTINO 2000-2100 11940, 15465 España 2200-2300 11965, 15255 Argentina 0000-0100 9575, 11935 Argentina 0000-0100 9760, 11965 Caribe 0300-0400 9775, 11970 México QTH: R. Rumanía Internacional, Apartado 111, Bucarest, Rumania. Web: http://www.rri.ro (Ruben G. Margenet, Rosario, Argentina, Conexión Digital March 27 via DXLD) ** RUSSIA. FRECUENCIAS DE VERANO DE LA VOZ DE RUSIA Queridos amigos: El siguiente es el esquema de nuestras frecuencias para el período comprendido entre el 28.03.04 al 30.10.04. Hacia España y Europa: Período 28.03.04-04.09.04: 20.30-21.00 UTC por 11.630 y 7.440 khz Período 05.09.04-30.10.04: 20.30-21.00 UTC por 9.480 y 7.440 khz En ambos períodos: 00.00-02.00 UTC por 603 khz onda media (Emisión latinoamericana) Hacia América Central: Período 28.03.04-04.09.04: 00.00-01.00 UTC por 9.830 y 7.180 khz 01.00-02.00 UTC por 9.830 khz Período 05.09.04-30.10.04: 00.00-01.00 UTC por 9.830 y 9.665 khz 01.00-02.00 UTC por 9.830 khz Hacia América del Sur: Período 28.03.04-04.09.04: 00.00-01.00 UTC por 12.010, 11.510 y 7.330 khz 01.00-02.00 UTC por 12.010, 11.510, 9.945 y 7.330 khz Período 05.09.04-30.10.04: 00.00-01.00 UTC por 11.510, 9.890 y 7.330 khz 01.00-02.00 UTC por 11.510, 9.945, 9.890 y 7.330 khz Agradeciendo la difusión de este esquema, les saluda muy cordialmente, (Pancho Rodríguez, a.k.a. Patricio Cortés, Frecuencia RM, La Voz de Rusia, March 29, Conexión Digital via DXLD) ** RUSSIA. The new Voice of Russia English program schedule is now available at http://www.vor.ru/ep.html The frequency schedules, however, have yet to be updated as of Monday 2045 UT (John Norfolk, March 29, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Re. the debate about VOR schedules: I assume the circumstance that the English service has still not posted their A04 schedule is simply a problem of internal communication. At least the Russian and German services have their new schedules online. By the way, the schedule for Worldwide Russian from Pavel Mikhailov appears to be not complete; today I found also Bolshakovo-1215 in use from 1900. There also appears to be an extended use of Sasnovy-1170 (Belarus) for Russkoye Mezhdunarodnoye Radio; it was observed there last night by Thorsten Hein after 2300 and still after 0000. Recording: http://www.thorsten-online.de/dxing/mitschnt/unid1170.mp3 (File named as UNID only because it was originally meant to ask what this is.) (Kai Ludwig, Germany, March 29, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** SARAWAK. 4895.04, RTVM Kuching (presumed) 1349-1408 3/29. M announcer in language, short music clips; 1359-1404 YL with apparent regional news - several mentions of Kuching and Malaysia; vocal music followed at 1404. Fair signal but deteriorating; // to 7270 which was very good. Someone had reported 4895 as possibly being inactive (John Wilkins, Wheat Ridge, Colorado, Drake R-8, 100-foot RW, Cumbre DX via DXLD) ** SLOVAKIA. R. Slovakia International: 0105 March 29, 2004 5930 barely heard with severe QRM from WWCR on 5935, 9440 SINPO 34443 with QRM from R. Sweden on 9435 (Kraig Krist, KG4LAC, Annandale, VA, March 29, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** SPAIN. From the A-04 Program schedule of REE, we pick some favorites, first glad to note that NUESTRO SELLO, classical music from RTVE`s own label, regains more airtimes including 1400 and 0100 UT when we can conveniently hear it. Time are approximate within the hour, usually after 5 or 10 minutes of news: NUESTRO SELLO M-F 0800 12035 13720 M-F 1400 15585 17595 17760 21570 21610 Tu-Sa 0100 6020 6055 9535 9620 11680 15160 ESPECIAL IRAK Sun 1400 15585 17595 17760 21570 21610 ESPAÑOLES EN LA MAR M-F 1500 15385 17760 21610 Mon-Sat 1500 21700 21570 M-F 2100 11625 15110 7275 Sat 2200 7270 7275 9765 11625 11815 15110 17850 AMIGOS DE LA ONDA CORTA Sat 1105 13720 15585; 9660 to Japan via China Sat 1630 15585 21610 Sat 1830 17760 Sun 0100 6020 6055 9535 9620 11680 15160 Sun 1600 9765 11815 17850 21570 21700 LA ZARZUELA Sat 1130 13720 15585 (extracted by gh from full schedule via Wolfgang Büschel, DXLD) ** SUDAN. 4750, R. Peace, 23 March, *0227-0250, signal on, then usual canned English sign-on ID announcement by M as: "This is R. Peace broadcasting on 4750 kHz in the 60 meterband. Thank you for listening (choral music). This is R. Peace (continuing choral music)". 0229- 0243 English program with alternating M and W talk and occasional soft religious music. Couldn't copy much due to weak signal. Native choral singing after 0244. Talk by M in African-sounding accent at 0248. Heard nightly signing on around 0227; however on 26th, they signed on at 0240. Anyone have an address?? (Dave Valko, Dunlo, PA, Cumbre DX via DXLD) ** SWEDEN [non]. R. Sweden: 0130 UT March 29, 2004 6010 via RCI SINPO 54554 with splatter from RHC on 6000, 9435 SINPO 23422 with QRM from R. Slovakia on 9440 (Kraig Krist, KG4LAC, Annandale, VA, March 29, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** SWITZERLAND. JOB LOSSES "INEVITABLE" AT SWISS RADIO | Excerpt from report by Swiss Radio International's Swissinfo web site on 15 March Swissinfo/Swiss Radio International (SRG/SSR) has lost 15m francs [11.7m US dollars] in state subsidies. Even with the reallocation of funds, SSG/SSR cannot avoid the loss of 26 full-time jobs. The personnel concerned have accepted a generous redundancy package. After six rounds of negotiations, an agreement has been reached with the SSM [trade union] over the redundancy package. This includes provision for retraining in a competitive job market, financial allowances intended to ease the economic consequences of redundancy and other measures. [passage omitted] Source: Swissinfo web site, Bern, in French 2359 gmt 15 Mar 04 (via BBCM 29 Mar 04 via DXLD) ** THAILAND [non]. Re: Checked for the new Radio Thailand relay via Delano at 0418 on 5890 on 3/28; big signal in NJ but it was just a carrier and they had audio-feed problems. Joe Hanlon in New Jersey That was Greenville tuning up for their final B03 broadcast on 5890 to Africa, 0430-0530 PORT. The initial broadcast of Radio Thailand on 5890 was March 29, 0030-0200 df (Dan Ferguson, IBB, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** UKRAINE. R. Ukraine International: 2100 UT March 28, 2004 7420 not heard with severe QRM from WBCQ on 7415. 0005 UT March 29, 2004 7545 S9 +23 dB to S9 +43 dB, no QRM 0015 UT March 29, 2004 7545 same as 0005 0031 UT March 29, 2004 7545 same as 0005 0015 UT March 29, 2004 7545 same as 0005 0046 UT March 29, 2004 7545 S9 +20 dB to S9 +40 dB 0055 UT March 29, 2004 7545 same as 0046 7545 kHz March 30, 2004: 0005 UT SINPO 45444, 0020 same as 0005, 0035 same as 0005, 0055 same as 0005. 