DX LISTENING DIGEST 6-070, May 4, 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 SHORTWAVE AIRINGS OF WORLD OF RADIO 1314: Fri 2030 on WWCR 15825 Sat 0400 on WRMI 9955 Sat 0800 on WRN DRM Bulgaria 13865 Sat 1430 on WRMI 7385 Sat 1600 on WWCR 12160 Sun 0230 on WWCR 5070 Sun 0300 on WBCQ 9330-CLSB Sun 0530 on WRMI 9955 Sun 0630 on WWCR 3215 Mon 0300 on WBCQ 9330-CLSB Mon 0415 on WBCQ 7415 Mon 0500 on WRMI 9955 Wed 0930 on WWCR 9985 Complete schedule including non-SW stations and audio links: http://www.worldofradio.com/radioskd.html For 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 ** AFRICA. Una nueva actualización del Africalist se puede descargar en la siguiente dirección; corresponde al 2 de Mayo: http://africa.coolfreepage.com/africalist/africalist.pdf 73 (José Miguel Romero, Spain, May 4, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** ANTARCTICA. Please have another look for Antarctica, 15476, between 19 and 21 UT today, as it was confirmed last Friday but not since. Thanks, (Glenn, May 3, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) Extremely weak here, but definitely a signal on 15476 today at 1905! I tried to determine the time the plug was pulled on the 15476 transmitter but it seemed to still be on even at 2120 when it was fading into the noise. I'll have to try again tomorrow (Steve Lare, Holland, MI USA, May 3, WORLD OF RADIO 1314, ibid.) I could hear a very weak signal on 15476 today May 4 at 1940. I went back at 2055 and the weak signal was still there and remains at 2110. Unclear if LRA36 or not, or maybe they just leave the transmitter on for a while. Unfortunately no discernible audio here. I suspect that the fellow who reported reception in the UK was perhaps getting some signal enhancement via the grey line/terminator at the time of his reception. I'll keep checking the frequency as time permits (Steve Lare, Holland, MI USA, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Could not detect anything here (gh, DXLD) Solar-terrestrial indices for 04 May follow. Solar flux 92 and estimated mid-latitude A-Index 12. The mid-latitude K-index at 1800 UTC on 04 May was 3 (36 nT). The mid-latitude K-index at 2100 UTC on 04 May was 2 (18 nT). Space weather for the past 24 hours has been minor. Geomagnetic storms reaching the G1 level occurred. Space weather for the next 24 hours is expected to be minor. Geomagnetic storms reaching the G1 level are expected (SEC via DXLD) ** ARGENTINA. AM 530 Radio República, emisora que transmite desde el 1 de abril de 2000, denunció interferencias que tornan casi imposible la emisión de su programación en forma normal. El comunicado, que se emite por AM 530 en forma regular, denuncia la ilegalidad del accionar de otra emisora que pone al aire su programación en el mismo punto del dial que Radio República. El texto completo del documento, que firma el director de AM 530, Horacio Alberto Agnese, es el siguiente: "Radio República cumple en informar a su distinguida audiencia, que desde el 1 de abril del año 2000, viene operando en la frecuencia de 530 Khz. ejerciendo el derecho por el cual fuera legitimada por la justicia federal del departamento judicial de San Martín, provincia de Buenos Aires. No obstante el derecho adquirido a través de más de seis años de permanencia transmitiendo en ese punto del dial, nuestra señal ininterrumpidamente viene sufriendo interferencias que otra emisora ilegalmente pone al aire, ignorando las circunstancias ante aludidas, así como también toda actitud democrática. Sin dudas, las interferencias a nuestras emisiones, por parte de inescrupulosos, tienden a usurpar este espacio, y para ello se valen de métodos ilegales que con medios técnicos de mayor potencia a los permitidos por la legislación vigente, tornan prácticamente imposible la correcta prosecución de nuestra programación. Estimado público, nuestra Radio República, mediante el uso de herramientas legales, tal como siempre lo hace, viene sorteando ante la justicia, todos los caminos tendientes a efectivizar una pronta y favorable resolución judicial". (24-04-06) (extraido de http://www.amplitudmodulada.com.ar via Arnaldo Slaen, condig list via DXLD) That would be La Voz de las Madres, previously reported here, such as 6-059 (gh, DXLD) ** AUSTRALIA. Glenn, A suggestion to all in Europe struggling to hear Radio Australia on the two 31 meter Shepparton frequencies. Try 13620 between 2200 and 2400. Having carried out daily checks only to find this normally reliable summer frequency at very low levels, yesterday I was given a jolt. During at least the first hour I had the signal at 54444! Listening in bed to the excellent AM breakfast show with its slant on SE Asia brings me back to times in the late 1980's hearing the special VOA Asian breakfast show on 15185 PORO. 73 (Dan Goldfarb, Brentwood, England, May 3, WORLD OF RADIO 1314, DX LISTENING DIGEST) This is apparently a recent change; not in EiBi or Aoki, but in HFCC: 13620 2200 2400 49,50,54 DRW 250 317 1234567 260306 291006 D English AUS ABC CVI 2665 (Glenn Hauser, WORLD OF RADIO 1314, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** BANGLADESH. Dear Friends, I am monitoring Radio Bangladesh just now from tune in before 1600 on 4750 with very good reception. Though no ID heard yet, it`s in Bengali and in parallel to their 693 kHz. Must watch this frequency in our local mornings also, say 0100 UT. This must be the night/morning frequency of their reactivated SW transmitter. I had heard them about 2 weeks back (testing?) on 7250 & 7315 at around 0730-0810 while I was in Port Blair, Andamans to attend the VU4 Hamfest / DXpedition. 