DX LISTENING DIGEST 4-171, November 14, 2004 Incorporating REVIEW OF INTERNATIONAL BROADCASTING 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 1252: Mon 0900 WOR R. Lavalamp Mon 1700 WOR WBCQ after hours Mon 2200 WOR WBCQ 9330-CLSB Tue 1000 WOR WRMI 9955 Tue 1700 WOR WBCQ after hours Tue 2200 WOR WBCQ 9330-CLSB Wed 1030 WOR WWCR 9985 Wed 1700 WOR WBCQ after hours Wed 2200 WOR WBCQ 9330-CLSB [sometimes first airing] MORE info including audio links: http://worldofradio.com/radioskd.html WRN ONDEMAND: http://new.wrn.org/listeners/stations/station.php?StationID=24 OUR ONDEMAND AUDIO [also for CONTINENT OF MEDIA, MUNDO RADIAL]: WORLD OF RADIO 1252 (high version): (stream) http://www.w4uvh.net/wor1252h.ram (download) http://www.w4uvh.net/wor1252.rm WORLD OF RADIO 1252 (low version): (stream) http://www.w4uvh.net/wor1252.ram (download) http://www.w4uvh.net/wor1252.rm (summary) http://www.worldofradio.com/wor1252.html WORLD OF RADIO 1252, mp3 in the true SW sound of 12160: (stream) http://www.piratearchive.com/media/worldofradio_11-14-04.m3u (d`load) http://www.piratearchive.com/media/worldofradio_11-14-04.mp3 DXLD YAHOOGROUP: Why wait for DXLD? A lot more info, not all of it appearing in DXLD later, is posted at our yg. Here`s where to sign up http://groups.yahoo.com/group/dxld/ ** ANTIGUA. BBC harmonic into NE US late morning Saturday 13 Nov 2004: 1622 UT - 30.38 MHz AM S5+ football match play-by-play commentary, Brit accents (Jack Sullivan, Central New Jersey, harmonics yg via DXLD) 2 x 15190 ** ARGENTINA. Saludos cordiales amigos radioescuchas: Esquema recibido directamente de la Señora Doña Marcela Campos, Directora de RAE Radiodifusión Argentina al Exterior: R A E RADIODIFUSIÓN ARGENTINA AL EXTERIOR HORARIOS Y FRECUENCIAS - TIMETABLES & FREQUENCIES B-04 - 31/10/04 al 28/03/05 -- B-04 - 31/10/04 to 28/03/05 6060 KHz - Banda de 49 metros - 11710 KHz - Banda de 25 metros 9690 KHz - Banda de 31 metros - 15345 KHz - Banda de 19 metros [Hora local also included in the original still at UT -3] HORA LOCAL - U.T.C. - IDIOMA - PROGRAMA - FRECUENCIA - DESTINO 09.00-12.00 - CASTELLANO – (#) PANORAMA NACIONAL DE NOTICIAS - 6060 - AMÉRICA 10.00-12.00 - JAPONÉS - 11710 LEJANO ORIENTE 12.00-14.00 - CASTELLANO - 11710 - AMÉRICA 18.00-19.00 INGLES - 9690 15345 - EUROPA 19.00-20.00 ITALIANO - 9690 15345 - EUROPA 20.00-21.00 FRANCÉS - 9690 15345 - EUROPA N. ÁFRICA 21.00-22.00 ALEMÁN - 9690 15345 - EUROPA N. ÁFRICA 22.00-24.00 CASTELLANO - 6060 11710 15345 - EUROPA N.ÁFRICA AMÉRICA 00.00-02.00 PORTUGUÉS - 11710 - AMÉRICA 02.00-03.00 INGLÉS - 11710 - AMÉRICA 03.00-04.00 FRANCÉS - 11710 - AMÉRICA (#) Transmisión LRA 1 Radio Nacional Buenos Aires, AM 870 Khz.- * Transmisión de Lunes a Viernes (Mondays to Fridays).- ** Transmisión Sábados Fcias.: 6060 y 15345 KHz de 17.00 a 23.30 H.L (20.00 a 02.30 UTC)/ Frec. 11710 de 17.00 a 19.00 (20.00 a 22.00 UTC) Domingos Fcias.: 6060 y 15345 KHz, de 15.00 a 24.00H.L (18.00 a 03.00 UTC) señal Radio Nacional AM 870 KHz./ Frec.11.710 de 15.00 a 22.OO (18.00 a 01.00 UTC) On the air Saturdays on 6060 & 15345 KHz: 17.00 & 23.30 (20.00 & 02.30 UTC). 11710: 17.00 & 19.00 (20.00 & 23.00 UTC) " " " Sundays on 6060 & 15345 KHz.: 14.00 a 03.00 UT: signal Radio Nacional AM 870 KHz. 11710 15.00 & 22.00 (18.00 & 01.00 UT) Telefax RAE 54 11 4325 6368 Casilla de Correo 555 - C1000WAF Buenos Aires -Republica Argentina Correo electrónico rae @ radionacional.gov.ar barrera @ arg.sicoar.com Muy atentamente 73's (José Bueno - Córdoba - España, (c) Notici@sDX es un servicio de AER y ADXB via DXLD) I don`t think the above involves any significant changes; RAE doesn`t really change anything between A and B seasons, as a rule (gh, DXLD) ** BELARUS. R. Belarus, 7210, 0300-0329 Nov 6. English programing with news, commentary, local music, IDs, sked. Poor, weak. Better on \\ 5970, but still not very good. New time, same frequencies (Brian Alexander, Mechanicsburg PA, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Not daily; this was UT Sat (gh) ** BELGIUM. CUTS PLANNED AT RADIO VLAANDEREN INTERNATIONAL | Text of report by Association for International Broadcasting on 10 November According to current plans, Belgian broadcaster Radio Vlaanderen Internationaal [RVI] will cease radio broadcasts in English, French and German from 26 March 2005. The only remaining shortwave transmissions will be to southern Europe. Wim Jansen, netmanager RVI told the AIB [Association for International Broadcasting]: "Of course we at RVI are very sorry about these developments. It is a sad thing that this announcement coincides with the end of "radio" at Swiss Radio International, after we have seen the end of international broadcasting in Austria, Norway, Denmark. Times are hard for international broadcasters in smaller nations. Nevertheless we hope we will be able to serve our international audience via our web site rvi.be, which will be thoroughly reworked by April 2005. In the meantime please continue listening to RVI, we will be going on for one more season." But there is a glimmer of hope - the Flemish Media Minister Geert Bourgeois has invited comments from listeners. The minister is preparing an evaluation of the Flemish public broadcaster VRT, of which RVI is part. Source: Association for International Broadcasting, London, in English 10 Nov 04 (via BBCM via DXLD) ** BOLIVIA. 4902.08, R. San Miguel (tentative), Nov 11, 0958-1011, three time clicks, tent. ID, seemed to be news, with mention of Arafat, some LA music, poor. Later: Believe this one rates a "v", as on Nov 12 heard a weak LA on 4902.17 at 0927, which could be them (Ron Howard, Monterey CA, NRD-545, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** BOLIVIA. Estimado Glenn, Acabo de recibir este email de P. Estanislao del pronto retorno de la Radio Virgen de Remedios-Tupiza, Bolivia. Mandé una respuesta perguntando ¿en qué frecuencia? 73 (Rogildo Aragão, Bolivia, Nov 12, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Viz.: Hola Rogildo, te saludo desde Tupiza para informarte que pronto tendremos las antenas listas en el cerro y tendremos la onda corta para evangelizar. Un Saludo fraterno. Tupiza, P. Estanislao Odroniec DIRECTOR, Luis E. Quispe, Gustavo Guzmán (via Aragão, DXLD) ** CHINA. Radio 774, the first provincial-level foreign-language radio station in China, has been launched in Beijing (via Mike Terry, HCDX 6.11.2004) - Their website is http://www.774am.com.cn/ (Bruce Portzer, HCDX 6.11.2004, both via Nov 8 ARC Information Desk via ed. Olle Alm, DXLD) In English ** CHINA [non]. Hearing CRI on 6190 at 04 UT sign on in English; went to their Web Site http://www.crienglish.com --- It's a mess; lots of frequencies not listed (Daryl E Rocker, Herkimer, NY, Kaito KA1102 with Whip (What a KICK ASS RADIO), UT Nov 12, DX LISTENING DIGEST) See schedule in 4-169: 6190 via Sackville at 0400-0600 (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** COSTA RICA. 9725 kHz, 2300 UT, November 14. Gene Scott is putting in a signal of 55555 and then some. Terribly strong ``images`` at 10 kHz above and below, making the entire range from just above 9700 to just under 9745 worthless for anything else. Drake SW 8 and long wire (Roger Chambers, Utica, New York, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** CUBA. Did I miss something here? RHC in English 0513 on 6060 kHz? 73 (Mick Delmage, AB, Nov 10, DX LISTENING DIGEST) It seems to be \\ 6000 at least in the 0500-0700 period, or sometimes just one of them. They have been there for a week or more, along with and/or 6000. No telling how long before it shows up on their actual schedule (Glenn Hauser, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Mickey, I heard Arnie Coro mention this is a new 100 kw transmitter beamed to ECNA with their old ?rhombic antenna, from 0 to 5 UT in Spanish and 5 to 7 in English (Walt Salminiw, BC, ibid.) He promises to send full sked today which I will pass on. 73 (Mick Delmage, AB, Nov 11, ibid.) Dear Mick: FYI, YES !!! RHC on 6060 kHz on our BO4 schedule. 6060 kHz starts here at 00 UTC until 05 UTC in Spanish, then from 05 to 07 in English running new 100 kW Pulse Step Modulated 100 kW transmitter to OLD Rhombic antenna beaming 020 degrees, soon to be replaced by a beautiful high gain curtain antenna array of about 15 dB gain over a dipole! The new antenna will provide much better coverage of Eastern North America because it will have a wider beam than the present narrow beam rhombic. We decided to run the transmitter with the old antenna, as the construction works at the Bauta transmitting center continue with the installation of the new antenna systems. BTW, as a very young radio engineer I helped to install the original Bauta transmitters and antennas, starting in January of 1961. Now all the old Brown Boveri and Snieg transmitters have been totally replaced with 6 new 100 kW PSM highly energy efficient ones, and we are proceeding ahead with the somewhat longer duration works of installing several new antennas. A seventh transmitter of 50 kW power is now on the air on 5025 kiloHertz, with the Radio Rebelde national program, using a provisional high vertical incidence radiation angle antenna, until we can install the new Tropical Band system. During the morning Spanish program, the transmitter on 6060 kHz in the evenings, is used on 12000 Khz with the same rhombic antenna. We are running the other three 100 kWs in the mornings on 11800, beaming to Venezuela, 9550 kHz to the Caribbean, and 11760 kHz to North, Central and South America with an almost omnidirectional antenna, recently rebuilt from the original 1961 design by Cuban antenna expert Dr. José A. Valladares Ph.D., my teacher and mentor in antenna topics. During the evenings 9600 kHz to Venezuela, 9550 kHz stays with the Caribbean phased dipoles array and 11760 kHz also stays with the same antenna used in the mornings (Your friend in Havana, Arnie Coro, CO2KK, Host of Dxers Unlimited, Radio Havana Cuba, Nov 11, ODXA via DXLD) RHC`s signal on 6060 kHz comes booming in here in central New York State, but also nearly completely kills the signal from Radio Exterior de España, on their 6055 kHz outlet, which they have used for years in the winter season, unfortunately their only broadcast well heard here in North America in English (Roger Chambers, Utica, New York, ibid.) ** CUBA. Radio Havana. Glenn, you were right, they made a mistake. Heard them on the probably intended new frequency of 13660 at 2000 UT, Thursday, Nov. 11, in Portuguese (ex 13360 as reported in DXLD 4-170 Nov. 10). Arabic at 2030 and Spanish at 2100. Problem solved (Bernie O'Shea, Ottawa, Ontario, DX LISTENING DIGEST) So for at least three days they were on the wrong frequency, and as soon as it was publicized here and on WORLD OF RADIO, they fixed it (gh, DXLD) ** DOMINICAN REPUBLIC. A new government took place on August 16th so a new chief came to INDOTEL (Instituo Dominicano de las Telecomunicaciones). Dr. José Rafael Vargas replaced Lic. Orlando Jorge Mera (Carlos Benoit, ARC LA News Desk, Nov, via ed. Tore Larsson, DXLD) ** ECUADOR. 4870.0, Voz Del Upano, Nov 14, 1046 program of LA & Andean instrumental music, 1100 into religious programming, several ID’s, good (Ron Howard, Monterey CA, NRD545, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** FRANCE [non]. Heard RFI on a frequency not listed on their website. 