DX LISTENING DIGEST 2-194, December 10, 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: WWCR: Wed 1030 9475 RFPI: 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 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 WORLD OF RADIO 1160 FIRST AIRINGS: WBCQ: Wed 2300 7415, 17495-CUSB WWCR: Thu 2130 9475 RFPI: Fri 1930 15039 ** ABKHAZIA. 1350, 8.12 0400-, Abkhaz R, Sukhumi. //9490. Worse reception on SW, but surprisingly dominant on MW frequency that morning (Jari Lehtinen, Maakeski DXpedition, Finland, hard-core-dx via DXLD) See also GEORGIA ** ARMENIA. TWR Central Asia noted via Yerevan Kamo on 5855 and MW 864. 1655-1810 UT daily, 1810-1840 Sundays. En daily 1710-1725. Ru Tue 1655-1710, Mon-Fri 1740-1810. The other languages are Korean, Kazakh, Turkmen, Uzbek, Persian (Rumen Pankov, Bulgaria, Dec 3, BC-DX via DXLD) ** AUSTRALIA. Minor amendment in the timing of a band change for Voice International in English: 11690 DRW 2500 kW / 303 deg 1300-1700, ex 1300-1630 13770 DRW 2500 kW / 303 deg 1700-1900, ex 1630-1900 (Observer, Bulgaria, Dec 10 via DXLD) ** AUSTRIA. RADIO AUSTRIA INTERNATIONAL TO STOP BROADCASTING? With savings needed, the board of ORF has been asked to present a plan for the closure of ROI short wave, with programmes to go out on the Internet only. It is possible that international programmes on short wave may stop altogether in March 2003. Short wave frequencies would then carry a few domestic programmes in German only. However the ROI management have told the AIB: "A decision will now be taken in March 2003. In the meantime the board has asked management to pursue other options for funding ROI including approaching the government for separate funding and an increase in license fees. We are hopeful that this will secure the long-term future of our international broadcasting. In the meantime we appreciate the expressions of concern that have been pouring in from around the world." http://roi.orf.at/english/welcome.html (AIB Newsletter, Dec, via DXLD) ** BELGIUM. RVI LAUNCHES NEW WEBSITE AIB member Radio Vlaanderen Internationaal (RVi) have put their new web site on line. The new site offers news, in text, images and audio, about Flanders, Belgium and Europe, in Dutch, English, French and German. There are also a number of links to all kinds of organisations that carry useful information about Flanders and Belgium. In addition there is a "community" section (in Dutch only), where travellers abroad are invited to post their stories, tips, reactions, etc. RVi are not planning to give up international radio broadcasting, but see this new website as a useful complement to radio programming. They hope that in the future we will see a mutual interaction between radio and internet. http://www.rvi.be (AIB Newsletter, Dec via DXLD) ** BULGARIA. Correction R. Bulgaria DX program in Spanish: 1745-1755 [not 1945-1950] Sun 9700 SoEu 11700 SoEu 2215-2220 Sun 6000 SoEu 7300 SoEu 0015-0020 Mon 5900 SoAm 11600 SoAm 0215-0220 Mon 5900 SoAm 7500 CeAm 11600 SoAm. (Rumen Pankov, Bulgaria, Dec 3, BC-DX via DXLD) ** CHINA. CRI Beijing B-02 schedule in Russian from Dec 1st: To Siberia and FE Russia 2300-0057 Russian 5970 7110 1521 0100-0157 Russian 1521 1000-1057 Russian 9695 7245 7160 7110 5915 1116 963 1100-1157 Russian 7245 7110 5915 1521 1323 1116 963 1200-1257 Russian 7245 1521 1323 963 1300-1357 Russian 7245 7160 6140[hetting DW En] 5990 5915 1521 1323 963 1400-1457 Russian 1521 1323 963 1500-1557 Russian 5990 5915 1521 963 1600-1657 Russian 1521 1700-1757 Russian 1521 1800-1857 Russian 1521 2300-0057 Russian 5970 7110 (Rumen Pankov, Bulgaria, BC-DX, Dec 3 via DXLD) ** CHINA [and non]. RFA AND 'DISIDAI' The Chinese authorities have detained a Communist Party elder suspected of leaking secret information about Party personnel decisions to the author of a landmark book on China's leadership transition, AIB member Radio Free Asia (RFA) reports. The man is aged 70 and described as a "highly respected" person. Zong Hairen, pseudonym of the the Chinese author of "Disidai" ("The Fourth Generation"), which gives an inside account of China's ongoing transition to a new generation of leaders, wrote to RFA's Mandarin service: ``The detained man is suspected of having disclosed Party and state secrets. These suspicions are completely unfounded`` says Zong Hairen. The Chinese government has increased jamming of RFA radio signals since October 1, when the Mandarin service began broadcasting excerpts of "Disidai". (Dec AIB Newsletter via DXLD) ** CHINA [non]. Hi, Glenn. Just something for DXLD: LITHUANIA / CHINA: 2136 hrs UT, 5925 khz: Falun Dafa World Radio was not audible on Sunday 9th December [sic] due to a jammer being in operation on this frequency. I gave up after waiting several minutes. I think it is safe that the Chinese were responsible for the jammer. I wonder where FDWR will go next in terms of frequency - Best 73s, (DXDave, Bristol, England, Dec 9, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** COLOMBIA. ACTIVAN CARGA EXPLOSIVA CONTRA EQUIPOS DE TRANSMISIÓN DE CARACOL CUCUTA.---En el tercer atentado contra un medio de Comunicación, en un mes en Cúcuta, desconocidos hicieron estallar una carga de quince kilos de amonal, en los equipos de transmisión de dos estaciones de cadena radial Caracol en esta ciudad.- Reportas de la policía informan que el hecho fue cometido contra la torre instalada en el barrio Parados del Este sin ocasionar muertos o heridos pero sí daños materiales, que produjeron la salida del aire las Emisoras Radio Reloj, y la Cadena Básica, en los MIL 90 AM. Germán González, transmisorista de Caracol y residente en el lugar del atentado explicó que previamente no se notó la presencia de extraños en esas inmediaciones y sólo se enteraron de la agresión cuando explotó el artefacto contra los equipos.- Los ingenieros y técnicos al servicio de Caracol lograron estabilizar la señal y la transmisión de la Cadena Básica, que ya se encuentra prestando servicios.- Las autoridades, los estamentos sociales gremiales se solidarizaron con la empresa radial y sus empleados y rechazaron lo que consideran un nuevo atentado contra la libertad de expresión de información en Norte de Santander.- Conéctese a la actualidad Colombiana en http://www.caracol.com.co Caracol ... Más Compañía. (via Henrik Klemetz, Suecia, Dec 10, DXLD) ** CONGO DR. 11690, Radio Okapi; 0545-0602+, 7-Dec; Afro vocals plus Bésame Mucho in SS. "Okapi" SID @0553. M&W in French at 0559:50, ment. Republic Democratique du Congo. Program notes? 0601 over music. SIO=232+ (Harold Frodge, Brighton, MI, MARE DXpedition, Drake R8B + 1000' NE-ish unterminated bev + 65' TTFDFV, via Cumbre DX via DXLD) ** CONGO DR [non]. 11690, *0600-0800* daily, R Africa International, Julich. We big white hunters were chasing okapi, but instead if it, out of bushes came a group of African Methodists. Oh well, back to camp, Ernest (Jari Lehtinen, Maakeski DXpedition, Finland, hard-core- dx via DXLD) ** CUBA. Hola Glenn... Saludos desde Catia La Mar. -Radio Habana Cuba ha anunciado una nueva frecuencia por estos días. 6195kHz, por donde se difunden los servicios en creole, francés e inglés, en horas de la tarde. El transmisor es de 100kW y la antena es una direccional Dipolo-Faseado, totalmente diseñada y hecha en Cuba. Se esperan informes de recepción. Buen DX y 73's... (Adán González, VENEZUELA, Dec 9, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** CYPRUS TURKISH. 6150, 7.12 0215-, Bayrak R Int. Reception improved as the dawn was approaching, and after 0400 UT one could even listen to the program. Announcements (in English) in a very random manner. Nor full neither half hours play a role here. Disco and pop nonstop. Heard also in other nights, but always suffering splatters from neighbouring frequencies (Jari Lehtinen, Maakeski DXpedition, Finland, hard-core-dx via DXLD) ** DOMINICAN REPUBLIC. 4959.85, Radio Cima; 0014-23+, 8-Dec; M in Spanish with SS tunes. Ad string including "Banco Popular". Simple "Cima" ID. SIO=443 (Harold Frodge, Brighton, MI, MARE DXpedition, Drake R8B + 1000' NE-ish unterminated bev + 65' TTFDFV, via Cumbre DX via DXLD) ** ECUADOR. Frequency change for HCJB in Russian effective from Dec.6: 0330-0430 NF 9760 (55444), ex 9775 (Observer, Bulgaria, Dec 10 via DXLD) ** GEORGIA. Abkhazia back s-on at 1400 daily on v9490 (Rumen Pankov, Bulgaria, Dec 1, BC-DX via DXLD) See also ABKHAZIA ** GERMANY. Voice of Hope in Vietnamese via DTK JUL noted on Dec. 8: 1330-1430 on additional NF 17555 from 1400 totally blocked by R. Norway \\ 15715 New additional transmission for Bible Voice Broadcasting Network via DTK: 1900-2000 Sat only 9470 (55555) WER 250 kW / 120 deg to ME in English (Observer, Bulgaria, Dec 10 via DXLD) ** HUNGARY. New revised B-02 schedule of Radio Budapest effective from December 16: Croatian to Eu 0500-0513 Daily 6025 ||| CANCELLED 2100-2113 Daily 6025 ||| CANCELLED English to Eu 1600-1628 Sun 6025 11680 ||| NEW TXION 2000-2028 Daily 6025 7135 7175* ||| *ADDIT FREQ 2200-2228 Daily 6025 English to SoAf 2200-2228 Daily 11885 ||| NEW TXION English to NoAm 0200-0228 Daily 9835 0330-0358 Daily 9835 German to Eu 1300-1358 Sun 6025 11925 1500-1558 Sun 6025 9735 1800-1858 Sun 3975 6025 1830-1858 Mon-Sat 3975 6025 2030-2058 Mon-Sat 3975 6025 French to Eu 0530-0543 Daily 6025 7115 ||| CANCELLED 1700-1728 Daily 3975 6025 ||| NEW TXION 2100-2128 Daily 6025 9800 ||| EXTENDED, ex 2115-2128 Hungarian to Eu 0500-1158 Sun 6025 (Kossuth R) >> EXTENDED, ex 0600-1158 0500-1658 Mon-Sat 6025 (Kossuth R) >> EXTENDED, ex 0600-1658 1200-1258 Sun 6025 1400-1458 Sun 6025 1900-1958 Daily 3975 6025 2300-2358 Daily 6025 Hungarian to NoAm 0100-0158 Daily 9835 0230-0328 Daily 9835 2200-2258 Daily 9825 Hungarian to SoAm 2300-2358 Daily 9580 11990 0000-0058 Mon 9580 1199 Hungarian to AUS 1200-1258 Daily 21560 1900-1958 Daily 6130 Italian to Eu 0545-0558 Daily 6025 7195 ||| CANCELLED 1730-1758 Daily 6025 9655 ||| NEW TXION 2130-2158 Daily 6025 7215 ||| EXTENDED, ex 2130-2143 2230-2243 Daily 6025 7215 ||| CANCELLED Russian to Eu 0400-0428 Daily 3975 6025 1630-1658 Sun 6025 7135# ||| #ex 11680 1800-1828 Mon-Sat 6025 7130 2030-2058 Sun 6025 7130 Romanian to Eu 0445-0458 Daily 6025 ||| CANCELLED 1600-1613 Sun 6025 ||| CANCELLED 1715-1728 Daily 6025 ||| CANCELLED Serbian to Eu 1745-1758 Daily 6025 ||| CANCELLED Slovak to Eu 0515-0528 Daily 6025 ||| CANCELLED 1615-1628 Sun 6025 ||| CANCELLED 1730-1743 Daily 6025 ||| CANCELLED Spanish to Eu&SoAm 0430-0458 Daily 3975 6025 ||| NEW TXION 2145-2158 Daily 6025 7215 ||| CANCELLED 2245-2258 Daily 6025 7215 Ukrainian to Eu 0430-0443 Daily 3975 6025 ||| CANCELLED 1700-1713 Daily 6025 11745 ||| CANCELLED 73 from Ivo and Angel! (Observer, Bulgaria, Dec 10 via DXLD) ** HUNGARY. POLICE HELP CLOSING FAR-RIGHT RADIO STATION | Text of report by Hungarian radio on 5 December Pannon Radio is again in the hands of its majority [owner] shareholder. The area office of the Broadcasting Inspectorate [Hungarian: Hirkoezlesi Feluegyelet] has disconnected the minority owner's transmitter, which, in the inspectorate's view, was being used illegally by the minority owner. The inspectorate, with the participation of the police, removed the transmitter. [Pannon Radio] editor and presenter, Tibor Franka, said that commandos had invaded the station, which he and his associates view as unlawful. The raid had been preceded by a permission, requested by and granted to Pannon Radio's majority owner, Gido Media Kft, to move to a new transmitting location. This meant, by the same token, that the previous location, at Meredek Street in 12th District in Budapest, ceased. However, the minority owner did not vacate the site and has continued to transmit from there without permission until now. [The minority owner is the Free University for Istvan Bocskai Foundation set up by Istvan Csurka, chairman of the far-right Hungarian Justice and Life Party. Pannon Radio had been repeatedly criticized by left-wing and liberal parties and social organizations and the Hungarian media watchdog, National Radio and Television Body, for anti-Semitic and racial incitement and violation of the country's broadcasting law. Following the election victory of the Socialist Party and liberal SZDSZ, the head of Gido Media Kft has decided to change Pannon Radio's editorial policy, precipitating a clash with Csurka.] Source: Hungarian Radio, Budapest, in Hungarian 1400 gmt 5 Dec 02 (via BBCM via DXLD) FAR-RIGHT RADIO BROADCAST ON INTERNET AFTER STATION CLOSED DOWN | Excerpt from report by Hungarian radio on 6 December Good morning, it is 0630 hours [0530 gmt], you are listening to the original Pannon Radio... Here are the news in detail: There were protests at a number of places in the capital yesterday, following the disconnection of the Meredek Street [in 12th District of Budapest] transmitter of Pannon Radio. The demonstrators took to the streets carrying flags and banners. The police arrived, checked the demonstrators' IDs then called on them to disperse. All demonstrating groups of obeyed... As has been reported, the Broadcasting Inspectorate [Hungarian: Hirkoezlesi Feluegyelet], supported by 50 police officers, had seized the transmission equipment of the Meredek Street station of Original Pannon Radio and thus made impossible for the radio to continue its terrestrial broadcasting... Currently only Gidofalvi's [head of Gido Media Kft] pirate Pannon Radio can be heard in the ether, while the original Pannon Radio continues its programmes on the Internet... Source: Hungarian Radio, Budapest, in Hungarian 0530 gmt 6 Dec 02 (via BBCM via DXLD) ** HUNGARY. MEDIA BOARD REGISTERS RIGHT-WING TV The National Radio and Television Board (ORTT) on 26 November registered the right-wing news channel Hir TV, which will begin broadcasting on 2 December, "Magyar Nemzet" reported. Board Chairwoman Judit Kormendy-Ekes, as well as the opposition FIDESZ and Democratic Forum appointees to the five-person board, voted for the registration. The Socialist member voted against (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 21 November 2002), and the Free Democrat representative abstained. The ORTT also suspended broadcasts by the television stations TV-2 and RTL Klub for 30 minutes after ruling that both networks recently broadcast unacceptable sexual scenes on their "reality TV" programs. In other news, President Ferenc Madl on 26 November appointed Matyas Vince head of the Hungarian news agency MTI for a five-year term, beginning on 1 December ("RFE/RL Newsline," 27 November, via RFE/RL Media Matters Dec 6 via DXLD) ** INDONESIA. 15149.82, Voice of Indonesia; 2000-11+, 7-Dec; "This is the VoI". ID/sked to 2002+ then news to 2010 feature. All in EE. SIO=342. Nothing audible on reported //9525 (Harold Frodge, Brighton, MI, MARE DXpedition, Drake R8B + 1000' NE-ish unterminated bev + 65' TTFDFV, via Cumbre DX via DXLD) ** IRAN. VoIRI additional Russian: 0500-0527 [not -0557] 12025 15530 21480 21610. (Rumen Pankov, Bulgaria, Dec 3, BC-DX via DXLD) ** KURDISTAN [and non]. On Nov 29 at 0330 UT heard V. of Iranian Kurdistan in Persian on 3975 (x3985). Radio Kurdistan in Arabic on 4140 (ex-4130). Voice of the Kurdish People in Arabic on 4025 and new 4400 kHz. V. of Khabadzi Kurdistana Iraqa in Kurdish on 4260 kHz. (Rumen Pankov, Bulgaria, Dec 1, BC-DX via DXLD) ** MYANMAR. Partial data QSL letter from Myanmar R & TV. Signed by Ko Ko Htway, Director (Broadcasting) with programme and frequency schedule. Address: Union of Myanmar, Ministry of Information, Myanmar Radio & Television (M.R.T.V), Pyay Road, Yangon. Phone: 951-532814, Fax: 951-525428 (Swopan Chakroborty, Kolkata, India, Dec 10, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** PAKISTAN. News in English heard 1600-1615 on 4790 11570 15070, not on 15530, 17725 (Rumen Pankov, Bulgaria, Nov 22, BC-DX via DXLD) ** PARAGUAY. RADIO PA`I PUKU IS ``THE ONLY MASSIVE CATHOLIC MEDIUM`` IN THE GREAT PARAGUAYAN CHACO Teniente Irala Férnandez, Dec 1 (CRU) --- The Great Chaco of Paraguay in the northwest of the Paraguay is a vast land, hot, dry, and scarcely inhabited. Called the Gran Chaco in Spanish, it sweeps from Argentina north through Paraguay into Brasil. In Paraguay it takes up 60% of the country but has less than 5% of the population. It is the hottest and driest part of the nation, a land of coarse grasses, scrub forests and thorn bushes, broken by occasional forests of the quebracho tree. The rivers overflow in summer`s heavy rains but dry up in winter. There are some Mennonite farms in central Chaco and scattered Guaraní tribes, but most of the Gran Chaco is uninhabited. In this vast land, two vicariates apostolic (sort of embryo dioceses) and the Diocese of Benjamín Aceval founded ZP17 Radio Pa`i Puku 720 AM in 1996. ``It constitutes the only Catholic mass medium in the zone,`` says the ``Historia`` page of the station website. ``The Diocese of Benjamín Aceval and the Vicariates of Pilcomayo and Chaco Paraguayo had decided to launch an apostolic work in connection with the coming of the third millennium, by means of the Fundación Monseñor Pedro Shaw. Radio Pa`i Puku is a station of educational, evangelical, popular, and participative character in the line of service to the culture and to human progress.`` Running 25,000 watts day and 5,000 watts night, the station covers the two vicariates apostolic and part of the Diocese of Benjamín Aceval, and part of the territories of Bolivia and Argentina along their frontiers with Paraguay. Radio Pa`i Puku reaches an audience of 400,000 people, ``among which the native Americans of 13 ethnic groups who live in the Chaco stand out, in addition to Paraguayan Creoles and Mennonite immigrants. The relevance of the station responds to the social, climatic, and geographic characteristics of the Chaco,`` says the website. The Foundation that holds title and license to ZP17 Radio Pa`i Puku is named after Bishop Pedro Shaw, known popularly as Pa`i Puku —``high priest``— not because of his ordination as bishop but because of his imposing stature. Born in Belgium on September 6, 1925. he entered the Oblates of Mary Immaculate at a tender age, was ordained and was sent to work as a missionary in the Paraguayan Chaco. On April 22, 1981, he was ordained Bishop of the Vicariate Apostolic of Pilcomayo. On the last day of fall, June 21, 1984, while driving down the Transchaco Highway to Asunción to win a radio station for his beloved Chaco, he suddenly died. The station website does not indicate whether by auto accident or heart attack. In any event, the idea of a radio station then lay dormant until 1996, when the three ecclesiastical jurisdictions decided to move forward on it. At the request of the people, the station was named for their beloved Bishop Pedro Shaw. The station divides its objectives into a general one and specific ones. The general objective is ``to reform the social cloth of the region by the adequate use of the mass media in the service of the evangelization and in the indigenous and Paraguayan cultures.`` Specifically, Radio Pa`i Puku seeks ``to accompany the evangelizing work of the Catholic Church for the strengthening of the Christian faith and the formation of ecclesiastical communities.`` It seeks to ``revalidate the indigenous peoples, the greatest population in the Chaco, and of all the Chaqueño people, by respecting their history, legends, traditions, and supporting their legitimate aspirations.`` Third, it seeks ``to promote the integral formation of Chaqueño men and women by means of a formal and informal education on health, the family, advancement of women, and civic and sociopolitical education.`` Lastly, it tries ``to promote and accompany programs and projects of social, religious, economic, and ecological development in the region.`` ZP17 Radio Pa`i Puku has a simple but effective website at http://www.radiopaipuku.org.py There is the home page (Principal), the Historia page, Programación, Staff, and Contactos. The staff is impressive, from the three bishops who serve on the Foundation board to Señor Ramón Zavala, the general manager, to the administration of laymen, and seven members who are the station`s journalists and engineers. Named also are the control room operators, those in charge of production and programming, and those offering general services. In addition to its offices and studios in Teniente Irala Férnandez, a small community in the heart of the Paraguayan Chaco, there is an office in the capital, Asunción. The programming schedule is a riot of color. Broadcast hours run 5 a.m. to 7 p.m. Mondays through Saturdays, with Sunday sign-on at 6 a.m. and sign-off at 6 p.m. Indigenous programs are heard at 5 a.m. (``Kay`uhape Nemongueta``), 2:30 p.m. (``Mundo Indigeno``), ``Terere Hape`` on Sundays from 9:30 a.m. till noon. There are programs for the young (``Discoteca Juvenil`` on Sunday afternoons, for example), and religious programs (``Una Catequesis para la Vida,`` weekdays at 5:30 p.m. until 6 p.m.; the ``Family Rosary,`` 6:30 p.m. Mondays through Saturdays and 5:30 p.m. on Sundays; ``La Iglesia Responde`` (The Church Responds) from 6 a.m. to 7 a.m. on Saturdays; and Holy Mass on Sunday mornings at 8 a.m. There are entertainment programs (``Panorama 720,`` heard weekdays from 7 a.m. to 11:30 a.m., for example), and two half-hour newscasts on weekdays, at 6 a.m. and 11:30 a.m., from the National Radio Network. The station does its own newscast weekdays from 5 to 5:30 p.m. There can be no doubt that this Gran Chaco powerhouse, ZP17 Radio Pa`i Puku 720 AM, is close to the people it serves. They named it, they program it, they run it, and they listen to it. Radio Pa`i Puku, built to honor a man who gave his life to the people of Paraguay`s Gran Chaco, it is a member of a small elite of Catholic Radio stations around the world that do yeoman service for the indigenous people among whom they operate. Database Teniente Irala Férnandez: ZP17 Radio Pa`i Puku 720 AM (25,000 watts días, 5,000 wats noches). Fundación Monseñor Pedro Shaw. Estudios: 25 Leguas, Chaco. Tel: (595 0492) 2360, (595) 0424 349. Oficinas en Asunción: Avda. Boggiani 4317 c/ Mariano Molas. Tel: (595 21) 606 114 or 605 754; fax (595 21) 606 204. E-mail: admin@radiopaipuku.org.py (o) director@radiopaipuku.org.py Señor Ramón Zavala, director. Monseñores Lucio Alfert, Zacarías Ortiz, y Candido Cárdenas, Obispos. Website: www.radipaipuku.org.py (Para el Vicariato Apostólico del Pilcomayo y la Diócesis de Benjamín Aceval) 5 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily (6 p.m. Sundays). (Dec 9 Catholic Radio Update, Dec 7 via DXLD) ** ROMANIA. [cf. BC-DX 598] According to RRI's printed schedule: Arabic 1300-1356 17775 (not 11830) Bulgarian 0500-0526 not on MW 756 kHz English 0200-0256 9625 (not 15270) French 1500-1556 17790 (not 11940) (Rumen Pankov, Bulgaria, Dec3, BC-DX via DXLD) ** RUSSIA. 