DX LISTENING DIGEST 3-070, April 20, 2003 edited by Glenn Hauser, ghauser@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 later at http://www.worldofradio.com/dxldtd3d.html HTML version of late March issues: http://www.worldofradio.com/dxldtd3c.html For restrixions and searchable 2003 contents archive see http://www.worldofradio.com/dxldmid.html NOTE: If you are a regular reader of DXLD, and a source of DX news but have not been sending it directly to us, please consider yourself obligated to do so. Thanks, Glenn NEXT AIRINGS OF WORLD OF RADIO 1178: RFPI: Mon 0030, 0700, 1300, Wed 0100, 0730, 1330 on 7445 WBCQ: Mon 0445 on 7415 WJIE: M-F 0730 on 7445 and/or 13595 [unconfirmed] WWCR: Wed 0930 9475 WRN ONDEMAND http://new.wrn.org/listeners/stations/station.php?StationID=24 OUR ONDEMAND AUDIO: Check http://www.worldofradio.com/audiomid.html [Low] (Download) http://www.k4cc.net/wor1178.rm (Stream) http://www.k4cc.net/wor1178.ram [High] (Download) http://www.k4cc.net/wor1178h.rm (Stream) http://www.k4cc.net/wor1178h.ram (Summary) http://www.worldofradio.com/wor1178.html ** ALASKA. KNOM NOME, WINS THIRD CRYSTAL FROM NAB Nome, Alaska, Apr 14 (special) --- Catholic station KNOM-AM/FM has won a 2003 Crystal Award for Excellence in Community Service from the National Association of Broadcasters. According to NAB, the Crystal honors radio stations ``for their dedication to providing responsive, individual service to the cities, counties and towns they serve... stations whose commitment to community service is clear and substantial.`` Ten stations are honored with Crystals each year, since the award`s inception in 1987. KNOM previously won Crystals in 1987 and 2000. An official number was not available, but it was believed that more than 1,200 U.S. radio stations had applied to receive the award. In brief remarks before an audience of 1,500 broadcast executives gathered for the trade association`s annual radio luncheon in Las Vegas April 8th, KNOM general manager Tom Busch accepted the Crystal, crediting ``a wonderful staff and the many thousands of contributors who make our work possible.`` The remote station is funded entirely by donations by individuals, most of whom live in the ``Lower 48.`` To illustrate KNOM`s distant location, Busch notes that ``the closest town to us with a population as large as 5,000 is 264 miles away. And it`s located in Russia.`` On hand for the ceremony were KNOM program director Ric Schmidt, engineer Les Brown, and Busch`s wife Florence, who is business manager. The station programs to isolated Eskimo villages, scattered across 150,000 square miles of wilderness in western Alaska, as well as into the Russian Far East. Since it signed on the air in 1971, no survey has ever given KNOM less than a 90% share of area listeners. Although two or more signals are available throughout the region, a 2001 survey by Eastlan and Associates pegged KNOM listenership in some villages at 100%. The average listener is located about 175 miles from the transmitter. Some live over 800 miles away. While the station broadcasts daily Rosary, the Mass and other strictly Catholic programming for its remote listeners, to attract this enormous audience, including the unchurched and families in trouble, KNOM`s programming is a blend of news (24%), religion (18%), public service (11%), educational (10%), weather (9%) and cultural programming (6%), wrapped within a format of popular, deejayed music. In this far-flung region, 500 miles from the nearest highway, poverty, domestic violence, child sexual abuse, drug and inhalant abuse and alcoholism, suicide and diseases such as hepatitis and tuberculosis are accepted parts of everyday life, at levels two to ten times greater than United States averages. Part of the station`s response to these problems are the broadcast of 34,000 inspirational and 34,000 educational spot announcements each year, plus approximately 500 hours of locally-produced educational and public service programming each year. KNOM`s front office shelves and walls display over 70 awards that have been presented to the station, including ten Gabriel ``Radio Station of the Year`` Awards from the Catholic Academy of Communications Arts Professionals. General manager Busch is the only North American who has been awarded Catholic Unda-World`s Agnellus Andrew Award (1998) and was inducted into the Alaska Broadcasters Association`s Hall of Fame in 1997. Established by Rev. Jim Poole, SJ in 1971, KNOM is the oldest Catholic radio station in the United States. KNOM-AM broadcasts with 25,000 Watts on 780 AM; built in 1993, KNOM-FM simulcasts to the tiny community of Nome in high fidelity stereo with 88 Watts. During March`s brief FCC window for translator applications, the station applied for booster transmitters in 13 villages where the signal is diminished due to shadowing by mountains. It is owned by the missionary Catholic Diocese of Fairbanks (Mike Dorner, Catholic Radio Update Apr 21 via DXLD) ** ANTARCTICA. Ferner ist hier gerade (2030) auf 15476.11 die Antarktisstation mit Popmusik und spanischen Ansagen gut zu hoeren (Thomas Lindenthal-D, A-DX April 17 via BC-DX via DXLD) ** BAHRAIN. 9745, 2210-2305 17.04.2003, Radio Bahrain, Arabisch, internationale wirtschaftsberichte, boersenkurse (?), 2233 berichte (british, hussein, financial times, the independent), arab musik, 2300 ts, nx headlines, 2303 klare ID, 33433, QRM: HCJB co-channel. (Guenter Lorenz-D, at Pavia/Italy, A-DX Apr 18 via BC-DX via DXLD) No signal from Bahrain could be traced here on April 18, but HCJB in Quichua like 2130-0000, 9745 100 155 S America, and English at 0000 UT could be traced also (Wolfgang Bueschel, Germany, DX LISTENING DIGEST) R. Bahrain seems to be active both on 6010 and 9745 with Arabic programming. Suppressed LSB. 73, (Mauno Ritola, Finland, April 21, SWBC via DXLD) no time ** BRAZIL. 4895, 10.4 0427, Nova Rádio Baré med annonsering om "nova programação" och "onda tropical", tydligen nystart på kortvåg med separat program. Trevligt. Hoppas det varar! 2 (Christer Brunström, Sweden, SW Bulletin via DXLD) ** CANADA. CRTC has approved four new radio stations for Toronto. Please see: http://www.crtc.gc.ca/eng/NEWS/RELEASES/2003/r030417.htm (Ricky Leong, DX LISTENING DIGEST) CATHOLIC HISPANIC COMMUNITY CENTER WINS TORONTO 1610 AM FREQUENCY Ottawa, Apr 18 (CRU) --- The Canadian Radio-Television Commission (CRTC) awarded a license for an expanded band AM station today to Father Hernán Astudillo on behalf of an Hispanic community center to be incorporated as the San Lorenzo Latin American Community Centre. The new 1,000-watt fulltime station on 1610 AM is one of four new stations authorized by CRTC today in a public notice. Sixteen competing applications had been filed for five AM and FM frequencies. Failing in its bid was the Catholic Youth Studio–KSM, Inc., which sought to broadcast Catholic programming on a vacant FM frequency (see Catholic Radio Update #204, December 9, 2002). The station will broadcast 18 hours a day and 75% of its programming will be ethnic. San Lorenzo plans to broadcast primarily in Spanish, but will also air programs in Italian, Portuguese, and Tagalog (the language of the Philippines), as well as some programs in Canada`s two national languages, English and French. San Lorenzo will devote 60% of its programming to one language, Spanish. As the CRTC notes, this is the first time it has authorized an ethnic station that will broadcast principally in one minority language, but it feels that the growing Hispanic population of Toronto warrants the unprecedented authorization. ``The Commission considers that, given the real and anticipated growth within the GTA`s Spanish-speaking communities, it is in the public interest to license an additional radio station that concentrates on providing programming in Spanish.`` it said. The CRTC, in making its decision singling out the ethnic proposals of San Lorenzo, wrote, ``In support of its plans to target its programming primarily to the Spanish-speaking community, San Lorenzo argued that Spanish is among the top five languages spoken in the GTA [Greater Toronto Area --ed.]. It also noted that the Spanish-speaking community in the city has origins in some 20 countries including Mexico, Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Panama, Cuba, Haiti, the Dominican Republic, Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, Chile, Argentina, Uruguay, Paraguay and Spain as well as the commonwealth of Puerto Rico. The applicant claimed that the Spanish-speaking community is currently the least served of all the major cultural groups in Toronto and supported its claim by citing CRTC data indicating that, in 2001, the city`s Spanish- speaking listeners received only 18.3 hours of Spanish-language radio programming in each broadcast week.`` The move is unprecedented. Previously, CRTC would not authorize a station that broadcasts in only one minority language because, it says, there are not enough frequencies to go around to do the same for every ethnic group. While San Lorenzo will broadcast principally in Spanish, it stated in its application that Italian, Portuguese, and Tagalog listeners will be able to listen to six weekly hours of programs in their own languages. ``The applicant explained that it had decided to also target programming to the Italian, Portuguese and Filipino cultural groups because they are active participants in its community centre. Further, it noted that the Filipino community has cultural and historical ties with Latin America and that the Portuguese-speaking community has ties with South America, particularly Brazil.`` ``An essential component of San Lorenzo`s programming plans is its commitment that at least 90% of the programs aired in each broadcast week will be local. The applicant stated that the spoken word programming will include newscasts with a strong emphasis on local stories, sports, panel discussions, open-line programming and current affairs programs covering issues such as immigration, finances, housing and health. The station will also broadcast programs featuring festivals and musical events,`` the CRTC wrote in its decision. The San Lorenzo station, although not explicitly Catholic, will offer these programs in an atmosphere suffused with the Catholic culture of the lands of its listeners. A great amount of broadcast time will be devoted to the arts of the Hispanics, Italians, Portuguese, and Filipinos. San Lorenzo stated in its application that it will offer ``opportunities for everyone who wants to disseminate their musical, artistic or acting performances and contribute to the promotion of cultural activities among all members of the community with creative interests.`` Most of the music aired on the station will be performed by local musicians and will include live, in-studio music, the CRTC said. Each Saturday, the station will broadcast a talent show featuring literary and musical talent as well as ``anything that can be expressed through radio.