DX LISTENING DIGEST 6-055, March 31, 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 NOTE: If you are a regular reader of DXLD, and a source of DX news but have not been sending it directly to us, please consider yourself obligated to do so. Thanks, Glenn NEXT SW AIRINGS OF WORLD OF RADIO 1310: Fri 2130 on WWCR 15825 Sat 0600 on WRMI 9955 Sat 0800 on WRN DRM Bulgaria 13865 Sat 1330 on WRMI 7385 Sat 1700 on WWCR 12160 Sun 0330 on WWCR 5070 Sun 0400 on WBCQ 9330-CLSB Sun 0530 on WRMI 9955 Sun 0730 on WWCR 3215 Mon 0300 on WBCQ 9330-CLSB Mon 0415 on WBCQ 7415 Mon 0500 on WRMI 9955 Wed 0930 on WWCR 9985 Updated, plus tentative A-06 DST-shifted schedule: Full schedule, including AM, FM, satellite and internet, with hotlinks to station sites and audio: http://www.worldofradio.com/radioskd.html For latest updates see our Anomaly Alert page: http://www.worldofradio.com/anomaly.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 ** ARGENTINA [and non]. That move of CVC, Voz Cristã to 15340 for A-06, could be great for reception of LRA 36 on 15476, but screw up reception from RAE on adjacent 15345, causing too much splatter that can be avoided slightly, tuning 15347, cause sync detection is impractical. You can't make it any better with this wonderful toy ICF7600GR, as a narrow filter is not included (Raúl Saavedra, Costa Rica, UT March 31, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) CVC is still on 15525 after 1700, when LRA 36 would be on if reactivated, 18-21, and RAE too (gh, DXLD) ** AUSTRALIA. 2310, VL8A, Alice Springs, // 2485 VL8K, Katherine, NT, 1010 to 1035 25 March, live commentary of the 2006 Commonwealth Games in Melbourne. OM announced "Gold Medal for the men's" then "...now playing the National Anthem of Australia" At tune in, best signal was VL8K, Katherine (Robert Wilkner, FL, Japan Premium via DXLD) ** BURKINA FASO [non]. Hi Glenn, What has happened? Always enjoyed listening to R. Burkina, 5030, good signal and indicator of what`s around. Nothing tonight and last night religious claptrap. Will monitor tonight if being stamped on by another god station; where will it end? (Mark Davies, Anglesey (Ynys Mon), March 31, dxldyg via DXLD) You are not very specific as to times and frequencies. As to whether BF is off the air, I`m not sure, but the only religious claptrap I am aware of on 5030 is Defunct Gene Scott via Costa Rica, which has been there for a long time. Or do you refer to new 5035 from WEWN, but mostly overnight when BF would not be on anyway? (Glenn Hauser, ibid.) Not on at the moment UT 2025 actually BF usually good signal now! Will post later (Mark, Anglesey, ibid.) What does ibid. mean? (Mark, Anglesey, ibid.) Same source as the one above, literally in the same place, Latin ibidem (gh) ** CAMBODIA [and non]. INFORMATION MINISTER MEETS VICE DIRECTOR OF FREE ASIA RADIO --- Phnom Penh, March 29, 2006 AKP -- AKP/03 http://www.camnet.com.kh/akp/english_news.htm Information Minister H. E Khieu Kanharith met with Mr. Dan Southerland, vice director of Free Asia Radio in Phnom Penh on March 27. In the meeting with the vice director of Free Asia Radio, Information Minister H. E Khieu Kanharith told him of the current political situation in Cambodia, the draft anti-corruption law to be adopted by the National Assembly soon and the withdraw of the criminal law on defamation requested by Cambodian premier. Asked whether Free Asia Radio can operate its Radio station in Cambodia, the minister said Cambodian law does not allow a state-run radio of foreign country to operate in the country, but it is able to buy the broadcasting hours of the private radio station (AKP via DXLD) ** CAMEROON [non]. R. Free Southern Cameroon, via Russia on new 15695, *1800-1859* March 26, sign-on with opening English announcements, choral anthem, and English talk about Southern Cameroon. Local music, traditional religious music. 1858 closing ID and anthem to 1859* Poor, weak in noisy conditions. Sunday only (Brian Alexander, Mechanicsburg PA, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** CANADA. 5745 and 6390, Sackville spurs: 0245-0300 March 25, from 5960 R. Japan programming and 6175 V. of Vietnam programming. 5960 producing a spur on 6390 and 6175 producing a spur on 5745 (Brian Alexander, Mechanicsburg PA, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Double leapfrogs Re 6-054: I should clarify here: The master_control e-mail address does connect you directly with Sackville. It's Jacques Bouliane who works in Montréal and not at Sackville. 73- (Bill Westenhaver, RCI, dxldyg via DXLD) ** CHINA [non]. Strong presence of CRI with English on 9560 and Spanish on 9690 after 0330; both seemed relay transmissions, as in both cases the SINPO is practically 5. So, there you go, while VOA and BBC are downgrading, you can hear CRI almost all day long. Story reverted? (Raúl Saavedra, Costa Rica, UT March 31, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) Languages vice versa; 9560 = Canada, 9690 = Spain ** CHINA [and non]. The Sound of Hope International, from Tanshui-TWN site changed to 18160 again. (x18160[started March 12], x17350[started Mar 18], x18180, x17330[Mar 22], wb.] 18160 CNR again in Ham Band / and ?? "Sound of Hope" from Taiwan too?? German Bandwatch [DJ9KR and DK2OM] reported in[ham]band broadcast station CNR on 18160 kHz again. Noted here in Europe on March 29th and 30th. CNR program is usually on air to jam "Sound of Hope" from Taiwan on this meter band, and some days another - second - CHN station is on co-channel with the Firedrake jamming, also against Sound of Hope. Noted since mid February, on either 18160, 17350, 17330, 17310 or 18180 kHz. German FCC Intruder Band Watch has been informed on this matter. 73 wolfgang. Viz.: Die Freude war nur kurz: RCI-1[sic CNR] ist wieder auf 18160 kHz. Ich habe die Station heute selbst um 1305 UT mit S9 (80/40-m-Dipole // als Inverted-Vee-Antenne) gehört. Wolf Hadel fand die Station gestern und heute Morgen. Vermutlich ist der "Sound of Hope" aus Taiwan, den man hier nicht hört, wieder auf die alte QRG zurück. Die BNetzA ist informiert. Freundliche Grüße und ein schönes Wochenende wünscht Uli, DJ9KR ************************ ----- Original Nachricht ---- Von: (Wolf-DK2OM) An: Betreff: RCI Dear friends, RCI[CNR] is back on 18160. Found it yesterday and this morning again. We are not amused! 73 from Wolf (all via Wolfgang Büschel, March 30, DXLD) ** COLOMBIA. De las emisoras de la Campaña Fuerza de Paz Desde principios de este año se produjo un daño en los reguladores de voltaje que alimentan los transmisores de las señales en 5910 y 6010 Khz; debido precisamente a la poca calidad en el servicio de fluido eléctrico en la zona donde se encuentran los mismos; esto ha hecho que se encuentre fuera del aire de forma indefinida la señal de Marfil Estereo por los 5910 KHz (en FM opera normalmente) y que de forma irregular salga por algunas horas La Voz de tu Conciencia. Se está trabajando en solucionar este inconveniente pero debido a la tecnología que utlizan, los transmisores se necesitan otros equipos para adaptar los nuevos reguladores. Se confía en que pronto se solucionen para nuevamente estar al aire las 24 horas con estas emisoras. Por ahora y aunque no es consuelo, a través de la página http://www.fuerzadepaz.com pueden disfrutar en línea de la señal de la emisora Garita Radio que es otro proyecto que se desarrolla para el oriente de Colombia, además en un futuro cercano saldrá a través de la frecuencia 5910 Khz reemplazando a Marfil Estereo (via Rafael Rodríguez R., Bogotá, March 31, condig list via DXLD) ** CONGO DR [non]. 11890, Radio Okapí, 1644-1652, escuchada el 29 de Marzo en francés a locutor con comentarios y cuña de ID "Radio Okapí" con música, entrevista a invitado, SINPO 34443 (José Miguel Romero, EA5-1022, Burjasot (Valencia), España, YAESU FRG-7700, SANGEAN ATS 909, Antena RADIO MASTER A-108, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) Via RSA; so Okapi is stressed on last syllable; haven`t heard it well enough myself to tell (gh, DXLD) ** CROATIA [non]. Back on 9925 for A-06, caught after 0350 with SIO 454 playing what I call the serious way rock music is performed in several European countries. Altho is heavy rock you got good creativity, harmonic guitar riffs and you may bet many of these groups and musicians are unknown elsewhere. That's when heavy music becomes art, not necessarily noise for the pleasure of making noise, like many of the heavy metal bands do (Raúl Saavedra, Costa Rica, UT March 31, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** CUBA [and non]. Around 0700 UT March 30, I was hearing a weak signal on 6000 in Spanish talking about Cuba. RHC on late? No! A spur from R. Martí, 5980, one of several above and below that very strong frequency. I am also hearing a het on 6000, again at 1425 when RHC is on; what could that be? (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** CUBA [and non]. Radio República, Nauen, Germany. 3/31/06, SINPO 53443, 0055+. Cuban bubble jammers found the frequency tonight. RR is besting them here right now with talk by M., full ID sequence at 0100, and news to 0104+. [i.e., 5910]. I checked the registered 9470 that Wolfgang Bueschel found as tentative, and there is nothing audible here at 0100 (3/31/06). Worth keeping an eye on however (Mark Taylor, Madison, WI, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** CZECH REPUBLIC. In the late 90s I started e-mailing Radio Prague to compliment them on their programs and letting them know that I enjoyed the broadcasts. Wanted to let them know someone was listening and that their programming was meeting at least one person's needs. Their response to me was to ask my address so they could send me a QSL card. I never asked for a card and never submitted a "reception report". It bothered that they thought all I wanted was a QSL card from them (Mike Wolfson, swprograms via DXLD) Prompted by discussion under UK When I ask them for information on their upcoming programming plans every six months they always send me times & frequencies, and it takes a second e-mail to ask about any changes to their programming topics (Richard Cuff / Allentown, PA, ibid.) ** DIEGO GARCIA. QSL: 4319 (USB), AFN, QSL letter (frequency only) and DG post card via snail mail in one month, for mailed report and $1. Contained about the same wording as my E-QSL and same v/s: Marshall Bennett. Letter was on plain paper, no letterhead (Ron Howard, Monterey, CA, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** DOMINICAN REPUBLIC. R. Cristal Internacional, Santo Domingo, 5009.79, 25 March 2315-2407* March 26, Spanish talk, phone talk, local music. Sign-off with NA. Reception varied from very poor to fairly good, depending on noise level (Brian Alexander, Mechanicsburg PA, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Unseems daily; Saturdays? (gh, DXLD) ** ETHIOPIA. Voice of the Tigray Revolution, 5500, as reported in the Africalist with only 10 kW, too little to make it all the way from Ethiopia to Tiquicia. Besides, lightning season is approaching and slight T-storms were perceived. Poor signal with characteristic East Africa music at 0320, March 31 (Raúl Saavedra, Costa Rica, UT March 31, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** ETHIOPIA [non]. CLANDESTINA, 12120, Dejen Radio, 1723-1730, el 29 de marzo en idioma tigriña, locutor con comentarios, SINPO 44343. CLANDESTINA, 13830, V. of Oromo Liberation, 1736-1746, escuchada el 30 de marzo en idioma oromo a locutor con comentarios y referencias a Sudán, SINPO 34433 (José Miguel Romero, EA5-1022, Burjasot (Valencia), España, YAESU FRG-7700, SANGEAN ATS 909, Antena RADIO MASTER A-108, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** EUROPE. Pirate, Mystery Radio, 6220.03, 0330-0345+ March 26, pop music, 0345 ``Mystery Radio`` jingle; F-G (Brian Alexander, Mechanicsburg PA, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** FALKLAND ISLANDS [non]. One final reminder that today will be the last broadcast of Calling the Falklands. Tune in at 2130-2145 on 11720, and get ready to wave goodbye (Steve Lare, Holland, MI USA, March 31, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** FINLAND. SWR's 1st of April transmission schedule Even though it is All Fools Day, it still is true that Scandinavian Weekend Radio is on whole day long from 00 hours local time (that's 21 hours UT March 31). We are transmitting with full 100 watts power on 1602 kHz MW as well on our 48 (5980 and 6170) and 25 (11690 and 11720 kHz) meter band frequencies. Here's our A06 schedule for this transmission day: MW 24 hours 1602 kHz 49 MB 00-01 (21-22 UTC) 6170 kHz 01-06 (22-03 UTC) 5980 kHz 06-19 (03-16 UTC) 6170 kHz 19-21 (16-18 UTC) 5980 kHz 21-24 (18-21 UTC) 6170 kHz 25 MB 00-09 (21-06 UTC) 11720 kHz 09-14 (06-11 UTC) 11690 kHz 14-21 (11-18 UTC) 11720 kHz 21-24 (18-21 UTC) 11690 kHz Program schedule (times local Finnish time) 00-03 Continental night shift 03-08 SWR Jukebox 08-10 Huomenta - Good Morning Virrat! by Häkä 10-11 SWR Crew 11-12 Rariojaskalla on asiaa. sitä sun tätä ja kuuntelijakilpailu 12-13 Studiossa dj Janne 13-14 Virrat Tänään - Virrat Today by Häkä 14-16 Pohjanmaa vuonna nolla. Ratkaisevat iskut, osa 2. Olavi Letku ja Tenho Liiteri 16-17 Radiolehtikatsaus 17-18 Studiossa dj Janne 18-19 Progressive rock and other strange things by Esa 19-20 "Viinillä maustettua..." Studiossa Vaquerja ja Vikki 20-21 Kantoaaltoa Suomirokilla höystettynä by Esa 21-22 Saunan lämmitys - Warm up the Sauna by Häkä 22-23 SWR Crew 23-24 Closing ceremony by Häkä Postal address for reports is SWR, P O Box 99, 34801 Virrat Finland. Do not forgot handling cost of 2 Euro for QSL's. More info can be found: http://www.swradio.net 73' (Alpo Heinonen, Scandinavian Weekend Radio, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** FRANCE. Agence France Presse reported Thursday that a strike at RFI has been extended for another 24 hours. Union officials said that workers voted to extend their strike at a general meeting attended by about 140 employees. RFI management said 101 of 670 people scheduled to work on Thursday (about 15 percent) observed the strike (Mike Cooper, Mar 30, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** GERMANY. CHRISTIAN VISION ACQUIRES JÜLICH TRANSMITTER FACILITY T-Systems and its parent Deutsche Telekom AG have completed the sale of the Jülich shortwave transmission facility to UK charity Christian Vision. Jülich, in north-west Germany, is recognized as one of the leading transmission sites in Europe, equipped with 100 kW analogue and digital (DRM) transmitters and numerous antennas with global reach. Under the terms of the deal T-Systems, Media&Broadcast, will continue to service its clients at Jülich until the end of 2007 at which time Christian Vision will take full operational control. Christian Vision`s media arm, CVC, intends to use the site for analogue and DRM transmission in numerous languages to reach targets including Europe, Africa, the Middle East, Russia and West Asia. Christian Vision`s Managing Director Terry Bennett said: "This facility presents Christian Vision with a unique opportunity to fulfil its corporate vision. We are delighted with the relationship that has been firmly established with T-Systems." # posted by Andy @ 14:11 UT March 31 (Media Network blog via DXLD) Have the Germans no shame? Presumably will knock off all the dozens of relays currently via Jülich. This is obviously the new site previously published as ``Australia``. Not that close, really. Unfortunately, not published April 1 (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** GERMANY. MEDIA CENTER FOUNDATION STONE PLACED, TIME CAPSULE ENCLOSED Darmstadt, Germany .... [Klaus Popa/ANN Staff] --- The placing of the foundation stone in a March 22 ceremony at Darmstadt, Germany, marked the formal start of construction of a new media center in Europe. Dedicated to producing and distributing messages of hope, the new facility will house the "Stimme der Hoffnung," or "Voice of Hope," ministry operated by the Seventh-day Adventist Church's Euro-Africa region. The new Media Center is not only "the [realization] of a vision," but also a "necessity which is long overdue," said Pastor Ulrich Frikart, regional president of the Adventist Church. "The Voice of Hope has done exemplary mission work in the past and it is good that in this new building, appropriate facilities will enable the staff to continue their mission work in the future." Addressing the gathering of 120 people, he added, "we do not build for eternity, but the effects and results of the work which will be done in this new media center are for eternity, since it is a work that will reach people's hearts." The media ministry has brought the Adventist Church's message of hope to the people of Germany since 1948. It started with radio broadcasting and expanded to include television programs, a Bible correspondence course, and audio programs for the blind. Media center officials say their current buildings are now so small that they hinder the staff from doing their work. For example the television department has no production studio because the owners have asked them to vacate their building. The new, more spacious Media Center will have television and audio studios, a center for events, storage room for technical material and scenery, a shop, and offices. Voice of Hope director Pastor Matthias Müller installed the Foundation Stone -- a small round container made out of metal also known as a "time capsule" -- into the foundation of the building. He filled the container with numerous items, explaining the symbolic meaning attached to them. First, a Bible, since the Word of God is regarded to be the real foundation of the new Media Center and as the building shall be erected for the sake of spreading God's Word. Second, a letter explaining the purpose of the building was placed in the container. The letter is addressed to those who might discover the Foundation Stone in the future. Next, followed several items representing a small overview of the work done at the Voice of Hope, namely a videotape, a flyer and several current program magazines. Further, the newspaper of the day was laid in, as a witness for the news, issues and concerns discussed in society on that day. A few coins, were put inside to symbolize the importance of finances to the realization of the building. The media center also produces programs for radio broadcast and since 1971 has been producing tapes covering religious themes and evangelistic programs as well as Christian music. Evangelistic campaigns and various church events have been covered by Voice of Hope satellite television since 1996; two years earlier, satellite broadcasting of weekly television programs had been launched. The ministry also offers technical support for Adventist broadcasters throughout Europe, including the Trans-European and Euro- African church regions. By 2005, the ministry's first Adventist photo database was established http://www.churchphoto.de In 2006, a 24-hour radio broadcasting system was launched and just a few weeks ago, a project for Internet evangelism has been initiated (ANN Bulletin: March 28, 2006 via Adrian Peterson, AWR, DXLD) ** GERMANY [non]. / ALEMANIA A06 AUTO INTERFERENCIA Conocido el esquema completo de la DW en su pagina WEB, y revisando su veracidad, calidad de señal y comparándolas entre si para ver cómo anda la propagación en este nuevo período, me puedo dar cuenta de un problema producido de autointerferencia para dos frecuencias de la DW en alemán para distintas zonas produciendo heterodyno de las señales. A las 0200-0400 DW transmite en dos frecuencias separadas por 5 kcs. 9825 y 9830; esto hace que ambas sufran mutuas interferencias, resultando las perjudicada la frecuencia de los 9825. Pero la frecuencia de los 9830 sufre un gran heterodyno, molesto pero con señal perfectamente audible. Escucha efectuada el miércoles 29 2208 CE, Jueves 0208 UTC (Hector Frias, Radioescuchas Federachi, CHILE, DX LISTENING DIGEST) That is somewhat unusual, but: neither is intended for your area, and each is for a widely separated target; you are off the back of both: 9825: Sines, Portugal, 250 kW, 65 degrees to Europe 9830: Bonaire, 250 kW, 320 degrees to North America (Glenn Hauser, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** GERMANY. Relays this weekend on 6045: Sunday April 2 MV Baltic Radio 1200-1300 UT Good Listening, 73s (Tom Taylor, March 30, DX LISTENING DIGEST) See also LATVIA ** INDIA. ALL INDIA RADIO A-06 SCHEDULE Arabic (to ME) 0430-0530 11730(Kh) 15770(A) 17845(Kh) 1730-1945 9905(A) 11585(Kh) 13620(B) Baluchi (to Pakistan) 1500-1600 1071(R) 6165(Kh) 9620(A) 11585(Kh) Bengali (to Bangladesh) 0300-0430 594(C) 0800-1100 594(C) 1445-1515 1134( C) 1600-1730 1134( C) Burmese (to Myanmar) 1215-1315 11620(Kh) 11710(Ki) Chinese (to NE Asia) 1145-1315 11840(Kh) 15795(B) 17705(B) Dari (to Afghanistan) 0300-0345 9835(Kh) 9910(Kh) 11735(A) 1315-1415 7255(A) 7410(Kh) 9910(A) English 1000-1100 Au/NZ 13695(B) 17510(Kh) 17895(A) 1000-1100 NE Asia 15020(A) 15410(B) 17800(B) 1000-1100 Sri Lanka 1053(T) 15260(Ki) 1330-1500 E SE Asia 9690(B) 11620(Kh) 13710(B) 1530-1545 SAARC 7255(A) 9820(P) 9910(Kh) 11740(P) 1745-1945 E. Africa 11935(M) 15075(Kh) 17670(Kh) 1745-1945 UK/WEur 7410(Kh) 9950(Kh) 11620(B) 1745-1945 W NW Af 9445(B) 13605(B) 15155(A) 2045-2230 Au/NZ 9910(A) 11620(B) 11715(P) 2045-2230 UK/WEur 7410(Kh) 9445(B) 9950(Kh) 11620(B) 2245-0045 E&SE As 9705(P) 13605(B) 11620(Kh) 2245-0045 NE Asia 9950(A) 11645(Kh) 13605(B) French (to W,NW Africa) 1945-2030 9905(A) 13605(B) 13620(B) Gujarati (to E Af, Mauritius 0415-0430 15075(B) 15185(A) 17715(Kh) 1515-1600 11620(B) 15175(B) Hindi (to AF/ME/EU/AS) 0315-0415 15075(B) 15185(A) 17715(Kh) 11840(P) 13695(B) 0430-0530 15075(B) 15185(A) 17715(Kh) 1615-1730 9950(Kh) 15075(Kh) 17670(Kh) 7410(A) 12025(P) 13770(B) 1945-2045 7410(Kh) 9950(Kh) 11620(B) 2300-0000 9910(A) 11740(P) 13795(B) Indonesian (to SE Asia) 0845-0945 15770(A) 17510(Kh) 17875(A) Kannada (to Middle East) 0215-0300 11985(B) 15075(B) Malayalam (to Middle East) 1730-1830 7115(P) 12025(P) Nepali (to Nepal) 0130-0230 594(C) 3945(G) 7250(P) 9810(P) 11715(Kh) 0700-0800 7250(G) 9595(Ki) 11850(Ki) 1330-1430 1134(C) 3945(G) 4860(Ki) 11775(P) Persian (to Iran) 0400-0430 11730(Kh) 15770(A) 17845(Kh) 1615-1730 7115(P) 9905(A) 11585(Kh) Punjabi (to Pakistan) 0800-0830 702(J) 1230-1430 702(J) Pushtu (to Pakistan/Afghanistan) 0215-0300 9835(Kh) 9910(A) 11735(A) 1415-1530 7255(A) 7410(Kh) 9910(Kh) Russian (to E. Europe) 1615-1715 9875(Kh) 11620(B) 15140(Kh) Saraiki (to Pakistan) 1130-1200 702(J) Sindhi (to Pakistan) 0100-0200 5990(A) 7125(Ki) 9635(A) 1230-1500 6165(Kh) 9620(A) 11585(Kh) Sinhala (to Sri Lanka) 0045-0115 1053(T) 11740(P) 11985(Kh) 1300-1500 1053(T) 9820(P) 15050(Kh) Swahili (to E Africa) 1515-1615 9950(Kh) 13605(B) 17670(Kh) Tamil (to Sri Lanka/SE Asia) 0000-0045 1053(T) 9835(Ki) 11740(P) 11985(Kh) 9910(A) 13795(B) 0115-0330 1053(T) 1100-1300 1053(T) 1115-1215 13695(B) 15770(A) 17810(P) 15050(Kh) 1500-1530 1053(T) Telugu (to SE Asia) 1215-1245 13695(B) 15770(A) 17810(P) Thai (to SE Asia) 1115-1200 13645(A) 15410(P) 17740(Kh) Tibetan (to Tibet) 1215-1330 1134(C) 9575(Ki) 11775(P) Urdu (to Pakistan / * to Saudi Arabia in Haj) 0015-0430 702(J) 6155(Ki) 9595(A) 0100-0430 11620(Kh) 0530-0600* 11730(Kh) 15770(A) 17845(Kh) 0830-1130 702(J) 7250(G) 9595(Ki) 11620(Kh) 1430-1735 3945(G) 1430-1930 702(J) 4860(Ki) 6045(Ki) Sites A Aligarh B Bangalore C Chinsurah (Kolkata) G Gorakhpur J Jalandhar Kh Khampur (Delhi) Ki Kingsway (Delhi) M Mumbai(Bombay) P Panaji T Tuticorin (Jose Jacob, on dxindia website, re-arranged by Alan Roe, DXLD) ** INDIA [and non]. AIR GOS English to SE Asia at 1330-1500 per http://www.qsl.net/vu2jos/sw/freq.htm is still scheduled on 13710, but March 30 at 1429 I was hearing instead CRI in English, good signal but flutter, better than squealy Cuban // relay 13740. No sign of AIR. Yes, both Bangalore and Kashi are scheduled during this entire sesquihour, Bangalore 500 kW at 108 degrees, and Kashi 500 kW at 308 degrees, much more toward us (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) 13710 1300 1600 27-29 KAS 500 308 0 216 13710 1315 1500 49,50,54 BGL 500 108 -12 216 Also heard 15050 with S Asian chanting, fair and fluttery on 15050 at 1447 March 30: VU2JOS schedule shows this as: 15050 250 Delhi (Khampur) 1115-1215 Tamil, 1300-1500 Sinhala (Sri Lanka) (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** INDONESIA. 