DX LISTENING DIGEST 4-090, June 8, 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 RADIO 1232: Wed 0930 on WWCR 9475 Mon 0330 on WSUI 910, http://wsui.uiowa.edu WRN ONDEMAND: http://new.wrn.org/listeners/stations/station.php?StationID=24 OUR ONDEMAND AUDIO [also for CONTINENT OF MEDIA, MUNDO RADIAL]: Check http://www.worldofradio.com/audiomid.html WORLD OF RADIO 1232 (high version): (stream) http://www.w4uvh.net/wor1232h.ram (download) http://www.w4uvh.net/wor1232h.rm (summary) http://www.worldofradio.com/wor1232.html WORLD OF RADIO 1232 (low version): (stream) http://www.w4uvh.net/wor1232.ram (download) http://www.w4uvh.net/wor1232.rm WORLD OF RADIO 1232 in MP3, the true shortwave sound of 7415: (stream) http://www.piratearchive.com/media/worldofradio_06-02-04.m3u (d`load) http://www.piratearchive.com/media/worldofradio_06-02-04.mp3 FIRST AIRINGS OF WORLD OF RADIO 1233: Wed 2200 on WBCQ 7415, 17495-CUSB Thu 2030 on WWCR 15825 ON DEMAND: change 1232 above to 1233 from early UT Thursday ** AFGHANISTAN. UNIVERSITY CLOSES DOWN STUDENT RADIO | Text of report by Afghan news agency Herat News Centre Herat, 5 June: Recently the dean of Herat University issued some instructions which have put a stop to the programmes of Sada-e Jawan radio, a scientific and education station at Herat University that was opened 20 days ago. This radio started broadcasting after Herat governor Alhaj Esmail Khan attended its opening ceremony on 27 Sawr [16 May] and delivered a speech, part of which was also broadcast by the station. Right now, some 30 male and female students of the journalism department are working for this station. To get more information on this report, a Herat News Centre correspondent conducted interviews with a number of students. One of the officials of Sada-e Jawan radio, who did not want his name to be revealed, said: "During a meeting with the dean of Herat University on Thursday [3 June], the director, adviser and the official in charge of broadcasting of Sada-e Jawan radio were asked to separate the studios of the female and male students. In addition, they made new resolutions on the station's policy." Guillermo Gaya, an international trainer, said: "It runs completely counter to the policy of the Sayara organization if female and male students prepare their programmes separately. As a trainer, I know this is not in line with modern journalistic principles. This is a training station for the students and both female and male students should take part in recording and broadcasting the programmes." He went on to say: "I have not discussed this issue with the officials of the Sayara organization, for we will hold a meeting with Herat governor Esmail Khan and the relevant officials on the subject in the near future. If they do not agree with our policy, the Sayara organization will possibly close its representative office." A student who works as a reporter for the radio said: "Herat University recently announced that female and male students are not allowed to work together and prepare programmes in the same studio according to its policy. This is unbelievable, for the station opened 20 days ago. Respecting all religious and moral principles, a female and a male student prepare news and other programmes every day. Now the university officials claim that this is against their policy. This is proof of their weak performance. In my opinion, they have been ordered by high-ranking officials not to allow the female and male students to work in the same studio together." A number of officials and students who work for Sada-e Jawan radio complained and said this was disrespect for their chastity, morals and social prestige. They are asking why, when the government is claiming to establish a civic society and respect democracy and as the people's representatives have approved a law according to which both men and women have equal rights, they are violating the law they have approved. Another key official of Sada-e Jawan radio said: "Since this station is a training station for the students of the journalism department, and both male and female students are being trained, it is not a problem if they record their programmes separately. However, the officials should not have left it 20 days to announce it. It implies that we have committed some immoral act. Therefore, the students are dissatisfied with it and the female students have even complained about it, stating that they would not work until this problem is solved. Talking to the personnel of Sada-e Jawan radio, Abdorraof Mokhles, the dean of Herat University, has said that it is against Islamic principles as well as the policy of Herat University if female and male students work beside each other and in the same studio, the report adds. Source: Herat News Centre, Herat, in Dari 0001 gmt 5 Jun 04 (via BBCM via DXLD) ** ARMENIA [and non]. On May 5th I heard Radio "Mir" (=Peace) in Russian with news from "Sadruzhestva" (Commonwealth) starting at 1809 and ending at 1824 UT on 4810, 1395 (better here on weekend when TWR ALB is at 1815 with carrier) and some days from 1822 also on 9960 kHz. Also 1750-1809 and late 1824 is the Home Service some evenings also in \\ with LW 234 kHz (Rumen Pankov-BUL, BC-DX June 3 via BC-DX #672) The "Radio Mir" transmissions are part of the home service of Armenian Public Radio. "Radio Mir" is a newsblock in Russian produced by the interstate broadcasting company MTRK "Mir" http://www.mirtv.ru This broadcasting company, with headquarters in Moscow, is financed by memberstates of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS). The newsblocks are carried via domestic channels in some of the CIS memberstates: in Russia via Radio Mayak, in Armenia via national public radio, in Azerbaijan/Georgia and Kazakhstan/Kyrgyzstan via state radio, in Belarus Radio Mir has its own FM frequency in Minsk (Bernd Trutenau, Lithuania, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** AZORES. 1503: During a stay in the Azores in March I did not hear AFRTS on 1503, so this station may be inactive on mediumwave (Dan Olsson, ARC Information Desk 17 May via Olle Alm, DXLD) ** BOLIVIA. R. Santa Cruz, 6134.8, May 31 0857-0915+ Spanish pops, local pops, 0903 ID, Very good signal (Brian Alexander, Mechanicsburg PA, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** BRAZIL. Radio Trans Mundial (TWR)/Brasilien prueft naechste Woche den neuer 50 kW Sender durch 11735 kHz (25 mb) laut: Montag 07.Juni - 1200-1400 und 1700-1900 UTC Dienstag 08.Juni - 1300-1500 und 1800-2000 UTC Mittwoch 09.Juni - 1200-1400 und 1700-1900 UTC Donnerstag 10.Juni - 1300-1500 und 1800-2000 UTC Freitag 11.Juni - 1200-1400 und 1700-1900 UTC Samstag 12.Juni - 1300-1500 und 1800-2000 UTC Sonntag 13.Juni - 1200-1400 und 1700-1900 UTC Der Sender ist in Santa Maria, Rio Grande do Sul (Sued-Brasilien) installiert, und Empfangs-Berichte werden erwartet und durch eine Sonder QSL-Karte bestaetigt. E-mail: rtm@t... oder estudio@t... [truncateds] Adresse: Radio Transmundial, Departamento Técnico, Caixa Postal 18300, 04626-970 São Paulo-SP, BRASIL (Rudolf Grimm-Brazil, A-DX June 3 via BC-DX via DXLD) ** CHINA. CRI is heard on 15440 as reported plus many other new channels. I note the reports about 17490 being on air with repeated hour long programmes between 0800 and 1800. It's heard at good strength here currently and probably originates from either URU or KAS. Presumably it is the start of their day long broadcasts, the frequencies of which we saw registered some time ago. At one time it was Radio Moscow all over the dial - now it is getting to be CRI/CNR plus Firedrake! The government coffers must be overflowing with spare cash to pay for all of this. And have they converted their power stations to burn oil to provide the electricity to power them, resulting in the current 'shortage' and high prices. Obviously they still think SW is worthwhile, contrary to 'western' thinking (Noel R. Green-UK, BC-DX May 28 via DXLD) ** CHINA. CRI English proliferation, updated monitoring --- The list below has been updated as of June 7. Hello all, It seems CRI English is popping up on all kinds of new frequencies. Here are those noted so far (including already known ones): 17650 and 17490 sign on at 0357 and continue until 1700 s/off From the same site: 11940 1600-2100 13640 1500-1700 13830 1700-1900 Other frequencies: 0900-1100 15210, 17690 (to 1200? - my notes are unclear) 1200-1700 9795 strong signal 1200-1300 15415, 11760, 11980 1300-1400 11760, 11980, 11900, 11810 1400-1500 9610. Another programme on 11765, 11675, 9560, 7405 1500-1600 9785, 9610 1600-1700 13730, 11900, 11670, 9570, 9440 1700-1800 15150, 13730, 11670 1700-1800 regional service: 9570, 11900 1800-1900 15150, 11670 1900-2000 12015, 9440, 9585, 7295 + not noted on Sat: 13760, 9430 2000-2100 13760, 12015, 11790, 9600, 9440, 9430, 7295 2100-2200 11790, 9600, 9430, 7190, 1440 2200-2300 11790, 9600, 9430 (1440 separate service) 15150 signed on around 1657 and then carried the firedrake music until 1700. The firedrake music was synchronous with a jammer on 11950. There is a chance that this could be from the Dongfang site, which so far seems to have served mostly as a jamming outlet. 73s (Olle Alm, Sweden, June 7, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** CHINA. Additional freqs for China Radio International in English: 0400-1657 on 17490#; 0400-1657 on 17650*; 1530-1557 on 11520 (44433) # co-ch 0900-0930 Radio Ezra in English on Sun June 6 * co-ch 0800-1000 NHK in Japanese; 1200-1300 DW in French; 1500-1657 WHRA English (Observer, Bulgaria, June 8 via DXLD) ** CUBA. Just a casual observation on Cuban MW groundwave. My friend and DXLD contributor Mike Cooper and I were in the Tampa Bay area on June 5. On the stock rental car radio (GM), we were amazed by the strength of the Cubans on 640 and 1180. Both were almost local-like at times at high noon. My ear, and years of DX'ing tell me 1180 and perhaps 640 are running more than 50 kilowatts. Huge signals, no sign on Martí on 1180 with their directional antenna, and Wildwood, FL on 640 nowhere to be found with the Cuban so dominant. Other daytime Cubans heard on 590, 670, 710, 880, 890, and 950. Again, this was not on DX equipment, but on an auto radio with poor selectivity, and average sensitivity. I grew up in Florida in the 60's and 70's and am used to Cuban groundwave signals. I must say, these two, on 640, and 1180 matched or surpassed anything I heard back then, including the often reported (back then) 100 kW stations on 590 and 600 (Brock Whaley, June 6, DX LISTENING DIGEST) At 0130 UT June 8, RHC in English on 6.0 MHz, but the usual Radio Progreso medium wave outlets on 880, 890, and the huge signal on 640 are absent. Regulars on 710, 1180, are being heard. Of course, the latter are Rebelde outlets, not Progreso. It does not rule out ionospheric conditions as a factor, but 640 is usually well over local WGST by this time, and their isn't a sign of them, even in the WGST null. Update: Radio Progresso now heard (0230 UT) on 880 and 890. 