DX LISTENING DIGEST 4-104, July 9, 2004 edited by Glenn Hauser, http://www.worldofradio.com Items from DXLD may be reproduced and re-reproduced only if full credit be maintained at all stages and we be provided exchange copies. DXLD may not be reposted in its entirety without permission. Materials taken from Arctic or originating from Olle Alm and not having a commercial copyright are exempt from all restrictions of noncommercial, noncopyrighted reusage except for full credits For restrixions and searchable 2004 contents archive see http://www.worldofradio.com/dxldmid.html NOTE: If you are a regular reader of DXLD, and a source of DX news but have not been sending it directly to us, please consider yourself obligated to do so. Thanks, Glenn NEXT AIRINGS OF WORLD OF RADIO 1237: Sat 0800 on WRN1 to Europe, Africa, Asia, Pacific Sat 0855 on WNQM Nashville 1300 Sat 1030 on WWCR 5070 Sat 1830 on WPKN Bridgeport, 89.5, webcast http://www.wpkn.org Sat 2030 on WWCR 12160 Sat 2030 on WBCQ 17495-CUSB [maybe] Sat 2030 on R. Lavalamp http://www.radiolavalamp.org Sat 2130 on RFPI http://www.rfpi.org repeated 8-hourly [maybe] Sat 2300 on RFPI http://www.rfpi.org repeated 8-hourly [maybe] Sun 0230 on WWCR 5070 Sun 0300 on WBCQ 9330-CLSB Sun 0630 on WWCR 3210 Sun 1000 on WRN1 to North America, webcast; also KSFC 91.9 Spokane WA, and WDWN 89.1 Auburn NY; maybe KTRU 91.7 Houston TX, each with webcasts Sun 1100 on R. Lavalamp http://www.radiolavalamp.org Sun 1500 on R. Lavalamp http://www.radiolavalamp.org Sun 1900 on Studio X, Momigno, Italy 1584 Sun 2000 on RNI webcast, http://www.11L-rni.com Mon 0100 on WBCQ 9330-CLSB Mon 0330 on WSUI 910, webcast http://wsui.uiowa.edu [previous 1236] Mon 0430 on WBCQ 7415, webcast http://wbcq.us Mon 0900 on R. Lavalamp http://www.radiolavalamp.org Mon 1600 on WBCQ after-hours http://wbcq.com repeated weekdaily Wed 0930 on WWCR 9475 WRN ONDEMAND: http://new.wrn.org/listeners/stations/station.php?StationID=24 OUR ONDEMAND AUDIO [also for CONTINENT OF MEDIA, MUNDO RADIAL]: Check http://www.worldofradio.com/audiomid.html WORLD OF RADIO 1237 (high version): (stream) http://www.w4uvh.net/wor1237h.ram (download) http://www.w4uvh.net/wor1237h.rm (summary) http://www.worldofradio.com/wor1237.html WORLD OF RADIO 1237 (low version): (stream) http://www.w4uvh.net/wor1237.ram (download) http://www.w4uvh.net/wor1237.rm ** AFGHANISTAN [non]. Re 4-103: Re "Merlin" transmitters: VT Merlin Communications owns the SW transmitters in Skelton and Woofferton as well as the MW transmitter in Orfordness. All overseas BBC relay stations (Cyprus, Oman, Singapore, Ascension, Seychelles) are still owned by the BBC but are operated by VT Merlin Communications under a management contract. Merlin was also appointed to operate the transmitting station in Dhabbaya, United Arab Emirates (which is owned by Emirates Media) until 2011. Re BBC collision: I would think that the Dari/Pashto transmissions on 17700 are intended for Afghanistan and not for reception in Europe. Thus, a collision that is observed in Europe does not mean that this collision must also exist in the actual target zone of each transmitter. Btw, it has not been mentioned so far that the public version of the HFCC file contains a Merlin registration for a US-user from the Dhabbaya-UAE site to Afganistan (CIRAF 41N), though only for the period 1500-1600: 17700 1500 1600 41N DHA 250 75 1234567 280304 311004 D USA MNO MER 73s, (Bernd Trutenau, Lithuania, July 9, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) AFGHANISTAN: INTERNEWS RADIO BACKGROUND Date: Fri, 9 Jul 2004 13:23:56 +0430 Subject: [creative-radio] Radio Programs to teach people... how to make radio programs! Hi everyone: Does anyone out there know of radio programs to teach journalists how to make radio programs? We have space on a satellite system which we would like to use to reinforce journalism training for a network of local independent radio stations in Afghanistan which all have dishes to receive the channel. Internews Afghanistan now has a 24-hour radio channel on the Hotbird satellite to beam programs out to the 14 local stations we have already set up and the 20 that we will be setting up in the course of this year. Actual programs from Kabul are only three hours a day: 0130 - 0300 and 1330 - 1500 GMT. We will increase end user programs probably to about six to seven hours a day by the end of the year. But that still leaves 17/18 hours of free space. Communications are so difficult in Afghanistan, we are often out of regular contact with many of the more remote stations. Even getting a letter there can take up to 10 days and many have no regular phone service. So we would like to use a portion of the remaining channel time for internal communications between the Internews office and the stations. Routine messages and so on. But the question remains if there is some possibility to train in journalism by remote. Combine radio programs about making radio programs with printed materials sent to the stations. This would reinforce work done by actual trainers on the ground. It should be noted that some of these stations are now in areas of Afghanistan which are considered unsafe for travel by internationals and locals alike. If such teaching materials did exist in English, we might consider translating them. Channel details: Channel name - AfghanSW; satellite - Eutelsat Hotbird 6; transponder - 94; frequency - 12.597 GHz. Many Thanks, John West, Country Director, Internews Afghanistan Phone (AWCC): +93 70 257455 Phone (Roshan): +93 79 216513 johnfxwest @ yahoo.co.uk http://www.internews.org (Cr-afghan mailing list 9 July 2004 via Bernd Trutenau, Lithuania, dxldyg via DXLD) The SW relays are obviously not a priority for him, not worth mentioning (gh, DXLD) ** ARGENTINA. Re RAE schedule: This page is really strange; despite the html extension, it is really a jpg? Actually a GIF, indeed appearing to be nothing else than a scanned sched. If you would like to get it without the Flash schnickschnack: http://www.radionacional.gov.ar/images/rae1024.gif (Kai Ludwig, Germany, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** AZERBAIJAN. Re: V. of Azerbaijan, English is at 1800-1830 to ME on 1295 and via gan site on 6112 (WRTH July Update via DXLD) Anyone hear this in Europe, and is it really staying on 6112? (gh, DXLD) Back in the nineties the mediumwave transmitter could be heard in Europe at times when the co-channel Orfordness (the BBC WS site) was off. Then it was reported to be not on the old channel-spacing frequency but on 1296 as it is listed elsewhere. I understand that the 49 metres is a hopeless case in Europe; at least I am not aware of any reports about hearing it (Kai Ludwig, Germany, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** CHINA. Re UNIDENTIFIED [non]. Re ``6950 at 2000: This would seem to be CNR1 via the SZG site per HFCC listing.`` An old Chinese frequency, for many years occupied by CRI's German service. It appears that the transmitter once used to operate 6950 now carries CRI German on 5970 winter / 15130 summer (Kai Ludwig, Germany, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** DOMINICAN REPUBLIC. Here`s the complete Resolution authorizing another X-band station, on 1680, as summarised briefly in English in 4-103: INSTITUTO DOMINICANO DE LAS TELECOMUNICACIONES (INDOTEL) RESOLUCIÓN NO. 061-04 QUE OTORGA CONCESION Y LICENCIA A FAVOR DE LA INSTITUCION SIN FINES DE LUCRO MINISTERIO RELIGIOSO SENDA DE VIDA, INC., PARA OPERAR SERVICIOS DE RADIODIFUSION SONORA EN LA PROVINCIA DE SAN PEDRO DE MACORIS A TRAVES DE LA FRECUENCIA 1680 KHZ EN AMPLITUD MODULADA. El Consejo Directivo del Instituto Dominicano de las Telecomunicaciones (INDOTEL), en ejercicio de las atribuciones que le confiere la Ley General de Telecomunicaciones, número 153-98, del 27 de mayo de 1998, reunido válidamente previa convocatoria, dicta la siguiente RESOLUCIÓN: CONSIDERANDO: Que en fecha quince (15) de septiembre del año dos mil (2000), el Capellán Luis E. Florentino actuando en su calidad de Presidente de la entidad MINISTERIO RELIGIOSO SENDA DE VIDA, INC. dirigió una comunicación al INDOTEL, mediante la cual le solicita a la institución una Concesión y una Licencia para operar una estación radiodifusora en la Provincia de San Pedro de Macorís; CONSIDERANDO: Que el MINISTERIO RELIGIOSO SENDA DE VIDA, INC., es una institución sin fines de lucro cuya misión es transmitir el mensaje del Evangelio, trabajar por el mejoramiento espiritual, contribuir a la educación moral e intelectual de la sociedad; CONSIDERANDO: Que con motivo de la solicitud presentada por la institución MINISTERIO RELIGIOSO SENDA DE VIDA, INC., este órgano regulador procedió a realizar los estudios y comprobaciones técnicas necesarias para determinar la factibilidad de la misma; CONSIDERANDO: Que en fecha 15 de abril de este año, dos mil cuatro (2004), la Gerencia de Radiodifusión, la Gerencia de SMEGER, y la Gerencia de Inspección del INDOTEL emitió, en conjunto, un informe sugiriendo la frecuencia que se le podría otorgar a la entidad MINISTERIO RELIGIOSO SENDA DE VIDA, INC. CONSIDERANDO: Que de acuerdo con la letra ``g`` del Artículo 3 de la Ley General de Telecomunicaciones No. 153-98, son objetivos de la misma, entre otros, ``garantizar la administración y el uso eficiente del dominio público del espectro radioeléctrico``; CONSIDERANDO: Que según el Artículo 66.1 de dicho texto legal, ``el órgano regulador tiene la facultad de gestión, administración y control del espectro radioeléctrico, incluyendo las facultades de atribuir a determinados usos, bandas específicas, asignar frecuencias a usuarios determinados y controlar su correcto uso``; CONSIDERANDO: Que la referida Ley establece en su Artículo 24.1, que ``el órgano regulador deberá llamar a concurso público para el otorgamiento de concesiones o licencias cuando se requiera utilizar el espectro radioeléctrico atribuido a servicios públicos de radiocomunicaciones, salvo en los casos de emergencia justificada ante el órgano regulador; exceptuando de este procedimiento las instituciones del Estado y aquellas autorizadas a operar sin fines de lucro, así como las instituciones religiosas reconocidas por el Estado y que actúan en virtud a lo establecido por el artículo 8 de la Constitución de la República``, como es el caso de la especie; CONSIDERANDO: Que el Artículo 19.1 del Reglamento de Concesiones, Inscripciones en Registros Especiales y Licencias para prestar Servicios de Telecomunicaciones en la República Dominicana dispone que ``cualquier persona jurídica interesada en prestar u operar un servicio público de telecomunicaciones, ya sean estos servicios portadores, finales o de difusión, deberá obtener una Concesión``; CONSIDERANDO: Que de acuerdo a lo establecido en el artículo 40 del supraindicado Reglamento, las instituciones religiosas reconocidas por el Estado que deseen operar o prestar servicios de radiocomunicaciones que involucren el uso de espectro radioeléctrico deberán obtener una Licencia sin necesidad de concurso público; CONSIDERANDO: Que conforme lo establecido en el Artículo 11.2 del Reglamento del Servicio de Radiodifusión Sonora en Amplitud Modulada, ``las instituciones del Estado, las instituciones autorizadas para operar sin fines de lucro y las instituciones religiosas reconocidas por el Estado se exceptúan del procedimiento de concurso anteriormente indicado en virtud de las disposiciones de la Ley. Estas instituciones deberán cumplir con las disposiciones de Reglamento de Concesiones, Inscripciones en Registros Especiales y Licencias para operar Servicios de Telecomunicaciones en República Dominicana``; CONSIDERANDO: Que la solicitud de Concesión y Licencia presentada por MINISTERIO RELIGIOSO SENDA DE VIDA, INC., cumplió con las disposiciones requeridas por los artículos 6, 20 y 40.4 del Reglamento de Concesiones, Inscripciones en Registros Especiales y Licencias para prestar Servicios de Telecomunicaciones en la República Dominicana; CONSIDERANDO: Que conforme