73, KG4LAC -- Amateur radio KDX4KWK -- All-Band Radio Monitor (-.. . Kraig Krist, Annandale, VA, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U A E. As promised, the last half of Ask WWCR #176 includes a montage of radio stations here recorded by George McClintock on his February visit to Dubai; quite a mix of music, starting with something South Asian, I think. http://www.wwcr.com/wwcr_ask_wwcr_program.html (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A. Kim Elliott on the bad news about VOA: see BELGIUM [non] for link to this week`s RVi Radio World audio, available for one week only (gh) ** U S A. From a VOA source: The Voice of America announced Monday it is closing its Tokyo Bureau, the latest but likely not the last in a series of measures forced by recent budget cuts and decisions by the much-criticized Broadcasting Board of Governors. A message from the head of VOA's news division is below. This is also the latest in a number of such "swings" in coverage by the VOA. Tokyo had been shut before, then revived in the 1990's amid criticism that the closure demonstrated, among other things, poor judgment and a lack of concern about economic coverage relating to Japan and Asia. Cutbacks in the Tokyo and Hong Kong bureaux were predicted after BBG decisions, which also covered the closures of a number of language services. "In few days, due to budgetary constraints, our Tokyo bureau will be silent. It is with a deep sense of sadness that I say farewell to Amy Bickers. Amy has been the linchpin of our Asia coverage. A prolific correspondent, she has covered some of the most headline grabbing news events, such as the volatile situation on the Korean peninsula. She has also created several business shows focusing on economic issues pertaining to the Asian region. At the same time, she can turn around and produce marvelous features. Her recent piece on a series of Japanese comic books portraying North Korean leader Kim Jong Il as an evil despot, shows her versatility. It takes a particular talent to be able to move seamlessly from hard news to feature writing -- and Amy is such a talent. For me, over the years, it has been a great joy to see Amy mature as a correspondent. Tokyo is a difficult beat, because it doesn't just encompass Japanese issues. Amy has become our resident expert on North Korea and her body of work on the subject is amazing. Her insight will be missed. Amy is also a very conscientious correspondent, working well with stringers. She has also been adept at coordinating coverage with our Hong Kong editors, making sure every angle of a story is covered. On behalf of everyone in the News Division, I want to thank Amy for her hard work and dedication. If you get a chance, please call her to show your appreciation. If you can't reach her, I'm sure an e-mail will be much appreciated. Amy and her family are relocating to the United States. Hopefully, we'll hear from her in the near future (VOA via DXLD) ** U S A. Re. DXLD 4-056: ´´VOA FRAUD NOW! During the winter we have heard all kinds of people telling us that VOA News Now has been broadcasting for 19 hours per day, with their only silent period being from 0700 to 1200 UT. However, this is far from the case. When you take out the 2 hours when Music Mix programming airs, i.e. 0200-0300 and 2100-2200, plus Border Crossings at 1900-2000, plus Talk to America 1700-1800, you are in fact left with only 15 hours per day´´ I understand that all mentioned broadcasts are considered as part of the VOA News Now program line-up. So VOA News Now is now on air for 19 hours a day, 1200-0700, but will be on only 14 hours anymore from October. And it appears that nobody knows so far if Border Crossings and Talk to America will survive and if Music Mix programming will be used within the line-up of what is now called News Now but probably no longer from October. That's all I have for today, away from wishing you a pleasant night (Kai Ludwig, Germany, March 29, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Yes, but it`s absurd to consider all the music, and if talk, non-news programming as counting toward the total hours of NEWS NOW (Glenn Hauser, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A. ``Radio Weather`` with Rod Hembry [sp?] is a new addition to the DX block, Saturdays at 10 pm CT on 5070 (Adam Lock, Ask WWCR March 19-April 1, notes by gh for DX LISTENING DIGEST) And followed at 10:30 pm by Bill Lauterbach`s ``DX Radio School`` (Adam Lock, WWCR, DX LISTENING DIGEST) 0400 & 0430 UT Sun one more time, then 0300 and 0330 UT Sun, in the abandoned Spectrum slot; the latter sounds like Mr. Tiny Tenna`s old tapes which used to run as fill on WGTG/WWFV, more like infomercials for his --- products, about which I dare not say anything negative, or he`ll threaten me again. I wasn`t aware it was ever officially on the WHR schedule, like DXing With Cumbre is. Surely John Norfolk and I would have noticed another show with DX in the title. Searched the WHR schedule, which is often out of date and unfound now, anyhow. As you contemplate doing business with him, keep in mind that Bill is most comfortable on the far-right side of the spectrum, if you`ll pardon the expression (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ``DX RADIO SCHOOL`` is Moving! ``DX Radio School``, a long time staple of World Harvest Radio`s program lineup, is moving to WWCR, Nashville, TN! ``DX Radio School`` is a program geared towards the non-technically inclined shortwave listener covering such subjects as antennas, radio receivers, listening hints, not-so-technical technical advice and listener questions. The program becomes the final installment in WWCR`s already famous ``DX Block`` of programs, which has made Saturday evening a favorite of shortwave listeners and technical hobbyists throughout the world, for over a decade. Host Bill Lauterbach brings over 37 years of shortwave experience to the program. Bill has been a featured writer/contributor to such popular magazines as Worldradio, Monitoring Times, Popular Communications, and Popular Electronics. Bill is also an active amateur radio operator (Callsign: WA8MEA). He owns a part-time shortwave and ham radio antenna business, DWM Communications - http://qth.com.dwm. Although ``DX Radio School`` is changing stations, Lauterbach states it is not changing format. ``We`ll keep the popular format``; he says, ``a mix of