`` In addition to programs in Spanish, Portuguese, Italian, and Tagalog, the station will broadcast ``ethnic programs in English and French targeting the four cultural groups to be served. The applicant considered that offering ethnic programs in each of Canada`s official languages would foster integration of these cultural groups into the larger Canadian society,`` CRTC said. Volunteers will be trained and make up 95% of the staff of the San Lorenzo station. A board of directors will be formed to oversee the operation and guarantee that the ethnic stipulations in its terms of license are honored. In its application, San Lorenzo said that board membership will be open to everyone interested in seeking it, not just to Hispanics. (Mike Dorner, Catholic Radio Update Apr 21 via DXLD) ** COLOMBIA. On the frequency 6035 kHz our member TBV/ Tore B. Vik in Norway heard a station closing down at 2300 UT with the Ecuadorian National Anthem. BM: "I have checked the frequency at various times but only managed to hear LV del Guaviare in Colombia. During "Copa de los Libertadores de América" I know that Radio Quito (Ecuador), RCN (Colombia) and Radio Atlântica (Brazil) cooperated with football reports. For instance a few days ago I heard Radio Quito relaying a genuine Brazilian report from Radio Atlántica!". Football and National Anthems stick together (Björn Malm, Quito, Ecuador, April 18 2003, SW Bulletin, Translated by SWB editor Thomas Nilsson for DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** CUBA. Hello amigos: The A03 schedule from Radio Havana Cuba has brought a new morning broadcast frequency for our Spanish program "Despertar con Cuba" (Wake up with Cuba). It is 9820 kHz, starts at 1100 UT until 1400. For those of you wanting to practice Spanish, this is an ideal source, as the program is a magazine show, at a moderate pace, that is easy to understand (not the typical rapid fire Spanish spoken in the streets here in Cuba !!! ) Reports are appreciated !!! We are now also broadcasting again in English and French using 11760 kHz during our local afternoon hours. I am sure that many of you will be able to pick up RHC's English and French on 11760 kHz too. 73 and DX (Arnie Coro, CO2KK, Host of Dxers Unlimited, Radio Havana Cuba, Apr 16, inforhc@etecsa.cu ODXA via DXLD) Typically vague. Guess he means English at 2030-2130, which had been on 11670 on and off previously (gh, DXLD) ** DENMARK. According to the DR News today Kalundborg LW transmitter 243 kHz is out of order due to antenna problems (Ydun Ritz, 20/4- 2003, Ydun`s MW[non] news via DXLD) [and non]. Expected to be back in operation sometime by tomorrow. So, at the moment the only station on this frequency is the Turkish transmitter in Erzurum (200 kW). Schedule: 0355-1600 - TRT Erzurum Radyo (regional?!) 1600-2305 - TRT-4 (Jens Soendergaard, Randers, DENMARK, hard-core-dx via DXLD) ** ECUADOR. Just in: HCJB will cancel English to Europe and North America on May 31. In future the emphasis will be on programming in Spanish, Portuguese and Quechua for Latin America. Hmm, and what will happen with the other European services? (Kai Ludwig, Germany, April 19, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Viz.: ---Ursprüngliche Nachricht--- From: "Erich Bergmann" To: adx@elitas.com Subject: [A-DX] HCJB reduziert Englisch-Programme Hallo, wie heute morgen in der "DX Party Line" bekannt gegeben wurde wird am 31. Mai HCJB Quito u.a. die Englisch Programme für Europa und Nordamerika eingestellt. Dazu gehört auch die Einstellung der "DX Party-Line". Damit geht ein weiteres bekanntes und seit langem bestehendes DX Programm flöten. HCJB Quito wird sich in Zukunft dann auf Programme in Spanisch, Portugiesisch und Quecha für Lateinamerika konzentrieren. Frohe Ostern wünscht (Erich Bergmann, Ansbach -- Diese Mail wurde ueber die A-DX Mailing-Liste gesendet, via Ludwig, DXLD) I guess you have already heard but HCJB is essentially shutting down English service out of Quito May 31st. I got the details from Ham Radio Today and DX Partyline. It was also mentioned on Saludos Amigos (Wm. "Bill" Brady, Harwood MD, DX LISTENING DIGEST) What a bombshell! Must listen to DXPL on the air as no telling when they will get it up in the audio archive [see below]. Funding must really be tight at the WRMF, to take such a drastic measure --- and cut off what presumably was their main source of funding, North America --- tho we have long suspected that their church-based donors don`t really listen to SW, including HCJB. Says DX Partyline will also be cancelled. Guess that means only English from `HCJB` will be from Australia to Asia, Pacific. Strangely enough, there is no press release about this on the HCJB website http://www.hcjb.org as of April 19. Nor can I find an HCJB-Australia website either separately or at the main site; is there one? Has anyone ever seen a complete program schedule for this, months after it started? This also raises questions about the Santa Elena transmitter-site relocation project. That may be scaled back too if they no longer intend to reach North America or Europe. There`s no direct link to that project on the website menu, tho there is one for the Loreto Hydro Project! So I made a point of listening to the 0000 release of DXPL, April 20. Allen Graham is back in Quito after a few weeks in the US [so maybe will get caught up with audio archive; DXers Calling Audiosend already has this edition available]. After Viva Miami plug and EDXP report, the rest of the show from 0009 was a dialog between Curt Cole (Kurt Kole?), International Radio Director for HCJB`s Latin American region, and Allen Graham, DXPL host: [following are mainly gist of Cole`s comments, with some questions and comments by Graham] Decisions made this past week on future of HCJB in Ecuador. Management has decided it`s time to refocus a little bit our ministries here in Latin American region, and will be cutting back on some SW transmissions. Affected the most is English: recently transferred some releases to Kununurra, Australia, for South Pacific and India. May 31 is D-Day for English to Europe, morning and evening, and North America in the evening. All of those will be terminated May 31. Americas release in morning, mainly for South and Central America, Caribbean, and does fairly well into parts of NAm -- - looking at that one, not yet decided, tho hope to continue. Smaller audience but very important, a missionary audience. Decision was made after a lot of discussion, review, evaluation. Particularly difficult for both of us as ex-directors of the English language service. A lot of research has been done by some of the top radio people in the world about English in this part of the world. Partly funding, budget crunch, but not the primary reason. Focus is primarily in Latin American ministries. We have regionalized in past few years. Each region in the world is responsible for broadcasts into that region. There is a Europe-Asia region responsible for broadcasting into there. Also Asia-Pacific, including new site in Kununurra. Not getting out of SW, but expanding influence in certain parts of the world where SW is more effective than other parts of the world. English to North America? In the US there are many, many Christian radio stations. Only a few people may no longer hear a Christian station. Reality is, we have to focus on primary ministries in this region, in Spanish, Portuguese, Quichua. AG: Director for Latin American region announced to staff this week. Used to think from Ecuador could pretty much reach the world, how we`ve operated since 1931, but not the case now. CC: Quite a shift in the past 10 years since we arrived, along with Ralph Kurtenbach. Several years ago moved many East European releases to UK site. And recent shift to Kununurra. HCJB has been known for years and years as Quito, Ecuador. That ID for many listeners as the Voice of the Andes, is something that is changing. Hard to deal with, but it is a reality. Ecuador has been main location, besides offices in Miami and later Colorado Springs, but no longer the case. Quito is not the center of the organization. Even Spanish, Portuguese, Quichua, may take a hit, depending on financial decisions. What was the process to come to these decisions? Have been talking about this for years. This process came about more recently because of an audit within our mission. Group of auditors came down, not to look at the books, but a ``ministry audit``. Looked at each and every part of radio that we are doing. We are very involved in all kinds of radio efforts. Local stations in Ecuador. Repeater network. Spanish satellite programming network, so not just in SW either. A Web ministry that is beginning to develop. A need from the ministerial point of view to reëvaluate the role SW was playing, particularly in the amount of money it was costing to do SW, compared to other things. Dave Johnson, new WRMF president for a sesquiyear, focuses on opportunities to partner with local churches in Latin America, rather than doing so much radio. Change in leadership means change in direction an organization may go. Reality is that many of us here are missionaries, working for a larger cause. Primary goal is to tell people about Christ. Part of being a missionary is training national staff to be able one day to assume the leadership. This will be pushed in the next months and years. As director of local radio I`m basically working myself out of a job. Date for English on SW to end is 31st May, a Saturday. To NAm until 0600 UT Sun June 1* AG: Move to Santa Elena we were talking about a year ago. What about that? CC: A project for more than a year, resulted from request by Ecuadorian aviation agency to move our SW site in Pifo because of new airport going into the valley. Final landing approach would be right over our towers. So bought a piece of property in Santa Elena ``New Pifo``, a.k.a. Project SERVE. This assumed we were going to continue with a large SW ministry. But that is no longer the case; it`s being reduced. Not to the extent planned a year or two ago. So the Santa Elena project is really no more. We have the undeveloped site, and will continue to keep it in case it is needed later. Don`t know what impact digital will have. Best guess is that it will be 8- 10 years before digital takes hold in Latin America. [as in DRM?] Audit team recommended studying other sites, possibly alternate sites around Quito. Not yet started building runway, so we still have 4 or 5 years to use Pifo, make other plans. Perhaps site on NE coast of Brasil. Spanish to Caribbean could be done from site closer to there. What about DX Partyline, about to finish 42 years on the air? May 31 will be the final show. Not only discontinuing SW, but a shift in what the English language service will be doing. Will be serving other regions more and more, such as a program to teach English to people via radio. A program on the Spanish service has been very popular [see above]. One on the English service will require a lot of production. English already shifting from primarily a broadcast entity, to a production facility. So part of that will be the termination of DX Partyline. I know that some listeners will think this is the worst decision HCJB has ever made. But it was not made lightly. There have been months, years, of research. We do want to hear from everybody. Difficult for staff here too, with emotional ties, to what has been done for 72 years. Some English language service will continue, in the morning, limited release, not for Europe and North America, so most listeners there will not be able to hear us. Listeners welcome to write to Curt Cole, or DXPL, to voice opinion, but it will not be overturned. This is something we are going to do. DXPL, Radio HCJB, Box 17-17-691, Quito, Ecuador, [lets`s see, which continent is that?], dxpl@hcjb.org.ec Feel free to let us have it with both barrels, that`s fine. Some will understand, some will not. Thanks to Allen for all the hard work he has put into DXPL over the years, one of our mainstay programs, and to all the previous hosts, a program that has had significant impact in the SW world. Don`t blame Allen -- it`s not his decision. From those who believe in it, prayers are appreciated; these are not easy days (HCJB DX Partyline, 0000 UT April 20 on 9745, notes by gh for DX LISTENING DIGEST) You can hear the programme in full at http://www.hcjb.org/english/audio/dxpl/dxpl0419.ram or download it from http://www.hcjb.org/english/audio/dxpl/dxpl0419.rm (Andy Sennit, RN blog via DXLD) Undeniable that North America is supersaturated with Christian radio stations, on all bands. We certainly don`t need HCJB for that. What we do need it for is at least a trace of Latin American culture and news, presented in English. Altho not mentioned on this show, I`ll bet one of the justifications for dropping English to North America was that the BBC did... Switzerland did... Germany did... It`s snowballing (Glenn Hauser, DX LISTENING DIGEST) After DXPL, the two