DX LISTENING DIGEST 2-132, August 25, 2002 edited by Glenn Hauser, wghauser@hotmail.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 HTML version of this issue will be posted afterwards at http://www.worldofradio.com/dxldtd02.html For restrixions and searchable 2002 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 WORLD OF RADIO EXTRA 43, week of August 21: BROADCASTS ON WWCR: Wed 0930 on 9475 BROADCASTS ON RFPI: Wed 0100, 0700 on 7445, 15038.6; webcasts also Tue 1900, Wed 1300 (ON DEMAND) http://www.wrn.org/ondemand/worldofradio.html (DOWNLOAD) http://www.k4cc.net/worx43.rm (STREAM) http://www.k4cc.net/worx43.ram (SUMMARY) http://www.worldofradio.com/worx43.html CONTINENT OF MEDIA, new edition 02-04: BROADCASTS ON RFPI: Wed 0200, Sat 0100, 0700, 2330, Sun 0530 on 7445, 15038; also webcast Wed 0800, Sat 1730, Sun 1130 (DOWNLOAD) http://www.dxing.com/com/com0204.rm (STREAM) http://www.dxing.com/com/com0204.ram (SUMMARY: http://www.worldofradio.com/com0204.html EDITOR`s NOTE: We have been taking some time off, compounded by a protracted ISP outage, so this issue covers just a portion of the material since 2-131. We shall get caught up as soon as possible. We have been unable to update http://worldofradio.com either since Aug 20 so at the outset this issue and perhaps other pages such as MONITORING REMNDERS calendar will be available via http://www.angelfire.com/ok/worldofradio/anomaly.html ** ARGENTINA. 5241-LSB, R. Diez, B.A. 0225 Aug 21 carrying listeners comments on day's issues via answering machine, mentioning: from "cartoneros" to Bin Laden. Again at recheck 0930 w/ ID: R. Diez, la radio más potente de Argentina". (Horacio Nigro, Uruguay, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** ARGENTINA. 6215, R. Baluarte, Puerto Iguazú, heard at 2205-2217 Aug 9 in Spanish with announcements and station addresses, then Portuguese for talks, songs and a religious program; the ID given in Spanish was R. Baluarte, not R. Maranatha. 34321 (Carlos Gonçalves, Portugal, BC- DX Aug 9 via DXLD) ** BRAZIL. R. Cultura, 17815, 0205-0300* Aug 17, romantic Brazilian ballads. Lite jazz, Portuguese announcements. Fair and in the clear, no one else on this frequency. Poor on \\ 9615 with co-channel QRM (Brian Alexander, PA, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** BRAZIL. R. Cultura on 16 mb, which is normally hightly [highly? lightly?] disturbed by RCI's adjacent channel on 17820, has been monitored recently. The following can be considered an "old" catch, but their 17815 kHz outlet is one I try regularly, and it was inaudible (for some reason, i.e. due to propagation or due to transmitter problems) before I picked it up on 21 July 2214-2242 airing light music and songs, \\ to 9615 kHz underneath RL in Ru, an outlet that's usually better than 16 mb. However, it hasn't been heard since. On the higher HF bands: 15324.9, R. Gazeta, São Paulo SP, observed on 5 Aug 2208-2223 airing Voz do Brasil, which includes weather forecast right before it ends part 1. Adjacent QRM. 24332. What happened to the other Brasilian private stations on 19 mb? In the meantime the 31 mb outlet of R Rio Mar, Manaus, Amazon state, continues to provide the best evening signal from all the Brazilian stations, regardless of the band: 9694.9, 5 Aug 2226-2252, part 2 of Voz do Brasil. Echoing audio. 35444 (Carlos Gonçalves, Portugal, BC-DX Aug 12 via DXLD) ** CANADA. [We carried an item on this some weeks ago when it was first reported, but here is another version]: On the evening of 27th July, about 10 minutes before the start of a favourite TV show, I ran the receiver manually through a batch of frequencies in its memory which I used to check for E-skip. There was a weak signal on 26.200 MHz stating that the Montreal Alouettes were 15-0 up on the Winnipeg Blue Bombers. The closest to an ID was ``This is Molson Export Alouettes Football``. There was an ad for Hydro Quebec and another for CBC-TV. I unashamedly gave priority to TV watching and didn`t land a telling ID. The day of the Alouettes` next home game, I was ready on 26200 and found that the signal came from a radio station that some good friends of mine sort of love to hate, Montreal`s CJAD. So an 11-year absence of any Canadian entry in my 26 MHz logbook came to an end: August 2 at 2215, on narrow FM, news, traffic and weather, then pre-game football talk. Audio on CJAD`s MW signal 800 kHz was running 7 seconds later than here. Poor signal (Alan Roberts, St. Lambert, Quebec, Fairhaven RD500 and 26 MHz dipoles, August CIDX Messenger 25 Plus via DXLD) ** CANADA. Changes of Radio Canada International - RCI A-02 SW broadcast schedule, effective 17.07.02 (0300 UT) to 27.10.02 (0300 UT). [English and Spanish only excerpted here; I fear we missed this earlier – gh] 1200-1459:30 9515 250 240 USA/Caribb. MON-THU En (MON-FRI) DEL 15305 250 240 FRI Fr*) 17820 250 189 ADD 13655 250 240 1300-1559:30 9515 250 240 USA/Caribb. English (SAT&SUN) DEL 15305 250 240 17800 250 189 ADD 15190 300 235 2200-2229:30 11920 100 240 USA/Caribb/ English DEL 15305 250 176 Lat.Am. 17880 250 176 ADD 15170 250 176 2230-2259 11920 100 240 Caribb./ Spanish DEL 15305 250 176 Lat. Am. 17880 250 189 ADD 15170 250 176 (RCI website. Last-Modified: 17 Jun 2002, via JKB, WWDXC, BC-DX via DXLD) Meanwhile, just received in P-mail, with no postmark date, is another variation of the printed RCI schedule, effective from 07.04.02 to 27.10.02, but nevertheless including the changes above, notably the deletion of 15305 in favour of other frequencies. However, its ``issue date`` is yet another: 14.06.2002. We find it odd that the 1200-1500 broadcast is indicated as in French instead of English on Fridays only; haven`t checked the SW frequencies, but the printed sked shows ``C`est la Vie`` in the third hour of This Morning (actually sixth semi-hour) on Fridays, but--- the show is in English!! (mostly) -- its very raison d`être is to acquaint Anglophones with French Canada. Evidently someone was fooled into thinking a show with a French title would be in French (much as HCJB puts Spanish titles on some English shows; is this kosher?). Now that summer is almost over, we get a chance to look at the other CBC features available via RCI for the season! The 1200-1500 to USA 9515 13655, Carib 17820, other hour 3 subs after the 1400 news are: Mon Canada Reads Tue Up and Coming Wed This is Art Thu Festival of Fiction The 1200-1259 via Japan 9660 and 15190 to China in English and 1500-1557 via China 15455 and 17720 to India in English: Mon Quirks & Quarks Tue Workology Wed Writers & Company Thu Global Village Fri Quirks & Quarks, Tonight Sat Friday Nights with Outfront Sun Global Village The Tue-Sat shows are summer replacements for This Morning, Tonight from June 25 to August 31 Besides As It Happens weekdays at 2230-2359 on 6175, 9590, 13670, 17695 to E&C USA, these variations: Mon 2330 Connections, Jun 24-Aug 26 Wed 2330 Dispatches [permanently, it seems] [Fri 2330 carried C`est la Vie last year, but not this year] (gh comments from an RCI sked via Bill Westenhaver, DXLD) ** CHINA. From mid August, Sichuan PBS on 6060 is s-off at 1300 on weekdays (probably at 1200 on Suns). On weekdays entertainment programs in Tibetan at 1300-1330, in Yi lang at 1330-1400, in Chinese at 1400-1600 have been omitted. Their official URL http://www.scnews.net.cn/scsb has been lost. Now (the former) program schedule in Chinese can be found at http://www.sc.cninfo.net/tanfo/radio/radio06.htm (Takahito Akabayashi, Japan, Aug 18, BC-DX via DXLD) ** CHINA. We previously confirmed that CRI`s program day begins as early as 0000 UT, but on Thu Aug 22 at 2330 UT on 13680 via Canada, the ``Friday special``, Life in China, was already running. So is 2300 UT the first broadcast of each cycle, or even earlier? 2300 UT is 7 am local time. And shouldn`t their Friday program be heard on a Friday in the target area, in this case North America? (Glenn Hauser, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** COSTA RICA. RFPI`s 7445 has been converted from USB to AM, but its antenna is still on the lower tower; needs at least $200 to get it moved to the higher tower. Meanwhile have been working on bugs to get power up from less than 15 to full 30 kW, now running. Worked on driver and pre-driver stage to do this. In near future expect to adjust broadcast times so 7445 and 15040 not be identical, i.e. 15 starting earlier, 7 later (RFPI Mailbag Aug 17, partially monitored Aug 21 at 0145, notes by gh for DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** CUBA. PROHIBEN ENTRADA DE VIDEOCASETERAS (VCR) --- Agosto 19, 2002 LA HABANA, 16 de agosto (Víctor M. Domínguez, Lux Info Press / http://www.cubanet.org ) - El gobierno de Cuba prohibió desde el 10 de agosto la entrada de videocaseteras (VCR) al país, mediante una resolución puesta en práctica por la Aduana General de la República. La Aduana General ordenó a sus funcionarios que no se permitiera la entrada de esos aparatos ni por los puertos aéreos ni marítimos de Cuba. Antes del 10 de agosto, se podían pasar las videocaseteras al país pagando el precio de costo de las mismas, lo que hacían principalmente cubanoamericanos que visitaban la isla o extranjeros que tienen contratos de trabajo con el gobierno de Fidel Castro. La ausencia permanente de VCRs en las tiendas recaudadoras de divisas, llamadas popularmente "shopping" y la programación politizada de los tres canales de televisión existentes en el país hacen que el valor de estos aparatos sea elevadísimo. En la bolsa negra o mercado ilegal se venden entre 300 y 350 dólares modelos que en otros países cuestan 100 dólares o menos. Sin embargo, la fuente de esta información aseguró que los almacenes de los comercios dolarizados "están abarrotados de videocaseteras que se pondrán a la venta próximamente", aunque no se ha podido averiguar cuándo, dónde ni a qué precio. LUX INFO-PRESS --- Agencia Cubana Independiente de Información y Prensa, 2174 N.W. 24th Court, Miami, Florida 33142 CubaNet no reclama exclusividad de sus colaboradores y autoriza la reproducción de este material informativo, siempre que se le reconozca como fuente (via Oscar, Miami, DXLD) PUNTO CU --- [por] Lucas Garve, CPI LA HABANA, agosto (http://www.cubanet.org) - Punto cu (.cu) es el indicativo para identificar el dominio cubano en Internet. El gobierno de la isla se esfuerza por ganar terreno en el campo de la informática. Estructurado desde la enseñanza primaria, el programa de aprendizaje de la informática alcanza hasta los estudios superiores. A fines de 2001, 14 mil maestros se prepararon para enseñar los fundamentos de la informática en ese nivel, según el artículo publicado en un mensuario de informática y comunicaciones que vio la luz en julio pasado. En la citada publicación se anunció que 44 mil computadoras ya se instalaron en centros de enseñanza primaria, secundaria, media superior y superior. Además, desde el punto de vista educativo, han elaborado 85 softwares como apoyo a diferentes disciplinas de estudio en los citados niveles de enseñanza. La informatización de la sociedad cubana trata de avanzar a paso rápido. En una entrevista a un medio de difusión especializado, el ministro de Informática y Comunicaciones abordó el tema del desarrollo de la informática en Cuba. También anunció la ampliación de la red nacional de microondas y los trabajos realizados en la red nacional de fibra óptica, cuya primera etapa deberá concluirse a inicios del año próximo. La Empresa de Telecomunicaciones de Cuba S.A. (corporación de capitalistas italianos y el gobierno cubano conocida por las siglas ETECSA) oferta actualmente servicios de correo electrónico, correo híbrido a domicilio. Hace poco anunció un servicio de mensajería desde el exterior hacia destinatarios cubanos a través de la dirección electrónica http://www.correosdecuba.cu mediante el cual se pueden recibir mensajes por correo electrónico y cartas en 72 horas a lo máximo en el propio domicilio. Las posibilidades de desarrollo informático reservan un avance más rápido a empresas y organismos estatales, pues así las inversiones redundan en beneficio del Estado. Los servicios a particulares se ofertan en dólares. Las tarjetas para navegar (limitadamente) en Internet por computadoras ubicadas en oficinas de correo valen 4.50 dólares. Un sector que ha incrementado ampliamente su presencia en Internet mediante el establecimiento de "portales" es el del turismo. También se trabaja en el incremento del comercio electrónico y ya existe una Comisión Cubana de Comercio Electrónico ocupada en la localización de mercados y en el respaldo logístico. En la isla, más de una decena de tiendas virtuales operan ahora mismo. Evidentemente, todas las operaciones se realizan en dólares. La clientela está formada exclusivamente por extranjeros, empresas, organismos y sociedades estatales o instaladas en Cuba con capital foráneo. Hasta el presente la participación de los cubanos "de a pie" es muy reducida y la gran mayoría de estos servicios les parece algo perteneciente al campo de la ciencia ficción, aunque en comparación con diez años atrás hoy posean más oportunidades de disfrutar de estos adelantos. En definitiva, la barrera principal para que el gran público obtenga los servicios mencionados es la que levanta los precios en dólares. Esta información ha sido transmitida por teléfono, ya que el gobierno de Cuba no permite al ciudadano cubano acceso privado a Internet. CubaNet no reclama exclusividad de sus colaboradores, y autoriza la reproducción de este material, siempre que se le reconozca como fuente. 73's (via Oscar, Miami, DXLD) ** CUBA. SPYING, PROFIT MOTIVE MERGE IN LITTLE-KNOWN CUBA AGENCY EX-INTELLIGENCE OFFICIALS, OTHERS WITH INFLUENCE GET FOREIGN JOBS By Juan O. Tamayo. Jtamayo@herald.com. Posted on Tue, Aug. 20, 2002. The Miami Herald. Communist Cuba is exporting ''business managers'' to work for capitalist firms abroad, and that is only one of the intriguing angles in the tale of a little-known government agency in Havana, Cubatécnica. [henceforth Cubatecnica] Most of the approximately 400 Cubans contracted by Cubatecnica to work abroad are former top intelligence officials or relatives of senior government officials who obtained their jobs through thinly veiled blackmail, current and former agency employees say. A former Interior Ministry colonel is running a warehouse in Panama, an electronic eavesdropping expert works as an accountant in Madrid, and the son of a Cuban Revolution hero is fixing computers in Venezuela, the sources said. Cuba is well known for sending thousands of doctors, teachers and sports coaches to work abroad under government contracts, helping other nations while bringing in hard currency desperately needed by the communist government. Yet far less is known about the Cubatecnica program, which contracts mid-level business managers, accountants and computer technicians to work for capitalist enterprises abroad. That program's roots go back to 1991, when Cuba opened itself to foreign investors following the collapse of the Soviet Union but found that the foreign firms wanted to hire Cuban staffers for their Havana offices. Cuban officials made sure the first jobs went to former officials of the Interior Ministry, in charge of domestic security, who had been purged in 1990 following the execution of several ministry officials and army Gen. Arnaldo Ochoa on charges of drug smuggling. ''Fidel Castro was afraid of these subversive capitalists, so the government allowed them to hire those purged interior ministry people -- fired but still trusted,'' said one current Cubatecnica employee. They were highly lucrative jobs -- paying up to $600 a month in a country where the average monthly salary was $13 -- and soon began attracting the trusted sons and daughters of senior government officials. ''We were hired because we knew people in high places,'' said a former Cubatecnica worker who claimed to have attended high school with two of Castro's sons. Like the other agency workers interviewed, he asked for anonymity, fearing retaliation. THINGS CHANGE But by the second half of the 1990s, many of the Cubans working for foreign firms in Havana were getting into trouble -- sometimes paying bribes to government officials to win contracts or sidestep the bureaucracy, sometimes procuring girlfriends and drugs for their bosses. It was about that time that the Cuban employees began asking their bosses to find them work abroad, and that Cubatecnica emerged as the government's official broker between the Cuban workers and the capitalist firms abroad. Some of the Cubans told their bosses that they wanted the higher salaries they could earn overseas. Others claimed that police were investigating them for corruption and needed ''to refresh themselves'' abroad, said the Cubatecnica workers. A few others boldly told their prospective employers that they would work abroad for them without salaries, according to two former Cubatecnica workers, implying that Cuba's intelligence agencies would take care of their living expenses. 'In all these cases, there was the unspoken blackmail that the Cuban workers knew a lot about the companies' dirty business in Cuba and would cause problems if they did not get out,'' one former Cubatecnica worker said. JOB COORDINATOR Cubatecnica, created in the 1970s to handle the contracts of thousands of Cubans sent to work in factories in communist Eastern Europe, brokered the new contracts and now has an estimated 400 workers in Mexico, Spain, Panamá, Chile, Venezuela, Italy, Canada and France. Herald calls to Cubatecnica in Havana went unanswered. Cubatecnica's hires must report to the Cuban Intelligence Directorate's offices in their respective embassies, known as Centers, on their contacts with local political figures, according to the contractors. ''They all have families in Cuba, so they have to pay their tithe, drop a little information here and there,'' said Norberto Fuentes, a Miami author once close to Cuban intelligence. Under their Cubatecnica contracts, half their official salaries must be returned to the Cuban government, although many of the contractors also receive under-the-table payments from their foreign employers, the Cubans explained. MONEY FOREMOST In fact, they added, most of the Cubatecnica contractors are today less interested in intelligence work than in making money, so they can enjoy their lives abroad and send remittances to relatives on the island. ''The intelligence angle is not that important anymore,'' said Fuentes. "Those purged Interior Ministry officers have now created their own separate business aristocracy, and the state security is not the monolith it once was.'' One Cuban who broke with Cubatecnica but stayed abroad working as a computer repairman said: "I have a car, an apartment. I send money to my family and can visit Cuba anytime I want to. "That's the capitalist dream, no?'' "Beware the leader who bangs the drums of war in order to whip the citizenry into a patriotic fervor, for patriotism is indeed a double-edged sword. It both emboldens the blood, just as it narrows the mind. And when the drums of war have reached a fever pitch and the blood boils with hate and the mind has closed, the leader will have no need in seizing the rights of the citizenry. Rather, the citizenry, infused with fear and blinded by patriotism, will offer up all of their rights unto the leader and gladly so. How do I know? For this is what I have done. And I am Caesar." -- Julius Caesar (via David E. Crawford, Titusville, Florida, United States of America 28.5146N 80.8342W, DXLD, with his tagline) ** CYPRUS [non]. The TDP database claims that the Voice of Forgiveness is headquartered or based in Cyprus. However, my search through other databases doesn`t show a Voice of Forgiveness. According to the VOF website http://www.arabicradio.org/ they broadcast on 15535 at 0345 and 1100 GMT. This organisation appears to be a Christian station dedicated to Arab-speaking listeners (Dr John Barnard, AB, Signals Unlimited, Aug CIDX Messenger via DXLD) ** DOMINICAN REPUBLIC. 5009.8, R. Pueblo/Cristal, Santo Domingo, August 21st, 2320-2335 UT, Spanish, advertisement for sports equipment, ID: "Radio Cristal Internacional, onda corta para el mundo. Noticias, entrevistas ... deporte nacional y internacional ... en su programa enfoque deportivo." SINPO 33333 vy 73 (Michael Schnitzer, Hassfurt, Germany, hard-core-dx via DXLD) ** ECUADOR. R. Quito, 4920 [actually more like 4919], is celebrating its 62nd anniversary [as if this were significant]. For this occasion, HCJB DX Partyline`s Allen Graham interviewed Dr. Xavier Almeida [sp.?], station manager, at some length for the Aug 24 program; try to listen ondemand if and when available. Among the points: has a program for Ecuadorians abroad, ``Cartas a los ecuatorianos ausentes``, which is also quite popular with DXers. Hears especially from Japan and northern Europe, but not Spain as would be expected. Does reply to reports with QSL. Show is 0430-0500 and 1000-1030 UT [didn`t catch day(s) of week if mentioned]. Almeida speaks English well, but his accent doesn`t seem to be Spanish. I wonder about his background. Perhaps Brazilian (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** HONDURAS. HRN, La Voz de Honduras, fine audio quality via Windows Media Player. Address was wrong in DXLD 2130, and should be http://www.radiohrn.hn "La noticia sin malicia" probably is an indirect way of saying that the station carries unbiased news (Henrik Klemetz, Sweden, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** INDONESIA. 3905, RRI Merauke, fade-in here at 1145 UT Aug 10, under Radio New Ireland-PNG (s-off 1203* UT). 1200 UT RRI Jakarta relay, "Dynamica Indonesia" till 1228 UT. 1229 ID + frequencies + FM. Increased signal around 1240 UT up to S=9 +10 dB! Modulation good (Roland Schulze, Mangaldan, Philippines, BC-DX via DXLD) ** IRAN. IRIB has become a major international broadcaster in recent times. In addition to Jaam-e-Jaam 2 TV broadcasts in Farsi and English, IRIB will soon launch a Pan-Arab TV channel called "Al Alam News Channel". The new channel's test loop (Interval Signal) now appears on Telstar 5, 97 degrees West, Transponder 5, 11836 GHz Vertical, Symbol Rate 20773, FEC 2/3 . Video ID = 408, Audio ID = 356. In addition to Al Alam, this MPEG-DVB "MUX" now includes six streams of IRIB-originated audio multiplexed on three pseudo-stereo channels: Audio ID=1085 (Left) IRIB World Service Radio Channel 1 (Multilingual) Audio ID=1085 (Right)IRIB World Service "feeds" (Multilingual) Audio ID=1087 (Left) IRIB World Service Radio Channel 3 (Arabic) Audio ID=1087 (Right)IRIB World Service Radio Channel 2 (Multilingual) Audio ID=1089 (Left) IRIB 1st Program (Farsi) Audio ID=1089 (Right) Radio Quran (Farsi) The international services seem to have been re-branded as "IRIB World Service", replacing the old "Voice of Islamic Republic of Iran." IRIB has a very complex website with many audio streams. Some of their websites are : http://www.irib.com http://www.irib.com/worldservice http://www.alalamnews.com (TK Wood, Virginia, USA, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** IRAN [non]. Clandestines: On 4275 kHz 1600-1703* Aug 17, ID in Persian: "In[ja?] Sedaye Mojahedine Kurdestane Irana". Voice of Communist Party of Iran in Persian *1625-1742* Aug 17. (Rumen Pankov, Bulgaria, BC-DX via DXLD) Oops, frequency? ** JAMAICA. The story about history of radio here from the Gleaner, in DXLD 2-099 was rewritten for AWR Wavescan 400 Aug 25, with these comments appended: Actually there was an earlier radio station in Jamaica that was on the air occasionally with radio programming on shortwave and this was the communication station operated by Cable & Wireless under the callsign VRR. On some occasions, both ZQI and VRR were heard in parallel with the same programming, usually test cricket matches between Jamaica and another country. Programming could be tuned in over the air on a radio receiver or by wire in an early form of cable radio. The program format at the time was modelled on the style of the BBC in England though there were also many inserts of local Jamaican programming. These days Jamaica is on the air from five different mediumwave sites all rated at 10 kW, as well as from nearly 50 FM transmitters spread right across the island. The famous QSL card from ZQI is printed black on yellow and it gives also the original amateur callsign, VP5PZ. The shortwave transmitter at ZQI was rated at 200 watts. Thank you, Paul Ormandy in New Zealand, for providing this interesting information for use in Wavescan (Adrian Michael Petersen, AWR Wavescan Aug 25 via DXLD) ** MALI. 7284.0, R Mali, Bamako, on 8 Aug 0952-1006 airing talks in vernacular; fade out shortly after 1000 (Carlos Gonçalves, Portugal, BC-DX via DXLD) ** MEXICO. R. México Internacional, 9704.87, 0308-0335 Aug 18, English with mailbag program, pop music, ID, address, 0335 back to Spanish with local folk music. Poor to fair; weaker on \\ 11770.15 (Brian Alexander, PA, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** MOROCCO/RUSSIA. 171 kHz: NG: There was a better signal than usual from Morocco Tuesday (13/8) night - around 2200 - and I was able to verify that their Nador(?) transmitter was operating on exactly 171. KL: Yes, Nador is on even 171.0, so that's not the source of the disturbance. Pictures of the Nador site are available here: http://www.medi1.com/medi1/diffusion.php By the way, it seems that both 171 and 9575 are now on air continuously, or has anybody current information about s-on and s-off times? The website contains no such information, only the program schedule showing the station broadcasting 24/7. NG: There was a better signal than usual from Morocco Tuesday (13/8) night - around 2200 - and I was able to verify that their Nador(?) transmitter was operating on exactly 171 - and there was a heterodyne on the high side of frequency. So my theory that this one may be operating off frequency is unfounded and the source of the heterodyne will be elsewhere. KL: I also have the same het here. The enclosed file contains audio as it went out from the radio tuned to 171, the MPEG data reduction was the only processing. It's mostly local noise but the het of 870 Hz is still evident. So far I believed that this radiation originates from a local or rather semi-local source (it is audible outdoors, too, so not just something here within the house). But now it turns out that most likely the very same signal (right now on 171.87 kHz) is audible both here and at St. Petersburg, so it must originate from a distant source, probably indeed the Bolshakovo transmitter itself (Noel R. Green, UK, and Kai Ludwig, Germany, BC-DX Aug 14 via DXLD) Regarding 171 kHz: I noted one problem during our transmission. UNID spur (?) is approx. on 171.8 kHz 24 h a day (?). I cannot define its source yet. Maybe our local product? Thanks for 171.8 confirmation! I just checked this spur and it was still there (2100-2150+). I think this is a symmetric spur from one of the LW transmitters. It seems all 177-279 channels do not radiate it according to my monitoring between 188.2 and 386.2. But I cannot check 162 and 153 and two possible symmetric spurs on 152.2 and 134.2. Could you check these at your location? If it is caused by our 153 (Yunost) then I will be able to ask our colleagues in Moscow to fix this problem (Mikhail Timofeyev, St. Petersburg, Russia, Aug 7, BC-DX via DXLD) ** NAMIBIA [and non]. 3270.0, NBC, Windhoek, is being noted weeks on end since it experienced transmitter troubles, but audio seems to be on the low side all the time, e.g. at 2215-2224 Aug 11 in English airing light songs, which seems to be the usual menu at that time. 45332 on account of their weak audio. No trace of their 3290 outlet. At that time, it seems only 2 African 90 mb stations are to be heard, viz. Ghana 3366 (+ its regular transmitter spurs on either side of the fundamental) and the RSA 3320 (Carlos Gonçalves, Portugal, BC-DX via DXLD) ** NEPAL. Radio Nepal: Radio Nepal is no longer using 41-meter band frequency in the evenings; instead it is transmitting in a frequency between 6090-6125 kHz, just below V. of Holy Tibet (6130 kHz), noted on 21st August from 1030 to 1714 UT in above said frequency in parallel with 5005 kHz and other MW frequencies. Check the frequency and let me know the correct one. Their English News/ announcement is between 1415 to 1425 UT. Their postal address is: R. Nepal, Radio Broadcasting Service, P. O. 634, Singha Durbar, Katmandu, Nepal. If any body knows the correct e-mail address for Radio Nepal Please Let me know! I used rne@rne.wlink.com.np but didn't have any reply even the e-mail bounced. ----------------- I use tiny poor analogue receiver no-digital read out so the frequencies are based on announcements or schedules, and my location is 26N44 Latitude & 88E26 Longitude (South Asia - CIRAF Zone 41A/NE). (Partha Sarathi Goswami, Siliguri, West Bengal, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Could still be image from 41m band channel? (gh, DXLD) ** NETHERLANDS [non]. RN in English, Aug 7 1430-1635 on 12075 as usual. Reception is as usual too --- good until 1535 (David Crystal, 19125 Israel, DX LISTENING DIGEST) And then...? ** NICARAGUA. R. Miskut, 5770, reduced carrier USB, 0020-0115* Aug 17, Spanish pops, ballads, talk by man and woman, ID. Sign off with national anthem. Fair. Not heard in a while; last logged back in Feb. [but Brian says he`s back into SW after traveling the country attending Drum & Bugle Corps competitions this summer – including Enid on July 16???] (Brian Alexander, Mechanicsburg PA, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** OKLAHOMA. KTTL, 105.7, Alva, whose ownership transfer and consequent legality is questionable, was noted to be missing on Aug 24 around 2300 UT, even when passing thru Alva, and again at 1400 check from Enid the next day. Remains to be determined if ordered closed down, or off for some other reason, as has happened before. They have been running weekly ads in the Enid shopper, and attempt to invade the Enid advertising market. The current issue dated Aug 21 still carries the KTTL display ad which asserts: ``Total Hits 106 / KTTL 105.7 FM / We`re *Your* Home for Soft Rock with Less Talk / N Rangers / For the most complete coverage / Ride with the NW Rangers / On Northwest Oklahoma`s / Sports Leader, 105.7FM KTTL / Phone: 580-327-1430 FAX: 580-327-1433`` Alva area also has a gospel music translator on 91.5, an obstacle there to pulling in KOSU 91.7. The other OK 91.7 is KPSU at Panhandle State University in Goodwell; earlier, passing thru Guymon Aug 21 at 1656 UT we found open carrier on the frequency, 1659 KPSU ID and rock. I suspect they were not signing on until local noon, tho this could have been just a long period of dead air. Dead air was also to be heard on the Guymon 88.9 relay of KANZ-91.1 Garden City KS when checked at 1735 Aug 21. Instead of KTTL Alva, westward in the 5-state area on 105.7 we were hearing a non-ID as ``105.7, The Breeze``. (And back in Enid, we can again hear KROU, public radio from the University of Oklahoma!) Also, in Woodward, Aug 20 we noted that 1450 was silent, KSIW or whatever it was most recently called. This small town still has a surfeit of FM stations (Glenn Hauser, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** PARAGUAY. Dear Mr Glenn Hauser: Greetings from Paraguay! I have pleasure in advising that our experimental transmissions are now on-air, 24 hours per day, on 7300 and on 7737 kHz. The frequency 7300 is beamed at 184 degrees, from Magnetic North, using an antenna which has a theoretical gain of 25 dBi. The frequency 7737 is beamed at 4 degrees, from Magnetic North, using an antenna which has a theoretical gain of 8,84 dBi. The out-of-band frequency should provide interesting reception opportunities. Your reception reports will be most welcome. With best regards. Adán Mur, Technical Advisor, Radiodifusión América, Asunción, Paraguay ramerica@rieder.net.py (Aug 21, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** ROMANIA. Today 10 Aug, I found RRI in English at 0700-0800 on 21480, even tho they announced 21530. Best wishes (David Crystal, 19125 Ramat Zvi, Israel, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** RUSSIA. See MOROCCO, re longwave 171 and spurs ** SIERRA LEONE. R. UNAMSIL, 6137.83, 0645-0720+ Aug 18: English; male DJ, time checks. Mostly continuous US romantic ballads by Whitney Houston, Celine Dion and others. Brief comments between songs. Local news at 0701-0707 with mentions of Nigeria. 0707 back to the ballads. Several canned IDs by a child that sounded like ``This is Radio UNAMSIL, the Voice of Peace.`` Strong signal, but muddy modulation making it difficult to understand much. Started to fade out after 0715 (Brian Alexander, PA, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** SOUTH AFRICA. MISA WARNS AGAINST AMENDING SABC CHARTER Agência de Informação de Moçambique (Maputo) August 16, 2002 Posted to the web August 16, 2002 Maputo The regional press freedom body, the Media Institute of Southern Africa (MISA), on the final day of its Annual General Meeting in Maputo, on Friday adopted a statement expressing serious concern at current attempts by the South African government to compromise the editorial independence of the South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC). After the election of a democratic government in South Africa, the SABC was freed of the ties to the government of the day that had characterised it under apartheid. MISA noted that the editorial independence of the SABC had been "trumpeted as a model to be emulated by other governments in the region". But three days ago the government published a Broadcasting Amendment Bill which, MISA believes, "takes these achievements backwards into very dark days of South African history". The proposed change to the rules governing the SABC "flies in the face of the democratisation process that has been the hallmark of South African politics since 1994". The key alteration proposed to the SABC charter would remove the clause that provides SABC with "freedom of expression and journalistic, creative and programming independence". Proposed new clauses jettison these terms and instead demand "accurate, accountable and fair reporting". MISA notes that the amendment gives a government minister "the power to define what the terms "accurate", "fair" and "accountable" mean". Furthermore, the amendment demands that journalists act "in the interests of the corporation" - which MISA regards as quite different from acting in the interests of the public. "Editorial independence", says the MISA statement, "means the right of journalists and editors to make decisions on the basis of professional criteria, consistent with international standards, such as the newsworthiness of an event or its relevance to the public's right to know". "It is important that public broadcasters, without undue interference, dedicate themselves to serving the functions of informing citizens about matters of public interest", adds MISA. "This imposes a responsibility on governments to ensure that these broadcasters have complete editorial independence". MISA concludes by pointing out that, should the South African government object to any SABC news items, "it, like any other person or institution, has the right of redress through the Broadcasting Complaints Commission, that was created specifically to adjudicate on such matters". (via John Shanley, Aug 19, DXLD) ** SOUTH CAROLINA [and non]. The anti-Stair group continues their campaign on WBCQ 7415. This has been getting some publicity. The trial is upcoming (Bob Thomas, CT, Aug 14, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** SYRIA. Syria was again using 12085 for Turkish at 1600 on 17/09 [sic – 17 Aug??] and Russian on 13610 from c1700, when 12085 had closed. I tuned their English program around 2130 and found audio quality good enough to understand the program on 13610 and a \\ signal of poorer quality on 12085. It seems another check is needed to determine when 12085 is actually on air. It is not carrying the daytime HS Arabic service though (Noel R. Green, UK, BC-DX Aug 18 via DXLD) ** TIBET. V. Of Holy Tibet: In my last letter I told about their daylong broadcasts, and here are new things: Besides In Tibetan they are noted in English in 0700-0715, 1100-1115 and 1630-1645 UT in frequencies between 4900-4940 kHz, 9400-9495 (it`s 9490 according to Glen[n] Hauser) kHz with parallel in 6130 kHz. The frequency between 4900-4940 kHz and the 1100 UT English program I discovered just yesterday (August 21, 2002). I am sure that is between 4900-4940 because the transmission was between AIR Kurseong at 4895 kHz and AIR Guwahati at 4940 kHz all are clear and strong. And again their mailing address is: V. O. Holy Tibet, Foreign Affairs Office, China Tibet Peoples Broadcasting Company, Lhasa 850000, PR China. Please let me know your loggings to this station (Partha Sarathi Goswami, Siliguri, West Bengal, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** TURKMENISTAN. Turkmen R war am Dienstag 13.08. ab 1940-1943 UT mit Nachrichten in Englisch und in USB auf 4930 kHz mit 0=3 zu hoeren (Herbert Meixner, Austgria, A-DX Aug 14 via BC-DX via DXLD) ** UNITED KINGDOM [non]. Follow up unidentified station in JAPAN PREMIUM No. 223: The religious station on 11645 kHz is identified as The Bible Voice Broadcasting Network. Aug. 18, S/on at 2000 with music and ID in English, "You are listening to the Bible Voice Broadcasting Network. You can reach us by mail at Post Office Box 220, Leeds, LS26 0WW in the United Kingdom....", followed by religious program. It seems that they broadcast Sundays only. SIO343. High Adventure Gospel in Canada together with Bible Voice Broadcasting in the U.K. began broadcasts on July 1/02 To India: 15615 Sat/Sunday 0030-0130 UT 9855 Monday - Sunday 0030-0100 Bengali 9610 Monday - Sunday 0200-0230 Hindi To W Europe 11645 Sat/Sunday 2000-2115 UT To E. Europe 7425 Sat/Sunday 1800-1900 UT To the Middle East 7430 Sat/Sunday 1700 - 1800 UT 7430 Monday to Friday 1700 -1815 UT 7430 Sat 1800 - 1900 UT 7430 Sun 1800 - 2000 UT Please try and tune us in. Let us know how you receive the 15615. Thanks. We will try to let you know the new frequencies when the winter schedule come out. Blessings, Mrs. M. McLaughlin (mail@biblevoice.org) (via Iwao Nagatani, Kobe, Japan Premium, via DXLD) Some important bits of info are missing, such as the TRANSMITTER SITE(s)!! One thing for sure: not Canada (gh, DXLD) ** U S A. Veterans' Voice of America website http://www.veteransvoa.com is devoted to raising funds to establish a VOA museum and memorial park at Bethany (John Vodenik, CA in R HF Internet Newsletter, Aug 17 via BC-DX via DXLD) ** U S A. A reminder not to give up if you hear the `wrong` edition of WOR on WWCR: Thu Aug 22 at 2030, instead of the current edition Extra 43, WWCR replayed the previous week`s WOR 1144. But at 2058 recheck, the proper edition Extra 43 was playing, and even continued past 2100 until its natural ending at 2105, with the Spanish block starting late! Therefore, WWCR must have realised the mistake, and started Extra 43 about 2036 (Glenn Hauser, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A. I just spin the dial checking on what`s going on and if certain shows keep up a certain rhetoric. [see also SOUTH CAROLINA] Over WBCQ on The Right Perspective, Fridays 10 pm-midnight ET, UT Sat 0200-0400 on 7415, John of Staten Island and Frank of Queens have left the Omega Radio Network a few months ago and have been shifting between the studios of Hal Turner and Johnny Lightning. (Terms commonly used: ``the ultra modern studios of...`` --- yet, there`s still bad mikes, bad headphones, feedback, bad phone lines and miscues. Now, what`s humorous is ``...fabulous ultra modern studios``, as they always labeled Omega. And I clearly remember Spectrum had the Woe of the Week (bad mikes, bad cart, bad cart machine, bad headphones, feedback, dropouts, bad wiring, bad phonelines). It became a joke on the shows. Work and repairs were always going on at Omega. They were running it out of a NJ station and then they built their own studio. This always had some type of breakdown or ongoing technical problem. There were some moves and facility changes by Omega. In fact, once when Spectrum returned from one of their hiatus periods that lasted more than Memorial Day to Labor Day, they talked about technical problems of the past and what the ``real story`` behind it was all about --- dispelling rumors. Technical woes continued. And some of the Spectrum crew went on to other interests. It came down to just two hosts. Sometimes, only one host. Now, the past several weeks, John & Frank of The Right Perspective have been taking shots at Omega. They have said right on-air that they were lied to, misled, strung along, promised things that never developed, had their website delayed in both expansion and updating, and other allegations. John & Frank are presently having their own studios constructed and their own web site constructed, including material they were told was ``lost.` (Names were given and charged.) If you monitor ``TRP`` you`ll hear it for yourself. Frank & John don`t mince their words. (They also get last names wrong of those they continue to blame. It makes one wince. A bit sloppy!) Now, a while ago, I lost interest in Spectrum. The shows just became stagnant and they ran out of ideas after a 7+ year run. (Why not updates of their best topics, guests, specials? You can easily get another few years worth of shows. This aside from breaking news in the media, technology, SWL/ham hobby, etc.) However, I tune in to check topic and I may or may not stay with it. I usually don`t. It used to be a good show despite flaws. Too bad. Well, Saturday Aug 3 (UT Sun 0300 on WWCR 5070), it was announced by a single host that they were pulling the plug on the show. 8/3 would be the last show. They didn`t know if they`d run repeats or some other program will fill the slot. An announcement would be made later in the show. I didn`t stay with it. (later: 8/10 was a repeat show. So, I guess that`ll be --- until somebody else takes over the available slot.) The portion I did hear, the other co-host didn`t appear due to some other commitment. Past hosts were not available for the farewell. So, this doesn`t say much for Spectrum. Only Marty showed. I lost interest because of all the technical problems. How inept can it be in getting things repaired? As I said, it became a joke. It was an ongoing thing. Also, the hosts began to whine about burnout, lack of inspiration, lack of topics, lack of good guests. And much of the staff lost interest and abandoned it. And, I`m sure listenership dropped as well. John & Frank of The Right Perspective have been vocal about mistreatment by Omega and Executive Producer Mark Emmanuel. So, John & Frank have started out what they are calling ``The Two Friends Network``. They are going independent. They are having their own studio built and are working on rebuilding their archives and website. They state it will take quite some time and they are determined to see it through (Bob Thomas, CT, Aug 14, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A. An up-note is that, in June, WLW in Cincinnati on 26.450 MHz could be heard here nearly every day. The corresponding down-note is that the signal came in so often that I stopped logging it. The DXer in me wanted a variety of signals rather than multiple catchings of the same one. Example: 26.450, narrow FM, WLW (700 kHz) Cincinnati OH, 18 June at 1345, ``News Radio 700 WLW``, ad for Shelton Fireworks. Fair signal. [One other E-skip log from much earlier:] On 26.150 MHz, narrow FM, KWTX-TV (ch 10), Waco TX, 2 May at 2345: technicians in several TV stations --- including Brian in Waco and Randy in Dallas --- preparing to take KWTX`s live coverage of a police chase in Hamilton County. Once Dallas was connected, this transmitter switched to a repeating recording saying ``This is mix-minus line no. 12 for KWTX-TV in Waco TX. Do not hang up. Collect calls are accepted``. Fair signal (Alan Roberts, St Lambert, Quebec, 25 Plus, August CIDX Messenger via DXLD) ** U S A. Mon Aug 19, 8:39 AM ET http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ibsys/20020819/lo_wplg/1293131 CLASSICAL MUSIC WILL ONCE AGAIN BE HEARD ON THE RADIO IN SOUTH FLORIDA. WKAT A.M. 1360 will change from its Spanish language format to a classical music one. The station says the format has strong advertising support. WLRN is reportedly increasing their classical music time as well. The classical radio void was created last year when WTMI changed formats to dance music (via Mike Terry, DXLD) Previous report referred to the 1360 outlet as WQAM; I am not sure why. That used to be 560, but I haven`t kept up with call changes/swaps in South Florida (gh, DXLD) ** U S A. I ran across this web page that has a wealth of information useful to dxers. AM, FM, TV, history, web pages, emails, etc. http://www.michiguide.com/ (John WB9UAI, Milwaukee, AMFMTVDX mailing list via DXLD) ** U S A. 911: From: Michael Carpenter mcarp@mcarp.net RE: 9-11-12/07/1941 It was only tonight that I read B. Connor's letter from the August 15 ShopTalk. He compares the nation's reaction to the WTC bombing to that of Pearl Harbor: "It's been only 11 months since the greatest one-day loss of civilian life in our history, and already it seems our country has lost its outrage over the vicious and cowardly attack. Everyone seems to want to "get over it" and move on." I'd like to add something to that comparison. I was listening to a Bob Trout retrospective on NPR a few weeks ago, and Trout, in an interview taped a few years ago, mentioned that on December 7, 1941, CBS did a brief on-air mention when it first learned of the Pearl Harbor attack... and nothing else until the next day. That was probably due as much to the limitations of technology as editorial judgement. But compare that to the WTC coverage. The reason we as a nation seem tired of it, I think, is because we used up all our outrage and grief early on. Or, more accurately, it was taken from us. Taken from us to advance reporter and anchor careers. Taken from us to boost the President in the polls, and networks in the ratings. Taken from us to sell novelties in convenience stores. Rather than being given the chance to respond in a normal, healthy fashion, we were pushed through an accelerated process of shock, grief, anger, and then acceptance, which is where many Americans are now. I won't watch any 9/11 retrospectives. I want to know what's happening with the investigation now, but I don't want to relive the past. (via Brock Whaley, Aug 19, DXLD who adds: And I agree) ** U S A [non]. AWR: I hope you didn't miss the AWR Wavescan last week (18th August 2000 edition #399) and if you missed, then try listening from the web http://www.awr.org because it was a good and informative one. I am not going to give details but one thing I will say that there were some news articles from New Zealand DX Times, which told about China Tibet peoples Broadcasting Company (V.O. Holy Tibet) at 6130 on 1630 UTC, but they didn't talk about other time and frequencies. And make sure that you will not miss AWR Wavescan #400 next Sunday, August 25, 2002; it will be the 400th edition and 3 big things will be there 1. 30 years of AWR, 2. Something on WRTH. 3. Paul Ormandy's DX Report. And now AWR English at 1330 to 1359 UT on 15385 kHz SINPO=43334, a bit noisy and fading. AWR Urdu at 1400-1500 UT on 15320 kHz SINPO=32232 poor due to BBC. AWR introduced a new language service whose name is something sounds like "Chen" at 1400 onwards UT on 15380 kHz SINPO=44444, very good. AWR English 1630 to 1700 UTC on 11850 kHz SINPO=44444, Very good (Partha Sarathi Goswami, Siliguri, West Bengal, DX LISTENING DIGEST) +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ DRM Some other digital radio transmissions besides DRM tests are heard sometimes on the broadcasting SW bands. For example, my catches at the latest weekend, 18 Aug: at 0925-1000 digital transmission within frequency range approximately 13625-13630 kHz; at 1920 digital approx 5990-5995 kHz (Alexander Yegorov, Ukraine, BC-DX Aug 20 via DXLD) PUBLICATIONS Book Review - The New Shortwave Guide We have now seen our first copy of the entirely new publication from the ``World Radio TV Handbook``; and yes, it is a superb publication. This new book is titled as ``The Shortwave Guide`` Volume 1, with the sub-title, ``Listen to the World``. This new volume comes with a full colored cover, front and back, and it is just a little thinner with a little more than 200 pages. Interestingly, there are only two pages of advertising in the entire volume. The inside front cover presents a full page advert in color for Merlin Communications and this focuses on the brockerage service they offer in providing relay facilities to shortwave broadcasting organizations. Inside the back cover is another full page advertisement, this time for Universal Radio and this focuses on radio receivers and radio publications. We obtained our copy of the new ``Shortwave Guide`` from Universal Radio in Reynoldsburg, Ohio. An opening feature article, written by Bernd Trutenau, presents an interesting ``Introduction to Shortwave Radio``. A compendium at the end of the volume presents a ``Directory of International Broadcasters``, with addresses and main personnel in the world`s big shortwave stations. However, the main purpose for the new ``Shortwave Guide`` is to provide the latest scheduling for all shortwave stations throughout the world. The schedule for each station is shown in bar chart form. For example the very first entry shows the frequency 2310 kHz and when you look at the information, this is what you learn. This station is in Australia with the Northern Territory Service and it is on the air with 50 kW from 0830 to 2130 UT. Programming is in Aboriginal languages and English. The final entry in the bar chart listings is for a station on 25820 kHz. This entry shows a 500 kW transmitter for Radio France International and it is on the air 0900-1300 UT in French and English to Africa. I decided to put the book to the test, so I turned on my big Grundig radio. The frequency readout showed 11835 kHz, the time was MN02 UT, and the programming was in English. The new ``Shortwave Guide`` showed that this particular broadcast was from the BBC in London, using a 50 kW transmitter in the World Service, apparently on relay from WYFR in Okeechobee, Florida. The frequency 11920 kHz carried news in German and the new directory showed this to be Deutsche Welle with 500 kW to North America. On 7335 kHz, I noted the time-ticking from a chronohertz station and the new directory identified this station as CHU with 5 kW in Canada. The frequency 9900 with Arabic music showed this to be Radio Cairo in English and Arabic with 500 kW to North America. This brand new volume is quite uptodate with its representations of scheduling in the current broadcast period. It is very easy to read and you can make quck reference for any and every shortwave frequency, even split frequencies where these are in use. Are there any suggestions for improvement? Yes, but only very minor suggestions. It would be very helpful to show the actual transmitter location. Maybe the color identifications in the key at the bottom of each page could be elongated a little so that the color variations could be more easily identified. And then, maybe some of the vertical lines in the graph presentation showing the UTC times could be darkened to make visual identification just a little easier. However, as a first volume in this new series, the ``Shortwave Guide`` is outstanding and a very valuable addition to the current library of every DXer, shortwave listener and international radio monitor We would ardently hope that, as indicated, this is just the first annual edition of a new international radio directory and that we will see a new edition every year for many years to come (Adrian Michael Petersen, AWR Wavescan 400, Aug 25 via DXLD) ###