15160, Radio France Internationale in English at 1630 UT with Club 95- 16 hosted by David Page. It was a round table discussion about US policy on Iraq, not the usual pop culture show. African music at 1656 to signal abruptly off at 1659. Nice signal // 15605 which is not as good but continued through the top of the hour with News (Mickey Delmage, Sherwood Park, AB, Nov 14, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Well, 15160 was in the schedule in DXLD 4-166 as Meyerton. One cannot really expect stations to present accurate, up-to-date schedules of their own broadcasts on their own websites! Come on! (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** GERMANY. Schedule of German Telekom transmitting station Juelich B04 period (31/10/2004 - 27/03/2005 u.o.s.) B04akt_04 5.11.2004 frq start stop ciraf azi type day loc pow broad 5945 0030-0045 41 85 216 1 JUL 100 PAB 13820 1400-1430 39,40 100 218 7 JUL 100 PAB 13820 1445-1500 39,40 100 218 7 JUL 100 PAB 13820 1500-1515 39,40 100 218 1 JUL 100 PAB 13820 1545-1600 39,40 100 218 1 JUL 100 PAB 13820 1600-1630 39,40 100 218 1 JUL 100 PAB 5945 2330-0030 41,49 70 211 1234567 JUL 100 DVB 6120 2100-2200 37NW 230 211 1234567 JUL 100 CBS 9495 1900-1930 39,40 105 216 7 JUL 100 RMI 9495 1900-1959 39,40 120 216 16 JUL 100 RMI 11810 1600-1700 41 105 216 1234567 JUL 100 RMI 6045 0958-1100 27,28 ND 926 1 JUL 100 EVR 6045 1000-1100 27,28 ND 926 7 311004 290105 JUL 100 HLR 5925 1000-1559 27,28 ND 976 7 251204 010105 JUL 100 HLR * 5925 1400-1515 27,28 ND 926 1 051204 270305 JUL 100 RTR * 5925 1515-1559 27,28 ND 926 1 051204 051204 JUL 100 RTR * 5925 1400-1515 27,28 ND 926 6 241205 241205 JUL 100 RTR * 6015 1000-1059 27,28 115 206 1 JUL 100 CHW 9890 1900-1935 28,29 75 207 7 WER 125 CHW every 2 weeks (odd weeks) 9890 1935-1959 28,29 70 218 7 JUL 100 CHW every 2 weeks (odd weeks) 7220 1800-1830 37,46 200 106 3 JUL 100 CHW-2 7220 1800-1830 47,52N,48E 165 216 5 121104 270305 NAU 125 CHW-2 6015 1630-1700 28,29 70 211 1 JUL 100 BCA 6015 1130-1159 27,28 ND 930 17 WER 125 EMG 11840 1200-1204 19-26 20 216 7 JUL 100 EMG 11840 1204-1230 19-26 20 217 7 NAU 250 EMG 9815 1600-1630 29,30 60 218 7 WER 250 EMG 6015 1200-1215 27,28 ND 930 1 020105 270305 WER 250 MWA 3955 1559-1659 27W,28 ND 976 1234567 JUL 100 HCJ 17870 1500-1530 48 145 217 23456 JUL 100 AWH 9480 2200-2300 14,16 230 218 12 JUL 100 AWH 11840 1830-1859 52,53 160 216 5 JUL 100 RRP 9820 1700-1759 39S,48 140 216 1346 JUL 100 SBO 9820 1630-1659 39S,48 140 216 36 JUL 100 DTK 9820 1600-1659 39S,48 140 216 1 JUL 100 DTK 7220 1830-1930 47,48 140 216 14 JUL 100 DTK 15565 1830-1930 47,48 145 217 14 031104 101104 JUL 100 DTK 9820 1700-1759 39S,48 140 217 5 JUL 100 DTK 12015 1500-1559 47,48 130 217 7 JUL 100 DTK 7340 2000-2100 37,38 175 141 1234567 JUL 100 IBR 9660 1730-1759 39S,47E,48 130 216 1234567 JUL 100 IBR 9610 1900-2015 46NE,SE,NW 190 217 1234567 JUL 100 IBR 9520 1730-1845 47,48,52 145 217 1234567 JUL 100 IBR 9495 1600-1629 37,38 175 217 1 JUL 100 UNL 7145 0100-0129 41 85 216 1 JUL 100 UNL 6045 1200-1259 27,28 ND 976 1 JUL 100 UNL 6045 1230-1259 27,28 ND 976 7 JUL 100 UNL 11840 1800-1829 46,47,48 160 216 1 JUL 100 UNL 7105 1901-1930 39,40 115 206 1 JUL 100 UNL 6110 1300-1305 27,28W 295 216 1234567 031104 270305 JUL 100 TOM 6110 1305-1659 27,28W 290 106 1234567 031104 270305 JUL 100 TOM 6110 1101-1159 27,28W ND 926 7 JUL 100 TOM 2nd Sunday of the month only 13810 1400-1559 28,29,39,40 115 217 1234567 041104 270305 JUL 100 TOM [why there is a second set of times at the right is unknown:] 17580 0557-0813 47,48,52,53 160 216 23456 JUL 100 RTB 0600-1100 17580 0557-1100 47,48,52,53 160 216 17 JUL 100 RTB 0600-1100 21565 1057-1231 47,48,52,53 160 216 1234567 JUL 100 RTB 1100-1400 17570 1527-1903 47,48,52,53 160 216 23456 JUL 100 RTB 1400-1900 17570 1557-1806 47,48,52,53 160 216 17 JUL 100 RTB 1400-1900 5945 0730-0945 27,28N 290 106 1 JUL 100 BVB 5945 0800-0915 27,28N 290 106 7 JUL 100 BVB 5945 0915-0930 27,28N 290 106 7 251204 251204 JUL 100 BVB 5945 0815-0845 27,28N 290 106 46 JUL 100 BVB 6015 1915-1930 28,29 60 141 23456 JUL 100 BVB 6015 1900-2030 28,29 60 141 1 JUL 100 BVB 6015 1900-2000 28,29 60 141 7 JUL 100 BVB 9470 1900-2015 39,40 125 146 16 NAU 250 BVB 9470 1900-2000 39,40 125 146 7 NAU 250 BVB 9470 1900-1945 39,40 125 146 5 NAU 250 BVB 7295 1930-1959 46,47 170 216 1 JUL 100 BVB 7295 1915-1945 46,47 170 216 6 JUL 100 BVB 7295 1900-1959 46,47 170 216 7 JUL 100 BVB 13810 1630-1659 38S,39S,47,48 130 217 1 JUL 100 BVB 13810 1630-1730 38S,39S,47,48 130 217 23567 JUL 100 BVB 13810 1630-1759 38S,39S,47,48 130 217 4 JUL 100 BVB [the 051105 start dates are surely supposed to read 051104:] 9730 1800-1859 39,40 110 216 17 051105 270305 JUL 100 BVB 9730 1800-1829 39,40 110 216 35 051105 270305 JUL 100 BVB 9730 1715-1829 39,40 110 216 246 051105 270305 JUL 100 BVB 17565 0845-1015 38,39 130 217 6 JUL 100 BVB 7220 1945-2015 46 200 106 6 JUL 100 BVB 7210 1800-1859 39,40 105 216 17 JUL 100 BVB 9460 1630-1859 39,40 115 217 1 051105 270305 JUL 100 BVB 9460 1640-1715 39,40 115 217 246 051105 270305 JUL 100 BVB 9460 1640-1859 39,40 115 217 3 051105 270305 JUL 100 BVB 9460 1645-1930 39,40 115 217 7 051105 270305 JUL 100 BVB 9460 1640-1745 39,40 115 217 5 051105 270305 JUL 100 BVB 9460 1800-1859 39,40 115 217 46 051105 270305 JUL 100 BVB 12005 1500-1600 40,41 90 217 37 JUL 100 BVB 12005 1530-1600 40,41 90 217 12456 JUL 100 BVB 13590 1330-1430 41NE 75 217 1234567 WER 250 GFA 13650 1430-1529 41,43,49 75 216 1234567 WER 250 GFA 13590 1530-1629 40,41 90 217 1234567 WER 250 GFA 9495 0030-0130 40,41 90 218 1234567 WER 250 GFA 9765 2330-0030 41,43,49 75 216 1234567 WER 250 GFA 13720 1700-1800 37,38 175 217 1234567 JUL 100 YFR-1 9605 1800-1900 39N,40W 115 206 1234567 JUL 100 YFR-2 9605 2000-2100 39,40 115 217 1234567 JUL 100 YFR-1 11750 2000-2100 37,38,46,47 190 217 1234567 JUL 100 YFR-2 7285 2300-0400 36 230 218 1234567 JUL 100 HRT 7285 0000-0400 17 300 216 1234567 JUL 100 HRT 7285 0200-0600 17 325 216 1234567 JUL 100 HRT 9470 0500-0800 55,59,60 230 218 1234567 JUL 100 HRT 13820 0600-1000 58,59,60 270 218 1234567 JUL 100 HRT FMO's (Frequency Managing Organizations) 6140 0600-1000 27,28 175 141 1234567 JUL 100 DWL 6140 1000-1300 27,28 120 106 1234567 JUL 40 DWL DRM 6140 1300-1600 27,28 175 141 1234567 JUL 100 DWL 6140 1600-1900 27,28 ND 976 1234567 JUL 40 DWL DRM 5965 0557-0756 27,28,37-39 130 216 1234567 JUL 100 DWL VRT2 5965 0757-0826 27,28 ND 926 1234567 JUL 100 VRT-2 5910 1827-1956 27,28,37-39 130 216 1234567 JUL 100 VRT-2 5985 1857-2056 27,28 ND 926 7 JUL 100 VRT-1 6015 1200-1459 27W,28S,36 ND 926 7 JUL 100 TDP 6015 1500-1559 27W,28S,36 ND 926 7 JUL 40 TDP DRM 6095 0500-0559 28E 115 216 1234567 JUL 100 AWR 11730 1000-1100 28W 145 216 1 JUL 100 AWR 9800 1900-1959 37,38W 200 216 1234567 JUL 100 AWR 9695 2000-2030 37,38W 200 216 1234567 JUL 100 AWR 6130 0627-0645 28,29 100 206 23456 JUL 100 TWR 7210 0927-0945 28 100 206 34567 JUL 100 TWR 6105 0927-0945 28 105 216 34567 JUL 100 TWR 7225 1127-1200 28,29 105 216 7 JUL 100 TWR 6130 1127-1200 28,29 100 206 7 JUL 100 TWR 5995 0200-0400 39,40 100 216 1234567 JUL 100 VOR 9555 1500-1600 39,40 115 217 1234567 JUL 100 VOR 5975 2000-2200 39,40 110 216 1234567 JUL 100 VOR 5965 2000-2200 39,40 105 216 1234567 JUL 100 VOR 5990 2100-2200 39,40 115 216 1234567 JUL 100 VOR 6175 2300-2400 39,40 100 216 1234567 JUL 100 VOR 12110 1700-1759 40 100 217 1234567 JUL 100 IBB 9495 1800-1859 40 100 217 1234567 JUL 100 IBB 9485 1900-2000 39N 100 217 1234567 JUL 100 IBB 9680 1900-2000 40 100 218 1234567 JUL 100 IBB 9670 0100-0300 42,43 75 217 1234567 WER 250 IBB AWH Allerweltshaus Koeln e.V. AWR Adventist World Radio BVB Bible Voice Broadcasting BCA Bible Christian Association CBS Radio Taiwan international CHW Christliche Wissenschaft DTK Deutsche Telekom [also veiled Ethiopian organizations..., wb.] DVB Democratic Voice of Burma DWL Deutsche Welle EMG Evangelische Missions Gemeinden in Deutschland EVR Evangeliums Radio Hamburg GFA Gospel For Asia HCJ Voice of the Andes HLR Hamburger Lokal Radio HRT Hrvratska Radio Televizija IBB International Broadcast Bureau IBR IBRA Radio Sweden MWA Missionswerk Arche PAB Pan Am Broadcasting RMI Radio Miami International RNW Radio Netherlands World Service RRP Radio Reveil Paroles de Vie RTB Radio Television Belge de la communauté Française RTR Radio Traumland (Belgien) SBO Sagalee Bilisummaa Oromoo TDP Transmitter Documentation Project TOM The Overcomer Broadcast TWR Trans World Radio UMC The United Methodist Church UNL Universelles Leben VOR Voice of Russia VRT Vlaamse Radio en Televisie (ex RVI) YFR WYFR Family Radio (WWDXC Nov 5, 2004 via Wolfgang Büschel, DXLD) ** ICELAND. 27 Oct, 2208, Rikisutvarpid, male news, extended weather forecasts on both channels: 207 SINPO 32232 (co-chan MRC, D) 189 SINPO 24232 (co-chan RUS R.Rossii) WRTH-04 indicates 100 kW for 207 kHz and 300 kW on 189 kHz. I'd presume the contrary, judging from the signal strengths... (Signal No.132 - open_dx - Vladimir Titarev, Kremenchuk, Ukraine, Signal via DXLD) The power is correct. But the transmitter on 189 is located in Western Iceland and is optimized towards West Atlantic/Canada, 207 is located in Eastern Iceland and has an optimized beam towards East Atlantic/ Polar Sea/ Scandinavia (Bernd Trutenau, Vilnius, Lithuania, ibid.) ** INDIA. AIR-Imphal changed its night-time frequency from 4775 to 4770 kHz. First noted on 9th Nov. at 1030 sign-on (K. Takasaki, Japan Premium Nov 12 via DXLD) AIR Imphal is noted back on 4775 from 13th Nov 2004 after noting it for some days on 4770 (Jose Jacob, VU2JOS, Nov 14, dx_india via DXLD) ** INDONESIA. I have been hearing RRI on 810 kHz since 5/11/04. On the EWE, signal strength is strong enough to dominate the frequency over 2BA. Merauke is listed here with 7.5 kW and I am hearing this as early as 0900 which is about sunset at Merauke. It is not in // to 3905, the listed SW frequency. Maybe there has been an increase in power? It is quite well heard around 1100 or 1200 UT which was when I first noted it. Also, this evening I have logged another RRI on 783 despite nothing being listed in the WRTH. This faded up at around 1211 for about 20 minutes. At first thought this was a Filipino but the ID was for RRI. (John Schache, Australia, Nov 11, ARDXC via DXLD) Auroral condx John, I did get onto 810 earlier in the week, thanks to your tip-off. Bega is normally strong here, but this certainly gets up over it from time to time, even on the loop. The one on 783 is likely RRI Ende, which as you say, is not listed in the WRTH or Bruce Portzer's excellent guide - but it does appear on the kangGuru English website http://www.kangguru.org/englishradio.htm#sched2 and geographically would fit (Flores, which is just a hop, step and jump from Timor). 