DX LISTENING DIGEST 6-116, August 4, 2006 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 2006 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 SHORTWAVE AIRINGS OF WORLD OF RADIO 1324: [Note: WRMI times are tentative as schedule is under revision] Fri 2030 WWCR1 15825 Sat 0500 WRMI 9955 Sat 0800 WRN 13865 DRM via Bulgaria Sat 1230 WRMI 9955 Sat 1430 WRMI 7385 Sat 1600 WWCR3 12160 Sun 0230 WWCR3 5070 Sun 0630 WWCR1 3215 Sun 0832 WRMI 9955 [from WRN] Mon 0300 WBCQ 9330-CLSB Mon 0415 WBCQ 7415 Wed 0930 WWCR1 9985 Complete schedule including non-SW stations and audio links: http://www.worldofradio.com/radioskd.html For updates see our Anomaly Alert page: http://www.worldofradio.com/anomaly.html WRN ON DEMAND: http://new.wrn.org/listeners/stations/station.php?StationID=24 OUR ONDEMAND AUDIO [also CONTINENT OF MEDIA, MUNDO RADIAL] http://www.worldofradio.com/audiomid.html or http://wor.worldofradio.org WORLD OF RADIO PODCASTS: www.obriensweb.com/wor.xml ** ALBANIA. Tirana off both frequencies? Checked at 0246 UT Aug 4, no Tirana on 7450, nor on 6115 either; but reception from Europe is below par, with e.g. Spain not very strong on 6125. Are those further east hearing either Tirana frequency before 0300? (Glenn Hauser, OK, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** ARGENTINA. Listening to that strong signal arriving from RAE 15345 at 2200, these past two days, anyone could think they changed transmitter or must be using more power. Better yet if tuned to 15347 to avoid splatter from powerhouse CVC 15340 in Portuguese. Sport news and for the first time they were not talking about fútbol but tennis (Raúl Saavedra, Costa Rica, Aug 3, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** BRAZIL. Re R. Guarujá de Florianópolis, 5980: Caro Isaac, Eu escutei a Guarujá de Floripa de manhã, dia 2/8/2006, terça, e claramente dá pra perceber que seu áudio está se espalhando quase por toda a faixa de 49m, em 5980 kHz, atrapalhando as frequências adjacentes. Uma lástima! Enviei e-mail para a emissora alertando-os (Luiz Chaine Neto, Limeira -sp-, Aug 2, radioescutas via DXLD) Luiz, Qual equipamento você tem usado para efetuar suas escutas? Há que se tomar cuidado com a questão da seletividade do equipamento, pois se a mesma não contribui, não há departamento técnico de emissora que possa resolver a situação. 73 (Ivan Dias - Sorocaba/SP, ibid.) Caro Ivan, Primeiramente percebi que a Guarujá de Floripa está com o transmissor funcionando mal em um radinho portátil marca National. Depois liguei meu velho Transglobe que ainda está inteirão em matéria de funcionamento. Depois liguei meu rádio RX/TX digital marca ICOM 718 e o defeito da transmissão estava lá como em outros rádios. Liguei mais rádios que tenho. Esses harmônicos [sic] estão afetando a Guarujá Paulista, a Gazeta, a Itatiaia e um pouco a Senato que é colada à Guarujá de Floripa. Só não sei o e-mail da Guarujá para comunicar o técnico das ondas curtas. Já faz uns três dias que o fato se dá, OK? Forte 73 e boas escutas (Luiz Chaine Neto, Limeira, ibid.) ** BRAZIL. Rádio Educadora de Limeira --- Como as ondas tropicais só se propagam bem à noite, a rádio coloca o transmissor de 120m, 2380 kHz no ar após as 19h [22 UT] e assim permanece até o fim das madrugadas [sunrise], quando é desligado. Ontem, dia 1/8/2006, eu notei que o áudio estava um tanto saturado, ou esfarinhado, como se diz na gíria. Comuniquei o responsável pelo TX. Um abraço e boas escutas em geral (Luiz Chaine Neto Limeira -sp-, 2-7-2006, radioescutas via DXLD) Amigos, Uma dica aos colegas que gostam de buscar confirmações das emissoras (como eu e outros). A Rádio Educadora até há pouco tempo era boa pagadora de confirmações. Se tentarem enviar um informe de recepção pedindo a confirmação, quem sabe isso inclusive venha a estimula-los para manterem o sinal por um período maior, e não de forma ocasional. O endereço da Radio Educadora, é o do WRTH2006. Um abraço, (Rudolf Grimm, São Bernardo, SP, ibid.) ** CANADA. The CRTC has denied the application by Touch Canada Broadcasting Inc for a new AM station on 700 kHz, 50 kW D, 20 kW N: http://www.crtc.gc.ca/archive/ENG/Decisions/2006/db2006-326.htm As a result, WLW will be able to retain their Alberta audience (they were in the local Calgary newspaper radio listings in the 1930's, when they operated with 500 kW) Six new FM stations in the Calgary area were approved however. 73, (Deane McIntyre, VE6BPO, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Seriously, how much of a signal does WLW now have in Calgary? There are closer, but much lower powered stations now in WA, OR, CA and UT (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** CANARY ISLANDS [non]. La Voz de Canarias Libre info --- Those of you who received QSL from them may be interested in this article in Spanish by Antonio Cubillo, Secretario General del MPAIAC, Presidente del CNC, 30 ANIVERSARIO DE LA VOZ DE CANARIAS LIBRE. (3 Dec 2005): http://www.radioaventura.com/index.php?news=550 (F. Krone-DNK, Jul 22, 2006 in DXplorer-ML via CRW via DXLD) ** CHINA [and non]. VoA and jammers --- Voice of America and Chinese "firedrake" jammers 8/4/06 1128-1204: 11990, SINPO 14333 (Firedrake barely audible) - Tinian, MRA 11825, SINPO 13332 (Firedrake even with VoA) - Tinian, MRA 11785, SINPO 22332 (Firedrake prominent, but VoA clear none the less) - Udon Thani, THA. (SINPO is for VoA, not jamming signal.) Talk by M. and W., ID at ToH, apparent news headlines, VoA continuity at 1210, W. with long talk. It is unusual to get all three of these VoA frequencies in Mandarin at this time here. Usually just one of the firedrake jammers is audible. It is notable that at least at this location, the jammers were not fully effective on any of the 3 signals. I know that I'm half a world away from the intended signal for these broadcasts, but it tends to make Kim Andrew Elliott's point that Shortwave signals are difficult to intercept (Mark Taylor, Madison, WI, Aug 4, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) Glenn, Re Mark Taylor's last on Firedrake: I can hear Chinese music (the same) on all three of the frequencies he mentioned. There's a second station there on all three with Chinese language broadcast. So I guess Firedrake type jamming would be that music signal? Can you explain the exact meaning of "Firedrake" to me? I never paid attention when it was first defined. I am assuming it has something to do with jamming or type of jamming, but exactly what, I am not sure? Thanks (Chuck Bolland, FL, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Firedrake also referred to variously as ``crash and bang``, ``Chinese opera``, etc. It`s just the type of music, very energetic with lots of percussion, constantly loud and heavily modulated, which is exactly why the Chicom picked it for jamming purposes. It can be fun to listen to for a while, but eventually becomes grating, especially when you remember how it is being misused. As for the name Firedrake, this emerged some time after this type of music jamming was first monitored. You could search DXLDs for the first mention of the term a few years ago to find the discussion on that --- which I just did, in 3-199, under UZBEKISTAN: (Glenn Hauser, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ``Last year Chinese reports indicated that they [Chinese] were making no secret of radio broadcasts by the Uzbek services of Radio Liberty and the BBC being jammed by advanced methods, whereby traditional Chinese music called "firedrake" is transmitted. However, the reason that Chinese music may be heard only in Uzbekistan - whereas in neighbouring Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan, which border with China, it is hardly heard - is obscure. Source: Centrasia web site, Moscow, in Russian 0000 gmt 4 Nov 03 (via BBCM via DXLD)`` (via DXLD 6-116) ** CUBA. RHC, 9550, which normally comes in here like a metric tonne of brix, was remarkably weak Aug 4 at 1308, allowing a SAH of about 4 Hz to be detected with some other station it normally blankets. EiBi shows both CRI in Vietnamese and VOV in Mandarin on 9550 during this semi-hour --- a little radio-war going on there, Commies vs Commies vs Commies? Checked other RHC frequencies at 1320; 6000, 11760 and 12000 were fair to good, 11805 was missing allowing something from the FE to be audible, so RHC is having some kind of problem, political and/or battening down hatches for approaching tropical storm? Natch, jamming not missing on 13820, 11845 and 9955 (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** CUBA. Cuban hams off air? Read a report in the Palm Beach Post: http://www.palmbeachpost.com/pbcsouth/content/local_news/epaper/2006/08/03/m14a_CUBA_NO_TALK_0803.html saying that all Cuban hams may be off-air. This, if true, would be related to the recent illness of Uncle Fidel*. Gosh, I hope this ain't true. I have worked many fine ops down there, and hope to work one on 2 meters eventually (CO2OJ in Havana works 2m). Plus, with Hurricane Season coming up, the absence of hams down there would be inconvenient for the Cuban people, as they don't have access to such information as quickly as we do. I recall reading an entire bulletin to Eduardo, CO8LY, one afternoon a few years back as a storm approached the Island. Again, this all may be incorrect, but I haven't seen a CO/CM spotted on any band in the past could of days. Interesting. *In the Old Days, one might wonder if Fidel has a "Soviet Cold," like Andropov and Chernenko, et al. (Peter Baskind, J.D., LL.M., N4LI, Germantown, TN/EM55, Aug 3, WTFDA via DXLD) Explain that away, CO2KK (gh, DXLD) Viz.: RELATIVES REACH ISLAND, BUT NOBODY'S TALKING --- By Tania Valdemoro, Palm Beach Post Staff Writer, Thursday, August 03, 2006 MIAMI — For two days Uvaldo Jorge waited anxiously for word from his parents in Pinar del Rio, Cuba. Like other South Floridians, he worried about what they might be living through after the announcement that Fidel Castro, the island's supreme leader for nearly five decades, had handed over power to his brother, Raul. He finally heard from them Wednesday — via the Internet. "They e- mailed me that they are doing OK but they aren't going outside," said Jorge, of Homestead. "I have a feeling they are afraid." Jorge gave his parents a computer, and the Cuban government allows them to send e-mail, although they cannot access the Internet, he said. The couple is the exception in Cuba, where most people do not have computers. Jorge e-mailed them because he could not reach them by phone Tuesday. As more and more exiles try to get in touch with the island, some are finding an apparent communication crackdown has kicked in. Perhaps the worst-hit are ham radio operators who are reporting that their Cuban counterparts have been noticeably absent from the airwaves since Monday. Jorge Luaces, a licensed ham radio operator from Boca Ratón, listens every night to three different frequencies: the 20-, 40- and 80- sideband frequencies. He believes the state agency that regulates HAM radios has prevented radio operators in Cuba from tuning in. "I've been going from one end of the frequency to the other. Today when I checked, there was no one talking from Cuba," said Luaces, whose wife works for La Palma, The Palm Beach Post's Spanish-language weekly. Other Cuban exiles said they have had no problem using the telephone or e-mail to reach friends and relatives. The problem is: Once they connect, will people in Cuba tell them anything? At the Dollar Discount Mini Market in Little Havana, customers have been buying more Cuba phone cards since Monday, said Lucy Torres, the store's owner. Torres called her father, who lives in the eastern part of Cuba, on Wednesday. "How is he?" she asked, referring to President Fidel Castro. "He is fine," her father replied. "My father cannot say even one word about Castro's health," she said. "It's against the law. You know, the government listens to the phones." Some Cubans are less inclined to be reserved, despite the government's vigilance. On Wednesday, Luis Hernández called Miguel Saavedra, president of Vigilia Mambisa, from Cuba and told him the Cuban government began drafting men 18 years and older into the army two days ago. Vigilia Mambisa is a human rights group that gives food and medicine to Cuban detainees in the Bahamas. The Cuban government severely restricts people's Web access. Only 150,000 people in Cuba, or 1.3 percent, use the Internet, according to Internetworldstats.com. Compare that with the United States, where 203 million people or 68.7 percent of the population, are Internet users. But e-mail is a different story, and those who can send messages to friends and family in South Florida keep connected that way. "Most people in their offices in Cuba have e-mail access. They need it for work," said Uva de Aragón, associate director of the Cuban Research Institute at Florida International University. "I would think if anything, there would be less e-mail now. People are tense and scared. They are not willing to say things in writing that could get them in trouble." (via DXLD) I did a search on the DX Summit for CO and for CM and saw a couple listed for earlier today (Craig N0BSA, Aug 3, WTFDA via DXLD) ** CUBA. PERIODISTAS DE LA RADIO DEVUELTOS DESDE CUBA --- TOMADO DE "CUBANET" El gobierno bloquea el acceso de la prensa extranjera a la Isla / CubaNet News - Noticias de Cuba / Cuba News [sic, correct:] http://www.cubanet.org/CNews/y06/ago06/03o5.htm Periodistas de Chile y Perú denuncian haber sido devueltos de Cuba. La Habana cancela las visas periodísticas otorgadas a tres reporteros europeos. Agencias. 3 de agosto de 2006 Encuentro en la Red http://www.cubaencuentro.com/ Dos periodistas, uno peruano y otro chileno, denunciaron este miércoles haber sido devueltos, junto a otros dos colegas estadounidenses, al intentar ingresar a Cuba para informar desde La Habana sobre la salud del presidente Fidel Castro, reportó AFP. El periodista Álvaro Ugaz, de la radio peruana RPP, indicó telefónicamente a su emisora desde Panamá, donde llegó "reembarcado" desde La Habana en un vuelo comercial de la aerolínea COPA, que las autoridades del aeropuerto José Martí le impidieron la entrada con visa de turista. Ugaz aseveró que las autoridades cubanas negaron igualmente el ingreso a otros dos periodistas estadounidenses, uno de The Miami Herald y otro de Los Ángeles Times. Por su parte, el periodista chileno de Radio Cooperativa, Mario Antonio Guzmán, ratificó la versión y afirmó que "los cubanos han instalado una barrera absoluta para la prensa internacional" que llega a La Habana. Ugaz dijo que la orden conminatoria que recibió de una funcionaria del aeropuerto fue "súbase para el avión", tras una hora de espera e interrogatorio sobre las razones de su estancia y de cómo iba a informar sobre la evolución de la salud de Castro. "Los periodistas que lleguen a La Habana serán expulsados. Las autoridades cubanas sólo aceptan a los corresponsales acreditados, los que no cuentan con permiso serán expulsados", aseguró el corresponsal. Dijo que las autoridades le informaron que a los periodistas que deseen viajar este mes a La Habana deben tramitar una visa de trabajo especial, que tarda 21 días. "Hemos sufrido el rigor de la barrera cubana para informar sobre la situación de su comandante en jefe Fidel Castro", agregó el periodista chileno. "Nos informaron que los colegas que ingresaron como turistas en estos días serán expulsados", relató el enviado de la chilena Radio Cooperativa. A pesar de la distinción invocada entre visas turísticas y periodísticas, La Habana también negó el permiso de entrada a tres reporteros europeos de diferentes medios, que deseaban viajar a la Isla e hicieron las respectivas solicitudes hace varias semanas. Según fuentes políticas europeas, los periodistas fueron informados de que sus visas habían sido canceladas "por los últimos acontecimientos en Cuba" (via Oscar de Céspedes (Miami, FL), condig list via DXLD) ** CUBA [and non]. A NEW TRANSITION IN CUBA By Nicholas Shumaker, Truthdig, August 3, 2006. Perhaps the best and most costly example of U.S. inefficiency in the fight for a democratic Cuba can be seen in Radio Martí and Television Martí. Founded in 1985 and 1990, respectively, and with station headquarters in Miami [but not until much later, originally in Wáshington --- gh], Radio and Television Martí have sought to broadcast shortwave radio and satellite television to the Cuban people. The 150 full-time employees create crude news and original programming that vie to undermine Castro. The problem, though, is that hardly anyone in Cuba is tuning in. Around the same time as the programs began, Castro undertook measures to ensure that they would be received by as few Cubans as possible: He installed a shortwave station on the same channel to muddle Radio Marti's reception and actively jammed the signal of Television Marti. Even one of Fidel's seven-hour ramble sessions is preferable to the static-filled noise that remains. Statistically, Castro's preventive measures seem to have paid off. In a 2001 study, the Board of Broadcast Governors surveyed a thousand Cubans to gauge the effectiveness of TV Marti. Of those queried, 997 had not watched it in the previous week. The same government organization performed a similar survey earlier that found that nine out of 10 Cubans had never even heard of TV Marti. One might suppose that these statistics would catch the attention of the CAFC, which would recommend the abolition of the money pit. The CAFC, though, advised a contrary course, recommending a huge increase in funding to break the Castro regime's information blockade -- including the purchase of a $10-million plane designed to boost Television Marti's signal. In all, according to a report in The Panama News, the U.S. has sunk nearly $500 million into Radio and TV Marti since their inceptions. The figure bears repeating: $500 million. Enough to film and market two Superman movies. If, as is the case with network and cable television, budgeting and green-lighting for Radio and TV Marti were determined by Nielsen ratings, they would have been unceremoniously dumped quicker than the late Aaron Spelling's one-off 1994 dud, "Robin's Hoods." But government bureaucrats and Miami-based lobbyists seem content to pour more and more money into a failed vehicle that they hope, one day, will discover an audience. Extract from http://www.alternet.org/story/39804/ (via Mike Terry, dxldyg via DXLD) While his basic point may be correct, this demonstrates a deep lack of understanding about how shortwave works: ``He installed a shortwave station on the same channel to muddle Radio Marti's reception`` RM has only one SW channel? It`s apparently beyond him that SW stations operate on multiple channels, including R. Martí, currently on three or two at a time, 24 hours a day, and originally for many years it was four. SW signals can overcome jamming, for reasons I should not have to explain to an SWL readership. Furthermore, he ignores the major MW channel 1180, which can also get thru the co- channel interference simply by nulling it out, turning the radio around. The solution is not to give up, or mess with balloons, TV planes, at great expense, but to barrage the target with many more powerful SW transmissions, which will spread the dentroCuban countermeasures thinner. It so happens the IBB has a lot of SW transmitters in Greenville and Delano that are no longer put to full use, and I am sure private broadcasters would be glad to sell their spare capacity. Another tactic which has never been employed by R. Martí would be to switch frequencies unpredictably, forcing the jammers to do the same, but there would always be a lag, with RM in the clear for a while until they caught up --- or force the dentroCubans to multiply their jamming expenditures in order to cover all possible frequencies. Of course, this also makes it hard on the listener, but those really motivated to listen would adjust their dials as needed. Frequency-hopping is employed by other jammed services, e.g. Sawt al- Amel, V. of Tibet. To be done properly, however, it would require careful coördination in order to avoid collateral damage to other broadcasters, but it could be done --- especially on the higher SW bands which are not so crowded, and which as a matter of fact, are less jamming-prone as long as they are below the prevailing MUF. Unfortunately none of this would improve the effectiveness of R. Martí programming --- that`s another story --- but would at least make it more audible in Cuba. One more thing we should not let the dentrocubanos get away with: they blame the US for all things counterrevolutionary, including Radio and TV Martí. It is in fact the fueracubanos who run these things and have control of them --- too much, in fact. Fellow Cubans, who are exiled, are responsible, not primarily the US government. The dentrocubanos are reluctant to acknowledge their main opposition comes from fueracubanos, not the damn yanquis (Glenn Hauser, DX LISTENING DIGEST) This author doesn't know much about the SW, that's for sure. But he still wrote a rather insightful article. I read the whole thing. Maybe I'm mistaken but didn't R. Martí run on only one SW frequency at a time for a while in the 90s? Then, the Cubans shot down two US planes over their (?) territory in 1996 and the US responded with lots of things, including the parallel SW frequencies for R. Martí and extra hours for TV Martí. Of course, TV Martí is one of those peculiar things in the history of international broadcasting... Can those visiting Cuba comment on the quality of R. Martí's jamming in Cuba? I would guess the station is still audible there, albeit with a noise (Sergei Sosedkin, IL, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) I don`t recall RM ever using only one SW frequency, but am not positive about this (Glenn Hauser, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ENOUGH ADVICE ABOUT RADIO/TV MARTÍ TO FILL A CASTRO-STYLE FIVE HOUR SPEECH (updated). See the (currently) top item at http://www.kimandrewelliott.com with numerous linx (gh, DXLD) ** CUBA [non]. We have another new program, Radio Cuba Libre, sponsored by the Municipios de Cuba en el Exilio, which is scheduled to start next Monday. It will be Monday-Saturday mornings 0600-0900 UT on 9955, and will include segments from various other Cuban groups. There are at least two more Cuban organizations that are thinking of resuming transmissions -- one probably next week (Hijos de Bayamo). Now I need to put together the weekend schedule, but it will have to be tomorrow. A very fluid week, I'm afraid (Jeff White, WRMI, Aug 4, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** EL SALVADOR. Video about Radio Venceremos and R. Farabundo Martí at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PfJR-aH9S2M 73 (Horacio A. Nigro, Montevideo, Uruguay, Aug 4, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) This has been up since Feb 7, and I think we have already referenced it, but worth spending 2:09 on again. Includes shots of RV and RFM announcers doing IDs, audio and video badly out of sync; dipole antennas (Glenn Hauser, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** EUROPE [and non]. Hi Glenn, Just a note to let you know that I received a QSL Card from MAC Shortwave [N American pirate; no details] for my e-mail reception report on 6 June 2006. Red and blue MAC logo on front, full data on back, power listed as 100 watts. I am now awaiting a response from Mystery Radio on 6218 kHz for my e- mail report to radio6220 @ hotmail.com Has anyone received a QSL from them lately? 73's, (Ed Insinger, Aug 3, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** FINLAND [and non]. Re: ``you might want to use 11690 instead of 11720 to avoid HCJB which is now on 11720 at 23-01 UT. 73, Glenn, to Alpo, June 30)`` Hi Glenn, We are still keeping former schedule because following stations have been included time you mentioned. We do not like same times and frequencies as some nearby stations or strong international BC's like VOA. On 11720 kHz there has not mentioned other broadcasters (in my sources). So we are on 11720 kHz also that time 23-01 UT you mentioned. Changes if needed will be taken in use from September 2006. 11690.0 Chinese Jammer 0000-0100 1234567 Mandarin CHN 11690.0 R.VILNIUS 0000-0030 1234567 Lithuanian eNA LTU AM Foreign Service 0030-0100 1234567 English eNA 11690.0 VOICE OF AMERICA 0000-0100 1234567 Tibetan cASw (Alpo Heinonen, Scandinavian Weekend Radio, August 3, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Alpo, OK; I had not checked out 11690, and under the circumstance if that and 11720 are your only choices, 11720 may be better. However, HCJB certainly did move to 11720 in June, and dominates the frequency here. This was in DXLD 6-081, and a few issues later I had confirmed the move: ``As of June 5, 2006, we will move to the listed frequency of 11720 [Spanish 2300-0100 currently on 11700]. I'm not exactly sure why a discrepancy occurred between the Quito and the Pifo facilities, but it was most likely my error. I now know some other areas to check when preparing the information to send to Pifo, and how to check what they input into the system there. In no way to we want to cause problems for Bulgaria. All the best from a rainy Quito (Allen C. Graham, June 1, DX LISTENING DIGEST)`` The problem there was that Bulgaria and HCJB were both on 11700, in a big collision as far as we are concerned. HCJB will certainly prevent your being heard on 11720 in the Americas during those two hours, but of course the chances of your making it even without HCJB are slim. It would be interesting to know if listeners in Europe find HCJB a problem with your next broadcast (or did in July). One day I do hope to manage to pick you up on one frequency or another. 73, (Glenn to Alpo, via DXLD) [earlier:] OK, found that HCJB's schedule from HFCC. But still keeping that frequency in use on August 4-5th (Alpo, ibid.) Viz.: SCANDINAVIAN WEEKEND RADIO 4-5TH AUGUST Welcome to listen SWR's August transmission, 24 hours on 1602 KHz MW and on SW's....! Reception reports are highly appreciated and specially important is info of best and worsiest times on each frequency as well as knowledge of source and type of interference. All correct reports with handling cost of 2 Euro/2 IRC's (correctly stamped!) will be verified with our QSL-card. Postal address for reports is SWR, P O Box 99, 34801 Virrat Finland. More info can be found: http://www.swradio.net Programme schedule (times local Finnish time) [SUBTRACT 3H FOR UT] 00-08 Open Studio - SWR Crew 08-10 Huomenta - Good Morning Virrat by Häkä 10-12 Studiossa Dj. Miki 12-13 SDXL kesäkokous 2006 Korpilahti 13-14 Studiossa Kartza 14-16 Suomi Tänään by Häkä ja Pena-setä Kansainväliset suotutkijat pohjanmaan soilla 16-17 SDXL kesäkokous 2006 Korpilahti. 2. esitys17-18 Pohjanmaa vuonna nolla by Olavi Letku ja Tenho Liiteri 18-19 Open studio - SWR Crew 19-21 Studiossa Dj Peeveli 21-22 Saunan lämmitys - Warming up the Sauna by Häkä 22-23 Studiossa Dj Peeveli ja jotain outoa 23-24 Closing seremony by Häkä Here's our A06 schedule for this transmission day: MW 24 hours 1602 kHz 48 MB 00-01 (21-22 UT) 6170 kHz 01-06 (22-03 UT) 5980 kHz 06-19 (03-16 UT) 6170 kHz 19-21 (16-18 UT) 5980 kHz 21-24 (18-21 UT) 6170 kHz 25 MB 00-09 (21-06 UT) 11720 kHz 09-14 (06-11 UT) 11690 kHz 14-21 (11-18 UT) 11720 kHz 21-24 (18-21 UT) 11690 kHz 73 (Alpo Heinonen, Scandinavian Weekend Radio, Aug 4, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** FRANCE [non]. RFI and TDF Montsinéry still don`t have their act together: tuned in 15515 at 1330 Aug 4 to find open carrier, and programming not joined until about 1330:15, already in progress (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** GERMANY. Re 6-115, Oldiestar: This is the dominant signal on 1575 at 2130 UT on 2nd August here near York, England. And when it switches to DRM I assume it will wipe out everything else (Steve Whitt, MWC via DXLD) Hello all, This may be going over old ground, but is DRM on the medium wave band so inevitable that we must all just sit here and wait until our hobby is consigned to history? Will we look back in a few years' time to this, the last solar minimum that we could enjoy good DX? Ought we, as valid listeners, be campaigning to the ITU to preserve analogue AM by restricting DRM to certain frequencies? Does the ITU need to approve changes to transmission modes? Is it pointless because all current AM broadcasters will eventually want to move to DRM or some other digital medium, so even if analogue frequencies are preserved there would be no demand to use them? Contentious questions that have been on my mind a while (Andrew Brade, ibid.) I cannot understand what our dimwit legislators are thinking. Every home throughout EU must have at least two AM radios. They are to be rendered obsolete at massive cost to the populous, and there has been no mention of the pollution that dumping will cause. Or will it be free radios to the lesser well off, but more sensible nations of our World? Besides DRM is not a sonic improvement anyway. Cheers (Graham Maynard, ibid.) Re 6-115: ``Tschüß, (Martin http://home.wolfsburg.de/elbe/ Elbe, Aug 2, MWDX yg via DXLD) Tschüß = Geez? (gh, DXLD)`` Tschüß = bye. Just Martin's usual closing, although it's ambiguous here. [like Schluß?] This morning Martin observed VOR English on 1575, as usual announced as service for Asia and Australia, entirely ignoring that it's on mediumwave in Germany as well. Right now, after 1900 UT, 1575 carries Russkoye Mezhdunarodnoye Radio, with a considerable delay of about two seconds behind 1431 etc., so probably routed through the advertised Oldiestar studio at Magdeburg. The matter still needs to be established further, but it appears that all the guessing about VOR via Burg comes to an end now. Under these circumstances I also expect 1575 to be run in AM for the time being: VOR wants to reach real-world audiences via all the mediumwave outlets they lease in Germany. What also needs to be established are some technical details in regard of the antenna configuration. The remaining pipe mast at Burg had been connected with upcoming VOR transmissions, so it is possible that they use it for the 1575 transmitter now. It is also possible that they use more audio bandwidth than in the Megaradio days now; at least there is no 4.5 kHz cut-off as on many other German transmitters. Some dedicated AM audio processing is in use as well, together with the broad audio indicating an AM set-up, not just a DRM modulator running in AM mode. By the way, last night it had been noted on a certain song that the Oldiestar modulation was in fact only the right channel of a stereo signal, not a proper mix-down of both channels (Kai Ludwig, Germany, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) Just now (1255 UT Aug 3) both 1575 and 531 kHz with open carrier only. Looks like work on the transmitters is going on. 1575 kHz had relays of Voice of Russia this morning at 0700, carrying English to Australia! Much lower signals than yesterday, so most likely 10 kW daytime power only instead of 250 or even 500 kW at night. I have no clue for what this nonsense is good for. Now the Russians are running 603, 630, 693, 1323, 1431 and 1575 kHz from Germany! They are using more frequencies than Deutschlandfunk ever had! I have no clue, who is paying for this, but I'm quite sure, that it's not being paid by Russia and suspect, that the German taxpayer has to cover this. 73 (Martin http://home.wolfsburg.de/elbe/ Elbe mwdx yg via DXLD) Martin, are you able to tell us when Oldiestar is on air on 1575 kHz?? I live in Malmö, Sweden 150 km from Putbus, Rugen. Hope to pic-up 1575 in my car after sunset !!!! http://www.radio603.info.se (Roy Sandgren, ibid.) Should be possible with a wet shoestring as an antenna. Checked at around 1600 UT, open carrier then. Now, 1710, it's Voice of Russia in Russian. I have no clue when Oldiestar will test again, but at least the transmitter is on and working. -- 73, (Martin Elbe, ibid.) Hello all, At 2100 I am hearing VOR at VERY low modulation level on 1575. R Farda is giving Burg a real fight and did so also on Wednesday evening with full (and bumpy) modulation on Burg. 73 (Olle Alm, Sweden, Aug 3, via Kai Ludwig, DXLD) During the last day again some maintenance took place at Burg, with all transmitters (including the 139 kHz utility signal) being off air. Apparently they reduced the audio level on this occasion, probably after noting some distortion. At 2200 programming again changed from VOR to Oldiestar, with a short carrier break in between, so apparently the switch indeed takes place within the transmitter installation. Before the break a crossfade from RMR to Sodruzhestvo could be observed, making me wonder about the feed they use. The Oldiestar programming now on air included also a reference to DRM, alongside a rather misleading 104.9 ID. Well, I assume the guy simply could not be sure when he recorded the voice tracks. However, the observed delay could indicate that the transmitter is equipped with a DRM modulator, since it is quite similar to the delay of 177 kHz. The carrier break in between VOR and Oldiestar even suggests a scenario with Oldiestar going DRM but VOR staying AM. The signal level here leaves something to be deserved, with quite a lot of fading, so I suspect that they indeed use the remaining pipe mast as antenna. I hope my contacts will have time to get in touch with T-Systems to find out (Kai Ludwig, Germany, Aug 3, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Hi Glenn: Last night I tried 1575 kHz where Oldiestar Radio has been reported. From 2100 UT I heard the Voice of Russia in Russian with the usual "Radiokompanya Golos Rossii" identification until local midnight, 2200 UT, when the transmitter switched to Oldiestar Radio with a non-stop oldies program, announced in German of course. It is possible that they changed from 500 to 100 kW for the Oldiestar transmission, at least the signal became weaker with more QRM from RNT in France and Radio Farda in UAE. I have sent a reception report by E- mail and hope for more information on these transmissions. Best regards, (Ullmar Qvick, Sweden, Aug 4, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** GUAM [non]. Re 6-115: Hello Glenn, Those transmitters at AWR were part of the Apartheid of South Africa and they were there to block outside transmissions some years ago during a former regime. AWR bought 5 of `em to replace theirs (Larry Fields, n6hpx/mm enroute to Singapore, swl at qth.net via DXLD) ** HAWAII. 1180, KHCM, Honolulu --- Per 7/21 visit to its new offices on North King Street, station is slated to exchange frequencies with KORL-690 in early August. This would mark KHCM's fourth channel in two years, having already been on 940 & 1170. (5P-HI) (Dale Park, HI, IRCA Soft DX Monitor Aug 5 via DXLD) I think 5P is short for his old WPE SWL call, but why not use ``DP``? (gh, DXLD) ** ICELAND [and non]. It was a bit of sadness for me that Keflavik AB, Iceland and its AFN station closed. When I got there in 1958, it was TFK-1530 and sister TFK-TV. When we got off the plane, it was on to the station for the "Welcome aboard" program. Each of us stood on the spot and recited our name and hometown. We had an Air Force nurse along. When she got in front of the camera, the announcer said "Welcome abroad." They didn't cut it out before airing it on radio and TV that evening. The AM station was rather noisy and the TV snowy. I was in charge of Explosive Ordnance Disposal and had little time for radio as the Army shot on their range during the summer, the Air Force flew the old F-89s loaded with air-to-air rockets and the Navy flew anti-submarine missions, usually bombing killer whales for practice. In between we disposed of tons of explosive ordnance which was stored outside and deteriorated in a hurry. I did have an AM radio, passed on by somebody going back to the states. Besides TFK, I could get the BBC home service on one frequency. That was it! I finally took up semi- serious DXing the following year in Germany. 73s to you all from Col. DX. (R. C. Watts, Louisville, Kentucky 40220-3016, IRCA Soft DX Monitor August 5 via DXLD) ** INDONESIA. VOI is exactly one kHz off-frequency, accounting for the horrible het when conflicting with 9525 stations. Aug 4 at 1305, VOI news in Indonesian on 9526.0; otherwise, good audio. Now why would they do that? Sloppy punching? (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) See also LIBERIA [non] ** ISRAEL. ISRAEL TO IMPOSE TOUGH NEW RULES ON AMATEURS (Aug 3, 2006) Link to this story http://www.arrl.org/?artid=6658 According to the Radio Society of Great Britain (RSGB), Israeli authorities have imposed "draconian new rules" on radio amateurs. Effective January 2007, many of Israel's radio amateurs will not be able operate their radio equipment unless it has been inspected and authorized by government officials. The requirement follows ratification of a new law aimed at preventing harmful radiation from radio equipment, RSGB says. Amateurs who operate only VHF and UHF equipment at an output below 20 W are exempt. Radio amateurs also will have to obtain permits to erect antenna support structures, and these will only be granted if the licensee can demonstrate that the installation will not cause harmful radiation. The new rules provide that operation of Amateur Radio equipment without the proper permits will be considered a criminal offense. According to a spokesman for Israeli amateurs, the harsh new rules followed in the wake of public concern regarding the safety of cellular telephone masts. The RSGB notes that no study has shown any evidence of harmful radiation from cellular or from Amateur Radio installations. Earlier this year, Moshe Galili of the Israeli Ministry of Communications told the Israel Amateur Radio Club annual general meeting that his agency was working toward an across-the-board exemption for Amateur Radio with respect to the non-ionizing radiation law adopted last December, which covers RF sources as well as magnetic and electrical fields from power lines (ARRL via W0WOI and via John Norfolk, dxldyg via DXLD) ** ISRAEL [non]. Re 6-115: David Crystal was indeed on Live from Turkey, Thursday August 3 at 1250 on 15450. Unfortunately reception was not very clear, so I only got bits and pieces. Mentioned that there were at first military press briefings every evening at 7, but these were dropped 3 days into the war --- too much going on to keep up with. There was some disruption to his entertainment TV, however, upon which he depends since he has no transportation. Such shows, even tho reruns, were relegated to post-midnight, so he was staying up for those and trying to sleep in the daytime. The hosts pointed out that unlike Israelis, Lebanese civilians did not have bomb shelters to rush to. It seems some disused schools in northern Israel have been converted to this purpose (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** JAPAN. CONFERMA DEFINITIVA R. GIAPPPONE IN ITALIANO CHIUDE NEL 2007 Thank you for your valuable comments. Ciao! In seguito ad un mio messaggio IN ITALIANO inviato alla redazione Italiana della NHK, ecco la risposta IN INGLESE ricevuta.....oggi (Dario Monferini, Italy, Aug 4, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Viz.: ----- Original Message ----- From: nhkworld @ nhk.jp Sent: Friday, August 04, 2006 11:27 AM Subject: Re: Thank you for your valuable comments. Dear Dario Monferini, Thank you very much for tuning into Radio Japan. We thank you for your comments. We apologize for having taken long to reply to you. NHK faces demands to foster greater understanding of Japan by expanding the content and reach of the television component of its international broadcasts. The international radio service has therefore been subject to a review, in accordance with the three-year NHK Corporate Plan unveiled in January this year, which attaches greater importance to international television. With the development of a diverse range of broadcasting and telecommunications technologies, major international broadcasters around the world have scaled down their shortwave services, and shifted their attention to the likes of wider-reaching TV services. A vast amount of money would also be required to replace ageing transmitter facilities. The NHK receiving fees paid by the Japanese public must be put to more efficient use at a time when NHK faces financial difficulties, an issue of which you are undoubtedly aware. We have ultimately had to review the shortwave transmissions of Radio Japan, and make a number of tough decisions. Radio Japan will end its shortwave services to North America, Hawaii, and Europe (excluding the Russian-language service). Radio Japan will also be ending its Malay, Italian, German, and Swedish-language services. These changes are due to take place in October 2007. Until then, we hope, of course, that you will continue to enjoy listening to Radio Japan. Regrettably, we cannot fully express our gratitude for all of the encouragement and support you have provided to Radio Japan over the years. We trust you will understand the painful decisions we have been forced to make, and continue to show an interest in NHK. We look forward to your continued support of NHK World. With kindest regards, NHK World Radio Japan nhkworld @ nhk.jp (via Dario Monferini, DXLD) And Henrik Klemetz, Sweden received exactly the same message, in English. The least they could do would be to reply for now in the doomed languages, while they still can (Glenn Hauser, DXLD) ** JAPAN. Radio Nikkei, Tokyo, Japón. QSL-card, datos completos. Corresponde a un informe de recepción de la transmisión en 3925 kHz del 8 de julio a las 1015 UT, acompañado de un CD con grabación en formatos MP3 y WAV. Indica la potencia como 50 kW y la transmisión como "1st Prgr." Además indica: "The programs you heard was "Telnet- In" and "Cinema Street". Thank you!". No V/S, ni indicación del sitio de transmisión. El diseño de la tarjeta es muy similar a la imágen que aparece en el sitio web http://www.radionikkei.jp presentando 5 círculos conteniendo en su interior dibujos de personas realizando diferentes actividades y recibiendo la estación por los diversos medios en que transmite (radio, internet, teléfono celular, etc.). Demoró 22 días. 1 IRC. 73 (Moisés Knochen, Montevideo, Uruguay, Aug 3, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** KOREA NORTH [non]. Shiokaze, 9485 via Taiwan at 1300-1330 UT, was coming in a bit better on Thursday August 3 than the day before, but this time it was all in Korean, with similar format as in English. At least I think it was Korean; it can be a bit confusing when you hear key words such as ``pangsong`` but also Japanese keywords such as ``tampa``. Anyhow, no English on Thursday either, contrary to DX Mix News in 6-114; really, the language rotation may just be random. Friday Aug 4 at 1302 was in English again, but poor reception here, partly due to having to use indoor antenna because of T-storm (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** LEBANON [and non]. This video is showing you what U haven't seen on CNN and BBC :( what really happened in Qana. Video Description --- A report by "Mazen Ibrahim" from Aljazeera channel on the Qana Massacre 2 in western media. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l_XHmLNKjpk Thanks, (Tarek Zeidan, Cairo, Egypt, Aug 2, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Also leads to other contrary videos, such as this one: ``Great rebuttal by CNN anchor against a Israel Spokeswoman`` (Glenn Hauser, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** LIBERIA [non]. 9525.0, Star Radio (presumed) via Ascension, Aug. 3, 0728-0800*, greetings and messages, with contact information read by YL in English, with many mentions of Liberia. Poor, hovering at threshold level most of the time, no ID heard. At 0736, VOI (9525.98) carrier on, which caused a slight het. Thanks to Raúl Saavedra for his log in DXLD (Ron Howard, Monterey, CA, RX340, with T2FD antenna, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) See also INDONESIA ** LIBYA [and non]. African music jammer, axually more African- American sounding, on 17635 aside ANO 17630, Aug 4 at 1328 check, and with a SAH on 17635 indicating it was blocking some other station, Sawt al-Amel? (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** MALAYSIA. EXTERNAL RADIO, VOICE OF MALAYSIA GOES LIVE ON THE WEB Public broadcaster Radio Television Malaysia (RTM) has now made available its overseas service, Voice of Malaysia, live on the web. This is accessible on two audio streams from the organization's recently redesigned website at http://www.rtm.net.my Most of RTM's national domestic networks have been available on live streams for some time, subject to free registration. Now all five are online and no longer require registration. These are: Nasional FM - National 24-hour general service in Malay Muzik FM - National 24-hour music presented in Malay Traxx FM - National 24-hour general service in English Ai FM - National 24-hour general service in Mandarin and other Chinese languages Minnal FM - National 24-hour general service in Tamil Also available: KLFM - 24-hour general service for the capital Asyik FM - Regional general service presented in Orang Asli. 0500-1300 Klasik FM - Music service for the capital, presented in Malay. 0400- 1600 gmt RTM's two national television channels are also available on live video streams from the website: TV1 (labelled "Inforia Channel") broadcasts in Malay and is on the air 2145-1800 gmt daily. TV2 (labelled "Family Channel") is on the air round the clock in Malay, English, Mandarin and Tamil. Programme guides for both services are available on the site. The site also has links to the individual websites of most of the RTM national radio networks and regional broadcasters. Source: BBC Monitoring research, 2 Aug 06 (via DXLD) As Ron Howard already reported here. Link to VOM not obvious. Click on ``radio`` and get this: http://www.rtm.net.my/radio/html_bi/index.html which has a drop down ``Select to Listen Live`` -- mash Streaming after selecting VOM1 mms://a1407.l2475255406.c24752.g.lm.akamaistream.net/D/1407/24752/v0001/reflector:55406 or VOM2 mms://a1642.l2475255641.c24752.g.lm.akamaistream.net/D/1642/24752/v0001/reflector:55641 When checked around 0030 August 4, both played, but silently. Perhaps one of them works at 0600-0825 when the ES in English is scheduled, preceded by Voice of Islam from 0300. And what`s the difference between VOM1 and VOM2? [Later:] Yes, rechecked at 0425 Aug 4, vom1 was funxional with an Islamic sermon in English --- something you don`t hear every day, but now we can thanks to Malaysia --- however, with annoying continuous scratching interference. vom2 was still playing silently. When I got back to vom1, there was a commentary about fighting in southern Thailand, and at 0432 a travelog, starting with some rock music. Hmmm, this is hardly a Holy Qur`an Service (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) There`s always some problem of online broadcast; the Chinese programme often breaks down on 1115 UT, windows media player can’t open the file from 1115, so the Chinese programme only can be heard from 1030 to 1115. I’ve sent a mail to the Chinese section for this problem (lenfant, August 4th, 2006 at 11:40, Media Network blog via DXLD) ** MEXICO. More copies of the XEHN 1130 story already in 6-115: http://www.inspiremagazine.org.uk/news.aspx?action=view&id=330 (via Art Blair, DXLD; via Mike Terry, dxldyg via DXLD) ** MOLDOVA. RADIO PRIDNESTROVIE TURNS FIFTEEN Radio Pridnestrovie (Transdniester) celebrates its 15th anniversary today. The station was officially inaugurated on August 3, 1991, in