9680, RRI Jakarta/KGRE, Mar 29, 1010-1020, in English, the KGRE program (Wed. & Sun.) with pop Asian songs, talking about Australia, Bali address given to write to them and tell them in 75 words or less about yourself; Men at Work singing ``Land Down Under``; poor, but the good news is that WYFR is no longer on during this time slot. 11860, RRI Jakarta, Mar 29, 1433-1502, Bahasa Indonesia, program of on-air phone calls, ToH SCI, good reception (Mar 28 was fair, 1436- 1503); thanks to Roland Schulze for the tip that this was back again. 4750, RRI Makassar (tentative), Mar 29, 1401-1432, program of light pop Asian songs, Bahasa Indonesia; dominating over a weaker station and at times mixing at about the same level, possibly a Chinese station, but too weak to say what language (Ron Howard, Monterey, CA, RX340, with T2FD antenna, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Hey Ron, reception on March 29 was excellent. I heard RRI Makassar, 4750 kHz, two hours earlier, starting at about 1145z with male and female announcers, an occasional jingle (or instrumental bridge) but not much music at that time. The programming ended at 1200z but the carrier remained. I later checked at about 1325z and the voices were back although the signal was weaker (I had been in daylight for almost an hour). That same morning I also received RRI, Pontianak, Kalimantan on 3976.1 at 1205z. I'm curious if you (or others) regularly receive RRI, Serui Papua on 4605 kHz. They're the most reliable Indonesian here yet are listed with only 500 watts. Also, I notice you use a T2FD antenna. Is it a home-brew or a store bought version and do you have a comparison antenna? I built a T2FD to go with a couple of home-brew slopers (72 feet & 60 feet) and have noticed that the T2FD is almost always much quieter but the slopers almost always provide a stronger signal (Jerry Lenamon, Waco, Texas, R8B with sloper, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** INTERNATIONAL. WHEN MORE IS ACTUALLY LESS IS BROADCASTING BECOMING NARROWCASTING? Commentary by Andy Sennitt 30-03-2006 Although at first glance it may look as if international broadcasting is on the decline, what's happening is actually a bit more complex than that. State-funded international broadcasting is certainly less prominent than it was a decade ago. On the other hand, there are a lot of new voices on the air. Stations that would once have operated as clandestines are now finding it much easier to buy airtime on the same high power international broadcast facilities that carry the government-funded international services. . . http://www.radionetherlands.nl/features/media/sw060330.html (Andy Sennitt, Media Network newsletter via DXLD) ** ISLE OF MAN. Hi Paul, I have been off circuit due to illness, and wondered how you are getting on with '279'? Rumour is it is going to be DRM, OH DEAR (Ken Fletcher, BDXC-UK via DXLD) It MAY be DRM when there are sufficient receivers in the market. I imagine that will be after about 2011. Until that day we shall be good old fashioned A3, double side band, full carrier. DRM, yes we shall, but not on 279 in the foreseeable (fore-listenable?) future. There would be no point - no listeners. We pay out all that money just to make some noise? C'mon Ken, we are a commercial project - you should know me better than that! Best regards, Paul Rusling (via Ken Fletcher, BDXC-UK via DXLD) ** ISRAEL. Have a long time without receiving Kol Israel in English. Well, after 0330, March 31, clear transmission on 9345, SIO 454, with general news about the local election results, an earthquake in Iran, and a boat that sank in Bahrain. Service in French took place at 0345 (Raúl Saavedra, Costa Rica, UT March 31, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) IBA, 15760 inbooming with fast flutter, lite het, March 31 at 1415 in Persian talking about Israel; 1450 music. Persian now starts at 1400, and on this frequency for Eu and NAm, not Iran (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) A reminder that Israel changed their clock last night - so all broadcast times shifted an hour. The schedule (with Standard time based UT) http://www.iba.org.il/doc/shortwaves.pdf From reka.iba.org.il : "KOL YISRAEL CELEBRATES 70 YEARS OF BROADCASTING Kol Yisrael is on Thursday [yesterday] celebrating 70 years of broadcasting. The first radio broadcasts from pre-state Palestine began in March, 1936. A special event is being held at the Palace Hotel in Jerusalem in which the first broadcasts will be reenacted from noon to 5 p.m. and aired on Reshet Bet. The station, known at first as Kol Yerushalayim, the Voice of Jerusalem, broadcast in Hebrew, Arabic and English until the end of the British mandate period. In time, the official broadcasting station of the State of Israel adopted the name Kol Yisrael, the Voice of Israel. 30.03.2006 08:57" The broadcast is available, on demand, at: http://switch5.castup.net/frames/20040704_IBA_Popup/iba_audio.asp?ai=31&ar=specialradio-70shana (Doni Rosenzweig, March 31, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** JORDAN [and non]. Once again this A, HCJB is on 11690 at 11-15 in Spanish, adding to the omnipresent RTTY QRM against R. Jordan`s only English broadcast. HCJB azimuth is 150 degrees to SSAm at 100 kW, but there is plenty of signal here in the opposite direxion. If HCJB insist on colliding with Jordan, would they please prevent remnants of their signal from reaching NAm; thank you (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) 11690, Radio Jordan, 1605-1620, escuchada el 29 de marzo en inglés a locutor con ID "Radio Jordan International", programa musical, SINPO 45554 (José Miguel Romero, EA5-1022, Burjasot (Valencia), España, YAESU FRG-7700, SANGEAN ATS 909, Antena RADIO MASTER A-108, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** LATVIA. Relays on 9290 kHz: Sat April 1 Radio Six 0600-0700 UT Radio Joystick 0900-1000 UT Radio Casablanca 1000-1100 UT Sun April 2 RTN 0900-1000 UT Good Listening, 73s (Tom Taylor, March 30, DX LISTENING DIGEST) see also GERMANY ** LIBYA [non]. March 31 at 1454, found English on 17695, talking about development in Egypt, mines in Angola, but it cut off a minute later. Possibly this was LJB via France, which is scheduled on this frequency later. There was no signal on 17695 a few minutes earlier, either. At 1456, I was surprised to hear English on 17850, definitely Libya via France, good signal with talk on agricultural development, interspersed with drumming, seed industry being dominated by US, 1503 ID as ``Voice of Africa from the Great ---`` cut off, try again, ``Voice of Africa from the Great Jamahiriyah``. 1504 to theme from Beethoven`s Ninth --- what would Ludwig think? Green Book: Part I, problems of democracy, the legislation of society. MEGO. 1514 Beethoven again, and G.B., the solutions of the problems of democracy, people`s conferences and committees. MEGO! 1511:20 a two-second break in transmission. I left it on but by now was not paying close attention. However, the single announcer who had been reading MQ`s opera was now replaced by someone else commenting. 1548 finally some music, hilife. 1555 YL with African geographical facts, off at 1557* VOA`s only English hour used to be at 1300 on two 13m frequencies; this may replace it or add to it (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Solar-terrestrial indices for 30 March follow. Solar flux 84 and mid- latitude A-index 2. The mid-latitude K-index at 1500 UTC on 31 March was 2 (13 nT). No space weather storms were observed for the past 24 hours (SEC via DXLD) ** LIBYA [and non]. Sawt Alamel y Jammers. 30 Marzo. En el día de hoy se aprecia a las 1145 por las frecuencias de 17660 y 17670 una señal sin emisión, el s-míter marcaba una señal de 5 pero no había ninguna transmisión; a las 1155 en 17660 empieza una emisión de tonos, a las 1200 comienza la emisión de música árabe, tras el himno nacional la locutora se identifica y empieza con un largo tema musical que se prolonga 14 minutos. En 17670 comienza Sawt Alamel, sintonía e identificación, buena señal y libre de interferencias hasta las 1300 que cambia a 17675. Hoy sin embargo la emisora de música afro-pop se hace presente por la frecuencia de 17680, se aprecia a las 1326, Sawt Alamel sin problemas en sus dos horas de emisión. Últimamente estas dos frecuencias son las mas utilizadas por esta emisora, prácticamente a diario; lo que me desconcierta es la jammer afro entrando tan tarde, casi en la última media hora de transmisión y en una frecuencia superior. Parece claro que transmite desde Gabón tras escuchar a África Nº 1 por la nueva frecuencia de 15475, que entra muy fuerte por Valencia, no así la frecuencia de 17630. Ya me queda más claro que utilizan dos transmisores diferentes, este último muy potente o al menos con una dirección más propicia para estas latitudes (José Miguel Romero, Spain, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) 17685, Sawt Alamel, 1202-1210, escuchada en árabe, en conflicto con emisora desconocida que se escucha de fondo. A las 1300 cambia a la frecuencia de 17690 y a las 1310 queda anulada por emisora jammer de música afro-pop (José Miguel Romero, Spain, March 31, ibid.) ** LIBYA [and non]. V of Hope. Today (Friday) V. of Hope switched on the carrier around 1140 on 17685. After a couple of test tones the carrier was open until the program started just before 1200. At 1300 the frequency was changed to 17690. This is the normal procedure. Although the frequency choice varies from day to day, the shift at 1300 is always 5 kHz up or down. The exact change-over time is usually one or two minutes past 1300 and the shift is completed in a matter of seconds. The long period of open carrier provides the Libyan (?) monitors with plenty of time to alert the jamming stations of the frequency to set. Today, however, monitoring was hampered by a co-channel station on 17685, so the jammers opened on default frequencies 17670 and 17680. At 1204 17670 went off and reappeared on 17685 after a minute (very slow switching). After the 1300 frequency shift it may take up to 10 minutes before the jammers are aligned. The propagation of the two Voice of Africa jammers is very well correlated with the propagation of RFI on 17620 (Issoudun, today noted opening at 1159). Most days all three signals are propagating poorly, sometimes there is a moderate improvement, and occasionally there is full propagation with very good signals from all three transmitters. This happened today. The V of Africa transmitters crash start at 15 to 30 seconds before 1200 and go off immediately at 1400. Normally there is a signal level difference of 20 dB between the V of Africa jammers when they are propagating fully, the stronger one usually being cochannel with V of Hope. Today I noted the weaker jammer to be at approximately the same signal level as 17620. The presumed Gabon jamming transmitter usually goes on around 1310, but may be as late as 1320, obviously starting as soon as they have received instructions on the frequency to use. Today I noted 17630 off for several minutes just after 17690 had started. This may be mere coincidence, but has to be given further attention. The music jammer is always stronger than 17630 (different beams). Most of the music played by the music jammer after 1330 is of the Congo-Kinshasa type. It can often be sorted out by the Lingala words bolingo = love and motema = heart in the lyrics. One of the great mysteries is why this jammer is so much out of phase with the VOH schedule. Two different buzz jammers are audible irregularly, and may be lower power transmitters located within Libya. At times strong bubble jammers of the same character as used by Iran have also been heard. Propagation indicates, however, that they are not located in Iran, but at a much shorter distance. Could be from France as an alternative to the V of Africa feed. The 17660 music channel transmitter is tuning up around 1145 with open carrier, then goes off and is back at 1154, when it has 1050 Hz pips until 1159.45. This indicates Krasnodar or Grigoriopol. The latter agrees best with the observed signal strength as it is nearly always too close for full propagation (Olle Alm, Sweden, March 31, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Amal and the afternoon visitors, March 31: Started monitoring at 1345. 17660 with Arabic music, but gone by 1350. 17685 had something I could not make out due to CVC Chile on 17680. 17690 with usual mix of African music, Arabic talk, the latter maybe Saut al-Amel itself, with SAH between them; 1409+ heard only the music (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** MYANMAR/BURMA. 5985.8, RM (presumed), Mar 29, 1502-1513, in English, program of pop songs in English, with birthday greetings between songs (``Wish a wonderful and exciting birthday for...`` and ``Special remembrances and Happy Birthday to ... at ... University``), poor (Ron Howard, Monterey, CA, RX340, with T2FD antenna, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** NETHERLANDS. [Replying to Andy O`Brien under UK below:] BBC "tailored" news ? Yes, of course they do. So do we at Radio Netherlands, when we have live newscasts. Unfortunately, budget cuts mean that listeners in North America don't get to hear them. But our broadcasts to Asia and Africa have always featured news items of particular interest to those areas. Newsline, too, is edited with the location of the target audience in mind. When you have limited airtime, as we do, choices have to be made - and the choices ought to reflect the needs and interests of the audience (Andy Sennitt, RN, March 31, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) Understandable, but it would be great if there were a source of truly WORLD news without such biases (Glenn Hauser, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** NIGERIA. V. of Nigeria heard again from 0500 on 15120, but severe QRM from Chinese speaking station. Best in Europe 1700-1900, very strong and generally good audio. They have troubles with their various studios and audio connections; recently some broadcasts were interrupted by the "occupied" tone of the phone line, then a few minutes of music until to return to normal broadcasts (Thorsten Hallmann, Münster, Germany, March 31, dxing.info via DXLD) ** PAKISTAN. PAKISTAN BROADCASTING CORPORATION HF BROADCAST SCHEDULE A-06 Effective From 26th March, 2006 to 28th October, 2006 Language Frequency Transmission Target Area khz Hours(UTC) Far East Chinese 9385 1200 - 1230 41, 42, 43, 44, 45 Chinese 11570 1200 - 1230 41, 42, 43, 44, 45 South East Asia Urdu 11580 0045 - 0215 41,44,45,49,50,51,54,55,59 Urdu 15480 0045 - 0215 41,44,45,49,50,51,54,55,59 South Asia Assami 7445 0045 - 0115 41 Assami 9340 0045 - 0115 41 Bangla-1 7445 0115 - 0200 41 Bangla-1 9340 0115 - 0200 41 Bangla-2 11550 1200 - 1245 41 Bangla-2 15625 1200 - 1245 41 Nepali 11550 1245 - 1315 41 Nepali 15625 1245 - 1315 41 Hindi-1 7445 0215 - 0300 41 Hindi-1 9340 0215 - 0300 41 Hindi-2 9340 1100 - 1145 41 Hindi-2 11550 1100 - 1145 41 Gujrati 9345 0400 - 0430 41 Gujrati 11565 0400 - 0430 41 Tamil-1 11565 0315 - 0345 41 Tamil-1 15620 0315 - 0345 41 Tamil-2 15625 0945 - 1015 41 Tamil-2 17480 0945 - 1015 41 Sinhali 15625 1015 - 1045 41 Sinhali 17480 1015 - 1045 41 Middle East, Iran, Turkey & N/ West Africa Turkish 6255 1630 - 1700 38, 39 Turkish 9340 1630 - 1700 38, 39 Irani 5835 1715 - 1800 40 Irani 6235 1715 - 1800 40 Arabic 6235 1815 - 1900 37 - 39 Arabic 9340 1815 - 1900 38, 39, 46, 47 Urdu 11570 0500 - 0700 40 Urdu 15100 0500 - 0700 38, 39,46, 47 Urdu 15625 0500 - 0700 37 - 39 Urdu 9375 1330 - 1530 38, 39, 46, 47 Urdu 11570 1330 - 1530 37 - 39 English 9375 1600 - 1615 37 - 39 English 11570 1600 - 1615 38, 39, 46, 47 Urdu 5835 1800 - 1900 40 Urdu 7530 1915 - 0045 38, 39, 46, 47 East / South East Africa English 12105 1600 - 1615 48s, 52, 53, 57 English 15725 1600 - 1615 48s, 52, 53, 57 West Europe English 15100 0730 - 0830 17, 18SE, 27 - 29 English 17835 0730 - 0830 17, 18SE, 27 - 29 Urdu 15100 0800 - 1104 17, 18SE, 27 - 29 Urdu 17835 0800 - 1104 17, 18SE, 27 - 29 Urdu 7530 1700 - 1900 17, 18SE, 27 - 29 Urdu 9365 1700 - 1900 17, 18SE, 27 - 29 Afghanistan, CAIS & Russia Turki 5840 1330 - 1400 39NE, 40 Dari 4835 1515 - 1545 39NE, 40 Russian 7550 1415 - 1445 29, 30E Russian 9300 1415 - 1445 29, 30E Pushto 5095 1500 - 1545 39E, 40 Iftikhar Hussain Malik, Engineering Manager, For Controller (Frequency Management Cell), Pakistan Broadcasting Corporation, Headquarters, 303 Peshawar Road, Rawalpindi, Pakistan (via MD. AZIZUL ALAM AL- AMIN, RAJSHAHI, BANGLADESH, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Now that`s the way to set up one of these schedules, with the CIRAF zones of widely variable length in the last column (gh, DXLD) ** RUSSIA. Overall 5 for VOR English Service on 9860, 0345, March 31. Classical music program featuring Pushkin and Mussorgsky. When you have this kind of signal, you feel invited to relax and enjoy, cause there's no fading and no interference. SW radio at its best (Raúl Saavedra, Costa Rica, UT March 31, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** RUSSIA. Summer A-06 for Radio Rossii in Russian to WeEu: 0400-0800 NF 12070 MSK 250 kW / 260 deg, ex 0200-0600 on 9470 for A-05 0825-1300 on 13665 MSK 250 kW / 270 deg, ex 0625-1500 on same for A-05 1325-2100 NF 7420 MSK 250 kW / 265 deg, ex 1525-2100 on 9450 for A-05 (DX-Mix News, Bulgaria, March 31 via DXLD) ** SLOVAKIA. Radio Eslovaquia Internacional, sección en español cumple 3 años; con ese motivo mañana 31 de Marzo habrá un programa especial de cumpleaños. Será especialmente emotivo tras haber abandonado la emisora la redactora María y la redactora jefa Marcela. Para el próximo 2 abril en el programa ``Cita con los Oyentes``, se retransmitirá íntegramente la entrevista que Ladislava realizó al miembro de Consejo de la Radio Eslovaca, donde se trata un poco del posible futuro de las transmisiones en Onda Corta de esta emisora (José Miguel Romero, Spain, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** SOMALIA [non]. R. Waaberi on new 17550 via Germany, Friday only, March 31 at 1345 check, would be quite readable if not for the skirts of WYFR 17555 in Portuguese, but I suppose not much of a problem in EAf; mostly talk, which is understandable for a clandestine with only half an hour per week, but can`t get much out of it here anyway. Already off at 1357 recheck (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** SOUTH AFRICA. In regards to DXLD 6-054, this is the Channel Africa schedule from their website for A06. 7240 is listed for 0500-0659 instead of 0500-0800 and the 1900-2200 broadcast on 3345 has the English/Portuguese hours specified. Those are the only differences I see for English not going into the end time of five or one minute before the hour. I didn't check the non-English languages. -ds Channel Africa BROADCAST FREQUENCIES 26 MARCH 2006 TO 28 OCTOBER 2006 TIME UTC FREQ kHz TARGET AREA LANGUAGE MORNING PROGRAMMES 0300-0355 6120 East & Central Africa Swahili 0300-0355 5960 East & Central Africa English 0300-0459 3345 Southern Africa English 0400-0455 7305 Central Africa French 0500-0555 9685 West Africa English 0500-0659 7240 Southern Africa English 0600-0655 15255 Far West Africa English 0800-0900 9620 Southern Africa Chinyanja 0900-1000 9620 Southern Africa Silozi DAY TIME PROGRAMMES 1000-1200 9620 Southern Africa English 1200-1300 9620 Southern Africa Chinyanja 1300-1400 9620 Southern Africa Silozi 1400-1559 9620 Southern Africa English EVENING PROGRAMMES 1500-1555 17780 East & Central Africa Swahili 1500-1555 17770 East & Central Africa English 1600-1655 15235 West Africa French 1700-1755 15235 West Africa English 1900-2000 3345 Southern Africa Portuguese 2000-2200 3345 Southern Africa English (Channel Africa website, via Daniel Sampson, Prime Time Shortwave, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** TAIWAN. To remind you, RTI are now testing 11550 kHz, from 1600 to 1700 UT for South Asia till 4th April 2006. Please report your reception to rti @ rti.org.tw (Swopan Chakroborty, Kolkata, March 31, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) [non]. Re 6-054, correct frequency for RTI via FRANCE: 15690 1700-1800 37,38,46,47,52N ISS 500 kW 160 deg En F NEW TDF (via Wolfgang Büschel, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** TATARSTAN [non]. Summer A-06 for Tatarstan wave in Tatar/Russian: 0410-0500 on 15110*SAM 250 kW / 060 deg to RUS, ex 15140 for A-05 0610-0700 on 9690 SAM 250 kW / 060 deg to CeAs 0810-0900 on 11925 SAM 100 kW / 310 deg to WeEu * co-channel Radio Romania International in English (DX-Mix News, Bulgaria, March 31 via DXLD) ** TURKEY. Updated summer A-06 schedule for Voice of Turkey: ALBANIAN 1130-1225 11875 ARABIC 0900-1055 11690 15520 1400-1555 11735 17790 AZERI 0700-0825 11730 15140 1400-1455 9645 BOSNIAN 1800-1855 5980 BULGARIAN 1330-1425 7210 CHINESE 1100-1155 17715 CROAT/SERBIAN 1600-1625 9605 ENGLISH 0300-0350 6140 7270 1230-1320 15225 15535 1830-1920 9785 2030-2120 7170 2200-2250 9830 FRENCH 1930-2025 9535 11850 GERMAN 1130-1225 13760 1730-1825 13640 GEORGIAN 0700-0755 9760 GREEK 1030-1125 7295 9840 1430-1525 7180 ITALIAN 1630-1655 9610 HUNGARIAN 1000-1055 13770 KAZAKH 1500-1555 11860 KYRGYZ 1600-1655 9575 MACEDONIAN 0800-0855 11690 PERSIAN 0830-0925 11795 15220 1230-1355 11940 ROMANIAN 0930-1025 9560 RUSSIAN 1300-1355 13720 1700-1755 9675 SPANISH 1630-1725 13720 TATAR 1430-1525 9855 TURKISH 0400-0655 9460 15225 0400-0855 11750 0700-1355 15350 Mar. 26 - July 1 and Sep. 3 - Oct. 28 0700-1355 9460 July 2 - Sep. 2 0700-1555 11955 0800-1055 21715 1000-1455 17705# 1400-2155 9460 1600-2155 5960 1700-2155 7215 2200-0055 7300 TURKMEN 1530-1655 11905 URDU 1200-1255 13710 UZBEK 1230-1325 11795 # Friday only (DX-Mix News, Bulgaria, March 31 via DXLD) ** U K [and non]. Additional transmission for BBC in Russian: 1400-1630 on 9635 CYP 300 kW / 328 deg* 11845 CYP 250 kW / 007 deg 13690 RMP 500 kW / 062 deg 15245 WOF 250 kW / 070 deg * from 1600-1630 CYP 250 kW / 007 deg (DX-Mix News, Bulgaria, March 31 via DXLD) ** U K. Continued from 6-054: BBC in North America on HF at 0505 At 0505 UT, options appear to be diminishing. 9410 is still audible but with a very weak signal helped only by the fact that atmospheric noise levels this night are low on 31m and the signal is in the clear. SIO has dropped to 253 with considerable fading. The O rating of 3 is a marginal one. 6195 has slipped below the noise floor, for the most part (SIO - 131) and all other listed frequencies are either inaudible or just barely so, the best of these being 6005 which is badly hampered by RHC 5 kHz. down. Noise levels on 49 and 41m are quite high tonight (John Figliozzi, NY, March 30, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) No doubt, 9410 is the frequency that's left for us in the American Continent after 0300 from BBCWS. Extends further 0400 with a little dead air of a couple of seconds (transmitter change?) at TOH, SIO 454. Besides, another strong and clear signal from BBC Africa Service, 9750, SIO 454, playing music from Swaziland and a brief news bulletin saying former Liberian president, Charles Taylor plans to reach the Netherlands for his next refuge. IS from DW before 0400. BBC left at 0400 and an Arabic program started on that frequency. Is it DW in Arabic? March 31 (Raúl Saavedra, Costa Rica, UT March 31, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) BBC reception W NAm --- Hard to believe that the BBC WS in English would ever be a DX target, but here's what I can hear in Reno, NV using an Etón E1XM and DX Engineering active antenna. Times in UT and frequencies in kHz. 0100 Asia service 15360 inaudible, 15280 fair 0200 same, but ute QRM to 15280 after 0230 0300 Asia 21660 inaudible, 17660 fair with CODAR QRM Africa 6005 and 6035 good - 6005 stronger signal but more QRM, 6190 RNW, 7160 fair 0400 Asia 15280 and 17760 inaudible, Saudi Arabia audible on latter channel Africa 6005 fair with QRM from Cuba, 7120 and 7160 good Don't forget the other exotic DX target at 0400 - VOA in English to Africa which booms in for the first half-hour on 9575 0500 Africa 6005 clobbered by Cuba, 7160 fair, 11765 poor, but may improve in summer, 11940 inaudible 1500 Asia 6195 poor due to Chinese QRM, 9740 excellent Africa 3255, 11940, 17830 and 21470 inaudible 1700 Africa 17830 inaudible, 17885 poor and 21470 fair to good Using a Sony ICF-2010 and ANLP-1, the best reception was at 0300 on 6035, 0400 6005 and 7120 and 1700 on 21470. I'll recheck after the switch to DST. 73, (Alan Johnson, NV, March 31, Swprograms mailing list via DXLD) ** U K. [BBCWS, continued from 6-054:] All probably true, if a bit romantic. I date back to the '70's, and I don't remember too many portables being worth a damn. Today, I have EVDO. It would be no problem for me to sit on many beaches and have the BBC digital live. Never mind the satellite services, too expensive for too little. With EVDO, the entire Internet is obediently at my heel at > 450Mbps. Absolutely not as exciting as our youthful memories, but part of a much larger picture of merging technologies. The BBC could therefore claim that they are more accessible than ever via technology we use heavily. That doesn't make them right, but remember that they want urban penetration (Scott Royall, Conch Republic, swprograms via DXLD) The BBC WS, as part of the BBC, is a public service broadcaster. But as it is funded by a grant-in-aid, as opposed to domestically by a licence fee, there is no obligation on it to serve everyone worldwide on every platform. Check the FCO/BBC WS Broadcasting Agreement linked at the page below, though the FCO Annex A targets it mentions dont seem to be shown. Arguments about shortwave resumption to North America would have to be based around this agreement: http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/faq/news/story/2005/08/050810_wsfunding.shtml (Mike Barraclough, UK, swprograms via DXLD) Understood, Mike. Although my statement in this regard was overly expansive, it was meant to portray a contrast. I regret that I did not present that thought more clearly. I also think that "the horse has left the barn" as it were and it is not worth arguing the point with them anymore (John Figliozzi, NY, ibid.) Indeed, the exercise would be "tilting at windmills". RDC (Richard Cuff, PA, ibid.) While I agree with most everything you've said, I am not sure I accept the statement I quoted below as fact. I would add the following qualifying statement to this sentence: "...in every way possible, consistent with the institution's reasons for existence -- its charter -- and the resources allotted to the institution to accomplish its tasks." By the logic you used, then the BBC should broadcast in every known language -- that's part of "every way possible". That isn't practical either, as I am sure you'd agree. In many ways I'm convinced this logic dates back to the discussion we had here on "BBC Audibility" back in June 2001. In 1999/2000, pre- cuts, the audibility of the WS in North America was "63%" on some sort of percentage scale, whereas the global audibility target was 81%. We never did sort out what "audibility" meant, or what the percentages meant as well. The BBC at that time categorized its target audiences -- i.e. its "reasons for existence" -- into three groups: "Information Poor", "Aspirants", and "Cosmopolitans". Nowhere did "Shortwave Enthusiasts" enter into the mix of audience demographics. Those first two categories, it was determined, didn't apply to we Americans / Canadians. The report then looked at how each demographic habitually received its media. Also, back then, the average weekly audience size for English language services in various regions was compared: 9 million for the Americas, 70 million for Asia/Pacific, and 47 million for Africa & the Middle East. Take those three "facts", or more correctly, those perceptions, add in a helping of budgetary pressure, and you have a surefire recipe for shortwave closedown to the Americas. While that *explains* the Bush House rationale, it still doesn't justify it. Even if the Americas aren't worth 66.7 transmitter hours per day, a 75% reduction -- to 17 transmitter-hours -- would be enough to preserve *some* decent shortwave access for those motivated to seek it out. I'll send that old 2001 e-mail observation out in a separate e-mail. Unfortunately the weblink that referred to the annual reviews in question is no longer valid (Richard Cuff / Allentown, PA, ibid.) "Reasons for the BBCWS Decision: 2001" I posted the message below to the swprograms group on May 18, 2001; the analysis done then appears to drive decisions even today in 2006. (Richard Cuff / Allentown, PA, March 30, 2006, swprograms via DXLD) ---------- Forwarded message ---------- I did a bit of browsing around the 1999/2000 annual report published at the BBCWS website. Some interesting items for reflection: 1. Audience size: The Americas average weekly audience was 9 million, versus 70 million for the Asia / Pacific region, and 47 million for Africa and the Middle East. 2. Shortwave audibility was markedly lower in the Americas than elsewhere - with broadcasts "63% audible" in the Americas, and the next lowest number of "79%" for Asia/Pacific. This is the percentage "audibility" of the best frequency available at the time 3. The BBC created a series of demographic classifications to characterize target listeners; North American target listeners would be in a category called "Cosmopolitans". The other two categories, "Aspirants" and "Information poor", would likely not apply here. It appears that 14% of "Cosmopolitans" in New York, Boston, and Washington listen to the BBC a minimum of once per week. Put these together, and if resources were tight, it would be obvious that the first place to scale back would be North America if one had to scale back anywhere. Of course, as we've said here already, it appears the survey approach isn't sound. Why, you ask? 1) we aren't listening, 2) we "can't hear" -- audible quality is clearly considered subpar here. The key section of the report is http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/us/annual_report/bbcar_review_perfor.shtml This is the mindset we'll likely have to combat as we campaign for a reversal of the decision (Richard Cuff, Swprograms mailing list via DXLD) Yes, I accept your criticism that the remit I suggested was a bit too wide. I suppose I would place greater emphasis on the fact that the BBC seems to be hewing more to commercial standards in its self analysis over traditional public service standards. It is all the rage today -- the flavour of the month, if you will -- so not entirely surprising that the BBC would succumb to it. But it is disappointing to some of us, all the same. Re: your comments regarding "shortwave enthusiasts". In response I would say (and think you would agree) that shortwave is simply just another platform. One may prefer it for a number of reasons, only one of which would be some kind of "hobby" orientation. It still holds some clear technical advantages over the others, not the least of which are its inexpensive nature and low energy requirements (from the listener's point of view) as well as its avoidance of "the gatekeeper". (And I would posit that this latter phenomenon is not confined to the third world. I don't really want my public radio station deciding what BBC programs I should hear any more than I want the government to do so.) No sentient being would argue that the BBC should stay on shortwave just to satisfy hobbyists. But BBC constantly raises (politely) this argument as a defense. It is just a straw man that management uses to avoid talking about the harder questions. I do find this objectionable, if only because it flies in the face of factual data that undermines at least partially the BBC stance. Ignoring facts is no way to create and set policy. Of course, as a policy analyst by trade I see this approach taken every day. It is, sadly, quite effective -- mostly because most people either lack the time, facility or interest to pursue the facts. After 30+ years in the profession, it still sticks in my craw. We are all entitled to our own opinions; but we are not entitled to our own facts. Sorry if some see this as a rant. It is not intended as such (John Figliozzi, ibid.) Warning: continued philosophising follows... Here's my hypothesis: The problem boils down to that nasty "T-" word, TRADEOFFS. I propose that the logic used by commercial enterprises is perceived as generally more adept at dealing with situations involving tradeoffs -- I believe the economists would use the term "pareto-optimums" -- than non-profit or governmental enterprises. Believe it or not, I had the same discussion about a month ago as part of a leadership activity I'm involved in at our church. We were looking at various means of evangelism, and the issue boiled down to the fact we have limited resources and need to sort out how best to apply those resources to the goals of our church. I lack your career public sector experience, but in the two years I rubbed shoulders with the US EPA, it seems that the decision rationale for tradeoffs was based on political expediency as much as anything else -- i.e. which decisions were most likely to secure funding the next year for the agency, thus ensuring its own survival. While that is a rational approach for decisionmaking, it is not an optimal approach. Faced with tradeoff-filled quandaries, public service broadcasters have adopted decision-making processes from their for-profit brethren because The Powers That Be felt those would be improvements versus other methods used. In the end, I agree wholeheartedly that the decision to drop analog SW to any region is foolhardy -- at least maintain a single-frequency presence at convenient times of the day. Alas, as we lamented back in '01, the BBCWS is/was not willing to be sufficiently transparent to allow us to judge the statistical analysis used to reach these conclusions. BTW -- I like the new BBC program "Business Daily". It deconstructs business issues to an understandable discussion. Better than this e-mail does, for sure. Unspoken in all this is the "cost per listener" argument. That likely remains the real culprit here. The WS is willing to trade independent control of its programming -- i.e. letting public radio stations make choices -- for the costs required to maintain shortwave to North America. No argument with your points -- as to whether or not the BBC was (and is) wrongheaded in its thinking (Richard Cuff / emulating Rodin's sculpture in / Allentown, PA, ibid.) My Suggestion to the BBC Were I made emperor (nah, that's TOO scary) or director general of the BBC World Service for one day, this is what I would do. Reasoning that at least a minimal presence on shortwave should be preserved throughout the world in order to maintain a truly world service, I would restore one frequency to service in the regions of the Americas and Australasia. For North America (and probably Central and South America), this could be accomplished quite inexpensively by leasing one or more (as necessary) of the many available domestic private shortwave transmitters. Given their published rate cards, this would cost next to nothing. Here would be the schedule and my reasoning behind it: As observed by Glenn Hauser earlier today, the WS has reduced its "feature" programming in favor of a greater emphasis on news and current affairs, including business. But it has also bunched that programming into certain times of the day which will make this mission even more economical. For the Americas: mornings 1200-1300 UT; evenings 0000 - 0400 UT. That's five hours a day that will include Newshour each morning and nearly every one of the BBC's feature programs over the course of the week in the evening, including Business Daily and Outlook. Since local NPR affiliates largely ignore this content, but more than adequately cover the WS news output, this plan would fill a recognizable gap which to me would justify the expense unless and until more generally available alternatives than the internet and subscription satellite develop. If need be the 1200 transmission could be dispensed with entirely or supplanted by "World, Have Your Say" for the one hour at 1700 instead. I also realize that Sportsworld and a few other programs on the weekends are not in this plan, but the four or five hours a day will ensure that nearly all BBC content will still be available to those who want it. A similar approach would be taken for Australasia, with similar justifications. Having put this forward, you know that corollary to Murphy's Law... "Every man has a plan that will not work". Go ahead, have some fun with this one! (John Figliozzi, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) I like it. For the Americas: I suggest adding 1000-1200 (A-season) / 1100-1300 (B-season) to this. Rationale: The success RNW has had with the morning transmission to NA (launched in July, 2001 if you recall --- in part to fill the BBC void) indicates there is a morning appetite for radio. Provides "morning companion" listening at breakfast that's an alternative to NPR. Provides a healthy dose of business content (Business Daily 1040, WBR 1120) along with Analysis at 1140 and Sports Roundup at 1150. Suitable for kitchen-based portables (we all have them, right?). USA- or Sackville-based transmitter time, theoretically, is cheaper than Antigua / Montsinéry / Bonaire time since you wouldn't be using diesel-powered generators. Impediment: Does the BBCWS contract with VT permit them to negotiate with non-VT transmitting entities? One would think so, because Bonaire and Montsinery are used, and WYFR was used. Cost: $350 / day (7 hours @ $50 / hr) or $128 K/year. Less than 0.02% of the BBCWS budget (Richard Cuff / Allentown, PA USA, swprograms via DXLD) So is there a way to communicate this to the BBC brain trust so > that they might think about it? (Sandy Finlayson, PA, ibid.) As we say in New York, fuhgedaboudit! Their minds are unalterably closed on this one (John Figliozzi, NY, ibid.) When the BBC WS reduced its North American shortwave presence a few years ago, I ridiculed their claim that USA residents had alternative BBC WS outlets. I wrote to them pointing out how wrong they were and how, in my area, there was just 30 minutes of BBC news per day on local FM stations. I suggested that their claim that the Internet would be a good alternative was ridiculous (many did not have the Internet and most just had dial-up access). I think I was totally wrong and the BBC was totally correct. In my opinion the BBC has been ahead of the curve and pioneered alternative delivery of their content. Their news website is light years ahead of most US network web sites (compare how often the BBC updates news items, late at night or on weekends, versus that of US networks). In fact, I use the BBC's news web site more than any other media outlet. In many ways their news website has surpassed the BBC World Service radio service. The BBC was among the first of major world broadcasters to experiment with Podcasts, among the first to makes almost their entire schedule available for "listen again" service via audio download. The BBC is also experimenting with delivery of some of their TV shows via web distribution. Add to this their willingness to work with XM and Sirius and I would say the BBC is serving the British radio/TV licence payers very well. They are innovative, ever looking to expand their audience, advocate more interactive audience participation, and --- shock of all shocks --- are actually willing to dispense of "tradition" and not just hold on to it because it has been "tradition". I agree that a shortwave presence would be nice, and more TV for the USA would be nice too, but us shortwave freaks should not be too caught up in the issue. I wonder, is it just me or does the BBC WS tailor their news bulletins to include news items that favour peak listening time for certain geographic areas? It seems to me that Asian related news seems more prominent at what would be 6-8 PM in many Asian countries. On the BBC World TV shows their sports bulletins often carry news of fairly meaningless (to the world) U.S Ice Hockey games, coincidental to peak morning news times. Of course, the Beeb does make their main items reflect "important" developments regardless of location; it is the lesser items that I suspect are included to suit a specific audience (Andrew J. O`Brien, K3UK, Fredonia, NY, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) [see NETHERLANDS] I don't necessarily disagree with much of your thrust here, Andrew, except to say that the term "shortwave freaks" is demeaning and mischaracterizes what I said. Shortwave is but one platform of several, each having their own strengths and weaknesses. "Being ahead of the curve" is not a plus in this regard. You should be where your listeners are and many of them are still using shortwave even in the western hemisphere. Most SWLs are NOT hobbyists and to portray them in that way only or even primarily is just plain inaccurate (John Figliozzi, ibid.) My apology if the term offends. I used it as a term of endearment to describe those of us that have more than a passing interest in short radio waves (Andy K3UK, Fredonia, New York, ibid.) Not at all, my friend. It's just that this happens to be the term used by the so-called "forward looking" managements of the BBC, DW as if the only folks using shortwave are old timers and QSL hunters. It just ain't so. But like a lot of myths, the erroneous impression persists... as demonstrated by your inadvertent use of the term (unfortunately). (John Figliozzi, ibid.) I agree John, they closed the door on this one. The problem seems to be if you present yourself as a radio enthusiast in any way, the shortwave broadcasters tend to dismiss you as a nut, or at the least, not a typical listener. That said, is there any hope of floating the idea of a world covering safety net of analog shortwave broadcasts in a unified way? I think that there could be a campaign mounted by manufacturers like Etón, groups like the NASB, and NASWA, which undertook a valiant, and very respectable effort to opposed the initial BBC cuts. Also, I've wondered aloud in the past, could there be some effort like a radio Peace Corps to support small domestic shortwave broadcasters, particularly in the tropical bands by helping them technically, and financially to stay on the air. I fear, that the trend away from shortwave by the big broadcasters will ultimately leave poor rural populations in Africa, and South America severely underserved. I realise that the tropical bands are emptying out in many cases because of better availability of FM, and population decrease in some rural areas, but it seems clear that there are many cases where a station is still needed by it's community but goes off the air because of defunct and aging equipment. Could an effort be mounted by shortwave listeners' with an amount of energy and intensity similar to that which goes into ham DXpeditions raising thousands of dollars to travel to various distant rocks in order to provide amateurs with an exotic DX target? (David Goren, swprograms via DXLD) Back in 2001 during the May-June push to dissuade the BBC (and others) we attempted to engage the radio manufacturers (specifically Eton) in discussions regarding their self-interest in promoting the value of shortwave as a broadcast medium. Apathy prevailed. Overall the NASB has worked to push SW as a relevant delivery platform. As far as a "safety net" goes, the thinking appears to be that the risk, at this point, of local interdiction of English-language broadcasts is very unlikely due to the media structures, in general, in English-speaking countries. From a risk management perspective, the perceived potential of that outcome is too low to warrant keeping the backup delivery method -- shortwave -- on the air. The closest scenario that exists to the "DX Peace Corps" is actually Canada's ODXA. Steve Canney has invested significant personal time in helping CFRB keep its shortwave transmitter, CFRX, on the air. He manages the QSL activity for the station in addition to helping with transmitter housekeeping. My conversations with radio club leaders who are DX enthusiasts have not historically stirred much enthusiasm for these outreach ideas. They seem more interested in cursing the darkness than changing the light bulb. Broadcasters' love-hate relationships with "radio enthusiasts" are not new. I remember speaking with some broadcasters back in the late 1990s -- before the first BBC cuts -- and the sentiment seemed to lump enthusiasm over shortwave (as a medium) with DXing. Some major international broadcasters have, in general, grown weary of the DXer who seems focused on filling out a QSL collection as a primary motivation for listening. It tends to be the on-site broadcast engineers who take the time (and the courtesy) to QSL. Conversely, the broadcaster wants to reach people who are interested in what the broadcaster has to say, not how the broadcaster says it. Those broadcasters who actively promote QSL programs use those programs as "carrots" to get listeners to tune in in the first place, tacitly admitting that their programming isn't good enough to draw in listeners on its own. These were my experiences back when we went through this in 2001 (Richard Cuff / Allentown, PA, ibid.) I have read with great interest all the comments as to the BBCWS the last several days. I think I can offer my own voice to this and it will possibly show in just a few words what the BBCWS thinks of shortwave. As many of you know, I do the correspondence for the SWL FEST; each year it gets rougher to get things from some broadcasters, then you have the Radio Pragues that make sure to send something. In 2005, I decided to contact Bush House, even with the already done demise of SWBC to North America and Pacific figuring there's a chance maybe they will send something, maybe some promo material. What I got in reply should point out how closed minded they are --- and I paraphrase here --- "We have ABSOLUTELY no intention of dealing with people who still listen to an OLD antiquated mode such as shortwave" Having read that from them, it points out the lack of appreciation they have for the lost shortwave audience. The BBC as well as others have decided North Americans have an endless cash flow and shortwave be damned. They have no intention of going back to what they were, available on RADIO sans subscription; this is the same for the web at all. And yet, in closing I recall reading somewhere that they along with Deutsche Welle are eyeing the possibility of using DRM on shortwave to North America and the Pacific if the tests reveal DRM works. So far no it has not- but we are still in the solar low; maybe in a year both will wake up and realize not everyone has abandoned the listening of international radio via shortwave. Rich Cuff always ends with "just my 2 cents" --- that`s my 5 cents (inflation factored in) (Bill Bergadano, Swprograms via DXLD) But what did they really say, rather than paraphrased?? (gh, DXLD) Having realized I just need to look thru my replies for the 2005 FEST for the actual syntax: "we have *absolutely* no intention of dealing with people who _*insist on*_ listening to an OLD antiquated mode such as shortwave" One sentence says it all (Bill Bergadano, ibid.) Hmm, better get ``SWL`` out of the name of the Fest (gh, DXLD) ** U K. A handy reference for all air times for BBC programming across all the streams is now up to date: http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/programmes/programme_times/a_d.shtml (Richard Cuff / Allentown, PA USA, Swprograms mailing list via DXLD) In this regard, someone was asking about Charlie Gillett. Here are the times: Charlie Gillett's World of Music Australasia: Fri 2332 rpt Sat 0532, 1032 East Asia: Sat 1932 rpt Sun 0732 South Asia: Sat 0932 rpt Sun 0532, 2232 East Africa: Sat 0832 rpt 1332, Sun 2132, 2332 West Africa: Sat 1032 rpt 2232, Mon 0232 Middle East: Sat 0732 rpt 1332 Europe: Sat 0932 rpt 1332, Mon 0032 [+webcast times] Americas: Sun 2332 rpt Mon 0332 [+webcast times] (John Figliozzi, dxldyg via DXLD) Moved into weekend slots only; I don`t disapprove (gh, DXLD) ** U K. RADIO 4'S NEW-LOOK EARLY MORNINGS --- UK THEME GOES BUT IS STREAMED ON WEBSITE The changes to early mornings on BBC Radio 4 begin on Monday 24 April 2006. At 5.20 am, listeners will be welcomed to the network and hear the Shipping Forecast that now includes all 16 inshore waters areas, where previously only nine were covered. This is followed at 5.30 am by the News Briefing (Monday-Sunday), read by one of the team of Radio 4 newsreaders. This will provide the audience with an update on all the major news stories and a look ahead to what may happen during the next 24 hours both in the UK and abroad. Prayer For The Day follows at 5.43 am (Monday-Friday), with Farming Today at 5.45 am, which will take listeners up to Today at 6.00 am. On Saturdays Prayer For The Day will be followed by a repeat of an appropriate 15 minute feature. On Sundays News Briefing is followed by a repeat of Profile (or a Westminster Hour feature when Profile is off the air). Mark Damazer, Controller, Radio 4, said: "I'd like to thank all those who have been involved in this process, from our colleagues in the Met Office and the Maritime and Coastguard Agency to the BBC News team and all the people in Radio 4 who have made this happen so quickly. I'm sorry that part of the audience is upset by the removal of the UK Theme. They may like to know that we will be offering the UK Theme as a stream on the Radio 4 website, where it will be available from Friday 21 April." The web address is http://bbc.co.uk/radio4 The New Schedule [UT +1] Monday-Friday 5.20 am Open up and welcome; Shipping Forecast - this is an extended Shipping Forecast which will now include all 16 inshore waters areas 5.30 am News Briefing - a new briefing for early risers bringing them up to date on the day's headlines and issues 5.43 am Prayer for the Day 5.45 am Farming Today 6.00 am Today Saturday 5.20-5.45 am As Monday-Friday 5.45 am Feature (rpt) 6.00 am News and Weather 6.07 am Open Country Sunday 5.20-5.43 am As Monday-Friday 5.43 am Bells on Sunday 5.45 am Profile (rpt) or Westminster Hour feature (rpt) 6.00 am News Summary 6.05 am Something Understood (BBC Press Office) (via Mike Barraclough, uk-radio-listeners yg, via Paul David, dxldyg via DXLD) Shux; I made a point of recording the UK Theme March 31 in case that was the end of it. Prayer for the Day!!! Anything besides COE? Do they ever feature two minutes of open carrier for those who do not pray? (gh, DXLD) ** U S A. MORE FREQUENCIES YOU CAN KISS GOODBYE --- From FCC PUBLIC NOTICE Report No. 388 EXPERIMENTAL ACTIONS, release March 30, 2006 • WD2XVR SOUTH FLORIDA, UNIVERSITY OF/COLLEGE OF MARINE SCIENCE 0336- EX-PL-2005 New experimental to operate on 4470, 4550, 4800 and 4900 kHz to use a coastal ocean radar system to measure nearshore surface currents. Fixed: Naples (Collier), FL; Redington Shores (Pinellas), FL; Cedar Key (Levy), FL; Holiday (Pasco), FL; Seista Key (Sarasota), FL • WD2XVS SAN FRANCISCO STATE UNIVERSITY - ROMBERG TIBURON CENTER 0338- EX-PL-2005 New experimental to operate on 12.06, 12.14, 12.2, 13.46, 13.63, and 13.7 MHz for CODAR ocean surface current monitoring. Fixed: Drakes Beach (Marin), CA; Big Sur (Monterey), CA; Pacific Grove (Monterey), CA; Monterey (Monterey), CA; Santa Cruz (Santa Cruz), CA; Davenport (Santa Cruz), CA; Pescadero (San Mateo), CA; Montara (San Mateo), CA; Sausalito (Marin), CA; Bolinas (Marin), CA; San Francisco (San Francisco), CA; Carmel (Monterey), CA (via Al Quaglieri, DXLD) ** U S A. During today's edition of Africa World Tonight on VOA's English to Africa, mention was made that the program's name was changing slightly and that it would air at 1600 and 1800 UT on new frequencies 15580 and 6080, effective Monday, April 3 (Mike Cooper, Mar 30, DX LISTENING DIGEST) On Friday's Talk To America show, the host detailed new frequencies for the program, which is moving to 1400 UT, effective next Monday. Europe, Middle East and Northern Africa: 15490 17730 Africa: 4930 6080 13795 15580 17685 17720 Far East Asia, South Asia and Oceania: 7125 9760 15185 There are currently no VOA shortwave transmissions to Europe, Middle East and Africa during the 1400 hour. For Far East Asia, South Asia and Oceania, VOA currently broadcasts at 1400 on two of the three shortwave frequencies listed above. The only apparent change is that 15815 will replace 9645. The TTA program host also said there was a change to the SMS text-messaging number for Africa and worldwide. The new number is +27 831 421 012 0010. The SMS number for Asia and worldwide remains +63 928 761 4588 (Mike Cooper, GA, Mar 31, DX LISTENING DIGEST) I did not find all these frequencies in the complete(?) A-06 schedule published here a while ago. Must have brought some back one it dawned on them that TTA would be on only 3 frequencies, to Asia, as originally rescheduled (Glenn Hauser, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A. As I was bandchecking 16m, March 31 around 1400 heard WHRA on 17650 with the usual squeal, and part of a sign-OFF announcement; it was cut before completed, but in fact the transmitter went off and was not heard during the subsequent hour, tho scheduled and heard previous days at 14-16 (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A. WEWN, 5035, 0410-0430+ March 26, English religious programming with rosary at tune-in. 0428 ``Backstage`` music program, EWTN Global Network ID. New frequency or punch-up error? Strong (Brian Alexander, Mechanicsburg PA, DX LISTENING DIGEST) NF, FEMA willing ** U S A. PILOTS CAN HEAR CLEARLY NOW AFTER AIRWAVES SILENCED Two radio stations had been interfering with frequencies By Ken Kaye, South Florida Sun-Sentinel, Posted March 30 2006 Case solved: It turns out a short-wave radio station west of Miami International Airport was bleeding music over into aviation frequencies and disrupting air-traffic communications. WRMI Radio Miami International, a commercial station that aims much of its Latin rhythms, anti-Castro and Christian programming toward Cuba, was unaware it was interfering with airport operations, officials said Wednesday. After being contacted by the Federal Aviation Administration last week, it immediately fixed the problem. "The station was operating on a backup transmitter that they don't normally use, and that was creating the problem," said Kathleen Bergen, FAA spokeswoman. "They were very cooperative, installing the necessary filters." The FAA also discovered the transmitter location of a pirate station in Opa-locka that was heard in aircraft cockpits: 107.1 FM, which played hip-hop and Haitian music. The case was turned over to the Federal Communications Commission two weeks ago, and the station has been silenced. WRMI is one of only two private short-wave stations in Florida, said co-owner and general manager Jeff White. He said planes somehow picked up a variation of a frequency aired from the station's transmitter in Hialeah. "Apparently, when they flew right over, they could hear it," he said. To find WRMI, a Miami tower supervisor flying his own small plane and an FAA frequency-interference expert searched the area until they pinpointed where the signal was strongest. That was good news for air traffic controllers, who feared their instructions to take off or land were being blocked. "We have all our frequencies back," said Jim Marinitti, president of the Miami Tower branch of the National Air Traffic Controllers Association (via Andy Sennitt, dxldyg via DXLD) WTFK? I wonder which harmonic was the problem, and since reception has been so poor lately, have you been using the 5 kW backup most or all of the time as mentioned in the story? (Glenn to Jeff White, via DXLD) Glenn: It was the 12th harmonic of 9955. The auxiliary was being used last week while we were doing some work on the [50 kW ex-R. Clarín] Wilkinson, among other things replacing the $6000 final tube (Jeff White, WRMI, March 30, DX LISTENING DIGEST) i.e. 119460 kHz. Maybe too late now, but when MUF permits, check for x 2 = 19910 (gh, DXLD) ** U S A. Part of the fun of pirate radio from WKQV 1620 "Coral Springs", FL, on the air since 1730 EST, 3/30. A PSA from "Bud Lite" in their series "Real Men of Radio", a salute to "Mr. Engineer With A Variance". Enjoy 113 kB MP3 at: http://ScooterHound.com/WWWR/radio/WKQV-Engineer.mp3 (W. Curt Deegan, Boca Raton, (southeast) FL, IRCA via DXLD) ** U S A. WWBA 1040 Gone USB Reduced Carrier? 30 0150Z MAR 06; PVZ WWBA 1040 Tampa unusual of late. Audio better above carrier, below it rolls off rapidly. Sony 2010 in Sync, audio loud & harsh upper position, all but vanishes in lower. USB slightly shrill but LSB audio missing. AM ok but something discernibly amiss. Similar to CHU 3330 & 7335 audio - fine above carrier, missing below. Wonder what it is? Acaba nedir, nedir? (Paul Vincent Zecchino, FL, March 29, IRCA via DXLD) "CAM-D" - Leonard Kahn's answer to (oh, I'm gonna regret even using the term in a response to the Bard of Manawherever) IBOC. WWBA has been widely rumored, though not confirmed, to be the mystery CAM-D station written about in a certain industry trade publication not long ago. How does CAM-D work? Like the Man in Black sang, "I don't know, I can't say." Kahn won't disclose its inner workings, which makes it rather a challenge to evaluate. And if you think it's hard to get your hands on a receiver for that other digital AM system, just try finding one for CAM-D. They don't exist. s (Scott Fybush, NY, ibid.) That's it then, the Cat has left the bag. Wondered same subsequent to Radio World article re Tampa Mystery Station using CAM-D. Sounds best on R-388, offset +1, Phasing slopped over USB. Savage's intro music never sounded meaner, melodies pastoral for soirees intimate - not to mention riot control. Agree, in best interest of society to avoid mention of dread term describing Kahn rival. Appreciate your discretion. =Z.= (Paul Vincent Zecchino, Vates Maximus Altus et Dementicus, Insula Manasota, FL, BT, ibid.) Ah, some good local news! I can hear some difference on DX-390 (a 10- year-old set) by tuning 1036 and 1044. Had not noticed this before. My guess of it being the 1010 station obviously n.g. I obviously don't spend enough time listening to sidebands of locals, hi (I tried doing just that on my 970 local and it nearly fried my brain). Wish I still had my SB-620 rig. If this is CAM-D then listener to KDYL 1060 [Utah] should be able to hear similar effect, as I understand they have it on as well. There is a Jacksonville broadcast engineer who is supposed to be in this area this week, according to posting he made on the b/c list, bringing with him a FIM and spec. an. Wonder if this is why? (Bob Foxworth, Tampa FL, ibid.) ** U S A. Washington Post Radio is on the Air using the call letters WTWP on 1500 AM and 107.7 FM. First hear here at 1415 EST 3/30 on the way home from work on both frequencies. WTOP is still on AM on 820 parallel to 103.5 FM (Bill Harms, Elkridge, Maryland, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Newspapers and radio stations have a long history of partnerships and the Washington Post has just signed on this morning. The format is being referred to as "NPR on Caffeine." http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/wtwpradio/2006-03-26/Thursday.html (Tom McNiff, Burke, Virginia, USA, March 30, DX LISTENING DIGEST) That`s WTWP 1500 and 107.7 and online. Or it seems this will link to the current day`s schedule: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/wtwpradio/ (Glenn Hauser, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A. As for Indiana, it was previously split into three zones. A few counties in the southeastern part of the state, near Louisville and Cincinnati, observed EST/EDT. A few counties in the northwestern part of the state, near Chicago, observed CST/CDT. The rest of the state, including most of its major cities, remained on EST year-round. When Indiana begins observing statewide DST in a few days, the state will remain split between the Eastern and Central time zones. A handful of counties were moved from Eastern to Central as a result of the changes, but most of the state's major cities (Fort Wayne, Indianapolis, South Bend, Bloomington, Lafayette, Terre Haute) will be EST/EDT. Only Evansville, in the southwest, and the Chicago suburbs (Gary, Hammond, etc.) in the northwest will be CST/CDT. S (Scott Fybush, March 29, ABDX via DXLD) ** U S A. Re KMIA 710 AZ tower damage: I heard there were four towers down, it was not reported yet when I went to work, who it was. I think they are still on the air. There was a huge legal fight about these towers when KMIA was first coming on. They had to promise to play ENGLISH programming and play American light pop music. Well they did it for 6 months as I remember and I suppose people are still smarting from that (Kevin Redding, AZ, March 29, ABDX via DXLD) VANDALS BUMP SPANISH STATION OFF THE AIR --- 4 RADIO TOWERS TOPPLED Brent Whiting, The Arizona Republic, Mar. 30, 2006 12:00 AM Vandals took a torch and toppled four 197-foot radio towers that are part of a seven-tower cluster in Black Canyon City, authorities said Wednesday. The damage has been preliminarily estimated at "millions of dollars," said Susan Quayle, a spokeswoman for the Yavapai County Sheriff's Office. Knocked off the air was KMIA-AM (710), a Spanish station in Phoenix. It broadcasts ESPN Deportes, a sports-talk format that launched last month. Tom Durán, the station manager, said there was no immediate indication when the station would be back on the air. It could take "several weeks," Durán said. "It's disheartening to know that somebody would do damage like this to a federally licensed facility," he said. He said he was unable to say whether the damage may be linked to recent immigration unrest throughout the nation. He said the FBI will be asked to investigate. The station is owned by Entravision Communications Corp., a Santa Mónica, Calif., firm that operates a string of Spanish stations throughout California and the Southwest, including KLNZ-FM (103.5) in the Valley, also known as Radio Tri-Color. Quayle, the sheriff's spokeswoman, said the vandalism occurred late Tuesday at the Krazy Horse Ranch Polo Club, which is west of Interstate 17 and about 30 miles north of Phoenix. Investigators have determined that somebody used a blowtorch to cut the steel support rods to four of the towers, causing them to crash to the ground, she said. The ranch manager heard the towers crash, but there were no injuries to people or horses, Quayle added. The towers, which went up in the late 1990s, became the focus of a contentious lawsuit involving Black Canyon City residents opposed to the cluster. The opponents won a key ruling in 2000 when the Arizona Court of Appeals validated a referendum seeking to put the issue before Yavapai County voters. Opponents lost their bid to have the towers torn down when voters approved the cluster in November 2002 (via Brian Leyton, CA, ABDX via DXLD) Hi All, KMIA-710 in Black Canyon City, AZ is now back on the air (Bill Block, Prescott Valley, AZ, 0107 UT March 31, IRCA via DXLD) How, with downed towers? (gh, DXLD) Indeed they are. Sort of listenable here (20 miles NW of downtown Phoenix) but with much more QRM than usual. Suspect lower power from one of the still standing towers (John Sampson, 0337 UT March 31, IRCA via DXLD) FOX News Channel had video of the fallen towers on their news at about 1930 EST. May show again later (W. Curt Deegan Boca Raton, (southeast) FL, IRCA via DXLD) But, but, I boycott that channel (gh, DXLD) ** UZBEKISTAN. Radio Tashkent [International] service ceases service on April 1st, 2006 From tomorrow, April 1st, Radio Tashkent International will cease all foreign services of RTI, -- also on Internet --. All appeals and protests of the international RTI audience was unsuccessful. Closure of RTI is a bitter reality (via letter from RTI, Mrs. Raisa Chismatulina-UZB, March 31, 2006, via Wolfgang Büschel, DXLD) Viz.: Hallo Wolfgang, die folgende Mail erhielt ich eben: Lieber Herr Nindel! Vielen Dank fuer Ihr e-mail vom 20. Maerz 2006. Wir haben hier untroestende Nachrichten. Es ist passiert, was wir in letzter Zeit befuerchtet haben. Seit Morgen, d.h. dem 1. April, wird der Auslandsdienst von RTI voellig eingestellt (auch per Internet). So haben uns unsere Leiter mitgeteilt. Sie haben die Appelle und Proteste unserer Hoererfreunden (wir sind ihnen allen sehr dankbar dafuer) nicht beruecksichtigt. Es ist kaum zu glauben, Aber es ist leider eine bittere Wirklichkeit! Fuer uns ist es schwer, uns damit anfreunden zu muessen. Wir danken Ihnen von ganzem Herzen fuer die schoene Zusammenarbeit und wuenschen Ihnen und Ihrer Familie fuer die Zukunft alles erdenklich Gute. Wir werden Sie in Erinnerung behalten und Ihre netten Zuschriften vermissen. Wir verabschieden uns von Ihnen. Alles Gute! Im Namen der Mitarbeiter von RTI, Raisa Chismatulina (via Klaus Nindel-D, wwdxc BC-DX Mar 31) ** YEMEN. 9780, Republic of Yemen Radio, 1800-1805, escuchada el 30 de marzo en inglés; tras la sintonía un locutor anuncia horarios y frecuencias, segmento de música árabe y boletín de noticias con mala modulación, SINPO 24232 (José Miguel Romero, EA5-1022, Burjasot (Valencia), España, YAESU FRG-7700, SANGEAN ATS 909, Antena RADIO MASTER A-108, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) Now Turkey no longer overlaps 9780; but its 9785 English from 1830 could be a problem (gh, DXLD) ** ZIMBABWE. Radio Zimbabwe, Gweru, ZBC. Heard on both 3306 & harmonic 6612 this evening 30 Mar. at 1730. Radio Zimbabwe is on 3306 with a strong harmonic on 6612. Listenable to DXers in Europe now and to the East coast USA later. Radio Zimbabwe programming is erratic but sometimes continues until 0500 (David Pringle-Wood, Harare, Zimbabwe, DX LISTENING DIGEST) R. Zimbabwe currently being heard on both 3306 and harmonic 6612, this evening 1700. Erratic mostly until 2200 or even 0500 next day (David Pringle-Wood, Zimbabwe, March 31, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) As we read in dxld, there was also 6688v noted recently, but the last two days it was back on exactly 6612. Relatively strong recently. 73 (Thorsten Hallmann, Germany, March 31, dxing.info via DXLD) UNIDENTIFIED. Good evening Glenn. Been checking the pages fairly regularly for the past few months. Having built a simple 1 transistor radio in honor of the 50th anniversary of the transistor radio as most of us have had, I sometimes put the earplugs in and listen a bit. Many times WOR includes info on testing, and I try them if able. Of note is the test from Bath, ME during a recent one-active-device contest held by members of the Xtal Set Society (XSS) and the Birmingham, AL Crystal Set Radio Group. Code and sweeps well-received over CKAC on 730 kHz, voice not too good mixed in with the Acadian French. Not a ticket-holder, but interested it puttering around with the simple and useful. This little project has fit the bill well. As such, I have an Un-ID to report. On 3/27/06 at 0827 UT after an early rise to the day, I caught some odd sounding sweeps on 560 kHz where I would usually hear WHYN Springfield, MA. I stuck with it hearing a bunch of these test sweeps at 0930-0940 UT. As of 1000 UT nothing. Naturally, I lurked about WOR looking for some help, but no reports. So here's a letter asking for a bit of help. In return, here's a link to where a write up on this easy-to build radio can be found (Paul L Shaffer, DX LISTENING DIGEST) see RADIO EQUIPMENT FORUM Hi Les, Any idea who would have been running test sweeps March 27 at 0930 UT on 560? 73, (Glenn to Les Rayburn, via DXLD) Glenn, No clue. Unfortunately, there is not enough detail in the report from Paul to even be sure if these are the "NRC" sweep tones or something else. The sweep tones we send out for tests are actually just Log and linear sweep tones commonly used to test various parts of the audio chain, so any station that is doing maintenance might run something similar. If you get more information or if others hear the sweeps, please let me know (Les Rayburn, AL, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ UNSOLICITED TESTIMONIALS ++++++++++++++++++++++++ I don't know how you do DXLD day after day. It's a lot of work. It becomes lots of moving text around, as you must do to alphabetically sort your items by country. Not to mention lots of reading. All the best, (Mike Cooper, GA) PUBLICATIONS ++++++++++++ EiBi PRELIMINARY VERSION A-06 BC A06 - The comprehensive shortwave broadcasting schedule ========================================================== http://www.eibi.de.vu/ Valid March 27 - October 28, 2006 *** All stations - all languages - all SW frequencies *** Included: ALB.BUL.DTK.DW.FEBA.HNG.IRRS.POL.SVK.UKR.VoR\A,CZ,E-LAm,F- Af,HU,SK,FS,R-AUS.AIR.ISR.MNG.NHK.OMA.VoT.HCJB- A.KFBS.KTWR.AWR.HCJB.KNLS.WEWN.WYFR. (via José Miguel Romero, dxldyg via DXLD) 43 percent complete, in time order. Direct link: http://www.susi-und-strolch.de/eibi/dx/bc-a06.txt Customarily, when that is done, a resort by frequency is added: http://www.susi-und-strolch.de/eibi/dx/freq-b05.txt And the /dx/ is removed from the time version? Or just follow the links from the .vu page (Glenn Hauser, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ILGRadio (A06) The World Top Short Wave Broadcasting Database ILGRadio Database for the A06 (Summer 2006) First available on March 31st 2006 (1st edition) . . . in use by more than 25000 short wave listeners living in 150 countries! http://www.ilgradio.com/ilgradio.htm (José Miguel Romero, Spain, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) CRI and ABC A06 Summer Schedules. Hi Glenn: ILG Radio Web Site has posted the above. Scroll down to "Online Station Data Base" and click on appropriate country. Wow, what a find !!!! Now, my frequency schedules are almost 100% complete for so early in the new season. Hello Again Glenn: Went back to ILG site and checked out additional data bases on site. I could hardly believe my eyes !!! Fabulous and free. ILG is to be congratulated on a superb Web Site and a great contribution to Shortwave listening. Cheers from (Thomas Moyer, March 30, DX LISTENING DIGEST) DIGITAL BROADCASTING ++++++++++++++++++++ DRM mentioned in this issue above under GERMANY; ISLE OF MAN; U K RADIO EQUIPMENT FORUM +++++++++++++++++++++ PLANS FOR A CRYSTAL SET Here's a link to http://www.xtal-sets.com where a write up on an easy- to build radio can be found. Parts list included. I'm sure there's still some Scouts or kids that can benefit from building something useful. I know a few grown-up kids that like it too! I'm a bit amazed at what it does at night too (Paul L Shaffer, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ###