DX LISTENING DIGEST 4-151, October 2, 2004 Incorporating REVIEW OF INTERNATIONAL BROADCASTING 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 1247: 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 1930 on WWCR 12160 Sun 2000 on RNI webcast, http://www.11L-rni.com Sun 2000 on RFPI http://www.rfpi.org repeated 8-hourly [maybe] Mon 0100 on WBCQ 9330-CLSB Mon 0230 on WRMI 6870 Mon 0330 on WSUI 910, webcast http://wsui.uiowa.edu [previous X-50] 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 Mon 2100 on WBCQ 9330-CLSB repeated thru Wed 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]: WORLD OF RADIO 1247 (high version): (stream) http://www.w4uvh.net/wor1247h.ram (download) http://www.w4uvh.net/wor1247.rm WORLD OF RADIO 1247 (low version): (stream) http://www.w4uvh.net/wor1247.ram (download) http://www.w4uvh.net/wor1247.rm (summary) http://www.worldofradio.com/wor1247.html WORLD OF RADIO 1247 in the true SW sound of 7415: (stream) http://www.piratearchive.com/media/worldofradio_09-29-04.m3u (d`load) http://www.piratearchive.com/media/worldofradio_09-29-04.mp3 ** ALASKA. KNLS shortwave schedule September 26, to October 31, 2004 UTC kHz. TIME FREQ. LANG. 0800 11765 English 0900 11765 Russian 1000 9690 Mandarin 1100 9795 Russian 1200 9690 Mandarin [already buried under Greece via Delano here; 1300 9690 English ditto; no problem at all in E Asia?? --- gh] 1400 9615 Mandarin 1500 9615 Mandarin 1600 9615 Mandarin 1700 9615 Russian (via Daniel Sampson, Prime Time Shortwave, via KNLS website, 9/27, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** ANGOLA. ANGOLA'S CHURCH RADIO STILL BARRED OUTSIDE LUANDA From: http://www.afrol.com/articles/14433 Afrol News, 1 October - Radio Ecclésia [sic with acute], a Catholic Church broadcaster that remains Angola's leading independent media, is still limited to transmitting only to the Luanda area. Attempts to set up a relay tower in Lubango in southern Angola were harshly rejected by local authorities, dismantling the installation. Angola's church-owned radio station has for years sought to obtain a national broadcasting license; something that has repeatedly been turned down by Angolan authorities. Outside Luanda, government- controlled radio broadcasters therefore still totally dominate the media environment as independent newspapers are also hard to get. Radio Ecclésia remains bound to only broadcast its daily news and entertainment programmes in the Luanda region. Here, it has managed to become a popular and alternative voice since its establishment in 1954. The repeated attempts to widen its audience outside the Angolan capital have enhanced the conflict level between Radio Ecclésia and state authorities. Thus, the appearance of a radio relay installation in the southern city of Lubango on Wednesday automatically made Provincial Governor Ramos da Cunha sceptical. The governor, after establishing that the relay station was the property of Radio Ecclésia, immediately ordered the dismantling of the installation. Radio staff insisted the relay station was inactive and only put up to avoid its "deterioration or theft" from its insecure storage. It was however not possible to change the mind of Governor da Cunha. In an interview on Radio Ecclésia, Father Pacheco of the Catholic Church in Lubango said that the relay station was intended to remain inactive until a national broadcasting license had been achieved. "We are simply creating the conditions to be ready when Radio Ecclésia gains authorisation to broadcast to the whole country," he said. Radio Ecclésia has been a thorn in the side of the Angolan government ever since it started broadcasting. The independent radio station airs relatively uncensored news and dissenting views on Angolan affairs. Between 1975 and 1997, the broadcaster was mostly was shut down by authorities. Since 1997, however, Radio Ecclésia has steadily reported on items otherwise taboo in Angolan media, such as the civil war, conflict diamonds and opposition views. Journalists and editors have repeatedly been harassed and detained. The dissident broadcaster currently can be heard over the FM network in the Luanda area, where it has a relatively strong relay station. Furthermore, it is audible on the Internet and occasionally on short- wave (via Ulis R. Fleming, Radio Amateur: K3LU (ex: WB3LUI & TI5NW) Home Page: http://www.radiointel.com Maryland USA, Cumbredx mailing list via DXLD) ** ANTARCTICA. ANTARTIDA ARGENTINA: 15476, LRA -36 Radio Nacional Arcángel San Gabriel, 2018 UT, Setiembre 27, sinpo 44444. Locutor anuncia música de Alejandro Lerner. 2022 locutora: ``de Esperanza al mundo`` y locutor con comentario deportivo (fútbol); 2034 "Saludos a todos los que se comunican del Mundo" 44343 (grabado ) desde aquí... una alegría, bueno, cariños y un gran abrazo a: - A Elvio Oscar Bernal de Provincia de Buenos Aires - A Manuel Méndez de España - A Edgardo Din de Santa Fe, más preciso de Santo Tomé - A David Tanbuchi de Italia - A Zuka Baizanen de Finlandia - A Sergio Olivera de Las Toscas, Provincia de Santa Fe - A Mario Tartiglione, de Radio Zanchibut - FM Loma Merlo, Miguel Ángel, que recién te escuchamos - FM Patagonia, Ezeiza - Gerardo Furni - Luis Alberto Gomes de Concepción, Chile - Tiziano Tizinioli de Milan, Italia Y Víctor Baglio de Joeta Cardena. "bueno, acá hasta un Nich de Corrientes, un gran abrazo" (audio de fondo). Locutor anuncia otro tema de Lerner (cóver de Miguel Rios?) tema --- todo a pulmón --- 2040 UT, ID de emisora: "Desde la Base Esperanza, Antártida Argentina, transmite LRA-36, Radio Nacional Arcángel San Gabriel, en español en su frequencia 15476 de lunes a viernes para todo el mundo.`` - continúa locutor, comentario deportivo; se hizo un silencio (¿motivo?) 2047 Continúa locutor (QRM: señal de emisora débil pitido de apertura?), sinpo 43443 2053 locutor: "bueno, maestro, más con unos temitas de Léener para la gente" 2055 locutor ID amplia (pregrabada) 2056 locutor cerrando programa depoprtivo 2058 ``bueno, les dedicamos esta canción, para ellos, para el equipo de ciegos de la selección argentina los Murciélagos (abreviado) 2100 continúa locutora, "y así damos por finalizado el programa del día de hoy; esperamos haberlos acompañado, les agradecemos que... 2100.03 UT: en esos momentos QRM de Voz Cristiana en Portuguez (Héctor Álvaro Gutiérrez, Perú, Conexión Digital via DXLD) ** ARGENTINA [non]. 13700, Radio Argentina Exterior-RAE, Sep 22, 2223 Spanish, 433, OM with RAE ID then a YL with comments. OM with comments at 2230 (Stewart MacKenzie, WDX6AA, CA, Japan Premium via DXLD) I would be astounded if this were anything but Radio Internacional de China, via Canadá, as scheduled during this hour. It would truly be remarkable if RAE were to come up with a new frequency, let alone on the 13 MHz band. I wonder if people are aware that, besides the A-04 HFCC list, which I think has not been updated since it was issued in April, another comprehensive frequency list is available on line, which has been updated, and which I just consulted to confirm this: http://susi-und-strolch.de/eibi/dx/freq-a04.txt And a quick check during the 2200 hour Oct 2 confirmed it was CRI in Spanish (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** BELARUS. Heard a fair harmonic of fundamental 6010 on 12020 again, this morning around 0600-0700 at about S=2-3 level. Also noted a harmonic on 12140, S=1-2 level, but NOT on 12230 today. At 0715 UT harmonic signal has been gone on 12140. Powerhouse Portugal took over on 12020 (Sat/Sun). Fundamentals as usual 6010 6040weak 6070 6080 6115 7110 7145, and 2nd program on 7265. But 6190 couldn't be noted at my place (Wolfgang Büschel, Stuttgart, Germany, Oct, 2, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** BELIZE. OLMCR CATHOLIC RADIO ON THE AIR TWO YEARS Benque Viejo, Sep 27 (CRU) --- Our Lady of Mount Carmel Radio (OLMCR) has been on the air for over two and a half years in this small town on the frontier with Guatemala, Catholic Radio Update discovered a few weeks ago. On May 1, 2002, Bishop O.P. Martin consecrated the station on 94.3 FM in Benque Viejo del Carmen, according to a newsletter appearing at the Mount Carmel High School website. The station is a Catholic one and ``therefore remains faithful to the magisterium of the Catholic Church and to the Holy Father.`` In fact, the station answers to two bishops, that of Belize and that of Petén in Guatemala. The Rosary is broadcast three times a day; the Divine Mercy Chaplet is also said; there are Scriptural and catechetical programs, programs on the lives of the saints, moral teaching, Christian music, and the teachings of the popular Guatemalan lay evangelist Salvador Gómez. According to the first newsletter of the station, its 100-watt transmitter reaches out 10 miles into Belize and Guatemala, and operates 5 a.m. to 11 p.m. The chief language is Spanish, since that is the language of most of the people, but OLMCR planned to add programming in English as the station upped its power. In fact, the station had acquired a new 140-ft tower and received a donated 1,000- watt transmitter to replace the 100-watt one broadcasting from a 70-ft tower erected behind the school with considerable difficulty by area men. Work had already started on the new site atop a 700-ft mountain. The plans to expand have the blessings of Bishop Osmond Martin, who would like to see OLMCR spread across Belize, the former British Honduras, which is located on the Atlantic coast and wedges into Guatemala. ``We need this medium to cover the entire nation so that there will be an exclusively Catholic voice on the airwaves in Belize,`` said the bishop. Whether or not that ever happened Catholic Radio Update has not been able to find out. An e-mail sent to the station manager was returned with an error message; an e-mail to the principal of the high school, a priest, was not answered either. CRU had asked the priest if we could call at an appropriate time to talk about the station in order to do an article, but the request of several weeks ago was ignored. This is not the first time; several years ago, when CRU found out about the religious order`s plans for a radio station in Benque Viejo, it wrote the order but that e-mail was not answered. Database Benque Viejo: OLMCR Our Lady of Mount Carmel Radio 94.3 FM (100 watts, antenna 70 ft agl; planned 1,000 watts from mountain site 700 ft asl). Society of Our Lady of the Most Holy Trinity. Our Lady of Mount Carmel High School, Benque Viejo del Carmen, Belize. Tel.: (501) 823-2024. E- mail: see website. Mr. John Marhevka, director. Website: http://www.solt3.org/belize.htm Catholic programming, 5 a.m. to 11 p.m. in English and Spanish. Covers western Belize and eastern Guatemala. (In the Diocese of Belize). (Catholic Radio Update Oct 4 via DXLD) ** BRAZIL. 3080, 0306 25/9, R. Nova, Brasil, portugués, 2º armónico de 1540 kHz, música e ID por OM (ver abajo) (Alfredo Locatelli, de Durazno, Uruguay, "El EsKuch@ Newsletter", via Conexión Digital Oct 2 via DXLD) There was nothing more about this abajo. Brasil is a very big country and there are dozens of stations on 1540. It would be nice to know which one this is. In WRTH 2004, I find only one with Nova in its name, ``Nova Difusora AM`` in Osasco, SP state, ZYK723. It`s the only one with 50 kW day power, but this was at night with 500 watts listed, as many of the other graveyarders (gh) En la frecuencia de 3080 kHz, se escuchó una emisora con música brasileña de estilos variados, sertanera [sic], melódica, pop; evidentemente se trata del segundo armónico de 1540 khz. Se identificó como "Nova emisora Ivinhema, Mato Grosso do sul". Samuel Cássio en Conexión Digital 282 la reportó como Radio Regional Piravevê (from http://elescucha.webcindario.com/nxdx.htm via DXLD) That would be ZYN601 in Piravevê MS, per WRTH 2004 (gh, DXLD) ** BRAZIL. Ola amigos, faz uns 3 meses q a Rádio Nacional trocou de freqùência de 6180 para 6190 kHz. Todos sabemos q o forte das emissoras é publicar suas freqüências, é a alma das emissoras. Nao sei se os colegas notaram, a Rádio Nacional, ainda mantem nas chamadas de identificacão o locutor dizendo "faixa de 49m, freqüência de 6180 kHz" O presidente Lula, inaugurou tudo novinho mes passado e esqueceram da frequencia nova... Coisas do Brasil. Bom final de semana. 73 a todos (Paulo Miled, radioescutas via DXLD) Prezado Paulo e demais amigos da lista, Sou ouvinte da Rádio Nacional da Amazônia. Sempre que possível escuto o programa: Nossa terra, que vai ao ar as 2300 UTC. Os locutores que apresentam este programa, tem por hábito, informar a freqüência de 6180 kHz. Como você mesmo frisou, isso é coisa do Brasil 73! (Jackson/RJ, ibid.) 6191, R. Nacional da Amazônia, Sep 26 0920 in Portuguese, 33433. Talk by man. IDed at 0928 good (Iwata Gaku, Japan Premium via DXLD) ** CANADA. I was a pretty serious DXer for a while, back in the late 60's, active in IRCA, less so in NRC. My big thing was graveyard DXing. Lately I've been going through my old logs, QSL's, and tapes, creating a database. Has been fun seeing those things all over again. One of my catches back then was CBXQ-540 in Ucluelet, BC. At the time they were just 40 watts, perhaps they still are. I still have the tape, though I never got a QSL from them. As it happens I'll be on Vancouver Island later this month, staying just a few KM from Ucluelet. I would like to at least see the tower, and perhaps visit the station, though it may be little more than a repeater. Do you have any idea how I'd get info about this outlet, or contact someone connected with it? I saw the station mentioned on a web page of yours last year, in a report from Pat Martin (David Kulka, http://www.studioelectronics.biz DX LISTENING DIGEST) Hi David, I`m sure that CBXQ-540 is nothing but a repeater of CBU-690, like so many other 40-watt low-power relay transmitters, which is how it is still listed in the NRC-AM Log 2004-2005. It`s likely to be unmanned, with no studio, just a transmitter and an antenna -- could be on a pole, or even a dipole or longwire. You could ask the CE at CBU in Vancouver, or ask around locally when you get to the town. Or see if you can track it down by direction-finding, signal strength, etc. That one does really get out thanks to its low frequency, presumably right on the coast. I enjoyed my visit to the Island a few years ago, but I don`t believe I got over to Ucluelet. 73, (Glenn to David, via DXLD) ** CHINA. All Chinese stations on 13, 15, and 17 MHz much weaker today, than Oct 1st. 73 wb (Wolfgang Büschel, Stuttgart, Germany, Oct, 2, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** CHINA [and non]. Re 4-150: This is a great discussion! I would like balanced and fair reportage of the news. I think that is only fair that we require that of a company that wants to do business in this country --- and not to feed us a load of crap. We have a difference of opinion here --- but it is good to hear the opposing viewpoint(s). Something I am sure CCTV won't give us! (Maryanne Kehoe, GA, Oct 1, swprograms via DXLD) Give it time, Maryanne. Our Cuban policy (i.e.: embargo) has been a total failure for over 40 years now. Constructive engagement has opened China some and it appears right now that it will continue to do so in an evolutionary way, if not a revolutionary one. By any measure, our China policy has been far more successful in changing China than our Cuba policy has been in changing Cuba. That is not to say that we should do nothing. At every opportunity (bilateral meetings, international telecom conferences, etc.), the point should be made pointedly and directly to the Chinese government and to the international community at large that jamming (i.e.: restriction on speech) is unacceptable. Doing it ourselves (as Glenn suggests) would undermine both our stated principles and violate our Constitution. While I understand the frustration, I fail to see how a policy of reciprocal jamming helps our position, morally or practically. In my view, it would only provide justification for their actions which would be counterproductive (John Figliozzi, NY, ibid.) Thanks --- we *know* about the Cuba policies (trying to get Arnie here for the Fest |sigh----will we *ever* see Arnie?|). I especially agree with your comments that we should not sit back and do nothing. When it comes to communications issues, I think many times it has been shortwave people that have spoken up and taken the lead on heavy issues (such as Ralph's "Save the BBC World Service" work) when no one else was able or willing to carry the torch. We need to stay activist. Use it --- or lose it! 73 (Maryanne Kehoe, ibid.) Maryanne, I think you overstate your case. Much progress has been made. You may not be old enough to remember Radio Peking from the pre- Nixon-visit days (1972). I think many would agree that the China of today is still not what we in the West would consider an open society. Today's China is, however, light years ahead of the country I remember listening to on Radio Peking in the 1960's. Radio Peking would never have allowed its reporters to operate a Washington, DC office or send representatives to a convention of potential CRI listeners in Kulpsville, PA for example. China is moving quickly to become an economic power. They are today the fourth largest exporter in the world, and the third largest importer. With that much international trade going on, there is no way that the government is going to restrict the flow of information or ideas across its borders. There is just too much outside person-to- person contact these at least among their business, technology, and academic classes. China recently announced they will now permit ordinary Chinese citizens to travel to most countries of Europe. Travel agents in Shanghai are scrambling to organize tour groups. With every contact our societies grow closer together. CCTV-9 will serve that convergence. Our differences are still many. Their approach to contract law leads to people in the Western World believing, as you do, that the Chinese cannot be trusted. Doing business with China requires us to understand how their contract law operates for example. If the Chinese sign a contract, they believe they have a right to abrogate that contract when the conditions that existed at the time the contract was signed have changed. That is just one example of the kinds of things we need to know about the Chinese in order to deal with them both in business and international affairs. Bridging such gaps in our basic understanding of each other must happen as the world grows smaller if we are to peacefully negotiate our differences. CCTV-9 will help make that happen. To censor CCTV-9 is not only dangerous because it would justify Chinese retaliation, it is counter productive. We should be applauding anything that makes the people of the USA more aware of the world we all live in instead of the world we think we can bully and dominate. Some day average high school graduates in this country might even be able to find China on a map as a result of exposure to such a channel as CCTV-9. Chinese society has existed for thousands of years. Because of this long history, their time scale is not the same as ours when it comes to change. Look how long they waited to peacefully absorb Hong Kong and Macao back into the fold. Their attitude toward open reporting will slowly come around on their time scale, not ours. Be patient and be open to anything that will hasten the convergence of our two economic and political worlds. Respectfully, (Joe Buch, DE, ibid.) All this talk of "tit-for-tat" reminds me of the old-school "code of Hamurabi". Hamurabi died blind and toothless...see code numbers 196 and 200 at http://www.unesco.org/delegates/iraq/hamurabi.htm. I agree with John & Joe -- we have to espouse the "moral high ground" when it comes to communications. Joe's examples of cultural and legal differences are also spot on; I agree that continued dialogue on an economic level helps to enable two-way dialogue at the ideological level as well. Also keep in mind that matters of governmental communications policy are driven by Beijing, and much of the modernization of China in deed and word is happening far from Beijing, down in southern China. Many of those in positions of business management and influence are very "Western" in their ideological thinking already, despite the edicts from Beijing. Perhaps more insidious than China is Singapore. It, too, has highly restricted media, yet the country would largely be considered a success when it comes to the health, welfare and opportunity afforded its citizens. Continued respectfully, (Richard Cuff / Allentown, PA, ibid.) The Spanish and French service of CCTV to the USA launched on October 1. It is being carried on channel 884 on the Dish Network satellite system. Are they targeting the black market audiences in Mexico and Canada? Sure sounds like it (Joe Buch, swprograms via DXLD) Altho my previous suggestion that the US jam CRI in reprisal for China jamming VOA, RFA, was rather tongue-in-cheek, the more I think about it, the better it seems, tho it is not likely to happen. Altho it was dismissed out of hand, I did try to make clear that this would not be an all-out attempt to prevent CRI being heard by American SWLs, but enough to cause China concern and to waste some of its resources. It might escalate, but ``who started it?``. Any idle IBB transmitters at Greenville or Delano could be used for this, perhaps to keep them in shape. Furthermore, the IBB interferers would not necessarily need to be run at full power to make CRI unlistenable. We don`t need any more bubbles or other digital types of jamming, but how about some nice, loud American music along the lines of ``firedrake``? Keep the cobwebs out of the modulators! Another option would be to pick CRI times and frequencies for DRM tests. Hey, that`s not jamming, it`s the latest thing in SW broadcasting technology. BTW, CRI is doing that, too, with little regard for QRM caused to analog transmissions. The Chicoms must really think we`re wimps, for allowing them to jam whatever they like with no consequences, and even sell them the transmitters to do so! Any deliberate interference by IBB transmitters should be publicly acknowledged, unlike the usual jamming subterfuges. The interference should be announced on the air periodically, and by all available media, as ``in reprisal for Chinese jamming of the Voice of America and Radio Free Asia, attempting to speak to the Chinese people; and will be eliminated as soon as the Chinese jamming stops.`` Then listeners should be referred to a certain non-jammed CRI transmission, with time and frequency, as proof that the US is not engaging in censorship. Say, one of the crummy Cuban relays. Nor am I suggesting that CCTV-9 or any other satellite TV service be jammed or prevented; that would really open a can of worms (Glenn Hauser, DX LISTENING DIGEST) FWIW, I do agree that there is a fundamental disconnect when we actually sell the Chinese the transmitters they use to jam our broadcasts. Perhaps that could be the point where we demonstrate some displeasure with their actions (John Figliozzi, swprograms via DXLD) Ha! The Cubazuelans, thanks to their frequency management wizards, are doing it for us: just as I anticipated, Venezuela-via-Cuba is now colliding with China-via-Canada (in English), both on 13680 at 2300. CRI had been using this for six months, yet RNV announced a schedule including this frequency at this time, and it has just been activated as more and more Cuban transmitters recover. If they had paid any attention to DXLD, or godforbid, turned on a radio before picking the frequency, they certainly would have noticed it was already occupied by their Chicom pals. Let`s see how long this last. The RNV relay is on two other frequencies at this time: 11760 which is synchronized with 13680, and 9820 which is not, as of Oct 2. CRI Sackville is also on 6145 (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** COSTA RICA. Hi, an English speaking prayer on offset v13746.44 at 1945-2005 puzzles me. Costa Rican World Universal network of nominal 13750? (Wolfgang Büschel, Germany, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) Yes! Checked at 2240 Oct 2, on about 13746.2, slightly wobbly carrier, is Dr. Gene Scott. Always // WWCR 13845 or 5935; Anguilla 11775 or 6090; sometimes KAIJ 13815 or 5755. 