hostesses of "Saludos Amigos" announced that they would be leaving as well; no other details mentioned. -- There are few, if any, major SWBCers whose roots run deeper than HCJB's. They were there at the beginning --- 1931 --- and they were one of the first stations that every new SWL heard and QSLed. DXPL is the last of the "big-station-produced" DX programs, à la Sweden Calling DXers, DXers Calling (R. Australia), Media Network, Communications World (Jerry Berg, MA, DX-plorer via DXLD) Very sad news. That point about the decision being final begs an interesting question. Why bother to write? Obviously, the opinions of listeners had and have no bearing on this decision -- either before or after. (We have learned this truism as well from the BBCWS, DW, YLE, Radio Norway International and others.) While Curt Cole didn't mean it the way I'm going to interpret it, I'll make this further point because it tracks very closely to the overt comments made by Mark Byford when the BBC's cutoff to NA on SW was criticized. Cole's comments made me feel that anything I (or any other longtime listener) would or could say in protest of this decision could only be interpreted as an emotional reaction. Why? Because numerous "experts" has vetted this decision and deliberated over it with exhaustive data and, to paraphrase his point, "this is the only way it could go". Well, I beg to differ anyway. I freely admit that I am no "expert" on missionary broadcasting. Nonetheless, I don't think that disqualifies me from attempting some (at least partially) intelligent observations. At present, HCJB broadcasts 9.5 hours of English to NA. The decision to go to zero seems to says that HCJB will have been wasting resources in an almost wholesale way for quite some time. Life changes, times change --- yes; but not THAT quickly. Yes, it seems to me that a smaller emphasis on NA certainly is justified. It would also seem that NA might warrant a somewhat different approach than an LA audience. For example, HCJB could continue to fill (or more correctly come back to fill after having almost abandoned the last few years) the yawning gap that exists in NA media, of information about life in places like Ecuador and LA. Those contributions to the HCJB ministry have to come from somewhere and NA would appear to be a prime source. If NA no longer can hear what's going on in LA from HCJB and why HCJB's ministry is so important to addressing LA's needs, why would anyone contribute to the cause? So – yes -- don't *minister* to NA (at least not in the traditional sense). As correctly pointed out, there are more than ample sources of that in NA. But why not *recruit* NA? Is an hour or two a day filled with news, reports about LA, news about HCJB's ministry and a few friendly features celebrating and explaining LA culture --- and providing a "DX Partyline" for the shortwave community --- not money well spent? I heard nothing substantive or convincing in the conversation between Cole and Allen Graham, save for an assurance that some very smart people had looked at this and pronounced it necessary. God save us from the "experts". This is a tyranny that is all too prevalent today --- and HCJB is only the latest entity to willingly fall into that trap. Looking at it from a Christian perspective, the problem with experts is that they lack humility. After all, they've looked at all the angles and possess all the knowledge. Who are you (or me) to argue? I resent that. 70+ years of history down the drain. I resent that too. If that's interpreted at HCJB as an emotional reaction, so be it. Of course, as regards my first comment about writing, by all means, we should...in gratitude to those who have carried on the mission for all this time --- as well as in protest. It may fall on deaf ears, but going unheard doesn't belie the fact that voices are being raised. PS: Interesting, perhaps, that this decision was announced during Holy Week (John Figliozzi, NY, ODXA via DXLD) And May 31 is the Visitation of the BVM ---- Oops! Wrong sect (gh, DXLD) Their ministry in LA is the most important thing here, so if resources are stretched, one would expect that the LA region would get the most attention --- and fair enough, too. The program also makes the point that there are many Christian broadcasters operating in the US these days - something that wasn't the case 20 years ago. The need for HCJB to broadcast into the US has diminished in recent times. I know Tim Gaynor recommends a letter writing campaign to HCJB. Last night's program clearly points out that the decision has been made and will not be changed. So, writing letters to the station will not change their minds about this decision. This has also been the case with other broadcasters in recent times. Once decisions on broadcasting services have been passed down from the offices of high management, listener feedback has no effect in changing direction or reversing decisions. Indeed, the HCJB move is quite practical and rational. They are not leaving SW bands, just orientating their broadcasts to the populations who are most likely to use shortwave as a means of media delivery i.e. 2nd and 3rd world countries. Makes sense to me! One thing, however, is the ending of DX Partyline after 40-something years of operation. Back in 1968, it was the first DX program I ever heard, and HCJB was the first QSL I ever received. It will be a sad loss to SWLs and DXers around the world when this program finally ends. Only the memories will remain. EDXP will also lose an important voice here, because Bob's regular EDXP news over HCJB was also end. Of particular interest to me is how HCJB will use the extra transmitter capacity freed up by the elimination of English broadcasts. As I understand it, Pifo has some capacity in reserve. Can we expect to see some major revisions in the HCJB operating schedule, perhaps increased services to LA? Is there any possibility of HCJB leasing time to other broadcasters - its unique location high up in the Andes would possibly be a sought-after transmitting site for other broadcasters looking for better coverage into many areas of the world. Alan Graham - do you have any information on this for us?? (Rob VK3BVW, Melbourne, Australia, Apr 19, EDXP via DXLD) Hello everyone, After listening to the DX Partyline last night from HCJB I sort of felt a huge sense of let down and hollowness (how must the English staff of HCJB feel?) Such a sudden and drastic measure to take to just virtually shut down the entire English language service of a radio station that was so proud to call itself a Pioneering Radio Station which has been broadcasting for so long Heralding Christ Jesus` Blessings and helping out and entertaining millions of people for absolute decades as well as being there to support the millions of shortwave listeners and DXers alike, it just seems like such a crime to me and the work of the Devil! Once again, it seems to be this COST factor that enters into the demise of every radio station that has been forced to cut back and just about close every service as we once knew it. It seems to me that ever since we have entered this so called New Millennium there has been an ever increasing urgency to cut costs regardless of the human cost involved and the affects it has on people and their lives and it seems to me that only a handful of people are involved in all this decision making, the results of which are always carried out even when the majority are against it. The majority these days don't seem to have any say or rights, where has democracy gone? Anyway, HCJB, The Voice of The Andes will be sadly missed and to not be able to hear The DX Partyline anymore after all these years! I guess we still have HCJB Australia where we will still be able to listen to some of the familiar religious programmes. Why don't we all appeal to HCJB Australia to gives us faithful listeners to HCJB a DX program produced and broadcast from HCJB Australia? Maybe Allen Graham could come and work for HCJB Australia and continue the DX Partyline from The Voice of the Great Southland! Come on Graham, how about it? Anyway, I am very disappointed and I bet Allen Graham as well as a lot of other English radio staff members of HCJB Ecuador feel as let down, if not more so, as all the longtime regular faithful listeners worldwide that have supported HCJB Ecuador for so many decades. Look out people, this is a sign of the times and don`t be surprised when (not if) you hear the next big International Broadcaster cutting costs with English seemingly the first language to go (DW has already started). Allen Graham, are you going to be doing something special for the very last DX Partyline, how about a very special QSL card???? Once again, a very sad announcement from the DX Partyline. In Mourning! (Michael Stevenson, Port Macquarie, N.S.W., Australia. Regular, faithful listener to HCJB Ecuador since 1971! EDXP via DXLD) Looks like if we in North America want to hear English news from Latin America we will be tuning in nightly to the Fidel point of view from Havana now on. I have access to just about every type of media available as you do : Internet, satellite, domestic radio and TV, shortwave, etc. You simply can not get any kind of English news from Latin and South America like you hear on HCJB. Now I know they are a ministry and not a news agency but who is going to fill this niche. Very sad and if I did not know any better I would say all these cuts over the last few months and years is a conspiracy of some kind. But I guess I know better. But you have to wonder just what kind of forces are behind this? Listening until the end (Ryan Ellegood, Northwest Tennessee, USA, EDXP via DXLD) Hans-Werner Lange quotes Horst Rosiak from HCJB's German service as follows: The following months will become a great challenge due to the fact that HCJB is required to reduce its services drastically for financial reasons. It is planned to turn off shortwave to Europe completely, for the German programmes an option exists to keep a core service with low power, but the financing would be in the responsibility of the German section. Subject: [A-DX] Deutschsprachige Sendungen von HCJB Hallo ! HCJB wird auch weiterhin in deutscher Sprache senden, wie Horst Rosik in einer mail mitteilte. Allerdings werden die folgenden Monate eine große Herausforderung darstellen, da Radio HCJB seine Dienste aus finanziellen Gründen drastisch einschränken muss. So ist geplant die Kurzwellen- sendungen nach Europa ganz einzustellen. Es gibt zumindest für das deutsche Programm eine Option, mit schwacher Sendeleistung die Programme beibehalten zu dürfen mit der Einschränkung, dass die deutsche Abteilung die Finanzierung übernehmen muss. Eine andere wichtige Änderung ist, dass die Sendungen für Europa inklusive Satellit ect. unter der Verantwortung des Europa/Asien Direktors stehen. Hier wird sich noch manches klären müssen. Beste 73 + 55 HWL (via A-DX via Kai Ludwig, DXLD) I also see that the Spanish/Ecuadorian website has been changed from http://www.hcjb.org.ec to http://www.vozandes.org Whilst looking around, I found the current HCJB Spanish program schedule, dated January-June 2003, tho the frequencies (and European timeshift for A-03) STILL have not been updated! At the English site, another page specified as the A-03 frequency schedule shows: SPANISH 0600 0630 9655 100 42 Europe [ex 0700-0730 on 9765] 1030 1100 21455 1 35/225 Eur./S. Pacific 1030 0500 690 50 000/180 Ecuador 1100 0500 6050 50 18/172 S. America 1100 1300 11960 100 355 Cuba 1100 1500 15140 100 150 S. America 1300 1500 11960 100 323 Mexico [ex-17690 – why??] 1430 1530 21455 1 35/225 Eur./S. Pacific 2030 2130 15590 100 50 Eur [ex 2130-2230 on 9630; what about KTBN? Moved to 15545! See below] 2100 2300 15140 100 150 S. America 2030 2400 21455 1 35/225 Eur./S. Pacific 2300 0100 15140 100 160/330 N/S America 0100 0500 9525 100 325 Mexico [ex-9650] So we update it for them below, changing to current times and frequencies, assuming the programs remain