se desprende de lo expuesto en los CONSIDERANDOS precedentes, la solicitante MINISTERIO RELIGIOSO SENDA DE VIDA, INC., ha dado íntegro cumplimiento a las exigencias previstas por la Ley General de Telecomunicaciones No. 153-98 y al Reglamento de Concesiones, Inscripciones en Registros Especiales y Licencias para prestar Servicios de Telecomunicaciones en la República Dominicana. VISTA: La Ley General de Telecomunicaciones No. 153-98, del 27 de mayo del 1998, en sus disposiciones citadas; VISTO: El Reglamento de Concesiones, Inscripciones en Registros Especiales y Licencias para prestar Servicios de Telecomunicaciones en la República Dominicana, en sus disposiciones citadas; VISTO: El Reglamento de Radiodifusión Sonora de Amplitud Modulada, en sus disposiciones citadas; VISTA: La solicitud de Concesión y Licencia del MINISTERIO RELIGIOSO SENDA DE VIDA, INC., quince (15) de septiembre del año dos mil (2000) y sus anexos; VISTO: El informe técnico de las Gerencia de Radiodifusión, SMGER e Inspección; VISTAS: Las demás piezas que conforman el expediente. EL CONSEJO DIRECTIVO DEL INSTITUTO DOMINICANO DE LAS TELECOMUNICACIONES, EN EJERCICIO DE SUS FACULTADES LEGALES Y REGLAMENTARIAS RESUELVE: PRIMERO: OTORGAR Concesión y Licencia por el período de veinte (20) años a favor de la entidad MINISTERIO RELIGIOSO SENDA DE VIDA, INC., para la operación de una estación radiodifusora en la frecuencia 1680 KHz en A. M., para la provincia de San Pedro de Macorís, por haber cumplido con los requisitos legales y reglamentarios establecidos al efecto por la Ley General de Telecomunicaciones, el Reglamento de Concesiones, Inscripciones en Registros Especiales y Licencias para prestar Servicios de Telecomunicaciones en la República Dominicana, y el Reglamento de Radiodifusión Sonora en Amplitud Frecuencia, en sus disposiciones citadas. SEGUNDO: OTORGAR un plazo de tres (3) meses calendario, contados a partir de la fecha de la notificación de la presente Resolución, para la instalación del transmisor de la estación en la ciudad de San Pedro de Macorís, debiendo notificarlo al INDOTEL dentro del indicado plazo, a fin de que los funcionarios de inspección de este órgano regulador puedan realizar las comprobaciones y verificaciones necesarias para garantizar el óptimo funcionamiento del espectro, como condición previa e indispensable para el inicio de las transmisiones a través de la citada frecuencia. TERCERO: DISPONER que la entidad MINISTERIO RELIGIOSO SENDA DE VIDA, INC deberá operar dicha frecuencia con una potencia de cinco (5) Kilos en horas diurnas y tres (3) kilos en horas nocturnas, pudiendo este órgano regulador modificar dichas condiciones de transmisión cuando lo considere necesario, a fin de evitar interferencias en el espectro radioeléctrico. CUATRO: DECLARAR que la frecuencia que se autoriza a operar mediante la presente Resolución podrá ser cambiada o sustituida por el INDOTEL en cualquier momento, siempre que los trabajos de administración y gestión del espectro radioeléctrico así lo ameriten. QUINTO: ORDENAR al Director Ejecutivo del INDOTEL que suscriba con el MINISTERIO RELIGIOSO SENDA DE VIDA, INC., el correspondiente Contrato de Concesión, el cual incluirá como mínimo, las cláusulas y condiciones establecidas en la Ley No. 153-98 y el Artículo 23 del Reglamento de Concesiones, Inscripciones en Registros Especiales y Licencias para prestar Servicios de Telecomunicaciones en la República Dominicana, así como cualquier otra cláusula que a juicio del INDOTEL resulte necesaria o conveniente en relación con la prestación del servicio autorizado. SEXTO: DECLARAR que el Contrato de Concesión a ser suscrito con el MINISTERIO RELILGIOSA SENDA DE VIDA, INC., entrará en vigencia a partir de la fecha en que sea aprobado de manera definitiva mediante Resolución del Consejo Directivo del INDOTEL. SÉPTIMO: ORDENAR la emisión del correspondiente Certificado de Licencia a nombre del MINISTERIO RELIGIOSO SENDA DE VIDA, INC., que refleje la Autorización otorgada por medio de la presente Resolución y contenga las cláusulas y condiciones especificadas en el artículo 43 del Reglamento de Concesiones, Inscripciones en Registros Especiales y Licencias para prestar Servicios de Telecomunicaciones en la República Dominicana. OCTAVO: ORDENAR la notificación de esta Resolución al MINISTERIO RELIGIOSO SENDA DE VIDA, INC., su publicación en el Boletín Oficial del INDOTEL y en la página web que mantiene esta institución en la Internet. Así ha sido aprobada y firmada la presente Resolución por el Consejo Directivo del Instituto Dominicano de las Telecomunicaciones (INDOTEL), hoy día veintitrés (23) de abril del año dos mil cuatro (2004). FIRMADO: Lic. Orlando Jorge Mera Secretario de Estado Presidente del Consejo Directivo Licda. Sabrina De la Cruz Vargas Margarita Cordero Miembro del Consejo Directivo Miembro del Consejo Directivo Ing. José Delio Ares Guzmán Director Ejecutivo Secretario del Consejo Directivo (via Glenn Hauser, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** DOMINICAN REPUBLIC. Walt Disney Company Latinoamérica, y Procomunicaciones anunciaron que han firmado un acuerdo por el cual Procomunicaciones autoriza a operar en el país a Radio Disney 97.3 FM. Su programación está dirigida al público joven con una fuerte inserción en la familia. Radio Disney llega a República Dominicana como la mejor opción de entretenimiento, destacan los promotores en un documento de prensa entregado a LíSTIN DIARIO. Ya este diario había adelantado en mayo sobre las operaciones de esta emisora. La programación cuenta con una línea musical integrada por los hits internacionales pop del momento, junto a los mejores del rock. La audiencia podrá también participar interactivamente, de forma ágil y divertida, de una gran variedad de secciones: votaciones para el ranking, promociones y concursos para ganar fabulosos premios, todo gracias a su central de llamadas computarizada. Radio Disney llega a República Dominicana como parte integrante de la red de América Latina, y de un ambicioso proyecto de radio de habla hispana, conformando el quinto mercado tras el lanzamiento en Argentina en el 2001. La red mundial Radio Disney es una cadena regional de radio que, en el 2004, está en cinco países de Latinoamérica: Argentina, Guatemala, Paraguay, República Dominicana y Uruguay. Según Diego Lerner, presidente y director general de The Walt Disney Company Latin America, "el lanzamiento de Radio Disney en República Dominicana tiene un gran significado para nosotros, ya que representa el quinto eslabón de nuestra red radial en Latinoamérica, sólo tres años después de nuestro lanzamiento inicial en Argentina''. Jean-Paul Colaco, presidente y gerente general de Radio Disney a nivel mundial, afirma que la apertura aquí de Radio Disney "representa otro gran e importante paso entre nuestros planes globales expansión". Joel Reyes Colón, director de Radio Disney RD, destacó que esta emisora enriquece la radio dominicana, "en esta oportunidad de la mano de una marca tan prestigiosa como Disney''. http://www.listin.com.do/cuerpos/espectaculos/esp2.htm [via Dino Bloise - FL, USA, dxldyg via DXLD ] ** INTERNATIONAL INTERNET. Former SW Broadcaster completes 1000th broadcast Those of you that DX'ed in the mid 90's might recall a Radio Station relayed by IRRS in Milan, Italy and WRMI in Miami called Rock-it Radio. We have just completed our 1000th broadcast of our 50's Rock and Roll format and continue to broadcast on any venue that will take us :) Here is the press release below... where you can tune in online our 1000th show. Press Release: Rock-it Radio Produces their 1000th Show! Rock-it Radio the popular internet radio station playing 1950's Rock and Roll, Rockabilly and Doo Wop this week has just completed their momentous 1000th broadcast. No other internet Radio Station has completed such a task and the station remains committed in keeping the music of the first decade of Rock and Roll alive. Over twenty five musical celebrities from Gary U.S. Bonds to Brenda Lee gives a heartfelt congratulations to Rock-it Radio in this special 3 ½ hour broadcast that also features the DJ's that are all volunteers and music collectors themselves from around the globe. Rock-it Radio is a free service and all that is required is the Real Player software in your computer to play the programs. Rock-it Radio also hosts an online listeners club of over 3700 listeners and its main location is in Ventura, California and is run by Bennie Dingo a Ventura native. Rock-it Radio's historic 1000th broadcast tells the interesting story of its beginnings as a syndicated radio program to Radio Station IRRS in Milan, Italy in 1995 and WRMI in Miami, Florida to beginning broadcasting over the internet back in 1997. Rock-it Radio is listed as the first station to broadcast Rockabilly Music of bands today and yesterday over the internet. If you wish to check out Rock-it Radio we invite you to check us out at: http://www.rockitradio.net And if you wish to tune into the historic broadcast of Rock-it Radio's show #1000 by going to the archived show page at: http://www.palmsradio.com/rockittext.htm and clicking to show #1000 (July 7, shortwaves yg via DXLD) ** INTERNATIONAL WATERS [and non]. RIP Tony Allen 1950 - 2004. In the early seventies, listening to Caroline in my bedsit, I began to wonder who was this remarkably voiced and brilliant man who captivated me with his vast and varied musical appreciation. A few months later I drew up alongside the Mi Amigo off the Dutch coast to be welcomed by Bob Noakes, Andy Archer and Tony Allan. Andy and Tony were more pleased I think to see the pretty young Dutch boy who was piloting my tender. After a while of being shown around, the crew suggested that I ought to get ashore in advance of a coming storm, but in truth I think I had outstayed my welcome with too many foolish questions. On the return trip to land I had to steer the tender, the Dutch boy had been plied with too much drink. He was very happy but could not understand why the disc jockeys had given him their phone numbers. Years later I met Tony on an evil night in Ramsgate, on a fishing boat that could not leave for the Mi Amigo because of engine trouble. Tony was drunk and terrifying. He wondered if by our all holding hands, L.A. may not fix the engine. I felt that it would take only one wrong word for him to attack me and so I slunk away. Then I met him again towards the end of the life of the old ship. I had arrived on a motor barge delivering diesel oil and we were in some trouble ourselves. Tony was again the gentleman I had met in the first instance and could not have been more concerned and caring. I cannot comment on his distinguished career in Ireland, I am sure that a better person such as Chris Cary can do that and indeed I had all but forgotten about him until Ross Revenge came to London in 1995. The crew noticed a forlorn figure sitting on a bench near the ship and it was Tony. He was immediately invited on board and put on air. Again he disappeared and I heard no more until 2001, when out of the blue he called. Surprisingly, since he was such a private man, he wanted all his old friends to have his number. Being an opportunist I asked him at once if he would create some new voiceovers for us. He said that it may be as well to do this soon since he had in his words ' a bit of cancer '. I could not think of a more cruel thing for a man blessed with such a voice to contract throat cancer. However he never complained even though the medical profession built him up and knocked him down many times. He always said that there were many people in worse situations than his own. At one stage he was buoyed up by the promise of an operation, albeit a major one, that would restore him to health. When this possibility was taken from him at the last moment he went out and got spectacularly drunk. When he finally regained lucidity the next day, he told my good friend Bob (Buzby) Lawrence, 'bloody hell Buzz, not only am I going to die, I've got a bloody hangover as well'. However, the tough old bird did not die. Each time when we went to his 'last' birthday party, a year passed and we went to his next last birthday party. Many of us began to think that he was indestructible and each time the illness pushed him to the brink he bounced back again. I last saw him at Easter, looking dapper in a fabulous suit and a Ben Sherman shirt. We planned his return on air. The last of our family to see Tony were Dave Foster and Rob Ashard who visited him on Thursday. Tony was chuckling about the huge credit card bills that he never would have to pay but he was concerned to see his beloved cat once again and to allocate all his possessions to the right people and to ensure that we would mark his passing in the way he specified. He also planned his last, last programme but sadly time defeated him. Tony slipped in to a coma this morning and died around 11am with his brother by his side and his lovely companion Eliyah who has been looking after him for three years. The best final comment comes from Tony himself. 