6005 [7325 in A-02] Monday 1800-1900 in Adygean, Arabic, Turkish; and Friday 1800-1900 in Adygean by Adygean Radio Maycop. Wed, Thu, Sun 1830-1900 in Kabardin/Balkarian(?) by K.B. Radio Nalchik, heard on Oct [sic] 27, all on 6005 kHz (Rumen Pankov, Bulgaria, Dec 6, BC-DX via DXLD) ** SAUDI ARABIA [non]. SA`UDI OPPOSITION RADIO USES $19.95 SOFTWARE TO ENCRYPT VOICES The Movement for Islamic Reform in Arabia, the Saudi opposition group behind the new radio station Sawt al-Islah (Voice of Reform), says it is using the latest voice encryption technology on its Web site http://www.islah.org as well as its radio programmes. Saudi dissident Saad al Faquih told the Reuters news agency that "Sawt al-Islah is designed to establish a direct dialogue with the Saudi people by using new technologies, including the Internet, to talk freely and without inhibitions." A link on the Web site reveals that the software in question is a freely available shareware program called AV Voice Changer Software http://www.audio4fun.com that costs US$19.95 to register (© Radio Netherlands Media Network 10 December 2002 via DXLD) ** SUDAN [non]. Re Sawt al Qarn 21550 at 1330-1430 Mon & Fri: Nothing noted here today or last Friday or Monday. If they were on I think I would have heard them. Mike Barraclough, UK, Dec 10, Cumbredx mailing list via DXLD) ** TAIWAN. RTI English from Nov 25th: English 0200-0300a 11740 9680 5950 NoAm CeAm 11875 15320 SoEaAS b 15465 NoEaAS 0300-0400b 5950 9680 NAm 15320 SoEaAS 0700-0800a 5950 WeNAm 1100-1200a 11985 N CHN b 7445 SoEaAS [??MW 585] 1200-1300a 9610 7130 NoEaAS AUS NZL 1400-1500a 15265 SoEaAS 1600-1700a 11560 INDIA S CHN (x11550) 1700-1800b 11560 INDIA S CHN (x11550) 1800-1900? 3955 EUR (prog a/b shown on sked!) 2200-2300a 9355 EUR (delete 5810) Mailbag xx'30 1st program on Suns. 2nd program on Sats. Russian 1300-1400 still on 11745 WeCIS [but announced 11935 instead]. Repeats at: 1700-1800 9955 WeCIS. 0400-0500 7355 EaCIS. 0900-1000 11985 EaCIS (Rumen Pankov, Bulgaria, Dec 3, BC-DX via DXLD) ** TOGO. 5047, 5,6,7,8.12 -0004*/0510- R Togo, Lomé. The modulation quality improved almost daily, until 8th Dec the reception was excellent. Welcome back! (Jari Lehtinen, Maakeski DXpedition, Finland, hard-core-dx via DXLD) ** U K. If you saw the schedule for the BBCWS 70th Anniversary activities Glenn H posted in DXLD 2-193, you saw that the "Global Party" hosted by John Peel and Emma B on Sunday the 15th airs at 1700- 2000 GMT to all regions. 15190 kHz (presumably from Antigua) will be kept open to "the Caribbean and Central America" from 1700 through to 2000 that day. That signal has a decent chance of reaching parts of North America as well. This information straight from the corridors of Bush House... Also, don't forget that Mark Byford is taking questions live on Thursday the 19th in a special edition of "Talking Point" at 1400 UT. Bush House is expecting that we'll be calling in from North America with questions for Mr. Byford that day... Regards, (Richard Cuff / Allentown, PA USA, Dec 10, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U K. THE BBC WORLD SERVICE IS 70 THIS MONTH December 07, 2002 Times online http://www.timesonline.co.uk/ Still making waves --- The BBC World Service is 70 this month. Vanora Bennett surfs the static looking for its voice of sanity YOU'RE alone in some grim hotel room, thousands of miles from home. Your only link with the familiar world is a tiny, hissing shortwave radio. And across the airwaves comes that comforting mantra: "This is the World Service of the BBC ..." It's a moment of pure delight - and of great reassurance. And it happened to me hundreds of times in the ten years when I worked in the remoter bits of Asia, Africa and the former Soviet Union. Often, listening for more than a couple of minutes involved no small inconvenience. Maybe the broadcast broke up and mysterious arguments raged in Farsi or Basque. At the very least, I was likely to find myself with the aerial stuck out of the window as I surfed the wavebands with the tuner. Whatever the difficulties, it was worth it. I was one of millions of people across the globe hooked on a daily dose of reason in a baffling world. Today the World Service has 150 million listeners, from Afghanistan to Albania, tuning in to programmes in English or in the 42 other languages in which it broadcasts, and all of us will be wishing it well as it turns 70 this month. The birthday will be celebrated with two weeks of razzmatazz. Kofi Annan, the Secretary-General of the United Nations, addresses listeners next Wednesday. There will be a global "party" on December 15, broadcast from London, Dakar, Kabul, Mexico City and Bombay. On December 19, the actual birthday, the World Service will present programmes live from Table Mountain in South Africa, the site of its first re-broadcast overseas. If the service is feeling pleased with itself after all these years, it can be excused. Its latest settlement with the Foreign Office, which provides the finance, netted an extra £48 million over three years - a belated birthday present after many lean years under the Tories. And, thanks to new digital technology, more people inside Britain can catch the World Service (which is not intended for domestic consumption) on their computers, satellite TV services or radios. "People have begun to realise that, to understand world events, you have to understand the world globally," says Phil Harding, the head of English-language programming. "They're realising the importance of a broadcaster that can not only tell us about events but also explain them, answering the questions 'who' and 'what', and also 'why', in a way that's objective, truthful and impartial and brings together all the different viewpoints." Significantly, on September 11 an emotionally charged worldwide phone- in to discuss the terrorist attacks of a year ago received so many calls - 50,000 in an hour - that the system almost crashed. Listening figures in the United States have doubled. What else do listeners to this venerable institution get? The grumblier kind of British expat may lament that there's less news from home than in the old days (interminable county cricket scores and features on the cheesemakers of Wensleydale no longer figure quite so large), but most listeners appreciate the more detached worldwide political analysis that has replaced it. What the World Service is like today is a more serious version of Radio 4, without all of those knowing, Just A Minute-style middle- class cacklefests. There are serious, in-depth documentaries: Alan Little analysing the state of international diplomacy since September 11, the excellent four-part series on people-trafficking that starts next week. If you're in Africa or Asia, detailed regional news and current affairs come tailored for you in magazines such as Focus on Africa, or East Asia Today. There's thoughtful religious programming, and a wealth of English language-teaching: Grammar Zone, Madonna's Music Speaks, Language In Focus, The Reading Group, or Means of Exchange, all in English, as well as English lessons in other languages, from Albanian to Bulgarian to Chinese. People in troubled times can discover what is going on in their own country (unless the service is jammed, as in China today, or behind the Iron Curtain during the Cold War). Tens of thousands of South Africans were regular listeners during the days of censorship and minority rule, and in the Soviet Union the imprisoned Mikhail Gorbachev used the World Service to keep up with the collapse of the coup against him in 1991. British listeners tend to tune in during the night, when Radio 4 switches over to the World Service. It's a great help to the insomniac, providing intelligent companionship through the dark watches. Ellie Parker, who runs New Theatre Works in Hereford, leaves the radio on low all night in the bedroom of her farmhouse. While her husband David sleeps, she drifts along to "soporific, gentle talking that takes your worries away". There is, too, a devoted core of fans on the Costas and among caravanners - despite problems with reception. Bryan Davidson tells how he infuriates his wife by spending half an hour before breakfast searching for the elusive voice from London at their holiday home in Languedoc. "Reception in the south of France seems particularly poor," he says. "I have to plough through dozens of stations, from Helsinki to Hilversum, before I can listen to the news in English." Neither of them, I'd be prepared to bet, are fans of the clunking soap opera Westway, set in a West London health centre. I've never met anyone with a kind word for it, although it is apparently followed by millions. Despite such minor gripes, the service is proud of a record that goes back to 1932, when the Empire Service, the overseas arm of the BBC, began life with a high-minded prayer by the Chairman of the Governors that "nothing mean or cheap may lessen its value and that its message may bring happiness and comfort to those who listen". Happiness and comfort might have figured on the agenda then, but the editorial independence which has always characterised its programme makers was soon ruffling feathers. Its first foreign-language service, the Arabic service, upset officials in London with "off-message" reporting; in the same tradition, years later, after September 11, an interview with the Taleban's Mullah Omar had much the same effect in Washington. What is the future for the voice of a middle-ranking country in increasingly crowded international airwaves, however grand its history and revered its traditions? Everywhere its monopoly is being challenged. In Nairobi, for example, there were only three FM stations two years ago - now there are 15. In India, fewer than 20 per cent of people had television a decade ago. Now 68 per cent of Indians can watch TV, and all radio listening has plummeted as a result. The World Service audience in India has fallen 45 per cent in the past seven years, to 14.6 million. Despite gains elsewhere, the total number of listeners is down three million this year from a peak of 153 million. There is a fightback strategy: trimedia, in BBC-speak. That means getting more broadcasts out on FM and switching over to digital editing and transmission technology. There will be more language websites, already the big success of the past five years, that let not only the people in a country but also diasporas across the globe catch regional programming. And a new global news division has, since last Sunday, taken under its wing the loss-making BBC World TV channel. What needs to change most, according to Phil Harding, is a style that has irritated some listeners into complaining about an old-fashioned and distant manner, as if the BBC was lecturing rather than broadcasting. "We've got to work now at sounding more contemporary," he says. Contemporary is a heady idea. Today the soaring London headquarters of an organisation with more respect than money looks splendidly dated. The one concession to modernity, a Ritazza coffee cart, seems out of place on a faded landing still graced by antique metal post chutes. (more on web site!!) (via Mike Terry, DXLD) ** U S A [non]. GERMANY. GFA Gospel For Asia, http://www.gfa.org/ US address: 1800 Golden Trail Court, Carrollton TX 75010 USA Information: info@gfa.org Phone: Toll Free: 800.946.2742; 972.300.7777. Canada Address: 245 King St. E., Stony Creek, ON L8G1L9 Canada Information: infocanada@gfa.org 250 kW 85 degrees 2330-0130 6145 Al Dhabbaya Abu Dhabi 1230-1330 15170 Al Dhabbaya Abu Dhabi 1600-1630 9785 Al Dhabbaya Abu Dhabi (wb Nov 22) GFA 0030-0130 9490 WER 250 kW GFA 2300-0030 9765 WER GFA 2330-0130 11680 WER GFA 1530-1630 15425 WER GFA 1430-1530 15680 WER (Rumen Pankov, Bulgaria, Dec 6, BC-DX via DXLD) ** U S A. I used to think Empire of the Air was solid work. I even was moved by the book, and a speech by Tom Lewis is what sparked the "Pioneer Profiles" series, and the http://www.oldradio.com web site. We're working to keep the momentum with "What is This Thing Called Broadcasting?" However, I am unsure Ken Burns "got it right." While there is a lot of fine video, the facts are not always straight. For example, although the book shows Fessenden was the first to broadcast voice, the TV show repeats the story that D Forest got there first. ... Ralph Edwards (?) announcing that the first human voice in history was on De Forest's station. De Forest (or de Forest ... the initial "D" was sometimes upper, sometimes lower case ... as could be seen on the TV show) ... well, he just sat and accepted credit for it all. At least the TV show noted that when he couldn't overcome Armstrong with his own patent, he just decided to claim Armstrong's patent should have been his ... he was too busy to get it at the time. I will have to review the program in its entirely ... before I say any more. Regards (Barry Mishkind, AZ, NRC-AM via DXLD) ** U S A. Q. What does `QSL` mean? Since I have been in charge of "QSL" duties at WSM and WSM-FM for almost 20 years, perhaps I'm among the best qualified to answer. The QSL designation dates back to the earliest days of radio, when (ham) operators exchanged written verifications of their QSO's (contacts) with each other. QSL stands for verification...or verification card or letter. Such a document is issued in response to a reception report. There are quite a few other Q abbreviations, among them: QSY - change frequency QSB - fading QRM - man-made interference (generally other stations) QRN - noise/static QTH - geographical location etc. The practice of QSL exchange spilled over to DXers who weren't licensed amateurs who heard stations of various sorts across the spectrum; but, of course most widely applied to AM and shortwave (and later FM and TV) broadcast stations and sought their QSL materials as a sort of prize. Many stations had special cards printed --- some had form letters --- some had certificates suitable for framing --- most enclosed coverage maps and station data --- some had special postage-like stamps --- and these artifacts became collectors items. In the very early days the DXer reports were useful insofar as they helped stations of all types know where their signal was being heard. As a result, the practice was encouraged and almost 100% participation was achieved. In almost all cases the Chief Engineer or a member of his staff handled the QSL details. Over the years, as antenna designs, propagation characteristics, etc. became better understood...and eventually relegated to routine rather than novelty, the usefulness of QSL reports (in particular to broadcast band stations) declined. For many years stations continued to respond to reception reports as a matter of courtesy; but in the past 15 or 20 years a number of factors have seen the degree of difficulty in obtaining a QSL increase dramatically. Among the problems --- no resident engineer on duty, no perceived value to the station, budget and staff cutbacks, lack of interest, lack of knowledge, lack of courtesy. Based on WSM figures, reception reports/requests for verification have declined dramatically. When I started handling the task there were about 100 a year received for the AM station and 1 or two for FM. While I don't keep an exact count, I'm going to estimate that in the entire year of 2002 I sent less than 15 QSL cards --- and notes to about 5 others that they did not supply adequate information to merit verification. If I'm allowed guesses as to WHY the drop in requests, I'll speculate that it links directly with a lack of AM listenership, less interest in DXing as a hobby, a switch of listening interests to on-line sources, increased interference of all types, and the poor rate of return experienced by those who continue to report reception and ask for verification. More generalizations here --- the average initial request is probably ignored or discarded by 90% of stations. A followup won't fare much better unless it's preceded by a phone call to the station which results in a staff member agreeing to be on the lookout for your report and actually taking time to respond. At best, even with followup reports and/or phone calls, I don't think that more than 25% of US or Canadian stations can be persuaded to respond. Maybe a personal visit to the station would up that percentage somewhat --- but it's not often that anyone can put in a personal appearance to nail down a QSL. In the case of WSM, QSLing is a slow process. The station holds reports until there are 4 or 5 before mailing them to me. I process them here at the house (calling back to the program department in the event that I need help verifying programming details). That means that I only see the requests every three or four months. I usually try to process them within a week of when I get them --- but have been known to get a month or two behind. That means that it could take as long as 5 or 6 months for a DXer to get a WSM QSL. The positive side is that the station continues to send them out because it's "the right thing to do". As far as a campaign to educate station personnel --- I consider it "mission impossible" --- particularly when a great many of the new breed of engineers don't know diddly about Es and Tr propagation --- and don't care; plus the task of getting information to, for example, the receptionist level, would be almost nil. Another factor is that the expense of personpower, material and postage to handle a QSL is viewed as an unjustified expense. It has no potential of producing revenue (non-commercial stations exempted), thus is viewed by management as a total waste and thereby widely discouraged. A final note of interest --- I don't recall getting a report from overseas for at least 5 years. 20 years ago there were regular reports (several a season) from DXpeditions in Scandinavia and New Zealand along with scattered posts from South America and Western Europe. That's probably more than you expected (or wanted to know) about QSLs --- but I thought that as long as I was at it I might as well cover the entire spectrum. BTW --- I have a hunch that some of the guys might dispute my estimated percentages. I'd be interested to see their comments. It's a good possibility that some of the most persistent get better results (Tom Bryant / Nashville, ex-WSM, WTFDA via DXLD) ** U S A. More from the IBOC thread on NRC-AM: Enough with the lame examples... let's look at the big picture. Every time another station goes IBOC, it's like two new stations coming on the air... stations that play all noise, all the time, and never pause to take a breath. That can't be good for DXing, or for AM listening in general (Barry McLarnon, Ont., Dec 6) Well since October, WCHB (1200) 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, its going to be wall to wall white noise here. [someone undecipherable] Ya know, even if there wasn't this problem with the ****loads of slop, I would still say IBOC, and digital radio in general, is doomed to fail. There's just no compelling reason to junk your old radios. Why? To hear Howard Stern, the I-Man, or the motley crew of right-wing windbags in glorious digital fidelity? It's not a must-have technology that's on the point of going ballistic, like, say, AM broadcasting in 1922, television in 1948, or even the telegraph circa 1848. 73 (Mike Brooker Toronto, ON) Here's why Digital Radio will work: 1. Most radio listening is done in vehicles. 2. The entire fleet of vehicles pretty much turns over in 12 years 3. Since the car radio manufacturers are on board with IBOC, within 15 years, all meaningful radio listening will be digital.... Yes, there will still be some of us, that will have our analog radios, but we are not what advertisers are looking for. In the 70's car manufacturers screwed up and lost a good portion of the car audio business to aftermarket vendors because the factory radios were junk. They have really learned their lesson. The car radio I had in my 62 Ford had some of the best fidelity that I ever heard, but that was before NRSC II.... Today even on the cheapest car, a factory radio has a fairly good AM receiver in it. Albeit maybe a little narrow on the bandwidth, but nevertheless a good radio. Unlike AM stereo, this time the car radio folks are also on board. You will see IBOC radios on next year`s higher end models and within a 5 year period, all car radios will be IBOC. I do believe that a conscious decision has been made to scrap any distant audience the big boys may have in favor of the digital signal in their primary service area. And that means the associated interference that will go with it. Not what we as DX'ers want to hear, but I'm afraid that's what's going to happen. Personally, I believe it`s a good business decision. From a DX'ers point of view, it's a bad one. Just my $0.02 worth (Paul Smith, W4KNX, Located in Sunny Sarasota Florida http://www.amtower.com) Per Ibiquity's web site, the ONLY auto manufacturer committed to IBOC receivers in new cars is Ford. There are several aftermarket receiver manufacturers committed, but Ibiquity will need far more car manufacturers --- especially the Japanese --- before IBOC can really fly (Harry Helms AK6C, Ridegcrest, CA DM15) One correction: the US average is that about 28% of listening is done in cars. Even in long-commute LA, it is under 30%, and in cities with fewer cars like NY, or cities with very short commutes, it is far less. Your analysis of car usage is correct. Actually, at-home listening is first, followed by at-work, and then in-car. Last, with only a few percent, is "other" which means "beach" "Park" etc. Keep in mind that in LA, the average commute is around 45 minutes. That would be a total of 7 1/2 possible hours a week of listening; the average LA listener spends 21 hors a week listening to radio, so the in-car is just about a third of the potential listening. According to the Census, commute times in some markets are less than 20 minutes on the average... so the amount of in-car time in the commute is less. Of course, there is incidental car use, but most of us think that that listening never gets recorded as it is too "irregular." (David Gleason) That's exactly what ticks me off about IBOC - if they really are only interested in local listeners, then why do they have to take our precious MW band to do that - can't the FCC find them some VHF or UHF spectrum that they can use for this, and just leave our MW band alone? (Brian Leyton) As I gather more data for myself about this system, and how it came to pass, I can't find a lot of information about how this ITU and other treaties are affected. There's been some discussion here about the interference to Canadians. How about Mexico, Cuba, the Bahamas, the rest of the Caribbean when IBOC comes to fore in Puerto Rico and the USVI? Colombia, Venezuela, Central America, too, when propagation is right, and I'm sure the various agreements call for limitations on interference. Or have the members of the FCC gone aggressively arrogant about the treaties and agreements? What will they do when the digital hash gets across the ocean, and disturbs broadcast radio in the Azores, Canaries, north Africa, and western Europe? If that discussion happened, I certainly missed it, and apologize here for any redundancy. I'm sure IBOC will turn out to be a good thing for broadcasters in major markets, a so-so non-event for the rest of us here in flyover America. And when it's all said and done, I'll have an outstanding collection of memorabilia, and a clear story on how the hobby didn't die, but was killed by technology. Thanks, (Gerry Bishop) Remember, the radios coming out are AM & FM IBOC. Whether you care about AM, you will get AM IBOC as it is part of the total AM/FM IBOC package. There will be no AM only IBOC radios. My understanding is that the first quarter conversions in 2003 that are already licensed and committed to will cover just around 16% of the US population. By year end, IBOC markets will cover 40% of the population. It does not take many markets and many stations to get to around half the US population. And it only takes about 25% of the stations in any market to cover about 60% to 75% of the listening (Davvid Gleason) As I understand it, IBOC is not yet approved for nighttime operation. I'm assuming these recent nighttime test are to judge the interference levels of IBOC at night. I'll bet that listener complaints to affected stations right now, during these early tests, will carry more weight and might actually delay the speed of nighttime adoption. Complaints now will probably be more effective than the formal "FCC commentary" that some of us submitted some months back. And, as long as AM radio stations must turn off IBOC at sunset, my guess is they won't be in any rush to adopt it. It's a lot of expense for something they can't use in the evenings. So, send those emails and make those calls. But Brian, you're missing the bigger picture. You can also send other stuff over the IBOC digital signal. Imagine if every AM radio had a little area that displayed scrolling text or pictures. IBOC would allow you to send text or simple images to the radio for display. It opens up whole new avenues of advertising! Constantly refreshed billboards on your car dash - who wouldn't want that? (Rick Kenneally, CT) It can also store traffic reports in memory, print coupons on demand as you hear ads, provide instant weather, etc. The money in this kind of ancillary or on demand data is thought to be huge (David Gleason) We've all heard about recent attempts by various states and localities to ban cell phone use while driving on the grounds that it's distracting and unsafe. And you may have heard about California's recent interest in auto RDS receivers because the text displays are "distracting" and presumed dangerous. Now IBOC promises scrolling text and images in autos --- gosh heckamighty, not to mention print-in-car coupons, as some have assured us. Anyone want to bet that eventually some suits will be filed against Ibiquity because of accidents "caused" by a distracting IBOC radio display? Or maybe there will be attempts to regulate IBOC displays, at least until contributions are made to appropriate politicians? (I know I have Gray Davis's number around here somewhere. . . .) Calling all state legislators!! Calling all tort attorneys!! IBOC is coming!! If we can't DX, maybe we can become expert witnesses? (Harry Helms AK6C, Ridgecrest, CA DM15) The internet has proved once again that 'technology is cool' ... but the internet has made things like 'spam' possible. If the motivation behind ANY digitization of AM or FM or TV is another venue to bombard consumers with commercials, I - and I suspect about 99% of all consumers - are VERY MUCH against it! If, however, the 'little area' you describe is used for emergency information, that's a very good potential use of digital radio. I think the same could be accomplished through mobile phone technologies that are ALREADY digital however. I would hate like hell to 1) lose a hobby or 2) pay more for a radio just so advertisers could reach me via a new venue. I must be honest though and point out that I work for a USG broadcaster and so my 'revenue stream' comes almost entirely from Congress and my interests in all of this may be a bit skewed from those of you who actually work in the commercial broadcast industry. (Bill Whitacre, DC) Heh. Yeah, I'd probably enjoy that just about as much as I liked that text message on my cell phone from Cingular yesterday, telling me about the exciting offers I can get from their affiliates. If I don't want the messages, then all I have to do is reply with "No" in a text message. Now I've been working with computers, phone systems and other technology for oh, 20 years or so, and it took me a few minutes to figure out how to reply. How many people do you think were not able to figure out how to reply, or didn't bother? I'm sure my wife didn't... I suppose that if you look at IBOC as the poor man's XM, then maybe it makes some sense. But if we're not paying a subscription fee, then the money's got to come from somewhere. If the AM broadcasters aren't making enough money today, then just how do they think they're going to justify charging their advertisers more (to pay for the IBOC equipment and licensing fees)? I know your comment was tongue-in-cheek, but how long do you really think it will be before that becomes reality? Just look at any Major League ballpark today, and you can hardly see a square foot of vertical space that's not plastered with some message. I like to listen to KFI during drive-time, but have you ever listened to the Bill Handel show? In a given hour it's maybe 30 min. of news and talk, and another 30 minutes of commercials - if I'm exaggerating, the not by that much. This is probably one of the more successful stations in L.A. To be honest, if I were given a choice of scrolling ads on the screen of my car radio, or regular commercials, I'd take the scrolling ads any time - they're much easier to ignore. If IBOC is going to be successful, then they're going to have to figure out a way to milk it for more advertising $$. I think it's unlikely that they'll actually provide any truly interesting programming that's not available already elsewhere, so the money's going to have to come from somewhere else. Hey - here's a scary thought - does IBOC allow for addressable receivers? Maybe they're just planning on shutting down our radios if we don't pay subscription fees? I guess I'm just getting more & more cynical as I get older... (Brian Leyton) Take another look at the FCC report and order. IBOC AM has already been given the go-ahead for pre-sunrise and post-sunset operation. (Bruce Conti - Nashua NH) || Internally, we used to refer to IBOC as, "It's Beyond Our Comprehension." "It Beats Open Carrier" "Imbeciles Believe Our Claims" "I'm Betting On Conti" OK, we see how one acronym can summarize the three main positions on this thread! ;-) (Harry Helms AK6C, Ridgecrest, CA DM15) It Bleeds Over Channels It Bilks Only Consumers (Powell E. Way) It Barfs Out Coupons (Keith McGinnis) See? It's all about benefit TO the station. The station feels no obligation to serve those listeners who don't provide a direct revenue return. There no longer is any reason to even license these big stations since there is no interest on their part to provide the public service to those distant areas (over 50 miles). Just make them all local area coverage, since the model of Public Interest has been thrown out. Do I have it now? (Bob Foxworth, FL) There has been a big change in radio since the 60's. First, FM developed as a viable medium, and in larger cities doubled and tripled the number of voices. The FM table of allocations provided FM service in towns that never had radio before... Beulah, MI, Leland, MI, Kalkasca, MI are examples of towns outside the good coverage of the Traverse City AMs of the 60's thst got FMs. So rural areas started to have their own stations. Then, in the 70's, the FCC broke down the clears (in '64 or '65, they definitely turned down high power clears with up to 750 kw). That added lots of secondary stations on clears. Then, in the 80's, Docket 80-90 came into being, allowing well over a thousand new FMs, mostly in non-metro areas. The US no longer needed clears and large coverage stations on AM. Every crossroads got an FM or two. On the other hand, by the 80's we saw light dimmers, medical equipment, PCs and other devices that created vastly more ambient noise than ever before found on the AM band. Stations that could claim listeners out to the 2 mv/m contour found that the 5 mv/m contour was the limit... and then, in big cities, the 10 mv/m contour has become the practical threshold. Most top 100 market 5 kw stations don't put an adequate field strength over the metro survey area to compete. Many directional 50 kw stations don't, either. I have heard engineers claim that big cities like LA need even more power than currently licensed. In my experience, metro Buenos Aires is covered well by only one AM, Radio 10 at 710. That station is 100 kw into a 5/8 wave antenna, and it is directionalized by a parasitic 1/4 wave tower so that about 140 kw shoots over Buenos Aires. BA has many 50 kw stations. There are big areas where car reception is noisy, and inside buildings, impossible. It takes over 100 kw to serve this city due to man made noise on the AM band. It's unfortunate that the FCC originally created very low classes of stations and never anticipated urban growth. When I grew up in Cleveland in the 50's and 60's, there was only one AM that consistently covered the eastern suburbs, WKYC (Now WTAM). All the other stations had interference; the city has grown at least 20 miles farther east now and that leaves on single AM for day and night reception for perhaps 300,000 residents (David Gleason) From what I've been hearing and reading...WOR hasn`t received any complaints except from someone restoring an old radio and the masses here on the internet radio list. Seems god awful funny to me that the "average" listener hasn`t said anything...but of course maybe we haven`t been told about those people. What I hear is the same ol lines coming from the same ol people. Heck, the write up in this month`s Radio World was a rehash of what`s on WOR`s website and major attacks on us internet radio list folks. Needless to say, I wasn`t impressed with the write up just as I'm certainly far from impressed with IBOC. That`s a great idea, but one major problem. The FCC hasn`t made any official decisions on what and when AM broadcasters can do anything like this. All this hype with IBOC reminds me clearly of the AM stereo days --- about half of the plan has been put together, but without a concrete plan to fill in the other half. IBOC is destined to fail just like AM Stereo, but at a greater cost. You will probably get a reply, if you haven`t already, stating that the problem is with "-YOUR-" radio --- gotta love it when you send an interference complaint to some folks listening with a digital spectrum analyzer, with iBiquity stamped on the case, the great pocket sized portable IBOC receiver! ...LOL ...dump it in the trunk and keep on trucking...or is that dump it in the NYC harbor and say good riddance! Lol. Don`t hold your breath! ..12 to 15 years is a lot of time to get the newest and lastest digital crap craze to the general public. Compared to the number of analog receivers out today, and with what is on radio today, people aren`t going to be rushing out to buy the new digital radio to listen to someone cough, burp, pass gas and ramble on in your ear in digital artifacty sound. Most people are turned off for radio anyways and are listening to MP3, CD, cassette players in their cars or are busy yappin away on their cell phones. The means of delivering programming isn`t broke --- it`s the programming that needs fixing these days (Bob Carter, Operations/ Engineering, Max Media Radio Group, WGAI et al.) Dave continues: "The US no longer needed clears and large coverage stations on AM. Every crossroads got an FM or two." Crossroads that used to be able to support good local radio with good local advertisers, such as Denton, Gainesville, Sherman, Denison, Corsicana and McKinney, Texas, lost their FM and AM stations as they became Dallas/Fort Worth rimshot programmers. Even Wichita Falls lost two of its three AM'ers to Dallas-Fort Worth. (Well, three, if we go all the way back to 570's move.) The real rural crossroads, cities of license like Pilot Point, Sanger, Howe, Bowie, Decatur, Muenster all are cities of license for FM signals but the only time residents of the city of license hear the name of their town is at (or near) the top of the hour. An Ardmore, Oklahoma, rimshotter, licensed to Healdtown, Oklahoma, (population 2,786) is moving its city of license to Krum, Texas (population 1,979). When that move is made, a single, 2,000-foot tower closer to the Red River than to Dallas/Fort Worth will house stations licensed to Krum, Flower Mound, Azle and Muenster, Texas. (Look 'em up on your map.) Another Oklahoma station, KJON-850 in Anadarko, will soon become a Dallas-Fort Worth rim-shotter, city of license Carrollton, transmitter site between Celina and Prosper, a good 25 miles north of Carrollton. KJON will join seven AM and five FM stations already providing religious programming to the saints and sinners of the Metroplex. Another point by Dave: "On the other hand, by the 80's we saw light dimmers, medical equipment, PCs and other devices that created vastly more ambient noise than ever before found on the AM band. Stations that could claim listeners out to the 2 mv/m contour found that the 5 mv/m contour was the limit... and then, in big cities, the 10 mv/m contour has become the practical threshold." Congress over the years allowed the manufacturers of electrical and electronic items to subvert, submerge, subjugate, override and/or ignore limits on RF radiation from their well-advertised, consumer- gouging gadgets with planned obsolescence built in. In a way, AM broadcasters were victimized by corporate greed for many years as the ability of their signals to cover their markets was eroded. Wasn't it Lee DeForest who showed, back in the '30s, how beautifully FM could be programmed. Where might broadcasting be today if ... back when there were only 700 AM stations on the air in the U.S. ... a 200- channel FM band had been established? We can cry, moan, stamp our feet in disgust, label IBOC everything from panacea to Pandora's box and all points in between (as if we haven't already). If worst comes to worst, I still have hours of DX tapes from the '60s, '70s and '80s to process and I can tune below 530 kHz where, so far, there's been no attempt to digitize the airport marker beacons. For that matter, the programming is about as entertaining! I had intended to remain silent this particular IBOC cycle ... but if I had, I might lose my identity as (The Krumudgeon [John Callarman]) IBOC will screw up us broadcasters serving those communities along the edge of our primary coverage areas. Remember the majority of the American public does not live within most primary service areas of AM stations in this country. What about those people?...most I would be safe to say do not have a clue about IBOC or what it will do to there analog listening. Those are the people that need to have there voice in this...after all they are the working heart of this country....so yes whether you are a hobby DXer or just an average radio listener...every voice counts. Spread the word about what`s happening with radio. Educate your neighbors with regard to what you've heard from the test on the air, and then explain that if the local station 25 miles away goes digital --- it may wipe out the station they listen too 30 miles away. Not everyone is listening with a "spectrum analyzer" "receiver" with the name iBiquity stamped on the case of the receiver (Bob Carter) Check out the Slashdot site http://slashdot.org (news for nerds, stuff that matters) Scroll down near to the bottom of the main page for the story slugged "despicable conduct from Disney" (if you wait till tomorrow it will be in the old news section, after that you'll have to search for it). That's because the news rolls over that fast. Slashdot is a news/comment board with broad content, much of which is technology related. It seems the FCC is taking public comments until today on the Broadcast Flag issue, i. a. and a Disney Vice President, Phil Lelyveld, 48, has submitted comments to the FCC ---without mentioning his 'day job' – urging the Commission to ignore comments from an advocacy group, while inaccurately characterizing this group as "two dot.com millionaires". The story on Slashdot details this and then provides a lot of posted followup comments You may really want to do more research on how the entertainment industry, Disney, RIAA, MPAA et. al. are getting legislation through that severely restricts the right of consumers (you and me) in regard to fair use of broadcast media product. And this is one example, albeit a small one on it's own, of how underhanded techniques are used to fool or mislead regulatory agencies. When you dig around in the links (EFF is one) you'll discover what the Broadcast Flag is (disabled VCR copying for home use) along with other such things as, when digital TV appears (probably around 2006) it will be illegal to have an analog aux output; that such TV sets will be made tamper-proof and that it will be a Federal crime for the end user to modify such sets. This is all being for restriction of content access by consumers. Disney of course is at the forefront of such efforts to totally control media access and use by ordinary end- users; the VP referred to above is in this 'department'. Links to his Comment are in the article. How is this relevant to this list? This is all about Digital TV. And what, you ask innocently, has been Number One on this list for weeks? Ah yes it's Digital Radio. And Digital Radio provides ...ah yes...Content! For a related subject, look at http://www.2600.com 2600 magazine published on their web site a LINK to a site that provided source code for a DVD descrambler. Despite your thinking, as everyone did, that this is protected speech, the RIAA got a court in NY to convict them and get it shut down. The court documents are on that site. Never hurts to be informed about where YOUR rights are heading towards... (Bob Foxworth, Tampa, Florida; ALL: NRC-AM via DXLD) ** U S A. AMERICA`S FIRST FULL-TIME DIGITAL RADIO STATION USES OMNIA AUDIO PROCESSING The installation of an Omnia-6dab audio processor marked a historic event as Susquehanna Radio's WYGY-FM became the US`s first full-time IBOC (In Band, On Channel) digital radio station. After FCC approval of iBiquity Digital`s "HD Radio" format, WYGY acted quickly to install a new Omnia-6dab processor, the final link in their DAB airchain. WYGY staff completed installation of their Omnia-6dab in just 20 minutes (Dec AIB Newsletter via DXLD) WTFK? and even what`s the city, Kenneth? That would be 96.5 in Hamilton OH, per 9th edition M-Street Directory (gh, DXLD) ** U S A. GAO ISSUES REPORT ON DTV TRANSITION NAB TV TechCheck 12/9/02 (OCR from Press Release) On December 2, 2002 the Government Accounting Office (GAO) released a report titled, "Additional Federal Efforts Could Help Advance Digital Television Transition". The study was conducted at the request of Representative Edward Markey who asked the GAO to assess issues related to the DTV transition. The GAO examined seven issues in the study. They considered the implications of turning off NTSC in 2006, attempted to understand consumer adoption issues and to gauge consumers awareness of the DTV transition, looked at the role of cable and satellite carriage in the transition, assessed the availability of DTV programming, examined copy protection matters and reviewed issues related to DTV tuner mandates and other equipment issues. To understand the benefits and implications of turning off the analog broadcast signals, the GAO reviewed relevant studies, statutes, and FCC proceedings on the topic, and they spoke with officials at the FCC and the N-RA as well as officials in other counties that are going through a digital television transition. To understand consumer adoption of DTV, they analyzed data from the consumer electronics industry and other sources on DTV equipment sales and projected trends. To obtain anecdotal information on retail practices in marketing and selling DTV products, the GAO visited 23 retail consumer electronic stores that sell DTV equipment in several locations: Boston and Worcester, Massachusetts; Las Vegas, Nevada; Los Angeles, California; and the Virginia and Maryland suburbs of Washington, DC. During their visits, they posed as shoppers and asked sales staff a standard set of questions designed to gauge their knowledge of information that would be important to a potential consumer of DTV equipment. They also interviewed senior executives at the corporate offices of 4 consumer electronics retailers. In addition, to gauge consumer awareness and understanding of the DTV transition, the GAO commissioned a telephone survey regarding the DTV transition. The survey contained a set of 10 questions that asked respondents general questions about their television use (such as how they receive their television signal) and some questions specifically designed to gauge their knowledge and familiarity with the DTV transition. The questions were closed-ended, with response options read to the respondents. A total of 1,009 adults in the continental U.S. were interviewed between November 29 and December 2, 2001. In order to understand the status of DTV copy protection issues, they interviewed representatives of broadcast networks and television producers as well as representatives of consumer electronics manufacturers. They also spoke with representatives of trade associations and other organizations that are concerned about copy protection issues, including the Electronic Frontier Foundation. In addition, they reviewed relevant legislation and court proceedings. For DTV tuner mandate and other equipment issues, GAO spoke with representatives of four consumer electronics manufacturers, two industry standards organizations, three industry trade associations, and a consumer advocacy organization. They also toured the facility of a large DTV manufacturer. After considering all of the information gathered in the study, the GAO concluded that there are numerous factors impeding the progress of the DTV transition, making it unlikely that 85 percent of households will be able to receive DTV signals in many markets by December 2006. Some of those factors are: • Few consumers own digital television equipment. Only about I perr- ent of television equipment sold in 2001 could receive digital signals. This is largely because digital television sets and tuners are expensive and high definition programming is limited. • Many consumers are unaware of the DTV transition. The household survey found that 40 percent of respondents had never heard about the transition; only one in five were 'very aware' of it. In addition, the quality of information that consumers receive about DTV products at the retail level may be inconsistent. In visits to 23 DTV retailers, GAO found that sales staff sometimes provided inaccurate or incomplete information about DTV equipment and programming. • Cable and satellite digital carriage is limited. The great majority of American households receive their television via cable or satellite. However, cable carriage of local digital broadcast channels is very limited. Furthermore, satellite providers currently do not carry any markets' local digital broadcasts. A copy of the report can be found on the GAO's Web site at http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-03-7 (via Mike Terry, DXLD) ** U S A. BATTLE BREWING BETWEEN A RADIO GIANT AND WSVN-TV By Patrick Fraser http://www.wsvn.com/news/articles/local/S9562/ MIAMI -- At the center, a radio tower that is in bad need of repairs and could pose a danger to people in one South Florida community. They sat side by side for decades...a radio and tv station sharing a unique piece of property... Ed Ansin, President of WSVN-TV, says "this has always been perceived to be the most beautiful broadcasting facility in the country." The radio station was so proud WIOD stood for "Wonderful Isle Of Dreams"---- But today WIOD's towers have become North Bay Village's nightmare.. Irving Heller, Interim City Manager, says "According to what we are reading and seeing.....that thing can topple either immediately or in the very near future." The two towers transmit the radio stations signal across South Florida... One at 300 feet stands right over Channel 7 with three guy wires holding it in place... Over the last few months...it has begun to deteriorate---with a piece of the tower..falling off and hitting a car..... "We are very concerned about the situation...they are putting our building at risk...putting out employees at risk......the tower simply has to be maintained." Its not just the Channel Seven owner who has that opinion... WIOD's owner, Clearchannel, hired an engineering firm to inspect the towers- Their findings were stunning..... This photographic report says...... at the base of the tower by Channel Seven.. 'anchor bolts have rusted away on four of the six bolts'... Another picture reveals ..'tower base has heavy rust around the base'. The engineers found ...'the lighting system is heavily corroded and conduit and boxes are falling apart' Also 'lighting boxes are held together with tape and wire'... at the base of one of the wires holding the tower up... The inspector found 'main pin has heavy rust'... He wrote...'repairs to this need to be made ASAP'...... When the repairs were not made... Channel Seven filed suit to try and force Clear Channel to maintain the tower... "What Clear Channel is doing is grossly negligent...in many ways........" Clear Channel's Vice President David Ross would not appear in this report... Telling us quote...this is being handled in the courts and I respectfully decline to comment... But its clear why Clear Channel is not fixing the towers... They claim it could cost 200,000 dollars...money they don`t want to spend... The reason....they have moved their WIOD studio off the property, would like to move their towers and then sell their share of the island ...to a condo developer... At least that`s what they say in their own corporate e-mails... In this e-mail this summer to fellow Clear Channel employees David Ross wrote..... we need to fix whatever we can for low dollars...and feel that the tower can withstand a hurricane.... He then added ..if we move we forget about the 'fix' Ross did defend the safety of the towers telling Channel Seven's management...quote.....the towers are in excellent shape... But the next month he wrote Clear Channel staffers ...I am concerned about the existing tower..Channel Seven is right below this tower...if this baby goes over...we're finished..... Frustrating for Ed Ansin to read He says, "you have to walk under that tower to get to work every day....and we're sitting in this room as is everybody else in this building.....and a storm comes up and we're at risk....." Now worried the tower could collapse .. The city has stepped in..... North Bay Village hired an engineering firm to inspect the tower..... Alan Dorn, Mayor, North Bay Village, says "We'll do whatever is necessary to get their attention....our primary concern is life and safety......to make sure nobody gets injured or worse.." Its possible...if Clear Channel won't fix the WIOD tower...it could be condemned and torn down... And if a piece falls and hurts someone...Clear Channel could face criminal charges... Meantime drivers pass by ...employees walk by what`s becoming a tower of trouble... (via Mike Terry, DXLD) I fervently wish people would eliminate all these dots from their writing styles! They just lean on the period key at the end of every phrase, so they don`t have to think about any real punxuation. Above story has so many that I am not going to take the trouble to replace them by dash, comma, semicolon or period as conventional style would require. Three dots are supposed to mean something was omitted, nothing else (gh, DXLD) ** U S A. 2480 (2 x 1240) WGVA Geneva NY; 2242-47+, 6-Dec; "12-40 WGVA Geneva and 14-90...", "Finger Lakes Forecast", "Finger Lakes News Network", SIO=3+53-/QSB fair to zilch. Heard same time next day (Harold Frodge, Brighton, MI, MARE DXpedition, Drake R8B + 1000' NE- ish unterminated bev + 65' TTFDFV, via Cumbre DX via DXLD) This is a perennial harmonic, reported for years ** U S A. LUBAVITCHER RADIO (presumed): 1710, 0023-30+, 8-Dec [UT Sun after Sabbath]; M&W in Hebrew and instrumental music. Poor with occasional peak (Harold Frodge, Brighton, MI, MARE DXpedition, Drake R8B + 1000' NE-ish unterminated bev + 65' TTFDFV, via Cumbre DX via DXLD) ** VENEZUELA, PRESIDENT'S SUPPORTERS SURROUND SEVERAL TV STATIONS | Text of report in English by Venezuelan pro-government VENews web site on 10 December 10 December: An amazing sight: Thousands of people have surrounded the headquarters of five commercial television stations (RCTV, Globovisión, TVS, Meridiano TV, Venevision) and are treating them to one hell of a cazerolazo (pot-banging). They are shouting 'medios golpistas!' (putschist media) and 'terroristas!' The channels have stopped (probably only briefly) broadcasting anti governmental propaganda and are at last giving some pro governmental demonstrations some coverage. The television commentators keep reminding their audience of the grave threat to their lives and their profession. The OAS secretary general, César Gaviria, who is here to 'mediate' negotiations between the government and the opposition, just made a declaration in which he condemns these "assaults on press freedom" (this phone declaration is being broadcast over and over by the TV stations that are surrounded by demonstrators). But these declarations somehow fall flat when you see the images of the demonstrators: many women, old men (banging away impressively for their age), very ordinary looking citizens, many still in their work clothes - no sticks, no guns, no people trying to climb over the fences and walls of the establishments. Just peaceful groups of citizens saying: we've had enough, how about showing a little bit of us now instead of always showing rich folks demonstrating in the east of Caracas and instead of trying by any means possible to make your audiences think that this government is undemocratic, dictatorial, and 'Castro-communist.' These people are of course being depicted as mobs of uneducated, bloodthirsty Chavistas that dream of savagely attacking journalists. On previous nights the well-bred eastern 'caraqueños' were doing their own pot-banging in front of Channel 8, the state-run television station that broadcasts 'Aló Presidente,' Chávez's weekly radio/TV show. This received no coverage from the commercial media and provoked no comments from César Gaviria. Source: VENews web site in English 10 Dec 02 (via BBCM via DXLD) CHAVISTAS ATACAN MEDIOS Los actos de violencia se suceden casi a diario en Caracas. Cientos de seguidores del presidente de Venezuela, Hugo Chávez, atacaron las instalaciones de varios medios de comunicación ubicados en Caracas, la capital del país. La manifestación se realizó frente a las instalaciones de Radio Caracas Televisión, Venevisión, TVS Maracay y Globovisión, entre otros medios. La huelga general fue extendida a su noveno día. El secretario general de la Organización de Estados Americanos (OEA), César Gaviria manifestó su rechazo a las acciones y dijo que ellas "ponen en grave riesgo la libertad de expresión en Venezuela". Los directivos de los medios de comunicación rechazaron la violencia e hicieron un llamado a la oposición para que mantengan la calma y permanezcan en sus hogares. "Guerra psicológica" El corresponsal de la BBC en Venezuela, Carlos Chirinos dijo que desde hace varios días Chávez ha insistido en que los medios de comunicación privados mantienen una guerra psicológica contra su gobierno. "El presidente ha insistido en que los medio tratan de deformar la verdad en apoyo a este paro cívico y como parte de un supuesto complot golpista", expresó Chirinos. La oposición ha solicitado al gobierno que proteja las instalaciones y respete a los comunicadores y las personas que ahí se encuentran (BBC Mundo.com 10/12/2002 via Jorge García, DXLD) "CHAVISTAS" RODEAN MEDIOS DE COMUNICACIÓN VENEZUELA, SIGUE PARO. Por Silene Ramírez CARACAS (Reuters) - Cientos de "chavistas" rodearon las sedes de los principales canales de televisión privados de Venezuela el martes mientras el gobierno del presidente Hugo Chávez denunció un plan para derrocarlo, intensificando las tensiones en el noveno día de un paro general opositor. Con la vital industria petrolera y gasífera parcialmente paralizada, los bancos trabajando a media máquina, la mayoría de colegios sin clases y muchos comercios e industrias cerrados, la oposición ha incrementado progresivamente --desde que inició el paro el 2 de diciembre-- la presión para que Chávez renuncie y convoque a elecciones anticipadas. Pero el mandatario del quinto exportador mundial de crudos se niega aceptar las demandas de sus enemigos, mientras algunos representantes de su gobierno tratan de buscar un acuerdo electoral con la oposición en una "mesa de negociación" auspiciada por la Organización de Estados Americanos (OEA). En medio de la inquietud política, un grupo de seguidores de Chávez tomó el canal TVS de Maracay --ciudad central del país-- en la noche del lunes, mientras otros miles llegaron en bandada y casi simultáneamente a los canales de la capital Radio Caracas de Televisión, Globovisión, Venevisión y Televen y a otros del interior de Venezuela. Las pantallas de la televisión, la mayoría controladas por opositores, son los principales campos de batalla de la lucha verbal y a veces violenta desatada en el país, altamente dividido social y políticamente. "¡Golpistas, digan la verdad!", gritaban los chavistas, que en la madrugada del martes seguían en los canales. LIBERTAD DE EXPRESION EN RIESGO Mientras sucedían los hechos, un grupo de dueños de medios de difusión estaba reunido con el secretario general de la OEA, César Gaviria, quien actúa como facilitador de las negociaciones que, aún sin éxito, buscan una salida electoral a la crisis. Gaviria expresó su preocupación por "las acciones intimidatorias" y su "enérgica condena a tales actos que ponen en grave riesgo la libertad de expresión en Venezuela". Pero el gobierno justificó las acciones de sus seguidores para defender la democracia, como lo hicieron en abril cuando en medio de manifestaciones que pedían su regreso, tropas leales restituyeron al mandatario en el poder, 48 horas después de haber sido depuesto por un grupo de civiles y militares. "Cientos de chavistas" se agolparon a las puertas de ... Radio Caracas Televisión y Globovisión en protesta ante la actitud golpista, la censura y la campaña de terrorismo a la que están sumados los medios de Venezuela", dijo el martes un comunicado del palacio presidencial de Miraflores. Al llamado "urgente, urgente, golpe de Estado en Venezuela", el comunicado denunció que los "medios golpistas" iban a difundir un vídeo sobre un pronunciamiento militar dentro de un plan que preveía sacar del aire a los estatales Venezolana de Televisión y Radio Nacional de Venezuela. "Se sospecha de un plan comando de asalto (paramilitares) en contra del Palacio de Miraflores", dijo. La oposición acusa a Chávez, un teniente coronel retirado con casi cuatro años de mandato, de haber sembrado el odio y una división de clases en la nación de 23 millones de habitantes, con su discurso de corte izquierdista y de confrontación hacia los medios y los sectores que lo adversan. Esa es una de las razones por las que justifican el paro, que dicen también está dirigido a acabar con un gobierno corrupto, de tendencias autoritarias y dictatoriales y culpable de la aguda recesión económica y el alto desempleo en el país. MAS ADHESIONES AL PARO Chávez ha calificado el paro de un "fracaso" y ser parte de una conspiración en su contra, con el apoyo de los medios, que en su mayoría han apoyado el paro cambiando su programación regular y sin transmitir cuñas. Para contrarrestar el paro, Chávez ordenó desde el lunes la toma militar de los centros de distribución de combustibles, cuyos trabajadores se sumaron a la huelga comprometiendo el suministro doméstico de gasolina. Además de las compras nerviosas de combustible, que también se han observado en algunos expendios de alimentos, el gobierno, con la ayuda de las tropas, logró despachar gasolina hacia algunas zonas del país que estaban desabastecidas. En otra acción militar, el fin de semana ordenó la toma de un buque cistena, cuya tripulación se sumó al paro generando una reacción en cadena en otros barcos, trabajadores en los puertos y empleados administrativos de la estatal Petróleos de Venezuela (PDVSA), paralizando desde hace una semana los embarques de crudo del país hacia el exterior. En vista de que el crudo venezolano se mantiene en tanques de almacenamiento que están llegando a su tope, PDVSA se vio obligada a recortar en más del 50 por ciento de su producción --que en noviembre fue de 3,1 millones de barriles diarios-- y a reducir al mínimo sus actividades de refinación. Las ventas de crudo de Venezuela al exterior representan el 80 por ciento de sus ingresos por exportaciones y más del 50 por ciento de su presupuesto de ingresos. Los líderes empresariales, sindicales y políticos opositores no dieron señales de levantar el paro y más bien el lunes se vieron fortalecidos al sumarse los trabajadores de las principales plantas de producción de gas de PDVSA, lo que amenaza con afectar a las industrias básicas del país. También anunciaron su adhesión los bancos, los pilotos de la principal aerolínea de Venezuela y algunos transportistas. REUTERS SR WSQ/ (via Jorge García, Dec 10, DXLD) ** VIETNAM [non]. 5905, Voice of Vietnam (relay?); 0107-15+, 8-Dec; M&W news to 0110 then feature on Ho Chi Minh City Communist Congress. 0113:45 Review of developments in VN this week. All in EE. SIO=423- (Harold Frodge, Brighton, MI, MARE DXpedition, Drake R8B + 1000' NE- ish unterminated bev + 65' TTFDFV, via Cumbre DX via DXLD) Likely originating from 6175 Sackville, mixing with another Sackville relay at 0100-0145, DW in English on 6040, halfway between (gh) ** VIRGIN ISLANDS US. 1620, 6,7,8.12. 0230- WDHP, Frederiksted, VI. Most nights the only signal across the Atlantic; one night, 7.12 at 0210, Dr. Gene Scott, Anguilla was also heard on 1610. Maakeski DX pedition #25: Listeners: Pauli Holm, Jari Lehtinen ja Juha-Matti Rantanen in Maakeski, Padasjoki, Finland 5-8.12.2002. Receivers: 2 x Yaesu FRG-100 & FRG-7700. Antennas: 500 m 300 o, 400 m 60 o, 400 m 45 o, several 100 metres long wires. 73's (Jari Lehtinen, Maakeski DXpedition, Finland, hard-core-dx via DXLD) UNIDENTIFIED. UNKNOWNIA: 4400.5, 0350-0401+, 7-Dec; M&W in Arabic-like language. Male commentary to 0357 somber instrumental music. 0358:50 M&W alternating with music bumpers. Slight het at 0500 but no audio. SIO=2+52 (Harold Frodge, Brighton, MI, MARE DXpedition, Drake R8B + 1000' NE-ish unterminated bev + 65' TTFDFV, via Cumbre DX via DXLD) See KURDISTAN [non] above! UNIDENTIFIED. 5009.8, 1123-1210+, 8-Dec; M&W in Spanish with wide variety of music; Xmas, rock, tropical and campesino. Mentioned campesinos couple of times. Religiious program after 1200. SIO=333/ute QRM. R. Cristal this time of day? (Harold Frodge, Brighton, MI, MARE DXpedition, Drake R8B + 1000' NE-ish unterminated bev + 65' TTFDFV, via Cumbre DX via DXLD) More like HONDURAS UNIDENTIFIED. In the night from December 9th at 0303 UT I`ve heard at 5796 kHz an UNID station only with instrumental Andes-Music. SINPO was here in Karlsruhe (south west of Germany) 2 4 3 3 2. Fade out was 0337. Have any one an idea? RX was AOR AR7030 / 20 mtr. longwire with MLB. Best 73 and 55 (Willi Stengel, hard-core-dx via DXLD) ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ DRM +++ I just had an opportunity to check out the current DRM tests, at least the ones from Sines and Jülich. The Sines tests on 15440 contains the English program of Deutsche Welle, altogether with an audio delay of 9 (nine) seconds compared with 6140. They used a bitrate of only 14.5 kbit/s, consequently the audio quality was quite poor with lots of artifacts especially on speech. Repeatedly reception disruptions occured despite although the signal was quite strong (50 db/µV or, if you prefer that, S 9 +20 db). Jülich transmits on 5975 a Fraunhofer test programme with 17.8 kbit/s audio and in addition 3.1 kbit/s data, the advertised "multimedia", in fact logos and other graphics. The audio quality was somewhat better than on the Sines test but still not satisfying. There were severe reception disruptions, exceeding 30 % percent of the time (signal strength: 40 db/µV). To summarize the findings of this listening session: The audio bitrate was noticeably lower than the one on the well-known DRM audio samples. Of course the audio quality with only 14.5 kbit/s is far from being "almost FM quality", and despite the use of this robust mode (at least the available white papers would suggest that this was in fact an especially robust mode) the reception was spoiled by drop-outs a real- world listener would hardly accept. And 5975 was from a real-world point of view a complete failure. Perhaps the PC decoding is to blame for the poor reception stability. But the bitrates are a parameter of the transmissions. Is it worth the trouble to replace the noise on AM signals with the cacophony of artifacts from audio encoding with less than 20 kbit/s? (Kai Ludwig, Germany, Dec 9, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Response to Andy Sennitt's comments in DXLD 2-193: In DXLD 2-193 Andy Sennitt wrote: "As for broadcasting 'smut', that's a rather cheap shot....`` It was not my intent to imply that major public broadcasters in Europe or elsewhere would broadcast offensive pictures via digital shortwave technology. I apologize to Andy and anyone else I have offended for giving that impression. All the internet and pay TV channels I know of which broadcast such material are driven by commercial profit motivation. Given that many commercial stations in the United States are not at all shy about renting their facilities for propagation of hate messages cloaked in a fog of biblical legitimacy, I do not find it very far fetched to assume they will also figure out a way to profit by renting their facilities to visual porn purveyors. Scrambling techniques would be used to keep the transmissions legal and receivable only by paying customers just as they are today via satellite transmission. ~*-.,_,.-*~'^'~*-.,_,.-*~'^'~*-., (Joe Buch, Dec 10, DX LISTENING DIGEST) -*~'^'~*-.,_,.-*~'^'~*-.,_,.-*~'^ DRM PATENT POOL SOLICITATION Story Filed: Wednesday, December 04, 2002 8:30 PM EST SAN FRANCISCO, Dec 4, 2002 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- At the request of the Digital Radio Mondiale(TM) (DRM(TM)) Consortium, Via Licensing Corporation is pleased to issue the following call for essential patents reading on the DRM Audio standard: Digital Radio Mondiale is a new, worldwide specification for over-the-air broadcasting. With near-FM quality sound that offers a dramatic improvement over analog AM, DRM promises to revitalize the AM broadcasting bands below 30 MHz in markets worldwide. DRM is the world's only nonproprietary, digital system for short-wave, medium-wave, and long-wave radio with the ability to use existing frequencies and bandwidth across the globe. DRM has been endorsed by the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC), which published its DRM Publicly Available Specification (PAS 62272-1) earlier this year. DRM has also received the endorsement of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), which last month approved a recommendation (BS1514-1) of the DRM system for all broadcasting bands within the frequency range of 150 kHz to 30 MHz. The DRM system is expected to launch at the World Radiocommunication Conference, which convenes from June 9 to July 4, 2003, in Geneva, Switzerland. The European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI) has published a technical specification of the DRM system. This document is called ETSI ES 201 980, Digital Radio Mondiale (DRM); System Specification. A copy of this specification is available for free download at the ETSI website at http://www.etsi.org (Search for "DRM.") Any company that believes it has patents essential to the DRM Audio standard, and wishing to participate in the DRM Audio patent pool, is invited to submit its patents and supporting documents to the patent evaluator, identified below, along with the evaluation fee and a statement confirming its agreement with the objective of this process. -- The objective of this process is to establish a pool of worldwide patents essential to the practice of the DRM audio standard in order to provide all DRM users with fair, reasonable, nondiscriminatory access to this technology under one license. -- Essential patents will consist of those that are necessary for compliance with the DRM Audio specification. -- An independent expert ("evaluator") will evaluate the patents for essentiality to the DRM Audio standard. For each patent submitted, an evaluation fee of US $6,500 shall be paid to the evaluator. -- The evaluator will notify each company deemed to have an essential patent. The submitting company will be invited to contact the evaluation administrator in order to participate in upcoming meetings of the essential patent holders. -- The evaluation administrator is charged with publicizing the patent submission process and convening meetings of the essential patent holders. Evaluation Administrator: Via Licensing Corporation 999 Brannan Street San Francisco, CA 94103 Phone: (415) 645-4777 Fax: (415) 645-4400 Email: DRM.Audio@vialicensing.com Evaluator: Mr. Gaetan Prince Brouillette Kosie Prince 1100 Rene-Levesque Boulevard West, 25th floor Montreal (Quebec) Canada H3B 5C9 Phone: (514) 397-6725 Fax: (514) 397-8515 Email: gp@bcf.ca (via Kim Elliott, DXLD) PUBLICATIONS ++++++++++++ DX RECORDINGS FROM THE 1960S AND 70S Hello If you have ever wondered, what did the DX stations sound like some 40 or 30 years ago, here is your chance: http://www.sci.fi/~pst/dx/mp3/listen.html On that page I have uploaded short MP3 recording of some 80 stations which I listened to in the 1960'es and 1970's. Most are from Latin America, but you have also quite many from the South East Asia and Western Pacific. There is, for example, Dili from Portugese Timor (1973) and Radio Gelora Surabaya, to name a few. The Latins are not so extraordinary, but I still get good vibrations from listening to some of the oldies, Radio Tawantinsyo (1964), or La Voz del Minero, Llallagua (1964); or XERH Radio Tricolor (1970). Now, it's your turn: what do you think of this kind of sound pollution? 73 Pentti Stenmann, Finland, hard-core-dx via DXLD) ###