DX LISTENING DIGEST 4-067, April 11, 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 1227: Mon 0430 on WBCQ 7415, webcast http://wbcq.us Tue 0300 on SIUE Web Radio http://www.siue.edu/WEBRADIO/ Wed 0930 on WWCR 9475 WORLD OF RADIO 1227 in mp3 recorded from 7415 at 2200 UT April 7, already available April 8, but this week it was a phone-feed to WBCQ: (stream) http://www.piratearchive.com/media/worldofradio_04-07-04.m3u (d`load) http://www.piratearchive.com/media/worldofradio_04-07-04.mp3 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 1227 (high version): (stream) http://www.w4uvh.net/wor1227h.ram (download) http://www.w4uvh.net/wor1227h.rm (summary) http://www.worldofradio.com/wor1227.html WORLD OF RADIO 1227 (low version): (stream) http://www.w4uvh.net/wor1227.ram (download) http://www.w4uvh.net/wor1227.rm DXLD YAHOOGROUP: Here`s where to sign up. There may be a delay in approval if I do not recognize your name and / or e-mail address. If your yahoo profile does not give this info, please send me a separate e-mail with your true name, location and brief reason for wishing to join the group --- http://groups.yahoo.com/group/dxld/ (Glenn Hauser, April 8, DX LISTENING DIGEST) WORLD OF RADIO SCHEDULE updated: http://worldofradio.com/radioskd.html WOR MASTER TIME SCHEDULE: http://www.worldofradio.com/wormast.html MONITORING REMINDERS CALENDAR updated: http://www.worldofradio.com/calendar.html DX/SWL/MEDIA PROGRAMS updated: http://www.worldofradio.com/dxpgms.html ** BELGIUM [non]. Maeva FM International programme (not // usual Maeva FM program, available as audio stream on their website) confirmed today from 1300 til abrupt cut-off at 1458 on 5975. Some announcements in English, including a mention of further transmissions using 6015 instead. Closed with reference to TDP Radio following on this frequency, and indeed 5975 had after 1500 DRM blare. So DRM of TDP Radio via Jülich was not cancelled in favour of this AM service. Well, I have no bearing on this scene, so all I have to add is that the modulation is not ideal, lacking punch and presence (Kai Ludwig, Germany, April 10, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** BOLIVIA. 4763.18v, Radio Chicha, Tocla, Potosí, 2150-2200, Abril 11. Español. Música latina. Identificación completa por OM e YL: Usted... Radio Chicha, desde Tocla, en el departamento de Potosí, transmitiendo en 4760 kilociclos, onda corta y 100.5 MHz, frecuencia modulada", 24332 (Arnaldo Slaen, Argentina, Conexión Digital via DXLD) ** BRAZIL. Rádio Pioneira, Teresina, PI, 5015 is on 24h operation since April 1st. After the end of Pioneira's own programming they relay Rádio Aparecida. This is according to their own website (Henrik Klemetz, Sweden, April 10, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Agora a Pioneira é 24 horas --- A partir de hoje, 1º de abril, a Rádio Pioneira de Teresina passa a operar 24 horas por dia. Anteriormente a programação iniciava às 5h da manhã e finalizava às 23h. Agora a emissora passa a retransmitir no seu fim de noite e madrugada a programação da Rádio Aparecida. O programa Com a Mãe Aparecida, da Rádio Aparecida, traz no seu formato informação, formação e oração. O programa tem sete horas de duração, três apresentadores e é formado por quadros de cunho formativo. Outra novidade na programação é a consagração à Nossa Senhora, às 15h. http://www.radiopioneira.am.br --------------- Escutada em 5015 kHz com bons sinais nos EUA a 1h UT, e na Alemanha às 5h10 UT (Henrik Klemetz, radioescutas via DXLD) ** BRAZIL. 2780, 08/04 0857, R. Sul Fluminense, Barra Mansa, RJ, OM sobre a Semana Santa, comentários os péssimos resultados dos times cariocas na Copa do Brasil (2º harmônico, 2 x 1390), 25432 (Samuel Cássio Martins, Brasil, radioescutas via DXLD) Prezado Samuel e amigos da lista, então essa recepção da RADIO SUL FLUMINENSE são apenas harmônicos da frequência proncipal? Tenho captado esse sinal aqui e como não vi nenhuma citação da referida emissora numa lista de ondas curtas que tenho já ia consultar alguém para ver se essa era uma nova frequência no Rio de Janeiro. Tenho captado com bom sinal por aqui a partir das 2000 UT. Abraço a todos, e boas escutas, (José Maria de Morais, Manhuaçu, MG, SONY ICF-SW7600GR, ANTENAS: DZ 45 RGP3 E 5 METROS DE FIO LIGADO À TELESCÓPICA, ibid.) ** BRAZIL. Na última quinta dia 8-4-2004 estava a tarde com o meu ICR5 da Icom rodando pelas ondas curtas por volta das 20:5 {sic} UT, depois de ter escutado a rádio voz da China em 11580 tocando música e a rádio voz da Alemanha com noticiário em 11870; passei pelos 11990 e me deparei com muito expanto com uma transmissão da Rádio Globo do Rio de Janeiro - RJ em 11990 com o Sinal de 44344. Agora perguntos aos amigos: alguem já escutou essa transmissão da Rádio Globo que ficava em 11805, em 11990? Faz muito tempo que ocorreu essa mudança? 73 do (Márcio Coelho, Icom ICR5 com antena de borracha, radioescutas via DXLD) ** CANADA [non]. Assunto: Test shortwave signal --- Dear shortwave listeners, We are running a trial transmission to the Americas during April. It will be heard Monday to Friday on two signals. 6010 on the 49 meter band at 7:45 - 9 p.m. local east coast time Monday and Wednesday and Tuesday/Thursday and Friday from 8 p.m. to 9 p.m. (2345-0100 UT). This will be from a 125 kW in Wertachal We will also be airing at the same time on a 100 kW from Juelich from April 12 to 16th. on 9.690 on the 31 meter band - same time. We would love to hear from you if you are able to give it a try. Happy Easter to all, Mrs. Marty McLaughlin, Bible Voice Broadcasting http://www.biblevoice.org (via Samuel Cássio, Brasil, radioescutas via DXLD) Just what we need ** CHINA. Today when I checked the mail I found the mailman had delivered the Bi-monthly paper called "The Messenger" from CRI (China Radio International). INCLUDED with it this time was a nice little 79 page book called Q & A on China, Vol 1. In it are all kinds of interesting little facts (and I'm sure some propaganda |grin|) on China. Things like the number of Provinces, Municipalities, Special Administrative regions (like Hong Kong and Macao) etc. Also are sections on education in China (9 years mandatory being increased to 12), when kids start to school (Age 6 in the cities, somewhere between 6 and 8 in the country) and so forth. Some other questions answered are things like, are there different dialects in China, How did ancient Chinese tell time, are there many anglers in China and so forth. 30 questions in all, taken from listeners questions. Apparently this will be published in 4 booklets with 30 questions per booklet. Thank you CRI! Also, I've noticed that The Messenger now comes in a nice envelope, not the old "plain brown wrapper" they used to come in that probably raised a few eyebrows when it arrived in your mailbox |grin|. 73 from the "Beaconeers Lair". (Phil, KO6BB, Atchley, DX begins at the noise floor! Merced, Central California, swl at qth.net via DXLD) ** COLOMBIA. Inactiva: La Nueva 730AM (Melodía) 6140 (Adán González, Catia La Mar, VENEZUELA, Yaesu FT-890, Antena TH3MK3, April 10, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** COSTA RICA. Dr. Scott's Cahuita Site --- Hi Glenn: Regarding your TIRWR comments in DXLD 4-057 about a het on 11870, it sounds to me like a type-o those call letters. Let's see: before DGS University of the Air purchase rights over this site, it belonged to AWR (TIAWR?), who acquired from the former CIA supported? Radio Impacto which bounced from 5030 to 5044, to avoid interference, and 6050, besides an AMer on 980 pointed to Panamá during the Noriega reign. Things look different today as anyone can see in this exotic place called Cahuita and surroundings like Puerto Viejo (Old Harbor) on our enchanted Caribbean Coast that has become a new home for North Americans, including Canadians and people from Spain, Switzerland and others like Argentinians, not only for living but to set their own businesses. As my old buddy and mentor, former Radio Casino (TIQ 5954) English language personality Sydney Walters use to hang on poetry quoting "...towers and transmitters at Silver City, Barrio Cristóbal Colón, between the sea shore and the sleepy lagoon"... whatever comes to your imagination, it seemed he was describing a paradise, from a place is in the nearby Puerto Limón outskirts the was basically known as "Cieneguita", for many like me a reference to a little "ciénaga" or swamp, but really was nickname for the settlings of the black workers that came from Jamaica for the building of the bananas railroad. So the term Cieneguita means "Hundred Blackies" or "Cien Negritos". All this perhaps for some, boring story, just to mention that the Cahuita Site now leased or owned by DGS, has a diversity of antenna arrays from curtains to log periodics with diverse use from 60 to 21 mb (Raúl Saavedra, Costa Rica, April 10, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** DOMINICAN REPUBLIC. Inactiva: Cima 100/Super Q, 4960 (Adán González, Catia La Mar, VENEZUELA, Yaesu FT-890, Antena TH3MK3, April 10, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** EASTER ISLAND. I received interesting QSL's last week. Navigation Beacon "IPA" Easter Island, Pacific Ocean (280 kHz)(full data pre- pared card) Onwards to bigger and better ones (Bob Combs, New Mexico, swl at qth.net via DXLD) Easter Island is good. For those who may not know, IPA is a Longwave, Long Range Aero Beacon, running 3000 Watts on 280 kHz. Located at the airport on Easter Island, on a good winter`s evening (or Spring and Fall it's sometimes better) it can be heard all over North America. I got a prepared letter (one you write and they sign and stamp) as well as a nice personal letter from them for a reception on 24 Nov 2000 and 8 Dec 2000. Manuel Quinteros Rodríguez, "Jefe Aeropuerto Mataveri" also sent a sheet showing the various navaids and their frequencies at the airport. Incidentally, in Spanish Easter Island is called "Isla de Pascua" and is property of Chile. Some very nice stamps on the envelope too! 73 from the "Beaconeers Lair" (Phil, KO6BB Atchley, ibid.) ** ECUADOR. Inactiva: La Voz del Upano, 4870 (Adán González, Catia La Mar, VENEZUELA, Yaesu FT-890, Antena TH3MK3, April 10, DX LISTENING DIGEST) {Not for long: see 4-068} ** EGYPT. Programação da Rádio Cairo Prezados Amigos, Segue abaixo a transcrição do arquivo com a programação da Rádio Cairo que recebi nesta manhã. Peço desculpas por qualquer incorreção, visto que na semana passada migrei para o LINUX e ainda estou me adaptando e corrigindo algumas incompatibilidades com arquivos feitos para Windows. 73 Claudio RADIO CAIRO HORARIO DAS NOSSAS EMISSOES SERVICO INTERNACIONAL 22.15 - 23.30 UTC EMISSOES EM PORTUGUS 00.15 - 01.30 CAIRO CAIXA POSTAL , 566 19.15 - 20.30 BRASILIA FAX : 0020 02 5759553 FREQUENCIA 11790 KHZ / 25 METROS CAIRO - EGITO NILE SAT PROGRAMA 07 PROGRAMAS PERMANENTES ********** 00.17 MUSICA ORIENTAL 00.19 SINTESE DAS PRINCIPAIS NOTICIAS 00.30 NOTICARIO 01.15 RESUMO DAS NOTICIAS PROGRAMACAO EM VIGOR ENTRE JANEIRO A JUNHO DE 2004 ************ [probably local days rather than UT days] SEGUNDA-FEIRA QUINTA-FEIRA 00.20 A VIDA ECONOMICA NO EGITO 00.20 AUMENTE SEUS CONHECIMENTOS 00.40 COMENTARIO 00.40 COMENTÁRIO 00.45 CLUBE FILATELICO 00.45 UM MINUTO PARA O EGITO 00.55 CANCOES ARABES 00.50 A CIVILIZACAO ARABE 01.05 NOTAS EGIPCIAS 01.00 ARTES EGIPCIAS 01.15 UM MINUTO PARA O EGITO 01.15 EGIPTOLOGIA TERCA - FEIRA SEXTA - FEIRA 00.20 TURISMO NO EGITO 00.20 VERSICULOS CORANICOS 00.40 O MEDIO ORIENTE EM FOCO 00.40 PERGUNTAS E RESPOSTAS 00.50 A SETIMA ARTE 00.50 UM MINUTO PARA O EGITO 01.05 O ESPORTE NO EGITO 00.55 CANCOES BRASILEIRAS 01.15 UM MINUTO PARA O EGITO 01.10 ENCICLOPEDIA EGIPCIA QUARTA - FEIRA SABADO 00.20 RECANTOS E RECORDACOES 00.20 O EGITO NA INTERNET 00.40 COMENTARIO 00.25 UM MINUTO PARA O EGITO 00.45 ECOLOGIA NO VALE DO NILO 00.40 ARTIGO DE FUNDO 00.55 CONVERSANDO COM OUVINTES 00.50 RUMO AO FUTURO 01.05 TOPICOS LITERARIOS 01.05 CONVERSANDO COM OS OUVINTES 01.15 UM MINUTO PARA O EGITO 01.15 EM FOCO DOMINGO 00.20 O ISLAO 00.40 A IMPRENSA EGIPCIA 00.50 AS CANCOES DA SEMANA 01.05 PALESTRA SEMANAL 01.15 REVISTA CIENTIFICA 01.20 UM MINUTO PARA O EGITO ESCREVA PARA A RADIO CAIRO - CAIXA POSTAL, 566 CAIRO - EGITO CONVERSANDO COM OS OUVINTES - PARTICIPE NO PROGRAMA ENDERECE ELECTRONICO: HTTP://WWW.EGYPTRADIO.TV Brazilian _prog@e... [truncated] (via Claudio --- , radioescutas via DXLD) ** GERMANY. Do you have any information about the "just released" book referred to in this item? Thanx (Ben Dawson) ``Speaking about 1323 [RUSSIA], a just released book from Gerd Klawitter reveals that in July 2003 a new 1000 kW Telefunken transmitter (TRAM series and 2 x 500 kW configuration would be the arrangement to assume) was installed at Wachenbrunn.