DX LISTENING DIGEST 4-039, March 2, 2004 edited by Glenn Hauser, http://www.worldofradio.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 For restrixions and searchable 2004 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 AIRING OF WORLD OF RADIO 1221: Wed 1030 on WWCR 9475 Mon 0430 on WSUI 910, http://wsui.uiowa.edu 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 WORLD OF RADIO 1221 (high version): (stream) http://www.w4uvh.net/wor1221h.ram (download) http://www.w4uvh.net/wor1221h.rm (summary) http://www.worldofradio.com/wor1221.html WORLD OF RADIO 1221 (low version): (stream) http://www.w4uvh.net/wor1221.ram (download) http://www.w4uvh.net/wor1221.rm FIRST AIRINGS OF WORLD OF RADIO 1222: Wed 2300 on WBCQ 7415, 17495-CUSB Thu 2130 on WWCR 15825, ex-9475! ON DEMAND: from early UT Thursday, change 1221 above to 1222 ``VIA DXLD`` !!! I read a lot of DX publications, and many of them quote from DXLD. That`s fine, as long as DXLD is attributed. This applies NOT ONLY to material originally published here, BUT ALSO material we have picked up somewhere else, ending with ``via DXLD``. I notice a disturbing habit among some editors to take such material and then eliminate the intermediate credit to DXLD. Since I have saved you the trouble of a) finding the item, and b) in many cases editing it to make it more readable, the least you can do is maintain the credit ``via DXLD`` even if you also have direct access to the original source but did not use it in the version published (Glenn Hauser) ** AFGHANISTAN. MAKING RADIO WAVES IN KABUL --- Afghans turn to the distraction of Top 40 radio after two decades of war By Les Perreaux KABUL (CP) - In a country where entertainment remains scarce after two decades of war and strict religious rule, pop-starved Kabul residents are tuning in to the ear candy of Top 40 radio. Radio Arman, the country's first private, independent radio station, launched Afghanistan's first music countdown recently. It's the latest step in a radio revolution that has turned Afghan broadcasting upside- down from the repressive Taliban days and stodgy state-run radio. The station, named after the Dari word for "hope," plays songs about love and sex by Ricky Martin, Shakira and a host of Afghan, Indian and Iranian singers. Controversy has erupted over poor grammar and the propriety of female hosts giggling on air. Gaffs and ad-libbed jokes are common, all part of an informal, conversational style that is meant to inject fun into the airwaves. Critics say the station plays too much foreign music. Radio Arman puts a man and a woman on air to host every show, from the latest news in Hollywood and Bollywood to a weekly advice show that deals with love and family life. Mostly, it plays the hits. Najib Ullah, 32, has the station blasting from the radio in his taxi. He's a big fan, but already he sees the format's limitations to educate and inform. "It's candy," he said while sitting at a street corner, waiting for his next fare. "It's got good programs but it's pop music. It has nothing to do with Afghan culture. This is not going to destroy Afghan culture or anything else." It's a far cry from the days of Afghanistan's Taliban-run religious radio station, where music was banned and hosts who strayed from the script could be punished with three days locked in a steel shipping container with a potato and a piece of bread. "Those were difficult times," sighed Massood Sanjer Ghayoor, the star host of the morning show who worked for five years as an announcer on Taliban state radio. Since the fall of the Taliban, Kabul's airwaves have become crowded with foreign public and military broadcasters, only partly aimed at serving local people. Afghanistan has its own public broadcaster and another private station sponsored by a non-governmental organization. Station owner Saad Mohseni said his surveys show his station captures from 67 to 85 per cent of Kabul listeners, depending on the time of day. One key strategy was to get women co-hosting all of the station's shows. Women are often relegated to the home in Afghan society and Mohseni said surveys show Kabul with its unreliable electricity supply is "very radio-centric," with 96 per cent of homes having a tuner. "It was a huge surprise for people to see women on the radio, women talking to their male co-hosts, women laughing on air," Mohseni said. "There were some mullahs yelling in the mosques on Fridays, but they weren't loud enough for us to hear." Louder are the 2,000 phone calls and 500 letters they receive every day, and surveys showing the station is most popular among young women and girls. The young female announcers who make up the on-air power behind that popularity walk around the Arman office in stylish Western clothes and makeup. Scattered on the walls are posters of Madonna and Shakira. Nadia Hamdard, a 24-year-old woman who has the 9 a.m. to noon slot, passed a quick test of her crisp, clear voice to become a host. She said she has heard from the critics, but she ignores them. "I don't let them get to me," she said. "I don't care about them. I try to tell them the positive side of what I do, but I don't worry too much about it. The bottom line is that it's a job, a good job." Mohseni, the son of an Afghan diplomat who spent the largest part of his life in Australia, returned to his native land to found Radio Arman after he heard the Afghan government was anxious to hand out licences. A former investment banker, Mohseni sees the radio station as his project to help rebuild his country. "Many refugees left Afghanistan because they didn't have a choice and they always have a desire to go back," said Mohseni, 37. "Ultimately, coming back is a way to have closure over that part of your life." A second key to the station's popularity was the early decision to cover the news but to avoid turning the station into a platform for political or religious debate. "People are shell-shocked," Mohseni said. "Our goal is to bring a degree of sophistication back into people's lives, and to listen to listeners and give them what they're after." (Via Harry van Vugt, Windsor, Ontario, Canada, DXLD) ** ALASKA. 800, KINY, AK, Juneau, 2/23 a total surprise here for about 3 minutes at 0145 EST with weather for Juneau mentioning that it would be 43 degrees tomorrow in Juneau. Additional weather for surrounding area with highs in the 40's and rain likely. Signal soon buried in an unintelligible mess. New for me! (Doug Nyholm, Sandy, UT, Radio Shack DX-398, Yaesu FRG-7, loop, IRCA Soft DX Monitor via DXLD) ** ALBANIA. The new MW relays of China are being filed there, q.v. ** ARGENTINA. 3180, R. Restauración, 0110, música gospel en español, ID "1060 R Restauración, una radio para la familia". Armónica: 1060 x 2 [sic] (Alfredo Locatelli, Uruguay, Conexión Digital Feb 28 via DXLD) ** BELGIUM [non]. NETH. ANTILLES. 11730, R. Netherlands. 2200-2345 Mar 2. R. Vlaanderen Internationaal is usually on this sked, which is what I had intended to listen to. Was surprised to find R. Neth opening at 2200 with current events. Euroquest at 2230 and still on at this writing. Not sure if this marks a new sked, or was an error from transmitter site (Rick Barton, AZ, Cumbre DX via DXLD) ** BRAZIL. 11780, 0213 Mar 2, Rádio Nacional da Amazônia. Superb reception 5-5-5, S9 + 10 to 20 signal totally in the clear with multiple full IDs. All in Portuguese of course (Walt Salmaniw, Victoria, BC, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** CAMBODIA. COURT RETURNS PRO-DEMOCRACY RADIO STATION TO OUSTED OWNER Pro-democracy programming is back on air --- Mar 02, 2004 Police suspected Keo Sophea had plans to burn down the FM90-MHz building when they enforced the radio station's hand over February 26 PHNOM PENH --- A Cambodian court has ordered the return of an opposition-backed radio station to its ousted director, three weeks after another judge on the same court ordered a new owner to take control, RFA’s Khmer service reports. An order signed by Judge Hinh Sothearith of the Phnom Penh Municipal Court directed ``all conflicting parties who have ownership disputes over the radio station and land of FM-90 MHz to operate as before`` pending a final judgment in the matter. . . http://english.epochtimes.com/news/4-3-2/20222.html (The Epoch Times via Artie Bigley, DXLD) ** CANADA. Greeting Mr. Hauser --- Hearing CFRX 6070 quite well at 2200Z March 2nd here in Michigan some 220 miles away. With 20 over S9 signal, slight QRM from Deutsche Welle on 6075. Simulcasting CFRB programming; best signal I've heard from them in a while. PS: Was trying to find my old "WPE" certificate at my mother's house a few months ago. She apparently pitched it decades ago after I moved to Michigan, along with my Heathkit GR-64 and, of course, the shoebox full of 1960's baseball cards that would have made me a wealthy man today. Best Regards (Ben Loveless, WB9FJO ex-WPE9JLQ, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** CHINA [non]. Re: ``China Radio International also on MW for Europe: China Radio International in Italian from 1 March on 1458 kHz via Albania at 1800-1900 UT. 73. Nino Marabello`` Tested [checked] from 0810 and till now but I heard only R. Romania Int`l or R Romania Actualitatsi with reports on Social Democrats and pop songs at 1825. Signal on ICOM using both antennas with S9+10, good signal also on Degen DE1102. No null could be found with this very good signal at 1102 for a trace of CRI (Zacharias Liangas, Greece, March 1, DX LISTENING DIGEST) I couldn't hear any of them here today. At 2230 1458 kHz carried R Tirana // 7294.8 kHz. 73, (Mauno Ritola, Finland, March 1, BDXC-UK via DXLD) Hello all, this: ``Another piece in a puzzle that more and more appears to be an extensive schedule!`` was actually a remark on the CRI transmissions via Albania, meant to express my suspicion that there must be more transmissions than the so far published English 0700-0900 on 1395 (reported by Andy Sennitt), Bulgarian 1700-1800 on 1458 (Rumen Pankov) and Czech 2230-2330 also on 1458 (Karel Honzik), apparently all announced by the individual language departments. And indeed: I just caught the end of a program in Hungarian, running until 2100. Closing announcement and fill music till cut-off: http://kailudwig.bei.t-online.de/CRI_1458.mp3 So it remains to find out the whole schedule for these revived relays! And since 2130 now a CRI program in Polish is on 1458. The audio is mellow, noticeable different from TWR on 1395. It is my impression that the CRI satellite feed is picked up directly at Fllakë. TWR programming is closer to the usual Tirana sound, probably because being sent via landline from Tirana, or should they have set up satellite receiving equipment at Fllakë, Shijak and Cërrik as well (I think TWR uses or at least used both shortwave sites in Albania)? Still, the audio quality of TWR on 1395 is quite decent, unlike the Radio Tirana program at 1830 on 1458 that sounds really miserable: http://www.radioeins.de/meta//sendungen/apparat/031101_A3.ram (Kai Ludwig, Germany, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** CROATIA [non]. RADIO CROATA --- A casi 40 años de haber captado mi primera emisora en onda corta, escucho ahora una nueva voz en el dial, la de Radio Croata, pero no es una voz más, es una voz proveniente del país cuna de mi padre Josip (1909-2000): Croacia, que hasta 1918 fue una provincia del imperio austro-húngaro. Para mí es uno de los acontecimientos más aprovechables de mi vida cultural ya que conocía algo de la historia y geografía croata a través de diccionarios, libros y mapas, y Radio Croata completa el afán de conocimiento sobre mi madre patria porque a través de ella conozco la realidad y actualidad croata en los demás aspectos que desconocía hasta ahora, todo lo cual me hace sentir un ser privilegiado. Elaboro este informe con la incertidumbre de no haber recibido respuesta a mis reportes y sin que hasta la fecha la emisora no haya puesto en el aire ningún programa contestando a la correspondencia de los oyentes. Sólo me animo a comentar los detalles sobresalientes y no a hacer críticas porque la emisora no solicita hasta hoy día críticas o sugerencias de sus programas. Desde el 8 de noviembre de 2003 estoy monitoreando y escuchando diariamente a esta nueva emisora de la onda corta que emite por primera vez en castellano casi siempre desde las 2330 tu en la nueva frecuencia de 7285 kcs que parece estar empleando desde el 26 de octubre de 2003. Si hay en la onda corta una emisora con un estilo original, ésa es Radio Croata. Contra lo que uno puede suponer, el nombre de la emisora no es la Voz de Croacia, sino Radio Croata, y La Voz de Croacia, o Croacia Hoy, es el nombre del único programa que termina más o menos a las 2350 TU prolongándose a veces hasta las 2358 TU. Aunque en su identificación de comienzo de la emisión dicen: ``Radio Croata, la Voz de Croacia``, luego dicen que La Voz de Croacia es el programa de la Radio Croata... El equipo humano de Radio Croata está integrado por: el editor y locutor Mario Ostoich (quizá oriundo de la ciudad de Buenos Aires), la y los locutores: Nicolina Zidek (de Zagreb), Milton Arandia (quizá peruano y de madre croata), Dalmir Ferrara (croata y quizá de origen italiano) y David Rey (quizá peruano y de madre croata). Otros colaboradores son: Verónica Blajo (corresponsal en Bruselas), Esteban Blazevic, Claudio Rois y Manuel Plaza, entre otros. Todos (locutores y otros colaboradores realizan notas y reportajes personales y telefónicos a diversas personalidades croatas en Croacia y del exterior o de otras nacionalidades de visita en Zagreb --- como ser artistas, deportistas, etc.) Los operadores técnicos son: Catalina Barisic, Danko Kuretic, Juritza Novosel, Talibor y Tomislav. El programa ``La Voz de Croacia`` o ``Croacia Hoy`` Es esencialmente informativo comenzando casi siempre a las 2330 TU (excepto algunas noches en que comenzaron más tarde entre las 2337 y 2343 TU) inmediatamente que termina el prgrama en inglés (2315-2330). Previamente la emisión diaria comienza alrededor de las 2257 TU con la difusión del himno nacional croata y abre la transmisión a las 2300 en idioma croata hasta las 2315. El programa en castellano comienza con la identificación: ``Radio Croata, La Voz de Croacia`` en la voz de uno de los locutores de esa noche que generalmente no son los mismos dos noches seguidas. Un espectáculo aparte es el editor Mario Ostoich cuando a él le toca abrir la emisión e identificar a la emisora y con voz grave dice: ``Radio Croata. La Vooos de Croacia`` El comienzo es con los titulares, luego el panorama informativo y para terminar, una o dos reportajes telefónicos o personales realizados con frecuencia a miembros de la colectividad croata en argentina y chile, con abundantes reportajes a descendientes de croatas de este último país cuyos inmigrantes croatas del siglo 19 y 20 provienen en un 90% de la isla de Brach, además de un panorama cultural mensual, la síntesis deportiva los días lunes, poniendo especial énfasis en las noticias del catolicismo croata a tal punto que la emisión en castellano del 24 de diciembre 2003 fue reemplazada por la transmisión en croata de la misa del gallo desde la catedral de Zagreb. Otra particularidad de Radio Croata es la repetición de todo el programa emitido el día anterior como sucedió el 27 y el 29 de diciembre de 2003,23 de enero y 3 de febrero 2004 en que repitieron las emisiones de los días 26 y 28 de diciembre de 2003, 22 de enero y 2 de febrero 2004 respectivamente. O la no emisión del programa en castellano que fueron las noches del 24 y 31 de diciembre en que se emitió el programa croata. Según lo que dicen los locutores, la lista de frecuencias en que emite Radio Croata su programa diario las 24 horas es: (sólo menciono algunas frecuencias y destinos). Hasta ahora han dado sólo una dirección adonde escribir (la electrónica) difundida apenas durante dos noches: lavozdecroacia @ hrt.hr (a la que he escrito 4 veces con informes de recepción de 35 noches de monitoreos y comentarios sin recibir respuesta). En cuanto a la calidad de sintonía con que llega aquí Radio Croata en castellano es mediocre (QRK 2/3 y raras veces QRK 4) pues la de 41 metros es una banda muy castigada con QRN y algo de QRM lo que me hace añorar la sintonía en la frecuencia en que transmitían hasta el 25 de octubre de 2003 (9925 vía Miami [sic – Julich, Alemania! Igual que 7285 ---gh]) con calidad de emisora local, aunque allí no emitían en castellano, siendo las emisiones en croata e inglés (2300-2330) las mejor audibles con QRK 4/5. Los destinos de transmisión y frecuencias tal cual lo anuncia la emisora textualmente son: (detallo sólo los de onda media y corta) ``el programa de la Radio Croata actualmente se transmite 24 horas --- en onda corta (sic), para europa en las frecuencias de 594, 774, 1125, 1134 kilohertz. En onda corta: para América del Sur desde las 9 pm hasta las 2 am hora local en la frecuencia de 7285 kilohertz. Para la costa este de América del Norte desde las 8 pm hasta la medianoche hora local en la frecuencia 7285 kilohertz. Para la costa oeste de América del Norte desde las 7 pm hasta las 11 pm hora local en la frecuencia 7285 kilohertz. Para Nueva Zelandia desde las 7 pm hasta las 10 pm hora local en la frecuencia 9470 kilohertz. Para australia desde las 6 pm hasta las 9 pm hora local en la frecuencia 9470 kilohertz``. (Emilio Pedro Povrzenic (povéryenich), Villa Diego, Provincia de Santa Fe, Rep. Argentina, March 2, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** ERITREA [non]. U.K.: Summer A-04 frequencies for Voice of Eritrean People in Tigrina: 1730-1800 Sun on 17860 SKN 300 kW / 125 deg to WEu 1800-1830 Sun on 7125 SKN 300 kW / 110 deg to EAf (Observer, Bulgaria, March 2 via DXLD) ** ETHIOPIA [non]. 21460, Radio UNMEE, 0912 Feb 29. Talks in presumed Amharic. At 0945 talk in English with mostly African news. ID at 0959 as 'Radio Unmee program for Ethiopia' Signal 44444 (Zacharias Liangas, Thessaloniki, Greece, using Degen 1102 and 3 m during power shortage, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Via UAE ** FRANCE [non]. Summer A-04 freqs for Radio France International via VT Merlin Communications: {Meyerton NOT with Merlin: 4-040} 0300-0358 on 5925 MEY 250 kW / 019 deg in French 1600-1658 on 6010 DHA 250 kW / 340 deg in English 1600-1628 on 6020 DB 200 kW / 180 deg in Pashto 1600-1628 on 6035 SNG 250 kW / 315 deg in Pashto 1600-1658 on 6170 DHA 250 kW / 340 deg in English 0400-0458 on 7150 ASC 250 kW / 114 deg in French 1900-2158 on 7160 MEY 250 kW / 355 deg in French 1700-1758 on 9530 TAC 200 kW / 255 deg in Persian 1600-1658 on 9730 MEY 100 kW / 005 deg in English 0600-0658 on 11665 ASC 250 kW / 027 deg in En/Fr 0500-0558 on 13640 DHA 250 kW / 255 deg in French 0400-0458 on 13780 DHA 250 kW / 255 deg in French 1600-1658 on 15160 MEY 250 kW / 328 deg in English 0700-0758 on 15170 MEY 250 kW / 328 deg in French 0400-0458 on 15210 DHA 250 kW / 255 deg in French 0600-0658 on 17770 KIG 250 kW / 280 deg in French 1200-1228 on 17815 ASC 250 kW / 027 deg in English 1100-1158 on 17850 MEY 250 kW / 355 deg in French 1200-1358 on 17850 MEY 250 kW / 328 deg in French 1230-1258 on 21760 MEY 250 kW / 328 deg in French (Observer, Bulgaria, March 2 via DXLD) ** GUAM. Frequency change for AWR in Telugu and Kannada via KSDA 100 kW / 285 degrees: 1500-1600 NF 15265 (55444), ex 17515 (Observer, Bulgaria, March 2 via DXLD) ** HAITI. HAITIAN MEDIA CONTINUE THEIR WORK WARILY Reporters Without Borders (RSF) reports that the Haitian media continue their work warily following the departure of Jean-Bertrand Aristide and shooting and arson attacks against five radio or TV stations. RSF was able to check with some of them in what mood they had resumed work on 1 March. "It is not really a question of living in terror, but we are very much on our guard because the chimères are still armed," said Achille Louis-Marie, managing editor of Radio Métropole. His view was shared by Vario Sérant, the boss of Télé Haïti: "We are taking great care. Remember that several of us have had to go into hiding these past few days to escape attack." Until yesterday afternoon the chimères were outside some radio stations. "We have resumed working, but we are taking great care. The situation is still very tense," said Marie-Lucie Bonhomme, head of Radio Vision 2000. Aristide supporters attacked five stations on 29 February. RSF made several appeals to both sides to end the use of violence. "At this time of extreme confusion, the Haitian people need above all to get independent and reliable news," said Robert Ménard, secretary general of the international press freedom organisation. Most pro-government media have stopped broadcasting. Radio and Télé Ti Moun, both run by Aristide's foundation, along with Télé Eclair and Télé Max went off air shortly before the president's departure. Public Télévision nationale d'Haïti (TNH) continued to broadcast on 29 February, interviewing the interim president and later, in the evening, the opposition. Overnight on 27-28 February supporters of the ruling Fanmi Lavalas party machine-gunned the offices of Radio Vision 2000, one of the major privately-owned stations in Port-au-Prince. The station manager, Léopold Berlanger, said the radio had to close. Following this attack the privately-owned Kiskeya temporarily took its news programmes off air. The Radio Vision 2000 office came under machine-gun fire again on 29 February and was partially burned. The radio was hoping to get police protection and to resume broadcasting today (2 March). Armed men ransacked the offices of Télé Haïti on 29 February, the sole remaining television channel that was independent of the government. "Everything was stolen or broken," said its boss Marie-Christine Blanc, in a message that reached Reporters Without Borders. She said that the attackers had used a bus to force the gate in front of the station, causing the security guards to flee. Later in the day a staff member had been able to return, accompanied by the police. Head of news at Télé Haïti, Vario Sérant, said some of the wreckers wore Aristide t-shirts and had surrounded the building since the previous evening. Damage was estimated at several hundred thousand dollars. The building also housed the offices of Radio France Internationale (RFI) which briefly suspended broadcasts on Haiti. Four days earlier, a Télé Haïti crew of journalist Jhenny Favélus and cameraman Claude Cléus, had been threatened and set upon when they tried to return their office. Their assailants threatened to "march on Télé Haïti". Sérant said they then burned tyres and erected barricades around the station forcing the staff to leave the premises. The attacks continued the following day. Still on 29 February, Radio Métropole reported that privately-owned Radio Ibo in Port-au-Prince had been attacked and forced to suspend news broadcasts. Another radio station in the capital, Signal FM, had come under fire. Radio Métropole interrupted news programmes for two hours after receiving telephoned threats. In Léogane, Radio Passion was ransacked by Aristide supporters. At least three other media had come under attack or threat during last week. The offices of the radio Echo 2000, at Petit-Goâve (70 kms southwest of Port-au-Prince) were torched on 26 February by suspected pro- Aristide attackers. On 3 December 2001, pro-government assailants murdered a journalist at the station, Brignol Lindor. They were never brought to justice despite making public confessions. On 24 February, Michel Jean and Sylvain Richard, journalist and cameraman on television channel Radio Canada, were shot at by pro- Aristide chimères in the north of Port-au-Prince. In a 23 February statement, Reporters Without Borders condemned unprecedented attacks against the foreign press the previous week. The management of pro-government Radio Solidarité, said on 26 February that it had been received death and arson threats the night before. (Source: RSF) # posted by Andy @ 16:01 UT March 2 (Media Network blog via DXLD) ** ICELAND. 13855, 0155 Mar 2, AFRTS. AFN programming at fair level with news. In the clear, with some deeper fades. No parallels noted, as all other AFRTS stations monitored were carrying a ball game (Walt Salmaniw, Victoria, BC, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** INDIA. 9470, 0151 March 2, AIR. Excellent reception with lovely Hindi music. Listed as Hindi-English service. Parallel 9425 is fair. Hindi talk by YL at 0154, then haunting Indian music (Walt Salmaniw, Victoria, BC, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** IRELAND. RTÉ CONFIRMS MARCH 17 LONGWAVE LAUNCH Irish media site Radiowaves reports that Irish public broadcaster RTÉ has confirmed it will launch its longwave service of RTÉ Radio 1 on St. Patrick's Day, 17 March 2004. The transmissions on 252 kHz will be audible throughout Ireland and much of the UK. The start of the longwave service will enable RTÉ to carry out maintenance work on the mast at the Tullamore transmitter site, necessitating the temporary suspension of mediumwave transmissions on 567 kHz. This work is scheduled for July through October 2004. RTÉ has also announced that in April it will take the mediumwave transmitter at Athlone on 612 kHz out of service. This frequency relays 2FM, and RTÉ says the number of mediumwave listeners is small. # posted by Andy @ 11:23 UT March 2 (Media Network blog via DXLD) ** KOREA NORTH [non]. CLANDESTINE (Korea) - 3985 Echo of Hope (presumed) 1240-1305 March 2. Techno version of ABBA's "Dancing Queen" and other Euro/technopops; YL announcer after each song; into talk by OM at 1300 to 1305 tuneout. Good signal, // to 6348, also good but QRM'ed by ute. Does this station still carry "clandestine" programming or have they toned down after Voice of Salvation did so? (John Wilkins, Wheat Ridge, CO, Drake R-8, 100-foot RW, Cumbredx mailing list via DXLD) ** MONACO. Bonjour! Voici les détails pour la nouvelle station de Monaco: MC One, 10, QUAI ANTOINE 1er, 98000 MONACO Tél. + 377 97 70 07 00 --- Fax + 377 97 70 07 01 On 1467 kHz, 40 kW from 06h30 to 18h25 (local time) i.e. 0530-1725 UT. Transmitter is in Col de la Madone, so very close to Monaco (Christian Ghibaudo, France via Monferini, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Ciao! Ascoltata a Milano alle 1710-1725 oggi con musica melodica senza Dj, con un jingle "em ci uan" ha chiuso senza nessun annuncio particolare --- staranno facendo TESTs??? Notevoli interferenze dal Relay di Tiraspol con 1 MW !! dalla Moldavia che arriva come un treno, anche usando il loop (Dario Monferini, Italy, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** NIGERIA. "82 year old" MW transmitter at Kaduna 82-YEAR-OLD [sic] TRANSMITTER PERFORMS WONDERS IN KSMC Weekly Trust (Kaduna) - February 21, 2004 - Shu'aibu Gimi Old age is not all about senility, weakness and confusion. It can also mean wisdom, strength of character and resourcefulness. That is why some old people, ideas, places and institutions symbolise power, excellence and, therefore, reliability. The eighty-two-year-old machine is, indeed, an old one. In this computer age when machines of varying sizes and sophistication are manufactured almost on a daily basis, such a machine qualifies as an obsolete object. It should have no place in the modern times. But the broadcast transmitter manufactured by a defunct company in the United Kingdom known as GATE TRANSMITTER [*] in 1922 and installed in 1946 is a perfect example of durability and excellence. Its high performance in the past several decades has made it to become quite friendly to not only the technicians who operate it with minimum difficulty, but also to the listeners of the Kaduna State radio. As one of the first major equipment that was procured by the station, the transmitter which is now in the Zaria-based sub-station of the radio arm of the Kaduna State Media Corporation, KSMC, still performs tremendous wonders as it relays programmes of the sub-station to listeners in about ten local government areas of Kaduna State and even some parts of the neighbouring Katsina and Kano states. The high level of reception of the programmes within the wide radius shows what well- maintained old equipment can do. In his report, the technical officer of the sub-station, Malam Abdulkarim Mohammad, explained that the output of the transmitter stands at "250 watts only, with transmission frequency of 1.397 KWZ 214 metre-bands." [***] This indicates that the transmitter meets the demands of the listeners of the sub-station, most of whom are at the grassroots. Although as confirmed by Malam Mohammad, the performance of the transmitter has "due to over-age and overwork" dwindled a little, there appears to be satisfaction on the part of both the management of the KSMC and the general listeners that the equipment is really strong. And a lot of efforts are being made at maintaining it. The managing director of KSMC, Alhaji Zubairu Idris Abdur-Ra'uf, who is several decades younger than the transmitter, always marvels at the performance. He told Weekend Trust that the level of output of the transmitter at its present age is a testimony to the fact that good maintenance can keep old machines in good operational condition. Alhaji Abdur-Ra'uf also showered encomiums on Malam Mohammad whom he said is now the best friend of the transmitter. "The man uses his expertise to dismantle and couple the transmitter whenever it develops a problem. They are now the best of friends," he stated. However, he further explained, the current management of KSMC had resolved to improve both its radio and television services through the procurement of modern equipment, adding that computers had already been mounted in the newsrooms and studios to enhance performance. It is in this regard that he sought the co-operation of the Kaduna State government so that the corporation can provide the best services in terms of information dissemination, enlightenment and entertainment. He assured that the staff of KSMC were always willing to demonstrate their expertise in discharging their duties so that the corporation can continue to break new grounds in broadcasting. KSMC which started as Nigerian Broadcasting Service in the pre- independence period later became Nigerian Broadcasting Corporation and then Kaduna State Radio. It is in fact the oldest radio station in the North. [via http://allafrica.com/stories/200402240204.html ] * presumably Gates Radio Company - US (not UK) company, now part of Harris Corp. Gates were founded in 1922 but I don't think they made their first transmitter until the mid 1930s, so maybe it`s not as old as they say! *** WRTH 2004 lists KSMC Zaria on 1359 khz (not 1397) with 25 kW. The KSMC station on 638 kHz has been logged in Finland in recent years (see http://www.dxing.info/logs/ ) but I can't remember ever seeing any logs of their Zaria station - not surprising if its output is only 250 watts! (Alan Pennington, BDXC-UK, Caversham, UK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** PAKISTAN. 7571.0, R. Pakistan, 2226 Feb 29. OM with a religious like style programing. Signal S9, 44444, little carrier QRM (Zacharias Liangas, Thessaloniki, Greece with ICOM R75+16 m dipole, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** PAKISTAN. 5027.25, 0142 March 2, Radio Pakistan. TBL lists this one as Radio Pakistan, Quetta with Regional Service from 0045 in Urdu/English. The Indian type chanting by a male, but more of a Muslim influence fits perfectly. No parallels noted. Talk is not in English. Lots of Rebelde splatter, but the signal is otherwise in the clear. Weak (Walt Salmaniw, Victoria, BC, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** RUSSIA. Radio Voice Of Russia for March (from sked issued last year, probably completely useless by now, but this is what they said March would look like): 0000-0100 Portug. 9965 7570 7390 7330 0100-0200 Spanish 9965 7570 7390 7330 7180 7125 6195 5945 0200-0300 Russian 6115 7330 7260 6195 0200-0300 English 15595 15445 9765 7180 6155 5995 0200-0300 Spanish 9965 9945 7570 7390 5945 0200-0400 Russian 13665 12010 7125 7240 0300-0400 Russian 7330 7260 6115 5995 0300-0400 English 15595 15445 7180 7350 6155 0400-0500 English 15595 15445 12010 7350 7180 7125 0500-0600 English 15595 15445 12010 7180 7125 0600-0800 English 21790 9860 0800-0900 English 21790 17665 17525 17495 0900-1000 English 17665 17525 17495 1000-1100 Korean 6170 3955 1000-1100 Russian 11770 1000-1100 German 15540 12010 1000-1200 Russian 11770 1100-1200 Chinese 6170 6145 5930 1100-1200 Russian 11770 1200-1300 Vietn. 17570 6205 1200-1300 Urdu 15490 11500 9800 7350 1200-1300 Korean 9450 5920 3955 1200-1300 Japanese 6170 1200-1300 Chinese 7305 6145 5930 1300-1400 Hindi 11500 9800 7350 1300-1400 Russian 6185 1300-1400 Mongolian 7305 5930 1300-1400 Russian 17570 9450 7365 7260 6145 1300-1400 Japanese 6170 5920 1300-1400 Russian 17570 7365 6185 1300-1400 Chinese 7215 1300-1500 Dari 11655 9885 4975 4965 4940 1300-1500 Russian 7155 1300-1500 Pushtu 11655 9885 4975 4965 4940 1400-1500 Urdu 11500 9800 7350 7305 1400-1500 Chinese 7215 1400-1500 Russian 17570 9900 9450 7365 7260 6205 6185 5895 1500-1530 Hindi 9885 9800 1500-1600 Russian 7445 7365 7170 6185 5995 1500-1600 English 11500 9900 7350 7260 6205 1500-1600 Turkish 9830 9470 6005 1500-1600 Russian 9555 7170 5895 1500-1700 Persian 9840 7510 5935 5925 1530-1600 Bengali 9885 9800 7305 1600-1630 Albanian 7440 7370 5920 1600-1700 Russian 7445 7170 5895 1600-1700 English 7260 4975 4965 4940 1600-1700 Russian 9900 1600-1700 German 7300 6145 1600-1700 English 9830 6005 4975 4965 4940 1600-1700 Russian 6185 5995 1600-1700 Arabic 9470 7215 5905 1600-1700 Russian 7170 5945 1630-1800 Serbo-Cr. 7440 7370 5920 1700-1800 French 11510 7390 7335 5940 1700-1800 English 9830 1700-1800 French 7390 7340 5940 1700-1800 English 5945 5910 1700-1800 Arabic 9840 7510 7130 6090 6005 5935 1700-1800 German 7300 7290 6145 1700-1800 Romanian 7420 7380 1700-1800 Russian 7445 7170 6185 5995 5895 1700-1800 Russian 7170 5895 1800-1830 Finnish 6175 5950 Mo-Fr 1800-1845 Hungarian 7380 6030 1800-1900 Italian 9450 7390 7230 1800-1900 Russian 7360 1800-1900 Arabic 9480 7510 7130 6090 1800-1900 Polish 7215 1800-1900 Russian 7170 5895 1800-1900 German 7300 6235 1800-1900 English 5910 1800-1900 Russian 5895 1800-1900 Bulgarian 7440 7420 5920 1800-1900 English 7290 6175-Sa/Su 5950-Sa/Su 1800-1900 Russian 7445 1800-1900 Russian 7170 5995 1800-1900 English 11510 9830 1800-1900 French 7340 7335 5940 1830-1900 Norwegian 6175 5950 Tu/Th 1830-1900 Swedish 6175 5950 Mo/We/Fr 1845-1930 Czech 7380 7310 6030 1900-2000 Russian 7445 7170 5895 1900-2000 German 7300 6145 1900-2000 Greek 9830 7420 7350 6000 5920 1900-2000 Arabic 9480 7510 7130 6170 1900-2000 French 7390 7320 5940 1900-2000 French 7390 7370 7340 5940 1900-2000 Russian 7170 5895 1900-2000 English 11510 7360 7335 7290 6235 6175 1930-2000 Slovak 7380 7310 6030 2000-2100 Russian 7445 7360 7310 6170 2000-2100 English 7340 7290 6235 6145 2000-2100 Russian 7445 6170 5975 5965 2000-2100 French 9480 7390 7370 7300 2000-2100 Bulgarian 6000 2100-2130 Portug. 7360 6145 2100-2200 English 7340 7300 6235 2100-2200 Russian 7445 5990 5975 5965 2100-2230 Serbo-Cr. 6000 2130-2200 Spanish 7360 6145 2200-2300 Russian 7140 2300-0000 Arabic 6175 (via Pavel Mikhaylov-RUS, WWDXC TopNews Dec 15, 2003/BC-DX/Bueschel-DE via Al Quaglieri, March NASWA Listeners Notebook via DXLD) ** SOUTH AFRICA. Frequency and time changes for R. Veritas via MEY 100 kW / non-dir to SoAf: 1000-1100 NF 6100, ex 1000-1400 on 7240 (Observer, Bulgaria, March 2 via DXLD) ** SUDAN [non]. * * QSL * * ENGLAND - 15530 Sudan Radio Service. N/D confirmation letter (unsigned) in 14 days from Buda J. Mulla, Asst. Radio Programming Advisor, at the Washington address of the Education Development Center. Says the service has "at least 9 languages (Dinka, Bari, Nuer, Muro, Zande, Shilluk, Arabic, Juba-Arabic and English)". Also says programs are produced in studios in DC and Kenya and are broadcast via a "SW transmitter in London". (John Wilkins, Wheat Ridge, CO, Drake R-8, 100-foot RW, Cumbredx mailing list via DXLD) U.K.: Summer A-04 frequencies for Sudan Radio Service Mon-Fri: 0300-0500 on 11665 WOF 300 kW / 128 deg 1500-1700 on 17630 WOF 300 kW / 128 deg 1700-1900 on 17660 WOF 300 kW / 128 deg, additional transmission! (Observer, Bulgaria, March 2 via DXLD) ** TAIWAN [non]. FRANCE: Summer A-04 freqs for Radio Taiwan International via RFI relay: 1800-1900 Chinese on 11615 ISS 500 kW / 080 deg to ME new transmission 2100-2200 French on 9365 ISS 250 kW / 190 deg to NoWeAf 2200-2300 Chinese on 3965 ISS 250 kW / 345 deg to WeEu (Observer, Bulgaria, March 2 via DXLD) ** TAIWAN. WYFR in Russian noted on Feb. 29 and March 1: 1500-1700 on 9956.0, instead of 9955.0 Radio Taiwan International in German/Mandarin/French noted on Feb. 29 and March 1: 1800-2100 on 9956.0, instead of 9955.0 (Observer, Bulgaria, March 2 via DXLD) ** UKRAINE. RADIO LIBERTY'S NEW UKRAINIAN REBROADCASTER COMPLAINS OF JAMMING, THREATS | Text of report by Ukrainian Ukrayinska Pravda web site on 2 March The management of Radio Kontynent has said it experienced interference during broadcasts of Radio Liberty programmes on Kontynent's 100.9 FM frequency. The radio station said this in a press release today. "Yesterday, on 1 March, after the announcement that Radio Kontynent had began rebroadcasting Radio Liberty on its frequency 100.9 FM, so called `jammers' were turned on which prevented Kontynent's signal from being received in some areas of Kiev," the statement said. The management of Radio Kontynent protested against the actions of the authorities which "interfere with the informational activity of the radio station rebroadcasting objective news of the BBC Ukrainian Service, the Voice of America, Radio Liberty, Deutsche Welle, Radio Polonia and Public Radio". "This is a blatant violation of the constitutional rights of citizens to receive information," the statement said. Radio Kontynent called on the president of Ukraine [Leonid Kuchma], "as the guarantor of the Constitution", to take steps to ensure unhampered work of this media outlet. Kontynent recalled that its case is currently under review in the European Court of Human Rights, and "in accordance with the Constitution of Ukraine it has full rights to broadcast until the court's final ruling." The statement also said that the general director of Radio Kontynent, Serhiy Sholokh, had been warned by certain political forces about the inadmissibility of Radio Liberty broadcasts on his frequency - up to death threats in case the broadcasts go on. Sholokh said he was prepared to publicize the details of the threats if the interference with Kontynent's work does not stop. [Radio Liberty's previous Ukrainian partner, Radio Dovira, stopped rebroadcasting Radio Liberty's programmes on 17 February after Dovira's head was replaced with a supporter of President Kuchma. Dovira said that Radio Liberty programming clashed with its new entertainment format. The Ukrainian opposition, Western critics and Radio Liberty itself said the move was political and aimed at stifling freedom of speech in Ukraine in the run-up to the October presidential election.] Source: Ukrayinska Pravda web site, Kiev, in Ukrainian 2 Mar 04 (via BBCM via DXLD) ** U K. COOKE POSTS LAST LETTER FROM AMERICA Tuesday March 02 2004 The Guardian Alistair Cooke, the distinguished presenter of BBC Radio 4's Letter from America, is retiring from the world's longest running speech radio programme after more than half a century. The veteran Cooke, who celebrated his 95th birthday last November, is ending a 70-year career with the BBC in which he became famous for his uniquely well informed weekly dispatches on US current affairs. He joined the BBC in 1934 as a film critic and began broadcasting Letter from America in March 1946, continuing to pen his weekly letter for 58 years, in which he also worked as the Guardian's US correspondent and presented the ground-breaking cultural show Omnibus. But he remains best known for his Letter from America, which pioneered the informal conversational style that now dominates speech radio. Cooke, who was absent from the show last week due to illness, will not record any new shows but Radio 4 will broadcast archive shows for several weeks. Today Mark Byford, acting BBC director-general and former World Service director, thanked Cooke for his "unparalleled contribution". "Alistair Cooke has been one of the greatest broadcasters ever, full of insight and wisdom. "He has brought enormous pleasure to millions of listeners, both in the United Kingdom and around the world," he said. Jenny Abramsky, director of BBC radio and music, said Cooke's letters were a "unique legacy" which had "stimulated and entertained millions". "I can still remember listening at university to his letter when Robert Kennedy was shot. His description of the small pantry passageway in San Francisco brought home the horror of Kennedy's death in a personal human way that marked all his letters. We are very sorry he has decided to retire but are grateful for all the years he has devoted to the BBC," she said. Despite frailty, he still draws on vast bank of knowledge Cooke has always written his letter the same way - on his typewriter every Thursday. In an article to mark his 95th birthday last year, Cooke's biographer Nick Clarke revealed that the veteran broadcaster now rarely emerges from his 15th floor Manhattan apartment. But despite his physical frailty Clarke said Cooke's enthusiasm for his work "has remained undiminished", adding, "he can still draw on that vast memory bank for the characters and stories that enliven his tasks". Since Letter from America began, Cooke has presented 2,869 shows, making up more than 717 hours of broadcasting time. [if they were really 15 minutes long, which they are not --- gh] The programme is listened to by millions of people around the world via the BBC's World Service across Europe, Asia, New Zealand, Africa, the Americas and the Middle East. In an address to the Royal Television Society in 1997, Cooke revealed that the idea for the show originated from a conversation with a BBC editor. "The head man said, 'why don't you talk about the things you talk to me about? American children, the chemistry of the New England fall, out west, anything?'. I said, 'well, it opens quite a field.' He said, 'well, we'll set you up for 13 weeks, and if it's a wild success another 13 weeks.'" In 1973 Cooke was awarded an honorary knighthood, and he has also received an award from Bafta for his contribution to Anglo American relations and a Sony Radio Award for his services to broadcasting. Cooke first worked in the US in 1936, as a commentator on American affairs for the BBC, moving to the Times in 1938 to become US correspondent. In 1945 he joined the Manchester Guardian as United Nations correspondent, later becoming US correspondent. Cooke officially retired from the Guardian in 1972 - 32 years ago. National institution Cooke's bosses at Radio 4 often struggled with his status as a national institution, and producers working on the show were warned to change nothing. Rumours that he was about to be axed surfaced throughout the 1970s and 80s, but came to nothing. As the former Radio 4 controller Michael Green put it: "Radio 4 is a national monument and Alistair Cooke is one of its best-known gargoyles. I can't imagine a controller giving some poor person a farewell letter to deliver to Alistair. There'd be public outrage. The plane would be shot down over the Atlantic." Over the course of his career Cooke got to know every American president from Roosevelt to Nixon although Roosevelt, who saved the country from the Depression, remained his political hero. When Robert Kennedy was assassinated Cooke revealed on his Letter how "for the first time in 30 years, I found myself by one casual chance in a thousand, on hand in a small, narrow serving pantry of the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles, a place that I suppose will never be wiped out of my memory: a sinister alley, a Roman circus run amok, and a charnel house. It would be quite false to say, as I should truly like to say, that I'm sorry I was there". But Cooke's misses came to be almost as famous as his hits. In the autumn of 1963 he turned down the offer to join John F Kennedy on a presidential outing in Texas, deciding instead to cover it from New York. He later revealed how his wife, Susie Cooke, had sat in the opposite room watching two separate television networks and calling out updates while he frantically wrote his piece. Cooke even turned his absence into a virtue, telling the then editor of the Guardian it had been "a stroke of luck that I wasn't along [on the Dallas trip]... The White House press corps was 13 cars behind the president and by the time they swung round the bend and through the tunnel, the main cars were on their way to the hospital. Not one member of the press bus guessed the truth". Copyright Guardian Newspapers Limited (via Bill Westenhaver, DXLD) ALISTAIR COOKE SIGNS OFF LAST LETTER FROM AMERICA (Filed: 02/03/2004) Alistair Cooke has broadcast his last Letter From America after making the BBC show for 58 years. http://news.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2004/03/02/ualas .xml Alistair Cooke delivers an early Letter From America in 1947 [caption] Cooke, 95, was absent from last week's programme - the world's longest-running radio speech programme - due to poor health and has decided to retire following advice from doctors. Millions of listeners across the world have tuned in for Cooke's weekly observations of American life since his show began on Radio 4 in 1946. But Letter From America, which was also broadcast on the World Service, was meant to last for only 13 weeks. The broadcaster, who lives in New York and has missed only three broadcasts in around 3,000 programmes, thanked his listeners for their loyalty after announcing his retirement today. He said: "I can no longer continue my Letter From America. Throughout 58 years I have had much enjoyment in doing these talks and hope that some of it has passed over to the listeners, to all of whom I now say thank you for your loyalty and goodbye." Cooke has always written his letter the same way - on his typewriter every Thursday in a flat overlooking Central Park. Cooke, who was born in Salford, was awarded an honorary knighthood in 1973 for furthering Anglo-American relations. He was also given the honour of addressing Congress in its 200th anniversary. Cooke, who started his career at the Manchester Guardian, joined the BBC in 1934 but resigned in 1937 - sailing to America and later resuming work for the Corporation. Cooke's interest in America began when he won a scholarship to study drama at Yale. Mark Byford, acting BBC director-general and former World Service director, thanked Cooke for his "unparalleled contribution". He said: "Alistair Cooke has been one of the greatest broadcasters ever, full of insight and wisdom." Jenny Abramsky, director of BBC radio and music, said Cooke's letters were a "unique legacy" which had "stimulated and entertained millions". "I can still remember listening at university to his letter when Robert Kennedy was shot. "His description of the small pantry passageway in San Francisco brought home the horror of Kennedy's death in a personal human way that marked all his letters." Nigel Chapman, acting director of BBC World Service, said: "I know listeners will miss his wry and perceptive observations on the life and politics of the world's most powerful nation." Radio 4 and the World Service will broadcast a selection from the archives over the next few months in A Celebration Of Alistair Cooke's Letter From America (via Bill Westenhaver, DXLD) Andy Sennitt comments: My great-aunt and great-uncle emigrated to the US, and on their annual visits to Scotland in the 1950's and 1960's they always used to insist on listening to Letter from America, so they could catch up on the issues dominating the news back home. But Alistair Cooke was equally at home explaining Britain to the Americans. From my annual visits to America, I have warm memories of Masterpiece Theater, which used to bring British costume drama to the US audience on public television. Each show would begin and end with Alistair Cooke sitting in an armchair in front of a roaring fire, putting the events in the drama into context for the American viewers. He has been a part of the broadcasting scene on both sides of the Atlantic since before I was born. The end of Letter from America really is the end of an era. # posted by Andy @ 12:47 UT March 2 (Media Network blog via DXLD) The BBCWS will never be the same without him. Oops, it`s already not the same (Glenn Hauser, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U K. VT Merlin Communications test transmissions on Sats/Suns via RMP 035 kW: Sat Feb. 7/14/21/28: 1130-1400 on 9565 / 095 deg AM mode |||| music and ann. in En 1400-1500 on 9785 / 095 deg AM mode |||| music and ann. in En 1500-1600 on 9660 / 080 deg AM mode |||| music and ann. in En Sun Feb. 8/15/22/29: 1130-1300 on 9565 / 095 deg AM mode |||| music and ann. in En 1300-1330 on 9565 / 095 deg DRM HCJB Just Jazz 1330-1400 on 9565 / 095 deg DRM NASB varies 1400-1500 on 9785 / 095 deg AM mode |||| music and ann. in En 1500-1600 on 9660 / 080 deg DRM Brigham Young University Radio !!! (Observer, Bulgaria, March 2 via DXLD) Continuing in March???? ** U S A [non]. Brigham Young University Radio was aired weekly via Merlin Feb in DRM: see UK above! ** U S A. BBG PREPARES FOR A FAIT ACCOMPLI DATELINE: Washington, 03/03/04. According to a recent survey, most of the listeners to VOA English radio broadcasts listen on shortwave. The countries of the world where VOA English is most popular are China, India, the Phillipines, Nigeria, Zimbabwe, Sierra Leone, Kuwait, and Russia. By region, in order, English radio broadcasts are most popular in Africa, East Asia, the Middle East, and South Asia. So what transmissions do you think the BBG is planning to eliminate this month? You guessed it --- shortwave of course. And the areas of the world these shortwave broadcasts target --- Africa, East Asia, South Asia, and the Middle East. ***** REPRESENTATIVE CHRIS VAN HOLLEN SENDS LETTER TO THE BOARD DATELINE: WASHINGTON, 03/01/04. The Union received an email copy of a letter Representative Van Hollen sent Friday, February 02/27/04 to the Broadcasting Board of Governors. The Congressman requests that the Board reconsider its decision to cut English language broadcasts. . . (http://www.afge1812.org March 2 via DXLD) ** U S A. ARABIC TV (MADE IN AMERICA) By KENNETH Y. TOMLINSON The Wall Street Journal March 2, 2004 COMMENTARY In recent months we have heard a great deal about public diplomacy from think tanks and study groups calling for "strategic direction" and "process coordination." I submit that we should focus on action. With the support of President Bush, non-military U.S. broadcasters have taken action, launching an Arabic-language satellite television service to a region that covers five time zones ranging from Morocco in the west to Yemen and Oman in the east. On this all-news and current affairs network, the competitive edge in the Middle East is our very dedication to truth and free and open debate. We are betting that our broadcasts will stand out in a media market dominated by sensationalism and distortion. It is no accident that the program that opened our network was a talk and debate representing four wide-ranging points of view. Last Sunday, for example, hostile Arab commentators had to face documented evidence that Saddam Hussein had given pay-offs to scores of Middle Eastern journalists and commentators. It is little wonder that Alhurra (Arabic for "the free one") has faced a barrage of condemnation from the journalistic elites of the Arab world. That was to be expected. But they aren't our targets. Our broadcasts are aimed at the people, which is why it is so important that we establish long-term credibility with the quality and accuracy of our news programs. If Alhurra establishes trust with its audience, then maybe the people will turn to us with serious questions long obscured by the Arab-Israeli conflict, such as the historian Bernard Lewis's fundamental question, "What went wrong?" And we will be there to address them. As hundreds of e-mails pour in, we seem to be touching our target audience. "You are much needed to balance biased news controlled by those full of hatred to western world," reads one. "This is the first step to fight the 'hate culture' that feeds terrorism," says another. Then there is a 26-year old doctor in Basra, Iraq, who told of treating soldiers during the war -- "wounded Arab fighters who had been misled by Saddam lies." He concludes: "I hope your channel [will help] our Arab brothers . . . to tell the truth from all that is going on." Meanwhile, the state of conventional wisdom in the traditional public-diplomacy community lags far behind. Last year, Congress directed the State Department to create an advisory group on public diplomacy in the Arab world -- a commission headed by former Ambassador Edward Djerejian. The Djerejian report disparages U.S. international broadcasting's successful efforts to win and keep a large radio audience in the Arab world. At the same time, it proposes the creation of a cabinet-level tsar-like official in the White House who would direct everything in the public diplomacy world, including all those elements of international broadcasting that tell our audiences what America is and what we stand for. The Djerejian report's direction is clear: an end to the independence of U.S. international broadcasting. This assures an end to the credibility that we have built up since World War II -- a credibility that is measured by our audience's belief that we tell the truth. Why didn't the report enthusiastically embrace the Bush administration's Arabic television initiative? Why did it question whether funds for the television initiative "can be better spent on other public diplomacy instruments"? Such public-diplomacy traditionalists remind me of buggy-whip manufacturers in the 1920s. It was clear that the automobile was the key to transportation in the future, but somehow those buggy-whip professionals just could not bring themselves to understand that the transportation world had been changed forever. Thomas Friedman of the New York Times asserts that satellite television is not just the greatest media phenomenon in the Middle East; it is the greatest political development of this age. Satellite television is to the future what short-wave radio was to the past. Just as America's radio broadcasts nourished the spirit of the Soviet empire's hapless subjects, and kept alive their hope for change, Alhurra offers hope to the Arabic-speaking people of the Middle East who -- despite the region's crushing problems -- will come to understand that there is a better way, and that the truth points in its direction. Mr. Tomlinson is chairman of the Broadcasting Board of Governors which oversees all non-military U.S. international broadcasting. URL for this article: http://online.wsj.com/article/0,,SB107819225625843734,00.html (via Mike Cooper, DXLD) ** U S A [non]. Frequency changes for Radio Liberty & Voice of America eff. from Feb. 29: 1800-1900 RL Ukrainian NF 6000, ex 3980 1800-1900 RL Ukrainian NF 9650, ex 5985 1800-2000 VOA Russian NF 3980, ex 9650 2000-2100 RL Ukrainian NF 5955, ex 3980 Sun-Fri 2000-2100 RL Russian NF 3980, ex 5955 (Observer, Bulgaria, March 2 via DXLD) ** U S A. 9329.9 LSB, WBCQ, Feb 29, 220x talks about 'porn on HDTV' in USA. Signal level S8, 44444 LSB with suppressed carrier NO signal on 2215. Tune in back on 2235 with program (Zacharias Liangas, Thessaloniki, Greece with ICOM R75+16 m dipole, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A. 12160, WWCR-3, 2147 Feb 29 with typical American English songs. Signal S9 or 44433 (Zacharias Liangas, Thessaloniki Greece with ICOM R75+16 m dipole, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Then 24 hours earlier you should have had fine reception of WORLD OF RADIO on Saturday; same all over Europe? (gh, DXLD) ** U S A. WSHB is gone --- another SW broadcaster bites the dust. Sad! 7535, 0700-0800, WSHB Cypress Creek Mar 1. This is the last program I stayed up to monitor, waiting for a final goodbye. Alas, there was none --- only the same canned announcement at the end of the program announcing the discontinuation of SW, after the Christian Science broadcast. I'm not sure if there were any further broadcasts after this time. WSHB is definitely gone as I type this at 0130 2 March (Walt Salmaniw, Victoria, BC, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A. Re: WRHB 1020, Kendall-Miami/FYI --- Glenn, This is the biggest violator of FCC rules yet. I doubt if they have run their night pattern in months. I hear them every night in north Florida in their KDKA null. Maybe the commission is giving them a first pass because of their Creole programming (Johnny King, Feb 28, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A. Phoenix, AZ 1480 format change --- The format change on Phoenix's 1480 may make it a standout on the frequency. KPHX in Phoenix is now owned and operated by All Comedy Radio and runs their 24-hour satellite-delivered format, as of last night (Rick Lewis, AZ, March 2, amfmtvdx at qth.net via DXLD) Like KFNY-1640 Enid-OKC does tho not owned by the network (gh) ** ZIMBABWE. 4828, ZBC, Feb 29, 2155 with folk songs. Talks by woman in FF [French???] but in lower modulation at unIDable condition (if any) during near to the TOH, 22432, S4. QRM from carrier on 4830 Mongolia and unknown buzzers (Zacharias Liangas, Thessaloniki Greece with ICOM R75+16 m dipole, DX LISTENING DIGEST) UNIDENTIFIED. NO IDENTIFICADA: 3140 a las 0040, retransmisión de R. Universal 970 kHz con fútbol (Nacional / Independiente), probable 2º armónico de 1520 R. Cerro Largo (Alfredo Locatelli, Uruguay, Conexión Digital via DXLD) I wish he would make his reports complete, including dates and countries! I find no such station in WRTH 2004 on 1520, but R. Universal 970 is in URUGUAY. And the fundamental of 3140 would be 1570, not 1520, but no Cerro Largo found there either. Then on DXing.info he posts this: (gh, DXLD) 3040, 0030, R. Modem, Montegrande, Argentina, 2 armónico de 1520, música sin interrupciones. 4560, 0030, R. Modem, Montegrande, Argentina, 3 armónico de 1520, música sin interrupciones (Alfredo Locatelli, Uruguay, March 2, dxing.info via DXLD) UNIDENTIFIED. 4749, RRI Makassar --- nothing heard sounding like this at 1247 Feb 29, just perhaps the Chinese stations listed here. Via Javoradio Australia. Ditto 4753 (Hans Johnson, Cumbre DX via DXLD) Hi all, FYI, 4749.98 KHz is active at this time 1256 UT (Chuck Bolland, Clewiston FL, March 2, DX LISTENING DIGEST) UNIDENTIFIED. 4900. On 2 Mar at 1604 (tune-in) on 4900 noted a female voice in Korean with apparently 5-digit groups. Signed off at 1611. Rather weak signal. I recall there is similar station at times near 6215 (Jari Savolainen, Kuusankoski, Finland, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ CONVENTIONS & CONFERENCES +++++++++++++++++++++++++ READING INTERNATIONAL RADIO GROUP, Reading, England The next meeting will be on Saturday March 27th 2.30 to 4.30 p.m. in the Holyrood Room, Third Floor, Reading Central Library, Kings Road/Abbey Square. Items will include a look at American Forces Broadcasting in Europe from the 1950s onwards including audio extracts and German black propaganda stations during World War Two. Before and after the meeting many members can be found at the Hogshead on the opposite side of the road (Mike Barraclough, March World DX Club Contact via DXLD) RADIO EQUIPMENT FORUM +++++++++++++++++++++ PRIVACY GETS A PRICE-TAG WHEN BUGS GO SHOPPING COMMENT: By John Gapper, Financial Times; Mar 02, 2004 The other day, I was given a strange-looking object. It is a plastic strip that seems to contain the exoskeleton of an insect that has been swatted, and then laminated. It was made by a company called Alien Technology. If I did not know what it was, I might find it unnerving. Some people who do know (it is a tag holding a chip, and an antenna to reflect radio waves) still think the bug can bite. On Saturday, a group gathered outside a store in Rheinberg owned by the German retailer, Metro, to protest against such devices. This is a Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) tag. You may have one in your wallet or purse now, if you paid for your journey to work, or gained entry to your office, by touching a card on an electronic pad. Strip the card apart, and you would find a chip just like the one in my tag. Did you worry that your card could be used to infringe your civil liberties? Probably not, I would guess. You were happy to avoid scrabbling for change at the station, or signing in at the front desk. You did not care that your journey was tracked by scanners linked to databases, and the chip told the machines who you were. One person's convenience is another's invasion of privacy, as retailers such as Metro, Wal-Mart and Tesco are finding. Having put their faith in what Tesco calls "radio barcodes" to track goods from warehouse to store, they face consumer demonstrations. When was the last time that supply chain management excited such emotion? In its way, a radio tag is a tiny technological miracle. Unlike a barcode, the chip on a radio tag holds enough data to identify every object on a store shelf, or in a supply chain, individually. Like a genetic code for objects, it says not just that this is a -L-1.20 packet of rice, but which packet, and where it came from. So what, you may ask? Who cares if we invade the privacy of rice? You cannot afford to be complacent, the protesters reply. Every object you own is liable to become a potential means of identifying you. A passing stranger with a hidden scanner could read the information embedded in your clothes, and trace them back to your credit card, or loyalty card. One has to admire the enterprise of the small band of campaigners, led by Katherine Albrecht, a Harvard doctoral student, that has stirred up such a fuss over the tags. Some of their questions are legitimate. But they have raised other fears that are either heavily exaggerated, or can be addressed with some simple safeguards. The reality of radio tags, like barcodes and loyalty cards before them, is that consumers stand to benefit: goods will get cheaper and easier to find on supermarket shelves. The people to feel sorry for, as ever, are small stores that compete with Wal-Mart's supply chain efficiency, and manufacturers that will have to bear most of the running costs. Radio tags have been around for 50 years, and are used by the military to identify tanks, aircraft and weapons. They will soon be cheap enough to replace traditional barcodes, and are far more efficient. It takes an average of two seconds to scan a barcode, which must be visible. A scanner picks up multiple radio tags instantly, even if they are hidden in a case. Retailers are starting with tags in the supply chain. Wal-Mart has told its top 100 suppliers that they must stick a radio tag to each pallet and case by January next year, and absorb the cost themselves. Other retailers, such as Tesco, Metro and Target, have similar plans after experimenting with the technology in a few stores. Radio tags will help retailers to stop losing things, either through theft or mishap. That reduces the need to carry excess stock, and means stores are less likely to run out of goods. Seven per cent of items that should be available for sale in Wal-Mart stores are out of stock at any moment, according to the consultancy A. T. Kearney; by cutting that to 6 per cent, Wal-Mart could raise its revenues by $1bn (-L-535m). This is worthy, but mundane, stuff. A more intriguing use of radio tags would be to attach them to individual items (tags cost about 25 cents each at the moment, but prices are falling). Such tagging could allow automatic scanning of goods at check-outs, and "smart shelves" that alert store assistants when goods run out. Tesco and Metro have both experimented with smart DVD racks. The problem comes when monitoring of goods turns to surveillance of shoppers. Tesco found this out last year with a trial in which a photograph was taken of each customer who picked up a tagged Gillette razor. The aim was to prevent theft - the photos were deleted at the check-out - but it sent a bad signal, so to speak. "Some of the trials seem to say: 'The consumers are the culprits. We do not trust them and we will spy on them.' It is terrible positioning," says Omar Hijazi, a principal with A. T. Kearney. Tesco has backed off, as did Metro last week after protests that it had embedded radio tags in loyalty cards at its Rheinberg Future Store. Ms Albrecht, founder of a protest group called Caspian, wants to build on this progress by persuading companies to keep tags in their supply chains, and not use them on individual items. Being a libertarian, she does not believe in preventing them doing so by law. "The little privacy we have left is so precious. Why throw it away for something so meaningless as two cents off a packet of rice?" she says. Nicely put, but the evidence of the past three decades of supermarket shopping, since the introduction of the barcode in 1974, is that consumers value cheapness and convenience highly. Why would you not shop at a store where the shelves were replenished efficiently, and you could avoid any check-out queue by simply walking past a scanner? It should not be too hard for retail chains, despite their mis-steps, to erect enough safeguards to reassure most shoppers. Metro is offering Rheinberg customers the chance to de-activate tags before leaving the store. Caspian does not like loyalty cards either - and they allow stores to collect personal data in a way that a radio tag does not - but 80 per cent of Tesco's customers sign up for a Clubcard. No, the losers will be small retailers that must compete with Wal-Mart, and makers of bulk groceries. A. T. Kearney estimates that a manufacturer with sales of $5bn could have to buy 221m tags annually: a bill of $33m at 15 cents per tag. Perhaps Procter & Gamble's shareholders should mount a public protest of their own (via Mike Cooper, DXLD) RADIO SHACK "SUPERRADIO" HINTS I realize that this isn't a "SHORTWAVE" related post, but many people DO have the R/S version of the "SuperRadio" that is purported to be "similar" to the GE SuperRadio because it does have "better than average" performance in the AM broadcast band. But, I always did like the sound of this receiver with its larger speaker and fairly decent audio (for a portable). I've had one of these for quite a number of years and use it to listen to "When Radio Was" on KSL (Salt Lake City) when I don't feel like firing up a boatanchor receiver, etc. The "real" reason I bought it way back when was because it was able to receive the FM station in Oakhurst (in the foothills) that plays all big band music on the weekends. MOST radios can't hear this station on their built in whip. (Now that station has apparently increased its power or antenna system more radios can hear it). ANYWAY, down to brass tacks. As I said, I'd used this receiver unmodified and unopened for quite a number of years, though I always felt that it's AM performance wasn't up to what would "REALLY" be expected of a SuperRadio and dial calibration wasn't great on either AM or FM. Performance in the middle to low end of the BCB band was poor. Instead of the usual variable tuning capacitors this set uses varactor tuning diodes and a variable resistor to change their voltage (cheaper than a good quality 6 gang tuning capacitor for an AM/FM set). It had gotten so that tuning would jump around a lot when you were trying to tune a station in. Without even looking I knew this was due to a dirty tuning potentiometer (like a scratchy volume control). Anyway, today I went ahead and opened it up to clean the control. No easy task as the headphone jack and top mounted switch protrude even after removing the knobs. I spray cleaned the tuning control and worked it. Immediate results were positive. I then decided to do a "by ear" alignment on the set, using the weakest stations I could find (and a digital receiver to make sure of that station`s frequency). The results were "DRAMATIC". THIS IS NOT THE SAME RADIO. I found the entire set was poorly aligned (thanks RadioShack and China). RF sections, especially the AM were way off as were the AM IF transformers. The set now has MUCH better sensitivity as well as better selectivity on AM, on FM the dial is much better calibrated. By carefully studying the layout and with my years of experience in aligning sets I was able to do this WITHOUT the factory manual. However, I WOULD NOT suggest that most people try this without the factory service manual! (Please don't ask me to step you through it). But if you are able to do it yourself, you will (should) end up with a much better playing radio. One last note. Over the years I've heard remarks that this radio is in reality a GE SuperRadio III but with a smaller Ferrite loop antenna etc. That may well be the case as the printed circuit board does have "SuperRadio" silk-screened on it. 73 from the "Beaconeers Lair". (Phil, KO6BB, Atchley, DX begins at the noise floor! Merced, Central California, 37.18N 120.29W CM97sh, swl at qth.net via DXLD) TEN-TEC RX-340 --- A NEW USER`S REVIEW --- BY RICHARD A. D'ANGELO Nothing beats starting a new DX season than a new piece of shortwave radio equipment to start the new DX season. Well, that was the story I told my wife after that certain Ten-Tec communications receiver begged me to take it home and she bought it. So the RX-340 now resides in Wyomissing instead of at Universal Radio in Reynoldsburg, Ohio. I was very impressed by this rig when I tried George Zeller`s at previous French Creek DXpeditions, so I was well prepared to act when a used one turned up at Fred Osterman`s place. I had no intention of buying a new or a used receiver this year, since I am very happy with my Drake R-8B. However, I could not help myself when the RX-340 appeared used at Universal Radio thanks to some encouragement from Gerry Dexter, Alan Johnson and George Zeller, all of whom insisted someone had to buy it. Turns out, I was that someone, hi! Over the last few months I have slowly become familiar with its operation. This is a first class piece of shortwave gear. This new users review - I am the ``new`` in users review - will not dwell on boring facts and figures, primarily because I haven`t a clue what any of those numbers actually mean. Generally, I ask my knowledgeable friends if the specification numbers are good. I`m satisfied using their judgment to substitute for mine in that area, since I would never pass for an equipment techie. I am told the facts and figures are impressive to those who know such things. That ends my technical discussion. When the RX-340 arrived I had a shack reconfiguration issue to address since I kept my R-8B and I was dealing with a relatively small space. My solution was to get a simple coated wire kitchen stackable shelf that could hold the Ten-Tec on the top portion with plenty of room for the Drake underneath in the lower section. This stacking placed the Ten-Tec at eye level, which helps operation since the standard feet don`t provide for a modest tilt for visibility. The amazing thing about a digital signal processing (``DSP``) receiver of this caliber is the seemingly endless array of bandwidth filtering options available. Passport says there are 57 choices and there could very well be, but I don`t plan to count them all. After using the RX- 340 for about three months, it is amazing to me what can be done with a multitude of filter choices. I recall using George`s RX-340 at French Creek, thinking I would never need that many filter options and that if I owned such a receiver I would rely on the same three or four filter choices all the time. Wrong! It doesn`t take a long time to become a filter junkie. Just about all the filter options provide good, usable audio, making digging out the tough DX a little easier. Some of the narrowest filters are for people who can hear dog whistles or utilize CW mode. I don`t really think of the ``bandwidth`` control as a selection of individual filters. Rather, I have become accustomed to using the bandwidth control more like a fine tuning adjustment control, clarifying the signal as necessary. A small tuning knob, instead of push buttons, facilitates this feature. The passband tuning is another excellent feature of this radio. I am constantly amazed at how well it shifts things so that the signal is apparently cleaned up for my simple ears to enjoy. It seems that almost any noise situation can be corrected with the help of the passband tuning control. Compared to other communications receivers with passband tuning that I have used over the years, this one is in a league of its own. It is superb little gimmick that really helps. Did I mention that the Ten-Tec RX-340 has a serious notch filter? I have had notch filters in other communications receivers, but most of them seem to be nothing more than an extra knob attached to the face of the receiver to make the receiver designer happy. From a shortwave user perspective they are tantalizing but next to useless. The RX-340 seems to take the issue of a notch seriously. The thing works! I don`t know why, and frankly I could care less about the technical reasons. Suffice to say that after all these years of useless knobs cluttering up the face of communications receivers falsely labeled ``notch,`` having a genuine, working notch filter is a real bonus. It`s been a long time since I touched a real, serious tuning knob on a communications receiver. The old boat anchors were known for large, well-balanced tuning knobs. When the Drake R-8 first came out, I recall Guy Atkins designing his own replacement-tuning knob to facilitate dial twirling. The RX-340 has a large, well-weighted tuning knob that makes spinning through the bands a pleasure. Just like the good old days. It can be set at ten different tuning speeds, from 1,000 kHz all the way down to 0.001 kHz. The big, bright digital readout is to three decimal places. When not using the keypad, the tuning knob makes searching for DX easy. In my opinion, the best assessment for any piece of gear is under duress during a DXpedition. I had been looking forward to getting the RX-340 out in the field for some serious DXercise since it arrived home. While using a communications receiver at home can tell you a lot about the rig, nothing beats three days of testing in a DX environment to know how the machine will stand up to the rigors of a DXpedition. Our first trip to French Creek State Park in southeastern Pennsylvania in early November 2003 provided that field testing opportunity. It didn`t take a long time to determine that the Ten-Tec RX-340 provides a superb platform for shortwave DXing. I had forgotten about something George Zeller had mentioned during prior French Creek DXpeditions. While folks were out and about during the day, he would do side by side comparisons of the various receivers (mainly Drake and JRC equipment) in the cabin with his Ten-Tec RX-340. What he noticed was that the RX-340 had usable audio on weak signals as they faded in before any of the other communications gear even had a heterodyne. I didn`t think much of that at the time. However, I experienced that same phenomenon during our November DXpedition. I wasn`t as annoying as George, borrowing everyone`s radio for testing purposes, but I was able to do an interesting comparison nevertheless. Our first night saw a nice opening to the Indian subcontinent where I was able to log four tropical band outlets of All India Radio, 3315 Bhopal, 4790 Chennai, 4820 Kolkata and 4860 Delhi. Although none of the signals were pinning the S-meter, I though the opening was real good considering the exploding solar conditions that took place just before we arrived at the DXpedition site. However, I was essentially the only one to log all four stations, reminding me of the ``Zeller Effect`` previously described. Throughout the weekend I experienced this situation numerous times, where I had useable audio when others came up empty. This impressed the heck out of me even if Zeller discovered this first. I am convinced that there is some magical component in the box that accounts for this observable fact. I`m sure the techies will have a better explanation that I will not understand. If you can`t hear it, you can`t do much to the signal to enhance it. The RX-340 provides an opportunity to hear stuff other communications receivers just can`t handle. Add the wonders of DSP and this receiver is well worth owning. Every communications receiver has an odd idiosyncrasy or two, and the Ten-Tec RX-340 doesn`t disappoint in this area. The keypad, which has large function push buttons and works extremely well, is backwards. That awkwardness took a little getting use to but is easily manageable. After a while you forgot all about it except when you try to operate another receiver at the same time with a standard keypad configuration and punch in the wrong frequency. This happens to me all the time when I use the Drake R-8B simultaneously. This isn`t critical, but it is a minor quirk that I assume some Ten-Tec engineer found to be an important change ``for the better.`` Some things should just be left alone. Another quirk, at least to me because it didn`t seem to bother George Zeller, is that simple VFO tuning is non-existent on the RX-340. I have used the VFO A and B feature on the Drake R-8 and then R-8B all the time while DXing. It made tracking two stations simultaneously a cinch. This isn`t so simple with the RX-340. I`m sure you can play around with the memories and work a suitable fix, but at a retail price of almost four thousand dollars why work around a simple problem like that? Anyway, to me it is a quirk that I fixed by firing up the R-8B to assist in monitoring more than one frequency at a time. This isn`t a cheap solution, but it is a good excuse for holding onto to my Drake that I am really fond of using. Since this radio is the greatest thing since adding a new country to the logbook, what is it worth? That`s a tough question, and one I struggled with for over a year before I made my purchase decision. For me the RX-340 was not worth the retail purchase price of just under US$4,000.00, although to many other DXers the price didn`t stop them. I was very happy with my R-8B, but I was very interested in DSP technology and what it had to offer. I kept my eye on the RX-340`s little brother, the RX-350, which is a scaled down version. Unfortunately, although the price is right, about US$1,400.00 with the optional keypad, the experts have not raved about it like big brother. When a used RX-340 appeared at Universal Radio at a price point between the two Ten-Tecs, it seemed like the time to make my move up the technology curve. I am very glad I did, especially at a reduced price point. However, after using the RX-340 I can understand the commitment other DXers have made to this fine radio at the full retail price. I do have one major gripe. Although some early reports say the Ten-Tec folks in Tennessee are wonderful to deal with, I didn`t find that to be true. I had attempted on two separate occasions to obtain a manual for the RX-340 from Ten-Tec through e-mail. They did not have the courtesy of even sending me a rejection. This naturally led me to believe that unless you work for Passport to World Band Radio these folks seemed to ignore RX-340 owners. However, as I was closing this article, I e-mailed the company once again, receiving a reply from a salesman that manuals can be purchased for $35.00 plus shipping and handling. I called the sales department and was able to place an order for the manual for US$39.00. Now maybe I can figure out what to do with some of the many buttons and knobs George Zeller warned me not to touch. The DXpedition pictures used in this review are courtesy of Kris Field`s digital camera that he brought along to our November 2003 DXpedition to French Creek. The shack photos are courtesy of my son, Adam, who is also a digital photographer. The first photograph is a close up of the Ten-Tec RX-340 sitting on top of the simple coated wire kitchen rack I bought for it to elevate the rig to eye level. Underneath the RX-340 is my Drake R-8B. The second photo is of me sitting in front of the rigs in my shack. The third photograph is of me again tuning the RX-340 during our November 2003 DXpediton to French Creek. Note that my Drake is already packed up at this point. That`s Ed Mauger to my left and Bob Montgomery deep in the background. The fourth picture is of me with Ed Mauger in the background changing the mode of the RX-340, with my Drake R-8B resting comfortably on the lower level. The final shot is a showroom view of the Ten-Tec RX-340. The Ten Tec RX-340 is a great piece of technology. It provides a remarkable platform to pursue weak shortwave signals. It`s abundant bandwidth choices, passband tuning, notch, etc. make it a delight to operate. Sensitivity is great for digging out the weak signals. I just wish there were more weak signals on the shortwave bands to dig out these days. The most difficult issue to wrestle with is at what price point does this outstanding communications receiver make sense for you. In my case it was somewhere between the full retail prices of the RX-340 and the RX-350. Thankfully, a good used model came along to solve that predicament for me. Nevertheless, I wouldn`t wait around for a good used model to magically appear. I suspect we will not be seeing many used Ten-Tec RX-340s available, so if you want the technology, and it is great technology worth having, you might as well step up to the retail plate. I have not met an RX-340 owner that regrets the purchase (March World DX Club Contact via DXLD) POWERLINE COMMUNICATIONS ++++++++++++++++++++++++ PLC EM PORTUGAL Caros amigos. Depois de ter ouvido esta noticia, não poderia ficar indiferente, enquanto radioamador e radio escuta. "Cerca de 300 utilizadores de Lisboa, residentes no Parque das Nações e em Telheiras, participam numa experiência piloto para testar desde a montagem ao funcionamento da tecnologia PowerLine. Os resultados são positivos o que faz o projecto avançar para outra fase: "A tecnologia do ponto de vista técnico está dominada, do ponto de vista comercial não está dominada, ela não está sozinha no mercado tem concorrentes que são o ADSL e o Cabo e portanto o próximo passo é a implementação da tecnologia do ponto de vista comercial, obtendo ao longo deste ano 5 a 10 mil clientes que pagam pela utilização do serviço, clientes comerciais. É nesse ponto que estamos agora, havendo sucesso avançamos para a massificação já que o PowerLine usa a rede eléctrica e está em casa de todos." Explicou o responsável da ONI." Noticia teledifundida no dia 24/02/2004, na "A Dois" ex-RTP2, programa "2010" de PORTUGAL. ********************************************************************** Dizer-se que a tecnologia do PLC (PowerLine Communications) está dominada do ponto de vista técnico, só pode ser encarado como uma infeliz "força de expressão" nada adequada á realidade actual. Veja-se o que aconteceria aos múltiplos utilizadores mundiais da onda curta, emissoras internacionais, forças militarizadas, radioamadores, radio escutas,etc. O que levou a Alemanha e o Japão, só para falar nos mais importantes, a abandonar o projecto por este não cumprir minimamente com as normas de compatibilidade electromagnética, são um bom exemplo do que se passa em sociedades tecnologicamente "atrasadas", em contraponto com Portugal. Mas vamos a uma breve analise da vertente comercial do PLC. Ao contrário do que algumas companhias eléctricas mundiais nos querem fazer querer, o PLC não trás nada de novo, ás opções já existentes, no seu segmento, talvez a maior novidade sejam as elevadas interferências em receptores de onda curta. Em primeiro lugar, não oferece um serviço diferente, pois de uma maneira ou de outra a "trela" ao PC mantém-se e em segundo lugar não oferece uma maior velocidade de acesso. Trata-se, portanto, de mais uma opção a juntar ao Cabo e ao ADSL, talvez um pouco mais versátil nos pontos de conexão, mas depois disso, nada de novo. Quanto ao Cabo, ainda existe alguma concorrência, fruto de cada um ter tido de montar a infra-estrutura, mas em relação ao ADSL em Portugal, nem é bom falar nisso, que o digam a Clix e a IOL face á "concorrência" da PT. Também no PLC poderá vir a passar-se algo de muito semelhante, para não dizer igual ou pior. A infra-estrutura é do grupo EDP e esta delegou na sua subsidiaria ONI o negocio nesta área. Bem, pela experiência em apreço no ADSL iremos cair a breve prazo numa "sã concorrência" muito ao estilo das petrolíferas existentes no mercado português. Só recordar, que também aqui nos fizeram querer a uma determinada altura, que a liberalização e a concorrência no sector iria fazer baixar os preços. A realidade, pela inversa, é perfeitamente visível nos diferentes postos de abastecimento na sua área de residência. O negocio das empresas eléctricas é a energia nas suas múltiplas vertentes e não passam de um dia para o outro a serem fornecedores de telecomunicações. A idéia ao nível europeu é lançar o isco aos ISP`s e demais provedores de dados, voz e imagem para que estes mediante certas condições aproveitem a infra-estrutura já existente. Só que estes não se devem esquecer que a manutenção do sistema será fundamentalmente ou em grande parte da responsabilidade dos provedores. Isto é ao nível europeu, pois em Portugal a detentora da infra-estrutura delegou na ONI o fazer avançar o negocio, sem que para o efeito existam normas estabelecidas. Como a ONI, ainda não teve muita sorte, nas outras aproximações que fez ao mercado das telecomunicações, pensa provavelmente, que desta vez possa alcançar o "EL Dourado", quanto mais não seja pelo negocio ficar em família. Mas a infelicidade da ONI, é que mesmo dentro do sector eléctrico, e esquecendo por momentos o problema não resolvido das interferências, muita gente duvide fundamentadamente que o PLC seja um bom negocio, tendo em conta as opções já existentes e a sua tardia chegada ao mercado, quando os outros já se encontraram em plena velocidade de cruzeiro. Isto para não falar dos montantes envolvidos nos equipamentos a instalar e a manter. Na minha opinião e do ponto de vista do mero utilizador, o melhor seria acabar com qualquer "trela" ligada ao PC, aumentar a velocidade de acesso e a partir dai ligar-se de onde muito bem lhe apetecesse. Mas, ao que parece e por enquanto, o Wireless (ligação sem fios), não agrada muito aos "monopólios" já instalados, fruto da liberdade técnico-económica existente actualmente nesse meio. Portanto, e para finalizar, quanto á novidade do PLC "tudo como dantes no quartel em Abrantes", isto do ponto de vista comercial, pois no aspecto tecnico ainda á muito por dizer, e a maior parte nada abonatório. ********************************************************************** Para os mais distraidos, ou que ainda não saibam o que é o PLC, sugiro uma visita aos seguintes sites sobre os efeitos "devastadores" na escuta em onda curta: http://www.ure.es/plc/ http://www.broadbandhomecentral.com/report/backissues/Report0306_5_pf.html http://www.arrl.org/tis/info/HTML/plc/ http://www.arrl.org/tis/info/HTML/plc/#Quick_Links (João Gonçalves Costa, CT1FBF, radioescutas via DXLD) PROPAGATION +++++++++++ # SIDC Weekly bulletin on Solar and Geomagnetic activity # WEEK 165 from 2004 Feb 23 SOLAR ACTIVITY: --------------- The highlight of solar activity this week was the passage over the solar disc of Catania sunspot group 67 (NOAA AR 0564). This sunspot group continued its rapid growth, which started already last week, and grew up till a beta-gamma-delta region on Feb 27. This active region produced an X1.1 flare early morning Feb 26 (02h03 UT) and a M5.7 flare later (22h30) on the same day. In both cases, there were no type II burts or CMEs associated with these events. While the higher energy channel of both GOES and ACE remained flat, both flares did result in increased proton fluxes in the lower energy channels of ACE. GEOMAGNETISM: ------------- Geomagnetic conditions were quiet (K less than 4) during most of the period with only sporadic active intervals (K=4). From February 27th onwards, geomagnetic activity increased to active conditions with minor storms levels (K=5) on February 28 and 29. This was the consequence of a high speed solar wind stream from a coronal hole. The wind speed increased from 300 km/s on Feb 26 up till 700 km/s on Feb 29. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- DAILY INDICES DATE RC 10CM Ak BKG M X 2004 Feb 23 102 104 010 B1.4 0 0 2004 Feb 24 089 106 015 B1.2 0 0 2004 Feb 25 109 119 009 B3.0 0 0 2004 Feb 26 107 121 003 B2.5 1 1 2004 Feb 27 106 122 018 B2.0 0 0 2004 Feb 28 109 116 024 B2.0 0 0 2004 Feb 29 088 110 /// B1.6 0 0 # RC : Sunspot index from Catania Observatory (Italy) # 10cm: 10.7 cm radioflux (DRAO, Canada) # Ak : Ak Index Wingst (Germany) # BKG : Background GOES X-ray level (NOAA, USA) # M,X : Number of X-ray flares in M and X class, see below (NOAA, USA) ---------------------------------------------------------------------- NOTICEABLE EVENTS DAY BEGIN MAX END LOC XRAY OP 10CM TYPE Cat NOAA NOTE 26 0150 0203 0210 N14W14 X1.1 2N 67 564 26 2214 2230 2239 N14W26 M5.7 1N 67 0564 # MONTHLY REPORT ON THE INTERNATIONAL SUNSPOT NUMBER # # from the SIDC (RWC-Belgium) # #--------------------------------------------------------------------# FEBRUARY 2004 PROVISIONAL INTERNATIONAL NORMALIZED HEMISPHERIC SUNSPOT NUMBERS Date Ri Rn Rs 1 43 16 27 2 64 18 46 3 63 18 45 4 60 18 42 5 66 20 46 6 51 20 31 7 40 18 22 8 45 14 31 9 48 12 36 10 48 14 34 11 44 10 34 12 48 12 36 13 48 11 37 14 38 19 19 15 50 22 28 16 41 18 23 17 18 10 8 18 22 14 8 19 20 6 14 20 26 8 18 21 30 16 14 22 30 15 15 23 55 29 26 24 47 26 21 25 53 28 25 26 53 27 26 27 67 23 44 28 66 23 43 29 50 17 33 __________________________________________________________________ MONTHLY MEAN : 46.0 17.3 28.7 COOPERATING STATIONS : 42 36 36 PILOT STATION : Specola Solare Ticinese, Locarno __________________________________________________________________ Reproduction permitted if source mentioned P. CUGNON, avenue Circulaire, 3 B-1180 BRUXELLES - BELGIUM # MONTHLY REPORT ON THE INTERNATIONAL SUNSPOT NUMBER # # from the SIDC (RWC-Belgium) # #--------------------------------------------------------------------# Provisional International monthly mean Sunspot Number for February 2004 : 46.0 (forty-six point zero) Maximum : 67 on 27 // Minimum : 18 on 17 Provisional daily International Sunspot Numbers for February 2004 : 1.. 43 6.. 51 11.. 44 16.. 41 21.. 30 26.. 53 2.. 64 7.. 40 12.. 48 17.. 18 22.. 30 27.. 67 3.. 63 8.. 45 13.. 48 18.. 22 23.. 55 28.. 66 4.. 60 9.. 48 14.. 38 19.. 20 24.. 47 29.. 50 5.. 66 10.. 48 15.. 50 20.. 26 25.. 53 42 cooperating stations on March 1, 11 UT Predictions of the monthly smoothed Sunspot Number using the last provisional value, calculated for August 2003 : 60.0 (+-5%) SM CM SM CM SM CM 2003 Sep 61 60 2004 Mar 49 55 2004 Sep 41 49 Oct 60 60 Apr 48 54 Oct 39 48 Nov 54 60 May 46 53 Nov 38 47 Dec 53 59 Jun 45 52 Dec 36 47 2004 Jan 52 58 Jul 44 51 2005 Jan 35 46 Feb 50 57 Aug 42 50 Feb 33 45 SM : SIDC classical method : based on an interpolation of Waldmeier's standard curves; the estimated error ranges from 7% (first month) to 35% (last month) CM : Combined method : the combined method is a regression technique coupling a dynamo-based estimator with Waldmeier's idea of standard curves, due to K. Denkmayr. ref. : K. Denkmayr, P. Cugnon, 1997 : "About Sunspot Number Medium- Term Predictions", in "Solar-Terrestrial Prediction Workshop V", eds. G. Heckman et al., Hiraiso Solar Terrestrial Research Center, Japan, 103 #--------------------------------------------------------------------# # Solar Influences Data analysis Center - RWC Belgium # # Royal Observatory of Belgium # # Fax : 32 (0) 2 373 0 224 # # Tel.: 32 (0) 2 373 0 491 # # For more information, http://sidc.oma.be (via Jim Moats, DXLD) The geomagnetic field ranged from quiet to minor storm levels during the period. Mostly quiet to unsettled levels were observed on 23 to 27 February with one isolated active period recorded late on the 27th. Quiet to minor storm levels occurred on 28 and 29 February. The increase on 27 – 29 February was due to a coronal hole driven high- speed solar wind stream. FORECAST OF SOLAR AND GEOMAGNETIC ACTIVITY 03 - 29 MARCH 2004 Solar activity is expected to be low with a chance for moderate levels until 03 March when Region 564 is due to rotate off the west limb. Predominantly very low to low activity levels are expected from 03 March through the middle of March. By 15 March, low to moderate level activity may return due to the return old of Region 564. No greater than 10 MeV proton events are expected during the period. The greater than 2 MeV electron flux at geosynchronous orbit is expected to reach high levels on 03 – 04 March and again on 10 – 16 March due to recurrent coronal holes. Geomagnetic activity is expected to range from quiet to minor storm levels. A large, recurrent coronal hole high-speed stream is due to return on 09 – 14 March and is expected to produce active to minor storm conditions. A second, weak coronal hole high-speed stream is due to return on 19 – 20 March and is expected to produce quiet to active conditions. :Product: 27-day Space Weather Outlook Table 27DO.txt :Issued: 2004 Mar 02 2211 UTC # Prepared by the US Dept. of Commerce, NOAA, Space Environment Center # Product description and SEC contact on the Web # http://www.sec.noaa.gov/wwire.html # # 27-day Space Weather Outlook Table # Issued 2004 Mar 02 # # UTC Radio Flux Planetary Largest # Date 10.7 cm A Index Kp Index 2004 Mar 03 105 15 3 2004 Mar 04 105 20 4 2004 Mar 05 110 12 3 2004 Mar 06 115 10 3 2004 Mar 07 120 10 3 2004 Mar 08 120 10 3 2004 Mar 09 115 25 5 2004 Mar 10 110 25 5 2004 Mar 11 110 20 4 2004 Mar 12 105 20 4 2004 Mar 13 100 15 3 2004 Mar 14 100 10 3 2004 Mar 15 100 8 3 2004 Mar 16 100 8 3 2004 Mar 17 95 5 2 2004 Mar 18 95 5 2 2004 Mar 19 100 15 3 2004 Mar 20 100 12 3 2004 Mar 21 105 10 3 2004 Mar 22 105 12 3 2004 Mar 23 115 10 3 2004 Mar 24 120 8 3 2004 Mar 25 120 10 3 2004 Mar 26 115 20 4 2004 Mar 27 110 20 4 2004 Mar 28 110 15 3 2004 Mar 29 105 12 3 (from http://www.sec.noaa.gov/radio via WORLD OF RADIO 1222, DXLD) ###