'What the hell, I've had a wonderful life' Peter Moore, Radio Caroline. June 9th (via Eric Wiltsher, DXLD) I have just received the following e-mail about the very sad death of disc-jockey Tony Allan, who spent many years with the British offshore pirate radio stations. These included Radio Scotland on the MV Comet, Radio North Sea International aboard the Mebo 2, Radio Caroline on the Mi Amigo and Ross Revenge and the Voice Of Peace aboard the 'Peace Ship' (previously MV Cito) off Israel. After the eventual closure of the pirates he worked on landbased radio and TV, he was 54 and had been suffering from cancer. Andy Cadier. http://www.offshoremusicradio.com Dear Radio Friends, I am sorry to report that Tony Allan died at lunchtime today, Friday 9 July, in The Marie Currie Hospice - Hampstead, after a long illness. Tony (nicknamed "Doris") will be well remembered for his distinctive deep voice on many quality radio stations from the 1960s to the 80s. Starting as a young deejay on Radio Caroline South he moved to The Voice of Peace and back to Caroline in its 'Loving Awareness' period. His credits include several BBC local stations and Scottish Television before he came to Ireland for the opening of Sunshine Radio in Portmarnock, CoDublin. He was also in at the start-up of Radio Nova but will best be remembered as an excellent voice-artist; his self-produced commercials were aired on most of the Irish pirate radio stations and, through agencies, on RTE radio & TV. It is fair to say that Tony could be a little temperamental at times but everyone who worked with Tony would agree that he was at all times a highly polished and professional presenter and a superb radio personality. A famous anecdote from his pre-Ireland career originates at STV when he was duty presentation/continuity announcer on the day that Lord Louis Mountbatten died. Tony was given an incorrect note and appeared on camera solemnly stating that The Queen Mother had died. Quite soon after, he scripted and presented an 'Oscar winning' abject apology to the nation and to Queen Elizabeth, who had been alive and well, watching her TV in Balmoral at the time. I feel privileged to have worked with 'Doris' on Sunshine, Big Dee, Nova and South Coast Radio. He could aim and throw a NAB cart and hit you at 50 paces but seconds later he would be the most generous of pals saying, "Right lads, lets go down the pub!" Arrangements are being made in London by his contemporary colleague Chris Cary and Sybil. Broadcasting in the UK and Ireland was enriched by Tony Allan's voice and all-round 'radio savvy'. One of the 'old school' has gone today, I am proud that I knew him at his best. Peter Madison "The Teenage Pensioner" Please feel free to publish or pass on this information (From: Peter Mac Dougall via Andy Cadier, DXLD) Tony died at midday today; he was a massive influence on offshore radio from the sixties until recently when he became ill. I met him a few years ago in Bournemouth and he was a lovely man, full of great radio stories and his passing is a very sad loss. RIP Tony. http://www.radio-caroline.org/ (There follows a biography written before his death) Tony Allan was born in London on 22nd September 1949 and educated at Sloane Street School. He was keen to work in offshore radio but was consistently told he was too young. Finally Radio Scotland relented and Tony joined the crew on the Comet. He referred to himself as "your mighty mouse on the wireless" and his theme tune was Flamingo by Herb Alpert. When Radio Scotland closed down in August 1967 he worked as a continuity announcer for a number of television stations, including Granada and Grampian. Tony returned to sea with Radio Northsea International in February 1971. He also spent a great deal of time with Radio Caroline during the seventies and was an early presenter on Israel's first offshore station The Voice of Peace. In 1975 he joined Edinburgh's Radio Forth to present an afternoon show but soon returned to Caroline. In 1979 he moved to Ireland where he stayed for many years working on a number of stations there, mainly as a commercial producer and voice-over. He is now living back in the UK but is suffering from throat cancer. He has had major surgery and undergone a debilitating therapy regime but the sad news is that the cancer appears to have spread. We originally chose not to go into detail about Tony's illness but he has said that he does not mind it being publicised. He wrote on the message board at chriscary.com: "cancer is still one of those taboo subjects for some reason. In fact there are over 200 common varieties of the illness - and that's all it is - an illness. Sometimes it can be cured and sometimes not. In my case, apparently not. If my being upfront about the whole thing gets the subject discussed in an open way, then I'll have accomplished one decent thing before I shuffle off this mortal coil." The Pirate Radio Hall Of Fame is not alone in hoping that it is many years before this occurs. On 19th August 2001 Tony made a public appearance on Radio Caroline's ship, the Ross Revenge, followed by a visit to a nearby hostelry and a programme on the satellite service from the Maidstone studio. There are some excellent photos, taken by Steve Szmidt, on Martin van der Ven's Radio Caroline web-site. Tony's own web-site is at http://www.tonyallan.org In March 2004 Tony attended Caroline's 40th birthday party. http://www.offshoreradio.co.uk/djsa.htm (via Mike Terry, dxldyg via DXLD) ** KOREA NORTH. Re: KCC LAUNCHES HOME PAGE "NAENARA". The Korea Computer Centre (KCC), the nation's software hub and local network centre, launched home page Naenara from June Juche 93 (2004). . . http://www.kcckp.net (via Arnulf Piontek, Germany, A-DX July 2 via BC- DX via DXLD) This website is hosted in Germany by the provider "I/P/B Internet" in Berlin http://www.ipb.de (Bernd Trutenau, Lithuania, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** LITHUANIA [non]. The annoying RTTY that plagues R. Jordan English our late mornings on 11690 is there at 0000 UT (it`s usually faint at 2300-2400 when DW is on in German), to hinder R. Vilnius at 0000 when it`s Lithuanian and 0030 when it`s English to North America. it continues past 0200. Quite annoying! I`m also hearing RTTY on 20m QRMing phone amateur radio. Many complaints voiced. It still goes on (Bob Thomas, CT, July 6, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** MARTINIQUE. 1310 is still on the air on this frequency (Stig Hartvig Nielsen visiting the Caribbean area, ARC LA News Desk via editor Tore Larsson, July 8, DXLD) ** NETHERLANDS [and non]. Tuning around July 9 at 1335, came upon 13695 with WYFR in English but some strong QRM barely underneath, something in Dutch. Hmm, what could that be? Two guesses. Enthusiastic announcer, as if a major scientific breakthru had just occurred, or the World Court had condemned Israel --- naah, must be something even more important, to do with balls or wheels. If I actually wanted to listen to what WYFR was evangelizing, I would have had a problem. Looked up the RN schedule: 1300-1400 Khabarovsk 13695 218 100 Dutch E + SE Asia I could have sworn it was Bonaire, it was so strong, perhaps with Tour de France expanded coverage, but, no, that is supposed to be on 13700, presumably from Flevo. Bandscanning further, on 16m, I came upon DRM 17575-17585 around 1340. What could that be? There is nothing on the DRM schedule via Media Network (unless VOR punched 17580 by mistake instead of 15780), but RN is scheduled in analogue: 1300-1400 Madagascar 17580 085 250 Dutch SE Asia No trace of that signal with the DRM buzzing away, tho Madagascar often put a good signal in here, far from the targets. Could this actually have been RN with an unannounced DRM test from this facility? (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** NIGERIA. 17800, Voice of Nigeria, 2045-2055 Noted English comments from man and woman, "that's the news from Nigeria". Signal was good, but the audio was terribly muffled making copy difficult (Bolland, Chuck, July 9, 2004, Clewiston Florida, 545, dipole, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** NORWAY. Re AFGHANISTAN [non], 4-103: The Norwegian SW transmitting centres in Kvitsøy and Sveio are owned by the Norwegian operator Norkring (not Merlin) which closed them completely on 31 December 2003, since the operation was no longer profitable. There is no operational staff anymore and Norkring has no intentions to reactivate them. Until the closure, Norkring had a temporary agreement with Merlin about brokering air time to compensate the income losses after the stop of the NRK (Radio Norway) relays on SW. 73s, (Bernd Trutenau, Lithuania, July 9, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** OKLAHOMA. KFOR-TV channel 4, has started identifying translators. The slide is for a split second, seen at 2059 UT Friday July 9, and another day I think it was at 1359. There appear to be four of them, but always too fast to comprehend, even tho they are in large letters on a full screen. Maybe sometime I`ll luck out and have a tape rolling when they come up. Now that I see these, I don`t recall KFOR ever identifying translators before in its entire history (or previous calls WKY-TV, KTVY), nor the other big two in OKC, KOCO-5 and KWTV-9, tho OETA does it frequently. Of course, there have been lots of translators for the OKC commercial station all along in outlying areas (Glenn Hauser, Enid, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** PAKISTAN. Escuchada Radio Paquistán en la frecuencia de 15070 con noticias en inglés de 1600-1615. SINPO 45444. // 11570 (54444) y 15725 (14141). No la pude escuchar en 9320 ni 11640 donde se escuchaba probablemente a La Voz de Armenia con comentarios de una mujer. Esta frecuencia no aparece en ninguna lista (Ignacio Sotomayor, San Cristóbal de Segovia, Castilla, España, July 9, Rcvx: ICOM R-75; SONY ICF -SW7600, Anx: Hilo largo de 20 metros y Balun; KIWA Pocket Loop, Noticias DX via DXLD) Yes, EiBi A-04 has this: 1600 1615 PAK Radio Pakistan E ME 11570 15100 EAf 11850 15725 But I recall their using 15070 before (Glenn Hauser, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** PAKISTAN. Voice of America, FM 101 Pakistan to sign agreement today Pakistan Times Foreign Desk Report http://www.pakistantimes.net/2004/07/09/top10.htm WASHINGTON (US): The Voice of America (VoA) and FM 101 of Pakistan will sign a formal agreement here today (Friday), to mark the start of Radio Aap Ki Dunya --- VoA's new Urdu Service --- on FM 101's network in Pakistan. Steven J. Simmons, Governor Broadcasting Board of Governors (BBG) of VoA and Syed Asif Salahuddin CEO Clarity Communications Pakistan, will respectively sign the document at a formal ceremony. Chairman, Broadcasting Board of Governors (BBG) Kenneth Y. Tomlinson shall also be present on the occasion. The International Broadcasting Bureau (IBB) has also invited noted analyst and Editor of first Pakistani independent online newspaper 'Pakistan Times', Mumtaz Hamid Rao to attend the event. As from July 1, FM 101 has already started trial broadcast of VoA programs. The VoA is airing news, views, and entertainment programs, as are popular with the youngsters for their innovative format (via Brock Whaley, DXLD) ** SCOTLAND [non]. Radio Six International of Scotland next transmissions on short wave via IRRS. Time UTC. E-mail for reports: letters @ radiosix.com Web site schedule: http://www.radiosix.com Saturday, July 10 SHORTWAVE SERVICE - 13,840 kHz (21.68m) 0830 - http://www.college-of-piping.co.uk College of Piping - Principal of Scotland's piping college, Robert Wallace presents the July edition of our programme of news, views, interviews, results and music from the world of the highland bagpipe. Produced by Robert Wallace A Radio Six International Production 0930 Close Down Repeated: Sunday, July 11 SHORTWAVE SERVICE - 13,840 kHz (21.68m) 0700-0800 Thursday, July 15 SHORTWAVE SERVICE - 5,775 kHz 1900-2000* (via Manuel Méndez, Lugo, Spain, July 9, DXLD) ** SUDAN. AUTHORITIES BAN SUDANESE ONLINE WEB SITE | Excerpt from report by Sudanese opposition National Democratic Alliance radio on 9 July Al-Bashir's government has continued to violate public freedoms and rights, particulary freedom of _expression and press. Government authorities, the day before yesterday, banned the Sudanese Online web site. The web site was banned on claims that the web site was publishing news and reports which threaten national security. [Passage omitted] Source: Voice of Sudan, in Arabic 1530 gmt 9 Jul 04 (via BBCm via DXLD) What does ``banned`` mean? Put off limits? Closed down? And if closed down, does this mean it was actually originating within the country?? And what was the URL? Geez, NDA, how about a story with some facts? (gh, DXLD) ** TUNISIA. 7360, spurious signal of RTT Sfax, S=3, heard in \\ to scheduled 7190 500 kW 265 deg and 7275 kHz 500 kW 340 deg, Arabic 0400-0700 UT. Formula: 7275 x 2 minus 7190 = 7360 kHz. 85 kHz away, but NOT on symmetric 7105 kHz. Thanks to a tip of Noel R. Green in Blackpool (Wolfgang Büschel, Germany, July 9, harmonics yg via DXLD) ** U K. SWITCHING TO DIGITAL RADIO IS EXPENSIVE AND WRONG --- Tessa Jowell has only partially understood the mood in the radio industry by Tim Luckhurst, 09 July 2004 http://argument.independent.co.uk/low_res/story.jsp?story=539423&host=6&dir=140 Yesterday was special for the Secretary of State for Culture. Tessa Jowell is unaccustomed to being taken seriously, but one sentence in her foreword to a report by the digital radio development forum merited instant scrutiny. Ms Jowell plans to consider "how long it would be appropriate for sound digital broadcasting services to be provided in analogue form". Television did not kill the radio star. The medium, around which the nation clustered to hear the declaration of war in 1939, is more popular than it was then. That is partly because, as Terry Wogan says, "television contracts the imagination and radio expands it". But there is a cruder reason. Radios are cheap. The average UK household contains five. It may be different chez Jowell, but in most homes these are not expensive items. In kitchens, bathrooms and sheds, Britons tend to listen on cheap transistor sets. Many households contain a dedicated radio for each channel listened to. We know that re-tuning is possible. But what is the point when a serviceable set can be obtained for a fiver, and that thing shaped like a football someone got for his birthday when Gary Lineker was still playing delivers Five Live with admirable clarity? Analogue switch off would end this. Every one of these radio sets would fall silent. Maintaining present levels of radio listening would require the replacement of 100 million analogue sets with the same number of digital radios. Manufacturers salivate at the prospect because, although the cost of a basic digital radio has fallen from several hundred pounds to less than £50, that still leaves a beguiling margin for profit. Why would the Government want to encourage something potentially so unpopular? Not for the first time, it seems that Ms Jowell has only partially understood the mood in the radio industry. Digital radio does make many things possible. It delivers superb sound quality and permits the transmission of an infinite number of channels. Pay per listen becomes possible, as does the supply of music direct from radio set to i-Pod with the briefest intercession of debit card. Radio executives rave about digital, but they do not advocate analogue switch off. They made that plain as soon as the minister's comments were published. The problem is that take up of digital radio is glacially slow. When the former BBC chairman Sir Christopher Bland said, last month, that the BBC made a "serious error of judgement" by investing in digital radio in the mid 1990s, it was a colossal understatement. The truth is that the corporation poured millions of pounds into services to which nobody listened. British adults listen to 22 hours of radio a week, but a mere fraction of that output is digital. Of the people who do tune to digital, most do so via their satellite television service, on mobile phones or via the internet. Sales of digital radio sets remain modest. For all the industry's excitement about digital, there is acute awareness of the only valid comparison. Ms Jowell has not confirmed the plan of her predecessor, Chris Smith, to switch off analogue television by 2010. Despite the growth of Freeview and a relentless BBC-led advertising campaign, a bare majority of British homes has digital television. Most of them have only one, backed up by two or more analogue sets. This matters because the difference between analogue and digital television pictures is instantly apparent. On radio, despite the evangelical enthusiasm of digital believers, that is simply not true. I consider it a treat to listen to music on my digital radio, but for speech it is pointless. The difference in the timbre of Edward Stourton's voice or the quality of Nicky Campbell's jokes is too small to notice. Like eight million others, I make regular use of the BBC's online radio-player device, but not because it is digital. The BBC's attempt to present online listening to missed episodes of The Archers as proof of demand for digital is astonishing cheek. Listeners are enthused by the opportunity to hear what they have missed, not by the technology delivering it. They can do it because they already possess computers for other reasons. The reality is that digital listening will grow alongside analogue listening, but is unlikely to replace it. In 10 years, homes may contain one digital set for that "appointment to listen" occasion, but it will share space with several old-time trannies. What was Tessa Jowell thinking? The cynical answer is that last time the Government auctioned analogue airspace, mobile telephone companies spent £23bn buying third generation licences. Another windfall like that would finance a lot of choice in the public sector. But those third generation licences were massively overvalued, and there will be no repeat. The other explanation is that forcing a switch off in the radio spectrum would provide useful indications about likely public response to the death of analogue TV. Livid, bordering on riotous, is my prediction. The fact that radio is more popular today than before television was invented does suggest content, not the delivery mechanism, is what matters. Digital does nothing to improve that (Independent, via Brock Whaley, DXLD) Cheap Goodmans DAB at Homebase --- I see in the Homebase Sales flyer delivered to me today that they are selling the Goodmans DAB GSR80 at £59.99 instead of £79.99 (and if you buy it on Friday 16 July there is a further 10% off). This is the DAB/FM stereo kitchen model with rounded corners and a a silver grill. I can't speak for the above but I do have a Goodmans GCD 200 Active DAB/AM/FM and CD player which I am very pleased with - it has good quality sound for a small set, and is portable (-ish!) when you ditch the speakers and use headphones. So which company will be the first to come up with a DAB set which also has a short wave band?! I won't hold my breath (Chris Brand, July 9, BDXC-UK via DXLD) ** U S A. WBCQ Anomalies and Recent Observations July 9 --- Annotated WBCQ Program Guide Anomalies and Recent Observations This page contains the latest observations and other unexplained or otherwise unscheduled things observed coming out of Monticello or related to WBCQ. Friday, July 9, 2004 According to our station sources, Jim Cedarstrom is launching a new show at 3 PM ET (1900 UTC) on 7415//9330//17495, on Friday, July 9. His wife will continue to do Financial Survival 2000 at 4 PM ET on 7415. This should be interesting. Additional schedule changes via Elayne: Radio Caroline moves from 5105 5 PM ET Weekdays to 17495 4 PM ET (2000 UTC) Weekdays. Allan Weiner Worldwide - 17495 Monday 2 PM ET (1800 UTC) Marion`s Attic - 17495 Tuesday 2 PM ET (1800 UTC) Radio Timtron Worldwide - 17495 Wednesday 2PM ET (1800 UTC) (Note that this displaces World of Radio) [huhhh?? We`re on at 2200 UT -gh] The Lost Discs Radio Show - 17495 Thursday 2 PM ET (1800 UTC) ``Operator`s Choice`` - 17495 Friday 2 PM ET (1800 UTC) Michael Ketter has been on vacation so Planet World News (weekdays at 3:45 PM ET) has not been heard for some time. PWN was inactive during most of June when Michael was on location in Monticello. On Thursday, July 8, at 6 PM ET on 7415, heard Monty Python`s Flying Circus instead of Planet World News Roundup. Good Friends Radio Network did not air on Thursday July 8, at 5-6 PM ET, on 7415. Instead we heard Fred Flintstone at 5 PM and Uncle Ed`s Musical Memories at 5:30 PM. The Uncle Ed episode was repeated in its normal time slot at 6:30 PM (via John Norfolk, dxldyahoogroup via DXLD) ** U S A. DXing with Cumbre reconfirmed starting at 2105 instead of 2100 UT Friday on WHRA 17650, July 9. But it was last week`s edition as Marie wished people a good holiday weekend. Poor signal this week (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A [non]. Family Radio via Gavar [ARMENIA] on 7360: Carrier on at 1857, program audio started at 1900 with a shred of some audio that did not belong there, then fanfare and opening announcement in a ridiculously poor German. Quite strong signal, suggesting that this is a 500 kW. Somewhat unclean modulation. Also from 1900 on air are 7350 (Minsk-Kalodiszy) [BELARUS] Spanish and 9490 (whatever Moscow area site) with Italian, both somewhat weaker than 7360. Family Radio in English via Grigoriopol on 7350 was preceded by 770 Hz tones from at least 1954, completely destroying the co-channel transmission of the very same broadcaster. The Grigoriopol broadcast itself is subject of interference as well, from a Chinese transmitter included in the HFCC file (Beijing towards zone 33). Quite a bungle (Kai Ludwig, Germany, July 9, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A. The big debate between Ralph Nader and Howard Dean airs live Friday July 9 at 1800-1930 UT. Justice Talking site now has a list of NPR affiliates carrying it live: http://www.justicetalking.org/misc/nader_dean_live.asp And it`s also available via NPR webcast http://www.npr.org And also live on C-SPAN 3: 2004 VOTE Ralph Nader v. Howard Dean At the National Press Club, independent presidential candidate Ralph Nader debates former Democratic presidential candidate Howard Dean. The debate focuses on the issues surrounding the 2004 election, including the impact of Nader's candidacy and the role of third parties. FRI. ON C-SPAN3 AT 2 PM ET http://www.cspan.org has webcast of that available, and I suppose it will run later tonight on C-SPAN 1 or 2. Regards, (Glenn Hauser, on the dxldyg well before 1800 UT, via DXLD) It certainly was a spirited debate! C-SPAN3 webcast crapped out on us, so we