DX LISTENING DIGEST 6-125, August 18, 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 EXTRA 70: Fri 2030 WWCR1 15825 Sat 0800 WRN 13685 DRM via Bulgaria Sat 1230 WRMI 9955 Sat 1430 WRMI 7385 Sat 1600 WWCR3 12160 Sun 0230 WWCR3 5070 Sun 0630 WWCR1 3215 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 ** ABKHAZIA. Another day and night of loggings from Kremenchuk, Ukraine. Enough to whet my appetite before leaving for Donetsk this afternoon. No more professional grade receivers nor antenna systems :- (Oh well. On the other hand I'll get the chance to DX in a small village. 4 years ago, there was 0 RF noise when I was there. I brought my Kaito/Degen 1103 with me plus about 10 meters of wire. I wish it had switchable side bands though. Can't have it all, I suppose. On to the loggings: 9494.75, 1414 17 August 06. Strong S9 + 20 signal, but lowish modulation. Russian heard at this time with local weather, and ID at 1418:35. Stronger when rechecked at 1435, or 1735 local time. Local, presumably Abkhaz music. Audio link seemed to have been lost at 1448 during a Russian language broadcast, but resumed 5 minutes later. Radio Kuban ID at 1453:40 with weather and Black Sea/Azov sea temps -- - very warm! 35 to 38 during the day, with sea temps of 26 to 28. A bit overmodulated. At 1500 into Radio Rossii programming. Well worth pursuing this one. I left the mp3 player running for the hour during dinner. Hopefully some nice IDs in there somewhere! (Volodya Salmaniw, Kremenchuk, Ukraine, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Wrapped up at ZAMBIA, A-Z ** ALASKA. 3230, WKZ44, Bethel, 1530, ssb passing messages to several bush villages, 15 Aug 06. 13357 E3A: 1600 ssb msg 49213 also good signals on 11545 khz 15 Aug 06 No activity noted from either Magadan or Petropavlovsk naval this morning (rfprobe, Alaska, udxf via DXLD) log 3230 Kalskag: 1600 ssb 16Aug06 rfprobe 3230 kHz has seen some unusual activity recently. This HF frequency is normally used as support for remote Alaskan bush villages. Today at 1600 utc an individual contacted Bethel station and requested extraction from Kalskag. Heated argument occurred after being informed that his bush plane was cancelled due to weather. "blood samples need immediate testing for bird flu" Pathogen outbreak? Many migratory birds summer nest here from Asia. (rfprobe, Alaska, ibid.) I don't think there's an outbreak yet - there was supposed to have been a comprehensive ongoing sampling program starting in June to look for the H5N1 virus. Blood samples would decay quickly, so timely analysis is critical. Keep listening; this could be quite interesting. I would actually begin to worry more if they weren't communicating anymore, as that might mean the powers-that-be want to keep things quiet... 5167.5, USB is another Alaska bush frequency, used by all kinds of stations. Government, civilians, even hams in an emergency, whoever has need of communications with the emergency services. Not unlike the Oz 4X4 and bush networks. If a bird flu outbreak began in Alaska, we most likely could expect it to become very active. Given that it is used only in Alaska (in the US) it may be very hard to hear outside the state, but being HF it may go farther than we think. My 2 cents worth (Brendan WA7HL, Tucson, Aug 16, UDXF via DXLD) ** AUSTRALIA. 4910. VL8T, Tennant Creek. Northern Territory Service heard in English with music and news from tune-ins in the 0915-0955 period on 8/17. Traditional RA ID heard at 0930. Signal strong and consistently above the noise floor with the aid of DSP. VL8T has typically closed at 0830. Does this represent a seasonal schedule change? (Steve Bass, Columbus, Ohio, Icom 746PRO Transceiver and Wellbrook 330S Loop Antenna, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) These stations are very sloppy about making their frequency changes at the scheduled times, so tomorrow it might be very different. Traditional RA ID? Surely not a Radio Australia ID on this domestic regional service. If so, more mixups? (Glenn, ibid.) Hi Glenn and Steve, Aug 17, heard from 1357-1420, with ABC news & current affairs program ``Nightlife`` http://www.abc.net.au/nightlife/ poor-fair reception. I only noted IDs for ABC, but Bob Wilkner today noted a "783 ABC" ID, for an earlier reception (1050 to 1130), which I assume was relay of ABC Alice Springs http://abc.net.au/alicesprings/ Will have to check to see if there really is a new schedule (Ron Howard, Monterey, CA, Etón E5, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** AZERBAIJAN. 6110.8, 1325 17 August 06, A most frustrating frequency to monitor. A strong carrier throughout the day, but no or virtually no audio heard. Finally heard some very weak audio in probable Azeri at 1659. IS at 1700 then talk, but too weak to understand the language. Should be English, but I have my doubts. Sounded more like Russian style, but this is listed at 1730. In fact nothing heard at 1730. This will need more investigation, but I fear my portable gear won't be up to the challenge! (Volodya Salmaniw, Kremenchuk, Ukraine, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** BELARUS. 6010, 1225 17 August 06, Belarus 1 HS program. I can't understand why there are so many low power channels carrying this service on 49 and 41 meters. All are easily heard during the day here. 6010 is listed with 5 kW from Brest and heard with fair strength. // are 6040 Hrodna fair/good with 5 kW, 6070 Brest with 5 kW at good levels, 6080 S9 + 20 with 150 kW from Minsk, 6115 also Minsk with 75 kW fair/good, 6190 Mahilou 5 kW good, over a cochannel, 7110 Hrodna 5 kW good reception, 7145 Mahilou 5 kW, much weaker than the rest at fair level. Nice ID at 1239 as "Belaruska Radyo Pershyi Kanal", or similar to this. Ads from 1255 to 1258. The only 2nd channel on SW is 7265 Hrodna at fair/good level with 5 kW. At 1259 5 + 1 time pips, and then "novyny na Kanaly Kultura" in Belarussian, i.e.: news on the cultural channel. Can anyone give a logical explanation regarding so many transmitters? (Volodya Salmaniw, Kremenchuk, Ukraine, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Well, they are said to be leftover jammers, combined in some cases to add up to 75 kW (gh) ** BOLIVIA. 4545.31, Radio Virgen de Remedios, Tupiza, 2305-2311, August 14, Spanish, Catholic songs and talk by male, 34443. 5967.49, Radio Nacional de Huanuni, Huanuni, 1110-1120, August 14, Spanish, Andean music, programme conduced by male, Announcement & ID as: ``...en Radio Nacional...`` and other ID as: ``Radio Nacional de Huanuni``, 33433 (Arnaldo Slaen, Argentina, HCDX via DXLD) ** BULGARIA. IRRS - changes to A06 and tentative B06 schedules IRRS Revised A06 schedule (effective Aug. 7, 2006) IRRS-Shortwave A06 260306 291006 SUMMER 2006 Effective 7/8/2006 FREQ UTC UTC CET CET TGT kW WKDAY 5775 1900 2030 2100 2230 EU 20 Mon 5775 1900 2030 2100 2230 EU 20 Tue 5775 1900 2030 2100 2230 EU 20 Wed 5775 1900 2030 2100 2230 EU 20 Thu 5775 1900 2200 2100 0000 EU 20 Fri 5775 1900 2200 2100 0000 EU 20 Sat 5775 1900 2200 2100 0000 EU 20 Sun 9310 1800 1900 2000 2100 EU/ME 250 Mon 9310 1800 1900 2000 2100 EU/ME 250 Tue 9310 1800 1900 2000 2100 EU/ME 250 Wed 9310 1800 1900 2000 2100 EU/ME 250 Thu 9310 1600 1800 1800 2000 EU/ME 100 Fri 9310 1800 1900 2000 2100 EU/ME 250 Fri 9310 0700 1200 0900 1400 EU 20 Sat 9310 1800 1900 2000 2100 EU/ME 100 Sat 9310 0700 1200 0900 1400 EU 20 Sun 9310 1400 1500 1600 1700 EU 100 Sun 9310 1600 1800 1800 2000 EU/ME 100 Sun 9310 1800 1900 2000 2100 EU/ME 250 Sun 15750 1200 1300 1400 1500 WestAfr 100 Fri 15750 1300 1330 1500 1530 India 100 Sun IRRS-Shortwave B06 WINTER 2006 Tentative version (Valid from 29 Oct 2006 to 25 Mar 2007) FREQ UTC UTC CET CET TARGET kW WKDAY 5775 2000 2130 2100 2230 EU 20 Mon 5775 2000 2130 2100 2230 EU 20 Tue 5775 2000 2130 2100 2230 EU 20 Wed 5775 2000 2130 2100 2230 EU 20 Thu 5775 2000 2300 2100 0000 EU 20 Fri 5775 2000 2300 2100 0000 EU 20 Sat 5775 2000 2300 2100 0000 EU 20 Sun 9310 1900 2000 2000 2100 EU/ME 250 Mon 9310 1900 2000 2000 2100 EU/ME 250 Tue 9310 1900 2000 2000 2100 EU/ME 250 Wed 9310 1900 2000 2000 2100 EU/ME 250 Thu 9310 1700 1900 1800 2000 EU/ME 100 Fri 9310 1900 2000 2000 2100 EU/ME 250 Fri 9310 0800 1300 0900 1400 EU 20 Sat 9310 1900 2000 2000 2100 EU/ME 100 Sat 9310 0800 1300 0900 1400 EU 20 Sun 9310 1500 1600 1600 1700 EU 100 Sun 9310 1700 1900 1800 2000 EU/ME 100 Sun 9310 1900 2000 2000 2100 EU/ME 250 Sun 13840 0800 1300 0900 1400 EU 20 Sat 13840 0800 1300 0900 1400 EU 20 Sun 15750 1200 1300 1300 1400 WestAfr 100 Fri 15750 1300 1330 1400 1430 India 100 Sun IRRS-Shortwave is operated by NEXUS-International Broadcasting Association based in Milan, Italy http://www.nexus.org Our broadcasts can be usually be heard in Europe, North Africa and the Middle East as a primary target area, and now to the Far East and West Africa via additional transmissions on 100 and 250 kW recently introduced in A06. Alfredo E. Cotroneo, CEO, NEXUS-Int'l Broadcasting Association email: alfredo @ nexus.org http://www.nexus.org ph: +39-02-266 6971 - Toll free: 1-888-612-0039 fax: +39-02-706 38151 --------------------------------------------- (via Alokesh Gupta, New Delhi, dxldyg via DXLD) ** BULGARIA. 5775, 1901 17 August 06. IRRS with site presumed. Radio 6 International, Scotland program at excellent levels (Volodya Salmaniw, Kremenchuk, Ukraine, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** CANADA. VE7KFM BLOG UPDATED http://ve7kfm.blogspot.com/ (Brian Crow, PA, Aug 17, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** CHINA. ARRL August 17: Firedrake Jammer\Intruder Shifts Frequency (Quotes DXLD again!) http://www.arrl.org/news/stories/2006/08/17/2/?nc=1 NEWINGTON, CT, August 17, 2006 --- A Chinese-language ``intruder`` signal first spotted earlier this summer on 14260 kHz this week shifted frequencies. International Amateur Radio Union Region 1 Monitoring System (IARUMS) Vice coordinator Uli Bihlmayer, DJ9KR, says the powerful jammer --- dubbed ``Firedrake`` --- had been transmitting Chinese music on 14260 since August 5. ``This offender is active day and night --- all day, every day --- and causing very harmful interference to the Amateur Radio Service,`` Bihlmayer informed ARRL Monitoring System\Intruder Watch Liaison Chuck Skolaut, K0BOG, and IARU Region 2 Monitoring System Coordinator Bill Zellers, WA4FKI, on August 15. In an August 17 update, however, Bihlmayer said the music jammer now has moved to 14050. The 20-meter band is allocated to the Amateur Radio Service on an exclusive basis throughout the world. According to Bihlmayer, German telecom authority Bundesnetzagentur pinpointed the transmitter`s location as Hainan Island in Hainan Sheng Province, PRC, located south of the mainland in the Gulf of Tonkin. Hainan Island also was the apparent source of an over-the- horizon radar signal heard on 75 meters in Region 3. Bihlmayer said. Citing complaints from members, Skolaut has reported the intruder to the FCC, although as he and Zellers point out, the Commission has no authority to make intruder stations outside the US stop transmitting on Amateur Radio frequencies. Such situations typically are dealt with through diplomatic channels. Skolaut says he was able to hear the jammer for himself --- on its new frequency --- from W1AW. In July, when the same jammer also was appearing on 18160, Bihlmayer alerted telecom authorities in Germany and Hong Kong, as well as IARU Region 3 and the Peoples` Republic of China embassy in Berlin to the situation. The 17-meter band also is a worldwide exclusive Amateur Radio allocation. According to reports filed this month with DX Listening Digest, the 14260 Firedrake signal was an effort by the PRC to jam the clandestine ``Sound of Hope`` transmission beamed to the Chinese mainland from Taiwan, with Amateur Radio operators being caught in the crossfire. A ``parallel`` signal on 18180 apparently had disappeared as of earlier this week, and the jammer now has been appearing on 17330. The signal also has been heard on 7130, which is allocated to broadcasters in much of the world outside of Region 2 (the Americas). Short wave listeners said the AM carrier, heard earlier this summer on various 20-meter phone band frequencies, would occasionally drop out at the top of the hour for a monitoring check, then reappear five minutes later. Skolaut says he`s received reports about the music jammer from all over the US, including Alaska, Hawaii and Puerto Rico. ``I have one ham reporting it regularly from New Zealand,`` he said. Before August 5, Skolaut said, reports indicated that the transmission contained both talk and music and was more intermittent, but ``now it`s pretty continuous and entirely music.`` (via John Norfolk, dxldyg via DXLD) The jammer just started up at 1238 UT today 8/18/06 on 14050 with music, no announcements preceded their sudden start (Andy O`Brien, Fredonia NY, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) I checked as early as 1200 Aug 18 and did not find it on 14050 or anywhere else; but 20m was pretty dead with no strong ham signals audible either. Nor did not hear 14050 around 1305. By then 15265 and 15285 CNR1 were pretty strong (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Solar-terrestrial indices for 17 August follow. Solar flux 86 and mid- latitude A-index 4. The mid-latitude K-index at 1200 UTC on 18 August was 2 (14 nT). No space weather storms were observed for the past 24 hours. No space weather storms are expected for the next 24 hours (SEC via DXLD) Hi, Just a quick note to let you know I can hear the Chinese Music Jammer on 14050 KHz here in Montréal, Canada at 1345 UT with an excellent signal. I'm amazed at how strong they come in here. Quick note to let you know the Chinsese music Jammer signed off at 1400 UT (Gilles Létourneau, Aug 18, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) But: Here at 1530 UT light Chinese music on 14050 kHz. SIO 353+ (Erik Køie, Copenhagen, Denmark, Aug 18, ibid.) Quite audible here as well at 1540 on 14050 (Steve Lare, Holland, MI, ibid.) Referring to my info at 1530 UT, it went off at exactly 1600 UT (Which hasn't been received here yet...!) 73, (Erik Køie, Copenhagen, ibid.) And returned a few minutes later (Steve Lare, MI, 1610 UT, ibid.) Firedrake left the air right at 1700 and returned at 1704. Same pattern as the previous hour when it left at 1600 and returned at 1604 (Steve Lare Holland, MI, ibid.) ** CUBA. Anyone else noticed that Arnaldo Coro Antich seems to be extensively pressed into service for "news" script readings and soft features on Radio Habana Cuba (English and Spanish services) over the past few weeks? Must be cutting into his propagation predictions time (Terry L Krueger, Clearwater, Florida, Aug 17, DX LISTENING DIGEST) He`s always done a weekly science show in addition to DXUL. What more have you heard him doing, more specifically? (gh, DXLD) He was reading Bottom of Hour news last night (Terry Krueger, ibid.) In English, I guess? Maybe it`s just summer vacation time for the regular staff (Glenn Hauser, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** CUBA [and non]. Na tranamissão de 11 horas TU em espanhol, a Rádio Havana Cuba anúncia uma de suas freqüências que transmite com erro. A freqüência anunciada é 11800 mais a usada é 11805, matando a Globo Rio. E-mail dela, quem tem, prá reclamar? Na transmissão êles anúnciam mais não dá prá entender direito, a menos que lessem letra por letra (Isaac Rosa, Crateús - Ceará, radioescutas via DXLD) RHC started out using 11800 (and still does in the afternoon) but for some reason shifted to 11805, presumably to avoid some interference. Why bother to update your ID text or tapes? Who cares? At that time, I believe, Globo was inactive on 11805 (Glenn Hauser, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** CUBA [and non]. CUBAN MEDIA GUIDE - AUGUST 2006 --- Overview The Communist Party controls all media - except a few small church-run publications - and journalists are vulnerable to government and economic pressure, operating within the confines of laws against anti-government propaganda. Any journalists convicted of contravening these laws receive long jail sentences. The media watchdog Reporters Without Borders (RSF) describes Cuba in its 2006 annual report as "still the world's second biggest prison for journalists". Journalists are trained in universities but there are no opportunities for carrying out investigative or independent journalism. All Cuban journalists are obliged to present only the views of the government and the Communist Party and to defend their values. Those who fail to do so are fired or imprisoned. Dissenting journalists practice independent journalism and operate clandestinely. RSF stated that after Castro's crackdown in March 2003 on Cuba's dissidents and fledgling independent press, many of the journalists involved were either jailed, gave up their profession or left the country, many fleeing to the USA. Miami - said to be the second largest Cuban city - hosts a large number of Cuban dissidents who advise the US government on ways to use the media to best effect to reach the Cuban population. According to the Oxford-based Communications Law in Transition Newsletter, the Cuban Constitution states that print and electronic media are state property and cannot become private property. The availability of foreign newspapers and magazines is very restricted; it is almost impossible to obtain a permit to use a satellite dish and radio and television signals specifically beamed to Cuba from the USA are jammed. The Cuban people therefore receive national and international news through the lens of their government- run media. Despite these restrictions, and neighbourhood "revolutionary committees", who aim to monitor and report illegal use of media at a local level, news from abroad does filter into the country. Some of the electronics required for satellite TV reception are smuggled in from the USA and the dishes are assembled covertly, sold on the black market and often ingeniously disguised when installed. US officials estimate that up to 30,000 dishes may be in use in Cuba; the signals are illegally cabled discretely from neighbour to neighbour, often for a small charge. In this way, relatively large numbers of Cuba's population receive news and analysis from numerous Spanish-language satellite TV channels. This is how many Cubans eagerly viewed, in secret, the unfolding saga around Fidel Castro's health crisis. However, within days of Raul Castro's rise to prominence, the official Communist Party newspaper Granma warned that the use of illegal satellite dishes could be exploited by the US government to broadcast subversive information. "They are fertile ground for those who want to carry out the Bush administration's plan to destroy the Cuban revolution," said the newspaper. The newspaper also reminded readers that violators of television piracy laws could face prison terms of 1-3 years and fines of up to 30,000 pesos (about 1,250 dollars). Such an article in Granma usually signals that action is on the way. Radio and television audiences Radio and television ownership per household is high, at or slightly above 90 per cent for both, but about 10 per cent more people use television than radio daily. The peak radio audience is between about 0630 and 0830 with about 20 per cent of adults listening to the radio. The peak television audience is between about 1900 and 2200 with about 70 per cent of adults watching. Regulator The governmental organization, the Cuban Radio and Television Institute (ICRT), is responsible broadcasting on the island and according to its website: "Since its foundation the goal of the ICRT has been to fulfill the necessities of the people concerning information, education, culture and entertainment, through daily programming on radio and television which carries out the political, ideological, social, ethical and aesthetical values prevalent in our socialist society and to conduct, supervise and secure development of competitive broadcasting with the excellence of international patterns, guarantor of culture and national identity." Broadcast structure According to the ICRT the National Radio Network now has 164 installations throughout the nation. All networks and provincial stations are state controlled. The prevailing doctrine in Cuban broadcasting is to promote "The War of the People". This is described as the state of continued alertness of the people to the possibility of invasion from a hostile power, i.e. the United States. Both radio and television are structured so that overall control of broadcasting networks is impossible. Each station has the capability of independent operation, so an invading force cannot take overall control. However, in theory all stations can be linked if the need arises in a national emergency. The ICRT says it continuously strives to spread radio and television into areas unable to receive the signals, in order to "bring information, education, culture and knowledge" to the rural population. Radio Spanish-language local stations from Florida can be received on mediumwave, although the audience seems to be small. For example the Florida station featuring in a recent telephone audience survey, Radio Mambí, gets only 2.6 per cent weekly audience reach. International stations also appear to have minimal audience; the BBC, Radio Exterior de España and Radio Martí all have a weekly reach of 1 per cent or less. However, some of these operate predominantly on shortwave and the percentage of listeners owning a shortwave radio is unknown. The following national Cuban radio networks are broadcast on AM and FM throughout the country and are also available on the Hispasat 1D 30 degrees west satellite: * Radio Progreso: cultural, musical, light entertainment, welfare and social issues with 73 per cent of adults listening in any week. Http://www.radioprogreso.cu * Radio Reloj: news and information with 71 per cent of adults listening in any week. http://www.radioreloj.cu * Radio Rebelde: informative, varied, with sports programmes with 68 per cent of adults listening in any week. Also available on shortwave. http://www.radiorebelde.com.cu * Radio Enciclopedia: cultural, light instrumental music with 32 per cent of adults listening in any week. http://www.radioenciclopedia.cu * Radio Taíno: tourist information, entertainment and music, some broadcasts in English with 30 per cent of adults listening in any week. http://radiotaino.cubasi.cu * Radio Musical Nacional: music and cultural programming. Audience share unknown. http://www.cmbfjazz.cu Nearly 160 provincial stations operate throughout Cuba, many of which have a noticeably different format from the national networks by providing a less formal and livelier presentation. Overall they have about 40 per cent of adults listening in any week. For a list of provincial stations with a web presence, see: http://www.comfm.com/live/radio and also http://radiostationworld.com/locations/Cuba/radio_websites.asp The ICRT also operates the international service Radio Habana http://www.rhc.cu [apparently identical to http://www.radiohc.cu --- gh] which began broadcasting in 1961. The station carries news, cultural and musical programmes in nine languages on numerous frequencies on shortwave to target areas around the world and specifically to the Americas and Europe on the Hispasat 1D satellite. According to Clandestineradio.com, WRMI (Radio Miami International) and the World Radio TV handbook, the groups listed below broadcast to Cuba on shortwave, and attract some jamming from the Cuban authorities: * Conversando entre Cubanos - Association of Cuban ex-political prisoners - via WRMI * Entre Nosotros - Cuban women's exile group * Foro Militar Cubano - Cuban American Veterans Association * Radio Oriente Libre - Oriente Provincial Assembly in Exile for their Compatriots in Cuba * Radio República - http://www.radiorepublica.org The Cuban Democratic Directorate (Directorio) is a non-profit organization that works for democracy in Cuba by way of a civic, nonviolent struggle. The Directorio is committed to a free Cuba where human rights are upheld and respected - via WRMI [and VT Merlin, UK; and T-Systems, Germany] * Voz de la Junta Patriótica Cubana - Patriotic Cuban Group * Trova Libre - programme by Michael Méndez, ex-Cuban writer - via WRMI * La Voz de la Coordinadora de Ex-Presos Políticos Cubanos - via WRMI The WRMI website http://www.wrmi.net [which is probably out of date -- - gh] gives programme times and frequencies for the above groups relayed by the station. According to their website "WRMI sells airtime to a wide variety of organizations - religious, political, commercial and cultural - who have a message for the Americas and the world." WRMI is licensed by the US Federal Communications Commission and operates out of Miami, Florida. Television The terrestrial network of transmitters is continuously expanding, and the ICRT has started using satellite technology to reach the more outlying regions by equipping remote schools and other official buildings with satellite television receivers. The ICRT operates two national and one provincial terrestrially transmitted networks and one international satellite television channel: * Cuba Visión: general entertainment and news with 88 per cent of adults watching in any week. Also on Hispasat 1D. http://www.cubavision.cubaweb.cu * Tele Rebelde: general entertainment and news. Also covers important sporting events in depth with 65 per cent of adults watching in any week. Also on Hispasat 1D. (No website found) * Provincial television channels have 49 per cent of the adults watching in any week. Programming consists of national and local television content * Cubavisión Internacional: News and cultural programming for an international audience. This channel is beamed to the Americas and Europe on the following satellites: AsiaSat 2, 100.5 degrees east; Astra 1KR, 19.2 degrees east; Hispasat 1C and 1D, 30 degrees west; PAS 9, 58 degrees west. This channel is currently negotiating with the Brazilian Pay TV Association to distribute its programmes in Brazil. http://www.cubavision.cubaweb.cu The Spanish-language channel, Univisión from Florida, although presumably not beamed specifically to Cuba, gets about 4 per cent of adults watching each week. HBO, Telemundo, Venezolana de TV, Telesur and TV Martí all receive less than 2 per cent of the adult audience in any week. Nearly 30 per cent of respondents to a recent survey reported watching CNN in the previous week, but as some programming is rebroadcast in whole or in part on Cuban domestic television, this is probably how most viewers see it rather than via satellite. Radio and TV Martí In the early 1980s, US President Ronald Reagan agreed to establish a radio station to broadcast to Cuba and after a three-year, bipartisan effort in Congress, Radio Martí, was created by the Radio Broadcasting to Cuba Act of 1983. Its mission, in its own words, is to provide "a contrast to Cuban media and provide its listeners with an uncensored view of current events". Other observers describe it more bluntly as having the goal of disrupting the island's political environment, but specifically intended to contribute to the fall of President Castro. Radio Martí (named after the Cuban hero of independence and writer José Martí), started broadcasting from studios in Washington DC on 20 May 1985, the date chosen commemorates the anniversary of Cuba's independence from Spanish colonial rule on 20 May 1902. The station was modelled on Radio Free Europe and Radio Liberty - stations established by the US during the Cold War to broadcast into Eastern Europe and the Soviet Union. After pressure from exiled Cubans in Florida, Radio Martí's studios were moved to Miami in 1996. Radio Martí broadcasts 24 hours per day, seven days per week on frequencies in the mediumwave (AM) band and also on shortwave from transmitters in Marathon, Florida, Delano and Greenville, California [sic!]. It is also available on the Hispasat 1-C, 30 degrees west and NSS 806, 40.5 degrees west satellites. News and news-related programming make up half of Radio Martí's schedule, although this may change to an all news and information format soon. In 1990, The Office of Cuba Broadcasting was established to oversee all programming broadcast to Cuba on Radio Martí and the newly established TV Martí. This new television station was set up with the same aims as its sister radio station. It was initially transmitted from a balloon or aerostat tethered 10,000 feet above the Cudjoe Key Air Force Station, Florida and could be received by ordinary television antennas in parts of Cuba. But after Hurricane Dennis destroyed this in July 2005, the US authorities have used Commando Solo C-130 aircraft to transmit the station for four hours on Saturday evenings. This signal is also designed to be received by ordinary television antennas. TV Martí is also available throughout the day on the Hispasat 1-C and NSS 806 satellites. In addition, it is played on screens in the United States Interests Section in Havana, a facility visited by more than 75,000 Cubans yearly. However for the target audience, non-satellite broadcasts are preferred as satellite dishes and receivers are generally illegal. The C-130 aircraft transmissions are only available on channel 13 for four hours each Saturday evening, and are not received throughout the island. A huge financial boost to the station was requested by the management of Radio and TV Martí for added transmissions from aircraft. Congress approved 10m dollars in its 2006 budget to increase the television broadcasting hours and possibly also to add an FM channel to Radio Martí. The funds made available by Congress will be for the new aircraft and in addition to the 28m dollars to cover operating expenses (including over 100 staff) for Radio and TV Martí. The increased broadcasting was scheduled to start at the end of August, but TV Martí brought the date forward to 12 August after Castro's surgery. The station now broadcasts Mondays to Saturdays using a new Lockheed Martin G1 aircraft. US Asst. Secretary for Western Hemisphere Affairs Roger Noriega told the Miami Herald that the State Department had drawn up detailed plans for employment once Fidel Castro retired from power. He said: "One of the key things that we identified as a challenge is to communicate with the security forces about their accountability for any violence" - presumably via Radio and TV Martí. The increase in funds to these stations has raised some controversy since there is debate about the effectiveness of the broadcasts. In Cuba there is no way to measure the stations' audiences through conventional listener surveys. Cubans travelling out of the country will provide contradictory anecdotal evidence and report both that everyone listens, and that nobody listens. According to audience reports published by the USIA, the station is the most popular radio station in Cuba, despite the Cuban government's efforts to jam its broadcasts. Although the telephone media survey showed that about 90 per cent of Cuban homes owned a television and a radio, Radio and TV Martí appear to have a very small audience of less than 1 per cent of adults in any week. This could be due to a reluctance of respondents admitting to watching or listening to the stations, or a reflection of the effectiveness of the jamming. Jamming Cuba has long argued that the broadcasts of Radio and TV Martí are illegal and the Cuban authorities have a fairly well organized network of jamming transmitters to prevent - or at least greatly hinder - reception of these stations. The frequency TV Martí uses is assigned to Cuba, and international telecommunications regulations prohibit other nations from deliberately using frequencies allocated to a neighbouring country's domestic broadcasting. Cuban government officials told the Prensa Latina news agency that the International Telecommunication Union congresses in 2004 and 2005 warned that US military aircraft beaming TV Martí interferes with Cuban TV signals. The US State Department, in a statement on its website, in 2004 said: "Radio and TV Martí have transmitted their signals to Cuba for over a decade, and they are routinely jammed by authorities that are fearful of the truth and of their own people. These broadcasts will give the Cuban people uncensored information about their country and the world, and will help bring about a rapid and peaceful transition to democracy." Press The newsprint shortage in Cuba has not improved as the ability to import paper has not changed significantly since Soviet subsidies ended in the early 1990s. Nevertheless, practically every sector of society is represented by a periodical, such as youth (Juventud Rebelde newspaper) or workers (Trabajadores newspaper). Economic sectors, such as tourism, culture and trade also have specialized publications. Newspapers and magazines are affordable. Availability is more of a problem since the number of printed editions is limited. Periodicals are often reused, and used copies are sold or even rented. Individual sellers may resell publications at several times the regular price. Most newspapers and publications are sold throughout the country. Publications brought into Cuba are censored and anyone caught importing such publications face a prison sentence. Nevertheless, tourists often find themselves being asked by eager locals for any newspapers they may have. The three main national newspapers are: Granma, Juventud Rebelde and Trabajadores. Granma Granma is the official publication of the Cuban government, based in Havana. The publication is also available online with Spanish, and English-language websites http://granma.co.cu The newspaper was founded in 1965 when the Communist Party of Cuba (PCC) was officially established and represents the party's official views. Granma serves primarily as the newspaper of record for major party and government activities and usually carries the text or summaries of major speeches made by Fidel Castro and prominent government members. The paper also reports on major activities and programmes carried out by the trade unions and other organizations such as workers' and students' federations. Like other Cuban newspapers, Granma highlights the accomplishments of model workers and production efforts under way at featured sugar mills, farms and factories. Human interest stories are limited to discussion of new medical advances in Cuba or common medical problems. At least one page of the paper is devoted to foreign news agencies like EFE, AFP, Notimex, ANSA and DPA. One page each is devoted to sports and cultural events. There is also a weekly version, Granma Internacional, which is available online in French, Portuguese, German, Italian and English http://www.granma.cu/ Juventud Rebelde Juventud Rebelde, based in Havana, is the paper of the Union of Communist Youth (UJC), the political organization for Cubans aged 14- 27. It was first published on 22 October 1965 shortly after Castro announced the creation of a new daily newspaper "to continue the combative exemplary traditions of the Cuban youth press". In the announcement Castro said "...a newspaper intended basically for youth, with things of interest to youth, but which must try to be a quality daily containing writing that can also interest everyone else". The online version http://www.juventudrebelde.cu was inaugurated in July 1997 to report to the world the truth about Cuba because, it says, most media were silent. While Juventud Rebelde provides the same mix of political and economic reporting as other major papers affiliated to political organizations, it has more photographs and a more direct writing style that usually steers away from political jargon. Juventud Rebelde also carries more varied news features than do other newspapers. In its effort to attract youthful readers, Juventud Rebelde often carries essays on the effect of economic change on Cuba's under-30 generation. Trabajadores Founded in 1970, Trabajadores represents the official views of the Cuban Workers' Federation (CTC), the umbrella organization to which all labour unions belong. Like the CTC, the tabloid-format weekly's role is to defend labour interests and promote party policy. When the two conflict, however, the paper proclaims its support for the party. Although the paper covers major political news (such as Fidel Castro's activities), it primarily focuses on production and efficiency of industrial sectors. The newspaper has selected world news as reported by Prensa Latina, AFP, EFE and Xinhua. The online version http://www.trabajadores.cubasi.cu first appeared in April 1997 and was the first Cuban newspaper to become available through the internet. It is available in both Spanish and English versions. News Agencies The two main news agencies operating in Cuba are: * Prensa Latina http://www.prensa-latina.com is a Havana-based government news agency available online with Spanish, English, Italian and Portuguese-language versions. The news agency was founded in 1959 shortly after the Cuban Revolution and distributes news and published articles to press, radio, television and embassies throughout Latin America via its website * The Cuban News Agency http://www.ain.cubaweb.cu was established in May 1974 in Havana, is a division of Cuba's AIN Information Agency. It offers services in Spanish, English, Esperanto, French, Portuguese and Arabic through e-mail and web pages. [Agencia Informativa Nacional? Is that what it stands for? --- gh] One of the main independent news portals for Cuba is CubaNet http://www.cubanet.org It operates from Florida and was founded on 1994.Dedicated to promote the free press in Cuba, it says it aims to give a voice to journalists and other independent groups on the island. Internet The Cuban-government agency, CINIAI (Centre for Automated Information Interchange of the Cuban Academy of Sciences), is the principal internet provider and became the official organization connecting Cuba to the internet in 1997. Now, an internal intranet of more than 200 government-run sites, including controlled access to external sites, is more widely available than is the "real" internet. Access to this requires government authorization, which is not easy to obtain. As in many authoritarian states, the internet in Cuba presents a dilemma; on one hand it is seen as a medium to promote education and research, but on the other it is seen as a danger to a government that restricts access to, and communication with, foreign agencies of all kinds - because it feeds its users with "counter-revolutionary" information. Cuba is next to Iran and Vietnam among the countries with the most controlled and least accessible internet. Information available suggests that, unlike China, Cuba has placed greater emphasis on restricting access to the internet than on monitoring traffic, although monitoring also takes place. The Cuban government acknowledges that it blocks websites that it considers "terrorist, subversive or pornographic," which covers many information sites. An increase in internet use led to the establishment of specific regulations in December 2004. Resolution 85/2004 requires that all internet service providers be registered with the government, with licenses issued for three years. Licenses cost approximately 300 Cuban pesos. Unauthorized use can result in sanctions or cancellation of a licence. The Cuban government passed this decree so that the internet could only be accessed using a telephone service charged in US dollars, not generally available to ordinary Cubans. The island's government reacted angrily to suggestions that the change amounts to censorship. It says it is doing nothing more than preventing overused internet connections being clogged up by people borrowing, or selling each other passwords. The internet should be for the common good, it says, pointing out that it will still be available in schools and workplaces. The selling of passwords occurs when registered users rent out their log-on names and passwords; others have been known to bring customers to their private point of access and charge for time online. Control of internet access is also exercised by limiting citizens' ability to own a computer or sign up for internet service without difficult-to-get government permits. Most desktop and laptop computers are only available to government enterprises or trusted officials, but anecdotal evidence suggests that computer parts are smuggled in and assembled. Most of those having their own PCs receive them as gifts from relatives abroad and the authorities allow them to be used for email, although this is usually restricted to contacting other email users on the island. Email access is also fairly common in and between offices. Despite the above restrictions, Cuban government officials assured a television audience that the internet is available to everyone. When two independent journalists went to verify the statement, access was not available to them; they were told that due to limited recourses the service is limited to foreigners. Awareness of the internet is high (more than 90 per cent) although actual use remains relatively low (20 per cent). Nine per cent of survey respondents reported accessing the internet in the previous week to the survey. Internet cafes are very expensive, usually ban locals, and are primarily intended to be used by foreigners. Many hotels have internet connections - also generally only accessible to foreigners. Prepaid internet is available at 10 CINIAI internet centres throughout the island. The BBC recently recorded some 6,000 online users weekly (this figure is based on computer cookies, so probably underestimating actual individuals using the site as most computers in Cuba are in public places and would be used by many people) - they consume between 80,000 and 90,000 pages a week from the entire BBC site, of which 65,000 to 75,000 are to the Spanish site alone. Banned journalists disseminate information through foreign media, mostly through telephone reports; much of this information ends up on websites dedicated to Cuban news and run by Cuban exiles in the US and Europe. There are several electronic media outlets housed outside Cuba that disseminate information provided by independent journalists in Cuba: * http://www.cubanet.org * http://www.nuevaprensa.org * http://www.cubaencuentro.com * http://www.cartadecuba.org * http://www.cubafreepress.org * http://www.semanarioafondo.com Probably one of the best known bloggers on Cuban affairs is Babalu http://www.babalublog.com created by Valentine Prieto, a Cuban American. His blog is in English and has a relatively high profile in the US media, featuring in an Associated Press news video. The report says that a US State Department official contacted Prieto for news and information from Cuba, such is the level of information he receives. But the report goes on to say that most of the contacts Babalu receives are Cuban Americans, as Cubans have great difficulty in using the internet in this way. Source: BBC Monitoring research 15 Aug 06 (via DXLD) ** DJIBOUTI. 4780, 1738 17 August 06. A big disappointment so far. A new ute has parked right on frequency and is heard all day long on both sidebands ruining the previous excellent reception. Finally heard well enough in a local language, but not an enjoyable experience! Didn't stick around for an ID. Wonder if this ute is heard in North America or beyond Europe? (Volodya Salmaniw, Kremenchuk, Ukraine, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** ECUADOR. 4909.19, Radio Chaskis, 1039-1050 Aug 18. Noted at tune-in the National Anthem of Ecuador, this followed by canned ID by a woman. Programming started with typical local music. At 1042 live comments from a man. Audio was very muffled and difficult to copy although the signal was good (Chuck Bolland, Clewiston, Florida, NRD545, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** ETHIOPIA. 5500, V. of Tigray Revolution, Aug 15 *1455-1505, 25432- 25431, Tigre; 1455 sign on with IS, 1500 Opening music, Talk (Kouji Hashimoto, Japan, Japan Premium via DXLD) ** INDIA. 4860, 1920 17 August 06. AIR Urdu Service at very strong level until sign-off at 1930. One of the strongest on 60 meters at this time (Volodya Salmaniw, Kremenchuk, Ukraine, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** INTERNATIONAL VACUUM. WSJ Question of the Day: "What would get you to subscribe to a satellite-radio service?" Both the poll results and the individual responses are interesting reading, if you have access to the WSJ online (Richard Cuff / Allentown, PA USA, Swprograms mailing list via DXLD) Did anyone catch the name of the 34th person who responded? I'll reprint it below (Steve Coletti, swprograms via DXLD) Viz.: ``From: Guest Aug-15 12:00 pm To: James Landers Poll (34 of 76) 3973.34 in reply to 3973.12 I totally disagree --- sat radio sounds like its a 16K feed thru a dial up; I am totally unimpressed with it, James. (Personally I think both firms are garbage, but they are doing fine without my hard earned $ I am sure. Why garbage? One has Stern the other Opie and Anthony.) Bill Bergadano`` Since this has already garnered me some 15 or 16 emails from people on the list who emailed me privately, I want to take a chance to defend my statements after being lampooned in 99% of the emails. I speak from purely personal observations. I took the test drive of both XM and SIRIUS on line among other things --- I did so with the 70s channels in mind. Neither of them surpassed the 70s music I have on my computer. I had just about anything they played. Last year I actually bought SIRIUS, got it home, and after doing everything, went to the 'test channel' to make sure it could be received in my home. And no, it could not be. Now the fun exciting part was trying to tell them, their product did not receive the signal --- I was told that`s basically too bad, I paid for it, and I am basically for the want of a better term, screwed. After many phone calls to SIRIUS I finally put the purchase in dispute with Capitol One and it was finally resolved. Again those are strictly my views; I am sure not all agree with me (or any at all), and maybe to some of you it's worth the $ you pay monthly. To me? It's not. It`s just another way to have some other corporations get into your wallet. If you want commercial free radio, try live365 or launchcast; it won't cost you a thing. PS: I have XM`s music channels on DIRECT TV for which I am now told I can expect a service increase for something I never use. Oh the land of the free! 73s (Bill Bergadano, KA2EMZ, swprograms via DXLD) For home use, plan to have an outdoor antenna, preferably with a northwestern exposure given your location. Satellite radio is really much more valuable as a mobile technology than an at-home technology, especially if you have broadband internet connections and a WiFi network; I doubt I would bother with it if I were interested primarily for home use. Your suggestions regarding Live365 and Yahoo Launchast are good ones, also consider Real Rhapsody. If your interest is classical music, I enthusiastically recommend Naxos radio. For you, Bill, the decision to nix it makes sense -- looks like you were more interested in its potential at home vs. in the car (Rich Cuff, ibid.) ** INTERNATIONAL VACUUM. SATELLITE RADIO FACING BANKRUPTCY? August 15, 2006 NewsMax.com http://www.newsmax.com/archives/ic/2006/8/15/175258.shtml?s=ic Satellite radio companies have been suffering heavy losses - and plunging stock prices - even as they continue to add subscribers. And a front-page story in Tuesday's Wall Street Journal warns that the worst may be yet to come. Industry leader XM Satellite Radio Holdings Inc. lost $667 million last year, and rival Sirius Satellite Radio Inc. lost $863 million. The big losses have shaken investor confidence in the industry. XM shares have lost 71 percent of their value this year, and Sirius shares have lost 51 percent. "Given current course and speed, there is, in my view, a significant chance of crisis on the horizon," wrote Pierce "Jack" Roberts, an XM board member who resigned in February. The Journal traces the problems to a number of factors. For one thing, a substantial number of people who buy vehicles with pre-installed satellite radios don't activate them, nor do many who receive a radio as a gift. It's estimated that 10 percent of all store-bought radios given as gifts during the last holiday season were never activated. Also, those who do subscribe often abandon the service after a period of time, some switching to iPod adapters to provide music in their vehicle. When GM began offering three months of free satellite service in their 2003 models, 45 percent of buyers did not sign up when the trial period was over. A bidding war for product between the two companies has also fueled the losses. Sirius signed Howard Stern earlier this year by offering him $500 million over five years, and is paying the National Football League $200 million for seven years. XM has agreed to pay Major League Baseball $650 million for 11 years. A big test for Sirius will come when many free, one-year trials soon come to an end, the Journal reports. Then early next year, subscribers who signed on to get Howard Stern will have to renew their subscriptions. It's not known how many will do so. XM has been paring costs to battle its woes, while Sirius - with 4.7 million subscribers, about 2 million less than XM - is aggressively seeking to increase its subscriber count. But the two firms face troubles on another front. Music labels contend that satellite radios that can store songs infringe on the labels' copyright. Sirius agreed in March to pay a fee to labels each time it sells a radio, while XM is battling a lawsuit from the Recording Industry Association of America. Five years ago, Steve Blum - a media consultant with Tellus Venture Associates in Monterey, Calif. - gave what was then considered a modest prediction of satellite radio growth: 16 million subscribers this year. Instead, the number stands at about 11 million. Said Blum: "It's a much more complicated market than we realized." (via Mike Terry, dxldyg via DXLD) ** INTERNATIONAL VACUUM [non]. War of The Worlds Documentary Hi Glenn, Not sure if this program airs elsewhere but WUOM Ann Arbor, MI will air on Tuesday, August 22 "Radio Lab - War of the Worlds" at 8 PM EDT [UT Wed Aug 23 0000] -Radio Lab investigates why millions were so terrified by a single hour of radio. The Mercury Theatre of the Air's "War of the Worlds" caused listeners to run out into the streets, half-dressed, women to miscarry, and it forever changed how we listen to the radio --- not to mention that the original 1938 broadcast spawned a series of remakes that continue to fool people.- http://www.michiganradio.org/summer_docs.html Might also be available as a podcast, or streamed. WUOM 91.7 Ann Arbor, simulcast on WFUM-FM 91.1 Flint, WVGR-FM 104.1 Grand Rapids. (Steve Lare, Holland, MI, USA, Aug 18, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** KOREA NORTH [non]. Shiokaze, 9485 via Taiwan, was indeed in English for at least the third Friday in a row, Aug 18 from *1300, but did not stay with it as I wanted to listen to CBC/RCI during that hour (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** KYRGYZSTAN. 4010.06, 1749 17 August 06. Kyrgyz Radio 1st HS program heard very well here. Good reception with local talk in presumed Kyrgyz. Occasional CW on LSB so USB best to use. // to 4795 at same or sl[ightly?] lower level. They sign-off at 1759 with announcement also in Russian, I believe and into NA. I retuned them at 2340 at which time Bishkek is heard at very good levels, while 4795 was only poor to fair. Mostly EZL music and announcements in Kyrgyz. I left the mp3 running until 0152 to review later (Volodya Salmaniw, Kremenchuk, Ukraine, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** LIBYA [non]. 17680, Sowt Alamel, Aug 12, 1208-1229, 35333, Arabic, Talk and kor`an, ID at 1227. 17685, Sowt Alamel, Aug 13, 1234-1253, 35433-34433, Arabic, Talk, ID at 1249 and 1251 (Kouji Hashimoto, Japan, Japan Premium via DXLD) Note that there was no, or little QRM! (Glenn Hauser, DXLD) ** MEXICO. NRM: RADIO MIL CAMBIA DE FORMATO Edgar Morales, XEOY Radio Mil (Radionotas.com): 06/05/2006 Por: Leticia Zárate/México, DF. Todo surge de una inquietud del presidente de NRM, el Licenciado Edilberto Huesca y hoy a tan sólo un par de semanas se propone como una apetitosa propuesta radiofónica donde el principal objetivo es hablar de México, por eso es que en Radio Mil Vive México. En amena y exclusiva charla con el responsable de XEOY, Edgar Fernando Morales para RadioNotas.com, nos reveló los principales cambios que sufre la estación madre del grupo radiofónico, hablamos de Radio Mil, en donde desde hace algunos días México es el tema principal, pero no como tan comúnmente se ha manejado sino con un toque de versatilidad y espontaneidad: . . . http://www.radionotas.com/portal/hgxpp001.aspx?55,1,10,O,S,0,PAG;CONC;10;1;D;8103;1;PAG;, or http://snipurl.com/v52i (via Arnaldo Slaen, condig list via DXLD) ** MONGOLIA. 4895, 2141 17 August 06. Mongolian Radio heard with better results compared to the previous night. Sometimes at almost very good level. S7 to S9 signal. Confirmed that Russian NOT heard at 2300. All 3 frequencies remained in Mongolian. i.e. 4895, 4830, and 7260. 7260 heard after 2200 only and is the weakest, it seems. The m/w/f Russian schedule at 0000 to 0010 fits, kind of, since in summer this would equate to 2300 to 2310 as I heard the first night, and remains m/w/f. Will check tonight if possible again (Volodya Salmaniw, Kremenchuk, Ukraine, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** NEW ZEALAND. Time 0244 UT, Freq. 15720, Station: Radio New Zealand International, Mode: DRM, Program: English Drawing Room Drama (?), Nice signal strength for this time of night (10:44 PM local) (Brian Crow, PA, UT Aug 18, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** PHILIPPINES. 15510, 0204 18 August 06, Radio Filipinas. Fair signal in the clear with English news. // of 11885 is just barely audible under a cochannel (Volodya Salmaniw, Kremenchuk, Ukraine, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** RUSSIA. 5965, 1800 17 August 06. Found Radio Radonezh here with sign-on and ID. This is an Orthodox service that sounds very right wing. Fair to good with some transmitter blips. Also announce 1296 not heard (Volodya Salmaniw, Kremenchuk, Ukraine, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Irkutsk site, per EiBi; didn`t it used to be outside Russia? (gh) 6160, 0251 18 August 06. An absolutely impossible channel to monitor in Victoria [because of CBC Vancouver]. Weakly heard, presumably Arkhangel`sk in Russian at fair level with Radio Rossii ID at 0300. Lots of splash from 6165 so fair level at best. Nothing local heard here, just the network feed (Volodya Salmaniw, Kremenchuk, Ukraine, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** TAIWAN [non?]. A few days ago, I received postal mail from Radio Taiwan International in response to my QSL request. The reception date written on the QSL card is 2006/7/23. RTI has been very generous with this mailing. Here is what I received: * QSL card: the procession of matsu ("your report is hereby verified as fully correct.") * "Radio Taipei International Listener's File Card", which is a form asking for name, address, phone, fax, gender, birthday, education level, and occupation * "Radio Taiwan International Reception Report" form, labeled in English and traditional Chinese - very thin paper * RTI English service program schedule (effective March 8, 2006) * an RTI postcard, "Looking at the lanterns" * a copy of Taiwan Journal dated June 30, 2006 * Another copy of the mailing label that's on the envelope (?) (Eric Weatherall, CA, Aug 16, shortwave weblog: http://cobaltpet.blogspot.com/ dxing.info via DXLD) ** TURKEY. Re Voice of Turkey in French at 0300-0355 on 5975! From the TRT technical department: "Dear Jean-Michel, Thank you very much for your monitoring. I contacted immediately with the related departments and we found the problem. Now we are taking necessary precautions to prevent such problems to occur again. Best Wishes. Sedef (via Jean-Michel Aubier, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** TURKMENISTAN. 5015, 2308 S9 + 10 signal with Turkmen Radio 1st HS programme in Turkmen with listed 20 kW. A very powerful signal here. Many mentions of Turkmenistan and Turkmen. I returned at 0152 on August 18th to hear an exceptionally strong signal with repeated mentions of Asgabat. These were ads. At 0200 4 + 1 time pips, and into news in Turkmen (Volodya Salmaniw, Kremenchuk, Ukraine, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** UGANDA. 4976, 1924 17 August 06. Red Channel of Radio Uganda at fair/good reception. Better than their Blue channel on 5026. I taped the rest of the hour for later monitoring. African high-life music at 1958. OC at 1959 and nothing further. Darn! They seemed to come back with a very distorted signal a few minutes later, so must have had a transmitter fault at the worst moment! A welcome logging as east Africa is very difficult if not impossible to hear in WCNA (Volodya Salmaniw, Kremenchuk, Ukraine, DX LISTENING DIGEST) There is a brief long-path window in the mornings (gh, DXLD) ** U K. Re this from Mike Barraclough, From Radio Times: BBC Radio 4. 17th August, 8 p.m. to 8.30 p.m UK time, 1900-1930 UTC, then available for 7 days on Listen Again It's My Story: Political Interference At the end of the 2nd World War an invisible battle was waged in the skies above Eastern Europe. For almost 40 years Soviet-bloc radio engineers tried to jam radio signals coming from the West. On the Western side engineers did their best to get the signals through. Roger Bolton talks to engineers from both sides and hears what happened when the jamming finally stopped --- And a very interesting programme it was too, and it brought back memories of those times. The illustrative recordings heard were typical of what could be monitored, and I well remember hearing the jammers "tuning up" in that way, as well as the CW ID's they gave from time to time. Unfortunately, I didn't realise that by logging them it would be possible to recognise, if not identify, individual jammers! One recording played was of Russian voice jammers, of the type currently used by China, but they must have been late on the scene as I don't recall hearing them - or maybe I did and was "confused" by what I heard, as was their intention! Does anyone else remember them? We also heard about the beginnings of the HFCC at a meeting that took place in Bulgaria after jamming ceased. I was listening via 198 kHz and, just as the programme came to an end, the Mayak chime IS could be heard 'underneath' the BBC transmission - an apt, if unintended, conclusion I thought. 73 (Noel R. Green (NW England, Aug 18, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A. LEONARD MARKS; USIA DIRECTOR IN VIETNAM WAR ERA By Adam Bernstein Washington Post Staff Writer Tuesday, August 15, 2006; B06 Leonard H. Marks, 90, a communications lawyer who headed the U.S. Information Agency during the Vietnam War and was a leading figure in foreign policy and diplomatic organizations, died Aug. 11 at the Washington Home hospice. He had Parkinson's disease. After working for the Federal Communications Commission, Mr. Marks started a private practice in 1946 that became one of Washington's premier communications law firms, Cohn & Marks. President Lyndon B. Johnson named Mr. Marks USIA director in 1965, based on his long representation of Lady Bird Johnson's Texas radio and television assets. Mr. Marks helped guide the first lady's properties into immensely profitable media holdings, which were crucial to Johnson's political career. Mr. Marks became a trusted figure in Johnson's inner circle and a top fundraising adviser during his bids for the White House. Mr. Marks said Johnson agreed to give him a day to decide before naming him USIA director but then announced his appointment two hours later. Although he was initially seen as a controversial choice -- his immediate predecessors had been distinguished journalists, including Edward R. Murrow and Carl T. Rowan -- Mr. Marks said he had "broad experience in the whole field of communications." He had once worked with Murrow on a program to send thousands of American books to developing countries and in 1962 helped incorporate the Communications Satellite Corp., the federally created provider of satellite telecommunications. During his three years at USIA, Mr. Marks oversaw a $178 million international operation that published magazines in dozens of languages, distributed hundreds of films and documentaries and beamed pro-American news abroad through the Voice of America. He also became a member of the National Security Council during the Vietnam War, making him privy to discussions among top military and diplomatic decision makers. The war consumed much of Mr. Marks's work, and he once implemented an unusual plan to explain U.S. policy directly to the Vietnamese. He wrote in his 2004 memoir, "The President Is Calling," that "the Vietnamese household was well-served with gossip and information when the women gathered each morning at the fish market and swapped stories about local events. At the suggestion of one of our employees, I retained the services of talented storytellers who, each day, would compose stories describing the issues of the Vietnam conflict and report on the progress being made in repulsing the communist invaders. "At night, singing troubadours would go to Vietnamese guesthouses, churches and other gathering places. We eliminated daily newspapers and replaced them with live fish market correspondents." Mr. Marks's own view of the war gradually darkened, and he recalled telling Johnson one morning that it was time to "bring the boys home." "In all of the time I knew him, he never said a cross word to me," Mr. Marks later told an interviewer, "but that day, he told me to get out of the room." Long an advocate of public diplomacy, Mr. Marks said a highlight of his USIA tenure was starting a cross-cultural exchange program with Egypt to challenge the pan-Arab nationalism of Egyptian leader Gamal Abdel Nasser. Mr. Marks brought six prominent Egyptians to the United States, allowing them to travel freely and meet with whomever they chose. The visit ended in Washington with meetings with Secretary of State Dean Rusk and Johnson. Among the visitors was Anwar Sadat, a future Egyptian leader who led his country away from Soviet military and economic ties and allied himself with the West. Leonard Harold Marks was born March 5, 1916, in Pittsburgh, where as a teenager he hosted a weekly radio show and was sports editor of his high school newspaper. He was a political science major at the University of Pittsburgh, which he entered at age 15, "carrying a tremendous ambition to be important." This compelled him to try out for the football team, but the coach surveyed Mr. Marks, all 5 feet 2 inches and 115 pounds of him, and made him the players' tutor. He also was president of the student body and was the top graduate in the Pitt law school Class of 1938. After brief work with the Office of Price Administration in Washington, he joined the FCC in 1942 and was assigned to the Foreign Broadcast Intelligence Service to monitor propaganda from abroad during World War II. He started his law firm with an FCC colleague, Marcus Cohn. Mr. Marks spent much of his post-USIA career with international communications advisory panels, several times at the rank of ambassador. He went on to chair the Foreign Policy Association and serve as executive committee chairman of the American Academy of Diplomacy. He also was president of the International Rescue Committee, which helped thousands of Vietnamese boat people in the 1970s; chairman of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty Fund Inc.; and treasurer of the World Press Freedom Committee, where his interest was eliminating "insult laws" that brought jail terms for journalists who offended national leaders. His wife of 54 years, Dorothy Ames Marks, died in 2001. Survivors include two sons, Stephen A. Marks of Arnold and Robert E. Marks of Greenwich, Conn.; and five grandchildren. (c) 2006 The Washington Post Company (via Mike Cooper, DXLD) OBIT ** U S A. Glenn Hauser on Mobile Phones! Dear Glenn, Today, I have some interesting information for you. Apart from having your programs on the WRN network, we are working intensively on getting the content of the Network onto various platforms worldwide to broaden even more its already massive audience. One of the rebroadcast partners WRN is happy to be cooperating with is the UpSNAP Mobile Broadcast Network. It is currently available in the United States and offers users of wireless applications (mobile cell phones, PDAs, wireless internet, etc.) access to live streaming and on-demand audio at no cost. Wireless users can access the MBN either through their wireless Internet service or by dialing in from any standard wireless telephone. Having accessed the MBN portal, users select their desired audio station and listen. Thanks to WRN, users of MBN have a simple access to the content of your station. When an MBN user accesses your program, the audio is streamed directly from the WRN website. Subscribers can also access WRN’s continuous live stream. In short – no matter where you are in the USA, or what hour of the day or night it is, via a mobile telephone MBN users can access WRN and your programs. For more information on the service, please visit http://www.myMBN.com (Katarina Richterova, WRN, Aug 18, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A. 5070, 0227 18 August 06. WWCR. Religious programming in English, also at very good levels. This is at local dawn here (Volodya Salmaniw, Kremenchuk, Ukraine, DX LISTENING DIGEST) So WOR should also be VG on UT Sun if it holds up to 0300 (Glenn Hauser, DXLD) ** U S A. 5110.16, 0228 18 August 06. WBCQ Seemingly on LSB or AM with suppressed USB? with a very old Radio Weather program coming on at 0230. I remember hearing this program some 2 or more years back. S7 to S9 signal (Volodya Salmaniw, Kremenchuk, Ukraine, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A. NEW MEXICO PUBLIC RADIO STATIONS GET DOUGH TO GO DIGITAL New Mexico Business Weekly - 4:14 PM MDT Wednesday The Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) has awarded two grants totaling more than $161,000 to two New Mexico public radio stations. The grants will assist the two stations with improvements to their broadcast signal quality to rural areas in northwestern New Mexico. A $76,000 grant was awarded to KUSW-FM in Farmington and $85,000 went to KUTE-CP FM in Flora Vista for the purchase of equipment needed to make the transition from analog to digital transmission. The CPB has awarded $7.74 million to 85 public radio stations nationwide to assist with the upgrades. At least hundreds more privately-owned radio stations across the U.S. are licensed for digital broadcast, industry experts say (via Kevin Redding, ABDX via DXLD) According to FCC FM Query, KUTE is 90.1 in Ignacio CO, licensed at 3 kW, and KUSW is 89.7 in Farmington, only a 500 watt CP, owned by KUTE (Glenn Hauser, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Not listed below: CORPORATION FOR PUBLIC BROADCASTING ANNOUNCES RADIO STATIONS TO RECEIVE GRANTS IN 2007 The US Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) has announced that eleven organizations, each representing a single public radio station, have qualified for funding in Fiscal Year 2007 through CPB’s newly expanded Radio Community Service Grant program, bringing the number of organizations that will be receiving Radio CSGs to 406. In September 2005, CPB’s Board of Directors approved several changes to the Radio CSG program, including an expansion of station eligibility for the program. Earlier this year, CPB announced its willingness to consider new applications to the Radio CSG program. The eleven organizations and their respective stations (listed below) are located in nine States. Contingent on Congressional approval of CPB’s budget, it is expected that the organizations will collectively be receiving over $1,000,000 in FY 2007. Congress appropriates approximately $400 million annually to CPB. CPB, in turn, distributes these funds in accordance with a statutory formula, under which approximately 72 percent of funds go directly to 1,150 local public television and public radio stations. The CSG program is the largest grant program, accounting for $262.8 million in FY 2006. Stations use Community Service Grants for operational expenses; the production or acquisition of local and national programming; and to strengthen local services such as outreach initiatives and educational workshops. Qualifying Stations: KCLU-FM, Thousand Oaks, CA KDUR-FM, Durango, CO KRFC-FM, Fort Collins, CO KGLT-FM, Bozeman, MT KMFA-FM, Austin, TX KMOJ-FM, Minneapolis, MN WTIP-FM, Grand Marais, MN KOHN-FM, Sells, AZ WGDR-FM, Plainfield, VT WGVV-LP, Rock Island, IL WTMD-FM, Towson, MD (August 16th, 2006, 13:02 UTC by Andy, Media Network blog via DXLD) ** U S A. In 6-124 we mentioned WRFN, Radio Free Nashville as one station carrying Unwelcome Guests. When I go to the website http://www.radiofreenashville.org at 1500 UT Friday to bring up the stream, I find there is no sign of any webcasting mentioned there anymore; without embargo, they are still streaming, if you go via the Public Radio Fan link, to http://stream.butler.net:8000/listen.pls (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A [and non]. More "Read the Regulations!" 1. There is nothing in the Region II Agreement that requires any minimum antenna efficiency for class A stations, or any others either. Nothing in the U.S./Canada Bilateral either, and the Bilateral is generally the domestic rule in Canada. (Nothing in the U.S./Mexico one either.) (Nothing in the GE-75 Agreement regarding minimum efficiency either.) If its power and antenna are insufficient to make a 0.5 mV/m 50% skywave contour (See for example XEOY, 1000 kHz, although the correct IDF for nighttime operation is 1145 mV/m not what's in the database. See also XERUV, 1550 Jalapa, VC, and lots of class A stations in the Caribbean, Centroamerica, and further south) then it's protected to the 0.5 mV/m groundwave contour nighttime on a single signal basis. 2. There is NO requirement for Critical Hours (sometimes called "CR" Canadian Restriction) protection of any class A stations EXCEPT those which are specifically listed in Part VI (and NOT part VI) Annex 1, p. 18 of the Bilateral Agreement. So CKDA can be a class A, but doesn't get critical hours protection because it's not the 1580 notification at Chicoutimi, Que. (Ben Dawson, WA, Aug 17, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** VENEZUELA [non]. No sign of RNV today August 18, 2006 while monitoring continuously from 1000 to 1100 and then intermittently to 1220. No Brasilian heard either. In my previous post the announcer was quoted as saying: "transmitiendo directamente desde la República de Venezuela" I wonder if he was trying to tell us something when he used the word "directamente". He could have said Transmitiendo desde .... (for what it`s worth) 73 de (Joe VA3EOJ Karthaus, Toronto, Canada, DX LISTENING DIGEST) No, Joe, I think they have always said ``directamente``. They are just not going to admit that the transmitters are in Cuba. See what they say on the other broadcasts such as 2000 on 13680, 2300 on 15250, 13680 (Glenn to Joe, via DXLD) ** ZAMBIA. 4960, 0246 18 August 06. The Voice with an S9 to S9 + 10 signal with inspirational hymns in English. Lots of static crashes, though. USB has a ute, but LSB in the clear. Absolutely no sign of ZNBC, so wonder if they have left SW for good? Final comments: I tried a bandscan on the MW band looking for north American MW stations, but not a peep yet. Vlad tells me this starts up within the month. A huge thank you to Vlad for his incredible hospitality once again. A DXer of the highest caliber in all respects, but get that loose coax connection fixed ;-) OM! Time to head to Dnipropetrovsk to pick up my younger brother, and off to visit family in Donetsk. Cheers for now! (Walt Salmaniw, Kremenchuk Ukraine, but usually in Victoria, Canada, Aug 18, DX LISTENING DIGEST) See also DIGITAL BROADCASTING for his comments on DRM UNIDENTIFIED. Hi Glenn, Currently at 2230z here near Sydney, Australia, I am copying encrypted RTTY on 7455 kHz USB (or 7453.6 kHz with -1400 hZ IF shift). Signal appears to be 75 baud/850 Hz shift. Other frequencies mentioned are silent. Regards, (Mike Simpson, Penrith, NSW, Australia, Aug 11, udxf via DXLD) Hi Mike. I can also hear the RTTY encrypted transmission on the NW coast of England rated S6 (Gary Neville, ibid.) 7455 kHz is the measured frequency. It's a 50-Baud/850 Hz shift encrypted transmission. It's a French navy secure broadcast on one of its night frequencies. I can't get a directional fix on it at the moment, but I'd be prepared to guess it's coming from metropolitan France given that it's S9+40dB here in Europe. 73 de (Jim, MPJ, ibid.) 7455 - S6 under strong data QRM at KPH (north of San Francisco) receive site using TCI-530 onmi. RD (Richard Dillman, W6AWO, Maritime Radio Historical Society, ibid.) Glenn, today at 0830 I'm copying the 7 and 9 MHz [9960] frequencies; the former has rapid QSB, the latter is fairly strong. By ear, it does appear to be French Navy. 73 (Tom Norris, Manchester Tennessee, Aug 14, UDXF via DXLD) Tnx to everyone who checked this out; Tom, are you referring here only to 7455 as French Navy? I did not mean to imply that there is any source connexion among the three (Glenn Hauser, Aug 17, ibid.) UNIDENTIFIED. Hi all, hearing right now: a time signal station on 25000 kHz in AM. Signal is quite strong here in Austria, S5 to 7. I can't hear an ID, but there is a gap instead of a tone at second # 59. There are no time announcements at all. Does anybody have any info about this one ? There is quite a lot of Sporadic E short skip on the high HF right now. 73 (Alex from Austria OE3DMA, Aug 13, UDXF via DXLD) But when? I have a faint carrier in CW centered on 25000, but can't make anything out from Nevada (Kurt kD7jyk, ibid.) Extremely weak carrier on 25 MHz, but nothing else here in New Mexico (Bob Combs, ibid.) I hear it again today, more or less the same strength than yesterday. Checked 12 meter ham band. There were hams from France, Finland and Russia, short skip again. I'm pretty sure, it's in Europe somewhere. 73 (Alex, Austria, Aug 14, ibid.) Could be 5 x 5000 or 10 x 2500 harmonic; need to catch any characteristics besides skipping second 59. Could be it does ID on the hour or some other specific minutes if you could hear it then (gh, DXLD) ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ RADIO EQUIPMENT FORUM +++++++++++++++++++++ NEW TOY FOR THE BOYS - ICOM RECEIVER Has anyone seen this one yet? The new Icom about to be released? http://ndl-dx.se/icom_r9500/icom_r9500.pdf (Dave Onley, NT, Aug 17, ARDXC via DXLD) DIGITAL BROADCASTING ++++++++++++++++++++ DRM DOOMED? We had the most enjoyable late evening using Vlad Titarev`s WinRadio 383e which he ably demonstrated to me; got to get one of those. The DRM feature was of great interest to me. Even here in Europe I was less than impressed with the technical limitations of the system. With a strong signal it still took perhaps 15 seconds to lock on, sync, and start demodulating. Although the results then can be superb, FM quality from Luxembourg for example, I can't imagine the average listener being patient enough with this system. Will it ever catch on? Methinks that this may go the route of USB on SW. Remember that fiasco? Perhaps I'm overly pessimistic. Let's hope so (Volodya Salmaniw, Kremenchuk, Ukraine, DX LISTENING DIGEST) too, NEW ZEALAND DRM CHAIRMAN: MARKET TO DECIDE SURVIVAL OF DIGITAL SYSTEM Asia-Pacific Broadcasting Union, August 14th: With so many digital distribution systems available these days, the market will eventually decide which systems are economically viable and which will survive, Digital Radio Mondiale (DRM) Chairman, Peter Senger, told broadcasters today. Speaking at the ABU Digital Radio Convention, Mr Senger, who is also the DRM Director of DW-Germany, said budget limitations made it very difficult for broadcasters to use every new system and decide later which ones to keep. He said systems such as Eureka-147 DAB, DRM, HD Radio and DVB-H all had their respective advantages, and their usage should not be uniform among broadcasters across the Asia-Pacific region. Another approach to going digital, Mr Senger added, was to look for the digital replacement of existing analogue networks and operate them for some time in parallel or simulcast mode. The analogue system would be later switched off when a certain market penetration had been reached. "The savings in full digital mode can finance the higher operational costs during transition and the investments," he said. Full report: http://tinyurl.com/ltex3 (via Mike Barraclough, dxldyg via DXLD) DRM RECEIVER I see from Sangean Website that Sangean DRM 40 Receiver is now due OCTOBER 2006. Very little detail, but it apparently will cover DRM/DAB Band 3/AM/FM/SW with RDS and AMSS (presumably on FM). Price quoted at 299 Euro in Holland inc. VAT, I suspect that will mean £249.99 here possibly later discounted to £199.99. It appears to be a 'de luxe' Hand Held, but I have no idea whether it can be operated from the Mains (Ken Fletcher, UK, Aug 16, BDXC via DXLD) END OF SALE OF ANALOGUE RADIOS IN UK MAIN STREET RETAILER DIXONS TO END SALE OF ANALOGUE RADIOS Leigh Holmwood Wednesday August 16, 2006 MediaGuardian.co.uk Electrical retailer Dixons is to stop stocking analogue radios as sales of digital sets soar. Dixons is now the online arm of Curry's, rather than a high street retailer in its own right. Curry's is continuing to sell analogue radio sets in its stores. The online retailer said it had decided on the move - which will spell the beginning of the end for the century-old device - after digital sets started to outsell analogue receivers by 30 to one. Digital sets first took the sales lead in December 2003, Dixons said, with continued sales growth driven by improvements to its range, better availability of stock, new portable models and investment in new transmitters. Newer sets include crisper sound quality, text-based services, pause and rewind functions and a host of stations and content not available to AM or FM listeners. When they first launched, digital sets cost around #2,000 but the price has now plummeted to as little as #30. "The growth in demand for digital radios is further evidence that we're living in the digital age," said the Dixons group managing director, Nick Wilkinson. "The snap, crackle and pop of the traditional wireless is rapidly being replaced with the crystal-clear sound of digital audio broadcasting." The move follows Ofcom's report on the 2005 communications market, which found that, in the portable radio sector, DAB devices accounted for 54% of sales last year - up from 45% the previous year. The Digital Radio Development Bureau welcomed Dixon's decision, saying it had been pushing for the move for some time. The DRDB chief executive, Ian Dickens, said: "With DAB digital radios outselling analogue in certain sectors, it makes sense for retailers to reconsider the range of products they offer. "The DRDB welcomes Dixon's decision and looks forward to other retailers following their lead." Analogue radios first appeared around 100 years ago. "The traditional radio has been a huge part of home life in the UK, through good times and bad, over the last 100 years," Mr Wilkinson said. "Some of the most pivotal events in our history have been communicated to UK homes from analogue radio transmitters. "There is probably no other piece of technology that conjures such a powerful mental image as the old wireless perched on the mantelpiece with the family gathered around it." Dixons became a mostly internet store earlier this year with its high street shops re-branded under the Curry's name. It said it would continue to sell analogue sets at its remaining tax-free airport stores and its shops in the Republic of Ireland. The retailer added that personal CD players and "boom boxes" were also on the endangered list following the rise in popularity of iPods and other MP3 players (via Dan Say, DXLD) With the best sound quality you can expect from UK DAB hovering around that of a cassette or AM radio, here is one listener who has gone BACK to FM for any serious listening. In a visit to UK market-leading BBC Radio 2, techies and on-air staff agree that Digital Radio is not delivering. Even one of the presenters admitted he can`t be heard at home. Sound quality is seen as so bad, DAB is not used for air- checking in the studio. But we listeners are expected to use it. Is AM the new Hi-Fi? (Bob Ellis, August 16th, 2006 at 12:43, Media Network blog via DXLD) Ahem - yea, right. About three years ago this same company announced that they were discontinuing sales of VCRs. Of course, the range of available models narrowed, as you would expect with any moribund technology, but Dixons/Currys still sell VCR’s to this day! I suspect this announcement is a similar ploy for free publicity ((Dave Kernick, August 16th, 2006 at 12:49, ibid.) To be fair the delay would be off putting if you used it as an off air for presenters - but yes I agree the quality is awful when compared to a decent FM tuner (Paul, August 16th, 2006 at 12:53, ibid.) Smacks of a publicity stunt during the silly season. Expect to see it in one of the UK tabloids. UK is probably the only country where this makes sense. Try something similar in Germany, Netherlands or the whole of Africa and Asia! (Jonathan Marks, August 16th, 2006 at 13:53, ibid.) There’s hardly any analogue standalones on its website anyway, not worth buying online and paying the delivery charge, better to pop in their former high street stores, Currys Digital, and buy one, and of course other online and high street retailers are available. The DAB sets on the online store nearly all have FM, the micro and midi hi-fi sets nearly all have AM/FM tuners, there also have mobile phones and MP3 players with FM. This is a very misleading DRDB press release; in May they revealed the actual DAB sales figures: 14% of all radio sets sold are now DAB (GfK, March 06). Over one fifth (21%) of the money spent on radio sets is on DAB products (GfK, March 06) In terms of listening RAJAR says just 7% of UK listening is via DAB (Mike Barraclough, August 17th, 2006 at 09:32, ibid.) Technically scrambled version of this announcement appeared in daily mail on page 29 Thursday Aug 17th. Cannot be any profit left on am/fm radios (Jonathan Marks, August 17th, 2006 at 10:15, ibid.) Re: Dixons says farewell to analogue radio Dixons has not announced that its stores will no longer be selling analogue radios. This is lazy journalism misinterpreting a misleading DRDB press release. Some facts: The press release this is based on clearly refers to the etailer dixons.co.uk, as The Guardian has confirmed the former Dixons UK High Street stores, now Currys Digital, will continue to stock analogue radios. They have not rebranded the airport and Irish stores and the DRDB mention of them misleads. Dixons.co.uk stock two solely analogue and three analogue clock radios, all at low price. There is hardly any market for cheap electrical products online as the discount on shop prices does not match the additional delivery charges that are applied. The majority of DAB radios at dixons.co.uk have analogue FM. The vast majority of mini hi-fi systems at the online store and at Currys Digital have analogue tuners. The online store carries analogue FM radio built into mobile phones and mp3 players. The 30 to one ratio refers specifically to sales at the online retailer and probably by value rather than volume. The most recent figures in a press release by the DRDB May 2nd 2006 are: 14% of all radio sets sold are now DAB (GfK, March 06) Over one fifth (21%) of the money spent on radio sets is on DAB products (GfK, March 06) Analogue listening does not solely consist of travellers listening to shortwave broadcasts! The latest RAJAR survey showed 86.4% of all UK listening is via analogue. Around 7% of UK listening is via DAB. (Mike Barraclough, BDXC via DXLD) POWERLINE COMMUNICATIONS ++++++++++++++++++++++++ FCC PUSHES FOR BPL From http://beradio.com/currents/radio_currents_080706/index.html#bpl Washington - Aug 3, 2006 - The FCC adopted a Memorandum Opinion and Order (MO&O) to reinforce its belief in the benefits of access to broadband over power lines (BPL), reaffirm its commitment to address interference issues, and re-emphasize that the Part 15 rule changes were made to ensure that access BPL operations do not become a source of interference to licensed radio services. If harmful interference does occur, the Commission will take appropriate action to remedy the situation. The decision was adopted in response to several petitions for reconsideration of the BPL rules established in October 2004. The MO&O details several points. # It affirms the FCC rules regarding emission limits for BPL, including its determination that the reduction of emissions to 20dB below the normal Part 15 emissions limits will constitute adequate interference protection for mobile operations. # It denies the request by the amateur radio community to prohibit BPL operations pending further study and to exclude BPL from frequencies used for amateur radio operations. # It denies the request by the TV industry to exclude BPL from frequencies above 50 MHz. # It affirms the July 7, 2006, deadline for requiring certification for any equipment manufactured, imported or installed on BPL systems, with the proviso that uncertified equipment already in inventory can be used for replacing defective units or to supplement equipment on existing systems for one year within areas already in operation. # It affirms the requirement that information regarding BPL deployment must be provided in a public database at least 30 days prior to the deployment of that equipment # It adopts changes regarding protection of radio astronomy stations by requiring a new exclusion zone and amending consultation requirements for these stations. # It adopts changes to provide for continuing protection for aeronautical stations that are relocated. # It denies the request by the aeronautical industry to exclude BPL operating on low-voltage lines from frequencies reserved for certain aeronautical operations. # It denies the request by the gas and petroleum industry to be considered as public safety entities. FCC 06-113, ET Docket No. 04-37 and 03-104 (via Randy Stewart, Springfield MO, Aug 18, IRCA via DXLD) PROPAGATION +++++++++++ THE KN4LF DAILY LF/MF/HF RADIO PROPAGATION OUTLOOK #2006-014 has been published at 2300 UTC on Thursday August 17, 2006 at http://www.kn4lf.com/kn4lf6.htm --... ...--, (Thomas F. Giella, KN4LF, Retired Meteorologist & Space Plasma Physicist, Lakeland, FL, USA, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Re 6-123: SB PROP @ ARL $ARLP033 Propagation de K7RA ZCZC AP33 QST de W1AW Propagation Forecast Bulletin 33 ARLP033 From Tad Cook, K7RA Seattle, WA August 15, 2006 To all radio amateurs SB PROP ARL ARLP033 ARLP033 Propagation de K7RA This is a special early edition of the propagation bulletin, three days before the regular Friday publication schedule. The regular bulletin will appear on Friday, August 18. A newspaper article on Monday out of New Zealand reported a proposed Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) project that could cause major worldwide disruptions to HF radio communication and GPS navigation. The ''Radiation Belt Remediation'' (RBR) system is envisaged as a method for protecting low earth orbit (LEO) satellites from damage caused by high altitude nuclear detonations or severe solar storms. Testing the system would use extremely high intensity very low frequency (VLF) radio waves to flush particles from radiation belts and dump them into the upper atmosphere. When I first heard of this on Monday morning, I thought it must be something from a fringe web site peddling dark conspiracy theories. But the newspaper reporting the news is real, and so is the team of scientists from New Zealand, the UK and Finland whose study of possible effects of the scheme is reported in a recent edition of Annales Geophysicae. You can find the article here: http://www.physics.otago.ac.nz/research/space/ag-24-2025.pdf A web page from the University of Otago describing the research is here: http://www.physics.otago.ac.nz/research/space/RBR_Media_release_8Aug06.htm I contacted the lead researcher on the team reporting the possible effects of the project, Dr. Craig Rodger of the Physics Department at the University of Otago in Dunedin, New Zealand. He proved very cooperative, accessible and helpful, and told me RBR is a serious project, ''money is starting to appear to investigate it in more detail'', and ''U.S. scientists with military connections are treating it seriously''. It is feared that testing the system could shut down worldwide HF communications for several days to a week, rendering the ionosphere a giant sponge for RF. I sent Dr. Rodger a comment from Ward Silver, N0AX, who speculated ''the sheer energy needed to accomplish it would tend to rule it out from the start, and I don't know where they would erect the necessary antennas.'' Dr. Rodger responded, ''This would be true, but they are hoping to rely on some of the non-linear processes in space plasmas, stealing the energy from the radiation belts to get the wave-amplitudes high enough. We know this is possible (in theory), as it happens naturally already. We don't know how easy it will be to get it happening under our control''. ''Also, as for erecting the antenna, there are two plans. One is to fly VLF antenna in space. This could be a power problem. But for ground-based systems, you probably already know that most major naval powers have big VLF transmitters dotted over the globe. (Two of the US Navy transmitters radiate one megawatt). While these are designed to keep the signals mostly under the ionosphere, it shows the possibility for building big powerful antenna''. You can read Monday's article from the New Zealand Herald, here: http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/story.cfm?c_id=1ObjectID=10396164 (via Don Hosmer, dxldyg via DXLD) Re: US satellite plan 'will knock out Pacific radio links Right now what the eggheads plan for DARPA is just speculation. I've heard that the project is for missile defence, supposedly to cause ICBMs to lose their trajectory. Only a few really know. If my memory serves me correctly, Radio World had an article a while back that mentioned Continental Electronics was to supply several hundred short wave (or high frequency) transmitters to feed a phased array antenna system. The article mentioned the use of low frequencies rather than high frequencies. Of course it isn't unknown for the government to mislead outsiders about procurement of sensitive material and the transmitters may indeed be for low frequency use (Jerry Lenamon, Waco Texas, Aug 14, dxldyg via DXLD) IONOSPHERE TINKERING --- I have no idea how this would affect AM DX, but it looks like SW DX would be decimated, were this plan to happen: http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/SC0608/S00032.htm However, it may be better than the problem it's designed to counteract. Never a dull minute! (Craig Healy, Providence, RI, IRCA via DXLD) Re: US GOVERNMENT TO WRECK HF BANDS --- another article: [as above] US SATELLITE PROTECTION SCHEME POSES GLOBAL RADIO THREAT Monday, 14 August 2006, 2:05 pm Press Release: University of Otago International community needs to consider unintended effects of using system A proposed US system to protect satellites from solar storms or high- altitude nuclear detonations would cause worldwide radio communications blackouts, according to new research by a group of scientists from New Zealand, Finland and the UK. If activated, the envisaged "radiation belt remediation" system would significantly alter the upper atmosphere in the short term, seriously disrupting high frequency (HF) radio wave transmissions and GPS navigation around the globe, says the group's lead researcher, Dr Craig Rodger of the University of Otago Physics Department. The remediation system aims to protect hundreds of low earth-orbiting satellites from having their onboard electronics ruined by charged particles in unusually intense radiation belts "pumped up" by high- altitude nuclear explosions or powerful solar storms, says Dr Rodger. The approach, which is being considered by the US Air Force and the US Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, involves using very low frequency radio waves to flush particles from belts and dump them into the upper atmosphere over either one or several days. "We've calculated that Earth's upper atmosphere would be dramatically affected by such a system, causing unusually intense HF blackouts around most of the world," he says. "Airplane pilots and ships would lose radio contact and some Pacific Island nations could be isolated for as long as six to seven days, depending on the system's design and how it was operated," he says. GPS would likely also suffer large-scale disruptions, as signals between ground users and satellites were scrambled by the ionosphere, he added. The disruptions result from a deluge of dumped charged particles temporarily changing the ionosphere from a "mirror" that bounces high frequency radio waves around the planet to a "sponge" that soaks them up, he says. In their paper, just published in the August edition of the international journal Annales Geophysicae, the Otago researchers and UK and Finnish colleagues suggest that policymakers need to carefully consider the implications of remediation. "If the intense radiation belts resulted from a rogue state detonating a nuclear-tipped missile in the upper atmosphere, using such remediation technology would probably be acceptable to the international community, regardless of the side effects we foresee. "However, the case for using the system to mitigate the lesser risk to satellites from charged particles injected by naturally-occurring solar storms needs to be considered more closely. Here, the impact of the disruption to global communications should be weighed carefully against the potential gains," says Dr Rodger. The researchers also calculated the likely effect of remediation on the ozone layer, but found that ozone depletion would be short-lived and similar to that resulting from natural processes such as large solar storms and volcanic eruptions. The paper, titled: "The atmospheric implications of radiation belt remediation" was co-authored with Otago colleague Associate Professor Neil Thomson and researchers from the British Antarctic Survey, and the Sodankylä Geophysical Observatory in Finland and the Finnish Meteorological Institute (via Norbert, ABDX via DXLD) Further information at http://www.southgatearc.org/propagation/propagation_160806.htm 73 (Trevor M5AKA, monitoringmonthly yg via DXLD) ###