`` I referred to a new edition of "100 Jahre Funktechnik in Deutschland": http://www.wt-verlag.de/wissfra04.htm (new release not reflected here yet) This book also covers the Wachenbrunn site, and the updated new edition mentions the new transmitter. Not so much a surprise to me, unless for the circumstance that the other tube transmitters that T- Systems replaced by semiconductor models were considerably older. By the way, meanwhile I found another rare picture: http://www.darc.de/x/33/galerie1/galerie1.htm Photo 6 shows the control room at Wachenbrunn, probably dismantled now, too. On the desk the controls of the six transmitters with an audio level meter of GDR manufacturing on the right margin of the picture. The racks on the wall contained the controls of the antenna matrix switch. And either just out of view to the right or already removed when this picture was made was a commercial shortwave receiver, meant to pick up a dedicated SSB feeder from Samara if the STL from Moscow failed (and this happened now and again I was told). Photo 5 shows what I think is a collection maintained at the seat of the administration that was once responsible for the Wachenbrunn station. The large tube is one of the four finals of the 250 kW transmitter that was operated until the early nineties on 882 (Kai Ludwig, Germany, April 11, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** HONDURAS. Radio Misiones en los 3339.99 kHz, a las 0443 UT. Cerraba emisión a las 0457. Locutor de guardia y saludos (Adán González, Catia La Mar, VENEZUELA, Yaesu FT-890, Antena TH3MK3, April 10, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** HONG KONG. Yacht Race log --- 8749U, HONG KONG?, RTVHK?, *1033- 1038*, April 10, English, YL weather forecast for Hong Kong Yacht Race. Sign-on with talk of "..weather for next..(?)..hours". Forecasts for "Area A", B, C and D, each with wind, visibility and waves. Repeated at 1036. Talk of "..at 1400 hours today with 6 knots" and "That is the weather forecast... meter band, This is.. ?)..out" at sign-off. Surprisingly audible signal with propagation static and fading. Pleased to log this one! (Scott R. Barbour, Jr., Intervale, NH, R75, MLB-1, RS longwire w/ RBA balun, DX LISTENING DIGEST) What a difference a day makes. Hong Kong, 8749, VRX, Weather Report, 1033 April 10. Today was almost nil heard with the weather report. I could hear the woman, but just barely while the signal from yesterday was much better (Chuck Bolland, Clewiston, Florida, DX LISTENING DIGEST) As Chuck B said, what a difference a day makes. However, it was the other way around here in the Pacific NW: 8749 USB, *1033-1038* 10 April, Hong Kong Royal Observatory, weather broadcast for China Sea Race 2004. Quite tough copy, but still caught snippets and phrases here and there by woman announcer, such as "heavy seas", "area A", and "area B". This was the first night I've caught any audio at all on 8749 (Guy Atkins, Puyallup, WA USA, modified RA6790GM & R-75 receivers, Kiwa MAP / ERGO / DSP-59+, 700 ft. E-W Beverage, Cumbredx mailing list via DXLD) ** ISRAEL. The IBA English TV news which was on the now defunct Israeli Arabic network, is now on Israel TV channel 3 (33 on regular cable). It's on at 6 PM, 7 days a week. This is a 25 minute broadcast. Looking at this week's TV schedules in the current print editions of the Jerusalem Post and Haaretz (Hebrew edition), they do not list this schedule change. I am currently in Israel and have seen the broadcast for myself and confirmed the schedule change (Daniel Rosenzweig, April 10, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** MEXICO. DESVANECIMIENTO DE R. MÉXICO INTERNACIONAL No dejemos que ésta nos cargue de una nostalgia negativa, aunque Internet no tiene necesariamente la culpa de ser hoy por hoy el grito de la tecnología en comunicaciones. Pero R. México ahí estará presente, a diferencia de algunas que ya se fueron y no las verás en la Web, como WRUL Radio New York Worldwide, WRNO New Orleans, KUSW Salt Lake City, Radio Casino en mi querido Puerto Limón, Radio Luxemburgo, etc. De todas formas la onda corta ya ha perdido mucho de su romanticismo, cuando recibíamos las señales desde su país original de transmisión, y no tener que apoyarse en estaciones de relevo como hoy se volvió una costumbre, para dar una señal más local. Todo esto ocurre por la bendita relación costo/beneficio, como que yo, frustrado ferrocarrilero, quisiera continuar con el costoso mantenimiento de las locomotoras a vapor, en lugar del menos romántico pero eficiente y barato diesel o electricidad. Mantener costosos monstruos de potencia habiendo otros económicos medios, sería como vender pesos a peseta, según decimos los ticos. Es cierto que la frialdad de la Internet estrecha al mundo cada dia más al dudoso grado de convertirlo en un gran barrio, en que no parecen existir fronteras. Será por esto que Mr. James Latham, no satisfecho con tener a RFPI solamente en Internet, está empecinado en regresar a la onda corta, para satisfacción de esta comunidad mundial de fiebres que somos nosotros. El consuelo, talvez, de tantos que tenemos como fiebres seguidores de la comunidad mundial de la onda corta, es seguir disfrutando de lo que todavía nos queda, como si estuvieramos igualmente disfrutando de nuestro último día de vida. Como bien lo apunta el colega argentino Margenet, respiremos hondo, el aire todavía es gratis! Bendiciones, hermanos (Raúl Saavedra, Costa Rica, April 11 DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** MEXICO. XERTA, con buena señal a pesar de la ute casi en la misma frecuencia. Capatada el 07/04, a las 0342 UT, con baladas POP. Identificaciones: "La primera emisora comercial de onda corta de México..", "Cobertura internacional...". Identificaciones en inglés. Menciones de Jesuscristo. Capítulo del día "El Siervo como perdonador", a las 0408. 4810 kHz. Tuve que aplicar el filtro NAR para poder aislarla de la ute. 73's y buen DX (Adán González, Catia La Mar, VENEZUELA, Yaesu FT-890, Antena TH3MK3, April 10, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** MEXICO. What happened with XEROK's boost back to 150,000 watts? Wasn't it supposed to happen sometime in February? (jd, Radio-Info Texas board, March 15 via DXLD) On initial tests, the local substation could not carry the load without browning out a whole neighborhood. There is now a debate whether the electric authority or the station should pay for a rebuild. As it stands, the upgrade is on hold, although the equipment is in place and a new 50 kW is running; monthly electric bill is over $44,000 (pesos) or $4000 dollars. According to the engineer in charge of the project (David Eduardo Gleason, March 16, Radio-Info Texas board via DXLD) ** NEW ZEALAND. Hello Glenn, The RNZI e-QSL listed at DXLD is mistakenly credited to me. I don't know who is the correct contributor (Scott R. Barbour, Jr., Intervale, NH, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Oops; it was Nino Marabello, Treviso, Italy, Web page of QSL of R. New Zealand: http://web.tiscali.it/ondecorte/nuova.html (Cumbre via DXLD) ** NEW ZEALAND. Radio New Zealand International The Voice of New Zealand, Broadcasting to the Pacific Te Reo Irirangi O Aotearoa, O Te Moana-Nui-A-Kiwa News About RNZI --- Easter Programme Changes --- 06 Apr, 2004 21:40 UT Pacific News Bulletins will be avaiable on Good Friday 09 April. Please note - there will be no Pacific News available on Saturday 10 April and Monday 12 April. RNZI will relay National Radio on Easter Saturday, Sunday and Monday. We resume normal service from Tuesday 13 April. Extended time on 9885 kHz --- 05 Apr, 2004 21:28 UTC We are now using 9885 kHz from 0550 to 0750 daily beaming to Samoa and the Cook Islands (RNZI website April 11 via DXLD) ** NEW ZEALAND. RADIO NEW ZEALAND PLANS NEWS WEBSITE Radio New Zealand (RNZ) hopes to establish its own text-based news website within six months, and is seeking Government financing to add audio-on-demand. A parliamentary select committee says the audio-on- demand facility would cost $259,000 to set up and $360,000 a year to run. At the moment, RNZ publishes some text and audio material through arrangements with commercial Web sites. RNZ Chief Executive Peter Cavanagh says the broadcaster wants to provide the same level of service that public broadcasters in other parts of the world already offer. He doesn't think an RNZ news site will have a significant impact on existing commercial sites. "I would expect that we will simply become one of a number of sources people turn to on a regular basis," he says. There are no plans to accept online advertisements, and RNZ will rely entirely on government funding. The revamped website will include content from Radio NZ and Pacific Island news from Radio New Zealand International, which already includes news on its own Website. # posted by Andy @ 18:27 UT April 11 (Media Network blog via DXLD) ** OKLAHOMA. TV oddities: On KOPX, channel 62, OKC, happened to catch the closing of a show in *Vietnamese*, Sat April 10 until 1730 UT; not sure what it was about, but displayed local address (there is quite a Vietnamese community mostly around NW 23rd Street). Not in the listings, but ``paid programming`` so I suppose it was an infomercial, but a rather unusual one. For once, I wish not all infomercials were denied specific listings. On Cox Cable in Enid, the formerly rarely used channel 72 has morphed into ``Cox 7``, apparently a state-wide Cox channel with intermittent programming, sort of a cable-access, but not really. Claims to be ``local`` but nothing from Enid seen yet; some shows originating in Tulsa, where the honcho of Cox interviewed the President of OSU; and from OKC, talk shows from the MLS (Metropolitan Library System), which in the dim distant past were on OETA. Cox`s own channel is on 7 in OKC, where this presumably comes from. KFOR-4 NBC had been on cable 7 there until KOCO-DT started up on air-7 (same as cable 7), and the DTV QRM messed up KFOR cable reception in many homes. For a while Cox put KFOR on both 7 and 3, and now it`s on cable 3 only. So C7 is now a throwaway channel subject to local QRM. Zap2it current listings for this in OKC, strangely known as OKCOX3: http://tvlistings2.zap2it.com/grid_one.asp?station_num=27414&partner_id=national There are some genuine public service programs; even Discover Oklahoma has pretty much evolved into an infomercial. The Movie Loft is really a half-hour promotion for Showtime. Also scheduled are some live silly ballgames. In any event, Cox, which has taken over more and more of the cable TV franchises in Oklahoma, is now becoming a cable programmer itself. Meanwhile, back in Enid, Cox advertises changes in the basic cable lineup as of May 11, which will bring The Cox Channel to C29, ``your source for local programming``!, bumping USA to C27, bumping Animal Planet to C60, which had been vacated by Showtime when it was moved to digital. They will also be bringing in News Now 53 (as it is known in OKC, 24 hour news from KWTV-9 --- actually just the latest newscast repeated over and over, I think), on C53 here too, which will require that Fox Sports move to C37, bumping CNN Headline