listened on KUOW instead; turned out to be only 60 minutes. The Justice Talking site also lists a number of stations which will be playing it later, such as WHYY, KGOU, etc. C-SPAN was slow to get its evening/overnight schedule up at http://inside.c-spanarchives.org:8080/cspan/fullschedule.csp but we found the debate playing at 0030 UT Saturday, having started at 0000, on C-SPAN 2, and to repeat at 1057 UT Sat, but these repeats are often subject to major schedule revisions before they can occur. Also on C-SPAN 1 UT Sat 0309 and 0616 (Glenn Hauser, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A. Speaking of KKOB, I've noticed lately that the Santa Fe "synchro" [770] is not synchronous. During night pattern there is a slow (approx 1 Hz) het that is very noticeable here in Los Alamos. -- (Mike Westfall, N6KUY, WDX6O, Los Alamos, NM (DM65uv), Online logbooks at http://dxlogbook.gentoo.net July 6, NRC-AM via DXLD) ** U S A. Wouldn't hold my breath on a WQMA QSL now... Oldies WQMA-A (1520)/MARKS, MS PD/MD PAUL WALKER, JR resigned from his position (7/5). Reach him at RadioColchester @ aol.com s (From allaccess.com via Scott Fybush, July 8, NRC-AM via DXLD) Subject: This just in to the Radiogeek newsroom... WQMA veries... Six more WQMA test veries went out very recently. Paul Walker just assured me that he will continue chipping away on the QSLs despite leaving WQMA radio. I'd like to invite the QSL recipients to let us know when you get them through this forum. This is looking good, and I thanked Paul for keeping the DX test listeners in mind through this transition period. More as things develop... Best (Ron Gitschier, Jacksonville / St. Augustine / Palm Coast, FL, ibid.) WQMA QSL --- I just received a verie and coverage map from Paul Walker for WQMA's DX test of Feb. 17. Thanks, Paul! I have heard 3 MS stations and have QSL's from all 3 now. WJNT and WTNI are the others (Dave Hochfelder, Highland Park, NJ, July 9, WTFDA-AL via DXLD) ** U S A. BLOOMIE RADIO TO ADD TALKERS -- By JOHN MAINELLI July 7, 2004 -- [NY Post] MAYOR Bloomberg's radio station is going to play talk radio with the big boys — kind of. Starting Monday, WBBR (1130 AM) will launch a WABC-style conservative vs. liberal talk show in midday. "Bloomberg Simply Put" (11 a.m.-1 p.m. and repeated each night at 8) will star Democratic political strategist Michael Goldman and Massachusetts newspaper columnist Tom Moroney, who'd been working together on weekends on WBBR. "It will be a political commentary show" with frank opinions, calls and guests, "but we won't try to make it a point-counterpoint show," said Bloomberg Media's David Wachtel. Asked if the show was timed to capitalize on — or even influence — election-year politics, Wachtel told The Post "we think there's more to talk about now, but we're looking long term." WBBR is also adding "Bloomberg on the Economy" (2-3 p.m.) with Bloomberg News editor-in-chief Tom Keene and is moving and renaming "Bloomberg Big Picture" (1-2 p.m.) with Kathleen Campion. WBBR debuted in the bottom fourth of all stations 10 years ago and hasn't budged since, but execs say they're not making these changes to play the ratings game. "Bloomberg Radio has an elite AM audience that is rarely captured by Arbitron ratings," Wachtel said. "It's tough to get people who listen to [us] to fill out an Arbitron diary for a couple bucks a week." WABC (770 AM) program director Phil Boyce said "competition only makes you stronger. "The news-talk format is the most listened-to format in America, and it was only a matter of time before more stations got serious about doing it." (via Radioguy, NRC-AM via DXLD) ** U S A. UNCLEAR CHANNELS --- IS LOCAL RADIO COLLAPSING AROUND OUR EARS? --- by Joe Tarr She`s worked in Knoxville radio for 18 years for just about every company that`s done business here. But her experience with one of the country`s biggest radio chains, Citadel, was by far her worst. On the air she was known as ``Taylor,`` a pseudonym she prefers to go by in print, and her most recent gig was at 100.3 The River. She was one of the few people at the Americana station to survive when Citadel took over operations from Dick Broadcast on Aug. 1, 2003. At the beginning of June she was interviewing with her new bosses for a promotion. But then, suddenly, she was canned. The station`s program director now programs her old spot, the 7 p.m. to midnight shift, during the day, and she says a 20 year old was hired for much less pay to fill the mid-day slot she was aiming for. Taylor isn`t alone. A number of long-time radio DJs and announcers --- sports talk host Tony Basilio, music director Sarah McClune and nighttime jock Brian Benson, both on West 105.3, WNOX newscasters Ed Hooper, among others --- have all been given pink slips. They`re local casualties of media consolidation, but as sad as their stories might be there`s a bigger issue at stake, one that radio perhaps demonstrates better than any other medium. As the corporations gobble up more of Knoxville`s media, the information we receive tends more toward blandness and the diversity of opinion gets narrowed, critics say. ``Deregulation killed radio,`` Taylor says. ``All of those guys are coming into town and owning five, six, seven, eight radio stations in a single market. Everyone sounds exactly alike, and you`ll find there`s no one even sitting there when you`re making a request. You can flip through your radio dial now and find every radio station goes to a commercial at the same time. You don`t see any personality.`` Taylor`s complaint might sound like one of aesthetics, but there`s a larger issue at stake, critics of media consolidation say --- mainly, who is controlling the information and culture we receive, and for what purpose do we receive it? It`s gotten more and more difficult for citizens to have their concerns aired as media ownership becomes more consolidated, says Mike Knapp, former managing editor of the local environmental newspaper Hellbender Press who recently became executive director of the Tennessee Economic Renewal Network. ``Local people`s ability to have a presence in the media market—radio, newspaper, television—continues to diminish,`` Knapp says. ``That`s a dangerous thing for democracy.`` Because there are so many new places and formats to get information from --- mainly through the Internet and cable and satellite television --- it might seem as though there are more choices. Glenn Reynolds, who teaches law at the University of Tennessee and operates the blog Instapundit, says the argument from Michael Powell, head of the FCC, that competition will eventually sort out what people need, doesn`t hold water. ``The Michael Powell argument that the Internet will take care of everything is something I`d like to think is true. I`d believe it a lot more if the FCC were standing up for free speech on the Internet. I`m skeptical that technology will solve that problem,`` he says. ``I love the Internet, and I think it does great stuff, but it`s not a cure-all,`` he adds. ``The fact is it`s still an awfully small piece of the media picture. You don`t have the penetration of households that TV has. It`s nice that anybody can set up a website and have everybody in the world read it. That`s not an answer to the fact that five or six media companies own all the broadcast media in the country.`` Reynolds says he doesn`t know how corporate ownership has affected local media. ``I thought we were better off when we were a two- newspaper town, but that had more to do with media collapse, rather than consolidation,`` he says. Consolidation has happened at every level of the media ownership. Few cities have more than one daily newspaper. And most TV stations, radio stations and newspapers are owned by large corporations that run them with a close eye on the bottom-line. Even many alternative weeklies are owned by larger companies. The effects of consolidation have probably been most noticeable in radio. In Knoxville, three major companies --- Citadel, South Central, and Journal --- own the majority of Knoxville`s radio stations. The effects of corporate ownership are evident when you take a look at what happened when Citadel took over operation of WOKI, The River, from Dick Broadcasting last August. The rock station (which played some Americana, blues, and reggae) was programmed locally and was involved in the community, sponsoring a number of events and including several local artists in its playlists. Although the station had originally promised to keep the format and staff in place, most of the staff was fired when Citadel took over. After a period of uncertainty, the new River announced it was sticking to the format. However most of the staff was gone and the playlist was changed significantly. Citadel isn`t the only radio chain laying off employees, but they`re interesting to consider as an example of what happens when a corporate chain takes charge. The Citadel takeover at The River left bitter feelings with a lot of employees, most of whom were fired. Benny Smith --- who now works as director of promotions at Metro Pulse and has a radio show on West 105.3 --- says the changes were drastic. ``Hard work and loyalty means nothing to these corporations, which goes against everything I was ever taught as far as keeping a job,`` Smith says. ``I saw this ugly situation firsthand when The River was bought out by Citadel. They had no remorse, nor gave any reasons why they fired nearly the entire staff, including two women co-workers who were pregnant at the time. Citadel offered no insurance or compensation package to anyone, nor did they offer to help anyone find other employment. And they told listeners that `nothing is going to change at The River,` but how can that be when 85 percent of the staff, including most of the on-air staff, was fired?`` Citadel spokesman Mike Hammond says the changes were made at The River with an eye for making the station more involved with the community. ``We started things like singer-songwriter night, being more aggressive with The River Lounge, sponsoring Sundown,`` Hammond says. ``We felt like we made the right moves, particularly since we`ve seen increases in revenue. Our ratings aren`t quite what we want them to be, but they`re getting there. We`re comfortable with the changes we`ve made.`` He says that Taylor was recently let go strictly for budget reasons. She was offered a part-time job but declined it. Critics say corporate radio is programmed not to provide unique entertainment or news, but to cast as wide a net as possible so ratings, and therefore advertising dollars, will be high. Most of the advertising is bought through media buyers in other cities who sell time for several different companies, says Aaron Snukals, general manager at the old WOKI. ``I don`t want to say anything bad about corporate radio because I`ll probably go work for them again one day,`` Snukals says. ``But it`s about the bottom line. ``They will put on whatever they need to get the most people. Then it becomes marketing,`` Snukals says. ``That`s all they care about. That`s how they make their revenue.`` As a result, no one wants to take any chances for fear of losing market share. ``The fact that decisions of every kind are now made by people in the home office miles away instead of in each station`s respective market, especially programming decisions, takes most, if not all of the local personality, flavor, and color away from corporate commercial radio today,`` Smith says. ``It`s cookie-cutter radio. The FCC used to issue a license to a station because it was going to `fill a need in the market not being filled at the current time.` Today, the only need the corps try to fill is to insulate their big money station with other stations in the same market so that their big moneymaker station loses no listeners.