73 (Jose Jacob, VU2JOS, Hyderabad 500082, India, May 3, dxldyg via WORLD OF RADIO 1314, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Hi Jose, I also heard Radio Bangladesh, in Japan. But there is hard QRM from CPBS on co-frequency. ID heard at 1700, "Bangladesh, Betar". Thank you (TOKUSA Hiroshi, Kawasaki, Kanagawa, JAPAN, ibid.) Checked in at 0125 UT - Bangladesh Betaar noted on 4750 with Bengali Programs (Alokesh Gupta, West Bengal, May 4, DX LISTENING DIGEST) In the unlikely event news about this ever appear on their own website, check http://www.betar.org.bd/ (Glenn Hauser, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Jose Jacob, Thanks for the mail. "Bangladesh Betar" Dhaka broadcast on 630, 693, 1170 kHz & also 100 MHz FM. Bangladesh Betar also broadcast SW 7185 kHz various languages (Bangla, English, Hindi, Arabic, Urdu etc.) different time & schedule (night). You can visit Bangladesh Betar website http://www.betar.org.bd Best Regards (Ajoy Dhar, Dhaka, Bangladesh, May 4 SWR-Worldwide yg via DXLD) Dear Ajoy, Thanks for your email. The frequencies that I monitored must be the reactivated Home Service SW transmitter and I have heard them on 4750 till 1730 UT and from around 0000. Also at around 0730 on 7315 & 7250. Kindly try find their exact schedule and may be you can contact the concerned officials for exact info. Yours sincerely, (Jose Jacob, ibid.) Jose, Thanks again. Few months ago "Bangladesh Betar" broadcast 7315 & 7250. At present they broadcast SW 7185 kHz, which I find their monthly program guide (Betar Bangla). OK. I'll monitor 4750, 7315 & 7250 & talk to their official persons. Best Regards (Ajoy Dhar, Dhaka, ibid.) Called up B'desh Betaar & spoke to Mr. M. C. Roy, Senior Engineer at Research & Receiving Centre. 4750 kHz - This frequency is on test basis for 2nd, 3rd & 4th May. 4880 kHz - Will be tested on 7th, 8th & 9th May. They are interested to have reception reports; please e-mail at : rrc @ dhaka.net (Alokesh Gupta, W. Bengal, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** BELGIUM. RTBFi: the 31m band for European stations opens from around 2100 up to 0700 UT here in South Brazil. 01 May 06 : 2110 UT : SINPO : 14331 02 May 06 : 2100 UT : SINPO : 14331 03 May 06 : 0345 UT : SINPO : 24131 So far, not good (Denis, Curitiba, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) Saludos cordiales, respecto a los Test de RTBF, acabo de recibir un listado en formato XLS con un listado de todos los monitores de esa emisora y los datos obtenidos, viene acompañada del siguiente texto en francés e inglés, cómo es obvio, no creo conveniente publicar por el momento el contenido de ese archivo (José Miguel Romero, Spain, May 3, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) Viz.: Muchas gracias por sus mensajes. Le confermo sus raportes con el envío adjunto un documento Excel en el qual puede ver sus raportes. Hasta luego! Priscille CAZIN RTBFi Les informations contenues dans ce courriel sont confidentielles et sont protégées, le cas échéant, par des droits de propriété intellectuelle. . . (via JMR2, ibid.) It's more or less, along these lines: Greetings. In reference to the test (transmissions) from RTBF, I have just received a list, in XLS format, with a listing of all the monitors of the station and the data obtained. It came with the following text, in French and English. For obvious reasons, I don`t think it's convenient having its content published, at this time. Jose Miguel Romero Thanks for your messages. I'm confirming your reports, be sending an attached Excel document, in which you can see your reports. Bye. Priscille CAZIN RTBFi (translated by someone in Puerto Rico, HCDX via DXLD) ** BELGIUM [non]. RVi is in Dutch, except for short ``Flanders News`` bulletins in English M-F at 0656, 1056, 1756, 2156 (Dave Kenny, May BDXC-UK Communication via DXLD) At least on MW 1512, not entirely clear if this also applies to the SW relays at 0656 on 13685-sp, and 1756 on 13685-mw (Glenn Hauser, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** BOLIVIA. 