current events, technical subjects made easy and a few DX listings for good measure``. Bill hopes once the show has aired for a few weeks, he can start to garner questions from the listening audience. WWCR-3 (5.070 MHz) Saturday evening ``DX Block`` schedule, beginning April 3rd Central Time (April 4th - UTC): [this is before the DST time change so the UT will actually be one hour later than shown until the following week --- gh] UTC Central Program Host 0145 8:45- 9:00P Ask WWCR George & Adam 0200 9:00- 9:30P DX Partyline Allen Graham 0230 9:30-10:00P World Of Radio Glenn Hauser 0300 10:00-10:30P Radio Weather Rod Hembree 0330 10:30-11:00P DX Radio School Bill Lauterbach 0400 11:00-12:00A News/Cyberline (Live) USA/Mick Williams (WWCR press release via Adam Lock, March 29, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A. The scheduled Sat 2130 airing of WORLD OF RADIO on WBCQ 17495-CUSB was missed due to operator error, but still on schedule. The scheduled UT Mon 0200 WORLD OF RADIO on WBCQ 9330-CLSB started 5 minutes late this week. And the following airing was 15 minutes late: No one told us, but the UT Mon 0515 airing of WORLD OF RADIO on WBCQ 7415 has shifted to 0530, since another show has been inserted at 0515. I didn`t catch the name, but the website referenced indicates it is apparently the notorious Herald of Truth, which asserts: ``Kingdom Identity Ministries is a Politically Incorrect Christian Identity outreach ministry to God's chosen race (true Israel, the White, European peoples).`` Standard disclaimer. BTW, Herald of Truth is not on the current WWCR schedule (tho a lot of other shows claim to deal with Truth), so perhaps it`s too extreme for that station (Glenn Hauser, OK, March 29, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A. I always wondered why a small place like Wheeling had a clear channel frequency like 1170 (Fred Vobbe, OH, NRC-AM via DXLD) There were two motivations behind the AM allocation scheme as it developed in the late 20s/30s. One, of course, was providing service to heavily populated areas. But the other, politically-motivated piece was a desire for some sort of regional equity. That's why WCKY was in Kentucky instead of Cincinnati; Kentucky was in a different radio allocation zone, and so 1490/1530 counted as an allocation to that zone rather than to the already-well-allocated zone that Ohio was in. That's also why there are a relatively decent number of I-A and I-B signals in what were then rather small southern cities like Charlotte and Atlanta and Nashville --- they had to fulfill the zone's quota, and the insurance companies that owned those stations had enough political clout to make sure they got good frequencies, I guess Whatever's going to happen was already worked out before the AM major change window was opened. When you're playing chess with game pieces as big as WWVA (which, conservatively, would have a "stick value" of $20-30 million if it can be moved to Cleveland - er, Stow), you don't file an application like this until you've already taken care of all the contingencies behind the scenes (Scott Fybush, NRC-AM via DXLD) ** U S A. TALK RADIO'S OTHER VOICE By BILL DURYEA Published March 29, 2004 http://www.sptimes.com/2004/03/29/Floridian/Talk_radio_s_other_vo.shtm l On Wednesday, Air America, the new "liberal" talk radio network, will debut from its flagship station, WLIB-AM 1190 in New York City. Much of the recent media attention has focused on Al Franken, comedian, author and Bill O'Reilly-baiter, who will host the network's midday show (opposite Rush Limbaugh). But the most experienced radio personality in Air America's lineup is Randi Rhodes, who for the past 10 years has been stinging conservatives and delighting liberals at WJNO-AM 1290 in West Palm Beach. Rhodes, a native New Yorker, talked with the St. Petersburg Times about the mistaken notion that liberals can't succeed on talk radio, the pleasure of humiliating Oliver North and the one thing about her hometown that she can't stand. We asked Rhodes the origin of her purely political format: Rhodes: When I got (to WJNO in 1994), O.J. (Simpson) had just started, and it was just a natural fit. My first day there, I showed up to work in a white Bronco with a police escort. It was also an election year. I was a Democrat. Radio was still pretty conservative. I was expressing my point of view. I never really knew how the politics of AM went, then all of a sudden I found out that being a Democrat is an odd thing. I replaced G. Gordon Liddy. I inherited his audience, and they are real militant conservatives. I was on against Rush. Times: You thrived down there. Rhodes: Because they were wrong and I was right and I could show that over and over. Then the Monica thing came along. I totally defended Clinton. In retrospect, I think everybody sees how stupid it was to go after him about sex when we're at war because of lies. I was proven right every time I would say something. Times: Other stations in other parts of the country have put on liberal shows that failed, and my question would be . . . Rhodes: (Interrupting) Who? Who? Name me one. Times: People mention Alan Dershowitz; they mention Mario Cuomo. Rhodes: I'm going to give you the facts here. Dershowitz was on Friday nights. Cuomo was on Saturday nights. They were on one day a week on the weekends. They did interview shows. It wasn't personality-driven. That's not the same. These guys are constantly thrown in my face as being huge failures. You know what? They were one night a week. . . . The only (liberal talk show) that exists is mine, and it's wildly successful. Times: During your show, you're as likely to quote from Eisenhower's "military industrial complex" speech as you are to talk about something lighthearted, like the shoes you wore to visit the senators in Washington. Can you describe your style? Rhodes: It's real. If my shoes hurt, I'll tell you. When I introduced Bill Clinton, part of it was how great it was to get a hug from Bill Clinton, but the other part of it was the two hours I spent downstairs with the Secret Service not letting me pee. It's all part of the same story. I choose to tell the whole story. Times: You like to be prepared for your interviews. The one I'm thinking of is the Oliver North interview. Can you tell me what happened when he thought he was coming in for a friendly chat? Rhodes: I never thought he was coming in for a friendly chat. I was armed to the teeth. I had his indictment, I had his convictions, I had Firewall, the book written by