News to C63, another previously vacant channel. I have seen no publicity about Cox Channel being on C72 for the time being, and imagine many viewers will not have discovered it, with their TVs and VCRs not programmed to include that channel, and it is not in the TVGuide cable channel 59 (Glenn Hauser, Enid, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** OKLAHOMA [and non]. Better for business: Texas or Oklahoma? (I'm posting this to both the Oklahoma and Texas boards because I'd like input from citizens of both states.) Two years ago, I purchased what was then KRMN-FM, a 6,000 watt FM at 92.7, in Shamrock, Texas. I immediately changed the calls to KBKH in an attempt at branding the station as "new" and unlike the former operation, before my arrival. I was immediately branded an "outsider" and (after a nice memo from the local chamber of commerce director was circulated) virtually every local business stopped advertising on my station, virtually killing it for all practical purposes. Now, we're ready to go back to full power (after an upgrade) and full service facility as a 50,000 watt class C-2 FM on 92.9. However, as the "Texas reception" hasn't gotten any better (we were even subjected to an armed robbery - literally - and recorded the entire incident on both video and audio to only be told by local law enforcement that it wasn't a "crime" but was a "mistake"), I'm seriously wondering if I shouldn't consider moving the entire operation into nearby Oklahoma as it's only 14 miles east of our current site and is definitely a minor move in the eyes of the FCC. Bottom line: Previous station management (under an LMA) had borrowed money from the local Economic Development Board and defaulted. The Economic Development Board is sore because they THOUGHT the station license would be collateral and they'd end up owning a radio station (such as WRR in Dallas). Then, they found out that, not only is a city not allowed to become a broadcast licensee but, the "defaulters" weren't even the licensees (their "attorney" didn't properly research the situation beforehand) and they've loaned money to people who didn't "own" what they'd wanted most to use as collateral. (BIG MESS THAT HAS *NOTHING* TO DO WITH ME!!!) Their solution: Back out of our negotiations to purchase the building and tower site (by paying off the loan the other folks had defaulted on) and steal our equipment at gunpoint (the other guys emptied the station on their way out). We finally managed (after almost two years and with the help of the local courts) to get our equipment back but, only after we'd built a new studio and transmitter site north of town. My question: Do I want to build a new 50,000 watt FM facility near this town that is so fast to knowingly STEAL an entire radio station and repeatedly ignore numerous court orders to return what they've stolen? Or, do I want to move my entire operation into neighboring Oklahoma and hope the people there are more friendly? I hate to say this but, the "Texas Panhandlers" (for lack of a better term) are so inhospitable that my entire family absolutely HATES the entire area because of the few "powermongers" who've done this to us. Most of the people here seem to be nice and friendly people but, they WILL NOT take a stand and help put these crooks where they belong. Our station's public file is full of many letters from "concerned citizens" who'll speak out so long as it's anonymously. Unfortunately, when attempting to prove criminal conspiracy in a courtroom setting, "anonymous" isn't allowed... Will Texas continue to be this inhospitable? If I move a big FM station into another state because of this, it certainly won't look GOOD for the local city "oafishals" who've created this atmosphere... Thanks in advance for your replies, Keith Hammond, President / General Manager KBKH-FM, Shamrock, Texas 1-866-726-9209 (Toll-Free) (April 9, Radio-Info Texas board via DXLD) I'm just curious, umm... how far can it be moved? What I'm asking is, could the station be moved closer to Lawton? For example, could the C2 station be moved to Hobart? That would give coverage of Lawton and Elk City -- but not Shamrock! What better way to stick it to them than take their station away completely? I'm just thinking out loud. It probably won't work anyway. But I think moving it to Sayre might not be a bad idea. Trip (Mark Ericson, ibid.) I've been all through that for the past two years. we can NOT move and re-license to another town because this is Shamrock's "first aural service". But, we can move approximately 22 miles (approximately) to the north and east. No moving south due to KNIN and no west due to KQIZ. Gotta go north and/or east. This WOULD allow us to hit Sayre with a good city-grade signal and Sayre could conceivably have a new radio station. Elk City coverage wouldn't be bad, either (Hammond, ibid.) I read about your situation a couple of years ago. It appears you are in the midst of a town boss who wants his fiefdom run his way. He doesn't want an outsider to upset his control. Your best bet is to move, studio, and location, the tower. Have you asked the U.S. Atty in your region to look into the matter? This smacks of federal laws being violated, since your station is licensed by the Fed. Gov. This sounds like a page out of history, when Wolfman jack literally had to fight for his station across the border (``edwardrmurrow``, ibid.) I'm not stupid enough for even a minute to think that the entire state is as mentally deficient as the goons in Shamrock. In fact, of the 2,029 people (as read from the city sign), fully 2,000 of them are wonderful people that are "squahed" [squashed?] into oppression by the remaining 29 jerks. The problem is that the jerks are people like "uncle Jerry Bob" or "loverboy Davey" and no one is willing to risk bringing the wrath of the jerks upon them by saying something detrimental (truthful) about this circle of clowns. Also, there's the small matter of the FCC not allowing such a move. 60 Minutes? They're "not interested". Most folks that I've contacted seem to think that, if what I tell them is true, they'd have gotten more complaints than "just this one". (Sure! I think each of the 32 other Shamrock radio station owners have called in the past, too! - Sarcasm. There are NO others to call with the same complaint.) (Hammond, ibid.) Since I prevented their takeover, no crime was committed on a federal level. Some state laws were broken and the state people (Texas Rangers, etc.) tell me they'll investigate as soon as I provide a POLICE REPORT (local police refuse to write one up) to go on... || I would sell the station to someone else, collect my losses and move on. The world is way too big to mess with low life po-dunk towns who seem to think they are above federal law. || Not an option. This is the reason for this thread. If I complete the station upgrade, Shamrock is suddenly a great deal LESS than 5% of the audience and 5% of the advertisers. Then, who cares about an organized band of thieves? I just need to know if it's worthy of moving the entire station into another state in order to accomplish this. || I would additionally contact your nearest local TV affiliate, share your story with them and see if they will do a story on the situation. If it's provable. Towns are funny when they are made to look like idiots. Which they are. || This story's been reported by several Amarillo television stations. In fact, during June of 2003, a judge ordered the EDC director to open the doors and return our equipment "today or else!". TV news crews followed us and video-taped us carrying LOADS of our equipment out while reporters said nice things such as, "a local radio station owner finally gets his equipment back almost a year after it was unlawfully seized by Shamrock Economic Development Corporation"... The result? Local townspeople felt that *I* had "embarrassed the entire community" by pressing the matter and should've "left them boys alone" because "they're used to gettin' their way" and "always have done this kind of thing until now" and "nobody's ever stood up to 'em until now" and "they didn't think it would ever happen that somebody'd call their bluff". (Maybe they're right? By "Texas Logic", at least? It would've only cost me some $85,000.00 in equipment to AVOID embarrassing these poor students of "Texas Pride".) These people are an EMBARRASSMENT to the one in the White House. The message boards on our website contain quite a bit of information on this but, most of it is hidden behind password protected areas due to never-ending hacking attempts. (We password protected most of them after someone actually managed to clear out an entire message board. I guess they think that, if you can't hack in, you can surely corrupt the entire thing...) Anyway, the site is at http://www.kbkh.com and the message boards are accessible from the front page, there. Please, sign up and join in! Maybe then, the locals will lose their fear of what we're now calling the "Red River Mafia"... KFDA has followed our story pretty closely and has provided favorable coverage three or four times, now. (June of 2003, they taped shots of us carrying our equipment out of the building while the EDC director stood around grumbling about how "the judge just doesn't seem to understand...") funny thing about that is that, after the story aired, the local population didn't seem to hear the story, itself ("A local radio station owner finally gets back equipment that was unlawfully seized by Shamrock Economic development Corporation..."). All they noticed was that I - and my station - had "shamed their community" by taking the matter to court and getting the equipment back. (It was only valued at just over $85,000.00 so, I wonder what the incentive was to do that...) The townsfolk seem to feel that "they've made a few mistakes and there's just no graceful way out". For the life of me, I can not find a way of offering one, either. BTW, we run KFDA-TV's local newscasts on KBKH. They're VERY friendly people (Hammond, ibid.) I'm just curious as to which state is best (tax-wise and otherwise) in which to operate a business. I'm originally from Alabama and have no idea of how Texas and oklahoma operate. (But, Shamrock people still tell me I'm not "from the South". any more "south" than Mobile - my home town - and I'd be swimming!) (Hammond, Radio-Info Oklahoma board via DXLD) Terry [I thought his name was Keith], I hope you will consider moving your operation to Oklahoma. Please see the attached web URL for information about operating a business in Oklahoma. Regards. Robert http://www.youroklahoma.com/?c=4 (KD5KZY, ibid.) I think it kind of depends. I know Texas at least used to have a pretty heavy franchise tax while Oklahoma didn't. However, Oklahoma usually got that money out of businesses through other tax means. Texas has no state income tax, or at least it didn't when I last lived there, while Oklahoma does. The sales tax in Texas, on the other hand, is quite a bit higher than Oklahoma's. I've heard that, if you add everything up, the tax burden in Oklahoma is slightly lower than in Texas, though I did slightly better in Texas than I did in Oklahoma. After all, the tax burden hits different people differently. Also, remember that people who live in one state and work in the other get SCREWED! Those who live in Texas and work in Oklahoma have state income taxes taken out of their paychecks that I don't believe they can ever get back while those who live in Oklahoma and work in Texas don't but have to write a big check to the Oklahoma Tax Commission at tax time! When it comes to the better state tax-wise, you're probably best off talking to a tax lawyer or an accountant who's an expert on taxes in both states. I've lived in both and had a few courses in tax law and accounting, but I'm nowhere near an expert in either field. When it comes to the attitudes of both states, my experience is that rural Oklahoma and rural Texas are about the same. If you had the same situation on the other side of the state line, you'd probably be experiencing the same or something similar. Of course, since that didn't happen in Oklahoma, you might find yourself in a better situation there. Maybe you should try doing a market survey? That might tell you what the demand for your product would be in Oklahoma. Good luck to you. By the way, are you going to be restoring the streaming of your station? I'd certainly be curious to hear it! (Kent, ibid.) Thanks for the insight, Kent. I'm just not too sure about what is what in this area as I'm not even from here, at all. (Obviously, this is where my troubles start...) As for the streaming, I *do* have plans to re-start that as soon as I can gain access at better that a 26.4k dialup connection. (We only have a single high-speed ISP in town and they're now using the radio station's old towers for their wireless delivery with the stipulation (so their techs tell me) that we (the REAL station) are not allowed to become a customer. They will not discuss my signing up, will not return a call and will not respond to mailed inquiries..) We tried the "direcway" plan for a while, last year. It's fast but, it seems to only work in short bursts. Streaming comes out (both incoming and outgoing) as a broken stream that rebuffers several times a minute. I gave up on that plan after about two months of trying (and $800 worth of BILLING MISTAKES from direcway). (Hammond, ibid.) From your coverage map it looks as if the upgrade to a C2 status has given you several other towns to look at. My claim to fame in the area is that I once fed a little league baseball game to KGRO in Pampa, and the thing was sold out.... It seems like these towns are ripe for the pickin' so to speak. If it was my situation, I would try to go into these places like Elk City, Memphis, and Pampa and cherry pick the cream accounts. Carry regional sports and don't focus so much on that one town. You probably know all this but I have seen it done on other stations and it has worked well. I would start hard selling Oklahoma towns. Start giving them service they don't already have from you (Local News coverage, sports PBP, OU football) and see if it sells. If you are successful in those places, move your studio and go for it. If you can't make a living with a regional approach, I'd find a talented broker like Dave Garland real quick. We're behind you --- don't let yourself feel totally defeated because a bunch of rednecks can't be grateful for the service you are providing (MediaMogul, ibid.) MediaMogul, that's EXACTLY what I have in mind! To service the outer areas (that will no longer be outer areas at full power) and to IGNORE Shamrock. Brokers? I'll delete the license before I let the Red River Mafia gain control of it! BTW, thanks for the support! I really appreciate it (Hammond, ibid.) ** PAPUA NEW GUINEA. 3325, 1115-1124 April 10, R. North Solomons mixing with co-channel Palangkaraya at equal strength. Mournful, PNG tribal music with vocals and stringed instrument to much more cheerful sing-sing choral tune at 1020. Male announcer in pidgin 1123. R. North Solomons seemed to be the only PNG putting on a good show this morning; the remainder of the outlets had weak, watery signals (Guy Atkins, Puyallup, WA USA, modded RA6790GM & R-75 receivers, Kiwa MAP / ERGO / DSP-59+, 700 ft. E-W Beverage, Cumbredx mailing list via DXLD) ** PAPUA NEW GUINEA. Three new SW stations coming, including one on 4960 --- will someone assume it is Vanuatu? Read on! (gh) NOT JUST A NEW CATHOLIC STATION, BUT A WHOLE NEW CATHOLIC NETWORK, IN THE MOST EXOTIC COUNTRY ON THE FACE OF THE EARTH --- PAPUA NEW GUINEA Boroko, Apr 6 (CRU) --- A Catholic Radio Update search several weeks ago for Catholic radio stations with websites produced a remarkable find: not just a new Catholic radio station, nor even a new Catholic radio station in a new land, but an entire network expanding across the national territory. And that in perhaps the most exotic country on earth --- Papua New Guinea. When one thinks of Papua New Guinea, one thinks of a rugged island in the Pacific in southeast Asia so densely jungled that hundreds of Stone Age peoples continue to live untrammeled by the evils of civilization as they have lived for millennia. One thinks, too, of head-hunters and cannibals. The Diocese of Aitape (formerly called Milne Bay) has a fine overview of Papua New Guinea, the province of Sandaun, and the town of Aitape in perfect English at its website. http://www.global.net.pg/diocese_of_aitape/gen.html Nature can also be rough on Papua New Guinea, composed primarily of the eastern half New Guinea (Indonesia holds the western half) and 600 other islands. It is a land of active volcanoes, earthquakes, and ferocious tidal waves. Six years ago this July, Aitape itself was hit by two major earthquakes and numerous tidal waves. Historically, colonial empires were rather late coming to New Guinea. The Spanish and Portuguese explorers visited the island in the early 1500`s and several times after; the Dutch and English also visited the islands until 1884, when the Germans settled on the northeastern coast and England settled in southeastern New Guinea and the nearby islands. Great Britain gave its colony to Australia in 1905, which named it Papua. When World War I broke out in 1914, Australian troops invaded and conquered the German colony. The League of Nations, forerunner of the United Nations, gave Australia control in 1920, and so they remained until independence was granted in 1975. During World War II, Japan held much of the big island between 1942 and 1944, and some of the bloodiest naval and air warfare took place over the nearby Solomon Islands. Because of a century of colonization by England and then Australia, Papua New Guinean widely understand English, but a Pidgin English, incorrectly called a babyfied English or a corrupted English, is spoken throughout the land (see the sidebar story). The Catholic Church in Papua New Guinea is fairly well developed, although Catholics make up only about one-third of its nigh 5 million people. There are 4 archdioceses and 14 dioceses. The PNG Church has a fine website, much worth the visit because not only is the country intriguing, but because the web pages are quite interesting and much more developed than one would ever expect for a missionary country --- http://www.catholicpng.org.pg/ The Marist Fathers introduced Catholicism to this land about 1844. Protestant competition, government clumsiness in attempting to divide the mission territory among churches, and the depredations caused by the brutal Japanese during World War II affected the work greatly. It was through the brutality and persecution of the Church by the Japanese that Papua New Guinea produced its first saint, Blessed Peter ToRot. A lay catechist and family man, he continued the work of the Church after the Japanese imprisoned the priests, catechizing, baptizing, animating the Catholics to continue in their faith despite the great cost. Ultimately, he was poisoned by the Japanese. His biography, subject of a television documentary produced by the Church in Papua New Guinea, is extraordinarily interesting http://www.rtapng.com.pg/faith/ToRot.html It is of saintly people like Blessed Peter ToRot that the Church is born and grows. The Catholic Radio Network of Papua New Guinea (CRN PNG) is an outgrowth of that missionary work. The Catholic Bishops Conference of Papua New Guinea and the Solomon Islands (CBC PNG & SI) own and operate the network through their Commission for Social Communication. The web page http://www.catholicpng.org/pg/crn/history.html gives a brief but complete history of the network. The reader is directed there for that history in good English. Briefly, it was less than a year ago that the CBC PNG & SI decided to go ahead and establish CRN. Within days, it received its licenses and two months later first test transmissions began in Rabaul during a youth pilgrimage. A month later a second test broadcast was begun. At the end of that month, the 103.5 FM transmitter in Port Moresby, the national capital, began operations. Within days a satellite uplink was established, and a downlink at the Rabaul 91.3 FM transmitter permitted start of the network. In October last year, Aitape 92.9 FM and Vanimo 91.5 FM were added. Since CRU first visited the CRN PNG website, a new station at Mount Hagen, Trinity FM on 98.1 FM, has been added. The PNG government has also authorized startup of a shortwave transmitter on 4960 MHz at Vanimo, relaying the FM network. That shortwave launch (power unknown) is scheduled for sometime this month, if it has not already happened. Plans include a shortwave transmitter for Rabaul, an FM and shortwave station in Rabaul, and an FM station in Madang. In the last two months, CRN PNG has added a detailed program schedule to its website. There is a great deal of Gospel music, but the station is more than just Christian entertainment. The Sunday schedule [UT +10] indicates Sunday Mass with Archbishop Brian Barnes from the Port Moresby Cathedral at 9 a.m. (replayed that evening), followed by ``In the Lord`s Vineyard,`` an interview program with bishops, priests, religious, and laymen as guests. The Angelus is heard at the traditional hours (6, noon, and 6), the Rosary is broadcast at 7 p.m. RTA, the Religious Television Association, which seems to be the umbrella organization for operating mass media for the Papua New Guinea Church, has a special program, ``Signs of the Times,`` at 5 p.m. At 7:30 p.m. Archbishop Barnes has his own program, ``Catholic Insight.`` The English language programs of HVJ Vatican Radio are heard 12:05-12:40 p.m. and 8-8:40 p.m. The station operates overnight broadcasting ``Gospel music.`` Its precise nature is unknown --- universal Christian contemporary? Catholic contemporary? Native music? Traditional hymns? A mix? [continued below after sidebar] ====================================================================== TOK PISIN (CLAN TALK), THE NATIONAL LANGUAGE OF PAPUA NEW GUINEA Tok Pisin, better known as Pidgin English, is a Creole form of English spoken widely in Papua New Guinea, mainly in the northern half of the country. As of 1982, about 50,000 people spoke it as a first tongue. Some 2 million persons speak it as a second language. Given the plethora of languages native to Papua New Guinea, Pidgin is a prime lingua franca used for communication within the country. It is the most frequently used language in the Papua New Guinea Parliament and in commerce. Distinct dialects exist between lowlands, highlands, and islands, with the highlands dialect having the greatest influence from English. From the website of the University of Dayton, Mary page: http://www.udayton.edu/mary/resources/flhm01.html#tokpisin THE LORD`S PRAYER IN TOK PISIN Read this prayer out loud and you will recognize many words that sound similar to standard English. ``Bilong`` means ``belong,`` and is a way of showing possession/ownership (in the grammatical sense): ``Papa bilong mipela`` means ``Father who belongs to us``; ``yu stap long heven`` --- ``you stay long[time] in heaven.