DX LISTENING DIGEST 3-139, August 4, 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/dxldtd3h.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 1193: RFPI: Tue 1900, Wed 0100, 0730, 1330 on 7445, and maybe new experimental 15115 ex-15039 [nominal times may be delayed] WWCR: Wed 0930 9475 WRN ONDEMAND: http://new.wrn.org/listeners/stations/station.php?StationID=24 OUR ONDEMAND AUDIO [also for CONTINENT OF MEDIA, MUNDO RADIAL]: Check http://www.worldofradio.com/audiomid.html [Low] (Download) http://www.k4cc.net/wor1193.rm (Stream) http://www.k4cc.net/wor1193.ram [High] (Download) http://www.k4cc.net/wor1193h.rm (Stream) http://www.k4cc.net/wor1193h.ram (Summary) http://www.worldofradio.com/wor1193.html ** ARMENIA. Clash on 15270: see ROMANIA ** AUSTRALIA. AUSTRALIAN BROADCASTING CORPORATION ANNOUNCES BUDGET CUTS | Text of report by Radio Australia on 4 August Radio Australia's parent body, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation [ABC], has announced budget cuts of 17m US dollars. The ABC's managing director, Russell Balding, says the cuts are due to the corporation's failure to secure additional funding by the Australian government in the last federal budget. Danuta Kozacki reports: [Kozacki] In his statement, Mr Balding says the ABC board has approved management proposals for cuts to programmes and non-programme areas. Included in the 26m-dollar figure [this and following figures are Australian dollars] is the already announced 7m-dollar cut to digital television services. A further 7m dollars will be lost in television advertising, schools production and live sport. Five million dollars in spending will also be cut from News and Current Affairs budgets in television and radio, with another 5m dollars coming from non- programme functions. Mr Balding says that although around 100 positions will be affected, redundancies will be limited to 20 to 25 jobs. Source: Radio Australia, Melbourne, in English 0800 gmt 4 Aug 03 (via BBCM via DXLD) ** BANGLADESH. Much improved modulation and the transmitter rumble is much less, making it a bit easier to listen. However, some days modulation goes down. English at 1230-1300 on 7185 and also 1815 on 7185. Although announcing // 9550 and 15520, only the 7185 transmitter is operational. Maybe they used the 9 MHz transmitter for parts for the 7 MHz transmitter; 15520 was last heard at least 2 years back, not since. The tropical band 4880 has also been off for a couple of years (Victor Goonetilleke, Sri Lanka, DX-plorer via BC-DX via DXLD) ** BELGIUM. This week`s RVi Radio World is about the Koreas, including a supposed English schedule for RKI, starting with: The schedule for the English language programmes is as follows: 0000-0059 15385am 0200-0256 9560as 11810as 15575na ??? There is no such broadcast at 0000, but that is obviously(?) Spain on 15385, not RKI. At 0200, 9560 is certainly RKI for Am via Canada, not As! This style looks suspiciously like Monitoring Times, tho not attributed, so I checked the July and August issues. Sure `nuff, the 0200 entry has the same error of As instead of Am, and the 0000-0059 listing does show South Korea on 15385 instead of Spain! Here`s what must have happened: alphabetically adjacent entries for South Korea and Spain got merged, and of the thousands of listings in Shortwave Guide, Frans picked these out to quote. I withhold my standard rant about getting schedules correct before broadcasting (Glenn Hauser, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Corrected for Oct issue (Gayle Van Horn, MT, DXLD) ** BURMA [non]. BURMESE EXILE PAPER SAYS RADIO SALES SHOW FOREIGN MEDIA IS NEWS LIFELINE More Burmese people are turning to foreign-based radio broadcasts since the Rangoon government imposed a media blackout after the arrest of Aung San Suu Kyi, according to Bangkok-based exile publication Irrawaddy. The following is the text of a report in English by Thailand-based Burmese exile publication Irrawaddy web site on 1 August 1 August: Large numbers of Burmese hungry for news and entertainment are tuning in to Rangoon's City FM and several foreign broadcasts available via shortwave radio. Rangoon resident Khin Maung Shwe says he listens to BBC and other broadcasts every morning. "It is not unusual. People listen to radio for news because there is a complete blackout here," he said. Since the 30 May ambush on Aung San Suu Kyi and the subsequent detention of opposition leaders, many Burmese want to know what's going on in the country and the whereabouts of Suu Kyi. "Burmese citizens want to know how the international community is reacting to Burma," Khin Maung Shwe said. Stories by overseas Burmese and regional experts on the impact of US sanctions, ASEAN's concern over Suu Kyi and the ongoing debate on factionalism within the regime draw many grateful listeners. "We want to know what will happen to us since the US imposed sanctions on Burma," said Khin Maung Shwe. He witnessed "something unusual" as of late: regular joggers in the capital bringing along radios during their morning runs. "I have never seen that before," he said. Washington-based Voice of America (VOA) begins its broadcast at 6 a.m. [2330 gmt previous day], followed by BBC Burmese Service, Washington- based Radio Free Asia (RFA) and the Oslo-based opposition station Democratic Voice of Burma (DVB). Former opposition party member Myo Myint said, "When I stroll down the street in Rangoon [in the early morning] I can hear news because almost every house is listening to the BBC or RFA." However, he said, tea shops in Rangoon usually feature TV and radio cassette players but do not dare play news aloud, fearing a reaction from authorities. Listening to shortwave radio is not illegal in Burma but citizens know that the government does not approve of the activity. In some provinces, daring tea shop owners do not hide their support of Suu Kyi and the democracy movement and play the broadcasts at high volume as a sign of defiance. In addition to the programmes available via shortwave, City FM is hugely popular among Burmese. The station is managed by Yangon City Development Committee. Since late 2001, City FM has broadcast live interviews with Burmese celebrities and played popular music avoided by the state-run radio stations. A veteran journalist in Rangoon said, "People are thirsty for infotainment," adding that many young people regularly tune in to FM radio. Though there is no official survey of listenership, it is believed that millions of Burmese listen to shortwave. As more and more people listen, radio sales have increased. Ordinary Burmese cannot afford to buy popular brand names such as Sony or Aiwa but they do purchase Chinese-made radios like Tecsun and Kchibo, which range in price range from 10,000 (10 US dollars) to 15,000 kyat. The price for a digital radio is over 20,000 kyats. "They are affordable for many Burmese," said Khin Maung Shwe. In Mae Sot, on the Thai side of the Burmese border, many Burmese listen to shortwave news broadcasts. Most prefer a particular station. Ko Zarni, an activist and a former National League for Democracy (NLD) member said, "I only listen to the BBC." When asked why, he replied, "You don't get bored." Back in Rangoon, city dwellers and democracy groups are not unanimous in their choice of a favourite station. Ko Maung Maung Htin, who is in his early 30s, says he listens to BBC and RFA. "I am addicted [to these radio stations]," he said. "I have to listen to them every night." He also says people have more choices than they used to and can compare stations to determine which they prefer. A veteran journalist in Rangoon said he has to listen to all available stations as part of his job. "I prefer RFA because of its news and interviews," he said. But many in Rangoon say BBC is more accurate and professional. "I like BBC and RFA, they are well-informed," he said. "People are fed up with propaganda, they don't want to be cheated." The BBC tops in popularity, followed by RFA, he added. The editor of a weekly news journal in Rangoon said many listeners are drawn to the lively discussions, interviews about current events and news reporting. "If you think something is up, you must listen to them because the government won't say anything," he said. Though not significant in number, some mid-ranking NLD officials, veteran writers and political observers in Burma are joining the stations' lively discussion programmes, despite intimidation and threats of possible detention. A former broadcaster, who worked for a state-run station in the 1970s, said it was unlikely that the generals listened to any overseas broadcasts. He added that the government's monitoring service listens to almost everything, as they also did in the past. During the Gen Ne Win era, the socialist government monitored BBC, Radio Moscow, All India, Voice of America and as well as the Burmese Communist Party's radio station based along the China-Burma border. Each morning, news sheets were sent to high-ranking officials, especially those working for military intelligence. Such monitoring continues but the current junta is much more sophisticated than their predecessors. Thanks to the television and Internet technology, military intelligence officers and Burma's policy strategists at the War Office in Rangoon receive the latest news on Burma and the region on their desk within hours or minutes. "They have everything: satellite, cable TV and the Internet," said the former broadcaster. "They analyse news and come up with new strategies to counter domestic and international opinion." Senior government leaders, however, rarely address the public, even on the state-run television and radio stations. Nor do the generals appear to be big fans of the foreign-based broadcasts. "They think these radio stations are biased and only broadcast rumours and fabricated news," he said. Khin Maung Shwe thinks Burma's leaders could easily be irritated by listening to the popular overseas stations. Why? "Because they are telling you the truth," he said. Source: Irrawaddy web site, Bangkok, in English 1 Aug 03 (via BBCM via DXLD) ** CHINA. CRI TO START NEW HINDI TRANSMISSION FOR INDIAN SUBCONTINENT WEF 5th Aug CRI is starting an additional daily transmission in Hindi targeted towards Indian subcontinent - 1300-1400 on 11765, 13715 khz. CRI already has two transmissions in Hindi: 1500-1600 UT on 1323, 9690, 11675; 1600-1700 UT on 1269, 9690, 11675 Regds, (Alokesh Gupta, New Delhi, India, Aug 4, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** COSTA RICA. The University for Peace has decided not to immediately evict the staff and volunteers on August 4th, as they have threatened to do. A meeting with the RFPI staff and University representatives (whose names were not made known) has been set up for August 11th. The email and telephone campaign seems to be working but should be continued and increased during these next seven days. Spread the word to media outlets, newspapers, radio, magazines, alternative sources (Chuck Scurich, Aug 4, http://www.saverfpi.org via DXLD) PETITION FOR THE WORLD TO CIRCULATE SPANISH AND ENGLISH http://www.saverfpi.org/article.php?story=20030804094302272 (via DXLD) Hi Glenn, Maurice Strong is a "famous" Canadian --- He was head of Ontario Hydro (the province's energy company) and was said to be involved in all sorts of stuff. This already included, many years ago, some supposedly shady dealings *in Costa Rica* (I'm not stating for a fact, because I wasn't there and because e-mails go through oodles of computers these days until they get to the recipient). It seems that he's had some affinity for the country for quite a while. He's not known to be very progressive, either... A cached page of Tico Times (from Google) (Costa Ricans are called Ticos, as you know, and it's a name by which even their soccer team is known) dwells over this in the last July issue: http://www.google.ca/search?q=cache:GZtA2WhY_EcJ:www.ticotimes.net/newsbriefs.htm+maurice+strong+costa+rica&hl=en&ie=UTF-8 [but that has been replaced by something about shark fins!] By going to http://www.ticotimes.net/archive/_vti_bin/shtml.dll/ocean.htm and searching for Maurice Strong, it finds 217 (!) documents. One of which is http://www.ticotimes.net/archive/07_31_03_nb.htm (btw, I was pleased that you mentioned Kofi Annan's e-mail address, as I also had guessed at his *unpublished* address when I wrote in a couple of times -- I guessed sg@ and it didn't bounce... This Tico Times shows it as annan@ and that probably works as well). Here's a piece on M. Strong's background: http://forests.org/archive/samerica/ecotour.htm Google News finds only one entry for Radio For Peace International: U.N.