640 is still absent. UnID English on 640 under WGST but severe lightning crashes from local storm making an ID difficult (Brock Whaley, GA, UT June 8, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** CUBA. FIRE FORCES THREE CUBAN RADIO STATIONS OFF AIR HAVANA (AP) -- An electrical fire raced through an old five-story building housing three major state-run radio stations, forcing all off the air as firefighters with long ladders evacuated scores of workers. There were no deaths or serious injuries, but several people were treated for scrapes and smoke inhalation. It was unclear when the radio stations would be able to broadcast again. The building was still standing after the flames were doused, but the extent of the fire and smoke damage inside was unknown. Fire Department Col. Mario Álvarez declared the cause of the 9 a.m. blaze to be electrical. Other officials said that a short circuit apparently sparked an oil leak when workers were performing maintenance on an air conditioning system. The stations forced off the air were Radio Habana Cuba Internacional [sic], which transmits worldwide in several languages through shortwave; the national station Radio Progreso; and Radio C.O.C.O., a local station popular for its music and national sports coverage (APws 05/27 1351 via Mike Cooper, DXLD) ** CUBA. Mornings I have been checking the four RHC freqs used for English until 0700: 11760 9820 9655 & 9550. They are on most mornings with 9820 giving best reception here. 11760 is interesting - it has one of the "mystery" ditters" on LSB and some noise which sounds like a FAX? on the USB. It's on air every morning, and I have heard a CW signal interrupt the ditter from time to time. Too quick for me to read. Perhaps it's one of the Russian Air Force senders reported to do this? And on 9331 there was again a numbers station at around 0630. It is using SSB I think, but audible on both USB & LSB. The transmitter is very buzzy and distorted and I am still not 100% sure of the language, but I think Spanish. I hear 'ocho' and one or two other Spanish sounding numbers, but most is very difficult to read, despite a fairly strong signal. I would guess location is somewhere South-West of me over the Pond (Noel R. Green, UK, May 19, BC-DX June 7 via DXLD) ** CUBA [and non]. DX FLAMINGO FL MAY 24 --- I went to Flamingo FL (end of Everglades Park) today to see what I could pull in, hoping I'd get some skip on ch 2 (I've seen enough on 3). NO e-skip at all, 4 hours; however, decent tropo. Cuba in color in bits on 9 & 13, even on 5 for a short time Cuba SS audio u/ WPBT 2 Cuba audio on 3 Color bars u/ WFOR 4 Cuba Canal Educativo on ch 18 --- assumed TV Marti on 18 in bits (CCI on 18...go figure!) Cuban FM on 90.3 & 96.7, very poor tho' and a surprise to me, Power 104.5 Nassau Bahamas, a 5 kW FM at about 250 mi or so! I don't try for it at home due to (another) FM pirate... (Christopher S. Dunne, WTFDA via DXLD) Christopher S. Dunne's recent photo of "Canal Educativo 2" on channel 15 is here: http://nladxer.tripod.com/dunne3.html (Danny (Shreveport, LA) Oglethorpe, June 7, ibid.) {more Cuban monitoring, from Key West: 4-097} ** DENMARK. World Music Radio, 5815, May 28 0215-0315+, US/Euro-pops, ``WMR`` IDs, E-mail address. Multi-lingual announcements. Fair, but totally covered by unID QRM at 0230-0241. Fairly good signal again at 0241 when QRM went away. A regular lately, also heard on May 29, 30, 31 around this same time period (Brian Alexander, Mechanicsburg PA, DX LISTENING DIGEST) 15810 audible at 2214 UT June 7, pop music, weak, presumed (Chris Hambly, Victoria, DX LISTENING DIGEST) WORLD MUSIC RADIO ANTENNA CHANGES: REPORTS WANTED Stig Hartvig Nielsen of World Music Radio in Denmark writes: "Our two dipoles for 5815 and 15810 kHz are not very far apart from each other and we have had a feeling that the radiation from both aerials were affected. This morning (Monday 7th) we have changed the direction of our dipole for 15810 kHz and hopefully reception has improved on this frequency in the prime coverage area (which is + 1,000 km from Denmark). "The change might also have improved reception during the hours of darkness on 5815 kHz - again in areas approx. +1,000 km from Denmark. We don't expect daytime coverage to be affected. We kindly invite monitoring observations by e-mail to this address: wmr @ wmr.dk from listeners who can compare reception now with reception as it used to be. World Music Radio http://www.wmr.dk # posted by Andy @ 15:37 UT June 7 (Media Network blog via DXLD) ** EQUATORIAL GUINEA. 6249.4, RN-Malabo, 2207-2228*, June 7, Spanish/ English, Afropops at tune-in, English pops, "More than Words" by Extreme with OM talk over in Spanish, passing mentions of Malabo and Radio Nacional. New song at 2227, abruptly cut-off at 2228 with no sign-off ID or announcement. Fair at tune-in though weak announcer audio. Very pleased to log this one again, first time in almost 2 years! (Scott R. Barbour, Jr., Intervale, NH, R75, MLB-1, RS longwire with RBA balun, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** ETHIOPIA. 7110, R. Ethiopia, domestic service, heard several times lately while checking for Belarus`, best on Jun 2 at 0259+, opening with xylophone-like IS. Nice IDs by man at 0300, then three gongs and into muffled talk by lady, probably news. A little talk and music after that, then at 0311 lengthy conversation among several speakers with occasional music bridges. Vocalizing at 0330, by which time the adjacent channel QRM was pretty bad (a problem throughout). Not as good subsequent nights, and // 9704+ always very weak when I have checked (Jerry Berg, MA, NASWA Flashsheet via DXLD) ** EUROPE. Pirate: CWR --- Crazy Wave Radio, 6305.07v, May 30 0155- 0330+, ``CWR`` IDs, pop music, address in Germany, e-mail address; weak (Brian Alexander, Mechanicsburg PA, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** FINLAND. (Aland). 603, "Radio Scandinavia 603 AM": According to the licence issued by the Aland local government, the station is required to broadcast in Swedish, not in Finnish. This means that the number of listeners in mainland Finland can be expected to be very small, affecting the economy of the station negatively (comment by Jorma Mäntylä to Bengt Ericson, ARC Information Desk 17 May via Olle Alm, DXLD) ** GERMANY. Deutsche Welle frequency change ---------------------------------- Deutsche Welle in Hindi at 1515-1559 has moved to 6180 kHz (ex-6170) to avoid AIR on 6165 kHz effective June 5th. Other channels are 7225 and 17595 (dxasia website via Alokesh Gupta, New Delhi, India, DXLD) ** GUATEMALA. R. Verdad, Chiquimula, 4052.47 reactivated, May 29 0120- 0200+, presumed, with religious music. Very poor, weak in noisy conditions, too weak to pull out any kind of program details. Also heard May 30 and 31 with very weak signal (Brian Alexander, Mechanicsburg PA, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** GUATEMALA. Christopher S. Dunne's TGV-3 Guatemala photos from Friday can be seen here: http://nladxer.tripod.com/dunne4.html (Danny Oglethorpe, Shreveport, LA, May 24, WTFDA via DXLD) ** ICELAND. Following Anker Petersen's query, I could observe RUV on: 13865 kHz to Eur, 20 MAY /1755-1825*; fair-good, no QRM, some QSB. 13865 kHz to NAm, 20 MAY 2301-..., some classical mx; 25443 15775 kHz to NAm, 20 MAY /1835-..., news; 35444. The 1410-1440 broadcast to NAm on 15775 observation on 20 MAY was in vain, with some unID religious station on 15775 airing 15 minute programs in various languages until sign-off 1529 and a DRM signal on 15780 kHz causing too much splatter at times (Carlos Gonçalves, Portugal, BC-DX May 31 via DXLD) ** INDIA. 5010, AIR Thiruvananthapuram, *0018-0050, June 8, Vernacular/English, Logged second night in a row with IS, NA and OM with ID, talks with weak audio. ID at 0025, different OM with talks, original OM at 0030 with musical bits. YL at 0035 in English, "This is All India Radio, the news read by (announcer`s name)", Same YL with news re Nationall Democratic Alliance meeting in Delhi, finalized budget, UN delegation and celestial event re Venus transiting the Sun. Back to OM at 0040 with much improved audio with continuous music and talks between selections until tune-out. Fair/good signal with still no sign of R. Cristal/Pueblo, Dominican Republic. Get it while you can! (Scott R. Barbour, Jr., Intervale, NH, R75, MLB-1, RS longwire with RBA balun, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** INTERNATIONAL WATERS [non]. Re FriendShipRadio, hoax or not? Dear Glenn, We have been on as scheduled and have been heard only by few fellows in Southern Europe until now! I do not know why they have not logged us? Anyway we are very disappointed to all these rumours going on... We have had few tests until this day on 16 mb 17460, 17465 and 17475 kHz, but we shall move next to 19 mb, using few frequencies somewhere around 15 MHz, 15.7 up to 15.85 MHz. If this band will not work, we might move to more lower bands then. I wish we have our antenna (for 15.8 MHz) ready this week, so we should have tests starting there next weekend (Maynard Wesley, Manager, Friendshipradio, June 8, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Maynard, I don`t expect you to tell us where you really are transmitting from, but much of the problem is that you claim to be at sea, which it appears no one in Europe really believes. What do you say about this? If you would operate on a specific frequency at a specific time notified in advance, no doubt more people would hear you (Glenn to Maynard, via DXLD) Glenn, we are on next weekend on 22 mb, 13.865 MHz, Friday-evening 17- 21 GMT, Saturday and Sunday as well (same time). From land or from our good Ship MV Sheena. That's the question. Anyway, tune your receiver to our frequencies and enjoy good "Friendship music" we have. Address for verifications will be announced in our programmes (It's up to you to publish this or not, but the truth is we will be there!) (Maynard Wesley, Manager, Friendshipradio, friendshipradio @ hotmail.com June 8, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** INTERNATIONAL WATERS [and non]. Hi, I work on ms "Endeavour"/C6BE4, a small passenger ship (max 120 pax) owned by Lindlblad Expeditions New York. For the last six summer seasons I have worked as Radio Officer onboard operating in the Antarctic area (Ushuaia-Falkland Island-S. Georgia-Antarctic peninsula). There are about 25 other passenger ships trafficking this area as well. We are operating on two frequencies in the 6-MHz band. 6310 kHz for HF-Tlx [?] and 6224 kHz SSB for intership communications. The HF- Tlx fq is used 24 hours; the SSB fq we have sched at 1930 Ushuaia time [2230 or 2330 UT?]. The last season (2003-2004) there was a BC station transmitting on 6225 which caused a lot of interference on 6224 kHz. The station interfering came from Deutsche Welle. I contacted DW and they informed that they were not transmitting on this frequency but it was a Russian transmitter retransmitting their transmission. As you probably know the band is exclusive for marine operation. By now you probably wonder why I write to you about this. Well, in your MT magazine No. 2 Feb-2004 page 17 you have a frequency table of Russian stations. One can read: C1 6235 kHz 200 kW 1800-2100 Krasnyy Bor, E R. Studio. This is an illegal transmission according to ITU. 6200-6525 range is only for marine operations. I will be happy to hear you comments on this. Best Regards, (Sven Thorell, Bastad, Sweden, June 8, via Rachel Baughn, MONITORING TIMES, DX LISTENING DIGEST) As if DW had nothing to do with the relay via Russia, pass the buck! The A-04 DW schedule does not show 6225 in use currently, and I do not have the B-03 handy; however, PWBR ``2004``, which displays outdated B-03 info, shows four different DW transmissions via Russian/CIS sites on 6225, Armavir, Irkutsk, Kazakstan [sic], N`sibirsk, three of them in the W season only, which means northern winter, which means B. At 2200-2400 there was a 500 kW German broadcast via Kaz to East Asia, which would propagate to the S. Atlantic. It is really inexcusable that any major broadcast station, let alone scads of pirates, operate above 6200; it`s just too tempting, adjacent to the 49 meter band. R. Gardarika on 6235 is unrelated to this DW problem on 6225, just another violation (Glenn Hauser, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** IRAN [non]. Radio Pedar in Persian ceased transmission via RMP 500 kW / 095 deg: 1730-1830 Mon-Fri on 15585 (Observer, Bulgaria, June 8 via DXLD) And replaced by anything??? ** ITALY [non?]. IRRS, 13840, May 23 0850-0900+, tune-in to English programming, 0900 quick ID and into English religious programming. Poor-weak (Brian Alexander, Mechanicsburg PA, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** LATVIA. EUROPEAN MUSIC RADIO --- THIS SUNDAY 13th JUNE 9290 KHZ 0800 TO 0900 UT, 1800 TO 1915 UT. GOOD LISTENING, 73s (TOM AND STAFF June 7, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** LIBERIA. ELWA, 4760, May 31 *0556-0605+ IS at sign-on, 0559 religious music, 0600 English religious programming. Poor, weak signal in noisy conditions (Brian Alexander, Mechanicsburg PA, DX LISTENING DIGEST) 4760, ELWA Radio, 2237-2301*, June 7, English, Religious program hosted by Charles White re Psalm 22. Contact info given tho unable to clearly copy. Announcer with weak audio with sign-off announcements, NA. Fair, best copy here in quite some time (Scott R. Barbour, Jr., Intervale, NH, R75, MLB-1, RS longwire with RBA balun, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** LIBYA [non]. V. of Africa, via France, 11635, May 31 2045-2045, 10- minute English news, ID, strong (Brian Alexander, Mechanicsburg PA, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** LUXEMBOURG. Radio Luxembourg "subversive" --- Excerpt from: The 60s - that was the decade that was GEORGE KEREVAN, The Scotsman, 7 June 2004 The cultural influences were new technologies and distribution mechanisms - television, plastics and transistor radios. Allied to this, the first wave of post-war affluence afforded young people the mobility and purchasing power to pursue their own paths. This was an audience remote from the Edwardians. It found Radio Luxembourg was more subversive than either the Home Service or Radio Free Europe. . . http://news.scotsman.com/opinion.cfm?id=645072004 (via Kim Elliott, DXLD) ** MEXICO. 9705, Radio México Internacional (presumed); 2220-2231+, 1- Jun; Spanish música romántica. No announcer. SIO=343- (Harold Frodge, 5525 Whitehall St., Midland MI 48642: Drake R8B + 85'/215' RW's, 125 ft. single loop, Cumbre DX via DXLD) Maybe *that* was the last log? I checked 9705 after 1200 UT June 7 and heard no trace of anything (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** MEXICO. ANTICIPATED NEW AM ACTIVITY IN TIJUANA --- A reliable Mexican source indicates that the new 920 kHz station near Tijuana (XESDD) is coming closer to signing on the air. The 780/920 kHz diplexer has arrived and is said to be ready to go. Unexplained "other issues" constitute the only hesitation in pushing the "Plate On" button (CGC Communicator via Dennis Gibson, June 7, NRC-AM via DXLD) ** MEXICO [and non]. KESO 92.7 now // XHAVO "Digital 101.5" Times CDT --- 5/26, 1730, 92.7, KESO, TX, South Padre Island; ex- alternative, now // XHAVO 101.5 [Rio Bravo, Reynosa (Tamaulipas)] Man DJ in Spanish, TC's, "Digital 101.5 y 92.7"; promo "Ahora en 92.7 por Condado Cameron" ID as "XHAVO, 101.5 con Cien mil watts de potencia, Reynosa, McAllen, Edinburg" Mexican pop-rock music, concert promo, ads (all in Spanish); 73, gud DX (Steve AB5GP Wiseblood, Boca Chica Beach, TX, May 26, http://www.stevenwiseblood.com/ May 26, WTFDA via DXLD) ** MEXICO [and non]. DIFFICULTY OF IDING MEXICO/LATIN AMERICAN TV These little lectures always make me sound like a mean-spirited fuss- pot who wants to hog all of the IDs for myself. I will gladly help anyone with IDs, but it is not usually possible to ID Mexican TV stations by seeing a mere logo. Southern DXers are well aware of this fact: Most of the time Mexico is in (and much of the time anything from Latin America is in) *local* transmitter IDs won't come easy. Most IDs are for networks, not for the TV stations relaying the the networks. First off, Televisa in Mexico (the company with the orange *eye* logo) is the world's largest producer of Spanish TV programs. They make soap operas, sitcoms, variety shows, newscasts, etc. Their shows run in most countries (if not all) where SS is spoken. Many of the shows on the US-based Univisión, Telemundo, Telefutura, and Galavisión are Televisa productions. Televisa puts a *program* logo lower right on many shows. Televisa networks Canal de las Estrellas (XEW), Canal Cinco (XHGC), and Galavisión (XEQ; not related to the US network), along with DF independent XHTV-4 (4TV), currently run a small superimposed logo upper right. Mexico's Azteca-7 and Azteca-13 networks run their network logos lower right, alternating at times with program logos. Azteca-7 is also currently using the Olympic rings lower right part of the time. TV Azteca also produces programs which are aired in other SS speaking countries. Local IDs on network relayers usually are in the form of *text* IDs (not logos) supered in a corner or across the top or bottom over network programs. Few relayers ever run anything local except occasional local ads. Very few independents operate in México on the low-band these days. XHFM-2 Veracruz now relays Galavisión, XHCH-2 Chihuahua now relays Azteca-13, XEDK-5 Guadalajara now relays Galavisión, and XEJ-5 Juárez is now a part-time Galavision relayer. The most common independents on channel 2 for DXers are XHY-2 Mérida (SIPSE and yellow-orange 2 logo), XEFE-2 Nuevo Laredo, XEFB-2 Monterrey (circle-2 logo with temp/time lower right), and XHI-2 Cd Obregón and Los Mochis. YSR-2 El Salvador is known as Tele2 and uses a new circle-2 logo similar to the ones used by WKRN-2 and WBAY-2. As for Cuba, remember that local programming is broadcast by some TeleReblde relayers during the late afternoon hours before Rebelde programming begins. The most common of these for me is *CHTV* from Havana on channel 2. TV in Cuba is particularly unusual and differs greatly from TV in most other Latin America countries. Don't expect local IDs to come easily from Latin America (especially from Mexico). Before I step down from my soapbox, here is something to think about. I don't know anything about TV operations in most Central America, Caribbean, and South America countries. I don't know if local ads are repeated throughout all parts of the country, or if local ads are inserted at individual transmitter sites. With that said, it might be impossible to ever receive any kind of local ID material from many of the stations. Therefore, I *would* definitely count the signals toward log totals. That is how I count most Cubans. I have one TV Rebelde logged on channel 5 and one on channel 4. I don't know *which* transmitters have been received, yet I'm positive that the network is TV Rebelde and that TV Rebelde is in the country of Cuba. With a communications receiver, frequencies can be divided by offsets, but I wouldn't depend on accurate offsets from some countries. I'm sure Bruce [Elving] wouldn't agree with me, but DXers have to make some compromises with TV DX from Latin America. Bill Hepburn has a good list of Latin America TV transmitters on his website. Steven Wiseblood has some good logo graphics on his website. Mexico TV ID tips and TV DX photographs: http://members.tripod.com/~nladxer/TMTVDXPindex.html (Danny (Shreveport, LA) Oglethorpe, May 25, WTFDA via DXLD) XHFM-2 Veracruz changes --- What I presume is XHFM-2 has been received twice lately. Rather than the usual Galavisión programming, with a few XHAI-9 Las Lajas promos and Veracruz ads, this station is relaying independent XHAI-9 full-time. Here is what to look for: Orange Televisa logo with "Televisa" written below it, and "VERACRUZ" in smaller letters below that. Animated promos that feature a TV set that first displays the swirling "9" XHAI logo, followed by a plain, slanted "2" logo. For years XHFM-2 was independent, running the same programs as XHAI but at different times. Each station had its own unique Televisa Veracruz logos/IDs back then. In 2001, XHFM became a difficult-to-ID Galavisión relayer. XHAI-9's logo and a link to their program schedule can be found here: http://geocities.com/doglethorpe/ver.html (Danny (Shreveport, LA) Oglethorpe, May 28, WTFDA via DXLD) By the early 1990s, many Mexican TV stations that had run those large, supered text IDs discontinued running IDs. Some examples are XEWO-2 Guadalajara, XEPM-2 Juárez, and XHFI-5 Chihuahua. The 1990s were the Dark Ages of TV IDs in Mexico. In 1999, Televisa and TV Azteca began bringing back the supered text ID. However, the new text IDs differ greatly from the text IDs of the past in two ways: (1) On the negative side, they are very small. (2) On the positive side, they contain location information. Two of the few stations on the low-band that still use the old style large calls are XHBS-4 Los Mochis/Cd Obregón and XELN-4 Torreón. Although I've been lucky with México TV IDs, I also put much effort into the process of receiving, recording, and deciphering those tiny IDs (Danny, Shreveport, LA, May 29, ibid.) NEW LATIN AMERICA TV PAGES Although I enjoy sharing DX information, that is not the only reason I build TV DX web pages. When my wife and I put together the first Mexico TV ID pages in 1998, *I* wanted an on-line list of Mexico TV stations that air local ID material. A major reason for building "The TV DX Exposition" was that *I* wanted an on-line TV DX photo album. It is my hope that at least a few DXers like my pages. For a long time I've wanted a list of low-band TV Es targets from Central America and the Caribbean area. I've wanted a list that contains station/network links (when available), station/network logos, and DXer-related information. Not much tropo, not much Es, and my son has been at Grandmother's, so here is the new site. It is not perfect, pretty, or fancy. It is not complete (and never will be), so I'll continue working on it as time permits and new information is found or contributed by DXers. Thanks to Christopher S. Dunne, Jesus Perez, Mike Bugaj, Jeff Kruszka, and Humberto Molina. http://www.geocities.com/doglethorpe/latinam.html (Danny (Shreveport, LA) Oglethorpe, LA, June 2, WTFDA via DXLD) ** MEXICO. Mexican DTV --- The SCT seems to have released a plan for the transition to digital TV in Mexico. Since I read Spanish at about the level of a four-year-old (grin) it will take me a while to absorb this. If someone else better at the language would like to take a look, the document is on http://www.sct.gob.mx/anteproyectos_telecom/proy_television_digital.pdf It mentions a DTV channel assignment table on the Internet somewhere but doesn't mention the URL (Doug Smith W9WI, Pleasant View (Nashville), TN EM66 http://www.w9wi.com May 26, WTFDA via DXLD) ** NETHERLANDS. Euro-Pirate, Alfa Lima International, 15069.56, May 23 0144-0150+, tune-in to English IDs, E-mail address, P-mail address. Techno-pop music. Weak but in the clear (Brian Alexander, Mechanicsburg PA, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** PAPUA NEW GUINEA. Catholic Radio Network - Here is the latest information about the new SW station at Vanimo, using 4960. The transmitter was commissioned on Friday night June 4 at 8.00 pm local time, 1000 UT, and was officially handed over to the Catholic Radio Network. It uses 1 kW, with a Polar POD330 delta antenna, high radiation angle, and carrying the PNG CRN Network program. The Catholic Diocese of Vanimo will be collecting local data concerning coverage into its primary broadcast service area in the week beginning June 7. The Catholic Radio Network will handle all requests for QSLs and information, which should be sent to Correspondence already received by the Engineering Construction Manager, Mr Wayne Wilson, of TE(PNG), in Port Moresby, have been forwarded to Fr Mlak. Reports of a technical nature from outside PNG, not requiring QSLs, are welcome, and may be sent direct to Wayne, at wwilson at tepng.com who will also send these on to Fr Mlak. Reception of CRN has already been reported from many countries, including Russia, Ukraine, Belgium, Canada, USA, Japan, China, Australia, and New Zealand. Capacity at CRN for managing overseas DX reports are extremely limited, and I have indicated that I would be able to provide some assistance in that process. I will be providing engineering consultancy to CRN on an ongoing basis on technical issues concerning frequency selection and usage. There is no official engineering based capability in PNG for technical monitoring of PNG broadcasts, due to funding constraints. Should a frequency change be required for operations in the 3200-3400 kHz band (90 mb), any such broadcasts will not use frequencies already authorised to the NBC Kundu services, even though some of those stations are presently inactive, operate irregularly, are old, and are subject to frequent breakdowns. There is detailed information about the development and operations of CRN at http://www.catholicpng.pg/ [unfound when I checked at 2223 UT June 6 --- gh] Please continue to send copies of QSL requests and general monitoring reports to me, bobpadula at engradio.org Good listening to CRN! (Bob Padula, Melbourne, Australia, June 7, DX LISTENING DIGEST) 4960, CRN, Vanimo, (tentative) very weak, man talking; songs, choruses. Is this the new one? 0855 June 6 (Steve Waldee, CA, logbook via DXLD) Heard on 4960 at 2000 UT June 6, ID as Voice of Hope (Chris Hambly, Victoria, DX LISTENING DIGEST) or just voice of hope? (gh, DXLD) 4960, Catholic R. Network (presumed), Forgot about this the first day (5th) it was on, and only had a het yesterday, but today 7 June was getting something tangible. Sounded like audio as early as 0830, and definitely there by 0845 with talk by M and music. Talk over ToH 0900. Very very slowly getting stronger. Music with W vocals over BoH at 0930, then more talk by M accompanied by W in what sounded like English, and soft music at 0953 over ToH 1000. More talk by M later. Almost copiable level and best during the 15 minutes right after sunrise. No sign of Federación Shuar. 73's (Dave Valko, PA, June 7, Cumbredx mailing list via DXLD) CRN Vanimo was in quite well this morning, and I was surprised to find threshold audio on the recording as early as 0730 UT (approx. 1 hour before Vanimo SS). Their signal rose slowly and steadily, peaking at my local SR (1215 UT). Radio Federación Shuar was a background pest from about 1000 to 1115, but CRN dominated. CRN was still in at a poor-fair level at 1400. Wayne Wilson of TE-PNG mentioned that on June 5th he adjusted the audio processor to sharpen up the modulation of the audio. I definitely think this has made an improvement. Propagation differences aside, the audio noted on my June 5-6-7 recordings is crisper than my June 4 recording, particularly noticeable when the signal is fading in at poor-fair level. I found the web site for the Australian firm that manufactures CRN's Polar POD330 Delta antenna, but there are no pictures or specifics about this model. However, there's an interesting "Interference Intermodulation Calculator" available for free download: http://www.polarelec.com.au/downloads.htm [see RADIO EQUIPMENT FORUM] (Guy Atkins, Puyallup, WA USA, June 7, Cumbredx mailing list via DXLD) 4960, Catholic Radio Network, 1130 June 6. Seems to come up OK by this time in Adelaide, last night with just music and hymns and no ID at 1200 TOH. Was quite strong 1600 UT the previous night as well (Richard Jary, SA, Cumbre DX via DXLD) Received in this morning's e-mail from Wayne Wilson for Catholic Radio Network: Thank you for your report. I have forwarded your email to Fr Mlak of the Catholic Radio Network of PNG for confirmation. I only represent the installation company but it is very interesting to hear of your reception of the station. Regards, Wayne Wilson (via Edward Kusalik, AB, June 7, Cumbredx mailing list via DXLD) ** PAPUA NEW GUINEA. PNG NATIONAL BROADCASTER CLAMPS DOWN ON DRINK, SEXUAL HARASSMENT | Text of report by Papua New Guinea newspaper The National web site on 7 June The National Broadcasting Corporation (NBC) has clamped down on drinking during working hours and sexual harassment of co-workers at its headquarters in Port Moresby. The clampdown is part of the new NBC board's drive to make the public broadcaster a more productive and effective organization. NBC managing director Dr Kristoffa Ninkama said that alcohol consumption in the offices has become an acceptable way of life here at the NBC. "Gross misuse[s] [of] motor vehicles were rampant. Sexual harassments and intimidations were also a part of the norm at the NBC," Dr Ninkama said. "Staff members practically adopted a 'don't care' attitude, due in most part to a lack of decisive leadership and vision on the part of the management." Dr Ninkama said morale had dropped to at an all-time low and staff discipline was virtually non-existent. He also said frequent overseas trips were taken with NBC incurring enormous bills, with no direct benefit to the organization or the country. He pointed out contracts were randomly awarded to people and organizations verbally without observing due process as prescribed by the Public Finances Management Act. Another major problem was that NBC's finances were not audited since 1996. Dr Ninkama said business houses disassociated themselves from NBC and its relationship with professional organizations nationally and internationally were severed. He said these were some of the problems encountered at the NBC when the new board and management came into effective about four years ago. But these have changed and the radio network is on the road to recovery, Dr Ninkama said. Source: The National web site, Port Moresby, in English 7 Jun 04 (via BBCM via DXLD) PAPUA NEW GUINEA CENTRAL BROADCASTER RESUMING CONTROL OF LOCAL RADIOS | Text of report by Papua New Guinea newspaper The National web site on 7 June, by Kevin Pamba The National Broadcasting Corporation (NBC) is taking back control of the 19 provincial "Kundu" radio stations. This, according to the managing director, Dr Kristoffa Ninkama, is to save the provincial network from total collapse. Dr Ninkama said the board's decision "will effectively bring back the provincial radio stations to the headquarters and solve the current problems faced by provincial radios". The functions of provincial radio stations were transferred to provincial governments under the provincial reforms that came into effect in mid-1995. The NBC headquarters only catered for staff salaries, broadcast line rentals and technical issues. Dr Ninkama said this arrangement was followed by a corresponding reduction in annual budgetary allocations. "The idea was noble, however due to political lack of foresight, compounded by lack of adequate funding, provincial radio stations are encountering disruptions to their regular programmes broadcast, sometimes lasting months to years," he said. Dr Ninkama said this was part of the problems at the national broadcaster that the present board was tackling since assuming office. Among the changes include: - replacement of outdated analogue equipment with the digitized equipment through donor assistance; - exchange of programme and staff members between NBC and Radio Australia; - computerizing the national newsroom with regular upgrades; - cutting down on cost, paying off debts and rationalization in staff strength; - clamping down on abuse of positions and facilities and instilling a new corporate work ethos based on increased performance and professional discipline. Source: The National web site, Port Moresby, in English 7 Jun 04 (via BBCM via DXLD) ** PERU. R. Unión, 6114.86, May 31 0745-0900+ Spanish announcements, IDs, LA music, Spanish pops, sound effects, ads, some brief OA flute music. Fair-good, clean, stable signal for a change (Brian Alexander, Mechanicsburg PA, DX LISTENING DIGEST) 6114.85, Radio Unión at 0700 6 June in Spanish with several clear IDs. Weak signal (Liz Cameron, MI, Cumbre DX via DXLD) ** POLAND. The last Polish FM transmitter in the OIRT band was shut down on May 31 at 1600 UT, four years later than planned. This was 68.03 from Losice near Siedlce (no longer shown in WRTH 2004; past editions gave a wholesale 39 kW as ERP for this site), carrying Polskie Radio's Radio Dla Ciebie, responsible for the area after an administrational reshuffling. Radio Dla Ciebie had to rely on the old OIRT band frequency because Radio Lublin was not willing to leave 103.4 because this would have caused coverage problems within their (relocated) service area. This problem was finally solved by a new transmitter for Radio Lublin at Biala Podlaska (93.1), allowing Radio Dla Ciebie to take over 103.4. The change was not announced at all, away from a tape loop aired on 68.03 during it's very last day from around midnight LT (2200 UT). (Marek Schirmer via http://www.ukwtv.de/radio/index.html ) {non} And to mention on this occasion: On May 4 a Polish station was aired by an FM transmitter in Germany for the very first time (at least as far as I know!). This day all transmitters on the Dresden- Wachwitz TV tower were switched off for maintenance for hours, leaving Dresden without any German FM stations with only BBC/RFI from Dresden- Gompitz and the Czech Buková hora frequencies left. This also affected the Dresden 103 Punkt 5 station, broadcasting on 103.5 (hence the name) but also using a transmitter at Freital on 107.0 (see WRTH 2004 page 217/218). The Freital transmitter is fed by means of Ballempfang, Polskie Radio Wroclaw has a 60 kW outlet at Walcz, a site known for reaching far into Germany, on 103.6 Regards, (Kai Ludwig, Germany, June 6, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** RUSSIA. 6245, R. Gardarika, full/data (for receptions of both 26 and 27 December) "St. Petersburg, view of the Palace Bridge and the Peter and Paul Fortress" painting card and 2004 Russian calendar in exactly 1 month for $2 and CD. V/s looks like Paul Vinel (Engineer of Technical Service by Dom Radio Gardarika). Card says "Now regular shortwave broadcasting using a 200 kW transmitter in the 49 meterband temporarily is closed". 73's (Dave Valko, PA, Cumbre DX via DXLD) See also INTERNATIONAL WATERS! ** RUSSIA. Additional frequency for Voice of Russia in French effective from June 6: 1700-2000 on 13825 (55544) (Observer, Bulgaria, June 8 via DXLD) ** RUSSIA. New Russian DX handbook "Radio broadcasting in Russian language", 8th edition. This 84-page Russian language handbook contains summer (A-04 season) schedules for more than 70 SW and MW stations broadcasting in Russian. There is following information about each station: - complete freq schedule including tx location and azimuth; - programme guide for every day of the week; - postal, e-mail and Internet addresses; - phone and fax number of Russian sce; - description of some interesting station's programmes; - brief history of station and Russian lang broadcasting in the country; - verification data and how to get QSL from the station. In supplement section there are: - information about some Internet-only International broadcasting stations; - list of Russian DX-clubs and publications; - hour-by-hour freq schedule of all stations; - article about DRM broadcasting; - index of lang teaching, DX and post-box programmes; - geographical coordinates of tx sites. Price, including postage, is 5 EUR or 6 USD. Money could be sent to postal address: Igor Yaremenko, P.O.Box 73, Novosibirsk-105, 630105 Russia. If you can to use WebMoney Transfer http://www.wmtransfer.com then 6 WMZ could be sent to account Z530547520632. Also you can to use Paymer http://www.paymer.com Please send your orders to e-mail dxbook@n... or to postal address (please see above). [all e-mail addresses truncated by yahoogroups] PDF ready for print version of the handbook is also available for 1.5 WMZ (=1.5 USD) to the same WM account. File of 2.5 MB size will be sent to your e-mail address. More information on site in Russian http://www.dxbook.da.ru Old issues of the handbook are available for free download on http://www.radio.hobby.ru/download.html This book was prepared by Russian DXers Alexander Beryozkin (St. Petersburg), Alexander Dementiev (Moscow region), Konstantin Gusev (Moscow) and Igor Yaremenko (Novosibirsk). Great thanks to many monitors and contributors who help with information and observations (Igor Yaremenko, Novosibirsk-RUS, dxer@y... BC-DX Jun 5 via DXLD) ** SOUTH CAROLINA [non]. GERMANY: Brother Stair /TOM/ changes via DTK T-systems: 0300-0400 on 9490 JUL 100 kW / 060 deg to EaEu new txion 0300-0400 on 9850 JUL 100 kW / 115 deg to ME new txion 0300-0400 on 11645 JUL 100 kW / 230 deg to NZ new txion 0300-0400 on 13635 JUL 100 kW / 145 deg to EaAf new txion 0300-0400 on 13770 JUL 100 kW / 100 deg to ME new txion 0300-0400 on 13810 JUL 100 kW / 075 deg to NoWeCHN new txion 0300-0400 on 15695 JUL 100 kW / 030 deg to EaRUS new txion 0300-0400 on 15715 JUL 100 kW / 090 deg to SoEaAs new txion 1200-1300 on 6110 JUL 100 kW / non-dir to WeEu 2nd Sunday 1400-1500 on 17550 JUL 100 kW / 090 deg to SoAs cancelled 1600-1900 on 17550 JUL 100 kW / 300 deg to NoAm new txion 2000-2100 on 9755 JUL 100 kW / 160 deg to SoAf cancelled 2200-2300 on 6045 JUL 100 KW / non-dir to NoWeEu cancelled 2200-2300 on 6055 JUL 100 kW / 155 deg to CeSoAf cancelled 2200-2300 on 9480 JUL 100 kW / 220 deg to SoAmSo cancelled 2200-2300 on 9490 JUL 100 kW / 190 deg to NoWeAf cancelled 2200-2300 on 9615 JUL 100 kW / 115 deg to ME cancelled 2200-2300 on 9695 JUL 100 kW / 080 deg to SoEaAs cancelled 2200-2300 on 9730 JUL 100 kW / 075 deg to WeCHN cancelled 2200-2300 on 9745 JUL 100 kW / 190 deg to WeAf cancelled 2200-2300 on 11600 WER 125 kW / 050 deg to CHN/MNG cancelled 2200-2300 on 11935 JUL 100 kW / 030 deg to NoEaAs cancelled 2200-2300 on 11950 JUL 100 kW / 265 deg to SoAmNo cancelled 2200-2300 on 12020 JUL 100 kW / 280 deg to CeAM cancelled (Observer, Bulgaria, June 8 via DXLD) ** SUDAN [non]. Additional transmission for Sudan Radio Service: 0500-0600 Mon-Fri on 15325 (55544) via WOF 300 kW / 128 deg (Observer, Bulgaria, June 8 via DXLD) ** U K. Additional unregistered frequency for BBC African Service in English to W/CAf: 1800-2000 on 17795 (55544) (Observer, Bulgaria, June 8 via DXLD) ** U K [non]. 17490, RUSSIA, R. Ezra via Krasnodar, 0858-0912, June 6, English, Test tones until 0900 sign-on then OM with ID, and tentative mention of "Life of Israel radio broadcast" followed by Vernacular chanting. Talks re studio in UK, station info, Hebrew Scriptures and Karaism; format similar to previous series via Lithuania. Poor reception with deep fades and co-channel CRI, China underneath. Unusable by tune-out. Conditions were below par across the bands this AM (Scott R Barbour Jr., Intervale, NH, R75, MLB-1, RS longwire w/ RBA balun, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** UNITED NATIONS [non]. NACIONES UNIDAS: La Radio de las Naciones Unidas posee este completo esquema, de Lunes a Viernes, valido desde el 28/03/2004 al 30/10/2004: HORA UTC IDIOMA KHZ 1700-1715 Frances M-7150, S-17720, M-21535 1730-1745 Ingles M-7150, S-15495, A-17810 1830-1845 Arabe R-15585, S-17560 Centros emisores: (A) Ascension (M) Meyerton, Sudafrica (R) Rampisham UK (S) Skelton UK QTH: Radio Naciones Unidas, Radio and Visual Services Division, Room S-850, New York, NY 10017, USA. E-mail: unradio@u... [truncated] Web: http://www.un.org/av/radio (Marcelo A. Cornachioni, Argentina, Conexión Digital via DXLD) ** U S A. VOA Hindi frequency change ------------------------------ Effective 6th June VOA in Hindi is using 15265 kHz instead of 9440 kHz for Hindi at 1600-1700 to avoid co- channel interference from China. Parallel frequencies 7260 and 12155 kHz are unchanged. (Source : dxasia website via Alokesh Gupta, New Delhi, India, DXLD) ** U S A. Frequency changes for VOA: 1600-1700 Hindi NF 12155, NF 15265*, ex 12115 and 9440 \\ 7260 1700-1800 Urdu NF 12155, ex 12115 \\ 11905 and 15545 Radio Aap ki Dunyaa * co-ch 1600-1630 Universal Life in English on Sunday only (Observer, Bulgaria, June 8 via DXLD) Sites? Surely not USA ** U S A. WHRI --- 15665 heard 2045-2105 35333. Religious popmusic program 'Studio B' At 2100 announced to be broadcasting via WSHB. Followed a program by LeSea BC (Silvain Domen, Antwerpen, Belgium, June 6, DX LISTENING DIGEST) I decided to monitor 7535, UT June 7 at 0258. At first there was dead air, then what sounded like a bit of Bill Lauterbach off-mike, then closing address for the notorious Herald of Truth program, Kingdom Identity Ministries, in Arkansas. World Harvest Radio announcement that they were on 7535, ceasing broadcasting at a certain azimuth I didn`t catch and in a few minutes would start using 42 degrees to eastern Canada and Europe. More dead air, full rendition of `OCS`, another WHR announcement, into IRN news. But there was never any legal ID for WSHB --- or for WHRI, as we used to hear. Then checked 7315 and it was parallel and synchronized, tho much poorer signal. When I first heard 7535 I suspected it was an off-air shortwave relay of an AM rather than SSB feed, something we never hear any more, the tipoff to which is relayed selective fading when the ultimate signal itself is not fading (or not fading the same way). It seems to me 42 degrees to eastern Canada fits for Noblesville but not for Cypress Creek. We need to recheck the azimuths available from these two sites. I am wondering whether in this transitional period, some of the `WHRI` transmission still come from IN, some not, perhaps varying day to day? Nothing heard on 13760 (an old WHRI channel) Tuesday morning, so I started monitoring 15665 at 1653, scheduled to open at 1700. Carrier on at 1657, off at 1658, back on a few seconds later, off at 1659, and stayed off past 1704 June 8, back on at 1705, joined newscast in progress without any ID or sign-on, about, what else? Reagan. Signal was weak in noise, hardly worthy of WSHB at full power. A clue at 1710 with a plug for LeSEA tours. Finally at 1859 recheck I heard a real produced ID with the usual OCS theme for ``World Harvest Radio, broadcasting over WSHB in South Carolina`` followed by a LeSEA content disclaimer, perhaps imposed by the still current owners: (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) THE FIRST CHURCH OF CHRIST, SCIENTIST, ANNOUNCES SALE OF WSHB TO LeSEA BROADCASTING CORP. The First Church of Christ, Scientist, in Boston, Massachusetts today announced the impending sale of its shortwave station, WSHB, South Carolina, to LeSEA Broadcasting Corp., an Indiana-based broadcaster specializing in non-denominational Christian programming. The sale will take place once the FCC has completed its review of the agreement. The sale price will be $2 million. "We're especially delighted that LeSEA has agreed to keep most of WSHB's excellent staff onboard," said Catherine Aitken-Smith, Broadcast Director of Broadcast and Multimedia Services for the Church. "LeSEA has acquired not only a top-notch broadcast facility, but the kind of first-rate professionals who really know how to run it." Earlier this year, the Church announced plans to cease its broadcasts from WSHB, while The Christian Science Publishing Society -- the Church's wholly-owned subsidiary -- planned new activities to make the ideas in Mary Baker Eddy's landmark work on spirituality and healing, Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, more available and accessible worldwide. "It's become clear to us that we don't need to actually own broadcast facilities in order to distribute programs," Aitken-Smith said at the time. Aitken-Smith also said that the Publishing Society had begun investigating several distribution solutions and technologies that, in combination, would help the Church "reach people wherever they are, reliably, and at a reasonable cost." The Publishing Society initiated its shortwave broadcasts from WSHB in 1989. Mary Baker Eddy, the Church's founder, established The Christian Science Publishing Society in 1898. The Publishing Society publishes religious magazines in 12 languages as well as The Christian Science Monitor, an international daily newspaper. During this planning period, many of the Publishing Society's broadcast activities will continue: Programming will be heard throughout Europe, Africa, and South America on local radio, where the programs are supported by local funding sources. Listeners with access to the Internet are also invited to log on to http://www.churchofchristscientist.org where they will find access to a variety of Webcasts and local broadcast listings. -- A selection of programs of The Herald of Christian Science in French, German, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish, and other languages. (audio) -- The Christian Science Sentinel-Radio Edition in English (audio) -- The Sunday Church Service from The Mother Church in English and, beginning in June, 2004, Spanish. (audio Webcast) -- The Weekly Bible Lesson in English (audio and video) The Church also sponsors http://www.spirituality.com - an online community where anyone can search the text of Science and Health, and participate in discussions and Webcast events. And the Publishing Society hosts http://www.csmonitor.com which publishes a daily column about Christian Science. Listeners are invited to send questions and comments to info @ churchofchristscientist.org or The First Church of Christ, Scientist, PO BOX 1524, Boston, MA, 02117-1524, USA (via Mauno Ritola, Cumbre DX via DXLD) ** U S A. NEW YORK VOLMET STILL GONE ``Volmets`` are internationally defined airport weather information broadcasts, with observations and short-term forecasts of interest to pilots in flight over oceanic areas. They use high-frequency radio. The name is a contraction of the French for ``flying weather.`` Volmet transmissions are divided up into meteorological zones roughly similar to the long-range oceanic air traffic control areas. Any time of the day or night, one can turn on the radio and hear a Volmet going somewhere. Last year, one of the most consistent signals on the entire HF band vanished without a word, when New York Radio suddenly pulled the switch on WSY 70, its rock-solid flight weather transmission from a rhombic farm in New Jersey. It had broadcast the United States Atlantic Volmet for 20 minutes on the hour and half hour, with Gander Radio, Newfoundland, Canada, filling the rest. Frequencies were 3485 (night), 6604, 10051, and 13270 (day), all in kilohertz (kHz). Mode was USB voice. By the time the normal 2-month lead time of magazine publishing was over and our report was seen by the readers, the Volmet was temporarily back. Therefore, when it went away again last fall, we waited an extra long time to see what would happen. This time, we knew the powers that be were aware of the situation, because they issued several Notices To Airmen (NOTAMs) for frequencies being out of service until further notice. Many suspected some kind of technical problem, or waiting on shipment of a part. But weeks became months, and months became seasons, and New York was still off-air. A lot of people missed it, and so it became time to check up on the matter again. Well, here`s the whole story. According to Ron Napurano, who is in charge of the facility for the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), ``Funding for maintenance of the Volmet is currently under review. Until funding has been secured the Volmet is out of service.`` Sounds as if the station, or the automated weather system that feeds it, may have fallen victim to the intense budgetary pressures affecting the entire FAA. HF radio services often lose out in such crunches. They simply don`t look new or high-tech at funding time, no matter how cheaply and efficiently they put information into the hands of those whose lives depend on it. It`ll be interesting to watch the three East Pacific Volmets (Honolulu, San Francisco, and Anchorage) that are transmitted by KVM 70, Honolulu Radio, on 2863, 6679, 8828, and 13282 kHz USB. These have not been interrupted, and were still on-air at press time. Whatever budget issue is involved here seems limited to New York, at least for now. This story is not over. We, however, will definitely be back next month (Hugh Stegman, HF Communications, June MONITORING TIMES via DXLD) ** U S A [non]. WYFR via MSK effective from May 23: 1900-2000 in Italian on 9490 (55555) 1900-2000 in Spanish on 7350 (55555) 2000-2200 in English on 7350 (55555) MSK = Moscow WYFR via RMP 500 kW / 062 deg on 11695: 1700-1800 in Arabic instead in Russian \\ 13720 1800-1900 in English instead in Russian (Observer, Bulgaria, June 8 via DXLD) RMP = Rampisham, UK; you mean instead *of*, Russian replaced by these, or vice versa? (gh) ** U S A. RADIO AS ART --- © 2004 Dr. George Pollard - All rights reserved including reprint permission on the Internet (May 26, 2004) Dr. George Pollard is a college professor in Ottawa, Canada and a long-time supporter of LARadio.com, someone who has grown up with radio, is passionate about the medium and has written an essay for us called: Radio As Art. Many LARP are included in this story: A while back, a journalist friend asked if I`d make a point of listening to radio. He wanted to do a piece on radio in the twenty- first century, and up-to-date sources are always helpful. That was some time ago. He hasn`t got around to the piece. I, however, have listened to an awful lot of music radio, with a gimlet ear. What I didn`t hear shocked me. Times change, and I was eager to hear a new and different radio. There wasn`t much happening. What I didn`t expect was the depth of the abyss or its emptiness. . . http://www.radiodailynews.com/radioasart.htm (Via Art Blair, DXLD) Seems to concern US stations only! (gh, DXLD) ** U S A. And in New York City, it's the end of the road for Joe Franklin. The talk show host famously parodied by Billy Crystal on "Saturday Night Live" is retiring at month's end from his Saturday night shift on WOR (710), where he's been an institution. (He was also seen for years on the old WOR-TV 9.) Franklin will continue to contribute segments to Bloomberg's WBBR (1130). (Scott Fybush, NE Radio Watch June 7 via DXLD) ** U S A. KSRU: Sul Ross campus radio (1670 AM) a window into student- life --- Low wattage signal, however, makes reception a hit-or-miss affair By Tom Michael, Correspondent http://www.dmtimes.net/blog/Features/_archives/2004/6/3/82106.html To learn more about college students you really need to listen to them. An easy way to do that is to tune your radio to 1670 AM to hear the official radio station of Sul Ross State University. Listening to KSRU, you`ll hear the music and opinions of local student DJs. What – still can`t hear them? Try listening from your car. A car radio tends to amplify weak signals better than a portable radio. What – still can`t hear them? Try driving over to campus. Broadcasting at a tenth of a watt, KSRU doesn`t exactly shout. In fact, its low power allows it to remain legal, because KSRU is not even classified as a licensed radio station. It falls within a special section (Part 15) of rules for radio frequency devices regulated by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). Regardless of its official status, the microstation provides valuable classroom experience for communications students. About a dozen DJs took advantage of the school`s studios last semester to host music, talk and call-in shows. ``The primary goal of our campus radio station has always been education,`` said Keith West, faculty adviser for the station. ``We are training radio and television people.`` Live shows range from one to three hours in length and are usually hosted weekly, but others are heard several times a week. The monthly schedule hanging on the studio wall listed a variety of DJs, working solo or in tandem; Pippy, Shelley, John Mark, Elory, Amani and James were among those who volunteered last semester. And even when no one is manning the microphone, the music never stops. KSRU operates 24 hours a day, with music automation filling in the gaps when live shows aren`t scheduled. Music automation isn`t totally random either. There is a pre- programmed mix of music genres, and the computer is instructed to play a certain percentage from each format within a certain time frame. As a result, a wide range of songs can be heard on KSRU. Via automation, the station also ``can program in all the weather, news, commercials, spots, PSAs (public service announcements), promos, music and liners,`` West explained. The KSRU radio studios are housed on campus in the François Fine Arts Building. The four-room complex was formerly devoted to speech pathology, with glass windows between observation rooms. The glassed- in observation rooms were a perfect fit for the new radio and television studios when speech pathology was dropped from the curriculum. On the roof of the building a whip antenna transmits the signal. At 1/10 of a watt, it covers only a portion of Alpine. ``I can get the signal over by the middle school,`` West said, before listing the outer limits of the broadcast range. ``Once you get to the Food Basket, you can`t pick it up there. You can`t pick it up at Kokernot Lodge. The Gallego Center causes a shadow, so you can`t pick it up at married student housing, but you can pick it up at the Turner Center. Because of the metal in the buildings on campus, you really can`t pick it up indoors at Sul Ross.`` The radio station began operation in spring 1991, broadcasting on an audio portion of KSRC Cable-TV Channel 12. At the time West was a new member of the Sul Ross faculty, and he took a close interest in the station`s progress. In the mid-1990s the KSRU acquired new radio equipment, and began buying time on KALP-FM, a commercial radio station based in Alpine. Before that program was discontinued in 2000, Sul Ross student DJs were appearing as much as three nights a week on KALP. In fall 2003, a Mass Communications sequence was introduced into the Communications Department curriculum, with a focus on electronic media, radio, television, film and public relations. The sequence outlines a recommended path of classes through broadcast journalism, radio, advertising and television. West, who was educated at Oklahoma State University, worked at small- to-medium AM and FM radio stations, as well as in television. He was fortunate to work in both radio and television, compared to many in the industry who concentrate on only one medium. Working at an NBC television affiliate in Oklahoma City, West wore many hats. ``One day I`d be shooting a training tape on ground-source heat pumps and the next day I`d be editing a soap opera,`` he said. West brought his variety of experience to bear on Sul Ross students, who in turn have begun their own careers in radio and television. He recalled one graduate landing a job as an assistant general manager at a television station in the Virgin Islands. So even if a student DJ can`t be heard past the Food Basket today, look out, because after graduation they may reach quite a bit farther. Tom Michael, an editor at Encyclopaedia Britannica, lives in Calamity Creek. He is writing a series of articles about area radio stations (via Artie Bigley, DXLD) ** U S A. I was able to get my first DTV Es this evening. Skip to South Dakota brought KOTA-DT into Kentucky. I got some nice screen grabs, but only one with the PSIP/station identifying info. KOTA is 1,052 miles from me! Here`s a link to the pic: http://wkyt.mis.net/glen2/kota-dt.jpg (Glen Hale, Georgetown, KY, May 26, WTFDA via DXLD) I was also fortunate tonight in getting quite a few perfect screen grabs from KOTA-DT. Glen did beat me by a few minutes in decoding. He's about 15 miles closer to KOTA-DT than me, so I suppose the signal got to him sooner :-) I'll post what I got on DXFM.COM shortly. (Girard Westerberg, Lexington, KY, ibid.) They were in and out for about 30 minutes. There were several periods about 5-10 seconds each in length where they were in perfectly, then abruptly gone. Equipment used here was a Sylvania SRZ-3000 tuner, Delhi VU-935SR VHF/UHF antenna, Winegard AP-8700 preamp, Dell W1700 TV, Canon A70 digital camera (Glen Hale, ibid.) Wow! Congrats to all three of you. There are some awfully nice screen grabs out there. I think we can now conclude once and for all that DTV Es works. By my count there are only eight low-band DTVs *known* to be on the air; there will be more in the future - and I'm sure, plenty more skip loggings. WTWC-2 Tallahassee, FL WWMT-2 Kalamazoo, MI WKYC-2 Cleveland, OH KDLO-2 Florence, SD KOTA-2 Rapid City, SD WBRA-3 Roanoke, VA WBBM-3 Chicago, IL WHP-4 Harrisburg, PA Many more hold CPs; some I'm sure are in fact operating (Doug Smith, W9WI, Pleasant View (Nashville), TN EM66, ibid.) ** U S A. KGFE, CHANNEL 2, BROADCAST TRANSMITTER DAMAGED -- SYSTEM MAY BE DOWN FOR SEVERAL MONTHS FARGO, N.D., May 26, 2004 -- Extensive ice and water damage to Prairie Public Television transmitter equipment located near Petersburg, N.D., will interrupt broadcasting in that region through the summer months, according to Prairie Public engineer Jack Anderson. Damage to the analog KGFE Channel 2 broadcast facility will affect the public television signal received by rooftop antennas in the Grand Forks, East Grand Forks, Red Lake Falls, Thief River Falls and Crookston areas. Households in those areas that receive Prairie Public Television via cable are not affected by the outage. The damaged equipment is situated on tower space leased from WDAZ and located near Petersburg, N.D. Repairs are underway but may take several months to complete. Prairie Public Television engineers are exploring options that may bring the signal back earlier than the currently estimated time frame (via Doug Smith, WTFDA via DXLD) ** U S A. Just 'cause I'm persnickety about these things (and because I'm working in public broadcasting right now): CPB = Corporation for Public Broadcasting. CPB doesn't own stations and it doesn't produce or distribute any programming. It's the conduit for federal money to enter the public broadcasting system, through annual grants to PBS and NPR and through grants to stations and independent producers for the production of specific programming. PBS = Public Broadcasting Service [NOT SYSTEM --- gh]. Not a "network" in the traditional sense of the term. PBS does not produce any programming. It distributes the television programming that's created by member stations (there are about 150 member stations and state/regional networks) and by independent producers. It also operates the satellite network that distributes that programming. In more recent years, PBS has scheduled a "standard" prime-time lineup for most of its member stations, and it distributes two 24-hour program services (PBS You and PBS Kids) that are now frequently seen as DTV subchannels, as well as a national 24-hour program stream ("PBS X") for areas without a local PBS station. NPR = National Public Radio. More of a traditional network, in that it produces its own programming as well as commissioning and distributing programs from member stations. NPR has its own news division, which produces "Morning Edition," "Talk of the Nation," "All Things Considered," "Weekend Edition" and "Day by Day," as well as hourly newscasts. NPR also produces (a diminishing amount) of cultural programming, such as "Classical [Performance --- gh] Today." NPR distributes some well-known shows from individual stations and outside producers, including "Car Talk" and "Diane Rehm." NPR's satellite distribution system is also widely used by outside producers, including... PRI = Public Radio International. Formerly "American Public Radio." PRI began as an offshoot of Minnesota Public Radio. It distributes a lot of the programming that many people think of as "NPR," including "A Prairie Home Companion" and "Marketplace." Most, but not all, public radio stations are members of both NPR and PRI. It may seem hard to believe from the outside, but public broadcasting in America is really a decentralized system with a lot of opportunities for local content and control - and, as Curtis notes, a little something for almost everyone. s (working at, but not speaking on behalf of, WXXI Rochester) (Scott Fybush, June 3, WTFDA via DXLD) ** U S A. On a human level, I am glad that Ronald Reagan (and his family) are out of their misery. I know what Alzheimer`s is like. Why did he have to die, for stem cell research to become a hot topic? Pack mentality of the press. Should have been long ago. The man died at age 93, a one-day story. That is the *only* news. Yet we are bombarded with all-Reagan, all-the-time on countless radio and TV networks, and will continue to be thru the National Day of Mourning, Friday. Long planned schedules have been dumped in order to broadcast as much as possible about RR. PBS replaced Monday`s American Experience, which was supposed to be about Carter. Even in death, RWR elbows JEC aside. All but one or two stories in the two-hour NPR Weekend Edition Sunday were dumped in favor of a Reagan marathon. So I just demanded those two and skipped the rest of the program I normally listen to from start to finish. C-SPAN at least kept some time for other material, notably an appearance by Amy Goodman of Pacifica`s Democracy Now! on Booknotes for an hour, excoriating the corporate media. This led me to tune into Monday`s DN on KUNM at 2200 UT, which was about --- Reagan! This time phone interviews mainly with Helen Caldicott from Australia, and Noam Chomsky. Caldicott had had some personal contact with Reagan, and was not impressed with his IQ. Chomsky`s remarks were predictable but reinforcing. We were so fed up by nothing but Reagan on CNN, at 0200 UT June 8, that we brought up the BBC on 11835. Ah, world news at last. Nowhere else had we heard about Microsoft`s attempt to merge with a German company. This is not so much about Reagan, but self-indulgence by the `journalists` who want as much airtime as possible to reminisce about their experiences with Reagan, and of course to run the obituaries they have had in the can for years and years awaiting this opportunity. And by Reagan-era officials coming out of the woodwork. It was hardly a relief that this curtailed another subject being run into the ground, the D-Day anniversary. But many managed to tie them together. Whatever his positive contributions, and however `likable` the man may have been, we had to suffer through eight years of his incompetent administration, and would rather not be reminded of it on channel after channel. Worst of all, Reagan got us started on the path to far- right control of the government (including most of the Clinton years as far as Congress was concerned). He also got us started on accepting less than brilliant leaders. By much of the electorate, even preferring them! The celebration of Reagan is being milked for all it`s worth by the Republicans, hoping some of it will still rub off on George II by elexion time, a vain hope, I think. Why are people driving cross country and standing in line for most of the day in order to file past a closed casket? Even if I loved Reagan, I would not be so foolish. Why is this being drawn out for a full week, culminating with Friday as an unexpected government holiday, which will have untold negative impact on the economy? If there is to be a NDOM, why not delay it a bit more until Saturday or Sunday? Lest ye be overwhelmed by all the wonderful things people are saying about our fallen ex actor- President: (Glenn Hauser, DX LISTENING DIGEST) THE LEGACY OF RONALD WILSON REAGAN, RIP --- From "66 Things to Think About When Flying into Reagan National Airport," by David Corn, which appeared in the March 2, 1998 issue of The Nation: The firing of the air-traffic controllers, winnable nuclear war, recallable nuclear missiles, trees that cause pollution, Elliott Abrams lying to Congress, ketchup as a vegetable, colluding with Guatemalan thugs, pardons for FBI lawbreakers, voodoo economics, budget deficits, toasts to Ferdinand Marcos, public-housing cutbacks, red-baiting the nuclear-freeze movement, James Watt. Getting cozy with Argentine fascist generals, tax credits for segregated schools, disinformation campaigns, "homeless by choice," Manuel Noriega, falling wages, the HUD scandal, air raids on Libya, "constructive engagement" with apartheid South Africa, United States Information Agency blacklists of liberal speakers, attacks on OSHA and workplace safety, the invasion of Grenada, assassination manuals, Nancy's astrologer. Drug tests, lie-detector tests, Fawn Hall, female appointees (8 percent), mining harbors, the S&L scandal, 239 dead U.S. troops in Beirut, Al Haig "in charge," silence on AIDS, food-stamp reductions, Debategate, White House shredding, Jonas Savimbi, tax cuts for the rich, "mistakes were made." Michael Deaver's conviction for influence peddling, Lyn Nofziger's conviction for influence peddling, Caspar Weinberger's five-count indictment, Ed Meese ("You don't have many suspects who are innocent of a crime"), Donald Regan (women don't "understand throw weights"), education cuts, massacres in El Salvador. "The bombing begins in five minutes," $640 Pentagon toilet seats, African-American judicial appointees (1.9 percent), Reader's Digest, CIA-sponsored car bombing in Lebanon (more than eighty civilians killed), 200 officials accused of wrongdoing, William Casey, Iran/Contra. "Facts are stupid things," three-by-five cards, the MX missile, Bitburg, SDI, Robert Bork, naps, Teflon (via Clara Listensprechen, DXLD) UNIDENTIFIED. 4960.01, R. Federación [Ecuador] or R. Cima? [Dominican Republic], May 31 0700-0915+ mostly continuous Spanish pops, several brief announcements but no ID. Good signal (Brian Alexander, Mechanicsburg PA, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ PUBLICATIONS ++++++++++++ THE SLIP-UP ARCHIVE http://www.slipups.com/ The term "Slip-Up" means any amusing accidental blooper or mistake that wasn't caught, and made its way to the viewing public. They can be inconsistencies in movies, like an actor wearing something in one shot, and it's missing in the next shot. Or they can be funny errors in books. If it's a Slip-Up that is entertaining, accidental, and in a popular medium where others can see the Slip-Up for themselves, we want it posted in this archive (via Sheldon Harvey, Greenfield Park, Quebec, Radio HF Internet Newsletter, June via DXLD) SHORTWAVE LISTENING OUR WAY - SHUT DOWN Glenn: This is to notify you that after serious consideration for a few days, we have decided to shut off permanently our "Shortwave Listening Our Way" website. It seems apparent to us that within a relatively short period of time -- months, or perhaps no more than a year or so -- most DX'ing by shortwave will be impossible in large portions of the US that will be covered by BPL services. Therefore we are directing our efforts into other areas of investigation where we expect a greater positive and sustained result. Best wishes, (Steve Waldee - retired broadcast station engineer, San Jose, CA, June 8, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Steve, you really disappoint me (again). Your pages and your contributions to DXLD represented a great deal of effort, with good humor and were eminently readable. The expertise you shared in RF, and especially audio processing was of great value to the listening community. Why not at least leave the site up, even if you add nothing more to it??? Even if you are right in being so defeatist about BPL, why give it all up already? I`ve urged Steve not to do this --- The real problem is that he was fed up with nit-picking corrections or criticism, which we merely viewed as normal give-and-take discussion. {and apparently not living up to his own perfexionism} His site was: http://home.earthlink.net/~srw-swling/index.html Meanwhile, hasten to the Google cache: http://64.233.167.104/search?q=cache:zztqLlbiQSEJ:home.earthlink.net/~srw-swling/+&hl=en If you paste the various links into another google search window, such as loggings, http://64.233.167.104/search?q=cache:Z-nTzH9AK0AJ:home.earthlink.net/~srw-swling/loggings.htm+&hl=en you will find the apparently final version of those pages. If you have a lot of time, read Our Thoughts on Shortwave Listening An Iconoclast Views the Pursuit of the Radio DXing Hobby The QSL Card Ritual | Obsessive Logging Accuracy | How and What to Log Digital Readout Precision | SW Radio and Your Hearing The Tragic Decline of rec.radio.shortwave | Why I am not a HAM http://64.233.167.104/search?q=cache:e13cCC0ZsjEJ:home.earthlink.net/~srw-swling/personal.htm+&hl=en While the internal links (audio files, e.g.) won`t work on the cached pages, there are lots of external links which still do. As for various others of Steve`s pages referenced previously in DXLD, try entering those URLs in a Google search and then click on cache (gh, DXLD) RADIO EQUIPMENT FORUM +++++++++++++++++++++ THE MYTH OF INTERFERENCE --- Internet architect David Reed explains how bad science created the broadcast industry. - - - - - - - - - - - - By David Weinberger March 12, 2003 | There's a reason our television sets so outgun us, spraying us with trillions of bits while we respond only with the laughable trickles from our remotes. To enable signals to get through intact, the government has to divide the spectrum of frequencies into bands, which it then licenses to particular broadcasters. NBC has a license and you don't. Thus, NBC gets to bathe you in "Friends," followed by a very special "Scrubs," and you get to sit passively on your couch. It's an asymmetric bargain that dominates our cultural, economic and political lives -- only the rich and famous can deliver their messages -- and it's all based on the fact that radio waves in their untamed habitat interfere with one another. Except they don't. "Interference is a metaphor that paints an old limitation of technology as a fact of nature." So says David P. Reed, electrical engineer, computer scientist, and one of the architects of the Internet. If he's right, then spectrum isn't a resource to be divvied up like gold or parceled out like land. It's not even a set of pipes with their capacity limited by how wide they are or an aerial highway with white lines to maintain order. . . http://www.salon.com/tech/feature/2003/03/12/spectrum/index.html?x A mind-boggling discourse that claims "spectrum is unlimited" (John Broomall, Christian Community Broadcasters, May 26, WTFDA via DXLD) Someone has come up with another bogus system. If there are 30 stations in a market, they still occupy 30 channels at the same time. Nothing is accomplished by having the stations switch channels. Somebody just doesn't grasp the concept that two stations can't occupy the same channel at the same time. A system that switches channels is still occupying one channel for a set amount of time and none of the other stations can occupy that channel while it is being used already (Bob Seaman, May 28, ibid.) Someone else who's been misled into believing spread-spectrum makes an infinite number of spectrum users possible. That's the idea. Basically, each station changes frequency continuously, in a random pattern. (but only after telling the receiver what that random pattern will be, so that the receiver can follow) WSB-TV will broadcast on: Channel Times 2 7:00:00pm-7:00:01pm 63 7:00:01pm-7:00:02pm 42 7:00:02pm-7:00:03pm 58 7:00:03pm-7:00:04pm 11 7:00:04pm-7:00:05pm 19 7:00:05pm-7:00:06pm ..... WAGA-TV will broadcast on: Channel Times 33 7:00:00pm-7:00:01pm 68 7:00:01pm-7:00:02pm 10 7:00:02pm-7:00:03pm 58 7:00:03pm-7:00:04pm 26 7:00:04pm-7:00:05pm 2 7:00:05pm-7:00:06pm Channel 2 is used by both stations, but at different times. Both stations use channel 58 at the same time (and interfere with each other), but the interference period is brief and chances are you won't even notice. (digital communications methods could store enough redundant information to recover what was lost to interference anyway) On the surface it sounds great! Unfortunately it doesn't actually work that well... The station whose "hopping" your receiver is following appears as a regular station, just as if it was staying still on one frequency. Any *other* station, using a different hopping pattern, creates brief bursts of interference - noise - in your receiver. If there's only one other station, it's really not a problem. Spread-spectrum works great. But each additional station you add increases the noise floor. Eventually, the noise level rises to the point where your receiver can't decode the signals anymore Others better-educated than I will have to answer the question of how many spread-spectrum stations a band can hold. I've heard it suggested the figure is similar to the number it can hold with regular constant-frequency transmissions (Doug Smith W9WI, Pleasant View (Nashville), TN EM66, http://www.w9wi.com ibid.) RFID Some tiny radio signals will have a big effect on the way we shop --- thanks to a huge nudge from the Department of Defense and Wal-Mart. Radio identification systems use electronic readers to retrieve digital data stored in microchips embedded in plastic product tags, with metal grids around the chip that serve as an antenna. RFID tags are already being used in security badges and anti-theft, inventory control, and automatic highway toll collection systems. The Defense Department and WalMart both intend to use the system to facilitate inventory control and tracking of shipments. Using RFID, whole pallets of crates can be read instantaneously, as they do not require line of sight like bar codes. Wal-Mart`s aggressive roll-out has been scaled back a few months due to some hurdles even Wal-Mart and the DoD haven`t overcome, such as the fact that products wrapped in metal foil deflect radio waves and liquids bend them; the cost of the tags is still too high for many low-profit products; and the lack of agreement on an industry standard is slowing full-scale production. The first test for WalMart`s system is scheduled to take place at a distribution center in Dallas, Texas, in April. By January 2005, WalMart hopes the ``smart tag`` program will involve all of Wal-Mart`s 25,500 suppliers and the 3.7 billion crates they ship annually. FCC Okays RFID Power Boost Radio Frequency ID tags are increasingly used as security tags on shipping containers. The FCC concluded that existing rules unnecessarily limit the range of the tags and the speed and amount of data that can be transmitted and voted to allow longer and more powerful radio transmissions to and from the tags – changes that will allow the contents of containers to be more quickly identified. To avoid interference, the new rules would restrict the use of the new tags within about 25 miles of government radar sites. Jacksonville Airport RFID Test Speaking of radar, Jacksonville International Airport will be one of the first in the country to track luggage with radio frequency identification tags, which officials believe will increase security and help reduce the number of lost bags. (Presumably these will be of the low-power type, with aviation radar nearby?) The system is supposed to be installed by the fall, in time for February`s Super Bowl in Jacksonville and the accompanying crush of travelers expected to use the airport, said Chip Snowden, chief operating officer of the Jacksonville Airport Authority. No-Swipe Credit Cards For more than a year, MasterCard and American Express have been testing ``contactless`` versions of their credit cards, using RFID. The cards need only be held near a special reader for a sale to go through – and the consumer can still get a receipt. American Express`s ExpressPay uses a keychain fob; MasterCard`s PayPass comes on a regular-sized card that also has a magnetic stripe for swiping if need be. The Future and Privacy Concerns Potential uses for RFID chips, besides inventory control or consumer purchases, include such applications as a shirt with a smart tag which tells your smart washing machine to set the cycle for permanent press; a carton of milk warns when its expiration date has passed and adds itself to an electronic shopping list; a bottle of pills tracks your doses and warns against mixing it with another medicine. These and other scenarios using radio frequency identification chips are possible, but only if privacy concerns are addressed and the technology becomes cheap and ubiquitous. Demonstrations by Consumers Against Supermarket Privacy Invasion and Numbering, known as Caspian, already caused a German grocery store to stop using the RFID chips, and prevented a clothing retailer from putting them in some apparel. Senator Prick Leahy of Vermont has called for a national debate on whether and where to draw privacy protection lines in the use of RFID tagging (Rachel Baughn, Communications, June MONITORING TIMES via DXLD) NO ONE HEARS BUT THE COWS Dean M. Anderson is a Cow Whisperer. His colleagues call him Sky Rider because he rounds up cattle with the help of Global Positioning System (GPS) signals coming from satellites. His research is being conducted on the Jornada Experimental Range – a research ranch one-fourth the size of Rhode Island and the Agricultural Research Service`s largest field station. [in New Mexico?] In the arid Southwest, fences aren`t practical for rotating cattle grazing areas, where a cow may have to graze more than 640 acres to get enough grass in a year. But using his locator/controller cow collar as an electronic version of the cowboy`s ``gee`` (go right) and ``haw`` (go left), Anderson has created a ``virtual fence.`` Anderson explains: ``It is desirable to administer the sound cues when the animal is moving. As a foraging animal approaches a virtual fence line and passes a programmed point, it activates sound cues to the animal`s right or left side. Software in the device mathematically determines to which side the cues should be applied, based on the animal`s angle of approach to the virtual fence line. Since animals tend to move away from startling sounds, if we want the animal to move left, we`d give the cues to the right side, and vice versa.`` Cows must be moved to meet their nutritional needs, to avoid overgrazing, and to exclude them from sensitive landscapes or poisonous plants. Anderson is also having success mixing sheep and goats which have been ``bonded`` to cattle (it`s called a ``flerd``). The cattle drive off coyotes and stray dogs which prey on the sheep. The flerd tends to distribute itself more evenly over the pasture, and sheep will feed on plants passed over by the cattle. Since cows follow leaders, and bonded sheep and goats follow cows, Anderson envisions needing the virtual fence device only on the leaders. Anderson makes it clear he isn`t advocating an end to conventional fences. ``Fences that mark property boundaries or protect the health and safety of people or livestock should not be replaced with virtual fences,`` he says. ``But for management of vast acreages, eliminating internal fences may be ecologically and environmentally judicious.`` ARS National Program (#205) at http://www.nps.ars.usda.gov (Rachel Baughn, Communications, June MONITORING TIMES via DXLD) WTFK?? "INTERFERENCE INTERMODULATION CALCULATOR" AVAILABLE FOR FREE DOWNLOAD: http://www.polarelec.com.au/downloads.htm Runs under Windows from its own folder, and doesn't install anything or modify the Registry. After a few minutes of study I figured out how to use the software to calculate & verify the daytime-only intermod/ mixing products that occur in my Beverage antenna's impedance matching transformers from the 50 kW MW stations in my area. (I've verified that the mixing is not happening in the receivers -- multiple Kiwa BCB highpass filters make no difference in the intermod heard; however, a faraday-shielded primary winding in the Beverage matcher has greatly reduced the problem on one antenna and totally eliminated it on my other Beverage.) This nifty program calculates 2nd through 7th order mixing products, as well as 3-frequency combinations. If you're having trouble with *receiver* generated mixing products, I think you can enter your rig's IF frequency(s) to calculate results (enter the IF frequency as the "R" or "Rx" freq). (Guy Atkins, Puyallup, WA USA, June 7, Cumbredx mailing list via DXLD) DRM +++ Additional transmissions in DRM mode: 1400-1430 Fri 9770 RMP 035 kW / 095 deg WEu Radio France Int. English 1430-1500 Fri 9770 RMP 035 kW / 095 deg WEu Wales Radio Int. English 1500-1600 Fri 9770 RMP 035 kW / 095 deg WEu Radio Taiwan Int. English 1600-1700 Fri 9770 RMP 035 kW / 095 deg WEu Radio Japan NHK English 1400-1430 Sat 9770 RMP 035 kW / 095 deg WEu R.New ZealandInt. English 1430-1500 Sat 9770 RMP 035 kW / 095 deg WEu Radio Australia English 1800-1955 Daily 15435 SIN 090 kW / 040 WEu Deutsche Welle Mx German 2100-2200 Daily 5980 SIN 090 kW / 040 WEu Deutsche Welle Mx German 2200-0600 Daily 3995 WER 125 kW / n-d WEu Deutsche Welle Mx German (Observer, Bulgaria, June 8 via DXLD) Rampisham, Sines, Wertachtal PROPAGATION +++++++++++ OUTLOOK FROM BOULDER, JUNE 8 The geomagnetic field was at quiet to active levels. The period began under the influence of a high speed coronal hole stream with isolated active conditions observed on 31 May. Quiet to unsettled conditions persisted for the remainder of the summary period as the coronal hole high speed stream subsided. Forecast of Solar and Geomagnetic Activity 09 June - 05 July 2004 Solar activity is expected to be at very low to low levels with isolated moderate activity possible after 15 June with the return of old Region 618. No greater than 10 MeV proton events are expected during the period. The greater than 2 MeV electron flux at geosynchronous orbit is expected to reach high levels on 17 – 18 June, and 27 – 30 June due to recurrent coronal hole high speed streams. The geomagnetic field is expected to range from quiet to active levels. Unsettled to active conditions are possible from 25 to 30 June as a generally weak, recurrent coronal high speed stream rotates into a geoeffective position. Unsettled to active conditions are possible on 10 – 11 June due to effects from the full halo CME late on 06 June. :Product: 27-day Space Weather Outlook Table 27DO.txt :Issued: 2004 Jun 08 2211 UTC # Prepared by the US Dept. of Commerce, NOAA, Space Environment Center # Product description and SEC contact on the Web # http://www.sec.noaa.gov/wwire.html # # 27-day Space Weather Outlook Table # Issued 2004 Jun 08 # # UTC Radio Flux Planetary Largest # Date 10.7 cm A Index Kp Index 2004 Jun 09 90 10 3 2004 Jun 10 95 15 3 2004 Jun 11 100 12 3 2004 Jun 12 105 10 3 2004 Jun 13 110 8 3 2004 Jun 14 105 8 3 2004 Jun 15 105 8 3 2004 Jun 16 105 12 3 2004 Jun 17 105 10 3 2004 Jun 18 105 10 3 2004 Jun 19 105 10 3 2004 Jun 20 105 10 3 2004 Jun 21 105 10 3 2004 Jun 22 100 8 3 2004 Jun 23 95 8 3 2004 Jun 24 100 10 3 2004 Jun 25 95 12 3 2004 Jun 26 95 15 3 2004 Jun 27 95 15 3 2004 Jun 28 100 15 3 2004 Jun 29 100 15 3 2004 Jun 30 100 12 3 2004 Jul 01 100 10 3 2004 Jul 02 100 10 3 2004 Jul 03 100 8 3 2004 Jul 04 100 10 3 2004 Jul 05 100 10 3 (http://www.sec.noaa.gov/radio via WORLD OF RADIO 1233, DXLD) ###