at their original relative timings. Here are some of the info, entertainment shows and/or with a secular element. The program schedule never mentions 21455; nor 690 and 6050 which presumably have a different domestic schedule. It appears that the pdf Spanish program schedule gives wrong UT days after 0000, corrected here. INFORMATIVO VOZANDES Mon-Fri 1130-1200 15140 11960 Sat 1230-1300 15140 11960 Sat 2100-2115 15140 Mon-Fri 2030-2045 15545 Mon-Fri 2300-2345 15140 Sat 2300-2330 15140 Tue-Sat 0130-0145 9525 Tue-Fri 0315-0330 9525 CLUB DE AMIGOS [includes a DX segment about :35 to :40 in by Allen Graham; altho not reconfirmed recently] Sat 1400-1500 15140 11960 Sat 2030-2130 15545 Sat 2200-2300 15140 SPOTLIGHT in special English Sat 2345-2400 15140 MÚSICA DEL ECUADOR [Spanish version] Tue&Fri 0600-0630 9655 Sun 0430-0500 9650 Sun 2130-2200 15140 CONOZCA EL ECUADOR Tue-Fri 2100-2130 15545 Mon-Fri 2230-2300 15140 Tue-Sat 0230-0300 9525 GALÁPAGOS [a.k.a. ``Nuestro Archipiélago de Colón``] Wed 2045-2100 15545 Thu 0615-0630 9655 Fri 0145-0200 9525 DESENCADENADO [for giggles, Hammond organ fans, Spanish version of UNSHACKLED] Sat 2130-2200 15140 Sun 0130-0200 9525 Sun 1430-1500 15140 11960 (Glenn Hauser, OK, April 19, DX LISTENING DIGEST) HCJB teilte mit, dass ab Freitag 18.04. um 2000 von 15590 auf neu 15545 umgeschaltet wird. Dabei ist der Empfang auf 15590 hier sehr gut (Thomas Lindenthal-D, A-DX April 17) German 2000-2030 15545 100 42 Europe daily (x15590) Spanish 2030-2130 15545 100 50 Europe daily On the 16th I heard an English religious transmission on 9655 at 0638 at weak level and in splash. But, at 0700 I heard what sounded like HCJB's time pips, and I checked their Euro outlet on 9860, and 9655 seemed to be in \\ with this. I note that 9655 should carry Spanish to Europe until 0630 only. I could'nt hear it today (17th) so I wonder if a mistake or some sort of spur? Conditions were better yesterday than today (Noel R. Green-UK, BC-DX Apr 17 via DXLD) 9745, HCJB, 0000 13/Apr, SIO-444, ID & S/on, DX Partyline program with Alan Graham broadcast taped in Sonora, California. Alan was there to celebrate his parents` 50th wedding anniversary (Karl Racenis, Manchester MI, MARE via DXLD) ** FRANCE [non]. There's a new RFI outlet on 5925 (French) in period 1900-2000 whose location escapes me. I think this may be the new relay which is being set up in Dakar for enhanced African coverage. (Rob Wagner, Australia, EDXP Apr 17) I see this entry, but on 5985 kHz. 1900-2158 MEY 250 kW / 355 deg French. Changed to 5925? Full RFI schedule world wide: http://www.rfi.fr/fichiers/ecouter/Frequences/grille/RFI_Grille_ete2003.pdf (Wolfgang Bueschel, BCDX April 19 via DXLD) ** GUAM. AWR English section 1330-1400 15150 (ex 15275) from Agat (Wolfgang Bueschel, Apr 18, BC-DX via DXLD) ** HAITI. 1029.93, R. Guinen, Port-au-Prince, Apr 8 0040-0153 - Tentatively this, based on the known off-channel frequency, the religious program, and what sounded like French talk. Jean Burnell and I heard this in Newfoundland in November, and Barry McLaron has heard traces of it in Ottawa. 1029.93 may not be the exact frequency, but it's the best place that I was able to hear the signal in LSB through WBZ. There was one instrumental hymn that I know as "Aleluia, Sing to Jesus." Radio Guinen has a website, but it seems dedicated to e-sales (nothing to do with Haiti). The list of Haitian stations on the official government web page shows this one as being on 1050, similar to the WRTH. Thanks to Barry for reporting this one. Too bad that I don't have a wire aimed south at this time (Jim Renfrew, NY, NRC International DX Digest via DXLD) ** HONG KONG. RACE cancelled. From website http://www.rhkyc.org.hk The San Fernando Race has been cancelled following an eleventh hour decision by the authorities in La Union to refuse entry to the fleet due to worries about SARS. An alternative course will be set for entrants, to be confirmed at the Skippers' Briefing, Wed 16th April. It was not clear to me from the updated site posting if just the course was changing, or the course *and* date of racing. I suppose the date will be later also, to give the crews time to reorganize and map out their plans & strategies. Since the crews and boats would have already been gathered together in the HK area, I would guess that there's only going to be a short delay in the racing; maybe a few days only? The frequency still bears watching (Guy Atkins, WA, DXplorer Apr 18 via BC-DX via DXLD) The usual autumn Race is scheduled for Oct 17-25, 2003. see http://www.rhkyc.org.hk/sailing/downloads/chinacoastraceweek/prenor03.jpg Those wishing to receive a QSL can contact: Cape D'Aguilar HF stn, P.O.Box: 9896, GPO Hong Kong. Tel: +852 2888 1128. Fax: +852 2809 2434. Lam Chi Keung, Assistant Engineer, is the verification signer. (Richard Lam, Singapore, *Feb 26, 2002*, BC-DX Apr 19, 2003 via DXLD)) The first full scale trip out to Limekilns for 2003 took place last night (19/4), and one of the highlights was hearing RTV Hong Kong just after 1000 on 3940 (USB). This despite reports in DXLD that the race had been cancelled due to SARS - though an alternative view that the course was simply being changed was also reported there. Not a strong signal, but very readable with weather information for the San Fernando Yacht race. Started with a short signature tune and ID & the broadcast lasted for approx. 15 mins. A bit of chatter from U.S accented utility/ham traffic marred reception (John Schache, Phil Ireland, Allan Ferris, Craig Seager - Limekilns, near Bathurst NSW, Apr 19, ARDXC via DXLD) Radio Hong Kong was a no show this morning at 1003 again (as it was for Guy Atkins in WA at the same time). (Walt Salmaniw, Victoria BC, April 20, DX LISTENING DIGEST) 3940, 1003-1008 Apr 20, hope was running high for this after Craig Seager's report that RTVHK was indeed active on Apr 19, but not even a faint het hrd here in the Seattle-Tacoma area. [Ditto per Salmaniw] The band was nice and quiet, with other Asian regionals such as RRI Merauke and KCBS Kanggye noted on 75 m., but there was no joy on 3940 (Guy Atkins, WA, DX-plorer via DXLD) Perhaps this broadcast will now continue beyond the originally planned final date of April 20 (gh, DXLD) ** IRAQ [non]. PICTURE BULLETIN OF VOICE OF REBELLIOUS IRAQ RADIO 1900 GMT 19 APRIL 03 [Reception poor] 1. Song 2. Music 3. News headlines 4. Announcement: "Dear listeners everywhere. May God make you happy and grant you all that is good. From the Voice of Rebellious Iraq, I greet you and present the first of our news bulletins, read by Zuhayr al-Baghdadi." a. The head of the Supreme Council for the Islamic Revolution in Iraq, Muhammad Baqir al-Hakim says that Iraqis must remain united, in an address to a rally in Qom in which he urged people to make the pilgrimage to Karbala. Correspondent's report from Qom. b. News agencies and satellite TV channels have reported that hundreds of thousands of Iraqis performed the Friday prayers in Karbala "challenging the foreign occupation of Iraq and stressing the unity of the Islamic ranks". Many thousands also prayed in Al-Najaf and Al-Kufah, while in Baghdad the prayers were followed by demonstrations. Mosque imams called for unity against foreign occupation. In Tehran the Friday prayers imam called for foreigners not to interfere in the internal affairs of Iraq. c. Millions of Muslims from Iraq and neighbouring countries are making the pilgrimage to the shrine of Imam Husayn in Karbala for the first time since Saddam Husayn took power. d. Abd-al-Aziz al-Hakim has sent a message to Iran's Ayatollah Khamene'i asking him to aid the Iraqi people. e. The newspaper Keyhan has praised the unity of the Iraqi people. f. Russian newspaper criticizes performance of US forces in Iraq. g. The USA continues the search for the billions of dollars which Saddam Husayn stole from the Iraqi people. 5. Song, followed by three-minute break in reception. 6. Part of commentary on pilgrimage to Karbala and the Shi'i martyrs, hoping for victory for the Muslim people, interspersed with religious chanting. 7. Commentary by Iraqi speaker on the sufferings of Iraq for 35 years under Saddam Husayn, emphasizing the unity of the Iraqi people in Islam, despite efforts of enemies to divide them. People were unable to carry out their religious rites and duties in freedom. 8. Song on unity within an Islamic state. 9. Commentary on Zionist crimes, desire for expansion, in the Middle East, including rumours that Mossad had helped Saddam Husayn to escape to Russia. 10. Dialogue with an official from the Supreme Council for the Islamic Revolution in Iraq (SCIRI) in Al-Kut, who says that Iraq is for all the Iraqis and that everyone is working towards that end. The office of SCIRI represents this trend, and the popular Islamic resistance has played a major role in the downfall of Saddam. Source: BBC Monitoring research in English 19 Apr 03 (via DXLD) ** IRAQ [non]. Radio Voice of Mujahedin on 720 kHz: I listened to this station again on the evening of 17th of April at 1717 UTC. This time the ID was more comprehensive. It went something like this (be warned, the transliteration is far away from perfect): 'Sawt'ul Mujahedin. Idha'atu kumulati ta ikum ala mouzeti FM. Megda ruha 90.1 ('tizayn bareza wahid') megahertz. Balakalika ala mouzatyn mutawaka tatem, tuluha 720 ('sabamea wa ishrin-a') kilohertz." So it appears to be an established station with fixed frequencies. The signal is powerful; it is among first ones to pop up in the band as the twilight zone comes near. But what is it? My bet is on one of the listed Iranian transmitter sites; Tayebad or Shahr-e-Kord. Maybe the latter one? 73 de (Pentti Lintujärvi, Helsinki, Finland, Apr 18, dxing.info via DXLD) Congratulations to Pentti for your EXCELLENT finding and many thanks to Tarek for your detailed observations on the programming! I also heard this station yesterday evening, and posted a recording of the station identification in the Audio section of DXing.info. As you can hear, the reception quality was not too good... used a random wire now that I have taken down my K9AY for the summer so that our backyard can be used for other activities than just DXing... BBC Monitoring caught the following station identification: "Voice of the Mujahidin, the radio of freedom, the radio of the truth. Our esteemed listeners everywhere, our programmes come to you on 90.1 MHz FM and on 720 kHz mediumwave." The Service is speculating that the Voice of Mujahedin is run by SCIRI and is hinting that it could be a replacement for the Voice of Islamic Revolution in Iraq, "which was observed intermittently in the 1980s and 1990s on frequencies used by the Iranian radio's Arabic service. This radio has not been observed by BBC Monitoring in recent years." This is interesting, because when I scanned the frequencies in February and March for the article "Monitoring Iraq: War of the Airwaves", the Voice of the Islamic Revolution in Iraq was a piece of cake, heard every morning on 7100 and 9535 kHz. I haven't checked it recently, but here's a sample station identification from the end of February. BTW: Radio Voice of the Mujahedin, the Voice of New Iraq and other recent radio developments in the area are listed in the News - I will no longer update the article "Monitoring Iraq", but eventually there will be a new article about the broadcasting scene in post-war Iraq. I guess that the BBC Monitoring Service now has a monitor in Iraq or Kuwait but probably no one else has logged the Voice of New Iraq? It's a very difficult frequency here (Mika M;akeläinen, dxing.info via DXLD) ** IRAQ. ONWARD CHRISTIAN SOLDIERS, TO BAGHDAD April 20 2003, By Christopher Reed, Los Angeles An army of Christian soldiers is poised to begin its own invasion of Iraq, despite concerns that militant American evangelism could provoke a violent backlash from the Muslim population. Already two Southern Baptist missionary leaders are preparing to spread the word of God to the Arabs. One is the Reverend Charles Stanley, pastor of the First Baptist Church in Atlanta, Georgia, with a congregation of 15,000. He is head of In Touch Ministries and a board member of the National Religious Broadcasters Association, which backed President George Bush's campaign for the White House. The other evangelist is the Reverend Franklin Graham, the son of Billy Graham, and head of Samaritan's Purse, a humanitarian and missionary group. He recently caused an uproar by calling Islam "a violent and wicked religion", and denouncing the prophet Muhammad as a pedophile and terrorist. Both men are close personal supporters of President Bush and were early enthusiasts of the Iraqi war. Mr Stanley was an original board member of the Reverend Jerry Falwell's now defunct right-wing Moral Majority, and in a pro-war sermon he stated that "a government has biblical grounds to go to war to liberate others in the world who are enslaved". In Touch has an annual budget of $US40 million ($A65 million) and already broadcasts across the Middle East. In Saddam Hussein's Iraq it was only able to proselytise on short-wave radio, but it now plans to air Mr Stanley's sermons in Arabic on satellite television and AM and FM. "The opportunity for expansion is phenomenal," says Don Black, its vice-president of communications. Mr Graham recently announced his intentions of going into Iraq and appears unconcerned by a warning he received in 1991. The US constitution forbids mixing church and state, but Mr Graham included missionary tracts with his aid program in Saudi Arabia after the Gulf War. General Norman Schwarzkopf had his chaplain remonstrate with Mr Graham for distributing tens of thousands of New Testaments in Arabic to his troops to pass on to Saudis - an illegal act in the country and contrary to the general's orders. Mr Graham replied: "I appreciate what you say but I am also under orders, from the King of Kings and Lord of Lords." President Bush's Administration has made no definitive statement about the Bible brigade's invasion, although some advisers at the State Department wish he would warn against it. White House spokesman Ari Fleischer deflected suggestions of a Muslim backlash by saying: "The President knows Islam is a religion of peace." He and the missionaries appear to have forgotten what happened in Lebanon when President Ronald Reagan sent in US marines in 1983. They co-operated with the Reverend Pat Robertson and his Christian Broadcasting Network while he aired pro-Israel sermons throughout the country. The US withdrew after a Muslim suicide bomber rammed the marine barracks in a truck packed with explosives that killed 241 servicemen. http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2003/04/19/1050172797731.html (Melbourne The Age via Jilly Dybka, DXLD) Is this the beginning of a concerted campaign by Christian broadcasters to try and convert Iraqis from Islam to Christianity? As a Christian myself, I sincerely hope not. It would be a foolish and dangerous policy, guaranteed to inflame anti-western sentiment in Iraq and the wider Arab world, and ensure that the peace is not won. The US government repeatedly assured the Moslem world that the military campaign was directed at the regime of Saddam Hussein and not at Islam. Yet days after the end of hostilities, we see signs that the Christian evangelicals are seizing the opportunity to take advantage of the current unstable situation in an Islamic country. It would be better if the money they plan to spend on broadcasting were re-directed at helping to pay for food, medical supplies etc. for all the people of Iraq. That, to me, is what Christianity should be about. Disclaimer: The above represents the opinions of the writer, not those of Radio Netherlands. (Andy Sennitt, RN blog Apr 20 via DXLD) You mean, `not necessarily`?? ** IRELAND. RTÉ have confirmed that they are still carrying out engineering tests on their 252 kHz long wave transmitter based in Summerhill, Co. Meath. This follows increased speculation following the appearance of RTÉ Radio 1 on 252 yesterday morning. Speaking to Radiowaves News today, Colin Kennedy from RTÉ's Coverage Planning Department said: "Radio 1 programming is being broadcast presently for the purpose of these tests but a final decision has yet to be made as to the future output of this frequency." He also says that the test transmissions are liable to frequent interruption (via Radiowaves News, Wed 16th April via Alan Pennington, BDXC-UK via DXLD) ** KURDISTAN [non]. NORWAY/RUSSIA 15675 / 11530 Denge Mezopotamya, Kurdish/Arabic, depends on season, using TAC-UZB 100 kW 255 degr in winterseason only. SAM-RUS 250 kW 188 degr in summer. KCH (Grigoriopol`-MDA) 500 kW, 116 degr, and now Norway facilities Kvitsoe and Sveio at 110 degr, maybe half power 250 kW to save energy. At 0400-0800 Kurdish still on 15675 via Norway now, 110 degrs?. 0800- 1600 on 11530, via Samara-RUS. 1700-1800 Tue/Wed/Fri on 7560, also via Norway now, 110 degrs? (Wolfgang Bueschel, Apr 16, BC-DX via DXLD) I've also been hearing 15675 around 0630 at good strength. When compared with BFBS 15795, which is listed as Tashkent, the signal is very much stronger and had to be coming from somewhere closer. This frequency closes at 0800 when 11530 takes over as commented upon already. This transmitter on 11530 is also well heard - the signal is peaking to 9 on my meter at 0900 - and I would be a little surprised if this was from Tashkent. Observer says Moldova - but of course, it could also be Samara (Noel R. Green-UK, BC-DX Apr 11 via DXLD) I checked 15675 this morning and found at 0359 UT that the opening, martial song was already in progress and at 0402-0420 opening announcement plus several IDs in Kurdish (maybe in more dialects) by man and woman as "Denge Mezopotamia", followed by their usual program. Thus Voice of Mesopotamia is still here signing on at its ordinary schedule, except that it is summertime in Iraq now. Nothing was heard on 11530 which was announced by Observer Bulgaria a few days ago to be their A-03 schedule. This may be via Kvitsøy and no longer Tashkent-UZB, because at the same time NRK was only audible on 7465, 9475, and 13800 kHz, and no longer Kvitsøy 7490 which I also heard on April 2 (Anker Petersen, Denmark, BC-DX Apr 11 via DXLD) ** LEBANON/LIBERIA. Hi Glenn, In 3-069 you put the new WJIE activity in Lebanon, but isn't it Liberia (cf. 3-063)? 73, (Erik Køie, Copenhagen, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Appreciate your correxions, but in this case, it`s already correct. The item in 69 is not about the WJIE station, but the Free Patriotic Movement clandestine for Lebanon with a similar name, and 5 kHz away --- used to be on 11515 too. The WJIE station should be shown too as LIBERIA, not LIBERIA non. This however raises the question about whether the WJIE operation is deliberately trying to confuse itself with the other operation, almost the same name on almost the same frequency. Not sure if WJIE`s is using Arabic either as details there are as usual sketchy (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** LIBYA. LIBYA/FRANCE This morning at 0100 Voice of Africa, Libya, was indeed active on 648. The same program, without delay, was also easily audible on 711 and 1251. It seems that 648 so far has been irregular. What about SW from Libya; is this program still aired on some high frequency we cannot hear or is it off SW altogether? (Olle Alm, Sweden, BC-DX Apr 12 via DXLD) I've trawled the bands in daytime and not heard Libya anywhere - except via their Issoudun relays. I think 15435 was the last direct frequency to go off air - the one latterly operating on 17750 preceded it. Most likely the transmitters just gave up! I wonder if all the transmitters listed in TDP ever did go on air - 10 X 100 kW RIZ from a unknown site for instance! Two THO of 500 kW installed in 1995 might have been the last two to operate - or maybe they never came on air at all, and we were hearing ones installed earlier? If I remember correctly, Libya was mentioned to me in a letter as one reason why the BBC would not continue domestically on 647/8. It seemed an incredible reason to me at the time! Of course, the frequency could reach France and Germany all right, but not the UK! R3 was switched to 1214, and what a disaster that proved to be! There is much Spanish QRM here on 648 at night, and I haven`t heard Libya on any MW freq for a long time. I see the WRTH lists 648 as Tobruk 300 kW so, unless it's directional, it should get out well from that coastal site (Noel R. Green, UK, BC-DX Apr 12 via DXLD) ** MEXICO. ON THE AIR IN MEXICO: A DIFFERENT VIEW OF IRAQ WAR ANTI-U.S. VOICES RESOUND ON TALK RADIO Kevin Sullivan, Washington Post Radio is by far Mexico's most important means of communication. With more than half the country's population of 100 million living in poverty, more people can afford radios than televisions. http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/chronicle/archive/2003/04/13/MN50510.DTL (Washington Post via San Francisco Chronicle via Jilly Dybka, KF4ZEO, DXLD) In this long story, the writer never gets around to mentioning *what* stations and/or network the show is on, nor the exact time. It never dawns on some so-called journalists that a reader might actually want to tune in the subject of their story; and even if not, such info is an essential part of the story, Journalism 101 (gh, DXLD) ** NETHERLANDS [non]. Hi Glenn, Krasnodar on 17525 kHz, in Dutch, heard here in Zimbabwe from sign on only 30 minutes ago. It`s a pity this site won't be active. I am still listening to this last transmission from this site. Thanks, and please forward this to Andy Sennitt for info. Sign off heard at 1425 UT. 73s Station heard: R. Netherlands, Krasnodar. UTC: 1330 (sign on) with interval signal heard earlier. SIO: 4-4-4 Lang: Dutch. RXs: Yaesu 7700, Sony ICF 2001D (David Pringle-Wood, Harare, Zimbabwe, DX LISTENING DIGEST) I think it is only RN that is ceasing to use this site, not that the site is totally closing (gh, DXLD) ** NORWAY. Re: ``The decision to shut down all R. Norway International (NRK) operations due to budget cuts affects the 1.2 megawatt transmitter on Kvitsøy Island, 1314 kHz. This is to be switched off,`` etc... This must be some VERY old stuff! And incorrect! This was briefly mentioned in December 2001, but was never a reality. - 1314 that is. NRK and DR on shortwave from Norway, MAY be history after Jan 1st 2004, but there are no indications that 1314 (nor any other AM outlets - 630, 675, 153) will be leaving the air in the forseeable future! The contracts between NRK and Norkring for the AM- transmitters are for a much longer period of time than SW. As for the SW-outlets, everybody seems to be waiting for the end of contract by January 1st. Merlin probably expect a good bargain offer as and when NRK/DR leaves, and maybe Norkring will give a last minute offer to NRK/DR they can't say no to? Time will show. Officially NRK and DR will end SW-transmissions on December 31st this year (Bernt Erfjord, DX-News, Norway, Apr 19, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Well, what can you expect from PopComm? Thanks for the clarification. That`s why, in this up-to-the-minute e-publication, I hardly ever quote from the months-old-at-best PopComm; but this seemingly interesting item came via an intermediate source. Another version: (gh, DXLD) Yes, old news, and not news at all! They are all running perfectly. We don't know what will happen to NRK/DR vs. Shortwave by January 1st 2004. Officially they will then leave shortwave. Norkring is trying to sell airtime, but as you have seen they only manage to sell an hour here and an hour there via Merlin. I guess everybody is just waiting! NRK/DR is waiting, to keep Norkring at a string, maybe giving them a very good deal at the end of the year. The same probably goes for Merlin, who just have to wait till NRK/DR withdraws to get a real bargain offer.... As for 1314, and the other medium/ longwave outlets, they have an important position for ships, fisheries etc, and the contract with Norkring last even longer than Jan 1st 2004, so no danger of losing those in the near future! (Bernt via Kai Ludwig, DXLD) ** PERU. 4260.36 harmonic, Radio Ilucán, Cutervo. April 2003 - 0100 UT. Heard in // with its second harmonic 2840.24 kHz. This is a harmonic from MW 1420 kHz (3 x 1420.12), but the station is still listed in WRTH on 1476 kHz (nom. 1470). I checked with Radio Ilucán in conncection with an unID Perúvian I had on 1470.35 kHz. I know now that it is located in dpto "La Libertad" and is called "Radio Tulcán" (in that case a new one?) or probably “Radio Julcán"(In that case a move from 1370 kHz). (Björn Malm, Quito, Ecuador, April 18 2003, SW Bulletin, Translated by SWB editor Thomas Nilsson for DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** PERU. The new, well developed Radio María Perú website http://www.radiomariaperu.org lists additional stations in installation: [MW and FM. . .] The planned Ayacucho stations are OBX5J Radio San Cristóbal de Huyamanga, which belongs to the Diocese of Ayacucho. A shortwave station, OBX5Y on 5020 kHz (500 watts), is also included (Mike Dorner, Catholic Radio Update Apr 21 via DXLD) ** POLAND. As well-known World War II was rolled off by means of a faked attack on the mediumwave transmitter at Gleiwitz (today Gliwice). The station is still intact and according to a former TPSA employee indeed still ready to transmit. Complete report with photos: http://www.mdr.de/viaeuropa/themen/377134.html I would assume that the Koszecin transmitter once took over from the historic Gliwice facility. The transmitter site that "took over" from Gliwice was Ruda Slaska (between Gliwice and Katowice). Koszecin is a new project, inaugurated on 1 August 1978 with 2 x 750 kW TESLA transmitters on 1079 kHz. However, the full power of 1500 kW was used only for a couple of months, because it turned out that the radiation level was too hazardous for large fuel tanks in the vicinity. The station was then run with 750 kW until 1990 when it was closed after protests from local farmers. From 1991 until 1998 it was again on the air with Polskie R. programs, now with only 350 kW (Bernd Trutenau, Lithuania, BC-DX Apr 18 via DXLD) ** SERBIA & MONTENEGRO [non]. Re R. ``Yugoslavia``, English to NAm missing from 9580 at 0100: This moved to 0000 UT on April 7th, per the schedule posted at the Radio Yugoslavia website, see http://www.radioyu.org/schedule.htm#Sch2 Was SINPO 54555 on Tuesday 4/15/03 (Richard Cuff / Allentown, PA, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Dear Glenn, In DXLD 3-069 I read: "R. ``Yugoslavia``, English to NAm at 0100 on 9580 is either off..." As of April 7 they broadcast in English to NAm at 0000 (except Sunday) and 0430 on 9580. See their sched at http://www.radioyu.org/ 73, (Erik Køie, Copenhagen, DX LISTENING DIGEST) O yes; the confusing thing is that in winter the two broadcasts are one hour apart, whilst in summer they are three sesquihours apart. The second broadcast, at 0200 in winter first moves to 0530 for the week of confusion and then to 0430 for the rest of the summer. I`ve always wondered why RY does this --- is it theoretically preferable for propagational reasons -- or something to do with shiftwork hours at the studio and/or transmitter? I had assumed the second broadcast, whether at 0200, 0530 or 0430, is for WNAm, but I see in 3-053 schedule that both are for E&C NAm, despite the inconvenient late hour in the east of 0530/0430. Perhaps they don`t have an antenna suitable for WNAm. And we should keep marking this S&M non, since the site is actually in Bosnia. Everybody please keep the correxions coming. Want to get it right later if not sooner! (gh, DXLD) ** TIBET. Heute war wieder 1631-1645 Voice of Holy Tibet auf 7385 brauchbar zu empfangen, dann erfolgte ein nervtoetendes Intervallsignal. Die englische Sendung beginnt meist kurz nach 1630 und scheint bis 1650 zu gehen. \\ ist 4905 mit minimalem Signal zu vernehmen; auf 6110 kann man etwas erahnen. Nun suche ich die derzeit gueltige Adresse: Welche stand denn auf den gemeldeten QSLs? (Walter Eibl-D, A-DX Apr 17. . .) In den Sendungen wurde angesagt Holy Tibet, Foreign Affairs Office, China Tibet People's Broadcast Company, 850000 LHASA, Tibet, PR China. Allerdings habe ich keine QSL bekommen (Martin Elbe-D, A-DX Apr 17 via BC-DX via DXLD) ** TIBET [non]. KAZAKHSTAN/UZBEKISTAN [to TIBET] Voice of Tibet noted on Apr 19 as follows: 1212-1300 UT on 15635-Almaty-KAZ and 21560- Tashkent-UZB. And accompanied by China mainland continuous music jammers. At 1430-1517 a single transmitter at Tashkent-UZB is in use. Voice of Tibet have some registered frequencies in stock, they are randomly in use, but this procedure doesn't avoid or render more difficult the Chinese jamming. 1215-1300 15635-KAZ, 15660-KAZ, 21560- UZB, 21720-UZB kHz. 1430-1515 either 17520-UZB or 17540-UZB (Wolfgang Bueschel, Apr 18, BC-DX via DXLD) ** TURKS & CAICOS. When did Caribbean Christian Radio come back on 1020? They've been off for several years now (Randy Stewart, Springfield MO, April 19, NRC-AM via DXLD) Conditions were auroral ** U S A. Pessoalmente, gosto muito de escutar a emissão vespertina da Voz da América para África em português, das 1730 às 1830 UT (1830-1930, hora portuguesa de Verão), de segunda a sexta, e das 1830 às 1900 UT, aos sábados e domingos. É uma emissão feita com muito profissionalismo e qualidade. A frequência que actualmente melhor se apanha em Portugal é a de 17785 (Fernando de Sousa Ribeiro, Portugal, April 20, radioescutas via DXLD) ** U S A [non]. TELEVISION FREE MIDDLE EAST This week, television went back on the air in Iraq. But instead of the familiar faces of government leaders, Iraqi TV now features Dan Rather, Tom Brokaw, and other American newscasters. The programming package is funded by the U.S. government, and is coordinated by Westwood One chairman Norm Pattiz. Brooke speaks to Pattiz about the project, and about his larger effort to create a U.S. government- backed satellite TV network for the Middle East. [audio to be available via:] http://www.wnyc.org/onthemedia/ On the Media has several other stories of interest, including Eason's Agony: CNN News Chief Eason Jordan has spent the week defending his decision to stay silent about death threats by Saddam Hussein's regime so that CNN could stay in Iraq. The New Republic's Franklin Foer wasn't shocked by the substance of Jordan's revelations, but by his choice to publicize them at all. Foer shares his thoughts with Bob (via gh, DXLD) ** U S A. Commentary --- HAPPY 80TH BIRTHDAY, MOTHER ANGELICA Yesterday, Easter Sunday, was Mother Angelica`s 80th birthday. This intrepid woman, who could have been a successful businesswoman and got a lot less flak for it than she has as a contemplative nun with a great zeal for the radio and television apostolate, has accomplished a lot in her 80 years. Catholic radio in this country is, if not flourishing, is at least well underway, thanks to her indefatigable efforts to use the mass media apostolate of radio and television. Until she came along, Catholic efforts in the mass media were minimal. In the United States, there were only a handful of diocesan radio stations. After establishing a satellite television network, EWTN, which grew quickly in viewers and respect, including from major newspapers such as the Wall Street Journal, she built the first truly Catholic international shortwave station since the foundation of DZN Radio Veritas Asia in the Philippines. From there it was a matter of time before she began urging her faithful viewers to buy time on local commercial radio stations and, then, to purchase local radio stations to convert them to Catholic outlets. ``I know there are many of you out there with big bucks,`` she would say, shaking her finger at the camera. ``Why don`t you put all that money to good use? You can`t take it with you!`` Today there are 65 Catholic stations on the air, and almost half the dioceses in this country have Catholic stations inside their territories or shortly will. Most of these stations were inspired by Mother Angelica`s utter trust in Providence and rock-solid belief that the apostolate she had found herself getting into was indispensable in spreading the Good News to contemporary Americans. Along the way she made enemies, some of them high placed. The intellectuals turned up their noses to EWTN, the liberals wanted nothing to do with her. ``I don`t want you to think I watch that (pause) stuff!`` my pastor said emphatically to the congregation one Sunday morning, and then went on to relate what he had seen on EWTN the other night. The intellectuals wanted a network that is counterpart to the intellectual Catholic magazines that few read. The avant-gardes wanted a network to serve as a vehicle for their endless ``reforms.`` Some of the clergy and hierarchy wanted a network to be a pastiche of everything and thus nothing. The fact is, Mother Angelica has succeeded when so many others failed because she did not run her network by committee, nor according to the latest buzz in the liberal Catholic press, nor according to some guru torturing Catholic educators with in their perennial (and perennially boring) conferences. No, she has an unfailing sense of what the long-suffering American Catholic public needed, and she gave them that. In doing so, she created a host of unforgiving enemies who, if they have failed the battle, continue their random sniping. So be it. Anyone who knows the lives of the saints knows that they accomplished what they did for the Lord despite hostility —sometimes considerable hostility— and indifference from some quarters of the Church. Such was the case of St. Don Bosco; St Francis of Assisi, St Katherine Drexel, St John Chrysostom, Sts Cyril and Methodius, St Catherine of Siena, St Faustina, Blessed John XXIII, to name those who come to mind. God never promised His saints a rose garden, and He seldom delivered them one. Mother Angelica is now retired, recovering steadily from her paralyzing stroke of over a year ago. EWTN is now run by the capable laymen she left behind. That it still endures, that it is still admired, that it is still emulated, not just here in the United States, but around the world, two years after she retired for good — is eloquent testimony to the clarity of her vision, the perseverance of her missionary zeal. Happy Birthday, Mother Angelica. A Blessed and Holy Easter to all of you, your families, listeners, and staff. (Michael Dorner, editor, Catholic Radio Update Apr 21 via DXLD) Altho she and her admirers are obviously incapable of realizing it, her life work and EWTN are a total waste since they are based on false assumptions, the insanity of religion. Yes, I`m entitled to express my opinion, too, and this takes only 4 lines (gh, DXLD) ** U S A. Ref Danny's correct observation: "CBS-owned channel 2 in Los Angeles was KNXT-2 for many, many years before it became KCBS-2. The KCBS calls are a relatively recent change in the station's long history." Although LA channels 4, 5, 9, 11, and 13 were on the air "commercially" prior to channel 2 (and only channel 7 was after it - the last VHF to start in LA), channel 2 Los Angeles dates back to 1931 as an experimental station built and operated by Don Lee Broadcasting, a West Coast radio network. The (Don Lee) station pioneered a number of interesting today-relevant keys to the way TV still works including the marriage between the station's sync signals and the video. In the 30s (and 40s) much of Los Angeles (like many parts of eastern cities including New York, Philadelphia, etc.) had a mixture of 60 hertz and 50 hertz power services. RCA was mired in trying to make their NYC 1930s experimental station use the 60 hertz AC line as a time base reference which meant that if you wanted a TV set in say 1940 in NYC, you had to live where 60 hertz power was your standard. Large neighborhoods in the NY area still had 50 hertz and as the TV set required 60 hertz for referencing sync, you could not use a TV set in a 50 hertz area (short of a very expensive for the time 50 to 60 hertz "adapter"). Don Lee pioneered a sync system (which they patented and later sold to RCA) which it elected to demonstrate in a most unusual way. They hired a DC3 plane, filled it with press people and a TV set and took off from Burbank flying ever larger cicles around the downtown LA area. The TV worked fine and this was their way of demonstrating that they had a "secret circuit" which did not require 60 (or 50) hertz power as a sync reference. Quite inventive for that era. Don Lee delayed putting the channel 2 experimental station on as a commercial station until they thought the station had a chance to make money. At the end of 1947, there were 2,250 TV sets in LA and more than 26,000 in the NYC "market." By 1950, LA had more than 600,000 sets. Don Lee came on as KTSL-TV on channel 2 for commercial operation on May 1, 1949; LA's 6th commercial TV station. This became KNXT when CBS purchased the station (Bob Cooper in New Zealand, April 13, WTFDA via DXLD) That was in 1950; CBS was of course stalling on buying VHF stations because it thought the industry would go all-UHF when the CBS color- wheel standard (incompatible with black and white at the time) became the norm in a few years. Laugh if you will, but remember that the FCC did in fact first specify CBS's system as the standard before reversing course and going with RCA's "compatible color" a few years later. In any case, CBS decided not to wait any longer as prices for VHF stations rose, so in 1950 it pulled out of its partnership with the LA Times in KTTV (Channel 11) and bought KTSL from Lee. Lee then turned around, took advantage of a moment of financial weakness for his car-dealer rival Earle C. Anthony, and bought KFI-TV 9 from him, turning it into KHJ-TV. Incidentally, the reason channel 2 has always occupied its own transmitter site somewhat apart from the rest of the Wilson stations (I was told) was that Lee's family actually owned a chunk of the mountaintop long before the days of TV. That seems like an awfully convenient coincidence, doesn't it? As for that "last VHF in the market," in New York that honor went to WOR-TV 9. By the end of 1948, everyone else in the market - even perennial latecomer ABC (WJZ-TV 7) and little Newark-based WATV 13 - had already signed on. WOR-TV signed on in 1949, making NYC the first city with 7 commercial stations (Scott Fybush, NY, ibid.) Sequence was WCBS-TV and WNBT (July 1, 1941 - the first day when under FCC guidelines "commercial" TV could be launched). However, stations were allowed "limited commercial testing" as far back as 1939 and Schenectady's WRGB (then on channel 4) claims December 1, 1939 under that definition. Going on with NYC, WABD (ch 5) May 2, 1944. This is noteworthy because all TV operations were frozen during WW2 and Dumont applied for and received special permission because it proposed to devote a portion of its broadcasting day to the "war effort" (using air time to broadcast instructions to air wardens, health workers, others). Then a gap until Newark's WATV signed on channel 13 May 15, 1948. The original transmitter was 25 miles from Manhattan and because it was the fist NYC high band station, virtually all of the receiving antennas sold to that point were low band only. Between being on high band, using the highest channel available (with the greatest technical problems; channel 13 was "the UHF band" on the 1940s!) and being "off beam" in Newark to low band only antennas, WATV was considered "fringe reception" until they moved into NYC much later. Next was WPIX on channel 11 (June 15, 1948), and WJZ (channel 7) on August 10, 1948. And as Scott notes, WOR was late and last on channel 9 October 11, 1949 although with WATV actually in NJ, it might be semantic to argue NYC was the first with "7 local stations." Two more early "claimed" starts were Memphis WMCT which in a 1950 "Televiser" (magazine) statement said they began December 9, 1941 and Philadelphia's WPTZ for September 16, 1941. WPTZ had been doing experimental work from 1936 and for some months CBS NYC and Philco/WPTZ both operated on the same VHF channel with predictable interference problems! In 1946 Chicago's WBKB (channel 4) came on the air (October) and WNBK (channel 5) also in October. However, WBKB had been testing as an experimental station for some time. In 1947, KTLA (channel 5) Los Angeles (January 22), WTTG (channel 5) Washington (January), KSD (channel 5) St. Louis (February 8), Detroit's WWJ (channel 4; March 4), WTOP (channel 9) Washington (June 27), WFIL (channel 6) Philadelphia (September 13), WMAR (channel 2) Baltimore (September 27) , Washington's (channel 7) WMAL (October 3), WTMJ (channel 3) Milwaukee (December 3), WEWS (channel 5) Cleveland (December 17). In 1948 the flood gates opened, primarily because RCA, GE and Dumont got manufacturing of TV transmission equipment into high gear and anxious stations could finally get started. In September 1948, the FCC "froze" all new station CP (construction permits) for what at the time was expected to be a 3 - 6 month period while they studied some co-channel and adjacent channel interference problems that summer tropo in 1948 accentuated. The "freeze" on new stations ended up lasting until 1952 and by 1951 a total of 108 stations which had previously been approved (prior to September 1948 freeze) had gotten on the air. The period 1950 - 1952 was the bellwether era for big fringe area antennas, super sensitive TV sets, strings of antenna and set top "booster" amplifiers as folks 100-200-300 miles and more from the nearest stations went wild trying to have TV reception in their homes. Note that on January 1, 1948 - no TV stations had yet begun telecasting on channels 8, 10 or 12! (Bob Cooper in NZ, WTFDA via DXLD) I wonder.. if CBS had developed a fully-electronic implementation of their field-sequential scheme before requesting its adoption as a standard, if it might have "stuck"? It's kinda early in my morning to be making grand technical claims(|grin|) but it seems to me that even with 1950 technology, the color wheel was not necessary for the CBS system. The CBS system did have other shortcomings, not the least of them the incompatibility with existing B&W sets. But it seems to be the unwieldly spinning color wheel that caught the public's (and the FCC's) attention. That and the fact that "big screen" (meaning 12- 16") B&W TVs were becoming quite popular. A 16" color-wheel color set would require a wheel 3 feet in diameter (and presumably, a rather noisy motor). If a field-sequential color set could have been demonstrated without using the color wheel, a large portion of the criticism of the CBS system would have gone away. I have read that Mt. Wilson story elsewhere. Note FCC regulation 73.635, which states: "No television license or renewal of a television license will be granted to any person who owns, leases, or controls a particular site which is peculiarly suitable for television broadcasting in a particular area and (a) which is not available for use by other television licensees; and (b) no other comparable site is available in the area; and (c) where the exclusive use of such site by the applicant or licensee would unduly limit the number of television stations that can be authorized in a particular area or would unduly restrict competition among television stations." I don't know what spurred the adoption of this regulation. And contrary to popular belief, in many cities one or more new VHF stations signed on *after* the first UHFs. In Madison, until WMSN-47 showed up in the mid-80s, WISC-3 was the *newest* station in the market, even newer than PBS WHA-21. There, a successful petition to allocate a new channel was responsible. In Milwaukee, the channel 6 allocation was moved from Green Bay to allow the creation of WITI-6 in 1956, 3 years after WUHF-19 (now WVTV-18) appeared. (Green Bay got its channel back though, getting channel 11 reallocated from Marinette...) Then, of course, there are the late-70s/early-80s VHF drop-ins like WVLT-8 and WVAH-11 (Doug Smith W9WI, Pleasant View (Nashville), TN EM66, WTFDA via DXLD) ** U S A [and non]. WHND was an incredible station. I remember back to the old WQTE days when they had the RCA MX500, (which was sold to Dave Carmine who ran the 1500 in Harrison MI. When I was there we "hot rodded" the array, making every mod and change we could to squeak every bit of RF up north to Detroit for the 67 watt PSA. It especially was important in the morning in December when power change was at 8:00 AM. Sadly, I didn't aircheck as much as I should have when I was there. There was a lot of great moments at the station, and it was one of the last good personality AM Oldies stations from the era of Top-40 radio. Today I just don't hear the passion, unless you hear Dick Bartley. I do have some aircheck, including the "emergency reels" that were used if there was a failure in the STL and the transmitter lost programming. I also have all the jingles and liners from then, including some of the tapes from the Drake days when it was WHNE- Birmingham, WHND-Monroe, "The Honey Twins". Someday I'll make those available on the FTP or make some CDs of them. One of my favorite radio things to do was the March test when we ran the station non-directional for a test. If I recall, that test netted 26 reception reports. No Bellabarba letters, albeit he sent a 2nd letter yesterday asking if I would verify the report lost in the mail. |g| Seriously, it was fun, and the other engineers enjoyed not only what we did, but also getting all the letters from people. Some Honey Trivia: The entire station was stereo, up to the point where it entered the transmitter. Management was planning on installing the Kahn system. The STL link path was 42 miles long, and took just under 1 hour to drive there from the studios, so the transmitter was constantly manned. Some of the station's DJs were famous elsewhere. Richard Dee, was Richard Haas of WNBC fame, and Fred "Boogie Bryan" was the PD at WTAC-600 in Flint in it's hey-day. I worked at WLQV briefly in May-June of 1985 before going into TV. Interesting place. RCA Ampliphase for Day 50kw, a Gate MW-5 for 5kw night, and a Gates BC-1T for standby. The facility was very well put together, and you could see all sorts of signs of Storer Radio engineering around the place in neatly hand laced wiring, and custom racks. One of the guys at the transmitter site snapped this picture of me while working on the "Ampli-fuzz" http://www.nrcdxas.org/bios/fredwlqv.jpg Knew the folks at CHYR/CHIR Leamington ON when I was back in HS. I loved listening to them as they played a lot of Canadian rock not heard on US stations. They were as you said 710 days at 10kw and 730 night with 250 watts. Funny story about CHYR, toward the end of their existence on AM they had a problem with a capacitor in their GE rig. They could not get one, and the normal vendors they had could not get the part. I happened to have the part they needed and took the part up, sweating profusely at the boarder when asked "do you have anything to declare?" |g| The GM there was Lou Thomasi, who was a neat guy to talk radio with. He had lots of stories about all the stations from Toronto to Sarnia. Cool guy. WXYZ, to me, was always the under utilized signal. The TX was in Southfield, and it didn't cover Detroit that well. In the evening you could not hear it down on the Ohio line. Hopefully, like the WWJ switch did, the new TX site will help coverage. Sorry to be so verbose. Since I'm enjoying a rare holiday today, I've been recording in old 45s into my audio editor and cleaning them up and exporting to CD. Each song brings back some memories of when radio was truly an adventure, and each week had "something new". For example, I'm doing a clean up on "Fallin' in Love" by Hamilton, Joe Frank, & Reynolds as I type this. It was a number 27 for 1975. Do you remember what station you first heard this on in August 1975? (Fred Vobbe, OH, NRC-AM via DXLD) This evening, 4/18. 20:45 CDT, sounds like 1530 WSAI using IBOC, creating terrible hash on 1520 and 1540. Anybody else hearing this. This noise on 1520 can be nulled towards the SE from here (towards Cincinnati). (Tom Jasinski, Shorewood, IL, IRCA via DXLD) Hi Tom: Yes, it's true. The dreaded nasty IBOC monster was all installed and ready to go a week ago at WSAI, so you have detected its launching. Wasn't hard to detect, was it?? (Chuck Hutton, WA, ibid.) ** U S A. Re: [NRC-am] SS on 1690 heard in NH daytime? I heard 1690 kHz yesterday here in Medford. Radio Kreyol 1690 has Spanish programming at certain times of the days/week. Yesterday (Thurs 4/17), I heard Spanish male getting over-the-phone news reports from SP woman in "República Dominicana" at around 2210 UT (6:10 pm local). Subject : 1620 Radio Energie in Boston area While listening to the expanded X-band pirates in Boston yesterday, I heard Radio Energie on 1620 kHz in English! It was Christian programming. They were asking for song requests, so I called in (617- 298-1622) and talked to the DJ over the air. I asked him where the radio station was located, but he evaded the question. He invited me to a church on Salem St in Malden (next town over from Medford). The title of the program is "This is the Message of the Hour." After the phone call, he went back to playing religious songs in English. This was around 2109 UT (5:09 pm local). The fun never stops with radio. Subject : 1670 co-channel Boston area pirates I'm currently listening to Allston-Brighton Free Radio on 1670 kHz at 4:38 pm local (Apr 18). They're playing everything from blues music to hardcore rock music. But during the silences in between the songs, I can hear a preacher in UNID lang screaming his lungs out. Anyone know where this preacher is transmitting from? BTW, the Allston Brighton Free Radio commercial said they were also webcasting on abfreeradio.org. I have yet to check out the webcasting since 1670 kHz comes in well here. Have fun, (Paul V McDonough, Medford, MA, April 18, NRC-AM via DXLD) ** VATICAN [and non]. SUPREME COURT REVERSES LOWER COURT OPINION; SAYS RADIO VATICANO DIRECTORS CAN BE PROSECUTED FOR ALLEGED TRANSMITTER RADIATION EXCESSES Roma, Apr 10 (ACI Prensa) --- The legal process instituted by an Italian government agency and a group of residents against the Radio Vaticano transmitter plant took an alarming turn yesterday when the Italian Supreme Tribunal annulled a sentence which exculpated the administrators of the radio station from charges. The controversy began last year when Italian functionaries and a group of residents who live near the transmitter center at Santa Maria di Galeria, situated a few kilometers of Rome, accused Radio Vaticano of producing electromagnetic emissions above permitted levels. The emissions of the station are adjusted to the existing European standards, but not to a new and groundless standard established by pressure from local ecologists. A year ago, the sentence formulated by the Penal Tribunal of Rome established that the matter ought not to proceed ``because of defect of jurisdiction`` against the three functionaries of Radio Vatican accused of the supposed electromagnetic contamination (see Catholic Radio Update #163, February 25, 2002). Nevertheless, Wednesday, April 9, the First Section of the Supreme Penal Tribunal annulled the exculpatory sentence, giving the Tribunal of Rome the definitive judgment. Radio Vatican yesterday released a communiqué in which it reaffirmed the arguments by which it considers the decision to be an error: | The station is an entity of the Catholic Church and as such, is exempt from ``any control on the part of the Italian State.`` | Radio Vaticano has always complied with international recommendations for the protection of the population in the matter of electromagnetic emissions. ``Radio Vaticano hopes, nevertheless, that the horizon will clear of the unjust and unfounded accusations against it, and that it ought to be able to continue its activities with serenity, in the context of a responsible and correct relation with the Italian authorities and the surrounding population, made tranquil by the absence of dangers to health,`` the communiqué concluded (Mike Dorner, Catholic Radio Update Apr 21 via DXLD) Quite aside from the merits of this matter, and it`s always fun to watch Christians conflicting with each other, I find it interesting that the station here is being spelt Radio Vaticano, while in English, and I think some other languages, it is Radio Vaticana. In Spanish, and I suppose in Italian, it ends in O. Why is this? The word ``radio`` is of uncertain and confusing gender depending on language and context. So is ``Vaticano/a`` thought of as modifying ``Radio``? That`s rather far-fetched compared to other ``Radio`` station names, tho the English word order, Vatican Radio, and never Radio Vatican, could be taken that way (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) UNIDENTIFIED. 4529.05, "Radio Sonorama", unknown QTH. April 2003 - 1130 UT. With a newscast called "Noticiero Uno" and mentioning Radio Sonorama 103.7 MHz (Björn Malm, Quito, Ecuador, April 18 2003, SW Bulletin, Translated by SWB editor Thomas Nilsson for DX LISTENING DIGEST) UNIDENTIFIED. 4864.95, religious Spanish, unknown QTH. Feb/April 2003 - 1115/ 2330 UT. In SWB issue 1505 I reported for the first time about this as it seems 100 % religious station. Weak signal and I can only hear separate words and phrases. After many hours of listening, finally the signal could be heard also in the evening, April 10 I listened from 2320 until close down 0102 UT. They broadcast all the time "La Voz de la Salvación" with the same male preacher. ID at 2330 by YL: "Cadena...", then two frequencies were mentioned and I am quite sure of one of them: "730 AM". The other frequency I also think is MW but I am not sure. I have not heard any geographical name. The only relation, somewhat far-fetched, is that on 730 kHz there is a listed "R. Cadena Dial, Santa Bárbara" in Honduras. I don`t think the two listed Bolivians have been reported for a long time(?). Is there any relation between these two and "LV de la Salvación"? Very frequency stable, but weak, hard worked signal but I keep urgently on listening! Keep in touch if you have any info about this station. April 11 the above preview was sent out to the SWB members. The station can still be heard with very weak signal, but a strong "Verdes Florestas" nearby makes it difficult. Our member KO/ Kenneth Olofsson sends this mail: KO: "4865 April 8, 2345, unID with Spanish, religious program from La Voz de Salvación, Orlando, Florida USA. QRM from the Brazilian, presumably Verdes Florestes. I thought the religious station was one of the Bolivian stations, hmm.....". BM: "Thanks for the mail, Kenneth! Have checked my tape recording and now I also hear that Orlando, Florida is included in an address. There is a religious program called "El momento decisivo" which is broadcast over several radio stations, among others R. Centenario La Nueva, Santa Cruz is on the list. I have to say that the preacher I hear on 4864.95 kHz has a voice resembling Señor Jeremiah, the man behind "El momento decisivo", but it might be imagination! So I wonder is there a connection between "LV de la Salvación" and "El momento decisivo?". Many thanks to our member JE/ Jan Edh who writes: JE: "I just read your (and Thomas) mail re this station on 4865 kHz. Thanks. I was out listening tonight but the conditions were very lousy, and nothing was heard. I have no memory of any broadcasts from Centenario of those programs. Centenario at least has been an Evangelic station with residence in America, but that is perhaps no obstacle". (Björn Malm, Quito, Ecuador, April 18 2003, SW Bulletin, Translated by SWB editor Thomas Nilsson for DX LISTENING DIGEST) UNIDENTIFIED. 5928v, religious LA, unknown QTH. April 17 - 1020 UT. A typical station with transmitter problems, so perhaps not of interest for you in SWB. A religious program "La biblia dice" and the male preacher said something like: "....están en sintonía de R.R.". Unfortunately no clue for the QTH. Distorted sound (Björn Malm, Quito, Ecuador, April 18 2003, SW Bulletin, Translated by SWB editor Thomas Nilsson for DX LISTENING DIGEST) UNIDENTIFIED. 6275.10, "Radio Permíjo", unknown QTH. April 12 2003 - 0300 UT. Now on Saturday evening I have been listening to this station for three/four hours. A wide variety of music, from rap to gorgeous music from the 60s with "The Supremes". The station IDs as "Radio Permíjo" relaying a station on the Internet called "Radio 3 Network" with QTH in Italy. If you search for the phrase "Radio 3 Network" many sites will emerge. The question is: which is the station relaying this program and where is the QTH? The Spanish ID "Radio Permíjo" is a fonetical one. Just before sending this mail to Thomas, 0500 UT, the station can still be heard with the same type of program. I have not earlier noted anything particular on the frequency. The above was sent out as a ``preview``. Many thanks to our member BEFF/Björn Fransson who writes in a mail: BEFF: "Many thanks for the previews! I also listened Friday evening at 2030 UT to Radio Tre on the mentioned frequency. Dario Monferini has been in contact with Radio Tre Network, which are idealistic??? No one else has heard "Radio Permijo", so this is interesting. BM: "As I said, "Permijo" is what I hear phonetically. (Björn Malm, Quito, Ecuador, April 18 2003, SW Bulletin, Translated by SWB editor Thomas Nilsson for DX LISTENING DIGEST) ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ RECEIVER NEWS +++++++++++++ CELLPHONE RADIO Re: The Finnish cellphone maker Nokia has announced a way you can hear FM between conversations. Comment: In Denmark the 6100 has not a built-in FM radio. Of the current Nokia models these include a stereo FM radio: 5100, 6610, 7210 and 7250, while the 8310 has a mono FM radio. See them (with Danish text) at: http://www.nokia.dk/phones/compare/ Nokia/Denmark is also considering to produce a telephone with built- in DAB radio. 73, (Erik Køie, Copenhagen, DX LISTENING DIGEST) GRUNDIG INTRODUCES SATELLIT 900 AT CES 2003 LAS VEGAS, Nevada, January 9, 2003 --- Grundig today unveiled the new Satellit 900 AM/FM/SW Radio, the premier microprocessor-controlled, fully frequency synthesized, high performance world band receiver. With continuous frequency coverage between 100 kHz and 30 MHz plus FM broadcast band coverage the Satellit 900 sets the standard for high performance receivers of the future. Sharp, sleek yet compact, the Satellit 900 pairs highly intelligent design with the power of its predecessor, the Satellit 800, known as "the best radio on the planet" by Passport to Worldband Radio. With the large dot matrix liquid crystal display with backlighting, the Satellit 900 provides clear display of all radio modes and settings. The built-in ferrite rod antenna and telescoping whip antenna for longwave, medium wave, shortwave and FM frequencies in addition to the external antenna connector and switch-selected preamp allows customers to optimize reception of hard to pull in stations in spite of location. Tuning abilities have also been revolutionized with the Satellit 900. In addition to tuning by the rotary main tuning encoder or by direct numeric keypad frequency entry, customers can also select stations with the convenient channel increment select keys. This innovative new feature simplifies the tuning process and enables users to scan and store up to 500 of their favorite channels. Attendees of the International Consumer Electric Show were among the first to test the new Satellite 900 for themselves. Release of this simple and intuitive to use Satellit 900 Radio is expected for the fourth quarter of the 2003 fiscal year. (From http://www.satellit700.com/900/satellit900.html via SW Bulletin Apr 20 via DXLD) ###