-backed School Threatens to Shut down Radio For Peace International http://www.democracynow.org/article.pl?sid=03/07/29/168226 It points to James Latham's recording, I believe. So your coverage is definitely needed and appreciated. Best regards (Carlos Coimbra, Ont., Aug 3, DX LISTENING DIGEST) It took me quite a while to figure out what appears to be going on down in Costa Rica. Between listening too much to RFPI for days on end and reading the Tico Times and other sources, it still remains somewhat baffling. But, I think that I can move into the editorial opinion mode sufficiently so that I can respond to John's posting here. For some of what I think is happening I rely on my experience as a former college professor at 3 different universities, as well as my observations of other universities from the outside. It seems clear that when the University for Peace changed its chief administrators recently, it did not take long for an internal fight to break out at the University between its administrators and RFPI. The University spent a bunch of money in the capital budget to install various infrastructure around the campus, including internet connections and related expenses. They sent RFPI a bill for these expenses, which RFPI did not pay. Negotiations between RFPI and the University administrators did not go well. Then, one day about a week ago the administrators sent the campus police (apparently well armed in a place like Costa Rica) over to the station and they padlocked the entrance to the station parking lot with chains and locks. The university has served RFPI with an eviction notice. RFPI decided to fight rather than negotiate, and the daily broadcasts since then are a result of this. Most of what we are hearing on RFPI's SWBC shows is highly puzzling, since its production goal seems exclusively to broadcast the station's position in the dispute with the University, even though almost no listeners have any idea that there is an internal fight at the university, or what the basis of this fight is. As journalists in this particular news story, I give the lowest possible grade to RFPI's reporters. They have never even broadcast one sentence of the university administrators' version of the story. In fact, they don't make it clear that this is an internal budget argument at the college, even though that appears to be the entire basis for the dispute. So, RFPI gets black marks for completely missing a big SWBC news story in which they are one of the main participants. But, the University does not come out of this looking very good either. The Tico Times said that the college administrators were refusing to speak to the press at all, referring all inquiries to their lawyer. (Those of you who live in cities will recognize this tactic, which frequently is used by politicians who are guilty of something before they are hauled off to the slammer). The Univeristy's lawyer has a very poor sense of press relations. He claimed to the Tico Times that he had been trying for weeks to call RFPI to negotiate the dispute, but that he could not find out what their phone number was. The Tico Times says that the RFPI phone number is listed in the San José phone book, and is also posted on the RFPI web site. RFPI claims to be on international UN territory, and thus claims to be exempt from the Costa Rican government`s control of radio frequencies. The university administrators are attacking them for being unlicensed, and claim that their efforts to force RFPI to acquire a Costa Rican broadcasting license are a part of the unresolved dispute. I personally think that this is pretty much a red herring that has little or nothing to do with the dispute. RFPI claims repeatedly that the university administration has no authority to evict RFPI from their studios and transmitters, since RFPI claims to have completely financed the construction of these facilities with listener donations, apparently with no portion financed through the university. However, the Tico Times says that the university owns the real estate on which the facilities exist. I am not a lawyer, and I know nothing about Costa Rican real estate law, so this probably is a matter for local litigation. I don't know anything about Costa Rican law on nonprofit groups like RFPI and the University, but I assume that here is another issue for local litigation. This explains why RFPI is asking for donations to their "Legal Defense Fund." It is not at all uncommon for arguments like this to take place within universities, although it is somewhat unusual that this one has spilled out into the domain of the public press so openly. In the United States, things like this normally generate prominent press coverage only when the issues involve sports teams, such as the time recently when the scandals on the University of Georgia's basketball team caused the coach to quit and the team to withdraw from the NCAA basketball tournament. There are undoubtedly personality issues involved in the internal dispute at the university. In my experience, this is always the case. But, I have found out nothing about such things in the RFPI incident. We don't know the people anyway, so such details would not mean much to us, although I bet that they mean a great deal down in Costa Rica. The general manager of RFPI appears to have handled the situation poorly. He has not negotiated well with the college. He is not doing a good job of having his station cover the dispute as a news story. The former President of Costa Rica is now on the University Board of Trustees. He has been trashing the actions of the University administration in the Tico Times, so there is at least some dissension on the Board. I'll bet that the next Board of Trustees meeting at the University will be very interesting. I can't see much evidence that this is an issue of local Costa Rican politics, or as RFPI is claiming, that this is an issue of free speech rights. I could be wrong about he politics, but it looks pretty certain that the university is not picking on RFPI in censorship of the shows that they run. The whole thing appears to be an internal budget argument within the university. Neither side is acting with much distinction in the dispute. RFPI's format has become almost exclusively a crude imitation of fundraisers on local public radio stations in the United States. In a sense, they are copying the format used by the many right wing religious preachers and commentators that they frequently have criticized in the past on the RFPI shows. I think that this is ironic, but I don't think that RFPI will have a sense of humor about this one. I don't think that any of us have to apologize for spending so much time on this one, which is not exactly a hard core DX issue. But, except for the demise of the BBC, I think that this has been one of the most interesting programming developments on any SWBC station in the world since the fall of the Soviet Union. I say that despite the fact that if RFPI went off the air, I would miss it a lot less than I miss something like Swiss Radio International. I guess the resurrection of AFRTS might be up at the same level of importance from a programming and DX standpoint. I can't say that I want to defend RFPI in this, since their journalistic shortcomings have been huge. But, I can't defend the University administration, either. They are flubbing the situation fairly flagrantly. The Tico Times says that the UN has been criticizing the university for having allegedly substandard academic programming. So, as I see it, we have a lot of losers on both sides of this particular dispute (George Zeller, OH, DXplorer July 30 via BC-DX via DXLD) George apparently hasn`t been reading about Maurice Strong, or he would come to slightly different conclusions about this being solely an intra-university squabble over who pays for what (Glenn Hauser, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** CUBA (Special Event). Look for special event station CO0R to be on the air from Santiago de Cuba City, August 9-10th, to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the birth of Cuban national hero Jose Martí. Activity will be on CW, SSB and digital modes (bands of activity were not provided). All QSLs will be sent automatically via bureau (KB8NW/OPDX August 3/BARF-80 via John Norfolk, DXLD) ** CUBA. Comentario de Zecchino: And the Yanqui running dogs of Imperiali'tas think they have the edge with IBOC. 590 Musical is now on more than off, South Florida's commercial free classical station. Command economy engineers melded the transfer case from the '48 Fordson Fieldmaster with some old Nehi bottles to produce a perfectly good water cooled tetrode, new life for the 'mighty 590'. Intelligence from Mr. Crawford confirms source of jamming of the VOA - Iran Broadcasts as originating from Bejucal, thirty or so miles south of Habana's Palacio del Fido. And to think, some thought the old Soviet radio complex south of Havana to be a cold war memory. Not one to neglect matters at home, Líder Máximo is bravely shifting his radio networks about on the fly. 1140 is ex-Ciudad Bandera and is now Cadena Habana with the added benefit of the jammer transmitter collocated with the satellite jammer at Bejucal now sporadically broadcasting Reloj. On the same frequency 1140. Look, this is Cuba, and El Commandante en Jeffe knows best, just ackse Oliver Stone. 1470 still bringing clarity of truth to the Americas with Ciudad Bandera. 