`` Taylor agrees. ``When I first started, it was all about the music and the personality of the deejay. You could listen to any rock station and hear Led Zeppelin. It was the deejay that made you want to listen to a station. Now everybody`s been told to have no personality. You are at a point where anything questionable is forbidden. They want you to be middle-of-the-road and not offend anyone. There is no personality in radio in Knoxville anymore.`` The programming and on-air personalities are often working out of other cities, she adds. Snukals believes that diversifying ownership would do a lot to invigorate what people hear on the airwaves. ``Right now you think about it in radio, there`s only three voices. They`re not going to do anything unless it comes from the top. You have really three players making the decisions for 12 to 15 radio stations,`` he says. ``If you could get five or six players, you`d have more voices.`` Hammond disagrees that corporate ownership has made The River, or any other Citadel stations, bland. ``It has not happened with us,`` he says. ``I have very little interaction with our corporate people in New York. I have yet to have anyone from New York call and tell me or order me to do something. They`re holding us accountable, but they`ve basically taken a hands-off approach.`` Citadel now operates six radio stations in Knoxville and about 260 nationwide. He says listeners benefit from Citadel stations because the corporation has more resources. ``We have a lot of smart people that work in other markets. We can pick up ideas, music tastes, new and fresh ideas we wouldn`t be able to do locally. It`s always good to interact with other markets,`` he says. He says most of the programming is done in Knoxville, although the stations here have relationship with other Citadel stations, particularly in Tennessee. Hallerin Hill does a show in Nashville (broadcast from here), and Knoxville`s news and sports teams work with Memphis, Nashville and other cities. Hammond says he isn`t concerned with consolidation in the radio business. ``My concern is allowing companies to branch out and own multiple things in a market,`` Hammond says. ``If you have one company that owns a TV station, multiple radio stations, maybe a newspaper and a billboard company --- that lends itself to a lot of questions. I`m not sure how those questions can be answered because it hasn`t happened yet.`` Others, however, continue to worry about media consolidation of any sort. One local group has tried to offer an alternative on the airwaves by starting Knoxville`s First Amendment Radio, or KFAR, at 90.9 FM. Without a license from the FCC, the station broadcasts a wide variety of music and news programs, mostly with a liberal bent. They`ve been warned twice by the FCC but continue to broadcast. One woman involved with the group --- her on-air name is ``Black-eyed Susan`` --- says she`s been traveling a lot up and down the East Coast lately and was surprised by how similar the radio stations sound. ``No matter where I am I can tune into The River. It`s like The River 100 point whatever, but it`ll be the Pennsylvania version of it. You go somewhere else, and you hear what you thought was the Knoxville radio station. It`s like, `Wait a minute, I thought that was my radio station?``` she says. ``It homogenizes culture. There are fewer chances for diversity to be expressed in the media so people don`t tend to know about or think about diversity anymore. Everything seems to be the same,`` Black-eyed Susan adds. The homogenization extends well beyond music and culture, but to ideas as well, she says. ``We hear a right opinion and a left opinion. The argument tends to be diluted to those ideas without a whole lot of in- between,`` she says. She`s not sure if KFAR is having an effect. It`s hard to measure since they`re outside the radio establishment and operate underground. ``I hope we are challenging enough to other media outlets in our area. I would love for WUOT to consider carrying Democracy Now. I think that`d be really exciting,`` she says. ``I hope KFAR has that effect, but it`s really hard to say because it`s hard to know who is hearing it.`` Taylor doesn`t want to ever work in radio again, but it`s all she`s ever known. She`s thinking about trying her hand at public relations or marketing. ``The way it was handled, the way I was treated, it was just bad. I know I never want to work for those people again. Do I want to work for any of them again?`` she says. ``There are 16 or 17 radio stations in this town all owned by three different clusters. I`ve worked for every one of those clusters. Unless you`re Gunner or Phil Williams, you`re starving to death. A few years ago there were some outstanding radio stations in this town. Now you flip through the dial and they all sound alike, with the exception of the music.`` ``There`s no originality in this town at all.`` July 8, 2004 • Vol. 14, No. 28 © 2004 Metro Pulse (via Artie Bigley, DXLD) ** U S A. LOCAL PIRATE RADIO STATION DEFIES FCC --- STATION STAFFED BY VOLUNTEERS POSTED: 6:34 pm PDT July 8, 2004 UPDATED: 8:50 pm PDT July 8, 2004 SAN DIEGO -- A local radio station that is attracting the attention of hundreds of listeners hopes it doesn't get too much attention from the Federal Communications Commission. The station is Pirate Radio, which dials in at 96.9 FM . . . http://www.nbcsandiego.com/news/3509238/detail.html (via Artie Bigley, DXLD) ** U S A. KUOW's Conversion to Digital KUOW - The Future of Radio Broadcast is NOW! http://www.kuow.org/about_digitalradio.asp In keeping with KUOW's tradition of investing in broadcast technology improvements, KUOW is the first in our region to provide a new service to you. Digital radio, also known as HD Radio provides a stronger, cleaner signal. If you have a digital receiver, you will hear how clear KUOW's digital signal is - free of the static, hiss, pops and fades you may experience with analog radio reception. If you receive a marginal quality analog signal on your regular radio, our digital signal may greatly improve the quality of your reception. Increased Programming and Public Service If current proposals before the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) are adopted, digital receivers will be able to receive two program channels from KUOW beginning sometime late this year. This means that we will have the capacity to offer you the programs you are hearing now on 94.9 AND new programs offerings on a second channel we are initially calling "KUOW 2." HD Radio receivers have just started to show up in local electronic stores and mail order houses. For those of you who want to take advantage of the technology now, Kenwoood HD Radios are already available at Magnolia High Fi. In upcoming years, digital broadcast technology will gradually replace the current analog system developed over sixty years ago. Auto makers have already started to install HD Radio receivers in new model year cars. HD Radio will deliver exciting new programs and services for the radio public. KUOW is proud to take a leadership role in the Puget Sound region (KUOW Seattle via DXLD) ** U S A. RADIO BEAT: NEW PIRATE STATION RAIDS THE AIRWAVES --- MUSICAL SELECTIONS ARE NOT FOR THE TIMID By BILL VIRGIN, SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER REPORTER Thursday, July 8, 2004 http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/tv/181134_radiobeat08.html A new station appeared at 93.7 on the local FM radio dial recently, with a particularly strong signal from Renton to Federal Way in South King County. But you won't be seeing billboards, bus advertisements or other promotions for the station. According to the Federal Communications Commission, there's not supposed to be a station in this area on that frequency. The station is what's known as a pirate, meaning unlicensed and unauthorized to broadcast. Pirate stations are hardly rare, but they usually cover short distances and have a short duration before the operator -- or the FCC -- shuts it down. The pirate at 93.7 is somewhat notable for the strength of its signal. Licensed broadcasters complain about pirates for stepping on their signals. Pirate defenders say such stations give more people access to the airwaves to broadcast what commercial stations won't. This wouldn't be the first occurrence for a pirate at that frequency. Last year a pirate calling itself "Deez Nuts" operated at 93.7 until the FCC shut it down. An FCC spokeswoman declined comment yesterday on whether the agency has received a complaint about the pirate station. It's not clear whether this latest pirate has the same operator as the last version, although the mix of rap (with not-safe-for-commercial- radio lyrics), hip-hop and reggae is similar. Monitored on a recent evening, the station mixed rap with the incongruous sound of an Elvis Presley track. While no stations are approved for the frequency in this area, there have been applications filed for it for translator stations, according to FCC filings (via Artie Bigley, DXLD) ** U S A. Breaking News - Mercer Island Class-D back on the block - REC suggests possible waiver opportunity... 7/9/2003 SEATTLE ALLOTMENT CASE RELEASED AGAIN SO MUCH FOR A SIGH OF RELIEF FOR MIHS The FCC has re-released a Report and Order that shifts several Washington and Oregon stations after originally setting it aside in early June. See REC News #145 http://www.recnet.com/cgi-bin/recnews.cgi?read=145 At the heart of the controversy is the proposed move of KMCQ, The Dalles OR to Covington WA, just south of the Seattle metropolitan area. The move of KMCQ to Covington will result in the displacement of KMIH, a class D secondary school station licensed to Mercer Island High School. KMIH is a Class-D station. Class D stations are considered "secondary". This means that a full power station can displace them. LPFM and translator stations are also considered secondary. This situation caught the attention of Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA) who had proposed that certain Class-D stations be afforded primary protections that would prevent them from displacement from primary full power stations. Unfortunately, KMIH does not have much recourse in this case as the rules do not allow for Class-D stations to be primary and there may not be any available channels for KMIH to move to because of a very crowded Seattle radio dial. FCC rules allow some Class-D stations with nowhere else to go to be able to go to 87.9. Unfortunately KMIH is unable to change to 87.9 (Channel 200) under the FCC rules because of it's close proximity to Canada (§73.512(a)(2) does not allow 87.9 usage within 402km from Canada, Mercer Island is 151 km from Canada). REC feels that KMIH should request a waiver of this rule due to the fact that KMIH may be able to protect other stations (the nearest full power is on 88.5, KPLU-FM) and the nearest Channel 6 is a Canadian CHEK-TV in Victoria BC which, under the LPFM rules, a 100 watt at 30m HAAT on 88.1 would be able to clear. Obviously no other Canada TV station can be closer. REC feels that the FCC should negotiate with Canada to allow this station to stay on the air by allowing it to go to 87.9. More information about FM Table of Allotments proceedings can be found at REC Networks: http://www.recnet.com/allotments/ (REC Networks July 9 via DXLD) ** U S A. MB 02-124: FCC GRANTS ALLOTMENT TO AMBOY, CA --- FCC grant means another "highway station" is coming soon to the Southern California desert The FCC has granted an FM allotment to the small roadside town of Amboy, CA at the request of KHWY, Inc., the operators of the famous "Highway Stations" along the Interstate 15 and 40 corridors between Southern California, Las Vegas and Arizona. REC went on record to support the Class-A (Ch. 237A) allotment in Amboy stating that the allotment would provide city-grade service to a portion of Interstate 40 not covered by Highway Stations, The Drive or any other full power station operating in the area. A counterproposal filed by Cameron Broadcasting was suggesting: - Channel 231A instead of 237A be alloted to Amboy, - Channel 237A be alloted to Desert