5680.69, Radio La Voz del Campesino, Sipe Sipe, 0755 already on the air with OM and CP music, good signal 3 May, 0830 long string of numbers being read by OM, 30 April; 0950 clear "la Voz del Campesino, Sipe Sipe" ID by OM 26 April (Robert Wilkner, Pómpano Beach FL, Japan Premium via DXLD) ** BOLIVIA. R. Panamericana heard April 28th on 6105.5 at 2350, had to use narrow filter and usb to copy them as another station on 6105. That closed at 2359 leaving Panamericana fair on clear channel. Spanish talk to 0003, lady singer, identification over music and off 0008 (Mike Barraclough, UK, May World DX Club Contact via DXLD) ** BOLIVIA. Re 6-069, R. Virgen de Remedios reported on 4545v: note another Bolivian was reported on this frequency in 6-060, tho I do not see an ID cited: ``4545.04, Radio Norteño, Canaviri, 0935-0943, April 03, Aymara/ Spanish, talk about the Movimiento al Socialismo, announcement by female in Spanish: "...ahora...con el Programa Nacional de Alfabetización...", 33322 (Arnaldo Slaen, Argentina, HCDX via DXLD)`` (Glenn Hauser, May 3, DX LISTENING DIGEST) However, a later item in the same issue implied that 4545 was a typo for 4845, where R. Norteño was otherwise reported (Glenn Hauser, DXLD) ** BRAZIL. I think I have logged Radio Esperança (1390 kHz) but would appreciate a second (or third) opinion. Some of the programming appeared to be religious which would be correct. What I think is the 'Esperanca' ID follows the musical notes in the middle of the recording: http://www.geocities.com/paulcrankshaw/esperanca.mp3 (Paul Crankshaw, Troon, Scotland, HCDX via DXLD) ``A Esperança está no ar`` -- I guess you refer to ZYK209 in Porto Alegre? Good catch, about as far away in Brazil as you can get, and not likely to be heard here 2 km from KCRC. 73, (Glenn Hauser, Enid, ibid.) ** BRAZIL. R. Brasil Central, 4985, 0020-0040+ May 1, Portuguese announcements, ads, jingles, Portuguese/US pop music including a Neil Diamond tune. // 11815, both fair (Brian Alexander, Mechanicsburg PA, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** CAMEROONS [non]. RADIO FREE SOUTHERN CAMEROONS SUNDAY APRIL 30th Broadcast will feature SCNC Anti CDC -SALE Communique and Anti-20th May Mass mobilization calling. Broadcast: 25 Meter Shortwave Frequencu : 15,500-16,000KW TIME: Every Sunday at 7pm Southern Cameroons Time Transmitting From: BUEA Southern Cameroons RFSC encourages educational scripts from all perosns and groups. Email to radiofreesoutherncameroons @ yahoo.com or rfscboard @ fdrsoutherncameroons.info NOTE: NO GROUP OWNS RFSC. It belongs to the People of the Southern Cameroons. RFSC welcomes endorsements from any group anytime, be it SCNC, SCAPO, SCYL, SCARM or AMBAZONIA etc. Any endorsement will be made public anytime. ENJOY SUNDAY BROADCAST and educate others to tune in. RFSC is there to communicate proactively to everyone. CHAIR RFSC BOARD (published as received via B. Fransson, Sweden, Apr 29, 2006 for CRW via DXLD) It is certainly NOT transmitting from Buea or anywhere in Cameroons; nor are frequencies measured in kW. We DX listeners know more about it than the people producing it (gh), viz.: R. Free Southern Cameroon, 15695 via Russia, *1800-1859* April 30. Sign-on with English announcements, choral anthem, prayer. 1804 News about Cameroon, local music. 1858 sign-off with choral anthem, local drums and closing ID. Poor-fair; Sunday only (Brian Alexander, Mechanicsburg PA, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** CANADA. Sackville leapfrogging spurs, weak on 6340, 5845, 0145-0200 April 30: 6340 = R. Sweden spur from 6010 in English; 5845 = V. of Vietnam spur from 6175 (Brian Alexander, Mechanicsburg PA, DX LISTENING DIGEST) at 165 kHz intervals (gh, DXLD) ** CHINA. 7245, China Business Radio/CNR-2, May 3, 1320-1330, BBC analysis of Prime Minister Tony Blair`s speeches, ``That was `Power Speaking` brought to us by the BBC, here on English Evening, brought to you by China Business Radio. Up next on our program it’s time for Studio Classroom. This regular segment is brought to us by China National Radio and Studio Classroom Magazine``, // 6155 and 7140 (all from Beijing). All frequencies had good reception. It`s interesting that ``Studio Classroom`` is produced in Taiwan and has many features about Taiwan --- http://studioclassroom.com/ (Ron Howard, Monterey, CA, RX340, with T2FD antenna, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** CHINA [and non]. Chinese jamming of Sound of Hope. I had them earlier in the week on 17350 during the 1200 hour, but I can no longer hear the Chinese CNR program or Sound of Hope on any of the earlier frequencies: 17310, 17330, 17350, 18160, or 18160 (H. Johnson, FL, Apr 23 (?), 2006 in JihadDX-ML via CRW via DXLD) ** COLOMBIA. La Voz de tu Conciencia, 5809.65, 0310-0325+ April 29, spur from 6010.17 with Spanish talk, fair signal, // 6010.17 (Brian Alexander, Mechanicsburg PA, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Leapfrogging 5910v which according to these exact frequencies must have been on 5909.91 (Glenn Hauser, ibid.) ** CUBA [non]. Radio República, 7220 via Rampisham excellent at 0249 on 4/12 with man in Spanish, occasional rooster crow SFX, ID at 0254. Also noted on 5910 at 0340 on 4/13. Slight bubble jammer on both frequencies (G. Dexter-WI-USA Apr 12, 2006 in DXplorer-ML via CRW via DXLD) 7220? Is on 7110 at this hour (gh, DXLD) ** EQUATORIAL GUINEA. Radio Africa, 15190, heard seven days a week here to 1200 sign off, I have tried for them later in the day but have not heard them yet (Hans Johnson, Florida, April 23rd, JihadDX via May World DX Club Contact via DXLD) ** EQUATORIAL GUINEA. R. Nacional, 5005, *0458-0515+ May 1, sign-on with NA, 0502 hi-life music, Spanish talk; fair (Brian Alexander, Mechanicsburg PA, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** ERITREA/ETHIOPIA [nons]. The UNMEE broadcasts are registered Sundays 0900-1000, Tuesdays 1030-1130 on 15135 via Dhabbaya (Wolfgang Bueschel, May World DX Club Contact via DXLD) Radio UNMEE heard on 15135, 1115 April 4th with programme in English including a competition open to all students to write a two or three page essay on the theme of "Peace and Development." Winners will receive a radio set and stationary for school. One could write PO Box 5805 in Asmara or PO Box 1357 in Addis Ababa, this is new. They also announced a couple of email addresses of proper name @un.org but I am not sure how to correctly spell these proper names. 1129 open carrier and off (Hans Johnson, Florida, JihadDX via May World DX Club Contact via DXLD) ** EUROPE. Pirate, Laser Hot Hits, 7414.88, 0525-0610+ May 1, recordings of old pirate radio stations, IDs. Merlin, Ontario mail drop, E-mail address; asking for donations. Pop, rock music. Barely audible. Much better on // 6275 with a fair signal and // 6218.94 very weak (Brian Alexander, Mechanicsburg PA, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Conveniently shortly after WBCQ must have closed on 7415, thanks to the departure of Brother Scare overnight (Glenn Hauser, DXLD) ** GERMANY. DW, Very good signal on 21840 (55444) at 1100 UT. WRTH mentioned that this transmission is for AUS - SEA (Denis, Curitiba, Brazil, May 3, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) Yes, 13m came back to life today, checked around 1330 here, with Spain on 21610, 21570, and a few other signals (Glenn Hauser, OK, DXLD) Solar-terrestrial indices for 02 May follow. Solar flux 89 and mid- latitude A-index 5. The mid-latitude K-index at 0900 UTC on 03 May was 0 (4 nT). The mid-latitude K-index at 1200 UTC on 03 May was 0 (2 nT). No space weather storms were observed for the past 24 hours. No space weather storms are expected for the next 24 hours (SEC via DXLD) ** GERMANY. Got just alerted by the enclosed message: Langenberg 1593 kHz is right now on in AM with 1 kHz tone. Mediocre signal with lots of fading here (50 km north of Dresden), some co-channel station still audible underneath the whistle. Co-located 720 is better, but probably running higher power as well (Kai Ludwig, Germany, 2037 UT May 3, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) Viz.: Hallo in die Runde, der WDR testet wieder auf obiger Frequenz zur Zeit mit 1000 Hz Messton. Es wäre interessant, wie weit der Sender jetzt abends gehört werden kann. 73 (Reinhard Meier, Langenfeld, Rheinland, 1944 UT May 3, ADX via DXLD) ** GREECE [and non]. Kim Elliott on Kavala closure: see U S A VOICE OF AMERICA TO CLOSE GREEK RELAY SITES Voice of America has decided to close down their two relay sites in Greece. The sites in question are Kavala and Rhodos. VOA operates a 500 kW AM transmitter at Kavala as well as 12 shortwave transmitters of 250 kW. The Rhodos site uses one 500 kW AM transmitter on 1260 kHz. The two 50 kW shortwave transmitters at Rhodos closed down several years ago. Voice of America started using transmitters in Greece in 1949, when they operated one AM transmitter and four shortwave transmitters in the city of Thessaloniki. At the same time VOA operated a radio station located on the ship Courier, which was docked near the island of Rhodos. Eventually the Rhodos station became land based. In 1972, VOA put into operation the Kavala site. As a result the Thessaloniki transmitters were turned over to the Greek authorities, which started using them for their own broadcasts. The terms between Greece and VOA concerning the relay sites were renegotiated twice. First time in 1997, and then again in 2002. In 2002, the agreement called for VOA granting Voice of Greece the use of relay time on the US based Delano and Greenville shortwave transmitters. This is still in effect. It is unknown what will happen to this arrangement once the relay sites in Greece close down (April DX Chicago http://home.earthlink.net/~dxchicago/dx_chicago.htm via John Babbis, MD, DXLD) Not any more Kavala has been replaced for IBB shortwave transmission by Wertachtal (0200-0300 9775, 0400-0500 15255, 1630-1800 6040, 1700-1900 7105, 1730-1845 11905, 1900-2000 9650), Lampertheim (1300-1400 12025, was 9825 from Kavala), Iranawila (0600-0800 17845) and Al-Dhabbaya (0300- 0400 9775, 0400-0500 9510, 0800-0930 15290, 1845-1930 11905). IBB usage of Al-Dhabbaya shortwave transmitters started with A06 season, first for RFA in Tibetan and Uighur. Rhodes is probably still on air with ERA programming (0900-1400). (Aaron Zawitzky, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** ICELAND. AFN observed on new 9380usb ex 9340 from 1746 tune in April 7th, good signal strength. Heard again on April 8th around 0850 but weaker (Edwin Southwell, England, May World DX Club Contact via DXLD) ** INDIA. AIR Chennai has changed from 7275 to 7270 for the morning broadcast at 0025-0430. It must be due to interference from Singapore which has come up lately on 7275 (ex 7170). The full sked of Chennai 100 kW on 7270 now is: 0025-0430, 0700-1330, 1430-1740 73 (Jose Jacob, VU2JOS, May 4, dx_india via DXLD) ** INDIA. Recibidas hoy 3 tarjetas QSL de transmisiones de All India Radio en la banda de 60 metros: 4920, All India Radio, Chennai, recibida tarjeta QSL con datos completos, incluido lugar de la transmisión (Chennai), firmada por, V/S, Y. K. Sharma, Spectrum Management Director. Tardaron en contestar 52 días. El informe de recepción se envió por e-mail a la siguiente dirección: spectrum-manager @ air.org.in 4860, All India Radio, Delhi, recibida tarjeta QSL con datos completos, incluido lugar de la transmisión (Delhi), firmada por, V/S, Y. K. Sharma, Spectrum Management Director. Tardaron en contestar 70 días. El informe de recepcón se envió por e-mail a la siguiente dirección: spectrum-manager @ air.org.in 5010, All India Radio, Thiruvananthapuram, recibida tarjeta QSL con datos completos, incluido lugar de la transmisión (Thiruvananthapuram), firmada por, V/S, Y. K. Sharma, Spectrum Management Director. Tardaron en contestar 2 meses. El informe de recpeción se envió por e-mail a la siguiente dirección: spectrum-manager @ air.org.in En las 3 tarjetas aparece la siguiente dirección: Directorate General All India Radio Akashvani Bhawan, Sandad Marg New Delhi - 110001, INDIA Website: http://www.allindiaradio.gov.in (Manuel Méndez, Lugo, Spain, May 4, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** INDONESIA. Glenn, Glad to report that as summer in Europe sets in, for the first time in a while I heard 15150v all the way up to 2058 on Monday 1 May. Given the signal strength of both 15150v and 11860 from Jakarta, I am saddened that VOIRI Tehran Arabic ruins the afternoon reception on 19 meters. Now a rare chance to hear Gamelan music (1400- 1600) is denied until next winter. Regards, (Dan Goldfarb, Brentwood, England, May 3, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** INTERNATIONAL VACUUM. Members might find http://www.bobcooper.tv of interest; try the 'Classic Video' button, depending upon your download speeds drink a cup of coffee while the 45meg mpg file loads into you machine and enjoy one of the historical moments in television reception - a "classic" example of extreme DX. The contents of the site's "Perspective 1, 2, 3 and Classic Video" will be changed around the middle of each month - come back June 15th for new material (Bob Cooper, New Zealand, WTFDA via DXLD) ** INTERNATIONAL VACUUM [non]. CGC LAUNCHES COMPLAINT AGAINST SIRIUS SATELLITE On April 8, 2006, Communications General Corporation filed a formal complaint with the FCC against Sirius Satellite for incorporating 87.7 and 87.9 MHz into the intentional radiator mini-transmitters built into many of Sirius' satellite receivers (see CGC #732 for details). CGC reasoned that if the FCC ultimately fined Sirius for the use of prohibited frequencies, that action would send a powerful message to other manufacturers of mini-transmitters that they, too, should abandon the use of the prohibited "below 88 MHz" frequencies. FCC investigations are confidential, so we have no way of knowing whether the Commission has launched an inquiry with Sirius. However, two Communicator readers spotted this statement in XM Satellite's latest filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission: "On April 25, 2006, we [XM] received a letter from the Federal Communications Commission stating that its Office of Engineering and Technology Laboratory has tested the Delphi XM SKYFi2 radio and has determined that its transmitter is not in compliance with the applicable emission limits. The letter seeks information from us regarding the testing, emissions and other matters relating to this radio. We are conducting an internal review, and anticipate responding to the letter shortly and cooperating fully...." XM's complete statement is available for viewing at the URL below under "Item 8.01 Other Events." http://tinyurl.com/fdzzz (CGC Communicator May 1 via Kevin Redding, ABDX via DXLD) ** INTERNATIONAL WATERS [and non]. [HCDX] A RADIO ROSE OF TEXAS Dear former listeners of and radio people interested in Radio England, Britain Radio, Radio Dolfijn, Radio 227 and Radio 355! The "Radio Rose of Texas" essay has now been completed, is over 100 pages long and is published on the web tomorrow, May 3rd, 2006, exactly 40 years after Radio England first hit the air on 845 kHz at 1030 am BST. The reference is http://www.northernstar.no/olgapatricia5.htm The first effort of 2004, "Pickin'up "Boss" Vibrations" was recently updated and is still on the web at http://www.northernstar.no/sre.htm Having had a large number of inputs and researched a lot of new material it was decided to rewrite and extend the whole story to all 5 stations. Besides correcting mistakes, including a lot of new facts, improving the diary elements, recordings log and extending onto all 5 stations of the Olga Patricia and what happened to the ship and transmitters- and personnel after August 6th, 1967 when R355 closed at 0022 hours. Distinguished reader, if you know of any story, anecdote, biography or event, or if you have any photographs that you feel should be presented to the world through later editions of this essay, or if you know someone we should interview to get more information on this piece of radio history, please feel free to contact us. If you worked with or on these stations in any respect, or have information from other sources, you are invited to give your input in text or pictures so that it may fit the outline in the essay. Previously unknown unscoped mp3 recordings(if possible) are also sought(see updated list of recordings in "Pickin' up "Boss Vibrations"), as well as scoped airchecks, also in mp3 that may be displayed on the site. We only want sound material not published elsewhere. Please submit your text in Microsoft Word or for pictures,. jpg or .gif and email. Copyright issues must be resolved. Contrasting views to those presented by the editor are welcomed, as they will add color and depth to the story, but the presentation will be balanced. If you find mistakes of any sort, please notify the editor. An updated version is planned for November 13th, 2006 at 23.38 pm British time, to commemorate the 40 years anniversary of the final close down of Radio England. Svenn on behalf of "Derek Burroughs, jr." editor of "The Radio Rose of Texas" --- This email may be re-posted (via Svenn Martinsen, May 2, HCDX via DXLD) ** ITALY [non]. Additional transmission for NEXUS-IBA IRRS-Shortwave: 1200-1300 Fri on 15750 050 kW / 180 deg to Eu/No&WeAf, UNID religious program in French (DX Mix News, Bulgaria, May 4 via DXLD) What is it? ** KUWAIT. Radio Kuwait latest schedule still showing English 0500- 0800 on 15110, 1800-2100 on 11990 (Allen Dean, UK, May World DX Club Contact via DXLD) By ``latest schedule`` is the schedule dated or is it an old one they printed up awhile back and are still sending out in reply to reports? The frequencies are indeed still on the HFCC registrations with language indicated as Arabic/English (Mike Barraclough, ibid.) I bet there is really still no English on SW. Do those transmissions even exist in Arabic? (Glenn Hauser, DXLD) ** LIBYA. In case you missed any of RFPI`s coverage, a bunch of mp3 files are now available ondemand via http://www.rfpi.org --- THE 9TH SESSION OF THE PROVISIONAL WORLD PARLIAMENT Click to download individual sessions: Day 1, sessions 1 and 2 Day 1, sessions 3 and 4 Day 2, Sessions 5, 6 & 7 Day 3, Session 8 Day 3, Session 9 Closing Ceremonies (via Glenn Hauser, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** LIBYA [non]. Summer A-06 schedule of LJBC: Radio of The Great Jamahiriya 1200-1400 Arabic on 17660 to WeNoAf Radio The Voice of Africa 1700-1857 Arabic on 11615 to NoWeAf 1900-2157 Arabic on 9590 to NoWeAf 2200-2357 Arabic on 7320 to NoWeAf 1400-1557 English on 17725 to EaCeAf >>> from May 7 till Sep. 2 1400-1557 English on 17850 to NoCeAf 1400-1557 English on 21695 to EaCeAf >>> till May 6/from Sep. 3 1600-1757 French on 15660 to NoWeAf 1600-1757 French on 17870 to NoCeAf 1800-1957 Hausa on 11835 to WeNoAf >>> from Sep. 3 1800-1957 Hausa on 15660 to WeNoAf >>> till Sep. 2 1200-1357 Swahili on 17610 to NoCeAf 1200-1357 Swahili on 17725 to EaCeAf >>> from May 7 till Sep. 2 1200-1357 Swahili on 21695 to EaCeAf >>> till May 6/from Sep. 3 1200-1400 Various*on 17670 to NoWeAf >>> (alt. 17675/85/90) 1200-1400 Various*on 17680 to EaCeAf >>> (alt. 17675/85/90) * news in Swahili/French/English/Arabic [i.e. jammers vs Sawt Al-Amel] (DX Mix News, Bulgaria, May 4 via DXLD) ** LIBYA [and non]. Sawt al-Amel observations May 3 at 1353 check: CVC Chile 17680 had co-channel interference, as it did May 2, so that was probably where SAA was parked at the time, provoking jammer pileup. May 3 the usual drumming, IDed above on 17660; 17690 had African hilife music plus SAH (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) CLANDESTINA, 17695, Sawt Alamel, 1200-1215, escuchada el 3 de Mayo en árabe, sintonía, comentarios, ID, la transmisión va acompañada de un molesto pitido. SINPO 35343, A las 1300, cambia a la frecuencia de 17690, interferida por señal de burbuja; no se aprecia el molesto pitido, sin embargo se escucha de fondo una emisión de música melódica que poco a poco se apodera de la transmisión, SINPO 42342. 17690, Sawt Alamel, 1202-1215, escuchada el 4 de Mayo en árabe con comentarios, ID segmento de música árabe, SINPO 44444 (Jose Miguel Romero EA5-1022, Burjasot (Valencia), España, YAESU FRG-7700, SANGEAN ATS 909, Antena RADIO MASTER A-108, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** MALAYSIA. 7290, Traxx FM (RTM), May 3, 1429-1500, still heard with a decent signal, woman DJ, ``Black Leather Motorcycle Club rockets your way on Thursday``, ``Classic Rock``, song ``Nothing Lasts Forever``, tomorrow will feature the AC/DC band, ``Traxx FM makes me feel good`` (Ron Howard, Monterey, CA, RX340, with T2FD antenna, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** MEXICO [and non]. 325(C) APPLICATION ACCEPTED FOR XEK(AM) --- The FCC has Accepted for Filing an application for XEK, 960 kHz, Nuevo Laredo, Mexico, to receive cross-border program feeds. http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DOC-265133A1.pdf (CGC Communicator May 1 via Kevin Redding, ABDX via DXLD) ** MEXICO. R. Insurgente, 1950 popping the transmitter off and on but program in progress. Finally came on at 1955 with man talking in Spanish, once again, in mid-stream. Weak, but still on (H. Johnson-FL- USA Apr 21, 2006 in JihadDX-ML via CRW via DXLD) WTFK? Presumably 6000v. Fridays only (gh, DXLD) ** MEXICO [and non]. DROPPING SHORTWAVE RADIOS ON MEXICO. "Mercy Wings ... has dropped off thousands of shortwave, solar-powered radios that are tuned to a Spanish-speaking Gospel station in Ohio. The radios flutter down to remote villages hanging from a parachute." . . . http://www.signonsandiego.com/sports/outdoors/20060429-9999-1s29dove.html (San Diego Union Tribune, 29 April 2006 via kimandrewelliott.com which is finally being updated May 1 after 3+ weeks, via DXLD) There is no shortwave broadcast station in Ohio. It might be a program produced in Ohio, and transmitted on another private U.S. station. The airdropped radios are "Go-Ye" fixed tuned models manufactured by Galcom International. But because shortwave stations must often change frequencies for propagational reasons, or to escape interference, fixed tuned receivers might not be practical (Kim Andrew Elliott, ibid.) ** MYANMAR. 5770, Defense Forces Broadcasting Unit. May 1 at *1328- 1400. SINPO 35333. Sign-on with local music and ID in Bamar or vernacular at 1329. March music at 1331, followed by talk by a man. Local popular songs at 1335 (Iwao Nagatani, Japan, Japan Premium via DXLD) ** NORTH AMERICA. The Crystal Ship, USA pirate, 6854.18, 0055-0125+ May 1, rock music, IDs, ``official voice of the Blue States Republic``; good signal (Brian Alexander, Mechanicsburg PA, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** OKLAHOMA. I wonder what happened to the "Mighty 890", The soul of OKC. I haven't heard programming from them in a few days (j1203, http://www.radio-info.com/smf/index.php/topic,37117.0.html May 2 via DXLD) My guess is they ran out of money. The last time they had the advantage of broadcasting at night when their only competitor went off the air. Basically, they used to have a built-in audience for most all the time they were broadcasting each day. The current arrangement would be very difficult to sell. I bet they just couldn't generate enough revenue off the project to make it continue (OKCRadioGuy, ibid.) According to NRC AM Log, it`s a daytimer, with pre-sunrise reduced power, but no post-sunset, fortunately for WLS. So was the KTLR 890 signal really off the air? It`s (back) on when I finally get around to checking, May 4 at 2054 UT, with some investment infomercial. It`ll always be KBYE to me (Glenn Hauser, Enid, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** OKLAHOMA [and non]. 0113 EDT MAY 3, 1520, Oldies (not NOS) format under WWKB. Creedence, Beatles, "Stormy". Not parallel to WKWH, the only web audio I could find on 1520 through Radio Locator. I believe KOMA is now talk. Maybe a daytimer is on? (Jim Renfrew, Byron NY, NRC- Am via DXLD) What is this "KOMA" of which you speak? (Mike Westfall, N6KUY, WDX6O Los Alamos, New Mexico (DM65uv), ibid.) 1520 in Oklahoma City will "always" be KOMA to me; 1170 in Tulsa will "always" be KVOO; 610 in Kansas City is WDAF; 710 Kansas City is WHB and 810 Kansas City is KCMO; 1330 Wichita is KFH, etc. I understand the right of the owner(s) of stations to "brand" their station but legacy and history should and could, in my opinion, be considered and the existing call letters be used in any "rebranding" effort. Perhaps owners/sellers should make retaining the call letters part of any purchase agreement? Surely the call letters can be considered an "asset"? Turning into an old curmugeon one day at a time. (Just ask my wife!!) (Bruce Winkelman AA5CO, Tulsa, OK, ibid.) ... and "KCKN" will always be associated with the 1340 Kansas City, Kansas station, and