the independent counsel Lawrence Walsh. I was ready to confront him because I knew he would never admit there was a day in his life that he had been convicted for crimes against the United States and for lying to Congress. He was a convicted felon. (The convictions were later vacated.) This guy says what a great American he is, but yet he betrayed his country eight ways from Sunday. He laundered money for the Saudis, he did horrible, horrible things. He sold missiles to Iran, then took money and laundered it through a drug ring, and the money ended up supporting the Nicaraguan Contras in a secret war that was strictly prohibited by Congress by the Boland Amendment. I wanted him to admit that one fact, and he wouldn't do it. He started screaming, "I've been shot. Who are you? I've been shot." He didn't know I've served in the military, too. I said, "What makes you think you're the only person who has ever put on a uniform? What's your problem? I put on the uniform, too, but I was never convicted of lying to Congress." He was furious because I had him dead to rights, and he walked off the show. Times: How long did it take before he walked out? Rhodes: Twelve minutes. I was hoping for 10, I got 12. Times: What is the balance between entertainment and dissemination of information in talk radio? Rhodes: Radio is the most personal medium there is. It's a real family thing. Who do you talk politics with? You talk politics with your friends and family. If something happened to me that's funny, I'll talk about it. My mother sends me these horrible cards all the time. She says, "It's okay, I'll eat by myself. Love, Mom." She'll always call me and she'll say, "I don't know how it came up, but they found out you were my daughter." You know what it is, it's my mother going, "Do you know who my daughter is? Do you?" Times: One thing that has struck me about nationally syndicated shows is the name-calling. Conservatives call liberals "fat, stupid and lazy," and liberals call conservatives "jackbooted Nazis." Do you have to do that to make a show successful? Rhodes: Conservatives call me a "femi-Nazi," but I haven't done anything except express my opinion. When I call someone a jackbooted Nazi, he's wearing jackboots. My attacks are fact-based. I call Rush the "three-hour hatemonger" because that's what he preaches: hatred for women, hatred for blacks. He was sitting on the air the other day saying the families of 9/11 were Democrats and that's why they're upset (at President Bush's campaign ads). They're not really grieving. He actually said that. Kristen Breitweiser, who's the head of the group of families, wrote him a letter and said, "I'm a Republican. My husband was a Republican. He died in the Trade Center. He voted for Bush. I'm waiting for your apology." Which will never come. Times: Conservative talk radio, some say, took hold in reaction to Clinton. I'm wondering to what extent the success of liberal talk radio depends on having an adversary in the White House. Rhodes: You know the answer to that. I was on the air for eight years with Clinton, and I did great. That's just another bogus argument. Rush doesn't do all that well, by the way, and most of these conservatives don't. I was just on CNN the other night with this guy Michael Smerconish (Philadelphia talk show host), who's saying for the millionth time no one wants to listen to liberal talk. I had my ratings with me. I had his ratings with me. He's 18th in the market, and I'm No. 1. He's telling me no one wants to listen to me? Times: But then how does conservative talk radio become so prevalent? Rhodes: It's a copycat thing. TV's the same way. If something is successful, everyone copies it. If Roseanne is successful, then everyone wants to do a situation comedy starring a standup comedian. People are so reluctant to break the mold, to do something new. Times: Why weren't you copied? Rhodes: Because nobody knew about me. I was in West Palm Beach. It was the 47th largest market. Times: Rush started in Sacramento. Rhodes: But Rush had a money guy that syndicated him, a man who poured millions of dollars into (the show). I didn't have that until now. Times: Is your show going to change now that it's going national? Rhodes: Maybe it will get better because I'm surrounded by so much talent. I'm hoping the atmosphere, once we get up and running, will be really creative instead of all business all the time, like it is at Clear Channel. Times: Let me ask you about your syndication. I heard a story that Rush forbade Clear Channel to syndicate you. Rhodes: Last year, I asked for a meeting to get the definitive answer (about syndication). That meeting lasted 2-1/2 hours, and during those 2-1/2 hours all I did was cry, because I was told that I would never, ever be syndicated by Clear Channel. It was suggested I go outside the company because it wasn't going to risk all the guaranteed money Rush brings in for someone who was untried. I got real serious, and I said I need a new contract, because I need to be able to go to other people and tell them I'm free. They wrote a new contract that said I could go outside the company for syndication. Times: Do you think there's any chance the pendulum may be swinging away from conservative talk? Rhodes: Absolutely. I've said that in every meeting I've gone to. Physics being what it is, the pendulum has swung all the way to the right and now it's got to swing back. Times: So it's physics-driven? It has nothing to do with the political landscape? Rhodes: I think that everybody's heard what (conservative talk show hosts) have to say for 10 years. People want to go back the other way. Eight years of peace and prosperity is kind of hard to deny. The idea that (Bush) has been president for three years and millions of jobs have been lost and we've been attacked, we had the biggest intelligence failure in the history of our country on his watch . . . Times: I have to jump in here. There's blame being laid at the feet of the Clinton administration as well for that failure. Rhodes: On Sept. 11, 2001, Bush was president. If they want to blame Clinton, let them do so at their own peril. Times: But the 9/11 Commission has just said there was too much emphasis placed on diplomacy. I know you read the same things I read. Rhodes: Clinton did try to hit Osama bin Laden with (Tomahawk) missile strikes. These same Republicans who are screaming about patriotism and national security were saying then, "No war for Monica." You can't have it both ways. Times: Last question: How are you