DX LISTENING DIGEST 2-192, December 8, 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 1159: WBCQ: Mon 0545 7415 WWCR: Sun 0730 3210, Wed 1030 9475 RFPI: Sun 1200, 1830, Mon 0030, 0630, 1230, Tue 1900, Wed 0100, 0700, 1300 on 7445 and/or 15039 WJIE: M-F 1300, daily 0400; Sun 0630, Mon 0700, Tue 0630 on 7490 WRN: North America Sun 1500 ONDEMAND http://www.wrn.org/ondemand/worldofradio.html [High] (Download) http://www.k4cc.net/wor1159h.rm (Stream) http://www.k4cc.net/wor1159h.ram [Low] (Download) http://www.k4cc.net/wor1159.rm (Stream) http://www.k4cc.net/wor1159.ram (Summary) http://www.worldofradio.com/wor1159.html NOTE: due to intermittent internet outages for ``upgrade`` the last few days, and other commitments, we`re a bit behind. Some of the info in this issue may pre-date that in the previous 2-191, where we tried to give priority to the most recent info at time of release. Please pay attention to the dates (gh) UNSOLICITED TESTIMONIAL Dear Glenn, thank you for DXLD and keep up the good work! (Lars Åström, Malmö, Sweden) ** AFGHANISTAN. Geneva, 4 December, 2002 — The International Telecommunication Union (ITU) will provide emergency support to the government of Afghanistan in its efforts to restore its heavily damaged telecommunication and broadcasting infrastructure. In a two- year project document signed between His Excellency Mr Masoom Stanekzai, Afghanistan`s Minister of Communications and Hamadoun Touré, Director of ITU`s Telecommunication Development Bureau, ITU will strengthen Afghanistan`s institutional competence to govern the sector. The Minister stated, "Afghanistan has moved backwards toward the stone age at a time when we need to enter the digital age and we need the assistance of an impartial international organization like ITU to ensure we again move forward in telecommunication development." A national framework is needed to "help Afghanistan leapfrog to the digital age and create an environment that will ensure our people have the right to access communications," added the Minister. The flight of qualified persons during 24 years of war has resulted in a severe shortage of skilled staff in the country and ITU`s timely assistance will pave the way for a restructuring of the Ministry of Communications, equipping it to deal with governance issues on a day- to-day basis during the emergency phase and beyond. In readiness for a large-scale deployment of wireless communication services, ITU will also play a role in the orderly planning and management of the national frequency spectrum, develop a national frequency plan, install a spectrum management system and put in place coherent licensing and assignment procedures. "There is a great urgency in restoring domestic and international telecommunication services in Afghanistan, as they represent an essential input to all other rehabilitation and reconstruction activities taking place in the country," explains Ismet Hamiti, ITU Coordinator for Asia-Pacific and focal point for Afghanistan. "However at the same time, the rapid deployment of wireless-based services also highlights the importance of managing the radio spectrum efficiently." "The confidence in ITU expressed by the government of Afghanistan to carry out fundamental reform and reconstruction in Afghanistan is proof of ITU`s role as a source of top-quality, unbiased and cost- effective expertise in telecommunications and ICTs," said Hamadoun Touré, Director of ITU`s Telecommunication Development Bureau. "ITU is committed to ensuring that assistance and support to the government of Afghanistan is as effective as possible." The project is funded by ITU with a contribution of over half a million dollars from the ITU Telecom Surplus. One of the objectives of this fund, which derives from surplus income from the ITU Telecom exhibitions, is to reach out to countries in special need, helping them to rehabilitate their networks. The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) has joined forces with ITU to provide experts to Afghanistan on a cost-sharing basis. ITU is also inviting other partners to provide integrated support to the Afghan government. Project Details To help boost the key ministry functions, ITU will help establish internal working procedures and practices for the effective functioning of the Ministry; assist in drafting a telecommunication sector policy and a Telecommunication Act; propose a regulatory structure tailored to the specific needs of the country and prepare a programme to develop competence within the Ministry of Communications in policy, regulation and legislation. To help Afghanistan better plan and manage its frequency spectrum, ITU will establish an equipped and operational Frequency Management Unit within the Ministry of Communications and will prepare a table of frequency allocations; update the national administrative regulation; assess present and future spectrum requirements; work out a country- wide coverage map for MW, FM and TV broadcasting; elaborate a guide for spectrum monitoring and station inspection; establish a computerized frequency management system and training for local staff in frequency spectrum planning and management activities. Afghanistan`s Ministry of Culture and Information, which is responsible for frequency assignment for broadcasting use, will also be a beneficiary of this project (some good news from ITU to share, via Lars Åström, Malmö Sweden, Dec 7, DXLD) ** BOLIVIA. 4930.0, Radio San Miguel, Riberalta. *0908-0920 good on Dec. 7. QSY from 4924v kHz. 0909 ID as "¿Qué tal? amigos, señoras y señores muy buenos días .. hora 6 de la madrugada con 12 minutos .. sintonía Radio San Miguel .." then Takirari music program "Musica boliviana" was heard (Hideki WATANABE, Saitama, Japan, duvel@j- wave.net RADIO NUEVO MUNDO DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** CANADA. Re CBC legal IDs: Hi Glenn: Recently I was listening to CBC 540 Regina around local 5 to 5:30 AM time slot [1100-1130 UT] when they played the national anthem and gave a full sign on including the call letters CBK 540 Watrous. I am not sure if this is daily but I will try and tape it. If I remember right it was about 5:15 after CBC Overnight and before the local CBC Saskatchewan morning show. 73 (Mickey Delmage, Sherwood Park, Alberta, Dec 7, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** CHECHNYA [non]. RUSSIA. INTERIOR MINISTRY REMOVES CHECHEN FIGHTERS FROM THE WEB... There is not a single "Wahhabite" Internet site operating in Russia, strana.ru reported on 4 December. Dmitrii Chepchugov, head of the Moscow Interior Ministry department for combating high-technology crime ("Department R"), told journalists that as part of the antiterrorism measures adopted following the 23-26 October hostage taking in Moscow, his department has identified all the websites associated with Chechen fighters. An unspecified number of domestic sites have been shut down, and the Foreign Ministry has sent formal complaints to all foreign countries hosting such sites, acting on information provided by Chepchugov's office. Chepchugov said that the website Kavkaz-Tsentr was registered in Canada and was shut down following a Foreign Ministry appeal to the Canadian government, ITAR-TASS reported. ("RFE/RL Newsline," 4 December) ...AND SAYS 'TERRORISTS' FUNDED BY PORN SITES. At the same press conference, Chepchugov said that the profits generated by pornographic websites worldwide play a significant role in the financing of extremist and terrorist organizations, strana.ru reported on 4 December. He estimated that a child-porn site can bring in as much as $30,000 per month in illegal revenue. Since March, Chepchugov's office has been tracking 3,000 websites and has launched 14 criminal cases. He said that, in addition to pornographic sites, his agency monitors sites "with extremist tendencies." ('RFE/RL Newsline," 4 December via RFE/RL Media Matters Dec 6 via DXLD) ** COLOMBIA. CLANDESTINE to/from COLOMBIA: 6175, Voz de Resistencia: been trying for this at 1030 based on Mark's tip, but no joy here, only hearing what sounds like Malaysia (Hans Johnson, Rio Hondo, Texas, Dec 4-5, Cumbre DX via DXLD) Hola Glenn... Saludos desde Catia La Mar, VENEZUELA. -CLADESTINA: escuchada en los 10 Mhz (10000 kHz), la estación "Viva Bolívar", de las Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de Colombia. La Cadena Radial Bolivariana, autodenominada como "La Voz de la Resistencia", fue captada el 5/12, desde las 2043 UT hasta su despedida a las 2108. Transmitía música revolucionaria y comentarios contra la oligarquia colombiana. Modulación en Upper Side Band. El locutor se identificaba como miembro de los bloques José María Córdoba y Caribe. La segunda escucha fue hoy sabado 7/12 a las 1545 UT, en la misma frecuencia de 10 MHz (Upper Side Band), con la lectura de un comunicado de las FARC sobre la situación de Venezuela y el fracaso del paro general. Señal clara y fuerte en ambos casos (Adan Gonzalez. Catia La Mar, VENEZUELA, Dec 7, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** CUBA [and non]. ENCUESTA DEMUESTRA LA IMPORTANCIA DE RADIO MARTI Edel José García Díaz, de CNP. La Habana: Una encuesta que se efectuó en 12 provincias de Cuba, reveló que el 100% de los entrevistados escuchan la emisora Radio Martí, para estar bien informados. Esta emisora, que transmite para Cuba, radica en la Florida y el Gobierno cubano, hace lo imposible para bloquear la entrada de sus ondas a la Isla, no obstante la interferencia, muchos la escuchan diariamente. Los entrevistados seleccionaron os cinco mejores programas, que son en primer lugar los noticieros, Sin Censores, ni Censuras, Las noticias como son, Tempranito y de mañana, estos que son los que se transmiten de lunes a viernes, mientras que los fines de semana seleccionaron A Cuba es su música, Mundo Médico, Sin pedir permiso, El Cubano y su Fe, y Guateque campesino. De los 343 entrevistados, 333 que representan el 97.08% dijeron, que la escuchan para enterarse de lo que pasa en la Isla, y el 94.46% lo hace para conocer la situación internacional, mientras que el 61.22% dijo, estar satisfecho con la cobertura que realiza la emisora en cuanto a noticias nacionales y el 75.80% con las Internacionales. Por otra parte, 319 de los encuestados, calificaron de muy alta credibilidad la emisora, y que su labor es muy importante, contestaron 293, para el 85.42% de los encuestados. La encuesta se efectuó entre el 5 de julio y el 31 de octubre del 2002, y abarcó las 12 provincias con excepción de Villa Clara y Guantánamo, las edades de los encuestados sobrepasa los 18 años, 197 eran hombres y 146 mujeres, e incluyó a estudiantes, obreros, profesionales, técnicos medios, amas de casa y jubilados. Entre las observaciones que hicieron los entrevistados, sobresalen la que propone la ubicación de un transmisor de Radio Marti en la Base Naval de Guantánamo, para que se escuche con mas claridad y aumentar la potencia de la señal para evitar la interferencia, del Gobierno realizar una programación que profundice, sobre los supuestos logros de la educación y la salud, aumentar los noticieros, los fines de semana, y priorizar las noticias sobre Cuba. Reportó: Edel José García Díaz, para Cuba Free Press (Desde Dentro de Cuba. Distribuido por Cuba Free Press, Inc. 27 de Noviembre del 2002 http://www.cubafreepress.org via Oscar, DXLD) Re: Postal address of Radio Marti Hello Mr. Suess, Thank you for your interest. Radio Marti's mailing address is: 4201 NW 77th Avenue, Miami, FL 33166 [USA] (IBB External Affairs Nov 27, 2002 via H. Süss, Austria in A-DX) Im WRTH steht zwar Miami, aber eine falsche Hausnummer. Im S&F steht noch Washington, was ganz falsch ist. Nur zur Ergänzung (H. Süss, Nov 27, 2002 in A-DX) ClandestineRadio.com has Radio Martí, USIA, 330 Independence Ave, SW, Washington, DC 20547, USA. The QSL Info Pages do have a QSL logs from Nov 1999 with this address: QTH : 5325 N.W. 77th Avenue, Miami, FL 33166. That is probably the address used in the WRTH. As it seems, the other addresses are not wrong, they are simply different or ex- addresses [M. Schöch-CRW] Nur: Warum sollte man in so einem Fall mit snailmail rummachen? martinoticias@ocb.ibb.gov ist schneller, billiger und einfacher (M. Elbe, Germany, Dec 2, 2002 in A-DX --- all via CRW via DXLD) ** DOMINICAN REPUBLIC. 4930, R. Barahona, Santo Domingo, December 7th, 0000-0015, Spanish, advertisement, jingles, many IDs, local news, SINPO 24222. Saludos (Michael Schnitzer, Hassfurt, Germany, hard-core- dx via DXLD) I believe this one is quite irregular, so get it now (gh, DXLD) ``La Voz de la Liberación`` on R. Pueblo, 5009.4: See VENEZUELA ** EUROPE? Hi there George, good news for you. I have plans for a broadcast on Sunday. Freq will be 21.895 MHz. Hopefully there will be some conditions so that you will be able to get some traces from my signal. Well all the best for you. Greeting (Rinus, Cupidradio, Dec 7, via George Maroti, Cumbredx mailing list via DXLD) Sounds Dutch Additional info that I received is that they'll be on the air around 1300 UTC with 25 watts of power (George Maroti, NY, Cumbre DX via DXLD) ** EUROPE. Next Transmission of Sensation AM (WESTERN EUROPE) is planned now Sunday, December the 8th, TIME: 0700 UT, FREQ: 15.730 (or 15.725) The E-mail is during the transmission open, RR's most welcome!! Probably "down under" has some reception possibility.. Winter has fallen into europe so radiation is coming up from our frozen antenna. The antenna is still pointed to USA, at the end of the winter we pointed the antenna to Sweden / Finland. So reception will there and down under 5 till 10 dB's stronger (we hope). Greetings Sensation AM (from chilly WESTERN EUROPE) (via Jem Cullen, ARDXC via DXLD) ** FINLAND [non]. It is prime DXpedition season in the Northern Hemisphere, and some interesting DXpedition reports and logs have recently been added on the site. You can find them at http://www.dxing.info/dxpeditions/ - including one from Lemmenjoki, where I spent Nov. 23-30, and added the report on the site today. Be in touch by email, if you'd like to share your DXpedition results with fellow hobbyists on DXing.info. 73s (Mika Mäkeläinen, DXing.info, DX LISTENING DIGEST) They were disappointed in the results due to propagation conditions and antenna breaks, but it`s still pretty impressive to us non- Arcticans; some nice photos in the report (gh, DXLD) ** FRANCE. RFI APPOINTS NEW AFRICAN SERVICE HEAD | Excerpt from press release by Radio France Internationale on 3 December Paris, 3 December 2002: Alain Le Gouguec was today appointed head of RFI's African service and assistant chief editor... To coincide with Alain Le Gouguec's appointment, Madeleine Mukamabano, a leading RFI commentator on African issues, has been appointed Adviser for Africa to Chief Editor Jerome Bouvier. She will continue with her journalistic activities in the African service where she presents "Debat Africain" [African Debate]... Source: Radio France Internationale press release, Paris, in French 3 Dec 02 (via BBCM via DXLD) ** GERMANY. Re DW`s DRM SW rollout timetable: Curious that they would introduce DRM broadcasts to NA last--and then only after determining that "market conditions allow"! The first receivers are likely to be quite expensive and it would seem that NA consumers (apart from Europeans) would be in the best financial position to spend that capital. Looks to me like another case of an international broadcaster misreading the potential of the NA market and misconstruing a saturation of channels with a panoply of perspectives and ideas. (Hint: we have the former, but lack the latter.) (John Figliozzi, NY, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** GERMANY. RUSSIAN RADIO STATION TO START BROADCASTING IN GERMANY | Text of report by Russian news agency RIA Moscow, 5 December: The Russian state radio broadcasting company Golos Rossii [Voice of Russia] has become the first domestic Russian radio station to obtain the official right to broadcast on German territory. A company statement received by RIA-Novosti says that the Berlin- Brandenburg authorities on Thursday [5 December] handed over an appropriate licence for a period of five years to the head of the Voice of Russia radio company, Armen Oganesyan. The licence enables the company to broadcast on medium wave across the whole of Germany. Programmes will go out in German, Russian and English, 18 hours a day. "This event is extremely important to the promotion of domestic radio broadcasting in Europe," Armen Oganesyan noted. "The new information opportunities which have opened up in front of us are in many ways the result of the noticeable progress in Russian-German relations." Voice of Russia's main partner in implementing its broadcasting project will be the German company T-Systems, part of the Deutsche Telekom concern. Source: RIA news agency, Moscow, in Russian 1404 gmt 5 Dec 02 (via BBCM via DXLD) ** INDIA. INTERNATIONAL CHILDREN'S BROADCASTING DAY AIR stations will broadcast special programs in connection with the International Children's Broadcasting Day on Decemeber 8, 2002. AIR back on 9950: AIR External Service which had suspended transmissions on 21 November 2002 on 9950 at 1730-2230 UT etc., due to harmonics [non-harmonic spurs – gh], is now noted back on air- without any harmonics of course (Jose Jacob, dx_india via DXLD) ** INDIA. AT0NG, National Games The 32nd National Games of India is held in Hyderabad from 13 to 22 December, 2002. A special event Amateur Radio station with the callsign AT0NG (Alpha Tango Zero November Golf) is operational from National Institute of Amateur Radio the whole of this month. I will be operating this station often. Special QSL cards will be issued. To find out any current activity of this special station, please log on to http://hamcall.net/cgi-bin/dxspots.exe and enter at0ng in the search phrase (Jose Jacob, dx_india via DXLD) ** INTERNATIONAL. WRC-03 CONFERENCE PREPARATORY MEETING EXPANDS 40-METER OPTIONS Paul Simon sang of 50 ways to leave your lover, but participants at the just-ended Conference Preparatory Meeting (CPM) for World Radiocommunication Conference 2003 heard just five ways to fix 40 meters, plus a sixth that would just leave things as they are. "The five options for change all represent improvements in the amateur band, although two fall short of fulfilling the 300-kHz worldwide requirement," said ARRL Chief Executive Officer David Sumner, K1ZZ. He attended the Geneva gathering in his role as International Amateur Radio Union (IARU) secretary. "All six options maintain the existing 300-kHz exclusive amateur allocation in Region 2." The objective of the CPM was to complete work on a 700-plus page extensive technical CPM Report, which outlines methods to address the more than three dozen items that are on the WRC-03 agenda. As for amateur issues, Sumner says 7-MHz realignment or harmonization "is one of the most difficult issues facing WRC-03." As he explains the situation, three major interests--amateurs, shortwave broadcasters, and users, mainly military, of the fixed and mobile services--have a stake in the outcome. The IARU is on record as supporting a 300-kHz worldwide amateur allocation in the vicinity of 7 MHz. Sumner said achieving this would require the fixed and mobile services to make room for broadcasters and for the broadcasters to change their operating frequencies. The five methods for change the CPM Report describes include a variety of transition schedules to ease the impact on these other services. * Method A would shift Region 1 and 3 broadcasters up by 200 kHz to 7300-7550 kHz in two stages and would provide the same band for broadcasting in Region 2. * Method B is similar but would have amateurs in Regions 1 and 3 sharing the upper 100 kHz of their newly expanded band with fixed and mobile. * Method C would provide just 200 kHz for amateurs in Regions 1 and 3. Amateurs in Region 2 would continue to contend with broadcasting interference from Regions 1 and 3 in the 7200-7300 kHz segment. * Method D, proposed by Canada at the CPM, would provide 300 kHz worldwide for amateurs by shifting broadcasters in Regions 1 and 3 up by 200 kHz but would not expand the Region 2 broadcasting allocation. This plan would minimize the impact on fixed and mobile services in Region 2. * Method E, proposed by the Republic of Korea at the CPM, would provide amateurs in Regions 1 and 3 with an additional 100 kHz shared with fixed and mobile (7100-7200 kHz). As with Method C, however, Region 2 amateurs would continue to face broadcasting interference from Regions 1 and 3 in the 7200-7300 kHz segment. * Method F, proposed by Australia at the CPM, would simply maintain the status quo. This plan reflects concerns about the impact of realignment on military and national security communications capabilities. "There is no guarantee that proposals will be limited to the six methods described in the CPM Report," Sumner said. Amateur Radio was well represented at the CPM. Chairing the CPM was Eberhard George, DL7IH, of Germany. A three-member IARU team was headed by President Larry Price, W4RA, and included Sumner and Wojciech Nietyksza, SP5FM. ARRL Technical Relations Manager Paul Rinaldo, W4RI, served as a member of the US delegation. He also was named to chair the ad hoc group that dealt with the substance of the 7-MHz text. Several other amateurs were on their national delegations, some of them specifically to represent Amateur Radio and others in professional capacities. IARU Vice President David Wardlaw, VK3ADW, was on the Australian delegation. Sponsored by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), the CPM drew more than 1000 participants to Geneva during the last two weeks of November. Over the next three months, regional telecommunications organizations and groups (CEPT, CITEL, and Asia-Pacific Telecommunity, the African Telecommunications Union, and Iran and the Arab States) as well as individual administrations will be developing their proposals for WRC-03, which takes place in Geneva next summer (ARRL Letter Dec 6 via DXLD) ** INTERNATIONAL VACUUM. From http://www.carolinesouth.com Listeners in the Americas should tune to: "U.S.A., Mexico, Caribbean, Hawaii Satcom C3 131.0 West. Ch. 24 4.180 GHz Horizontal Audio subcarrier 7.74" What Is Worldspace? Quite simply it is one of the most exciting developments in radio technology in recent times! It is a portable radio with the normal FM, Medium Wave and Short Wave bands PLUS a satellite band which enables you to listen to digital quality international radio stations AND specialist music channels throughout Europe, Africa and Asia.... (via Mike Terry, DXLD) ** IRAQ [and non]. OBSTACLES FOR FOREIGN REPORTERS COVERING IRAQ. As the world follows the daily reports of United Nations arms inspections of Iraq, foreign journalists are scrambling to get their visas to Baghdad -- never an easy process and now more difficult with possibly impending war. Some reporters who had obtained entry in the past are now facing delays if they had at some time filed critical reports or interviewed dissenters. Others are managing to wangle visas but are finding that they are being pressed into covering propagandistic exercises by the Iraqi government in exchange for access. At a minimum, they are forced to except regime-sponsored "minders" at their own cost of $100 a day. In "Air War: How Saddam Manipulates the U.S. Media" published on 16 October at http://www.tnr.com, Franklin Foer of "The New Republic" details the lengths to which the world's major news media go to get in the good graces of the Iraqi Information Ministry, which maintains legions of staff to follow their every movement and scrutinize every broadcast. "Like their Soviet-bloc predecessors, the Iraqis have become masters of the Orwellian pantomime -- the state-orchestrated anti-American rally, the state-led tours of alleged chemical weapons sites that turn out to be baby milk factories -- that promotes their distorted reality," writes Foer. In November, PBS Frontline also featured a special report, "Truth and Lies in Baghdad," describing overwhelming restrictions on the media. "Journalists must attempt to gather facts from wary -- and some would say terrorized -- Iraqis who are highly reluctant to criticize Saddam's regime," says PBS. see http://www.pbs.org/frontlineworld/stories/iraq/press.html (CAF, RFE/RL Media Matters Dec 6 via DXLD) ** IRAQ [non]. Voice of Islamic Revolution, 7100, Voice of Islamic Revolution in Iraq e-mail report bounced to info@nidaa-arrafidain.com after multiple attempts to deliver apparently "exceeding quota" so eventually "timed out." Either they get a lot of e-mail or they don't spend much time looking at their e-mail. Initially, I received an automated reply indicating my report was received. (R. D`Angelo, PA, Nov 30, 2002 in DXplorer-ML via CRW via DXLD) ** IRELAND. From Radiowaves NATIONAL: 252 mast for RTÉ use An RTÉ spokeswoman has told the Meath Chronicle that they intend to use the former Atlantic 252 mast to broadcast their four main radio stations across Ireland and into the United Kingdom. If it happens, this will make RTÉ Radio 1, 2FM, Lyric FM and Raidio na Gaeltachta available in parts of the country where the current signal is not up to standard. However, no final decision has yet been made and the facility may still be leased out in the future (via Mike Terry, Dec 5, DXLD) ** ISRAEL. Yes, Kol Israel is on air on even 6280 kHz from 2000 UT, powerhouse in Western Europe. (Wolfgang Bueschel, Germany, Dec 7, DX LISTENING DIGEST) See Russia for adjacent 6275 ** JAPAN. JA SAYS NO TO PLT Japan has said no to the introduction of Power Line Transmissions or P-L-T in that nation. Following extensive trials, the Ministry of Public Management, Home Affairs, Posts and Telecommunications has decided not to permit their roll-out for fear of interference to other services. The Japan Amateur Radio League had been actively working with the government, radio astronomers, broadcasters and others to assess the impact of P-L-T systems on the radio spectrum. The results of this P-L-T study in Japan is a real eye-opener. It showed conclusively that Power Line Transmission system emissions are harmful to High Frequency communications operating in the range 2 to 30 MHz. Because of this Japan's telecommunications regulators have refused all requests from P-L-T manufacturers to operate these systems. (JARL, Q- News via Amateur Radio Newsline Dec 6 via DXLD) Usually known as PLC for Powerline Communications (gh, DXLD) ** KOREA NORTH. NORTH KOREA ASKS P5/4L4FN TO QRT The only Amateur Radio station active from North Korea has been ordered off the air. Ed Giorgadze, 4L4FN, had been operating for the past year as P5/4L4FN from Pyongyang. The ARRL subsequently accredited SSB and RTTY operation of P5/4L4FN for DXCC. "This really hits the ham community hard," QSL manager Bruce Paige, KK5DO, said in a news release. "I, for one, was looking forward to a satellite contact on AO-40. I know that many of you were still awaiting your first QSO." Paige said that on Friday, November 22, Giorgadze was called into a meeting with the "Radio Regulation Board" without any explanation, and he was politely asked to quit all transmissions and pack all his radio equipment. "Saturday, he spent all day on the roof disassembling his antennas and packing boxes." Paige said North Korean government officials later came by and sealed all of the boxes. When Giorgadze leaves North Korea on December 10 for two weeks of vacation, "he is to take everything with him out of the country," Paige indicated. Giorgadze had tried for more than two years to obtain permission to operate Amateur Radio in North Korea and finally was given the okay in 2001 to bring an ICOM IC-706MkIIG into the country. In the intervening months, he's been slowly upgrading his antenna system. He's made more than 16,000 contacts during his stint in North Korea, and earlier this year attained the first DXCC ever from that country. Paige said the P5/4L4FN logs should be 100% complete on his Web site http://www.amsatnet.com/ (click on "P5 North Korea"). Giorgadze, who's from of the Republic of Georgia, had been operating on the basis of oral permission from North Korean authorities, but ARRL Membership Services Manager Wayne Mills, N7NG, said the League was satisfied on the basis of written information submitted that the P5/4L4FN operation conformed with DXCC rules and cards would continue be accepted for credit (ARRL Letter Dec 6 via DXLD) ** LEBANON [non]. LEBANESE OPPOSITION RADIO FROM PARIS SAID TO HAVE BELGIAN CONNECTION | Text of report by Arlette Khuri in Paris headlined "`Awn's group' launches radio broadcasts from Paris via Belgian company", published by London-based newspaper Al-Hayat on 4 December The Lebanese opposition loyal to General Michel Awn has found out an outlet for radio broadcasts to Lebanon from Paris. The radio broadcasting channel, however, is not French. It is Belgian, operating from France. Reuters said an initial trial broadcast was actually launched to fill the vacuum that emerged after the Lebanese authorities closed the MTV [Murr Television] station. The news of the radio broadcasts took official French circles by surprise, particularly since Paris has always firmly refused to deal with such activities. Before any problems might arise, opposition sources clarified that the non-live [recorded] broadcasts are transmitted via a private Belgian company. Al-Hayat asked the French Foreign Ministry about the issue. The ministry emphasized that it had no information about these trial broadcasts from Paris. Other official circles told Al-Hayat they were not aware of the broadcasts, which they said, should get the approval of the [French] Higher Audiovisual Council [Conseil Superieur de l'Audiovisuel, CSA]. They added that the council consults with the Foreign Ministry before giving any approval. Reuters reported that the pro-Awn Rally for Lebanon was in charge of the radio station, which began its broadcasts from Paris on shortwave on 22 November 2002, Lebanon's Independence Day. Reuters quoted Simon Abu-Rimya, the chairman of the Rally for Lebanon, as saying the radio broadcasts "are aimed at telling people the truth, since there is one speech ideology in Lebanon today in favour of Syria." Reuters pointed out that the radio station would use a different political language than that which prevails in Lebanon. It would refer to the Syrian presence in Lebanon as "the occupation" and Lebanese officials as "the current formula". Abu-Rimya denied that Paris was the broadcast headquarters. He told Al-Hayat: "We deal with a private Belgian company." He refused to disclose the name of the company. He said, however, the company has transmitters around the world and "we use this company to broadcast our programmes." He said the broadcast is received in Lebanon, other Arab countries and some European states. [A Lebanese radio station identifying itself as Voice of Freedom has been heard broadcasting in Arabic on 11515 kHz from 1600-1700 gmt since 22 November. The Lebanese newspaper The Daily Star web on 20 November said that a radio station of the France-based Rally for Lebanon, part of the Free Patriotic Movement of former Army Commander Michel Awn, would start broadcasting on 22 November. Gen Awn has been in exile in France for the past 11 years.] Source: Al-Hayat, London, in Arabic 4 Dec 02 (via BBCM via DXLD) We already know that the `private Belgian company` is TDP, which brokers time on lots of different sites, not including, as far as we know, Wavre, Belgium, itself. Nor does ``from Paris`` necessarily mean that SW transmitters in France be used, tho we know clandestine transmissions are possible as with Iran`s. Programmes are probably produced in Paris where Aoun apparently resides (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** MEXICO. On the Radio Fórmula website http://www.radioformula.com.mx/rf1000.asp you can find a complete listing of the 24-hours of programming on the three Radio Fórmula nets (John Callarman, Krum TX, Corazón DX via DXLD) ** PAPUA NEW GUINEA. Last year I decided to check if I could hear some other pacific signals, and I managed to pick up: 3905 kHz Radio New Ireland, Kavieng, Papua N. Guinea 4890 kHz Karai Nat. Radio/NBC Port Moresby, Pap. N. Guinea. Distance from Holland to Papua New Guinea via long-path is over 26000 km!!!!!!!! I heard these stations several times around 08-0830 UT, one day even until after 09!!!! Signals last year where heard on a 150 and 200m long beverage. NBC on 4890 was over s9 one day. So, maybe interesting to have a look for coming month. Sucses!! (Dick, DKp4733/ MWC-492, van de Knaap, Holten, East-Holland, Dec 6, BDXC via DXLD) ** PARAGUAY. Reactivada solo por un dia, Radio Nacional del Paraguay en 9737.85, el pasado 05/12. Captada durante el cierre de emisiones con el himno nacional, a las 0257 UT. 73 y buen DX... (Adán González. Catia La Mar, VENEZUELA, Dec 7, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** ROMANIA. RADIO-STATION DIRECTOR SANCTIONED FOR INDULGING IN CENSORSHIP The board of directors of the Romanian Broadcasting Authority (SRR) announced on 25 November that it has sanctioned the director of the radio's classical-music station Romania Muzical for censorship, Romanian Radio reported. The board said that the station's director ordered the interruption of a live concert broadcast on 19 November after conductor Iancu Dumitrescu addressed the audience and criticized the authorities for the meager funds they allocate to culture. The board said the station's director has been demoted for one month. It also assured listeners that the SSR "will not tolerate censorship" and ordered that the concert be rebroadcast in full, including Dumitrescu's improvised speech. ("RFE/RL Newsline," 26 November via RFE/RL Media Matters Dec 6 via DXLD) ** RUSSIA. Re 6235 at 2100-2200 VOR new time for English: This is St. Petersburg, 6235 1800 2200 27,28 S.P 200 265 218 RUS RRS GFC with the first hour in German. wb df5sx Checked the 48 mb again tonight around 1720-1815 UT. 6275 kHz Russian is DEFINITE Radio Rossii program. Much stronger in past days, maybe a spurious fair signal of a Russian transmitter site somewhere. // heard 5905 6060 6125 6160. Maybe via Noginsk-Moscow or Ekaterinburg site I guess. Calculation 6275 minus 5905 would result to 370 kHz, divided by 2 = 185 kHz apart. 6275 minus 185 kHz = 6090 where the VOR Arabic powerhouse from Moscow area is broadcast at same time. [Later:] 'estimated' spurious signal of Radio Rossii in Russian on 6275 kHz left the air at 2000 UT, when fundamental 6090 kHz V. of Russia in Arabic language signed off also. Accompanied 5905 Radio Rossii still on air after 2000 UT. [185 kHz apart] 73 (Wolfgang Bueschel, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** RUSSIA [non]. From Novosti RUSSIA`S VOICE RADIO STATION GETS RIGHT TO BROADCAST IN GERMANY MOSCOW, December 5, 2002. /from a RIA Novosti correspondent/. The state broadcasting company Russia's Voice became the first Russian radio station, having the official right to broadcast in Germany. The relevant five-year license was given to the head of the Russia's Voice radio company Armen Oganesyan by Berlin-Brandenburg authorities on Thursday, Russia's Voice told RIA Novosti. The licence gives the right of middle-wave broadcasting all over Germany. Radio programmes will be broadcast in the German, Russian and English languages for 18 hours a day. "This is a particularly important event for the promotion of Russian radio products in Europe. Our new information possibilities are a result of significant progress in Russian-German relations," Armen Oganesyan noted. German company T-systems of the Deutsche-Telecom concern will be the main partner of Russia's Voice in the implementation of the broadcasting project. (via Mike Terry, DXLD) See also GERMANY, and also in DXLD 2-191 ** SVALBARD. NRK days are numbered? There seems to be some uncertainty regarding the future of the NRK Svalbard transmitter in Longyearbyen, 1485 kHz. NRK primarily wants to close this 1 kW outlet, but the local communities have objected to this. The original decision to close on January 1, 2003 now seems to have been postponed while the operator, Norkring, calculates the costs of upgrading the transmitter mast. NRK Ingøy 153 does cover the western and southern parts of Svalbard. The rest of the Svalbard archipelago does not receive Ingøy well, and RFI problems in the Longyearbyen center also prohibit reception of Ingøy. However, the major Svalbard communities do have satellite-fed FM relays of the NRK networks. NRK Svalbard mostly relays NRK P1 programming, including the local service from NRK Troms. During the winter night, NRK Svalbard is often heard with good strength in Scandinavian locations north of the Arctic Circle, especially on the shores of Arctic Norway. At 78 degrees North, NRK Svalbard is probably the northernmost ordinary broadcast station in the world. _________________ (From the world's northernmost DXer, Bjarne Mjelde, Lensmann Ellilasveg 4, N-9980 Berlevag, Norway, Dec 7, dxing.info via DXLD) ** TAIWAN. [See 2-191:] 6145 1400 CBS Date with Taipei, CBS-ID, talk 53433. QRM=co-channel with het. 7515 1400 CBS Date with Taipei // 6145. 54443 QRM=co-channel (Eike Birwirth, Tainan, Dec 7, GRDXC via DXLD) ** TAIWAN. 7/12/02. Dear friends, 'Radio Taipei International' has announced yet another contest. Here are the details. Regds (Alokesh Gupta, New Delhi, India, GRDXC) --------------------------------------------- Dear listener, It is the end of the year. First of all, we would like to wish you all a happy new year and may you be blessed with happiness in the coming year! CBS is now holding "2002 Top Ten News Voting" We fervently ask you to take part in this contest and in return, you may win a prize from CBS... (via Alokesh Gupta, Dec 7, GRDXC via DXLD) I suppose details be somewhere on the RTI website; haven`t searched (gh, DXLD) ** U K. BBC OPTS FOR QUANTITY OVER QUALITY IN DIGITAL RADIO John Plunkett, Monday December 2, 2002 BBC radio bosses have admitted the introduction of new stations is impairing the quality of digital broadcasts. Despite complaints of a "drastic reduction" in quality, the BBC is gearing up to launch yet another digital service, BBC7, later this month. The BBC has already introduced five digital-only stations this year, including rock station 6Music, black music station 1Xtra, 5 Live Sports Extra and the Asian Network. A corporation spokeswoman confirmed quality had suffered, saying there was a "small but committed group of audiophiles who think we have compromised the quality of the broadcasts". The launch of BBC7 on December 15 will take to 11 the number of stations broadcast on the BBC's digital radio multiplex. This will push the technology's capacity to its limit.... http://media.guardian.co.uk/radio/story/0,12636,850901,00.html (via Kim Elliott, DXLD) ** UNITED NATIONS [non]. Thursday 5th December 2002 VT MERLIN & SENTECH DELIVER PROGRAMMES FOR UNICEF'S INTERNATIONAL CHILDREN'S DAY OF BROADCASTING Sunday 8th December 2002 VT Merlin Communications, part of VT Group plc has donated twelve hours of transmission capacity to UNICEF as part of the International Children's Day of Broadcasting on Sunday 8th December 2002. The programmes, produced for UNICEF by BBC World Service Trust, will be transmitted internationally by both VT Merlin, and partners Sentech in South Africa to enhance UNICEF's broadcast schedule for this very special day. VT Merlin will play out the programmes from its Central London Control room and distribute to the short wave facility it operates and maintains in the United Arab Emirates, providing extensive coverage of China and India. VT Merlin will also distribute the programmes to Sentech in South Africa who will transmit them on short wave from Meyerton, providing UNICEF with comprehensive coverage of the African Continent. The International Children's Day of Broadcasting (ICDB) is all about children telling their own story, as reporters, producers, writers, hosts and directors for TV and radio programmes. ICDB is the largest broadcast campaign for children in the world encompassing more than 2000 broadcasters covering just about every part of the globe. On the second Sunday of December each year, broadcasters open their studios and airwaves to children and the result is innovative, lively and challenging programmes that attract substantial audiences. Richard Hurd, VT Merlin's Head of Transmission Services said "We are delighted to be associated with the ICDB allowing children in the developing world, who might only have access to short wave radio, the opportunity to hear the voices of other children from around the globe." Marjorie Newman-Williams, Director of UNICEF's Division of Communications added "ICDB allows children all over the world to express themselves and to be heard. UNICEF strongly believes that child participation is an essential part of every child's education and maturing process. Broadcasts such as these allow young people to develop their understanding of world events and their role within them." Dr Sebiletso Mokone-Matabane, Sentech's Chief Executive Officer said "It is a privilege for Sentech to donate six hours of broadcast time in support of this initiative to bring these programmes to the children of Africa. For many people on the continent short wave radio is still the only medium of information in today's global village. We believe the broadcast time forms an important building block in making the New Partnership for Africa's Development (NEPAD) a reality." Transmission Schedule (Sunday 8th December 2002) Time (GMT) Frequency Transmitter Site Coverage Area 0330-5000 21630 kHz UAE China [sic, must mean 0330-0500] 0330-5000 17730 kHz UAE China [sic, must mean 0330-0500] 1000-1130 17720 kHz UAE India 1000-1130 15350 kHz UAE India 1300-1430 21730 kHz Meyerton West & Central Africa 1300-1430 15235 kHz Meyerton East & Central Africa 1300-1430 11505 kHz Meyerton Southern Africa 1300-1430 9800 kHz Meyerton Southern Africa (via Cumbre DX via DXLD) See also INDIA ** U S A. Some WBCQ program changes: UT Tue 0200-0300 on 7415 after Hal Turner, SECULAR BIBLE STUDY; UT Sun 0000-0100 on 9335, SPLIT SECS [note spelling]. Some times available for sale on 7415: Mon 2300-2330 UT, Tue 2230- 2300, Thu 2230-2300. Besides its live airtime, UT Sat 0000-0100 on 7415, ALLAN WEINER WORLDWIDE is currently repeating in other slots which are also available for sale: Sat 1700 on 17495, UT Sun 0100 on 9335. TIMTRON is also filling another availability, UT Sun 0300-0400 on 9335 (Allan Weiner, AWWW Dec 7, notes by gh for DXLD) I know most of you poor buggers have to work for a living and may not be able to listen to WBCQ during the daytime, but I got a real hoot out of an hour of listening to WBCQ on 17.495 today at 1800-1900 UT. I learned that George Washington was really the anti-christ and the incarnation of Lucifer. George Washington Bush (Just what did you think the "W" stood for?) is a follower of the anti-christ. This guy was better than Bill Cooper (RIP) ever thought of being. The WBCQ web site shows the name of that show as: Jeremiah 33~3 17.495 MHz 1:00 pm - 2:00 pm EST - 18:00 - 19:00 UTC From the King James version of the bible: 33:3 Call unto me, and I will answer thee, and shew thee great and mighty things, which thou knowest not. On today's show I learned the following things: 1. George W. Bush is a false prophet 2. David Rockefeller is the anti-christ because he built a prayer room in the UN building in New York. 3. Jesus Christ was born on April 18. We know that because it was three days after taxation day which all over the world is April 15. 4. The USA is the promised land of milk and honey from the bible. 5. The Washington Monument is a Masonic symbol which stretches from its subterranian base to the tip exactly 666 feet. I guess he left it to the student to figure out the significance of 666. He did not say this but I assume that explains why the US is the only country in the industrial world that has not adopted the metric system. 6. Noah was the incarnation of Lucifer. He rebelled against God. After the flood he planted a vine, grew grapes, made wine, got drunk, and buggered his son Hamm. Thus was born homosexuality and AIDS. 7. A new 7 day war will begin on 13 December and end on 20 December. Set your VCR's now. The program concluded with a song sung by a totally tone-deaf female. The program terminated without the usual solicitation to sell tapes or solicit money that I heard on other days. It sounded like the feed was via a dial up internet connection that got broken as after a few minutes of silence there was a beeping tone followed by the autovoice announcement, "If you wish to make a call..." Congratulations to WBCQ, The Planet, for not discriminating against programmers on the basis of religion, political philosophy, nor sanity. Brother Scare move over! ~*-.,_,.-*~'^'~*-.,_,.-*~'^'~*-., (Joe Buch, DE, Dec 4 [Wed}, swprograms via DXLD) -*~'^'~*-.,_,.-*~'^'~*-.,_,.-*~'^ Someone else noticed this on rec.radio.shortwave: KOOK SHORTWAVE AT ITS VERY BEST Don't forget WBCQ 17.495 from 1-2 PM EST today. Jermiaha 33 & 1/3 Ministries - KOOKIER THAN BROTHER STAIR AND ALEX JONES PUT TOGETHER!! I kid you not people - this guy at the time above is a bigger WHACK JOB than anyone I've heard on shortwave - even James Lloyd who he comes on afterward!!! Cukooo! Cukooo!!! (via John Figliozzi, swprograms via DXLD) Actually, it was on rrs that I first heard about this nut. I decided to check him out myself. Truly amazing to think that this garbage goes out to the world from the USA. Luckily, I think WBCQ only beams southwest so most of the English speaking world outside the USA will not be exposed to this nut case. In the kettle is black department, yesterday this guy [Apocalypse Chronicles] was calling Jeremiah 33-3 a false prophet and encouraging his listeners not to listen to the program that followed his on the same frequency at 1 PM EST. The day before I heard commercials on both shows for the same Christian Media company in Oregon. These guys both have the same sponsor and one is picking a fight with the other. Sounds like the pay-per-view wrestling matches on TV (Joe Buch, ibid.) At 17-18 UT heard odd v17494.89, WBCQ, 35333 in English, listeners phone in interview program (Wolfgang Bueschel, Dec 7, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A. 2003 SPECTRUM DEFENSE FUND WELL UNDER WAY ARRL Chief Development Officer Mary Hobart, K1MMH, says the ARRL Spectrum Defense Fund has generated $190,000 in contributions from more than 4100 ARRL members. "If you have already sent your contribution, thank you," Hobart said. "But if you've not yet contributed to this vital ARRL program, please consider a generous contribution before December 31." The goal is to raise $500,000 to support ARRL's work to protect the frequencies amateurs use every day. Financial support from the amateur community funds representation in Washington and the work of the ARRL Lab to support advocacy efforts as well as representation for Amateur Radio at World Radiocommunication Conference 2003 next summer. Contributions can be mailed to ARRL Headquarters or made via the secure ARRL 2003 Spectrum Defense Fund Web site http://www.arrl.org/defense FCC SEEKS PUBLIC COMMENTS ON SPECTRUM POLICY TASK FORCE REPORT Public comments are due January 9, 2003, on the recently released report of the Spectrum Policy Task Force (ET Docket 02-135) see http://www.arrl.org/news/stories/2002/11/07/103/ Reply comments are due February 10. The Task Force released its report to the FCC on November 15. The FCC notes that the Spectrum Policy Task Force Report was drafted by FCC staff and was neither voted upon nor approved by the Commission. "Accordingly, neither the Report nor any of the recommendations contained therein necessarily reflect the views of the Commission," the FCC added. The text of the Report and other Task Force documents are available on the Task Force Web site http://www.fcc.gov/sptf/ Parties are encouraged to file comments using the FCC's Electronic Comment Filing System (ECFS) http://www.fcc.gov/e-file/ecfs.html Commenters should include full name, US Postal Service mailing address, and the docket number, ET Docket 02-135 (ARRL Letter Dec 6 via DXLD) See also INTERNATIONAL for 7 MHz band rejiggering ** U S A. "A Cajun Night Before Christmas," read by the late author's wife(?), Lafayette, Louisiana, 3870 LSB, 0100 UTC December 25. (Scott Royall, swprograms via DXLD) I think he heard this last year, so try this year... ** U S A. Hi Glenn, I heard both Radio Azeri [sic] and Radio Farda in a program and thought that Farda had started. Evidently it hadn't, because I got the following message from a contact in return: "Radio Farda has not started yet. We plan to begin in mid-December. We are broadcasting VOA Farsi. Radio Azada [sic] will go off the air -- it is winding down right now. Best, Joan" 73 from Bjorn Fransson on the island of Gotland, Sweden, Dec 5, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Name of the present doomed R. Liberty service is R. Azadi (gh, DXLD) ** U S A. I've received some interesting reaction to my latest editorial, ANOTHER DAY, ANOTHER STATION --- all of it - so far - agreeing with me. I've added a page for these reactions at http://www.rnw.nl/realradio/features/html/reaction021206.html Further comments are most welcome to media@rnw.nl (Andy Sennitt, Media Network newsletter Dec 6 via DXLD) Viz.: As of 6 December, I have not received any reaction to my editorial Another day, another station from proponents of Radio Farda and similar operations. If and when they arrive, I'll add them here. In the meantime, here's a sample of what people are saying. (AS) From a journalist who has - for obvious reasons - asked to remain anonymous: "As a VOA News correspondent, I wanted to commend you for your insightful and impeccable analysis of what is going on here at VOA. You are dead on when you say that what our masters of the Broadcasting Board of Governors are doing is wreaking havoc with morale. One point of interest to note: we were recently treated to a multimedia presentation of the new VOA logo. This logo, we were told, would use VOA's high profile and international journalistic reputation in news to enhance listenership. Now, we were all frankly a little stunned at the inconsistency in this. On the one hand, they want to trade on our reputation - while on the other, they are creating new radios designed to keep their distance from the VOA brand name. Also disturbing was the inclusion on the logo of the phrase "Direct from Washington." To many of us, this only enhances the impression of VOA as a propaganda arm. We are, of course, not - at least, not yet. But this administration is trying it s mightiest to make us so. In doing so it is carving up VOA into pieces, and I and many of my colleagues fear that in only a few years only a skeletal shell of the once-proud Voice of America will remain." Andy Sennitt replies: What I find so frustrating about the current situation is that, for example, an American president is in office for a maximum of eight years. But for most people who work in international broadcasting, it's a career - and the damage that politicians can do in a relatively short period of time remains long after they have left office. The current policies seem to be short- term, designed to serve the interests of this particular administration at what is admittedly a difficult time. I don't believe it's credible for the American taxpayer to permanently foot the bill for a pop music service aimed at people thousands of miles away. Commercial broadcasters do that kind of thing much better. When the administration considers that Radio Sawa, Radio Farda and their like have served their purpose, they will close them down. And then what? Has anyone prepared a coherent plan of what to do next? Roger Chambers in Utica, NY writes: "Your views are absolutely on target. It has long been an embarrassment to many Americans that the VOA is so dismal, largely as it does not seem to have a coherent vision of just what it wants to be. Particularly when it comes to Radio Marti and Radio Free Asia. With the fall of the Soviet Union, they are still struggling in finding a mission and fitting their station to that mission. Maybe, someday, the dust will settle a bit, and VOA (or something different) will find its mission, and again join international broadcasting in a way that is interesting and entertaining, and yet credible, and not an embarrassment to those of us Americans that happen to listen to if from time to time." Andy Sennitt replies: The problem is that it's not up to VOA itself to decide what it wants to be. That varies according to who's in the White House and the prevailing international climate. I firmly believe this can only be solved by making VOA independent of government - and, yes, changing its name. If you look at the radio stations that have, over the years, called themselves the Voice of something, you'll find that almost without exception they're from totalitarian regimes. And why should a great country like the United States, which prides itself on its multiethnic nature and tolerance of free expression, have one single "Voice"? Sue Ritter writes: "I agree 100% with your editorial. I have been a short wave listener for over 20 years, this current attitude of our politicians is disgusting and demeaning to us here at home, as well as to the people of the countries involved." Andy Sennitt replies: Your phrase "current attitude of our politicians" sums up where the real problem lies. There's nothing wrong with US international broadcasting that can't be fixed by the politicians backing off and leaving broadcasting to the broadcasters. The people who work at VOA - and I've met quite a few over the years - are no different from the people who work here, except that we are an independent foundation under Dutch law. I believe such a construction would work as well in the US as it has worked here for more than 50 years. Now, what US administration is going to be bold enough to grasp the nettle? Views expressed on this page are not necessarily those of Radio Netherlands (Media Network via DXLD) RADIO AZADI OF RFE/RL'S PERSIAN SERVICE GOES OFF AIR After serving listeners for four years, Radio Azadi of RFE/RL's Persian Service broadcast its last program on 1 December. It will be succeeded later in the month by Radio Farda, which means Radio Tomorrow in Persian, according to a press release from the U.S. Broadcasting Board of Governors. Radio Farda will be a joint effort of two BBG entities: RFE/RL and the Voice of America. Radio Farda is aimed at listeners under 30 years of age, and it will broadcast news, features, and other information 24 hours a day, seven days a week. In addition, it will broadcast a combination of popular Persian and Western music designed to appeal to a young audience. Radio Farda broadcasts will be available on medium wave (AM), shortwave, digital- audio satellite, and via the Internet. Until Radio Farda begins its programs, the RFE/RL frequencies will be used for 30-minute newscasts and 2 1/2 hours of music daily ("RFE/RL Newsline," 2 December via RFE/RE Media Matters Dec 6 via DXLD) U.S.'S POWERFUL WEAPON IN IRAN: TV By LYNETTE CLEMETSON with NAZILA FATHI WASHINGTON, Dec. 6. The letter, written in Farsi, was as tantalizingly mysterious as the videotape it was wrapped around. "Excuse the unprofessional quality of the video," wrote the sender, a young Iranian. "We didn't want to attract authorities by using a production crew." On the tape was a jolting series of interviews with frustrated Iranians complaining about their country's stalled political reforms and the repressiveness of its ruling mullahs. The unsolicited video was sent not to the C.I.A. but to the young Iranian cast of "Next Chapter," a hip, new MTV-inspired television show broadcast from the Voice of America headquarters here and beamed to Iran via satellite. The sender, who had smuggled the tape out of Iran and mailed it from London, could not broadcast the hotly political material on government-controlled Iranian television, so he appealed to his Iranian peers in the United States... http://www.nytimes.com/2002/12/07/arts/television/07IRAN.html?ex=1040258984&ei=1&en=28c726ffcb44eac3 (via Joel Rubin, swprograms via DXLD) Same article at: http://www.nytimes.com/2002/12/07/arts/television/07IRAN.html?ex=1039842000&en=b8968a5384f309f4&ei=5062&partner=GOOGLE (via Artie Bigley, DXLD) ** U S A. TELEVISION ICON DIES --- ABCNEWS CHAIRMAN ROONE ARLEDGE REVOLUTIONIZED SPORTS, NEWS COVERAGE N E W Y O R K, Dec. 5 - Television pioneer Roone Arledge, chairman and longtime president of ABCNEWS, died today in New York City of complications from cancer. He was 71. In a long and distinguished career spanning four decades, Arledge played a key role in revolutionizing how news and sporting events are covered and watched around the world. When Life magazine asked historians, critics and scholars to select the "100 Most Important Americans of the 20th Century" in 1990, they put Arledge on that exclusive list. Sports Illustrated magazine ranked Arledge third - behind only Muhammad Ali and Michael Jordan - as one of the 40 individuals who have most significantly altered or elevated the world of sports in the last four decades. "Roone Arledge revolutionized television and with it the way people see and understand the world," ABCNEWS President David L. Westin said. "A true creator, Roone invented many of television's most enduring and important programs, all the while fostering the brilliant careers of generations of the most talented men and women to work in front of or behind a television camera. "His ability to broadcast the essential and unfolding drama in all human situations - from the gridiron to the world's stage - transformed not only sports and news but all of us who watched. He was our leader and our friend and we will miss his passion and his will to make us all better than we were." The list of Arledge's accomplishments speaks for itself. During his nearly two decades at the helm of ABCNEWS, Arledge created some of the most critically acclaimed news programs in television history. Prior to his tenure at the news division, Arledge was credited with transforming sports broadcasting. While president of ABC Sports from 1968 to 1986, Arledge introduced virtually all state-of-the-art technologies to sports programming, including instant replays, slow motion, advanced graphics, as well as the introduction of journalistic values and personalization of athletes to sports broadcasting. "Before Roone Arledge there were no replays. There were no slow-mo machines," said Dick Ebersol, Arledge's protégé who later became the president of NBC Sports. "There was absolutely no prime-time sports on any network." Before Arledge there was also no Monday Night Football with Howard Cosell, no Wide World of Sports with its "thrill of victory and the agony of defeat," and no Olympic sports coverage as we now know it. For the record, not everyone agreed with Arledge's decision to give Cosell, a former labor lawyer, a turn at sports commentary. "When Monday Night Football first started, I used to come into my office and literally there were boxes of mail, people saying 'get that guy off,'" Arledge once said. But together, Arledge and Cosell turned the Monday night program into the crown jewel of broadcast sports. Brought Olympics to Americans As the head of ABC Sports, Arledge brought the Olympics to Americans by producing all 10 ABC Olympic broadcasts. He is the first television executive and one of the very few Americans to receive the Medal of the Olympic Order from the International Olympic Committee. In 1989, he was inducted into the Olympic Hall of Fame. At the Munich Olympics in 1972, he produced for a world audience the first live coverage of a terror attack, when the Palestinian Black September Movement murdered 11 Israeli athletes at the Games. "It was a day like no other in sports," said Arledge. "I cannot think of a day that even comes close to it." In 1977, Arledge became the president of ABCNEWS and immediately moved to turn the perennial third-place network into a media powerhouse. He used new technologies to bring news from around the world to Americans. "Even those of us who had to compete against him from across the aisle, from another network, were constantly in awe of his innovation," NBC Nightly News anchor Tom Brokaw said of Arledge. Arledge created the ABC shows World News Tonight, Nightline, 20/20, Primetime, This Week with David Brinkley and This Week without David Brinkley. "If you think about news in our time, it's just synonymous with Roone Arledge," said 20/20 anchor Barbara Walters. Arledge was well-known for his uncanny ability to spot potential stars and successfully recruited journalists like World News Tonight anchor Peter Jennings. He also lured David Brinkley to the network and recognized the star talent of Diane Sawyer, Sam Donaldson, Ted Koppel, Barbara Walters and Hugh Downs, among others. Arledge is also largely credited - or, perhaps, blamed - for paying journalists the kind of money even some of them thought was preposterous. But he had a different idea. "I don't think I created the star system," he said. "I certainly carried it to new heights. Stardom really is recognition of someone who stands out above his peers. And above the crowd." Some observers noted a shyness and mystery about Arledge. In a 1992 profile, Los Angeles Times writer Jane Hall said: "Arledge is notorious for not returning phone calls - even those of top management and famous TV talent - and for making decisions on a Zen-like timetable that can drive subordinates crazy. He is described by colleagues as both genuinely shy and genuinely uninterested in giving interviews." Arledge was known to pass along his critiques of broadcasts by calling producers in their control rooms using a dedicated line known to executive producers and desk assistants alike as the "Roone phone." Once Arledge did grant his attention, a network correspondent told Hall, "it can be like a laser beam." "Those of us who worked for Roone believe we worked with a fascinating, eccentric, challenging, adventurous man through a good part of the golden age in television news," Jennings said. A Start With Lambchop Arledge first worked for the Dumont network and then at NBC, where he won the first of 37 Emmy Awards for producing a puppet show with Shari Lewis and her puppet, Lambchop. Eventually, Arledge was recognized for his enormous contributions to the broadcasting medium with nearly every major award in television. In 1990, he was honored with broadcasting's most prestigious distinction: induction into the Television Academy Hall of Fame. Most recently, on Sept. 10, Arledge was awarded the first-ever Lifetime Achievement Award by the National Academy of Arts and Sciences. He was also the recipient of the Gold Medal Award from the International Radio and Television Society, as well as four George Foster Peabody Awards. Arledge received his most recent Peabody Award, a personal award, for bringing ABC to the forefront in news coverage; for his personal commitment to high ethical standards; for his leadership within ABC and the television industry; and for his outstanding contributions to the Olympic Games. Arledge is survived by his wife, Gigi Shaw Arledge, and his children from a previous marriage, Roone Arledge Jr, Susan Weston, Betsey Arledge and Patricia Looney (source? Via Mike Terry, DXLD) ** U S A. CHARLES JACO sighting- the ex-KMOX-A/ST. LOUIS and CNN personality, who left KMOX in a storm of controversy, filled in at ENTERCOM Talk KIRO-A/SEATTLE as that station tries out possibilities to replace BRYAN SUITS, who left to join crosstown KVI-A. Other tryouts in the 7-10p slot have included SIR MIX-A-LOT teamed with JEFF "THE FISHERMAN" AARON (formerly of Sports KJR-A, now in afternoons at Talk KRKO-A); MIKE SIEGEL is being aired in the slot temporarily (from http://www2.allaccess.com/ via Brock Whaley Dec. 6, DXLD) ** U S A. Steve Anderson and attempted murder: I should guess he will get indicted for attempted murder when the (Commonwealth of Kentucky) Pulaski County Grand Jury gets around to it. This was a Federal Grand Jury so he was indicted for violations of Federal law like possessing and using illegal weapons in furtherance of a crime of violence (Joel Rubin, NY, Dec 5, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Steve Anderson`s former ham call was AA8DP (Amateur Radio Newsline Dec 6 via DXLD) ** U S A. Another long IBOC thread --- Bob, Is this the first time you've heard IBOC at work? Your post is sort of confirming what I've been saying. If widely adopted on AM night time, it would end skywave listening for all practical purposes. My other contention is that although it would work in and very near the city of license, once you start to get into the suburbs, IBOC would be useless and could only further destroy the AM band. By the way, you should give IBOC a listen from my end, 15 miles from the WOR towers. They even surprised me the other night zapping WSB enough as to make "normal" listening a bit difficult. When WNEW-102.7 ran IBOC testing, they effectively took out the adjacents, although WMGK-102.9 did get through with the antennas pointed at WMGK/away from WNEW. In effect, it wouldn't over-ride another local strength signal.....which is why I said it might be easier to try to DX through locals than on their adjacents (at 20 miles away, some DX thru the locals is possible). I can just imagine what IBOC would sound like on a 100 Kw station. Regards, Joe Fela P.S. It is also my contention these tests will be viewed as a great success and IBOC will be allowed on AM night time. The posts from WOR on the NYC radio message board make it clear that they feel they are on a great mission, saving AM with IBOC and IBOC can do no wrong. Their answer to interference on the adjacents, specially someone saying they could no longer hear WADS-690, was that WADS is not licensed to serve the 5 boroughs. If the IBOC exciter exploded and hit the WOR CE on the head, he would still vow that IBOC is the greatest invention since the ham sandwich --__--__-- (Joe Fela, NJ, Dec 4, amfmtvdx via DXLD) Hi Joe. No, this isn`t the first time I've heard the IBOC "hash". Where I live I`m able to hear WOR during the day light hours here in Eastern NC. I noted the muddyness of the analog audio and then got a real dose of the ole IBOC tune called "Adjacent Channel Hash" for about an hour before sunset. Their signal is very weak here during the daylight hours, but after hearing what I heard on my radio and what was uploaded on WOR`s website, I was not impressed. The latest thing coming down the "pike" is that most of the complaints are coming from AM DX'ers and AM Stereo supporters, because we all "certainly listen with radios that are not ""normal"" ". Sad thing is the interference is heard on everything, including narrow bandpassed radios! Something is amiss here for sure and everyone`s head is being pumped with horse poo. It`s just my hope that those stations operating 60 kHz either side of 700 and 710 will take note of their coverage areas, have the General Managers, Sales Managers and Engineers of those stations on 670, 680, 690, 720, 730, 740 take note of how they sound and what the coverage is like now that those stations are testing. Are these stations noting increased complaints of noise on their favorite radio station, inability to hear the station anymore? Then these stations need to take action with the FCC and have something done about this. Has anyone talked with any stations in Canada? What is their feel on US IBOC and the threat it poses? Certainly this affects just more than US stations but now it affects Canadian stations as well --- a nation that shot down the use of IBOC for this very reason. One thing for sure --- someone took liberty to look at the latest Arbitron figures for WOR. And the numbers have fallen just a pinch from the start of IBOC testing. According to Arbitron, WOR is number 19 in the ratings with a 2.4 share. WOR was pulling a 2.5 before testing the IBOC signal. One last thing --- these folks testing IBOC can pump figures and make it all sound rosy and make the rest of us sound like a bunch of goons that haven`t a clue about radio. A listener will 9 times out of ten tune to another station before they complain about interference and sound quality. And a very small group of IBOCer's can`t be right while the rest of North America is wrong. Contact those stations, folks! Now is the time to do it now that you all know what AM radio is up against. We the people, common everyday listener may not have much power it seems, but get a station that is a member of the NAB stirred up. Then something just might happen. BTW, it doesn`t matter where a station is licensed when it comes to interference. That`s why there is channel spacing. 10 kc is all you get. If you use up more, that`s a ticket for disaster. Lots of people listen to stations that are not in their own community. If IBOC continues, it will be a great disservice to American and Canadian radio (Bob Carter Operations/Engineering--Max Media Radio Group WGAI- NewsRadio, etc., ibid.) I contacted WWII in Central PA when WOR started running IBOC. WWII recently replied that they have noticed no interference from WOR. I suggested they continue to monitor for it, especially now in the winter, in the two hour period just after sunrise and the period just before sunset. I recently sent an e-mail to WGN about the WLW/WOR testing asking if they were contacted and if their distant listeners reported any interference. A similar e-mail will go out to CHTN (Joe Fela, NJ, ibid.) Fantastic! Many of these stations, small mom and pop stations, may not be fully aware of the IBOC testing and common everyday radio listeners may not be fully aware of what is going on as well. It can sound like power line static in some cases depending on how severe the interference is from the IBOC carriers. An engineer on another list drove to one of the stations being affected in the NYC area and kind of, you could say, "turned the light on" for this particular station. The station engineer had said he noticed something different sounding about his station and couldn`t find it. This engineer even attended the HD demo in NYC, but didn`t know that noise was from IBOC. Needless to say the end result is a very unhappy engineer and station manager. Certainly the stuffings will hit the fan now. I'm almost certain that if the folks here on this list were to do the same thing with each station on those frequencies I mentioned in an eariler e-mail, a lot of "lights" will be turned on (Bob Carter, NC, amfmtvdx via DXLD) Digital Tests On 1660 - 12/3 - Columbia's iBiquity has applied to the FCC for another experimental license to test its "in-band on-channel" (IBOC) digital radio system on the AM band. The firm wants to use 1660 (some reports say 1670) on a fulltime basis, via Frederick. Tests were being conducted during daytime hours on 650 from the Frederick [MD] facility of WXTR (820 AM), which relays all-news WTOP, but, we hear, those are being discontinued because of complaints of interference to WMAL on 630 (dcrtv.com via Blake W. Lawrence, NRC-AM via DXLD) Yeah, now the truth is told about interference to WMAL....! I knew it would be just a matter of time. But don`t be surprised if the expanded band test does not last long either as there test will cause quite a mess for WTTM 1680 (Bob Carter, NC, amfmtvdx via DXLD) The D.C. Radiowatch reports that the daytime IBOC test transmitter on 650 Khz daytime in the D.C. metro shut down this week after QRM complaints from 2nd adjacent WMAL Washington on 630 Khz. (Brock Whaley, GA, Dec 6, DX LISTENING DIGEST) IBOC = Death? I don't think so. I've heard IBOC on my analog receivers, and I still don't understand what's the big deal. Okay, so 710 WOR IBOC trashes 700 and 720. Who in the WOR ratings market is going to be listening to 700 and 720 anyway, besides a handful of DXers? And if there are a few small-time operations that fail as a result of IBOC, so be it. It'll clean up the band, something DXers have wanted anyway. I seriously doubt if a few DXers can unseat representatives in Congress and the Senate over this issue. Number two, I still don't understand how IBOC is going to change the laws of propagation. If conditions allow R. Oriente-Venezuela to be dominant over WGN and CHTN on 720, R. Coro-Venezuela to overpower WBT on 1110, XEX Mexico to take over 730 from CKAC, or R. Rebelde-Cuba to wipe out WHAM on 1180, then how would that change with IBOC? If a signal is dominant due to propagation conditions, then it's dominant regardless of whether the competing signal is from IBOC digital hash or a clear channel analog signal, period. Number three, what about the digital signal? Can you honestly equate IBOC with death when you don't have the equipment to receive the digital signal? And don't believe that DRM is a viable alternative. The DRM group is going through the same test scenario, trying to determine the best hybrid mix of analog and digital for AM broadcast in Europe, with the goal to eventually turn off analog and go with a 20 kHz wide digital signal. Good or bad, the world is moving ahead with digital broadcasting, and all the sensationalist complaining on this list certainly won't stop progress. Okay, I'm done. I'll be quiet now and watch the fireworks. By the way, I did comment to the FCC regarding noise, analog reception, and the failure to recognize Eureka-147 as a viable alternative and means of establishing a world standard in concert with Canada and Europe. The published FCC report and order shows how much good that did! (Bruce Conti - Nashua NH, NRC-AM via DXLD) Since this is a DX club, that's why it's a "big deal" to the handful of us. But the question remains whether trashing the AM band with more noise will just drive more average listeners to FM, satellites, or CDs. Not all AM listeners live in prime service areas of stations and a noisier, degraded AM band will only give them less reason to listen to AM. Are you saying introducing more adjacent channel QRM has a neutral impact on DX possibilities? Or will conditions have to be more exceptional to produce DX that can be heard today under average conditions? More QRM from any source --- IBOC or otherwise --- reduces DX possibilities (as anyone who's tried to log Hawaii from the EC in the past 25 years knows!). With IBOC, having WGN-720 taken out by conditions might not be enough if WOR-710 is still in and messing up 720. I suspect the most severe impact of IBOC will be on TA/TP DX. I'd be interested in how well the WLW-700 and WOR-710 noise could be phased or otherwise reduced to allow reception of TAs on 702/711 or St. Vincent-705 (is that still on?). But IBOC is U.S.-only, and that means that unless you're a 100% stateside DXer you'll still be trying to receive analog signals. The question for many isn't DXing IBOC signals on an IBOC receiver (something I will try as soon as non-auto IBOC receivers become available) but rather whether it will be practical/rewarding to still chase analog DX on an analog receiver when IBOC signals are common. Another question is how DX-capable IBOC receivers will be. Given the declining market for communications receivers as a whole today and the fact that IBOC will be U.S.-only, I can't see someone like Drake investing the necessary cash to produce an IBOC-compatible "R8C." I hope something at least as capable as the CCRadio for IBOC becomes available soon. As DSP and embedded processing becomes more widespread in communications receivers, we theoretically could see models capable of decoding multiple digital modulation schemes. We'll have to see whether there will be sufficient market demand to justify production of such receivers. Change is not a synonym for progress. If IBOC meets real consumer wants, then adoption will be rapid (as was the case with CDs over vinyl records). If not, then it will only hasten the decline of the AM band. Somehow I doubt there are too many people out there who are anxiously waiting for the moment when they can rip out the existing AM/FM radio from their car and replace it with a new IBOC unit. That's why I wouldn't be surprised to see a proposal in a few years from the FCC to mandate IBOC in new receivers, much like they did with UHF in TV receivers in the 1960s. If the FCC doesn't do that, I think IBOC will be another stillborn technical curiosity like AM stereo. In a lot of ways, the hype over IBOC reminds me of the Java craze of five years ago. Remember when people were seriously claiming that by 2002 we'd all be using PCs without hard drives, running Java applets in web browsers instead of software loaded from hard drives, and Microsoft would be toast? Java failed because the hypesters (like Scott McNeely of Sun) overlooked Java's real technical shortcomings (like slow execution in Java virtual machines) and, most critically, forgot to ask themselves whether Java offered any true advantages to average PC users. IMO, today's IBOC hypesters are repeating those two mistakes (Harry Helms AK6C, Ridgecrest, CA DM15, ibid.) IBOC may be good or not for AM, I don't know. But I do know three things: 1) This list is run by and for DXers. 2) IBOC is bad for AM DX. Smearing 50 kw signals across 3 times the radio space is bad for DX. Period. 3) This list is the one place where we can share our laments about this new nail in the coffin of our hobby. So let us complain, and maybe attempt a delaying action or two (Rick Kenneally, CT, ibid.) I think both WOR and WLW may be doing IBOC tests again tonight. I'm getting high noise levels on 700 and 720 that appear to peak in the direction of WOR, and noise on 690 and 710 that seems to correlate with WLW. BTW, if you use SSB mode, the noise is much stronger on the sideband away from the IBOC station (e.g., USB on 720 when the source is WOR-710). The noise levels are changing periodically. Also, good Latin American signals tonight! Not so good on 690-720 though... sigh (Barry McLarnon, Ont., Dec 3, NRC-AM via DXLD) IBOC = Absolute Death I am not schooled in the technical aspects of radio. I DX for the fun of it. It is my hobby. I like to DX on the AM band (or broadcast band— take your pick). This morning I tried to DX on 1210 and was met with horrible noise. The same applied to 1190. If this is what IBOC does to the hobby I have enjoyed for most of my life, then as far as I am concerned IBOC is bad. It is very bad. I don't care what some of the more learned types and corporate types on this list say. It is very, very bad (Paul LaFreniere, Grand Marais, MN, Dec 5, NRC-AM via DXLD) I'm still convinced that there is no need to lose sleep fearing that IBOC, or Eureka in Canada for that matter, will kill DXing as we know it, because IBOC is a "FORD" technology - Found On Road Dead... by the end of this decade lying on the same road littered with the corpses of AM stereo, 8-track players, Beta VCRs, etc. But in the (IMHO unlikely) event that IBOC does succeed and the broadcasters convince the FCC that they need to use it after local sunset to avoid losing $$ hand over fist, the slop won't stop at the 49th // and the only prayer for DXers will begin with "Yisgadaal v'yisgadash..." (for all you goyim, that's the Mourner's Kaddish!) 73 (Mike Brooker, Toronto, ON, ibid.) IBOC Timeline, Please. Can someone post or send me direct the significant dates in the history of IBOC? I'm especially interested in the FCC comment period. I'd also like to know the patent date for this technology. Thanks! (Gerry Bishop, Niceifyou'reanalogville, FL, ibid.) Gerry: From an Ibiquity point of view, you can get info from the press release section at ibiquity.com Some is in the main section but a lot is in the USA Radio and Lucent sections. Is that what you wanted? (Chuck Hutton, ibid.) Thanks Chuck. That's a start. I'm curious about this whole IBOC process, and where it fits across the rest of my life for the last couple of years. First, when wasn't I paying attention earlier? and then, of course, why? I suspect that the FCC comment period very neatly overlapped a little Global War On Terror deployment or two on my part. Just wondering if being busy doing my job got in the way of taking care of my hobbies, and some soulless geeks snuck one in under that (Gerry Bishop, ibid.) The first IBOC stations in 6 markets debut in the first quarter of 2003; after that, there will be a rollout in groups of markets, starting with big markets and working down (David Gleason, ibid.) Actually, David, I was looking more for the history, so something so clearly rushed and vanderbilted ("the public? the public be d*&%#d!") at least gets my attention earlier in the process. Thanks (Gerry Bishop, ibid.) DRM member organizations and IBOC developer iBiquity have indicated on record with the ITU their intention to cooperate over issues of compatibility such that receivers would be designed to work with either system (Bruce Conti - Nashua NH, ibid.) http://members.aol.com/baconti/bamlog.htm You ask how would hearing Rebelde on 1180 instead of WHAM change with IBOC??? Easy - an IBOC station on 1170 or 1190 will add so much interference to 1180 that you won't be able to hear Rebelde. If the interferer on 1170 or 1190 isn't knocked out much by aurora, you can kiss your 1180 DXíng goodbye forever and take up bridge or gardening. (Chuck Hutton, ibid.) Well since October, WCHB (1200) Detroit, has been running IBOC here. It has been on day and night causing all kinds of white noise from 1180 thru 1220. There is no chance of hearing anything on those adjacent frequencies here. I live west of Detroit and it has been reported in the paper and the local message boards that WCHB has been running IBOC. If and when all the local stations get this up and running, it`s going to be wall to wall white noise here (Patrick Rady, MI, ibid.) It seems plausible that they could be testing IBOC on WCHB, since they're owned by Radio One, who is hustling to get IBOC on the air before the end of the year, to take advantage of the license fee waiver offered by iBiquity to early adopters. Their WDMK-FM (102.7) in Detroit has been running IBOC since Nov. 22 (Barry McLarnon, Ottawa, ibid.) If you only knew how strong Rebelde is on 1180 here! DXing 1180 died a long time ago, back when it was Radio Taíno. On many nights, Cuba has to be nulled to receive WHAM! And you're making the assumption that I have strong signals on 1170 and 1190. WWVA is nowhere near the powerhouse it used to be, often unlistenable due to Colombia, and 1190 is a mess with WLIB competing against WOWO. I don't see IBOC making things worse; it's already a bad situation. In fact, just maybe, if IBOC goes full time, then I can phase in a clear digital signal from WHAM to enjoy the overnight truckers show without Cuban interference, that is unless Cuba goes IBOC too (Bruce Conti - Nashua NH, ibid.) What makes anyone think that if WHAM goes with IBOC that the Cuban station won`t cause reception problems in the digital mode? ...if the radio can`t receive those "1's" and "0's"...then you`re just back to square one. Nice try IBOC...but it just isn`t going to work very well (Bob Carter, WGAI, ibid.) Bruce, Some DX is still possible today, particularly for you and a few others who are perched out on the corner of the continent. But let's consider how often you'll hear Panama or Kansas on 860 when WEEI and WWL go IBOC. And if anybody thinks that we'll be able to dig digital signals out of the same messy conditions that currently yield analog IDs, they are dreaming (Rick Kenneally, CT, ibid.) OK, Bruce - pick some other example. Maybe 1180 works out OK for you due to weak stations on 1170 and 1190. But what about the rest of the band? You gonna get lucky every channel? (Chuck Hutton, ibid.) Want to really shake up the radio world? How about we all petition the FCC to make a US band plan change to solve the IBOC problem. First paragraph. "We ask that the FCC increase the AM band from 200 to 1780 kilohertz. Further, we ask that all broadcast stations be separated by 20 kilohertz. Thus solves the problem of adjacent channel interference." || ducking and running out of list || (Fred Vobbe, ibid.) My only experience, so far, is with WOR which is a powerhouse down here day and night (although at night it does get trashed by Cuba and Miami). In the daytime I have been able to phase out the IBOC noise pretty much and bring in the stations on 700 WGOP and 720 WWII with quite readable signals. At night, when WOR was running tests this week, I had no trouble bringing in the Jamaicans on 700 and 720 and the Venezuelan on 720 when conditions were pretty auroral. Of course, like Neil I have to contend with lots of other buzz noises so it's sometime hard to distinguish between these noises. It also helps to have an R8A and a phasing unit (Ben Dangerfield, Wallingford, PA, NRC AM via DXLD) For those of you keeping notes, the IBOC (In Band On Channel) digital movement is gaining some steam. The same people who couldn't be bothered with AM Stereo are now busy telling us why we all need to buy new digital radios. iBiquity, a coalition of Lucent, those phone company wizzes, and a couple of lesser known entities, has sold a BUNCH of AM and FM stations on the idea. Some are actually testing. Here is a list. On FM in the area: WGRV-FM 105.1 in Detroit. On AM: 710 WOR New York (they are actively promoting it too!) 740 WNOP Cincinnati 900 WILC Baltimore 950 WWJ Detroit 960 KABL San Francisco 1140 KSFN Las Vegas 1500 WTOP Washington DC Larry Russell also reports hearing something sounding suspiciously like the IBOC digital system on 1200 AM. Give a listen and let the stations know what kind of QRM they are creating with this. My take on this is it just might work fine on FM (the capture effect prevents digital signals from causing a problem) but on MW it has all the earmarks of a disaster waiting to happen. OTOH, I haven't actually heard a signals I can definitely say is IBOC hash, but those who have (and I trust) tell me it is a mess. AM$ failing was just the beginning! Sources: my own digging, as well as http://www.ibiquity.com for more info also have a quick look at http://www.wor710.com/Engineering/iboc/worhd.htm (--KV Zichi, MARE Tipsheet Dec 6 via DXLD) ** VENEZUELA. Venezuelan President Warns of Coup Attempt http://www.truthout.org/docs_02/12.08A.warn.coup.htm or http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A18714-2002Dec6.html (via Truthout, DXLD) [non] Aló, Presidente should be interesting this Sunday from 1400 or 1500 via Cuba on 15230, 15570, 17750, if he`s not too preoccupied with other matters. There used to be two more lower frequencies (Glenn Hauser, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** VENEZUELA. Hola Glenn, Saludos desde VENEZUELA. -Entre las estaciones que olvidé mencionar como activas en banda tropical, desde Venezuela, está Radio Táchira en los 4830 kHz. La emisión se extiende hasta casi la 0100 UT, para luego dar paso a Radio Litoral [HONDURAS] en los 4832 kHz. [Quiere decir que apagan R. Táchira, a las 0100 o sólo que Litoral sobrepasa su señal? -- gh] La secta brasileña "Oración Fuerte al Espíritu Santo" está por todos lados. Hace 11 años llegaron a Venezuela y compraban espacios de una hora (durante la medianoche) en YVRT (Radio Tropical 990 kHz) en Caracas. Hoy en día controlan 22 horas de programación en dicha emisora y poseen otras frecuencias como la de 1130 kHz, de Radio Ideal, también en Caracas. En días recientes caí en cuenta de los programas de la misma secta en Radio Pueblo, 5009.4 kHz, desde Santo Domingo, a partir de la 0100 UT. En paralelo con 1510 kHz. El espacio en cuestión se llama "La Voz de la liberación". 73's and good DXing! (Adán González, Venezuela, Dec 5, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Yes, this *program* is all over Latin America and heard on various SW stations too, confusing DXers who think it be the name of a station rather than program (gh, DXLD) ** VIRGIN ISLANDS US. HERB SCHOENBOHM RETURNS TO HAM RADIO After nearly two years off the air, Herb Schoenbohm, ex-KV4FZ, of Kingshill, Virgin Islands, has made good on his promise to one day return to the Amateur Radio ranks. The FCC on December 4 issued Schoenbohm a new call sign, NP2MJ, as a General-class licensee, and it acted December 5 on his subsequently filed Amateur Extra-class application. In 1994, the FCC put Schoenbohm's renewal application for KV4FZ up for hearing following his 1992 felony conviction on federal fraud charges. The Commission finally turned down his renewal application in 1998, the US Appeals Court upheld the FCC's decision in 2000, and the US Supreme Court declined to hear the case later that same year. After losing his renewal bid, Schoenbohm applied for a new license in 2001, first passing the General and then the Extra exams. The FCC subsequently designated Schoenbohm's General application for hearing on the basis of character issues stemming from his 1992 conviction as well as his alleged lack of candor during subsequent FCC hearings on the matter. Following a hearing last spring, Administrative Law Judge Arthur I. Steinberg in October cleared the way for Schoenbohm's return to ham radio by declaring that Schoenbohm appeared rehabilitated and qualified to again become a Commission licensee. Schoenbohm plans to apply for KV4FZ as a vanity call sign. Schoenbohm was dubious about getting on the air for the ARRL 160-Meter Contest December 7-8. "I will try to get on, but the station is still dismantled," he told ARRL. "I don't have any antennas up either except for the 70-foot tower, which needs the beam on top to work properly on 160." His amp also is on the fritz, so if he does manage some Top Band operation during the contest, it will be at the 100-W level. "Since my license has been granted, I have not even made one contact on 2 meters!" Schoenbohm added (ARRL Letter Dec 6 via DXLD) ** ZAMBIA. Email for ZNBC QSL verifier pnkula@yahoo.com (Swopan Chakroborty, Kolkata, India, Dec 7, DX LISTENING DIGEST) 6265 is DEFINITE ZBC Lusaka in English language, heard with news at 1800 UT, fair S=3 signal in Europe every night (Wolfgang Bueschel, Dec 7, DX LISTENING DIGEST) UNIDENTIFIED. Last night we heard a station identifying itself as Pan European Radio on 1080 kHz at our DX-shack in Fredriksfors, some 350 km's north of Stockholm. The signal was unusually strong and stabile (QSA 5), just like a local station. It was first observed at 21.50 UTC with test tones and a loop of some coctail jazz-style muzak. On the hour and half hour ID and requests for reception reports to P.O. Box 10386, Beverly Hills, CA 90213, USA. The e-mail paneuropeanradio@hotmail.com was also announced. It probably went off the air at midnight UT. Any idea where this transmitter is located? (Ronny Forslund & Jan Edh, Delsbo Radioklubb, Dec 5, hard-core-dx via DXLD) UNIDENTIFIED. 7145, 1330-1400 UT today, superb signal from two stations into Europe from SEAs. Two stations, the stronger one (S=2-3) playing typical Lao-Thai-mx ahead of the other station, till exact 1400 UT, the weaker stn underneath with talks/announcer til 1357 UT only, S=1-2. Which station signs-off three minutes before the hour/half hour? 1st - VTN til 1357 ??, 2nd - Vientiane til 1400 UT even? 3rd - EXCLUDE R Thailand in Thai to the NorthEast, 54 degr. At 1359-1400 closing annt in ENGLISH, 1330-1400 and 2130-2200 schedule was given, I guess. But Laos is scheduled at 0600-0630; did they move to 2130-2200 UT ??? Still need more investigation. Hanoi is scheduled with 15 English transmissions over the day, of 6 on 7145 alone !!! But checked the English language annt at 1359 UT against the closing procedure recording of Uwe Volk, he made in Thailand recently, revealed that the Laos National Anthem was not played at sign-off at 1400 UT. 73 (Wolfgang df5sx Bueschel, Germany, Dec 6, DXLD) Lousy signal on 7145 kHz today, in 1330-1400 UT slot, one program signal 'under threshold' only could be on 'sense'. No really LAO, VTN, or THA heard so far. 73 (wb, Dec 7, DXLD) ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ RECEIVER NEWS +++++++++++++ SATELLIT 900 Hi Glenn, I found a site with lots of great pix and info on the "Sat 900 that never was, but yet may be" http://www.satellit700.com/900/satellit900.html Thought your readers may enjoy it. 73 de jem http;//www.qsl.net/vk2jem (Jem Cullen, Australia, DX LISTENING DIGEST) DRM +++ There have been some changes and additions to the schedule of long- term DRM tests. Two new transmissions have been added from Rampisham, and there's a new time and frequency for Bonaire. All the details are at http://www.rnw.nl/realradio/html/drm_latest.html (Andy Sennitt, Media Network newsletter Dec 6 via DXLD) And there are three things necessary to make digital shortwave radio à la DRM take off. 1. Content 2. Content 3. Content Tractor production statistics will not cut it even with full bandwidth stereo sound. I was pleased to see Andy Sennitt report today that some upcoming DRM test transmissions will include pictures to accompany the audio. Now we are getting some place. If the internet and satellite TV are any model for the future of SW digital broadcasting, smut will not be far behind the introduction of pictures to the programming. ~*-.,_,.-*~'^'~*-.,_,.-*~'^'~*-., (Joe Buch, DE, swprograms via DXLD) -*~'^'~*-.,_,.-*~'^'~*-.,_,.-*~'^ PUBLICATIONS ++++++++++++ NEW EUROPEAN MEDIUM WAVE GUIDE PUBLISHED As of today, 4 December 2002, the new edition of the European Medium Wave Guide is freely available in PDF format. In addition most of the contents can now also be consulted on-line on the EMWG web site. As usual, the EMWG lists literally all long and medium wave stations in Europe, North Africa and the Middle East. It is the most complete and up-to-date manual of its sort and is used by many broadcasters and DXers for daily reference. The EMWG can be consulted: * as a PDF file (downloadable for free) * on-line via the EMWG web site * on paper (please contact the publisher for prices) Please visit http://www.emwg.info and don't forget to send your feedback. Many happy listening and DXing hours with the EMWG! Herman Boel, EMWG Publisher PRESS RELEASE***PRESS RELEASE***PRESS RELEASE***PRESS RELEASE***PRESS RELEASE*** To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: emwg-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com (Dec 4 via Mike Terry, DXLD) ###