1120 Cadena Habana is off the air for the moment, 1100 soldiers on. 1000 and 1020, both long R. Guamá, are silent but carriers appear, part of the valiant campaign to jam the US psyops C-130 counter- revolucionario flights, how the gringo dreams! Good news for lovers of 1260 Encyclopedia, its alluring format and 100 percent compressed modulation. Yes, just watch it sometime on the VU meter of the R-390, set VU for max at 100%, you'll never see the movement drop lower than 97%. And the gringos think they have it all with their Optimods and Solarizers. Ha. Chivatos! Yes, 1260 Encyclopedia is now buttressed by 1270, originating from Torriente about fifty miles south southwest of Habana and courageously fighting WNOG 1270 in Naples, Florida, as it forges ahead to the joy of appreciative connoisseurs of fine melody in Flo-ree-da, as the butthole surfers would so pronounce the name, now rumored to be playing for pesos in Ciego de Ávila, home to the 820 jammer (Paul V. Zecchino, Englewood FL, NRC IDXD Aug 4 via DXLD) ** GERMANY. Today a state-wide commercial radio program will cease to exist, for the very first time here in Germany as far as I know. The RPR network in Rheinland-Pfalz winds up its second program RPR 2 because the audience of its "Schlager" format (some special German kind of light music) was considered as too old and therefore not of interest for advertisers. At 0300 UT RPR 2 will be replaced by the youth-orientated bigFM program from Stuttgart. Repeat, the only state- wide commercial broadcaster of Rheinland-Pfalz will from today relay a program produced elsewhere, only with few self-produced stuff inserted. Live programming of RPR 2 ceased already on Friday at 1300 UT. A recording of the good-bye from the very last on-air shift should be downloadable from http://www.radioforen.de/attachment.php?s=&postid=62367 (Kai Ludwig, Germany, Aug 3, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** GERMANY. DEUTSCHE WELLE FROM BONN The German service of Deutsche Welle broadcasts since 0900 from Bonn now as it was planned. The 0800 and 0830 news were concluded with a remark that these were the last editions from Cologne. At 0900 another announcer read the first news from Bonn, finally at 0930 the lady who did the last shift at Cologne continued at Bonn. I guess the first thing broadcast from Bonn, i.e. no longer routed through the console at Cologne, was the interval signal at 0900. And indeed the studio mikes at Bonn do sound somewhat different even after the heavy soundprocessing on shortwave. [Recording:] Statement from head of security service at Cologne "who will be the last one to switch off the lights": No reason to be afraid, we are still present with two men, all alarm systems are still operational. Some melancholy because this is the end of an era in some way. One slip occurred, although not necessarily related to the move: The first edition of Funkjournal from Bonn started with a whole minute of only the stinger for whatever reason (technical problem or just announcer not ready in time). (Kai Ludwig, Germany, Aug 4, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** GUANTANAMO BAY. Cory/N1WON and David/WA4ET will be active as KG4CM and KG4DP, respectively, from Guantánamo Bay, Cuba (NA-015), from August 14 to 21st. Activity will be 80-6 meters, SSB, RTTY and PSK. Please QSL KG4CM to N5FTR and KG4DP to WA4ET. Reminder: Please do not send cards for this event to the bureau. There is no KG4 bureau for Guantánamo Bay. Please QSL as directed to receive QSL cards (KB8NW/OPDX August 3/BARF-80 via John Norfolk, DXLD) ** IRAQ [and non]. THE MEDIA IN POST-WAR IRAQ - 1 AUGUST 2003 New publications continue to appear in Iraq since the fall of Saddam Husayn's regime in April 2003. At the time of writing, more than 130 newspapers and other publications are available. Independent radio and TV stations, however, have been slower to emerge. The Iraqi Media Network, operated by the Coalition Provisional Authority, continues for the time being to dominate domestic broadcasting. International broadcasters such as the BBC, Radio Monte Carlo-Middle East and the US-run Radio Sawa are all available on FM in Baghdad and some other Iraqi cities. Internet services are on offer in the capital, and the state internet service provider, Uruklink, is back in operation after several months offline. The Paris-based organization Reporters Sans Frontières (RSF) on 23 July published a report on developments in Iraq's media in the last four months. The full report can be seen on the RSF web site, http://www.rsf.fr The following new Iraqi press and broadcast sources have been traced since the previous 15 July 2003 issue of "The media in post-war Iraq": NEW TV BROADCASTS IN IRAQ SINCE 15 JULY 2003 KTVS - Kurdish TV station available in Baghdad - sound frequency 668.75 MHz NEW IRAQI PRESS SINCE 15 JULY 2003 --- [lengthy list of publications snipped for DXLD; anyone really needing this may contact the editor] POST-WAR BROADCAST MEDIA --- RADIO FM BAND IN BAGHDAD (MHz) 89.0 - BBC World Service in Arabic 89.9 - Iranian Payam network in Persian 90.1 - Iranian Voice of the Mujahidin in Arabic 92.3 - Continuous US pop music 93.0 - Iranian Javan (Youth) network in Persian 93.5 - Radio Monte Carlo-Middle East 95.0 - Radio Freedom from Baghdad in Arabic (operated by the PUK) 97.4 - Continuous US pop music (as 92.3) 97.7 - Continuous US pop music (as 92.3) 98.1 - BBC World Service in English 98.3 - Iraqi Media Network, Radio Baghdad in Arabic 100.4 - US Radio Sawa in Arabic 101.6 - Iranian Javan (Youth) network in Persian 107.4 - Continuous US pop music (as 92.3) AM/MEDIUMWAVE (kHz) 531 - (Iranian) IRIB Radio Sarasarye network in Persian 540 - Radio Kuwait Main Programme in Arabic 558 - IRIB Radio Farhang network in Persian 576 - IRIB Arabic Service 585 - (Saudi) BSKSA General Programme in Arabic 612 - IRIB Arabic Service 630 - Radio Kuwait Koran Programme in Arabic 657 - Unidentified station "[Word indistinct] Iraq Radio" in Arabic and Kurdish 666 - IRIB Radio Sarasarye network in Persian 693 - US Information Radio in Arabic 711 - IRIB Ahwaz regional in Arabic 720 - Voice of the Mujahidin in Arabic 756 - Information Radio in Arabic 783 - BSKSA 2nd Programme in Arabic 819 - Syrian Arab Republic Radio Main Programme in Arabic 864 - Radio Nejat in Persian 900 - IRIB Radio Sarasarye network in Persian 909 - Radio Nahrain 936 - BSKSA Koran Programme in Arabic 954 - Radio Qatar in Arabic 972 - IRIB Radio Sarasarye network in Persian 1000 - Voice of the Worker Communist Party of Iraq 1026 - Iraqi Media Network, Radio Baghdad in Arabic 1053 - Republic of Iraq Radio, Voice of the Iraqi People in Arabic 1134 - Radio Kuwait Main Programme in Arabic 1161 - IRIB Arabic Service 1170 - (US-run) Radio Farda in Persian 1224 - IRIB Arabic Service 1251 - IRIB Radio Sarasarye network in Persian 1269 - Radio Kuwait Modern Arabic Music Service 1296 - Voice of Azerbaijan in Azeri - Radio Liberty relay 1314 - (US-run) Radio Free Iraq via Abu Dhabi 1341 - Radio Kuwait 2nd Programme in Arabic 1395 - Voice of Armenia in Armenian 1440 - BSKSA General Programme in Arabic 1449 - IRIB World Service in Russian 1467 - BSKSA General Programme in Arabic 1476 - Emirates Radio, UAE, in Arabic 1485 - IRIB Radio Sarasarye network in Persian 1503 - IRIB Radio Sarasarye network in Persian 1521 - IRIB Radio Farhang network in Persian 1539 - (US-run) Radio Farda in Persian 1548 - (US-run) Radio Sawa in Arabic 1566 - Radio of the Land of the Two Rivers in Arabic 1575 - Radio Al-Mustaqbal 1575 - Radio Asia, UAE, in Urdu 1593 - VoA English/Kurdish/Persian + Radio Free Iraq Iraqi Media Network, Voice of New Iraq - operated by the Coalition Provisional Authority. Has also identified as Republic of Iraq Radio from Baghdad and Voice of Free Iraq (Sawt al-Iraq al-Hurr). Broadcasts on 98.3 MHz FM in Baghdad. On 27 May 2003 the station was observed on 1026 kHz announcing as Iraqi Media Network, Radio Baghdad. Radio Nahrain Since the end of March 2003, Radio Nahrain, also known as Twin Rivers Radio, has been transmitting on FM on 100.4 and 94.6 MHz from a location south of Basra. It has also been monitored on 909 kHz mediumwave. The station is operated by British forces, but was due to be taken over at some stage by the Coalition Provisional Authority. Voice of Freedom, Voice of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan radio in Arabic and Kurdish is operated by the PUK. It broadcasts daily from 1000-1900 gmt on 95.0 MHz. The station identifies on air as "Radio Freedom". Turkomaneli TV and radio was launched in Kirkuk in April 2003 and broadcasts on behalf of the Iraqi Turkoman Front. Turkomaneli Radio opened radio stations in Talla'far and Mosul on 6 and 8 May respectively, the Iraqi Turkoman Front newspaper Turkomaneli reported on 11 May. Dangi Komal-Kirkuk radio broadcasts on 1341 kHz in Kurdish, Arabic and Turkish to Kirkuk on behalf of the Kurdistan Islamic Group. The Worker-Communist Party of Iraq's "Radio Bopeshawa" is reportedly back on the air. The internet site of the Worker-Communist Party of Iraq http://www.wpiraq.org reports that Ila al-Amam (Forward) Radio [usually rendered as Radio Bopeshawa, meaning "Forward"], voice of the Worker-Communist Party of Iraq, broadcasts for one hour a day on shortwave from 1100 gmt (half an hour in Arabic and half an hour in Kurdish), to the areas of Arbil, Kirkuk and Mosul. The same programme is repeated between 0500-0600 gmt the next day. Identifies on air as "Voice of the Worker Communist Party of Iraq". The following are among stations in operation before April 2003 that continue to be heard inside Iraq: Voice of the People of Kurdistan, operated by the PUK Voice of Iraqi Kurdistan, operated by the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) Radio Azadi, Voice of the Communist Party of Iraqi Kurdistan Ashur Radio - The station reportedly began operation in April 2000 and is operated by the Assyrian Democratic Movement, an opposition organization in northern Iraq. It broadcasts in Assyrian and Arabic on shortwave, reportedly from a transmitter in Azerbaijan. Voice of the Iraqi People, Voice of the Iraqi Communist Party - The station broadcasts from northern Iraq, possibly using Kurdish facilities. Voice of the Mojahed, the Mojahedin-e Khalq Organization's radio, may still be located in Iraq, but this seems unlikely. This radio broadcasts via shortwave, satellite and with archive audio files on the internet. Studios were believed to be located in Baghdad. Following the fall of Saddam Husayn the station was observed to have ceased broadcasting for a few days in April. The station recommenced broadcasts only via satellite with archive audio files on the internet and its studio location is unconfirmed. The web site of the radio station is at: http://www.iran.mojahedin.org and the satellite is Telstar 12 at 15 degrees west. Al-Mustaqbal [The Future] radio is operated by the Iraqi National Accord. TELEVISION The Iraqi Media Network launched on 13 May. The Washington Post reported on 11 May that the US planned a nationwide Iraqi TV network to succeed the airborne Towards Freedom TV. The programme, initially for two hours but projected as a 24-hour full-service network, includes 30 minutes of news each night, including a local news segment, the report said. The station began broadcasts amid squabbling between its US and Canadian advisers, and complaints from its Iraqi journalists about "American censorship", international agencies reported. Since around 20 June the Iraqi Media Network TV has broadcast to Iraq from Eutelsat W1, located at 10 degrees east. Karbala - a local TV channel was launched on 16 April, according to United Arab Emirates Abu Dhabi TV on 6 May. Similar small-scale local channels are reported to be operating in Najaf and Kut, according to BBC News Online reporter Tarik Kafala, who visited the stations in June 2003. Ninawa TV was launched in mid-July 2003. The Baghdad newspaper Al-Ittihad reported on 14 July that an independent radio station called Ninawa Radio also operates in the city. Freedom TV [Al-Hurriyah TV] is a PUK-sponsored television station that began test transmissions from Baghdad on 30 April. A PUK statement said viewers can access Freedom TV on UHF channel 38 from 1700-2200 gmt. Mosul TV was the "first station" to resume transmission in Iraq after the overthrow of Saddam Husayn, Dubai-based news channel Al-Arabiya TV reported on 10 May. Kirkuk TV channel started broadcasts on 23 April "under the supervision of the coalition forces", according to a report by the Iraqi Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) newspaper Brayati on 25 April. Turkomaneli TV and radio was launched in Kirkuk in April 2003 and broadcasts on behalf of the Iraqi Turkoman Front. Turkomaneli Radio opened radio stations in Talla'far and Mosul on 6 and 8 May respectively, the Iraqi Turkoman Front newspaper Turkomaneli reported on 11 May. The Mojahedin-e Khalq Organization's (MKO) "Vision of Resistance TV" (Sima-ye Moqavemat) which was relayed by the former Republic of Iraq Television before and after normal broadcasting hours has not been reported on the air recently. Reportedly the studios were in Ashraf, north of Baghdad in Central Iraq. The only MKO TV programmes being traced at present are via satellite on the station "Simaye Azaidi Iran National TV" (Vision of Freedom National Iran TV), which is not located in Iraq but which the sat-address.com web site gives UK-based contact details. The web site is http://www.iranntv.com and satellites are the trans-Atlantic Telstar 12, Telstar 5 for North America and Atlantic Bird 3 covering all of Europe and the Middle East. KurdSat, the television station of the PUK, has expanded its broadcasts to Kirkuk and Khanaqin. The KDP's television station Kurdistan TV now beams its programmes to Kirkuk and Mosul. The Iraqi newpaper Al-Qabas reported on 3 June that eight million satellite dishes would be imported from the United States, Japan, Korea and China. TV BAND IN BAGHDAD (sound frequencies in MHz ) VHF 194.75 - Iraqi Media Network Television 222.75 - Iranian Television First Channel UHF 484.75 - Iraqi Media Network Television 508.75 - Iranian Television First Channel 532.75 - Iranian Television Regional Service 604.75 - Iraqi Media Network Television 644.75 - Patriotic Union of Kurdistan Radio (in parallel with radio transmission on 4025 kHz) 668.75 - KTVS - Kurdish TV station IRANIAN BROADCAST MEDIA ACCESSIBLE IN IRAQ --- TELEVISION The Iran-based Al-Alam TV channel in Arabic and English is a 24-hour news channel transmitted on four satellites (Arabsat, Asiasat, Telstar and Hot Bird satellites) and can be received in Europe, the Middle East, Asia and America. Al-Alam broadcasts into Baghdad from a powerful transmitter about 150 km away, just over the Iran-Iraq border. It is the only foreign channel that can be viewed by Iraqis without a satellite dish. That has sent its viewership soaring among Iraqis, who cannot afford a satellite dish and receiver. The Arabic channel began broadcasting in February 2003. English content currently is limited to horizontal news subtitles or news tickers. The station has a web site at http://www.alalamnews.com Sahar Universal Network 1 and 2 television, Iran's external satellite TV service on the Hot Bird 1-6 satellites, is viewable across Iraq and includes Arabic programming. It broadcasts on the 13 degrees East Hot Bird 1-6 satellite daily from 0500-2300 gmt. Its web site is located at http://www.sahartv.com. Vision of the Islamic Republic of Iran television in Arabic is based in Tehran and sponsored by the state-run Vision of the Islamic Republic of Iran. It broadcasts daily to Iraq on the satellite parameter 11172 MHz V (6.8 MHz) 62 degrees East Intelsat 902. Al-Thaqalayn TV --- This channel, affiliated to an Iranian cultural institute of the same name, is targeted at viewers in Iraq and broadcasts religious programmes, the Tehran Times newspaper reported on 14 July. People in Iran's Ilam Province can watch the programmes as well, the report noted. Resistance Channel - this TV channel is called "Al-Estiqamah TV" in Arabic; in April 2003 it was reported to be using the facilities of Iranian radio and TV, including the aerial of Iran's Education Channel, to broadcast to Iraq. The station was inaugurated in early April 2003 by Ayatollah Baqr al-Hakim, the head of the Supreme Council for the Islamic Revolution in Iraq [SCIRI], according to the Tehran- based Baztab web site. The channel was untraced when checked from 5-7 July 2003, and may no longer be operational. A search of internet sites on 6 July revealed that the channel has left Intelsat 902, Hot Bird and Arabsat. RADIO Voice of the Mujahidin First observed on 17 April and broadcasting in Arabic, the station's content suggests that it is operated by the Iranian-backed Supreme Council for the Islamic Revolution in Iraq (SCIRI). In addition, the station is transmitting on one of several frequencies used by Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting for its external transmissions. Has been heard on 90.1 MHz FM, in parallel with 720 kHz. The content generally parallels that of the main SCIRI web site located at http://www.majlesaala.com. Voice of the Islamic Republic of Iran (VIRI) external service in Arabic can be heard on mediumwave and shortwave inside Iraq as well as via the Internet at http://www.irib.com. Voice of Rebellious Iraq - broadcasts in Arabic and supports the Iranian-sponsored Shi'i group, the Supreme Council of the Islamic Revolution in Iraq (SCIRI); believed to transmit from Iran. The station was untraced when checked from 5-7 July 2003. INTERNATIONAL MEDIA Major international radio and television stations, such as pan-Arab satellite television stations, the BBC Arabic and World service radio, US Radio Sawa, the Paris-based Radio Monte Carlo-Middle East and US- sponsored Radio Sawa and Radio Free Iraq are available in Iraq. BBC World Service is now 24 hours a day in Arabic on FM in Baghdad and Basra. The FM frequencies are 89.0 MHz in Baghdad and 90.0 MHz in Basra in Arabic. In Basra, the World Service can also be heard in English on FM on 88.0 MHz and 98.1 MHz. Radio Monte Carlo-Middle East is now on FM on 93.5 MHz in Baghdad for 24 hours a day. Radio Sawa is on FM in Baghdad (100.4 MHz), Arbil (100.5 MHz) and Sulaymaniyah (88.0 MHz), as well as on 1548 MW. Since mid-May 2003, Libya has been broadcasting specifically to Iraq in Arabic. The shortwave broadcasts carrry the following announcement: "This is the general centre for broadcasts beamed from the Great Jamahiriyah: A message to the people of the two rivers [Iraq]." Libya broadcasts to Iraq daily on 17600 kHz at 1200-1300 and on 7245, 9605, and 11660 kHz at 1800-1900 gmt. Syrian Arab Republic Radio is the Syrian state-owned radio's external service. It broadcasts on shortwave on 12085 and 13610 kHz. It has also been heard in Iraq on the MW frequency of 819 kHz between 1100 and 1145 gmt. Its satellite parameters are 11572 MHz H (7.2 MHz) on 16 degrees East Eutelsat W2, and 3803 MHz LCHP 40.50 W NSS 806. Its broadcast times are from 1100-1145, 1350-1450, 1830-1915 and 2215-2315 gmt. Radio Kuwait is the state-owned Kuwaiti radio. It can be received in Iraq on the MW frequency of 540 kHz 24 hours. Voice of Israel is Israel's state-owned radio. It broadcasts daily in Arabic on shortwave from 0300-2115 gmt on 5915 kHz and 12150 kHz. Access to all broadcast media is limited by the availability of electricity, radio and TV sets and the satellite equipment. INTERNET Uruklink, the Iraqi state internet service provider, was observed back in operation on 12 July after several months offline. The web site at http://www.uruklink.net includes links to live audio streams from the BBC Arabic Service, Radio Sawa and Radio Monte Carlo-Middle East. The US-led Coalition Provisional Authority (CPA) that is administering postwar Iraq has a web site http://www.cpa-iraq.org The web site carries transcripts of speeches by CPA administrator L. Paul Bremer and other officials, fact sheets on Iraqi ministries, public service announcements, press releases and official documents such as regulations and orders issued by the CPA. An official source at the Ministry of Transport and Communications announced at the end of June 2003 that internet services to private subscribers in Baghdad would be resumed soon, and would be "free of charge", Al-Shira newspaper reported. Source: BBC Monitoring research 1 Aug 03 (via DXLD) ** IRAQ [non]. IRAN-BASED VOICE OF THE MUJAHIDIN RADIO STEPS UP ANTI- US RHETORIC The radio of the Supreme Council for Islamic Revolution in Iraq (SCIRI), Voice of the Mujahidin, has escalated its anti-US rhetoric, calling the US "terrorists" and accusing the US of "helping its agent Saddam". At the same time, the radio has praised the new Governing Council and even appealed to the Council to help Iraqis against the "occupation". Since 25 July, the radio has broadcast a programme in Iraqi Arabic dialect called "Tales of the Countryman," which has labelled the US "a terrorist country" and denounced the US presence in Iraq. Political commentaries in the radio's newscasts have also regularly condemned the US. - On 29 July, "Tales of the Countryman" accused the United States of being "a terrorist country sponsoring world terrorism". Commenting on the "occupation" of Iraq, the programme added: "America is an invader, unfair and a criminal. [Passage omitted] US forces have occupied Iraq and are here to stay. Occupation is an injustice, and injustice will make people explode and destroy what is around them." - On 28 July, the programme accused the United States of "violating democracy" through its "repressive treatment of Iraqis, isolating Iraqis from the rest of the Islamic and neighbouring countries, and Bremer's representation of the Iraqi people at international arenas". - In one political commentary, the radio accused the United States of "helping its agent Saddam so as to frighten the Gulf states," adding that "the United States is not concerned with liberating Iraq, but with controlling its resources" (25 July). Voice of the Mujahidin has steadily intensified its anti-US rhetoric since it began broadcasting in mid-April 2003. In June, the radio frequently warned that US "failing" policies in Iraq would eventually lead to a "battle for liberation" against the "enemy", without actually calling for armed resistance (16, 17 June). Although denouncing the US and its presence in Iraq, the radio has voiced support for the new Governing Council, on which SCIRI is represented. - The radio called the Council "the first brick in building the Iraqis' dream of a free and democratic Iraq" (19 July). It has also regularly led its news broadcasts with statements by members of the Governing Council from all political, ethnic and religious sides. - On one occasion, the radio appealed to the Governing Council to "urge the occupation forces to observe proper procedures when conducting search operations to avoid offending citizens and harming their properties" (29 July). Source: BBC Monitoring research 4 Aug 03 (via DXLD) ** IRAQ. IRAQ/USA/IRAN: US HARASSING AND CENSORING - TEHRAN TIMES SAYS | Text of report in English by Tehran Times web site on 4 August U.S. forces in Iraq are following a policy of harassing and censoring journalists covering the occupation. Under the current circumstances, it seems that the realization of the U.S. slogan about the free flow of information has become a great nuisance for U.S. officials. Every day we hear a new story about media censorship and intimidation of reporters in occupied Iraq. It is a month since two Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB) journalists who were in Iraq making a documentary were detained by U.S. forces. No information has been provided about their whereabouts. Kazo Takasao, 47, a Japanese reporter who was brutally beaten up and detained after filming burnt bodies of Iraqi civilians said, "U.S. forces do not want the general public to find out about the killing of Iraqi civilians, and this is the reason they are detaining the reporters." He emphasized that repression and harassment of reporters is the same as suppression of freedom of speech and censorship of the news. He was set free some hours after his arrest when members of Western media organizations protested. Following the arrest of reporters of the Turkish daily Hurriyet, the Turkish deputy foreign minister referred to such measures as violations of international law on freedom of speech and freedom of the press. The director of the Al Jazeera television network, due to its in-depth coverage of Iraq, was threatened and accused of inciting Iraqis to commit violent acts against U.S. forces. It seems that U.S. officials are stuck in a quagmire and are trying to externalize their problems in order to conceal their casualties, he said. Although the Turkish, Japanese, and Al Jazeera reporters were released some time after their arrest, the U.S. invaders' refusal to provide explanations is unusual. It is also not clear why the Islamic media are silent about the arrests of reporters. Al Jazeera and Al Arabi, two Muslim satellite TV networks, have not objected to the arrest of the IRIB documentary filmmakers. Could it be that they are not concerned about the fate of the Iranian journalists? Of course, we should not forget the Al Jazeera reporter who seriously objected to the U.S. invaders' measures and demanded that all Muslim reporters unite to call for the release of the Iranian journalists. Jalal Sadatian, an expert in international affairs, said that he and his supporters are defending the reporters' rights according to international law while the U.S. interprets international law in a unilateralist way. He stated that if Russia's military power, Japan's economic power, and Europe's political power is taken into consideration, the United States can not be regarded as the ultimate hegemonic power, thus the U.S. attitude, particularly in regard to the attack on Iraq, illustrates that international mechanisms have broken down. "Under the present circumstances, talk about defending nationals of countries in occupied Iraq according to the Geneva Conventions, although it seems logical, is impractical," he said, adding that the U.S. does not deign to respond and takes no responsibility. He stated that the U.S. is trying to make Iraq appear insecure and is using the need to establish security as a pretext to limit and censor media activities. U.S. forces attacked and killed many reporters during the war, with the U.S. attack on the hotel in Baghdad where many journalists were staying being one of the worst incidents. U.S. troops will probably continue intimidating journalists in order to suppress the truth about the current situation in Iraq. How long will the Islamic media and the so-called free press of the West continue to be silent about this? Source: Tehran Times web site in English 4 Aug 03 (via BBCM via DXLD) ** ISLE OF MAN. Manx Radio has a history which makes it unique in broadcasting within the British Isles. It first went on air in June 1964, before commercial radio became part of everyday life in Britain. This was made possible because the Isle of Man has internal self-government: it is a Crown Dependency and is not part of the United Kingdom. But Manx Radio did need a licence from the UK authorities and this was eventually agreed to with reluctance, suspicion and not a little alarm. Remember these were the heady days of pirate radio ships anchored just outside the 3 mile limit! See http://www.manxradio.com/ (do a search of "radio") for an audio report Thu 31st Jul 2003 A new member of Manx Radio's board of directors believes developing the internet service is one way forward for the station. Former Government Minister, David North, says new technologies will play an important part in bringing the station to a wider audience. David North's appointment to the Manx Radio board was announced this week. The other new board member is chartered surveyor Mark Grace (via Mike Terry, DXLD) ** LAOS. Sorry, no more 7145 Lao external service. Not heard for at least 3 months. Domestic Service still heard around 1300 on 6130 (Victor Goonetilleke, Sri Lanka, BC-DX via DXLD) ** LIBERIA. 5100, 26/07 0208, Rádio Libéria Internacional, Monróvia, locutor e músicas em inglês, 45333 (RFP) 5100 27/07 0413 Rádio Libéria Internacional, Monróvia, entrevista com mulher, identificação, 45333 (RFP) (Rubens Ferraz Pedroso, Bandeirantes (PR), Sony ICF SW 7600GR, Telescópica + indutor + 1/4 de onda para a banda dos 31 metros; @tividade DX Aug 3 via DXLD) Really? I`d very much like to know the text of the ID, since at these times, 5100 is far more likely to be WBCQ on its newest frequency (Glenn Hauser, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** MALAYSIA. 1475, RTM Sabah, Kota Kinabalu - Tentative ID based on frequency and precision direction finding. First noted AUG 28, 29, 30 with a huge carrier 1046-1059. Big carriers also SEP 23, 29, OCT 13, NOV 14, then reappeared MAR 3, 5, 21, 31, APR 3, 29. APR 29 produced audio for first time with voice and music down in the noise 1040-1044. This is going to be a tough one for us tape DXers to pin down with its weak modulation and lack of a shortwave parallel. Needless to say, this would be a new country for me (Ray Moore, N. Fort Myers FL; Drake R8 and homebrew receivers, 23-in spiral loop, homebrew preamp. rsmcomm@usa.net NRC IDXD Aug 4 via DXLD) ** MARSHALL ISLANDS. 1098, V7AD Majuro - Identified here in previous seasons. Easily spotted as bearing is half way between "down under" and Far East. Produced marginal audio on nine mornings during October and November. Easily the most consistent TP with at least a weak carrier 90% of mornings. Often noted with open carrier. This season another carrier has been drifting around this frequency on occasion, probably a Latin American (Ray Moore, N. Fort Myers FL; Drake R8 and homebrew receivers, 23-in spiral loop, homebrew preamp. rsmcomm@usa.net NRC IDXD Aug 4 via DXLD) ** MEXICO. ZAPATISTA ARMY OF NATIONAL LIBERATION TO START SHORTWAVE STATION According to the Web site http://www.fzln.org.mx/ of the Mexican opposition group Zapatista Army of National Liberation, a shortwave station will begin broadcasting shortly. In an English language press statement, the group says inter alia: "The famous (in the mountains of the Mexican southeast) and slippery (on the dial) "Radio Insurgente. Voice of the EZLN" will soon begin operating on short wave, in its galactic transmission. The Sup will have a special one-hour musical program, and it will be transmitted, by law, at dawn. No, the Sup will not sing, but he will be presenting musical pieces accompanied by stories and tales. We're not sure about the "Durito DJ" program, because the beetle is has his back up, and he hasn't signed a contract (he wants a daily 24 hour program)." An Associated Press report dated 30 July quoted a spokesman for the organisation as saying that that the frequency will be around 5800 kHz, and that broadcasts will begin on 9 August. No exact time has been announced, but the above statement indicates that broadcasts will be on the air in the early morning. However, the EZLN has been warned by the Secretariat of Communications and Transport (SCT) that it cannot operate outside the law. In an interview with the newspaper El Sol de México, a representative of the Secretariat said that if the station operates without a licence it will seize the equipment and fine the organisation. But the Secretariat admits that it will be difficult to locate the transmitter. In fact, "Radio Insurgente has already been operating for two years on FM in Chiapas using several FM transmitters at different locations. Broadcasts are on the air between 0600 and 1800 local time in several indigenous languages as well as Spanish. The majority of the staff are female (© Radio Netherlands Media Network 4 August 2003 via DXLD) Previous stories about this: DXLD 3-136, 3-137 ** MEXICO. 1570, XERF Cd. Acuña, APR 1 - Per a visit to the station, operating with 30 kW, U-1 (not 250 kW as listed in WRTH). Studios are downtown in the second floor of a building on the main north/south street about one mile from the border crossing (Ernie Wesolowski, TX, NRC IDXD Aug 4 via DXLD) ** MOLDOVA. Re "MOLDOVAN-ROMANIAN DICTIONARY PUBLISHED IN CHISINAU": I guess then also US English and British English are two different languages, judging from how many US - British English dictionaries have been published over the years ;-) The discussion "Romanian/ Moldovan" is politically motivated, and is as old as Romania and Moldova forming separate state entities. The (revised) Moldovan constitution speaks of a "Moldovan language" while the Moldovan massmedia are divided in this issue, some are using the term "Romanian", others "Moldovan". (Bernd Trutenau, Lithuania, Aug 4, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** NEW ZEALAND. 1503, R. Sport, Wellington. Assumed; this is almost certainly one of the R. Sport stations based on sketchy direction finding, the accented English language, and the fact that it comes in when other known New Zealand channels are producing carriers. Produced audio AUG 15, MAR 14, MAY 20, 21, 25, 28, JUN 3, 4, 13, 22, 24, 25, 27, JUL 25, 26, 28 and 30. Mostly threshold level except JUN 27 when occasional words and phrases in English made it through (Ray Moore, N. Fort Myers FL; Drake R8 and homebrew receivers, 23-in spiral loop, homebrew preamp. rsmcomm@usa.net NRC IDXD Aug 4 via DXLD) ** NIGERIA. STATE BROADCASTER NEEDS 48M DOLLARS TO ACHIEVE ITS OBJECTIVES | Excerpt from report by Nigerian newspaper The Guardian web site on 2 August At a cost implication of about 900m naira [7.2m dollars], the Voice Of Nigeria (VON) has, in the last four years, pursued the turnaround process of the external radio outfit effectively in order to accomplish its objective. However, the VON director-general, Mr Taiwo Alimi, disclosed yesterday in Lagos that the nation's only external broadcast by radio would still require about 6bn naira [48m dollars] to get to its promised land. According to Alimi Nigeria now has a voice which travels wider, clearer, louder and stronger. He, however, identified most critical challenges for the government owned outfit in the areas of corporate and transmitting infrastructures in Abuja, news and programming structures in strategic centres in Nigeria and Africa, signals transmission facilities and empowerment of joint ventures for revenue generation. At an interactive session with the media, the VON boss reiterated that "voice of Nigeria is the nation's only external broadcaster by radio and VON is critical to Nigeria's image, our foreign policy initiatives and to African development, peace and understanding. "Voice of Nigeria is to Nigeria and Africa what BBC is to UK and what Voice of America is to the United States. "Today, the battle for Nigerian and African mind has never been more intense. Western external radio broadcasting networks have established FM Radio stations in almost all African countries. Many radio stations in Africa, including Nigeria, now relay at prime time, news and programmes from these foreign broadcasting networks, daily, for hours," he said. Mr Allimi insisted that "it is not enough for Nigeria to accuse foreign media of imbalance and inaccuracy in their reportage of events in Nigeria. They have only one mind set; the thinking that nothing good can come out of Nigeria and Africa". [Passage omitted] Source: The Guardian web site, Lagos, in English 2 Aug 03 (via BBCM via DXLD) ** PERU. Today received a nice e-mail letter for my taped report from this station, Radio Ilucán, Cutervo [5678]. V/S was JOSE GALVEZ SALAZAR, GERENTE RADIO ILUCAN-CUTERVO. His e-mail was radioilucan @ hotmail.com (no spaces in correct address!). (Jyrki Hytönen, Kannus, Finland, Aug 4, dxing.info via DXLD) Alfredo "Spacemaster" informa que a Rádio Ilucán emite, de segunda a sexta, entre 1000 e 1300 e de 2200 às 0200. Nos sábados e domingos, 24 horas. Emite em 5678 kHz (Célio Romais, @tividade DX Aug 3 via DXLD) ** PERU. I also want to mention that yesterday morning (around 0945 to 1000) at exactly 4746.84 R. Huanta was coming in extremely well, with listenable programming consisting of splendid native Peruvian music; I assume the language was a local dialect, and it sounded like a very chatty "morning" show. Most entertaining! My first logging of this station, and great fun to hear. I checked this morning at the same time, and there wasn't a TRACE of Huanta. Strange propagation in the tropical bands: one day a signal is there; the next day it's gone. I've never done any trop listening before putting in the dipole; with a longwire the region below 5 MHz was always hideously noisy here in San Jose. I am a longtime amateur astronomer, and trying to snare faint intermittent signals in the trop band region is pretty much like looking for 14th magnitude galaxies with an eight inch aperture telescope south of San Jose, where I used to observe; sometimes they're THERE, sometimes not! Rx: Icom R75; antenna: 350 foot dipole. Location: San José, CA. Best, (Steve Waldee, Aug 4, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Mohrmann shows: 4746.87 PERU * R Huanta 