DX LISTENING DIGEST 4-071, April 20, 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 AIRINGS OF WORLD OF EXTRA 46: Wed 0930 on WWCR 9475 Mon 0330 on WSUI 910, http://wsui.uiowa.edu AIRINGS OF WORLD OF RADIO 1228: Wed 2200 on WBCQ 7415, 17495-CUSB Thu 2030 on WWCR 15825 Fri 2300 on Studio X, Momigno, Italy 1584 Sat 0800 on WRN1 to Europe, Africa, Asia, Pacific Sat 0855 on WNQM Nashville 1300 Sat 1030 on WWCR 5070 Sat 1830 on WPKN Bridgeport, 89.5, webcast http://www.wpkn.org Sat 2030 on WWCR 12160 Sat 2030 on WBCQ 17495-CUSB Sat 2100 on DKOS usually, http://www.live365.com/stations/steve_cole Sun 0230 on WWCR 5070 Sun 0300 on WBCA 9330-CLSB Sun 0630 on WWCR 3210 Sun 1000 on WRN1 to North America, webcast; also KSFC 91.9 Spokane WA, and WDWN 89.1 Auburn NY; maybe KTRU 91.7 Houston TX, each with webcasts Sun 1900 on Studio X, Momigno, Italy 1584 Sun 2000 on RNI webcast, http://www.11L-rni.com Mon 0100 on WBCQ 9330-CLSB Mon 0330 on WSUI 910, webcast http://wsui.uiowa.edu [last week`s E-46] Mon 0430 on WBCQ 7415, webcast http://wbcq.us Tue 0300 on SIUE Web Radio http://www.siue.edu/WEBRADIO/ Wed 0930 on WWCR 9475 WRN ONDEMAND [from Fri]: 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 1228 (high version): (stream) http://www.w4uvh.net/wor1228h.ram (download) http://www.w4uvh.net/wor1228h.rm (summary) http://www.worldofradio.com/wor1228.html WORLD OF RADIO 1228 (low version): (stream) http://www.w4uvh.net/wor1228.ram (download) http://www.w4uvh.net/wor1228.rm ** ALASKA. KNLS April 25, 2004 to July 24, 2004 0800 25m 11765 English 0900 25m 11765 Russian 1000 25m 11765 Mandarin 1100 31m 9795 Russian 1200 25m 11765 Mandarin 1300 25m 11870 English 1400 25m 11870 Mandarin 1500 25m 11870 Mandarin 1600 25m 11765 Mandarin 1700 25m 12105 Russian (via Dan Sampson, Prime Time Shortwave, 4/18, WORLD OF RADIO 1228, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** ARMENIA. Voice of Armenia in Armenian via ERV 500 kW / 305 deg to WeEu: 1500-1645 (registered 1600-1645) NF 11640 (55555), ex 11685 for A-03 \\ 4810 (Observer, Bulgaria, April 20 via DXLD) ** ASIA [and non]. DXAsia update completed --- Alok das Gupta and Victor Goonetilleke have asked me to pass on the news that their Website DXAsia http://www.dxasia.info has now been updated for the A04 broadcasting season. DXAsia is exclusively devoted to transmissions from and to South Asia. During monitoring checks, quite a few last- minute frequency changes were observed which may not be included in official schedules. The schedules will be continuously updated as changes are reported or monitored. All contributions are welcome to feedback @ dxasia.info (Andy Sennitt, April 19, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** AUSTRIA. Glenn, I'm a bit puzzled about all the references to "Insight Central Europe" in the Austrian schedule in DXLD 4-070 as, according to an e-mail from "Radio Austria International, Ö1-Service, Listeners' Department" on 5 April: "Insight Central Europe is no longer broadcasted via Radio Austria International. This coöperational broadcast is now under the financial wing of Radio Prague. Due to this change and the new broadcasting time we were not able to keep it in our programm." So I wonder if anyone is actually hearing "Insight Central Europe" or just assuming that is what they are hearing!? Certainly when I checked today [Saturday 17th] the various weekend English slots, e.g. 1205- 1230 and 1235-1300 on 17715; 1505-1530 on 13775 etc carried what identified as Radio Austria International's "Report from Austria", rather than "Insight Central Europe"... In the same e-mail they said "Due to the new management of the webpages there may still be some errors on it and the maintenance can take longer. Thank you very much for telling us. Contact with our listeners is a valuable asset. This way we get to know what you think about our broadcasts and services." Well it still hasn't been updated over 10 days later! 73s (Dave Kenny, UK, April 17, DX LISTENING DIGEST) It`s rather amazing that especially at a station with such limited output in English they cannot provide a comprehensive accurate schedule of their programs, times and frequencies (gh) It appears that "Insight Central Europe" is no more. It has been replaced by "Report From Austria - The Week in Review". From monitoring this weekend this new program is not only repeated within each hour of transmission on Saturday/Sunday UT, but repeated again the next day Sunday/Monday UT. That means this 25 minute program is broadcast 16 times to the Americas each weekend. See schedule DXLD 4- 070. German is broadcast on the hour for 5 minutes and repeated on the half hour. No Spanish on the weekend. Apparently letters are read on the weekend but since the reader is on holiday we have to wait until next weekend (Bernie O'Shea, Ottawa, Ontario, April 18, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** BRAZIL [non?]. Brasileiras (?) em 41 metros Amigos, no feriado passado estive com o Marcus Ramos onde ouvimos duas emissoras em português que estavam transmitindo em 41 metros. Uma sem identificação transmitindo programas religiosos, sem qualquer indício de possibilidade de se saber a sua origem e nem o ramo eclesiástico. estando em 7100 kHz. Os radioamadores ao notarem a referida presença da estação, emitem o sinal em cima dos 7100, cobrindo-a. Fala-se que vem do Paraguai em português para o Brasil. Pessoalmente (ainda) desconheço. Outra, esta mais fácil, está em 7125, muito fraca, mas bem perceptível à tarde, e depois de algum tempo notou-se a voz do Padre Jonas Habib (?) da Canção Nova. Quer dizer, ao que tudo indica, temos alguma estação (?) repetindo de graça o sinal da Canção Nova em 7125. Alguém da lista já ouviu estas transmissões? 73s, (Rudolf Grimm, São Bernardo, SP / Brasil, April 13, radioescutas via DXLD) No responses ** CANADA. JOB ACTION STARTS AT CBC --- The Gazette April 19, 2004 http://www.canada.com/montreal/montrealgazette/news/story.html?id=579fd7e8-a973-4fd6-92e6-dd8039bae03c A union representing 1,700 CBC workers in Quebec and Moncton, N. B., says its members will begin pressure tactics today after roundly rejecting a contract proposal from management Saturday. The nature of the pressure tactics was not disclosed, but the employees, who include reporters, researchers and production-support personnel working for the public broadcaster's English and French services, will not interrupt radio or television shows, said Daniel Raunet, president of the Syndicat des communications de Radio-Canada. On Saturday, management's offer was rejected by 410 of the 461 - 89 per cent - union members. A strike vote was not held. Raunet said the offer falls short on key demands, including ones related to contract workers, salary hikes and pay disparities between women and men. The workers have been without a contract since March 28. The earliest a strike or lockout could take place is May 7. © The Gazette (Montreal) 2004 (via Bill Westenhaver, QC, DXLD) If a strike or lockout were to take place, RCI programming would be affected, as it was two years ago. 73 (Bill Westenhaver, QC, WORLD OF RADIO 1228, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** CANADA. Talked to a Wendy at CITI 92 FM/Clear 102 FM and it looks like 580 [CKY Winnipeg] will be going off the air in mid-May (J. A. Markewicz, MB, April 19, WORLD OF RADIO 1228, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** CHILE. Looks like nobody has noted anything unusual on this frequency, so here is my observation: 6070, 0440-0515, April 5, Unid. LA station, with many IDs as "La Radio de Mundial" and "Radio Mundial Majanaim" (or Marjanaim); at least that's what it sounded like to me. Unfortunately I cannot find such a location in any of my atlases. Until 0500 it carried a soccer program called "Fútbol de Primeira" mentioning teams and scores from all over LA but mainly from Mexico. After 0500 they changed into Spanish ballads. If this was Mexico, this would be the strongest Mexican signal here ever, so I doubt it. Perhaps some relay by Voz Cristiana in Chile, but that does not sound likely either? Any ideas anyone? (Vashek Korinek, RSA, DXplorer Apr 8 via BC-DX via DXLD) Here's the explanation to your unusual logging on 6070: Radio Mundial Mahanaim is a Voz Cristiana affiliate. This station is located in Arequipa, Perú, and operates on 1260 (don't you believe the WRTH 2004 which has a Radio Red, in Arequipa, on that channel). RMM will download the Voz Cristiana satellite signal originating from Miami at times of their convenience. They will probably not relay Voz Cristiana programming around the clock. Apart from including occasional greetings or playing affiliate station IDs during promos at their halfhour breaks, Voz Cristiana will sometimes receive phone calls from an affiliate or even contact them on the air. I have heard IDs from many, many local VC affiliates. This station is a truly interactive operation (Henrik Klemetz, Sweden, DXplorer Apr 8 via BC-DX via DXLD) ** CHINA. XINJIANG PEOPLE'S BROADCASTING STATION AVAILABLE ONLINE Six radio services provided by Xinjiang People's Broadcasting Station (XJBS) are now available via live audio streams from their web site at http://www.xjbs.com.cn The station broadcasts on shortwave, mediumwave and FM in Mandarin and other indigenous languages in four main programme streams: Mandarin, Kazakh, Kyrgyz/Mongolian and Uighur. These services and two others - the Business Service and Music Service - are available live online. XJBS is the public broadcaster for Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous Region, a multi-ethnic province with an Uighur majority population, situated in northwestern China. Source: BBC Monitoring research 16 Apr 04 (via DXLD) ** CHINA [non]. I`ve been meaning to rework the previous schedule of CRI relays via Western Hemisphere sites into time order for easy language checking. Of particular interest are the ones via Sackville, languages not specified, but both English and Chinese at least: 0000-0100 5960 (2), 9755, 11930, 13710 0100-0200 9790 (2) 0300-0400 6090 (2) 0300-0500 9560 0400-0500 6090 0400-0600 5960 0500-0600 6090 (2) 1000-1200 6040 (2) 1100-1200 11750, 11805 1200-1300 11855 (2) 1300-1400 9650 (2), 15260 1500-1700 15220 2200-2300 13700 (2) 2300-2400 6145 (2), 13680 (2) That`s 24 frequency-hours per day; (2) however, indicates two transmitters at once, adding 11 more for a total of 35! In some cases the two listings for one frequency are on the same azimuth, and in some cases there are separate azimuths. I don`t recall RCI doing such doubling-up for its own broadcasts. Would appreciate monitors checking out as many of these as possible to confirm whether each is really on the air, and in which language at which times (Glenn Hauser, analyzing a schedule via Wolfgang Büschel, BC-DX, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** CHINA [non]. LITHUANIA --- CRI adjusted the language segments for the relay on 1557 in the time sequence 2000-2100. There is now a one hour transmission in Polish instead of 30 min Polish and 30 min English (since English is already carried on 1386 at 2000-2100). Sitkunai 1557 kHz 150 kW ND 1800-2000 CRI Russian 2000-2100 CRI Polish 2100-2200 CRI Chinese (Bernd Trutenau, Lithuania, April 19, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** DENMARK. Anders Brandborg reports on the German A-DX mailing list that World Music Radio is planning air test transmissions on 5815 and 15810 on 22 April (no times mentioned). (Bernd Trutenau, Lithuania, April 18, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) I'd be very surprised if it's that soon. Stig just returned from Barbados [and\or Tobago --- see VENEZUELA] last weekend, and on Monday he E-mailed me to say: "Upon my return I found out that the 10 kW SW transmitter FINALLY has arrived here in Denmark. It is now at the harbour of Copenhagen. Tuesday I