handling New York's antismoking laws? Rhodes: I can't wait to get on the air and start screaming about that. This is Sin City. You can buy anything you want 24 hours a day, including a woman, but you can't smoke a cigarette in a bar? I can drink alcohol and get in a car, but I can't smoke a cigarette. Okay. It's wrong. This whole antismoking thing is wrong. If you want to listen: Air America can be heard on radio stations WLIB-AM 1190 in New York, WNTD-AM 950 in Chicago and KBLA-AM 1580 in Los Angeles and a station not yet named in San Francisco. The programs will be available online: http://www.airamericaradio.com Randi Rhodes' show, from 3 to 7 p.m., will still be carried by WJNO-AM 1290 in West Palm Beach. © Copyright 2002-2004, St. Petersburg Times (via Jim Moats, DXLD) ** U S A. WLIB ZAP CARIBS IN RADIO COUP By PATRICK GALLAHUE New York Post http://www.nypost.com/news/regionalnews/17603.htm March 26, 2004 -- For Caribbean-Americans, it's the day the music died. Starting Wednesday, Air America Radio - the so-called "liberal radio network" that will feature talk shows hosted by Al Franken and Janeane Garofalo - will displace WLIB's Caribbean-centric programming at 1190 AM. "It's a big loss for the community," said Roy Hastick, president of the Caribbean-American Chamber of Commerce. "That station was one-stop shopping for Caribbean people - music, cricket scores, news, advertising and immigration information." WLIB station manager Kernie Anderson refused to comment yesterday. But in a recent interview with Carib Times, he and interviewer Tony Best voiced dismay at the Air America format. The switch to Franken and Co. is "like a death in the family," said Best. WLIB's listenership may have been loyal, but it was too small to allow the station to make enough ad revenue. Opponents of the Air America deal will hold a rally on April 1 at the Abyssinian Baptist Church to protest what organizers call racism in the radio industry (via Tom Roche, DXLD) Did it ever occur to the Caribs that they might be better off with Liberals in power? (gh, DXLD) ** U S A. Latest Air America Schedule --- Glenn, I note that Al Franken's "Air America" network, launching Wednesday on as you know a mere handful of stations, couldn't get http://www.airamerica.com (it belongs to a compressed air equipment company.) So their site is instead based on their former name http://www.centralair.com Curiously, the site offers no links beyond the home page, although other media reports about the network have provided this link to a site map: http://www.centralairmedia.com/index.php?option=com_sitemap&Itemid=41 Why there is no link on the home page to any of this other helpful information is curious indeed. I was mainly snooping around to see if there were any webcasting links set up; so far there are none. So it remains to be seen if the promised streaming will be up in time, less than 48 hours away at the time of this writing. By the way if you like wasting money, the Air America "store" link http://www.cafeshops.com/centralair features a variety of pedestrian coffee mugs, ugly caps, and cute fuzzy bears, all overpriced and all bearing the now discarded "Central Air" logo. (The old logo has a tall mike stand as the "I" in AIR ya see.) Ideally the programming will be more innovative than their graphic design sense (Tom Roche, Atlanta, DX LISTENING DIGEST) http://www.centralairmedia.com/index.php?option=content&task=view&id=26 Launching Wednesday.... [times Eastern, and allegedly delayed in all other zones, so calling-in elsewhere won`t be an option] Monday-Friday Morning Sedition: 6:00-9:00 am This is a fast paced morning show that will entertain and engage audiences with wit and political satire. It will feature the latest news, offering up to-the-minute interviews with newsmakers, analysis and strong opinions. Co-Host: Marc Maron Co-host: Sue Ellicott Co-host: Mark Riley Unfiltered: 9:00 am- 12:00 pm Air America's midmorning program is a showcase for conversation about the political and culture state of the union. Unfiltered introduces listeners to fresh new voices not available in mainstream media. Co-host: Lizz Winstead Co-host: Chuck D Co-host: Rachel Maddow The O'Franken Factor: 12:00-3:00pm After debunking right-wing propaganda in his bestselling books Lies, and the Lying Liars Who Tell Them and Rush Limbaugh is a Big Fat Idiot, Al Franken is taking the fight to America's airwaves -- and he's doing it drug-free. With his co-host, veteran radio personality Katherine Lanpher, Franken will deliver three hours a day of fearlessly irreverent commentary, comedy, and interviews. Franken and Lanpher have a mean streak a smile wide. The O'Franken Factor will energize fans, infuriate liars, and deliver the truth -- in what Al Franken likes to call the Zero Spin Zone. Host: Al Franken Co-host: Katherine Lanpher Producer: Billy Kimball The Randi Rhodes Show: 3:00-7:00 pm Randi Rhodes has spent the last 20 years burning up the airwaves in southern Florida with her pointed and provocative brand of talk radio. Combining live interview, call-in and commentary, Randi engages her audience with a passionate presentation. Host: Randi Rhodes So What Else is News?: 7:00-8:00 pm Based in Los Angeles, this is a one-hour program showcasing the intersection of politics, media and popular culture. This program will feature analysis and reports from the presidential campaign, as well as a daily reporters' roundtable on how the news of the day is affected and reflected by the media. Marty will also cover the spinning of the news with a regular segment called "The Corrections." This is also the place to hear the political voice of Hollywood, with celebrity guest interviews from the entertainment industries. Host: Marty Kaplan The Majority Report: 8:00 pm-11:00 pm This program will introduce new, younger voices and opinions, with live guests from the world of politics, the arts and entertainment. Host: Janeane Garofalo Co-host: Sam Seder Saturday and Sunday Air America Radio's weekend line-up will offer more original programming, like Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. and Mike Papatanio's "Champions of Justice," a program that brings a fresh and entertaining perspective to talk radio from the top legal and social issues focused minds in the country. Additional programming will include Best-of Air America Radio and Best-of-O'Franken Factor as well as other original programming to be announced soon (via Tom Roche, March 29, DXLD) ** U S A. LUBAVITCHER/CHASSIDIC RADIO: Brooklyn NY --- I'm told by a member of the Lubavitcher community that the station on 1620 kHz is known as Radio Moshiach (a.k.a. Messiah Radio). This information was gleaned when it came out in conversation that his son does a children's program on the radio at 1800 ET Tuesdays on "a little radio station that cannot be heard outside of the community." (Dan Srebnick, NJ, March 28, DX LISTENING DIGEST) But what about 1710 ** U S A. SHOCK-JOCK TURNS TABLES AND TAKES AN OFT-COMPLAINING LISTENER TO COURT -------------------- By P.J. Huffstutter, Times Staff Writer, March 28 2004 CHICAGO --- A nationally syndicated radio disc jockey has filed a $3-million lawsuit against a Chicago listener who repeatedly has complained about the shock-jock's show to the Federal Communications Commission. The complete article can be viewed at [registration required]: http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-djsuit28mar28,1,2655098.story?coll=la-headlines-nation (via Bill Westenhaver, DXLD) We had another version of this story in last issue ** U S A. 0400 UT for the WNNR [970 Florida] Test April 11 [Sunday]. The audio is already in the automation. Voice announcements from four NRC list members, Myself, Scott Fybush, Tony Simon and Fred Vobbe, who also contributed a great set of morse codes and test tones to go with the voice announcement... adding a lot of polish to the program. Scott Fybush added an interesting sound effect to his announcement saying hello to the DX Community. At Les Rayburn's request there are clips of a couple of television themes - shows that were staples of the 60s / 70s TV diet. For those who plan to listen, there will be a few interesting audio tidbits short in duration that should make things interesting. There are two errors that repeat in the program, intentionally there. Everyone tuning in is encouraged to say what these errors are in this forum. I am leaving town tomorrow to vacation in Washington DC for about a week or so with my family, the kids will be on spring break. I just picked up my vacation time off papers from the front office, so I'm about to hit the road and help keep the gasoline industry from collapse. :-P 73 (Ron Gitschier, I-95 soon to be northbound from Daytona Beach, FL, NRC-AM via DXLD) ** U S A. AS FEMALE BROADCAST ENGINEER, PIONEER ROSE ABOVE PREJUDICE By Louie Estrada Washington Post Staff Writer Sunday, March 28, 2004; Page C10 Marianna Woodson Cobb literally reached heights as a radio and television engineer that few other women matched. In the early 1950s, she scaled the tower atop the Empire State Building, some 1,300 feet above the streets of Manhattan, a height that offered a panoramic view of the skyline. The engineering firm for which she worked, Kear & Kennedy of Washington, sent her to the building's pointy top because the company had been hired to help set up a multi-structure antenna that would allow five television and three radio stations to beam their signals across the region. For Cobb, it was an exciting time to be a broadcast engineer because of two major developments in the industry: An increasing number of radio stations began to branch into television, and technical improvements were being made in transmission antenna technology. Traveling to large- and small-market stations, she climbed steel transmission towers, which usually were on the tallest building around. The nitty-gritty of her work was to determine ways to maximize the power of an antenna tower -- so the signal would reach the most listeners -- without having it interfere with the signals of other stations. Arriving at a job site, Cobb knew she had two assignments. First was "building up the confidence of the manager and the engineers of my ability. The second [was] the job itself," she told a reporter from the New Orleans Item newspaper in 1950 after working at a radio station there. As one of only two women who were registered broadcast engineers in the Washington area in the 1950s, Cobb had to prove repeatedly to skeptics that she could do the job. It did not seem to matter to them that this engineer, in her twenties at the time, had graduated with distinction in mathematics from what is now Rhodes College in Memphis; had worked at the U.S. Geological Survey during World War II, making detailed maps from aerial photographs to help Allied troops; and could do calculus in her head. What did seem to matter to doubters was that Cobb, who was born in Charlottesville, didn't look like the other engineers, given her southern debutante looks, blond hair, hazel eyes and engaging smile. Her professional credentials often were lost behind everything else. An incident in New Orleans was a perfect illustration, her husband, Richard Cobb, said in an interview at the Arlington home they shared for more than 50 years. A station executive from WBOK, then a new radio station in New Orleans, was so unhappy that Kear & Kennedy had assigned Cobb to work on a project that he called the firm demanding that it immediately send a male engineer to replace her. The response: Keep Cobb or wait 10 days until another engineer becomes available. Facing a tight deadline to get on the air, the station executive grudgingly relented. Cobb pulled on her waterproof slacks and hip boots and went to work. She hauled her testing equipment through the swamps of southern Louisiana, gathering information about the power of the station's antenna at various intervals. When traveling by foot and car seemed to take too long, she rented a helicopter and conducted the rest of the testing while airborne. Her hands manipulated a slide rule while she worked through her calculations. She finished the project two weeks ahead of schedule. But perhaps more importantly, she showed the station how it could reconfigure its signal northward, away from the Gulf of Mexico, where it would have been wasted. Her New Orleans hosts ended up throwing her a "forgive me" party, said her husband, recalling those days when his wife, in her own way, helped correct misperceptions about a woman's capabilities in the workplace. She died at her home Jan. 15 at age 79 of complications from emphysema. If she ever felt resentful about the prejudice she encountered, she never allowed it to pierce her outer calm, said daughter Sandra Cobb Tyson. "She never took the bait, is the way she put it," Tyson said. "She was always very ladylike and graceful." So it was with a sense of irony and good humor that Cobb received an award from the Washington area chapter of the Broadcast Pioneers in 1991. In a crowded room at the Kenwood Country Club, she received a plaque bearing her name and honoring "his" contributions to broadcasting. She left Kear & Kennedy to raise her four children, but she never completely gave up broadcast engineering. She helped her husband and mother-in-law build, own and operate radio station WBCI-FM in Williamsburg and WEMD-FM in Easton, Md. She also was a consulting telecommunications engineer with Moffet, Larson & Johnson in Falls Church and retired as a principal in the engineering firm when it was bought in 1992 by WPC Telecommunications, a subsidiary of The Washington Post Co. She played bridge with her husband every Thursday at the Washington Golf and Country Club and did charity work with the Northern Virginia Alliance League. "Marianna was very accomplished, but she never talked about herself," friend Betsy Cooke said. "She was always interested in everyone else -- what you were doing, the family. She was the quintessential southern lady." (c) 2004 The Washington Post Company (via Mike Cooper, DXLD) ** VATICAN. La Radio Vaticana comincerà da domenica prossima le trasmissioni in digitale. Si tratta della sperimentazione ''prima e unica in Italia'' del DRM (Digital Radio Mondial), una tecnologia di trasmissione che portando il digitale sulle frequenze di onda corta e media (fino ad oggi analogiche), garantisce su queste bande di frequenza una qualita' vicinissima a quella del FM. [giadda, giadda, giadda. . .] La sperimentazione andrà avanti da marzo a ottobre, ogni giorno dalle 8.45 alle 17.10 e dalle 23 alle 0.10. . . (ANSA via BCLNew.it March 29 via DXLD) This story never gets around to mentioning the frequencies! Times presumably local, so UT: 0645-1510, 2100-2210 (gh, DXLD) UNIDENTIFIED. 1710 station --- I do not think it is an image. I took a drive this evening and here is what I found. After I was able to distance myself from the 1700 in Detroit metro (Westland and possibly another 1700 in Grosse Pointe), I could hear the station much better. At the times mentioned below I was mobile in Lake Orion, MI. At 18:59:53, and again at 19:29:53 [EST], they played what could be called an ID that said, "This is the World Radio Network. Coming up next ____", and then they would say what the next half hour show would be. At 18:00 it was Radio Netherlands. At 19:00 it was Voice of Russia. Now that I am home the station is peaking at S3 at 20:30 on the loop to the SSW/NNE. I recall someone mentioning a long time ago that CBC Radio runs World Radio Network overnights. Could this be a Canadian station in Sarnia, Owen Sound, or Sudbury that is testing? Was not this reported a couple months ago in the list by someone else? Is anyone else in the list from the Great Lakes area hearing this station? (Harold Richards, March 28, NRC-AM via DXLD) UNIDENTIFIED. Odd 5970.32 kHz. Came across an Arabic speaking station, hetting tremendously religious broadcast of BVBN Juelich in Russian approx. 1900-1925 UT. SINPO 31321. BVBN scheduled Mo-Fr 1815-1830, Sat 1800-1900, Sun 1800-1930. A decade ago till the re-unification of both Yemen, Aden, Yemen registered on v5970 in Arabic? Move from 5950? Arabic Program Sana'a on v9779.67 kHz had a total different program content (Wolfgang Büschel, Germany, March 28, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Nothing there tonight except VOIRI Kol David in Hebrew on 5970 exact (Mauno Ritola, Finland, ibid.) 5970 1900-1930 38E,39W KAM 500 250 146 EBRI IRN IRB Hi Mauno, sorry, I left the house at 1830 UT today, when the channel 5970 was totally clear, except some BBC 5975 splash. Thank you, I think that puzzle solved, the Ebri/Hebrew service of IRIB has also some Arab/Iranian music and comments in between. but WHY - my God - was the Kamalabad tx off by 320 Hertz yesterday??? Another puzzle, heard another IGNITION jammer on 9595 kHz at 1330-1400 UT span. AIR Delhi in Urdu registered here on other hours of the day; is there any Pakistani jamming against foreign Urdu services? 73 wb (Wolfgang Büschel, DX LISTENING DIGEST) UNIDENTIFIED. 9561.95, 1423-1457* 3/29. Sub-continental-sounding music, heard no announcements. Fair at tune-in but deteriorated considerably; seemed to go off at 1457 UT. Not Ethiopia, which was on 9561.24 and had drifted up to 9561.4 by 1500, causing QRM to the unID station (John Wilkins, Wheat Ridge, Colorado, Drake R-8, 100-foot RW, Cumbre DX via DXLD) UNIDENTIFIED. UNKNOWN COUNTRY, Unknown Station?? 21740, 0100 GMT, Middle East languages, 433 March 29th. YLs and OMs with comments plus music interludes. Heard to past 0135. Any one know who this could be. I only have Radio Australia listed for this frequency (Stewart WDX6AA MacKenzie, CA, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ PUBLICATIONS ++++++++++++ ORBIT RADIO FREQUENCY DATABASE ONLINE Hi all, I have put my database online for everyone to use if they wish? You can pull it up at the following URL: http://www.orchidcitysoftware.com/PUBBYCOU.HTML It is very large, so give it a chance to load. The highest frequency is at 25775 kHz. Incidentally, it sorts by frequency only. The database I use here at home sorts by a number of different keys, not just frequencies. Drop me a line with comments. By the way, some of the information may not be timely because I keep most records even though they may not be active anymore. You never know? (Chuck Bolland, ka4pf(NoSpam)@us- it.net Clewiston Florida, March 29, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Use at your own risk; first time it crashed my browser window and firewall; second try, hung up and never finished loading, at least not before I ran out of patience (Glenn Hauser, DX LISTENING DIGEST) UNSOLICITED TESTIMONIAL +++++++++++++++++++++++ [Re: DEUTSCHES REICH, WBCQ and Hal Turner] -- Glenn: -- Again you have done a beautiful job at subtly pointing out the folly of manmade organized religion. I just can't believe that an institution that has brought us the Crusades, Witch Burning and the current Middle East imbroglio is related in any way to God (GREG HARDISON) INTRUDER WATCH ++++++++++++++ SUMMARY OF MONITORING REPORTS FOR THE MONTH OF FEBRUARY 2004 RELEASED BY THE DARC MONITORING SYSTEM INTRUDER WATCH GERMANY The Radio and Television Organization of Benin, Westafrica, has caused harmful splatters and intermodulation in the 40-m-Band Strong splatters and interference by an unid broadcast station have spoiled the lower part of the 40-m-band. The distortion of the modulation of the culprit was so heavy that it was impossible to understand the announcer of the