DX LISTENING DIGEST 5-031, February 18, 2005 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 2005 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 1264: Fri 0200 WOR ACBRadio Mainstream [repeated 2-hourly thru 2400] Sat 0000 WOR Studio X, Momigno, Italy 1584 87.35 96.55 105.55 Sat 0000 WOR ACBRadio Mainstream Sat 0600 WOR SIUE Web Radio 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 2030 WOR R. Lavalamp 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 WXPN Rhinelander WI 91.7 91.9 100.9 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 RNI [archive] 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 2100 WOR RNI Mon 0330 WOR WRMI 6870 Mon 0400 WOR WBCQ 9330-CLSB Mon 0430 WOR WSUI Iowa City IA 910 [week delay] Mon 0530 WOR WBCQ 7415 Mon 0900 WOR R. Lavalamp Mon 1100 WOR RNI [archive] Mon 1700 WOR WBCQ after hours Tue 0700 WOR WPKN Bridgeport CT 89.5 Tue 1000 WOR WRMI 9955 Tue 1700 WOR WBCQ after hours Wed 1030 WOR WWCR 9985 Wed 1100 WOR RNI [archive] 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 1264 (high version): (stream) http://www.w4uvh.net/wor1264h.ram (download) http://www.w4uvh.net/wor1264h.rm WORLD OF RADIO 1264 (low version): (stream) http://www.w4uvh.net/wor1264.ram (download) http://www.w4uvh.net/wor1264.rm (summary) http://www.worldofradio.com/wor1264.html WORLD OF RADIO 1264 in the true shortwave sound of 7415: (stream) http://www.piratearchive.com/media/worldofradio_02-16-05.m3u (d`load) http://www.piratearchive.com/media/worldofradio_02-16-05.mp3 ** BELARUS. R. Belarus, 5970, *0200-0330 Feb 12, sign-on with IS and multi-lingual ID sequence and into listed Belarusian programming. *English at 0300-0330 UT Sat only* Poor with adjacent channel splatter. Barely audible on \\ 7210. 5970, 0330-0400 Feb 13, English opening announcements, English news, commentary. *UT Sunday only* Poor with adjacent channel splatter. Barely audible on \\ 7210 (Brian Alexander, Mechanicsburg PA, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** BELARUS. 3346, Belarussian Radio (1st program), 2 Feb, 2010-2040, Russian, 35432, DSB. ILGRadio says that transmitting power is as low as 2.5 kW. ID at 2035: "Belarusskoye Radio, Pershaya natsyonalnaya programa". (open_dx - Vladimir Doroshenko, Dneprodzerzhinsk, Ukraine via Signal via DXLD) ** BOLIVIA. R. Pio Doce, 5952.45, 0850-0910+ Feb 11, CP music, Spanish announcements, adstring, Spanish talk. 0904 several ``Pio Doce`` jingles. Fair level but heavy QRM from WYFR on 5950 (Brian Alexander, Mechanicsburg PA, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** BULGARIA. Radio Bulgaria's weekly DX programme for radio amateurs and short-wave fans and DXers, compiled by our DX editor Dimitar Petrov, LZ1AF and Rumen Pankov, assistant-editor in charge of broadcast tips is included in our one-hour broadcasts. The DX programme of Radio Bulgaria English service was aired at the very first time on November 17th, 1957, ID as Radio Sofia, Bulgaria. Radio Sofia's DX program was created and presented by Dimitar Petrov LZ1AF, under the title "Calling DXers and Radio Amateurs". Now there are three different versions of that DX program: -- "Radio Bulgaria Calling" in English, compiled by Dimitar Petrov and Rumen Pankov, features Amateur radio news and BC DX tips. -- "DX" "Sendung fuer die Funkfreunde" / "Program for Friends of Radio" in German, French and Spanish. Compiled by Rumen Pankov and features thematic part plus BC DX tips. -- "DX Mix" in Russian and Bulgarian compiled by Ivo Ivanov, features news. Starting as follows: English Fri 2230 5800 7500 WeEUR Sat 0030 & 0330 7400 9700 NoAM Sun 0738 11600 13600 WeEUR 1238 11700 15700 WeEUR French Tue 2130 5800 7500 WeEUR Wed 0230 7400 9700 NoAM 0715 11600 13600 WeEUR 1215 11700 15700 WeEUR and irregularly, on all transmissions on Sundays. German Thu 0620 9500 11500 WeEUR Tue 2050 5800 7500 WeEUR Sat 2020 5800 7500 WeEUR Wed 1150 11700 15700 WeEUR Spanish Sun 1748 9600 11600 WeEUR 2218 7400 9400 WeEUR Mon 0018 7500 11500 LatAM 0218 7500 9400 11500 LatAM 0718 11900 13800 WeEUR 1218 11600 13600 WeEUR R Bulgaria's "DX MIX" px in Russian and Bulgarian, compiled by Ivo Ivanov: Russian Sat 1545 1224 5800 7500 9400 1715 5800 7500 1945 5800 7500 Sun 0045 9400 0445 1224 5800 7500 0615 5800 7500 1145 11600 13600 Mon 0615 5800 7500 Wed 1145 11600 13600 Bulgarian Sun 1545 1224 11700 15700 2045 7200 7400 (Rumen Pankov, Bulgaria, wwdxc BC-DX Jan 27 via DXLD) ** BURKINA FASO. RTV Burkina, 5030, *0531-0600+ Feb 11, sign-on with instrumental anthem. 0532 African folk music, French talk. Poor, mixing with a strong University Network (Brian Alexander, Mechanicsburg PA, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** CANADA. Feb 17 at 2147 noticed a weak Quebecois signal on 12205; must be another Sackville spur ---- yes, it all works out, 11845 leapfrogging the HCJB Arabic relay on 12025 at 180 kHz intervals. Unfortunately, the matching spur on 11665 was blocked by RTI via WYFR in German (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** CANADA. RADIO CANADA INTERNATIONAL - 60 YEARS OF RADIO WORLDWIDE MONTREAL, Feb. 17 /CNW Telbec/ - On February 25, 2005, Radio Canada International will be celebrating its 60th anniversary. RCI's history is one of remarkable successes and rich anecdotes. It's a history worth discovering... and rediscovering. Did you know that Radio Canada International has attracted some of the leading lights in Canadian journalism over the years, including future Quebec premier René Lévesque and legendary CBC host Peter Gzowski? Some might recall that Prime Minister W.L. Mackenzie King set up a shortwave service during the Second World War to inform and entertain our troops overseas with programming from Canada. But few people are aware that RCI also played a key role in promoting Canadian music. After making its debut on the international scene in 1945, RCI quickly became an ambassador for homegrown artists. Many famous names in Canadian music, including Oscar Peterson and Glenn Gould, made some of their first recordings in RCI studios. ----------------------------- RCI Today RCI produces programming in nine languages. More than 300 hours of programming are broadcast each week via shortwave, satellite and http://www.RCInet.ca RCI programs are rebroadcast in over 75 countries through its 300 partner stations. RCI airs special programming for listeners in Florida and the Caribbean, featuring the best of CBC Radio One and Radio-Canada's Première Chaîne. Listeners from all over the world participate in RCI phone-in shows. RCI broadcasts language courses for the whole family. The daily Cyberjournal provides a roundup of the key news stories. RCI oversees the Canadian Institute for Training in Public Broadcasting, which offers radio, television and new-media training to journalists, managers and technicians in emerging democracies. Internet users can listen to live and archived programs in nine languages at http://www.RCInet.ca and explore a brand-new databank containing over 20,000 links pointing to nearly 200 countries. A Special 60th Anniversary Contest for 18 - to 30-Year-Olds Who Want to Build a Better World... International Development Week (January 30 to February 5) and the UN- sponsored International Year of Microcredit 2005 will be marked in an original way by Développement international Desjardins (DID) and Radio Canada International... the two have teamed up to launch Building the Future Now!, a major worldwide contest for 18- to 30-year-olds. What can we do in 2005 to build a fairer, more prosperous, more equitable world? Young people around the world will be challenged to answer this ambitious question in a short essay or illustration, giving them a chance to win one of two international development education missions organized by DID in partnership with the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA). Prizes are valued at $15,000, and contestants can enter by visiting http://www.RCInet.ca RCI has also produced a series of short radio features, consisting of two-to three-minute interviews with young adults whose lives have benefited from microcredit. They hail from Africa, Latin America and Asia, and can be heard on RCI's international airwaves throughout the year. Relive the best of RCI on CD and on the Web... We also invite you to visit a special 60th anniversary section of the RCI website, jointly produced by the CBC Archives team and RCI staff. It contains a wealth of radio and TV clips-with different selections in English and French-that look back at the landmark events of the past 60 years on RCI. Judith Jasmin, Maurice Chevalier and René Lévesque are just a few of the stars of yesteryear you'll be able to see and hear again. Be sure not to miss this fascinating walk down memory lane at http://www.RCInet.ca and http://www.radio-canada.ca/archives For further information: Denis Pellerin, Communications Director, RCI, Promotion, Analysis and Broadcasting, French Radio Communications and RCI, (514) 597-4204, denis_pellerin @ radio-canada.ca Interviews available with our spokespeople: Sylvain Lafrance, Vice- President of French Radio and New Media; Jean Larin, Executive Director of RCI; A complete press kit with audio and photo archives can be obtained on request URL: http://www.newswire.ca/en/releases/archive/February2005/17/c5649.html (via Ken Kopp, dxldyg via dXLD) ** CANADA. CONCURSO LOS 60 AñOS DE RADIO CANADÁ INTERNACIONAL --- CONTESTACION A LA CORRESPONDENCIA FESTEJA LOS 60 ANOS DE RADIO CANADÁ INTERNACIONAL Amigas y amigos oyentes, los invitamos a participar en nuestro concurso especial. Queremos que nos digan qué significa para ustedes nuestro cumpleaños número 60 ¿Cómo participar? Lo más importante es hacer uso de su imaginación y hay tres categorías: 1. Textos: escriban un poema, un ensayo o ¡ un libro ! o un simple texto. No hay límite de palabras. 2. Ilustraciones: ésta es la oportunidad para los que tienen habilidades de dibujantes o caricaturistas, ¡ expláyense ! 3. Sonidos: de cualquier tipo, pero que sea una producción original de ustedes para nosotros. La pueden grabar en casete o en disco compacto y enviarla por correo postal, o enviarla en formato MP3 por correo electrónico. ¡ YA ESTAMOS ESPERANDO SUS PARTICIPACIONES ¡ El sorteo se realizará el 27 de febrero del 2005, la fecha límite para recibir sus trabajos es el 20 de febrero. http://www.rcinet.ca/rci/es/quoideneuf/6433.shtml (via Horacio Nigro, Montevideo, Uruguay, via Dario Monferini, playdx via DXLD) ** CHILE. BRAZIL? v11801 --- At present (mornings Feb 17th / 18th) very fine conditions from southern hemisphere into Europe. UNID Brazilian station (?R Globo 11805) wandering down towards 11800 kHz. At 0610 UT: 11801.84, 0615 UT: 11801.75, 0618 UT: 11801.28 kHz. 0720 UT: 11800.08, 0724 UT: 11800.20, 0735 UT: 11800.68 kHz. R Globo usually starts[registered] at 0800 UT. At 0400-0700 UT noted strong R Brazilia 9665.03 kHz. (Wolfgang Büschel, Germany, Feb 18, DX LISTENING DIGEST) [Later:] Thanks to Dirk Nees, Germany, who identified the station: UNID Portuguese speaking station wandering down towards 11800 kHz. 0610 UT: 11801.84, 0615 UT: 11801.75, 0618 UT: 11801.28 kHz. 0643 UT: 11800.08, 0720 UT: 11800.08, 0724 UT: 11800.20 kHz. 0735 UT: 11800.68, 0842 UT: 11802.05, 0850 UT: 11802.10 kHz. 0900 fade-out. Transmission of the Pinochet treasury from Calera del Tango, Santiago Chile. Registered for CVI: 11890 0400-1100 12,13,15NW SGO 100 60 Portuguese CHL VOC CVI 73 wb (Wolfgang Büschel, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) So is this a spur \\ 11890, or the 11890 transmitter way off frequency? (gh, DXLD) ** CHINA. In dxld 5029 --- Beijing News Radio 14 Jian Guomen wai Avenue Chaoyang District Beijing, 100022, Peoples Republic of China This is an entirely different address than listed in the 2004 WRTH which just uses the standard China National Radio address. This is a well-known address of Beijing Peoples Broadcasting Station. "Beijing News Radio" is the name of the news channel of Beijing P.B.S., not China National Radio. WRTH 2005 lists this precisely on p.161 under "BJ1". Jianguomenwai Avenue is a large road (east to west direction) in front of Beijing railway station (Takahito Akabayashi, Tokyo, Japan, Feb 18, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** CHINA [non]. Re 5-030, Spectrum relays: see UK ** COLOMBIA. Marfil Estéreo: I heard it on 6 Feb, too! 0645 UT, frequency was approximately 5910.5 kHz. Spanish-language songs, comments by male voice. SINPO 34433 (decreased to 24432 by 0700). WRTH says it is LV de tu Conciencia, Lomalindo. What amount of power is used, I wonder? At the same time carrier on 5912 kHz was observed, modulated in some digital mode for a while. Don't forget that Radio Ukraine Intl also uses 5910 kHz at 0000-0500, but we are becoming more and more disappointed with this frequency choice. It's possible that RUI will replace it with 7440 kHz in March (open_dx - Alexander Yegorov, Kyiv, Ukraine, Signal via DXLD) I can report similar reception, but worse SINPO: 24322 at best. Also heard La Voz de tu Conciencia on the 3nd, 3rd and 5th of February after 0630 UTC. Content is always the same: many songs, short indistinct announcements, no identifications. Fades out at approximately 0715 (open_dx - Sergey Nikishin, Moscow, Russia, ibid.) ** COLOMBIA. R. Melodía relaying R. Líder? 6139.78, 0550-0645+ Feb 13, Spanish ballads, many ``Radio Líder`` IDs, but also mentions of ``Melodía``. Very good, strong (Brian Alexander, Mechanicsburg PA, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** CONGO [and non]. RTVC, 5985, *0429-0455+ Feb 11, abrupt sign-on with Afro-pops. 0432 ID and French talk. Mixing with a weak WYFR and actually stronger than WYFR. WYFR off the air between 0448-0455 leaving a 7-minute window to hear Congo in the clear. A very strong WYFR back at 0455 completely covering Congo (Brian Alexander, Mechanicsburg PA, DX LISTENING DIGEST) FCC B-04 explains it, switching from 181 to 315 degrees and from 50 to 100 kW during this break: 5985 2000 0445 WYFR 50 181 11 1234567 311004 270305 5985 0445 0700 WYFR 100 315 2 1234567 311004 270305 (Glenn Hauser, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** CUBA. As I was checking Canada and Japan/WYFR on 25m Feb 17 I also checked what RHC was doing around 2150. Answering my previous question, no longer on 13660 which had been the Eu service in Spanish. 11800 \\ 9550 in Spanish, 11760 in French, 9505 in Kriyol. 11875 with big open carrier, supposed to be carrying RNV to Chile. After 2200, 11875 became \\ 11760 with prolonged rhythmic clapping, which turned out to be welcoming Fidel, about to speak at some union funxion, while 11800 and 9550 were in a separate Spanish program, \\ 15230 which was reverberating against the other two, i.e. a slight delay after the others in the feed circuit, perhaps indicating two different transmitter sites. 9505 was then in French (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** CUBA. Welcome to the February column of ``Signals Unlimited``. The format for this month's column will be a bit different from normal as I have just returned from a 10-day trip to Cuba and my companion and I had the chance to meet and talk with Arnie Coro. Most people will know Arnie Coro as the host of the DXers Unlimited show of Radio Havana Cuba (RHC). He also does a science show that is aired over RHC and Radio Progreso. Much to our chagrin, the weather in Cuba was not quite as warm as we had anticipated due to the flow of cold Arctic air from Canada! Nevertheless, daytime temperatures in Havana did usually hit 20oC and above and this was still a pleasantly warm welcome from the - 30oC that we had been experiencing the week prior to leaving for Cuba. The skies tended to be overcast with some sunny periods and the wind and waves were quite strong for the better part of my trip. We had the pleasure of experiencing my one and only blackout in Havana the first day we were there. Arnie informed us that blackouts do occur close to the seafront during times of strong wind and waves as the saltwater tends to coat insulators on transformers and the resultant arcing causes problems with the power supply. Nighttime temperature often hovered around 10-15oC but that wouldn't be a problem for any hardy Canadian to handle, eh? The waves splashing over the Malecón during the day (and night) were most impressive and I have some good photos of the Malecón. Most of our site-seeing in Havana was done on foot as we are quite fond of walking. And it was no accident that we decided to walk to eventually walk to the Radio Progreso building on Infanta St. to see what the place looked like. A couple of days after my arrival, I phoned Arnie to arrange to meet with him. Prior to the first meeting he had agreed to give me a tour of the RHC facilities and to conduct an interview with me that would be aired on the DXers Unlimited program. My thanks go to Arnie for taking time out from his busy schedule! We actually went to a building different from the Radio Progreso building to meet a few people. During the tour, I came to realize that Arnie is a well-known and popular figure and he introduced us to a television team from the Isla de la Juventud (Isle of Youth) who would in all likelihood win an award for their 15-minute nature programs. The rest of the tour was extremely interesting and we got to meet one of his colleagues (she is with the correspondence department) that had been with RHC as long as he had (he has been with RHC since 1961). Arnie quite graciously issued a personal verification to me and signed a QSL as a memento for CIDX. I also managed to get an updated RHC schedule and several very artistically designed mini-calendars with Simón Bolívar on them. After that it was back to the main building for the interview. The most interesting thing that we noticed in the English Department was the considerable propaganda to be read on doors and walls, etc. The studio itself was rather informal but very functional and the interview soon began. My companion was announced as my wife (we're not married and she absolutely hates being called my wife and it causes me no end of amusement when people think we are married) and then I was introduced and the interview began in earnest. The interview fl owed very well and I was asked a number of questions including where was I from, what I did, how long had I been in the hobby, when did I first hear RHC, what equipment that I used, questions about the CIDX, etc. It was good to ``show off`` CIDX and I hope that it draws a few new members to the club. By the way, if you notice that RHC and Radio Rebelde sound better than usual on shortwave it is due to the fact that the transmitters and antenna arrays are being replaced. In Edmonton, there is a quite noticeable increase in apparent signal strength for both stations. Regrettably, I did not get to hear the interview over RHC as I was watching the Paris Cabaret at the Hotel Nacional and by the time we got back to our room, DXers Unlimited was over. I noticed that shortwave activity was miserable in Cuba for several days courtesy of a flare that hit the earth. I did, however, manage to pick up WLW on 700 kHz with a killer signal. We had a most enjoyable time in Cuba and I hope to go back one day to see my friend in Havana, Arnie Coro. We also look forward to working quite a bit more on our tans! Good DX until next month! (Editor: Dr. John Barnard, Edmonton, AB CANADA T6J 4M6, Signals Unlimited, Feb CIDX Messenger via DXLD) ** EGYPT. unID, 15375, Voice of Africa, 2030-2055 Feb 17. Noted a program of English comments and features until 2058 when program turned to Arabic language. Signal was muffled. Suspect this is being relayed by Egypt, but can't confirm? (Chuck Bolland, FL, DX LISTENING DIGEST) This is R. Cairo`s long-scheduled English to West Africa, transmitted from Egypt on 15375 at 2030-2200, as below, but it`s strange they would switch to Arabic already at 2058; maybe that was just an brief insert before resuming English? This broadcast is very seldom reported. As I recall, Cairo used to call itself ``Voice of Africa`` on some of its transmissions, but I don`t find any mention of that in 2005 WRTH or PWBR (Glenn Hauser, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** EGYPT. Winter B-05 updated schedule of Radio Cairo: 0700-1100 15115 ABZ 100 kW / 250 deg Arabic GS WeAf 1015-1215 17775 ABZ 500 kW / 090 deg Arabic ME/AFG 1100-2300 12050 ABS 500 kW / 315 deg Arabic GS WeEu 1115-1215 15710 ABS 250 kW / 106 deg Thai SoEaAs 1215-1315 15710 ABS 250 kW / 106 deg Malay SoEaAs 1215-1330 17670 ABZ 500 kW / 090 deg English SoAs 1230-1530 15490 ABZ 100 kW / 070 deg Farsi TJK 1300-1600 15365 ABS 250 kW / 241 deg Arabic WeAf 1320-1450 15710 ABS 250 kW / 106 deg Indonesian SoEaAs 1330-1430 17670 ABZ 500 kW / 090 deg Bengali SoAs 1400-1530 11655 ABS 250 kW / 061 deg Azeri AZE 1430-1600 15670 ABS 250 kW / 061 deg Pashto AFG 1500-1600 13660 ABZ 500 kW / 090 deg Hindi SoAs 1530-1630 9480 ABZ 100 kW / 070 deg Uzbek UZB 1530-1630 15155 ABZ 100 kW / 160 deg Afar EaCeAf 1530-1730 17810 ABZ 100 kW / 170 deg Swahili CeEaAf 1600-1800 13660 ABZ 500 kW / 090 deg Urdu SoAs 1600-1645 15620 ABS 250 kW / 196 deg Zulu CeSoAf 1600-1800 6230 ABS 250 kW / 005 deg Turkish TUR 1600-1800 9990 ABS 250 kW / 325 deg Albanian ALB 1630-1730 15155 ABZ 100 kW / 160 deg Somali EaCeAf 1630-1830 9855 ABS 250 kW / 196 deg English CeSoAf 1645-1730 15620 ABS 250 kW / 196 deg Shona CeSoAf 1730-1815 15620 ABS 250 kW / 196 deg Ndebele CeSoAf 1730-1900 15155 ABZ 100 kW / 160 deg Amharic EaCeAf 1800-1900 7120 ABS 250 kW / 005 deg Russian WeRUS 1800-1900 9988 ABS 250 kW / 325 deg Italian WeEu 1800-2100 9760 ABS 250 kW / 241 deg Hausa WeAf 1830-1915 9855 ABS 250 kW / 196 deg Lingala CeSoAf 1830-1930 15375 ABZ 100 kW / 250 deg Wolof WeAf 1900-2000 9990 ABS 250 kW / 325 deg German WeEu 1900-0030 11665 ABZ 100 kW / 160 deg V of Arabs CeEaAf 1915-2030 15425 ABZ 250 kW / 240 deg Fulani WeAf 1930-2030 15375 ABZ 100 kW / 250 deg Bambara WeAf 2000-2200 7270 ABZ 500 kW / 090 deg Arabic AUS 2000-2115 9990 ABS 250 kW / 325 deg French WeEu 2030-2200 15375 ABZ 100 kW / 250 deg English WeAf 2030-2230 15335 ABS 250 kW / 241 deg French WeAf 2100-2200 9760 ABS 250 kW / 241 deg Yoruba WeAf 2115-2245 9990 ABS 250 kW / 325 deg English WeEu 2215-2330 11790 ABZ 500 kW / 241 deg Portuguese SoAm 2300-0030 7115 ABZ 500 kW / 330 deg English NoAmEa 2300-0300 12050 ABS 250 kW / 325 deg Arabic GS NoAm 2330-0045 9735 ABS 250 kW / 241 deg Arabic SoAm 2330-0045 11755 ABZ 500 kW / 270 deg Arabic SoAm 0030-0430 7115 ABZ 500 kW / 330 deg Arabic NoAmEa 0045-0200 7260 ABZ 500 kW / 330 deg Spanish NoAm 0045-0200 9415 ABS 250 kW / 241 deg Spanish SoAm 0045-0200 11755 ABZ 500 kW / 270 deg Spanish CeAm 0200-0330 7260 ABZ 500 kW / 330 deg English NoAm ABS=Abis; ABZ=Abu Zaabal (Observer, Bulgaria, Feb 18 via DXLD) I count 33 languages, so no cuts yet; have all of these been confirmed as still on air? (Glenn Hauser, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** EQUATORIAL GUINEA. At present (mornings Feb 17th / 18th) very fine conditions from southern hemisphere into Europe. 15190 GNE R Africa-2 in English starts true at 0600 UT. (Wolfgang Büschel, Germany, Feb 18, DX LISTENING DIGEST) R. Africa #2? 15190, 1620-1632* Feb 11, tentative. Afro folk music mixing with BBC Antigua. Fading up to fair level at times but mixing with a very strong BBC. Just could not pull out any further program details. R. Bata, 5005, *0554-0630+ Feb 13, abrupt sign-on with Spanish ballad. 0555 Spanish talk. 0558 Afro-pops, local drums, IDs. After 0603, mostly constant talk by M&W. Poor reception in noisy conditions (Brian Alexander, Mechanicsburg PA, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** ETHIOPIA. Today, Thursday Feb 18 at 2130, V. of Tigray Revolution still on air and audible with strong signals on both 5500//6350. Some kind of special event??? Man and Woman talk + something like Ethiopian hip hop? (Thorsten Hallmann, Münster, Germany, DX LISTENING DIGEST) After local midnite ** FRANCE. RFI FÊTE SES 30 ANS JEUDI PARIS (AP) -- "Speciale anniversaire" jeudi sur les ondes de RFI. Radio France Internationale donnera la parole tout au long de la journée a ses auditeurs, ses journalistes, ses producteurs, ses techniciens, ses 19 redactions en langues etrangères et a ses 300 correspondants dans le monde, a l'occasion de son trentième anniversaire. Plusieurs rendez-vous sont attendus dans la journee sur l'antenne de RFI: - 8h15: Antoine Schwarz, PDG de RFI - 9h40, "Appels sur l'actualite": temoignages, reactions, messages et anecdotes: les auditeurs de RFI ont la parole. - 19h40, "RFI Soir": voyage a travers le monde de RFI: portraits, individualites, metiers, services, rencontres. Par ailleurs, de 21h30 a 23h30, une emission en musique speciale anniversaire, "La bande passante" sera diffusee en direct et en public depuis la Maison de la Radio. Avec entre autres Bernard Lavilliers, Tiken Jah Fakoly, Louis Chedid, Lokua Kanza, Anggun, Jacob Desvarieux, Magic System, Kent, Laurent Voulzy... retransmission en direct, en audio et en video sur le site http://rfi.fr Sur le site http://www.rfi.fr une expo photo retrace en outre l'histoire des hommes et des femmes de RFI et un dossier special sur la radio. AP se/com/cr (FAP 02/16 1437 via Mike Cooper, DXLD) Guess we missed it since they apparently meant Thursday Feb 17, except for whatever we may find on the website (gh, DXLD) ** GERMANY. A posting at the URL below, appearing to originate from a Bayerischer Rundfunk engineer, indicates that today between 1300 and 1600 a first DRM test of the Ismaning 6085 kHz transmitter took place. More tests will be done as necessary; regular DRM operations are said to start until the end of March: http://forum.myphorum.de/read.php?f=11103&i=203&t=203 Re Berlin-Britz 855 it should be probably mentioned that it still carries some special programs, now [you mean NOT?] always // 177. Next ones: Fri at 2000 Phoenix TV sound, Sun at 1100 ARD TV sound, at 1900 ZDF TV sound and at 2045 again ARD TV sound, Thu 2115 ZDF TV sound. For these transmissions 855 always runs in AM. However, it remains to be seen if these specials will continue after the relaunch. And I think it is questionable whether these TV talkshows are so important that they deserve additional radio outlets. This detail about Wiederau 783 might be interesting as well: The transmitter is still fed through a dedicated circuit (J.17, an older digital system, working with 768 kbps), and since a few years ago the output on this circuit is bandwidth-limited to 6 kHz because the Wiederau site insisted that this must be done at the radiohouse. Similar circuits were once maintained to the other mediumwave sites as well, but apparently no more, at least a check last night revealed that Wilsdruff and Reichenbach now have a delay compared to Wiederau. And while checking I heard on 1044 underneath MDR Info Russian talking, apparently the Kurkino transmitter used by Radio Liberty. Even more interesting was the jumble on 1188; it contained what I think must have been Iran. Not bad... I think people call this DXing? 8-) (Kai Ludwig, Germany, Feb 18, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** GREECE. NEVER ON SUNDAY (Ta Pedia Tou Pirea)-Nana Mouskouri (From the Album: Passport) Greek Transliteration, with John Babbis` Village Greek Translation Ap`to parathiro mou stelno From my window I send Ena dio ke tria ke tessera filia One two and three and four kisses Pou ftanoun sto limani Which reach the harbor Ena ke dio ke tria ke tessera poulia One and two and three and four birds Pos tha `thela na iha How I wish I had Ena ke dio ke tria ke tessera pedia One and two and three and four boys Otan tha megalosoun ola na yinoun And when they grow up they will all become Levendes yia hari tou Pirea Handsome young men for the grace of Piraeus Oso ki an psaxo den vrisko allo limani However I search I find no other harbor Trelli na m` ehi kani apo tou Pirea I have a madness about Piraeus Pou otan vradiazi tragudia m` aradiazi For whenever night falls, songs line up Ke tis penies tou allazi yemizi apo pedia And [songs] the pens change and fill up with the boys Apo tin porta mou san vgo den iparhi kanis When I go out from my door there is no one Pou na min ton agapo ke san to vradi kimitho Who I do not love and when I go to sleep Xero pos, xero pos tha ton onirefto I know that, know that I will dream Petradia vazo sto lemo Precious stones around my neck Ke mia han, ke mia handra filahto And one, and one bead I keep Yiati ta vradia kartero sto limani Because those nights I will search the harbor San tha vgo kapion agnosto na vro Hoping that I will see someone unknown Oso ki an psaxo den vrisko allo limani However I search I find no other harbor Trelli na m` ehi kani apo tou Pirea I have a madness about Piraeus Pou otan vradiazi tragudia m` aradiazi For whenever night falls, songs line up Ke tis penies tou allazi yemizi apo pedia And [songs] the pens change and fill up with the boys Pos tha `thela na iha How I wish I had Ena ke dio ke tria ke tessera pedia One and two and three and four boys Homa pou yennithika pote mou de s`arnithika I will never forget the land that I was born in Spiti mou spitaki mou ayiatrefto meraki mou My little house is an untreated pleasure Ke an ton kosmo yirisa konta sou xanayirisa Though I travel the world, I will return to you I sent my translation of "Never on Sunday" to Babis Charalampopoulos, the Frequency Manager of The Voice of Greece, for perusal and comment. The (the) and underlined words are his. It may be that my translation was pretty close. Many of the Greek words in the song were picked to rhyme and that's why my translation may be on the rough side. Perhaps I could spruce up the English and come up with a better version poem- wise! (John Babbis, MD, DX LISTENING DIGEST) [songs] inserted by Babis C (gh) ** GREENLAND. See COMMENTARY below ** INTERNATIONAL VACUUM. A Google search on Molynia gave 94 hits. So there is some basis for the alternative spelling apparently. A search on Molniya gave 38,000 hits. In spelling I guess the more common usage wins. I have been told that the latter version means "lightning" in Russian so I suppose the "Molniya" version is correct. The correct phonetics for pronouncing the word are "mole-EE-nya" according to a satellite guru I once met. I was pronouncing it "mole-nee-ah" because that was the way I had seen it spelled. The "mole-EE-nya" pronunciation seems to more closely match the "Molynia" spelling than "Molniya" which is why I spelled it the way I did. 73, (Joe Buch, DE, DX LISTENING DIGEST) I really don`t think it`s a matter of which usage is more common in English, but the correct spelling (and transliteration) of the original Russian word. ``Molynia`` and pronouncing it the way you heard it, even by a guru, must have been erroneous from the outset. Perhaps some of our native Russian speakers can confirm or deny this (gh) ** INTERNATIONAL VACUUM. RESEARCHERS FIND SATURN’S RADIO EMISSIONS, BRIGHT AURORAS LINKED Just as the static on an AM radio grows louder with the approach of a summer lightning storm, strong radio emissions accompany bright auroral spots -- similar to Earth’s northern lights -- on the planet Saturn, according to a research paper published in the Thursday, Feb. 17 issue of the journal Nature. William Kurth, research scientist in the University of Iowa College of Liberal Arts and Sciences Department of Physics and Astronomy, says that the data was collected in early 2004, with NASA’s Cassini spacecraft measuring the strength of Saturn’s solar wind and radio emissions and the Hubble Space Telescope taking pictures of Saturn’s aurora, or southern lights. The results also indicated that strong radio emissions grow stronger when the solar wind blows harder. . . . http://www.innovations- report.com/html/reports/physics_astronomy/report-40515.html … The radio sounds of Saturn’s rotation -- resembling a heartbeat -- and other sounds of space can be heard by visiting http://www- pw.physics.uiowa.edu/space-audio (via Kim Elliott, DXLD) ** INTERNATIONAL VACUUM. WorldSpace changes --- I did a bandscan on WorldSpace Afristar West this morning and noticed the following : KBC and the Weather channel have gone. Europe 1 and Lamp FM are now coded. That leaves only 8 channels now free-to-air: WRN1, WRN2, Esperance, CNN International, Channel Islam, BBC World Service, RFI, ALC (plus the Test & Preview channels) (Dave Kenny, Feb 18, BDXC-UK via DXLD) ** IRAN. República Islámica de: Recibí hoy de parte de La Voz de La República Islámica de Irán, en 80 días, (a resultado de un reporte de recepción, 9905 kHz / 00:30 UTC, enviado en Noviembre 17, 2004 junto a $2.00 via IRIB P.O.Box: 19365-6767 Tehran - Irán) un sobre blanco de 10"X12" conteniendo una QSL sin verificar mostrando una foto nocturna a colores de el Puente Khaju. También recibí dos libritos con los títulos: "PASOS HACIA LA PAZ" y "LA FAMILIA MUSULMANA" ambos editados por la "FUNDACION AL-BALAGH". También fue recibido un grupo de copias fotostáticas con: 1) Itinerario de frecuencias para sus transmisiones en castellano 2) Una forma plegadiza para reportes de recepción múltiples 3) Un itinerario de programación 4) Una invitación para participar en el concurso FADJR NOVENO el cual concluye en Febrero 11, 2005. El concurso es escribir un ensayo sobre la política expansionista de los EEUU. 5) Una invitación para someter reportes de recepción (RR's) múltiples en aras de recibir QSL's especiales y regalos valiosos a aquellos que lleguen a los 500 RR's. 6) Un sondeo de oyente para mejor frecuencia escuchada e intereses particulares que el escucha pueda tener de Irán y sugerencias para sus programas. También mencionado fue la solicitud de una recepción recién grabada en "cassette" con la promesa de ser devuelta con música de Irán. 7) Último y no por menos, una calurosa y afectuosa carta de agradecimiento firmada en original por parte de N. Edalat Manesh, Director de la Redacción Española. (Alvin Mirabal, Puerto Rico, Conexión Digital Feb 12 via DXLD) ** IRAN [non]. Frequency change for Radio Seda-ye Mellat-e Iran in Farsi: 1430-1500 NF 11620 co-channel AIR in English + Iranian Bubble Jammer, ex 15660 (Observer, Bulgaria, Feb 18 via DXLD) ** IRAN [non]. 1575, KUWAIT, R. Farda, FEB 12, 0120 - Good to excellent on new frequency, huge S9 signal; modern Middle Eastern music, announcements by a man and woman, continued strong at 0204 with Metallica "Nothing Else Matters," parallel 9585 kHz. Everyone in the mIRC #mwdx chat group ganged up on this after it was first noticed by Barry McLarnon in Ontario (Bruce Conti, NH, NRC IDXD via DXLD) Still not clear whether this is Kuwait or UAE site (gh, DXLD) ** ISRAEL. Pre-Eurovision Continued --- They will be adding English to the IBA Pre-Eurovision website. (So this should be the last posting about this website, as we're getting off topic.) http://www.iba.org.il/eurovil/ The Israel Pre-Eurovision contest will be available on the web, after it's broadcast on IBA Channel 1 TV (and simulcast on Reshet Gimel). It is still not determined whether the Israel Pre-Eurovision contest will be broadcast live on the web or not. They have already added videos of all of Israel's past Eurovision songs since 1973. Eurovision audio/video: http://media.iba.org.il/index.asp?classto=10&site_code=135 In Hebrew - Eurovision related Israel TV/Radio schedule. http://www.iba.org.il/eurovil/index.asp?classTo=eurovisionInnerHome&entity_code=67011&type Alhough, I only saw the Reshet Gimel simulcast mentioned in the special broadcasts listing on: http://kolisrael.iba.org.il The Reshet Gimel online program schedule doesn't go that far in advance yet (Doni Rosenzweig, Feb 17, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** JAPAN [non]. Big collision here on 11855 at 2152 Feb 17, R. Japan with Japanese lessons in English, and WYFR in Spanish. Theoretically this doesn`t matter, since WYFR is toward Central America and NHK is via Ascension toward Africa, as per FCC and HFCC listings B-04: 11855 2000 0500 WYFR 100 222 1234567 311004 270305 11855 2100 2200 48,52,53 ASC 250 85 1234567 311004 270305 D J NHK MER NHK Warudo was \\ 21670 General Service, but not \\ another English program on 17825, the Hawaii service. Also 11855 was running a bit behind 21670 due to a couple of satellite hops. 11855 and the SAH cut off at 2159:30 before the closing frequency announcement had finished. Will they ever get coördinated between studio and transmitter??? Close to equal level, but Japan slightly above (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** JORDAN. 11810 at 0500-0610 UT AKA Jordan produced a seldom heard male function: like a fast echo, the transmitter signal peaked for a tenth second, and was cut in audio (Arabic), then dropped down to nearly zero signal. In background the Peace radio to AFG from Al Dhabbaya-UAE noted so far. When checked at 0810 UT again, Jordan Radio powerhouse was heard loud and clear in fine audio quality. 73 wb (Wolfgang Büschel, Germany, Feb 18, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** KURDISTAN. V. of Iraqi Kurdistan, 6335, 0415-0435+ Feb 13, presumed, with mid-east vocals, talk in unID language. ME instrumental music. Poor, weak with some RTTY QRM (Brian Alexander, Mechanicsburg PA, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** MALI. ORTM, 4782.38, 2230-0002* Feb 12-13, French talk, French pops, ballads. 0002 abruptly pulled plug mid-sentence. Usually signs off with NA. \\ 5995, both weak. Noted the past several days back closer to their nominal 4783 frequency. Heard at 0622 on 4783.38 [correct, 1 kHz higher] (Brian Alexander, Mechanicsburg PA, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** MEXICO. XEPE, 1700 Tijuana `La Tremenda` is providing a solid signal from 0800 UTC and topples KVNS with Coast to Coast most evenings . ID at 15 minute intervals but not on the quarter (Tony King (Superadio III + 200m ground radials), New Zealand, Feb NZ DX Times via DXLD) ** NEPAL. IN NEPAL, BBC NEPALI SERVICE OFF FM, BUT ENGLISH CONTINUES International Federation of Journalists writes: "Interestingly, BBC radio (Nepali service) has not been banned." But then contradicts itself: "The IFJ has reports of people buying up new radios to be able to listen to BBC (the FM radios they had cannot catch the short wave BBC transmission)." IFJ, 17 February 2005 http://www.ifj-asia.org/page/nepal050217.html BBC press office tells me: "The BBC World Service is one of the few global news services still transmitting in Nepal and the only international broadcaster transmitting in Nepali. Its extended 45- minute Nepali service news programme is now broadcast at 1500GMT [2054 local time] daily on shortwave across the country with approximately one million listeners. The World Service English language service is broadcast on BBC Kathmandu FM 103, for 23 hours a day. Before the enforcements, BBC's Nepali service was transmitted on eight rebroadcasters across the country. All news programmes, domestic and international have since been stopped. The BBC Nepali and English rebroadcasts on the Radio Sagarmatha 104.2FM service in Kathmandu have also ceased. The web traffic to bbc.co.uk/nepali has increased from 7,000 to 90,000 page impressions a day since the ban was enforced on February 1." (kimandrewelliott.com Feb 18 via DXLD) ** NETHERLANDS [non]. Radio Netherlands English is currently being carried on Spectrum Radio 558, on DAB via the London multiplex and Sky channel 935 at 1400-1500, may be Monday to Friday only as has replaced Radio Challenge which was occupying this weekday slot (Mike Barraclough, Feb 17, WDXC via DXLD) See also UK ** NEW ZEALAND. With so many changes taking place or planned in the next few months, the Radio Heritage Foundation has put together a summary which we hope is useful: 531 Alexandra More FM ex Radio Central on air 549 Gisborne NZ’s Rhema moved to 648 and this licence sold to Canwest Radioworks 648 Gisborne NZ’s Rhema now here since October 2004 702 Auckland Radio Pacific here until April, then joins new Radio Live 24/7 news network 738 Christchurch Radio Pacific here until April, then joins new Radio Live 24/7 news network 756 Palmerston Radio Puketapu now here ex 954, 400w 810 Auckland Decision on new community access station here delayed 828 Palmerston Nth The Breeze ex Magic 828 on air 954 Dunedin Coast now here, new xmitter location at Centre Road, incr power max to 3.162 kW 990 Nelson More FM ex Radio Fifeshire on air 1170 Invercargill Watch for potential launch of Coast here shortly to compete with 1224 More FM 1206 Dunedin More FM ex Radio Otago on air 1224 Invercargill More FM ex Foveaux Radio on air 1242 Timaru Freq sold to Canwest Radioworks 1260 Christchurch The Breeze ex Lite FM on air 1359 Queenstown More FM ex Resort Radio on air 1476 Auckland Freq sold to Canwest Radioworks, BBC Worldwide stays until April, then new station here, transmitter location now Henderson ex Mangere 1485 Gisborne Freq sold to NZ Racing Board, power incr to 3.162kW max, due on air in April as part of new TAB Racing Network. 1548 Rotorua More FM ex Lakes 96FM on air 1593 Christchurch Coast ex Easy Listening i on air In view of the rapid changes, we also list the currently silent allocations which may come on air at any time. More information on these licences is available shortly at http://www.radioheritage.net 540 Christchurch Rhema 585 Blenheim Rhema 612 New Plymouth Rhema Te Anau Rhema 648 Greymouth Rhema 657 Tauranga National Radio 666 no current assignment in NZ 684 no current assignment in NZ 747 Greymouth TRN 855 Christchurch TRN 864 Kapiti Coast Canwest 873 Tauranga Canwest 900 Whangarei TRN 918 Greymouth National Radio 1107 Waihi local ownership 1179 Wanaka Canwest 1251 Taupo TRN 1251 Queenstown Rhema 1269 Tauranga 1XX 1314 Invercargill National Radio 1323 No assignment in NZ 1359 New Plymouth TRN 1368 Napier-Hastings local ownership 1368 Greymouth Rhema 1377 Dunedin Rhema 1422 No assignment in NZ 1467 No assignment in NZ 1485 Twizel TRN 1494 Hamilton National Radio 1494 Taupo National Radio 1521 Reefton TRN 1548 Palmerston Nth local ownership 1566 No assignment in NZ 1575 Hamilton TRN If you have airchecks, car stickers, QSLs or other memorabilia of any of the `old` stations and wish to share (copies) of them with others through our on-line archive, please contact us at info @ radioheritage.net or write, PO Box 14339, Wellington, NZ (NEW ZEALAND DX TIMES PAGE 29-30 FEBRUARY 2005 via DXLD) ** NEW ZEALAND. 5ZB THE RAILWAY STUDIO In 1939 the National Commercial Broadcasting Service, as the commercial state-owned radio stations were then known, was looking to expand commercial radio beyond the four main centres. It was therefore decided to convert a railway carriage into a broadcasting studio, complete with a three-man crew, a retractable antenna and 250 watt transmitter. The station was given the call sign of 5ZB, and the intention was to gauge the audience and advertising potential in various provincial towns of the North Island. The station went on the air in Rotorua in April 1939, and in 79 days covered 2,650 km of the NZR system. Station 5ZB entertained radio audiences in Hamilton, Whangarei, Te Kuiti, Taumarunui, New Plymouth, Hawera, Wanganui, Palmers ton North, Dannevirke, Napier, Hastings and Masterton. More than 15,000 curious listeners inspected the mobile station during its travels. The 5ZB manager wanted to keep the station going, his plan being to have the carriage do three month-long stints in various locations. His masters, however, decided instead to gradually open permanent stations in various towns. Both plans were shelved due to the war. In 1982 the Pleasant Point Railway and Historical Society refitted guard`s van F423 with vintage radio equipment, and some broadcasts were made from this rail studio via the local Timaru station, 3ZC (via Steven Greenyer NEW ZEALAND DX TIMES PAGE 3 FEBRUARY 2005 via DXLD) ** NIGERIA. VON, Wednesday 17 + Thursday 18, some change in broadcasting habit observed (one can't say schedule): English 1700- 2000 on 15120, 2000-2100 on 7255 (instead of change at 1900 or 2100). This change seemed to be a multi-purpose one: There is still a leftover call-sign at 2000, dating from the times when they changed to 17800. Now it's at the right place again. Secondly, this serves to get recognition in the DX-lists. Yes, there is still somebody listening, and modulation wasn't SO bad during the past few days (Thorsten Hallmann, Münster, Germany, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** NIUE [and non]. RADIO SUNSHINE, NIUE FEATURED ON RNZI Join us for another in our continuing series of Radio Heritage Foundation documentaries in the 'Mailbag' program on Radio New Zealand International where we visit the small Pacific island of Niue. This 20 minute special tells the story of Radio Sunshine, which began AM broadcasts in 1967 without a transmitter (someone forgot to order one) and has since survived lack of funds, delayed aid packages and the destructive Cyclone Hetta of early 2004. Hear an exclusive interview with the station manager, lots of station ID jingles, excerpts from the daily program schedule on FM and much more about this rare and exotic radio station. Scheduled for broadcast on the usual shortwave frequencies of Radio New Zealand International the week starting February 27, and available as audio-on-demand for two weeks afterwards at http://www.rnzi.com Currently, you can download a 20 minute documentary on Samoa's Radio Polynesia (Mailbox: February 14) and listen to the story of Magik FM, Talofa FM, K-LITE and K-Rock from Apia. If you're enjoying these documentaries and have suggestions of other stations in the Pacific you'd like to hear more about, write to me at info @ radioheritage.net. Thanks for listening to RNZI. Warm regards (David Ricquish, Radio Heritage Foundation, Wellington, New Zealand http://www.radioheritage.net Feb 16, WORLD OF RADIO 1264, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** OKLAHOMA. KKVO-FM/Altus PRICE: $150,000 TERMS: Asset sale for cash and note BUYER: Educational Media Foundation, headed by President Richard Jenkins. Phone: 916-251-1600. It owns 121 other stations. This represents its entry into the market. SELLER: Altus Educational Broadcasting Foundation, headed by President Bat Masterson [!!]. Phone: 580-477-4110 FREQUENCY: 90.9 MHz POWER: 4kw at 820 feet FORMAT: Christian AC BROKER: Greg Guy of Patrick Communications COMMENT: An amount of $50,000 in cash will be paid at closing, of which $40,000 will go to Altus and $10,000 will go to Patrick Communications. The deal includes a $100,000 promissory note paid by EMF (via Brock Whaley, DXLD) ``Educational``, my foot. All these stations are gospel huxters (gh) ** PETER I. DX-PEDITION POSTPONED UNTIL 2006 3Y0X Peter I DX pedition Press Release I am afraid we have bad news. At 1 AM local time today we learned that our charter vessel, the Cavendish Sea, had not yet sailed from the port of Comodoro Rivadavia. The Cavendish Sea was to sail to Ushuaia to pick up the Dxpedition team and their equipment on Friday, Feb 18th. We were to sail before noon. Because they have delayed their arrival until Sunday, and with a projected Monday departure, we have simply run out time. This latest delay on top of numerous previous delays, simply makes it impossible for us to spend a sufficient amount of time on Peter I to justify the DXpedition this year. So, we have no choice but to postpone the DXpedition until 2006. We believe it is essential to allow enough time on Peter I to justify the monetary investment made by the team members, our sponsors, individual contributors, DX Clubs, DX Foundations. After having the first vessel, the Antarctic Dream, default on their contract with us, then the helicopter company default on their contract and then after putting everything back together with an new boat and helicopter on this past Tuesday, the team has been on quite an emotional rollercoaster. Our sincerest thanks to everyone for the encouragement and support you offered us during this time. Thanks, Bob Allphin, K4UEE Ralph Fedor, K0IR Don, N1DG Peter I pilot (via Jim Reisert AD1C NJDXA DX News, via Bill Smith, W5USM, Feb 17, DXLD) Why was everyone screwing them over? If you want it done right --- (gh, DXLD) ** POLAND. Here are some pictures of the Solec Kujawski 225 kHz site, running a Thalès (or still Thomcast at time of delivery) S7HP transmitter: http://www.pg.gda.pl/~sp2pzh/solec.html The antenna doesn't appear to be a simple self-radiating mast, also since the coverage map indicates a directional pattern. All the best, (Kai Ludwig, Germany, Feb 18, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** RUSSIA. Heard Radio Radonezh on 29 Jan at 1833-1852 on 7465 kHz. The program host answered listeners' phone calls, commented some events, etc. SINPO was 33543 - signal interfered by some quiet co- channel hum (heterodyne? ~200 Hz), as well as by splash from Chinese opera on 7455 kHz. By 1852 UTC SINPO decreased to 13531, and reception became impossible. (open_dx - Ivan Zelenyi, Nizhnevartovsk, Russia, via Signal via DXLD) ** TAIWAN. RADIO TAIWAN INTERNATIONAL TO TARGET FOREIGN COMMUNITY | Excerpt from report in English by Taiwanese newspaper Taipei Times on 10 February; subheadings as published: National radio station Radio Taiwan International (RTI) is poised to enter a new era on 1 July when it starts domestic broadcasting in five foreign languages to the nation's 500,000 foreign workers and residents. Over the course of 77 years, RTI has transformed itself from a government propaganda radio station targeting China and the world, to a public service station serving both local and international communities alike. While some might question the popularity of radio stations in a multimedia age, Cheryl Lai, president of RTI, seemed upbeat about the future of the airwaves industry. "There are three English-language newspapers in Taiwan but their target audiences are either white-collar office workers or intellectuals," she said. "We're more concerned about the blue-collar audiences, especially foreign workers and spouses, who have a hard time understanding Mandarin and some of them cannot even afford computers or internet access," she said. Emergency use Lai added that foreign-language radio programmes also provide foreigners with access to instant and immediate information, which can be quite useful, especially when natural disasters hit. "With the increasing number of international marriages, what we're doing now is broadcasting not only to foreigners working or living here but also to the future children of Taiwan," she said. Established in 1928 in Nanking, China, under the name the Central Broadcasting System, RTI was relocated to Taiwan after the Nationalist Party lost the civil war to the Communists in 1949. In January 1998, the station was restructured to become a non-profit organization, and its services were expanded. Currently, it has nine branch stations scattered island-wide. Its broadcasting area covers central and southern Taiwan, China and the rest of the world. It broadcasts daily in 18 languages, including Mandarin, Taiwanese, Hakka, Cantonese, Tibetan, Mongolian, English, German, French, Russian, Spanish, Arabic, Japanese, Korean, Vietnamese, Thai, Indonesian and Burmese. July start From 1 July, it will start broadcasting in five foreign languages aimed at local audiences nationwide and foreign communities, taking into account the increasing number of foreign workers and spouses. The five languages are English, Japanese, Indonesian, Vietnamese and Thai. Statistics show that there were about 330,000 foreign spouses and 310,000 foreign workers in Taiwan as of December last year. Of the foreign husbands, Thais are the most numerous, accounting for 34 per cent of the total, followed by Japanese, at 12 per cent, and Americans at 11 per cent. Vietnamese top the list of foreign brides with nearly 70 per cent of the total, followed by Indonesians at 12 per cent and Thais at 6 per cent. Unlike other countries' national radio broadcasters, such as the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) or Voice of America, which target both international and domestic audiences, Taiwan does not have a single national public radio station serving both the national audience and the international community. So far, the only public radio stations targeting local audiences nationwide are the National Education Radio, Police Radio System and the Voice of Han Broadcasting Network. As the government's airwave restructuring plan is due to be implemented on 1 July, Voice of Han will move to another frequency to make room for RTI to broadcast 12 hours of foreign-language programmes. The programmes will be also be available online. Altogether, the channel will offer programmes in eight languages. While RTI will offer programmes in five foreign languages, Voice of Han will offer programmes in three languages: Mandarin, Taiwanese and Hakka. Under the government's restructuring plan, specialized public radio stations such as the Police Radio Station, the National Education Radio and the Voice of Han Broadcasting Network will be consolidated into one public broadcasting group. Public service The group, along with other public radio stations, will operate in frequencies between 104.4 and 108 [MHz]. They will provide four different services nationwide, including public services (transportation, weather, disaster relief, etc.), multi-functional services (Hakka, Aborigines, foreign brides, foreign labourers, armed forces and language programmes), and culture and education services. Apart from government propaganda, RTI's five foreign-language programmes will be mainly service-oriented. A recent survey polling RTI audiences found that foreign listeners most desperately want to know what's going on in their home countries. They are also eager to know what happens here in Taiwan and what Taiwan's government and Taiwanese people are up to. [Passage omitted] Source: Taipei Times, Taipei, in English 10 Feb 05 (via BBCM via DXLD) ** THAILAND. FIVE NEW "MODERN RADIO" STATIONS LAUNCHED | Text of press release by Mass Communications Organization of Thailand (MCOT.org) web site on 16 February Bangkok 16 February: MCOT [Mass Communications Organization of Thailand] Public Company Limited (MCOT), has made another advance by launching five new "Modern Radio" stations to serve the general public in five specific aspects. The company's president, Mr Mingkwan Sangsuwan, held a press conference at the MCOT's headquarters here yesterday [15 February] to launch the new five "Modern Radio" stations, which are now wholly managed by the company following the expiry of its contracts with private agents at the end of last year. The five new "Modern Radio" stations include FM95MHz, FM96.5MHz, FM97.5MHz, FM99MHz, and FM100.5MHz. The FM95MHz station serves the general public with Thai folk songs from all production houses, with live broadcast through the internet at the http://www.mcot.net web site, and a link to all MCOT's radio network, 53 stations, in provincial areas during its "Super Station" service. National artists in the field of Thai folk songs and performances will be invited to be the station's DJ. The FM96.5MHz station now becomes a "brain bank" for the younger generation, as it provides updated news and information in all areas, including business, management, stock, political, and social news. The FM97.5MHz station is now dubbed the "SEED FM97.5" station, serving youngsters with modern Thai and English pop songs. The FM99MHz is designated to be the "Healthy Thailand" station focusing on sports, tourism and health news and information. The FM100.5MHz station remains to be the news station with newly- improved programmes, providing news on current events from across the world to the general public around the clock, including news brakes [breaks] at every beginning of the hour, through the cooperation between Thai News Agency (TNA), MCOT's sole news production source, and such renowned international news organizations and agencies as US- based CNN, VOA and AP, UK-based BBC and Reuter, and Japan-based NHK. MCOT has successfully launched its FM107 Metropolis English radio station since last July to serve both English speaking and Thai audience who are keen to follow up English language international news and to enjoy English songs in the 1970s-1980s. Mr Mingkwan said that an MCOT panel would review and evaluate the six radio stations' services every six months, aimed to always serve the audience with their favourite programmes. The MCOT's chief promised to turn all the newly-launched radio stations to be among Thailand's strongest and hit waves in the near future. "I expect that MCOT's revenues from its radio services will increase by 30 per cent a month after the launch of the five new "Modern Radio", making the company's overall revenues grow by 25-30 per cent annually as targeted", said Mr Mingkwan. The MCOT's chief, a former top executive of Toyota Motor Co, a Japanese automobile giant, has been impressively successful in turning MCOT's TV Channel 9 to be the now well known "Modernine TV" with rising public ratings on its televised programmes. MCOT, the former state-run Mass Communication Organization of Thailand, has three main structures, including Modernine TV, Radio MCOT Network and Thai News Agency (TNA), which produces news and information services to serve the two former structures and to serve on-line news consumers at the company's news web sites, namely http://tna.mcot.net for Thai language news services and http://etna.mcot.net for English language news services. Source: MCOT.org web site, Bangkok, in English 16 Feb 05 (via BBCM via DXLD) ** TURKEY. 15350 at 1530, traditional bouzouki-based music, with lone male vocal, signal fair to good (Eric Bryan, WA, Feb 17, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** TURKS & CAICOS [and non]. 530 kHz, Radio Visión Cristiana Internacional, 0700-0720 UT, Febrero 17, Español. Mensaje: Amad a nuestros Enemigos con una palabra de fe y esperanza. Fuerte señal, SIO 454. Radio Visión Cristiana Internacional cuenta en la actualidad con 7 estaciones de radio. Estas son: WWRV 1330 AM, NY; WVIP 1310 AM, Mount Kisco NY; 530 AM, Caribe e Islas Caicos; 1330 AM, Sto. Domingo RD; 660 AM, Santiago RD; 1330 AM, Cuenca Ecuador, 1330 AM, Quito Ecuador. Este ministerio fue fundado en el año 1984 por un grupo de líderes evangélicos hispanos de la ciudad de Nueva York, con el interés de formar un instrumento útil que ayudara en la labor de la prédica de la palabra de Dios a la iglesia evangélica hispana en esa ciudad (Dino Bloise, Icom R-75, Florida, EEUU, Feb 17, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** UKRAINE. Radio Ukraine Intl also uses 5910 kHz at 0000-0500, but we are becoming more and more disappointed with this frequency choice. It's possible that RUI will replace it with 7440 kHz in March. (open_dx - Alexander Yegorov, Kyiv, Ukraine, Signal via DXLD) see also COLOMBIA ** U K. BBC Nepali service: see NEPAL ** U K. FUTURE OF THE BBC (Media Report: 8:30am and 8pm, 17/02/2005) URL [audio links]: http://www.abc.net.au/rn/talks/8.30/mediarpt/default.htm The future of the BBC is up for grabs. The two key issues are how it's funded and how it's governed, with change likely in both. We hear from a member of the panel that reviewed these issues for the British government. Full Program Transcript URL: http://www.abc.net.au/rn/talks/8.30/mediarpt/stories/s1305106.htm (Radio National's Media Specialist Newsletter 17 February to 23 February 2005 Home page: http://abc.net.au/rn/ via Dan Say, DXLD) ** U K. ``Jazz FM is being renamed Smooth FM after the original title proved a turn-off... Artistes such as Marvin Gaye, Stevie Wonder, Alicia Keys, George Benson, Michael Buble and Diana Krall are now set to fill the daytime schedules.`` So what's new then? This sort of semi-jazz-soul-pop stuff has been the staple diet of Jazz FM in both Manchester and London for years on end. If the station didn't make a profit before, what could change now? Haven't we been here before? Jazz FM (in London) rebranded as JFM 102.2, and changed format from all jazz to jazz, soul, r+b etc. JFM 100.4 launched in Manchester with this format. The stations reverted to Jazz FM, and reverted to a much stronger jazz identity. This was the station's best period (for me). Daytimes (drivetimes in particular) still had the more widely commercial blues/soul/funk type material, although with more real jazz than before, while after 7 pm, there were some excellent "proper" jazz music programmes. It was on one of these that I first heard "Povo" by the Tom Brown Quartet, and a lengthy Charlie Mingus piece that begins with a solo baritone saxophone, later made famous by a Tetley Bitter TV advert. Subsequently, both stations yet again reverted to the more commercial wide-appeal music programming, and I started to lose interest again. Admittedly, I did discover the excellent Ronnie McNeir track "Baby I Know" in a more contemporary breakfast show period, but the general music had less appeal for me again. The change of ID was the final straw for me. Pretentious in the extreme this may be, but the name "Smooth" carried little credibility for me, and it was not something I felt particularly comfortable about having staring at me on my car dashboard RDS display. One can feel almost "proud" to be listening to Jazz FM, BBC Radio 3 etc, but who wants to be associated with a station proclaiming to be "Smooth FM"? I feel the station should have stuck loyally with the Jazz brand and programming from day one, and used the consistency as one of a number of features in building up the station over a period of time. It has surely done no favours to be chopping and changing IDs and formats throughout its history. I should be highly surprised if "Smooth FM" arrests the loss-making; it is the same identity-less music format under an embarrassing name. Still, there is a pattern which must be acknowledged. We start off with a locally-owned, locally-managed radio station with a specific niche programming policy, and one by one, changes over time transform it into something owned and controlled by EMAP etc, a "the best variety of music from the 80s, 90s and now" format and with 60-70% of programming networked nationally. Should national programmes be even allowed on local radio stations? I remember it all seemed exciting when this first happened with the Super Station networked ILR programmes in the late 80s, but I wish it had never happened now. It is also really nice, very occasionally, to hear a BBC local radio station "going it alone" until midnight, rather than opting into the regional network with its neighbours. It does happen, but very occasionally. Recently I heard "Simon James & Hill" on Silk FM in the evening. Hmmm, I thought, they don't seem to have Macclesfield accents... Working away in the North-East a few days later, I heard the same pair on TFM (Middlesbrough), and a quick scan around the VHF band found them on 4/5 other stations too. There were more audible frequencies of their show, than of BBC Radio 1! I try to be loyal to local radio with my listening habits, but increasingly I experience disappointment, and find myself retuning and returning to the magnificent radio service that is BBC Radio 5 Live. 73, (Tom Read M1EYP, Macclesfield, England, http://tomread.co.uk Feb 15, BDXC-UK via DXLD) Jazz FM on their changes --- From the latest Jazz FM newsletter, information on their re-branding. At least they are keeping their main jazz programmes on air by the looks of things. As for the popularity of Smooth here in the north-west since GMG replaced Jazz FM with it last year, I would be interested to know just how that is being measured (Chris Brand, BDXC-UK via DXL) viz.: London's Smooth Favourite --- You may have read in the press this week that JAZZFM is to be rebranded as 102.2 Smooth FM. We want to both reassure you that our commitment to play 45 hours of jazz music every week will not change and explain to you some of the reasons why this change is necessary to ensure the future success of the station. You will have noticed yourself that JAZZFM plays a variety of music, not just jazz, and the name no longer reflected the output of the station. Whilst we loved the name, we had to finally concede that it was putting many people off tuning in so the difficult decision to rebrand the station was taken. But fear not, our specialist programming will remain and much loved presenters Sarah Ward, Ramsey Lewis, Campbell Burnap and Mike Chadwick will remain a part of the new schedule. Smooth FM has achieved huge success in the North West of England, following its rebrand from JAZZFM last year and we have no doubt that 102.2 Smooth FM will achieve similar success. http://www.jazzfm.com will continue to provide a wealth of information on events, artists and new album releases, specialist programmes from the JAZZFM archives and continuous streams of jazz music. The site will also see additional investment from GMG Radio with an upgrade to include its own output of jazz, 24 hours a day. CEO of GMG Radio John Myers said: "Whilst its not on FM, this move will ensure that those listeners who enjoy real jazz can go to a site and hear their music 24 hours a day". © JAZZFM 2004. All rights reserved (via Brand, ibid.) ** U K. Can I say I am against any form of censorship of news, etc; I believe we could condemn not only CRI but if we were picky BBC and commercial television and radio news services and string out a long line of claims of mis-information and outright censorship ( over zealous editors or those whose nose is brownest) . Let them broadcast CRI - it doesn't guarantee anyone will listen - but let us not be accused of the same degree of political 'management' as the powers that be in the People's Republic - we may broadcast home grown rubbish all day let them broadcast more at night. Broadcasting is one thing - listening quite another. It's surely up to the intelligence and intellect of the listener to fairly judge whether they are hearing tripe or not and use the controls of the receiver accordingly. They call it democracy (Rog Parsons (BDXC 782) Hinckley, Leics., BDXC-UK via DXLD) Re: Spectrum Radio's relays of Radio Beijing. I checked these relays today and they are also being carried on Spectrum's DAB and Sky channels. On DAB Spectrum describes its programmes as "a broad mix of music, news and discussion reflecting today's cosmopolitan London" which I suspect is part of their programme format registered with Ofcom. How does broadcasting hours of Chinese Communist state propaganda fit in with this? Spectrum, as the licence holder, is responsible for the content of the programming it transmits. Fox News was censured by Ofcom in June for its coverage of the Hutton Report for "failing to show respect for the truth". CRI tends not to report on internal dissent but detailed monitoring of its propaganda might well reveal items which would come into this category. I also found recently that the Radio Challenge programme which Keith Knight featured on a recent Tapecircle is now off the air and in its place at 1400-1500 Spectrum is broadcasting Radio Netherlands in English again on 558, DAB and Sky, may be Monday to Friday only if it has replaced the Radio Challenge slot (Mike Barraclough, ibid.) ** U K [non]. CHRISTIAN VISION DRM TESTS TO UNITED KINGDOM Christian Vision is beginning a series of tests in DRM to the United Kingdom. Having declared its intention to run significant regular transmissions to UK and Europe later in the year, the tests in partnership with transmission providers in Europe are a prelude to this. With the cooperation of T-Systems International, Media&Broadcast in Germany, Christian Vision will be using the Jülich site for shortwave transmissions in English as follows: 21st-27th February: 1600-1800 UT on 7200 kHz Antenna: log periodic - (equivalent to HR1/2/0/.5) Bearing: 285 deg Power: 40 kW 7th-14th March: 1500-1700 UT on 7200 kHz Antenna: log periodic - (equivalent to HR1/2/0/.5) Bearing: 265 deg Power: 40 kW DRM transmission parameters will be chosen to deliver the best possible signal to UK. As the tests progress, Christian Vision would very much appreciate comments and feedback. These can be sent to the Head of Engineering, Andrew Flynn, andrewflynn @ christianvision.com # posted by Andy @ 16:49 UT Feb 18 (Media Network blog via DXLD) ** U S A [non]. Some frequency change for Voice of America: 0030-0100 English Daily on 7130, 9620, 11805, 15205 (ex 2330-2400) 1100-1300 Indonesian Daily on 7215, 7255, 9720, 15160 (ex 1130-1230) 1130-1200 Turkish Mon-Fri NF 15475, ex 15150 \\ 9555, 11870 1230-1300 Laotian Daily NF 7205, ex 7215 \\ 6030, 11930 1800-1830 Hausa Sat/Sun on 4940, 9830, 11825, 17785 (ex Sat only) 2200-0030 Indonesian Daily on 7130, 9620, 11805, 15205 (ex 2200-2330) (Observer, Bulgaria, Feb 18 via DXLD) ** U S A. WEWN spur, 5816.66, 0240-0300+ Feb 11, spur from 5825 noted back with a very strong signal. Last heard back in Oct. Other very weak spurs heard every 8.34 kHz between 5799.98 and 5850.02. No sign of any spurs when I checked on Feb 13 during this same time period (Brian Alexander, Mechanicsburg PA, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A [non]. UKRAINE: WYFR in Hindi via SMF 250 kW / 131 degrees to S Asia effective Feb. 15 1600-1700 on 7520 (55555) (Observer, Bulgaria, Feb 18 via DXLD) ** U S A. ON A LIGHTER SIDE: A COMMERCIAL VERSION OF WWV I had chuckled about that concept for ages ... Then a radio pal of mine in Atlanta told me how he thought he recognized a voice on local WGCL-TV. Sure enough, it was John Doyle, the actual voice of WWV. I emailed John with some of the liners I had come up with and he was quite amused. We kept up a correspondence which ultimately led to the production. I even chopped out the tone when the tick pulse is heard, hihi. Douglas G. Jaffe, LowNoise Productions, Tucson, Arizona Hear the ``Commercial`` version of WWV at this site : http://www.mindspring.com/~lownoise/audio/wwv.mp3 Who was or is the voice of WWV, Marty Edwards, John Doyle, somebody else? The real WWV and WWVH form a time and frequency standards network of full AM transmitters operating out of Boulder Colorado and Hawaii. Transmissions can be heard, during normal propagation conditions, with an ordinary shortwave receiver on 2.5, 5, 10, 15 and 20 MHz. Consult the NIST website for full details of the little known features of this well known operation (Robert Ellis, Worldwide Utility Column, Feb CIDX Messenger via DXLD) ** U S A. RUSSIAN-LANGUAGE RADIO STATION TO LAUNCH IN NEW YORK Davidzon Radio, a new Russian-language radio station, is set to begin broadcasting in the New York Tri-State area on 930 AM on February 28, 2005. The New York metropolitan area is home to some 1.5 million Russian speakers, and the station has promised to deliver high-quality programming, including news, celebrity appearances, entertainment and interactive features. Davidzon Radio aims to set up the most comprehensive Russian-language news team outside of Russia, with its own correspondents network in Israel, Russia, Ukraine, Moldova, England, Germany and other countries, as well as in Washington, Los Angeles, Chicago and Boston. Entertainment programs will feature famous actors, poets, song-writers and comedians, who will frequently appear or even host their own shows on Davidzon Radio. Radio is one of the most effective communication tools in the Russian- American market because it has the highest market penetration rate. It is also a custom among Russian-speakers to put the radio on as soon as they wake up, to listen to the morning news, weather and traffic report. Davidzon Radio will broadcast 5 days a week during peak hours, from 7 to 11 am and from 5 to 7 pm and is likely to increase airtime in the near future. [1200-1600, 2200-2400 UT] # posted by Andy @ 13:16 UT Feb 16 (Media Network blog via DXLD) ** U S A. PROFESSOR BROADCASTS SPANISH CULTURE TO CAMPUS The Daily Illini - News Issue: 2/16/05 By Nick Escobar http://www.dailyillini.com/news/2005/02/16/News/Professor.Broadcasts.Spanish.Culture.To.Campus-865479.shtml The Spanish radio station, The Latino Radio Service (LRS), is in its second month of broadcasting Spanish-language programs to campus. The station, broadcast at 1600 [sic] KHz on the AM dial, began its format of national and international programs on Jan. 3. Founded by Gary Cziko, professor of educational psychology, LRS receives all of its programming from streamed sources on the Internet. Cziko first developed the idea a few years ago and tested it by purchasing a transmitter. He first broadcasted from the Foreign Language Building. The signal only covered about two-thirds of the Quad. "I played around with Internet radio at home but didn't like to sit in front of the computer," Cziko said. "I bought a transmitter to play audio from the computer on the radio." He then discovered that the University could run an unlicensed radio station if it only covers the span of campus. Cziko said he decided to have an all-Spanish format because it is the most-spoken foreign language on campus. He currently broadcasts from a transmitter in Bevier Hall. "I'm interested in using technology to learn about different languages and cultures," he said. Cziko hopes the station benefits those on campus who study Spanish. "I learned Spanish by listening to shortwave radio," Cziko said. "I knew French before so that helped." Since the station is still in its infancy it experiences problems. There is often dead air between programs because of conflicts within the computer software trying to play it. "Because it stops, people get frustrated," said Nayeli Fernández, freshman in LAS. "That needs to be fixed." Cziko has taken steps to fix the station's problems by ordering a newer computer that will allow the software to switch between programs faster. Currently, he is the only broadcast monitor. This means when something goes wrong it is his responsibility to fix it, and problems go unnoticed when he is asleep. Cziko is looking for additional people to help listen to the show and fix problems when they arise. Fernández, who listens to the station, said she likes the Spanish music and hopes that the station will pick up newer music aimed at a younger demographic. Eduardo García, senior in LAS, also listens to the station. "They mainly have news when I listen to it," he said. "I'd like a variety of music from different countries and subcultures of Latin America." The station does not limit itself to just Spanish-language programs. The station also plays a program broadcast in Portuguese. Cziko said he hopes to incorporate other languages into the station's programming. The station broadcasts programs Cziko knows, but he is always looking for more content. The content of the station ranges from Spanish music to news and call-in talk shows, coming in from the Netherlands, Mexico and France. Cziko also hopes that more locally produced programs will find their way to the station. Currently, LRS plays local programs produced by New Horizons, a group affiliated with the University that discusses Spanish cultural issues. Cziko said it is a possibility that the station could get studio equipment to broadcast live in the future. "I'm very interested in using technology to make foreign languages more accessible," Cziko said. "It's one of the best stations around with good programming. Other stations don't have a lot of international things." (via Ken Kopp, Amateur Radio - KKØHF, dxldyg via DXLD) Previous reports, and its current website http://faculty.ed.uiuc.edu/g-cziko/lrs/ put this on 1660, not 1600 kHz! (Glenn Hauser, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A. KCSN *88.5 Northridge CA announced it has tested an on- channel IBOC, so called ``HD Radio`` booster. The booster is licensed experimentally to West Los Angeles CA. The strange IBOC booster might serve `an additional 400,000 listeners in West Los Angeles with a current estimated audience of 1.4 million in the San Fernando and Santa Clarita valleys,`` according to chief engineer Mike Wornall. How this booster works with the stereo main channel and the reading to the blind subcarrier at 67 kHz is yet to be announced. Wornall plans to file an engineering report with the FCC (Bruce F. Elving, Ph.D., Feb FMedia! via DXLD) ** U S A. RATHER TO HOST HIS OWN FAREWELL TRIBUTE ON CBS Thu Feb 17, 2005 08:53 PM ET By Steve Gorman http://www.reuters.com/printerFriendlyPopup.jhtml?type=topNews&storyID=7668094 LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - No sooner will Dan Rather bid viewers a final good night as anchor of the CBS Evening News than he will be back on the air to lead viewers through a retrospective of his 50 years in broadcast journalism. CBS News said Thursday that an hourlong special, "Dan Rather: A Reporter Remembers," will be telecast on March 9, at 8 p.m. EST, within an hour of his stepping down as host and managing editor of the "Evening News." The broadcasts come exactly 24 years after Rather assumed the anchor chair from legendary newsman Walter Cronkite. The prime-time special is billed as a "candid memoir of Rather's extraordinary career, told in his own words." CBS said it will span the past five decades of his life and include never-before-seen archival footage. A network spokeswoman said Rather would address the controversy surrounding his now-discredited "60 Minutes" report last September questioning the military service of President Bush. The program will undoubtedly highlight the more celebrated points of Rather's career, including his coverage of the Kennedy assassination in 1963, the tumultuous Democratic National Convention of 1968 and the Watergate scandal during the 1970s, not to mention testy on-air exchanges with President Nixon and then-Vice President George H. W. Bush. It remained to be seen how CBS would handle Rather's less flattering moments, such as walking off the set in 1987 after a tennis match pre- empted the start of a newscast, or the jokes he endured after being assaulted on the streets of Manhattan by a man who asked him: "Kenneth, what's the frequency?" While TV retrospectives have become ubiquitous on prime time, paying homage to figures ranging from Johnny Carson to the stars of "Laverne & Shirley," a self-hosted special paying tribute to a living broadcast journalist on the day of his retirement is rare. "I don't remember them doing one like this for Walter Cronkite, but you could bet they would if Walter Cronkite were retiring today," said Robert Thompson, director of Syracuse University's Center for the Study of Popular Television. On the other hand, Thompson said, "He (Rather) has got a lot of good clips." (Reuters/VNU via Brock Whaley, DXLD) ** U S A. WALTER CRONKITE LENDS VOICE TO MARCONI VIDEO by Tim Wood CHATHAM — The man considered the most trusted figure in America will narrate a 13-minute video being produced by the Chatham Marconi Maritime Center. At the studio he maintains at CBS headquarters in New York City, Walter Cronkite last week recorded the voiceover narration for the video, an historic overview of the Marconi-WCC marine radio station located on Ryder’s Cove in Chathamport. The Marconi group plans to unveil the short film on April 30 at the Chatham High School auditorium. . . http://www.capecodchronicle.com/chatnews/chat021705_2.htm (via Brock Whaley, DXLD) ** UZBEKISTAN. Voice International via Tashkent: Voice International’s Hindi service has been extended, and is now available from 0100 to 1700 continuously, entirely from the Tashkent relay: 0100-0400 9570. 0400-1100 13630. 1100-1400 13765. 1400-1700 9855 (Bob Padula via Jihad-DX via Feb NZ DX Times via DXLD) ** VIRGIN ISLANDS US. Highlight this month is the very dominant presence on 1620 of WDHP St Croix US Virgin Islands. Is first in around 0730 UT and peaks around 0830 and swamps WTAW and KSMH, in Greytown. Has an ID on or about the hour which is shorter than that used when the station opened, but the `radio` theme song remains. Heard with Bob Marley music 6 Feb (his 60th anniversary) then into Oldies orchestrals (They`re fond of ``Let me call you Sweetheart`` circa 1920) which appears at the same time most nights (0800) Easily identified from as early as 0700 with back to back instrumentals and dominant instruments (``Love Songs for Sax``) etc. (Tony King (Superadio III + 200m ground radials), New Zealand, Feb NZ DX Times via DXLD) UNIDENTIFIED. Yosemite Sam, 3700, 0655-0720+ Feb 13, poor in noisy conditions with ``Varmint, Ima gonna blow ya ta smithereens`` repeated about every 40 seconds (Brian Alexander, Mechanicsburg PA, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Glenn, It has been a few years since we had talked at the Albuquerque Hamfest at the National Guard Armory on Wyoming. The Station known as Yosemite Sam is off of the air. The location of the transmitter site is west of Albuquerque off of I-40. The FCC is talking to the appropriate people (Jay Miller, ARS: WA5WHN, Feb 18, DX LISTENING DIGEST) And Jay forwards something he posted somewhere else: The FCC will take care of the problem. No further assistance is required. I would like to thank all of you for sending in your data. It really did help isolate the location. With my apologies to Warner Brothers, Ol' Yosemite will ride into the western sunset. 