accordance with the Presidential Decree. At that time it informed its listeners about the military aggression of the Moldova's nationalists and their genocide against the Transdniester people. Initially, the station could be heard only locally, via the wire radio network. Soon, Radio Pridnestrovie started producing a 40-minute news magazine for distribution on the regional radio stations in Russia. On March 17, 1992 Radio Pridnestrovie began broadcasting on a one-kilowatt AM transmitter located at Dubossary. The major breakthrough occurred on May 7, 1992 when Radio Pridnestrovie got an access to Mayak radio transmitting center. Several times the Moldovan nationalists tried to destroy the center. However, the national guard and the technical personnel of the center repulsed all the terrorist attacks coming from Moldova. Radio Pridnestrovie has fulfilled its objective of truthfully covering the situation in the Republic. Source: TIRAS, The Information Agency of Transdniester Moldovan Republic, 08.03.2006. Full news report in Russian at: http://www.tiras.ru/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=1913 (via Sergei Sosedkin, IL, dxldyg via DXLD) ** NETHERLANDS [non]. Since 9895 and 9890 are RN`s favourite frequencies, I was surprised to hear Dutch on 9900, at 1312 August 4, interview on phone about ME situation, 1317 with English actuality // 13735. Per posted sked this is no accident but 1300-1400 Khabarovsk 9900 218 100 Dutch E + SE Asia --- So off the back would be 38 degrees, close (Glenn Hauser, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** NETHERLANDS ANTILLES. Unusual situation this August 3rd [means UT 4th?] at 0040 from RNW Spanish service, 15315, with huge splatter ranging from 15285 to 15335. Altho from nearby Bonaire relay, guess this transmitter disadjustment had to be perceptible in faraway locations. Frankly, I can't recall on RNW with this malfunctions (Raúl Saavedra, Costa Rica, Aug 4, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) Thanks for the report, Raul. The two Philips transmitters in Bonaire are nearly 40 years old. That's why Radio Netherlands is investing in two new AM/DRM transmitters. Like all old things (and old people) they have good days and bad days. Obviously 3 August was one of the latter. Our colleagues in Bonaire will do their best to keep them going until the new ones are ready at the end of next year. Obviously anything that causes interference to other broadcasters is an urgent matter, so I will pass this information on to my technical colleagues. Perhaps you would be kind enough to let us know if the problem persists (Andy Sennitt, Radio Netherlands, ibid.) ** NIGER. Considering the logs circulated in DXLD, A-DX and elsewhere it seems likely that La Voix du Sahel is back to full schedule 0500- 2200/2300, mostly the latter. In Europe, also mid-day reception is not completely unlikely. Signal in the evening is usually stronger now than neighboring Ethiopia. 73 (Thorsten Hallmann, Münster, Germany, http://www.africalist.de.ms Aug 4, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** NIGERIA [and non]. Yesterday, August 3, VON was heard on 15120 instead of 7255 with the WAf/EAf service: Languages as follows: 1500 Kiswahili, 1530 Yoruba, 1600 Igbo. Most of the provisional schedules are wrong at this point (Thorsten Hallmann, Münster, Germany, http://www.africalist.de.ms Aug 4, DX LISTENING DIGEST) If Hausa is the language we daily hear from the Voice of Nigeria between 2200-2300, on 7255, something happened this August 3rd as I checked this frequency around 2230 and told myself ``another West Africa failing`` as has been reported, and I have heard too, RTG Conakry has been off, but today was back on regular 7125. Well, I went to 15120 expecting to find nothing and voilà! ---Impressive signal from VON, flanked by splatters from REE 15110 and WYFR 15130 in Portuguese. I wonder why doesn`t VON better use this frequency instead of 7255. Must be a great channel for reception here in Tiquicia, but useless for their local purposes. Anyway, fading comes around 2250 as they were with some Qur`an readings, mentions of Nigeria and their NA past 2300 (Raúl Saavedra, Costa Rica, Aug 3, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** RUSSIA [non]. VOR relayed on 1575 kHz: see GERMANY ** SOUTH AFRICA. See GUAM [non] ** SPAIN. Radio World article on Playa de Pals --- Full article with photos: http://snipurl.com/udya (Mike Barraclough, UK, Aug 4, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Doesn`t work (gh) Hello Glenn, tiny url followed by full link below, someone else on the bdxc-uk list said the shortened links were not working for him; both the tiny and snip links work here: http://tinyurl.com/n4kzs http://www.rwonline.com/reference-room/special-report/2006.08.02-06_rwf_playa_end.shtml (Mike Barraclough, ibid.) Viz., but do look at the photos --- THE DEMISE OF PLAYA DE PALS: FINAL CHAPTER --- With the dynamiting of the 13 antenna support towers, the installation of one of the world's great shortwave stations has been destroyed beyond recuperation. by David L. Hollyer Photo by Jep Bogunya, courtesy http://www.radioliberty.org [captions] Photo courtesy http://www.torroellaestartit.com and http://www.radioliberty.org It took only a few seconds and about 32 pounds of dynamite to bring down and destroy $10 million worth of technically sophisticated antennas that had taken years to design and construct. The destruction brings to an end an era that utilized high-power shortwave stations to reach the Soviet Union with news and information with broadcasts in its own languages. In this field, the station at Playa de Pals on Spain's Costa Brava, with its specially designed antenna arrays, was one of the most effective shortwave stations to reach the Soviet Union on first hop - and Central Asia on second hop, with a little slewing. It had done this job for the United States government for more than 40 years. In the March 1, 2003 issue of Radio World, I described the process that closed the shortwave operation at Playa de Pals and turned back the land to the Spanish government, "mothballing" the installation and leaving its ultimate fate in limbo. One option was destruction of the antenna to clear the land for eventual use as a park. Now it has happened. Cheering destruction During the afternoon of Wednesday, March 22, the company charged with blowing up the antennas sounded the warning, cleared everyone from the beach and touched a button that fired off dynamite charges on the towers and brought them down. The self-supporting towers for Antenna Group "A" and "C" were felled by exploding charges at their bases. The remaining guyed towers that supported Antenna Groups "B" and "D" were knocked down by destroying one of the three guys on each tower, causing them to fall toward the beach. It was heartbreaking to those of us who had worked at the station and admired the great antennas to watch videos of their ultimate destruction. Yet not everyone was saddened by the event. Some viewers were ecstatic, as evidenced by the cheer that went up as the antennas toppled. [An amateur video is available at http://www.youtube.com --- type "Demolición Antenas Radio Liberty" into its Search field.] Thousands of curiosity seekers and members of the media found advantageous spots to watch. The nearby hill town of Bagur, the small mountain of Torella de Montgri and boats out in front of the antennas on the bay were ideal spots to utilize telephoto lens on camcorders and digital cameras. It is unreal to view the videos. One sees flashes as the dynamite exploded and the towers began to buckle. Group "D" towers, the highest, seemed to fall in slow motion as though the 540-foot masts were reluctant to relinquish their lofty stance and crash down into the Mediterranean and onto the beach. The destruction calls to mind a poem of Walt Whitman. To paraphrase, the towers went down with a great shout upon the hills and left a lonesome place against the sky. The demolition would be followed by cleanup of the scrap steel, all that remains of the structures, then destruction of the diesel power plant and its underground tanks and the deeply buried cement guy anchors for Group B and D antennas. They are set so deeply that they will only be excavated and removed to a depth of about 32 inches. There are tentative plans to use the building formerly containing offices and transmitters as some sort of a museum. There are also vague plans to use the 81-acre site as a park with a great beach. Despite lofty sentiments from politicians about returning the site to the people, many cynical - perhaps realistic - Spanish citizens believe this gorgeous chunk of beach land will end up as a site for high-rise condominiums. In retrospect, the decision of officials of the U.S. government to cancel the lease and return the land to the Spanish government was, in my opinion, probably precipitous and ill-advised. With its existing antennas, the site could have been used to broadcast to Central Asia and reach the Muslim population. Alternatively, in order to provide ultimate flexibility for worldwide broadcasting, even to Latin America, one of the new high-power rotatable antennas could have been installed. Expensive, certainly, but then again finding another site in the world as ideal as Pals would be next to impossible. The author was managing director for Spain of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (via DXLD) ** TURKEY. See ISRAEL [non] ** U K [non]. BBC Caribbean changes. Hi, Glenn -- Checked out the new BBC transmission via WHRI on 13765 from 21 to 23 UT. Reception here in Houston was quite variable, with a decent signal on peaks but overall rather mediocre -- definitely not as good as the old 15390 [GUF]. But at least we now have two usable afternoon hours with this new site, as it is too early in the day for 5975 from Montsinéry to get this far this time of year. Odd to hear the Beeb on 22 meters! Noted a WHRI ID inserted around 2159:30. Also a positive for news content -- we now get a full half-hour of News/World Briefing/Business Report at 22 UT. Wonder what made them decide to add 3 1/2 more transmitter hours to the Caribbean? Maybe more shortwave listeners there than they thought? Surprise, surprise. With all the cuts taking place on shortwave, a ray of sunshine for a change (Stephen Luce, Houston, TX, Aug 2, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Third day in a row and heard nothing yet on 11675 Greenville from 2100 to 2200, for new BBCWS Caribbean. If Greenville has been a regular here in the heyday of VOA, one could expect to have a little luck, as I don`t think they have downgraded power. Has anyone had a chance on this? (Raúl Saavedra, Costa Rica, Aug 3, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) I checked August 3 at 2103, and 11675 was certainly absent. 13765 was quite weak and would have required great effort to listen to (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U K. The ABC Media Report shows all provide full transcripts, accuracy not guaranteed, including the latest one about the BBC: http://www.abc.net.au/rn/mediareport/stories/2006/1703051.htm# whence audio linx also are provided (via Dan Say, DXLD) ** U K. Bob Simpson RIP --- From today`s Guardian: Bob Simpson, who has died suddenly at the age of 61, was a BBC journalist and among the most distinguished international radio news broadcasters of his generation. One of the wave of local newspaper reporters who had joined the new BBC local radio stations in the 1960s, he was marked out by his reporting for the national network from Northern Ireland in the early 1970s as a potential "foreign fireman" correspondent. His talents as a man who could be put into the most dangerous situation for long periods were put to good use over the next three decades. He reported from Spain on an attempted coup (1981), from Uruguay during the Falklands War (1982), from Romania on the fall of President Nicolae Ceausescu (1989) and volunteered to spend many weeks on board the Greenpeace vessel sent to New Zealand to replace the Rainbow Warrior blown up by French secret service agents (1985). Through it all, Bob demonstrated an ability to report many times a day in clear language and with manifest authority for the BBC domestic and World Service audiences. Bombs, bullets and threats against himself and the BBC became meat and drink to Bob, and all those elements came together during the first Gulf war in 1991, when he defied the editors at home and insisted on staying in Baghdad with his namesake John Simpson of BBC television. It was their sound and vision reports of continuous bombing that brought things alive to homes around the world. It was also their reporting that brought us the infamous cruise missile that travelled down a street and turned left at a traffic light. Later, Bob found himself in daily danger for weeks on end when he volunteered to spend Christmas and new year in Sarajevo, then dubbed the most dangerous place on earth. The BBC relied on his tough, accurate and perceptive reporting at all hours of the day and night. It was also during this period that he forged lasting relationships with reporters, fixers, drivers and photographers from newspapers, news agencies and magazines from all over the world. He showed a professionalism in the cutthroat world of journalism that was recognised by everyone. Robert Anthony Simpson was born in Woodford, Essex, the son of a farmer. He attended Brentwood grammar school and trained as a journalist in Walthamstow, north-east London. When BBC local radio began, he moved to Brighton to join other newcomers to broadcasting including Desmond Lynam, Kate Adie, Barbara Myers and Gavin Hewitt. He then moved to Sheffield, where he found himself covering more serious subjects, such as the miners' strike of January-February 1972. No one created a finer visiting list of Yorkshire pubs and clubs better than Bob, thanks largely to his friendship with the pop star Dave Berry. But the day job in local radio did not appear to suffer, and later in 1972 Bob was recruited to the BBC national radio newsroom. "Mr Grumpy" was a nickname for Bob used by family and friends. He often raged against radio and TV bulletins when he thought reporters and editors were ranging away from "straight news". There were some he called "bleeding hearts" who allowed their own emotions and opinions to intrude. "The BBC," he used to say, "is not famous for thumbsucking, but coverage of what has actually happened." The only time Bob stayed quiet during a television bulletin was when his beloved second wife Juliet Bremner appeared on ITN. He admired her work greatly and spent some of his last weekend on the telephone to her in Israel, where she was on the kind of dangerous and tough assignment he knew so well. They married in 1996, and he retired from his final post, as BBC foreign affairs correspondent on radio and television, in 1998. Bob had a passion for motor racing, sports cars and do-it-yourself. He was a gifted handyman, but often took things apart only to spend an inordinate amount of time putting them together again. One such item was his much loved MG sports car (circa 1961). He had, at last, finished rebuilding it and wanted to take it for a spin through the narrow lanes of Norfolk. He whooped with joy as it hit 90mph but quickly had to test the new brakes when the road ran out. Sadly, Bob's own road ran out two days later. He is survived by Juliet and his son Jack and daughter Kate from his first marriage. Robert Anthony Simpson, radio and television journalist, born November 29 1944; died July 25 2006. Thanks to Mike Barraclough via uk-radio-listeners for the above (via Paul David, dxldyg via DXLD) OBIT ** U S A [non]. Demise of Playa de Pals: see SPAIN ** U S A. A LANGUAGE TO AIR NEWS OF AMERICA TO THE WORLD By HOLLI CHMELA July 31, 2006 http://www.nytimes.com/2006/07/31/washington/31voice.html?ei=5070&en=fec226d1beba764d&ex=1154491200&pagewanted=print http://www.nytimes.com/2006/07/31/washington/31voice.html?_r=1&oref=slogin WASHINGTON, July 29 --- Voice of America, the government-sponsored news organization that has been on the air since 1942, broadcasts in 44 different languages 45 if you count Special English. Special English was developed nearly 50 years ago as a radio experiment to spread American news and cultural information to people outside the United States who have no knowledge of English or whose knowledge is limited. Using a 1,500-word vocabulary and short, simple phrases without the idioms and clichés of colloquial English, broadcasters speak at about two-thirds the speed of conversational English. But far from sounding like a record played at the wrong speed, Special English is a complicated skill that takes months of training with a professional voice coach who teaches how to breathe properly and enunciate clearly. Mario Ritter, a Special English writer and producer, arrived at Voice of America five years ago with many years of experience. Mr. Ritter has been training for six months to be a Special English broadcaster. In August, he said, he will be ready to go on the air live. Its kind of ironic that I normally speak slowly, but it doesnt give me a leg up in being a Special English broadcaster, Mr. Ritter said. Shelley Gollust is chief of Special English at Voice of America. People in this country have likely never heard of Special English, Ms. Gollust said, and, if they have, they often dont understand the significance of it to people in other countries. They hear it and make fun of how slow it is. A 1948 law prohibits Voice of America from broadcasting in the United States, but audio and text files of Special English are on the Voice of America Web site, http://www.voanews.com/specialenglish Students and teachers in other countries say Special English is a good learning tool. I like that the program is based on 1,500 words, Sarah Paulsworth said in an e-mail message from Azerbaijan, where she works as a journalist and a volunteer English teacher. It is a very tangible goal for students. I can literally see some of my students counting the words they know. A vocabulary of 1,500 words is adequate for news reporting, but for features and biographies, more words are allowed if they are explained in the context of the sentence. Words can be added or dropped from the vocabulary. Sabotage, a word used often in the World War II era, may be dropped because it is rarely used in news stories today. Jim Huang Jiwen, a 69-year-old mechanical engineer from Hangzhou, China, said he had listened to Special English on the radio for more than 20 years and, more recently, on the Internet. He said it had helped him improve his ability to write and understand English. The pronunciation is beautiful, the sentence is sweet and short, and the content is interesting and friendly to our daily life, he said in an e-mail message, adding that he particularly liked technical programs. François Rennaud, 56, a teacher at a vocational school in Paris, has found Special English useful in his business and economics classes. It closes the gap between textbook English and traditional broadcasts such as BBC or CNN, which are too difficult for the average student, Mr. Rennaud said. A Special English editor at Voice of America, Avi Arditti, said: There is a fine line between simplifying and simplification. It`s not so much simplifying, but clarification. Simplifying can seem somewhat demeaning. Youre not dumbing it down, but you`re making it understandable to your audience whether they have Ph.D.s or are in middle school. But some listeners, like Ali Asqar Khandan, 36, an assistant professor from Tehran, said Special English seemed like a special program for advertising American life and culture, not a simple radio station for broadcasting news or teaching English. We hear this message everywhere: not even in education reports and culture reports, but in science reports and agriculture reports, Mr. Khandan wrote in an e-mail message. The link between learning English and learning about America has been a constant thread in the debate in Congress this year about revising immigration policy. But at home, the Special English branch at Voice of America would support the use of its programming for recent immigrants in a bilingual model if the law did not prohibit it. If new immigrants could turn on their radios at 8 oclock and listen to a half-hour of Special English to listen to the news, it would be very beneficial, Ms. Gollust said. Mr. Ritter added, That would be a great use of a resource that already exists (NY Times via Dan Say; and via Mike Terry, dxldyg via DXLD) ** U S A. More changes in the fluid WRMI schedule: see CUBA [non] ** U S A. WMKV has jumbled its schedule, retiming the two shows we enjoy: ``Barbershop Harmony Favorites`` has moved to UT Wed 0303-0334 and UT Thu 0203-0234, tho the show`s own webpage does not reflect this. The grid seems current: http://www.wmkvfm.org/program-guide.htm also showing ``World of Theater Pipe Organ`` now at 0300-0400 UT Sundays (or maybe also delayed a few minutes for news, as yet unchecked), so it no longer conflicts with Orgelwerke on WCNY, tho I expect this only coincidental (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A. Severe storms blew through the St. Louis area on the evening of July 19, and again during the lunch hour on July 21. Just after 2000 ELT [1800 CST, 1900 CDT, 0000 UT 22nd], the storms blew through my QTH. Winds were as high as 80 miles per hour in some parts of town; I could have felt wind gusts at my QTH as high as 60 miles per hour, shaking my TV and FM antennas. I lost power at my QTH for sixteen hours as a result of the storm; it was restored after 1200 ELT on July 20. After the storms blew through, I scanned the AM and FM dials. On the AM side, most of the stations were immediately knocked off the air; the sole exceptions being KFNS 590, KMOX 1120, WSDZ 1260 and KATZ 1600. KTRS 550 lost two towers of its four-tower array; the station is now operating with a special temporary authorization of 5,000 watts day and 1,250 watts at night, both non-directional. KTRS was back on by 2200, in time to start a Cardinals game delayed by the storm. WIL 1430 was back on by 0100 on July 20; KJSL 630 and KXEN 1010 was back on by the next morning. WEW 770 was also back on the air the following morning; they had apparently signed off for the night by the time the storm hit. Limited-time KFUO 850 lost its IBOC exciter; they were noted in analog format, with WCBW 880 having a much better signal. WGNU 920, KSIV 1320 and KSLG 1380 were back on within 48 hours. KJSL 630 was knocked off again after another storm came through on 7/21; they were back on within six hours. WRYT 1080 was also knocked off by the second storm; KHOJ 1460, which simulcasts WRYT's Catholic programming, remained on the air. On the FM side, KDHX 88.1 lost its studio after the storm; they were back on by 0900 7/20, operating the studios in hard-hit south St. Louis on a backup generator. KCLC 89.1, WLCA 89.9, KSIV-FM 91.5, KSD 93.7, WFUN-FM 95.5, KYKY 98.1, KLOU 103.3, KMJM 104.9 and KSLZ 107.7 were knocked off the air, along with a full-power and two low-power television stations. As I write this (2046 ELT 7/21), KSTL 690 and the full-power TV station, KNLC channel 24 (and i's digital counterpart on channel 14) were still off the air. Most of that was due to power outages throughout the St. Louis area. I was operating my Amateur Radio station on just a battery-powered handheld transceiver, monitoring the local Skywarn net on 146.940 MHz. The next morning, I replaced the history notes and lighter news stories on my morning drive show on WSIE 88.7 with information on traffic signals without power, cancellations due to the heat and power outages (it was 97 degrees F the next day) and a boil order for my local area. On the AM side, I did notice WLRM 1380 in KSLG's absence at 0050 ELT on July 20 with Progressive Talk, legal ID into Urban Gospel music. The talk show did not originate from Air America, however. During Friday's storm, the warning sirens sounded in Madison County, IL (I also attend classes at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville); I had to help get the students and faculty to the ground floor of the classroom building I was in as quickly as possible. After Wednesday's storm, I also had to check on my mother frequently; she suffers from ALS (or Lou Gehrig's Disease). This has been the longest 48 hours I've gone through in recent memory. 73 and good DX from (Eric (N0UIH) Bueneman, Hazelwood MO, IRCA Soft DX Monitor Aug 5 via DXLD) ** U S A. 1700, WJCC, Miami Springs FL is on air. Hello ABDX'ers, I have spoken to the station on their listed number 001 786 497 3414. The guy at the station confirms they have returned to the air with the slogan "Radio Voz Mundial. 24/7. The power is 10 kW days & 1 kW nights. Their temporary licence is reviewed every 6 months. Their format is full time Spanish Christian. I.E., WJCC is back on air. (Barry Davies, Editor, North American News, MWC UK, ABDX via DXLD) Has been on since at least June 9, as in DXLD 6-085 (gh, DXLD) ** U S A. Seattle 1680 new calls --- Spanish-language La Jefa KTFH AM 1680 changes calls to KDOW. this from http://members.shaw.ca/nwbroadcasters/recentnews.htm which cites as its source: http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/tv/279800_radiobeat03.html (Eric Flodén, BC, Aug 2, IRCA via DXLD) KDOW-1680 Seattle noted with legal ID 0700 PDT 6/21. Still Spanish, ex-KTFH. I'm not sure when the change took place, but it's already in the FCC database and another local DXer heard the new calls late last week (Bruce Portzer, WA, IRCA Soft DX Monitor August 5 via DXLD) ** U S A. RADIO STATION'S MOVE TO AREA REMAINS IN LIMBO Thursday, August 3, 2006 By RANDY NAVAROLI ThisWeek Staff Writer A historic but financially troubled local radio station's plan to move to a site on Morse Road remains in limbo. In May, Columbus City Council indefinitely tabled legislation that would allow radio station WVKO (1580 AM) to move from Upper Arlington to Morse Road. . . Click here for the rest of the story: http://www.thisweeknews.com/?edition=common&story=thisweeknews/080306/Northland/News/080306-News-200478.html (via Artie Bigley, DXLD) ** VIETNAM. RADIO VOICE OF VIETNAM PLANS TO WIDEN COVERAGE IN EASTERN SEA A disaster preparedness conference in Hanoi on Wednesday heard that Radio Voice of Vietnam plans to widen its coverage in the Eastern Sea, currently covered by a shortwave frequency only. Vietnam has 32 broadcast stations along the national coastline in addition to a communications system via border guards and citizens. However, Le Nam Thang, Deputy Minister of Post and Telecommunications, warned that too many communications systems could jam the process. He also said that broadcasters still utilized backward technology like dial-up Internet connections for news and information. (Source: Vietnamnet via Thanh Nien Daily) (August 3rd, 2006, 13:15 UTC by Andy, Media Network blog via DXLD) How vague. Hard to believe no MW or FM would be audible along the coast. Then what are the 32 stations referred to? How will coverage be ``widened``? On what bands if not SW? Does this presage the closure of WTFK SW frequency they are talking about? Geez (Glenn Hauser, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** ZIMBABWE. 6612, ZBC is not heard (Thorsten Hallmann, Münster, Germany, http://www.africalist.de.ms Aug 4, DX LISTENING DIGEST) UNIDENTIFIED. 6110, reported recently: Heard August 1-3 between 1800/1830 and 1900, but no ID caught, definitely mostly African-French talk, not much music but if, also African, traditional style. Broadcasting times in French given around 1858, thought I heard "Moyabi" in that context on August 1. My guess would be a Congo DR station relayed via Moyabi, or if not, generally Congo area (Thorsten Hallmann, Münster, Germany, http://www.africalist.de.ms Aug 4, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Hi Glenn, I hear on the frequencie 6110 kHz this station??? Talks in French, about Nigeria (Africa) and nice drum music. Time was best from 1810 to 1850 UT 3/8. My best audio on the AOR 7030 with Syc. and pbs. Antenna longwire 100m. Listen to my recording (Maurits Van Driessche from Belgium, Aug 4, DX LISTENING DIGEST) It`s a sesquiminute at 1847 filling 2.0 MB of wav. Rhythmic singing/chanting in unison, and some brief announcement at the end, but I could not understand anything. If anyone would like to listen to it, I will forward on request (Glenn Hauser, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ PUBLICATIONS ++++++++++++ INTERESTING WEB DESIGN FOR IDING STATIONS In trying to ID a program "Weekend America" from "American Public Media" I found a very useful map design. The US map shows red pins for each station broadcasting the program. Click on each one and up comes the name of the station and the exact time of the broadcast. I was able to easily determine that I was hearing KETR 88.9 Commerce TX. Alas, it can only be listed as tentative in my logbook, because no local identifying details. Having laboriously dredged this kind of info from other program websites, I hope this one becomes popular. Here's the link: http://weekendamerica.publicradio.org/about/stations.php (Jim Renfrew, NY, Aug 1, WTFDA via DXLD) Unfortunately, times local This seems to be from the same program as this one: http://maps.dxers.info/gmap/ I'd like to find the program and then input all TV/FM stations into it, which is probably a two click job. From there I can color code them (Rick Shaftan, NJ, ibid.) The map is straight out of Google Earth. The hard part is programming the coordinates into it, and once you've done that, given the quantity of them, I don't want to even think of how much the maps would have to be blown up to separate the pins. It's make the biggest Es days last month on the prop maps look sparse! (Russ Edmunds, WB2BJH Blue Bell, PA, ibid.) CONVENTIONS & CONFERENCES +++++++++++++++++++++++++ MEXICAN DX ENCUENTRO IN CHIHUA2 I talked briefly with a couple of the guys on Saturday by phone, and I think there were about 14 present -- perhaps not bad considering the distance most of them had to travel. They were there from Veracruz, the DF, Oaxaca, Durango, etc. Ludo Maes was there from Belgium, and Juan Franco Crespo from Spain (Jeff White, FL, DX LISTENING DIGEST) XII INCONTRO NAZIONALE del DXer IN MESSICO 2006 Ciao! L'amico Messicano organizzatore del XII incontro Nazionale del DXer in Ascension ci segnala quanto segue. Asunto: Informaciòn sobre XII Encuentro Nacional Diexista, en Ascensiòn. Visita la pàgina siguiente para ver informaciòn (texto) sobre el XII Encuentro Nacional Diexista... http://mx.geocities.com/diexismo73/encuentrodx.html (aùn no tenemos fotos, en cuanto estèn disponibles las irè subiendo). (Miguel Ángel Rocha Gámez, XE2ITX, via Dario Monferini, PlayDX via DXLD) A photo was there by when I checked (gh, DXLD) DIGITAL BROADCASTING DRM: see GERMANY; NETHERLANDS ANTILLES ++++++++++++++++++++ DTV COUPONS Here is a link to the web page (I think): http://www.regulations.gov/fdmspublic/component/main Go here and make your comment, er, complaint (Guy in Lockport, NY, Falsetti, Aug 2, WTFDA via DXLD) POWERLINE COMMUNICATIONS ++++++++++++++++++++++++ FCC SUPPORTS BROADBAND OVER POWER LINES August 3, 2006, By Wayne Rash http://www.eweek.com/article2/0,1895,1998647,00.asp WASHINGTON --- The Federal Communications Commission decided Aug. 3 to reaffirm its stance on the deployment of broadband-over-power-line technology. In a Memorandum Opinion and Order adopted by the FCC today, the commissioners affirmed that BPL providers have the right to provide data access using power transmission lines, provided they don't interfere with existing radio services. By adopting this order, the FCC rejected requests by several groups, including the amateur radio community, the aviation industry and broadcasters, to either limit the service or to disallow it completely. However, the FCC did adopt provisions to protect some aeronautical stations and to protect radio astronomy sites from interference. In the statements released by the commissioners, it was clear that the FCC sees BPL technology as a critical move in the effort to reduce the grip of the current broadband duopoly in the United States, and as a vital step toward serving areas of the United States that currently have no broadband access at all, including residents of rural and inner city areas. FCC Chairman Kevin Martin said all of the commission members would like to see some non-duopoly pipes bring broadband access to hard-to- reach Americans. "This technology holds great promise as a ubiquitous broadband solution that would offer a viable alternative to cable, digital subscriber line, fiber and wireless broadband solutions," Martin said in his prepared statement. "Moreover, BPL has unique advantages for home networking because consumers can simply plug a device into their existing electrical outlets to achieve broadband connectivity," he said. Martin was joined in his hopeful comments by other commissioners. Commissioner Michael Copps said that the United States was already behind the game in the adoption of broadband, and he said that BPL might help solve the problem. "You know something is wrong when the best-case scenario is that a consumer has a choice between two broadband connections, both of which are more expensive and considerably slower than what consumers in other industrialized nations enjoy," Copps said in his statement. Are consumers bound to have problems with broadband? Click here to read more. http://www.eweek.com/article2/0,1895,1876396,00.asp "If you want a quantitative sense of how bad things have gotten," Copps added, "consider this: Last year, the ITU (International Telecommunications Union) listed us at 16th in the world in broadband penetration. Using the ITU's newer and more sophisticated Digital Opportunity Index, your country and mine is now ranked 21st in the world." Copps also said the Congressional Research Service has said the broadband market is three times as concentrated as what the Department of Justice allows. "And this is not just some run of the mill product like a toaster or a lawnmower—it is the data pipe over which all future communications will run," he said. Commissioner Deborah Taylor Tate said the commission struggled to balance protection of existing users of the wireless spectrum, and encouraging new services to grow. "BPL is another regulatory question requiring us to balance regulatory humility with our oversight responsibilities," Tate said. "The FCC has and will continue to struggle with finding an appropriate balance between regulation to mitigate potential negative 'side effects' that accompany BPL and a hands-off approach that gives BPL the room it needs to develop in a free market." In another action, the FCC adopted a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking that seeks comments on the rules for wireless licenses in the 700MHz band. The FCC plans to auction portions of this band in February, 2008. -- (via Ken Kopp Amateur Radio: KKØHF, AIM: radiojunkie785, Web: http://732u.com dxldyg via DXLD; also C-NET via Roger Fraumann, DXLD) FCC DENIES RECONSIDERATION PETITIONS, ADOPTS MINOR CHANGES TO BPL RULES http://www.arrl.org/news/stories/2006/08/03/5/?nc=1 [see original for photos and linx] NEWINGTON, CT, Aug 3, 2006 -- An FCC that's still optimistic and enthusiastic about BPL met August 3 to consider and unanimously adopt a Memorandum Opinion and Order (MO&O) in response to several petitions for reconsideration of its BPL rules -- including one from ARRL. But one commissioner stressed that the FCC has an obligation to protect Amateur Radio operators from BPL interference and to respond promptly to interference complaints. ARRL President Joel Harrison, W5ZN, and General Counsel Chris Imlay, W3KD, were on hand for today's meeting during which the FCC suggested it was attempting to strike a balance between interference to licensed services and the BPL industry's needs. "This rule making proceeding was initiated to provide regulatory certainty that will encourage investments in BPL, particularly so that consumers can reap the benefits," an FCC Office of Engineering and Technology (OET) official told the commissioners. "Equally important, the Commission sought to ensure that licensed radio services are protected against harmful interference." The OET said the Commission also wanted to provide guidance so compliance measurements "are made in a consistent manner with repeatable results." The FCC adopted its current BPL rules -- under a new Subpart G of its Part 15 rules governing unlicensed devices -- in October 2004. FCC Commissioner Michael J. Copps [FCC Photo] Radio Amateurs "Deserve Better" Commenting after the OET's presentation of the MO&O, Commissioner Michael J. Copps reiterated that the FCC must also ensure that BPL providers protect existing spectrum users from interference. "This applies with special force to Amateur Radio operators whose skills and dedication once again proved so valuable in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina," Copps remarked. "Amateur radio serves the public interest in so many ways that we must be always mindful of its needs." Copps said he believes the FCC's MO&O "strikes an acceptable balance," but added that the Commission "must be available and positioned to respond to interference complaints with alacrity. Amateur operators shouldn't have to wait for months to get complaints resolved -- they deserve better." Most Reconsideration Petitions Denied Addressing the various reconsideration petitions, the OET's Anh Wride noted that the BPL industry asked to extend the deadline for equipment compliance and to modify public BPL database requirements. Licensed services such as Amateur Radio, on the other hand, wanted the FCC to keep BPL providers from using certain frequencies -- the HF ham bands in the case of the ARRL's petition. The Commission denied the industry's request to extend the effective date to meet equipment certification requirements, but it did create a limited exception. "Because BPL equipment manufacturers are only now submitting equipment for certification under the new rules, the Order includes a measure of relief to permit the continued operation of existing systems," Wride said. BPL systems now will have another year to continue installing or replacing equipment "that otherwise meets the Part 15 rules" in their present coverage areas. "This relief is a reasonable accommodation that will limit the proliferation of non-compliant equipment," Wride said. The Order also denies the BPL industry's request to drop the 30-day advance notification requirement for the public BPL database. "The advance notification to the BPL database ensures that other licensed users are aware of new BPL deployments in their area in advance of the start of BPL operations," Wride said. The Order also turned down requests by licensed users, including Amateur Radio operators, to exclude the use of certain frequencies for BPL operations. "The American Radio Relay League and a number of individual Amateur Radio licensees request that all BPL deployment be prohibited pending the adoption of a definition for 'harmful interference,' the completion of all ongoing studies of BPL and the initiation of further studies of BPL interference characteristics." Wride continued. In addition, Wride said, the FCC denied requests to keep BPL signals off overhead medium-voltage lines and to impose more stringent technical restrictions and measurement requirements on BPL operations. "The Commission has taken a proactive approach regarding the protection of licensed radio services in the [2004] Report & Order by placing additional technical and operational restrictions on BPL systems," Wride asserted. She said the OET believes the requirements the FCC adopted in 2004 regarding emission levels and notching "are adequate to fully protect amateur operations." She said going along with ARRL's request to reconsider, rescind and re-study the BPL rules in further proceedings could leave radio amateurs with less protection than they now have. The FCC did grant a request from the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) to expand BPL exclusion zones in the vicinity of certain radio astronomy systems. "We continue to believe that the interference concerns associated with the operation of these systems are adequately addressed through the adoption of Access BPL rules in Part 15, particularly as a new generation of BPL equipment that complies with our rules becomes available," Wride concluded. FCC Chairman Kevin J. Martin [FCC Photo] Cheerleading As his predecessor Michael Powell did before him, FCC Chairman Kevin J. Martin led the cheering squad for BPL, which, he said, "holds great promise as a ubiquitous broadband solution that would offer a viable alternative to cable, digital subscriber line, fiber, and wireless broadband solutions." His Republican colleague Deborah T. Tate echoed Martin's enthusiasm, calling the FCC's goal of ubiquitous broadband deployment in the US "an exciting prospect." She went on to say that the FCC will continue to find an appropriate balance between regulation to mitigate potential negative 'side effects' that accompany BPL "and a hands-off approach that gives BPL the room it needs to develop in a free market." She said the MO&O "strikes the right balance with minimal regulatory burdens." Another BPL Item Deferred At the last minute, the FCC deferred another BPL-related item, to consider the United Power Line Council's Petition for Declaratory Ruling (WC Docket 06-10) regarding the classification of BPL Internet access service as an "information service." The FCC released a public notice to report its August 3 BPL-related actions. The MO&O it adopted is not expected to become available to the public for a few weeks (ARRL via W0WOI via DXLD) This is an unfortunate decision by the FCC. Amateur radio will be heavily hit by interference as it is now by the BPL prototype system in Manassas, Virginia. With BPL, antenna prohibitions, and commercial take-over of frequencies amateur radio will have a much diminished position in the future. At the same time other amateur technological activities such as building and repairing vehicles and using machine shops will be blocked by our same friendly homeowner associations (HOAs). Private and sport aviation will be shut down by new user fee systems and airport closures. Private ownership of sport firearms will be reduced and shut down. In general, options for individual technological achievement will be shut down. The technology enthusiast of the future will be operating like the computer hacker of today doing his activity underground in a semi- legal environment. "Crime" will become the new frontier. It will be interesting to see what they invent. Think it can't happen? See what they are doing to hams in Israel (refer to the ARRL web site: "Israel to impose tough new rules on amateurs" [above]. Israel and the European nations are also clobbering private flying with new super high user fees. Enjoy the future. 73, (Nick Leggett, N3NL, ARRL Member for 40+ Years, Inventor, Analyst, DX LISTENING DIGEST) LEAGUE CALLS MANASSAS BPL INTERFERENCE REPORT "FLAWED," "MISLEADING" (Aug 3, 2006) -- The ARRL has told the FCC it has found a radio interference report filed on behalf of the Manassas, Virginia, BPL system "flawed in numerous respects." The League responded this week to a July 17 letter and BPL interference study the FCC mandated following repeated complaints from local radio amateurs. Full Story http://www.arrl.org/news/stories/2006/08/03/4/?nc=1 (via gh, DXLD) AUSTIN TO BEGIN TRIALS OF BROADBAND OVER POWER LINES Andrew Egan Posted: 8/1/06 The city of Austin [TX] has accepted a proposal that would clear the way for the testing of a new technology that may offer broadband Internet service through an electrical outlet. Broadband over power lines, or BPL technology, is currently being tested in a few cities around the United States, including Cincinnati and Cleveland, and will begin its trial run in Austin on Aug. 1. Approved during the City Council's Thursday meeting, the trial will run through Feb. 1 and will be a test to see if the new technology can work, said Pete Collins, the city of Austin's chief information officer. "We see it as an emerging technology, and we really need to look at it to assess it and see the pros and cons," Collins said. BPL technology works by pairing radio frequencies with electric current along the same lines. Since both travel with different frequencies, they do not interfere with each other. The benefits of the new technology range from power grid maintenance to automatic, remote meter readings, along with unprecedented broadband Internet access. Problems can arise from the use of power lines, which can act as an antenna for radio frequencies and may cause interference with other forms of radio communication such as CB, shortwave, ham, and sometimes police and fire bands, said Ed Hare, laboratory manager for the American Radio Relay League. These frequencies can be avoided by using a technique known as notching, where specific portions of the radio spectrum are closed off to broadband radio frequencies. "We've seen this done effectively, not at all and, in some instances, with some attempt but still noticeable noise," Hare said. Some radio operators see the problem as more complex. Gene Preston, a retired engineer with Austin Energy and a local ham radio operator, said the potential interconnectivity offered by BPL technology is necessary, but a better solution than notching is needed to reduce interference. "It's like being in a room with a bad odor and then trying to spray perfume to cover it up. It won't quite work," Preston said. The city of Austin's seven-month proposal will cost $250,000 with three, 90-day optional extensions, at a cost of $22,500 per extension. The project is not to exceed $317,500, according to the proposal. Collins said the city is just testing the new technology, and the next step is to sit down with GTSI Corp., which is handling the contract and were not available for comment Monday. (c) Copyright 2006 The Daily Texan (via Mike Cooper, DXLD) PROPAGATION +++++++++++ GEOMAGNETIC INDICES - GEOI Phil Bytheway - Seattle WA - phil_tekno@yahoo.com Geomagnetic Summary June 1 2006 through July 31 2006 Tabulated from daily email status Date Flux A K Space Wx Au 6/ 7 78 33 4 no storms x 8 83 33 3 no storms 7 9 80 22 3 minor 8 10 78 7 2 no storms 9 11 76 8 1 no storms 7 12 74 8 1 no storms 4 13 74 6 1 no storms x 14 77 1 1 no storms 1 15 75 5 2 no storms 4 16 76 32 3 minor 7 17 75 13 2 no storms 4 18 73 13 2 no storms 4 19 73 11 1 no storms x 20 73 8 1 no storms x 21 73 3 1 no storms x 22 73 4 0 no storms x 23 72 8 2 no storms 5 24 72 8 1 no storms x 25 74 3 1 no storms 2 26 74 3 3 no storms x 27 76 2 0 no storms 1 28 79 7 3 no storms 5 29 84 22 4 no storms 6 6/30 86 12 2 no storms 7 7/ 1 x x x x x 2 86 11 0 no storms x 3 87 1 0 no storms 3 4 86 2 0 no storms 2 5 88 11 3 no storm 7 6 85 20 2 minor 8 7 85 19 2 minor x 8 80 7 2 no storms 5 9 77 3 0 no storms 3 10 75 4 2 no storms 5 11 73 9 2 no storms 8 12 71 8 2 no storms 6 13 71 8 3 no storms x 14 70 4 1 no storms 2 15 71 8 3 no storms 10 16 70 6 2 no storms 6 17 71 3 1 no storms 4 18 71 3 1 no storms x 19 71 3 1 no storms x 20 71 3 0 no storms x 21 72 3 1 no storms 3 22 73 1 0 no storms 2 23 74 3 0 no storms 2 24 77 4 1 no storms 3 25 77 5 2 no storms x 26 76 6 1 no storms 6 27 75 5 1 no storms 2 28 74 4 2 no storms 4 29 73 7 1 moderate 5 30 73 26 1 no storms x 7/31 74 4 1 no storms 3 ********************************************************************** (IRCA Soft DX Monitor Aug 5 via DXLD) ###