will talk to the guy taking care of the aerials and transmitter site. Hopefully everything is ready." I very much doubt that Stig could arrange transport, get the transmitter moved to its new location, unpack and install it and get it on the air within one week. Plus, he promised to keep me informed, and I have not heard anything since that E-mail. I am also in close touch with Poul Foged (Paul Dane) who would certainly have told me if they were about to start test broadcasts (Andy Sennitt, April 18, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) (Is this the same station that broadcast from Radio Andorra from August 28, 1976?...Mike) Sure it is. Poul Foged (known as Paul Dane on air) will be doing some shows for them. Stig was not involved officially with WMR at that time, though he was part of the same circle of friends. Robin King (Lee Alvin) must be well in his 60's, and I don't think he will be participating this time, though once it gets on the air, you never know. Both Poul and Stig are professional broadcasters in Denmark now (RNW MN NL, Andy Sennitt, via BDXC-UK Apr 12 via BC-DX via DXLD) ** ERITREA [non]. BEHAVIOUR OF ERITREAN OPPOSITION RADIO ON 18 APRIL Please note that the news bulletin of the Eritrean opposition radio, Voice of Eritrean People, on 18 April was a repeat of last Sunday's bulletin. Source: BBC Monitoring research in English 18 Apr 04 (via DXLD) ** ETHIOPIA [non]. SOUTH AFRICA [to ETH] 15370, "Mustaqbul," the EDC- produced program, surprised to find them with a decent signal at this hour, sked via Meyerton, 1225 Apr 8, carrier already on; started at 1230 with HoA music, then announcement by man with pronounced "Mustaqbul" ID, then mostly talk by woman, some music toward the end, English ID by woman at 1227, "You have been listening to . . ," but couldn't get much of it. More music to 1230*. Sked Mon/Tue/Thu only; apparently also same frequency, same days, 0630-0700 via UAE, but not heard then (Jerry Berg, MA, DXplorer Apr 11 via BC-DX via DXLD) ** GERMANY. Jülich 6055: The program of Bible Christian Association (whatever this may be, a Google search brought nothing substantial) today via Jülich on 6055 consisted of English-speaking preachers with voice-over in Polish, reminiscent to the usual method of Polish TV stations to present movies. The transmission started at 1530 with a stuttering audio switch-on (carrier already on since at least 1526) inmidst sentence and ended in a similar manner with an abrupt cut-off at 1559. Three cuts from this transmission, the kick-in, the cut-off and inmidst, from 0'32, some contact information given in this programme (the only other content than preacher voice-overs I noted at all): http://www.radioeins.de/_/meta/sendungen/apparat/040417_a5.ram (Kai Ludwig, April 18, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** GERMANY. T system frequency change --- Dear Ladies and Gentlemen, We would like to inform you that from Sunday, 15. April 2004 a necessary frequency change will take place regarding to a transmission of Christliche Wissenschaft (CHW) in German language on short-wave. Please find attached the following technical data, commencing from Sunday, 25. April 2004: Sundays only, 0900-0959 UT, using 6015 kHz on high gain antenna system to EUR, SE EUR, azimuth 115 degrees. Your reception reports would be highly appreciated. Best regards from Juelich, Ralf Weyl, T-Systems Regional MediaBroadcast Cologne, MediaBroadcast (via Swopan Chakroborty, Kolkata, India, April 19, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Ex-what? T-Systems now reacts to the occupation of 5990 by DRM from Junglinster by moving the Christian Science transmission away from now unusable 5985. The frequency management for the RVI transmissions is not in their responsibility, hence the 0657-0726 transmission is still on 5985 unless some action was taken also on this side (Kai Ludwig, Germany, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** GERMANY [non]. SRI LANKA/GERMANY: Deutsche Welle in Arabic via TRM 080 kW / 300 deg: 1300-1330 on 21820 in AM mode, not in DRM \\ 15520, 15595, 21790 (Observer, Bulgaria, April 20 via DXLD) ** GERMANY [non]. UAE/GERMANY: Frequency change of Deutsche Welle in Indonesian via DHA 250 kW / 105 deg 1200-1250 NF 21730, ex registered 21820 \\ 15105, 17820 (Observer, Bulgaria, April 20 via DXLD) ** GERMANY. Holzkirchen transmitters shipped --- The below enclosed posting quotes a press report I can't find online: On last Friday [April 16] the last one of the four transmitters was loaded into a container. IBB is obliged to clear the buildings and remove the cables from the station grounds until September, but it is expected that this work will be completed already in late July or early August. The demolition of the four curtain antennas is in the responsibility of the German authorities; IBB will leave them untouched when handing over the property. The report is also quoted with the statement that the antenna feeder lines were disconnected already on January 9. So it is obvious that the allegations from the citizens action committee about transmissions after this date were nonsense (Kai Ludwig, Germany, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Autor: DX-Fritz Datum: 19.04.2004 00:29 Bekanntlich wurde der IBB-Sender am 31.12.2003 abgeschaltet und am 9.1.2004 wurden die Leitungen zwischen Sender und Antennen gekappt. Laut Bericht des Holzkirchner Merkur wurde am letzten Freitag die letzte der 4 Sendereinheiten in einen Container verladen. Der Abbau des Senders geht weiter, vorerst aber nur innen. Äusserlich merkt man davon noch nichts. Nach dem Zeitungsbericht ist der Sender verpflichtet, die Gebäude bis zum 30.9.2004 zu leeren und die Kabel aus dem Gelände zu entfernen. So wie es aussieht, wird man aber schon Ende Juli, Anfang August damit fertig sein. Die vier großen Antennen sollen bis zuletzt stehen bleiben und dann vom Bund abgerissen werden. Gruß aus dem bayerischen Oberland! DX-Fritz http://forum.myphorum.de/read.php?f=8773&i=92206&t=92206 (via Kai Ludwig, Germany, April 19, DXLD) ** GREECE [and non]. The Voice of Greece (ERA 5) A-04 Programs in English (revised): 0805-0900 Sunday It`s All Greek to Me (music) 9420 15630 15650 0930-1000 Wed-Mon News Bulletin 9420 15630 15650 1600-1700 Saturday Hellenes Around the World 7475 9420 15630 17705 1830-1855 daily Orientations 12105 (John Babbis, Silver Spring, MD, April 15, WORLD OF RADIO 1228, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** HUNGARY. Summer schedule of Radio Liberty via JBR 250 kW: 0300-0400 9760 / 075 deg in Tajik 0400-0500 7295 / 055 deg in Russian 0500-0600 11885 / 055 deg in Russian 1600-1700 11835 / 075 deg in Uzbek 1700-1800 9865 / 108 deg in Arabic Radio Free Iraq {Observer, Bulgaria, April 20 via DXLD} ** IRAN. VOIRI. Remarkably strong signals on 11665 and 11935 at tune- in at 0210 UT Sunday April 18. Off at 0230. Kazakh (presumed) as listed in schedule. I suppose I am in the right direction here for Kazakhstan; west to east over the pole perhaps? [north to south] Also Spanish at same time on 9905 and 11610 to 0230. Parallel 9655 (if there at all) totally blocked by Cuba in Spanish. At 0230 9905 on again in Spanish to 0330 as per schedule. Also 11610 on again, not as per schedule; but off abruptly at 0240. Someone messed up? All very good signals (Bernie O'Shea, Ottawa, Ontario, DX LISTENING DIGEST) It`s the lack of government funding that caused the Voice of the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting to cut its English service programs, which is really quite too bad, I think. The gang at IRIB called for yet ANOTHER interview Tuesday morning; this is the third I`ve done with them. They wanted me to share with listeners what I knew and thought about Iran and Iranian culture, if I listened to their station on the Internet, and what did I think of the cutbacks to their English service. I didn`t mind being frank about the latter at all, and told the Iranian interviewer that I really enjoyed the English service broadcast and found that listening to their station on the Internet was too inconvenient. What was the fun of listening to the Iranian station? Well, for starters, it`s interesting and enlightening to get news from a non-American perspective. Second, if you`re into ``world music,`` it`s a great introduction to Arabic [sic!] music. One thing about the Iranians is that I found them more reliable than stations like Radio Japan. They always sent QSLs and goodie packages; last week I got stickers, a QSL and several books on Islam with very nice artwork. My other half wonders if I`m going to get into trouble with our government; first the North Koreans and now the Iranians (Sue Hickey, Grand Falls-Windsor, NF, CIDX Forum, April Messenger via DXLD) ** IRAN. Main Script for Wavescan, Edition number 486 for airing on Sunday 4/25/2004. The Middle Eastern country of Iran is located on the south western edge of Asia. It is a little over one thousand miles (625 km) {sic!} long and a little less than a thousand miles wide with a total area of two thirds of a million square miles. The total population is around fifty million and the capital city is Tehran with around five million inhabitants. Iran is a very picturesque country with high snow-covered mountain-ranges, wide barren deserts and many large salt-water lakes. Even though Tehran has been described as one of the most modern cities in the Middle East, yet one of the most fascinating aspects of Iran is its long and interesting history. Iran is one of the oldest countries in the world and its history goes way back into the Persian era more than three thousand years ago. The earliest settlers in Iran came down from the north and were known as the Elamites. Other tribal peoples moved into the area subsequently and established their own regional societies. The height of political glory in ancient Persia was achieved under the Archaemenid rulers and at one stage the Persian Empire was made up of 127 provinces stretching from India to Ethiopia. A glimpse of their past glory may be gained in viewing the monumental ruins of ancient cities, temples and palaces in such places as Persepolis, Pasargadae and Apardana. Wireless communication came to Iran in the early 1920s when station VTF was established by the Indo-European Telegraph Department at Busher on the gulf coast. This station was established for the purpose of regional communication, direct communication with England, and intermediate communication between England and India. The first radio broadcasting station in Iran was a temporary mediumwave facility that was established in Tehran in 1938. Thirty years later, a postage stamp was issued to commemorate the first broadcast from this station which occurred on February 22. Permanent radio came to Iran in 1940 when a combined mediumwave and shortwave facility was constructed on the edge of Tehran. This new radio station contained a 30 kW mediumwave transmitter on 895 kHz under the callsign EQA, and two shortwave transmitters at 20 kW with the callsigns EPB and EQB. The auspicious date for the inauguration of this combination radio station was April 24, 1940; hence their 64th anniversary just yesterday. Plans were announced in 1963 for the construction of a massive new shortwave station at Kamalabad adjoining the older base that was now more than 20 years old. At maximum capacity, this station is said to have contained a total of 36 shortwave transmitters rated at 100, 250 and 500 kW, and this would have to be one of the very largest radio stations anywhere on Planet Earth. In addition, regional shortwave stations have been established in more than a dozen cities throughout Iran and even to this day, four of these locations are listed as still active. These four regional shortwave stations are located at Ahwaz, Mahshad, Sirjahn and Zahedan, with a total of 18 transmitters rated at 