`` Terry and Sylvia Barhorst have compiled an English-Pidgin dictionary at http://www.june29.com//HLP/lang/pidgin.html; to translate a term (such as ``tude``), click control + find at that website and type in the term. Papa bilong mipela yu stap long heven. Mekim nem bilong yu i kamap bikpela. Mekim kingdom bilong yu i kam. Strongim mipela long bihainim laik bilong yu long graun, olsem ol i bihainim long heven. Givim mipela kaikai inap long tude. Pogivim rong bilong mipela, olsem mipela i pogivim ol arapela i mekim rong long mipela. Sambai long mipela long taim bilong traim. Na rausim olgeta samting nogut long mipela. Amen. --- Prayer from Fr. Geoffrey S. Lee, St Michael`s Eriku Parish, Lae, Morobe Province, Papua New Guinea. - E-mail socom @ global.net.pg From the website http://www.christusrex.org/www1/pater/JPN-pisin.html There are two more versions of the Lord`s Prayer in Tok Pisin to be found there. THE HAIL MARY IN TOK PISIN Ave, Maria, yu pulap long grasia. Lord, i stap long yu. Ol i onaim yu moa long ol meri, na ol i onaim Jisas, Em Pikinini bilong bel bilong yu. Santu Maria, Mama bilong God, pre bilong helpim mipela manmeri bilong sin, nau na long taim milpela i dai. Amen. This translation has been obtained from a Catholic prayerbook in Pidgin, the Imprimatur of which is (in Pidgin) ``Peter Kurongku, Arsbisop blong Port Moresby Arsdaiosis`` This translation contributed by Gerard Mulholland, Brisbane Archdiocesan President of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul. Other source: Ethnologue Index. --- from the University of Dayton page on Mary: http://www.udayton.edu/mary/resources/flhm01.html#tokpisin Interesting websites for Tok Pisin: Kami Wontok`s, with great links: http://www.geocities.com/TheTropics/5958/tls.html Robert Eklund`s, with even more great links: http://www.ida.liu.se/~g-robek/PNG-TokPisin.htm You should also do a websearch with the term ``Tok Pisin`` --- be sure to enclose in quotation marks so that the term, and not the individual words, will be searched for. ===================================================================== The weekday programming is essentially the same, but there is more traditional Catholic programming and less music. After the Angelus at 6 a.m., there is a meditation, the Vatican English service at 7 a.m., heard again at 9 a.m. and just after noon is struck. There is a program for children at 9:35 a.m., ``Kids Sing Along.`` The Chaplet of Divine Mercy is said at 3 p.m., the Rosary at 7 p.m. The 8 to 9 p.m. hour is dedicated to news; Vatican Radio World News, followed by 15 minutes of CRN local news, followed by the Vatican Radio magazine program in English. The Vatican program for Southeast Asia in English is rebroadcast at 10:30 p.m. There is no broadcast of Daily Mass, although there are broadcasts of the Chaplet and the Rosary every day. In fact, this Monday schedule, punctuated with blocks of Gospel music, is the weekday schedule, as one may expect, with the exception of specific EWTN programs, which vary daily. It should be noted that most of these once-a-week programs broadcast in the morning are repeated in the late afternoon or evening. What is striking about the Monday schedule is that there is a great deal of programming from EWTN in a part of the world where you would not expect it. In fact, there are several prominent links on the Church in Papua New Guinea website to EWTN. ``Best of the Journey Home`` is heard at 8 a.m., ``Catholic Jukebox`` at 9 a.m., ``Joy of Music`` at 10 a.m. ``The Gospel of Mark`` at 1 p.m., ``Catholic Jukebox`` is repeated at 4 p.m., and ``Message in the Music`` at 5 p.m. ``The Many Faces of Mary`` with Bob and Penny Lord is heard at 6:30 p.m., and Benediction from EWTN at 7:30 p.m. There are repeats of EWTN programming after the 8 p.m. news hour. Programs peculiar to Tuesday are ``Radio St Joseph Presents,`` heard twice; ``Super Saints`` with Bob and Penny Lord, and ``Tok Stret,`` a local program produced by a Franciscan and dealing with HIV and AIDS. Wednesday programs are ``Scripture Matters`` with Dr. Scott Hahn at 8 a.m., as well as his ``First Comes Love`` at 1 p.m. EWTN offers ``Fatima ---Heaven`s Peace Plan`` at 6:30 p.m., ``Doctors of the Church`` at 7:30 p.m. There is a rebroadcast of Tuesday night`s ``Tok Stret.`` Thursday programs follow the weekday track, except for ``The Journey Home`` with Marcus Grodi at 8 a.m., Dr. Scott Hahn`s ``Hail, Holy Queen`` at 1 p.m., a rebroadcast of the Archbishop`s Sunday night program, and an apparent new edition of Father Jude`s ``Tok Stret.`` Friday special programs originate from St Joseph Radio (8 a.m.), Dr. Scott Hahn`s ``Our Father`s Plan`` at 1 p.m., ``The Wave Factor`` at 5 p.m., ``Fatima --- Heaven`s Peace Plan`` at 6:30 p.m., and a rebroadcast of Thursday`s ``Tok Stret.`` Saturday programs (mislabeled ``Friday`` on the webpage) are heavy on music and entertainment, as are Sunday`s. ``Our Father`s Plan`` begins at 7 a.m.; after Vatican Radio, ``Backstage`` and ``The Wave Factor`` are heard back to back, followed by local programs of music. Raymond Arroyo`s ``The World Over News`` is heard at 5 p.m. and repeated at 9 p.m.; the Vatican English program for Southeast Asia at 6:05 p.m.; Bob and Penny Lord`s ``Miracle of the Cross`` at 6:30 p.m.; and ``Crossroads`` at 7 p.m. The late afternoon and evening are filled otherwise with repeats of earlier programming of the day, and the usual news block. A cursory analysis of the programming shows that the bishops of Papua New Guinea conceive their new network to be a method of evangelization, in large part but not anywhere near exclusively, through entertainment by Christian music. There are several hours of request music on the weekends, sizable blocks throughout of the weekdays and weekends of ``Gospel music,`` and heavy use of what religious music programs EWTN offers --- ``Catholic Jukebox,`` ``Message in the Music,`` ``The Wave Factor,`` and ``Backstage,`` and these are repeated often throughout the week at least once each day. Beyond that, the Angelus, the Rosary, and the Chaplet of Divine Mercy are heard daily. There are several interview and teaching programs produced by CRN, and these while not many are well chosen and positioned among its music and news programming. What is interesting about the network are the EWTN programs they choose out of the EWTN lineup: Marcus Grodi, Dr. Scott Hahn, Bob and Penny Lord predominate. Papua New Guinea, like the Philippines, is 10 hours ahead of Greenwich Mean Time (same as Universal Coordinated Time, same as Zulu time --- GMT, UTC), which is the hour of London. London time is six hours ahead of New York time, which means that when it is 6 a.m. in New York City, it is 10 p.m. in Papua New Guinea. When it is noon Friday in New York City, it is 4 a.m. Saturday in Papua New Guinea. Obviously, CRN PNG must make adjustments for the great time difference. ``Catholic Answers Live`` at 6 p.m. New York time every day would be heard live, if it were heard, at 10 a.m. in Papua New Guinea. [wrong: London is 5 hours ahead of NY when both are on DST; and PNG is 9 hours ahead of London during summer, tho UT +10. So when it is 6 am in NY it is 8 pm in PNG; noon in NY = 2 am in PNG --- gh] Catholic Radio Network Papua New Guinea is --- to use an overworked word, but to use it justifiably here --- astounding. Conceived a year ago by the Bishops of Papua New Guinea and the Solomons, it received its license almost immediately, was testing by last June and on the air in September. The network is not complete yet, a year later, but by any measuring stick in any country of the world, this is astounding progress. Mind you, we are dealing with a developing nation not much more than a quarter-century independent, a nation of as many as 820 separate languages, of tropical cities and ports right out of Graham Greene, and Stone Age people as primitive as they come, a nation which has had its problems of civil unrest and rebellious movements (particularly in Bougainvillea), and is suffering greatly in the depressed world economy. Nevertheless, the Church is there and thriving; 160 years after the pioneering Marist Fathers arrived, one out of three Papuans is Catholic, and the Church is vibrant. Their website is not only amazing for its simplicity and ease of use, but for the amount of really interesting information. This website equals much of what I have seen in the Church in developing countries. On top of all this, the Papua New Guinea Church has put CRN PNG on the air, nationwide, 24 hours a day. To launch a Catholic radio network in less than a year is indeed an astounding achievement. Database National Network: Catholic Radio Network Papua New Guinea (CRN PNG). Bishops Conference of Papua New Guinea and Solomon Islands, Commission for Social Communication. Religious Television Association of Papua New Guinea (RTA). P.O. Box 7671, Boroko NDC, Papua New Guinea. Tel.: (675) 323-5809, fax 325-5202. E-mail: crnnews @ rtapng.com.pg Website: http://www.catholicpng.org.pg/crn/history.html Stations: Rabaul 91.3 FM (500 watts), Port Moresby 103.5 FM (500 watts), Aitape 92.9 FM (500 watts), Vanimo 91.5 FM (300 watts) & 4960 MHz [sic] shortwave. (power unknown). Mount Hagen: Trinity FM 98.1 FM (300 watts). Planned: Alotau: FM & shortwave; Rabaul: add shortwave; Madang: FM (Mike Dorner, Catholic Radio Update April 12 via DXLD) ** PERU. Radio Melodía, Arequipa, have returned from 5907 to their old frequency of 5997 kHz; in the morning with religious program and music in the night with live sport transmission. Remember that in DX LISTENING DIGEST 4-066, was reported a fútbol program under Chile; I guess this is the listening. R. V. of People, Seoul, Corea, transmitting in this frequency but in a new time. 73 desde Durazno Uruguay (Alfredo Locatelli, Webmaster de "El EsKuch@" http://www.qsl.net/cx1no April 11, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Voz Cristiana is scheduled on 5995, but not until later in the night. Which frequency and what time do you mean for Korea? (Glenn Hauser, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** ROMANIA. WHRI s/on 15105 just before 13z, RESULT: Two clashing broadcasts in English. The other station is RRI-Bucharest --- to NA? (Wells Perkins, New Jersey, April 10, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** RUSSIA [+non]. My thanks go to Kai and Mauno for reminding me about VOR's sub-leasing to small religious program producers: Radio Santec is indeed not the only "exception". I have to correct my generalizing statement in this regard. As far as the producers that Kai mentioned are concerned, I can confirm that Missionswerk Werner Heukelbach, Missionswerk Freundesdienst and Lutherische Stunde are carried during the current A04 season. The available schedules are partly conflicting however. As an example, the official time table of Missionswerk Werner Heukelbach for April lists transmissions via VOR Mon/Tue/Thu/Fri 1845- 1900 on 603/1215/1323/1386 & 6145/7300 - while the schedule on the VOR website gives MW and 7330/7440/15455 as SW frequencies for VOR's German service for this time period. The frequencies supplied by Lutherische Stunde for their program Wed 1745-1800 on the other hand match with that of VOR's German program: 1215/1323/1386 and 7330/15455 (Bernd Trutenau, Lithuania, DX LISTENING DIGEST) RE: Russia on 7125 kHz --- Thanks for the correction by Bernd Trutenau and comments of Kai Ludwig. It was only on April 11 at 0027 UT to past 0110 I was able to recheck this. It was indeed "Russkoye Mezhdunarodnoye Radio" and ID's as such with the same style program as last weekend. Program was as last week, Russian pop music, with news headlines on the hour, and commercials. Good signal, SINPO 44444. As Bernd Trutenau noted, a "phonetic misunderstanding" of what I thought was Radio Krishnaloka. As I did not listen during the week, I wonder if this is daily, or just weekends, both times heard here Saturday evening local time (Roger Chambers, Utica, New York, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** RWANDA [and non]. Re: ``the listing of IBRA radio 1730-1800 on 11690 is a straight collision with the VT Merlin schedule where Kigali-11690 is shown for FEBA in Somali 1700-1757... Or have IBRA and FEBA anything to do with each other? (Kai Ludwig, Germany, April 9)`` Yes Kai, IBRA produced programs have slots in transmissions by FEBA, HCJB (12025 via G), TWR and other religious broadcasters. More details on the PDF file on http://www.ibra.org --- however it shows some contradictions in frequency usage compared to the info FEBA gives (Silvain Domen, Belgium, April 10, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** SWITZERLAND. Last SRI Program via Real Audio --- I found this link for a "Real Audio" version of Swiss