2000, Huanta [*0909-1155/2000-0230](46.4- 56.58) Jul 03 P *0930->1020/0100->0138* 300 watts (d) (r)AM1160 0220 (gh, DXLD) ** ROMANIA/ARMENIA. This Sunday morning woke up at 0820 UT!!!! and discovered a tremendous mess on 15270 kHz, surrounded by a number of EMPTY channels in the 19 mb: it's a pity SUNDAY only services of Armenia and Romania signals fighting each other. ROU 0800-0856 15270 15370 17790 17805 17860 21530 Sunday only. (wb, Wolfgang Büschel, Germany, BC-DX July 27 via DXLD) And re 15270 - Armenia is very good until ROU arrives with their Sunday only service. It is another ridiculous situation when so many other channels are empty. Yes, there seems to be indications that the 21 MHz band is losing some of its usefulness, but may yet "perk up" during the autumn (Noel R. Green, UK, BC-DX July 28 via DXLD) ** RUSSIA. Re 3-138: Glenn, Some hours of the VOR Chinese and Korean services are produced in Khabarovsk. This fact has been mentioned from time to time in the DX press (Olle Alm, Sweden, August 4, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** SERBIA & MONTENEGRO. ORLIC CALLS FOR PRIVATISATION OF STATE MEDIA | 22:30 | Beta From Radio B92, 3 August BELGRADE -- Saturday -- Slobodan Orlic, Director of the Serbia- Montenegro Council of Ministers' Information Directorate, has said that all state-owned print and broadcast media should be privatised. In an interview for Belgrade daily Danas, Orlic said this did not merely apply to Borba and Politika, but also shares held in Vecernje novosti and Yugoslav Overview. According to the official, television channel Info 24, formerly YU Info, has filed for bankruptcy and the Trade Court will decide its fate. However, he argued that Radio Serbia-Montenegro [sic], formerly Radio Yugoslavia, should have a changed name but remain on a short-wave frequency with a state budget "radio is not a big expense and the country must invest in its image". http://www.b92.net/english/news/index.php?&nav_category=&nav_id=24021&order=priority&style=headlines 73 (via Kim Elliott, Aug 4, DXLD) ** SUDAN [non]. 17630 and 17660 station: Is this http://www.dotcomalliance.org/newsletter/sudan.html ? (Jerry Berg, Dxplorer via DXLD) Viz.: Information for All: The Sudan Independent Radio Service (SIRS): dot- EDU More than twenty years of cyclical conflict has taken its toll on the lives of Sudanese people. The Machakos Peace Process, now in its sixth session, is attempting to resolve disputes between the North and South and begin a process of reconstruction. Sudan, characterized by arid lands in the North and a mix of agrarian communities and nomadic herders in the South, is also an area with little access to regular, impartial news. The pieces of news people do receive come from sporadic BBC broadcasts and reports spun out from political groups. Until now, unbiased, independent radio has not been available and consequently people's knowledge of their country's Peace Process has been compromised. The Sudan Independent Radio Service (SIRS) With support from USAID's Office of Transition Initiatives (OTI), the Sudan Independent Radio Service (SIRS) was developed by the Education Development Center (EDC) through the dot-EDU initiative. The SIRS will provide Sudanese living in the country and in the East African region with information containing no bias toward race, nationality, religious or political affiliation, opinion or gender. Strict political neutrality and independence in program development and partner selection are its credos. Multilingual programming in at least eight languages (Dinka, Bari, Nuer, Zande, Shiluck, Arabic, Juba-Arabic and English) will increase its reach, and subjects like nutrition, civic rights, agriculture and culture will promote livelihood improvement. Furthermore, non- governmental organizations working in Southern Sudan will be able to use this radio service to provide information and training to the disparate population. The Challenges of Sudan However, such good ideas are not without their challenges. According to Mike Kuenzli, Chief of Party for EDC based in Nairobi, the primary constraints on information flow in the region are "the scarcity of communications and transport, illiteracy and the societal control exercised by political groups". The lack of media infrastructure has not allowed qualified people or potential producers to utilize and build skills in radio. Due to unstable conditions in Sudan, EDC is establishing an office in Kenya in the interim. The SIRS will be transferred to Sudanese ownership once sufficient capacity is built and local conditions are favorable. Overcoming the Challenges: Broadcasting from Washington, DC As EDC works to establish its Nairobi offices, they'll begin broadcasting from Washington D.C. via an international, short wave transmitter that will reach much of East Africa, including Tunisia, Egypt and Madagascar. Jeremy Groce, Nairobi-based EDC Radio Programming Advisor provides the rationale: "Even though we're not entirely ready to start programs in Nairobi, we feel it's important to stick to our timeline in order to provide some news about the Sudan Peace Process and other issues of importance to Sudanese people. We also need to begin building our audience, and with short wave radio it can take time." As for personnel needs in Kenya, Lisa Slifer of EDC explains: "We will recruit two to three key Sudanese radio producers as we start up this new service. At the same time, we're going to the Sudanese community in Nairobi to recruit people and train them in media production and journalism. Stringers within Sudan will also provide in-country, up- to-date information." Building local capacities in radio production is an integral part of the SIRS' long-term sustainability, as is the establishment of a high quality production facility. The SIRS is establishing a Board of Trustees and has already developed a scope of work for the producers, administrative and marketing staff. Equipment is on its way to Kenya and training is soon to follow. If successful, the SIRS broadcasts may make the most significant near term impact on the capacity of Sudanese to improve their livelihoods. dot-EDU was awarded the Sudan Independent Radio Service (SIRS) Project for two years from March 2003 to March 2005 (Award No. HDA-A-03-00105- 00 under the dot-EDU Leader Award No: 520-A-00-02-00109-00). For more information CONTACT Mike Laflin, Director, EDC, mlaflin@edc.org Tel: +1 202 572-3700 Mike Kuenzli, Chief of Party, EDC Email: mkuenzli@edc.org Jeremy Groce, Radio Programming Advisor, EDC Email: jgroce@edc.org Gaelle Simon, Research Development Assistant, EDC gsimon@edc.org (via Glenn Hauser, DXLD) ** TAIWAN. Informação veiculada na programação da Rádio Taiwan Internacional dá conta de que, a partir de 2004, a emissora passa a enviar os cartões de verificação aos ouvintes com sua nova denominação. A informação é de Arnaldo Slaen, desde Buenos Aires, Argentina (Célio Romais, @tividade DX Aug 3 via DXLD) So using up the old Taipei cards the rest of 2003y ** THAILAND. 1575, VOA Ayutthaya --- Easily heard even on Sony 2010 with 23-in loop when coming in. Runs VOA Burmese service 1130-1200 parallel Sri Lanka 9890 kHz and then, on some days, into VOA News Now in English 1200-1230. Best reception JAN 6 1146-1205 and JAN 17 1146- 1202, both times got tape, "This is the Voice of America, Washington, DC, signing off," at 1159:30. This station is on a bearing of 359 degrees from Florida, directly over the pole. This megawatt station has a directional antenna pointed in this direction giving it an effective power of several megawatts. My DX season runs from August 1 through July 31 and as the current season has ended I've submitted a summary of one of the worst seasons ever. I listen seven days a week during the half hour before local sunrise year round. If you wonder how I can listen through the thunderstorm season here in Florida it is mainly due to the IF noise limiter in my homebrew receiver which can be set to clip static crashes and sideband splatter without distorting the desired signal. The Drake R8 is used to run down the DX channels searching for carriers. It is set in the CW mode with 500 kHz selectivity. Tuning is offset 400 Hz to produce a very distinctive 400 Hz tone on any carrier. To tune to 1575 kHz, for instance, the receiver is set to 1575.4 kHz for the lower sideband or 1574.6 kHz for the upper sideband. The passband tuning is adjusted to select the desired sideband. In this way I can pick up very weak carriers. When a carrier is strong enough to produce audio I switch to the homebrew receiver which allows me to extract the maximum audio without wrecking my ears, which, at age 79, have seen better days (Ray Moore, N. Fort Myers FL; Drake R8 and homebrew receivers, 23-in spiral loop, homebrew preamp. rsmcomm@usa.net NRC IDXD Aug 4 via DXLD) See also MARSHALL ISLANDS, MALAYSIA, NEW ZEALAND ** TIBET. I have been hearing a very weak signal during the past three days on 11860 around 0630, and note that Lhasa is registered, but not listed in the latest Tibet schedules I've been reading. For that matter, neither is 11950. When I hear 11860, I cannot hear 11950 due to splatter from TUR 11955/ROM 11940 to compare. Do you hear anything? I thought it might be a 'spur', but am not sure of what. The channel is otherwise clear, but audio too low to even guess the language (Noel R. Green, UK, BC-DX July 27 via DXLD) Normally Tibet on 11860 is MUCH weaker than 11950. I can trace 11860 if 11950 is strong. Usually I also have another weak signal on 11860 in the late morning. 11950 is beamed our way, 11860 the other way round (Olle Alm, Sweden, BC-DX July 27, ibid.) ** U K. PUBLIC TRUST IN BBC PLUMMETS Julia Day, Monday August 4, 2003, The Guardian Trust in the BBC has been so deeply damaged by the weapons dossier affair that the corporation has lost the faith of a third of the British public in less than a year. Just nine months ago the corporation's main news channel, BBC1, commanded the trust of 92% of the public. A new survey by Mori, however, has put trust in the BBC at only 59% - a massive 33% drop. The report is believed to be the lowest ever level of trust recorded for the BBC, which has traditionally been the nation's touchstone for truthful and accurate news. A joint survey published by the independent television commission and the broadcasting standards commission, published in October 2002, revealed BBC1 was the most trusted of all news providers. The report said 90% of the public trusted ITV to tell the truth and 80% trusted Channel 4. But BBC1's 93% rating put it on top in the survey, which was undertaken a year after September 11 but before the war in Iraq. The new Mori poll shows the BBC is still held in higher regard than the government, which has the trust of only 41% of the public. But the BBC's poor trust rating is a damning indication as to how far and how fast the corporation has lost the confidence of the nation. "The two polls are not comparing like with like but there is one consistent point and that is that people trust the BBC more than any other organisation," said a spokesman for the BBC. He pointed out an NOP report in the Independent last week reported 54% of the public trusted the BBC much more than any other organisation and 28% were somewhat more likely to. The bitter row with the government over Radio 4 defence correspondent Andrew Gilligan's report about the "sexing-up" of the Iraq weapons dossier has badly eroded faith in the BBC. Although Gilligan commands more of the public's trust - 32% - than the defence secretary, Geoff Hoon, at 25%, the confusion surrounding the story is apparent, with 30% saying they did not trust Gilligan. MediaGuardian.co.uk © Guardian Newspapers Limited 2003 (via Dan Say, DXLD) ** U S A. VOA-Bethany: For picture of station historical marker, and other interesting Bethany-related photos ("Photo Album"), go to http://www.wc8voa.org/modules.php?set_albumName=album26&id=Marker_8&op=modload&name=gallery&file=index&include=view_photo.php (John Vodenik, IBB, DX-plorer via DXLD) hundreds of them ** U S A. PHONE-RECORDING STALWART DIES AT 74 Hi Glenn, From the Seattle Times, July 28. Although not mentioned here, Ms Barbe's voice was also used on the WWVH time announcements. (Bruce Portzer, WA, Aug 4, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Full story: http://archives.seattletimes.nwsource.com/cgi-bin/texis.cgi/web/vortex/display?slug=voice28&date=20030728 By Elaine Woo, Los Angeles Times Jane Barbe, whose voice was familiar to millions of telephone users across the country who ever dialed a wrong number or had to "Please listen to the following options" in a voice-mail system, died July 18 in Roswell, Ga., of complications from cancer. She was 74. Mrs. Barbe was the queen of telephone recordings. Her friendly but authoritative voice was heard an estimated 40 million times a day in the 1980s and early 1990s on everything from automated time-and- weather messages to hotel wake-up calls. During her unusual 40-year career, she articulated immortal lines including, "At the tone, the time will be 7:22 and 40 seconds," "I'm sorry, the number you have dialed is no longer in service," and "Please press one for more options." Her voice was everywhere, but especially, as Ted Koppel once noted on a segment of "Nightline" devoted to the topic, in "voice-mail jail." She was not the only person who recorded voice mail and other automated phone messages, but she likely did it longer than anyone else. "I think she was probably one of the first," said Pat Fleet, who has been in the telephone voice-recording business for 25 years and is known as the AT&T Lady for her work for the telecommunications giant. Mrs. Barbe did most of her recordings for Atlanta-based Electronic Telecommunications, which at one time produced as many as 2,000 voice- messaging systems for businesses and government agencies, and for Octel Communications, which is now a part of Bell Labs/Lucent. In the 1980s and '90s, Mrs. Barbe was the voice on 1,000 of Electronic Telecommunications' systems, according to recording-services manager Michael Miller. She was heard on 90 percent of "intercept messages" --- the recording played when something is wrong with a phone number --- and 60 percent of automated time-and-temperature calling programs. "You hear my voice in more than 1,000 cities in the United States, Saudi Arabia, Hong Kong, South America, Canada. ... Vocally, I get around," she told The Chicago Sun-Times years ago. People wrote her letters, some saying they called a certain number to hear her voice when they were lonely. When she appeared at business conventions, sometimes hundreds of people would line up for her autograph. Mrs. Barbe, a Florida native who grew up in Atlanta, studied drama at the University of Georgia. There she learned how to remove the Southern inflections from her voice. "You haven't lived until you've heard 'Antigone' in a Southern accent," she once quipped. In 1963 she began working for Audichron, the unit of Electronic Telecommunications that pioneered the time-weather telephone-message industry. She had to deliver her lines in clear, measured tones, without any regional accent. Barbe is survived by her husband, John, a musician and composer of advertising jingles; a daughter; a son and seven grandchildren (Seattle Times, via Bruce Portzer, DXLD) ** U S A. Will begin extensive testing of our new antenna to South America. Our 150 degree azimuth antenna. As you are aware, the Patriot Programming, and various other non christian programs are on the way out We are removing this programming and sending to other stations. We are adding additional solid Christian programming in various languages such as Polish, Arabic, Spanish, Romanian. We are converting our shortwave operations to non profit 501C3 tax exempt status (Dave Frantz, WWRB, Aug 3, DX LISTENING DIGEST) I still see logs of ``WWFV`` on 6890, etc., a station which has not existed for a couple of years. Those who pay attention to DXLD might know this (gh, DXLD) ** U S A. IBOC AM transmission equipment can be seen here: http://hawkins.pair.com/wor.html And did you ever hear about the PERKI system of 50 kW longwave transmitters once planned by the US government? See http://www.conelrad.com/perki.html (Kai Ludwig, Germany, Aug 3, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A. LEGAL STATIONS FIRE BROADSIDE AT PIRATES By Joseph Mann, Business Writer, Posted August 3 2003 http://www.sun-sentinel.com/business/local/sfl-sbpirate03aug03,0,7779477.story?coll=sfla-business-front Steve Fisher, a real estate appraiser who lives in Oakland Park, likes to tune in to two Christian radio stations, one based in Miami the other in Boynton Beach, while driving to work. But broadcasts by an unlicensed -- or pirate -- station operating on a frequency close to those of WMCU, FM 89.7, and WRMB, FM 89.3, interfere with both stations, sometimes blocking out one or two of the signals completely. "This has been going on for over a year and it's pretty constant ... I notice it every day," Fisher said. "I've contacted the FCC several times, and it's my experience that they do little or nothing to shut down pirate stations. I don't really care about them, except that they interfere with what you're trying to listen to." Fisher is one of many South Florida residents who feel the impact of pirate radio operators. Pirates, who can work out of an apartment, an office, a garage or a van, abound in South Florida. They are a plague to legitimate AM and FM broadcasters, making it difficult or impossible for thousands of listeners to hear programming on their favorite stations. They sometimes broadcast obscene language and at times cut into advertising revenues of commercial stations or donations to public radio. At other times, pirates stop broadcasting at one frequency and start up again at another. They can also interfere with airport frequencies and block public service announcements during a hurricane or other emergency. Although the Federal Communications Commission, the agency in charge of enforcing broadcasting rules, is well aware of the problem, it is hampered by a lack of personnel, complicated rules governing the closing down of unlicensed operators and the fact that even stations they shut down often begin broadcasting again a few days later in a different location. "The pirates are all over the place," said David Ross, vice president of Clear Channel South Florida, which operates 27 radio stations covering audiences from Fort Pierce to Key West, some of which are affected by pirate transmissions. "They're destroying the ability of listeners to hear what they choose and our ability to serve advertisers," he added. "It's a form of squatting. They don't pay any taxes, they're breaking the law, they don't need to meet any licensing requirements and they affect all of us, from the biggest to the smallest operator." "Pirate operators are a problem all over the country, but South Florida is the capital of pirate radio in the U.S.," said C. Patrick Roberts, president of the Tallahassee-based Florida Association of Broadcasters, a trade group. While there are no clear figures on the number of pirates, he said, the association has heard complaints of about 60 cases of interference with radio stations in the tri-county area over the last 18 months. "This could be 60 different people, or as few as 15 to 20 people operating multiple stations." Bandwidth buccaneers The FCC has shut down about 900 illegal radio stations throughout the United States since 1999, but does not have a figure for stations closed in Florida, said Lisa Fowlkes, an attorney with the FCC's enforcement division. The agency does not discuss its enforcement operations. But, she added, "We take pirate broadcasting very seriously, and we spend a lot of time on the problem in the South Florida area." Pirate operators often broadcast to some of South Florida's large Caribbean communities -- especially Jamaicans and Haitians -- offering Caribbean music, talk shows (in English or Creole), advice and even advertising. A few local pirates broadcast their phone numbers for callers and potential advertisers, but none could be reached for comment. Someone with about $1,000 can start up a station with a computer or mixer, a small transmitter and an antenna. "Transmitters can be as small as a shoe box or a big briefcase, and can generate from 30 to 60 watts up to 1,000 or 2,000 watts," said Max Sitero, director of engineering at Clear Channel. The antenna, which may be only a few feet long, can be mounted on a house, a building roof or a tower. More sophisticated operations use high-tech equipment and send signals from a studio to a transmitter by microwave. These setups can cost about $20,000. A small, 10-watt transmitter with an antenna on top of a house might cover a radius of several blocks, while a 100-watt transmitter with no opposing signal could reach a few miles in each direction. Buying this equipment is not illegal, Sitero added. "But it's illegal to turn it on without an FCC license." Jerry Carr, station manager at WXEL, FM 90.7, the National Public Radio affiliate based in Boynton Beach, said that two pirate stations that until recently operated on either side of its broadcasting frequency endangered his listener base. "People call to say they can no longer support us because they can't hear our signal." The station relies on public contributions to operate. Except for a recent respite, when the two pirates went off the air after being shut down by the Broward County Sheriff's Office, Carr said, WXEL has suffered interference from one or two unlicensed stations for over three years. WXEL and the South Florida Sun-Sentinel are news partners. In Fort Lauderdale, a privately owned station, WSRF, AM 1580, has also been hurt by pirate operators, who sometimes sell advertising. "They're not affecting our signal, but they're affecting our revenue," said Julian Wright, operations manager at the station, which broadcasts Caribbean, reggae, rhythm and blues, and American gospel music. "The pirates talk to some of our clients and undersell us by maybe 50 percent. They don't have the overhead and upkeep that a licensed station has. Their overhead is a room with a mixer, a transmitter and an antenna. We've lost 5 to 10 percent of our clients to pirates over the last year." Slow road to justice While station owners generally credit the FCC for trying to attack the problem, they believe the agency is seriously undermanned, considering the scope of the problem in South Florida. Moreover, the agency must follow a complicated and time-consuming procedure once it has identified a pirate. This begins with an inspection of the site, verbal and written warnings, and fines that start with a "base amount" of $10,000, which can effectively be higher or lower. This fine can be appealed and in some cases is never paid. To close down a pirate operation, the FCC must take a formal complaint to a federal attorney, who then seeks a warrant from a federal judge. Only then can federal marshals be called in to shut down the pirate operation and seize its equipment -- if it hasn't relocated. In most of these cases, the perpetrators do not face prosecution, even though they may be subject to civil and criminal penalties. A Florida man was sentenced to nine months imprisonment in May for multiple counts of operating an unlicensed FM station in Orlando, raising hopes among some licensed operators that the agency was finally cracking down on offenders. However, justice in this case was hardly swift. Licensed stations in Orlando began complaining to the FCC about the pirate in February 1999. In South Florida, some broadcasters -- including Clear Channel and WXEL -- have sent out their own engineers with electronic triangulation equipment to locate the source of a pirate broadcaster and pass information along to the FCC and local police. For example, late last year Clear Channel sent a team with a spectrum analyzer to triangulate several pirate stations operating in Lauderdale Lakes that were interfering with Clear Channel transmissions, Sitero said. The team found the antennas, took photos of them perched on a commercial building at 3500 N. State Road 7, noted the broadcast frequencies and advised the FCC. "They were running four or five stations from the building," he said. "They just disappeared. We don't know if they were shut down by the FCC or got scared and took off. Just as fast as they come down, they'll come up somewhere else." Stiff penalties needed The Broward Sheriff's Office recently lent a hand to WXEL when the police found that two pirate stations in Broward County were interfering with the Boynton Beach station, said Capt. Larry DeFuria, commander of criminal investigations at the BSO. After meeting with representatives of WXEL and the FCC, the BSO sent officers, accompanied by a city code enforcement officer, a city fire inspector and electric and building inspectors to two sites in Lauderdale Lakes and Fort Lauderdale and shut them down for municipal code violations and failing to prove ownership of radio equipment. Even though the local police don't have jurisdiction over federal law, DeFuria said, "We have jurisdiction in other areas. If pirates are operating illegally in one venue, they're probably operating illegally in another. We're shoveling against the tide, but where we have the time and ability, we'll do this in the future." DeFuria suggested that the state broadcasters' association work to pass new legislation that would make pirate operations illegal under state law. Roberts, of the Florida Broadcasters Association, agrees, and the group is already moving toward this goal. "A slap on the wrist doesn't work," he said. "Unless people get put in jail, they'll keep coming back." (Ft Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel via Artie Bigley, DXLD) ** UZBEKISTAN. Foreign stations relayed via Tashkent A03 5945 1430-1530 200 Bible Voice Broadcasting 7430 1500-1530 200 BBC 9445 1115-1630 200 TWR 9445 2315-0200 200 TWR 9530 1700-1800 200 RFI 9865 1330-1445 100 RNW 11850 0100-0400 100 Voice International 12065 1330-1425 100 RNW 12065 1430-1600 100 Vatican Radio 12075 1430-1625 100 RNW 13630 0500-0800 100 Voice International 13745 0100-0130 200 BBC 17540 0100-0200 200 Hmong Lao Radio (Fri only) 17540 0200-0330 200 Bible Voice Broadcasting 17695 1200-1230 100 R. Vlaanderen Int. 21780 0800-0830 200 BBC 13 mb* 1215-1300 100 Voice Of Tibet 16 mb* 1430-1515 100 Voice Of Tibet *various frequencies changed to avoid jamming (Nikolai Rudnev, Russia, NASWA LN Update via Al Quaglieri, Aug 4, DXLD) UNIDENTIFIED. 531 kHz: I wonder if anybody can help me ID a test tone being heard on 531 kHz. It has been heard during the evenings with varying strength across the UK. By DF'ing the signal it is believed that it may originate from Switzerland, but this is by no means confirmed. Here in Guernsey, Channel Isles, (UK) I am monitoring a signal with a steady tone on a frequency very slightly above 531 kHz. SIO: 333. (Icom IC-R75 30m copper wire ant.) Any suggestions welcomed. Cheers. 73's (Robin Banneville, Aug 3, hard-core-dx via DXLD) Hi Robin, This might be the DRM test transmission "531 digital" from Burg, Germany, which is running 24 hours with a power of 2 kW on this frequency. Best wishes, (Michael Bethge, Germany, WORLDWIDE DX CLUB, SWBC via DXLD) Hi again everybody. With reference to the 531 kHz test tone query; thanks for the replies and suggestions. Originally I'd read about the test tones on http://www.anoraknation.com/ so being curious, I thought I'd have a listen myself, to see what all the fuss was about. Radio Suzy are, as you say Guido, starting transmission on the 17th of August, but I think that they can be eliminated. One of the 'Suzy' staff members who contributes to Anorak Nation appears to be as curious anybody about the whole thing. The Switzerland suggestion seems to be more likely. Finally, the DRM test is a possibility, Michael, although the DRM signals that I have heard in the past (albeit monitoring them on normal AM or Sideband), have always sounded totally different to this. Also, I don't believe that the test tone is on for the whole 24 hrs. I monitored it on and off yesterday (3rd, Aug. 03), from about 2015 UT but could not detect it at 2330. It would only appear to be on during the evenings and not all night. Meanwhile I'll just log it as unID with these suggestions alongside. RAO for now, (Robin Banneville, Guernsey, (Chan. Isles), SWBC via DXLD) UNIDENTIFIED. I logged an apparent Chinese language program on 4993.9 that I could not identify with any of my resources. Rx: Icom R75; antenna: 350 foot dipole. Location: San José, CA. Best, (Steve Waldee, Aug 4, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Presumably around 0900-1000 as below UNIDENTIFIED. 5006.0: Curious about carrier --- Glenn: On most mornings I am getting a fairly decent, unmodulated carrier at exactly 5006.0, which is evident after 0900. I can seldom stay awake beyond 1000 to 1030 Z to see if it 'comes alive' with modulation, but it is DEFINITELY not on earlier in the morning. I have been trying to get Nepal at 5005 but instead of picking that up, have received this unmodulated carrier many times -- I've logged it at least a dozen times in the last several weeks. Any ideas? I have found an obscure article on the web that lists 5005.0 RTM Kuching, Sibu, Malaysia and wonder if they could be off that frequency, and perhaps signing on early without modulation. And I see in WRTH that there is a "Radio Jaen" in Peru with 2 kW on 5006, but otherwise have not found them in any online database like AO3 or Bierwirth or ILGRadio. The blank carrier at 5006.0, though, really fascinates me. I have taken great pains to make sure it is not an image or heterodyne; it is absolutely a steady carrier. I have heard it over a period of time between about 0900 and nearly 1100 --- could it be an unmodulated ute doing tuneups or tests? Rx: Icom R75; antenna: 350 foot dipole. Location: San Jose, CA. Best, (Steve Waldee, Aug 4, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Steve, when Latin America is a possibility, you must check Mark Mohrmann`s current LA Logs listing at http://www.sover.net/~hackmohr/sw.htm which shows around here: 5005.66 PERU R LTC, Juliaca [0917-1036/2230-0150](.28-.66) Mar 03 P ex5032/6011 Quechua But it`s unlikely it would happen to vary to exactly 5006.0. I`d go with the utility theory, as that`s what 60m is primarily for outside the tropics. But if it`s *absolutely* steady, I would suspect a birdie, something internally generated in your receiver, or at least something very close to you. Have you checked this on a second receiver or by disconnecting the antenna? (Glenn Hauser, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Actually I have checked. It is not there at, say, 0200 or earlier. But every time I've stayed up really late to try to get Indonesian stations, I've also checked 5006. I have twelve entries in my log for the carrier being present but with no modulation. I have two antennas and have switched them. It's there but of course the longwire is much noisier than the balanced dipole. Usually I use ECSS for confirming exact frequencies and this one is right on the noise at 5006.0. No modulation; and it will still have no modulation an hour or ninety minutes later. No TRACE of modulation either; so it's not a case of the carrier being received but the modulation in the noise (Steve Waldee, Aug 4, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ RECEIVER NEWS +++++++++++++ DEGEN DE1001 / KAITO KA1101 Glenn, in case you don't know about this radio: You'll soon be able to get the US version of the Degen DE1101, re-named as the Kaito KA1101. This radio has an excellent price/feature/performance ratio. It costs about $70 and this is a Dual Conversion, PLL Synthensized, Dual Bandwidth receiver. It even comes with AC adaptor and NiMH batteries! Passport to World Band Radio has a review: http://www.passband.com/pages/receivernews.htm Directly from Kaito, the US distributor (about $70 + about $8 shipping) (Available end of August): http://www.kaitousa.com/KA1101.htm Radios4you (about $65 + about $8 shipping) (Available September) http://www.radios4you.com/kaito-ka1101.html I have nothing to do with this radio or any of the companies above... and have never seen or heard the radio... I haven't heard much about the US version of the 1102, (which is supposed to include SSB and I think (according to radiointel) more memories)... From Radio Intel - both these on the home page http://www.radiointel.com : "Degen DE1102 --- Our friend HongKongRadioer sends along the following great news. The DE1102 will be the successor to the DE1101. The DE1101 was a Chinese market only digital readout radio that did not have SSB Mode. The new DE1102 will have 190 memories, SSB, and an English front panel. Its nearest competitor will be the Sony ICF-7600GR." Actually, I just noticed that they posted the information I've given above! "The Degen DE1101 Is Coming To America As The Kaito KA1101. Lucky I picked up a Chinese version of the DE1101 on ebay a few months ago and have been meaning to write about it. This is a very impressive inexpensive portable; however PBWR beat me to the punch and did a very good favorable review on the radio. [read the PWBR review] Loaded with features, this will be the inexpensive digital portable to beat for 2003. Radios4You.com and Kaito will be offering this radio and no doubt other vendors will pick this model up as well. Aug 1" The Degen website talks about the DE1101 at: http://www.degen.com.cn/english/product_1101.html A few more pieces of info: The KA1101 is approximately: 5 1/2" x 1" x 3" Is has 10 kHz MW/AM steps only. It probably will eventually have a 9/10 kHz switch. The KA1102 should be available in the US approximately 4-6 weeks after the 1101 is available. Besides the known SSB and additional memory features, the following is also added. 1 kHz tuning steps in SW 9/10 kHz MW/AM switch Size approximately the same as the 1101 Price under $100. The side of the radio shows an analog interpolator knob for SSB fine tuning (Daniel Rosenzweig, tri-State area, Aug 4, DX LISTENING DIGEST) POWERLINE COMMUNICATIONS ++++++++++++++++++++++++ JAPAN Japan's PLC problem surfaced again. Last year the Government Committee held series of discussion regarding proposed expansion of PLC frequencies up to SW band. Based on hearings from various SW users including SW listening community and JARL (Japan Amateur Radio League) and experimental data using candidate PLC equipment, the Committee concluded the use of SW band by PLC would be harmful due to serious interference to existing radio and broadcasting stations and advised not to expand the PLC frequencies higher. By this conclusion we thought there would be no more worries about PLC by SW users. But it was recently revealed that the new e-Japan Priority Plan 2003 of the Cabinet Office had PLC as one of the priority subjects and invited public opinions. All SW users sent in their opinions against the Plan to the Cabinet Office by due date of July 28. We expressed clearly that PLC would be harmful to SW users and it should be removed from the Priority Plan. Many SW users are having great concern that PLC industry has not shown their test data at any academic society and proceeding their development secretly. We also expressed that any test of PLC should be conducted in shielded area in order not to give any interference to existing stations (T. Ohtake of Japan Shortwave Club via Takahito Akabayashi, Japan, BC-DX Aug 1 via DXLD) ###