250 and 500 kW. In addition to their massive network of superpower shortwave stations, Iran also maintains a huge network of gigantic mediumwave stations. These mediumwave stations, more than 100 of them, are located throughout the country and they range in rated output right up to a massive superpower of 2,000 kW. Over the years, many international radio listeners have received prized QSLs from various radio stations throughout Iran, mediumwave as well as shortwave. Our own collection contains QSLs from six different mediumwave stations in Iran, as well as six QSL cards from their shortwave services. In earlier years, the radio stations in Iran issued registered letters to confirm reception reports, though in more recent times, attractive oversized cards were printed, showing monuments and tourist attractions throughout their country (Adrian Michael Peterson, AWR Wavescan April 25 via John Norfolk, DXLD) ** IRAQ. IRAQ VIOLENCE HAMPERING MEDIA REBUILDING EFFORT The worsening security situation in Iraq is hampering efforts to reconstruct the Iraqi media. The St. Petersburg Times reports that work by Harris Corporation has come to an almost complete halt due to the violence. Since project director David Sedgley started work in Iraq in January, he has never visited the stations in Fallujah because the city is too dangerous. Read the full story in the St. Petersburg Times [Florida] http://www.sptimes.com/2004/04/19/Worldandnation/Rebuilding_media__dod.shtml # posted by Andy @ 11:35 UT April 19 (Media Network blog via DXLD) ** ISRAEL. ISRAEL RADIO TO STOP SHORT WAVE BROADCASTS IN THE NEAR FUTURE --- 18 April 2004 This article was in today's Hebrew Newspaper " Yediot Achronot ". The Voice of Israel's overseas broadcasts on shortwave will cease in the near future. In the framework of the Israel Broadcasting Authorities financial cuts, it was decided to relay the broadcasts through the Internet only. This will create a saving of both frequencies and transmitters etc., which will come to around about 20 million Shekels (just under $4,500,000) a year. The IBA Internet site relays Israel TV's Channel 1 , Reshet Bet (Network 2), Reshet Daled (in Arabic) and foreign news broadcasts. (Mike Brand) (via Mike Terry, dxldyg via WORLD OF RADIO 1228, DX LISTENING DIGEST) The logic of broadcasting only on the Internet escapes me. There are two huge cost centres in international broadcasting: programme production and programme delivery. At Radio Netherlands, we have tried to spread our cost savings across the whole range of what we do. But the ratio of production costs versus delivery is probably about the same as it was before - there's just less of each. Putting all your cost savings into one area - delivery - seems illogical to me, since the number of people who will listen on the Internet is a small fraction of the numbers who listen on shortwave. The result is that you have an enormous increase in the cost per listener, which - when examined by the bean counters in government - will provide the perfect excuse for stopping the service altogether. That being the case, why not just call it a day now and have done with it? (Andy Sennitt, ibid.) Kol Israel's cessation of broadcasts Good morning, Moshe, I awakened to the unusual news about the potential cessation of Kol Israel's broadcasts. It will be the ending of an era for me which began in the 1970s. That is when Larry Magne was the coördinator of Israel's broadcasts to North America and I was his monitor for this geographical area. I cannot project my feelings of not monitoring Kol Israel each week. Those monitoring moments are like having breakfast each day and the feeling of satisfaction after breaking bread. Quo Vadis? Where do we go from here? Monitoring via the Internet....never heard of such a procedure. Is this to be another loss for shortwave radio listeners? Sure looks like the diminishing of a world wide hobby of listening to DIRECT broadcasts to North America. Wie schade!! What a shame (George Poppin, San Francisco, April 18, to Moshe Oren, Bezeq, cc to DX LISTENING DIGEST) ISRAEL BROADCASTING AUTHORITY FINALISES RADIO NETWORK RATIONALISATION Mike Brand reports: Reshet Gimmel and 88FM will NOT be merged after all. This was decided yesterday at a meeting of the Radio Committee of the Israel Broadcasting Authority. The merger was considered a few weeks ago as a way to save money within the framework of the IBA's budget cut's. Other station mergers WILL go ahead. Reshet Aleph (Culture station) will merge with Reshet Moreshet (Jewish Heritage station), and the New Immigrant Station (Reka) will merge with Reshet Hey (Foreign language news bulletins). It was also decided to change the format of 88FM from business news to a station for youngsters, meaning that all business news and stock exchange reports will be removed. A change to the classical music station the Voice of Music is also to be made, by removing all speech programmes, leaving just music. # posted by Andy @ 10:20 UT April 19 (Media Network blog via DXLD) most of the info originated from the Yediot Achronot Hebrew newspaper http://www.ynet.co.il (Doni Rosenzweig, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** ISRAEL. Israel Radio/IBA - web streams --- Previously, when Reshet Hey (the IBA External Service network) was off the air, the live webstream of Reshet Hey would broadcast Reshet Bet (the Second, news network). I noticed lately, that they have been playing Hebrew music continuously during that time - and not Reshet Bet. I was told the following (all times Israel Time [UT +3]): "Till the end of April we will broadcast on Reqa recorded program from 22:00 to 24:00. From midnight till 6:00 will have Israeli songs from the computer. At the beginning of May will have a new format for the night broadcast of Reqa." ...and I would assume from the response, that we're listening to REQA at that time. REQA is the immigrant's network. http://www.israelradio.org/livestream.htm As previously mentioned, as of May 2, the 7 minute IBA TV news on Channel 1 will be discontinued - but the ~ 25 min news on channel 3 will continue. As of today, the IBA's website has the longer Channel 3 version of the IBA news available for on-demand viewing, instead of the Channel 1 news. Select IBA news on the left side of the http://www.iba.org.il homepage (Doni Rosenzweig, April 19, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** JAPAN [non]. Hi Glenn, Re the Special Arabic transmission by NHK, here's what I got from them which explains that the special transmission is due to the situation in Iraq and the period for this transmission is about one month --- though I think it'll be shorter than that. To All Technical Monitors Request for Special Monitoring Dear Monitors, This is to inform you that Radio Japan will broadcast extra news in Arabic from Sri Lanka due to the tense situation in Iraq. We therefore wish you to conduct special monitoring at the times shown below to check if the reception is successful. Period: approx. one month from April 16 (Fri.) Target area Frequency (kHz) Broadcast Time (in Iraq) Middle East & North Africa 17595 1500-1515 (15 min.) Please send your reports by e-mail or fax as quickly as possible after hearing the broadcasts. Monitor Division, NHK World Radio Japan Mail: info @ intl.nhk.or.jp Fax: +81-3-3481-1877 As you said, Glenn, they are very flexible when it comes to special Arabic transmission; I recall them having a third Arabic transmission during the Gulf war 1991; strange enough it was the same time, 1100 UT. I talked to them about their broadcasting times as they are very early, 0400 and 700 UT - that's 6.00 and 9.00 a.m Cairo local time - and they used to have an evening transmission around 1900 UT longtime ago. They explained that it is due to the time differences; they'd rather have live news coverage rather than having it recorded which might be a bit not following the latest events in the Arab world. Beside the number of the Arabic section announcers is not enough to have shifts to update the news around midnight Japan time. All the best Glenn. Yours (Tarek Zeidan, Cairo, Egypt, April 17, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** KOREA NORTH [non]. FREE NORTH KOREA BROADCASTING TO LAUNCH TUESDAY ON WEB Internet-based radio broadcasts by a group of North Korean defectors promoting freedom and democracy in North Korea are due to start on Tuesday. Free North Korea Broadcasting will stream a one-hour programme at 1100-1200 UT daily featuring the lives of North Korean defectors in South Korea and a 10-minute lecture by Hwang Jang-yop, a former secretary of North Korea’s ruling Labour Party, about North Korean ideology. "There is no likelihood at the moment that the people in North Korea will be able to hear our voice," admitted the station’s president and chief script writer Kim Sung-min to the Korea Times. "There are worries that our activities may anger North Korea, but we want to do what we believe is right." Kim and his colleagues have received terror threats, but they believe the world should know what is going on in the reclusive nation and that their efforts will pay off in the end. Officials admit the station is already facing financial problems, with all of its activities sponsored only by North Korean defectors living in South Korea. The station will offer programming, against payment, to the Voice of America and is also currently discussing terms with Radio Free Asia and FEBC for the provision of its programme, the officials said. Free North Korea Broadcasting http://www.freenk.net # posted by Andy @ 10:39 UT April 18 (Media Network blog via DXLD) ** LATVIA [and non]. LATVIA/UNITED KINGDOM. Airtime on the Ulbroka SW transmitter on 9290 is now sold directly by the Latvian licence holder, KREBS TV in Riga (address: P.O. Box 371, LV-1010 Riga, Latvia). The British company Laser Radio Ltd (which is holder of a British satellite radio license) discontinued brokering airtime for this outlet at the end of last year. Laser Radio Ltd was marketing Ulbroka airtime under the label "Euronetradio". The service's primary website http://www.euronetradio.com was switched off, while http://www.worldbibleradio.net (for religious clients) is now marketing religious airtime via Internet radio. Laser Radio's own website http://www.laserradio.net now forwards to http://www.laserclassicrock.com --- a mirror of http://www.ukmail.com/laser (Bernd Trutenau, Lithuania, April 20, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** LIBYA [non]. New schedule for LJB in Arabic to Iraq effective March 28: 1203-1303 on 11660 AM, 11890 USB, 17600 USB cancelled 1600-1803 on 11660 AM (44554) additional, from 1730 co-ch CRI Mandarin Chinese 1803-1903 on 7425 USB (55555) excellent reception here in BUL 11660 AM (44454) co-ch CRI Mandarin Ch till 1827 11890 USB (42332) co-ch R. Taiwan International in AM, also in Arabic 1900-2030 on 11660 AM (44444) additional transmission (Observer, Bulgaria, April 20 via DXLD) All via FRANCE??? ** MADAGASCAR. This week`s DX Partyline has a more detailed interview with the guy from KNLS about their plans to set up a new SW station here, as well as expanding their operation in Alaska. I`ll make notes when I get a chance. Much of what he said is on the website mentioned, not KNLS itself, but http://www.worldchristian.org Strangely enough, Allen Graham did not ask him why there was a need for yet another evangelical station, as all the areas it would serve are already served by multiple SW services. What does WCBC have to offer that the others do not? How does its take on Christianity differ from the rest, if at all? Will this not serve further to alienate Muslims from the west? Such questions are best not raised, from the proselytizers` point of view (Glenn Hauser, DX LISTENING DIGEST) News on Madagascar One of the most exciting opportunities the staff at World Christian Broadcasting has dealt with is the possibility of broadcasting the Word of God from Madagascar. As tests and studies are completed and plans begin to form, it becomes ever more apparent that God is leading World Christian Broadcasting to that island nation. From the first meeting that Charles Caudill had with Earl Young, President of the U.S./Madagascar Business Council and a member of the Board of Directors of the Corporate Council on Africa, both Caudill and Young are convinced that God is leading the worldwide ministry toward building a radio station in Madagascar. In fact, both men are sure God led them to their first meeting in Dallas. Earl Young has done much work in Africa in general and the island nations of Madagascar and Mauritius in particular. He planned and executed the meeting with Marc Ravalomanana, the president of Madagascar. He planned and led the trip last November to Madagascar, where another meeting was held with the president and a ``Memorandum of Understanding`` was signed by Caudill and Madagascar`s Vice Prime Minister, indicating World Christian Broadcasting`s intent to build an international radio station somewhere on the island. ``We must make the Madagascar Project happen,`` Caudill said recently. ``It just happens to be the perfect place on earth from which to broadcast the gospel into the Middle East,`` he said. Caudill also mentioned that when the Madagascar station is built and broadcasts from there are combined with the broadcasts from the two antennas and transmitters in Alaska, World Christian Broadcasting will be able to speak to more than 5 billion people - daily - more than 80% of the world’s population. Dale Ward, Executive Producer, and the person charged with putting together the staff to broadcast into the Middle East is already talking with prospective leaders for the Arabic Language Service. ``We have talked with some outstanding people, so I believe we will be able to build an excellent staff to provide our Arabic programming. Our first job will be to find a Senior Producer who will be able to put together an Arabic web site,`` Ward explained. He explained that the Arabic web site will begin even before the station gets under way. More work is planned in Madagascar soon. Kevin Chambers, Director of Engineering will return to the island this spring with the purpose of finding and securing the property on which the station will be built (from http://worldchristian.org/index.pl/latestnews via Glenn Hauser, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** MARS. I hadn`t seen the movie ``Red Planet`` so kept an eye on it Saturday afternoon on the SciFi channel. Despite all the SFX, it was totally unconvincing, as those walking around on the surface obviously were doing so in a one-g environment, rather than a 0.38 g. I.e. normal walking, no loping, no hopping higher than normal. Did they think the audience is totally ignorant of basic facts about the solar system? Haven`t we all seen what walking on the Moon looks like, in 0.16 g? Mars would obviously be somewhere between that and Earth- normal. Geez, impossible to suspend disbelief. Hmmm, later on they were on the surface without their helmets. I gather terraforming was part of the plot; I daresay it will be a lot easier to bring the atmospheric pressure and composition up to Earth standards than to change the gravitational field! (Glenn Hauser, OK, Terra, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** MEXICO. XERMX is still with us; checked 9705 April 19 a few minutes before 1200, to hear medley of typical Mexican tunes, into anthem and opening with several IDs as ``RMI``, and then Antena Radio. Fairly good modulation and signal, no CCI, but Greece via Delano is also just starting up on 9690 with some splat (Glenn Hauser, OK, WORLD OF RADIO 1228, DX LISTENING DIGEST) 9705, XERMX, R Mexico Int'l , nightly in Spanish. Good Mexican music. Severe QRM from Bulgaria on 9700. Fair (Liz Cameron, MI, Apr 13, Cumbre DX via DXLD) ** MEXICO. New format and name for Mexico City station on 1560 and 1320 --- Forget about WRTH 2004 slogans for Mexico City stations on 1320 and 1560. Since March 3, they are now Radio Monitor, broadcasting news 24/7 in parallel to FM 102.5 http://www.monitor.com.mx (Henrik Klemetz, Sweden, April 17, dxing.info via DXLD) ** NEW ZEALAND. PUBLICISING RADIO MONITORING --- A final reminder that you can hear the DX League's patron JACK FOX with his experiences with the Prisoner of War Monitoring Service during a Radio New Zealand 'Spectrum' documentary to be aired on National Radio (and possibly on shortwave via Radio NZ International) on Anzac Day 2004, that is Sunday 25 April at 12.33 pm (0033 UT). A repeat broadcast should be aired on Thursday 29 April at 8.06 pm (0806 UT). (April NZ DX Times via WORLD OF RADIO 1228, DXLD) ** NEW ZEALAND. Frequency change for Radio New Zealand International effective April 17: 1851-1950 NF 9845 (34433), ex 9885 to avoid DW in Russian via TRM 250 kW / 285 deg (Observer, Bulgaria, April 20 via DXLD) I'm "tuned to" to RNZI webpage as I write this, and can see the new 9845 is used 1751-1950 at 0 deg azimuth only, so not exactly as indicated in BC-DX 666, which mentions 0 deg & 35 deg, each azimuth for the same time period. Also observed them this later afternoon, and there was nothing to be heard on 9845 around 1820, then the carrier appeared after 1830 and briefly afterwards audio was fed (Carlos Gonçalves, Portugal, April 19, BC-DX via Wolfgang Büschel, dxldyg via DXLD) I checked the 9885 and 9845 kHz channels tonight around 1800 UT, but there was the usual English program station (probably RNZI) underneath much stronger Russian service co-channel. 9845 was empty at this time slot, despite we have reached April 19th now already, and the proposed change should happen on Apr 17/18, I guess. Will try it today Apr 20 again (Wolfgang Büschel, Germany, ibid.) ** PALAU. The RFA PALAU relay is listed: 1500-1800 9905 Mandarin 1900-2100 9905 Mandarin 2100-2200 9910 Mandarin 2200-2300 9955 Cantonese 2230-2330 9930 Cambodian 2300-0000 9910 Mandarin 2330-0030 15560 Vietnamese (BC-DX Apr 9 via DXLD) ** PALESTINE. WEST BANK AND GAZA: NEW WEB SITE ADDRESS FOR HAMAS RADIO Hamas radio station Voice of Al-Aqsa now has a new web site address: http://www.aqsavoice.com The link to the station from the main Hamas web site, the Palestinian Information Centre http://www.palestine-info.info continues to point at the old web address, which is no longer valid. The Gaza-based radio station broadcasts on FM 91.0 MHz, and was launched on the Internet on 26 March 2004. Source: BBC Monitoring research in English 19 Apr 04 (via DXLD) ** PAPUA NEW GUINEA. Have noted a strong open carrier on 4960 the last couple of evenings (0800+). Maybe something about to happen with the proposed new Catholic PNG station? Port Vila running along quite happily on usual 7260 at this time (Craig Seager, Bathurst, NSW, via David Onley, Myrtleford, Victoria, Australia, April 19, dxing.info via WORLD OF RADIO 1228, DXLD) {NOT YET: 4-072} ** ROMANIA. RRI 11830 spurious signals --- Hi, today Apr 18th, at about 1030 UT noted two spurious signals of RRI "Romania in direct" I guess Sunday 1000-1100 UT special. Fundamental 11830 kHz Galbeni site 285 deg 250 Kw and hard to center/measure QRG's of 32.70 kHz distance on 11862.70 stronger spur, and 11797.30 lower level. (Wolfgang Büschel, Germany, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** RUSSIA. Frequency changes for Voice of Russia (A-04 vs A-03): 1000-1100 Korean NF 7355, ex 11935 1100-1200 Chinese NF 7355, ex 11935 1200-1300 Russian WS NF 9875, ex 9485 1200-1400 Chinese NF 13590, ex 9480 1300-1400 Japanese NF 7355, NF 7315, ex 11935 and 9555 1300-1500 Commonwealth NF 9875, ex 9485 1400-1500 Persian NF 15430 via JUL, ex in Turkish, re-ex Russ. Int. Radio 1400-1600 Persian NF 12035, ex 12015 1500-1530 Albanian NF 13740, ex 12060 1500-1600 Arabic NF 15540, ex 15460 1500-1600 English WS NF 7325, ex 7315 1500-1600 Russian WS NF 15440, ex 17580 1500-1700 Commonwealth NF 9865, ex 9485 1530-1700 Serbian NF 12060, ex 9450 1600-1700 Arabic NF 12035, ex 12000 1600-1700 Commonwealth NF 7370, ex 9875 1600-1700 English NF 5945, NF 7320, ex 7350 and 7315 1600-1700 French NF 12000, ex 12035 1600-2000 French NF 12010, ex 9865 1700-1800 Arabic NF 12065, ex 12000 1700-1800 Commonwealth NF 9800, ex 9875 1700-1800 French NF 12070, ex 12035 1700-1800 Italian NF 12000, ex 9450 1800-1900 Arabic NF 5950, ex 12000 1830-1900 Arabic NF 12065, ex 15595 1800-1900 English NF 9745, ex 9775 1800-1900 French NF 12000, ex 7390 (Observer, Bulgaria, April 20 via DXLD) ** SLOVAKIA. The previous item in French I have summary translated for the June MONITORING TIMES: Meanwhile, his French-speaking colleagues at RVi had already broadcast an interview with Ladislaw Kubig, chief editor at RSI, as reported by Jean-Michel Aubier. Kubig said the problems began in 2003 with the arrival of a Slovak TV director who said there would be no further need for a state subsidy for the public TV service; the two networks could be supported by adding a bit of advertising. So when the 2004 budget came out, Slovak Radio had only a small fraction of its appropriation in previous years. The five domestic networks and RSI previously split 8 megaeuros per year. In 2004 this was reduced to 2.5, and of that nothing was specifically designated for RSI. So the radio director proposed to turn off the expensive transmitters and rely on satellite and internet instead; financial matters are far more important than propagating the image of Slovakia abroad (Glenn Hauser, WORLD OF RADIO 1228, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Programa Especial de RSI --- ESLOVAQUIA: El programa Cartas de los Oyentes que se emitió el domingo 17 de abril a través de SRI - Radio Eslovaquia Internacional tuvo un carácter muy especial. Varias voces, como la de Marcela Gregorcova --- Jefa de la Redacción Española --- durante casi 25 minutos de lectura de mensajes electrónicos y cartas, refirieron a las adhesiones de radioescuchas y diexistas latinoamericanos y europeos que se solidarizaron a favor de la continuidad de los servicios de SRI por onda corta. La oposición al anunciado cierre de SRI por onda corta a partir del 1 de mayo de 2004, particularmente del Servicio Español, fue unánime destacándose la participación de muchos oyentes de Brasil y Portugal cuyas expresiones fueron leídas en portugués. Las últimas palabras estuvieron a cargo de Marcela Gregorcova quien dijo, "Queridos radioyentes, nuevamente les habla Marcela, de momento no les puedo decir la definición de nuestro cierre porque no la sabemos ni nosotros mismos pero sigan escribiendo... y el próximo domingo daremos continuación a las cartas, muchísimas gracias a todos por su apoyo". Mensajes de solidaridad pueden enviarse al Director General: reznik @ slovakradio.sk o también al Director de Programación, Sr. Pucala: pucala @ slovakradio.sk (Rubén Guillermo Margenet, Argentina, DX LISTENING DIGEST) On Monday April 19, I pulled up the Sunday audio file in English at the RSI website, where after barely 4 minutes of news the Listeners Tribune show started, and listened to the whole thing --- NOT ONE WORD about the impending closedown of shortwave service! The file is not dated, so one wonders if it is really a few weeks old instead of the latest. But the news was about election of a new president in Slovakia being confirmed, which seems to be current judging from the text news posted today. Very strange! Unlike the English page, the Spanish page does not have audio links (Glenn Hauser, OK, WORLD OF RADIO 1228, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** SOMALIA. QSL: Radio Galkayo 6980. Email. V/s Sam Voron (som svarade från Sidney Airport medan han väntade på en flight...) 3 timmar och Ahmed Haji-Jama, webmaster 5 timmar. 16/4: Fick just ett ytterligare mail från Sam Voron med litet ytterligare info om Radio Galkayo just nu med mera och som väl kan vara av intresse för SWB:s läsare: ``Hello Jan, This is a follow up to the e-mail report I sent you. I am now in Galkayo, Somalia and am very pleased to inform you that when you heard radio Galkayo on 6.980 MHz the power out put was not 800 Watts it was 15 Watts! We are still on 15 Watts until I can repair the Amplifier. So congratulations on hearing the short wave AM broadcasts at so small a power out put. I will be setting up a new FM station here, repairing Radio Galkayo and starting a ham radio training course. Regards, Sam Voron VK2BVS Radio ham volunteer.`` 6980 11.4 1732 Radio Galkayo stängde med hymn. QSA 2 JE 6960 11.4 1735 Radio Shabele mycket bra med nyheter och annat. QSA 3-4 JE (via Jan Edh, Sweden, SW Bulletin April 18 via DXLD) R. Galkayo 6980. Why so hard to hear now? The answer is according to Sam Voron "Radio Galkayo 6.980 MHz AM has increased broadcast hours 7 to 9 am, 0400 to 0600 [UT] and 1 pm to 9 pm, 1000 to 1800 UT. English is 1730 to 1800. Power on short wave is 15 Watts and has been heard in Europe!!! Tomorrow I start to build a new FM station. That will become the third FM radio in Galkayo. I will now look at the short wave Amplifier so till next time. Bye bye" (via Tarmo Kontro, April 16, dxing.info via DXLD) ** SPAIN. REE's 21700 kHz 1800-1900 broadcast to SAm consists of a normal Spanish program + Spanish language lessons for Brazilians in coöperation with Instituto Cervantes in Brazil. That's the equivalent of Germany's Goethe Institut for instance. In other words, there's no normal broadcast in Portuguese from REE similar to those in Ar, Ru, Ger, E or F (Carlos Gonçalves, Portugal, BC-DX Apr 8 via DXLD) ** SRI LANKA [non]. RUSSIA IBC - TAMIL AO4 schedule 0000-0100 7460 via NVS 100 kW / 180 deg Tamileelam, Srilanka, India 1500-1600 7480 via NVS 100 kW / 180 deg Tamileelam, Srilanka, India. Both frequencies provide good reception here at my location, Mettupalayam in South India (D. Prabakaran, Mettupalayam, India, WWDXC TopNews via BC-DX Apr 7 via DXLD) NVS = Novosibirsk, Russia ** SWITZERLAND. A reminder to those lamenting having missed SRI`s final English broadcast: in 4-067 we had an audio link to this show, and it still funxions, let us hope eternally, as I listened to it on April 19. Included features on ICRC, UN, Swissair, Nick Lombard on the history of SRI since 1935. He admits that ``sliding out of SW`` was a huge mistake, but no alternative now. Then national anthem(?), un ID music, and several minutes of the music-box interval signal. Both the beginning and the end of the file are chopped off (Glenn Hauser, OK, WORLD OF RADIO 1228, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** SYRIA [non]. Arabic Radio on 12085 and 7470 had a positive ID as listed - "Hurreeyah Hur ar-Arrabeeyah" and must be re-timed one hour earlier for summer. 7470 was ahead of 12085 and was also stronger, which suggests that Moldova is not being used on 12085, unless they have a very directional beam in use. I notice that neither frequency is listed in the current Foreign relays through CIS facilities (Noel R. Green-UK, Apr 8, BC-DX April 14 via DXLD) ** TAJIKISTAN. OVERVIEW OF THE MEDIA IN TAJIKISTAN - updated 17 April 2004 | Note: The following is an update on media developments in Tajikistan since the publication of BBC Monitoring's "Overview of the media in Tajikistan" on 10 February 2004. It is based on sources monitored by BBC Monitoring but also includes some information (on the media scene in Khujand) gleaned from a brief visit in late March 2004. Tajik president hails media developments Tajik President Emomali Rahmonov, in an address to the intelligentsia to mark Nowruz, hailed media developments over the last 10 years, urged the further expansion of the media, but warned that journalists also had responsibilities, Tajik TV reported on 20 March: "The information space has considerably changed over the past 10 years... In comparison with 1990 the number of state-run, public and private publications, radio and TV stations has increased considerably in our country. Thus, the number of state publications has increased from 65 to 199; nongovernment publications to 154; private radio and television stations from 1 to 26. "Freedom of speech has become a constant factor of the government's policy. Moreover, freedom of speech and belief, along with criticism, are developing. Alongside domestic media, foreign media are also operating in Tajikistan. "Every citizen of our country can buy a signal-receiving device and easily watch the programmes of about 100 foreign channels. We are also providing no-restrictions access to the Internet for all our citizens." Rahmonov also outlined the media's responsibilities: "The media, regardless of its ownership, is equally responsible for observing the current laws and regulations and ensuring the country's information and cultural security. This responsibility demands of journalists a developed political sense, thorough legal literacy, the observance of a professional code of behaviour and civil duty, a sense of patriotism and the protection of Tajikistan's state and national interests... "In order to develop the media further and ensure its independence, including the publication of magazines and newspapers, fiction and children's literature, science and technology books and school-books, the Tajik government is instructed to exempt them from VAT." (Tajik TV 1530 gmt 20 Mar 04). Note: The author of this survey was told by the head of the Varorud news agency in Khujand on 29 March that the VAT exemption for newspapers would only take effect in January 2005. President's Press Day message In a message to Tajik journalists on the occasion of Tajik Press Day on 11 March, Rahmonov said: "Taking into consideration the significance of, and need to ensure, the free activities of the press in strengthening social justice, the government has eliminated all the artificial restrictions of the past decades. Freedom of speech, guaranteed by the constitution and other relevant legal documents, is inseparably linked with national and state interests... Let the Tajik press, which is the mirror of our life, henceforth be fair and unbiased." (Tajik TV 1400 gmt 11 Mar 04). Tajik army chief raps media Tajikistan's army chief and first deputy defence minister, Maj-Gen Ramil Nodirov, had a meeting with chief editors of central newspapers and magazines on the eve of Tajik Press Day, Tajik radio reported on 10 March.. Nodirov called on them to step up "fruitful cooperation with military bodies". "Such cooperation should be aimed at building up the sense of respect for and honour of military service, the formation of the armed forces and the strengthening of the young and independent Tajik state's defence capacity," the radio said. Nodirov said the press should refrain from publishing inaccurate or unconfirmed reports about the activities of the armed forces. (Tajik Radio 0600 gmt 10 Mar 04). Reactions to VAT exemption order The head of the National Association of Independent Media of Tajikistan (NAIMT), Nuriddin Qarshiboyev, welcomed the VAT exemption for print media, but said TV and radio stations also needed support from the government, Asia-Plus news agency reported on 24 March. The executive director of Asia-Plus radio station, Daler Nurkhonov, said: "If we [electronic media] are exempted from this kind of tax, there will be an opportunity to actively develop and improve our financial foundation, which, in the end, will improve the quality of broadcasting," he said. "All media - state and private; printing and electronic - should be treated equally," the director-general of the TV company Vatan, Daler Amonov, said. (Asia-Plus news agency 1100 gmt 24 Mar 04) Plans to revamp Khovar news agency "The Tajik national information agency Khovar, which is the central state information agency of the country, enjoys the exclusive right to gather and distribute official information and documents connected to the activities of the Tajik president, the parliament and the Tajik government in the country and abroad," Tajik TV reported on 16 March. "The technical equipment of the main information source of the country does not meet the requirements of the time. The equipment, which was installed back in the 1960s, is obsolete and outdated." Plans were afoot to resolve the issue, the TV said. (Tajik TV 1400 gmt 16 Mar 04) Boost for state media in central region The Tajik authorities have earmarked over 170,000 dollars to enable the broadcasting of Tajik TV programmes in the Rasht Valley districts of Nurobod, Rasht, Tojikobod and Tavildara in central Tajikistan, Tajik TV reported on 5 March "The Tajik president entrusted the minister of communications to finish preparations for the setting up of facilities to broadcast Tajik TV programmes in this region by the end of 2004," the TV said. (Tajik TV 1400 gmt 5 Mar 04). A new transmitter was launched in central Tajikistan near the town of Norak, Tajik TV reported on 19 March. "A new, powerful transmitter, which amplifies and transmits Tajik TV and radio signals, has been installed at the initiative of the Ministry of Communications and the Ministry of Energy and the municipality of the town," it said. "The residents of the villages of Ghofilobod, Pastakon, Girdob, Madu, and partly of Norak, who did not have an opportunity to receive the signals before, are now able to watch Tajik TV and listen to Tajik radio," it added. (Tajik TV 1400 gmt 19 Mar 04). Broadcasts from Tajikistan's largest factory reach Uzbekistan The Tajik Aluminium Plant in the west of the country, Tajikistan's largest factory, has its own radio and TV stations, Tajik radio reported on 15 March. The director of the plant's radio and television station, Khayriddin Soqiyev, said the plant's TV started broadcasting in 2000. He said its 200 watt transmitter enabled its signals to reach Hisor District in central Tajikistan in one direction and Termez and Denov, both in southern Uzbekistan, in another. "We report on the policies being carried out by the president, the chairman of the district and the director of the plant. We also cover social and sporting events," he told the radio. (Tajik Radio 0600 gmt 15 Mar 04). USA calls for media law changes US Ambassador Richard Hoagland, at a meeting with students and lecturers at the National University in Dushanbe on 2 March, said Tajikistan should revise its laws on the media, Tajik Asia-Plus news agency reported on 3 March. He said the independent media must be able to report freely on corruption. "The existence of the law banning the media from allegedly insulting the honour and dignity of officials will have fatal consequences," Hoagland said. "Such laws stop the media from exposing corruption. There should be laws which do not allow the publication of slanderous material about people. However, they should exist only to ensure journalists' honesty, but not to hide state officials' illegal actions. (Asia-Plus news agency 0830 gmt 3 Mar 04). USAID-funded newspaper launched in south A new USAID-funded newspaper Shahrvand (Tajik: Citizen) has been launched by the Shahrvand Civil Society Support Centre in the southern Tajik town of Kulob, Asia-Plus reported on 15 March. It said the first issue of the newspaper containing four pages had come out with a circulation of 500 and would be distributed free to NGOs, development committees and communities in the Kulob zone districts. Quoting the director of the centre, Dodarbek Saydaliyev, the agency said the paper would be coming out monthly for some time; in future it would be published weekly in eight pages with a circulation of at least 1,000 copies and focus on the activities of regional NGOs. (Asia-Plus news agency 1000 gmt 15 Mar 04). Tajikistan, Iran agree to exchange broadcast signals At a meeting in Tehran in mid-March, Tajik Communications Minister Said Zubaydov and the head of the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting [IRIB], Ali Larijani, discussed cooperation. They agreed that an antenna would be set up in the Tajik capital [Dushanbe] to "exchange signals with Iran via the Internet", Seyyed Farrukhi, an employee in charge of TV and radio affairs at the Iranian embassy in Tajikistan, told Asia-Plus. It was also agreed to relay programmes of one Iranian TV and one radio channel in Dushanbe and that the Tajik Communications Ministry would buy transmitting equipment from Iran. (Asia-Plus news agency 0810 gmt 19 Mar 04). Northern TV head sacked The director of Isfara TV, Bahrom Boboyev, has been dismissed, the Varorud news agency reported on 18 March. "Isfara mayor M Islomiddinov expressed his dissatisfaction with the work of editorial staff at the local TV company at a meeting of the town administration on 10 February. The mayor pointed out mistakes and shortcomings in the work of its staff and criticized the management method of the former director, Bahrom Boboyev," the agency said. Shuhrat Halimov, the former head of the Khimik cultural house in Isfara, was appointed the new head of Isfara TV, it said. In a letter addressed to the chief editor of Varorud newspaper [Bobojon Ikromov], Boboyev said he owned the TV company's property and intended to "defend his rights as the founder of the company." (Varorud news agency, Khujand, 18 Mar 04) Avesto news agency A new news agency, indirectly funded by Soros's Open Society Institute and based in Dushanbe, has its own web site - http://www.avesta.tj The web site is in Russian only. BBC Monitoring filed its first report from the web site on 10 April 2004. Khujand media The following notes were compiled following a BBC Monitoring visit to Khujand on 29-30 March 2004: Radio Tiroz - 103.7 FM: Address: Mikrorayon 27, 9, Tiroz Street (elevated position overlooking city). Web site: http://www.tiroz.sugdien.com email: trrktiroz@sugdien.com Khujand's only FM station, Tiroz means "charming". It is a commercial station and carries advertising about four minutes every hour. Radio Tiroz has a licence to broadcast 20 hours per day but currently only broadcasts 16 hours per day; it has a 350 watt transmitter and this is to be upgraded to a 500 watt transmitter in the next three months. The station can be heard within a 15-20 km radius. The station has over 20 employees and Internet access at two terminals. About four or five journalists work on the news bulletins; they avoid crime and drugs reports as they want to boost people's mood: they are an entertainment channel. Radio Tiroz broadcasts in Tajik and Russian only (despite the fact that most people in Khujand are primarily Uzbek speakers); it broadcasts 12 five-minute news bulletins per day - all at five minutes to the hour - only one or two bulletins on weekends. Varorud news agency and newspaper: Address: Firdavsi 123/18, Khujand; web site: http://www.varorud.org - updated three times per week A total of 35 staff are employed at the news agency and newspaper (18 at the agency); they sell 1,500 newspapers per edition. Varorud cooperates with IWPR, Internews and gets some funding from the Eurasia Foundation. Varorud says it is planning to set up an FM radio station which would be "news and entertainment rather than entertainment and news"; they have no studio yet, but they need a licence even to get a studio (new law apparently); after that they will need another licence to broadcast. SM-1 TV: Address: Ul/ Lenina, 187, Tel (3422) 60874; email: SM1@sugdien.com "SM" stands for Simo Mustaqil - "Independent TV", and was set up in 1997. Broadcast radius: 30 km around Khujand; claims to have audience of 450,000. SM-1 TV has a licence to broadcast 12 hours per day (6 hours of own programmes and 6 hours of film videos), but in practice it broadcasts about 8 hours per day, partly owing to power cuts. It broadcasts 30-60 minutes of advertisements per day. All broadcasts are in Russian or Tajik only (no Uzbek). No web site yet. Staff: 25 - five in news broadcasting, all five have had Internews training They have seven Internet terminals; they monitor BBC and Radio Liberty closely for news/programme ideas. "Media Resources Centre - Development": Stringers from Deutsche Welle, Mashhad radio, Radio Liberty and others use the facilities which consist of six terminals - but only one is currently working or has Internet access. Most of the equipment was donated by a Danish project which ended in September 2003. A small dubbing studio and a news conference room are in the same building. "All the local TV stations are pro-government", one of the journalists said. Another explained that the first Internet cafe in Khujand was opened in 2001, that Internet cafes currently have slow connections and cost between one and two dollars per hour (about double the rates in Tashkent). Another said that recently the local authorities had begun to hold weekly news conferences on Tuesdays. Internews office: Khujand office opened in 2001. Four people work in the office as well as three stringers; this resource centre has three Internet terminals and is regularly used "by between five and eight local journalists daily". Source: BBC Monitoring research in English 17 Apr 04 (via DXLD) ** TIBET [non]. UZBEKISTAN/TAJIKISTAN(non): Summer A-04 schedule for Voice of Tibet: 1212-1300 on 15645 DB 100 kW / 117 deg alt. 15635, 15660, 15680 17525 TAC 100 kW / 131 deg alt. 17505, 17745, 17765 21520 TAC 100 kW / 131 deg alt. 21545, 21550, 21560, 21590, 21720 1430-1517 on 17540 TAC 100 kW / 131 deg alt. 17520, 17765, 17800, 21650, 21720 (Observer, Bulgaria, April 20 via DXLD) ** TURKEY. Frequency changes for Voice of Turkey: 1000-1455 Turkish Fri only NF 17705# ex 17630 to avoid Radio Africa#1 in French 1230-1325 English Daily NF 15535, ex 15405 to avoid HCJB Australia in English # strong co-ch 1145-1315 All India Radio in Chinese (Observer, Bulgaria, April 20 via DXLD) ** UNITED NATIONS [non]. The United Nations Radio from New York is noted in their service to Africa at 1730 UT on 15495 kHz. This 15 minute program in English is on the air Monday to Friday only. The transmitter in use at this time for the relay of UN Radio is a 300 kW unit located at Skelton in England (Livinus Torty, Chad, AWR Wavescan April 25 via John Norfolk, DXLD) ** U S A. A life devoted to disseminating news An article about Radio Free Asia and its president Richard Richter: http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2004/4/20/nation/7801328&sec=nation (via Andy Sennitt, dxldyg via DXLD) ** U S A. WINB with machine gun sermon in progress on 13569.95. Unpleasant performance in my ears (Wolfgang Büschel, Apr 11, BC-DX via DXLD) Reminds me of the preacher on WBCQ 17495, Saturday 1930-2030, just before WORLD OF RADIO. Guy screams for a few seconds, almost incomprehensibly, and then a very long pause until the next scream. So long you wonder if the tape has broken. He is also our lead-in for the UT Sunday 0300 broadcast of WOR on 9330-CLSB, and often runs over, indeed this week by two minutes. If you hear him when you expect to hear me, I beg you, turn it down so you can barely hear it until the soothing, rational strains of the WOR theme are detected (or the WBCQ ID). When you encounter someone like that, you can only pray for his mental health, and that he will not infect too many others with his ailment. Listed on schedule as Full Gospel Hour (Glenn Hauser, DX LSITENING DIGEST) ** U S A. Glenn, V. of NASB via WRMI, 0230-2059 UT, 7385 kHz April 18, 2004 with rebroadcast of "AWR Radio Monitors International" from September 1984. SIO 454. Very interesting to hear Radio Monitors International once again. 73, (Kraig Krist, KG4LAC, Annandale, VA, DX LISTENING DIGEST) I heard it too; focus was on the Maldive Islands. It was also originally broadcast on Radio Earth --- I wonder if Jeff White dug it out of his own archives (and I think I later ran it as a special on WORLD OF RADIO). The old RMI show had an Indian lady presenter whose name I don`t know, and Adrian Peterson himself. I would still prefer to hear AMP speaking on Wavescan rather than those announcers in London who are really not familiar with the subject matter (Glenn Hauser, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Sonya Porter (Rich D`Angelo, NASWA Flashsheet via DXLD) ** U S A. It's "Know-Nothings on Parade" yet again in Charlotte, VERMONT, where a fight continues over the Pease Mountain transmitter tower of WIZN (106.7 Vergennes). Vermont's Environmental Board was scheduled to hear testimony last week about whether to revoke the land-use permit granted in 1999 (after the station had already been in place on the mountain for 12 years) over the NIMBYish howls of the neighbors. (We've been to Pease Mountain, and the site is nearly impossible to see from any distance.) The neighbors' attorney (who, we'll editorialize, apparently never heard of the inverse-square rule) told the Associated Press that "it's clear that there is radiation in the community. The energy from the signal heats human tissue." (NERW wonders if he was talking on a hand- held cellphone at the time.) In any case, the board will now revisit the decision to grant the land-use permit; in any case, WIZN holds a CP to move north and get away from those pesky, ignorant neighbors. Meanwhile, Vermont now has an Air America affiliate - WTWK (1070 Plattsburgh NY), across the lake, is now carrying the liberal talk network during its daytime broadcast hours. And at WTWK's sister station in St. Albans, WRSA (1420), our old pal Pete Ferrand (who's been doing mornings there since February, it turns out) made headlines last week after restoring the daily playing of the Star-Spangled Banner to the station's morning show. Seems Pete stopped playing the anthem at 6 AM when he took over ("it's bad radio," he tells the AP, and in principle we'd agree with him), but a tradition's a tradition, so the anthem's back and Pete's in the papers and everyone's happy, we guess. One of the most promising open FM allocations in NEW YORK (and, arguably, anywhere in America) could end up being reserved for non- commercial use. The 92.1A allocation in Amherst will serve the Buffalo market quite well, and last week it showed up on a list of FM allocations that the FCC's been petitioned to reserve as educational. What's up with that? It's the way the FCC is resolving the issue that's kept so many new FM allocations off the air for years - whether, and if, non-comm applicants can enter the auctions that will decide who'll get these new facilities. The FCC's solution was to allow broadcasters to petition to convert any of the open allocations to non-commercial - if they met two criteria. First, there can't be an open frequency with comparable coverage in the reserved (88.1-91.9) band, which is a given in a crowded market such as Buffalo. Second - and here's the tricky part - the new signal would have to be the first or second non-commercial signal for at least 10% of the population covered in its 1 mV/m signal contour. How can that be the case in Buffalo, a city with three public radio stations, not to mention a college station and several religious FMs? Simple: two of those public stations - WNED-FM 94.5 and WNED 970 - operate non-commercially but hold commercial licenses. That leaves WBFO 88.7, which blankets the area 92.1 will serve, and Family Radio's WFBF 89.9 and SUNY Buffalo's WBNY 91.3, which don't. Commercial broadcasters now have the chance to show the FCC that there are already two noncomm services across all the area 92.1 would cover; we wonder if WNED or WBFO might end up applying for the channel if it does go noncomm, since the point system the FCC uses would all but guarantee them the construction permit in that case. WOR (710 New York) has rearranged its schedule, shifting most of the day forward an hour (Joan Hamburg at 9 AM instead of 10, Arthur Schwartz at 11 instead of noon, Dr. Joy Browne at noon instead of 1, Bill O'Reilly at 3 instead of 2 and Bob Grant at 4 instead of 5) in order to carry Michael Savage live in his new 6-9 PM Eastern time slot (Scott Fybush, NV, NE Radio Watch excerpts April 19 via DXLD) ** U S A. Deal for 1330 In Mpls. Gone Sour? --- In spite of the pending sale of WMNN, 1330 A.M. to the same Catholic media group currently operating on AM 740 and 1530, the expected programming changes have not materialized. Your listing of 1330 in Minneapolis as an outlet for the O'Franken factor is still accurate. Wendy Wilde and the "Higher Ground" show are also on. (See below.) Each of the above has its own Web-cast, but there's no stream for WMNN as far as I can tell. The AP newsfeed also runs several hours per day, though without most of the excellent local cutins that WMNN used to provide. In fact, broadcaster Mike Anthony on a Saturday remote from a car dealership announced: "Well, I guess this is a finale of sorts." (Oddly, after a 2-week hiatus, broadcasts from the dealership, (Wally McCarthy's), resumed. Re our own Wendy: You mentioned in passing on C.O.M. 04-01, that her actual surname is Perein. I'm not sure how either "Perein" is spelled, but this was the name of a privately-owned University of Minn.-area book store that operated on 14th Ave. S.E. for many years. It was the only decent outlet for grad-level material in the humanities, and there were protests when the U. of M.'s own bookseller forced Perein's out of business. Might Wendy be a scion of this laudable family tree? [Wendy`s spelt Perrine in the original DXLD item quoted] [tagline] -- IF HISTORY IS REPEATING ITSELF, CAN'T WE JUST PUT IT ON SHUFFLE-PLAY? BEST TO YOU FROM, (Max Swanson, Minneapolis, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A. ALL-LEFT RADIO IS LACKING THE RIGHT STUFF FOR SUCCESS David Shaw April 18 2004 The first time I turned on Air America, the new liberal radio network, I heard a commentator arguing that Republicans did not initiate impeachment proceedings against President Clinton because of Monica Lewinsky, Whitewater, lying or obstruction of justice. No, the man said, Republicans knew Clinton had committed no impeachable offenses, but they pursued impeachment anyway, in a diabolically clever ploy designed specifically to make the general public so disenchanted with the very idea of impeachment that they would not tolerate impeachment against the next (Republican) president --- who, of course, deserves to be impeached immediately. The complete article can be viewed at: http://www.latimes.com/news/custom/showcase/cl-ca-shaw18apr18,0,2579139.column?coll=la-news-columns (via Bill Westenhaver, DXLD) ** U S A. US BROADCASTERS HIT BACK AGAINST FCC PROFANITY RULING A coalition of more than 20 broadcasters, artists' groups and media organizations has started to hit back at the government's crackdown against indecency on the airwaves. The coalition has filed a petition asking the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to reconsider its profanity ruling. The petition, signed by broadcast network owners Viacom Inc. and Fox Entertainment Group as well as the Screen Actors' Guild and other groups, charges that the FCC has expanded its authority beyond constitutional limits, and that broadcasters are being coerced into self-censorship. The NBC network has separately filed its own challenge to the FCC decision. It said the FCC went too far by creating a "sweeping new definition" of profanity never previously cited. NBC faulted the FCC opinion as "impermissibly vague" for stating that it would in the future "analyze other potentially profane words or phrases on a case- by-case basis." The FCC order "will encourage a 'play-it-safe' attitude by broadcasters in the exercise of their editorial judgment - a chilling effect that cannot be squared with the public interest or the Constitution," the NBC petition said. The rival ABC network, owned by the Walt Disney Company, has chosen not to join in the protests. FCC spokesman Richard Diamond said the Commission would review any petitions filed regarding the profanity ruling. The FCC does not have a deadline to respond, but petitioners can take their case to court if their request is dismissed by the Commission. # posted by Andy @ 08:41 UT April 20 (Media Network blog via DXLD) ** U S A. Like the cherry blossoms... the proposals at the FCC are in full bloom! 4/17/2004 FCC wants to hear from you on IBOC, Wi-Fi and Ham refarming. It always seems like when the sakura (cherry blossoms) are in full bloom in Washington D.C., what follows is a springtime full of issues to comment on at the FCC. This year is no different. The FCC has put several big ones on our plate. The FCC is looking for additional comments on the expansion of digital audio broadcasting using iBiquity's In Band On Channel (IBOC) system. In the FCC's further notice for proposed rulemaking (FNPRM), they are interested in the ability of translators and LPFM stations to broadcast in digital, the eventual transition to an all-digital broadcast band and the very contraversial issue of nighttime IBOC operations on the AM broadcast band. Comments on MB-Docket 99-325 are due June 16 with replies due July 16. At press time, the text of the FNPRM has not been released. Since the FCC has not released the FNPRM, REC does not know the exact content of what is being proposed. Based on the News Release, REC will oppose many aspects of this proposal, especially around nighttime IBOC. We are also concerned that the implementation of IBOC on LPFM will impact a few select LPFM stations and we are extremely concerned about IBOC interference from translators on second adjacent channels. The FCC would also like to hear from you on a proposal to reallocate 3650-3700 MHz for unlicensed wireless broadband (Wi-Fi) at powers higher than those allowed by Part 15. This band is currently used by the fixed satellite services and it's current usage is limited to the east and west coast. Any Wi-Fi use of the band would have to protect the satellite operations. The FCC is also looking at licensed fixed and mobile usage of this band. REC supports the unlicensed use of this band. We also see it as an alternative to implementing the very controversial Broadband over Power Line (BPL) which has been shown to cause interference to the amateur and short wave services. We also see a grass roots application for unlicensed broadcasting using Wi-Fi and multicast technologies. The comment deadline on ET Docket 04-151 (02- 380 & 98-237) has not yet been announced. Finally, the FCC is proposing to change several rules in the Amateur Radio Service. The highlight of the proposal is the ARRL's "refarming" proposal that would convert the novice class CW (morse code) bands over phone (voice) usage and expand the operating of privileges of General class and higher licenses for more phone privileges. Novices will be able to use CW on 80, 40, 15 and 10 meters on all CW subbands authorized to General class (Novices are also allowed to use data and RTTY on 10m). Comments on ET Docket 04-140 are due June 15, replies are due June 30. This proposal does not include the elimination of morse code requirements from the high frequency bands. We feel that this will eventually be a rulemaking proceeding later this year. File comments using the FCC's Electronic Comments Filing System. Keep up with various FCC proceedings at REC's FCC page http://www.recnet.com/fcc (RECNETS, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A. WSUI is over 80 years old ... http://www.uiowa.edu/~fyi/issues97-98/040999web/wsui_040999.html WSUI was "the first to broadcast from outside the studio and the first to broadcast play-by-play sports," boasts a University of Iowa web page (above). In 1922 the station received its first official call, WHAA, although it had been on the air since 1919, when "it adopted a regular schedule of educational programs and lectures." The call letters, WSUI, were acquired in 1925 - S.U.I. standing for The State University of Iowa, the name of the institution that is now known as The University of Iowa. World of Radio has been a weekly feature on WSUI for perhaps a decade - now on the broadcast schedule at 10:30 PM CDT Sundays (0330 UT Monday). Unfortunately that broadcast on 910 kHz - WSUI's AM broadcast frequency - is a week or more delayed. Editor's note: 910 kHz was not a good frequency to be assigned as late as the 1970s, since 910 was a beat frequency and an audible whistle could be heard when tuned to WSUI. That problem seems to have been now resolved (Franklin Seiberling, The Copy Exchange, Iowa City, April 19, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Well, the `beat frequency` is a funxion of the receiver you are using, nothing to do with the WSUI transmitter, tho 910 should always be avoided if possible, since it is twice the common IF of 455 kHz (Glenn Hauser, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** VENEZUELA. During my two weeks vacation on Tobago late March/early April this year: Great place for DX'ing, but the Venezuelans were quite dominant on most frequencies. Noted a few stations off frequency: 699.9 kHz: Venezuela, Radio Sur, Puerto Ordaz 1060.28 kHz: unID station probably from Venezuela. Only heard once. 1310.8 kHz: Radio Nacional de Venezuela IDing as "RNV". Frequency was drifting. Could hear the 2nd harmonic on 2621.6 kHz as well - though pretty weak (Stig Hartvig Nielsen, Denmark, April 17, MWC via DXLD) ** VENEZUELA [non]. Checking out the presumed relays via Cuba on Sat April 17: around 1852 UT, open carrier on 13740; rechecked at 1939, good modulation and strength with R. Nacional de Venezuela ID, ``Tópicos de Actualidad``, ironically about Cuba, the Pearl of the Caribbean; another ID at 1950; 13740 off at 2003 recheck, so quickly went to 9550, and at 2004 UT, they started to give a schedule mentioning 17705 at 2000-2100, but this must be wrong, or doomed, with Greece/Delano blocking until 2200. The announcement was cut off and dead air for a minute, then more RNV IDs, program about getting to know Caracas, later music. Good here too. 2040 brought ``Tópicos de Actualidad`` again, mentioned ``perla del Caribe`` again at 2044, so apparently same episode. Frequent IDs and other features; 2100 16-note IS identifying RNV, asking for reports to Apartado Postal 3979, Caracas, closing that hour and carrier off momentarily, 2102 back with Radio Habana Cuba programming which continued past 2130, no Voice of Vietnam. Nothing audible on 11630 or 9725 either as Noel wondered. 9550 may well be in use at 2130 direct from Vietnam, and we could not tell it here (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) VENEZUELA: 9820 Radio Nacional de Venezuela; *2303-2312+, 16-Apr; M&W with several IDs & sked, then M&W alternating with religious messages. "Radio Nacional de Venezuela transmitiendo desde Caracas..." 2310 lite vocal music. All in Spanish. SIO=534/S20 Not in 2004 Passport (Harold Frodge, MI, Cumbredx mailing list via DXLD) [Later:] Glenn, I understand that this [9820 log above] might be via Cuba. Do you have any such info.? -- HF (Harold Frodge, MI, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Harold, I would be very surprised if it is not via Cuba: 1) no reports of any new SW transmitters at RNV. The old one they had on 9540 has been in dire shape, unheard for years. 2) RHC has been relaying RNV on Sunday mornings for a few years. 3) These relays have recently been expanded, tho the full schedule is unknown. Just on Saturday I heard it on 13740 in the 1900 hour and the same program on 9550 in the 2000 hour, followed by RHC programming. 4) All of the frequencies coincide with known RHC channels already in use at other times of day. 9820 fits there. 5) But neither Caracas nor Habana have said anything I know of to confirm this absolutely. 73, (Glenn to Harold, via DXLD) Sunday April 18 at 1400 I checked 17750 where Aló Presidente was heard last week: WYFR English stayed on 17750 well past 1400, and Cuba/ Venezuela could not be heard at first. Recheck at 1430, 17750 had RNV dominant but with considerable co-channel from something; the only \\ audio I found (during some music) was 15230. Monday afternoon April 19, checking again on the car radio: 1900 had RNV on 13740 again; as soon as that closed at 2000 I switched over to 9550 and heard numerous iterations of the IS, opening the hour and starting to give frequency schedule with a 17 MHz outlet, but then, as before, at least a minute of dead air, as the rest of the schedule must have been suppressed as incorrect? However, at the opening of the 2300 broadcast, very good on 9820, the complete frequency announcement was transmitted and copied: ``1900-2000 17720 para San Francisco [no mention of 13740 where heard] 2000-2100 9550 para el Caribe 2000-2100 15230 para Buenos Aires 2000-2100 17705 para Rio de Janeiro 2100-2200 11875 para Chile 2200-2300 6000[? Fade] para Wáshington 2300-2400 11760 para Norte, Centro y Sudamérica 2315-2415 9820 para Chicago`` Indeed 11760 and 9820 were far from synchronized, but 9820 was obviously underway around 2300, not waiting until 2315. I then found that 11760 was running one minute and 25 seconds behind 9820. No mention was made of these being Habana relays, tho so obvious as every single frequency is one that is or has been used by Habana (crystals?) (Glenn Hauser, OK, WORLD OF RADIO 1228, DX LISTENING DIGEST) CUBA (presumed): 9550 Radio Nacional de Venezuela; *2003-2010+, 19 Apr; S7 open carrier up about 1958 and IS at 2001. Usual start at 2003 with same program as 13740 at 1902. SIO=3+33. Few on/off problems (Fidel should refund their money). Co-channel QRM sounded like Chinese. Tnx for tip from Glenn Hauser. 13740, Radio Nacional de Venezuela; *1902-1914+, 19-Apr; S8 open carrier on about 1853; IS at 1901 and on with ID and address for relatos de señal at 1902. 1905 religious message with somber music. All in Spanish. SIO=434- Tnx for tip from Glenn Hauser. Heard a different IS just before 1900 but buried. Weak co-channel QRM; most QRM from 13745, M in Russian? With English C&W, (presumed) Radio Free Asia (Harold Frodge, MI, DX LISTENING DIGEST) RFA does not broadcast in Russian; I also heard the religious/somber music show on RNV --- it was for Semana Santa, slightly stale (gh) Radio Nacional de Venezuela. Tune in at about 2340 UT Monday April 19 to 9820 to hear Spanish and a number of IDs and mention of Caracas. Off at 2359 approximately and Radio Havana came on at 0000 in Spanish. Sounded like a Cuba relay as I could not detect a transmitter going off at 2359 and then another on again. Did not sound like "Alo Presidente" from Havana which is on only on Sunday according to schedule. Have just checked recent DXLDs and see that others have heard Venezuela too but on different frequencies (Bernie O'Shea, Ottawa, Ontario, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** VIETNAM [non]. I wonder if anyone has been monitoring Voice of Vietnam in the evening. According to friend Ray Merrall, he hears 9725 and 9730 on same time in Vietnamese but not same programme around 1730! 9730 is registered but 13740 & 11630 are in the Internet schedule that has appeared. 9725 should be via Moosbrunn I think. There is Russian currently operating on 13740 & 9730 at 1640. On 11630 I would guess that I hear CNR-8 in Mongolian, and a Russian tone started at 1647. So possibly VTN is using 9730 instead of 11630? (Noel R. Green-UK, BC-DX Apr 8 via DXLD) Re VOV, indeed, 9725 was booming in yesterday at 1700-1800 in English and Viet. And appeared to be in use later, but at reduced strength, which probably signified the change from Moosbrunn to Skelton. 9730 is being used instead of listed 11630 --- VoR is using that frequency. 9730 is subject to co-channel QRM and 13740 is the best signal. 9725 splashed 9730 between 1700 and 1800. How is it on the Euro mainland when Skelton is on air? (Noel R. Green-UK, BC-DX Apr 9 via DXLD) 9725 1700-1900 27,28W MOS 100 300 AUT VOV MER 9725 1900-2030 28S SKN 250 150 G VOV MER 9730 1600-2130 27,28 VNI 100 320 VTN VOV VOV (BC-DX April 14 via DXLD) ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ UNSOLICITED TESTIMONIAL +++++++++++++++++++++++ Glenn: You are always pointing out every one else's short comings in the way they operate their stations or as individuals! bible hucksters, snide comments etc. Now it's my turn! When in the heck are you going to get your OWN web site space instead of this chicken dung anglefire crap with constant SPAM and poop up ads! Get with it Glenn: Time to part with some sheckles!!!! and do the right thing! you get PLENTY of FREE airtime! PLEASE GET YOUR OWN SITE! My Spam software is goes bezirk every time I visit your site! (Dave Frantz, WWRB, April 18, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Dave, Glad you could get something off your chest. However, I have had my own site for years, http://www.worldofradio.com and it is commercial free and costs me plenty. You must not be paying attention. Whenever I mention my website, it`s that one, not angelfire. Many of the links on the angelfire site also lead to it. I`ve kept angelfire because it`s too much trouble to move out all my old files which still might be of some use. Use a pop-up stopper like I do (Glenn to Dave) WORLD OF RADIO IL MIGLIOR BOLLETTINO DX DEL MONDO QUASI GIORNALIERO COMPILATO DAL PIU' GRANDE DXer ESISTENTE AL MONDO GLENN HAUS [sic] IL PROGRAMMA DX PIU ANTICOMFORMISTA DEL MONDO E SENZA PELI SULLA LINGUA http://www.worldofradio.com/ (http://www.playdx.com almost to the bottom in long list of links) RADIO EQUIPMENT FORUM +++++++++++++++++++++ A WEBSITE ABOUT MEDIUMWAVE ANTENNAS FROM A TELEFUNKEN SENDERSYSTEME EMPLOYEE: http://www.waniewski.de/id208.htm The Radio Bremen page describes the completely new Bremen-Oberneuland mediumwave site, built when the Bremen-Leherfeld station --- see graphics at http://www.asamnet.de/~bienerhj/0936.html was closed in 1999 and razed to the ground afterwards. The new site is interesting for its inexpensive design -- a container with the transmitter and this special small antenna, that's all! Actually it is amazing that it was ever built instead of just doing without mediumwave. Also quite interesting the page about the Arganda site near Madrid. This is apparently the facility for the 1359 frequency, some kind of a ghost because it is hardly if ever reported to be actually on air for about a decade now. The cross-dipole (similar to the one at Berlin- Britz that has been probably dismantled recently) is a vertical incidence antenna, so this installation is designed for nighttime coverage of Spain. Note also the shortwave LP's in the background of pictures 10 and 11, still there although the transmitters are probably off already for three decades (I understand that Noblejas, inaugurated in 1971, replaced Arganda completely). And what about Pozuelo [del Rey]? The captions of this other Madrid site were not added yet, but it looks like some modest power installation rather than the 600 kW on 585 (for a European are 50 kW's like the Radio Bremen transmitter modest power installations) Have a nice weekend, (Kai Ludwig, Germany, April 17, DX LISTENING DIGEST) DRM +++ NETH ANTILLES Terrible relationship on 15150 Bonaire in DRM mode, and WYFR Spanish service next door on 15155 kHz around 2100-2200 UT (Wolfgang Büschel, Germany, Apr 11, BC-DX via DXLD) also BELGIUM 4-068 POWERLINE COMMUNICATIONS ++++++++++++++++++++++++ NEW MEXICO OKAYS BPL? Well, I think I heard the news that I did NOT want to hear Friday morning on TV! What I think I heard (it was early and I was in the shower) was that the state PUC has authorized Broadband in New Mexico. It will cover Albuquerque (70% of state`s population) by the end of this year, and the rest of the state will be covered by the end of 2008! Oh well, so much for the theory that the public has a say in what goes on in this country! Guess the ONLY good part is that the frequencies BELOW 2 MHz won't be affected. At least I can still listen to AM and Beacons (although I tend to think the crud will slop over making those bands fairly useless to DX as well). It has been a fun 40 year hobby (Bob Combs, New Mexico, April 18, swl at qth.net via DXLD) Do not despair! This has failed in many cities already, as well as several countries. It is very likely NM will be another case of the same and it will be abandoned. Push against it Bob! Your state officials and federal elected officials need real mail on their desks, not e-mails. If you raise enough noise, it will be defeated! I know, because it has happened elsewhere. They could not make money, and it was dropped. What is really surprising, is with several countries abandoning it because of problems, numerous American cities dropping it because of problems, that companies are still wasting money trying to do it. One wonders what is really going on? Fight, Bob! (Duane W8DBF Fischer, MI, ibid.) PROPAGATION +++++++++++ SWLOG Howdy, This morning I was playing with the MUF/LUF (Maximum Usable Frequency/Minimum Usable Frequency) feature of the SWLog program. It's a real eye opener! When you start the program it loads the Solar data from NOAA and then will graphically display the MUF/LUF data from your location to any other location in the world. If the computer you're using for logging isn't on the internet, you have the option to plug in the solar data that you hear on WWV. Checking the propagation to various areas of the world I often found the LUF (Minimum Usable Frequency) was higher than the Maximum, meaning of course you aren't going to hear anything from that area of the world (or not likely to). These are things I knew and understood, but seeing it in a graph really drives it home. It also displays the number of "hops" a signal from that area would take to reach you. 73 from the "Beaconeers Lair". (Phil, KO6BB, Atchley, swl at qth.net via DXLD) SIDC WEEKLY BULLETIN ON SOLAR AND GEOMAGNETIC ACTIVITY # #--------------------------------------------------------------------# WEEK 172 from 2004 Apr 12 SOLAR ACTIVITY: --------------- Solar activity in general was very low past week. Only moderate flares (below M2) peaked in the GOES X-ray data: the little activity respectively came from Catania 96 (NOAA 0588) on monday 12/4, then from Catania 02 (NOAA 0591) who passed the torch on catania 06 (NOAA 0595) and 08, situated at the east limb by the end of the week. From this region as well as from Catania 05 (NOAA 0594) we expect more moderate flares the coming week. The overall forecast for next week is quiet to active solar conditions. On Monday 12/4 the enhanced proton flux, following the C9.6 flare from catania 96 (NOAA 0588) on 11/4, fell back to normal levels. GEOMAGNETISM: ------------- The overall geomagnetic condition of last week was quiet with three active intervals of each 3 hours. One on April 12 from 6 to 9 UT (origin unclear), on April 16 from 6 to 9 UT and on April 18 from 6 to 9 UT, both probably due to a small coronal hole . For next week we expect again quiet geomagnetic conditions. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- DAILY INDICES DATE RC 10CM Ak BKG M X 2004 Apr 12 050 91 010 A8.9 0 0 2004 Apr 13 053 93 008 A8.6 0 0 2004 Apr 14 059 95 005 B1.0 0 0 2004 Apr 15 042 97 009 B1.1 1 0 2004 Apr 16 /// 97 /// B1.0 0 0 2004 Apr 17 083 98 /// B1.0 0 0 2004 Apr 18 098 109 /// B1.3 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 15 1637 1644 1648 S15W38 M1.2 SF 70 III/1 02 0591 #--------------------------------------------------------------------# # 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 info, see http://sidc.oma.be (via Jim Moats, OH, DXLD) ###