783 is a frequency that has promised results for some time, but a good catch nonetheless! (Craig Seager, ibid.) ** INTERNATIONAL INTERNET. Sooper sekret way to listen to Radio@aol.com streams without AOL? Of course, there is the free Radio@Netscape.com which has a limited number of streams and, rumor has it, is limited to one hour/day. However, I came across the following stream URL's for WMCA, the Salem- owned Christian station in New York City. (they lease time to a Jewish network on Saturday night) which work inside Winamp. Low bandwidth: uvox://uvox1-mtc-slot2l.stream.aol.com/stream/6973 High bandwidth: uvox://uvox1-chi-slot4l.stream.aol.com/stream/7989 and when I change the numbers, some of the numbers yield different streams, including one Sporting News radio, and a few WPGC streams. (Washington, DC, Viacom/Infinity) This last is kinda interesting as everyone knows Infinity doesn't stream. All the ones that work so far seem to have odd numbers at the end, and a lot of them don't have ID's on the display of Winamp. Anyway, if propagation is godawful and you want to do some bandscanning, you might try this game (Joel Rubin, CA, Swprograms mailing list via DXLD) ** INTERNATIONAL VACUUM. NAB asks FCC to dismiss its previous anti- satellite petition (rumors are it was about to be denied by the FCC): http://www.rwonline.com/dailynews/one.php?id=6163 More on withdrawn NAB petition (satellite now essentially has no restrictions): http://beradio.com/currents/radio_currents_110804/#xm (via Harry Helms W5HLH, Wimberley, TX EM00, DXLD) ** INTERNATIONAL VACUUM. CLASSIC ARTS SHOWCASE ON AIR For those who want the best of opera, ballet, classical music, film, jazz, folk art, modern dance and much more should check out Classic Arts Showcase. The programmer has a $50 million non-profit public service channel funded solely by The Lloyd E. Rigler-Lawrence E. Deutsch Foundation. Classic Arts Showcase can be seen in North America and South America via an unscrambled satellite signal from Galaxy 1R, transponder 5, and is available free to local cable systems, public access stations, local broadcast stations, schools and anyone who can downlink the signal. The channel also is on EchoStar's DISH Network. For more information, visit http://www.classicartsshowcase.org ~*-.,_,.-*~'^'~*-.,_,.-*~'^'~*-., (Joe Buch, DE, Nov 12, swprograms OT via DXLD) -*~'^'~*-.,_,.-*~'^'~*-.,_,.-*~'^ It`s been around for many years. We have it in Enid filling most of the time on a local access cable channel [12]. They have a few hours of classical videos which repeat over and over, changed once a week. It`s a great service, however you can get it! I wonder if any of the platforms provide it in true stereo (assuming the video is produced that way --- they have a lot of vintage stuff). Certainly not the case here (Glenn Hauser, ibid.) ** IRAN. Checking 15275 at 1200, station in English was not R. France International [scheduled via Ascension] but V. of Justice (Bob Thomas, CT, DX LISTENING DIGEST) This is what I remember from several items on a postcard which got lost before I could type it all up (gh, DXLD) ** ISRAEL. A TREE GROWS IN ISRAEL --- Am very happy to announce that Dottie and I are being honored by Radio Israel. Moshe Oren telephoned me from Tel Aviv on Wednesday night to tell me that he (Israel Radio) is going to plant a tree in Israel FOR EACH OF US. We are extremely delighted to hear this exciting news. This came about as a result of my submission of the ONE THOUSANDTH weekly monitoring report to Israel Radio about a week ago. Some day you or members of the Poppin clan will be able to visit Tel Aviv, Israel and see that memorial to Mom and Dad. God Bless each of you. Dad (George Poppin sent us a copy of this Nov 12 message to his family mailing list, via DXLD) Congrats! ** ITALY. IRRS, 5775, 2135-2205* Nov 5, tune-in to English ``Reaching Up`` religious program, interview with a religious musician. 2200 closing English announcements with ID, address and into lite music to 2205* Fair-good (Brian Alexander, Mechanicsburg PA, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** IVORY COAST. The state media in Ivory Coast have become the exclusive mouthpiece of the government and its allies and are being used to promote street demonstrations, Reporters Without Borders said today after monitoring many state radio and TV broadcasts. . . http://www.rsf.org/article.php3?id_article=11824 (via Jilly Dybka, DXLD) ** JORDAN. Good morning Glenn; Conditions have been awful here this week but things are looking up today. Here what is on now. 11690, Radio Jordan at 1601 tune in with nice signal, tune up 2 kc to avoid ute. News in English read by YL. ID and time check at 1604 as "That is the end of the news from Radio Jordan at 4 minutes past 6". Then into usual FM relay with a Golden Oldies program inviting listeners from around the Gulf to vote for their favorite tunes from the 80's back every Sunday (Mickey Delmage, Sherwood Park, Alberta, Nov 14, Rx: Collins HF 2050, Ant: KLM 7-30 MHz Log Periodic, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** KOREA NORTH. Pyongyang was noted on 799.4 drifting from 801 kHz. Not strong and was in // with 6398 at 1743. Regards, (John Schache, Australia, Nov 11, ARDXC via DXLD) ** KOREA NORTH. Roland Schulze just phoned me from the Pangasinan, Philippines: KOREA DPR, 3025.5, Front Line Soldiers Radio close-down every day at 1135 UT. I guess schedule should be 2000-1135 on air. 73 (Wolfgang Büschel, Nov 14, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** KOREA NORTH. SEOUL, South Korea - (KRT) - The U.S. government is preparing to smuggle tiny radios into North Korea as part of a newly financed program to break down the country's isolation. . . http://www.kansascity.com/mld/kansascity/news/world/10167061.htm?1c (via Jilly Dybka, Mike Terry, DXLD) ** KOREA SOUTH. Hello DXers, Here is a R. Korea International frequency list of 60 minute program in Spanish, effective October 31, 2004. Areas of coverage UTC Frequencies South America 01:00 02:00 11810 kHz South America 10:00 11:00 9580 kHz South America 11:00 12:00 11795 kHz via Sackville, Canada Europe 20:00 21:00 9515 khz Europe 07:00 08:00 9640 kHz Europe 10:00 11:00 15210 kHz Europe 06:00 06:30 6045 khz via Sackville, Canada Source: RKI's Program "Antena de la amistad" Oct. 30, 2004 http://rki.kbs.co.kr/s_index.asp 73's (via Nino Marabello, Treviso, Italy, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** LATVIA. With a recent QSL from EMR-Latvia was a note that the next transmissions will take place November 28th and December 19th at 1500- 1600 UT on usual 9290 kHz. 73 (Mick Delmage, AB, Nov 11, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Sundays ** LUXEMBOURG. The DRM transmissions from Luxembourg on 5990 and 6095 seem to have gone 24/7 from the beginning of November. The previous break at 0000-0600 is no longer there. What a waste of energy and spectrum space! (Olle Alm, Sweden, 11.11, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Well, DRM has decided that stations must take the lead in the chicken- and-egg situation (gh, DXLD) ** MEXICO. XERTA, 4810, 0310-0515+ Nov 7, continuous contemporary Christian music, lite instrumental music, 0400 & 0515 heard Spanish ID. Fair-good level but heavy swisher QRM. And must use ECSS-LSB to avoid noise blob on high side. Armenia sign-on at 0358 caused some minor co-channel QRM; Armenia \\ 9965 (Brian Alexander, Mechanicsburg PA, DX LISTENING DIGEST) QSLing XERTA, 4810 kHz, has never been easier than now. No need to send them a report. Not even to tune in to their 60 meter band frequency. Just go to http://www.misionradio.com and once on their home page you click on "Nosotros" where, abracadabra, you will find a QSL ready for downloading. Printing the whole thing out, you will obtaina "certificado de sintonía" with the actual date of submission at the bottom of the page (Henrik Klemetz, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** MEXICO. AN AUDIO LIFELINE TO THE WORLD [WTFK??? 2390 kHz] Wednesday, October 27, 2004 By Reed Johnson Los Angeles Times http://www.cantonrep.com/index.php?Category=24&ID=189533&r=1 (you have to login) ---------------------------------------------------------------------- HUAYACOCOTLA, Mexico -- Rising over the cornfields and cutting through the morning fog, a young woman's voice breaks the eerie stillness of this verdant mountain town. ``Welcome to Radio Huayacocotla,'' she says in Spanish, ``the voice of the campesinos.'' Sitting behind a sound-mixing board in a cramped broadcast booth off a narrow cobbled street, Lucrecia Linares Mina, 23, repeats her salutation in her native Tepehua, an ancient tongue akin to Mayan. Then, shuffling through a stack of handwritten paper slips, she launches into a 10-minute recitation of birthday and anniversary greetings, pleas to return lost pets, and other considerably more urgent communiqués linking this remote town of 5,000, plus scores of neighboring villages and hamlets, with New York, San Francisco and other cities across the U.S. border thousands of miles away. Although it's still early Saturday morning, and the station's signal tends to get raspy and faint as it skips across the ridges and ravines of the Sierra Madre Oriental, someone, somewhere, is sure to be listening closely. For roughly three decades, Radio Huayacocotla (pronounced hway-ah-koh-KOHT-lah), a 500-watt short-wave community radio station deep in the heart of rural Veracruz state in east-central Mexico has served as an audio lifeline for some of this country's poorest and most overlooked people. Broadcasting eight hours a day, six days a week, in a region where the illiteracy is high and the technology low, the station is many people's main news outlet. And as the only licensed radio station operated primarily by and for indigenous Mexicans, it's a unique source of two other commodities that some deem crucial to this community's long-term survival: regular contact with distant loved ones, and the freewheeling, improvisational music called son huasteco. A rugged, high-altitude expanse that embraces parts of six states, the Huastec region was set apart by geography in pre-Columbian times from the great Mayan and Aztec civilizations to the southeast and west, respectively, creating a distinct regional culture. Today, that independent streak asserts itself in a resolutely agrarian lifestyle, centered in scores of scattered, spartan villages, where a few dozen families raise corn and sheep and inhabit log cabins or cinderblock houses perched on steep, fog-swept hillsides. Son huasteco, an all-occasions music that merges sacred and profane purposes, is the soundtrack for this lifestyle and is performed at public fiestas, weddings, private parties and anywhere else that musicians come together for an impromptu jam session. In fact, in huasteco culture there is no essential distinction between music for praying and music for partying, says Padre Alfredo Zepeda, 62, an outspoken and energetic Jesuit priest who has worked in the area for 23 years and serves as the station's adviser and behind-the-scenes muse. ``All the traditional music is religious music,'' he says. ``In this sense, the religion is part of the culture.'' But during the past 30 years, this rural highlands, like many parts of Mexico, has suffered a dramatic erosion of its population, as rural peasants, mostly men, have fled their work-starved villages and migrated to the United States. Many leave home as young as 14. In the local pueblito of Benito Juárez, 25 of the village's 48 adult males are working in the United States, Padre Alfredo says. Heavy deforestation by timber companies and stiff agricultural competition from heavily subsidized U.S. farmers have reshaped the local economy. Like the lifestyle it celebrates, huasteco music also had slipped into decline. Today, many here credit the radio station with sparking a renewed sense of cultural identity among local indigenous people as well as a revival among the young in putting together new son huasteco bands and performing in public. Some musicians say they learned to play by listening to the station, which has helped local groups purchase instruments. Besides deepening this musical connection to the past, Radio Huaya, with only a handful of regular employees, also broadcasts regional news in Spanish and in the indigenous languages of Otomi, Tepehua and Nahuatl. Perhaps most important, five times a day it transmits 10- minute segments of avisos y saludos, notices and greetings that come rolling in from a 50-mile radius as well as from pay-phone callers and letter writers in California, New York and other states. Most of the callers and letter writers are husbands, boyfriends or brothers working in the United States, wanting to let their families know that they made it safely across the border or that they'll be wiring money home soon. (Owing to Mexico's monopolistic phone system, it can cost 10 or 20 times less to call the United States from rural Mexico than vice versa.) The station receives hundreds of such calls and letters every week. Jotted down and read on-air by the station's disc jockey-announcers, these missives come wafting out of hundreds of shortwave receivers across the slopes and valleys. Not long ago, one man called in from New York instructing his wife to come into town from Puebla Nueva, a three-hour bus ride away, to receive his phone call later in the week; he knew his mother would be listening to the station, as usual, and would tell his wife. Pedro Ruperto Albino, 28, an Otomi Indian who started working at Radio Huayacocotla as an intern and now has the title of station coordinator, says that when he was a schoolboy, he and his friends used to listen to heavy metal and rock. Thanks to the station, they've discovered their community's true roots. ``In recent years, the young people have returned to appreciate the music and to identify with it,'' he says. On a gray, soggy, summer afternoon, the atmosphere inside Radio Huaya is both festive and businesslike. Griselda Marin Merida, 18, is fielding a steady stream of calls and writing down avisos to be read on the air. Rough wooden shelves surround her small desk, stuffed with vinyl albums, 45s, cassettes, reel-to-reel tapes of every imaginable kind of traditional Mexican music -- ranchera, norteña, tropicales, sinaloense, children's music -- mixed in with errant copies of Mozart's symphonies 40 and 41 and Cat Stevens' ``Catch Bull at Four.'' A few feet away, a middle-age townswoman named Sofia Roque stands by with her sister-in-law Maria Luis Guzman, 15, and her daughter Maria Josalyn, 3, waiting to dedicate a song in the station's small recording studio. ``I've listened to it since I was a girl,'' Roque says. ``We feel that it's our radio station.'' Inside the broadcast booth, Ricardo González, a painter who works at the station as a disc jockey and announcer, stares at a computer interface as he mixes songs and rattles off announcements. Just outside the booth, his sprawling mural of peasants, framed by the political mantra ``Tierra y Libertad'' (Land and Liberty) greets visitors entering the two-story radio station. First conceived by a local Roman Catholic official during the reformist, post-Vatican II era of the mid-1960s, the station grew out of a program to establish radio-training schools throughout rural Mexico. In the mid-1970s, the Jesuits sought to establish an independent community radio station -- a rarity in a country where the Institutional Revolutionary Party kept a tight rein on independent media. The station is one element in a broader Jesuit-backed initiative to help indigenous people secure better health care, protect their human rights and defend their title to ancestral lands constantly threatened with seizure by powerful private interests, Padre Alfredo says. Over the years these activities have brought threats, and in 1995 Mexican authorities, spooked by the Zapatista guerrilla peasant uprisings in the southern state of Chiapas, briefly closed the station, accusing it of broadcasting inflammatory messages in code. The next five years were tense, Padre Alfredo says. ``The government saw the entire people as potential guerrillas.'' In a region so depleted by poverty and outward migration, the station provides both a social and spiritual anchor. Symbolically, its transmission tower looms as high as the town's tallest church. Yet the priests say that getting the locals to trust them and support the station was difficult at first. ``They look at us with suspicion and see us as part of the church hierarchy,'' Padre Alfredo says. What's more, many people were simply beyond reach of the short-wave signal or couldn't afford to keep a radio in their home. Gradually, as the station grew, the priests began raising money to buy radios and distribute them to outlying regions. They also helped people customize their radio antennas for better reception. ``We began to move slowly into the indigenous communities,'' Padre Alfredo says, ``and the radio walked with us.'' Not unlike Appalachian bluegrass, son huasteco is a plaintive, homespun music performed by string trios of violin, the ukulele-like jarana and the large, double-string huapanguera. Many songs revolve around unrequited love, melancholy landscapes and the hardships of daily life. Just as the music's spiritual and secular qualities have blurred, so has the role of the musicians with that of the listeners. ``In indigenous communities, the concept of a spectacle doesn't exist,'' Padre Alfredo says. ``They're not spectators, they're participants.'' All day people drop by the station: musicians who stop to chat about upcoming festivals over endless cups of coffee and animal crackers; the town drunk, hoping for a handout; and listeners from the countryside bringing gifts of fresh fruit and vegetables. ``For the people,'' Padre Alfredo says, ``the door is always open.'' (via Jilly Dybka, DXLD) ** NETHERLANDS. An interesting note regarding the RN letters mini- segment we've discussed recently: on 11/11/04 at 1857 UT on 11655 kHz, among other feedback, Kathy Clugston read excerpts from my e-mail and some from another listener about the need for a caption listing the names of the RN staffers in the group picture on the latest edition of "On Target". She stated that there would be changes in the RN website coming up in mid-November and that this may be addressed there after the alterations. So maybe they'll have the info accessible there at that time. By the way, reception here in the central US for RN on that 11655 kHz frequency at that time (1800-2000 UT) isn't bad at all. I was using the internal whip on the Satellit 800 instead of the external random wire antenna due to there being local storms. and the signal was consistently readable, even if a bit noisy. So this gives us a supplemental chance to hear RN in mid-day (Will Martin, St Louis MO, Nov 11, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** NEW ZEALAND. New 15720: Adrian has corrected the entry on the RNZI web site. The correct time is 0400-0759 UTC. - - - 2051-0359 17675 All Pacific, USA west coast 000' Daily 0400-0759 15720 All Pacific, Europe, and mid-west USA 000' Daily (Wolfgang Büschel, Nov 12, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** NICARAGUA. 680, YNAM, Managua, Nicaragua, R. La Primerísima, 0459Z 09NOV04, weak but steady in auroral conditions. YL with mentions of Managua and Nicaragua then clear "Radio La Primerísima" ID, into Nicaraguan national anthem. Set up overnite recording on 680 looking for Mexicans since I have no XEs on 680. No Mexicans ID'd but guess I'll have to be content with my first ever Nicaragua logging ;-). I have not reviewed all of that nite`s recordings so maybe there's still an XE lurking on my hard drive. I have travelled to Managua 3 times on medical mission trips and this logging brings back visions and memories of Managua, its barrios, neighborhoods, the smells and sights of the streets, the hotel and restaurants I visited while there and the *beautiful* children of Managua. This is a special logging for me. I'll have to try 540 and 620 in future auroras for other Nicaraguans (Bruce Winkelman, AA5CO, Tulsa, OK, R8, Quantum Phaser, 2-130 foot wires, Nov 10, NRC-AM via DXLD) Radio Nicaragua, Managua 620 kHz heard at 11:58 EST with full ID, anthem, then off. Over top Rebelde with strong signal. First time heard! (Brett Saylor, Central PA, R8 w/EWE antenna, UT Nov 13, NRC-AM via DXLD) ** PAPUA NEW GUINEA. President Joseph C. Emert sent me this information, by snail mail. Thank you for your note about Wantok Radio Light in Papua New Guinea. The shortwave radio station is scheduled to go on the air around January 8, 2005. It will broadcast at 7210 kHz. While it is doubtful that it will reach you in Austria, it would be interesting to know if you receive it. My email address is jemert @ wmvv.com At the present time we do not have a printed broadcast schedule. Again, thank you for your interest. Life Radio Ministries Inc. 100 S. Hill Street, Suite 100 Griffin, Georgia 30223 USA (770) 229- 2020 (770) 229- 4820(fax) Life Radio Ministries is an official radio-planting partner with HCJB World Radio http://www.MissionaryRadio.info (via Paul Gager, Austria, via Dario Monferini, PlayDX yg via DXLD) Here we go again. See 4-158, where the projected frequency was given as 7120. Did someone do a transposition typo?? And I wonder how many editors copying this item will blow off this very important clarification? The website above also links to three journals dating back to last January, but not about the SW portion of the project; and also contains what is now evidently outdated info: ``The Shortwave station is scheduled for installation in October 2004. Pray for the safety of the HCJB Engineers and that the scheduled launch date of October 30 will happen`` (Glenn Hauser, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Mr. Emert probably doesn't know that the CRN station in Vanimo (PNG) has been logged all around the world with their 1 kW power, even with their "cloud warmer" antenna designed to limit reception to the local area. They continue to be a regular resident of 4960 kHz and heard frequently here (Guy Atkins, Puyallup, WA USA, rec.radio.shortwave via Terry, BDXC-UK via DXLD) ** PAPUA NEW GUINEA. PAPUA NEW GUINEA'S GOVERNMENT-RUN RADIO FACING PROBLEMS DUE TO BUDGET CUTS | Text of report by Papua New Guinea Post- Courier web site on 12 November Funding for government-run radio stations has become so bad that one receives a mere 5,000 kina for a year's operation. Karai Services director Memafu Kapera revealed this earlier this week. Karai Radio, broadcasting out of Port Moresby, is the service-oriented arm of the government-owned and run National Broadcasting Corporation [NBC], aimed primarily at disseminating information to the people of Papua New Guinea. Its sister services - the Kundu Service - involves the various provincial radio stations, while the commercial arm of the radio, Kalang, was sold to Telikom a couple of years ago. "The government is starving its own people of information. The station sometimes survives on programmes that are paid for by churches and NGOs," Mr Kapera said. He said the 19 provincial radio stations were facing all sorts of problems. Radio facilities, he said, had deteriorated very badly because of severe budget cuts, especially in the last eight years. "NBC plays an important role in disseminating information to the people of Papua New Guinea so the government must make it its business to fund the radio station annually," he said, adding that there was a