DX LISTENING DIGEST 6-014, January 21, 2006 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 2006 contents archive see http://www.worldofradio.com/dxldmid.html For restrixions and searchable 2005 contents archive see http://www.worldofradio.com/dxldmid5.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 For latest updates see our Anomaly Alert page: http://www.worldofradio.com/anomaly.html NEXT SW AIRINGS OF WORLD OF RADIO 1301: Days, times strictly UT Sun 0330 on WWCR 5070 Sun 0400 on WBCQ 9330-CLSB Sun 0730 on WWCR 3215 Sun 1400 on WRMI 7385 Sun 2230 on WRMI 7385 Mon 0400 on WBCQ 9330-CLSB Mon 0515 on WBCQ 7415 Full schedule, including AM, FM, satellite and internet, with hotlinks to station sites and audio: http://www.worldofradio.com/radioskd.html WRN ON DEMAND: http://new.wrn.org/listeners/stations/station.php?StationID=24 OUR ONDEMAND AUDIO [also CONTINENT OF MEDIA, MUNDO RADIAL] http://www.worldofradio.com/audiomid.html or http://wor.worldofradio.org WORLD OF RADIO PODCASTS: www.obriensweb.com/wor.xml MUNDO RADIAL enero-febrero: http://www.worldofradio.com/espanol.html ** AZERBAIJAN. Most likely Radio Azerbaijan has come back on short wave on the old frequency of 6110.1 kHz (Rumen Pankov, R. Bulgaria DX Jan 20 via John Norfolk, dxldyg via DXLD) ** BHUTAN. I am pretty sure the 0100 UT operation on 6035 kHz is not daily. For sure they are on Sunday, Maybe Saturday too. I noticed this irregular pattern for some time. First I thought they had gone off SW or that there was some trouble with the transmitter. Booming signals at 0055 with the modulated carrier tone and sign-on at 0100 Sunday 15th. Nothing today 16th UT (Victor Goonetilleke 4S7VK, DXplorer Jan 16 via BCDX via DXLD) 6035, BBS Thimpu, at 0100-0140 UT on Jan 14, vernacular program starting with local melody and male announcer, national anthem, local singing, into talk by male speaker, from 0130 studio talk, 0140 fading out; I did not catch their ID, but I am pretty sure it was them with good SINPO of 33433-32432. I also tried for them at 0100 UT the next day (Jan 15) and found the signal strength to be much lower. Before 0100 a test tone is heard. First time I heard them here in Germany since they left 5025/5030 kHz (Harald Kuhl, Germany, DXplorer Jan 17, ibid.) ** BRAZIL. Colegas, Alguém sabe da situação das seguintes rádios de 120 metros? 2380 R. Educadora Limeira-SP 2420 R. São Carlos São Carlos-SP 2470 R. Cacique Sorocaba-SP Esta não é de 120, mas de 90, todavia não ouço também. 3205 R. Ribeirão Preto Ribeirão Preto-SP. Abraços, (Geraldo de Bem, Pirassununga-SP, SW7600G, Jan 19, radioescutas via DXLD) Geraldo, Até onde sei a emissora de São Carlos está inativa há vários anos. A Rádio Cacique acionava o transmissor de 120 metros quando eram transmitidos os jogos dos times da cidade (São Bento - meu time de coração, hi! e também do Atlético). Há cerca de dois anos isso deixou de ser feito. Quanto a emissora de Limeira, desconheço seu status atual. Para nós, nos dias atuais a única coisa a ser ouvida nesta faixa é a Rádio 8 de Setembro, vários armônicos da faixa de ondas médias e para quem gosta de Dexismo Utilitário, quando a propagação ajuda, consigo captar a WWV em 2500 kHz bem como algumas transmissões em modos digitais de estações européias e algumas rádio-bóias. Apesar do pouco movimento é uma faixa muito interessante. Às vezes aparecem coisas surpreendentes. 73 (Ivan Dias - Sorocaba/SP, Membro do DX Clube do Brasil, Junte-se à nossa família http://www.ondascurtas.com ibid.) Caro Geraldo, Já faz algum tempo que a Rádio Ribeirão Preto está inativa em 3205 kHz, em 90 metros. 73s, (Célio Romais, ibid.) ** BRAZIL. Rádio Globo de São Paulo QSL info on transmitter site. Viterbo, who no longer works for the station. He seemed to be sincere when he suggested that both stations are not interested in being heard outside their coverage area and they no longer have printed QSL cards to send to DX'ers. He said that, although he wants to respond to all DX'ers from abroad by snail mail letter, he does not have the time, but he has taken efforts on this goal. He said that he prefers to respond by Internet, since DX'ers inform their e-mail in their reports. Therefore, for security, I asked him to fill up your QSL and took the compromise to personally ship it to you by conventional mail. I took advantage of the moment to ask him about SP Rádio Globo's SW transmitter (6120 kHz, 7.5 kW). He told me that presently the antenna facilities are being renewed, but the station is not interested in using conventional SW. They are keeping it on the air just to assure their right to use the frequency as "market reservation" (according to his words) facing the possibility of future digital transmission by SW (John ibid. [sic; antecedent unknown], DXplorer Jan 18, via BCDX via DXLD) ** BULGARIA. See ITALY [non] ** BULGARIA. Re 6-013, Deutsche Welle studio: ``So will there be any point in sending programs back to Germany first`` --- Yes, to get them included in the Hotbird satellite mux and on shortwave (Nauen, Wertachtal and Sines involved here). The BBC did the same with some programs of its German service which were produced at Berlin (the BBC studio there, now curtailed to just a single correspondent, working for all BBC departments) but sent back to London and from there again on the circuit to the 90.2 transmitter at Berlin (Kai Ludwig, Germany, Jan 21, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** CANADA. Canadian election coverage on RCI --- Following "The National" aired on CSPAN last night, CPSPAN had a graphic suggesting that they would carry CBC TV's election coverage from 9.30 PM (Eastern time). I am a little surprised at this since by that time the "swing" from the maritime provinces will be clearly indicated. Parliamentary elections are more 'fun" to watch very early on when trying to discern trends from early results (Andy O`Brien, NY, dxldyg via DXLD) REGISTERED POLITICAL PARTIES AND PARTIES ELIGIBLE FOR REGISTRATION Updated on December 30, 2005 http://www.elections.ca/content.asp?section=pol&document=index&dir=par&lang=e&textonly=false (via Andy O`Brien, NY, dxldyg via DXLD) ** CANARY ISLANDS [and non]. 14m was hopping Jan 21 around 1500 --- led by inbooming Portugal on 21655, and also good signals from Spain, France, Italy, Ascension, so I looked for some DX on the adjacent hamband. At 1521 on 21201, KA1SC was winding up a contact with a much weaker but audible EC8AUZ, who the KA1 said was doing great with his 100 watts, and no doubt others were eager to QSO him. So then EC8AUZ started calling CQ --- and was still doing so 12 minutes later with no takers. Perhaps potential contacts were put off by regular bursts of feedback, and EC8`s pauses between iterations were rather brief. I later Googled his call and the top hit was someone`s QSL archive at http://www.dxfun.com/easyqsls/modules.php?op=modload&name=My_eGallery& file=index&do=showpic&pid=791&orderby=titleA showing that EC8AUZ is Pedro M. Armas Martín, at Santa Brigida, Las Palmas (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Solar-terrestrial indices for 20 January follow. Solar flux 91 and mid-latitude A-index 6. The mid-latitude K-index at 1500 UTC on 21 January was 1 (7 nT). No space weather storms were observed for the past 24 hours (SEC via DXLD) ** CHILE. Christian Vision (CVC), Time: 1900-2000 UT. Frequency: 17645 kHz. Power: 15 kW. Broadcaster: Voz Crista. Portuguese. Bearing: 45 degrees. Target: Brazil (Andrew Flynn, CVC, in DRM Software Radio Forum; via RNW MN NL Jan 18 via BCDX Jan 21 via DXLD) I previously questioned whether the time 1900-1200 was correct; Wolfy apparently thought not. But the original post at http://www.drmrx.org/forum/showthread.php?s=5e67894a111753b694dd7e93b616222f&threadid=1308 does say 1900-1200 UT, not 1900-2000, and has not been corrected. OTOH, all three versions of the overall DRM schedules show only one hour at 19-20 (Glenn Hauser, DXLD) ** CHILE. MOCHA ISLAND --- Hy Glenn; Te saludo afectuosamente desde Santiago de Chile. Amplio información sobre la Activación "Isla y Faro Isla Mocha", entre el 1 y el 5 de Febrero próximos, por el grupo DX de Radioclub Villarrica CE6RCV, miembro de FEDERACHI, Lighthouse World Wide DX Contest el FARO ISLA MOCHA, IOTA Contest Mocha Island con el indicativo CE6M, en modos SSB, CW, y digitales, en todas las bandas. Los Operadores serán: Vicky CA6UFZ Cristián CE6UZL Esteban XQ7UP Carlos CE6AMN Gladys CA6TBB Julio CE6JBS Erwin CE6WOT Ricardo CE3HDI (CW) Irma CA6UTF QSL Manager de la Expedición es: Carlos Montecinos, CE6AMN, P. O. Box 591 TEMUCO, Chile visita la pag. web: http://www.ce6rcv.tk (Héctor Frías, Secretario Federachi, Jan 20, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** CHINA. 6155, China Business Radio via CNR-2, Jan 21, 1346-1355, M & W with program in English with information about ``Moscow, the heart of Russia,`` with ``things one needs to know for a trip to Moscow,`` such as the space program museum (``Look for the monument that looks like a rocket soaring into space``), Metro system (``8 million riders a day``), weather, etc., followed by pop song to ToH, 5 + 1 pips, into Chinese programming; rechecked just before the 1600 UT 5+1 pips to hear a clear ``China Business Radio`` ID in English, poor-fair (Ron Howard, Monterey, CA, RX340, with T2FD antenna, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** CHINA. Solar cycle appears to be at the lowest that I can remember. at 0000, 6 A.M. here, in the last few weeks the bands above 6 MHz have been very poor. Imagine VOA to S. Asia on about 8 frequencies being inaudible till about 0030 UT. However, China's move to build that station in the Kasgar Kashi region was an excellent move. If there is one station that is overcoming propagation problems and also expanding SW, it is China. And their audience is also expanding like hell. To add to the equation they have also tremendously improved their programming that at times you wonder whether you are listening to the BBC. While the western world is cutting budgets and cutting down on frequencies and in the process losing audiences and then claiming no one is listening to SW, China is going ahead, improving reception, programming and concentrating hard on doing a good job and getting desired results. While the USSR collapsed under pseudo communism, China with a pragmatic down to Earth policy is forging ahead, soon to be if not already the strongest economic power in the world. I recently got an Apple Mac I-book; yes came from the factory in China. (Victor Goonetilleke, Sri Lanka, 4S7VK, DXplorer Jan 16 via BCDX via DXLD) ** CHINA. 4940 on Jan 15 at 1430- UT. Voice of the Strait, Fuzhou. No English heard either Saturday or today. Retimed/stopped? This links works and includes the English program as before: http://www.vos.com.cn/enroot/service/schedule.htm> (Mauno Ritola, Finland, DXplorer Jan 15 via BCDX via DXLD) Re: V. of Strait in English? I have also noted their absence during the weekends, at their usual time (1430-1500 UT). Their web site lists 6115, 7280 and 11590, but they no longer have an active link for their "Programe Schedule" http://www.am666.net/enroot/service/index.htm I have checked some possible frequencies but so far have not heard their "Focus on China" program. Last heard in March 2005 (Ron Howard- CA-USA, DXplorer Jan 15, ibid.) ** CHINA. According to Mr. Li Wang, a Chinese DXer in Tianjin, Tianjin People's Broadcasting Station broadcasts 11 different programs, totaling 213 hours, 10 minutes a day, as follows: News Radio 97.2 MHz News and General Radio 909 kHz Economy Radio 101.4 MHz Traffic Radio 106.8 MHz 567 kHz Music Radio 99.0 MHz Seaside Radio 92.0 MHz (increased to 10 kW), 747 kHz (new 50 kW transmitter), 1098 kHz (until March) Life Radio 91.1 MHz 1386 kHz Literature Radio 104.6 MHz Music and Health Radio 1008 kHz Amusement Radio 87.8 MHz Novel Radio 666 kHz (Takahito Akabayashi, Japan, wwdxc BC-DX Jan 15 via DXLD) These were all runtogether; hope I have sorted them out properly (gh, DXLD) ** CUBA [non]. I had an interesting conversation with a crew member on a boat cruise from Key West to view the reef, which is less than 90 miles from Cuba. He told me about the TV Marti blimp, however there was no sign of it on our travels around southern Florida so it seems that they rely on the plane now (Mike Terry, UK, Jan 21, BDXC-UK via DXLD) ** CUBA [and non]. 2 in spy case enter not-guilty pleas Posted on Fri, Jan. 20, 2006 U.S. & CUBA http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/13666547.htm?template=contentModules/printstory.jsp A couple at Florida International University charged with being covert agents for the Castro government pleaded not guilty in Miami federal court. BY JAY WEAVER A pair of Florida International University employees pleaded not guilty Thursday at their arraignment in Miami federal court, and their lawyers later decried their detention in solitary confinement as pretrial punishment. The couple are accused of operating as covert agents for Cuba's communist government for decades, using shortwave radios, numerical- code language and computer-encrypted files to send information about Miami's exile community to Cuban intelligence commanders. Carlos M. Álvarez, 61, a tenured professor, and his wife, Elsa Prieto Álvarez, 55, a mental-health counselor, were denied bond on Jan. 9 by U.S. Magistrate Judge Andrea Simonton. The South Miami couple are charged with failing to register with the federal government as foreign agents. If convicted, they face up to 10 years in prison. FLIGHT RISKS Last week, Simonton said she believed that the gravity of the charges against the Alvarezes, their past academic trips to Cuba and their contacts in Fidel Castro's government made them flight risks if they were released on bond. Their attorneys, Steven Chaykin and Jane Moscowitz, said Thursday that ``their presumption of innocence has been eviscerated.'' This is not the first time at least one of their names has surfaced in official investigations into the Castro government's alleged spying in South Florida. Congressional testimony by Florida Department of Law Enforcement agents in 1982 attempted to link Elsa Prieto Álvarez to the Antonio Maceo Brigade, founded in the 1970s by young Cuban exiles who often split with their parents and supported the Cuban revolution. The agents said Elsa Álvarez had been identified as a member of the brigade by the Rev. Manuel Espinosa, a Hialeah preacher and self- proclaimed double agent, who died in 1987. But on Thursday, her lawyer strongly denied that allegation. ''She was never a member of the Antonio Maceo Brigade,'' Moscowitz said. Andrés Gómez, the longtime brigade leader, told The Miami Herald that Elsa Alvarez was not a brigade member -- although he did not rule out that she may have attended a brigade meeting or taken a trip to Cuba with the brigade from some other U.S. city. During the 1982 congressional testimony, the FDLE agents also warned the federal government that several Cuban exiles, including Elsa Álvarez, were providing sensitive information to Cuba's government just as Miami was struggling to absorb more than 125,000 Mariel refugees, hundreds of them prisoners with serious criminal backgrounds and patients with severe mental illnesses. TESTIMONY Testifying before a U.S. Senate subcommittee investigating Cuba- related terrorism in South Florida, Sergio Piñón, then an FDLE agent, accused Elsa Alvarez of sending along to Cuba private information on mentally ill patients at Jackson Memorial Hospital. Moscowitz denied that her client had access to Jackson records or that she had passed along such information to Cuba. The couple's attorneys sharply criticized their clients' detention before trial. They said they will appeal the denial of bond and challenge their solitary confinement in the Federal Detention Center in downtown Miami. The Álvarezes are on paid leave from their FIU jobs. ''We think they are being inappropriately detained,'' Chaykin, who represents Carlos Álvarez, said after the brief arraignment. ``They are being punished for a crime they were not convicted of.'' Moscowitz said it has been particularly hard for her client, Elsa Álvarez, to be separated from the couple's 12-year-old daughter. ''She is in distress,'' Moscowitz said. ``But somedays she is full of fire. She is ready to fight.'' Their indictment, which included no mention of top-secret U.S. government information being disclosed, came months after the couple's admission because of additional investigative work in the case, interim U.S. Attorney R. Alexander Acosta said. Their confessions were videotaped this summer, according to one law enforcement source familiar with the case. But the couple's attorneys dispute that claim. They said that some of Carlos Álvarez's statements may have been videotaped by the FBI, but that Elsa Álvarez's statements were not recorded in any way. Miami Herald staff writer Alfonso Chardy contributed to this report. (c) 2006 MiamiHerald.com and wire service sources. All Rights Reserved. (via Mike Cooper, DXLD) ** GERMANY. Re 6-013: ``R. Multikulti, Berlin, heard on Sundays via DW 1130-1200 on 11690 & 15275 in the Romish/Romanies (Roma?) language`` - Romanes in this very language (Gipsy, to put political correctness aside), no idea how it would be transliterated into English. On Radio Multikulti itself the program goes out on Sundays at 21:30 local time, i.e. the shortwave transmission is not a relay Radio Multikulti. Webpage of this broadcast, with no mention of shortwave: http://www.multikulti.de/_/sprachen_jsp/activeid=72.html All the best, (Kai Ludwig, Germany, Jan 21, DX LISTENING DIGEST) I think Roma is the politically correct term in English, altho it cause obvious confusion; better, Romany (gh, DXLD) see also BULGARIA ** GUINEA [and non]. Radiodiffusion Télévision Guinéenne, Conakry was heard January 19 at 22 UT with programming in French. Nice reception and signal on 7125. Some co-channel QRM by PBS Xizang in Tibetan scheduled 21-02 UT. 73 (Jouko Huuskonen, Turku, FINLAND, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** ICELAND. Hi Glenn: A few items for your DXLD (highly appreciated here): Re Carlos Goncalves-POR, in wwdxc BC-DX Jan 18: ``189 RUV, Gufuskalar, doing very nicely again, on 13 Jan at 2212- 2236 UT, weather rpt, ID, mx prgr consisting of C&W songs; 44454, adj QRM ony. Also on 15 Jan but at 1507-1526 UT when airing talks; 24453, adj. QRM de D 183. --- 207 RUV, Eidar, very poor only due to co- channel QRM, on 13 Jan at 2217-2226 UT, same as on // 189 kHz; 12451, QRM de MRC & D`` My comment (UQ): Here the situation is the opposite. Have heard on January 14 at 0645-0707 UT Eidar on 207 kHz with quite good signals using my SONY ICF7600G with only ferrite antenna, but no sign of the 189 kHz outlet. No doubt the radiation pattern plays its role here. Eidar also heard later but a local interference is often spoiling reception on this frequency (Ullmar Qvick, Sweden, Jan 21, DX LISTENING DIGEST) See also DIGITAL BROADCASTING below! ** INDIA. AIR, 10330 with music would have been enjoyable listening, Jan 21 at 1617, were it not for almost constant QRM from digital noise bursts centered on exactly same frequency. Such are the risks of running broadcasts in the middle of a utility band (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** INDONESIA. 4579, RSPD Maluku Tengah (tentative) surprised to hear this one on 1/14 while trying to tune 3517 on an excellent night for trans-Pacific DX with man announcer and music from 1313 tune to 1328 abrupt carrier off. SINPO 25332. PWBR lists this as RSPD Maluku Tengah with RSPK Ngada on 3517 but WRTH lists only RSPK Ngada on 3579 and nothing on 3517. Anyone with ideas on the real identity here? (Bruce Churchill-CA-USA, DXplorer Jan 16 via BCDX via DXLD) ** INDONESIA. VOI variable 15149.82 Arabic. After antenna switch to 316 degrees at 1600 UT now at 1612 UT Jakarta with strong signal in Arabic. At 1700 UT Spanish follows, but signal has gone when checked at 1800 UT, due of propagation break. Signal path from Jakarta into Europe is much different from day to day. 73 (Wolfgang Büschel, wwdxc BC-DX Jan 13 via DXLD) 15149.81. This morning at least a fair signal from VOI Jakarta, in Mandarin Chinese at 1030 UT with S=9. (0800-1600 UT 30 degrees from Jakarta towards SEAs, CHN, TWN, JPN, FE) (wb, wwdxc BC-DX Jan 19 via DXLD) ** INTERNATIONAL INTERNET. BOYCOTT YAHOO AND MSN SEARCH FOR 1 WEEK http://wvbf.blogspot.com/2006/01/boycott-yahoo-and-msn-search-for-1.html We need to teach these folks a lesson, you do not give our search information over to the Federal Government. You just don't violate our trust like that. If you want to hand over a weeks worth of search data to the Us Government, then as I consumer I have the right to tell others not to use your services. SO: Starting at Midnight UTC or 7 pm Eastern time tonight until next week at this time DO NOT USE MSN search or Yahoo Search. Hit them in the pocketbook. Let's see a big drop in the eyeballs that they use to show advertisers. If you have to use these search engines search for stuff like bizzaro world or feces, you see the point. Here's more on this story. http://www.spot-on.com/archives/google_this.html posted by lou josephs Jan 20 (his Media Network blog via DXLD) ** IRAN. Have monitored & recorded the last several nights of VOIRI (IRIB) Voice of Justice on 6120 at 0130-0230Z. // 9665 sign-on varies between 0128 to 0133Z, sometimes without clear identification as VOJ or intermittent audio feed for first several minutes. What I have found the most entertaining is the fact that every opposition bullet point about the current US administration is not only echoed, but is expounded upon in their news & commentary. While this is no surprise, it does prove that we live in a different world, one with instant transfer of information. Transfer that can be immediately converted into propaganda, like the 'wiretapping' leak. Reminds me of the Radio Moscow days, on 11840 (Cuban relay) with the "60 Hz PL tone", talking of Afghanistan insurgency. Racal 6790, 1200' Eastern beverage, Mizuho SX-3 preselector (Chris K4RAF, Buggs Island Lake, Virginia, Jan 21, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** ITALY. ITALIA, 6060, RAI, Notturno Italiano, 0100-0250, 19-01, Noticias a la 0100 en italiano, inglés, francés y alemán. Recuperadas las noticias en inglés, cuando en días pasados había desaparecido de los boletines horarios del Nocturno Italiano. Música clásica y canciones. 33333 (Manuel Méndez, Spain, Grundig YB400, antena telescópica Lugar de escucha: casco urbano de Lugo, DX LISTENING DIGEST) His previous report noted that English was missing from the mix of news on the hour, but now it`s back, apparently at 03-06 past the hours? I bet its absence was due to the temporary lack of competent personnel to produce it, a typically cavalier attitude toward our great language (Glenn Hauser, USA, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** ITALY [non]. IRRS-Shortwave tests on Jan. 15, 2006 We have a slight frequency change for our test broadcast to EU from 1300 to 1400 UT on Jan 15, 2006. All other tests will be as previously announced: 0. To Europe and NA - 1300 to 1400 UT - 11510 kHz (replaces 9385) 9455 kHz as backup - 100 kW 1. To Middle East - 1500 to 1600 UT - 9385 kHz - 100 kW 2. To Europe: - 1900 to 2000 UT - 5775 kHz - 100 kW On Monday Jan 16, 2006: 3. To NA (Sunday evening Jan 15 local time in NA): 0100 to 0200 UT - 9385 kHz - 250 kW Please send your reception reports to: reports @ nexus.org (Ron Norton, IRRS, Jan 14 via BCDX Jan 21 via DXLD)) BULGARIA [tentatively 100 kW Kostinbrod, 250 kW via Plovdiv] (Wolfgang Büschel, ibid.) This confirms the provenance our chance logging of Brother Scare on 11510 last Saturday until 1400* (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Hi Glenn, After reading your comments in DXLD 6-012 & 6-013, under ITALY [non], I sent an e-mail to IRRS. Seems that returning the QSL as being invalid without the transmitter site would not be productive. Received the following e-mail in one hour. Dear Mr. Howard, ... "Ron Howard" wrote: ``Believe your test transmissions on 9385 kHz. were via the 250 Kw transmitter at Plovdiv, BULGARIA. Is it possible for you to confirm this or is there some reason that you do not disclose the transmitter site?`` I am sorry, we cannot disclose this information to the general public. Stay tuned, 73s Ron Norton, NEXUS International Broadcasting Association (via Ron Howard, Monterey, CA, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** JORDAN. 6105, Radio Jordan 1/9 2034 Talk in Arabic, mentions of Palestine, Arabic music, time pips at 2101, ID in Arabic as in WRTH; \\ 9830 (Ralph Brandi, NJ, DXplorer Jan 15 via BCDX via DXLD) ** KOREA SOUTH. A Broadcast Engineer in Korea - 1957 --- What it was like, bouncing around the Korean Hills with the Armed Forces Radio Service --- by JOHN D. HARMER, Transmitter Engineer, WCOL, Columbus, Ohio http://www.smecc.org/a_broadcast_engineer_in_korea_-_1957.htm (via Jerry Berg, BADX, via NRC IDXD via DXLD) ** LAOS. 4678, Sam Neua with best ever signal here on Jan 14 from 1150 UT tune to carrier off at 1230. Although the frequency was noisy, the signal level was a solid 2 with a radio drama and Laotian songs to 1200, instrumental program music to 1201 then into segments of man and woman alternating announcements until 1229.5 when there was a closing announcement by man followed by woman, then carrier off promptly at 1230 UT. SINPO 25332 (Bruce Churchill, CA, DXplorer Jan 16 via BCDX via DXLD) ** LIBERIA. 4760, ELWA Radio, 2250-2300*, Jan. 16, English, religious music with announcer between selections. ID and NA at signoff. Poor (Scott R. Barbour, Jr., Intervale, NH, R75, 200' Beverages, MLB-1, DTS4, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** MALAYSIA. 7295, Traxx FM, received an e-mail from DJ Bling (a.k.a.: Shaz), shah @ traxxfm.net in 20 days for an e-mail report. He was the DJ I listened to on New Years Eve. He wishes me a Happy New Year and indicates he was surprised that I did actually hear his show, as he had no idea it would broadcast all the way to California. If I hear his show again, he wants me to e-mail him and he will read it out on the air (Ron Howard, Monterey, CA, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** MEXICO. En estos momentos 2118 UT [viernes, 20 de enero] escucho a "Radio Insurgente" en los 6000 kHz. Desde las 2055 UT que encendí mi receptor busqué la emisora; al principio escuché música, posteriormente voz de hombre poco perceptible, música, y a las 2105 se hizo más audible voz de mujer que hablaba sobre la "Comandanta Ramona", recién fallecida y su obra, música. Posteriormente la misma voz femenina inició hablando de "La otra campaña" que es como se denomina al periplo [??] que realiza el llamado "Subcomandante Marcos" ahora también llamado "Delegado Cero" (Rafael Sebastián Guillén Vicente); posteriormente unas palabras de un discurso de éste. Definitivamente es Radio Insurgente que por vez primera la capto aquí en la Cd. de México; estoy utilizando un Grundig Satellit 500, un Kaito 1103 y un Radio Shack DX-394, antenas externas: hilo largo de 10 m. y dipolo de 5 m. En estos momentos la voz femenina da más información. Por la mañana escuché un ruido en esta frecuencia de 6000 kHz pero no tuve tiempo para seguir monitoreando. Salió del aire a las 2145 UT; el SINPO general con el que la escuché fué de 2, en momentos 3. Saludos, (Julián Santiago Díez de Bonilla, DF, condig list via DXLD) ** MEXICO. Mexican music was still audible but poorly at 1607 UT Jan 21 on 6010, no doubt R. Mil, daytime path. Seemed to be a SAH mixed in as well (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** MOLDOVA. Re 6-013: ``According to their announcer, the transmissions are intended for North America. ... Ha, mid-day on 49m to North America? I don`t think so, even with a midwinter megawatt. Other reports put them close to nominal 5960.0 ... HFCC B-05 shows 265 degrees to CIRAF zone 28 only, which is Central Europe only, not even UK`` --- I think the actual point behind the quoted announcement is the circumstance that the antenna in use was originally designed for Radio Moscow transmissions to North America. About ten years ago Radio Pridnestrovya broadcast in the later evening, and after their program the transmitter switched to Radio Moscow and stayed on air through the night. But if still so the azimuth would not be 265 degrees, which on the other hand hardly matches zone 28 but would be towards zones 27 and 37. This applies also to RNW on 6015, originally meant even for zone 18, more than 50 degrees more northerly. So I am somewhat sceptical about the actual antenna parameters in both cases. By the way, the just started RNW transmissions are the first ones from Grigoriopol to Europe for a customer other than Voice of Russia and Radio DMR. I always wondered why nobody else got the idea to use Grigoriopol for this purpose so far. Is airtime on these big transmitters (which I never observed to be off frequency so far) too expensive? (Kai Ludwig, Germany, Jan 21, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** NETHERLANDS. Jonathan Marks wrote these words in his Critical Distance Blog. ``Media Network Podcast?`` This year it will be 25 years since Radio Netherlands launched the name "Media Network", a tech-media show to replace "DX Juke Box". The audio version ran on the radio for nearly 20 years, ending in October 2000. The web version started around 10 years ago and still exists as an important broadcasting news source. I am no longer with Radio Netherlands. But I have been talking to the current editor Andy Sennitt whether this some way we should celebrate the 25th. We've been following the success of This Week in Tech, which rose from the ashes of Tech TV. Perhaps there is an interest in starting a "Media Network" style podcast, with more of a European perspective on things. It could either be a one-off (connected with the 25th) or a series (via Larry Nebron, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) Unfortunately the salient point, and the reason for Jonathan publishing the item, was missed out of the message below: namely: "Interested either in taking part or listening in? You can help us by leaving comments or dropping me an e-mail." More details at http://criticaldistance.blogspot.com/ In other words, nothing has been decided, we're just flying kites to see who's interested. As a matter of fact, I have a meeting with Jonathan tomorrow to discuss what the possibilities are. But I stress, this is at the moment just an *idea*. Please do not send us E-mails asking for more details because, at the moment, there aren't any :-) (Andy Sennitt, Radio Netherlands, ibid.) See also MOLDOVA just above ** NEW ZEALAND. Adrian Sainsbury has just passed the following information on to me. Regards (Mark Nicholls, Editor, New Zealand DX Times, New Zealand Radio DX League, Jan 21, ripple via DXLD) Viz.: If you are fortunate enough to have a DRM capable receiver and are located in the Pacific Region RNZI will be testing as follows: - Date: Wednesday 25 January & Thursday 26 January Time: from 0120 UT approx for 45 minutes. Freq: 17675 kHz (Adrian Sainsbury, Frequency Manager, RNZI, via Nicholls, ibid.) ** OKLAHOMA. Re 6-013, INTERNATIONAL VACUUM: Glenn: Sad to say, your local cable system is at fault --- I watched the entire Pluto launch as it happened on NASA TV via DirecTV. They're obviously giving you a taped feed or something. NASA TV not only showed live the run-up to the launch, with multiple holds due to clouds, but stayed on for a long while after the launch vehicle was no longer visible by NASA tracking cameras, replaying the launch sequence from at least 10 or 12 different camera angles (Craig Seufert, Meredith, NH USA, Jan 20, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Glenn, Our local Adelphia cable service carries NASA TV on an educational channel. I watched the launch live there -- including preliminary activities -- as well as the previous days aborted attempts. The only animation while the propulsion phase was still underway, was after the vehicle had reached altitudes that put it beyond telescopic range due to overcast, and that animation was of the ongoing activities and accompanied by the NASA launch communications. (W. Curt Deegan, Boca Raton, (southeast) FL, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Thank you, both. Pegasys here apparently playing tapes rather than hooking into NASA TV live. Maybe they still haven`t figured out how to get the audio to go with the digital feed which started 6+ months ago. I see Lou Josephs was giving the launch, and the previous scrubbed launch, minute-by-minute coverage on his blog: http://wvbf.blogspot.com/ (Glenn Hauser, Enid, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** OKLAHOMA. Rumor has it that The Spy will go back on 105.3 http://www.1053thespy.com since Citadel is moving Spanish over to WKY (David Harris, Jan 11, radio-info.com OK board via DXLD) I've heard the same rumor, though I'm not sure what to make of it at this point. I could see it happening because 105.3 doesn't have much of a signal and doesn't go anywhere 930 doesn't go. However, Hispanics actually listen to AM less than the average TSL for AM radio (Kent, ibid.) The word from the inside is they're waiting to get the music back on the hard drive because of the Oxbane Sorbley auditing laws require them to lose all the space on their hard drive so it won't be tied up with music they wouldn't use. So now like a bunch of dumbasses, they are scrambling around trying to get the library loaded up and are having a hard time finding some of the unique titles they had. All this compounded with the surprise visit from head cheese Farid Suleman who threw down the gauntlet and told the idiots to get the station back on the air immediately or else. Even funnier they are rushing to get their website back up for streaming audio. http://www.1053thespy.com (thecdlinsider, ibid.) ** PAPUA NEW GUINEA. 3325, R. Bougainville, Jan 14, 1115-1243, in Pidgin, DJ with on-air phone calls and playing pop songs in English (Dionne Warwick/Elton John with "That's What Friends Are For," etc.), ToH into program of local Island music and singing/chanting, TC's, several mentions of "Solomon Islands," 1234 clear ID for "Radio Bougainville" followed by sound of a conch horn, into program of American C&W songs ("Cotton Fields Back Home," etc). Reception was fair to poor. Reception possible due to complete absence of RRI Palangkaraya (Indonesia). (Ron Howard, CA, DXplorer Jan 15 via BCDX via DXLD) ** PERU. 6060, 1000+: Per Alfredo Cañote in Perú, there is a new Peruvian station on 6060. It's an evangelical which leans to the presidential candidate Humberto Lay (Partido Restauración Nacional). (Arnaldo Slaen, Argentina, DX-plorer via DXLD) ** RUSSIA [non]. 5850, Special Radio (via Tashkent), E-mail received in 18 days: "Dear Jerry Berg. Thank you for your message! I am sorry to respond this late but we've had Christmas holidays so I was away. We're glad SpecialRadio.ru has reached the USA, and I hoped you liked what you heard. More information can be found at our official website http://www.specialradio.net Plus we have a new program 'On the Horizon' made by John and Dawn Anderson; it's a great mix of music by unsigned artists, I do hope we will be broadcasting it occasionally and you get a chance to like it. If you have any more questions or suggestions - feel free to contact me here! Stay tuned! Sincerely yours." Maria Anikeeva, The press attache, PR-manager, http://www.specialradio.net Address: Office 417, Efremova st. 10, Moscow, Russia 113092. tel./fax +7 (095) 7754821 anikmay @ specialradio.ru (Jerry Berg, MA, DXplorer Jan 15 via BCDX via DXLD) ** SINGAPORE [non]. No sign of KSDA Guam 12065, Sat Jan 21 at 1618, a bad omen for the scheduled broadcast of AWR Wavescan 24 hours later (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** SUDAN. Radio ``Peace`` broadcasting from Nuba Mountains was received again in Sofia with an emission in English for about 10 minutes between 0300 and 0310 on 4750 kHz. According to their announcement, the emissions are aired at ``floating times`` between 0230 and 0330 and 1600 and 1800 UT with two different programs on 4750 and 5895 kHz with transmitter power of 1 and 5 kilowatts respectively. Only an e-mail address is announced: pete @ edmedia.org (Rumen Pankov, R. Bulgaria DX Jan 20 via John Norfolk, dxldyg via DXLD) ** TAJIKISTAN. TAJIKISTAN HAS SUSPENDED THE LOCAL FM RADIO SERVICE OF THE BRITISH BROADCASTING CORPORATION, THE BBC. January 19, 2006 | RFE/RL --- http://www.newswatch.in/index.php?itemid=3074 The move affects broadcasts in the capital Dushanbe and the northern city of Khujand. The BBC's services on medium and short wave are unaffected, RFE/RL's Tajik Service reports. The decision to suspend the service was made on 10 January and follows the adoption of a law requiring foreign media outlets with FM services to register with the Justice Ministry. The BBC said the 20-day registration deadline had been "unrealistic" because the process normally took up to six months to complete. Britain's envoy to Tajikistan, Graeme Loten, said in a statement that the embassy had expressed its concern to the Tajik Foreign Ministry. He called the suspension a "misunderstanding." A Foreign Ministry spokesman, Igor Sattarov, told reporters that his ministry was working with the Justice Ministry and the BBC to resolve what he called a "procedural question." (via Mike Terry, dxldyg via DXLD) BBC TAJIKISTAN SERVICE SUSPENDED http://www.waveguide.co.uk/latest/news060118.htm The BBC has today made a formal complaint to the Tajik government. This follows the suspension of the BBC's services to Tajikistan on FM frequencies by the Tajik authorities since Tuesday January 10. BBC services on medium wave and shortwave to listeners in the country remain unaffected. The suspension follows a recently ratified Tajik media law requiring international broadcasters on FM to register with the Tajik Ministry of Justice and acquire a media licence. The BBC is currently the only international broadcaster available on FM in Tajikistan and has a legal contract and licence to broadcast. However, although the BBC has started the new process for registration, the 20-day deadline was unrealistic for a process that would normally take up to six months to complete. Over the last week representations have been made to the Tajikistan authorities by the BBC. Since there has been no formal response from the authorities, the BBC is making a formal complaint to the Tajik government. The BBC is requesting that services are resumed immediately while the registration process is completed. BBC World Service Director Nigel Chapman says: "The BBC has a legal contract and a licence to broadcast on FM and we would like that to be honoured. The BBC is happy to comply with the new law but the process takes considerably more time than has been allowed by the Tajik authorities. "There is no reason why listeners in Tajikistan should be deprived of our services on FM while these bureaucratic hurdles are overcome. "The BBC has made a huge impact amongst listeners in Tajikistan, especially among key opinion formers, including senior government officials and cabinet ministers. "We have had many listeners across the country calling in to complain about the suspension, along with many messages of support." The BBC has been broadcasting in Tajikistan since 1996 on medium wave. In 2004 the BBC launched two 24-hour FM relays, in Dushanbe and Khojand, with programmes in Tajik (Persian), as well as broadcasts in Russian and English (via Zacharias Liangas, DXLD) ** TASMANIA. Hoyo Everybody, HRI's website has been updated so now you can read the latest satire news, also you can print the 2006 calendar from HRI Radio and soon there will also be a 13 page calendar too, the full year calendar is a bit small to write in. Also the times for the live broadcast have changed. If you haven't visited Hobart Radio International for a month than please come and look at the neatness and difference. http://www.hriradio.org -- Cheers, (Rob Wise. Hobart Radio International, Post Box 711, Rosny 7018, Tasmania, Australia, NRI yg via DXLD) ** U K. UNIONS LOBBY MPS OVER WORLD SERVICE CUTS The Guardian, John Plunkett, January 11, 2006 http://media.guardian.co.uk/radio/story/0,,1683442,00.html Trade unions protesting at plans to axe 10 of the BBC World Service's 43 foreign language services have taken their fight to Westminster. About 100 members and supporters of the National Union of Journalists lobbied MPs over the closures, which will result in about 270 job losses including 50 at its London headquarters, Bush House. The NUJ said the cuts were "short-sighted and unpopular". MPs have called on the World Service director, Nigel Chapman, to explain the changes at a meeting next month. "It is not too late for a change of heart," said the NUJ general secretary, Jeremy Dear. "The government must wake up and realise that these services are incredibly important to these countries, especially those that are emerging democracies." The £25m of savings will be pumped into the World Service's new Arabic TV channel. "We are not opposed to this," said Mr Dear. "But we believe the government should at least provide the initial funding rather than robbing Peter to pay Paul." Among the NUJ supporters was an adviser to the Thai education minister, who presented a 3,500 strong petition to MPs urging against the axing of the Thai language service. Several of the language services being closed - the Bulgarian, Greek, Hungarian, Polish and Slovak, Sloven and Kazakh outputs - have already stopped broadcasting. However, the NUJ says none of the closures was irreversible (via Mike Terry, dxldyg via DXLD) See also TAJIKISTAN ** U S A. We Might NEED Some Booze When the Booz Allen Report Comes In Last summer, the Broadcasting Board of Governors brought in the well- known consulting firm Booz Allen Hamilton to talk with managers and staff, and prepare a report on the "organization, structure, and operation" of the IBB and VOA. OCB and the relay stations are NOT included in the study. Nor is programming content; the consultant's mandate is to study structure, not substance. But while words like "organization" and "structure" seem innocuous enough, and a review of our convoluted hierarchy certainly is overdue, we should keep a sharp lookout with regard to this report, since Booz Allen is a notorious champion of outsourcing, privatizing, and downsizing in federal agencies. We'll be watching for code words like "streamlining" that have ominous implications for the workforce. For the moment, however, we will give the consultants the benefit of the doubt that the aim is to improve decision-making and the table of organization. Soon after Booz Allen arrived, a memo went out to all staffers, inviting emailed submissions of ideas. We were told they could be anonymous, but the consultant now reports that many who sent replies happily supplied their names. As Booz Allen executive David Rosenberg said recently, "People here have not been shy about sharing their opinions." Booz Allen is expected to deliver what it calls its "first phase of our review" to the Board later this month, but its representatives say they will still accept comments at: VOA_IBB_Study @ bah.com This interim report, or certainly Booz Allen's final report to the Board whenever that comes, will be a public document that we can all examine -- and will, the moment we can get our hands on it. On Aug. 2 of last year, two top Booz Allen executives met with AFGE- 1812 President Tim Shamble, General Vice President Verla Wiley, and those members of the Executive Committee who were available. They stressed that Booz Allen was coming into the study with no agenda or preconceptions, and that any and all feedback about the agency's organization, communication, and morale was welcome. We can assure you that we replied forcefully and in detail on those subjects at that meeting. The consultant's representatives told us that Booz Allen staffers would be conducting personal interviews with all BBG governors and many top and mid-level managers. As for employees, they promised "focus groups." And in a note to us last month, the company stated that it had conducted "more than sixty structured individual and small group interviews and hundreds of other conversations" with managers and employees from across IBB and VOA. Hundreds? That's interesting, because no AFGE Local 1812 officer or board member has been questioned individually or included in any "focus group," nor does any E-Board member know a single rank-and-file employee who has. We suspect that the bulk of the interviews have been with managers, and Booz Allen admits no "focus groups" have been convened. Late last month, Mr. Rosenberg, the Booz Allen executive who is directing the VOA/IBB review, again met with AFGE-1812 officers and board members and made the following points: The report to be made to the Board this month will be detailed, but it will NOT contain conclusions or opinions about what should be done to correct poor organizational structure and lines of authority. It will, however, point out that it is unusual, indeed, in either government or private industry, to have a structure in which a board of directors gets involved in so many operational decisions, including those involving personnel, and in which the chief executive -- in this case the directors of IBB and VOA -- must get board approval for most important decisions. The VOA director's authority, for instance, runs primarily to programming; authority over funding, research, and support services to the broadcasters who produce the product lies elsewhere. The Booz Allen report *will* look at how the staffing has changed with regard to the use of contractors. (Watch that one carefully, folks.) While the analysis will not, Booz Allen assures us, make qualitative comments about programming, it *will* look at our "business model," which is quite different from most business organizations'. Specifically, our "model" has reflected a dramatic (though not total) shift away from being "content driven" to "market driven." That is, where we were once more centrally organized and dispensed a somewhat uniform product to all parts of the world, our Board has prodded us toward more of a tailored approach, supposedly based on good research and attuned to the needs and demands of various audiences. (Translation: like private broadcasters, services have got to prove they have "ratings" to get resources.) This has given much greater authority to language divisions and services to serve their audiences as they see fit, using or not using centrally provided material. From the consultant's perspective, this has resulted in interesting organizational and resource shifts. But Booz Allen insists it will not recommend one model over another in its report to the board. Booz Allen is likely to report finding a "lack of clarity" about our mission and shorter-range goals. It is also likely to note many examples of cumbersome decision-making, in which "too many cooks" get their hands into the daily broth. We would point out that this stems, again, in part from having an all- powerful, but greatly diverse "herd of cats" [the BBG] that has a multitude of priorities, biases, "pet projects," and ideas about how things should be run. Booz Allen's final report, if not the interim one due this month, will point out "what's needed, and what it takes to do it" in terms of resources. This is especially true as it pertains to the Agency's march into television. Do we have the equipment, funding, training, skills, and management to compete in that medium? As Mr. Rosenberg put it, "How much" TV? "How fast?" While Booz Allen had no hand in last year's "human capital" (morale) survey that cast such a withering light on the Agency's personnel practices, its executives confirm that their conversations and reading of emails have turned up "lots of distrust," not just "up and down" (management to rank-and-file, and vice-versa) but also "unit to unit." This is hardly surprising, as resources are constantly being pulled from one operation and delivered to another at the whim of the capricious Board; as the supposed "hiring freeze" is selectively ignored; and when many, if not most, new faces in the building are those of contractors. If things go as promised, the initial Booz Allen report to the Board later this month will be a straightforward, fact-finding document. But it's sure to include some telltale signs of directions to come. Board members, the VOA director, and the IBB can be expected to use the report to justify moves they were already considering. Don't expect "bombshells" just yet, but study the report carefully as we will, for it's sure to be the ammunition for some fireworks ahead. The Value of Radio Radio is not viewed as being as important as television these days here at the VOA. According to the higher ups, radio is all but irrelevant and they repeat that mantra, even if it's not true. Don't tell that to the demonstrators outside the Cohen Building this past November. With the recent election in Ethiopia and the ensuing crackdown on the press and opposition party members the only source for timely and unbiased news for some people in Ethiopia was VOA's Amharic Radio Service. A group supporting VOA broadcasts of the Amharic Radio Service gathered outside the Cohen Building to show their support. According to one of the demonstration participants, the VOA broadcasts are the only free press in Ethiopia. Another smaller group protested the broadcasts of the Amharic Radio Service which they claimed were promoting hatred and racism. And according to a press release from the Committee to Protect Journalists, several journalists from the VOA Amharic Service were charged by the Ethiopian government of Prime Minister Meles Zenawi with attempting to overthrow his government. Obviously, the VOA broadcasts have had a considerable impact in Ethiopia. A few months before the election, the VOA Amharic Radio Service broadcasts were increased by one hour. For once management's move was right on target. These demonstrations put the lie to the belief that radio broadcasts are no longer important. And to fellow Union members in the VOA Amharic Service: keep up the good work. You are obviously doing something right. The Sham of Privatization The pattern is the same everywhere that privatization is happening. First, the proponents of privatization denigrate the government Agency and the government employees doing the job at a particular Agency. Then, they starve the government Agency of funds to actually prevent it from doing its job. Then, they use that as proof that the government agency and the government employees can't do the job. Finally, the contract to perform the function is given to the corporate cronies who set up this scenario in the first place. The taxpayer still pays for the service the government Agency was performing. At first, after the privatization, there may be a slight reduction in costs but after the private corporation has captured the function (that the government used to perform) the costs inevitably rise. Of course they would. Private corporations are governed by only one criterion, profit. In fact, if a corporation were to do anything that might negatively affect profits it could be sued by its shareholders. That begs the question: why are there two separate spheres, the private and the public? A public entity is governed by the public good. The private corporation is governed by private profit. It is dangerous for any society to rely on private corporations to provide for the common good. The only exception to these rules may be non- profit corporations but they are usually cash strapped and not large enough to replace what government Agencies provide. They also do not have the means to raise funds like the government does or have the power to regulate for-profit-corporations. Another issue is: the taxpayers should know where their tax dollars are going. If it stays a government function, then the people running the Agency are theoretically held accountable to the general public. What happens when you turn to private corporations to provide for governmental functions? You can see the effects right here in our own Agency. The Voice of America used to have an Arabic Service that broadcast to the Middle East. Of course, this Service was always starved of funds and technical means but it did manage to have a positive effect on those that listened to the programs. Most of all, the mission was clear. First and foremost, the VOA Arabic Service presented American thought, institutions, policies and accurate news with the hope that this would ultimately affect the W.H.A.M. factor (Winning Hearts and Minds). As we have seen, the mission of the new quasi private corporations Radio Sawa and Alhurra is first and foremost to gain as large an audience as possible. The content of the broadcasts no longer matters as it did in the past, as long as it gains the largest audience share possible, just like in the private sector. In the private sector this makes sense. You need to sell commercials and the people buying air time want to buy the largest audience possible. Big audience equals big profits. But for our purposes it is more important to influence opinions. Moreover, the BBG has drastically cut back our shortwave radio broadcasts. On a simple bottom line basis, it makes sense. But when you have countries such as Indonesia that recently banned its domestic broadcasters from carrying foreign broadcasts, as for example, VOA and BBC, the value of controlling your own transmitter with global reach is priceless. For more understanding on the harmful effects of privatization pick up a copy of The Fox In The Henhouse by Si Kahn and Elizabeth Munnich. For more on the dangers corporations pose to our democracy read Unequal Protection by Thom Hartmann. Setting the "Record" Straight That Willis Conover was a great American cultural ambassador, as stated in an article called "WHAM" in the Fall edition of "News and Views" is a fact. It does not follow, however, that purveyors of rock and "tweener pop" (whatever that is) are not. Who, after all, has raised millions of dollars through influence over the 2005 G8 World Summit leaders for awareness of African debt relief through 10 city worldwide concerts? And how many millions of dollars have been raised by those same rockers and pop artists for hurricane and tsunami relief? VOA carries many different genres of music: oldies and acoustic music shows, world music and classic rock programs, country music, roots music, urban countdowns and hip-hop magazine shows, many of which are also on shortwave broadcasts and not merely "beamed up to a satellite." The daily live Border Crossings show, based on listeners' requests, has a large and vocal following and a distinguished and contemporary guest list. And, Jazz America, the so-called "paltry two hour weekly segment" receives a steady stream of emails and letters from fans. Finally, if people in the "hinterlands, newspaper and magazine articles, forums, seminars, think tanks and universities are feverishly discussing why the US has suddenly become paralyzed in reaching the hearts and minds of people in the world," as suggested by the "WHAM" article, perhaps it is not the lack of a Willis Conover type program or weak music programming at all but inadequate funding, low morale and inability to win the hearts and minds of its own employees (from AFGE Local 1812 News & Views, Winter 2006, via DXLD) ** U S A. Glenn: We have just installed a brand new Sommer antenna which we are using for the North American transmissions on 7385 kHz. It's essentially the same as our old one that was damaged by the hurricane, with some improvements. We started using it last night (Thursday). I don't know if you can tell any difference or not, but if you get a chance to listen to it, it would be interesting to know how it's doing. It should be pretty similar to the pre-hurricane signal, if not a little better (Jeff White, WRMI, UT Jan 21, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Jeff, As a matter of fact, I noticed WRMI was quite a bit better than usual as I tuned across 7385 around 0100 tonight (Glenn to Jeff, UT Jan 21, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A. WWRB 9385, Sabbath Jan 21 at 1615 with Brother Scare yelling periodically in live(?) service, quite distorted and audio attenuated on center frequency, but not enough to prevent splatter up to 9425 bothering India, and 9420 Greece, and down to 9350. Mitigated only by the rather long pauses between his irrational outbursts (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A. Boinker is gone on 5070 --- Haven't heard it for a couple of nights now. Do you have any idea where it was coming from? Or what it was? I think it was domestic. Probably east coast. It was gone during daylight hours (Lou Johnson KF4EON, Atlanta, Jan 21, to WWCR, cc to DXLD) ** U S A. I sat on 770, Jan 21 from 0628 to 0700 UT, but never any sign of the DX test from WVNN Athens AL; did hear a couple IDs for KJCB dual with KTSJ 105.9, i.e. Lafayette LA; and also for KKOB Albuquerque, which leaks a little signal here around its null toward WABC. Or it could have been KKOB-1 low-power non-direxional relay in Santa Fé. Also occasionally something in Spanish (Glenn Hauser, Enid OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) [Previously:] 770, WVNN-AL heard here in Tulsa on overnite recordings with CW IDs and sweep tones 0059, 0259, 0359 and 0459 CST 19 JAN 06, sweep tones only at 0159 CST 19 JAN 06. Not new but last logged here in 1995. This test is a great example of the ability of CW and sweep tones to cut through the clutter. Thanks to Les and the folks that arranged this test! (Bruce Winkelman, AA5CO, Tulsa, OK, R8, Quantum Phaser 2 - 50 ft wires with baluns, Jan 19, NRC-AM via DXLD) ** U S A. 1670, WMWR Dry Branch GA --- I have noticed Spanish-speaking station a couple of mornings recently on 1670. I have not seen any reports on changes to the most likely culprit (for this side of The Pond) WMWR. I rang the station this afternoon. The guy at Clear Channel Macon confirms the station flipped to full time Hispanic programming early in January with the slogan "Viva." (Barry Davies, England, ABDX via DXLD) Had been SS just Saturday evenings (gh, DXLD) ** U S A. KAVT TEST UPDATE [1680 Fresno CA] Greetings, I just got an e mail from the CE of KAVT and the test is ready to go at 0300 EST as planned. However, there have been transmitter problems which he is working on. The power will probably be no more than 6 kW instead of the usual 10 kW. The test will run until 0800 EST. [0800-1300 UT Sat Jan 21] With all of the transmitter problems and all, he did not get a copy of the Radio Disney clock either. So I guess we are on our own with that. Those wishing QSL's, please enclose audio with your snail mail report in a CD or cassette. I can handle either. Good Luck. 73, (Patrick Martin, KAVT Reception Manager, PO Box 843, Seaside OR 97138-0843 mwdxer @ webtv.net Jan 20, IRCA via DXLD) Hi Glenn, Assume KAVT on 1680, Jan 21, at 0711-0723 UT, pop songs, 0721 several ID's for Radio Disney, "I'm Jesse McCartney and Radio Disney is back with your music, your way," fair, with some QRM. At 1157 UT, station still here that IDs as "Radio Disney," but weak under heavy QRM from KTFH – Seattle, which played Spanish songs and ToH ID (Ron Howard, Monterey, CA, RX340 + T2FD antenna, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A. Re x-band listing from NZ, 6-013: The 1690 station in Avondale Estates GA is now running CBS news, not CNN (Mike Cooper, GA, Jan 20, DX LISTENING DIGEST) WWAA 1690 Air Atlanta-Atlanta now running TOH CBS radio news (Brock Whaley, Lilburn, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A. Re the ``mystery`` of 1710 kHz: Many of us (myself included) have heard at least two full time stations on 1710. Radio Mossiach in NYC area, and Radio Top Inter in Hyde Park / Boston. The automakers obviously want the public to hear those stations, and anything else that might be on the channel. Bill Harms detected about six carriers on the channel. Isn't it our duty as DXers to log 'em? I'm curious about what the other four (or more, perhaps) are - maybe we should all sit on 1710 for a while. ;-) (Saul Chernos, ON, Jan 21, IRCA via DXLD) ** U S A. ABQ to get slammed with many HD stations New Mexico Business Weekly - 3:15 PM MST Thursday MORE HD RADIO OPTIONS COMING TO DUKE CITY --- Paul Krza, NMBW Staff http://albuquerque.bizjournals.com/albuquerque/stories/2006/01/16/daily27.html?t=printable A corporate radio broadcaster that owns eight radio stations in Albuquerque says it's working on implementing high-definition radio at its outlets, but doesn't plan an immediate roll-out. Citadel Broadcasting Corp. (NYSE:CDL) is part of the multi-company HD Digital Radio Alliance that announced an initiative earlier this week to speed up the launch of high definition, digital radio broadcasting, an advance in broadcasting that promises clearer sound and more formats, perhaps airing alongside already established frequencies. The consortium is still working to define the standards for the new service and where listeners will be able to find such broadcasts on the dial, says Milt McConnell, Citadel's manager in Albuquerque. He adds that the HD implementation won't come quickly because there's equipment that has to be ordered and installed. Other stations owned by the company are also on the HD conversion list, but McConnell says there are no firm dates yet for when those might happen. A Citadel competitor, Clear Channel Communications, (NYSE:CCU), said this week it planned to quickly start HD broadcasting, including at five stations it owns in Albuquerque. Chuck Hammond, the local Clear Channel manager, says the five stations will begin offering separate HD formats on Feb. 3, along with streaming audio on the Internet for those who don't yet own HD radios. A sixth Clear Channel FM station in Albuquerque is expected to be HD- ready in 30 to 40 days. On Thursday, Hammond listened to his first HD broadcast from one of his Albuquerque stations on a new digital HD radio he'd purchased for his office. Clear Channel also plans a local giveaway of 100 HD radios over the next several months to help introduce the new technology. Clear Channel also is a member of the Radio Alliance. No other broadcasters operating in Albuquerque are members of the group. However, the city's two public radio stations, KUNM-89.9-FM and KANW-89.1-FM, are also moving toward HD broadcasting, officials from the two stations said earlier. Twenty-eight radio markets around the nation began a systematic roll- out of HD digital radio on Jan. 19. Other stations will follow in the next several weeks, many using formats developed by the Alliance, which acts a sort of format clearinghouse to avoid duplication. © 2006 American City Business Journals Inc (via Kevin Redding, ABDX via DXLD) ** U S A. WTOP Moves to FM (yawn) Posted at 20:49 on Jan 17, 2006 in broadcast media and rants. Yeah, so the great DC radio switcheroo of 2006 happened and WTOP displaced WGMS and it's nice Class B 103.5 and demoted the classical station to the weaker 104.1 and 103.9, killing the pseudo-rocker Z-104 in the process. And even more, WTOP will be giving up AM 1500 and FM 107.7 to Washington Post Radio, what I've seen described as "NPR on caffeine." Even though WTOP consistently ranks first in the Washington DC area radio market, it sucks. Okay, so they have great timely traffic reports, which really makes me realize even more the utter uselessness and wastefulness of the various weak and garbled Montgomery County- owned and operated traffic information AM stations. But come on, people! I listened to a news report on WTOP a couple of days ago that was so brief and cut up that it reminded me of one of Mr. F. E. Lemur's "PR Gnus" cut-ups of NPR News he posts on occasion to alt.binaries.slack. The typical WTOP news byte goes something like this: Talking head: President Bush voiced criticism of Democrats this afternoon. President Bush: They're wrong. Talking head: He spoke from the steps of the Capitol. WTOP news time, eight oh four. And this is a threat to National Public Radio on WAMU 88.5? As annoying as the stupid music in between news items on NPR is, it's nowhere near as annoying as the thirty commercials an hour crammed into WTOP. Hell, even Diane Rehm's delivery isn't as annoying as the incessant commercials on WTOP. WTOP's move may threaten WETA on 90.9, though. Who in the hell thought it was a good idea to put another NPR station on the dial so we could have dueling NPR's, especially when they sometimes have the same programming on at the same time? Maybe there's a market for it like there is for the non-stop wonking on C- Span Radio WCSP 90.1. I suppose I should be thankful that The Washington Post may provide a more, say, balanced view of news when they arrive on the air, being as they're a bunch of commie liberals and gawd only knows we could use some balance to the idiots and morons like Rush Limbaugh and his many imitators who pollute the airwaves here (as if Amy Goodman's twice- weekdaily Democracy Now! on Pacifica's WPFW 89.3 doesn't qualify for a whole day's worth of left wing goodness all by itself). But a threat to NPR? NPR on caffeine? Unless you like spam with your caffeine this is going to be a hard sell. I seriously doubt that the new WTWP 1500/107.7 will have any less commercials rammed down our throats than the king of the hill, WTOP. Is this a massive change in the terrestrial radio market that foments a new revival of the medium? Yawn. Bring back bluegrass music on the drive home from work. Then maybe I'll start to give a crap whether of not WTOP kicks WAMU's butt (Larry Will, Radio Free Mount Airy via DXLD) ** U S A. WFUV (90.7 FM, wfuv.org) Presents 'Me and the Man in the Moon' 000 The Big Broadcast Features 101 'Moon' Songs Sundays, February 12th and 19th at 8:00 PM EST --- FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE NEW YORK, Jan. 19, 2006 -- WFUV host Rich Conaty will celebrate the full moon on February 12 and astronomer Nicolas Copernicus's February 19th birthday with "Me and the Man in the Moon," two editions of his weekly radio show The Big Broadcast that will feature 101 songs about the moon. The Big Broadcast airs on WFUV (90.7 FM) in New York City and around the world on the Internet at http://www.wfuv.org More on The Big Broadcast can be found at http://www.bigbroadcast.com Nearly thirty years of "moon songs" will be featured: from 1911's "Turn Off Your Light, Mr. Moon Man" to "How High the Moon" in 1940. In addition to the work of nearly forgotten tunesmiths like Larry Shay ("Get Out and Get Under the Moon," 1928) and Harry Woods ("What a Little Moonlight Can Do," 1935), Conaty will play songs by Irving Berlin ("Reaching for the Moon") and Jerome Kern ("Pale Venetian Moon"). Hoagy Carmichael's songbook includes "Moon Country," "Moonburn" and "Old Man Moon," from the 1937 movie comedy "Topper." Other performers include Billie Holiday, Kate Smith and Fats Waller. Bing Crosby recorded his first "moon song" in 1928, and did dozens more throughout his career. The Big Broadcast will include Crosby's "Livin' in the Sunlight, Lovin' in the Moonlight," "Moonstruck" and "Don't Let That Moon Get Away." Conaty refutes the notion that moon-themed pop tunes were Tin Pan Alley trifles. "For every 'Honolulu Moon' there's a first-rate composition, like 'Blue Moon' by Rodgers and Hart," says Conaty. "Or 'It's Only a Paper Moon' by Harold Arlen, whose February 15 birthday will be also observed on the two programs. The Big Broadcast will also salute the lyrics of Bert Kalmar, whose songs include 'Three Little Words,' 'Who's Sorry Now' and 'The Same Old Moon.'" On the air since 1973, Rich Conaty's The Big Broadcast features classic jazz and pop tunes of the 1920s and '30s. Thanks to the Internet, this surviving bastion of dance band music on New York radio now has listeners as far away as Hawaii and Australia. WFUV (90.7 FM, wfuv.org) is a non-commercial, listener-supported public radio station, licensed to Fordham University for more than 50 years. Weekly serving 300,000 listeners in the New York area and beyond, and a leader in contemporary music radio, WFUV offers an eclectic mix of rock, singer-songwriters, blues, world and other music with its influential City Folk(R) format, plus headlines from National Public Radio, local news and sports and Metro Traffic. Media Contact: Eva Dilmanian 646-654-9324 eva @ buzzwordpr.com (via Rachel Baughn, MT BB Jan 19 via DXLD) ** U S A. Attention potheads --- er, advocates of medical uses of marijuana. There is a weekly report, MARIJUANA POLICY THIS WEEK, from NORML with Chris Goldstein, UT Thursdays at approx. 0600-0605 in the middle of Undercurrents on KSFR, Santa Fe, webcast, http://www.ksfr.org (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A. Acknowledging Olbermann's "Worst Person in the World" designation, Beck said Sheehan is "pimping out the tragedy of her own son's death" --- Summary: Reacting to the recent designation of 'Worst Person in the World' by MSNBC host Keith Olbermann for saying that anti-war activist Cindy Sheehan is "pimping out the tragedy of her own son's death for her own agenda," Glenn Beck expounded further: "It's almost so horrible, it seems true." . . . http://mediamatters.org/items/200601200016 (via gh, DXLD) ** U S A [and non]. ARMED FORCES RADIO TURNS 65 Back in early 1941, some cold and lonely GI's at Sitka, in the Alaskan Territory, made a big decision. They rigged up a little radio station and played music to keep themselves entertained in the middle of winter that year. They gave themselves a call sign, KRB. Sitka was a hotbed of radio broadcasting that year, as KRB was soon followed by another GI station, starting as GIN [guess the source] and becoming GAB soon after. In the fall of 1941, an officer led 'pirate' radio station began broadcasting from Kodiak, using the call sign KODK. When the servicemen wrote to major US radio networks asking for free records to play, the military powers that be learned 'they' had three 'armed forces radio' stations broadcasting in isolated Alaska. From this 'pirate radio' beginning, soon grew the global Armed Forces Radio Service, later known as AFRTS, sometimes known as Armed Forces Radio, sometimes as 'your American Expeditionary Service' station, and by 1945, there were hundreds of stations worldwide. One of our major ongoing research projects here at the Radio Heritage Foundation is recording the stories of the many AFRS stations that broadcast within the Pacific region. We do this for several reasons. Firstly, it's important to remember the individual broadcasters who made radio 'come alive' in very strange places. Secondly, in many cases, these AFRS stations were the first [and often only] radio stations to broadcast from parts of the Pacific. Thirdly, although the ranks are getting thinner every month, some of the old time DJ's and engineers from the 1940's are still around, and willing to share their memories, photos, memorabilia and friendship. Finally, arguably the best American music of the era was recorded just for these stations, and the Pacific resonated to the crooners, swingers, jivers and big bands of a golden age. In just one place can you find all the stations and all the stories of AFRS radio from this era: http://www.radioheritage.net Station lists for AFRS Japan, AFRS Alaska and AFRS China-Burma-India, with AFRS Jungle Network, Mosquito Network and Pacific Ocean Networks coming soon. Memories from WXLG Kwajalein, WVTR Tokyo, WXLE Canton, WVUG Fort Greely, KMTH Midway, WVUS Tontouta, WVUV Pago Pago, VU2ZP Bangalore, and more. You can help this research expand to cover more stations, more stories, and help us reach vets and their families before it's too late. Every day, old photos are torn up, old pieces of station memorabilia dumped in the trash, and memories fade a little more. Keep the memories alive and free for all to share. Please visit http://www.radioheritage.net and make a donation of funds. The Radio Heritage Foundation is a registered charitable trust in New Zealand [#1473801] and all funds are used to support our radio heritage projects. Warm regards (David Ricquish, Chairman, Radio Heritage Foundation, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** URUGUAY. I find the WRTH06 a good value also this year, though not much intensive DXing to refer to it. Although the updated info I sent, for instance, on the Uruguay TV pages was not completely taken. The Banda Oriental and the Universo SW transmitters have been unheard for all this time, more than a year now, and the 9650 entry for E C de Montevideo was inactive when the book entered into press. The Uruguayan telcom administrative body, URSEC, hasn't provided any definitive list for SW. It's like a forgotten matter. SODRE doesn't mention in their promos and in a recent printed brochure any SW frequency, though 9621 is still barely heard but 6125 doesn't show up right now (Horacio Nigro, Uruguay, DXplorer Jan 15 via BCDX via DXLD) ** ZANZIBAR. 11735, TANZANIA, Spice FM via RT, 1759-1816, Jan. 17, English/Vernacular, "Techno" music at tune-in, "It is now 9 o'clock east African time" by YL followed by African and International news. ID at 1805, "This is the news coming to you from Spice FM" and at end of news at 1810. OM in language with talks and music. Poor/fair, best listening in USB (Scott R. Barbour, Jr., Intervale, NH, R75, 200' Beverages, MLB-1, DTS4, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) UNIDENTIFIED. 5-digit Spanish YL numbers on 6867 at 1605 Jan 21, quite distorted. Not // much stronger and clearer 5-digit Spanish YL numbers on 7975 encountered at 1608 (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) UNIDENTIFIED. Jan 19 before 22 UT, a station playing Balkan music on about 6878 kHz. Maybe harmonic from MW? 73 (Jouko Huuskonen, Turku, FINLAND, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ UNSOLICITED TESTIMONIALS ++++++++++++++++++++++++ Glenn, I have been listening from way back when you just had that small segment on RCI's SWL Digest. Now listening mostly via your web pages (Dr. Derek Lynch, University of Huddersfield, UK, Jan 12, DX LISTENING DIGEST) PUBLICATIONS ++++++++++++ BANDSCAN ANALYSIS OF RADIO HANDBOOKS FOR 2006 by Anker Petersen, Denmark, 16 January, 2006. © DSWCI This article may be fully quoted, if the source is mentioned. Again this year the publishers of the 2006 editions of the World Radio TV Handbook (WRTH), Nicholas Hardyman, UK, and of the Shortwave Frequency Guide (SWFG), from Joerg Klingenfuss, Germany, sent me review copies of their latest Handbooks for a comparative analysis. On 30 October 2005 the B05 winter schedules became effective. I received the Handbooks in mid December and have now analysed and compared their value to the SW Broadcast DXer. . . . http://www.dswci.org/specials/bookreviews/200601handbooks.pdf (DSWCI via DXLD) RADIO STATIONS IN THE UK - NEW EDITION NOW AVAILABLE The new 2006 (20th) edition of Radio Stations in the United Kingdom is now available from the British DX Club. Radio Stations in the UK is a comprehensive 60-page guide to BBC, commercial, community and low power AM/FM services on MW and FM, with lists in frequency order and by station name. It includes transmitter power and site details, plus contact information. Frequencies are cross-referenced to help you find parallels. It comes with a separate supplement - Radio Stations in the Republic of Ireland. It`s been two years since the last edition was published, so there are lots of changes. This new updated edition can now be ordered for immediate despatch. Radio Stations in the UK is a must for anyone interested in UK domestic radio - from the keen mediumwave or FM DXer to the casual listener. Why not order a second copy to keep in the car - we have a special price for two copies! PRICE of the 20th edition per copy (includes postage): to UK addresses: 3 pounds. Rest of World 3.50 GBP, 6 Euros, 8 US dollars or 8 IRCs. SPECIAL PRICE for 2 copies: UK: 5.50 pounds Europe: 10 Euros All orders should be sent to: British DX Club 10 Hemdean Hill Caversham Reading RG4 7SB UK UK Cheques/POs payable to British DX Club. Dollar/Euro payments by cash or Paypal only E-mail enquiries/paypal payments to bdxc @ bdxc.co.uk - please add 5% to cover Paypal fees. Full details also on the BDXC-UK web site - http://www.bdxc.org.uk (Dave Kenny, BDXC-UK via dxldyg via DXLD) SHORTWAVE AS ART ++++++++++++++++ COELACANTH AND KEITH EVANS PERFORMING AT THE HI POINT MONTARA LIGHTHOUSE Last Updated: Wednesday, January 18, 2006 - 9:14:44 AM PST http://www.pacificatribune.com/Stories/0,1413,92~3244~3206244,00.html The Hostelling International Point Montara Lighthouse and the Helen Scarsdale Agency proudly present a collaborative performance(s) from the sound-art ensemble Coelacanth and the experimental film-maker Keith Evans. Coelacanth and Keith Evans perform at 8 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 4 [0400 UT Sunday Feb 5], at the Point Montara Lighthouse, Montara [California]. Cost is $8 ($25 for event and lodging at the Lighthouse hostel.) The boundaries of art and music have blurred over the past century from the results of experimentation by multi-disciplinary artists such as John Cage, Christian Marclay, Bruce Connor, and Pauline Oliveros. Sound itself has become a primary material for a growing number of artists who seek to redefine the boundaries between music, sculpture, film, performance, and installation. Both Coelacanth (from San Francisco) and Keith Evans (from Oakland) are renowned artists within this avant-garde tradition. Working together for a one-night only performance at the Point Montara Lighthouse, these artists envision an immersive experience that is sympathetic with the mysterious, oceanic, and potentially haunted environment of the Point Montara Lighthouse. Coelacanth and Evans will be focusing their activities within the Fog Signal Building with additional events and installations to be found throughout the Lighthouse's grounds, weather and safety permitting. While the main event begins at 8 p.m. and the hostel's gates lock at 11 p.m., Coelacanth and Evans will treat guests of the hostel to afterhours sounds and events. At 10:30, guests not staying the evening will be politely asked to leave. Coelacanth finds Loren Chasse and Jim Haynes operating the tools of an imagined science to explore the various possibilities for sound to originate from traditionally non-musical materials. Copper, stone, glass, sand, shortwave radio, rust, wind, water, and mud have been the active participants in Coelacanth's sound events and situations, invoking a sound that is an aggregate of sustained harmonics, continuously evolving sound forms, and broad gestures of textual details, and which could be described as a 'broken minimalism.' Both artists have exhibited and performed internationally; they have also published numerous recordings Keith Evans hails from the multimedia collective Silt, whose multiple film projections, shadow interferences, kinetic sculptural elements, and resonant sound reveal an interest in the primacy of sensation and set up an emotional dynamic between the performer, the audience, and the space itself. Silt's film material has often been rusted, buried in the ground, consumed by mold and bacteria, and left to interact with the earth's natural alchemical process, like fossilized relics. In performance, the projector beam lights up these organic morphologies, magnetic fields, and bacterial cultures, all combined to manifest a transcendent experience. Evans has exhibited throughout the US with a notable participation in the 2002 Whitney Biennial. Coelacanth & Evans will be publishing a CD / DVD entitled "Wrack Light In Copper Ruin" through the Japanese imprint Seal Pool in Spring, 2006 (Pacifica [California] Tribune, via Kim Elliott, DXLD) CONVENTIONS & CONFERENCES +++++++++++++++++++++++++ BRUCE PORTZER'S ANNUAL DX GET-TOGETHER Hello Everyone. It's time for my annual DX Get-together. This year it will be on Saturday, February 25, beginning at 2 p.m. [PST = 2200 UT] Here's a chance to meet other radio listeners and talk about hobby stuff - medium wave, SWBC, utility, TV/FM, or whatever flavor of listening you like to do. Feel free to bring receivers, QSL cards, antennas, and other paraphernalia to show off or demonstrate. Please bring a potluck snack or something to drink. At dinner time, we'll pass the hat around and order some pizzas. My address is 6546 19th Avenue N.E. in Seattle. It's not hard to find, since the streets are numbered and parallel around here. The following link may be helpful http://www.mapquest.com/maps/map.adp?searchtype=address&country=US&add tohistory=&searchtab=home&formtype=address&popflag=0&latitude=&longitu de=&name=&phone=&cat=&address=6546+19th+Avenue+NE&city=&state=&zipcode =98115 If you have questions or want to RSVP, my phone is 206-522- 2521. See you there. 73, (Bruce Portzer, IRCA Soft DX Monitor Jan 21 via DXLD) LANGUAGE LESSONS ++++++++++++++++ TRANSLITERATIONS LAKE Re 6-013, ``Love that Italo-Slavic rendition of Tschaikowsky! (gh, DXLD)`` Glenn, However, you'll find the correct Russian-Italian transliteration(s) in the following Wikipedia article: http://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Piotr_IliÄ_ÄŒaikovskij If you're using a Cyrillic enabled browser you'll see the correct Russian spelling too. BTW, Amazon.com indicates it as Tschaikovsky as written on every English edition of Russian composer's CD/DVD recordings. So, V or W? (Andy Lawendel, Italy, Jan 21, DX LISTENIG DIGEST) My browser is supposedly so enabled, but no workee on this page. I think Tschaikovsky is the generally accepted rendition in English, with the W preferred by those Germanically influenced. Of course, the TS is totally unnecessary in English, and Leonard Bernstein`s preferred Chaikovsky is seldom seen. In Russian it does start with the Ch letter, so they don`t need the Ts letter either in this name. Trouble is, in English we are so used to thinking of his name as a T- word (Glenn Hauser, DX LISTENING DIGEST) DIGITAL BROADCASTING ++++++++++++++++++++ I want to let you know that the present situation on the MW band here prompted me to write to the EBU - and items published in DXLD were a great help as illustrations of my point of view. Here is the text of my letter: Mrs. Raina Konstantinova Director of the Radio Department European Broadcasting Union Geneva, SWITZERLAND Dear Mrs. Konstantinova: I am writing this letter to you because of my worries concerning the present situation on the Medium Wave broadcast band here in Europe. It's far from an exaggeration to state that we as listeners experience an increasing chaos after the introduction of DRM tests on these frequencies. Before I go on, I would like to tell you a little about my background. I have been profoundly interested in world radio ever since my childhood. I started listening to international broadcasts on shortwaves and European medium wave stations at the age of eleven, back in 1945, keeping a log book of the stations I heard. Our Swedish radio weekly magazine "Röster i Radio" at that time was a great help with information and frequency lists of LW. MW and SW stations already at that time. In my archives there are confirmations from broadcasting stations in 155 countries that I have heard their transmissions. I have also been a transmitting radio amateur for a number of years and the producer of a local radio programme for three years. In other words, I know very well the reality I am writing to you about. Today, on January 17th, EBU participates in the celebration of "Art's Birthday". Innovative, non-traditional musical art has been supported by the broadcasters, its development and the interest of the public has been very much depending on the broadcasting media, the radio and television. So the event tonight, broadcast all over Europe, is a very positive one. But my thoughts and concerns, when I heard about Art's Birthday, went in another direction: Art connected with daily life, music which takes elements from the reality around us. Good. Then I thought: If someone made a recording of Hessischer Rundfunk, listening any time on 594 kHz Medium Waves, somewhere outside Frankfurt, this could be used as a musical satire. Take sections of this recording where the German broadcast is often drowned by the mill-like noise from the Croatian DRM test on the same frequency. A (nominal) 10 kW transmitter down in Croatia has got the power of overriding a 250 kW+ transmission in Germany, when you listen within the normal reception zone for this transmitter! And together with this segment of recording, the musical artist could create the satirical effect: A recording from the years of the Cold War, in which a Soviet jamming transmitter almost drowns the Voice of America or BBC transmission in Russian! THE TERRIBLE THING IS THAT TO US LISTENERS, THE SITUATION OF THE COLD WAR HAS COME BACK! Dear Mrs. Konstantinova, I would like to know what the EBU is going to do to make the situation for us listeners tolerable. It seems to me, maybe I am wrong, but it seems to me that the DRM tests are carried out completely without planning and without concern for the listeners affected. Remember all those who rely on Medium Wave AM Radio: those who listen to stations which only broadcast on medium waves, those who listen in their cars where FM reception is too problematic, those who are abroad and tune in the broadcasts of their homeland, like I did when in Italy and could hear the Swedish broadcast on 1179 kHz down there every night. There is always a problem of interference, but the situation has become chaotic as it is now. Planning and organization is necessary. Perhaps a segment of the Medium wave band or the whole Long wave band, could be allowed for DRM tests on a shared basis, where say 6 broadcasters are allowed to have tests 4 hours a day during the experimental period. There is also a severe problem of splatter to adjacent frequencies. The BBC World Service DRM transmission on 1296 kHz strongly affects reception also on 1287 and 1305 kHz. The DRM mode causes a very broad signal, too broad for the 9 kHz segments on the LW/MW band. I do not want to sound like a reactionary, since I fully realize the possibilities of DRM for the communication of good audio broadcasts. But my experience tells me that the coexistence between DRM and AM Radio is impossible. And I will end my letter by quoting from the American Media expert Glenn Hauser's DX Listening Digest, January 14th, 2006, in which we read: - Here in Germany criticism on the DRM operation from Croatia on MW 594 kHz rises, since it ruins reception of co-channel Hessischer Rundfunk outside the Frankfurt area. It was definitely no DRM detestor who wrote today that they should fire up the old Siemens gear again to let the brute force of 1000 kW making the point (Kai Ludwig-D, dxld Jan 7) And from the same source further on: - DRM has been a pest on 1485 for at least a year. At night I cannot hear BBC Humberside any more which is SE of me by about 30 miles. Channel always dominated by DRM. I guess many broadcasters adversely affect by DRM won't complain because they want to use DRM. I'm still baffled why no one has attempted bandplanning DRM on the MW band. DRM clearly does not coexist with AM (from the AM listener's point of view) so why not assign a couple of channels as DRM only channels and let DRM transmitters congregate together. If DRM expands then add extra channels. At the moment with no bandplanning it justs makes MW a worse place to listen. Cynic mode on: Rotten noisy AM is a good reason to persuade people to switch to DRM, so could this be a deliberate policy of DRM jamming? Cynic mode off. 73s (Steve Whitt via Chris Brand, BDXC-UK via DXLD) I think, Mrs. Konstantinova, this is more than ample proof to support my point. I am now awaiting your and the EBU's comments and future plans in this matter. I am fully aware of your limitations as an organization representing a large number of countries, and as the saying goes, no chain is stronger than its weakest links. Nevertheless, the situation caused must be met with decisive action from the EBU. And I am sure the EBU will be willing to act, to uphold the standards of listening on the Medium Wave band. Yours sincerely, Ullmar Qvick ---------------- Glenn, feel free to use my letter in case you find it appropriate. Kind regards from Sweden - in full winter with lots of snow (Ullmar Qvick, Sweden, Jan 21, DX LISTENING DIGEST) POWERLINE COMMUNICATIONS ++++++++++++++++++++++++ SHUTDOWN "IMPERATIVE" IN FACE OF STILL-UNRESOLVED BPL INTERFERENCE January 18, 2006 --- After the operator of the Manassas, Virginia, BPL system failed to meet its own commitment to resolve complaints of interference to local radio amateurs, the ARRL again demanded the system's immediate shutdown. Writing on the League's behalf, ARRL General Counsel Chris Imlay, W3KD, told the FCC January 17 that Communications Technologies (COMTek), which operates the BPL system over the municipally owned electric power grid using Main.net equipment on frequencies between 4 MHz and 30 MHz, "has been given every opportunity" over the past 18 months to resolve interference complaints. Full Story http://www.arrl.org/ (via Mike Terry, dxldyg via DXLD) RADIO EQUIPMENT FORUM +++++++++++++++++++++ OVER THE HORIZON RADAR See http://www.iarums-r1.org/iarums/sound/main.html and listen to OHR example tone files (DARC Bandwatch IARU-MS Reg. 1, via Ulrich Bihlmayer DJ9KR Jan 19 via BCDX via DXLD) TV ANTENNA TOWER COLLAPSE On http://ethics.tamu.edu/ethics/tvtower/tv3.htm you can find information (and short movies) about the collapse of Senior Road Tower. Also a movie of the collapse is available! (Klaus Guenther, LW [sic] message board via DXLD) Viz.: ENGINEERING ETHICS TV Antenna Tower Collapse Department of Philosophy and Department of Mechanical Engineering Texas A&M University NSF Grant Number DIR-9012252 June 1992 Social Responsibility Versus Legal Liability Introduction Guidelines Overheads Synopsis Cast of Characters Analysis Ethical Issues Photographs MPEG Film Clips AVI copy of entire available sequence of construction and collapse (430 mb) Bibliography Introduction To The Case The following case is based on an actual incident. However, individual actors and company names have been changed due to possible pending litigation. In addition, although conversations and memorandums used are based on evidence surrounding the case, they are hypothetical in nature, and are used to illustrate important issues rather than to attempt an actual reenactment of what "really" happened. In 1982, a television station video crew was filming the raising of their new television tower. The antenna was designed and manufactured by Antenna Engineering, Inc., a moderately-sized local firm. Riggers, Inc., a small local firm, was contracted to raise and assemble the antenna. . . http://ethics.tamu.edu/ethics/tvtower/tv3.htm (via DXLD) Mentioned only in passing is Missouri City, Texas --- is this the location in question? (gh) CD LIMITED LIFE??? Did you move all those precious SWL tape recordings over to CD's so they would last? If so, read this bit of wisdom: http://msn.pcworld.com/news/article/0,aid,124312,00.asp?GT1=7645 (Pete Costello, Jan 16, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) In re CD's Don't Last (as long as tape?). I have burned CDs well over 5 years old. No problems with them. I've done nothing special about storage, etc. Perhaps urban legend? (Kraig, KG4LAC, Krist, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) A top high ranking IBM Germany engineer told in German radio last week: CD burning quality depends on high quality burning unit and high quality CD's in use, [stinginess is cool/horny, we say in Germany]. But CD may lose data in 3 to 5 years after burning date. So, let's start to copy these discs again after 3 years time. But he said also: fine quality tape recording of (my professional REVOX) tape machine will last 100-120 years. And bible writing of the Middle Ages still legible after 500 years. 73 (Wolfgang df5sx Büschel, ibid.) I believe the short life of CD applies to R/W CDs. Normally, CD-R (write once) last a long time (unless scratched). Usually, when reading about CD horrors, R/W vs CD-R is not specified. 73, (Kraig, KG4LAC, Krist, ibid.) PROPAGATION +++++++++++ BRINGING BACK CHANNEL B1 TV FIRST --- In 2006y, Alexandra Palace will be celebrating the 70th anniversary of the first ever TV broadcast, which came direct from the historic venue. In 1936, Elizabeth Cowell uttered the immortal words, ``This is direct television from Alexandra Palace`; since then, TV has become one of modern society`s most significant technological breakthroughs and the BBC`s occupation of the Palace in the 1930s for early experiments and actual production was key to its development. Alexandra Palace is truly the birthplace of TV and its anniversary will be celebrated throughout 2006. Keep a lookout on their website http://www.alexandrapalace.com/ for details of forthcoming events (Jan Radiouser [UK] via DXLD) [Cf 6-001]. This item unmentions 405-line ch B1 plans (gh) TV AND FM DX IN EUROPE Have a look at my web page and feel free to use any pictures from it for the mag. lots of sporadic e captures on band 1 via PC TV cards ... cheers .. my web http://www.geocities.com/tvdxrools/ (David Hamilton, UK? Monitoring monthly yg via DXLD) ###