Radio International's final program (same one they have been running over and over for the last few days). One plus is about 5 minutes of the interval signal at the end. http://real.sri.ch/ramgen/sri/en/nb/ennca.rm (Dave Zantow, N9EWO, Janesville, WI, April 10, dxldyg via DXLD) ** U S A. GOOD NEWS FOR CANTONESE SERVICE [RADIO FREE ASIA] The chair of the Broadcasting Board of Governors has told Congress RFA`s Cantonese broadcasts will continue. This comes after intense lobbying of Congress by the Guild. Representatives of the Guild met with several lawmakers over the last few weeks. We found members of Congress strongly opposed to the BBG’s decision to end Cantonese broadcasts. Among those supporting us was Virginia Republican Congressman Frank Wolf. Wolf chairs the House subcommittee that oversees the BBG. Virginia Democratic Congressman Jim Moran and Maryland Democratic Senator Barbara Mikulski also both strongly supported our position. At a hearing last week, Congressman Wolf pressured BBG Chair Kenneth Tomlinson to continue the Cantonese broadcasts. Tomlinson agreed they would continue. It isn`t clear yet whether all the proposed cuts are being restored or whether hours of broadcast and jobs could still be cut. We have asked RFA to clarify this and we will tell you when we find out (RFA Guild Unit April 8 via DXLD) ** U S A. KVOH missing from 17775 at 2200 UT check April 10; come to think of it, also missing for a few days. Wonder if the old transmitter, not operating at full power, has finally given up, or maybe preparing to install one of the ex-FEBA units? (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) {not for long: 4-068} ** U S A. Dave Frantz of WWRB P-mailed a sample of a new certificate which is now available to Listener Club Members. It`s on heavy card stock, with spaces for Gold Seals along the left and right sides --- on the left the seals designate transmission mode (AM, SSB, Digital Voice, Teletype text, PSK-31 text, SSTV, Radio Fax), and on the right transmitter and frequency. You can send them further reports for different frequencies and modes and presumably get back further seals until you fill in all the spaces, if possible. In addition, the dates are written in. So apparently this is the way one may now QSL WWRB. Surely they wouldn`t go to all the trouble of printing up the certificates and the seals if they weren`t going to use them (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A. Logged 4/10/2004, the Sat 1230z Cumbre starts at about 1226z so that WHRI can sign off and move to 15105 (Wells Perkins, New Jersey, April 10, DX LISTENING DIGEST) see also ROMANIA I just confirmed that DXing with Cumbre IS NOT UT Sundays at 0230 on 7580; they were broadcasting World Harvest County Style during that time, which is listed in their program guide as being both Saturday local and UT Saturday, as Cumbre is listed as both Sunday local and UT Sunday (John Norfolk-USA, Apr 10, via Wolfgang Büschel, DX LISTENING DIGEST) I can also confirm that 0230 Sunday WHRA 7580 is a long-standing error on the WHRI schedule. This broadcast is Sunday in the local evening - so it will of course be Monday morning UT. This one has been wrong on the WHRI schedule for ages - years probably! I don't know why as all their other day conversions seem to be OK. I should have a new DX Prog list on the BDXC web site very soon - maybe this evening. All the best (Dave Kenny, UK, Apr 11 via Büschel, ibid.) ** U S A. N.C. PUBLIC RADIO STATION SPANS GLOBE IN ALL AVAILABLE MEDIA [sic] MICHAEL FELBERBAUM Associated Press http://www.macon.com/mld/macon/8375870.htm?1c WAKE FOREST, N.C. - Tucked off a dirt and gravel road in a small North Carolina town, a tiny radio station is staging a revolution in public radio that reaches places like Iraq and Guatemala. At one end of WCPE-FM's pastoral property is a brick building with small satellite dishes and antennae. At the other, a masonry building serves as the powerhouse for a 1,200-foot FM radio tower. Melodies of age-old works from Stravinsky, Tchaikovsky and Bach permeate the station, welcoming visitors to northern Wake County even as they are beamed to lovers of classical music worldwide. In one sense, WCPE is the epitome of public radio - listener-supported and free of commercial influence. But its efforts to spread its signal are aggressive and evangelistic, more in keeping with a fiercely competitive commercial broadcaster. Deborah Proctor, who has run the station for more than 25 years, has given WCPE - 89.7 on your FM dial, for those within range of traditionl broadcasts - a straightforward mission: all classical music, all the time, to as wide a listenership as possible, using any distribution method possible. As a result, an unlimited number of Internet listeners can tune in WCPE through any of five different streaming audio formats - MP3, Quicktime, Windows Media Player, Real Audio and an open-source player known as Ogg Vorbis. Each month, the station streams about 10 terabits of data over the Internet - the equivalent of more than 7.1 million floppy disks. While other public radio stations have been happy to limit their streams to 200 simultaneous Internet listeners under a Recording Industry Association of America agreement aimed at hindering "Webcasting," Christa Wessel, the station's Web services director, said such a move "would just be inconceivable" for WCPE. The station's Internet following ensures that at any given time, way more than 200 people worldwide are tuning in, Wessel said. "We used to look at Orange County, N.C., as being the adjacent county and the next-door listeners," Proctor said. "Now we look at Orange County, Calif., as being the adjacent county and the next-door listeners." The only way for WCPE to know where Internet listeners are tuning in is through online correspondence. From Baghdad, a soldier named Caleb writes: "I just wanted to drop you a line to let you know that your free classical radio Internet station is appreciated all the way around the world by soldiers in Baghdad, Iraq. Thanks a lot." Stephan, a listener from Guatemala, writes: "You may find it interesting that you have listeners the world over, in this case from Guatemala in Central America. I enjoy your programs very much and listen via Internet to the lovely classical music you broadcast while doing work on my computer." WCPE started in 1978 as a small station set up in a house in downtown Raleigh provided by one of the station's supporters. In 1986, the station moved about 25 miles northeast, to Wake Forest, and was given an FM tower with a broadcast antenna by a now-defunct Durham TV station. WCPE is one of only two National Public Radio member stations who take no NPR programming but still qualify under NPR's agreement with various licensing agencies to use copyrighted music owned by the agencies. Home and commercial satellite users, as well as cable companies can use WCPE's programming without a fee and with blanket permission outlined on its Web site. Carol Pierson, president of the National Federation of Community Broadcasters, has worked with WCPE on many of the issues that have been raised by its Webcasting initiatives. "They've been very entrepreneurial about distributing their programming," Pierson said. "There are other public stations that have been very assertive in terms of putting out programming, but it's unusual within community radio to do as much as they have." NFCB represents more than 200 non-commercial radio stations nationwide; Proctor has worked through the group to lobby Congress on behalf of reduced fees for non-commercial Internet broadcasters. "She has been extremely persuasive," Pierson said. The station's effort to expand its listenership is expensive. Proctor said WCPE spends $22,000 a month on its Internet and satellite efforts, five times more than the monthly electric bill for one of its transmitters. She said the expense is an investment in the station's long-term future. "We will target the person who likes great classical music and not try and duplicate or step on the individual local stations," she said. "Face it, we cannot do the weather and local news for everybody. We cannot be that local station. And we will never dominate the local listener. But when the local listener, and I am talking about the guy in California, he'll probably listen to his local station three out of every four hours, but every now and then during work, he will want classical music, he'll switch over to us." WCPE thrives on the support of listeners and volunteers. Of the station's 35 announcers, 27 are volunteers. One, 83-year-old Bud Forsberg, has been helping the station since 1998. Forsberg, who arrived in North Carolina from Vermont just before Hurricane Fran in 1996, stumbled upon the station while searching for life outside his own four walls. "The morning after Fran, I was tuning the radio to see who was still alive out there," he said. "And there's old WCPE, and I said, 'These guys are something else.'" Now, Forsberg said, he likes any excuse that allows him to come and help out. For announcer Deana Vassar, who also serves as promotions and publications director, spreading the human connection through their programming is what makes WCPE so great. "You get the chance to change the world in your small way," Vassar said. "And I think that we're inspiring to people, at least that's what I hear. But by making Mozart human instead of some bust sitting on the piano attracting dust, by doing that you're making the world a better place, bringing it alive." ON THE NET http://www.theclassicalstation.org (via Mike Cooper, DXLD) ** U S A. I came across the following (on the FCC website) by accident, and I'm curious if anyone knows if this station is still operating: Call Sign: WK4XVQ Facility Id: 137495 FRN: Applicant Name: TED HART Frequency: 1520 Channel: Community of License: EATONTON, GA Application Type: EXPERIMENTAL PERMIT Status: GRANTED Status Date: 04/30/2003 The Grant expires 30 April 2004, and is primarily an authorization to rebroadcast WKVQ-1520 during daytime only. The site for additional information, in PDF Format, is at http://svartifoss2.fcc.gov/prod/cdbs/pubacc/Auth_Files/614077.pdf What would be the (experimental) purpose of 2 stations operating on the same frequency, in the same city, at the same time? (Mike Hardester, Jacksonville, NC, April 10, NRC-AM via DXLD) Read the last (#9) condition in the CP in the .pdf file. It looks to me like they want to experiment with a type of antenna that wouldn't be otherwise allowed. 74.182 (cited in condition #4) prohibits the sale of advertising on experimental stations - condition #4 gives WK4XVQ a waiver of this regulation, allowing them to air ads while using the experimental antenna. I guess to specifically answer the question, there *aren't* two stations operating at the same time - they're either operating WKVQ on the standard antenna, or WK4XVQ on the experimental antenna, at any given time (Doug Smith W9WI, Pleasant View (Nashville), TN, ibid.) The station is using an experimental cross field antenna on 1520 for testing. The tower is about a third or less than a normal quarter wave on that frequency. They are taking signal strength measurements to determine the efficiency (Jerry --- ibid.) Yikes, they got the FCC to approve testing the CFA? I get the distinct impression much of the engineering community considers the crossed- field antenna "snake oil"... (Doug Smith W9WI, ibid.) This was a test of a new antenna system based on the E-H concept, perhaps under its pseudonym CFA. It was purported to achieve normal efficiency (as compared to a 1/4 wavelength vertical with good grounding) with very short (just a foot or two) radiators. Most people think this was snake oil. As best I know, no good set of measurements was ever produced proving that the antenna itself actually radiated with decent efficiency (Chuck Hutton, ibid.) ** U S A. RADIO STATION PLANS MAJOR EXPANSION PHIL GARBER, Managing Editor 04/07/2004 A Long Island, N.Y. Korean language radio station wants to erect six, 250-foot tall radio towers in the area as part of a 50,000 watt radio station expansion. [on 740, daytime] The application is pending before the Federal Communications Commission as is a public comment period. If the FCC approves the application, it would still require local building approvals. Area officials and radio stations were unaware of the proposal. Larry Tighe, owner of station WRNJ, based in Hackettstown, said the proposed six tower array would be ``a monster.`` ... http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=11260395&BRD=1918&PAG=461&dept_id=506840&rfi=6 (Recorder April 7 via Curtis Sadowski, WTFDA-AM via DXLD) ** U S A. Dear GLENN HAUSER; I am a regular listener to WOR, most recently on the internet. You have a great show loaded with excellent material. I have been looking for live audio on the net for listening to the New York City Police Department. I already know about the link for Staten Island, therefore, I would be most appreciative if you could forward me any current links for monitoring the rest of the city on-line that are not dead. I am a 41 year old blind Brooklyn N.Y. native living in Richmond VA in western Henrico county. Keep up the great work!! Sincerely, (Bruce Weiss, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Who knows? ** U S A. A W1AW Wannabe near QRP Frequency Glenn, This came from the QRP-L listserv. I have obscured the posters' IDs because I don't have their permission. Also, I have not verified this myself - receiver is not finished yet. 73, (Steve Morley - W1LV, of WPKN, Bridgeport CT, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Sat, 10 Apr 2004 08:10:57 -0700 (PDT) To: QRP-L@mailman.qth.net Subject: [QRP-L] A W1AW Wannabe near QRP Freq For the last couple of days I been getting an annoyingly strong signal from a W1AW wannabe station on 7041.5 kHz. The call of the station is KC0OAB and he is running near continuous CW practice sessions. The content of the practice sessions are all excerpts from the Bible. A quick search on the Web did not reveal any published schedules for this station. 73, ---, Fort Worth --------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Sat, 10 Apr 2004 11:27:20 -0400 (Eastern Standard Time) To: QRP-L@mailman.qth.net Subject: Re: [QRP-L] A W1AW Wannabe near QRP Freq 559 here near cleveland with qsb ranges from s3 to s8 ---------------------------------------------------------- Date: Sat, 10 Apr 2004 10:39:44 -0500 Cc: QRP-L@mailman.qth.net, Subject: Re: [QRP-L] A W1AW Wannabe near QRP Freq Same here in Iowa... (all via Steve Morley, W1LV, CT, DXLD) ** VENEZUELA. Inactiva: Radio Táchira en 4830 kHz (Adán González, Catia La Mar, VENEZUELA, Yaesu FT-890, Antena TH3MK3, April 10, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** VENEZUELA [non]. REACTIVADA RADIO NACIONAL DE VENEZUELA, VÍA CUBA... Hola Glenn, Saludos desde Catia La Mar, VENEZUELA. Reactivada, luego de varios años, Radio Nacional de Venezuela vía Cuba. Escuchada el pasado 07/04 con cierre de emisión a las 2258 UT, en la frecuencia de 11760 kHz. Se citaba el Apartado Postal 3979, para informes de recepción. Vuelta a captar al día siguiente a las 2203, con el micro "Un momento en nuestra historia" y luego una entrevista a Héctor Navarro, Ministro de Educación Superior de la Revolución Bolivariana. Cierre a las 2301. SINPO 5/4,4/3. Se nota que son emisiones ya pregrabadas desde hace un tiempo ya que hay una total ausencia de noticieros o comentarios de actualidad. Otra característica: ausencia del himno nacional al final de las transmisiones. [Luego:] De mi anterior reporte sobre la reactivación de Radio Nacional de Venezuela, debo aclarar una cosa: Que es una presunción de mi parte el que la señal sea retransmitida por Cuba. Lo asumo así porque la frecuencia de 11760 kHz, desde que me reconozco, es un canal de RHC. No he recibido información oficial de que esto sea así, pero lo sospecho. Es más, como escribí anteriormente, la falta de noticieros o comentarios de actualidad hace pensar que la emisiones ya están pregrabadas desde hace un tiempo. Saludos, (Adán González, Venezuela, April 10, DX LISTENING DIGEST) It seems RHC is availablizing more time to RNV when it is not using all its transmitters. Sunday April 11 after 1400, I heard RNV relayed on 17750 as usual for Aló Presidente, but all the other RHC frequencies I found were with its own programming (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) UNIDENTIFIED. I am hearing an Arabic speaking station on 760 kHz sign off at 2300 UT. 760 is an odd frequency, not in step with the 9 kHz separation. 73 (Jose Jacob, VU2JOS, National Institute of Amateur Radio, Raj Bhavan Road, Hyderabad 500082, India, April 10, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Yemen has been on this frequency for some time. It was logged on one of the Newfoundland DXpeditions (Mark Connelly, WA1ION - Billerica, MA, USA, hard-core-dx via DXLD) UNIDENTIFIED. 1710 Mystery Station --- I'm hearing a weak signal on 1710 kilohertz with a male voice talking about Easter at 2250 with orchestral music. Program changed at 2300 E.D.S.T. [0250-0300 UT] to something different but splash from 1700 is making it hard to pull out. Signal loops NNE by SSE from Rochester Hills, MI. I don't think this is the Jewish station in NY (Harold Richards, NRC-AM via DXLD) The last few eves (0200 PDT) [0900 UT] I've been hearing a Spanish language station on this freq. (Might actually be 1709). I live in Seattle BTW. My Spanish is lousy but I think it might be a Cuban. I don't think it is legal for Mexican stations to be this high. Any ideas? 73, (Mike N7ORL, April 9, LWCA [sic] via DXLD) Is it predominantly voice, or is there music too? If there is, is it of broadcast quality, or very bandwidth limited? What I'm wondering is whether it could be a particularly strong TIS or highway advisory station in California, or perhaps Baja or elsewhere, specializing in Spanish language travelers' information? As you note, broadcasters shouldn't be that high. However, it is a frequency authorized for TIS/HAR. Anyone else hearing it who may be able to shed some light? (John Davis, ibid.) It is indeed broadcast quality. I've heard no music as of yet. The announcers have that "engaging" quality in their speech that you hear in typical public-destined transmissions. But it doesn't appear to be a loop. If I continue to hear it, I'll find a way to get it onto some kind of tape or disc (Mike, ibid.) ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ POWERLINE COMMUNICATIONS ++++++++++++++++++++++++ SPECIAL POSTING: "IT SEEMS TO US..." BPL: WHAT NOW? By David Sumner, K1ZZ, ARRL Chief Executive Officer, March 26, 2004 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Editor's note: Typically, only ARRL members get to read the "It Seems to Us ..." editorials that run each month in QST. We're posting this editorial that appears in the May 2004 issue of QST in the hope that both ARRL members and nonmembers might appreciate it and find it informative. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Understanding the issue and the best way to approach the FCC with comments is key in favorably catching the Commission's ear. An important date is looming on the horizon: May 3, the deadline for comments on the FCC's Notice of Proposed Rule Making (NPRM) on Broadband over Power Line (BPL) systems, ET Docket No. 04-37. The purpose of the NPRM is not to allow BPL to be deployed. BPL systems may now operate under the existing Part 15 rules. If the FCC did nothing, BPL systems could continue to be installed and operated. Licensed radio services, including the Amateur Radio Service, would continue to be protected by the rule that prohibits unlicensed devices from causing harmful interference. BPL systems would continue to have no protection against interference to their operation by licensed services. The NPRM, which follows a Notice of Inquiry (NOI) in which the FCC sought information about BPL technology and the interference environment, does not propose to change any of that. Indeed, the NPRM reaffirms that the "no interference" principle must remain inviolate. The NPRM proposes new requirements for BPL systems. The intent is to make it easier to track down who is responsible for interference and to make sure that the BPL system operator can immediately take whatever steps are necessary to mitigate interference. These include requirements that BPL systems "shall incorporate adaptive interference mitigation techniques" as well as "a shut-down feature to deactivate units found to cause harmful interference." These proposed requirements need quite a bit of fleshing out to afford any real protection. They offer no practical relief from interference for mobile stations. We would have preferred a decision simply to ban BPL as a technology that stands to do more harm than good. The record in the NOI proceeding certainly would support such a decision. Still, the FCC's proposals go a couple of steps in a positive direction. Certainly they should offer no comfort to the BPL industry, which is on clear notice from both the FCC and from us that interference will not be tolerated. Someone who makes an investment in BPL will have no grounds for whining when they lose their shirts. So, why the hue and cry against BPL? There are several reasons. There are BPL proponents who from the very beginning have denied that interference is a problem. They have continued to deny it even in the face of clear and mounting evidence to the contrary. Their comments filed in response to the NOI were laughable, as we pointed out on this page last October. We have the FCC Chairman acting as a self-described "cheerleader" for BPL. Chairman Michael Powell says he will "welcome the day when every electrical outlet will have the potential to offer high-speed broadband and a plethora of high-tech applications to all Americans." Especially galling was to hear him say on February 12 that BPL could be "the great broadband hope for a good part of rural America." Anyone who has taken a serious look at the economics knows that this is a false promise. BPL is not a low-cost option, especially in sparsely populated areas. Who needs wires anyway, when Broadband Wireless Access is just around the corner? We have the power companies' spotty record of resolving power line interference caused by electrostatic discharge. How can we believe they will do any better fixing problems caused by a technology with which they have no experience? There is one sentence in the NPRM that is guaranteed to arouse the ire of any active amateur. In discussing why it believes the likelihood of BPL interference is low, the Commission says: "We...expect that, in practice, many amateurs already orient their antennas to minimize the reception of emissions from nearby electric power lines." Finally, the NPRM does not deal at all with a problem that concerns many amateurs almost as much as interference from BPL: interference to BPL. Yes, Part 15 says that "interference must be accepted that may be caused by the operation of an authorized radio station." Try explaining that to your drunken neighbor when he can't download his dirty movie because you're on 20 meters. Still and all, the best approach in responding to the NPRM is a positive approach. Yes, we would have preferred a ban on BPL, but the FCC hates to pick winners and losers. They prefer to "let the marketplace decide." The rules they have already proposed make it even less likely that the marketplace will decide in favor of BPL, but that is someone else's concern. Our concern is to support the FCC's proposals as far as they go (remember, they're better than the status quo), to document exactly how they fall short of providing the protection that over-the-air services -- especially the Amateur Radio Service -- need and deserve, and to provide specific proposals for improvement. The improvements we have in mind include: Performance standards for interference mitigation. Mitigation must be available 24/7, and must be immediate upon receipt of a complaint. The BPL data base must be readily accessible to the public and kept up to date. Because mitigation is impractical in the case of mobile stations, a radiated emission limit sufficient to protect mobiles must be established and enforced. BPL systems must be tested for rules compliance by an independent laboratory prior to initiation of service. To ensure an informed marketplace, marketers of BPL services must give clear notice to consumers that licensed radio services have priority and that the delivery of BPL services therefore cannot be guaranteed. Receipt of this notice must be acknowledged in writing prior to the signing of any contract for service. There must be severe penalties for non-compliance with these rules. If you want to file comments -- and we hope you will -- read the NPRM first! Pay particular attention to paragraphs 39-43; the FCC asks for comments on several aspects of its proposals. The NPRM is available on the FCC Web site in Microsoft Word and as an Adobe PDF file. How the FCC handles BPL is important, but the most important decisions about BPL deployment will not be made at the FCC. They will be made in corporate boardrooms; the smart money will choose to go elsewhere, not to BPL. Copyright 2004 ARRL, Inc. Reproduced with permission (via Horacio Nigro, Uruguay, dxldyg via DXLD) BPL - very depressing I can't help but get very depressed when I read the latest news on BPL/PLTC (power-line communications) and its effects on HF radio spectrum. Glenn H. reported some of the latest in his DX Listening Digest for April 9th (DXLD 4-066) with the tests in Raleigh, NC. While I am also a licensed amateur radio operator, and am certainly thankful there for the efforts of the various international groups (ARRL, etc.) to combat this issue, I am also very much a shortwave radio listener. In fact it is in listening to the wireless, whether that be MW, HF, VHF/FM that I get much enjoyment and identity, as I'm sure many of here do. A loss in the ability to listen to international shortwave listeners by wireless will hurt me tremendously, even more, if I may dare to say so, than if I lost my ability as a amateur radio operator. And even if I can still get the news and archived (or live) internet audio over ever more broadband, it is still not the same. I can't say it enough - I love wireless, and wired news and programming is not the same, despite what all the broadcasters and news organizations may say. It hurts all the more that the international broadcasters, including my own VOA, are cutting back on news bulletins and over-the-air broadcasts - a combination due to budget reductions affecting everyone and a change in the mission definition for most broadcasters. This further lessens the ability to complain to BPL/PLTC providers, as there will be fewer broadcasts to hopefully listen to. A very depressing change of events for what I had hoped would still be 40 years of fruitful life ahead of me (I'm 44 now). I may still live that much longer, but it won't be with nearly the same level of enjoyment. And there seems to be no amount of listening that I can do that will offset country broadcasting budgets. At the same time I get excited about developments, at least in the UK, about implementing broadband via other methods. In particular I'm excited about mesh-net methods, such as being implemented by Telebria http://www.telebria.com As a geographer and always thinking about community and "sense of place," a local technology, utilizing already existing tools, but implementing them with a sharing/community emphasis is exciting. My head explodes in thinking about the possibilities. If only the power utilities in the U.S. would think this way instead! We could have our cake and eat it to, plus possibly add (or renew) a sense of community and connectedness between people (Kevin Anderson, Dubuque IA USA, K9IUA, April 10, swprograms via DXLD) RADIO EQUIPMENT FORUM +++++++++++++++++++++ FREQUENCY ACCURACY Regarding the discrepancies of exact frequencies between my log of Radio Santa Rosa and that of others, I am beginning to suspect that my receiver is off frequency by a hair. You may recall I had this problem earlier this winter with a log of 11734v, Tanzania-Zanzibar. I wish to zero-beat my R-75 receiver using WWV but am unsure how to. I never paid attention when this was explained in the past. Would you, or another, please explain (Scott R. Barbour, Jr., Intervale, NH, DX LISTENING DIGEST) I have no idea how to permanently adjust an R-75 frequency display; it`s a relatively simple matter on a receiver like the YB-400 with a variable CW wheel to zero beat that on WWV, and then punch in the unknown frequency and tell whether it matches WWV. Altho there is no readout less than 1 kHz, you can tell by stepping up and down one kHz which side of the nominal frequency it is on, or whether it is exactly on frequency. If it`s a bit high, the pitch at +1 will be lower than it is at -1 and vice versa. If you have a good ear for pitch, or an instrument handy, you can estimate how many Hz it is off, but of course this is only an approximation. One ought to be able to apply this technique as needed on other receivers with a variable BFO (Glenn Hauser, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ANTENNA ADVICE Now for some advice at the Technical Forum. Can somebody please give me a hand on this. What kind of (can be directional) antenna might be used to DX Africa in the 60 mb if you were in my case listening in Costa Rica. And #2: it is so critical a matching for receiving if you are trying to link a 300 Ohm twin lead folded dipole to a Sony ICF 7600D portable. Thanks in advance and best regards (Raúl Saavedra, Costa Rica, rulex44 @ yahoo.es April 10, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) #1. If you have the horizontal space for it, a quick-and-cheap dipole can be constructed from hookup/power wire and its broad side aimed at the African subcontinent [being bi-directional, the antenna may also allow you to tune stations in the mid-Pacific, Papua New Guinea, etc, as well]. For the 60m shortwave band, this would work out to be a total length of 100 ft 3-5/8 in / 30.57m [two "legs" of 50 ft 1-13/16 in / 15.29m], assuming a center frequency of 4905 kHz. Use any scrap piece of sturdy plastic for a center insulator, and install it as high as possible. #1a. If you don't have the space to "outstretch" this long of an antenna, you can form it into a horizontal "V" [with the center facing away from Africa, as an "arrow" pointing from them to you], and it should still work, provided the enclosed angle is not less than 90 degrees. #2. Since I'm not familiar with the Sony ICF-7600D, I can only give a general answer. If the receiver has an external-antenna jack, then attach a mating plug [RCA phono? 1/8" / 3.5mm phone?] to your twinlead feeder and try that. If not, try attaching one side of the twinlead to the receiver's built-in telescoping antenna [an alligator clip works well] and the other side to a ground reference on the radio [a small length of wire attached to the negative terminal in the battery compartment should work]. Technically, yes, there will be a mismatch [the radio may be more comfortable with a 50-ohm antenna system], but for most casual operating, this should not pose a huge problem. An additional connection to actual earth ground [via the method above] may help as well (Michael D. Bolton, N5RLR, ibid.) SHORTWAVE AS MUSIC ++++++++++++++++++ MUSIC INSPIRED BY SHORTWAVE At almost 54 years of age, I don't claim to be up to speed with events in the music world, even despite having worked for Billboard for almost 20 years. So I hadn't heard of the Sun City Girls , who despite their name appear to be men, and are described by a music journalist as "magical-surrealist improvisers." Apparently, their music uses snippets from shortwave transmissions, as indicated by these extracts from a review of their work: "Obsessive, if attention deficient, Alan Bishop's radio collages define a scratchy, off-the-cuff sort of shortwave pop where taste doubles as style." "The several hundred audio verité bits and pieces that make up Radio Java, Radio Morocco, Radio Palestine: Sounds of the Eastern Mediterranean, and I Remember Syria bubble out of the ether like punky, fast-forward takes on Karlheinz Stockhausen's 1966 ring- modulated shortwave-transmissions masterpiece, Telemusik." "Radio Palestine in particular jumps from oud solos to oriental orchestras to wry BBC commentaries to ululating guitar rock in soundbites of 10 seconds or less, sculpting raw material into such vaguely thematic tracks as "Falafel Eastern" and "Exploding Briefcases of Cairo." If that whets your appetite to learn more, you'll find it at the following link. East Via Shortwave http://www.villagevoice.com/issues/0414/gehr.php # posted by Andy @ 16:45 UT April 10 (Media Network blog via DXLD) The Sun City Girls are: Rick Bishop: guitar, Alan Bishop: bass, Charles Gocher Jr.: drums. I first read about them in Rolling Stone some years ago. They cross dress and have inventive minds (Paul (Essex), ibid.) CONVENTIONS & CONFERENCES +++++++++++++++++++++++++ CZECHOSLOVAK DX CLUB 14TH ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING The last one before both countries join the EU One month before both countries - the Czech Republic and the Slovak Republic, join the European Union, the Czechoslovak DX Club (CSDXC) held its 14th Annual General Meeting from 2 to 4 April 2004. This time the meeting was held in a nice highland region, in the holiday resort of Záseka, close to Zdár nad Sázavou, approx. 150km south east of Praha. Almost 80 members came on that weekend to enjoy a comprehensive programme consisting of discussions, panel lectures and seminars. Saturday afternoon was dedicated to a DX quiz, where participants had to recognise foreign languages from audio recordings. There was also an operational DX shack equipped with several receivers and long wire antennas. That weekend the convention was also visited by two reporters of Czech Radio to record a report for one of the radio programmes. The fact that the CSDXC is quite a distinguished club was emphasised by the participation of two sponsors. The company Renault Czech Republic lent a van Traffic with 9 seats for the whole weekend. The car was used, above all, to take participants, who came to this remote locality by train or bus, from distant stations. The other sponsor - the Czech company Autocont, which is engaged in computer sales and services, lent a car, computer, copy machine and projector. A hobby radio station Radio Zaseka was on the air for the whole weekend on 26.065 MHz with 2.8W into a CB whip antenna. The AGM programme also included a discussion on the current situation in the EDXC. In connection with this item and also with coming accession of the Czech Republic and Slovak Republic to the European Union, the discussion resulted in interest of CSDXC members in extension of bilateral contacts with other DX clubs and DXers not organised in DX clubs from neighbouring countries and from other European countries as well. The first steps were already made - DXers from Germany were invited to participate in the DX camp near Decin, close to the border with Germany (Dresden on the opposite side of the borderline) on the last weekend in May. As you certainly know, Czechoslovakia was split into two independent countries in 1993, the Czech Republic and the Slovak Republic. The Czechoslovak DX Club that was established officially in 1990, still keeps its original name even after 1993 and joins DXers from both countries. The club issues a monthly club magazine RADIO REVUE and has its web pages on http://www.dx.cz Both countries become members of the EU from 1 May 2004. (Karel Honzik, April 11, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ###