DX LISTENING DIGEST 4-180, December 3, 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 1255: Sat 0900 WOR WRN1 to Eu, Au, NZ, WorldSpace AfriStar, AsiaStar, Telstar 12 SAm Sat 0955 WOR WNQM Nashville TN 1300 Sat 1130 WOR WWCR 5070 Sat 1928 WOR WPKN Bridgeport CT 89.5 Sat 2030 WOR R. Lavalamp Sat 2130 WOR WBCQ 17495-CUSB Sun 0330 WOR WWCR 5070 Sun 0400 WOR WBCQ 9330-CLSB Sun 0430 WOR WRMI 6870 Sun 0730 WOR WWCR 3210 Sun 0930 WOR WRN1 to North America, also WLIO-TV Lima OH SAP Sun 0930 WOR KSFC Spokane WA 91.9 Sun 0930 WOR WDWN Auburn NY 89.1 [unconfirmed] Sun 0930 WOR KTRU Houston TX 91.7 [occasional] Sun 1030 WOR WRMI 9955 Sun 1100 WOR R. Lavalamp Sun 1400 WOR KRFP-LP Moscow ID 92.5 Sun 1500 WOR R. Lavalamp Sun 2000 WOR Studio X, Momigno, Italy 1584 87.35 96.55 105.55 Sun 2030 WOR WWCR 12160 Sun 2100 WOR RNI Mon 0330 WOR WRMI 6870 Mon 0400 WOR WBCQ 9330-CLSB Mon 0430 WOR WSUI Iowa City IA 910 [1254] Mon 0530 WOR WBCQ 7415 Mon 0900 WOR R. Lavalamp Mon 1700 WOR WBCQ after hours Mon 2200 WOR WBCQ 9330-CLSB Tue 1000 WOR WRMI 9955 Tue 1700 WOR WBCQ after hours Tue 2200 WOR WBCQ 9330-CLSB Wed 1030 WOR WWCR 9985 Wed 1700 WOR WBCQ after hours MORE info including audio links: http://worldofradio.com/radioskd.html 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 1255 (high version): (stream) http://www.w4uvh.net/wor1255h.ram (download) http://www.w4uvh.net/wor1255.rm WORLD OF RADIO 1255 (low version): (stream) http://www.w4uvh.net/wor1255.ram (download) http://www.w4uvh.net/wor1255.rm (summary) http://www.worldofradio.com/wor1255.html WORLD OF RADIO 1255, mp3 in the true SW sound of 7415: (stream) http://www.piratearchive.com/media/worldofradio_12-01-04.m3u (d`load) http://www.piratearchive.com/media/worldofradio_12-01-04.mp3 CONTINENT OF MEDIA 04-09 produced Nov 30: (stream) http://www.dxing.com/com/com0409.ram (download) http://www.dxing.com/com/com0409.rm (summary) http://www.worldofradio.com/com0409.html GH INTERVIEWED ON THIS WEEKEND`S DX PARTYLINE AND AVENTURA DIEXISTA Jeff White recorded a couple of short interviews with me at the DRM Symposium in Dallas, and they are scheduled to be on HCJB`s DX programs starting Dec 4. See http://www.dxpgms.html for DXPL times and frequencies; audio archive at http://www.hcjb.org/dxplaudio.php will presumably soon include: (stream) http://audio.hcjb.org/english/dxpl1204.ram (download) http://audio.hcjb.org/english/dxpl1204.rm Aventura Diexista (DX-ista?). Combining program info from 2003 with current frequency schedule, I come up with: Sat 1440 on 11960, 15140, 21455 Sun 2240 on 15140 Mon 0240 on 9745 Time would vary, could be earlier in the hour, but this info has not been reconfirmed lately. Check Anomaly Alert for any new info (gh) NETS TO YOU, new December edition: http://www.w4uvh.net/nets2you.html ** AFGHANISTAN. EDITORIAL ANALYSIS: AFGHAN CABLE CHANNELS BACK ON AIR | Text of editorial analysis by Steve Metcalf of BBC Monitoring Media Services on 29 November Afghan cable TV channels are back on air some two weeks after the government first banned them, and then ordered a review of their output. But the dispute which led to the ban, over what is acceptable programming, is unlikely to end there. Typical of the broadcasts which have aroused anger in some sections of society is the recently-launched Tolu TV. Set up by two brothers who returned to Kabul after many years in exile in Australia, the station broadcasts a mix of entertainment, including music videos and Bollywood and other films that would seem normal fare to Western viewers. One film that offended some people was a showing of The Ten Commandments, in which Charlton Heston plays Moses, a holy figure to Muslims as well as Christians. An editorial in the Kabul Times bemoaned the temporary ban, arguing that TV was the only form of entertainment in a city ravaged by war. Its absence would hardly be likely to lure back a generation brought up in exile and used to the attractions of their host countries. Those who didn't like the programmes, it said, should switch channels. Tolu TV said in a statement that it viewed any action to restrict the media as "a flagrant abuse of the rights granted to all Afghans under the recently-approved constitution and a breach of the provisions of our media laws". It described the ban as "perhaps the single biggest backward step" for Afghanistan's media since 2001. Minister argued against the ban The minister of information and culture, Dr Makhdum Rahin, said in a newspaper interview published on 21 November that 15 channels had resumed broadcasting and that more would follow. He said he had argued strongly in cabinet against a complete ban on all broadcasts. A compromise was reached under which a three-member commission would monitor programmes to ensure that they did not break the law. Dr Rahin said he would have resigned if the channels had not been allowed to operate. His ministry had put a lot of work into ensuring freedom of _expression. TV provided a source of entertainment for a younger generation that otherwise had few facilities available to them. On the issue of music videos, he saw nothing wrong with them, provided they were in line with the law and religious values. A spokesman for the Supreme Court expressed similar views, saying that the commission had decided to halt channels that were against Islamic values. He said the cable operators had formed an association, which would provide a forum with which the government could discuss any problems. An Afghan journalist argued in a radio interview that a generation that had grown up with war, and little education, needed help from their parents to be discriminating about programmes and not mindlessly mimicking what they saw. She valued educational and scientific programmes, but not "pornographic films" that encouraged antisocial behaviour that went against traditional values. So the issue of what should or should not be broadcast remains unresolved, or rather dependent on the definition of Islamic values. Source: BBC Monitoring research in English 29 Nov 04 (via DXLD) ** ALBANIA. Some pictures of the Cërrik site can be found at http://www.confluence.org/confluence.php?lat=41&lon=20&visit=1 (Kai Ludwig, Germany, Dec 3, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** ANTIGUA. BBC harmonic into NE USA Thursday 2 December 2004, 1400 UT - 30.38 MHz AM BBC World Service via Antigua FK97 OM talk, then YL talk. Low audio, deep fade. 'This is the BBC,' beeps, then hourly time tone. BBC harmonic into NE USA Friday 3 December 2004, 1430 UT - 30.38 MHz AM - BBC World Service via Antigua FK97 S4+ OM with talk ref African sports teams S4+ with good audio quality (Jack Sullivan, Central New Jersey FN20, http://groups.yahoo.com/group/vhfskip-2/ harmonics yg via DXLD) Any relation to the following problem? ** ANTIGUA. Odd interference (?) on BBC 15190 --- Noted something odd this morning (12/2) when listening to the BBC on 15190 kHz in the 1300-1600 UT timeframe. I kept hearing scratchy, popping RF noise along with the signal. It sounded *exactly* like the kind of noise you hear if you are listening on a radio with a whip antenna and the whip touches something metallic, a rasping scratching as the two metallic surfaces rub past each other. It was so much like that sound that I repeatedly kept fingering the antenna connection, checking around the room for some mysterious metallic contact being made and broken, etc. I then discovered that it wasn't all over the RF spectrum, as such noise would be, but actually was concentrated on 15190! It was also much stronger-sounding when the Satellit 800 had "Sync" turned on (the default for that memory position) than when I switched it off. It kept coming and going, dwindling off to being completely absent and then returning to become as strong and as irritating as before. I later heard it on a different radio, too; also it was stronger with external antenna input than with just whips. So I eventually concluded that it was NOT an outside interference source, but something accompanying the 15190 signal. Could this be a transmitter defect? Could the Merlin/VT/whatever transmitter have had an actual loose contact or vibrating piece of metal rubbing intermittently against some other part of the unit? Would that have caused the modulation to include this noise along with the audio feed? Did anybody else hear this at that time today? Any clues as to the cause? 73, (Will Martin, MO, Dec 2, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) I too noted the problem at 1610 tune in on 15190. They had a transmitter fault which was causing the transmitter to begin FM'ing. When the problem would occur they were splattering up and down the band. The problem seemed to have been fixed (or simply went away) after about 15-20 minutes (Steve Lare, Holland, MI USA, ibid.) Definitely determined to be a transmitter fault. This morning (12/3) I was trying to listen to Analysis at 1645 UT. That same noise appeared and got very bad, and about 1650 or so the transmitter went off-air. It returned a few minutes later, and the noise was no longer there. Of course, they decided to do this fix during the specific 15 minutes I was trying to listen to the program content instead of during the previous 15 minutes of uninteresting sports coverage which I did NOT listen to! :-( (Further evidence that the entire purpose of the universe is to annoy me! What's going to happen to you-all when I die and am no longer around to be the target? I suppose I need to fill Brother Stair in on this so he can adjust his prophecies... :-) Yours in paranoia, 73, (Will Martin, MO, Dec 3, ibid.) ** AUSTRALIA. VL8A, Alice Springs, 4835, 0835-0945+ Nov 26, tune-in to threshold signal, but slowly improving. Weak and somewhat readable after 0900 with ABC news interview programs about local cultural and political events. 0930 ABC world news, 0940 pop music; 1103 check, still there (Brian Alexander, Mechanicsburg PA, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Now VL8A is totally off the air, not heard on 4835 or 2310 (Chris Hambly, Victoria, 2050 UT Dec 3, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Perhaps they are fixing whatever was wrong; WRTH reminds us that there is a third, alternate frequency, which has seldom if ever been used: 3230. In such a situation we should also check it just in case (Glenn Hauser, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** AUSTRALIA [and non]. There are two really good sites for maritime info; they are: G4PYR's MF Coastal Radio Website (Excellent) http://www.coastalradio.greater-peterborough.com/index.htm and the "Australian MCS" Website http://www.coastradio.info/index.html This has heaps of great pics of the transmitters/antennas and other items of interest and a history of all the stations, past and present. There is stacks of info on this site, enough to keep you going for a few solid hours when the bands are dead. It really is an amazing website; I`m not quite sure who actually owns it but they have done an excellent job with it for sure. Take a look at it (Stew, Australia, swl at qth.net via DXLD) ** BRAZIL. MISSIONARY RADIO EXPANDS IN BRAZIL Brazil (MNN/TWR) -- Reaffirming a longstanding commitment to proclaim the good news of Jesus Christ throughout South America, international Christian broadcaster Trans World Radio (TWR) on November 21st formally dedicated a new 50,000-watt shortwave transmitter in the southern city of Santa Maria, Brazil. The new broadcasting outlet marks TWR's 14th major international transmitting site, and it fortified the Mission's nearly 35-year-old evangelical outreach in Brazil. Spearheaded by Radio Trans Mundial-Brazil (RTM-Brazil), TWR's largest partner organization in the Americas region, the latest outlet will allow 24-hour-a-day broadcasts in Portuguese to penetrate at least two-thirds of the country. The world's fifth largest nation in terms of geographical area, Brazil boasts a population of nearly 175 million. Local government officials, church leaders and TWR President Dr. David Tucker joined the RTM-Brazil staff to celebrate the opportunity God has provided for even more