Center, CA, - Change a Henderson NV allotment from Ch. 231C to 230C, - Change a Parker AZ allotment from 230C3 to 252B1 (in cooperation with the permit holder) - Change the proposed allotment in MB Docket 01-135 in Mojave Valley AZ from 229A to 232A - Move KFLG(FM) from Kingman AZ to Pahrump NV (Mt. Potosi) (Note: Cameron is the licensee of KFLG), - Change KHRQ Baker CA from Ch 235B1 to 276B1, - Change KNYE Pahrump NV from Ch 236A to 250A, - Change a vacant Caliente NV allotment from 233C1 to 232C1, - Downgrade KSTJ Boulder City NV from C to C0. - In addition, Cameron also proposed changing KZKE from Ch 277A to 234C2. REC and KHWY filed reply comments objecting to KFLG being moved from Kingman, removing their second FM service and moving the station to Mt. Potosi, a location that can provide city grade coverage into the rural community of Pahrump NV but also provides 100% city grade coverage in the Las Vegas Urbanized Area. This is a similar coverage area as Pahrump station KXTE. In 1995, REC filed comments in support of an allotment that eventually resulted in KNYE, a station owned in part by talk show host Art Bell. Others filed comments claiming that Cameron's counterproposal was defective. The FCC agreed stating that Cameron's counterproposal was "not correct, complete, and capable of being effectuated on the date of filing, due to conflict with cut-off proposals in another proceeding.". This was due to the fact that: - The REC objected move of KFLG from Kingman to Pahrump was short spaced to a proposed allotment in nearby Tecopa CA. - The allotment in Mojave Valley was subject to cut-off protection because at the time Cameron filed their counterproposal, the FCC had not made a decision on Mojave Valley. Basically, you can not propose to make a change to an allotment from a different proceeding if the FCC has not yet made a decision on the other proceeding. This was Cameron's mistake. Therefore, their counterproposal was dismissed. With the messy counterproposal out of the way, the Commission then was faced with the question of whether Amboy qualified as a community for allotment purposes. In the past REC has filed against attempts to put full-power allotments in small towns. This is usually because of the size of the facility or the location of the reference point, the allotment appeared more intended to serve a larger urban cluster or urbanized area. REC did not find this in Amboy. Amboy is a very small community with less than 50 full time residents. The station would service over 20,000 daily motorists traveling along Interstate 40 and the historic Route 66. REC felt that because the station at Amboy was not capable of any urban cluster or urbanized area and would only be of value to KHWY, The Drive LLC or any other competitor in the "I- 15/I-40" market, the allotment would not provide more public benefit including to the residents of Amboy. In addition, many interference free LPFM channels are still available in Amboy. The final result is that the FCC granted the Amboy allotment as it was originally proposed by KHWY, Inc. For more information on the FM Table Allotments and the allotment process, see http://www.recnet.com/allotments FCC's R&O for this proceeding is at: http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DA-04-2059A1.pdf (REC Networks July 8 via DXLD) ** U S A. FCC ACTS TO UNBLOCK POLICE, FIRE AIRWAVES A plan calls for Nextel to update public safety workers' radios and end cell phone interference in exchange for valuable bandwidth Friday, July 09, 2004 RYAN FRANK from The Oregonian More than five years after a Washington County radio engineer complained, federal regulators released a plan Thursday to halt interference between wireless phone signals and police and fire radio communications. The Federal Communications Commission voted 5-0 to adopt a plan that calls for Nextel Communications, a leading creator of the conflicts, to pay potentially billions of dollars to upgrade police and fire radios in cities from Miami to Portland. In a controversial exchange, Nextel would gain a highly valued portion of the spectrum that would benefit its wireless phone services and not conflict with emergency workers' radios. "The decision is by far one of the most complex matters to come before the commission," FCC Chairman Michael Powell said in a statement. "However, it is unquestionably one of the most important decisions affecting public safety and the American people." But the dust-up, which has drawn the attention of some of the nation's most powerful companies, is far from settled. Nextel hasn't endorsed the proposal and won't do so until the FCC issues its final order, expected in a few weeks. The U.S. General Accounting Office is investigating the plan's financing, and some people expect a Nextel competitor to challenge the decision in court. In August 2001, a six-month investigation by The Oregonian revealed that Oregon and 27 other states had at least one confirmed or suspected instance of cellular phone signals interfering with police officers' or firefighters' radios or in-vehicle computers. Nextel of Reston, Va., was the source of interference in at least 21 states, public safety officials said. Joe Kuran, a radio technician at Washington County's 9-1-1 center in Beaverton, was among the first to alert federal regulators to the interference. In a letter to the FCC in November 1998, Kuran wrote that a Nextel antenna near the Washington Square shopping center blocked firefighter radio communications. More than a year later, an FCC official wrote back, saying no one had violated federal rules and that the 9-1-1 center and Nextel should resolve the conflict on their own. Yet the interference persisted. Among the incidents: Denver police officers on a drug surveillance in June 2001 witnessed a shooting but couldn't call for backup until they ran for a block; and Portland officers in April 2001 lost radio connection as they rushed to a reported burglary near the airport. As the incidents continued, Nextel proposed a solution to the FCC in fall 2001 that would have provided $500 million for public safety agencies to retrofit their radios. Wireless phone companies, public safety groups and others peppered the FCC with more than 2,300 comments and suggestions over the next 2-1/2 years. The back-and-forth culminated in Thursday's decision. In addition to paying for equipment upgrades, Nextel also would give up spectrum valued at $1.6 billion in the 700- and 800-megahertz bandwidths [sic]. In exchange, Nextel would receive spectrum in the 1.9-gigahertz bandwidth valued at $4.8 billion. The spectrum swap drew a stinging response from Verizon Wireless. In a statement, the company called the swap a "bizarre step" and a "giveaway worth billions of dollars in lost revenue to the U.S. Treasury." Typically, the radio waves are auctioned by the government. The FCC's ruling also requires Nextel to pay the entire cost of reorganizing the 800-megahertz spectrum. That would protect local governments from paying for the fix. "The taxpayer pays nothing. Zero," said Vincent Stile, president of the Association of Public-Safety Communications Officials, a lobbying organization for 9-1-1 centers. Officials have struggled to peg the cost of the reorganization, which will require engineers to retune thousands of radios. Nextel had offered to pay $850 million to retrofit public safety radios and other radios. On Thursday, the FCC asked the company to create a $2.5 billion line of credit to cover the costs. In Washington County, Kuran said, the county's fire and police radios have been interference-free since September 2001. That's when Nextel retuned its towers to alleviate the conflicts. Still, Kuran said he was pleased to learn that his letter from 1998 had led to a change in 2004. "Finally happened," he said. (Oregonian July 9 via Bruce MacGibbon, DXLD) ** U S A. RADIO LAW: DON`T DO THE CRIME IF YOU CAN`T PAY THE FINE It`s going to cost a bit more if the FCC catches anyone breaking its rules. This, as the agency amends its rules to increase the maximum monetary forfeiture penalties available to it. The new maximum for broadcasters and cable operators is $32,500 per violation or per day of a continuing violation. In this case the amount for a continuing violation will not exceed $325,000. Common carriers like telephone companies and cellular providers can be dinged up to $130,000 per violation or per day of a continuing violation with. Here the amount for a continuing the misbehavior cannot exceed $1.325 million. And what individuals who knowingly break the rules? Like unlicensed operators who take to the ham bands? Well, they can be fined $11,000 per violation or per day of a continuing violation with the amount for a continuing infraction not to exceed $97,500. And $97,500 will put a big dent in almost anyone`s checking account. (FCC via ARNewsline(tm) July 9 via John Norfolk, dxldyahoogroups, DXLD) ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ UNSOLICITED TESTIMONIAL +++++++++++++++++++++++ How wonderful collection! I used to be a QSL card collector. I'd like to do that again as an amateur radio listener (Takeshi Mimura (» ¼Éð»Ê¡Ë 110-3 Nakano, Yosikawa-shi, Saitama-ken, Japan, July 3, DX LISTENING DIGEST) I suppose he is referring to the QSLs I have up at http://www.worldofradio.com/QSL.html I have not scanned and made any additions lately, but if you haven`t seen them, take a look, and be prepared for some very large files (Glenn Hauser) POWERLINE COMMUNICATIONS ++++++++++++++++++++++++ THE BPL FIGHT: A WAR OF WORDS The fight to stave off the rollout of BPL technology has now become a war of words as an official of the United Power Line Council issues a statement calling ham radio operators a misinformed set of armchair amateurs that still use vacuum tube transmitters. Amateur Radio Newsline`s Mark Abramowicz, NT3V, has more: The comments appear on the Federal Communications Commission record in the current Broadband over Powerline Internet proceedings and in a critical press release issued by the council. American Radio Relay League President Jim Haynie, W5JBP tells Amateur Radio Newsline it`s clear amateur radio`s impact in the BPL debate is irritating the proponents of the technology. ``Yeah, a lot of us do have armchairs in our shacks and some of us still do have tube equipment but what they overlook is the fact that probably more than half of all radio amateurs in the United States are in the electronics field of some sort,`` Haynie says. ``And, when they say ignore us, and ignore the NTIA (National Telecommunications and Information Administration), that just flabbergasted me when they said that. ``I thought, `Okay, this is remarks of somebody that`s feeling the pressure.`` Haynie says BPL spokesman Brett Kilbourne touted his member utilities and companies which produce BPL equipment as the real experts on the technology. Haynie says Kilbourne denigrated the contribution of the amateur radio service operators in the debate. Haynie says calling amateurs ``misinformed`` and trying to paint them as backward-thinking radio operators who use outdated and antiquated equipment, simply didn`t sit well with the ham community. ``No, they`re not fighting words particularly, but it shows the lack of experience,`` Haynie says. ``It shows the lack of education on the subject that these associations are putting out.`` Haynie says the NTIA`s findings of interference problems and the opposition from several users of the radio spectrum that would be affected by BPL apparently caught the industry by surprise. ``The part that really amazes me is the fact that PLCA (Power Line Communications Association) and the UPLC (United Power Line Council) have continually denied that there`s any interference and yet the NTIA study, the League studies are all based on fact,`` Haynie says. ``And, I would challenge the industry --- the BPL industry --- Okay, show me your study. Show me your data and I don`t want any just, `Well, it won`t interfere,` I want to see hard science and evidence. And, let`s see what you got!`` Haynie says there are hams across the country, like those in Cedar Rapids, Iowa who tried to work with engineers at Alliant Energy to resolve BPL test problems. Alliant shut down its pilot test prematurely after conceding its inability to solve certain technical issues as well as a formal deliberate interference complaint filed by the ARRL with the FCC. ``Some of the utilities, are indeed working with the amateurs and are making good-faith efforts,`` Haynie concedes. ``And, the amateurs are acting very professional in their respect because the ones that are working with the utilities are indeed double E`s and PhD`s. ``So, their credentials are good. Just the fact that they`re amateurs, I think, doesn`t discredit their ability to come up with good, factual information. But the associations are the ones that I see that are having a problem dealing with the truth.`` Haynie says his recent meeting with the Bush administration`s technology advisor about the president`s pro-BPL stand, netted even morerequests to work on the issue from a key government agency. ``I just got a letter last Saturday from the secretary of commerce also assuring me that the interference studies would be dealt with and invited me to have a dialogue with Mr. (Michael) Gallagher, who`s head of the NTIA right now,`` Haynie says. ``They realize that they have something that wasn`t in there at first in the sales job that the BPL industry has done and it`s suddenly become quite transparent. ``They realize that there is a problem with the NTIA report. They realize there is a problem in the other data that`s been submitted in the Notice of Proposed Rulemaking. ``So the glitz and glitter is not there as much as it was six, eight months ago or a year ago, whenever the salesmanship job was done by the BPL people.`` Haynie says as more people study the BPL issue, especially the technical woes it can cause, the chorus of those joining the ARRL`s opposition grows. ``Interestingly enough, Mark, I`ve got a number of e-mails and stuff from people, the short-wave listeners,`` Haynie says. ``I know they have a little association, and I don`t mean little by the fact they don`t work hard. But they`ve really commented about the work the League has done and been the leader in the forefront of bringing this evidence to light.`` Haynie adds the Cedar Rapids case sent shock waves through the BPL industry. He`s hopeful it will influence those on the fence about the technology to reconsider. For the Amateur Radio Newsline, I`m Mark Abramowicz, NT3V, in Philadelphia. As the date approaches for the FCC to render its final decision on the rollout of BPL, don`t be to surprised if the attacks against ham radio and others in opposition grow in loudness and intensity. (ARNewsline(tm) July 9 via John Norfolk, dxldyahoogroups, DXLD) THE BPL FIGHT: AMSAT SAYS NO TO BPL IN REPLY COMMENTS AMSAT has filed reply comments with the FCC on the FCC`s BPL Notice of Proposed Rule Making. The ham radio space agency says that Broadband Over Powerline technology is almost certain to have a heavy negative impact way beyond the frequencies it actually utilizes. Bill Pasternak, WA6ITF, has more: In its filing to the FCC, AMSAT North America cites two very sound technical reasons for its concern. One of these is the generation harmonics that every transmitter produced. The other is mixing products that can take place accidentally, even in the very best of maintained RF transmission systems. As every ham knows, mixing products are generated by combinations of two or more RF carriers being present in a nonlinear medium. When mixing is a planned part of a radio system, it happens in a contained environment like a transistor or ic chip. But there are far more times when it`s not wanted such as a corroded joint on a tower, on a guy wire and especially on an electrical power line. AMSAT says that these mixing products along with the harmonics of a BPL system will appear at VHF and higher frequencies. Bands like 2 meters, 220 and above. Moreover, being higher in frequency, they will radiate more readily from the power lines carrying them than will the fundamental frequencies actually being used to access to the BPL system itself. For the Amateur Radio Newsline, I`m Bill Pasternak, WA6ITF. More on AMSAT`s reply comment filing is on line at the address in this weeks Amateur Radio Newsline report. The full text of all of AMSAT`s FCC filings can be found at http://www.amsat.org/amsat/amsat-na/filings/ (ARNewsline(tm) July 9 via John Norfolk, dxldyahoogroups, DXLD) THE FORGOTTEN SW BANDS AND BPL http://www.eham.net/articles/8708 While most hams are aware of BPL's potential for interference to our HF bands, few have mentioned SW broadcasts. There are many people in this country that listen to SW to keep informed about what is going on in the countries they came from. They may be Phillipino [sic], Russian, Chinese, etc. There seems to be a SW broadcast for every ethnicity. I would imagine that many immigrants feel left out by U.S. commercial broadcasts, as they don't report much on the internal affairs of other countries. And indeed, it might be impractical to do so. SW broadcasters are an important link to such people as they can focus on happening in a specific part of the world. If you had family in China, Russia, even Cuba SW would be an important informational resource. Also, informed people like to listen to broadcasts from other countries to get a diverse opinion on world politics. Doesn't mean we believe everything we hear though! BPL could actually wind up being a sort of third world censorship. It has the potential to deny some ethnic groups access to broadcasts from their former homelands. I wonder if any of the groups representing third world immigrants have heard of BPL and what its potential to cut off news broadcasts from overseas? Ed, N6XA (via Andy Sennitt, dxldyg via DXLD) RADIO EQUIPMENT FORUM +++++++++++++++++++++ IBOC radio Hello All, I just installed a Kenwood KDC MP6025 HD ready radio with a KTChr100 HD radio module. It went in My 2003 Durango in place of the factory radio and it is pretty impressive. It appears to overload on AM on some weak stations in high RF fields. But it is also pretty sensitive, so it grabs weak signals better than the stock radio in analog mode. The stock radio worked down to roughly 100 uvm. This one claims 25 uv sensitivity. I would believe it. Only one station in Denver currently doing IBOC. KPOF on 910 am and it sounds pretty impressive in digital. Having had my hands on some of the early test radios this appears to be light years ahead. The radio was 239 bucks and the HD head is rumored around 400 bucks (Paul Jellison, Denver, Clear Channel, July 6, NRC-AM via DXLD) How's the FM on that one? I've had very good experiences with Kenwood radios for FM, particularly because it is easy to do a ceramic filter mod on them (Rich Shafton, NJ, ibid.) I think a lot of us would welcome your further observations about your new radio's performance, Paul, especially on skywave reception of IBOC signals. I think you're the only person on this list with a HD/IBOC receiver. As soon as someone offers a portable/home IBOC AM receiver, I'm getting one! (Harry Helms W7HLH, Las Vegas, NV DM26, ibid.) Best IBOC comments I've ever read --- This is one of the most enjoyable reads I've ever seen on the FCC comments section..... http://gullfoss2.fcc.gov/prod/ecfs/retrieve.cgi?native_or_pdf=pdf&id_document=6516214399 Watch for wrapping of the link (Paul Smith, W4KNX, Sarasota, FL, ibid.) PROPAGATION +++++++++++ SOLAR STORMS CONTINUING TO REVERBERATE July 9, 2004 By WARREN E. LEARY WASHINGTON, July 8 - The massive solar storms that pummeled the Earth last fall have continued almost to the edge of the solar system, causing disruptions on other planets and other surprising effects, scientists said Thursday. In a 20-day period from October to November 2003, more than a dozen storms, including the most powerful ever measured, erupted from the face of the Sun, sending blast waves in every direction. Because of a fleet of spacecraft dispersed throughout deep space, scientists said they now had the best picture yet of how shock waves from these storms reverberate through the solar system setting off disturbances billions of miles away. "All of the explosions combined and threw an enormous blast wave across the solar system," Dr. Eric Christian of NASA's solar physics division said during an agency teleconference with reporters on Thursday. The solar eruptions were so powerful that billions of tons of electrified gas shot into space at speeds of up to five million miles per hour, the fastest ever measured from the Sun, scientists said. The blast waves from the series of explosions merged as they moved out, creating a front that is now moving toward the edge of the solar system at about 1.5 million miles per hour, they said. "You get a buildup and a consolidation as you move out in the solar system," said Dr. Edward Stone of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif. The storms caused minimal damage on Earth, partly because some of the most powerful blasts were not aimed directly at our planet. Earth's protective magnetosphere trapped the particles from the solar mass ejections, creating a show of "Northern Lights" so prominent it could be seen in the southern United States. The storms did cause the rerouting of aircraft from polar routes, minor disruption of some satellite operations and astronauts aboard the International Space Station to take shelter temporarily in more shielded parts of the orbiting outpost. However, the ripple effect of the blast wave continued past Mars to the outer planets, scientists said. One blast damaged the radiation monitor aboard the Odyssey spacecraft orbiting Mars. However, the craft was able to record how the wave stretched and tore the thin atmosphere surrounding the planet, carrying part of it into space. "Substantial parts of the upper atmosphere escaped into space," said Dr. Thomas Zurbuchen of the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. This process could partly explain how Mars has lost so much of its atmosphere and water over the course of 3.5 billion years, he said. Evidence from the Mars rover craft and pictures from orbit indicate that the planet once had an abundance of water, Dr. Zurbuchen said. Repeated assaults by these kinds of space storms could have slowly siphoned off water that would have risen into the atmosphere, he said. Dr. Stone said that as the latest blast wave moved out, it disrupted the magnetic field around Jupiter and set off a weeklong burst of radio emissions that were picked up by the Ulysses spacecraft. The front caused a similar event when it arrived at Saturn that the Cassini craft detected as it approached the planet. Last April, the wave was detected by the Voyager 2 spacecraft, which is seven billion miles from the Sun. The blast wave is expected to reach Voyager 1, nine billion miles away, later this month, he said. By the end of this year or early in the next, the wave is expected to reach the edge of the solar system, about three billion miles beyond Voyager 1. This boundary, called the heliosphere, is where the effect of solar radiation ends and interstellar space begins. Dr. Stone said space physicists expected the blast wave to temporarily push out the heliosphere boundary some 400 million miles when it hits, with the edge rebounding to its normal position in a year or two. The far-reaching effects of these solar eruptions not only indicates that they need more study, scientists said, but also that more work is needed to predict them and to protect the Earth and astronauts who venture into space from their adverse effects. http://www.nytimes.com/2004/07/09/science/09solar.html?ex=1090347616&ei=1&en=1b3d9fed16f2032e (via Jim Moats, DXLD) http://www.nytimes.com/2004/07/09/science/09solar.html?pagewanted=print&position= (via Mike Cooper, DXLD) ###