73, (Glenn, ibid.) ** CUBA. 9550, RHC Bauta in English was much weaker today, 0500-0700 UT with fair S=3 signal. 9655 noted weak under RRI Bucharest signal in \\, but SSB mode used on my receiver. No transmission this morning on 9820, and 11760 kHz neither. Prop conditions much weaker today according to figures via DXLD [only predixions by SEC]: 2004 Sep 30 100 5 2 / 2004 Oct 01 100 5 2 / 2004 Oct 02 100 8 3 (Wolfgang Büschel, Stuttgart, Germany, Oct, 2, DX LISTENING DIGEST) See also CHINA [non] ** CUBA [non]. Commando Solo in axion --- It`s Saturday evening, so, in a hurricane lull, Radio Martí 15330 was heard announcing at 2206 UT Oct 2 that TV Martí is now airborne, testing on Canal 13, as well as R. Martí on 530 AM until 10:30 pm = 0230 UT if Cuba is still on DST. 73, (Glenn Hauser, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) Yes, per http://www.timeanddate.com/time/dst2004b.html DST in Cuba ends on Oct 31 just like in the USA, except it`s at 1 am local (0500 UT) instead of 2 am, when clocks go back one hour to become midnight local (Glenn Hauser, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Well... if it's there, I'm not hearing anything on 19130 or 530 (just a huge RVC signal on the latter). If it's really on, it is escaping me which would be the first (I began checking around 5 p.m. local [2100 UT]). But with RVC on, there's probably no chance of me confirming from this proximity (Terry L. Krueger, Clearwater FL, DX LISTENING DIGEST) 19130? Did you mean some other number?? (Glenn to Terry, via DXLD) No, it is (was) real... there was a report from ??? (sorry, I forget, but a FL source -- I thought it was even repro'ed in DXLD but guess I am wrong) that they appeared on 19130 (amusing frequency -- 193rd Airborne) on I think the last broadcast before the hurricanes, parallel 530. Believe it was reported as USB (Krueger, ibid.) ** DENMARK. 5815, World Music Radio (presumed) 0350-0420 Oct 1. Pop music with announcement by woman on the hour. Weak signal just above the (substantial) noise level. Best around 0405. Barely audible at 0420. Too low to understand the announcement, so very tentative log. SINPO 24222 (Jim Evans, TN, Cumbredx mailing list via DXLD) ** ECUADOR. UNIDENTIFIED. LA, 3449.75, 0947 2 Oct., definitely someone here playing pleasant LA music. Sounds like an HJ or YV station. Still in at 1037. Must be 5 X 690 harmonic. Anyone else hear this or know who it would be?? Very weak (Dave Valko, NRD-535D, Beverage of 300' at 180 degrees, reclaimed stripmine near Dunlo PA, Solar Flux = 88, A Index = 4, and K Index = 3. No storms. Cloudy. Calm. 62 degrees, 17 C, Cumbre DX via DXLD) Hello Dave! In fact I´m going to have a recording of, together with photos from Riobamba, 3449.76 LV de Riobamba, Ecuador on my ID web- site within 3-4 days. So this is your unID LA! http://www.malm-ecuador.com 73s (Björn Malm, Quito, Ecuador, DX LISTENING DIGEST) So it`s the third harmonic of HCGB5 on 1150v, per WRTH 2004; in Ecuador, 690 belongs to HCJB --- well, almost: there is one other station listed, in Portoviejo (Glenn Hauser, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** ECUADOR. 4918.97, R. Quito (presumed), 2 Oct., 0942, Back on (or has it been on??) with talk by M in Spanish, but audio horribly distorted. Was playing nice tropical music later. Strong (Dave Valko, NRD-535D, Beverage of 300' at 180 degrees, reclaimed stripmine near Dunlo PA, Solar Flux = 88, A Index = 4, and K Index = 3 No storms. Cloudy. Calm. 62 degrees (17 C), Cumbre DX via DXLD) ** ECUADOR [non]. Re 4-150, HCJB on 1251 (100 kW): Appears to be the Tajik Yangi-Yul site. First time that I see a mention of such transmissions, so are they new? (Kai Ludwig, Germany, Oct 2, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** ERITREA [non]. CLANDESTINE (Eritrean), 12120, Radio Sagalee Oromiyaa via Russia. Sept. 27. *1730-1800* Noted at sign-on with Horn of Africa orchestra music, followed with two clear IDs, more music, into a commentary program with references to Oromoo People/ ANC/ Ethiopia. At 1747 gave another clear ID, for Radio Sagalee Oromiyaa, mention of studios in Atlanta, gave a postal address (but the address did not sound like the one for Atlanta, Georgia) and also web site information one as: www.-----(?)oromiyaa.org and another partial one copied as: chmimj.net. This was followed with more news commentary, closing ID and comments and off with a selection of music to sign-off. Signal was well heard, especially the IDs, but copy on the station address and web site info was some what garbled (Edward Kusalik, Alberta, CANADA, Oct 2, Cumbre DX via DXLD) ** FINLAND. Yesterday Fri Oct 1 my new 95 meter longwire antenna heard her first signal with AOR 7030+. First station was planned Pirate Radio 603 AM, Mariehamn on 603 kHz coming all day long with strength of S9 +10dB. Really enjoyable reception here in south-west coast of Finland. 73´s (Jouko Huuskonen, Turku, FINLAND, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** GEORGIA. According to a message from the German department of the station (distributed via the Austrian A-DX mailing list), the External Service "Radio Georgia" will not be closed. The department is thanking DXers for their support messages via Email which contributed to the final, positive decision of the management of the Georgian National Broadcasting Corporation which runs the "Radio Georgia". (Bernd Trutenau, Lithuania, Oct 2, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Subject: [A-DX] Radio Georgien Hallo in die Runde, folgende Mail erhielt ich von Lia Mumladse: Hallo Herr Kähler, Vielen Dank für Ihre Aufmerksamkeit und das Interesse an das Schicksal von Radio Georgien. Was die Nachricht von der Aufschaltung über WRN betrifft, es gab solch einen Vorschlag aus London, dem deutschsprachigen Service. Aber die Rundfunksleitung hat es auf dieser Etappe aus Kostengründen abgelehnt (51 000 Euro monatlicher Betrag, zu hart für einen Radiosender, der gerade wegen finanzieller Notlage von Schlessung bedroht war.) Aber es gibt noch einige Pläne, die in Besprechung sind und wir hoffen auf bessere Zukunft. Die russischen Sendungen gibt es schon über WRN seit drei Tagen. Um 21:30 und dann Wiederhohlung am nächsten Tag um 10:30 morgens MEZeit. Das Sind erst einmal die Testsendungen (kostenlos für sechs Monate). Ich habe, denk' ich, alle Ihre Fragen beantwortet. Viele Grüße (via Douglas Kähler, A-DX via Kai Ludwig, DXLD) Summary of the above quotation of a message from Radio Georgia, German service: For the time being no Radio Georgia programming will be distributed via WRN Deutsch because the costs of 51,000 Euro per month were considered as too high. Only Russian programmes are now transmitted via WRN Russkij as a free-of-charge six months trial. Earlier reports had it that the German service (this may apply to other foreign language services as well) was to be discontinued by October 1st, but in a more recent message the already quoted editor said that suddenly nobody meant to close the services but now the management talks about "further developing" them. Probably the program production and the usage of the Dusheti transmitter have been messed up here. However, without Dusheti no outlet would be left, or do I miss something? (It is another issue that the Dusheti transmissions were not worth any money with their very poor quality.) (Kai Ludwig, Germany, Oct 2, DX LISTENING DIGEST) 11805v, R. Georgia N O T on air Oct 2nd, 0600-0730 UT (Repeat of previous day Oct 1st service). Has been Dusheti shortwave service come to an end for ever, on Sept 30th? (Wolfgang Büschel, Stuttgart, Germany, Oct, 2, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** GRENADA. This hurricane-ravaged country gets a 5 kW transmitter courtesy of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela. No, they`re not talking about a city in Spain altho they insist on not honoring the correct English spelling of the English-speaking Caribbean island. WTFK? Is that too much to ask? No station named Grenada Air in WRTH 2004 for clues, but it`s a lot easier to put up a low power FM station than an AM (gh) GRANADA/VENEZUELA/ ESTE MARTES COMENZÓ A FUNCIONAR EMISORA DE RADIO EN GRANADA CON AYUDA DE RNV La embajadora de Venezuela, Edna Figuera, informó que ya empezó a funcionar la emisora "Grenada Air" suministrada por el gobierno bolivariano y solicitada por el Primer Ministro de la isla luego del desastre producido por el huracán Ivan. Prensa RNV (Luigino Bracci) 30 de Septiembre de 2004, 12:55 AM La embajadora de Venezuela en Granada, Edna Figuera, informó que ya está en el aire la emisora "Grenada Air" como servicio de información, con la ayuda del gobierno nacional y el apoyo de Radio Nacional de Venezuela. Dicha emisora fue solicitada por el Primer Ministro de Granada, Keith Mitchell, para poder tener un medio de comunicación con el pueblo granadino. Como se sabe, las emisoras existentes fueron destruidas durante el paso del huracán Ivan, que también dejó unos 60 mil damnificados en la isla, así como decenas de muertos. Con esta emisora, el primer ministro Mitchell podrá comunicarse con su pueblo para informarle de las eventualidades del desastre y señalar cómo se ha ido recuperando la isla poco a poco. Está operando desde el propio complejo ministerial donde se encuentran las oficinas del Primer Ministro. http://www.rnv.gov.ve/noticias/?act=ST&f=2&t=8987 set 30) más... "Igualmente anunció el Ministro Izarra el aporte que ha hecho Radio Nacional de Venezuela y CONATEL al enviar a la devastada isla de Grenada [sic --- that`s better --- gh] un transmisor de 5 kilovatios con lo que se da respuesta a la solicitud que hizo el Primer Ministro de Grenada al Presidente Chávez. Ya está saliendo el equipo de radiodifusión con técnicos de RNV quienes van a estar ayudando en todo lo que es el esfuerzo comunicacional en la isla." (de una nota más amplia en http://www.rnv.gov.ve/noticias/?act=ST&f=2&t=8726 set 22 via Conexión Digital via DXLD) ** INTERNATIONAL. AUSTRALIA/UZBEKISTAN/ZAMBIA/CHILE: Winter [sic] B-04 [NOTE: NOT YET IN EFFECT, UNTIL OCTOBER 31] Schedule for Voice International via Australia (DRW=Darwin) Chinese to China 2200-0100 15165 DRW 250 kW / 340 deg |||ex 2200-0100 for B-03 0700-1200 17635 DRW 250 kW / 340 deg |||ex 0800-1400 for B-03 1200-1800 13790 DRW 250 kW / 340 deg |||ex 1200-1500 for B-03 English to China 0900-1500 13685 DRW 250 kW / 340 deg |||ex 1000-1300 for B-03 1500-1800 15150 DRW 250 kW / 340 deg |||new transmission English to Indonesia and South East Asia 0900-1100 11955 DRW 250 kW / 316 deg 1100-1800 13635 DRW 250 kW / 303 deg |||ex 1300-1400 for B-03 1800-2100 11685 DRW 250 kW / 303 deg Indonesian to Indonesia 0400-1000 17820 DRW 250 kW / 290 deg |||ex 0600-1000 for B-03 1000-1300 15365 DRW 250 kW / 290 deg 1300-1700 7245 DRW 250 kW / 317 deg |||ex 1300-1800 for B-03 Voice International via Uzbekistan (TAC=Tashkent) Hindi to India 0100-0400 11850 TAC 100 kW / 153 deg 0400-1100 13630 TAC 100 kW / 153 deg |||ex 0500-1100 for B-03 1100-1400 13765 TAC 100 kW / 153 deg 1400-1700 9855 TAC 100 kW / 153 deg Christian Voice via Zambia (LUS=Lusaka) English to Southern and Central Africa 0400-0700 6065 LUS 100 kW / non-dir |||ex 0300-0600 for B-03 0700-1700 9865 LUS 100 kW / non-dir |||ex 0600-1500 for B-03 1700-0400 4965 LUS 100 kW / non-dir |||ex 1500-0300 for B-03 Voz Cristiana via Chile (SGO=Santiago) Portuguese to Brasil 0400-1100 11890 SGO 100 kW / 060 deg 1100-2300 17660 SGO 100 kW / 060 deg 2100-0100 15475 SGO 100 kW / 045 deg 2300-0400 11745 SGO 100 kW / 060 deg |||ex 2200-0400 for B-03 Spanish to Mexico 0100-0400 15585 SGO 100 kW / 340 deg |||new transmission Spanish to Northern South America 0000-0600 15375 SGO 100 kW / non-dir |||ex 0100-1200 for B-03 0600-1200 9780 SGO 100 kW / non-dir Spanish to Central America and Caribbean 1200-2400 17680 SGO 100 kW / non-dir |||ex 1200-0100 for B-03 Spanish to Southern South America 0000-1200 6070 SGO 100 kW / 030 deg |||ex 0000-1000 for B-03 1200-2400 9635 SGO 100 kW / 030 deg |||ex 1000-2400 for B-03 (Observer, Bulgaria, Oct 1, via DXLD) ** ISRAEL. Israel Radio networks via phone --- The Cellphone company Orange has made Israel Radio / TV audio available via phone - any phone. They call it "Orange Radio". Either dial *460 from your Orange phone in Israel, or dial + 972 547 666460 0547 666460 from inside Israel (Phone numbers listed using the new Israeli cellphone area code) from any phone and you get a Hebrew menu which allows you to select live audio of the networks listed below. I just called it from here in New York -- and created a list of the networks, with the phone menu to select each network: Reshet Alef / Moreshet: 6 Reshet Bet: 1 Reshet Gimel: 5 Reshet Dalet: 8 REKA: 9 (This network has the English news broadcasts) Radio Kol Haderech Asakim: 3 IBA TV Channel 1: 4 Note that you are calling a cellular phone number in Israel, which may incur higher phone bill charges than a landline call to/within Israel. === The Israel Radio English news 0430 and 2000 UT broadcasts are still available on demand via US cellphone using the Mobile Broadcast Network. For more details see: http://www.mymbn.com (Doni Rosenzweig, Oct 2, DX LISTENING DIGEST) I assume the menu you created applies only to your own phone, as an example, right? (gh, DXLD) ** ITALY. 15200: Noted the Saturday only sports program of RAI Rome on this frequency. Check on the various broadcasting meter bands revealed only a \\ program on 9815 USB. Latter channel suffered by a French language course of VoA Botsawana co-channel. Football game Torino vv Catania Sicilia was in progress. Scheduled 1820-2020 UT in summer, 1920-2120 UT winter. Summer registered 9745EUR 11890EaAF 21520NoAM 21550SoAM Winter registered 11800NoAM 11875EaAF 15180SoAF 15285SoAM At 2030 UT the Italian National Anthem played, but program of RAI lasted still till 2040 UT transmitter cut off. 73 wb (Wolfgang Büschel, Stuttgart, Germany, Oct 2, DX LISTNEING DIGEST) ** ITALY. RAI International B04 [NOT IN EFFECT UNTIL OCTOBER 31] ALBANESE 1335-1355 9670 AMARICO 0435-0455 11985 ARABO 0600-0620 11985 1430-1455 567 9670 11800 11900 1630-1655 6040 11670 2025-2045 6010 7290 2135-2155 6010 7290 BULGARO 1540-1600 11985 CECO 1810-1825 5990 2135-2155 6125 CROATO 1435-1455 9850 DANESE 2000-2020 6035 9760 (mar - gio - dom) ESPERANTO 2000-2020 6035 9760 (sab) FRANCESE 0115-0130 11800 1530-1555 5985 9570 11680 1630-1655 9570 11895 GRECO 1520-1540 11985 ================================= INGLESE 0055-0115 11800 0445-0500 5965 6000 7230 1935-1955 6035 9760 2025-2045 6040 11880 2205-2230 11895 ================================ ITALIANO 0130-0230 6110 11765 0130-0315 9840 11800 0435-0445 5965 6000 7230 0455-0530 11985 0630-1300 11800 1000-1100 11920 1400-1425 17780 21520 (lunedì-sabato) 1500-1525 9670 11800 11900 (lunedì-sabato) 1500-1525 9670 11800 (lunedì-sabato) 1555-1625 5985 9570 11680 1700-1800 6140 9755 11875 11895 15250 15320 1830-1905 11800 15250 2240-0055 9840 11800 2300-0500 900 1332 6060 LITUANO 0505-0525 5965 POLACCO 1840-1900 5990 2210-2225 6125 PORTOGHESE 0115-0130 9840 2050-2110 6010 7290 11880 15250 RUMENO 0530-0550 5965 2115-2135 6125 RUSSO 0345-0405 5965 9655 0600-0620 9670 11800 1605-1625 9655 11815 2000-2020 6125 9670 SERBO 1910-1930 6130 SLOVACCO 1825-1840 5990 2155-2210 6125 SLOVENO 1400-1415 9850 SOMALO 0530-0550 11985 1910-1930 11855 SPAGNOLO 0055-0115 9840 0315-0335 9840 11800 2110-2130 6010 7290 SVEDESE 2000-2020 6035 9760 (lun - mer - ven) TEDESCO 1415-1435 9850 1805-1825 6110 9760 TURCO 1500-1520 11985 UCRAINO 0405-0425 5965 9655 UNGHERESE 1935-1955 6130 On Sundays at 1350-1730, the following frequencies may be used for news or sports broadcasts in Italian: 9670 21520 21550 21710 (tnx Andrea Borgnino via Roberto Scaglione http://www.bclnews.it BCLNEWS.IT, the only italian updated DX web site!!! via DXLD) ** JORDAN. Heard Radio Jordan this morning (Oct 2/04) from tune in 1614 with weather for the region. At 1615 Time check and ID Radio Jordan 96.3 FM. Into AOR pop music with lots of IDs (even big echo ones) to 1629 when signal was killed by some sort of interference, possibly DRM or bad spur. Before that signal was good on 11690; tune up to avoid RTTY. 73 (Mickey Delmage, Sherwood Park, Alberta, RX: Collins HF-2050, Ant: KLM 7-30 MHz Log Periodic, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** LIBYA [non]. Winter B-04 schedule for LJB Voice of Africa: 1000-1100 on 21695 1100-1230 on 17695, 21485, 21675, 21695 1230-1400 on 21675, 21695 1400-1500 on 21675 1600-1700 on 15220, 17840 1700-1800 on 15220, 15615, 15660 1800-1900 on 9485, 11635, 11715 1900-2030 on 11635, 11715 2030-2130 on 11635 (Observer, Bulgaria, Oct 1, via DXLD) ** MADAGASCAR. Family Radio on 6020: This is via Talata Volondry (or Talata Volonondry, which version is the correct one?). Complete schedule is 0500-0600 on 9525, 1800-1900 on 11920 and 1900-2100 on 6020, the last frequency being an old RNW standard for both Talata V. and Flevo. All this via the 50 kW transmitter of unknown origin that has been added to the old Philips rigs a few years ago for lease-out to other broadcasters. What is actually this certain Fiangonana Loterana Malagasy broadcast that goes out via Talata V. 1630-1700 on 3215? (Kai Ludwig, Germany, Oct 2, DX LISTENING DIGEST) See USA [non] ** MEXICO. 6185v, 2/10 0601, RADIO EDUCACIÓN, Mexico, Spanish, IDs e announcements YL, interviews, QRM DLR 6190 kHz, better in USB, Fair- Good (R7) (LUCA BOTTO FIORA, Rapallo (Genova) - Italy, R7 Drake - Satellit 500 Grundig, DX Tuners; Ferrite 85cm amplified LW-MW - Dipole 49m - Longwire 20m - MFJ1026, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** MEXICO. Last night, at about 2300 CDT, I had a Spanish talk station over a mix of XEEY and WFAN [on 660]. It was apparently taking telephone calls, and it gave a number that sounded like "044-449- 1374988." I'm not quite sure, but that was the best I could translate it by playing it several times with the recording slowed down. I'm not sure if it was a phone number, but I think it was. My first thought was Cuba, but I couldn't match it up with any of the known blowtorches out of Cuba like Radio Rebelde on 670, 710, 1180, etc. Any ideas on this one? I can certainly provide an audio file if it would help (Adam Myrow, Memphis, TN, Sept 30, NRC-AM via DXLD) My understanding is that when you call a cell phone in Mexico, you must dial 044 first. Your 2nd station is, therefore certainly Mexican. I'd suspect Mexico City which I've heard a couple of times over the past couple years mixing u/XEEY with WFAN phased out. Someone more familiar with the phone number may be able to better advise. Unfortunately, I don't think my supposition is enough to allow you to log them. 73 KAZ (Neil Kazaross, IL, ibid.) Well, I'm going through the recording again, and have just found, somewhat later, a very clear XEEY ID followed up a few minutes later by a fade of XEEY, a moment of silence from the other station, then a very rapid ID sounding like XEDTL. So, I think you're right about Mexico City. Conditions changed very abruptly last night. Early in the evening, WFAN, WCBS, and WABC were in very well, and I was thinking it would be a good evening for eastern stations. I also noted a few faint 1 kHz hets on 621, 999, and one or two other possible hets. Later, 1521 had a huge het, but IBOC from WSAI prevented me hearing anything else. As that faded, the southern stuff started pounding in. It was about this time that my presumed XEDTL came up and started to take turns with XEEY as the dominant station. Now, I'm not sure which of the two it was which was dominant at the time of the phone numbers since they were taking turns back and forth like that. Since XEEY almost always plays music, and I could hear music under the phone-in program, I think it was indeed XEDTL that was on top at the time. So, I'm going with a likely XEDTL (Adam Myrow, ibid.) It so happens I have an extensive list of Códigos Telefónicos de México, since I picked up the freebie El Latino Yellow Pages Junio 2004 for Oclajoma. Arranged by state and city. I thought I would have a long slog hunting for 449, but it turned out to be the very first entry! Aguascalientes, several towns there, including the capital of the same name. Since XEEY is in Ags., that would certainly fit, altho you think it must have been the other one because of format. Of course, none of this may apply if it`s really a cell number? Anyhow, if anyone else need to match up a Mexican telephone exchange with a locality, just ask. Would be nice if same were online for easy searching, and it probably is, somewhere (Glenn Hauser, Enid, ibid.) See also CONVENTIONS & CONFERENCES below ** NAMIBIA. Heard German music 2050 UT with close down at 2058 without ID. Reasonable reception on 3280 kHz. Music German, language unidentified. NBC Windhoek? 73´s (Jouko Huuskonen, Turku, FINLAND, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** NEW ZEALAND. B-04 for Radio New Zealand International (RNZI): [NOTE: NOT IN EFFECT UNTIL OCTOBER 31] 1651-1750 on 9870 / 035 deg to Fiji, Samoa, Cook Islands 1751-1850 on 11980 / 000 deg to All Pacific 1851-2239 on 15265 / 000 deg to All Pacific 2240-0359 on 17675 / 000 deg to All Pacific 0400-0759 on 15340 / 000 deg to All Pacific, also heard in USA, Europe 0800-1059 on 9885 / 000 deg to All Pacific 1100-1259 on 15530 / 325 deg to NW Pacific, NE Australia, PNG, Asia, Europe 1300-1649 on 9870 / 000 deg to All Pacific 73! (Observer, Bulgaria, Oct 1, via DXLD) See also VANUATU [non] ** OKLAHOMA. NATIONAL ORTHODOX PROGRAM NOW HEARD IN TULSA Fort Lauderdale, Aug 20 (OCN) --- "Come Receive the Light", the national Orthodox Christian media ministry, just keeps growing across the country. Starting Sunday, September 12, "Come Receive the Light" has been heard each week on KCFO AM 970. Listeners in Tulsa and surrounding communities can tune in each Sunday at 9:30 AM [CDT = 1430 UT] to hear this national media outreach of our Orthodox Churches. The program is being made possible by a local Orthodox parish. Fr. Bill Christ and the faithful of Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church have committed their talents and resources to bring our media ministry to their community. Fr. Christ said recently to his congregation ``This time slot allows for those coming to Sunday morning services to listen as they`re getting ready or traveling to church. However, its larger purpose is to expose the general public to the Orthodox Church.`` Rev. Dr. Christopher T. Metropulos, founder and host of "Come Receive the Light", says, ``Fr. Bill and the faithful of Holy Trinity parish have the vision and the heart of this ministry. Encouraging our Orthodox faithful and reaching out with the beautiful message of Orthodoxy to those who have never heard it is why we exist. Thank you, Fr. Bill.`` "Come Receive the Light" is the flagship radio program of Orthodox Christian Network (OCN) and is dedicated to spreading joy, hope and salvation in Jesus Christ while exploring Orthodox Christianity in contemporary society. Orthodox Christian Networks is headquartered in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, and is a commissioned agency of SCOBA (The Standing Conference of Canonical Orthodox Bishops in the Americas) and a member of the National Religious Broadcasters. Visit us at http://www.receive.org (via Catholic! Radio Update Oct 4 via DXLD) ** PAKISTAN. Noel, 15100 was strong today Oct 2nd at 0650 (Wolfgang Büschel, Stuttgart, Germany, Oct, 2, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** PERU. 4746.77, R. Huanta Dos Mil, 1001, 2 Oct., is back here now with same M and W morning announcers. Music bridge, and short canned announcement starting with loud siren SFX. Fairly good. 5014.68, R. Altura (Cerro de Pasco), 2 Oct., 1009-1033, Horribly played OA band music!! 1010 live M announcer with "gracias gracias", mentions of música, andinas, TC twice. 1012 back to campo music. 1016 nice canned promo for program with ID, ad for business in Cerro de Pasco, another ad, then live M at 1017 again with talk, TC, mention of andino. 1024-1031 long talk by same M over band music with TCs, IDs, mention of "música nacional", and ended with nice ID. Back to campo music at 1031 with a canned announcement by M mentioning Cerro de Pasco at the beginning of the song. Very nice signal and clear this morning (Dave Valko, NRD-535D, Beverage of 300' at 180 degrees, reclaimed stripmine near Dunlo PA, Solar Flux = 88, A Index = 4, K = 3. No storms. Cloudy. Calm. 62 degrees (17 C), Cumbre DX via DXLD) ** SAINT KITTS & NEVIS. 555 kHz St Kitts logged in WI! I've been chasing them for years but now I got 'em! ZIZ Radio, St Kitts, 555, 0451z October 2, 2004. I got very lucky in that the best audio came through right when they were giving a long ID. Heavy slop from Chicago on 560 kHz. Several mentions of "Zed eye zed radio" with telephone number and address given. Clip, 424 kb, 52 seconds: http://members.aol.com/j999w/DX/555khz_ZIZ_StKitts.wav Recorded directly to hard drive of my 233 MHz PC using CoolEdit2000 software. This is my noise reduced, filtered clip. [still very poor] I did use the Palstar MW550P tuner with the Icom R71a. It certainly helped as far as being a pre-amp, but unsure whether it really reduced the QRM or not. Antenna was a 15x50 ft unterminated EWE (haven't finished terminating it yet) ... the QRN was a little less on that antenna, so that's why I used it. Am having trouble with my phasing box, so this a 'one antenna' logging. Whoo hooo! (John Wilke, K9RZZ, Milwaukee, WI, amfmtvdx at qth.net via DXLD) ** SAUDI ARABIA. 17730.35v, Riyadh noted on odd frequency from 0700 UT onwards, when VoA Chinese starts from Udorn, Thailand in Chinese. Terrible heavy hum. \\ Riyadh 17740 kHz is on even frequency (Wolfgang Büschel, Stuttgart, Germany, Oct, 2, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** TAIWAN [non]. RTI via Skelton: Problems in feeding programming via Oakland to Skelton are at present also mentioned at http://www.rti.org.tw/german/index.htm However, Okeechobee is apparently not involved in the signal distribution, so these would be unrelated problems. See also http://www.rti.org.tw/german/news/2002/signalflow.htm All the best, (Kai Ludwig, Germany, Oct 2, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** UGANDA [non]. Germany: 17870.0, Radio Rhino International, Jülich, Very strange behaviour today. At 1500 UT a program tape was played on double speed, causing a nice but unintelligible Donald Duck sound. SINPO 35333. Signed off at 1515 instead of 1530. VOA Georgian service blocked the channel with a powerhouse carrier for a short while. Then Radio Rhino appeared again with apparently the same program as before, but this time played at the correct speed. From 1527 blocked by VOA (Michiel Schaay, 30-09-04, Cumbredx mailing list via DXLD) Heard here, too, in Colorado. And, the same day, received a 3rd verie letter from Germany, same orange paper, same wrong frequency. Sigh (John Wilkins, Wheat Ridge, Colorado, Drake R-8, 100-foot RW, ibid.) ** U S A. Yesterday I received from the VoA the third program guide in just over two weeks, all dated November 02 to October 03. I have already brought this issue up with them about sending the program guides out so late in the season. I should be getting the November 04 now, which I probably will not see for several months. This has been going on for a year or so. Any one else getting this waste of VoA $$$? (Mick Delmage, Sherwood Park, Alberta, Canada, Oct 2, HCDX via DXLD) ** U S A. Noticed that WOR 1247 was playing on WRMI 6870, UT Sun Oct 3 at 0230, same time as on WWCR 5070, instead of V. of the NASB. So what happens 24 hours later when WOR was supposed to be on? I`m scratching my head why it is so difficult for some stations, not just WRMI, to get the right program on the air at the right time, like by following a program log? Or maybe NASB wasn`t ready and WOR substituted. Meanwhile on WBCQ, I confirmed WOR aired as scheduled Sat 2030 on 17495-CUSB and Sun 0300 on 9330-CLSB, the latter barely audible (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A [non]. RE: Family Radio --- Hi Glenn, You wrote: "Listed \\ 17845 would have been WYFR, while the other two frequencies, 3230 and 6020 must be in or around Africa." 6020 comes from the RNW Madagascar relay station and is listed in our schedule. 3230, which like 6020 is on the air at 1900-2100 UT, is via South Africa and is listed in Sentech's schedule. 73, (Andy Sennitt, Holland, Oct 2, DX LISTENING DIGEST) see also MADAGASCAR ** U S A. AIR AMERICA ON THE AIR IN BOSTON MONDAY by KMA Fri Oct 1st, 2004 at 14:35:59 GMT http://www.dailykos.com/story/2004/10/1/103559/495 Next week is going to be a great week in Boston! The Red Sox will wipe out whoever they play starting on Tuesday, homeboy Kerry will pass President Chimpy in the polls, and as of Monday, we FINALLY get to hear Randi, Al and the rest of the good folks blasting from our AM dials... Diaries :: KMA's diary :: Air America, the liberal radio network featuring such talents as Janeane Garofalo and Al Franken, is finally coming to the Boston area. Beginning Monday, two small stations, Framingham's WKOX-AM (1200) and Medford's WXKS-AM (1430), will carry the fledgling network. The stations, which are owned by Clear Channel Communications and together are being called Progressive Talk, will keep their call letters. Both will carry Air America programming such as "Morning Sedition," with Mark Riley and Marc Maron, 6-9 a.m.; Franken's "Zero Spin Zone," with cohost Katherine Lanpher, noon- 3 p.m.; Randi Rhodes, 6-10 p.m.; and "The Majority Report," with Garofalo and Sam Seder, 10 p.m.-1 a.m. [EDT = UT -4] The two stations will be leaving the Air America stable for two weekday shifts, both of which will be staffed by liberal syndicated hosts from Jones Broadcasting. Stephanie Miller, who has guest-hosted CNBC's "Equal Time," will take over 9 a.m.-noon, and Ed Schultz, the author of "Straight Talk From the Heartland," will handle afternoon drive, 3-6 p.m. [a lot of A.A. affils are doing this --- gh] Night and weekend programming at the stations hasn't been finalized but will likely include rebroadcasts of the daytime shows, as well as Air America "best of" programming. I checked out both stations when I got into my car this morning, and I can report that they both came in loud and clear in Newton. Whoohoo! (via Artie Bigley, DXLD) ** U S A. AIR AMERICA STAYS ON AIR IN PORTLAND --- by RAY ROUTHIER, Portland Press Herald Writer Saturday, October 2, 2004 Copyright © 2004 Blethen Maine Newspapers Inc. http://pressherald.mainetoday.com/news/local/041002airamerica.shtml Supporters of Air America have won their battle to keep the liberal talk radio network on the air in Maine. Officials at Nassau Broadcasting reversed their decision to drop Air America from Portland station WLVP (870 AM) after about 150 people showed up at a public event Thursday evening. Nassau's CEO, Louis Mercantanti, arranged the meeting at the station to address the more than 500 protests the company received after announcing on Sept. 20 that it would drop Air America. Station officials had planned to replace it this fall with the nationally syndicated ESPN Radio sports network. Patrick Collins, general manager of Nassau's Maine stations, said that before Thursday, Mercantanti did not know what he would do. But once Mercantanti saw how many people showed up, and how passionate they are about the network, he decided the Air America network should stay on WLVP, Collins said. Collins said previously that Nassau officials felt ESPN had the potential to produce more advertising revenue than Air America. That's why Nassau wanted to drop Air America, after airing it for only six months. Collins said he and Mercantanti now feel differently. "It starts with passion. If listeners don't have passion for your programming, they won't have passion for your advertisers," said Collins. "The passion these people have for Air America, that's priceless." Collins said that Air America listeners who protested offered many ideas for increasing ad revenues on the station. One of those, which Collins said Nassau will probably adopt, is to sell sponsorships similar to those on public radio stations, instead of the individual ad spots heard on most commercial stations. "So we might have a spot that says, 'This hour's programming brought to you by . . .' " said Collins. "Air America shares some of its listeners with NPR (National Public Radio) so it would make sense to take an NPR approach." Collins said Air America will stay on WLVP indefinitely. The station will continue to air some local sports, including high school and Portland Sea Dogs baseball games. The station will also try to develop local public affairs programming, on weekends, to tie in with Air America's liberal-leaning news and politics. Nassau bought its Maine stations in April and began airing Air America on WLVP only weeks after the network went on the air around the country, on March 31. The network includes news and talk shows that represent liberal views. Its hosts include comedian/commentators Al Franken and Janeane Garofalo. The network got off to a rocky start. After a couple of months, it was nearly out of money and some network officials said publicly that they had been misled about how much money the company had. Around the same time, stations in Los Angeles and Chicago dropped the network. But during the summer, things apparently improved, as the network gained stations around the country. By the end of the summer, the network was carried by stations in at least 19 cities. According to Arbitron ratings, Air America on WLVP had about 9,200 listeners a week in June in the Portland market. WLVP's signal reaches an area with more than 300,000 residents that includes Cumberland and York counties. Air America is the only liberal talk network on a commercial station in Portland, which is part of the reason listeners are so passionate about it. "I've found it very comforting to be able to hear my own views voiced in the media. It makes me feel like I can make a difference," said Mary Chaney, 52, a Portland acupuncturist who protested Nassau's original decision. "I am so pleased they're keeping it on." - Susan Butler, staff researcher, contributed to this story. (via Artie Bigley, DXLD) ** VANUATU [and non]. Glenn, You placed a ? after the word 'bunfight' on my item on Vanuatu's new Crest FM. A 'bunfight' is a slang kiwi expression for feast, meal, afternoon tea, morning tea, big spread of food, etc., and is usually reserved for use when freeloading politicians and bureaucrats arrive en masse to enjoy the fruits of the locals, make pompous speeches and otherwise find an excuse for their own self-important existence. It comes from the observed fact that such 'guests' normally push others out of the way in their rush to acquire food (hence a fight for the buns), which they then wave around wildly in their hands whilst gesticulating as they make 'key points' about 'vital issues' to any poor bastard (another fine kiwi expression often used endearingly) within spitting distance. Experienced campaigners know to keep a respectable distance from such dignitaries to avoid splattered ties, shirts or dresses. Warm regards, (David Ricquish, Wellington, NZ, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** VENEZUELA [non]. See CHINA [non]; GRENADA UNIDENTIFIED. 7385, 2/10 0609, WRMI? English, talk OM in // 6870 kHz, Poor-Fair (R7-S500) (LUCA BOTTO FIORA, Rapallo (Genova) - Italy, R7 Drake - Satellit 500 Grundig; Ferrite 85cm amplified LW-MW - Dipole 49m - Longwire 20m - MFJ1026, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) Jeff, does this mean the second WRMI transmitter is on testing? (Glenn Hauser, to Jeff White, WRMI, via DXLD) Glenn: It wasn't us on 7385. The only other station I recall being there around that time was a 15-min transmission of TWR from Albania, or something like that. Maybe that's what he heard. He might have thought it was in parallel, but I doubt it. Anyway, it wasn't us on 7385. If it was parallel programming, then someone else has jumped on 7385 kHz and also carries Brother Stair at the same hour (Jeff White, WRMI, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ PUBLICATIONS ++++++++++++ RADIO BOOKSHELF --- MIKE BARRACLOUGH writes: ... George Saunders has supplied details of two more books with information on British wartime propaganda broadcasting: BRITISH SECURITY CO-ORDINATION - THE SECRET HISTORY OF BRITISH INTELLIGENCE IN THE AMERICAS, 1940-1945. Introduction by Nigel West. ISBN 0 316 64464 1. St. Errmin's press, London 1998. 536 pp hardback. This book is remarkable. It is the secret official history, written at the end of 1945, of British Security Co-ordination (BSC). The original manuscript was printed in a very limited edition and this is a reprint of a copy in the Public Record Office. All the other BSC paperwork was destroyed after the book had been written. BSC co-ordinated all intelligence activites in the Americas. The reasons are complex but can be summarised as: (a) the political neutrality of the USA in 1940; (b) J. Edgar Hoover, head of the FBI, had total hostility towards all intelligence operations on American soil by anyone; (c) well planned and well co-ordinated German intelligence efforts in the USA aimed at thwarting our shipping and other interests; (d) the USA had nothing comparable to our MI5 or MI6 to whom liaison "feelers" could be offered, and was unworkably naïve in intelligence matters. So BSC found itself running operations for every British intelligence activity, and doing many other open and legitimate things as well. The legitimate activities concerned arrangements of shipping to transport goods purchased in the USA, protection of Allied shipping and their crews, and distribution of open information. The covert activities included agent recruitment and running, operations against the enemy and his fronts, and operation of a subtle and sophisticated media campaign. This covered the take over of certain newspapers and magazines, the planting of stories in others, the control of staff recruitment and so on. Not least is the true story of British acquisition of the RCA 600 kW medium wave transmitter "Aspidistra", against the wishes of the US government, and how it had to be concealed, and then shipped to the UK. This account differs significantly from all the previously published ones. There is the fascinating story of how BSC developed a "black broadcasting" empire far beyond anything done in Britain, including covert manipulation and take-over of US shortwave transmitters, and the construction and operation of an HF version of Aspidistra on the Pacific Coast. This was at the time of its construction the most powerful HF broadcasting transmitter in the Americas. Finally there is an account of the ROCKEX teleprinter cypher machine, with its principles of operation. This was used by the British Foreign Office until the 1980s. THE SECRET HISTORY OF THE PWE --- by David Garnett. Published 2002 by St. Ermin`s Press, ISBN 1 903608 08 2, 496 pages hardback This book is the official history of the Political Warfare Executive (PWE), again written at the end of the War and recently declassified by the Cabinet Office. Like that for BSC it was officially written to "provide lessons" for any future activities of the general kind. The text comes from the Public Record Office copy. The book begins before the PWE was founded and continues to the war's end. There is detailed information on many of the "black" broadcasting stations, with much previously unknown data. Those interested in WW2 British black broadcasts will notice a couple of exceptions and draw the inference that these were operated by another agency. Sharq Al Adna, aimed at the Middle East and broadcast originally from Palestine is one such. Radio des Beaux Arts is another, as are the operations in the USA. The information on the PWE operated black propaganda stations is far more detailed than in previously published texts by Sefton Delmer or Ellic Howe. The whinging whining attitude of the BBC towards Aspidistra is well covered, as is the fact that publicly organised campaigns of complaints by listeners living in Crowborough and surrounding areas were sent to the BBC (apparently) and became numerous. They mysteriously dwindled to insignificance when the BBC got time on Aspidistra. The book is lighter to read than its companion on BSC, undoubtedly because of its choice of author. Its canvas is narrower with far more emphasis on broadcasting, because that was the major PWE activity. However the two books are really complementary and well worth reading. Both books should be available through the inter library loan scheme. New copies are available at much reduced prices through Postscript Books, 24 Langroyd Road, London SW17 7PL, 020 8767 7421, http://www.psbooks.co.uk The BSC book is £7.99 and the PWE book £9.99 plus postage; my order was mailed by return. They have an extensive catalogue containing more than 4000 titles of overstock, out-of-print and reprint hardbacks from all the major publishers at much reduced prices (Oct World DX Club Contact via DXLD) CONVENTIONS & CONFERENCES +++++++++++++++++++++++++ MEXICAN DX CONVENTION Mexico, the country with the Spanish culture "South of the Border" as the song says, is a land of magnificent coastal scenery and historic tourist attractions from ancient civilizations. The flight into Mexico City at night shows a never ending blaze of colorful lights that indicate, as the locals say, that this metropolis is the largest in the world. Mexico is, at the same time, very old and yet very modern. One of the Heritage Buildings on the edge of the Zocalo (SOCK-a-low) [sic], the downtown area of Mexico City, bears a plaque stating that the current government building is located upon the site of the palace of the King of Mexico City at the time of the arrival of the Spanish Conquistadors in the year 1519. A small group of travelers on their way to the Mexican Radio Convention met together in Mexico City and, under the leadership of Jeff White from Radio Miami International WRMI, made a visit to two of the well known shortwave stations. One station was Radio Educación with its studio building in suburban Mexico City. Radio Educación is a government operated radio station that operates a multi-faceted media facility. They are on the air with two transmitters located on the edge of the capital city; XEEP with 100 kW on 1060 kHz and XEPPM with 10 kW on 6185 kHz. On each side of the doorway leading into the shortwave studio are two panels upon which are many radio stickers from other radio stations and radio organizations. The other shortwave station that was visited is Radio Núcleo Mil [sic] with its very modern suite of offices and studios. Radio Mil provides programming for three mediumwave transmitters and three FM transmitters some thirty KM distant from their suburban studios. Their shortwave outlet, XEOI with 1 kW on 6010 kHz, is co-sited with the other six units. [would have liked more first-hand details --- gh] The 10th Anniversary Mexican DX Convention was held in the local Museum in the city of Veracruz on the Gulf coast of Mexico and it was organized by César Fernández. This three day convention attracted around 100 participants from Mexico, Europe and Asia and it was granted significant media coverage, including daily reports on local TV. The DX movement in Mexico claims three areas of international distinction. An earlier convention held in Tehuacan (TAY-wa-kahn) [sic] is thought to be the only DX convention anywhere in the world that was organized by young ladies; the Mexico DX conventions are attended by families with wives and children; and the DX movement in Mexico is growing. Major powerpoint presentations during the convention were given by Jeff White on the current developments in digital DRM broadcasting on shortwave; by two young ladies from Taipei, Cheryl Lai & Elena Chen, on the story of their radio station, Radio Taiwan International; and by Risto Vahakainu (VAH-HAH-KAI-noo) on "DXing in the Arctic". Risto stated that a total of 170 mediumwave stations in Mexico have been logged over the years in Finland. Other powerpoint presentations were given by Abner Mir from Radio Free Asia in Wáshington DC and by our own DX editor, Dr Adrian Péterson who spoke on a combined topic, with information about Ádventist World Radio and the story of radio history in Mexico. Colorful exhibits were on display at the convention and these items came from many of the shortwave stations in the United States, as well as from Radio Cairo in Egypt, Radio Canada International, Radio HCJB in Quito, Ecuador, [hmm, what continent is that??? --- gh] Deutsche Welle in Germany, and Radio Prague in the Czech Republic. Interestingly, during an early morning walk along the waterfront, the familiar time signals from chronohertz station WWV in Boulder Colorado were heard coming from the loud speaker system on board one of the ships in the Mexican Coastguard. The crew begins the duties of the day exactly on time as observed by the precise time signals coming in on a shortwave radio receiver. On the Saturday night, many of the convention attendees gathered at an outdoor cafeteria on the beach front and turned on a bevy of radio receivers. Shortwave stations in Central America and the United States were noted on the tropical shortwave bands, as well as other overseas stations with programming beamed to the New World. Five important announcements were made at the 2004 Mexican DX Convention:- 1. Radio Free Asia announced the availability of an automated system for submitting reception reports. 2. Radio Mexico International XERMX announced the closure of their shortwave service. 3. The National Association of Shortwave Broadcasters announced the commencement of digital DRM broadcasts on shortwave from Radio Canada International. 4. The blind music writer Pepe Gonzales announced the availability of his new book on the history of shortwave broadcasting in Mexico. 5. Adventist World Radio announced the details of a special series of broadcasts from transmitter KSDA5 on the island of Guam. Consideration was given regarding the location for next year's meeting of the Mexican DX association and the town of Ascensión, near El Paso on the American border, is suggested (Adrian Michael Peterson, AWR Wavescan Sept 26 via DXLD) RADIO EQUIPMENT FORUM +++++++++++++++++++++ LONG WAVES FROM THE COLD WAR --- with Bennett Z Kobb KC5 CW The broadcast had that mechanical sound one associates with the spy- and-numbers stations on HF. But this one seemed all the more eerie to me because it was on 179 kHz, loud and distortion-free. Time ticks in the background, and a continuous announcement: "Good evening. This is station WGU-20. Eastern Standard Time nineteen hours, ten minutes, ten seconds. Good evening. This is station WGU-20. Eastern Standard Time nineteen hours, ten minutes, twenty seconds. Good evening. ..." No schedule, purpose, address or other information ever was announced. After midnight it switched to "Good morning." I recognized the callsign as typical of federal government stations, and occasionally saw it show up in logs in various monitoring publications. What I had heard was a test transmission from an RF zombie, a relic of an elaborate, lost scheme to use longwave to warn the public of nuclear attack. The station's QSL card appeared a few times in radio newsletters. It read: QSL Defense Civil Preparedness Agency / Radio Station WGU 20 / 179 Kilohertz / 1st 50 kW / All Solid State AM Transmitter / Chase, Maryland. What grabbed me was the illustration on the card: A silhouette of gallant Paul Revere on horseback, waving his hat, alongside a transmitting tower; and the initials DIDS. I knew that the Defense Civil Preparedness Agency is now known as the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). It is responsible for federal assistance in emergencies such as natural or man-made disasters or defense-related incidents. A visit to the FEMA library in downtown Washington revealed more about DIDS and WGU-20. DIDS stood for Decision Information Distribution System. A vast network of LF broadcast and feeder stations, DIDS was supposed to deliver audio messages directly to the public within 30 seconds after activation. In case of attack, DIDS was supposed to save 10-17 million additional lives in its initial deployment (by 1979), and as many as 27 million more if developed further. Other systems exist. The CONELRAD (CONtrol of ELectromagnetic RADiation) procedure of the 1960s required radio stations to broadcast special announcements, turn on and off, and vary their schedules. This was supposed to warn the public while confusing missiles that might home in on broadcast signals. CONELRAD was eventually scuttled when targeting methods became more sophisticated. NAWAS, the National Warning System, is a sometimes noisy, partyline telephone that connects federal authorities with state and local emergency centers. It is still in use today. The Emergency Broadcast System (EBS) uses the press wires and major networks to distribute warnings over radio and TV. The annoying two-tone EBS signal, intended to trigger special receivers in broadcast stations themselves, elicits a Pavlovian "change the channel" response in almost anyone who hears it.[1] DIDS' creators in the Pentagon regarded these systems as prone to human error and delay. DIDS was envisioned as an automatic, fool- and spoof-proof supersystem that could switch on sirens across the country and convey information to officials via RTTY. DIDS' unique selling proposition, however, was that it would actually speak to citizens in their cars and directly in their homes, even waking each family from sleep. WGU-20 was built for $2 million in 1973 as the prototype of ten DIDS "distribution stations". These were to operate 50 kW at 167, 179 and 191 kHz with 700-foot towers. Besides the Maryland site, candidate sites for distribution stations were Maynard, MA; Mount Joy, PA; Gray, ME; Morristown, TN; Starke or Chiefland, FL; Mazomanie, WI; Carthage, Marshal, or Seagoville, TX; Alcova or Riverton, WY; Mendota or Selma, CA; Winslow, AZ; Hermiston, OR; and Wallula, WA. These ten stations were to cover the 48 contiguous states. Alaska and Hawaii were to have special, unspecified arrangements. All DIDS stations would be partially below ground level and protected against blast and electromagnetic pulse effects. The distribution stations would be activated by two "control stations" at 61.15 kHz, in Ault, CO and Cambridge, KS. These two stations would run 200 kW from 1,260-foot towers. Federal authorities would send the "go" signal by microwave and landline to the control stations. The ten distribution stations would then sign on and play taped messages to the public. But most Americans do not own longwave receivers. "The acquisition of home warning receivers would be a voluntary decision on the part of the individual citizen," says one DIDS manual. Therefore, the federal government had to persuade manufacturers to market and the public to buy radios whose sole programming would consist of either tests or actual Armageddon. This was hardly a prescription for an attractive consumer product. Nevertheless, DCPA commissioned Westinghouse to develop prototype units. One of them would attach to, or be installed inside, a TV set. If the TV was turned off when DIDS was activated, the DIDS circuit would deliver the message at "greater-than-normal volume" through the TV speaker to wake sleepers. The basic home receiver looked like any attractive radio for the kitchen. There was even a converter to attach to your car radio. Marketing DIDS to the public required some kind of user-friendly package. Paul Revere and the military-sounding "Decision Information Distribution System" were adopted for internal use. But Mr. and Mrs. America required a homey, more comfortable logo. Pentagon semioticians hit on Public Emergency Radio (PER) and PERKI, its puppy mascot, as the soft sell for Nuke Radio. Appropriately enough, the dog in the logo appears to have just awakened and is still confused. A vigilant watchdog he isn't. Behind PERKI is a family briskly walking to a country home. This Leave It to Beaver imagery probably came from the same government department that gave us the "duck and cover" films and jingles of the 50s (brilliantly portrayed in the movie ATOMIC CAFE). In case PERKI didn't warm Americans' hearts, military planners came up with a more persuasive hook. The Safeguard antiballistic missile system was designed to connect directly to DIDS. The Safeguard radar network could continuously track the flight paths of incoming enemy missiles. While the network dispatched ABMs to destroy the enemy missiles at high altitudes, its computers would automatically and instantaneously furnish a prediction to DIDS as to where an enemy warhead would land and explode if it was not successfully intercepted by an ABM. Your PER radio would then tell you exactly which area to "avoid." Sure beats morning traffic reports! Despite their obvious utility and sure-fire marketing prospects, DIDS, PERKI and the Radio Paul Revere eventually ended at the bureaucratic equivalent of a swapfest table. According to a letter from John Sullivan, FEMA telecommunications chief, the system "would have proved very costly to build, maintain and operate the number of simulcast stations required to blanket the continental U.S." "Secondly, it would have been a strictly one-way system. With all the information going down and nothing coming back up the line, it would not have been possible to obtain the necessary status reports, damage assessments, required actions, etc. Lastly, due to budget constraints, funding was discontinued." "Regarding WGU-20, the station has been deactivated, equipment removed and sold, and the land lease terminated. At this time there are no plans to pursue the program further."[2] Still, in my nightmare, I tune to 179 kHz and hear, "Good morning. This is not a test." Notes: [1] EBS was later changed to EAS, the Emergency Alert System, using data transmission and a mercifully shorter Attention Signal. At this writing, EAS is enmeshed in a patent dispute, with the FCC requiring all broadcasters to use EAS and the apparent patent holder requiring license fees from all broadcasters. EAS failed miserably at the FCC's ceremonial public unveiling of the system, though this fact was underreported. No actual EAS messages were successfully transmitted and received at the event. Instead, exhibiting vendors merely activated a cacophony of sirens and lights by manually switching them on. [2] I dimly recall somewhere in the literature that NOAA Weather Radio (NWR) was declared the successor to DIDS. In some respects NWR is similar to DIDS. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration uses NWR to broadcast warning messages directly to the public in the VHF band. NWR officials perennially, if privately, complain that not enough NWR receivers are being sold. Radio Shack is probably the most visible NWR receiver supplier. Thunder Eagle http://www.thuneagle.com of Vienna, Va. makes a very sophisticated NWR receiver for use by emergency authorities. Vice President Al Gore has declared a desire to make NWR receivers ubiquitous in American homes. An earlier version of this article appeared in the Northern Observer, a Canadian newsletter for VLF experimenters, Issue 22, Nov. 1990 (Medium Wave News 50/05 7 October 2004 via DXLD) MARCONI INVENTED MOBILE PHONE Noted a press report about Guglielmo Marconi who has been the subject of countless features and articles in our magazine over the years. Another one extends the interest in this radio pioneer. An exhibition, entitled Guglielmo Marconi: A Voyage on the Waves of Memory, is touring libraries and schools on the coast near Rome. According to the organisers of the exhibition, Guglielmo Marconi was also responsible for the mobile phone. The cumbersome device was installed with a 50cm-high aerial on the back of a car, together with a microwave generator and radio transmitter and was first used by Pope Pius XI in 1933. The signals were received by the Pope, wearing headphones over his white zucchetto (skull cap) holding a microphone to respond while a Vatican official held up an antenna. An organiser of the exhibition claimed the Italian scientist had built what amounted to a prototype "portable telephone apparatus". The exhibition was based on evidence from the Marconi Archive at Chelmsford, Essex and the private collection of Franco Cremona, a retired general and collector of Marconi memorabilia. Credit for inventing the mobile phone is at present claimed by Bell Laboratories in the United States. In 1947 Bell engineers discovered how to make the radio spectrum go further by dividing areas into "cells " and using transmitters which could "hop" from cell to cell, linked by a computer-controlled switching system - the origin of the term "cellular" phone (Paul Youngs, member 2015, Oct World DX Club Contact via DXLD) WTFK??? Hard to believe `microwaves` as actually defined, were in use that early (gh, DXLD) CLEAR CHANNEL PULLING A FAST ONE ON BANDWIDTH There is traffic on Broadcast quoting a memo from Clear Channel SrVP of Eng Jeff Littlejohn to the effect that CCU stations should reduce analog transmitted audio bandwidth to 5 kHz voice or 6 kHz music, to reduce interference. There are some comments on that list that this is believed to be a way to condition listeners to becoming accustomed to reduced audio bandwidth, so that IBOC will sound better when it is turned on. The memo however says that 'IBOC is not a consideration here'. Haven't seen this mentioned yet on NRC, but I am sure that will change soon enough. http://www.rwonline.com/dailynews/one.php?id=5920 http://www.rwonline.com/dailynews/one.php?id=5921 (Bob Foxworth, NRC-AM via DXLD) CLEAR CHANNEL RADIO REDUCES AM AUDIO BANDWIDTH; LITTLEJOHN TO PROPOSE CHANGE TO NRSC FOR ALL AMS --- 09-30-2004 Jeff Littlejohn wants his company to do its part to clean up the AM analog band. Complete story at: http://www.rwonline.com/dailynews/one.php?id=5920 (via Sheldon Harvey, NRC-AM via DXLD) Wow, Sheldon. That makes a lot of sense! People don't listen to AM partly due to its low frequency response. So let's lower it some more. KFI made the changes a couple of weeks ago, as part of its IBOC move, and went from an excellent-sounding AM to a less-than-stellar one. Maybe the execs should talk to listeners instead of engineers. Ask listeners how they'd feel about taking a lower-fidelity mode and degrading it further. Sounds to me more like the move is being made so that listeners won't equate low-fi with IBOC, since fidelity will already be reduced. The inmates are running the asylum. I don't know about anybody else, but I think listeners should have the best audio that stations can transmit in 10 kHz, and that receivers can reproduce. Granted, it may help some with DXing (for a while), but I still think it's an incredibly nutty idea (Rick Lewis, AZ, ibid.) Yep. I said to myself since I saw it, that this sounds familiar. NOW I remember. About 6 months ago or so, I heard whispers of a bandwidth reduction initiative. I also heard that there would be a push to make it mandatory for everyone. The other thing said is "This way we can show how much better IBOC sounds" scheme. It's not a scheme to reduce interference. It's also a scheme to prevent audio complaints THEN when IBOC is turned on. CC is going to fire up IBOC in the top 100 markets ASAP. When they do it negates Jeff's reason as stated in the above article. What a steaming pile of brown cow mud! (Powell E. Way III, SC, ibid.) So we will replace the occasional splatter with constant IBOC hiss --- sure will quiet down the band, won`t it? (Paul Smith, Sarasota, FL, ibid. So because *some* receiver manufacturers make crappy sounding radios, we then cripple the ability of the transmitter to send out quality? Makes no sense, unless you're trying to manipulate the band/ receivers/ users into accepting something else in its place. For those that doubt AM can sound good, listen to the MP3 at this URL. Warning --- it's a BIG 96-meg file. Broadband users only! http://www.nrcdxas.org/wnrc/2004/wnrc090604_1915.mp3 (Fred Vobbe, OH, ibid.) I love your views on this. I have several tube radios from the 1930's and 1940's that I have restored - all Philcos. They all have good to excellent audio when they are tuned up to peak performance. It is easier on my old ears to listen to these room heaters on AM than most of the modern radios (Bill Harms, Elkridge, Maryland, ibid.) I've been reading a lot of the discussion about this today on Barry Mishkind's broadcast mailing list (mostly professional engineers), and I think there's more to it than meets the eye (or ear, perhaps). If you read Jeff's original memo to his local engineers (which was posted to Barry's list, and which I'd be happy to forward to this list if people want to see it), the real concern that he says is driving this move is the overcrowded state of the dial. There are (this is me speaking here again, not Jeff) just too many facilities operating on our little megahertz slice of spectrum, and too many stations that are too tightly shoehorned on first-adjacent channels. Think of 580 Worcester/590 Boston, for instance - each station throws a decent amount of RF over the other's territory, but the overlap between them makes both signals unlistenable in much of what should be their prime markets. If reducing the audio bandwidth of each station eliminates enough "chatter" on the adjacent channel to make 590 usable in Framingham at night for the first time, or to make 580 usable in Westborough, I can see where that would indeed become more valuable to those stations than the extra audio bandwidth that 99% of the radios out there can't hear anyway. (The examples Jeff used, which were more of a skywave-into-groundwave situation than my example, were WHP incursion into 570 in DC and WOAI incursion into 1190 Dallas.) Look, I'm as passionate about the potential for good audio on AM as anyone, but the truth of the matter is that we've crammed the dial so full that very few stations can put the kind of interference-free signal over their audiences to make a wideband receiver like my Denon TU680NAB or Superradio truly useful in wideband mode. I hear whistles and first-adjacent chatter at home even over my locals - and any of you who attended NRC '04 now know just how very close I live to them. But the AM game these days is as much about received interference as it is about transmitted signal, and anything that has the potential to reduce received interference may just turn out to be a valuable plus for the band. And the cold, hard reality is that the vast, vast majority of AM radios out there have no audio above 5 kHz. I do too much of my listening in the car, where the AM radio is barely tin-can quality. If this move actually improves the sound of all those radios, as it has the potential to do, that too may be a positive for the survival of AM. (It may not be a bad thing for us as DXers, either; Jeff says the idea came to him during those joint WOR-WLW IBOC tests a few years back, when he was able to hear WOR's skywave in Cincinnati for the first time because WLW had reduced its bandwidth. I'll be keeping a close ear on WHAM over the next few days to see how quickly they implement this, and to what extent it restores usable WWVA and WOWO listening here.) It's a ballsy move by Jeff, to be sure, and it may well have at least some unstated component of pro-IBOC activism, but I know the guy and I'm comfortable saying that really wasn't his only motive here. s (Scott Fybush, NY, ibid.) I'm inclined to wonder about claims that the average listener could perceive a substantial deterioration in signal quality received by this move, too. Most consumer radios cannot receive the full 10 kHz and haven't for some time. A lot of us are still using hollow-state relics, and in their case, we probably can, as can some older and/or high end tuners as Scott notes. I'm inclined to agree that for most people, the audio quality will be improved rather than degraded, largely because of the receiver bandwidth and received noise issues. And if that's true, then any potential 'this will make IBOC sound better' goes right out the window (Russ Edmunds, Blue Bell, PA (15 mi NNW Philadelphia), ibid.) THE LUNAR EFFECT [why, this isn`t under PROPAGATION] Hi all, There's a full moon tonight. Have you seen it yet? If you've ever visited my web page http://www.orchidcitysoftware.com/mooness.html you might have read my theory that moon light from a full moon enhances the ionosphere and results in better conditions on the tropical bands. Let me know tomorrow if the moonlight helped you? (Chuck Bolland, Clewiston, Florida, Sept 27, DX LISTENING DIGEST) We are tired of getting blasted here in Florida The light is from the Sun, reflected off the Moon. There is absolutely no scientific evidence, Astronomically or Meteorologically, to support this theory Chuck. What layers of the Ionosphere are active during darkness? Do these layers affect high frequency propagation? Testing your theory would be almost impossible. The distance of the Moon from the Earth is always in flux, and it would have to be at the same distance each full moon. The angle to the ecliptic would also need to be the same. All other space weather and propagation factors would need to be constant, as well as the same, each time. Which is to list just some of the issues. Have fun Chuck, but remember what Luna means - (chuckle). While there is no scientific evidence to lend any credence to Chuck's theory, there is something that the Moon does do that could affect reception. Please note I said "reception" and not "propagation". The Moon has a close approach to the Earth of about 222,000 miles measured at the equator; this is known as the perigee. The farthest distance, or apogee, is about 250,000 miles. The mass of the Moon is great enough, when the distance is factored in, that it exerts a stronger gravitational pull on the Earth than does the Sun. It is a documented scientific fact that the Moon does control the ocean tides. However, there is also a tidal effect from the Sun, but it is not as strong as that of the Moon. When the Moon is closer to the Earth, the gravitational pull causes the tides to increase. This is common knowledge. What also happens is that anything with water in it is also affected. Oysters cycle their shell opening and closing in phase to tidal forces. Many plants react to this subtle change in gravity also. Now think about the eight foot Copper plated ground rod sunk into the soil. It works best when the soil is damp so there is good electrical conduction. Your grandparents, maybe even your parents, used to gather around the old vacuum tube console radio on Saturday night and listen to their favorite programs. It was not uncommon for Grandpa to hurry outside with a bucket of water and pour it on the ground rod and the static cleared up and the program was once again audible. When the gravitational pull of the Moon increases it causes the water level to rise, not just as ocean tides, but also as ground water in a well. Hence, the amount of moisture around a ground rod sunk into the soil also increases. The closer to the equator, the more the effect. When the efficiency of the ground system increases, so does the ability of the receiver to function. It is possible that the regular cyclic close approach of the Moon would cause improved reception due to enhanced conduction in the ground system. In this respect, the Moon does play a role. But again, not in propagation (Duane Fischer, W8DBF, swl at qth.net via DXLD) Duane, Did you read the article? There's a saying: Contempt before investigation. There were a few studies of this phenom back in the early 1900's which I cited in my article (Chuck Bolland, ibid.) If there are any effects they would probably go unnoticed. It's not like throwing a switch when there is a full moon. The changes day to day would be very slight, and as Duane pointed out there is the fact that the moon moves back and forth in relation to the earth. Additionally, there is the constant change in the output from the sun. Along with the fact that the seasonal distance of the Earth from the sun varies. I think the only correlation between 1924/1925 and today is that 'lunatics' existed then, much like they exist today. Also like to point out yet again that the 'full moon' does not start until 1309z today, the 28th of September, for what it's worth (Steve Lare, Holland, MI, ibid.) OK - How many people actually think that the moon changes shape as it travels around the Earth? When the moon is in the sky seen from your location, it is the WHOLE thing. A dragon does not come down and eat part of it when it is not showing anything but full. The only difference between each phase of the moon is the amount of light reflecting off and falling upon your eye. The moon can even be in the day sky. I think some people are just having a bit of fun with others here who are not as informed (Bill \"Superspy\" Boltinghouse, ibid.) Unfortunately it did not start out as a joke, Chuck thinks he has mysterious propagation. But it has turned into one --- Actually the Moon is never really 'full'. Only a certain percentage of it is seen from the Earth, which is never 100%. There is that so called "back side" that is never seen from the Earth, only by those who orbit the Moon. I guess one may believe whatever he/she is so inclined to want to believe, regardless of the known facts or current speculative theories. But before you eat that green cheese, you might want to scrape off that mold! DBF (Duane B. Fischer, ibid.) Duane, You win! (Chuck, ibid.) ###