listeners to hear God's Word proclaimed over the air. "We're excited about the potential to reach millions more people for Christ in Brazil," says Tom Corcoran, international director for TWR-Americas, who also attended the dedication. Already, responses are coming in from listeners around the country. "We are getting reports that the signal is reaching well up into the Amazon," says Corcoran. "Hopefully in the near future we will add tribal languages like Baniua, Makuxi and Ticuna, and even Spanish, especially since the signal reaches into countries like Bolivia and Paraguay. The new "off-the-shelf" transmitter will help TWR 'upgrade' when needed. "This transmitter has the ability to be converted to digital if we ever desire to go that route." RTM-Brazil originated in 1970 and is flourishing today, broadcasting Portuguese programs 24 hours a day via satellite to local AM and FM radio stations throughout Brazil. (Mission Network News, Grand Rapids via Bruce Atchison, AB, DXLD) According to the Website of TWR Brazil, the new 50 kW transmitter operates on 11735 kHz, and the station also uses 9530 kHz (10 kW) and 5965 kHz (7.5 kW). (Mike Terry, shortwavebasics via DXLD) ** CANADA. I had a great tour of CKWX in Vancouver, BC yesterday. I just posted some of the pictures on my AM-DXer web site (see link below). Enjoy! http://community.webtv.net/AM-DXer/ (Patrick Griffith, NØNNK, DX LISTENING DIGST) ** CANADA. Some actually interesting sports coverage Was reminded about this by my earlier post that dismissed BBC sports coverage. I heard on RCI's afternoon relay of CBC programs earlier this week a sports story that actually was interesting. Even gh should like this, because it wasn't about "a silly ball game"; it was about hockey (they use a flat gizmo called a "puck" instead of a ball, so they avoid that condemnation :-). Since there is a lock-out and some sort of strike in professional NHL hockey, the hockey-deprived Canadians are paying more attention to amateur hockey, which is still active. The CBC sports people seem to have adopted a team which is in the last (16th) place in the North Vancouver Beer League; it's called The Evil Monkeys. This team is currently in a 122-7 (I think) status (122 goals won against them to 7 goals they made) and is composed of guys who can barely skate but who love the game and give it their all. They are described as having a learning curve that is a vertical line. The discussion was hilarious and seems to be a continuing inclusion in CBC sports reports these days. Now THIS sounds like REAL sports to me, not the artifical business of pro sports that saturate most broadcast coverage. GO EVIL MONKEYS! 73, (Will Martin, MO, Dec 4, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** CHAD. Surprised by late reception 0530 to 0545 with males in French, seemed like some sort of news program, rapid fade after 0550 but this was holding its own. Thanks to those who dug this out and made it known (Dan Robinson, DC, Dec 1, HCDX via DXLD) Presumably 6165 6165, 21/11 1820-1840, RADIO NATIONALE TCHADIENNE, N'Djamena (Tchad), news in Arabic and local dialect. Signal dominant on Croatia! S9+10dB (R7-S500) (LUCA BOTTO FIORA, QTH: Rapallo (Genova) - Italy, RXs: R7 Drake - Satellit 500 Grundig - DX Tuners, ANTs: LW-MW Ferrite 85cm amplified ­ Quad 8x0.7m - Longwire 20m, Various: Noise Canceling MFJ 1026 - Computer Speakers MediaMate Bose = Computer Speakers MediaMate Bose is a system composed by 2 inputs and a mixer incorporated and the audio response is unbeatable, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** CHAD. Following a discussion by DXers Martin Elbe, Thorsten Hallmann and Rick, on the German language A-DX mailing list, I monitored 840 kHz. Indeed, I could see a carrier, sign-on at 0425, sign-off at 2231 which corresponds to Chad`s schedule according to WRTH 2004. The frequency is variable and drifting 839.97 - 839.99 kHz. It is only a 20 kW transmitter but it should be possible to capture some modulation as well. Last night, the signal was quite strong from 2100 on, and as 846 is free, tuning into USB should reduce QRM from 837. It may be possible that the program is in // to 6165 where Chad is heard almost every evening. 73, (Günter Lorenz, Freising, Germany, Dec 1, MWDX yg via DXLD) Following your post, I also monitored this frequency last night (Wednesday) and heard the carrier you mention (weak to fair, but quite stable). Sign Off at 2233. You wrote you could *see* a carrier; does this mean you were using a software to visualize it (Spectrogram, Spec. Lab)? As for me, I really heard it tuning up/down and found the 'zero beat' at 839.98. However, I could not pick up some words or music. Will check it tonight again. Thanks for the tip! (Patrick, French Alps, ibid.) ** CHINA. Shijiazhuang People's Broadcasting Station (China) 12/1/04; 6950 kHz; SINPO 24333: 2230 - 2334 (fade out). Chinese (probably Mandarin). YL with programs (including a call in), male with 5 - 10 minute talks. ID sequence at 2230, 2300, 2330 of bridge music, anthem chorus, OM announcement (including "Shijiazhuang"). Faded out 2334 (Mark Taylor, Madison, WI, USA, dxldyg via DXLD) Yes, caught Shijiazhuang on 6950 also at 2336 on 11/29/04. Poor signals with QRN. The programming (CNR-1) appeared to be // 7935 (Lingshi). (Jim Clar, Rochester, NY, ibid.) ** CHINA [non]. How are things in your part of the world? We hope everything is going well. How time flies! This year is a very busy year for us. We would like to inform you that from November 28th, 2004, six hours of our programs could also reach our European listeners on two short wave frequencies we rent from Albania. Our technical department would like to know about the reception conditions of these frequencies in your area. We hope you could monitor it and give us some feedback as soon as possible. Here is the timetable for your listening convenience. North America 0000-0200 6020, 7170 [?? It`s 9570 --- gh] Thank you very much for your time and effort over the year, and we are looking forward to hearing from you soon. Sincerely yours, YingLian [collective name], English Service China Radio International http://en.chinabroadcast.cn/ http://en.chinabroadcast.cn/interactive/ (via Brian Hopkins, Dec 3, ODXA via DXLD) ** CHINA. JOURNALIST REPORTEDLY LOSES HIS MIND AFTER BEING TORTURED IN PRISON | Text of press release by Paris-based organization Reporters Sans Frontieres (RSF) on 2 December Reporters Without Borders called today on European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso to use the upcoming EU-China Summit to urge the Chinese authorities to free journalist Yu Dongyue after reports that he has gone insane as a result of being tortured in prison. The worldwide press freedom organization expressed shock at the news, which came from another Chinese dissident and friend, who said Yu had been tortured and harassed by his guards. "Very lengthy imprisonment of dissidents is a feature of the repression in China and it is vital that this should be raised at the Summit," it said. "The release last week of journalist and dissident Liu Jingsheng is sadly eclipsed by the plight of Yu, whose situation shows that ill- treatment continues in China's prisons despite the government's efforts to hide its terrible human rights record." Dissident Lu Decheng, who demonstrated at the time of the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre, recently told Radio Free Asia after escaping from China that he had visited Yu in prison and that he was "barely recognizable". He had "a totally dull look in his eyes, kept repeating words over and over as if he was chanting a mantra. He didn't recognize anyone", Lu said. "He had a big scar on the right side of his head. A fellow prisoner said Yu had been tied to a electricity pole and left out in the hot sun for several days. He was also kept in solitary confinement for two years and that was what broke him." Lu appealed to the international community to press for his release. "He is not getting any medical treatment and his condition may worsen," he said. Yu, a journalist and art critic with Liuyang News, was arrested on 23 May 1989 during the Tiananmen Square student protests after he, Lu and others defaced the giant portrait of Mao Zedong that overlooks the square. Yu was convicted on 11 July that year of "sabotage" and "making counter-revolutionary propaganda" and sentenced by the Beijing Intermediate People's Court to 20 years in prison and five years loss of civic rights. He was accused of writing articles about freedom of expression and having very daring ideas about art. His sentence was cut by two years in March 2000 but he is not due for release until 21 May 2007. Source: Reporters Sans Frontières press release, Paris, in English 2 Dec 04 (via BBCM via DXLD) ** CHINA. "Christmas and the New Year are approaching! We at Radio Guangdong send our warmest greetings and best wishes to our listeners around the world. Guangdong Today has been on the air for one and a half years. Although we are far away from you, we've prepared two CDs of Chinese music as Christmas gifts for each of you. If you want to receive this wonderful gift, please send your New Year greetings in video, audio or text form to radioguangdong @ yahoo.com.cn It'll be best if you can wear our T-shirt for the video or pictures. All these will be our precious record and memory, and we will put them on our website http://www.radio-gd.com/english Please send them as soon as possible; the deadline is December 15, 2004. The first 30 listeners who write in will win our CDs. Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!" Saturday, December 04 and Sunday, December 05 2004: Radio Guangdong News of the week on "Guangdong Today" include: Guangdong and Macao work closer, Green Channel to reduce agricultural product transport costs, Trains to Hainan to launch, Guangzhou opens Asia's biggest aircraft maintenance centre, and 12 top firms come to Guangzhou. / A closer look at the 4th Goat City International Cantonese Opera Festival which was held from October 31 to November 5 in the City of Goat - Gaungzhou. Cantonese Opera is a traditional Chinese art form that involves music, singing, martial arts, acrobatics and acting. It's popular not only in China, but also in overseas Chinese communities. During the Festival, the English Cantonese Opera debuted in Guangzhou and attracted many people's interest and attention. The English Cantonese Opera has a typical Cantonese Opera style, but all the dialogues and lyrics are performed in English. On this week's programme, meet the English Cantonese Opera for the very first time. In North America: Sat 4.45 am ET / 1.45 am PT -- Sat midday ET / 9 am PT In Africa and the Middle East: Sat 0015 UTC / Sun 0215 CAT --- Sat 1700 UTC / 1900 CAT --- Sun 0900 UTC / 1100 CAT In Africa and Europe on WorldSpace AfriStar: Sat 0015 UTC / Sun 0215 CAT --- Sat 1700 UTC / 1900 CAT --- Sun 0900 UTC / 1100 CAT In Asia and the Pacific: Sat 0015 UTC / 1115 AEDT -- Sat 1700 UTC / Sun 0400 AEDT -- Sun 0900 UTC / 2000 AEDT In Asia on WorldSpace AsiaStar: Sat 0015 UTC / 1115 AEDT -- Sat 1700 UTC / Sun 0400 AEDT -- Sun 0900 UTC / 2000 AEDT In Europe: Sat 1700 UTC / 1800 CET -- Sat 2045 UTC / 2145 CET --- Sun 0945 UTC / 1045 CET (WRN Newsletter Dec 3 via DXLD) ** COLOMBIA. Quito 2/12 2004 *** Thursday evening edition: Recording of harmonic Radio Popular, Cali 5399.62 kHz. Harmonics is a quite difficult part of DXing; you have everything against you: weak signal, often distorted sound, electrical noise, etc. You can find harmonics anywhere on the shortwave bands but here in Quito I hear most of them between 1.7 - 4.8 MHz (2nd and 3rd harmonics from mediumwave stations). But this time I´m going to present the 5th harmonic from a mediumwave station in Cali. 5399.62, HJJF, Radio Popular, Cali. 12/2004. First time logging for me. Is there both mornings and evenings, has been regular the last week with fair signal and distorted sound. Harmonic from 1080 kHz (Björn Malm, Ecuador, http://www.malm-ecuador.com via DXLD) ** CUBA. 4690, Radio Rebelde spur here noted at 1215 Dec 1, // 5025 (Hans Johnson, Naples FL, Cumbre DX via DXLD) Really 7 x 670 kHz harmonic! (Glenn Hauser, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** CUBA. Our favorite Cuban news station, Radio Reloj has been turning up on HF now and then; I've got them in as of 1:25 A.M. Central on 31 meters, right about 9.55 or 9.56 MHz. (the cheap Chinese radio I'm using tonight has a rather approximate frequency read out). This is in with a REALLY awesome signal, the announcers sound as if they were in the room with me, I can even hear them rustling paper now and then as they read copy (Curtis Sadowski, IL, Dec 2, WTFDA-AM via DXLD) That`s 9550, presumably 100 kW, RHC running Reloj for a while after their own programming ends at 0700. MW DXers should familiarize themselves with the format by listening to this (gh, DXLD) ** DENMARK. STIG HARTVIG NEW DIRECTOR AT DR Stig Hartvig Nielsen --- aged 46 and GM of the consulting company Hartvig Media ApS and World Music Radio (WMR) in Denmark --- has been appointed as a member of the board of directors for the public service station, DR - Danmarks Radio (Danish Broadcasting Corporation). Stig Hartvig will take up the position as of January 1st 2005. Stig has a lot of experience with the Danish commercial radio sector having been in charge of two of the most successful local independent stations, Radio Viborg and Radio ABC. He has also previously been working for DR as head of all the regional radio stations. With this appointment the future for WMR looks a bit uncertain. At this point the plans to operate on FM have been given up for sure. So far all that have appeared on 104.2 MHz in the Aarhus area has been an open carrier. For the time being WMR will continue test transmissions during weekends (from Friday 1600 UT till Monday 0700) on 5815 kHz. Recently there have been severe problems with the connection from the studio to the transmitter site resulting in a lot of breaks in transmissions, but these problems now seem to have been solved (Stig Hartvig Nielsen, Dec 2, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Congratulations! Maybe you can get DR back on SW. . . (gh, DXLD) Great news. They have chosen a true professional with a love of radio. But will he have to get rid of WMR to avoid a conflict of interests? (Jonathan Marks, 12.02.04 - 8:36 pm, Media Network blog via DXLD) I'm afraid Jonathan, that'll be the end of it. So it looks as if we didn't really get started this time around. Time will tell. I have suggested, though, that we did some weekend programmes just for the fun of it (Poul Foged, 12.02.04 - 10:51 pm, ibid.) ** DEUTSCHES REICH [and non]. "Freedom Radio (1940)" Directed by Anthony Asquith. I saw this black and white anti-nazi propaganda film one afternoon on TV in October. Despite the studio bound, somewhat 'slow-motion' acting style, I was interested enough by the title to look for the references to shortwave radio, range-finding and location by triangulation, recording to disc and even mobile (shipboard) transmitting. The film makers use footage of Hitler speaking at a rally and intercut our brave broadcasters breaking into the speech with their own message, at which point a discommoded Führer is shown leaving the podium. The hero, and "good" German, Dr Karl Roder (played by Clive Brook), a Viennese throat specialist, believes in freedom of thought, action and expression and is thus hostile to Nazism. His wife Irena (Diana Wynyard), however, is flattered by the attentions of the Führer and accepts a political post in Berlin. The two of them become estranged. Karl meets Hans, a young wireless engineer, whose fiancé has been raped by a Gestapo officer. Hans builds a table-top transmitter, despite problems finding a "crystal", so that Karl can broadcast the truth on a secret radio station to the German people. The Freedom Radio is born, and with it an underground group of anti-Nazis who regard Karl as their leader. Meanwhile, Irena continues to believe in the Führer and his pronouncements on peace, but when Karl denounces Hitler on the Freedom Radio for preparing for war with Poland, she is disillusioned with her political work. Husband and wife are reconciled and Irena helps to run the radio station. The Gestapo (Bernard Miles) discovers the Freedom Radio Station and Karl and Irena are shot while broadcasting. But that night Hans rigs up a transmitter in another part of Berlin. While the Nazis announce that the radio has been silenced, a new anti-Hitler broadcast is being made. The station lives on. The end. The news that various "axis-of-evil" states are still battling against the power of external radio broadcasting, satellite TV and the internet (I especially enjoy the vision of America swamping North Korea with parachute-borne mini-radios) continues to demonstrate the power of humble shortwave technology. Does anyone know of other radio movies? I can only think of Jonathan Demme's "Ham Band" which is really about CB and a few nice references in the more recent Coen Brothers "Oh Brother Where Art Thou" (PAUL YOUNGS, member 2015, Dec World DX Club Contact via DXLD) Marvellous, Paul, did think of doing a write-up myself at the time. Released as a Two Cites film in 1940, it done the rounds in 1941, not on the Gaumont or Odeon circuits but in the back street 'flea-houses'. Since the Two Cities library became available to TV this film has been screened at least four times as a schedule filler at off-peak times. About 85 minutes running time into six paragraphs is pretty good going - off course there was the detection van scenes as well as clandestine meetings in seedy cellars. There is a film based in France with a radio theme whose title escapes me and quite a few with agents keying out messages back the the UK, and the reverse the underground movement listening to 'Here are tonight's messages'. You'd think the Koreans could make their own receivers, perhaps they do but are not allowed to buy them (WDXC Ed, ibid.) ** ECUADOR. La Voz del Upano, Macas, 4869.25, 0945-1010+ Nov 28, tune- in to HC ballads, 1000 opening ID as ``Radiodifusora Católica Cultural --- La Voz del Upano``. Also gave frequencies and several LVU IDs. 1001 NA, 1004 Spanish announcements and LVU ID. 1005 religious programming with recitations; fair-good (Brian Alexander, Mechanicsburg PA, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** ECUADOR. HCJB does have an evening English broadcast to North America. Trouble is, it`s the Spotlight stealth show of English lessons, heard until 2359 UT Dec 3 on 11700; believe it starts at 2345 within the Spanish service, which continued after 0000. Trouble is, 11700 was not the announced frequency at 2359 or 0029; I missed it both times, but 21455 was also given. This 2300-0100 transmission was on 12000 in A-04. Until I looked it up and found it on the B-04 schedule, I suspected 11700 was a mistake or test, since it kept dumping off the air at 0003 and 0006, but came back on a bit later. Listening again at 0059, but 11700 cut off in the middle of a feature before another frequency announcement (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) DXPL and Aventura Diexista interviews with gh: see top ** EQUATORIAL GUINEA. Yesterday morning 1.12 there was a strong Spanish language station with female announcer and music mix on 5005 kHz at 0505 which was identified to be Radio Nacional de Guinea Ecuatorial, faded out until 0600. Not heard in the evening but again this morning after 0500 UT, but breaks in transmission, still testing or transmitter problems. 73 (Jarmo Patala, Hyvinkää, Finland, Dec 2, Rx: JRC NRD-535, Icom R-75, Sony 2001D and Grundig Satellit 700 (all modified); Ant: Super KAZ, Wellbrook ALA-1530, Datong AD-270, dxing.info via DXLD) ** ERITREA. 7100, Escuchada hoy dia 2-1-2004 en lenguaje vernacular, posiblemente Tigrina, la emisora Voice of the Broad of Masses of Eritrea, la hora de la escucha es las 1604 UT y el programa escuchado era algo parecido a un informativo hablado por un hombre; a las 1610 comienza a sonar música y entre la música hay comentarios hechos por el locutor; la música es étnica africana. El SINPO es 22222 (desde la ciudad de Cartagena, España, un saludo de vuestro compañero JOSE HERNANDEZ MADRID, RX: YAESU FRG 100, ANT: DIPOLO V, Dec 2, Noticias DX via DXLD) See also KOREA NORTH ** ETHIOPIA. 6210, 21/11 1806, RADIO FANA, Addis Ababa, local songs, IDs OM. Signal dominant on Laser Hot Hits 6219v kHz. 6940 kHz was just audible: same power, same site of 6210 kHz. Different antenna beam or another propagation anomaly? S8-9 (R7-S500) (LUCA BOTTO FIORA, QTH: Rapallo (Genova) - Italy, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) R. Fana, 6209.91, 0257-0310+ Nov 28, tune-in chimes IS, 0259 vernacular talk, 0308 local music. Poor, weak, weaker on \\ 6940. V. of the Tigre Revolution, 6350, *0355-0405+ Nov 25, sign-on with flute IS, 0400 vernacular talk. \\ 5500, both fair. R. Ethiopia, 9704.18, 0305-0410+ Nov 28, tune-in to vernacular talk, local music, radio drama. Very weak; better on \\ 7110 (Brian Alexander, Mechanicsburg PA, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** ETHIOPIA. 5500, V of Revolution of Tigré, Mek'elé, observed on 30 Nov 1616-1643, Tigré (also ref. to as Tigriniya), talks, Horn of Africa tunes and songs; 35433, very good at 1815. 7165, R. Ethiopia, Gedja Jewe, poorly audible on 30 Nov 1637-1714 in English, talks on sport, songs, external service address, French program 1700-1800 (announced \\ 989 & 9560, the latter measured 9559.7 kHz); 43442, better audio during announcements, e.g. for the address, than during normal programming (Carlos Gonçalves desde Aljezur no Sul de Portugal utilizando a sua "Antenna Farm". JRC NRD-545, amplif. Caseiro, K9AY elevada, Beverage 250 m p/ Am. Central, Bev. 100 m p/ a Am. do Sul, radioescutas yg via DXLD) ** EUROPE. Pirate, Mystery Radio, 6220, 0100-0405+ Nov 28, continuous Euro-pops and US pop music, mostly of the 70s and 80s including the BeeGees, Queen, Jennifer López and others. Echo IDs as ``Mystery Radio``. Fair to good; fading up to a strong level at times. Still here at 0740 check but weak (Brian Alexander, Mechanicsburg PA, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** GERMANY. 6045, 20/11 1010-1040, HAMBURGER LOKALRADIO, Jülich (Germany), German, interviews, children's programmes, music and IDs OMs, S9+10 (R7) (LUCA BOTTO FIORA, QTH: Rapallo (Genova) - Italy, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** GERMANY. The Heilbronn transmitter on 711 was off due to a technical fault. It is not intended so far to shut down this outlet. However, there are plans to switch off Südwestrundfunk mediumwave transmitters at night. Only Mühlacker 576 will stay on air overnight in case this concept will be fully implemented (Kai Ludwig, Germany, Dec 2, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** GREECE. 8734 USB, Olympia R., Nov 20 1530-1536, 35343, ID in English and Greek (Ko. Hashimoto, Japan, Japan Premium via DXLD) Coastal station ** GREECE [non]. V. of Greece`s morning relay via Delano 11750 at 1200-1500 has been having reception problems; it`s inaudible here at first, and gradually fades in, usable by 1345 and very strong by 1500* This is because at first the western control point, first reflection area in the ionosphere, is at a lower MUF before sunrise. So John Babbis in Maryland and I have been monitoring for a replacement frequency on 9 MHz, which ought to have a better chance of propagating as early as 1200; we think that shifting the transmission an hour later to 1300 to 1600 would be a good idea, and eliminate the weekday gap before 15485 comes up at 1600, but this is apparently not an option; for one thing, there is an important newscast at 1200 that VOG wants to have relayed, even tho this is 6 am Central, 7 am Eastern. Now we hear from VOG that 9775 will soon replace 11750 at 1200-1500. Unlike some other options, we found that this channel is open for ERA to move in. John says the change had not yet been made as of Dec 3 (Glenn Hauser, Dec 2, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** INTERNATIONAL. VOLMET TERMINAL (usb) . Auckland NZ 24hrs (H)+20 mins & (H)+50 mins 6679 8828 13282 . Hong Kong 24hrs (H)+10 mins & (H)+45 mins 6676 8828 13282 . New York 24hrs (H)+00 mins & (H)+05 mins 6604 10051 13270 . Sydney NSW 24hrs (H)+00 mins & (H)+30 mins 2965 6676 11387 . Singapore 24hrs (H)+00 mins & (H)+50 mins 6676 11387 . Bangkok 24hrs (H)+40 mins 6676 . Gander NFLD 24hrs (H)+20 mins & (H)+25 mins 3485 6604 10051 13270 . Gander NFLD 24hrs (H)+20 mins & (H)+55 mins 3485 6604 10051 13270 . Honolulu 24hrs (H)+00 mins & (H)+45 mins 6679 8828 13282 . Tokyo 24hrs (H)+10 mins & (H)+40 mins 6679 8828 13282 . Beijing 24hrs (H)+05 mins & (H)+50 mins 3485 5673 8849 13285 . Geangzhoa Ch 24hrs (H)+10 mins & (H)+40 mins 3485 5673 8849 13285 (via Eric Walton, World DX Club Contact via DXLD) See NEWFOUNDLAND ** INTERNATIONAL VACUUM. Changes to Sirius BBC Stream? It appears that the BBC World Service has made some changes to the stream it provides to Sirius Satellite Radio, which is carried on channel 114. Up to now, the World Service has provided the "full service" Americas stream over XM Satellite Radio and a modified version of the "all news" stream to Sirius. This weekend, I noted that the BBC World Service on Sirius contained some programs heretofore not carried there. These included "Outlook", "The Ticket" and a program that is part of a six installment documentary series on European cities. I also noted that at least one regular program heretorfore carried was not. "Sportsworld", unfortunately, appears to be a casualty of this apparent modification. On the half-hour today, I also heard an underwriting announcement used by and specifically identifying PRI (Public Radio International) as the provider of BBC World Service in the U.S. However, the apparently new schedule I'm observing does not track the proprietary PRI schedule either. The BBC has willingly tailored World Service schedules for various clients, in addition to its eight international streams and two internet streams. This past weekend on "Write On", a listener who tunes in via Worldspace complained of a unannounced change in schedule for the satellite service's "in the clear" World Service channel that adds 90 minutes of non-English programming. The reply stated that World Service was now providing two channels -- a "full service" 24 hour English channel that was now available only by subscription and a 24 hour modified "all news" channel (including the new 90 minute non- English segment) that would remain "in the clear" and not require extra payment. Dilly Barlow, at the end of her reply to the letter writer, stated that the BBC had "no current plans" to add further non- English programming to the "in the clear" channel. I am surmising that the described adjustments to the Sirius stream are part of an overall reassessment of the various schedules that the BBC tailors for specific requests or needs of its clients. I've used the word "apparent" in my descriptions just in case the noted changes are anomalies resulting from an inadvertent mistake or other cause. I have contacted the BBC Press Office and the World Service directly requesting an explanation. If and when I receive one, I will pass it along on these forums (John Figliozzi, Halfmoon, NY, Nov 28, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) Following up... Kevin Kelly, who maintains the excellent publicradiofan.com web site, sent me an updated PRI winter schedule for its proprietary BBC World Service stream and it does appear to track what I heard this past weekend. See: http://www.pri.org/PublicSite/listeners/programs/pop_up/bbc_win_schedule.pdf So, all that needs to be answered is whether this change on Sirius is by accident or design--and, perhaps, why a change was felt warranted. As they say, stay tuned. [later:] Mystery solved! Richard Cuff has learned from his sources at the BBC that the apparent stream change at Sirius was just that -- apparent. Due to a switching error and a circuit failure at Sirius, the wrong North American feed was dialed up over the holiday weekend. It was, indeed, the PRI feed that PRI supplies to its public radio clients. Things are now "back to normal". So -- as Emily Littella (aka Gilda Radner) used to say -- "Never mind..." (John Figliozzi, NY, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) It is interesting to note that if you check the schedules on the BBC website there is no indication that Sportsworld is being dropped from the Sirius Stream. I had not realized that the BBC offered any alternative programming during the Sportsworld time slot, since it goes out on all frequencies and nothing else is offered by way of alternative for the blacked out web stream. Sirius is in the process of applying for a license to beam into Canada. If they are successful, this would help with the BBC WS coverage as well as making CBC Radio 1 available here in the USA. Canada remains one of the poorest served countries when it comes to BBC WS because of the loss of the Sackville relay and that loss has not been made up by local radio (Mr. Sandy Finlayson, Philadelphia, PA, Swprograms mailing list via DXLD) Yep -- the PRI feed to US public radio stations is slightly different from both the Americas (Shortwave/XM) and the Sirius (all news) feeds. Compare the differences here: PRI feed http://www.pri.org/PublicSite/listeners/programs/pop_up/bbc_win_schedule.pdf All news feed http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/schedules/internet/news_weekly.shtml Sandy, you make a good point -- Canada has clearly been underserved since 7/2001 in the availability of the World Service. According to the BBC website, CJRT FM has an hour on Sundays from 1300 to 1400 UT (8 AM - 9 AM ET), but CJRT doesn't show this; they instead show three 5-minute newscasts weekdays at 1200, 1300 and 1400 UT. Somewhat amusingly, if you type in "Winnipeg" into the schedule finder, the web site returns the Americas shortwave schedule, but every entry then reads "Not available on short wave [sic]". (Richard Cuff / Allentown, PA USA, swprograms via DXLD) It would be nice if the BBC would at least acknowledge that they have done their Canadian listeners a dis-service by the loss of short wave. Instead all I got when I was communicating with them was the standard issue line that I could hear all I wanted online and local radio would take up the slack. Oh well, that's a long lost battle! (Sandy Finlayson, ibid.) Another interesting dynamic might be what the future PRI role will be. Minnesota Public Radio has been expanding its own distribution role at the expense of PRI, even though MPR is a significant shareholder (at least I think they are; these relationships are difficult to track) in PRI. These changes -- just like the changes that Paul David and Kevin Kelly reported in the Radio 4 overnight schedule -- were the result of audience research in the specific markets of interest. It appears to be the intent of the schedule planners that these alternate schedules will then get folded into the schedule finder tool at the BBCWS website, but these website changes lag the actual schedule changes themselves. This means that when you click the "radio button" for a given African city in the footprint of Worldspace, you would then get the correct Worldspace schedule --- eventually (Richard Cuff / Allentown, PA USA, ibid.) ** ISRAEL. Kol Israel --- As of now, the plan is still to stop Kol Israel shortwave broadcasts as of the end of the year. Last week, two antennas fell during a storm. Bezeq will not repair them if there is only a month of shortwave left. Thus, reception is impacted and won`t improve unless shortwave gets a reprieve. [How? Which azimuths, frequencies can`t run?] IBA staff members have been told to say that the shortwave schedule continues until March even though the intention is to cancel it at the end of 2004. Again, the intent is to have the broadcasts cancelled with as little fanfare / protest as possible (Doni Rosenzweig, Dec 2, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Have they worn us out with all the previous threats to close and letter-writing campaigns? Of course as time goes on, Israel`s reservoir of goodwill abroad steadily diminishes (gh, DXLD) ** ITALY [and non]. ITALIAN RADIO RELAY SERVICE INFO --- There is an IRRS special broadcast on Christmas day using 100 kW (Saturday Dec 25) on 13840. We will also be using 100 kW on Fridays and Sunday evening from 2100 to 0000 CET [2000-2300 UT] effective from 3rd of December 2004. All other evenings we will be using 20 kW from 2100 to 2230 CET [2000-2130 UT]. GOOD LISTENING (Tom Taylor, EMR, Dec 3, DX LISTENING DIGEST) So does that have anything to do with European Music Radio? ** KOREA NORTH. KOREA D.P.R. B-04 Voice of Korea, Pyongyang, effective as from Dec 1st, 2004 [frequencies after the target areas, 3560 and 4405 are considered internal feeders] 0000 Chinese 13650 15100 SoEaAS 4405 0000 Korean (PBS) 7140 9345 9730 NoEaCHN 3560 0000 Spanish 11735 13760 15180 CeAM 0100 English 7140 9345 9730 NoEaCHN 3560 0100 English 11735 13760 15180 CeAM 0100 French 13650 15100 SoEaAS 4405 0200 Chinese 7140 9345 9730 NoEaCHN 3560 0200 English 13650 15100 SoEaAS 4405 0200 Spanish 11735 13760 15180 CeAM 0300 Chinese 13650 15100 SoEaAS 4405 0300 English 7140 9345 9730 NoEaCHN 3560 0300 French 11735 13760 15180 CeAM 0700 Japanese 621 3250 7580 9650 JPN 0700 Korean (PBS) 7140 9345 NoEaCHN 4405 0700 Russian 9975 11735 FE 3560 0700 Russian 13760 15245 Eu 0800 Chinese 7140 9345 NoEaCHN 4405 0800 Japanese 621 3250 7580 9650 JPN 0800 Russian 9975 11735 FE 3560 0800 Russian 13760 15245 Eu 0900 Japanese 621 3250 6070 7580 9650 JPN 0900 Korean (KCBS) 7140 9345 NoEaCHN 4405 0900 Korean (PBS) 9975 11735 FE 3560 0900 Korean (PBS) 13760 15245 Eu 1000 English 9335 9850 CeAM 1000 English 6185 6285 SoEaAS 3560 1000 Japanese 621 3250 6070 7580 9650 JPN 1000 Korean (PBS) 7140 9345 NoEaCHN 4405 1100 Chinese 7140 9345 CHN 4405 1100 French 9335 9580 CeAM 1100 French 6185 6285 SoEaAS 3560 1100 Japanese 621 3250 6070 7580 9650 JPN 1200 Japanese 621 3250 6070 7580 9650 JPN 1200 Korean (KCBS) 9335 9850 CeAM 1200 Korean (KCBS) 6185 6285 SoEaAS 3560 1200 Korean (PBS) 7140 9345 NoEaCHN 4405 1300 Chinese 6185 9850 SoEaAS 3560 1300 English 7570 12015 WEu 4405 1300 English 9335 11710 NoAM 1300 Korean (PBS) 6285 9325 Eu 1400 French 7570 12015 WEu 4405 1400 French 9335 11710 NoAM 1400 Korean (KCBS) 6185 9850 SoEaAS 3560 1400 Russian 6285 9325 Eu 1500 Arabic 9975 11535 ME, NAf 3560 1500 English 7570 12015 WEu 4405 1500 English 9335 11710 NoAM 1500 Russian 6285 9325 Eu 1600 German 6285 9325 Eu 1600 English 9975 11535 ME, NAf 3560 1600 French 7570 12015 WEu 4405 1600 French 9335 11710 NoAM 1700 Korean (KCBS) 7570 12015 WEu 4405 1700 Korean (KCBS) 9335 11710 NoAM 1700 Russian 6285 9325 Eu 1700 Spanish 9975 11535 ME, NAf 3560 1800 German 6285 9325 Eu 1800 French 7100 11710 SAf 1800 French 9975 11535 ME, NAf 3560 1800 Spanish 7570 12015 WEu 4405 1900 Arabic 7100 11710 SAf 1900 Arabic 9975 11535 ME, NAf 3560 1900 English 7570 12015 WEu 4405 1900 German 6285 9325 Eu 2000 French 7570 12015 WEu 4405 2000 Korean (KCBS) 7100 11710 SAf 2000 Korean (KCBS) 6285 9325 Eu 2000 Korean (KCBS) 9975 11535 ME, NAf 3560 2100 Chinese 7180 9345 NoEaCHN 3560 2100 Chinese 9975 11535 CHN 2100 English 7570 12015 WEu 4405 2100 Japanese 621 3250 7580 9650 JPN 2200 Chinese 7180 9345 NoEaCHN 3560 2200 Chinese 9975 11535 CHN 2200 Spanish 7570 12015 WEu 4405 2200 Japanese 621 3250 7580 9650 JPN 2300 Japanese 621 3250 7580 9650 JPN 2300 Korean (KCBS) 7180 9345 NoEaCHN 3560 2300 Korean (KCBS) 7570 12015 WEu 4405 2300 Korean (KCBS) 9975 11535 CHN 80 program sections to various targets. Target Voice of Korea B-04 schedule, Pyongyang: CeAM CeAmerica CHN China Eu Europe FE Far East JPN Japan ME Middle East NAf NoAfrica NoAM NoAmerica NoEaCHN NorthEast China SAf SoAfrica SAm SoAmerica SoEaAS SouthEast Asia WEu Western Europe (thanks to Nagoya DXC-JPN, Olle Alm-SWE, Noel R. Green-UK; wb, BC-DX Dec 2 via DXLD) Note 7100 is on the schedule! Dear friends, I got the following news this evening: Dear fellow intruder busters, From Uli Bihlmayer DJ9KR, DARC-MS Coordinator, and Wolfgang Bueschel DF5SX (enthusiastic BCL of DARC) I have learned that since yesterday December 1st, 2004 Voice of Korea (north, capital Pyongyang) have started programmes in various languages on 7100 kHz. Times (UTC) Programme 1800 - 1900 French 1900 - 2000 Arabic 2000 - 2100 Korean Here in southern Germany you can hear the program well after sign-off (1830) of R. Eritrea [sic] (also on 7100 kHz). The signal of VoK is QSA4 - 5 with a dipole antenna. QRG is a bit "rocky". The programs are // on 11535, 11710 and 9975. For more info pse hit: http://www.geocities.jp/ndxcjp/nk.htm Will you pse contact your national telecoms. authorities for complaint. Uli Bihlmayer has already alerted the German Telecoms. "RegTP". Well done Uli Bihlmayer and Wolfgang Bueschel! Keep on your good work! Fraternally yours in the Intruder Watch Business (Wolf, DK2OM, Vice-Coordinator of IARU-MS Region 1, Dec 2, via Büschel, DX LISTENING DIGEST) D.P.R. Korea. One of the new frequencies for Europe of Radio ``Voice of Korea`` is 6285 kHz along with 7370 kHz (Rumen Pankov, R. Bulgaria DX Dec 4 via John Norfolk, DXLD) 6285 at 1300-2100 and also 1000-1300 to SE Asia per schedule above, but 7370 not on it; you mean 7570? (Glenn Hauser, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** KURDISTAN. V. of Iranian Kurdistan, 4860, 0300-0325+ Nov 24, possible sign-on with martial music, 0203 announcements in unID language. 0305 Call to Prayer. 0308 talk by woman. 0310 some lite instrumental music and more talk, local Arabic music; poor-fair (Brian Alexander, Mechanicsburg PA, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** LIBYA. DRM transmitter being installed: see DRM section below ** MEXICO. 6045, R. Universidad has open carrier from at least 1130, but I haven't been around to stick with it. Today Dec 1 I was and it seems to be *1300, not listed *1200. 1301 tune in to chorus singing, not sure if that was an anthem. Then short classical intro and talk by woman in Spanish at 1303; I didn't catch an ID but she did mention short wave. 1307 ID with callsign by man and into classical music (Hans Johnson, Naples FL, Cumbre DX via DXLD) ** MEXICO. DAN PERMISO A RADIOS INDÍGENAS Extraido de la edicion del 30 de noviembre de http://www.prensa.com/hoy/negocios/76587.html CIUDAD DE MEXICO (EFE). --- El Gobierno mexicano del presidente Vicente Fox entregará en los próximos días permisos de emisión a diez radios comunitarias indígenas y campesinas en cumplimiento de una recomendación de la Comisión Interamericana de Derechos Humanos (CIDH). Así lo anunció ayer la Comisión Mexicana de Defensa y Promoción de los Derechos Humanos en un comunicado en que señaló que los permisos favorecerán a emisoras de comunidades de los estados de México, Sonora, Michoacán y Oaxaca. Tanto Michoacán como Oaxaca son dos estados que tienen un gran porcentaje de población indígena de diferentes etnias. El pasado viernes el subsecretario de Normatividad de Medios, Ricardo García Cervantes, se comprometió formalmente ante representantes de los interesados a que en "los próximos días" se haría la entrega de los títulos de permiso. Los responsables de las radios están organizados en la Asociación Mundial de Radios Comunitarias de México (AMARC-México). Las emisoras iniciaron hace más de dos años una campaña para ser reconocidas legalmente y en septiembre pasado presentaron una serie de documentos solicitados por la Secretaría de Comunicaciones y Transportes con el fin de legalizarse. "Con la entrega de los permisos de operación, el Gobierno Federal estará cumpliendo apenas una de las recomendaciones de la CIDH", señaló el comunicado. Enfatizó que "la plena garantía de los ciudadanos para el ejercicio de su libertad de expresión y derecho a la información a través de la radiodifusión deberá estar contenida en una reforma integral a la Ley Federal de Radio y Televisión". Dicha legislación, según dijo debe establecer condiciones de equidad y transparencia para que las comunidades puedan tener sus propios medios (via Arnaldo Slaen, Argentina, Dec 3, condig list via DXLD) ¿detalles? ** NETHERLANDS. H.R.H. Prince Bernhard 1911-2004 It was announced this evening that His Royal Highness Prince Bernhard, the father of Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands, has died at the age of 93. An obituary, including audio extracts, has been published on our Web site http://www2.rnw.nl/rnw/en/currentaffairs/region/netherlands/dut041112b and there will be more information in the next edition of Newsline http://www2.rnw.nl/rnw/en/radioprogrammes/newsline Radio and TV stations in the Netherlands are, according to protocol, broadcasting revised programmes until further notice. # posted by Andy @ 20:34 UT Dec 1 (Media Network blog via DXLD) Hello from Hilversum, As you will probably know by now, the Netherlands is in mourning following the death of HRH Prince Bernhard on Wednesday evening. Prince Bernhard had been a patron of Radio Netherlands since 1955, so his death has in a sense touched all of us who work here. Special Web seminar on 4th December On Saturday I hope to be participating on behalf of Radio Netherlands in an Internet panel discussion organised as part of a seminar of Pacifica and Indymedia journalists. I'm not sure yet which of two hours I will be on, but it will be one of the hours between 2000 and 2200 UT. The first hour will include topics such as: the state of the world after the re-election of George Bush, the world's people's reaction to US foreign policy, and their efforts to preserve their culture and natural resources. The second hour will focus on the real possibilities to come together and build media alliances between the participant's networks in order to inform better, previous collaborative efforts with other networks and what can be learned from them, and expand non-commercial cooperation. (Those are the descriptions offered by the organiser, not me). You can listen on the Internet using Winamp or a similar player. For more details go to http://digitaltheater.newcollege.edu/ and log in to the seminar Web site. I'm told that other participants will include Radio France International (Andy Sennitt, Media Network newsletter Dec 2 via DXLD) ** NEW CALEDONIA. NEW CALEDONIA BROADCAST STRIKE OVER | Text of report by Radio Australia on 2 December What has been described as the longest strike in French broadcasting history has ended in New Caledonia, after more than three months. Since 17 August, French broadcaster RFO's radio and television station in New Caledonia had been blockaded by dozens of members of the Union of Kanak and Exploited Workers. They manned a picket line barring anyone from entering the station. The union says it was defending the rights of an indigenous Kanak technical engineer. The RFO local management and the union signed an agreement yesterday. RFO's local radio and television production, including news, will gradually resume next week. Source: Radio Australia, Melbourne, in English 0700 gmt 2 Dec 04 (via BBCM via DXLD) ** NEWFOUNDLAND. GANDER RADIO VOLMET AERO TERMINAL. . Family "A" Frequencies 3016, 5598, 8906, 13306 . Family "B" Frequencies 2899, 5516, 8864, 13291 . Family "C" Frequencies 2872, 5649, 8879, 11336, 13306 . Family "D" Frequencies 3476, 6622, 8831, 13291 [Above presumably for ground/air communications, simplex] Volmet Radio Frequencies: 3485, 6604, 10051, 13270. (H) + 20-25 Forecasts: Montreal, Mirabel, Toronto, Ottawa. (H) + 20-25 Actuals Gander, Mirabel, Toronto, Ottawa, Goose Bay. (H) + 25-30 Forecasts: Winnipeg, Edmonton, Calgary, Churchill. (H) + 25-30 Actuals Kuuijiuag, Winnipeg, Churchill (H) + 50-55 Forecasts: Gander, St Johns, Halifax. (H) + 50-55 Actuals Gander, St Johns, Halifax, Stephenville, Montreal, Mirabel (H) + 55-60 Forecasts. Goose Bay, Iqualuit, Sondrestrom (H) + 55-60 Actuals Goose Bay, Iqualuit, Sondrestrom, Kuuijuag. Gander Station Address: Station Manager, Gander IFSS, Transport Canada, P. O. Box 328, Gander Nfld, A1V1W7 Canada (via Eric Walton, Dec World DX Club Contact via DXLD) ** NIGERIA. 9690, V. of Nigeria, Ikorodu, observed on 30 Nov 1910- 1924, English, talks, program announcements, political comment and interviews on Y. Arafat, Afro pops; 54533, adjacent QRM; still on at 2205 but in Vernacular, then sign-off 2302* It seems 9690 replaced 7255 in the afternoon (Carlos Gonçalves desde Aljezur no Sul de Portugal utilizando a sua "Antenna Farm". JRC NRD-545, amplif. Caseiro, K9AY elevada, Beverage 250 m p/ Am. Central, Bev. 100 m p/ a Am. do Sul, radioescutas yg via DXLD) ** PAPUA NEW GUINEA. 4960, Catholic Radio Network, 1118-1141 Dec 3. Noted a man in comments until 1130. Signal was fading in and out during this period. Comparing reception between the NRD545 and the R390A, the NRD545 seemed to hold onto the signal better. At 1130 a woman in comments and the signal was steady at a poor level. Some music presented then too. At 1140 woman and a man in English comments (Chuck Bolland, Clewiston, Florida, USA, Dipole, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** PERU. R. Horizonte, 5019.94, 1015-1030+ Nov 26, rooster crows, Spanish announcements, promos, lively OA folk music. VG signal most local mornings lately (Brian Alexander, Mechanicsburg PA, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** RWANDA. 6055, Radio Rwanda, 2021-2059 Dec 2. Tuned in to heavily- accented English-speaking M hosting evening program of soft Afropops and U.S. soul music, many live phone dedications, many "Radio Rwanda" ID's, "goodnight and god bless" wrap up announcement at 2059 when Romania in French crash start; I believe Rwanda pulled the plug right at 2100*, because it was totally inaudible in quiet parts of Bucharest program. Rwanda gaining in strength toward end, in the clear until then, with slow, rolling fades bringing audibility up and down during rather noisy propagation conditions. Nice to hear this wintertime visitor again (Al Quaglieri, NY, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** SAO TOME. Listeners in the East looking for TAs should try 1530 after 2200 EST [0300 IT]. Last night and a couple of weeks ago VOA-São Tomé was right behind if not over WSAI. Parallel to 7290 and often heard when conditions are tending to be auroral. And that might be tonight as the band was very noisy and unsettled when last I tried (Ben Dangerfield, Wallingford, [SE corner of PA], Nov 29, NRC-AM via DXLD) ** SOMALIA. 6960, R. Shabele, 1820 Nov 27, emphatic talks by OM and YL in local language. At 1830 discussions by two men. At 1836 with drums and back to talks by OM. No signal indication on my radio but quite good audio at 13432, sometimes slight suffering from Galei Zahal on 6973 (Zacharias Liangas, THS Greece, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** SWEDEN. Glenn, it's a bloodbath for Sweden on 6010 at 0230 UT; could just about make them out because of CRI on 6020 and Cuba on 6000. It's time Sweden thought about moving. Thanks (Daryl E Rocker, NY, UT Dec 2, Sangean ATS 909 Using the Whip; it's hot on the whip, DX LISTENING DIGEST) I tuned right in at 0245 and found that Sweden via Canada on 6010 was doing better here than 6000 or 6020 --- it depends on where you are. Same problem as the thread discussing poor reception of RCI in the northeast. You guys are just too close to Sackville in the winter nights with low MUFs, and I previously delineated improbable solutions for this under CANADA (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** TAIWAN. RTI 2004 Top News Story Competition --- Hello listeners! We are nearing the end of the year again, and our 2004 Top Ten News Stories contest has begun. Contest Deadline: December 29, 2004 (top ten news to be announced on December 31.) Date of Drawing: January 13 (tentative) Who Can Participate: Everyone who sends in a Top Ten News entry is eligible for participation. Prizes: 1st Prize: 5 CD Players 2nd Prize: 10 Digital Radio Sets 3rd Prize: 30 Table Clocks Souvenirs: 200 Laser Pens 2004 Top International News Stories 2004 Top Taiwan News Stories Radio Taiwan International, No. 55 Pei An Road, Taipei, Taiwan. R.O.C. (RTI web site.http://www.rti.org.tw via Swopan Chakroborty, Kolkata, India, DXLD) ** U K. THOMPSON ORDERS 15% CUTS IN BBC BUDGETS Maggie Brown and Lisa O'Carroll Thursday December 2, 2004 The Guardian BBC executives have revealed they have been told to make 15% cuts in their programme budgets as part of director general Mark Thompson's comprehensive cost review, which is expected to lead to 6,000 job losses. The budgets affected are for the coming year, 2005-2006, and include most areas of production and output, several sources say. The proposals are causing deep concern, even a fight back, because they affect decisions and agreements already made in expensive areas such as drama that are difficult to unpick. It means the axe will fall most heavily on new projects. . . http://media.guardian.co.uk/broadcast/story/0,7493,1364497,00.html (via Mike Terry, dxldyg, Dan Say, via DXLD) Seems to be about TV. Only TV?? (gh) Probably doesn't apply to BBC World Service, financed separately (BDXC-UK moderator via DXLD) ** U K. INDIAN AGENCY REPORTS BBC FALLS VICTIM TO BHOPAL HOAX | Text of report by Indian news agency PTI London, 3 December: The BBC on Friday [3 December] had egg on its face when it fell victim to an "elaborate deception" by a man claiming to be a Dow Chemical spokesman saying the US company has accepted responsibility for the 1984 Bhopal gas disaster and would pay 12bn dollars as compensation to those maimed. The BBC News 24 channel ran an interview from Paris twice earlier in the day with a man it identified as Dow Chemical spokesman Jude Finisterra who said that in a major policy reversal the company has accepted full responsibility for the tragedy 20 years ago in India. The man said during the interview that the company would start a 12bn- dollar fund to "finally at long last fully compensate the victims, including the 120,000 who may need medical care for their entire lives". BBC World issued a statement later describing the interview as "inaccurate and part of an elaborate deception. The person did not represent the company and we want to make clear that the information he gave was entirely inaccurate". The hoax was timed to fall on the 20th anniversary of the world's worst industrial accident. The factory in Bhopal was owned by Union Carbide, now a subsidiary of Dow Chemical. Dow Chemical, which took over Union Carbide in 2001, has long insisted that all liabilities regarding Union Carbide's Bhopal gas leak were settled with the Indian government. Source: PTI news agency, New Delhi, in English 1655 gmt 3 Dec 04 (via BBCM via DXLD) ** U S A. VOA is broadcasting in English daily at 1000-1200 on 15615 and 17555; the sign-off at 1200 features the wrong and old zip code. I have heard them, with good reception: 13 Nov, 15615, 1157-1159 16 Nov, 15615, 1116-1200, Talk to America [repeat] 19 Nov, 15615, 1034-1200, Country Hits USA with Mary Morningstar Around 1130, none other than Kim Andrew Elliott talking to the BBC [Talk to America segment]. Science Thursday, Opinion Roundup. 20 Nov, 15615, 0859-0901; 17555 at 0901 & 0954. 15615 at 1000-1005 and 1100-1105; 17555 at 1004 and 1105-1107, Jazz America and VOA Music Mix. I don`t have the current VOA schedule. I have also heard VOA to East Asia, but with good receptoin and strength: 13 Nov, 9645, 1245-1300 13 Nov, 9760, 1301-1303 16 Nov, 15665, 1212-1259; they went off the air without signing off. Well, maybe good things are happening at VOA. My equipment: AOR AR7030 barefoot receive with outdoor antenna. Best wishes, (David Crystal, 19125 Israel, postmark appears to be 21 Nov, aerogramme retyped and edited by gh for DX LISTENING DIGEST) 15615 and 17555 are Kavala, Greece; 9645 Udorn, Thailand; 9760 Tinang, Philippines; 15665 Iranawila, Sri Lanka (gh, DXLD) ** U S A. I have also heard, 20 Nov, 7415, 0500-0503, SINPO 43343 with steady tone and lightning, no ID at all, an Amos & Andy show. Must be a test; the frequency is or may be used by VOA earlier (David Crystal, 19125 Israel, postmark appears to be 21 Nov, aerogramme retyped and edited by gh for DX LISTENING DIGEST) That was WBCQ, which has been running A&A re-creations for a long time M-F at 0500 on 7415. For B-04, VOA is no longer scheduled on 7415 at all; Botswana went somewhere else; however RFA in Tibetan via Tajikistan is on 7415 at 2300-2400, no doubt jammed. I don`t hear any QRM in OK, but how is it further east during WORLD OF RADIO at 2300 on Wednesdays? (Glenn Hauser, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A [non]. A printed B-04 schedule for AWR shows one entry in a language called ``Col English``, days 4 & 6 only at 1800-1830 on 9530 via Moosbrunn, Austria. Altho no key to day of week numbering is included, I can only assume that Sat must = 7 for the SDA! And thus 4 and 6 would be Wed & Fri. ``Col`` could stand for Colonial or Colloquial, or Collinet-accented, or hilltop, or ??? Colloquial being most likely, but what does that mean? Colloquial to whom? Then I see on another sheet mention of ``colloquial English`` being one of the new ``local languages in Southern Sudan``, the others being Moru, Bari, and Juba Arabic, which indeed occupy that semihour other days of week. Also says from Jan 2005, Wavescan will be produced in Asia; somewhere else I heard it would be from Singapore (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A. DXing With Cumbre has been totally worthless since the time change, hasn't it? Only historical fill-in programs. I guess they're taking a break. But I *did* look at their website and saw nothing about that and no new schedule info either. Strange (Will Martin, MO, Dec 3, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A. 25950 FM, KB99696 Denver CO; 1759-1806+, 26-Nov; U of CO vs U of NE FB game call; ID at 1800, "News Radio 8-50 KOA". Good to zilch. Tnx Liz for alert. First one of these studio links heard in a couple of years (Harold Frodge, MI, MARE Tipsheet via DXLD) ** U S A. It appears that KAIJ Dallas is about to break away from All- Gene-Scott—All-the-time. One could easily believe the station is owned by him, but per http://www.kaij.org ``The FCC license to operate KAIJ is held by Two If By Sea Broadcasting Corporation, which is owned by experienced broadcasters Mike and Kim Parker.`` Strangely, the station history does not reveal that it began as KCBI, Criswell Bible Institute. The rudimentary website indicates KAIJ wants to concentrate on Christian programming in Spanish, especially to Cuba, and one of their staff actually went to an evangelism conference there. Just send them $70 a week for an hour of programming, and they`ll put something in Spanish on, even your own program, or something from the library. Graphics include an illegible predicted coverage map, and replacing the star on the Cuban flag with a cross. Hey, that`s an idea, why not replace the 50 stars on the US flag with 50 crosses --- or Red states only, until the Blues fall to Christian Soldiers. Keep an ear on 5755 night, 13815 day for signs of change --- but DGS is occasionally in Spanish. One thing for sure: 13815 is no place to broadcast to Cuba, 5 kHz from Martí and jamming! (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A. WMLK, 9265.53, *1600-2100* Nov 24, sign-on with opening ID giving wrong sked and announcing frequency as 9465. Address and into usual programming about Yahweh teachings. 2100 sign-off announcements with ID, address and sked again. Strong carrier but very low modulation. Still on 9265.53 during check at 1655 Nov 26 (Brian Alexander, Mechanicsburg PA, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Wed & Fri, FYI ** U S A. For those DXers that take their hobby seriously, perhaps the following may be of interest. The Solar Flux Indicator can be found on a Daily Basis, by tuning to WWV or WWVH on 5000, 10000, 15000 kHz. Time & other information from WWV and WWVH Time Signal Stations is as follows: WWV Hour + 08 Mins North Atlantic Ocean Weather. + 09 Mins North Atlantic Ocean Weather continued. + 10 Mins East Pacific Ocean Weather. + 14 Mins GPS Introduction. + 15 Mins GPS Status Report. + 16 Mins OMEGA Status Report. + 18 Mins Solar Activity/Geomagnetic Field Report. **** WWVH Hour + 43 Mins GPS Introduction. + 44 Mins GPS Status Report. + 45 Mins Solar Activity/Geomagnetic Field Report. **** + 47 Mins OMEGA Report. + 48 Mins Pacific Ocean Weather Report. + 49 Mins Pacific Ocean Weather Report continued. + 50 Mins Pacific Ocean Weather Report continued. + 51 Mins Pacific Ocean Weather Report continued. (Via Eric Walton, Dec World DX Club Contact via DXLD) ** U S A. Describing his love of CBS and CBS News, Rather observed in the interview last year: "In my mind and the minds of the people I work with, this is a magical, mystical kingdom -- our version of Camelot. And we feel we are working at a kind of roundtable of King Arthur proportions. Now, it may be that this kingdom exists only in our minds. But that makes it no less real for those of us who live it every day." And then there was this: "Ed Murrow's ghost is here. I've seen him and talked to him on the third floor of this building many times late at night. And I can tell you that he's watching over us." Full story at: http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/thr/columns/the_pulse_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1000727825 [a lot more to the story than this] (via Brock Whaley, DXLD) ** U S A. KAPS antenna --- still on vacation in Washington state. I went to Everett to tour the Boeing plant today followed by a hop up to Mount Vernon to photograph the unusual KAPS PARAN antenna. I've just posted some photos of it on my AM-DXer web site (see link below). Enjoy! (Patrick Griffith, NØNNK, Westminster, CO, http://community.webtv.net/N0NNK/ http://community.webtv.net/AM-DXer/ DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A. Glenn, On 11/30 the FCC granted "program test authority" for regular operation of the increased power facilities for KPOJ, 620 kHz, Portland, OR. The new operation, like that of the previous 3 years, is diplexed into the antenna of 1190 KEX. The increase in power is for 25 kW day, 10 kW night, with the maximum lobe of both operations essentially due west, which may be useful to DX'ers in Japan and elsewhere in E. Asia., particularly since it is 1 kHz off the Region I and III 9 kHz spacing. KPOJ, originally KGW, is the oldest radio broadcasting station in the Pacific Northwest of N. America, and commenced operation in 1922. From the mid 1930's until 3 years ago it operated from a very elegant and favorable antenna site just south of the Columbia River in Vanport (north Portland) until the site was wantonly and intentionally destroyed by the Port of Portland as part of an ill-considered water storage project which would have been compatible with continued use of the antenna except for the incompetence and intransigence of the Port management. Fortunately, the licensee, a Clear Channel subsidiary, also owns KEX (and actually both stations were originally owned by the Oregonian newspaper and KEX originally operated from the Vanport site as well), and the antenna configuration of the KEX site at Clackamas (southeast Portland) allowed its use for 620 operation as well (Ben Dawson, WA, Dec 2, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A. Per radio-locator.com, KHQN 1480 Spanish Fork UT, the station which recently resumed its devotion to Hare Krishna format, is authorized for 133 watts at night: http://www.radio-locator.com/cgi-bin/finder?call=KHQN&is_unl=Y&is_lic=Y&is_cp=Y&sr=Y&s=C&sid=&x=13&y=2 (via Artie Bigley, DXLD) Nice to know UT has more than one cult (gh) ** U S A. Arizona State University has a station on 1270 that's unlisted in FCC records ... I forget the call ... but I hear it every now and then when I'm in Tempe visiting my brother. Possibly a carrier current operation that gets out, maybe, better than "intended, if not expected." (Qal R. Mann, the Krumudgeon, ibid.) It`s on 1260 and gets out about 20 miles. The calls are KASU. They aren't listed anywhere (Kevin Redding, Mesa, ibid) ** U S A. 10 October, I stopped in Flagstaff and found Fox Sports Radio on 1650. The Radio Log shows nothing in all of Arizona on 1650. I didn't write down the exact wording, but there was a promo mentioning that sports radio had finally come to Flagstaff. I also heard a clear ID, "Fox Sports Radio, Flagstaff". Has anyone else picked this up? I didn't catch the call letters. The FCC database doesn't show anything either (Jay Heyl, Orange, CA, NRC-AM vai DXLD) I did a quick Google search and I found this... http://www.azlife.net/Arizona/FLG-Radio-Stations.htm It shows KBXZ-Radio 1650 AM Fox Sports 1650 1016 W University Av, Ste 205 Flagstaff 928-774-9254 There is a link, but it goes to a Fox Sports Radio template with no content (Pete Dernbach, St. Louis, MO, ibid.) There is more on: http://www.foxsports1650.com/ (Hakan Sundman, Helsinki, Finland, ibid.) Fascinating! 1650 is clearly not a licensed operation - sounds like a glorified (and, I'm guessing, way overpowered) Part 15 signal that's selling advertising and everything. It seems to be run by a local advertising agency. I wonder if Premiere (which syndicates Fox Sports Radio) knows it's not a "real" station... s (Scott Fybush, NY, ibid.) ** U S A. We do indeed have a PIRATE in Buffalo on 1700; at 2 pm today [1900 UT Dec 3] heard a legal ID, well rather "illegal ID" hi that sounded like "WSSR Buffalo" and hip hop music and PSAs(?!?) One PSA heard was from the Minnesota DOT (???). Audio was very distorted so not sure on calls. Strong in Cheektowaga area, weaker in Lancaster/ Amherst/ Clarence, barely audible at home in Alden. In all of the above places it easily gets wiped out by a combo of IA & AL in the evening (Greg Coniglio, Alden, NY, Dec 3, WTFDA-AM via DXLD) ** U S A [and non]. In the past (the 60s) the regular AMers heard here were XERF on 1570 with the Wolfman, 1510 WLAC with John R. (I imported my first 45s from Buckley's Recordshop in Gallatin, thanks to the "Music After Hours" show there), KGBT 1530 in Harlingen, TX and KAAY 1090 Little Rock with the Stand Recordshop Show, all these after 0500 UT. Times have changed by now: 1130 KWKH Shreveport with its country music format has never been so clear with an overall 4 SINPO. I guess, colegas, that was the real Golden Age of AM radio when you got a full and deep bassy audio, so the music seemed to have more body than FM nowadays, that provides sometimes a cosmetic sound (Raúl Saavedra, Costa Rica, Dec 3, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A. Every several years, I hack into the Art Bell/Coast to Coast schedule, and sort it by MW frequency. Here it is: http://www.angelfire.com/mi/flush/art.txt Paste it into a Word Processor Doc. Fiddle with tab spacing to get the 4 tab separated columns aligned. 10-point courier should get you 8 pages printed out (Larry Russell, MI, MARE Tipsheet via DXLD) ** U S A. WCAL SALE FINALIZED By Jean Mullins, News Editor, Friday, December 3, 2004 http://fusion.stolaf.edu/messenger/index.cfm?section=article&article_number=1985&issue_volume=118&issue_number=10&issue_date=12/3/2004 St. Olaf College has officially turned over ownership of its radio station, 89.3 WCAL, to Minnesota Public Radio (MPR) as of Nov. 21. A flurry of protest surrounded the radio station after the announcement of its pending sale in August. MPR approached the St. Olaf Board of Regents about buying the station in August. After a lengthy process, the final phase of the sale ended two weeks ago when the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) announced that it would approve the sale of WCAL. Within days, MPR and St. Olaf finalized the sale. The organization SaveWCAL had worked to stop the sale, and had brought an alternative proposal to the table, claiming that through donations, the organization could promise St. Olaf $10 million over the next three years to retain ownership of the radio station. The Board of Regents, before finalizing the sale, created a committee to investigate the "workability" of SaveWCAL’s proposal, according to St. Olaf President Christopher Thomforde. The committee did not believe the proposal to be viable, and rejected it. The agreement that St. Olaf had entered into with MPR would have had either party paying $750,000 for backing out of the deal. SaveWCAL still hopes that it can stop the transfer of the radio station. The group intends to file a second appeal with the FCC, which would go directly to the commissioners. A public meeting will be held Dec. 8 regarding possible misappropriation of funds by St. Paul’s Housing and Redevelopment Authority (HRA). MPR approached the HRA about a $22 million loan which it planned to use part of to pay for WCAL. This meeting will also investigate the possible conflicts of interest between the board members of Piper Jaffrey, the lead underwriter for the HRA bond, MPR and St. Olaf. All three boards have at least one common member. Thomforde addressed this concern, saying that St. Olaf has a procedure for voting when there is a conflict of interest – the member in question does not vote. In the meantime, St. Olaf and the greater community feel the loss of the radio station. Holm said, "I’m upset the station is gone, I’m upset at the blatant media conglomeration by MPR and I’m upset with how the decision was handled within the administration." Some members of the community feel that the administration mishandled the sale. "It really was clandestine and sneaky," SaveWCAL supporter Kristine Larson said. "The administration has lost faith with us by their decision to sell WCAL." As a final farewell to WCAL, a diverse group of musicians gathered in St. Paul on Nov. 28 for the "Concert in Thanksgiving for WCAL.`` (Manitou Messenger Dec 3 via Artie Bigley, DXLD) WCAL WAVES GOODBYE By Carl Schroeder, Staff Writer, Friday, December 3, 2004 What do St. Olaf Choir Director Anton Armstrong, composer Dale Warland, former St. Olaf Board of Regents chair Leonard Hoeft, Minnesota State Sens. John Marty and Tom Neuville, 25 members of the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra and former St. Olaf College President Mel George have in common? They, along with over 5,300 current St. Olaf students, faculty, alumni and other community members think that the St. Olaf Board of Regents made a mistake in selling WCAL 89.3 FM, the listener-supported radio station owned and operated by the College since 1922. Preliminary news of the sale was released last August, following months of closed-door negotiations between St. Olaf and Minnesota Public Radio (MPR). The announcement sparked disappointment and opposition from many supporters of the radio station and the College, who worked under the banner of the non-profit group SaveWCAL http://www.SaveWCAL.org in an attempt to halt the sale. . . http://fusion.stolaf.edu/messenger/index.cfm?section=article&article_number=1998&issue_volume=118&issue_number=10&issue_date=12/3/2004 (Manitou Messenger via Artie Bigley, DXLD) ** VANUATU. STATE CORPORATION TO REVAMP RADIO TRANSMITTERS The Vanuatu Broadcasting and Television Corporation (VBTC) is taking steps to fix radio transmitter problems that have caused serious blackouts in large parts of the country over recent months, according to the Port Vila Presse web site, citing a report by the Vanuatu Daily Post on 2 December. The head of state, Kalkot Mataskelekele, on 1 December commented on the poor radio reception during his inaugural speech in parliament. VBTC board chairman Godwin Ligo revealed the company's contingency plans on how they were going to tackle both the technical and financial problems that had beset the company. He said that a three- phase plan to overcome the problem of the obsolete radio transmitters had been approved. Phase one was the repair and upgrade of the old shortwave and mediumwave transmitters. Spare parts had been ordered through Radio Australia's head, Jean-Gabriel Manguy, who will be visiting Port Vila this week to officially launch ABC FM and Radio France Internationale (RFI) FM radio relays. The plan is expected to be completed by the end of this year. Mr Manguy will also sign a memorandum of understanding with VBTC for financial and technical support from the Australia Broadcasting Corporation (ABC). Phase two will see the purchase of a brand new shortwave and mediumwave radio transmitter from Croatia; delivery of this equipment is due in the middle of next year. VBTC is planning to install new FM radio transmitters on several islands of the archipelago which should give reliable FM coverage nationwide. Mr Ligo also told the Daily Post that the French government had shown a keen interest in funding the radio upgrade programme along with its plan of fully digitizing Television Blong Vanuatu (TBV). Source: Port Vila Presse web site, in English 2 Dec 04 (via BBCM via DXLD) SW?? ** VIRGIN ISLANDS US. Definitively: The best signal by far on extended AM band in Costa Rica is from WDHP 1620. Last Saturday night it was booming like local with lots of Christmas Soca style. They seemed to have increased their power to a 100 kW. Only occasionally WTAW came in the background. But on Saturday it sounded as their usual signal, around some 10 to 20 kW (Raúl Saavedra, Dec 3, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) Not R. Martí relay? That`s when fishy things may be going on with power boosts, direxional antenna (gh, DXLD) 1620 UNID: "Tropical" type music, not necessarily Spanish, but an instrumental set of songs, like you would associate with "tropical". This was over South Bend but I could not ID. Any ideas? Does the V.I. station get out??? This was 6:20 [pm, EST? = 2320 UT]. This is using a Subaru car radio, and also a GE Superradio at home. I have to go invest in a longwire and see how that works! (Greg Coniglio, Alden, NY, Dec 2, NRC-AM via DXLD) It certainly does, and I have to think they "forget" to power down quite often - I've heard them in Topeka (Paul Swearingen, KS, Dec 3, ibid.) Ever wonder if a station that doesn`t drop power at night starts getting a bunch of reception reports from DXers all over the country, whether that tells them they got a problem and fix it? You know, DXers could be helping station owners by tipping them off to problems before they get a NAL from Uncle Charlie. DXers. Always at your service (Paul Smith, Sarasota, FL, W4KNX, ibid.) As if most managers/owners would make that connection. As if the FCC would send them anything unless some other station really cried 'foul' (Russ Edmunds, Blue Bell, PA (15 mi NNW Philadelphia), ibid.) Greg, your 1620 station was probably WDHP, V.I. They rule the roost here most nights (Ben Dangerfield, Wallingford, [SE cor Pa], ibid.) ** WESTERN SAHARA [non]. 1550 kHz, Polisario Front, Tindouf, Algeria, observed on 26 Nov 2314-2401* in Spanish, playing western pops followed by a history program, sign-off after national anthem; 54544, QRM de Moroccan jammer, which has simply been inaudible when monitoring this station in Lisboa, which was not the case on 26/11. the \\ 7460 kHz outlet remains silent (Carlos Gonçalves desde Aljezur no Sul de Portugal utilizando a sua "Antenna Farm". JRC NRD-545, amplif. Caseiro, K9AY elevada, Beverage 250 m p/ Am. Central, Bev. 100 m p/ a Am. do Sul, radioescutas yg via DXLD) ** ZAMBIA. ZNBC, 4910, *0245-0300+ Nov 25, sign-on at 0245 with Fish Eagle IS, 0250 choral NA, 0252 vernacular talk, 0300 Afro pops, fair (Brian Alexander, Mechanicsburg PA, DX LISTENING DIGEST) UNIDENTIFIED. Dear Martin, Recently we monitor two unidentified carriers on 612 kHz, resulting in 20 Hz and 1.5 Hz beat frequencies. They are audible in Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Sweden, Finland, Belarus and the Ukraine. Our sky wave signal is suppressed in many parts of Lithuania and Belarus. May I kindly ask you to make a spectrum analysis of the 612 kHz channel and, if possible, to determine the bearings of the strange carriers? Please feel free to announce this information. Thank you for co-operation. Cordially, (Rimantas Pleikys, Radio Baltic Waves, Vilnius, Phone +370-699-05074, Fax +370-5-2652532, Radio @ BalticWaves.cjb.net via Martin Elbe, Dec 3, MWDX yg via DXLD) They suffer from interference from an UNID on 612 kHz running an open carrier 24 hours. This was reported earlier by Bernd Trutenau from Lithuania. Well, I checked the frequency; all I could hear was Sarajevo dominating the channel and Moscow IS at 1700 UT underneath. No station running an open carrier. Perhaps DXers in the Baltic can help more to solve this mystery? 73, (Martin Elbe, Germany, ibid.) UNIDENTIFIED. 7530 --- Hi Glenn, I had a chance to check 7530 just prior to 1900 today and noted the same thing that Scott Barbour did on Nov. 25. Seemingly Kor`anic recitations at 1857, brief announcement around 1900 followed by possible anthem. Carrier went off at 1903. Signal was very weak. 2 December 2004 (Steve Lare, Holland, MI, USA, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ COMMENTARY ++++++++++ DXERS SHOULD EXPEDITION TO PRODUCE THEIR OWN BROADCAST STATIONS TO DX Allow me to fantasize for a moment: What if SWL's/DXer's acted in certain ways like hams, who marshall great amounts of resources to conduct DXpeditions on pieces of rock in the middle of various oceans, or go to tiny countries to operate. What if some folks in our listening community banded together, and selected certain inactive stations, and helped to rejuvenate them for the good of the local community, and incidentally also for the good of DXing? Many DX'ers have the technical knowhow, to put some of these stations back on the air, and others may have the expertise to help raise funds to provide parts and other kinds of support. Such an activity may not ultimately fill the bands with stations, but would impact the local community, and maybe make us feel less helpless/hopeless in the face of change in our hobby (David Goren, HCDX via DXLD) I guess what I want to ask folks is this: has there ever been any concerted effort made to support these stations. After all, it seems like an organized group of SWL's/DX'ers could help to keep a tropical station on the air in the ways I mention above. Whereas, asking the BBC or Kol Israel to change policy is more like tilting at windmills. (David Goren, swprograms via DXLD) CONVENTIONS & CONFERENCES +++++++++++++++++++++++++ PROPOSED LF CONFERENCE, VARBERG, SWEDEN, June 30-July 2 Carl-Henrik Walde, Secretary of the Swedish National Committee of URSI (Union Radio-Scientifique Internationale), writes: "the venue will be on the west coast of Sweden, from around Thursday June 30 to Saturday July 2, 2005. There is a reason for these dates and the time period should be regarded as fixed, provided we get sufficient interest to launch such a seminar, symposium, or full-fledged conference." "A few weeks ago, the Nordic Radio Society Foundation (NRS) had its 7th Nordic Shortwave Conference HF04 on the exotic island of Fårö in the Baltic. HF04 comprises VLF issues, albeit the majority is related to HF. 160 participants attended and I devoted my HF04 opening speech to radio station SAQ in Grimeton that had been added, on July 2 this year, to the Unesco World Heritage List: "That HF04 opening night, I got congratulations for our world heritage success and people said 'now we must go to Grimeton' ...it came to my mind that we ought to organise an international longwave meeting in Varberg so as to combine present ELF, VLF and LF issues with a visit to nearby vintage SAQ. I got immediate support from industry, operators and various agencies. As a matter of fact, I was told that the most recent VLF meeting had been in York, UK, in 1992." "Varberg is a 'Summer Town' and a perfect venue with all facilities within short walking distance (hotels, youth hostel, campus lecture halls, railway station, Denmark ferry terminal, parking lots, old castle, swimming, cafés, etc., etc." "SAQ was inaugurated on July 2, 1925 by King Gustaf V. The new reception building will be inaugurated on July 2, 2005, celebrating 80 years of SAQ operation. We hope a (member of) royalty will start the alternator to transmit a royal message. This will be the perfect final activity of the '2005 Grimeton longwave meeting'. Thus, the dates are fixed and we have already made a preliminary reservation of hotel rooms. So, please mark the dates in your calender - now." "We doubt that we can find sponsors to cover an anticipated full conference loss. Do we keep the ambition low (=seminar)? Will we get a lot participants (=conference)? We know that we have to keep the fee reasonably normal and we hope to offer lower rates for university people." "Therefore, I kindly ask you to tell us if you would be interested in taking part in a '2005 Grimeton longwave meeting.' All answers are without obligations, but we need them in order to help us decide if we should go on and, if so, the ambition. A first invitation and call for papers could be sent out in November, 2004." All views are welcome. Please submit yours by email to the HF04 administrative secretary, Ms Winnie Svensson at AerotechTelub, e-mail: winnie.svensson @ aerotechtelub.se (fax +46 470 42042). (LWCA via Mike Terry, dxldyg via DXLD) MUSEA +++++ EARLY TELEVISION MUSEUM Excerpt from a QSL letter from WWHO-53: "By the way, if you are into television history check out the Early Television museum, http://www.earlytelevision.org It's a museum here in Columbus that has an incredible collection of vintage television sets. Every spring they host a convention for television collectors and enthusiasts like yourself. There are usually a few DXers there showing off their latest 'catches'." (Bill Davis, Transmitter SUpervisor, WWHO, Chillicothe/ Columbus, Ohio via Jim Renfrew, Byron NY, Dec 3, WTFDA via DXLD) DRM +++ Novità Per il DRM? Secondo una notizia apparsa sulla lista DXLD, il Comitato Esecutivo del sistema DRM durante l'ultima assemblea svoltasi a Dallas avrebbe chiesto la possibilità di estendere la gamma operativa fino a 120 MHz. Qualcuno potrebbe pensare che si stia per assistere anche alla distruzione dell'FM, però non è detto che possa trattarsi di una manovra tecnica per consentire di spostare le emissioni DRM su frequenze che evitino di non interferire più con le emissioni analogiche e nel contempo di operare in bande (fra 30 e 87.5 MHz?) che permettano di trasmettere, senza problemi di interferenze, con larghezze di banda che per il digitale sono fondamentali. È vero che la copertura sopra i 30 MHz non è ampia come quella delle frequenze più basse, però è anche vero che se, ad esempio, HCJB o DLR Berlino hanno interesse a trasmettere in digitale a destinazione di aree locali, dovendo scegliere tra un'emissione in conflitto con quelle in analogico (che continueranno ad esistere!) e una frequenza, per dire, su 40-50 MHz che non darebbe fastidio a nessuno, è pensabile che forse la scelta sarebbe orientata con più probabilità verso uno spazio meno affollato. Sarà davvero così? Lo sapremo a marzo, dopo che si sarà svolta la nuova assemblea già programmata (Luca Botto Fiora via GRAL R&M via BCLNews.it via DXLD) PRIMO RICEVITORE PORTATILE USB PER LA RICEZIONE DRM Ciao a tutti gli amici Dxers, Vi segnalo che la Coding Technologies ha introdotto sul mercato a settembre il primo ricevitore USB per la ricezione DRM. Dalla Germania arriva il primo ricevitore portatile DRM con alimentazione via USB 2.0 al PC fisso o al portatile. Le caratteristiche sono le seguenti: Ricezione DRM sotto i 30 MHz, ricezione analogica AM e FM. Qualità audio superiore in modalità DRM in onde corte e medie. Alimentazione via USB 2.0. Dimensioni: 11x6x3 cm. Peso 110 gr. La confezione include anche cavo USB e antenna. Per maggiori informazioni su prezzo e ordine di acquisto con carta di credito, visitare la pagina web http://www.codingtechnologies.com/products/digtrav.htm 73's (Nino, bclnews.it via DXLD) Michel Penneroux reported on the DRM situation in France, where there are currently 12 or 13 broadcasters with 32 DRM transmitters. Andrew Flynn of Christian Vision said that there will be a national symposium on DRM in Chile next spring where they will invite mediumwave broadcasters. In Ecuador, there has been interest from mediumwave broadcasters in DRM. New 100-kilowatt DRM transmitters are being installed in New Zealand and Libya. Spanish National Radio has shown interest in DRM. The Gulf Cooperation Council is interested in mediumwave DRM. Radio Sweden's international service is doing DRM tests, as is Digita in Finland. Tests for domestic shortwave in DRM are being done in Japan. RAI in Italy plans to conduct DRM tests in Milan before the end of this year (Jeff White, Dec NASB Newsletter via DXLD) RADIO EQUIPMENT FORUM +++++++++++++++++++++ NEVER TURN IT OFF Electronic equipment is more likely to fail when first turned on. (Remember the motor oil ads that say the most wear on your engine happens in the first few seconds when you start your car? Same thing goes for radio transmitters...) At a TV station I used to work for, we used to air color bars all night because the electricity to run the transmitter four extra hours was cheaper than losing commercials at signon if the transmitter didn't come up. Modern unattended automated facilities move the equation even further in favor of leaving the rig on all the time; you don't have to pay an operator at each transmitter. -- (Doug Smith W9WI, Pleasant View (Nashville), TN EM66, http://www.w9wi.com NRC-AM via DXLD) CABLE BOX INTERFERENCE Traced a huge interference problem to my neighbor`s "Voice Pro (processor)" cable box provided by Cox Cable here in OKC. This is the box that splits internet, cable TV, and phone service. It produces a repetitive hum that can be picked up between 2.5 and 13.5 MHz. There are definite strong highs and lows within that range. The interference blanks out any but the strongest SW signal. The neighbors were nice enough to let me check and when I unplugged the box the interference disappeared. The problem probably lies in an unshielded or improperly filtered power supply The cable company came out and checked my lines (????) and when I explained the problem they said they would take care of it. That was the first week of February. No progress yet. The problem still remains. Don't know if this an isolated problem or is the box design just not very good (Steve Cross, Del City,OK, Dec 3, DX LISTENING DIGEST) I WANT MY MOSCOW TV --- December 2, 2004 By SETH SCHIESEL A lone inventor with a colorful past has come up with a way to let you tap into your home TV reception anywhere in the world. Schaffer, 57, is trying to abolish yet another blind spot. In short, he has devised a way to make home TV reception portable - with high- quality pictures to be watched, and channels to be changed, from anywhere in the world that the Internet can reach. So far, he has put his PC-based innovation into the hands of a few dozen others willing to pay several thousand dollars. But he aims to reduce the price to less than $1,000 within a year. http://www.spaceshift.net Full story at [no registration required?] http://www.nytimes.com/2004/12/02/technology/circuits/02inve.html?ex=1102999609&ei=1&en=256c66ff286001a7 (via Jim Renfrew, DXLD) UNSOLICITED TESTIMONIALS ++++++++++++++++++++++++ Hi Glenn, I enjoyed your COM #04-09. A good exposé on the little Napoleon Powell. I've also been enjoying your "Tips For Rational Living". George W's re-election is a tough one to digest isn't it?! 73, (Thomas F. Giella, KN4LF) TIPS FOR RATIONAL LIVING ++++++++++++++++++++++++ Divine right of tyrants ... Why is this man in the White House? The majority of Americans did not vote for him. Why is he there? And I tell you this morning that he's in the White House because God put him there for a time such as this: Lt Gen William Boykin, speaking of G. W. Bush, New York Times, 17 October 2003 = God gave the savior to the German people. We have faith, deep and unshakable faith, that he was sent to us by God to save Germany. Hermann Goering, speaking of Hitler = A tyrant must put on the appearance of uncommon devotion to religion. Subjects are less apprehensive of illegal treatment from a ruler whom they consider god-fearing and pious. On the other hand, they do less easily move against him, believing that he has the gods on his side: Aristotle (Information Clearing House, via Franklin Seiberling, IA, DXLD) ###