need for younger people to value the type of programmes that were aired on NBC. "Current affairs programmes and talkback shows are two of the many real-life programmes that young (people) should listen to, instead of listening to music only," he said, adding that the NBC was decentralizing its radio stations in provinces so that all could be maintained and managed properly. Source: Papua New Guinea Post-Courier web site, Port Moresby, in English 12 Nov 04 (via BBCM via DXLD) ** PERU. R. Melodía, Arequipa, 5939.35, 0000-0020+ Nov 6, continuous Spanish talk, IDs. Weak, but in the clear. Off the air the past several weeks (Brian Alexander, Mechanicsburg PA, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** PERU. Quito, 11/11 2004, Thursday evening edition: Recording of R. Ondas del Huallaga, Huánuco, 3329.59 kHz. This station is listed as "irr" in WRTH but is active at least 75%. I have not presented Huallaga before mostly because of electrical noise on these low SW frequencies. Comments and recordings at: http://www.malm-ecuador.com 73s (Björn Malm, Quito, Ecuador, Nov 11, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** PERU. 4955, R. Cultural Amauta (Presumed), Nov 11, 1014-1021, presumed them in Quechua, sounded like religious program, good. 5014.62, R. Altura, Nov 11, 1024-1101, OA music, many advertisements (several for programming on ``Radio Televisión Altura``), only one ID noted for ``Radio Altura``, exceptionally good (Ron Howard, Monterey CA, NRD-545, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** PHILIPPINES. RVA B'04 Correction --- Here as follows are the changes to be made on the 14th of November Freq. kHz UTC Language From To 11780 11820 0000-0027 Sinhala 11770 11790 0100-0127 Bengali 11780 11790 0130-0157 Hindi 11705 11895 0230-0300 Zomi Chin 15335 15350 0200-0227 Urdu 11730 11725 1400-1427 Bengali 11880 11725 1430-1457 Urdu 11705 11765 1500-1600 Filipino 73's from (Ashik Eqbal Tokon, Rajshahi, Bangladesh, GRDXC via DXLD) ** PUNTLAND. Hi Glenn: I am trying to get back to Africa, this time a long stay in Puntland, ex-NE Somalia. I will be staying at Radio Galkayo's complex in Galkayo were I will be helping out with Radio Galkayo, the Puntland ARO's and preparing for the February 2005 Italian ARO DXped. I have been granted the call-sign 6O0JT, that is 6 Oscar Zero Juliet Tango and will be operating 10-80m whenever the Somali ARO's wish. I will be setting up both a SW and ARO station at the Radio Galkayo complex and spending as much time as we can at the dials. Sam Voron is back in Sydney; he tells me he is very busy with E Mail. The ARRL has just given Puntland country status, so she has become big news! Sam tells me Radio Galkayo is on-the-air 0200 to 0400 and 1000 to 1800 GMT, that is 0700 to 0900 and 1300 to 2100 European Local Somali Time on 6980 kHz. He did not confirm, but I assume daily. Sam reported hearing Radio Galkayo in the DX press last week from Sydney. Puntland does not have mail service; reports could be sent via E Mail. See the Radio Galkayo web site: http://www.radiogalkayo.com I asked Sam about other Horn of Africa SW stations; he tells me "most others have disappeared or gone FM", Radio Galkayo remains the only SW station on the air from the former Somalia. Some very interesting listening ahead for us from Galakyo! We will be busy at the station for the next weeks given all that is ahead, but I can make sure that all correct reception reports are QSLed. Please be patient with reports and let us know if you can hear Radio Galakyo in your area. Glenn, we will be in touch from Galkayo, 73. (Joe Talbot VA6JWT, Home: Red Deer, Alberta, Canada. N: 52-16-18 W: 113-48-46. Grid: DO32cg. Currently: Africa, Nov 11, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** REUNION. Both frequencies 666 and 729 kHz are now in operation (Bengt Ericson, ARC Information Desk Nov 7 via Olle Alm, DXLD) ** SOLOMON ISLANDS. RADIO HAPI LAGOON BACK ON AIR | Text of report by Solomon Islands Broadcasting Corporation on 8 November SIBC's [Solomon Islands Broadcasting Corporation] Radio Hapi Lagoon at Gizo is back on air after the corporation's technicians repaired several faults which had crippled that station during the past several months. SIBC's general manager, Johnson Honimae, said listeners in the Western and Choiseul provinces are now able to listen to Radio Hapi Lagoon as well as rebroadcasts of the national service, Radio Hapi Isles, from Honiara on 945 [kHz] mediumwave. Mr Honimae says, Radio Hapi Lagoon has been off air for the past several months after private road contractors at Gizo accidentally pulled down power cables while working in the area near the radio transmitter in the township. He says the long delay in getting the radio station back on air was because of the time it took for the spare parts to be ordered from the United States. Mr Honimae says with Radio Hapi Lagoon now back on air, he appeals to the Western and Choiseul provincial governments, the business sector, non-government organizations and other stakeholders to make full use of its services. The SIBC general manager Mr Honimae congratulates the corporation's technicians for getting Radio Hapi Lagoon back on air. Source: Solomon Islands Broadcasting Corporation text web site, Honiara, in English 8 Nov 04 (via BBCM via DXLD) ** SOMALIA. See PUNTLAND ** SOUTH AFRICA. 729, Veritas Radio was denied a broadcasting license for this frequency. They are still trying for a license to broadcast on 729. In the meantime it remains off the air. The transmitter on 729 kHz that Radio Veritas wants to use is located at Klipheuwel and has 25 kW power (John Plimmer, RSA via Bengt Ericson, ARC Info Desk Nov 8 via Olle Alm, DXLD) ** SWEDEN. 1179: Teracom in cooperation with Radio Sweden has rearranged the schedule for B04. The home service is relayed weekdays as follows: P1 0455-0700, Saturdays P4 0455-1000 (request programme) and Sundays P1 0455-1000. Foreign Service in German and English on Sundays at 0700-0800. The normal mixture of P1, P4 and Foreign Service is daily 1545-2330. The power will be 600 kW at all times in an attempt to improve reception despite Romanian interference (Anders Bäcklin, SR via BE, ARC Info Desk Nov 8 via Olle Alm, DXLD) ** SWITZERLAND. Switzerland - Special Event Station The Swiss Radio International broadcast station has stopped using short waves and its transmitters and antennas are being decommissioned. Members of HB9MM http://www.hb9mm.com/Index_e.htm club station in Lausanne have been given permission to use the former broadcast station facilities and antennas, including a 62-metre high curtain array weighing 135 tonnes. The special callsign HE3RSI is on the air now until 3 December on bands from 40 to 10 metres. This is the first time the HE3 prefix has been used (RSGB via Mike Terry, BDXC-UK via DXLD) How do hams ever manage to use very large ERPs? Do administrations care only about limiting their transmitter power? (gh, DXLD) ** TIBET [non]. Just listening to this one at this moment. Voice Of Tibet 17545 1212 Intro: chant with flute and string instrument & announcements. 1217 The Chinese musicjammer joins in, but not as strong as usual (Silvain Domen, Belgium, Nov 12, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGST) ** TUNISIA. 963, Radio Tunis International with foreign language programme in the evening: 1900-1915 German 1915-1930 English 1930-1945 Spanish 1945-2000 Italian (Patrick Robic via Bengt Ericson, ARC Info Desk via Olle Am, DXLD) Radio Tunisi International --- Mistero risolto (forse...) grazie a Giovanni Lorenzi di Messina: Oggi 11 novembre Radio Tunisi International 963 Khz: 1900-1915 UTC in tedesco 1915-1930 UTC in inglese 1930-1945 UTC in spagnolo (NEW!!!) 1945-2000 UTC in italiano L'annuncio in spagnolo sarà disponibile tra pochi minuti nella galleria audio di http://www.bclnews.it (Roberto Scaglione, bclnews.it via DXLD) Are these 7 days a week? If only they would put the foreign languages on at least one of their several SW frequencies (Glenn Hauser, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** TURKMENISTAN. Turkmen Radio broadcasts news in English from 1640 to 1650 UT daily except Sunday on 4930 kHz. The QSL address is: Turkmen Radio, Mollanepes 3, Ashgabat 744000, Turkmenistan (Rumen Pankov, R. Bulgaria DX program Nov 12 via John Norfolk, dxldyg via DXLD) ** U K. NEW 60-METER BEACONS ON THE AIR FROM THE BRITISH ISLES November 9, 2004 --- The Daily DX http://www.dailydx.com/ reports that new 60-meter beacons are on the air from England and Scotland. GB3WES in Cumbria, England, and GB3ORK in Scotland's Orkney Islands join GB3RAL in Oxfordshire, which has been on the air since mid-2003. All transmit on 5290 kHz. Each beacon has a stepped transmit power sequence and a 30-second sounder sequence of 0.5 ms pulses at 40 Hz. All three beacons transmit at a nominal power of 10 W. There's more information, including how to file reception reports, on the RSGB Beacon Reporting website http://www.rsgb-spectrumforum.org.uk/beacon_reporting.htm (http://www.arrl.org/ via Mike Terry, dxldyg via DXLD) ** U K. BBC 'ON AIR' MAGAZINE IS SUDDENLY AXED Dear Mr. Hauser, I've been a regular devotee of your work for a year or so --- and here is my first submission. The December 2004 edition of BBC World Service's monthly 'On Air' magazine is to be the last. An accompanying letter from Dionne Ormonde, Managing Editor, says: "It is with regret that I have to inform you that, following a business review, it has been decided that the December 2004 issue of BBC 'On Air' magazine will be the last issue published. We have found that many of our listeners are getting programme information on line and that it is no longer cost-effective to produce the printed edition of the magazine." The letter goes on to promise a refund to each subscriber for any unexpired subscription. It says that the current BBC World Service English Programme Schedules are enclosed, and this schedule is valid until 31 March 2005. Well, I didn't get a separate schedules guide - only the December 2004 pull-out programme schedule, which is only valid for that month. We are invited to fill out a postcard and send it to BBC 'Audience Relations' at Bush House, if we want to be on the mailing list for the 6-monthly English schedules poster (April - September 2005) - but why bother? What a shame. This breaks the continuous line of printed Empire/ External/ World Service programme guides from 1939. Does the BBC World Service care about its listeners any more? What about those who do not have the internet? Yours sincerely, (Martin Levene, London, Nov 11, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Bummer. I will have to work through the Press Office, I guess, for advance programming information in time for inclusion in the NASWA Journal – I normally have been able to count on a 7-10 day lead time for BBC On Air in advance of my Easy Listening column deadline. The electronic information is quite useful but unfortunately isn't issued until the first or the second of the month (Richard Cuff / Allentown, PA, USA, swprograms via DXLD) Definition: "Business review" - what is fast becoming the two most dreaded words in the English language. Wonder how long it will be before they also drop the e-mail newsletters as a cost cutting move? As you point out, they come out -- at best -- a day or two before the first of the month. The Press Office seems loathe to release that information earlier. Since when is BBC program information such a state secret? Another longstanding tradition down the drain. A couple of weeks ago I heard Ann Coulter being interviewed on the World Service. Hearing that bird brain (with apologies to birds) on those once vaunted airwaves was depressing enough. Now this (John Figliozzi, Halfmoon, NY, ibid.) ** U K. BBC strangeness last evening -- the BBC on 5975 kHz interrupted "Outlook" in mid-word to join already-in-progress news coverage of Arafat's death at 0434 UT. Seemed quite sloppy and unprofessional to do that -- it wasn't a news bulletin, since the death had been known for over an hour by then, and it just overlaid one in-progress audio with another. They could have easily joined smoothly a few minutes earlier at the normal 0428 break, but didn't. They *did* cut off the Arafat coverage to air "Off The Shelf" at 0445 UT, and then crammed in a bit more Arafat info after that ended and just before the top of the hour (when 5975 ceases transmission). And an interesting BBC contest just announced: "The Word", the literary and book-review program, is having a contest for listeners. Submit an English sentence, which has to make some sort of sense, that includes the three words "Assegai", "Zeitgeist", and "Poppadum". E- mail address is theword@bbc.co.uk --- I don't know what the prize is, if any, but it sounds like fun. Cut-off date is Nov. 30 (Will Martin, St Louis MO, Nov 11, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U K. John Peel - final BBC World Service will be broadcast next week --- November 13, 2004 By Adam Sherwin, Media Reporter The Times It is a typically eclectic mixture of 1970s German rock, hardcore "grime" and Liverpool indie. The final programme recorded by John Peel will be broadcast by the BBC World Service next week. . . . . .The final programme will be introduced by World Service presenter Mark Coles and broadcast on Friday at 10:30 am, then repeated at 1:30 pm, 7:30 pm and Saturday at 01:45 am. more at http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,2-1356043,00.html (via Mike Terry, dxldyg via DXLD) The BBC online schedule for weeks after this "final" John Peel programme still lists Peel in the same old timeslot. So are they going to run repeats of old shows for the rest of the broadcast season or is something to replace the JP shows in the works? I haven't seen any mention of this anywhere. Curious, (Will Martin, MO, Nov 13, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) Final send-off for John Peel --- Everyone at the funeral of John Robert Parker Ravenscroft knew it was coming. John Peel - as he was known to millions - had often spoke of Teenage Kicks, by The Undertones, as being the song he wanted played at his funeral... http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/tv_and_radio/4008379.stm (via Jilly Dybka, DXLD) Guardian version of Peel`s funeral: http://www.guardian.co.uk/arts/news/story/0,11711,1350420,00.html (via Mike Terry, dxldyg via DXLD) ** U K. BBC Radio 4 overnight: a new BBC program stream? Kevin Kelly spotted that Radio 4's overnight BBCWS program stream (0100-0535) differs from both the Americas and the Europe streams [4-170] I went ahead and contacted my Bush House friends regarding this -- they tell me that their audience research found the UK audience wanted a different mix of programming than continental European listeners to the overnight (European stream) World Service. The printed publications that show the Radio 4 schedule (what a concept --- detailed radio schedules in a newspaper) include this new schedule, even though it doesn't show up in the online schedule database search tool. Interestingly, the other BBC services that carry the World Service overnight (apparently only Radio Wales, 0100-0600) continues to air the European stream. My guess is that those BBC Services that carry the "Radio 4" service overnight take the schedule shown below. Many of the domestic services now take Radio Five Live instead of the World Service. In Any event... here's the list of what's on & when for the new Radio 4 World Service feed. Richard Cuff / Allentown, PA USA --------------------------------------------------------------- (GMT) Saturday 1:00 WS: World Briefing 1:20 Sports Roundup 1:29 News Update 1:32 People & Politics 2:00 News 2:06 Sports International 2:29 News Update 2:32 The Word 3:00 News 3:06 Science in Action 3:29 News Update 3:32 Global Business 4:00 News 4:06 Documentary 1 4:29 News Update 4:32 World Football 5:00 World Briefing 5:20 Sports Roundup (GMT) Sunday 1:00 WS: World Briefing 1:20 Sports Roundup 1:29 News Update 1:32 The Interview 2:00 News 2:06 Pick of the World 2:29 News Update 2:32 Pick of the World 2:45 Write On 3:00 News 3:06 The Ticket 3:29 News Update 3:32 The Ticket 4:00 News Summary 4:06 Play of the Week 5:00 World Briefing 5:20 Sports Roundup (GMT) Monday 1:00 WS: World Briefing 1:20 Sports Roundup 1:29 News Update 1:32 The World Today 2:00 News 2:06 Everywoman 2:29 Westway Omnibus 3:00 News 3:06 Documentary 2 3:29 News Update 3:32 The World Today 4:00 News 4:06 Talking Point 4:45 Off the Shelf 5:00 World Briefing 5:20 Sports Roundup (GMT) Tuesday 1:00 WS: World Briefing 1:20 Sports Roundup 1:29 News Update 1:32 The World Today 2:00 News 2:06 Documentary 1 2:29 News Update 2:32 Charlie Gillett 3:00 News 3:06 Health Matters 3:29 News Update 3:32 The World Today 4:00 News 4:06 Outlook 4:29 News Update 4:32 Outlook 4:45 Off the Shelf 5:00 World Briefing 5:20 Sports Roundup (GMT) Wednesday 1:00 WS: World Briefing 1:20 Sports Roundup 1:29 News Update 1:32 The World Today 2:00 News 2:06 Masterpiece 2:29 News Update 2:32 Westway1 2:45 Heart & Soul 3:00 News 3:06 Go Digital 3:29 News Update 3:32 The World Today 4:00 News 4:06 Outlook 4:29 News Update 4:32 Outlook 4:45 Off the Shelf 5:00 World Briefing 5:20 Sports Roundup (GMT) Thursday 1:00 WS: World Briefing 1:20 Sports Roundup 1:29 News Update 1:32 The World Today 2:00 News 2:06 Documentary 2 2:29 News Update 2:32 The Music Biz 3:00 News 3:06 Discovery 3:29 News Update 3:32 The World Today 4:00 News 4:06 Outlook 4:29 News Update 4:32 Outlook 4:45 Off the Shelf 5:00 World Briefing 5:20 Sports Roundup (GMT) Friday 1:00 WS: World Briefing 1:20 Sports Roundup 1:29 News Update 1:32 The World Today 2:00 News 2:06 Assignment 2:29 News Update 2:32 Westway2 2:45 What's the Problem 3:00 News 3:06 One Planet 3:29 News Update 3:32 The World Today 4:00 News 4:06 Outlook 4:29 News Update 4:32 Outlook 4:45 Off the Shelf 5:00 World Briefing 5:20 Sports Roundup (via Richard Cuff, DX LISTENING DIGEST) To be honest, this schedule is more attractive to me that the Short Wave schedule for the Americas, particularly the weekend one! (Sandy Finlayson, Philadelphia, PA, swprograms via DXLD) ** U S A. Comments = Since 16 October I have not been able to hear the Our World programme on the VOA website. There should surely have been editions broadcast on 23 and 30 October. I have checked at http://www.voanews.com/ourworld but can't see any mention of the programme. I look forward to hearing from you. Thank you (Mike Terry, UK, to VOA News Contact, via dxldyg via DXLD) Thanks for your note. Sorry you're having trouble with our new website design. Over my objections, "voanews.com/ourworld" no longer takes you to the Our World page. Instead, it takes you to the science and technology page. The theory is that the visitor will find the latest stories here, since this page is updated daily. Since Our World is a weekly program, the Our World page is updated only weekly. (No, it doesn't make any sense to me either, but I produce a radio program; I don't have any say over the website.) There are three ways to get to the Our World page where you can find audio files. From the voanews.com/ourworld page you can click on the link to Our World (It's the left-most graphic at the bottom of the page). Or you can look in the left column for the "Programs A to Z" section, click on "Find VOA Radio or TV Programs," then click on "O" and then "Our World." Or, easiest of all and special for you, just click on the link below: http://www.voanews.com/english/science/ourworld.cfm You can download an MP3 or listen to a streaming RealAudio version of the show. We're still having many technical problems with the software behind our website, so please be patient if you find a problem. (And feel free to use the "contact us" mail form to let us know of any problems you find.) Thanks again for writing. Best regards, (Art Chimes, producer-host, Our World, Nov 11, via Terry, ibid.) ** U S A. WWRB spur, 5015, 0345-0400+ Nov 6: 5050 and 5085 mixing together and producing two different English religious programs on a weak 5015; 35 kHz separation. Very weak spur also heard on 5120 (Brian Alexander, Mechanicsburg PA, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A. 9265 WMLK: I spoke with Gary McAvin, their engineer, about this new frequency. He says they are on this channel from 1600 to 2100 UT only and that they are still using their old transmitter, the 50 kW one. When I tuned in at 1630, it sounded just like it had when it was on 9465, decent carrier but hardly any modulation. Gary added that he is still working to get the their new transmitter on the air, but doesn't know when it will be on. He has once again ordered some equipment from Europe (Hans Johnson, FL, Nov 12, Cumbre DX via DXLD) ** U S A. KLOL suddenly speaking Spanish Nov. 13, 2004, 1:19AM Venerable rock station switches to a new format By CLIFFORD PUGH Copyright 2004 Houston Chronicle In a clear signal of the growing media clout of Houston-area Hispanics, radio behemoth Clear Channel Communications has yanked legendary rock station KLOL-FM (101.1) off the air and replaced it with a format that radio insiders call "Spanglish Top 40." The switch took place Friday morning when the new station — now called Mega 101 FM (with the tag line "Latino and Proud") — began playing 10,101 songs in a row. The new format is a mixture of Spanish hip-hop, reggaeton and pop/dance music aimed at listeners between 18 and 34 years old. Music in Spanish by artists ranging from the rapper Pitbull to pop star Shakira will be accompanied by DJs using a combination of English and Spanish. Clear Channel officials said Houston is the first city in the nation to get the new format. . . http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/ssistory.mpl/ae/music/2898407 (via Artie Bigley, DXLD) ** U S A. Insisten en despedir a locutor que dijo "espalda mojada" al aire [Mark Belling, WISN Milwaukee] http://espanol.entertainment.yahoo.com/041113/1/vo9e.html (via Jorge García Rangel, Barinas, Venezuela, DXLD) ** U S A. WNTP and WFLI DX Tests Complete Details --- With thanks to Rene and Paul, below are complete details including time, date, programming, and QSL info. Forgive my mistakes; I'm new at this job! :) WNTP 990 kHz TEST Date: December 11, 2004 (Late Friday night into Saturday morning) Time: 00:01 - 01:30 EST Modes of Operation: 00:01 - 00:30 50KW Daytime Directional Pattern 00:31 - 01:00 5KW Non-Directional 01:00 - 01:30 Off Air to allow DXers in our region of the country to DX other stations on 990 kHz. Programming: Morse IDs, Voice IDs, Tones, Marching Band Music - Stars and Stripes Forever, Washington Post March, Liberty Bell March (the old Monty Python Theme) WFIL 560 kHz TEST Date: January 8, 2005 (Late Friday night into Saturday morning) Time: 00:01 - 01:30 EST Modes of Operation: 00:01 - 00:30 7.1KW Daytime Directional Pattern 00:31 - 01:00 2.5KW Non-Directional 01:00 - 01:30 Off Air to allow DXers in our region of the country to DX other stations on 560 kHz. Programming: Morse IDs, Voice IDs, Tones, Marching Band Music - Stars and Stripes Forever, Washington Post March, Liberty Bell March (the old Monty Python Theme) Reception Reports should be sent to Rene Tetro by email at rtetro@pobox.com or by snail mail at: Rene' Tetro, Chief Engineer WNTP-WFIL 117 Ridge Pike Lafayette Hill, PA 19444-1901 Mr. Tetro will be sending out newly designed QSL Cards for each station with a special label/stamp on the reverse side noting the special DX Test to those who respond. 73, (Les Rayburn, N1LF, High Noon Film, Birmingham, AL 35216-3748, Nov 11, NRC-AM via DXLD) Craig Healy reports that the long running DX test at WRIB 1220 in Providence, RI continues to run daily from 02:55 until 03:05 AM EST [0755-0805 UT]. WRIB automatically switches to daytime power and pattern (1KW ND) during the top of the hour. One problem is that a suitable cart machine has not yet been located for the test, so currently there is no Morse Code ID. Craig remains committed to getting a cart machine for this purpose and adding the CID. The test will continue to run until further notice. More details on the test can be found on his home page at: http://www.am-dx.com I'd love to see more stations commit to similar "long term" tests because they help eliminate the wild card of propagation. If conditions become favorable to the Northeast from your location, you should certainly try for this one (Les Rayburn, N1LF, Nov 12, ibid.) ** U S A. ON AIRWAVES, COOPERATION IS ANTIDOTE TO INTERFERENCE By Ellen G. Lahr, Berkshire Eagle Staff GREAT BARRINGTON -- WBCR, the new community radio station at 97.1 FM on your dial, is again temporarily unplugged -- this time because of a technical glitch that blacked out reception in parts of town for WAMC radio, at 90.3 FM, this week. A friendly fix is in the works, however; Albany-based WAMC, with deeper pockets than the tiny new radio organization, has hired an engineer to pinpoint the problem and will pay for the repairs needed to get WBCR back on the air. . . http://www.berkshireeagle.com/Stories/0,1413,101~7514~2534511,00.html (via Pete Costello, DXLD) ** U S A. Commentary --- PUBLIC FILE, LOCAL PRESENCE, WORKING EAS MONITOR --- MESS UP ON THESE AND PAY THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS My ``Bible`` in doing this newsletter for six years has been the highly developed and efficiently laid out website of the United States Federal Communications Commission (FCC). There is a wealth of useful if not entertaining information to be found on its hundreds of web pages, the keystone of which is the Daily Digest, which reports all the activities of the FCC each day. One learns a lot by reading it every day; those of you who do not, should. Over the last year or so, the FCC has been cracking down with hefty fines on operators for three negligences on the part of authorized radio stations. The first is not maintaining a public inspection file as required by regulations. Into the file should go copies of the instrument of authorization for the station, the Equal Employment Opportunity reports, a detail of local issues and problems as well as station efforts to address them, and various other documents, as well as letters from the public. A surprising number of stations have either incomplete public inspection files, or such files are difficult to find in the station, or do not even exist. FCC regulations require that this file be easy for members of the public to obtain and read during normal business hours. The file seems to be one of the first things that an FCC field office inspector looks for when he inspects radio stations. If you are not familiar with exactly what the public inspection file should contain, it is important that you contact your attorney before the FCC as soon as possible. The imposed fines for failure to keep a complete, accessible public inspection file have been in the thousands of dollars. The second failure concerns the requirement that, when a station operates a network of one or more AM or Class A-B-C FM stations, each repeating station must maintain a local presence, explained as an office and or a studio. Translators are not included in this regulatory requirement; there is no need to maintain a local presence for a translator (low-power repeater) that simply rebroadcasts the signal of a higher powered station on a different frequency. This requirement concerns ``normal-powered`` AM and FM station. It becomes a problem only when these stations rebroadcast the signal of the flagship station. Religious groups particularly have run afoul of this regulation on a number of occasions. In one instance, a note on the station door told visitors to knock on the door of a business across the street; that door was of a nonaffiliated entity, and the woman there kept a key to the radio station office and could open it for proper visitors when no one was there. In its official letter of notice of liability regarding this incident, the FCC said that a note pinned on a door was not an acceptable local presence and, in any event, the woman resident ``across the street`` was out that day. One large Protestant group has run afoul on at least three occasions; local churches permitted the satellite equipment and transmitter and tower on their land, and that was the end of their involvement. The FCC can and does grant waivers from having a local presence but only upon request, and that request must be made before the beginning of operations. In this case, the station group had put the stations on the air without a local office or studio presence and then sought permission, in two cases only after an FCC field inspector could not find anyone responsible for the operation. In one of these cases, an assistant minister who had the key to the transmitter hut had taken a position several months previous at a church in another town. Catholic groups who operate a a series of AM and FM stations and intend to have no local presence, defined as a permanent office open during regular business hours, must make sure that the waiver is granted before operations begin. The time necessary to seek and receive a waiver from this requirement must be factored in, especially if the Catholic group is taking over a silent station whose time is running out. If time is of the essence, it would be smart to pay someone to sit out at a transmitter hut during normal business hours with a desk and a telephone, rather than risk incurring a multi- thousand dollar fine for not having observed the requirement. The FCC has made it very clear in several admonitory letters to operators that having received a waiver from the local presence requirement does not exonerate the operators, let alone nullify the severe fine, for operating without a local presence before grant of the waiver. The third frequent failure of a significant number of stations, and the most serious and costly, is not to have a functioning emergency alert system (EAS). In these years of widespread terrorist attacks, as well as warnings from government authorities regarding natural and manmade disasters, a system that warns station operators that an emergency is in effect is essential in any kind of public service worthy of the name, let alone in response to regulatory requirements. FCC fines for failure to have a working EAS run as much as $10,000. Some stations cited for failure to have a working EAS had one but it did not work; others did not have one at all. One station had such a system but did not have it turned on the day the FCC inspector showed up. All stations, noncommercial as well as commercial, low-power FM as well as higher powered stations, must have an EAS monitor. Repeat: Even low-power FM stations must have EAS monitors. I do not consider it my purvue to lecture station operators on observance of FCC regulations. But in my readings of the FCC Daily Digest over the years, I have often come across documents regarding serious failures in regard to these three requirements. Few Catholic stations can spare having to shell out thousands of dollars in penalties for failing to observe three regulations that the FCC consistently deems grave (Michael Dorner, editor, Catholic Radio Update Nov 15 via DXLD) ** U S A. Re: TV stations cancel Saving Private Ryan I think the "real" reason for such genuflection has nothing to do with the fines that could be incurred and everything to do with group owners wanting the FCC to smile favorably on their efforts to concentrate the market into fewer hands. So, yes, at bottom it is money that's driving this decision; but not the money that would be lost in fines. Rather it is the money that would be gained with less competition. Quite frankly, the stations' position is ludicrous. If the FCC were to even try to fine stations for airing this fine film, it would create an uproar that would likely cause the evisceration of this FCC policy -- which can only be described as diversionary. (i.e.: don't watch the hand that's blessing the concentration of media power; watch the hand that's pretending to uphold "standards" (John Figliozzi, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** UZBEKISTAN. R. Tashkent International, 11905, 2130-2157* Nov 6, English news, commentary, local music, ID. Weak, but in the clear. Weaker on \\ 7185 with ham QRM (Brian Alexander, Mechanicsburg PA, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** VENEZUELA [non]. Sun Nov 14 I checked the Cuban relays of ``Aló, Presidente``. Guess Chávez was late again, as at 1540 there was a talk about early French influence in the Caribbean, nothing about Venezuela. Probably fill from Habana. On 11670 this was accompanied by bubble jamming! Yet another screwup. But that was just the beginning. Around 1545 the tape went into fast-forward (or reverse?) for several seconds more than once; then the talk resumed. Meanwhile I was checking the other frequencies: 13680 was audible aside a stronger signal; 13750 OK, 17750 weak; 11875 OK but comparing this with any other channel on two receivers, had a slight echo, unlike the others. So is 11875 from a different Cuban site with a slightly longer or shorter feed path? Rechecked at 1640 just in time to hear open carriers, and 11670 was turned off, followed a few seconds later by 13750, but not before a few words of Spanish from somewhere came up. By the time I got to the other three frequencies, they were off too. However, bubble jamming on 11670 continued, audible with BFO, so must be from a different site rather than a mixture in the RHC/RNV 11670 transmitter. Could it be that the monitors for the jamming network thought 11670 was a Cuban exile program? Turned the radio back on two or three hours later, and the bubbles on 11670 were still going, against nothing. Or, maybe one jamming site confused it for 17670! You`re welcome (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) UNIDENTIFIED. Glen[n]: I'm copying Spanish numbers on 3927 in DSB AM right now on a generally lousy post solar flare 75 meter band (Des Preston, KB8UYJ, Ann Arbor, MI, 0530 UT Nov 11, DX LISTENING DIGEST) UNIDENTIFIED. En este momento cuando son las 2140 UT estoy escuchando con señal local una emisora de números en la frecuencia 5940v. Estoy empleando un pequeño receptor Premier Japan modelo RD 940D. Y justamente a las 2143 la señal ha quedado fuera del aire, diciendo Final, final, final. No sé, pero se me ha metido en la cabeza que esta emisora de números está muy cerca de Venezuela y mucho cuidado con que se encuentre aqui mismo en Venezuela. Ya reporté anteriormente una señal en 5880v y ahora en 5940v. El sonido está a la orden para quien la quiera escuchar; se oye local. Atte: (José Elías, Venezuela, Nov 12, Noticias DX via DXLD) Casi a la puesta del sol, ¿no? Entonces puede ser cubana. Hay que sintonizarlos al mediodía para estar más seguro de su origen bolivariano (gh, DXLD) Hola Jose Elias, Es igual a lo que escuchamos desde hace muchos años en diversas frecuencias. Siempre se sospecha a Cuba como fuente, aunque ¿quién sabe qué hace la CIA también? Sería bien interesante si pudieras averiguar que estas frecuecias emanen de territorio venezolano. Con frecuencias tan bajas, o aun menores, tendrías que captarlas bien antes que la puesta del sol, cuando no lleguen las señales conocidas como cubanas. Si se sospecha algún base militar, se podría acercarse para saber si se capten aun sin antena, debido a señales tan fuertes. Hay métodos de determinar la dirección, o mejor dicho rumbo? 73, (Glenn to José Elías, via DXLD) Debo decirte que las escuchas las he hecho justamente cuando cae la tarde, con pequeños radioreceptores que no tienen una gran calidad y sin antena exterior colocada, mas todavía, con la antena telescópica del radio retraída totalmente. En cuanto a lo que me dices de la dirección de la señal, debo decirte que no sé cuál rumbo pueda proceder. Hoy estaré atento a ver si la puedo escuchar en frecuencias mas bajas. Atte: (José Elías, Venezuela, ibid.) NPR Feature about Numbers Stations I received this about numbers stations on another e-mail list for ham radio operators that transmit in AM. These are utility stations. ``I thought you would be interested in this story that appeared on NPR's All Things Considered today, "NPR : Music by the Numbers" http://www.npr.org/rundowns/segment.php?wfId=4167689 To listen to this story, click on the headline to the story using a RealAudio or WindowsMedia player.`` (via Keith Anderson, Houston, TX, Nov 12, Swprograms via DXLD) 9th item, 7:48 long, on the Nov 12 show; several clips, including German and Slavic, but not Spanish: Akín Fernández's obsession with "numbers stations" -- broadcasts of seemingly random numbers sequences that still remain officially a mystery -- led to a CD set compiling off-air recordings. It's become a cult hit. Matt Cowan reports http://snipurl.com/alxg (via Scott Gurian, DXLD) ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ UNSOLICITED TESTIMONIALS ++++++++++++++++++++++++ Dear Glenn, first, thanks for your dedication to the SWL/DX hobby, and most of all for your promotion of the concept of getting one`s news and information from a variety of sources, in order to experience many viewpoints. I used to subscribe to DXLD when it was a print publication. I have more recently found you on the Internet. Please accept the enclosed very small donation to your cause. Would like to make it more --- really, the information you provide is almost priceless (Paul Brouillette, IL, Nov 6) PUBLICATIONS ++++++++++++ The B-04 HFCC schedule is still unavailable at time of posting, despite the fact that we're just about ready to begin the third week of the season. Let's hope that this data will not be suppressed this time around (Jim Moats, Nov 12, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) And still missing at 0222 UT check Nov 15 (Glenn Hauser, DXLD) OFFICIAL BROADCASTERS IN THE 48 METER BAND [above 6200] Hi folks, The 49m band between 6200 and 6295 kHz (used on a non interference basis by "official" broadcasters) is more regularly known by "Pirate" stations as 48m. Official broadcasters, however, appear to use this section of the band more frequently at this time of year (ie; B04). A few that I have received are: 6200 : Radio Prague : EE : 01.00 - 01.27 utc : sio.444 6225 : Deutsche Welle : EE : 22.00 - 22.59 utc : sio.222 6235 : Voice of Russia : (incl.EE) : 19.00 - 22.00 utc : sio.555 6280 : Voice of Israel : (Var.) : (20.00 - 24.00 utc) : sio.555 6280 : WYFR : (mainly.EE) : 15.00 - (17.00) utc : sio.344 Also I have 2 Unid's. Can anybody help with these please? 6205 : Unid : ?lang : ? - 22.57 utc (close) : sio.344 / ["OM + YL tk, with Arabic or Russian 'style' mx?"] 6230.5 : Unid (Cairo..?) : (Turkish..?) : (16.00 - 18.00 utc..?) : sio.332 / [Very distorted, overmodulating audio, with 'Egyptian' style mx...?] Any help will be much appreciated. Cheers and 73's for now (Robin Banneville, Guernsey, Chan. Isles. (UK) HCDX via DXLD) Well done Robin, I was thinking of posting just such a list myself. 6205 is Albania, it comes in strong here in the US. According to the 2005 PWBR, 6230 is indeed Radio Cairo. Here are some additions to your list: 6205 R. Tirana *2130-2300* 6205 "others" 1200-1300, 1400-1600, 1900-2000 6214v R. Baluarte (Argentina) *1000-0300* 6230 R. Cairo *1600-1800* 73 (George Maroti, NY, ibid.) On 11 Nov at 1600 in addition to those mentioned noted: 6210 ETH R Fana, Addis Ababa 6240 RUS TWR, Ekaterinburg in Polish their sked at http://www.bclnews.it/b04schedules/twr.htm 73 (Jari Savolainen, Kuusankoski, Finland, ibid.) POWERLINE COMMUNICATIONS ++++++++++++++++++++++++ FCC ANNOUNCES FREQUENCIES PROTECTED FROM BPL INTERFERENCE (This was written by Bonnie KQ6XA and is published after checking with the UK source on the Short Wave Magazine Group). A rather depressing email from HFPACK. 73 Trevor M5AKA HFPACK NEWS http://www.hfpack.com FCC Allocates New Power Line Transmitting Bands on HF and VHF ============================================================= The new FCC Rules (just issued) list the bands of frequencies BPL systems are not authorized to transmit on, due to potential interference to Aeronautical radio systems. From this "inverted" listing, I have put together a list of the new FCC authorized BPL transmitting bands of operation: FCC AUTHORIZED BPL (Broadband over Power Lines) TRANSMITTING BANDS for USA: 1.705 MHz to 2.850 MHz (160m Amateur Radio Service) 3.025 MHz to 3.400 kHz 3.500 MHz to 4.650 MHz (80m Amateur Radio Service) 4.700 MHz to 5.450 MHz (60m Amateur Radio Service) 5.680 MHz to 6.525 MHz 6.685 MHz to 8.815 MHz (40m Amateur Radio Service) 8.965 MHz to 10.005 MHz 10.100 MHz to 11.275 MHz (30m Amateur Radio Service) 11.400 MHz to 13.260 MHz 13.360 MHz to 17.900 MHz (20m Amateur Radio Service) 17.970 MHz to 21.924 MHz (17m, 15m Amateur Radio Service) 22.000 MHz to 74.800 MHz (12m, 10m, 6m Amateur Radio Service) 75.200 to 80.000 MHz [surely I don`t need to point out that the SWBC bands are fair game] The entire ruling takes a long time to read and understand... but I found it quite interesting. In FCC's report and order, it is obvious that the Amateur Radio Service has been relegated to insignificant status by the FCC Commissioners. It is well known that the "White House" made the actual decision that BPL would be implemented, regardless of the technical merit. FCC followed by recognizing, yet ignoring and overruling the technical studies and documented radio interference caused by BPL. 73---Bonnie KQ6XA PS. Here is a link to the FCC order and an excerpt from new rules. http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/FCC-04-245A1.doc REPORT AND ORDER Adopted: October 14, 2004 Released: October 28, 2004 By the Commission: Chairman Powell, Commissioner Abernathy issuing a joint statement; Commissioners Martin and Adelstein issuing separate statements; Commissioner Copps approving in part, dissenting in part and issuing a statement. "By this action, the Commission amends Part 15 of the rules for radio frequency (RF) devices regarding Access Broadband over Power Line (Access BPL), a new type of carrier current system that operates on an unlicensed basis under Part 15. Access BPL systems use existing electrical power lines as a transmission medium to provide high-speed communications capabilities by coupling RF energy onto the power line..." "APPENDIX B FINAL RULE Title 47 of the Code of Federal Regulations, Part 15, is amended as follows: (...) Section 15.615 General administrative requirements (f)(1) Excluded Bands. To protect Aeronautical (land) stations and aircraft receivers, Access BPL operations using overhead medium voltage power lines are prohibited in the frequency bands listed in Table 1. Specifically, such BPL systems shall not place carrier frequencies in these bands. Table 1. Excluded Frequency Bands FREQUENCY BAND 2,850 - 3,025 kHz 3,400 - 3,500 kHz 4,650 - 4,700 kHz 5,450 - 5,680 kHz 6,525 - 6,685 kHz 8,815 - 8,965 kHz 10,005 - 10,100 kHz 11,275 - 11,400 kHz 13,260 - 13,360 kHz 17,900 - 17,970 kHz 21,924 - 22,000 kHz 74.8 - 75.2 MHz" ------------- Chelmsford Amateur Radio Society ------------- (Short Wave Magazine Group via Mike Terry, dxldyg via DXLD) Aargh! Maybe it will just be too much trouble to notch out those particular bands, so they`ll give up? (Glenn Hauser, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ENERGY EXECS DEBATE BROADBAND OVER POWER LINES By Thomas Hoffman, Computerworld, 11/11/04 Executives at electric utilities that are pioneering the delivery of broadband-over-power-line services to consumers and to support internal grid monitoring applications point to the business benefits of being able to tap existing infrastructure cheaply, filling market gaps in underserved regions and plummeting equipment costs. But uncertainties about consumer adoption and other technical challenges have others questioning the viability of the still-emerging broadband alternative. . . http://www.nwfusion.com/edge/news/2004/1111energexecs.html (via Artie Bigley, DXLD) BPL --- the jury is still out (interesting article from "Electric Co- op Today" pointing out technical shortcomings of BPL and lack of consumer interest): http://www.eham.net/articles/9570 Energy execs debate BPL (several BPL skeptics in the power industry): http://www.computerworld.com/managementtopics/outsourcing/isptelecom/story/0,10801,97411,00.html (via Harry Helms W5HLH, Wimberley, TX EM00, DXLD) TIPS FOR RATIONAL LIVING ++++++++++++++++++++++++ Noted your TFRL at the end of 4-167. As for a progressive country, I would recommend the obvious: Canada. I have seriously researched this now for about a year. Apparently, I am not alone in this. According to a report on ABC`s Good Morning America on Nov. 6, the Citizenship/ Immigration Canada website had been averaging about 20,000 hits per day from the US. The day after the election it spiked to 115,000. What people will find, however, is that Canada has some pretty serious restrictions on who may qualify to gain permanent residence there. There are also some fairly hefty fees to pay. A family can plan on spending around $3,000 to $5,000 just on immigration, let alone moving house). I am fortunate to have friends there, back from the days when I lived just on the US side of the border, and through them and other sources, I find that when all is said and done, the tax liability that so many people cite as a problem with living/working in Canada is no worse than in the US, especially if you treat your US health insurance premiums, deductibles, co-pays, etc., as a tax for comparison purposes (Paul Brouillette, IL, Nov 6, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ###