DX LISTENING DIGEST 6-183, December 11, 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 Latest edition of WORLD OF RADIO schedule, including AM, FM, satellite and webcasts with hotlinks to station sites and audio, is at: http://www.worldofradio.com/radioskd.html For updates see our Anomaly Alert page: http://www.worldofradio.com/anomaly.html WRN ON DEMAND: http://new.wrn.org/listeners/stations/station.php?StationID=24 OUR ONDEMAND AUDIO [also CONTINENT OF MEDIA, MUNDO RADIAL] http://www.worldofradio.com/audiomid.html or http://wor.worldofradio.org WORLD OF RADIO PODCASTS: www.obriensweb.com/wor.xml ** ALBANIA. Thanks for Drita's and Andy's comments, as they help shed some light on the RTSh situation. I had attempted to use the http://www.rtsh.com.al address to do my review, but as you know, it's no longer online (despite being listed in both Passport & WRTH 2006). My information had led me to believe that the http://rtsh.sil.at/ website was the replacement, which is clearly incorrect, and for which I apologize. I see that Passport 2007 no longer lists a website for Albania (though they haven't made note of this change); can someone confirm WRTH 2007? And Glenn, I concur that the .at site really needs to be taken down, as it's somewhere between a hoax and the de-facto RTSh site (and has caused me much embarrassment - drat!). Sorry if I offended Drita (or other Albanians, their friends, or lawyers) regarding internet *access*, but note that I in fact said "Internet presence"; I was referring specifically to the supply of information coming from RTSh, which was minimal (and is now, apparently, nada). Sorry if my sloppy writing caused confusion - Drita, next time you're in Newfoundland, the beer's on me. Having just received Passport 2007 and noticed the changes, I was planning to (and will) mention the RTSh update in January's Click! Thanks for helping me to better understand the situation. Cheers, (Paul E. Guise, MBA, PhD, NL, Dec 10, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** ANGUILLA. 6090, 0017-0035+, Dec 10, Receiving Gene Scott on 6090, talking about how English language predisposes thought frame. Reception was fair. 11775, 1127- Dec 10, Gene Scott with Hebrew word definitions. Poor, barely audible (Jason R. Gardner, Meridian, MS, DX398 with indoor wire, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** ANGUILLA [and non]. DGS via Anguilla back on 6090, 10 Dec. 0330 UT. Oh, well, nice DX'ing on the frequency while it was off. Heard both Bandeirantes and Esperanza last night while Anguilla was off. DGS also heard on 5030/6150 via Costa Rica at 0330 (Alex Vranes, Jr., Harpers Ferry, WV, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** ARGENTINA. 11710.7, R. Argentina al Exterior (RAE), 0200, 12/06/06, in English. Argentine news and sports with plenty of tango and folk music mixed in. Strong het from carrier on 11709.6, but could get rid of it in USB. Best signal in a while. Good (Mark Schiefelbein, MO, NASWA Flashsheet via DXLD) ** BELARUSb. BIELORUSIA, 7420, Radio Belarus, 2140-2145, escuchada el 10 de Diciembre en inglés a locutora con programa de música folklórica local, SINPO 55444; sin embargo en la emisión de 7390, emitiendo en paralelo, la señal es muy fuerte y sin embrago el nivel de audio muy bajo, SINPO 45443 (José Miguel Romero, Spain, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** BELARUS. 2340, 9.12 2100, Radio Station Belarus på engelsk. 2. harmonisk fra 1170. // 1170 og 7420 kHz. 3 SHN/BV (Stig Hartvig Nielsen & Bjarke Vestesen, Denmark, SW Bulletin via DXLD) ** BHUTAN. My most memorable reception and QSL had to be the one from the Bhutan Broadcasting Service. I had never thought it possible to hear them, as at the time they were always blocked by China on 5030 kHz. Even after hearing them, I was disappointed to learn that it was next to impossible to QSL them direct, and it hadn`t been done in many years. In addition to the standard postal report and tape recording of my reception, I faxed them a report. It turned out that somehow the fax transmission wasn`t clear, and the station actually called me in the middle of the night to tell me so! I mentioned the postal report, and re-sent the fax, and to my surprise I received a full data QSL card printed on very unusual paper a few months later (George Maroti, Mount Kisco NY, on becoming a Master DX Centurion (200 SWBC countries heard and verified), Dec NASWA Journal via DXLD) ** BOLIVIA. 4545.28, Radio Virgen de Remedios, Tupiza, 2320+, December 04, Spanish, catholic programme by male & female, 24332. 4716.71, Radio Yura, Yura, San Antonio de Quijarro provice, 2325+, December 04, Aymara, talk by male, Andean music, 24332 4796.4, Radio Mallku, Uyuni, 2329+, December 04, Aymara, local ads, short talk by female in aymara, 24332 (Arnaldo Slaen, Argentina, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** BOLIVIA. 4409.7, Radio Eco, Reyes 0000 to 0030 on several dates, garbled and difficult to tune. 4409.73, Radio Eco, Reyes 2342 to 0020, music and OM DJ, dj, Noted odd fading, up and down in a rapid pattern, which seemed to indicate transmitter? Not a usual fade pattern. 23 November. Normal reception without this pattern on 21 November at 2300. 4937.551, Radio San Miguel, Riberalta, not noted for the last few days, 0900 to 1100 and 2230 to 0100 listening period. (23 to 25 November) Not back on 4901! When broadcasting noticeable transmitter drift. Was logged on 4936.65 on 17 November! 5680.7, Radio La Voz del Campesino, Sipe Sipe, 1000 5 Dec, jingle bells instrumental, reading of numbers by OM to 1010. 5680.73, Radio La Voz del Campesino, Sipe Sipe noted as early as 0745, 24 November; 1015 on 25 November (Bob Wilkner, FL, SW Bulletin Dec 10 via DXLD) ** BOLIVIA. 5680, 24.11 2200, La Voz del Campesino at last with acceptable strength, very early. Indication of an Eastern location or what??? Gone or closes at 2230. KO (Kenneth Olofsson, Sweden, SW Bulletin Dec 10, translated by editor Thomas Nilsson for DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** BOLIVIA. 5952.5, 29.11 2320, Radio Pio XII also decent, but only talk and also very common on its split frequency that it is of no use as an indicator. 3. HR (Hans Östnell, Norway, SW Bulletin Dec 10, translated by editor Thomas Nilsson for DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** BOLIVIA. 4716.75, 29.11 2300, Radio Yura with ID 2302. A simple "Yura", hi! Nice music before the hour, then comunicados. 2-3. HR (Hans Östnell, Norway, SW Bulletin Dec 10, translated by editor Thomas Nilsson for DX LISTENING DIGEST) 4716.8, 8.12 [no time], Radio Yataun Ayllu Yura, Bolivia I think it was here. No ID! S 2-3 BEFF (Björn Fransson, ibid.) ** BULGARIA. 7600, Radio Varna, 2200-2210, escuchada el 10 de diciembre en búlgaro; comienza la emisión con un segmento de música clásica, cuña de ID ``Radio Varna``, luego una pieza coral y locutor con comentarios, boletín de noticias. Anuncian la muerte de Augusto Pinochet, locutora con comentarios, SINPO 45343. Audio: http://valenciadx.multiply.com/music/item/278 (José Miguel Romero, Burjasot (Valencia), España, Valencia DX http://es.geocities.com/jmromero782004/ dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** CANADA. Sent the following to RCI this morning (12/11/06): Subject: New Programming Schedule & Contents Hello! Regarding your new broadcast schedule and the programming on 9610 kHz directed to the Americas: I was listening to "The Link" this morning during the 1500 UT hour (and it was coming in well here in the Central US) and noted that at the end of that hour the presenter discussed the items upcoming in the next hour of the program and specifically mentioned that they were on shortwave (in addition to Sirius and Hotbird, etc.) and told listeners to "stay tuned" for that following hour. But then your 9610 kHz transmission switched over to another language (I believe Russian) for that next hour at 1604 UT. Please either transmit in English for two continuous hours so that what the program says is reflected in reality or change what you say so that you are referring to what is really happening. It is very annoying to listeners to hear a request to "stay tuned" for something and then for that to NOT be transmitted. An aside, especially to the Maple Leaf Mail Bag -- please discuss the philosophy behind the transmissions on 9610 kHz you now have. Why did you drop three working frequencies for that morning period and switch to this different one? Just what is the audience to whom this series of multiple languages is directed? I'd sure like to know how many Chinese-speakers are listening to shortwave at 8 AM Central time in North America, for example. It would sure seem to be better to have that be an English hour if you are interested in the US audience then. Thank you (William Martin, Saint Louis, Missouri USA, Dec 11, to RCI, cc to dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** CANADA [non]. Finally remembered to check 1179 after 2330: Lots of SAH with audio from Romania while Sölvesborg [SWEDEN] is off air. So obviously RCI indeed left this transmitter (Kai Ludwig, Germany, Dec 11, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** CANADA [and non]. Thanks for the info on the tone test. I heard it a couple of weeks ago because I like to listen for 1610 in Toronto. I was going to tell you about it but figured you would report on it. As of Thursday, Toronto 1610 was still on the air (Artie Bigley, Columbus OH, Dec 10, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** CANADA. Glenn, regarding Canadian postage rates. While it is true that postage stamps are subject to the 6% GST, in New Brunswick and some other provinces it is a 14% HST. But if you are mailing outside of Canada and the cost is $5.00 or more they are tax exempt provided you buy and affix the postage at the counter and hand it to the Canada Post employee. So right now if you have 6 envelopes or more going to the U.S. at $0.89 each they are non taxable if you mail them that way. Sometimes they forget so you may have to remind them, especially at some of those retail outlets. (Wade Smith, New Brunswick, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** CHINA. 6060, PBS Sichuan (presumed), Dec 10, 1010-1100, YL DJ with many on-air phone conversations (uses both "Wei, Wei" [the traditional Chinese phone greeting] and also “Hello, Hello”), Chinese pop songs, // 7225, which was 2-3 seconds ahead of 6060, both fair-poor (Ron Howard, Monterey, CA, Etón E5, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** CHINA. 9820, China Business Radio/CNR-2, Dec 10, 1311-1335, English Evening program with review of the movie ``The Devil Wears Prada``, with many audio clips from the movie, 1331 into “Advanced Studio Classroom” with Bill Quinn. // 7375, 7245, 6155 and 6065. All mostly fair (Ron Howard, Monterey, CA, Etón E5, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** CONGO DR. 5066.336, 7.12 1610, UNID most likely Candip, Congo in French. Close down 1623. Weak modulation. 1-2 SA (Stig Adolfsson, Sweden, SW Bulletin Dec 10, translated by editor Thomas Nilsson for DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** CONGO DR. 6209.652, 6.12 1600, Kahuzi heard quite often nowadays. Heard in English at this time on a Friday. Always weak. Closedown at 1609. SA (Stig Adolfsson, Sweden, SW Bulletin Dec 10, translated by editor Thomas Nilsson for DX LISTENING DIGEST) 6209.7, 27.11 1650, Kahuzi with a speech for more than an hour in French ending at 1757, then announcement with among others a web address, 1801 choir and some talk and finally native music and songs. 1835 end of transmission. [Overall merit =] 2 LRH (Leif Råhäll, ibid.) ** CONGO DR [non]. R. Okapi, 11690, via Meyerton, SOUTH AFRICA, f/d card in 5 months . V/s Dennis Roshier, Administrator. New addr: Fondation Hirondelle, Av. Du Temple 19C, 1012 Lausanne, Switzerland. The station informs me that Peter Aeberhard is the new Director (Jim Renfrew, NY, QSL Report, Dec NASWA Journal via DXLD) ** CUBA. It is now 0115 UT Dec 10 and Radio Habana Cuba can be heard loud and clear in Spanish on 9600 kHz. However parallel 11705, the signal is strong but very poorly modulated: the audio is low and distorted. --- It is now 0150 UT and I have noticed a third frequency, 11875, in parallel to 9600 and 11705, suffering the same audio problems than the latter. Perhaps a problem in the audio link. 73, (Moisés Knochen, Montevideo, Uruguay, Dec 10, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** CUBA. Two RHC Signals on 11760 --- Greetings Esteemed Amigo Arnie: While listening to RHC yesterday (Saturday December 9) for the 2030- 2130 transmission, including "DXers Unlimited", I was treated to an extra RHC transmission that was audible underneath your transmission, especially while your transmission consisted of the spoken word. Here are the details: DATE: Saturday December 9, 2006 TIME: 2045 - 2105 QTH: Bridgenorth, ON, 44 21' N, 78 27' W RECEIVER: Grundig Satellit 800 ANTENNA: 160 foot random wire running east/west LANGUAGE USED: Spanish SIGNAL QUALITY: Fair despite being underneath the primary carrier of the English service PROGRAM DETAILS: At 2045 as I tuned in to RHC's English program a program of classical music was noted underneath this transmission. There were no announcements until 2059 when a man spoke for a little bit then a woman spoke in a highly spirited way. This was followed by your interval signal at 2100 and a man with a "Radio Habana Cuba" ID. More classical music followed. I cannot find any details of this in the latest Passport to Worldband Radio so I'm wondering if there was a mistake at the transmitter control office. Best wishes for the upcoming holiday season. A Very Merry Christmas and a Very Happy New Year. Mark Coady, Editor, Your Reports/Listening In Magazine Co-Moderator, ODXA Yahoogroup, Ontario DX Association 1038 Ward Street, Bridgenorth, ON K0L 1H0, (705) 292-0458 mark.coady @ sympatico.ca http://geocities.com/luckywimpy (to Arnie Coro, cc to DX LISTENING DIGEST) Mark, Cf my recent log of Spanish, classical music under RHC English on 6060. I now suspect this is CMBF R. Musical Nacional program audio mixing into the RHC audio. CMBF sometimes is put on RHC frequencies deliberately after RHC closes at 0700, 1500. It will be interesting if Arnie admits this or even acknowledges your inquiry. 73, (Glenn Hauser, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** CUBA [non]. Re 6-182, UNIDENTIFIED, 6100: 6100 UNID, 0350-0400*, 12/7/06, in English. Non-stop rock music with Led Zeppelin noted in the mix. Some talk by a woman just prior to carrier being cut. Not sure who or where this from. Thanks to Ferguson and Novello tips. Reasonably good signal but the audio was distorted (Rich D'Angelo, PA, NASWA Flashsheet Dec 10 via DXLD) Already IDed in DXLD as Planet Rock, erroneous relay via UK (gh, DXLD) Sure enough, R República showed up tonight in Spanish on 6100 kHz in pretty good signal, and oddly enough no jamming noticeable from my listening location. Interesting stuff going on the shortwaves, no matter how unintentional or accidental (Jason Gardner, MS, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) Yep, R República loud and clear here at 0310, save for a little adjacent channel DRM interference from 6095 kHz. No sign of any jamming here either, like last night. FWIW, audio quality is much better (Stephen Howie, Reading, UK, ibid.) 6100, 0300-, Dec 10, Radio República came in loud an clear tonight, putting an end to the 6100 unID speculations. Radio República ID and Spanish talk (Jason R. Gardner, Meridian, MS, DX398 with indoor wire, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) So apparently the relay sked via Rampisham UK, never published by RR, is now daily: 22-24 6135, 00-03 6185, 03-04 6100 --- if VTC/Merlin can manage to get the right audio on (Glenn Hauser, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** DOMINICA. Glenn, Re DXLD 6-182: SAINT KITTS & NEVIS [and non]. ... Hardly any signal from DBS Dominica on 595 (Stephen Price, Johnstown PA, DX LISTENING DIGEST) I stopped in Dominica on a cruise in spring of 2006. While wandering around the city of Roseau I saw the building that houses the DBS offices and studio. I was taking a few pictures when a woman came out of the building carrying a briefcase and clipboard. She said she worked at the station and agreed to answer a question I had. I asked her about the fact that as our ship pulled into the harbor that morning I was unable to detect their AM signal on either 590 or 595 kHz. (Photo attached shows 590, not 595 kHz for the AM transmitter.) She explained that the AM transmitter consumed a lot of electricity and was mostly off the air due to electricity cost. She did offer that it was on the air early on Sunday mornings for a church broadcast where the church covered the cost of operating the AM transmitter. Much of the electricity on the island comes from hydroelectric sources. There are some high lakes in the mountains feeding waterfalls that have been redirected to power generators. The rest of their power comes from petroleum that is imported by ship from Trinidad and which is very expensive. The FM side of DBS was interesting in that a frequency at the upper end of the FM band (107 MHz) was used for their studio-transmitter link. A Yagi beam about 40 feet above ground sent the signal to a mountain top where it was retransmitted on 88.1 MHz. Many other frequencies were also in use around the island as shown on the billboard [88.5, 89.5, 103.1, 103.5] above the office/studio building. I presume these are translators fed by the 88.1 signal (Joe Buch, DE, DX LISTENING DIGEST) VG, Joe. I suppose it`s not early enough Sunday morning to propagate by skywave, however. Since almost everyone outside Caribbean mispronounces it, I take another opportunity to say, it`s dom-uh-NEE-kuh (gh, DXLD) ** ETHIOPIA. 7165.14, 8.12 1600, Radio Ethiopia startede engelsk udsendelse, ID og nyheder. 3 SHN (Stig Hartvig Nielsen, Denmark, SW Bulletin Dec 10 via DXLD) ** EUROPE. MYSTERY RADIO: Tune in every day from Monday to Friday for the evening show from 1800 to 1900 UTC (19:00 CET) We like to hear from you mysteryradio @ googlemail.com Thanks to hundreds of listeners writing in so far. ------------ --------- --------- --------- --------- --------- - Ab sofort jeden Tag von Montag bis Freitag. Die Abendshow auf Mystery Radio. Beginn 1800 UT bzw. 19:00 Uhr MEZ. Frequenz : 6220 khz Wir freuen uns auf Hörerpost. Mysteryradio @ googlemail.com Vielen Dank an die zahlreichen Hörer, die bisher geschrieben haben (via José Miguel Romero2, Spain, Dec 11, dxldyg via DXLD) ** FRANCE. According to the French Communist daily, l'Humanité, labor unions for the TV5 television channel (TV5 monde) have protested against the removal of many news broadcasts from the schedule beginning next month. The unions (SUD, CGC, SNJ, UNSA, FO, CFDT) note that the changes "curiously" coincide with the launch of the all-news France 24 channel (Mike Cooper, GA, Dec 11, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** FRANCE [non]. 15515, 1215-1230 Dec 10, Radio France International en español. I listened to the program which consisted of pop music and techno pop music. Signal was extremely good (Jason R. Gardner, Meridian, MS, DX398 with indoor wire, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) No doubt via Guiana French. So did it end at 1230 or go on to 1300 as in one sked version? (gh) ** GABON. Considering the recent logs on Gabon, I believe this is more or less the situation. Please tell me if you think it's wrong. Assumption: There are only three transmitters for ANU, R. Gabon, NHK and jamming activities; one of these produces both Buzz and harmonic, the others behave more or less like transmitters are expected to do. Easy to follow is the current use of Buzzy: 0500-1600 ANU 9580 1600-1700 R. Gabon 4777 (but why? The buzz is there, is there a harmonic also? There is no buzz and no harmonic on ANU at this hour.) 1700-2300 ANU 9580 (but might be replaced by another one later in the evening. Also in the morning?) For the other two transmitters we can assume the following daytime schedule: One: 0430 NHK, 0700 ANU 17630, 1030 NHK, 1100-1600 ANU 17630 Two: 0500 R. Gabon 4777, 0800 R. Gabon 7270 (?), 1130-1530 Jamming on 17660 It's likely that One switches to 15475 and Two takes over 9580 already a bit before 1600. At 1700 one of these is used for NHK, the other is scheduled to stay on 15475, but it seems this is irregular. And after 1900 there is only one transmitter scheduled: 9580 - mostly Buzzy used, but sometimes one of the others. Strange, but any more explanations? 73 (Thorsten Hallmann, Münster, Germany, Dec 10, DX LISTENING DIGEST) But I'm also hearing Gabuzz on RTVG 4777 at 0500 (Alex Vranes, Jr. Harpers Ferry, WV, Dec 10, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) O yes, so have I as reported here, tho not checked lately (gh, DXLD) ** GREECE. Re 6-170: ``Since we know two Avlis transmitters produce a mixing product on 6210 (15630 minus 9420; see CONGO DR) we ought to go looking for other possibilities, for example: 17525 minus 9425 = 8105 at 1100-1550; 12105 minus 7475 = 4630 at 2300-0650 (gh)`` It`s amazing how 1) I can make such mistakes, and 2) no one corrects them, until maybe I notice them weeks later. It`s 17525 minus 9420 = 8105, not minus 9425. At least the result was right. Has anyone been looking for these mixing products to confirm they exist? (Glenn Hauser, Dec 10, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** HAITI. The private radio station Signal FM, from Pétion-Ville, broadcasting on 90.5 MHz to the capital area Port-au-Prince, 90.5 MHz, celebrates its 15 years of operation. The full article can be seen at http://www.haitipressnetwork.com/news.cfm?articleID=8211 (Dr. Anton J. Kuchelmeister, Dec 10, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** INDIA. 13710, 1335-1350+ Dec 10, All India Radio talking about university and higher education. All India Radio ID, then music. Could tell that it was parallel to 9690 kHz under the static, but reception on 9690 was worse than 13710. This was my first log of India. I got a rush out of trying to catch this station, reminds me of the time I heard Voice International out of Australia back in 2004, straining with every fiber of my being to figure out what was being said, and trying to make drastic improvements on reception by cutting off almost all the electronics in the house. I have been studying grayline propagation recently, and thankfully, it appears to be paying off (Jason R. Gardner, Meridian, MS, DX398 with indoor wire, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** INDONESIA. Dear OM. Reactivated RRI-Nabire 49 mb transmitter (last check in Oct. 1998 on 6127 kHz) heard on 6125.3 kHz at 0815-1400* with Love Ambon on Dec. 10. Local news in Nabire at 1000-1012. Jakarta news at 1100, 1200 and 1300. According to "Kageyama BCL Communication Page" in Japanese http://6103.teacup.com/akage/bbs?BD=10&CH=5 first noted on Dec. 9 at 0900 with unID RRI, reported on S. Kiyota (A. Ishida & S. Hasegawa, NDXC-HQ, controler: S. Hasegawa, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Re: RRI Nabire back on 6125.3 --- Tuned in at 1240 to long boring talk by OM which lasted to 1320. Did note time pips at 1300. After 1320 had a female announcer and several nice music selections. Love Ambon at 1358 with closing announcements by female announcer. Pulled the plug just after 1400. Certainly running more than the 500 watts they were reportedly running with previously (Steve Lare, Holland, MI USA, Dec 11, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) So you understand Indonesian well enough to be bored by it? Hi (gh, DXLD) ** INDONESIA. 3215, 2.12 2125, RRI Manado with ``strange`` music, just like that from the tube Australian aborigines play on. Sometimes disturbance from Russian communication radio. QSA 2-3. JE (Jan Edh, Sweden, SW Bulletin Dec 10, translated by editor Thomas Nilsson for DX LISTENING DIGEST) 3215.1, 2.12 2125, RRI Manado back again, music and talk, 2 LRH (Leif Råhäll, Sweden, SW Bulletin Dec 10, translated by editor Thomas Nilsson for DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** IRAN [non]. 3877.7v, 9.12 1605, Voice of Iranian Revolution in Farsi, drifted up and down in frequency all the time to avoid Iranian jamming. 2 BV (Bjarke Vestesen, Denmark, SW Bulletin Dec 10, translated by editor Thomas Nilsson for DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** IRAN [non]. 6261.8, 21.11 1900, UNID. Farsi here is nothing more than an harmonic [spur] from 6245 Radio Zamaneh. BEFF (Björn Fransson, Sweden, SW Bulletin Dec 10, translated by editor Thomas Nilsson for DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** ISRAEL. See SOMALIA [non] ** JORDAN. 11690, Radio Jordan, 12/6 1420, 12/6/06, in English. Western and Arabic pop music, announcements by YL DJ, ID "You've made the right choice; you're listening to Radio Jordan, 96.3 FM" at 1428, more music, DJ reading letters/e-mails from listeners, canned IDs for "96.3 FM" during songs, news at 1500, more music, canned IDs over music for "Radio Jordan" (Ralph Brandi, NJ, NASWA Flashsheet via DXLD) ** MEXICO. 9599.35, R. UNAM, 1538, 12/06/06, in Spanish. Apparently testing for a possible return to shortwave. Talk show program in Spanish about democracy and politics, went through the top of the hour with no ID noted. Heard open carrier the day before in this time frame drifting from 9599.5 down to 9599.3. Fair/good (Mark Schiefelbein, MO, NASWA Flashsheet via DXLD) Like I said, gone since Dec 7 (gh, DXLD) ** MONGOLIA. Tarjeta QSL "Visit Mongolia" con imagen de un rebaño de animales similares a renos, completa, V/S "Densmaa, Mail Editor, VOM". Corresponde a una escucha de la transmisión en inglés del 23/9 1000-1030 UT en 12085 kHz. No indica potencia ni sitio transmisor. Viene acompañada por una carta personal firmada por Densmaa Zorigt, tarjeta postal con imagen de típicas tiendas circulares blancas y rebaños pastando en el Gobi, folleto turístico en alemán "Ziel Mongolei", pero que en un sector lleva la leyenda "In the steppes of Genghis Khan". Esta gente sí que sabe atraer el turismo de aventura. Envié 2 IRCs, y demoró 70 días (Moisés Knochen, Montevideo, Uruguay, Conexión Digital Dec 10 via DXLD) ** MONTENEGRO [non]. Re 6-182, 1368 kHz: I thought Valjevo is in Serbia, not in Montenegro (Jari Savolainen, Finland, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) Yes, it's in Serbia, about 60 km southwest of Belgrade and 100 km away from the border to Montenegro (Kai Ludwig, Germany, ibid.) So let me rephrase the question: They still connect to Montenegro despite independence, or is it just Vlad? (gh, DXLD) ** MYANMAR. 5770, 19.11 1407, Defence Forces, Myanmar med Bon Jovi LWV (Lennart Weirell, Sweden, SW Bulletin Dec 10 via DXLD) 5770, 30.11 1340, Defense BC Station, Myanmar med musik. Bl a en poppig version av Roy Orbisons "You Got It". 3. HR (SW Bulletin Dec 10 via DXLD) 7185, 10.12 0030, Radio Myanmar med sign-on på myanmar. 3 SHN (Stig Hartvig Nielsen, Denmark, ibid.) ** NORWAY [and non]. Re 6-182 FINLAND [and non]: Since this thread started as a suggestion by John Bryant that DXers chip in the money to pay for a DX test on the dormant 1314 kHz transmitter in NORWAY --- (gh) Someone mentioned to me that 1314 kHz costs 320 euros pr hour, which is almost exactly the same rate as Finland, being twice the power (1200 kW). (Andy Sennitt, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) An additional consideration for the occasional operation of such a large facility would be demand (or rate of consumption) charges. No matter what the total consumption, the fixed costs of maintaining the grid for the peak load are allowed to be recovered by the utility, even if the facility is seldom used. Perhaps the European electric utilities charge differently but here in the US a significant portion of the electric bill can be based on the demand (Jerry Lenamon, Waco, ibid.) It's not much different here in Germany and I guess in other European countries as well. Large-scale customers get billed not only for the consumed kWh's but also for the peak load they drain from the grid within a certain period. Presumably the circumstance that 1314 run open carrier for at least six hours prior to the recent RNW election special is connected to this practice: It probably made in the end not that much of a difference for their power bill. So Norkring charges 320 Euro for an hour of 1314 with 1200 kW, but what do they charge for one hour with 600 kW? I guess substantially more than 160 Euro, probably an amount closer to 320 Euro. Actually this is not just theory, since in the NRK days it was usual practice to run at times, specifically at night during the winter period, only 600 kW. This was not done by just switching off one transmitter, instead both transmitters were run at half power (300 kW) each. And this is the article Mauno quoted in regard of 963: http://www.hukala.net/?do=radio_arti_digitaporinam Includes a picture of the mediumwave mast at Pori, and I think gives also the rates for shortwave: 150 Euro for 500 kW and 130 Euro for 250 kW. Not *that* terribly expensive, considering that the content you get for this amount of money is not worth a full hour but just a few minutes. I speak about *real* content here of course, as opposed to stuff like a yelling preacher (Kai Ludwig, Germany, DX LISTENING DIGEST) I should point out that for twice the power you get nowhere near twice the coverage, so it shouldn`t cost twice as much (Glenn Hauser, DXLD) ** PAPUA NEW GUINEA. 3335, 4.12 1930, Radio East Sepik with South Pacific music. Then into mixed pop and talk. Q4 at best! Very, very nice! The first regional Papuan here. Carrier, alt weak audio also on 3365, 3220 and 3905. Nothing though on 4890. What is happening? HR (Hans Östnell, Norway, SW Bulletin Dec 10, translated by editor Thomas Nilsson for DX LISTENING DIGEST) 3335, 5.12 1915, Radio East Sepik, but not as good as the night before. Also noted a carrier on from what I think is Morobe-3220 and weak audio on Milne Bay-3365. 2. HR (Hans Östnell, Norway, ibid.) 3335, 27.11 1930, R East Sepik with South Pacific drums and some talk and native music and songs like always heard from Papua. 2-3 (also very good Dec 3 already at 1908, also stations on 3325 & 3365 but too weak) LRH (Leif Råhäll, Sweden, SW Bulletin Dec 10, translated by editor Thomas Nilsson for DX LISTENING DIGEST) 3335, 5.12 1945, UNID, but probably Radio East Sepik, Wewak with nice music and S 2-3. BEFF (Björn Fransson, Sweden, ibid.) ** PAPUA NEW GUINEA. 4960, 3.12 1350, Catholic Radio Network with native music with drums, guitar and cheerful songs in typical South Pacific way 2 LRH (Leif Råhäll, Sweden, SW Bulletin Dec 10, translated by editor Thomas Nilsson for DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** PAPUA NEW GUINEA. 7120, R. Wantok Light [sic] (Pt. Moresby), 1057- 1128, 11/29. Also finally heard this one after, what, a year I guess now since it came on, of trying. Tune-in 1057 to lite Christian music, then 1100 M mention "Wantok R. Light FM." 1101 W mention "Welcome to our Night Light Devotion..." and "93.9 FM," then M with devotional message. 1115 light Christian pop music with the W host. 1128 barely hanging on as sun fully up here. Fair but clear at tune-in but fading fairly quickly. Only PNG heard here for awhile; no sign of 4890 for probably a month or two (Alex Vranes, WV, NASWA Flashsheet Dec 10 via DXLD) 7120, 2.12 1205, Wantok Light Radio [sic], with religious texts up to 1230, then gospel music and quiet talk followed. The Chinese signs on at 1256 and then it is impossible. 2. HR (Hans Östnell, Norway, SW Bulletin Dec 10, translated by editor Thomas Nilsson for DX LISTENING DIGEST) 7120, 28.11 1232, Wantok with nice choir songs and talk; after about 10 min. the QRM from a neigbour was too heavy and at 1257 the Chinese was back again after a half an hour pause. Nice this short time. 2 (LRH Leif Råhäll, Sweden, ibid.) 7120, 4.12 1231, Wantok with Christmas music ``Gloria in Excelsis`` 2 LRH (Leif Råhäll, ibid.) ** PERU. 3172.60, Radio Municipal, Panao, most mornings 0900 to 1030+ with weak signal, 22, 26 November. 3172.6, Radio Municipal, Panao, *1010 5 Dec, on with strong carrier and some weak audio (Bob Wilkner, FL, SW Bulletin via DXLD) 3329.58, 10.12 0040, Ondas del Huallaga på spansk. Lang reklameblok kl. 0100. ID og tidsannoncering kl. 0108. 2 SHN (Stig Hartvig Nielsen, Denmark, SW Bulletin via DXLD) 3329.6, Ondas del Huallaga, Huánuco, 0218 1 Dec, readable signal in AM synchro. Tuned to lsb on the synchro (Bob Wilkner, FL, SW Bulletin via DXLD) 5070.72, 9.12 2300, Ondas del Suroriente, slogans, QRM de WWCR 5070. 2 SHN (Stig Hartvig Nielsen, Denmark, SW Bulletin via DXLD) ** PERU. 4855.22, Radio La Hora, Cusco, 2310+, December 04, Spanish, sports program ("La Hora Deportiva"????), 24332 (Arnaldo Slaen, Argentina, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** PERU. Nueva Emisora en Lima, 29 noviembre 2006. 1010, OAX4U Radio Cielo (antes Radio América ) con nuevas IDs en tan corto tiempo. ID 1 "es Radio Cielo 1010 AM OAX4U" ID 2 "es Radio Cielo, acompañándote en todo momento de tu vida". ID 3 "Radio Cielo, la radio de la verdad, la salud y la espiritualidad, una nueva era de la radio en el Perú" ID 4 "Radio Cielo sembrando amor y conciencia". 4 de diciembre 2006 --- Recientemente ha anunciado su sitio web: http://www.radiocielo.com.pe Anteriormente busqué info vía web y nada; hoy intenté con el web site, ningún resultado (tal vez está en proceso). (Gutiérrez, Héctor Álvaro, Conexión Digital Dec 10 via DXLD) ** PORTUGAL. PORTUGAL – Está mudando o endereço eletrônico de contato com a RDP Internacional. Nos próximos dias, o contato com Isabel Saraiva Venes, do Departamento de Intercâmbio da emissora, passará a ser feito através do isabel.venes@rtp.pt (Célio Romais, Panorama, @tividade DX Dec 10 via DXLD) ** SAUDI ARABIA. Re GCC Summit special on 9555: ID "sautu majilicy't thown" repeated countless times since 1830 Dec 10. Need AR translator to correct what came to my ear -;) SIO 554, slight QSB (Vlad Titarev, Ukraine, DXplorer via DXLD) BSKSA there from before 1800. The apparent transition to GCC program at 1830 did not jump out at me, but there have been many "Sout Majles al-taawon" IDs since 1830, per Zeidan's rerport. Signal improved a lot after 1830, now (1905) quite good (Jerry Berg, MA, ibid.) ** SOMALIA [non]. Re 6-182: Just wondering if Radio Shabelle ever operated on 6985? When last heard here in November of 2005 they were on 6960.1 and had been operating on or near that frequency for some time. The current BDXC 'Africa on Shortwave' listing seems to indicate that they are no longer on the air, and when last reported in July 2006 they were on 6960 (Steve Lare, Holland, MI, USA, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) Apparently they heard a word sounding like Shabelle on 6985 and went from there (gh, DXLD) To confirm, this logging in DXLD 6-182 (Radio Shabelle at 1913 on 6985) is in fact Israel. Heard tonight (11 Dec) on 6985 (good) and 9345 (fair) just before 1900 with local Israeli weather forecast in Romanian, then time signal, then in Amharic with clear ID of "Dimts Yisrael radio" (i.e. Voice of Israel radio). (Chris (UK) Greenway, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** SURINAME. 4989.98, 10.12 0528, Radio Apintie with lots of nonstop music and a long awaited ID. 1-3 SHN/BV (Stig Hartvig Nielsen/Bjarke Vestesen, Römö camp, Denmark, SW Bulletin Dec 10, translated by editor Thomas Nilsson for DX LISTENING DIGEST) 4990, 23.11 0355, Radio Apintie, Paramaribo. Only soft nonstop music as it seemed. Found an announcement with "Paramaribo" on the recording, and then this one was in the "box". 2-3. HR (Hans Östnell, Norway, ibid.) 4990, 9.12 0000, Radio Apintie ID in a funny language. S 3. BEFF (Björn Fransson, Sweden, SW Bulletin Dec 10, translated by editor Thomas Nilsson for DX LISTENING DIGEST) Sranan Tongo? ** SWEDEN. CHRISTMAS EVE TRANSMISSION FROM GRIMETON RADIO/SAQ On Christmas Eve Sunday 24th Dec 2006 there will be a transmission from Grimeton Radio/SAQ on VLF frequency 17.2 kHz with the Alexanderson alternator. Time 0800 UT. It will be only one transmission. There will be no activity on amateur radio frequencies with the call SK6SAQ, this time. QSL-reports are kindly received: - E-mail to: info @ alexander.n.se - or fax to: +46-340-674195 - or via: SM bureau - or direct by mail to: Alexander - Grimeton Veteranradios Vaenner, Radiostationen, Grimeton 72, S-430 16 ROLFSTORP, S W E D E N Also read our web site: http://www.alexander.n.se Yours, Lars Kalland, SM6NM (via Steve Whitt, MWC via DXLD) ** SYRIA. Radio Damascus, 12085, full data QSL card, sticker, program schedule, and copy of the Syria Times received in 20 days for a report emailed to the Spanish section riadsharafaldin @ yahoo.com with a note asking it to be passed along to the English dept. Response indicated that the correct email address for the English section is mmhrez @ shuf.com (M. Schiefelbein, MO, USA, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** TIBET [non]. I was able to confirm the target station of Jamming which I could receive at 11560 kHz from this spring. The Voice of Tibet via Taiwan in Chinese on 11560 at 1130 to 1200. I receive strong Jamming from China. Confirmation cooperation: Mr. N. Hina (member of ABI) (S. Aoki, NDXC-HQ, controler: S. Hasegawa, Dec 11, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U K. BBCWS DISCOVERY - FESSENDEN: KING OF THE RADIO WAVES, 20 Dec BBC Press Office via Richard Cuff, swprograms: The world's first radio broadcast took place a hundred years ago on Christmas Eve 1906. The broadcast, a programme of live music, readings and phonograph recordings, was transmitted to ships in the Atlantic Ocean by Reginald Fessenden – a prolific inventor largely forgotten by history. Presenter Richard Hollingham traces the events of the world's first radio broadcast in Discovery - Fessenden: King of the Radio Waves on Wednesday 20 December. In the early 1900s, people communicated by radio using Morse code. Fessenden, a Canadian rival of Marconi, decided to broadcast a voice message. His invention of AM radio was years ahead of its time. On 24 December 1906, radio operators at sea were startled to hear a voice coming over their receivers. Before the word broadcast had even been invented, they heard a mix of speech with live and recorded music – including a rendition of 'silent night'. However, Fessenden's innovation failed to take off commercially and it wasn't until the 1920s that the massive potential of radio for entertainment was realised. Fessenden originally planned to broadcast across the Atlantic to Scotland. With considerable effort, masts and equipment were built at the small hamlet of Brant Rock near Plymouth, Massachusetts and at Machrihanish on the west coast of Scotland. When, at the last minute, a storm destroyed the Scottish installation, he decided to broadcast to ships at sea instead. Presenter/Richard Hollingham, Producer/Georgie Robinson Programme times: Europe: Wed 1232 rpt 1632, 2032, Thu 0032, Sat 1032, Sun 0332 Australasia: Tue 2232 rpt Wed 0432, 1032, 1432 East Asia: Wed 0132 rpt 0832, 1332, 2132, Sat 0032 South Asia: Wed 0432 rpt 1032, 1532, 2232, Sat 0632 East Africa: Wed 0632 rpt 1432, 2232, Thu 0132 West Africa: Wed 0832 rpt 1432, 2232, Thu 0132, Sat 0332 Middle East: Wed 0732 rpt 1332, 1932, Sat 0432 Americas: Wed 1232 (not Caribb), 1332 (Caribb only) rpt 2332, Thu 0332, Sun 0732 Listen on demand: http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/programmes/discovery.shtml (via Mike Barraclough, worlddxclub via DXLD) ** U S A [non]. Hello all, I am listening to Voice of America at 0100 UT on 7200 and am wondering where it comes from. Eibi says it's from Morocco but Passport says it's from Kavala Greece. Who's right? Thank you for the answer (Gilles Létourneau, Montréal, Canada, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) Probably Briech, as VOA no longer uses Kavala site. Apparently one of a multitude of mistakes in Passport (Alex Vranes, Jr., Harpers Ferry, WV, ibid.) ** U S A. FIESTA DE NAVIDAD DE RADIO MIAMI Saludos, amigos y colegas Diexistas: Ayer sábado tuve el gran gusto de participar en la fiesta de navidad preparada para los amigos y clientes de la WRMI, Radio Miami Internacional en la ciudad del Sol con los anfitriones Thaïs y Jeff White. Fue una oportunidad para saludar y conocer las caras de muchos de los productores de los diferentes espacios que se emiten por esa prestigiosa radio. Cabe recordar, que WRMI es la emisora que más promueve el hobby/pasatiempo del Diexismo con la transmisión actual de los siguientes programas: World of Radio con Glenn Hauser Mundo Radial con Glenn Hauser Aventura Diexista con Allen Graham y Juan Carlos Chimarro La Rosa De Tokio con Omar Somma y Juan Natale Dx Party Line con Allen Graham Monitor Dx con Daniel Camporini Wavescan con Anker Petersen Viva Miami con Jeff & Thaïs White. Gracias Thaïs y Jeff White, Feliz Navidad para todos !!! (Dino Bloise, FL, Dec 10, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A. KJES, 11715, f/d ``Sunset`` QSL sheet with form letter and schedule in 35 days for $1.00. The form letter notes that they use their call-and-answer format because ``we have found that this technique has worked well when we take the gospel to a Mexican jail and mental hospital that we visit every week`` (Mark Schiefelbein, MO, QSL Report, Dec NASWA Journal via DXLD) ** U S A [non]. 3214.999, 6.12 1627, ``This is Adventist World Radio, the Voice of Hope``. Hörs bra nu under rådande condx. 2-3 SA (Stig Adolfsson, Sweden, SW Bulletin via DXLD) Country? Per full AWR B-06 sked at http://www.bclnews.it/b06schedules/awr.htm this is Madagascar 50 kW ending a Malagasy language broadcast at 1530, and 3215 is also on with same at 0230-0330. However, if you hear AWR on 3215 at 1800-1830 in English, it is Meyerton, South Africa, 100 kW to SW Africa (Glenn Hauser, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A [and non]. Re WFIR interference concerns: Glenn, I am continually amazed at the astonishing knowledge and research done by some hobbyists - like Bruce Portzer and Herman Boel, whose work is a great benefit to folks like me. The Rio Agreement of 1981 ("RJ-81") sets the standards for international frequency allocation in the whole western hemisphere, and, whether we are working in the U.S., or Canada, or Mexico, or Venezuela, or Brasil, or wherever, we absolutely have to consider interference to stations in the whole hemisphere, and interference contributions from stations to others even over many thousands of kilometers. And who don't realize that the rules used by FCC take into account interference contributions from S. America all the way to NL 49 (and even beyond although so far as I am aware no Alaskan station is impacted by anyone S. of the equator). And this is all data that is easily accessible on ITU and FCC and Industry Canada and Conatel (or their successor) and even some S. American government websites! Curmudgeonly, (Ben Dawson, WA, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A. PROGRESSIVE TALK FADES AWAY IN BOSTON Progressive talk will soon be history, it seems, in eastern MASSACHUSETTS, as Clear Channel's continued corporate retreat from the format brings a format change at WKOX (1200 Framingham) and WXKS (1430 Everett), which have struggled to find an audience since flipping from leased-time Spanish (on WKOX) and standards (on WXKS) in October 2004. Almost from the first day of the new format, rumors began flying about its possible demise. In the last few weeks, as Air America's financial struggles worsened and other progressive talkers slipped away from the format, the rumors began getting louder. Then, last week, Brian Maloney's "Radio Equalizer" blog spotted a Clear Channel help-wanted ad for salespeople for the new "Rumba 1200/1430," and while the company still hasn't officially confirmed the move, it's becoming clearer that the progressive talk format will be replaced by Spanish tropical music within the next few weeks. Much has been written, here and on the message boards, about the challenges WKOX/WXKS faced in finding an audience, most notably a pair of night signals that served only listeners in the MetroWest and north suburban areas, completely missing Boston, Cambridge and much of the rest of the market. Unlike some of the more successful progressive talkers around the country (most notably two other Clear Channel signals, KLSD San Diego and KPOJ Portland, Oregon), WKOX/WXKS never added any local personalities to the national lineup of Air America and other syndicated hosts it carried. In a market so intensely focused on its local politics, many interpreted the lack of local presence as a sign that Clear Channel wasn't committed to the format in Boston over the long term. In the end, though, local factors may not have determined the demise of progressive talk on WKOX and WXKS. Instead, it was a national trend within the company, which is in the process of pulling the format off the air in markets from Madison, Wisconsin to Cincinnati to - rumor has it, at least - Los Angeles. With questions arising about the future of Air America as a 24-hour programming network, it's understandable that broadcasters looking for a turnkey syndicated product are getting uneasy about sticking with progressive talk, and we should note that Clear Channel's hardly alone in that respect, with companies such as Citadel (in Binghamton) and Entercom (in New Orleans) also dropping the format in recent weeks. Could progressive talk find a home on another signal in town? There are always "what if" options in play, it seems, and it's never out of the question that a committed, deep-pocketed investor could purchase WWZN (1510) from Sporting News Radio, for instance, and move the format there. (We'd note that Sheldon and Anita Drobny, who were early investors in Air America before selling their stake, have been trying to grow their new Nova M talk network, for instance.) Beyond WWZN, whose signal problems and transmitter-site lease issues have bedeviled owner after owner, there's Radio One's WILD (1090), which is also for sale. WILD quietly moved from black gospel back to Radio One's syndicated talk format in the last few weeks, for whatever that's worth. So what, then, of "Rumba"? For a market that's 7% Hispanic overall (with much higher densities in the city of Boston and several neighboring communities), Boston has long trailed other similar-sized cities when it comes to Spanish-language radio. Mega Communications tested the waters for several years with its "Mega 890/1400" (WAMG Dedham/WLLH Lowell), before it exited the Northeast completely and those stations flipped to sports. Today, Spanish-speaking listeners in Boston have to tune to several weaker AM signals (WRCA 1330 Waltham, WLYN 1360 Lynn, WUNR 1600 Brookline) that carry a variety of leased- time programming - or they have to struggle to hear the Spanish- language signals from Costa-Eagle's WNNW (800) and WCEC (1110) up in the Merrimack Valley. The arrival of "Rumba" promises to upset that balance. Clear Channel has shown a strong committment to Spanish-language radio both nationally and regionally - most notably, in NERW-land, with the flip of WSNI (104.5 Philadelphia) to "Rumba 104.5" as WUBA this past August. In Philadelphia, Clear Channel had the benefit of a five-FM cluster to work with, providing full-market coverage from day one for "Rumba." In Boston, "Rumba" will face some of the same signal problems progressive talk did on the 1200 and 1430 signals, especially in the Merrimack Valley, where neither signal is very good even by day, and along with that, the strong preference shown by Hispanic audience nationwide for FM music signals over AM. But with no Spanish-language FM in the market, "Rumba" promises to be the strongest option on the dial - and it will be stronger still when construction is complete on the long-pending WKOX move to Newton and power increase to 50 kW. (NERW research director Garrett Wollman drove by the Oak Hill transmitter site last week and reports that after many delays, construction is now underway out there.) For those keeping track, there's still progressive talk on the air in NERW-land in western Massachusetts, at Saga's WHMP/WHNP/WHMQ trimulcast, as well as in Portland (WLVP 870 Gorham), Burlington/ Plattsburgh (WTWK 1070 Plattsburgh), Rochester (WROC 950), Buffalo (WWKB 1520 and WHLD 1270 Niagara Falls), Ithaca (WNYY 1470) and of course in New York, at Air America-leased WWRL 1600 (Scott Fybush, NE Radio Watch http://www.fybush.com/nerw.html Dec 11 via DXLD) ** U S A. AIR AMERICA, IN THE THROES OF VICTORY? By Marc Fisher, Washington Post Staff Writer Sunday, December 10, 2006; Page N02 Rush Limbaugh and other conservative radio talk show hosts have often noted that being on the outside, rallying the audience to action, is good for business. Being aligned with the party in power, not so good. If that's the case, the miserable condition of Air America, the two- year-old effort to create a liberal alternative to conservative talk radio, is likely to get even worse, perhaps fatally so. Liberal talk radio is struggling, but Ed Schultz's show gives some hope. (By Dave Samson -- Associated Press) [caption] Air America has announced that it is negotiating with potential buyers to avert a shutdown of the network because of its heavy debts and losses. But though the Democratic victories in November's elections clearly help conservative talk, some radio executives believe the results also can boost the smaller but growing field of liberal talk. "It gives the format a little more heft," says Bill Hess, operations manager of Clear Channel Radio's AM talk stations in Washington, conservative WTNT (570) and liberal WWRC (1260). "It makes the hosts feel a little more wind in their sails." . . . http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/12/08/AR2006120800295.html (via Craig Seufert, DXLD) ** U S A. I was surprised to find that WGN`s Extension 720 webcast, normally at 0305-0500 UT, on UT Tue Dec 12 was moved up and expanded to 3 hours at 0130-0430, because of a local team playing in Monday Night Football --- I guess 720 was carrying the game, but the webcast could not, so instead of repeats or music fill we got a web-only cover for the stupid ballgame. No more such instances scheduled for December, but could happen again in January, I suppose (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A. I continue to listen, magno cum gusto, to the weekly New York Philharmonic broadcasts on demand at my convenience. But I must say, the regular promos for ``Jake the Philharmonic Dog`` Cary Frumpkin has to read are rather off-putting. So much for high-brow; oh yeah, need to appeal to the masses, especially children (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A. The Metropolitan Opera broadcast season has resumed Dec 9, with an early start at 1800 UT for Idomeneo. The intermissions are getting more and more cluttered with short bits and pieces, interviews with performers, etc., which have obviously been prepared ahead and tightly edited, despite being called ``live`` from backstage. Margaret and Co. have apparently been ordered to pick up the pace of the whole production. No more leisurely Saturday afternoons. Beverly Sills emceed the Opera Quiz for her first time, and admitted several times she did not understand what was going on, especially when it came to e-mail; but promised to `get it right` next time; however, someone else will be doing it next week. This quiz too called for speed, which clashed with the aging diva`s pace. But she is up for new challenges (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A. Today may, or may not, be the anniversary of the first Grand Ole Opry Broadcast in 1925. Some sources cite December 10, some November 28. This very long running program had an interesting origin: "The Grand Ole Opry was originally known as the WSM Barn Dance, and its inaugural broadcast was made from that station’s small fifth floor Studio A on November 28, 1925. "Uncle" Jimmy Thompson, who claimed he could "fiddle the bugs off tater vine," was the initial performer, and the cast included Dr. Humphrey Bate and his daughter Alcyone, the Crook Brothers, and Kirk McGee. "By the time the show moved to Studio B of WSM, still in the National Life & Accident Insurance Building at 7th Avenue North and Union Street, its name had been changed from the WSM Barn Dance to the Grand Ole Opry. "The change reportedly came about in an accidental way, the result of an ad lib by announcer George D. Hay, who called himself "The Solom Old Judge," and who had originated the National Barn Dance on WLS in Chicago in 1924. "Apparently, the WSM Barn Dance came on the air immediately after a broadcast of the NBC Music Appreciation Hour, conducted by Dr. Walter Damrosch. Hay opened the program by saying: 'For the past hour, you have been listening to Grand Opera. Now we will present Grand Ole Opry!'" Much more at: http://www.southernmusic.net/grandoleopry.htm [Tagline:] To those of you who seek lost objects of history, I wish you the best of luck. They're out there, and they're whispering. - Clive Cussler http://www.doghousecharlie.com (Fred Waterer, Ont, ODXA via DXLD) ** U S A. Denver format / call changes --- I was the lucky operator on duty tonight at midnight MST when KYOL/1510 made the switch from the ABC True Oldies Channel to ABC Real Country. The new slogan is "15 Kicks". The format is classic country. Watch for a forthcoming call change to KCKK. KYOL is currently operating under an STA for ND operation with 4750 watts at night. 1600 in Denver has changed calls to KEPN. Heard at 0100 MST this morning with dual KCKK/KEPN ID and prominent mention of corporate ownership by Lincoln Financial. This is in preparation for a forthcoming change from C&W to ESPN. Lincoln also owns KKFN/950 and this change will give them a stronghold on sports in the Denver market. The FCC database already shows the KEPN call on 1600 and shows KCKK as unassigned. KLZ/560 lost the ESPN contract. It is unknown what format they will be switching to (Patrick Griffith, Westminster CO http://community.webtv.net/N0NNK/ http://community.webtv.net/AM-DXer/ Dec 10, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Aha, that ND STA for nearly 5 kW explains why it has been so easy to hear KYOL here!! 73 KAZ (Neil Kazaross, Barrington IL, IRCA via DXLD) That is correct, KAZ. The DA normally sends virtually no power to the east and west. The STA authorizes ND at 25% of the licensed DA power. However, I suspect that the ND antenna is very inefficient. It is a 165 foot folded unipole with a single side element instead of the usual 3 to 6 side element arrangement. And it is located in the middle of a large plant nursery with a questionable counterpoise (ground) system. It is also surrounded by the 3 other towers from the old DA system which are "floating" at neutral potential and are not detuned. The STA is to allow relocation of the DA to a new site 23 miles to the north. The new DA will also allow power increases. Day power will increase from 9.5 to 10 kW and night power will increase from 19 to 25 kW (Patrick Griffith, Westminster CO, ibid.) ** U S A. 88.3 MHz, FLORIDA (PART 15): "Kimpton Farms Christmas Radio" [my designation], Largo; 0220-0250 10 December, 2006. Noted the following in St. Petersburg Times holiday lights display listings: "Kimpton Farms, 20 homes along Kimpton Place. Tune your radio to 88.3 FM and listen to Christmas songs synchronized to about 250,000 lights spread among 20 homes. Off Belcher Road between East Bay Drive and Ulmerton Road. 6-11 p.m. Sunday through Thursday, 6 p.m.-midnight Friday and Saturday." Indeed, picked up fragments at Belcher northbound and Ulmerton. Also, fragments audible within a few blocks of my home, about a mile direct line NW of the location. Fairly impressive lights display, with two small, home-made 88.3 signs along the way in the cul-de-sac. Based on the detached antenna my PRO-60 handheld scanner, as well as the house with the most lights and an 88.3 sign on the edge of the property (this one had little lights on the border), presume the location of the transmitter is 4017 Kimpton Place. Nonstop Christmas songs, with some homes synchro'ed (not sure how that is done -- no wires across the road -- WiFi signal link?). Stereo, but the transmitter has a 60-cycle hum audible when between tracks with a long enough gap or slow fades. Bet it's a lower end Ramsey kit. The first 88.3 sign upon entering Kimpton Place has an old "88.5 RADIO ACTIVE" (WMNF FM) bumper decal on the reverse side of the board. Wonder if this guy has some WMNF connections (so observant I am on all things micro radio). Photo- documented the two signs earlier today, when the rush of cars was down to nil (daytime). (Terry L Krueger, Clearwater, Florida USA, Visit my "Florida Low Power Radio Stations" at: http://home.earthlink.net/~tocobagadx/flortis.html or: http://www.geocities.com/geigertree/flortis.html DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** VANUATU. 3945, 6.12 0711, Radio Vanuatu with talk and songs. ID at 0729 sounding like "Räjdijo Vannato". Gone just after 0730. Nice! Never heard by me on this frequency! 2. HR (Hans Östnell, Norway, SW Bulletin Dec 10, translated by editor Thomas Nilsson for DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** WESTERN SAHARA [non]. 6215.0, 9.12 2200, Radio Nacional de la República Árabe Saharaui Democrática på arabisk og senere spansk kl. 2300-2400, ID og s/off 2400. Ny frekvens. Flere IDs på spansk i retning af ``Radio Nacional de Sahara``. Senere marokkansk/ nordafrikanske børnesange. 4-5 SHN/BV (Stig Hartvig Nielsen, Bjarke Vestesen, Dansk DX Lytter Klub holdt en lille DX-lejr i et sommerhus på Rømø, Danmark, den 6.-10. December, SW Bulletin Dec 10 via DXLD) 6215.0, 9.12 2200, Radio Nacional de la República Árabe Saharaui Democrática in Arabic and later Spanish at 2300-2400, ID and sign-off 2400. New frequency. Several IDs in Spanish like ``Radio Nacional de Sahara``. Later into Moroccan/North African children songs. 4-5 SHN/BV (Stig Hartvig Nielsen/Bjarke Vestesen, Römö camp, Denmark, SW Bulletin Dec 10, translated by editor Thomas Nilsson for DX LISTENING DIGEST) Checked this 10 Dec and there it seems to be on 6215 at 1745 in Arabic. Extremely poor conditions at the moment, so didn't get positive ID. But talks about Saharui and music fits with that logging (Jari Savolainen, Kuusankoski, Finland, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) Dear Glenn, Thanks for the tip - no, I wasn't aware of the change yet. Being a lower QRG, maybe it holds steadier than 7425 through the night, but as you know that range is increasingly being used by int'l brodcasters. 7425 is off, but 1550 kHz is still pretty much alive & kicking. Right above it, Mystery R, which I still believe emanates from Italy despite the extremely short IDs in English from time to time as the rest of the broadcast is filled with non-stop pops. Right now, a "Mystery Radio, worldwide" announcement. I remembered having read something in the Laser Hot Hits page about their getting systematic QRM from another pirate station, Mystery R, on 6220 which caused the former to send on 6218v. 73, (Carlos Goncalves, Portugal, Dec 10, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Glenn, ALGERIA / CLANDESTINE / W.SAHARA --- Further to my today's previous message, it really looks like Polisario Front's new frequency of 6215, ex-7425, is performing... poorly after all - it's still too high for such a short distance between my place & Tindouf, i.e. if the transmitter is actually there. Best reception via the 6x12x6 m Ewe beamed 145º/CeAfr. "Neighbouring" 6220 of the Europirate station Mystery R. is, however, putting a mighty signal as I write this, i.e nearly 2300. 73, (Carlos Gonçalves, Portugal, Dec 10, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Also audible here right now, at 2300 starting program in Spanish with ID as "Radio Nacional de la ..." (not copied, but I think there's sufficient evidence that it's indeed them). Good audio quality, signal a bit weak for indoor reception. I have also their carrier on 1550, but it's not possible to make out the modulation in the sidebands of the 1548 stations here (Kai Ludwig, Germany, Dec 10, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) National Radio of the SADR confirmed here today from 1700 UT on new 6215 kHz. Appears to be ex 7425 kHz which is silent. Weak at first but had increased to good signal by 1900 when I was able to confirm a weak parallel on MW 1550 kHz. (Thanks to tip from Stig Hartvig Nielsen/Bjarke Vestesen Dansk DX Lytter Klub via DXLD) (Dave Kenny, Caversham Berks, AOR7030+ 80ft LW, BDXC-UK via DXLD) ARGELIA, 6215, Radio Nacional Saharaui, 1940-1950, escuchada el 10 de Diciembre en árabe a locutor con comentarios, buena señal acompañada de mucho ruido, SINPO 35242 (José Miguel Romero, Burjasot (Valencia) España, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) 10/12, 0750-0830, NF 6215 kHz, RN DE LA RASD - Tindouf (Algeria) Arabo, mx locale e tk YL/OM. Segnale buono -> sufficiente. Ex 7425 kHz definitiva? Però sui 41 metri il segnale - essendo una banda un po' più alta - era migliore. Si saranno spostati per andarsene dalle interferenze serali co-ch e adiacenti, ma hanno trovato - sabato e/o domenica - la vicinanza con Mystery Radio su 6220 kHz (Luca Botto Fiora, Rapallo (Genova), Italy, playdx yg via DXLD) Argelia, 6215, La Radio Nacional Saharaui con noticias en español a las 2300 horas UT, con señal baja y ruido. con SIO de 222. (Dic. 10, 2006, (Yimber Gaviria, Colombia, blog via DXLD) La radio del Fronte Polisario ha cambiato frequenza, ora è attiva, come riportato da diversi dxer, su 6215 kHz (dall'Algeria) Il segnale qui a Milano è buono, 9+10dB. 6215, 10/12 2120 National Radio of RASD, Algeria, songs and talks, AA, good (Giampiero Bernardini, Milano, Italy, playdx yg via DXLD) ** ZIMBABWE [non]. 11695, CLANDESTINE (Mozambique [sic] to Zimbabwe). Radio Voice of the People, *1700-1755*, 12/7/06, in various languages. Sudden opening with music and several IDs with frequency announcements. Into talks about Zimbabwe with remote feeds. Closedown announcements at 1753. Poor at tune in but reasonably clear at fair level by 1230 [sic] re-check (Rich D'Angelo, PA, NASWA Flashsheet via DXLD) I guess you meant 1730 UT; and it`s transmitted from MADAGASCAR (gh) UNIDENTIFIED. Re Tracking 1610 & Co. If it's the federal government that's doing the testing, then it's quite possible the FCC doesn't know about it. The FCC doesn't have jurisdiction over federal use of radio (Fred Schroyer, NRC-AM via DXLD) It is very possible they don't if it's something the gub'mint is doing. In that case, it would come under the auspices of the NTIA. (Paul Gray, FL, ibid.) Yes, o`course. Nevertheless, the FCC gets involved because of interference issues to stations under its jurisdixion (gh, DXLD) This STA [which gh found], however, expired in November 2005. (and note that it specified 1600 kHz instead of 1610) It sure does look a lot like what we've been hearing though. This is an Office of Engineering & Technology STA. STAs for operation in the broadcast bands are now handled by the Media Bureau; however, this is a relatively recent change. (I believe OET STAs were legal for broadcast frequencies in 2005) This may be why there has been no information from the Media Bureau: it's quite possible they aren't aware of this STA! (Doug Smith`s blog Dec 5 via DXLD) UNIDENTIFIED. 4695.1, 8.12 2210, UNID. Used a lot of time on this one - I thought it was a new one. ID as Radio San Miguel out heavily drifting. Or a new San Miguel? Thought they said ``ocho horas``, but that does not match anything. BEFF (Björn Fransson, Sweden, SW Bulletin Dec 10, translated by editor Thomas Nilsson for DX LISTENING DIGEST) Matches this in 6-181: ``UNIDENTIFIED. 4695.2, S American (?) station, 2335-2347, 30 Nov, Spanish, talks; 25231; also 2335-..., 01 Dec, 4695.30 kHz, same SINPO rating (Carlos Gonçalves, Portugal, DX LISTENING DIGEST)`` UNIDENTIFIED. 4750, nothing at 0300, sometimes carrier for South Sudan, Radio Peace? If so, sign on from 0252 to 0300. Not presently in DX Tuner so can not check from Europe (Bob Wilkner, FL, SW Bulletin via DXLD) UNIDENTIFIED [non]. 6185, 19.11 0800, OID. Det var inte Educación, som jag trodde utan Radio Democrática [?] mot Cuba! Fin LA-musik nonstop. S 3-4. BEFF (Björn Fransson, Sweden, SW Bulletin via DXLD) It`s CVC La Voz, via Chile, as now scheduled from 0800 and mentioned in DXLD several times (gh) ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ LANGUAGE LESSONS ++++++++++++++++ ``UMLAUT`` IN FINNISH Re 6-182: Hi Glenn, one minor correction for DXLD: "It seems Finnish is now an acceptable HCDX language, founded and perated after all, by a Finn. A certain garble character I have assumed is a-umlaut as I fixed it above, but could be wrong (gh, DXLD)" The corrections were correct, but actually these are different letters in Finnish or Swedish, not Umlauts. This from Finnish Wikipedia: http://fi.wikipedia.org/wiki/Treema "Saksan kielessä Ü-, Ä- ja Ö-kirjaimen pisteitä pidetään diakriittisinä, ja ne merkitsevät kielen vokaalivaihtelua (umlaut). Suomen ja ruotsin kielissä Å, Ä ja Ö ovat erillisiä kirjaimia, jotka käsitellään muun muassa aakkostamisessa omina kirjaiminaan. Näin ollen kirjaimen yläpuolisten pisteiden ei voi sanoa olevan diakriittisiä merkkejä, vaan kirjaimen osa, samoin kuin i:n pisteen. Saksassa A ja Ä ovat aakkostuksessa saman kirjaimen eri muotoja ja siten samanarvoisia." I try to translate into English: Trema (?sp): In German language dots on letter Ü, Ä and Ö are regarded as diacritics, and they mean vowelic gradation in the language (Umlaut). In Finnish and Swedish language Å, Ä and Ö are separate letters, which are handled for example in alphabetic order as letters of their own [after Z]. For that reason one can't regard the dots over the letter as being diacritic, but part of the letter as is dot on i. In German A and Ä are in alphabetic order different forms of the same letter and thus equal". 73, (auno Ritola, Finland, Dec 10, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) PUBLICATIONS ++++++++++++ YOUNG STARS RADIO CLUB, INDIA YSRC DX Newsletter Vol 2, October, 2006-March, 2007 with the Directory of Indian DXers Dear Glenn: Greetings from Hyderbad, India! Please add the following DX Info in your next edition of WOR/DXLD. The YSRC DX Newsletter Vol 2, October, 2006-March, 2007 is available at http://www.geocities.com/ysrc_india/dxlink.htm in which Directory of Indian DXers is available with other DX News. 73 (Hari Madugula, Young Stars Radio Club, India, DX LISTENING DIGEST) CONVENTIONS & CONFERENCES +++++++++++++++++++++++++ FCC HEARING PITS DAVID VS. GOLIATH; MUSIC VS RADIO UP FIRST AT 1 P.M. DEBATE OVER CORPORATE MEDIA OWNERSHIP ON TAP LATER TODAY By RYAN UNDERWOOD Staff Writer Published: Monday, 12/11/06 A David-and-Goliath battle is set to take place today in Nashville as the Federal Communications Commission makes its way to Belmont University for the second of six public hearings being held across the country seeking input on rules governing media ownership by corporate conglomerates. . . http://www.tennessean.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?Date=20061211&Category=BUSINESS01&ArtNo=612110331&SectionCat=&Template=printart (via Mike Cooper, DXLD) COPPS CHEERED IN NASHVILLE By John Eggerton -- Broadcasting & Cable, 12/11/2006 12:41:00 PM Democratic FCC Commissioner Michael Copps was in his element Monday, getting a Nashville reception that Hank Williams would have been proud of. . . http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/CA6398898.html?display=Breaking+News (via Jilly Dybka, DXLD) SINGERS, SONGWRITERS SPEAK OUT AGAINST MEDIA CONSOLIDATION IN PUBLIC FCC HEARING Monday December 11, 5:52 pm ET By John Gerome, Associated Press Writer NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) -- Radio consolidation is shrinking playlists and creating a homogenized musical landscape, several singers and songwriters told the Federal Communication Commission on Monday."Big radio is bad radio," Rick Carnes, president of the Songwriters Guild of America, told FCC commissioners in the second of six public meetings nationwide. "You can drive I-40 from Knoxville to Barstow, California, and hear the same 20 songs on every country radio station. "Carnes was among several writers and performers who addressed the panel. Most urged the commissioners to put more restrictions on media ownership or at least hold the line on current regulations. "I'm not against companies making money," said country music great George Jones, who said he and his fans have suffered under tighter radio playlists that he says are often determined by a relative few with little knowledge of country music history. "But you know, sugar is sweet, but too much can kill you," Jones said to loud applause from the crowd at the Mike Curb College of Entertainment and Music Business at Belmont University. Jones also told the panel, "We don't need to make a move any further in the wrong direction." Grand Ole Opry star Porter Wagoner said "clear channel" used to mean a powerful coast-to-coast radio signal like the one that used to broadcast the Opry. But he said when you say it now, people think about Clear Channel Communications Inc., the media conglomerate that owns hundreds of radio stations and other media outlets. Wagoner also said radio consolidation restricts the ability of both veteran and new artists to be heard."The days of an artist receiving airplay as a new act are gone," Wagoner said. He recalled how his former duet partner, Dolly Parton, scored a huge country and pop hit with the song, "Jolene," and he said, "The chance of that happening today is almost slim to none." But Bayard Walters, past chairman of the Tennessee Association of Broadcasters, said many small-town radio stations are operating and viable today because of consolidation. Many of those stations provide opportunities for new and local artists, as well as local content like news, weather and traffic, he said. Walters argued that there are 11,000-plus commercial radio stations nationwide. The biggest five companies own 2,000 of those, while the next 20 only own 1,000 stations. There are a greater number of licensees today than there were in 1972, he said. "There are those that say broadcasters don't do enough, but what is the balance in presenting local and new music versus what the public seems to indicate what it wants to hear through ratings and purchases?" he said. "It does not seem to me that the license says, 'Market for free the music of whomever wants to be on the radio.'" The FCC plans to use the information from the hearings as it re- examines rules for media ownership. The first public hearing was held in Los Angeles in October. The FCC in June reopened the hotly disputed issue of ownership limits, including the number of radio and television stations that one owner can have and restrictions on cross- ownership between newspapers and broadcasters. "Broadcasters would like to see the ownership rules modified so they can better compete," Marsha MacBride, executive vice president for legal and regulatory affairs for the National Association of Broadcasters, said during a teleconference late last week. "Broadcasters are not looking for wholesale abandonment of the rules, just looking for some greater flexibility," she said. Former FCC Chairman Michael Powell pushed through loosened rules in 2003, but a federal appeals court in Philadelphia threw them out on grounds that the FCC compiled an insufficient record to justify them. The 2003 changes would have let one corporation own, in a single community, up to three TV stations, eight radio stations, the cable system, the only daily newspaper and the biggest Internet provider, opponents argue. They say the change would hurt minorities' access to the airwaves, curtail children's and local programming and limit musical diversity. Reports released in October by two private groups, the Benton Foundation and the Social Science Research Council, found that radio companies owning more stations in a local market typically do not offer niche formats such as classical, bluegrass and Spanish-language stations. Rather, the larger companies are more likely to offer several versions of Top 40, adult contemporary and country music. But many broadcasters and large media companies have supported looser FCC rules, saying the current restrictions are outdated in a digital age in which consumers also have the choice of Internet, cable and satellite TV. "Ownership rules apply in a manner that really don't represent today's marketplace," MacBride said. The Nashville hearing brought new FCC Commissioner Deborah Tate back to Tennessee, where she previously served on the state's utility regulatory authority before being appointed to the FCC in January (THE AP via Brock Whaley, DXLD) DIGITAL BROADCASTING DRM: mentioned only under CUBA [non] as QRM ++++++++++++++++++++ ACCURIAN RS HD RADIO TEST, PART 1 --- by John Ebeling Catalog number: Radio Shack #12-1686 List: The following multi-part e-mail contains my examination, use and results of the Radio Shack (RS) Accurian HD radio. This is a somewhat compact table radio with a rather unique design in that it has a slight backward tilt and has a semi-circle base in which most of the controls are situated. The set measures 12" wide, 7" high and has a cabinet depth of 7". However, one must allow about two to three additional inches for the power connector, FM antenna connector to a female F connector. This is a complex radio, which makes it difficult to properly describe all the functions available, as I have tried to do in a few paragraphs that follow. Items included are two FM antennae: one a dipole "T" type and the other being a 5 foot length of wire. Both are terminated with F connectors. A credit card sized remote control, power supply, AC power cord, and a loop antenna with a 6 foot wire lead (more on this later). The remote can be stored on the top rear of the radio. Of course, an instruction book is also included. The 12 volt DC power supply is unique in that it has a removable 45 inch long 120 VAC cord, which connects to the power supply (4.5" long X 2" wide X 1-1/2" high), which outputs 12 VDC to the radio power port via about a 5 foot long cord. The semi-circular base has the following 8 push button controls: power; preset store (2); tuning +/-; DSP (a 5 position tone control); and clock/date set. The remote sensor and a 'phone jack are also located on the base. The slanted vertical portion contains the 2-5/8" X 1-1/4" display window, indicating time, date, RDS for HD only, tuned frequency, and HD signal level (none for analog FM). The display window is blue, with white lettering. When the radio is off, it displays time and date. Two 2-1/2 inch speakers are also mounted on the vertical plane, and seem to have an 8" center spacing. Not too much separation for stereo! The volume control, also vertically mounted, also serves as the mode control for AM1, AM2, FM1, FM2, and Aux in. There are six pre-sets for each band, for a total of 24. The rear AUX in jack is a 1/8" female mini-plug. In use, I found there is no RDS read-out for analog FM signals in the display window. However, HD signals provide the station call letters and, depending on the station, read-outs of the song title and artist. HD also activates a read-out in the upper left hand corner of the tuned frequency as well as the auxiliary channel you are tuned to (e.g. 95.3-2, 95.3-3). The upper right corner contains the HD signal strength indication plus the HD logo. Also the tone control setting is noted (e.g. pop, jazz, etc) if you are not using the normal tone setting. The display also indicates the mode (FM1, FM2, etc.) as well as a mute function in the lower left portion of the display, and a bar indicating the volume level only when the volume control is activated. It will also show a 'linking' function while the radio seeks & sets to a HD station. There is no FM stereo indicator on the display. In an actual comparison with my Pioneer TX-9500 II tuner using a stereo probe 9 antenna and a two-way splitter so that an equal RF signal was sent to both sets, I found that the RS unit equal in FM sensitivity to the Pioneer, and actually a little better on the low end of the FM dial. The RS adjacent channel selectivity also equalled the Pioneer on an analog FM station. However, on an IBOC signal, the RS unit lacked the ability to slightly tune off center frequency for adjacent channel reception, so the Pioneer with manual tuning had the edge. The RS unit tunes to 87.7 and allows for good Channel 6 audio reception. In using the up/down seek function, the seek would, at times, pass over strong FM stations and eventually stop on a random FM station. Once stopped on a station, the seek button must be pressed again, as continual holding down on the button would not allow continuous seeking. This completes part 1 of my report. Any typos are the responsibility of my fingers :>) More to follow later. (John Ebeling, Bloomington, MN, Pioneer TX-9500 FM Tuners with modified IF's Stereo Probe 9 antennas: one with rotor. One vertically mounted FM dipole Conrad RDS decoders, Various tape recorders, WTFDA via DXLD) Great detailed review, John. You've almost got me ready to start DXing HD radio! Saul wanted to know the cost of this unit. Is this the one you reviewed? http://www.radioshack.com/sm-accurian-tabletop-hd-radio--pi- 2460834.html Thanks (Steve Rich, Indianapolis, IN, ibid.) To continue the review of the Radio Shack Accurian #12-1686 --- A good antenna for FM is essential, as the 5 foot one provided would provide a signal for an analog station, but the volume would be weak. The 'T' antenna would provide a somewhat stronger signal, but, in many cases, not enough to allow decoding of the sub-channels. Note that the antenna results were taken in my basement, about 6 feet below ground level and about 21 miles from the TV/FM antenna farm. One odd note: If the radio was in HD mode, moving the antenna to weaken the signal and drop HD, the set would sometimes mute. Tuning off the muted frequency and then returning to it, the set would again play normally. This happened on one station with 2 sub-channels. To sum up, a poor FM antenna may affect audio levels on some FM stations. Also, there seems to be some sort of a threshold where a very few low signal strength FM stations will have a lower volume only on 87.7, 87.9, & 88.1 MHz. AM reception is pretty much normal for a table model radio. Sensitivity drops on the low end of the band, but at night all the distant skywave stations are usually heard. The 6 foot lead wire to the AM loop antenna can be compressed to improve low end sensitivity somewhat. The loop itself doesn't seem to be too directional. AM reception will die if the loop is near the power supply, or if really close to the radio itself, it will cause a popping noise on AM. On an AM HD station that has been tuned in, when the radio changes to the HD function, there is a slight drop in volume and the tone changes to slightly more bass. This effect was not noticed on FM. When tuning in a weaker AM station, the AGC delay takes about one second for the volume to increase. The Accurian has less than one second audio delay between a regular radio tuned to the same HD AM station. One gets an echo effect. Remember that HD radios have a delay of about 7-8 seconds in their audio. The display panel presents the AM call letters while in HD mode. The calls hold when HD is turned off (at sunset) as long as the radio is not tuned. If tuned, only the frequency will show. Some other aspects of the Accurian are that it radiates to a near by TV sets' low VHF channels. The volume control rotates more than 360 degrees. When turned on, "HD Radio" is displayed and then it sets to the last station heard. When turned off, "Radio Off' is displayed for about 2 seconds, then time and date appear and remain while off. There is no HD defeat function (switch) and properly setting the preset tuning buttons is a little tricky. In summary, The Accurian radio is very much a state of the art receiver with a large variety of functions that we are not familiar with in a table radio. The audio and stereo sound was good and the radio should provide an interesting challenge to all who use it. I know I spent many happy hours learning its functions. By the way, I am not affiliated in any way with Radio Shack (John Ebeling, Bloomington, MN, Dec 10, WTFDA via DXLD) RADIO EQUIPMENT FORUM +++++++++++++++++++++ RE: NRD-545 PRODUCTION ENDS Hopefully they will replace this with new 32-bit DSP or similar. There is coming commercial grade NRD-630 but that's priced over 10000 Euros I guess. So no big deal on hobby market. 73 (Jarmo Patala, Finland, Dec 10, dxing.info via DXLD) We can always hope... it doesn't seem like JRC is very devoted to DX and HAM activities anymore, so I don't expect to see another non-pro receiver from JRC. From the world's northernmost DXer (Bjarne Mjelde, ibid.) Bjarne, you are right I think - the manufacturers are not producing anymore state of the art dedicated receivers. That's why you and I have moved to transceivers like your Icom 746Pro, which I think is superb value for the technology you get. Pity, but that's the way it's going (John Plimmer, MONTAGU, South Africa, ibid.) Got new S350DL Not sure it's worth it. The tuning is horrible. Lots of backlash, and the "frequency lock" feature kicks in before you're ready for it. Also, is 10930 a legitimate frequency for VOA in Spanish? or is this an image? -- (Mesa Mike, N6KUY, WDX6O, Westfall, Los Alamos, New Mexico, dxldyg via DXLD) Mike, Not sure either. Image: from 11840 minus 2 x IF 455 = 11930. Viz. From VOA sked: Spanish 0030-0200 UTC 9480 9885 11840 1100-1230 UTC 9535 9885 11840 73, (Glenn to Mike via DXLD) I'm not so sure it was worth the $100, though. The first thing I noticed was how difficult it is to tune to an exact frequency. There is considerable backlash in the tuning mechanism, and the new "frequency lock" feature locks on before you're ready for it to, so that if you're not right on the frequency you want, you have to tune away to break the lock and try again. If there was some way to defeat this misfeature, it might not be so frustrating (Mike Westfall, Dec 10, ABDX via DXLD) With the regular 350, the longer you use it, the better it gets. The springs in there finally stretch and then its not so bad but I have never had it go away completely. How does it sound with the big speaker? (Kevin Redding, AZ, ibid.) The sound through the speaker is OK. Well, it sounds better than the DX-398.... – (Mesa Mike, N6KUY, WDX6O, ibid.) RADIO SHACK CANADA CLOSING DOWN If you have one nearby, check it out before January: Important Information about RadioShack Canada --- December 2006 RadioShack Corporation will close its nine company-owned stores in Canada by the end of January 2007 as the company focuses its attention and resources on strengthening its core business in the U.S. We appreciate the support we've received from our customers, employees, vendors and other partners since we launched business operations in Canada. Store-Wide Sale Begins December 6, 2006 Our stores will conduct a sale through January 2007. You'll find our lowest-ever prices throughout the stores. Shop early for best selection. http://www.radiosha ck.ca/en/ WOW, didn't see that one coming... (sarcasm) (Brian Smith, Ont., Dec 10, ODXA via DXLD) Note that there are only 9 Radio Shack stores left in Canada (and none in the greater Toronto area as far as I know). Most former Radio Shack outlets have become "The Source by Circuit City" http://www.thesource.ca/ 73 (Mike Brooker, Toronto, ON, NRC-AM via DXLD) Hi Mike, There are 2 Radio Shack stores in the GTA that I know of. One in Burlington and the other at Morningside and Sheppard in Toronto. After Circuit City changed all the former Radio Shack's to The Source, RS never had a chance of returning. I went into the one in Toronto and they were the same as The Source but with less stock (Brian Smith, ibid.) There is no difference between Circuit City and Radio Shack in the US except CC's are bigger and have better stuff (Bob Young, Millbury, MA, ibid.) Here there's a big difference. CC is devoted to TV's, hi-fi stereo, car stereo, CD's, games and computer stuff. RS doesn't do TV's at all, not much stereo, almost no car audio and virtually no CD's. They have some gaming stuff, lots of gadgets still some electronics stuff, and some computer stuff. But their big thing is cell phones and accessories (Russ Edmunds, Blue Bell, PA, 15 mi NNW of Philadelphia, ibid.) Couldn't resist, Russ, went there one too many times searching in vain for parts that have been relegated to a little box way in the back, they do have a lot of cell phones (Bob Young, ibid.) BUYING A NEW TV [Questions from Jim Renfrew, NY; answers from F H Prentice, Star City AR] My wife and I are looking to buy a new TV, so this will be mostly for entertainment purposes, not DX - that's why "somewhat OT" in the subject. Since I've barely made it out of the 19" black and white world, all of the new choices are very confusing. And the 20 year olds selling them don't do a very good job of speaking in plain language. For example, NTSC, ATSC, QAM acronyms mean nothing to me. So a few questions: 1. What must I look for to insure that the TV will receive analog and digital over the air? We are not likely to subscribe to cable. A. Make sure the TV has a ATSC (digital OTA/broadcast) tuner. All new TVs over 24" will have them by law. Note all the smaller <25" analog TVs being dumped on the market. Starting in March, most TVs will be required to have ATSC tuners. QAM tuners are not in all SDTV, EDTV, or HDTV's. Those allow local digital (including those in HDTV) stations to be received via cable (locals MUST be in the clear, per FCC rules). 2. What is the difference between LCD and Plasma? A. LCDs are much like the modern "flat screen" monitors on computers. They are rapidly dropping in price and have good picture quality (not as good as CRT IMHO), but a much better buy than Plasma. Plasma is overrated, a hog on electricity, and has a reportedly short life cycle. CRT widescreens kinda died for the most part with the passing of "HDTV monitors" but a few (notably Sony, Samsung, and Toshiba) still make CRT HDTVs. 3. Contrast ratios seem to run from 1000:1 up to 4000:1 - how significant is that? Higher contrast ratio = better detail and quality of picture. 4. Are there some brands to steer towards, or away from? The brands available at Circuit City are all well-known, such as Sony, Samsung, Mitsubishi, Phillips, Sylvania, etc. A. The slim fit Samsung CRT's have had some issues with geometry by some posts. I nearly purchased one last year (a 27 4x3 HDTV w/ATSC tuner), but opted for the Panasonic CT-26WX15 instead :) I would stay away from the Funai brand products (Sylvania and Emerson are made by Funai) One thing to look for on the new TV is the HD inputs. Make sure you have at least 1 HDMI and 2 component inputs. 5. Is there a good website that explains all of these things? A. Read posts on AVS Forum, under displays there are sections for LCD, Plasma, CRT, Projectors (DLP, LCD and even CRT gasp!). And read many of them. 6. In the event that I use it for any DXing, are there any models you know of that do not default to the dreaded "blue screen" when the signal is weak? A. As in analog DX? I can't speak for the new TVs but the forementioned Panasonic has an excellent NTSC tuner and no blue screen. But I have no need for a analog tuner in the living room since all my major networks are both local digital and on E* Last year was my first major TV purchase in years and things have changed since the late 1980's when the only issues were how large a picture tube and if it had a remote and was "cable ready". Just my 2 cents (F H Prentice, Star City, AR, WTFDA, via DXLD) Comment: My newer 32" tube-style TV is the biggest electronic polluter I have experienced to date. I need to cover the cords with toroids. Neighborhood noise has increased exponentially in just the last year. (Jerry Strawman, IA, NASWA Flashsheet via DXLD) I can`t vouch for all models, but have had best luck with TOSHIBA analog TV sets in minimizing ITV hash on SW and MW; just got a new 14- inch one, and now I don`t have to turn it off except for the very weakest DXing on SW (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) FUNNY RFI HUNT A friend who has bought a place an hour south east of me has had a "power line" interference that he thought might not be real power line noise. I thought him wrong, but got to wondering how to verify the truth of the situation. I decided to use my ancient but trusty oscilloscope for some investigations. We went down this Sunday afternoon, and I took my R8B and scope along with some other tools. I took my DX398 with a set of "RFI probes" to sniff the power and telephone lines. The entering lines were clean. So I connected my R2000 to his antenna, and connected the scope to the output. I placed the trigger to "LINE", meaning the AC power power line supplied the sync signal. If the noise was from the mains then the noise display would be stationary because it would be derived from the same source. Imagine my surprise when I found the noise was not synchronized to the power line. It was about 1% fast. I decided to do a walk around the area to see if there was any oddities. My friend is blessed with a 15 acre lot and the nearest neighbor is about 800' away. As we walked through the lightly wooded area and approached the neighbor I was impressed by the PV(solar cell) array. 5'X 10'. I had the DX398 and when I turned it one I found RF noise from well below the MW, to the top of the SW range. and on weak FM stations there was the noise there as well. We approached the home and were greeted by a wanker yuppy. He had noticed us "lurking" in the woods and was unimpressed by my comments that his alternative energy system was a source of radio interference. He told us to "get the hell out off his property", and that he had called the "law' to report our "illegal" activity. Sure enough as we were walking back to my friend's home a deputy pulled up beside us. It was kind of funny. The deputy had not only gone to school with my friend, but was married to my friend's cousin. Small town America. We talked over the events and the "law" took a dim view of this weekend yuppy. So he invited us to go back to the irate home owner. When we walked back the deputy had a call on his 150 MHz police hand held and there was severe noise. Mr law walked away and the noise dropped off rapidly. Mr. Deputy was now convinced the yuppy's home was a source of nasty radio interference that, get this, "certainly appears to interfere with official police communication". Mr. Yuppy was very upset to see the deputy along with us evil intruders. A short conversation ensued during which the law explained that Mr. Yuppy's home had design flaws that must be "repaired". That the matter wasn't open for debate. And that if necessary he would refer the matter to the Kentucky State Police for resolution. Mr. Yuppy became very reasonable. He even invited the deputy and me to inspect the house. It didn't take long to find the charge controller/ inverter was not properly bypassed, and wasn't grounded. The ground wire was not attached to the ground lug. With some trepidation I advised Mr Yuppy to touch the ground wire to the ground lug. The noise dropped by 99%. Not gone, but clearly minimized. Mr. Yuppy's wife hollered out: "Honey that noise is gone from the TV". I used my ham HT to give my wife a call and she informed me the noise was gone. RF nirvana! I suggested the homeowner contact a reputable alternative energy electrician to check the installation and if necessary, bring it up to spec. Mr. Yuppy was so happy that he gave my friend and me four premium buffalo steaks. Yummy. We walked back just laughing to ourselves. The steaks were delicious. There was enough so my wife and I can have "leftovers" tonight with a nice salad. Sometimes RFI projects turn out to be fun (Terry via rec.radio.shortwave via SW Bulletin Dec 10 via DXLD) TIPS FOR RATIONAL LIVING ++++++++++++++++++++++++ COURT-MARTIAL THE GOSPEL-HUXTER GENERALS INFILTRATING THE PENTAGON! Group Questions Officers' Appearance in Religious Video Religious Group's Ties to Pentagon Questioned [audio available] by Guy Raz All Things Considered, December 11, 2006 A military watchdog group is asking the Pentagon whether senior uniformed officers had permission to appear in a video endorsing an evangelical Christian group. The Christian Embassy is an evangelical missionary group focused on government workers in Washington, DC. The group's recent promotional video features endorsements from several prominent military officers. In response, another group, the Military Religious Freedom Foundation, is preparing a possible class-action lawsuit against the Pentagon for what lawyer Michael Weinstein calls "the creation of a theocracy, of a particular fundamentalist perspective within our own military branches." The foundation says a core of evangelicals are gaining influence at the Pentagon, and violating military policies. It cites Wednesday- morning prayer sessions in the Pentagon's executive dining room, which features speakers from the Christian Embassy. The Pentagon released a statement Monday insisting it does not endorse any religious viewpoint or organization. But the Defense Department also promised to review the promotional video. In it, Brig. Gen. Vince Brooks and seven other uniformed officers endorse the Christian Embassy. http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=6610025 (NPR All Things Considered, December 11, 2006 via DXLD) ###