73... (WA5WHN Jay Miller DM65qd, via DXLD) Jay, please give us the rest of the story: was this all a joke, or something more to it? (gh) UNIDENTIFIED. Hello Glenn: I see Morocco is not in the new list at 15345, tho' I'm sometimes hearing "ME" music there as usual, around 1600 or 1700, sometimes w/ Turkey on 15350 interfering. They must still be there, just not on the list? Thanks, (Eric Bryan, WA, Feb 17, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Which `new list`?? HFCC B-04 shows both Saudi Arabia and Morocco on 15345 at this hour – er, the latter annotated as Old-B03 so maybe acknowledging not currently in use: 15345 1600 1700 41E RIY 500 70 1234567 311004 270305 D BENGALI ARS ARS ARS 54 FOREIG 15345 1500 2200 38,39,47,48 NAD 250 110 1234567 311004 270305 D MRC MRC MRC 6716 1 OLD-B03 PWBR 2005 shows them both as current (Glenn Hauser, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ UNSOLICITED TESTIMIONIALS +++++++++++++++++++++++++ Mr. Hauser, Been listening to you for many many years. I saw you at the Monitoring Times convention way back in the early 90s, I THINK here in Knoxville at the Hyatt Regency Hotel. A tip on your viewers using your web page.... Tell them to use FIREFOX (Mozilla). NO POPUPS!!! Its a free web brower that is far superior to Internet Explorer. Mozilla is FREE and is one of the very best web browsers ever written. I have used it for many years. 73s (Steve Fritts, WA4GZE, Feb 18, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Referring to the Angelfire site; our main site http://worldofradio.com does not have any popups. I have Firefox available, but must admit it`s hard to break away from IE; webpages don`t `look right`, e.g. with Firefox, mine are spread out with extra blank space (gh) RADIO EQUIPMENT FORUM +++++++++++++++++++++ ADVANTAGES AND DISADVANTAGES OF V-CHIP TECHNOLOGY Hi, Glenn! I had a backlog of DXLDs to look at after the recent computer-system fussing about at the neighbor's place restricted my on-line access for a couple weeks, and just scanned thru the last 10 or so, paying most attention to the tech and political discussion at the end of each one, so I just saw the V-chip discussion there. A few comments about the usability of the V-chip technology: I had been somewhat dubious about the actual utility of the V-chip technology ever since it was first introduced, and even had a letter to the editor about it published in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch back many years ago. What is basically wrong with the theory and implementation is that it is static and not dynamic. An entire program is assigned some level of V-chip rating, based on whatever criteria are determined to be applicable, and that is it. Even if the "offensive" aspect is created by a second or two of image or audio, an entire hour or half-hour is assigned that level of restriction. Instead, what is needed is a *dynamic* system, one that varies throughout the program, so that the rating is basically neutral during the majority of the time, and then peaks up to the appropriate level as the video contains scenes of violence or nudity, or the audio contains profane language, and then drops down to the usual normal level afterwards. Thus the restricted viewer would see the mundane portions of the programming but the screen would blank or the audio mute during the scenes that the controlling party feels are objectionable. A parent could allow sex and disallow violence, or vice-versa, or restrict both as desired, for example. (Would that depend on their position in the political spectrum? :-) Now, the interesting aspect of this is that it can be used in reverse by an adult who wants to selectively see and hear ONLY those "X-rated" segments. I envisioned a TiVO-like device that recorded only the "bad" parts, ideally monitoring several channels at once. It would be set to scan for these varying V-chip levels and kick in to record only when they got up to "objectionable" levels. Why wade through many minutes of boring ordinary programming just in order to catch the few brief scenes of nudity or lewd behavior? This sounds ideal for soap operas, which I find impossible to endure but which seem to intersperse short scenes with very attractive actresses wearing very little amongst the long stretches of wretched storylines and endless scenes of boring drivel. :-) I suppose there are some programs which are worthy of having the entire program coded with a severe level of V-chip condemnation, but the main example that comes to mind is the HBO "Deadwood" series, which I've never seen but read of as having a constantly-high level of cursing as the main dialogue technique. (There's an interesting article about it and its writer in the Feb. 14 New Yorker magazine.) But the vast majority of the time in over-the-air or cabled programming are perfectly indifferent scenes of fully-clothed people exchanging inoffensive words, and vast numbers of minutes of cars going hither and yon. Why rate all that time as "bad" when the actual "bad" occupies only a few brief exceptions? I don't know if the people who designed this system ever conceived of perverting it this way, but I take pride in thinking "outside the box" and coming up with this approach. :-) 73, (Will Martin, MO, DX LISTENING DIGEST) DRM +++ DUE NUOVI RICEVITORI DRM ITALIANI ! Ciao a tutti, l'introduzione del DRM sembra stia stimolando la piccola industria elettronica italiana che ha gia' presentato ben due ricevitori per questo nuovo modo digitale in onde corte. Vi segnalo infatto che la torinese Sistel produce un ricevitore SDR (Software Defined Radio) chiamato CIAOradio H101che ricevere anche in DRM e che e' ben descritto qui: http://www.comsistel.com/drm.htm Sempre italiana e' la Elad che lancera' a Marzo 2005 il suo Digital Receiver FDM 77, un ricevitore sempre SDR che collegato al pc tramite Usb permette l'ascolto della bande da 0 a 60 mhz e la decodifica diretta dei segnali DRM. Per informazioni il link e' http://www.elad.it/ saluti, (Andrea Borgnino IW0HK, bclnews.it via DXLD) COMMENTARY ++++++++++ Re: previous comments under GREENLAND Glenn, We weren`t aware of Mr. Monferini`s comments concerning the publication of Alessandro Groppazzi (in a DXpedition with Valter Comuzzi and Graziano Rigo, around 2200 UT last February, the 5th) logging of Greenland on 3815 kHz in Radioascolto.org. Any native Italian speaker would balk at the harsh language only Mr. Monferini seems to find so funny. Why on earth a DX-site editor giving due visibility to quality DX news would be described, and shouted at, as a CAZZONE we wonder? For those of you less versed in Dante’s tongue, this elegant, intimately anatomical metaphor refers to a CAZZONE as a curiously dumb and arrogant person. In his original post to his Play DX mailing list Mr. Monferini also asks ``Who wrote this SHIT?`` (``chi ha scritto queste STRONZATE?``). Well, obviously ``this shit`` simply stressed the exceptional value of a very specific logging previously reported, in our knowledge, only in Lemmenjoki, Finland. An opinion, by the way, endorsed by Anker Petersen. Another CAZZONE, for sure. We also do wonder how possibly Mr. Monferini could have read in our Web site an ``assertion this was first time in Italy of Groenland on SW``? We never even hinted at that, as Alessandro Groppazzi rightly observes. We were simply reporting about a great catch, which in the present context, and on that single frequency, may well be representing a first in Southern Europe. The CAZZONI were there too, when Greenland could be heard on 3999 kHz. As Mr. Monferini might recall we all were Play DX contributors, at that time. Very long time ago, to be true. At the end of this unpleasant episode with Mr. Monferini, one of an endless and ever worsening succession, let us only note that perhaps it`s high time all respected members of our community would stop giving latitude to Mr. Monferini and his nasty attacks. We'd wish only our Web site, not Mr. Monferini mailing list, be taken as the reference source for future discussion about ourselves and DX-related matters. The latter especially, we think, is a topic Mr. Monferini has nothing to do with. Thanks for your kind attention. Radioascolto.org editorial team (Andrea Lawendel, Feb 18, DX LISTENING DIGEST) I regret having published the material with the foul language and personal attacks, and would not have if I were more conversant with Italian slang. I also regret finding myself in the middle of this bitter dispute in Italian DX circles. Nor do I want to prolong it in these pages, but the radioascolto.org side deserves to be heard (Glenn Hauser, DX LISTENING DIGEST) TIPS FOR RATIONAL LIVING ++++++++++++++++++++++++ THEISTWATCH SHORT SHOTS Do so-called Rapture Christians threaten the Middle East peace process seeking to solidify an agreement between Israel and the Palestinian Authority? Indeed, the precarious peace so dependent on the whims of Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbass can be upset at any moment. Sharon must rein in Jewish extremists, many of whom oppose the dismantling of settlements deep in Palestinian territory. Groups like Hamas and the Islamic Jihad can default on their agreement not to attack Israel, and ignite yet another round of bombings and violence killing combatants and innocents on both sides of the ever-shifting line. Maybe, just maybe, there can be peace, right? Back in the United States, however, where so many tendrils and strings lead to capitals like Tel Aviv (and Damascus), there is another group determined to fragment the current peace agreement in favor of a horrific Biblical vision. These are the so-called "Rapture Christians," fundamentalists who believe that any Israeli compromise on the Gaza or other territory cannot be permitted to stand, and that the Temple of Solomon should be rebuilt in order to usher in the Second Coming of Christ. It is heady stuff, but groups like the Apostolic Congress are deadly serious about all of this, and they enjoy startling access to the halls of power, whether on Capitol Hill or in the White House. Last year, for instance, a delegation of Rapture Christians met with members of the National Security Council, including Near East and North African Affairs Director Elliott Abrams to voice their theo-political concerns. Led by Pentecostal preacher Robert G. Upton, the Rapturists enunciated their opposition to any Palestinian state, and demanded that Jerusalem remain in Israeli hands. They also proposed that the Temple Mount, home to a Moslem Mosque, the Dome of the Rock, for several hundred years, must be dismantled in order to allow believers to reconstruct the Temple of Solomon and prepare the world for the return of Christ and the apocalypse. Oh yeah, somewhere in this bizarre scenario is an event known as The Rapture. A select few (possibly numbering 144,000) will "rise into the air" and meet Christ. After a hotly-debated period of time, three to seven years according to some, they may return to rule the Earth. The Apostolic Congress and kindred groups flex considerable political muscle especially within the ranks of the Republican Party. They regularly meet with strategically placed officials of the Bush White House, conveying their positions on everything from gay marriage to the spread of witchcraft, presumably unleashed by television programs and books like the Harry Potter series. Reporter Rick Perlstein recently noted that the AC's pronunciamentos bear the aura of holy writ, and include "fiery warnings" that "the President's Administration and Current Government is engaged in cultural, economical (sic) and social struggle on every level." The Apostolic Congress somehow manages to fit its analysis of national and global events into what Perlstein describes as "sectarian doomsday scenarios." The group was formed in 1981, and gained prompt entry into the Reagan White House. Since then, Pastor Upton has met with federal officials, and regularly bombarded Capitol Hill and 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue with a steady stream of strident letters and postcards. It is, according to its web site, "The Christian Voice in the nation's capital." (AANews Feb 16 via DXLD) ###