BC. Members of DARC-MS only found out that the language was a Tribal language and French. German telecoms. "RegTP" were able to pin point the intruder at Cotonou in the West African state of Benin, and the source of IM on 7210 kHz. After an International Complaint by RegTP the interference has ceased. Over-The-Horizon-Radar located in the Islamic Republic of Iran on 14000 and 21000 kHz Wolf Hadel, DK2OM, detected and identified a new kind of Over-The- Horizon-Radar on 14000 and 21000. German telecoms. The pulses sound like a ticking tin alarm clock. German telecoms pin-pointed the intruder in the IR of Iran. The following report is compiled by Ulrich Bihlmayer DJ9KR, German Coordinator of DARC MONITORING SYSTEM Intruder Watch. It is a précis of hundreds of reports he has monitored himself and/or received from contributors for the month of February 2004: 1. BROADCAST STATIONS 80-m-Band (3500 - 3800 kHz): In Region 1 the 80-m-Band ist shared with the Fixed and the Mobile Service. The Broadcast Service is not allowed in this band. There were no reports re. BC-intruders in this band for the month of February 2004. 40-m-Band (7000 -7100 kHz): 7035 - 7050 ORTB Cotonou, harmful interference (IM?) from 7210, BEN. 7095 Radio Minsk, harmufl splatters from BC on 7105, BLR. 7100 Voice of the Broad Masses, ERI, fundamental, heard around 0430 and 1630 - 1830. Complaints by German Telecoms. "RegTP" have had no results, so far. ERI is not member of ITU. 15-m-Band (21000 - 21450 kHz) 21305 SABS Riyadh, IM, ARS. 21410 SABS Riyadh, IM, ARS. 21400 Radio Pakistan, harmful splatters from 21465, PAK. 2. DIGITAL TRANSMISSIONS 2.1 The so-called Russian beacons were again active, purpose unknown: 7038.8 beacon "S", Arkhangelsk, all month, all day long, RUS. 7039 beacon "C", Moscow, all month, all day long, RUS. 2.2 CW-A1A 7044 REA4, Airforce Moscow, dotter, ID at full hour + 39 minutes, RUS. 14220.8 encrypted morse 2.3 Printer-F1B 7018.4 REA4, Airforce Moscow, fast reversals most of the time, ID at full hour + 39 minutes, RUS, other stations on: 7025 - 7031.8 - 7032 - 7080.5 - 14009.5 - 14017 - 14020 - 14038 - 14038 - 14116 - 14192 - 14208 - 21002.3 - 21036 - 21190 - 21312 - 21400 - 28177. 2.4 Multiplex B7B, G7B, and J7D 7000 - 7003 - 7031 - 7068 - 7080.5 - 14000 - 14001 - 14026 loc. Smolensk, RUS - 14031 - 14040 - 14064 - 14066 - 14131 - 14206.5 - 14225 - 14237 - 14239 - 14240.5 - 14247 - 14269 *) - 14302 *) - 14302.6 *) - 14323 *) - 21000 - 21016 - 21318 - 28110 - 28500. *) Footnote Allocation: In China and (ex-) Soviet Union the range 14250 - 14350 kHz is also allocated to the Fixed Service. 3. OVER-THE-HORIZON-RADAR DARC-MS received 15 reports for the British Forces Akrotiri "Woodpecker" Over-The-Horizon-Radar from Cyprus for the month of February 2004. The lowest QRG was 21000, the highest QRG was 28495. 4. PRIVATE AND COMMERCIAL INTRUDERS in J3E (SSB), A3E (AM) or F3E (FM) The transmitting mode of the intruder is in J3E (SSB-USB) if not otherwise mentioned. Frequency (kHz) Remarks 40-m-Band (7000 - 7100 kHz) 7000 CB-like traffic in Italian (SSB-LSB causing splatters) and French (USB). 7019 Russian male traffic. 30-m-Band (10100 - 10150 kHz) 10115 Spanish fishery, E. 10121.3 Fishery in Arabic voice. 10122.2 Pirates from Far East. 10131 Pirates from Far East. 10140 Spanish fishery, E. 10150 Family traffic in Russian, also phone patches. 20-m-Band (14000 - 14350 kHz) 14000 Very active pirate net, daily activity 0550 - 0615, SOM. 14000 Arabic net, Ops Aywa, Khalid, and Hassan, time 0730-0830, MEa 14000 Spanish fishery, E. 14000 African Vernacular, male and female voices. 14000 Pirates in Greek voice, GRC. 14002.5 Male persons in Russian voice. 14080 Male persons in Arabic, possibly fishery off the coast of Morocco, W.Af. 14080 Missionary tfc in C.Af. 14100 Very active pirate net from Indonesia, using USB and/or LSB, singing and chatting, INS. 14105 Spanish fishery, E. 14106 Korean fishery in South Atlantic Ocean, KOR. 14141.2 2 stations in Arabic and French, no hams. 14230 Korean ships in South Atlantic Ocean, KOR. 14235 Missionary tfc in C.Af, calls "Delta Golf", "Delta Lima", and "Sierra". 14285 Male and female persons in Spanish dialect, no hams, E. 14348 Greek tfc, male and female persons, no calls, GRC. 15-m-Band (21000 - 21450 kHz) 21000 Very active pirate net, heard 0715 - 1130, YEM. 21000 Spanish fishery, E. 21000 Pirates from Far East. 21055 Arabic and English: "We are from Mogadishu", SOM. 21080 Net in Arabic voice. 21103.6 2 unid male persons, Asiatic language, Asia. 21115.6 Chinese radio telephone, CHN. 21118 Vernacular, "oké" often used. 21140 Male and female voices in Spanish, E. 21142.3 Japanese family tfc, "dozo" after each sentence, J. 21150 Large net in Arabic, members call themselves by whistling. 10-m-Band (28000 - 29700 kHz) There were many commercial and private intruders in February 2004 especially from Russia, Turkey and Middle East in AM, FM, and SSB. However condx on 10 metres are going down due to decreasing sun spot activity. Note: By monitoring our exclusive amateur radio frequencies, especially the 10-m-band, for hours and hours it is no problem to find hundreds of CB-like intruders and Brasilian, Romanian, Russian or Turkish commercials (radio taxis and gas supply) or French fishery. In most countries there is no action against these intruders, so monitoring and reporting to authorities is useless and a waste of time. Just claim the relevant frequency and activate it with Ham Radio traffic. All times in UTC, all frequencies in kHz. For further details click on in Internet: Homepage of DARC MONITORING SYSTEM German Intruder Watch: http://www.darc.de/referate/hf/bandwacht Access to Homepages of IARU-MONITORING SYSTEM Regions 1, 2, 3: http://www.iarums.com Homepage with Broadcast Jingles (very helpful to BC monitors!): http://www.intervalsignals.net/ Homepage of Ulrich Bihlmayer, DJ9KR: http://www.qrz.com/dj9kr *** Why aren´t you a regular contributor of IARU MONITORING SYSTEM? Join your national Intruder Watch for support! If we don´t fight we will lose our exclusive ham bands: The 10-m-band is already in the hand of CB-ers and commercials. Ulrich Bihlmayer, DJ9KR, Coordinator of DARC Bandwatch Eichhaldenstrasse 35, 72074 Tubingen, Germany E-Mail: bandwacht @ darc.de (via Wolfgang Büschel, DXLD) PROPAGATION +++++++++++ MARCH 24 VERSION OF VOACAP ON ELBERT I see Greg has a March 24 version of the itshfbc package posted on elbert --- http://elbert.its.bldrdoc.gov/pc_hf/hfwin32.html (Dan Ferguson, VA, March 28, SWBC topica list via DXLD) ###