KSAC with the now-defunct Manhattan, KS, entity owned by K-State (once Kansas State Agricultural College) for me. And then there's KFKB, KFBI, KFDI --- all associated with various 1050 or 1070 stations in Kansas, and KANS-1510, either Independence, MO, or Larned, KS. KCKN in Roswell? Just doesn't seem right! (Paul Swearingen, Topeka, joining Bruce in the curmudgeon ranks, ibid.) I remember when 1020 Roswell first came on with KSWS calls. I also find myself calling a station by their old calls, like 620 Portland OR as KGW or 610 San Francisco as KFRC. It has always been a sad thing to me when an old original call has been lost, like 620-KGW-Portland, 1250-KTW-Seattle, 1300-KOL-Seattle, 1360-KMO-Tacoma, 1260-KYA-San Francisco, and so on. I think the FCC should return the calls to the stations and they should not be able to retire them. This constant changing of calls & format is crazy anyway. A group of listeners enjoy a certain station, just to wake up one morning and their station is gone out the window. That format & call change lasts for another 6 months, and it is gone. No wonder AM radio is dying. Whatever happened to days when you knew your old friend, station "X" would always be there? There has to be some consistency in radio today. That is one thing that is affecting listening. I know of people that no longer listen to local stations, not because they don't want to, but their favorite station(s) are not there any longer. This ratings game has probably hurt radio more than it has helped too. There are too many stations for the amount of advertising to go around, so some stations will suffer anyway. Like in our market, of the 3 AM stations, only one has been consistent over the years to stay the format. Like it or not, it is KAST 1370. Still talk and has been for many years now. If you like KAST, you know they will probably be the same day after day. Both of the other stations have changed formats several times. KVAS 1230 is not even KVAS, but always will be to be, working there in the early 70s, but they are KKEE Sports now. Was C&W for many years. KSWB is old rock. They have not changed as much, but was Adult Standards for a time, but they seem to go back to oldies, which they are now and does a good job of it. But there is too much changing of formats and calls today. 73, (Patrick Martin, ibid.) Paul, I've got fond memories of KCKN-1340 from my days at KU in Lawrence. I can still hear their call letter jingle (Bruce Winkelman, Curmudgeon-in-training, Tulsa, OK, ibid.) This is a fun thread, the examples in which can be attributable to either failing memory or habit. I think the most devastating examples are when someone drops a sacred three-letter call. How can 590 in Omaha be anything but WOW? I haven't exactly done an exhaustive study - I'll leave that to Scott - but it's fun to watch a station change calls and engage in a humongous amount of hype - and then six or nine months later, revert to the original calls. What station holds the record for the most call letter changes? Out here it has to be either 920 in Olympia or 1090 in Seattle (Pete Taylor, Tacoma, WA, ICF2010 + Kiwa air core loop, DX398; Palomar loop, ibid.) 620 Portland has gone through a lot of call changes too. As well as 970. Trying to keep up and QSLing each one has been a chore too. 73, (Patrick Martin, ibid.) ** OMAN. R. Sultanate of Oman, 15140, 1400-1500 April 29, Big Ben-type chimes/gongs at 1400, then ID and English news. 1412 into music, variety of US pop, R&B, country. 1500 chimes/gongs, English news headlines, 1501 into Arabic; poor-fair (Brian Alexander, Mechanicsburg PA, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** PAKISTAN. RADIO PAKISTAN PLANNING MAJOR TECHNICAL IMPROVEMENTS The Director General of Radio Pakistan, Tariq Imam, has revealed that the station is planning 100% national coverage in terms of population and area. The plan involves replacing seven mediumwave and four shortwave transmitters and installing 47 new FM stations throughout the country at a cost of 2.6 billion rupees. The information was given at a briefing for Information and Broadcasting Minister Muhammad Ali Durrani and other government officials at the station's HQ in Islamabad yesterday. Read the full story from Online International News Network http://www.onlinenews.com.pk/details.php?id=96634 # posted by Andy @ 12:49 UT May 3 (Media Network blog via WORLD OF RADIO 1314, DXLD) ** PERU. Re Carraviz 1560: HI DX FRIENDS! I`m Alfredo in Lima, Perú. And I want to say that Mr. Jari Ruohomäki in Finland was the FIRST who received the signal of Carraviz, March 25, 2006. And I just heard the phone number and the QTH days later, then I shared the info with ALL, But HE was the ONE who DISCOVERED that station. 73 (Alfredo Canhote, DXSPACEMASTER, La Molina, Lima, Perú, May 2, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** PHILIPPINES. 15190, R. Pilipinas, May 4, 1757-1827, Tagalog, political commentary (``opposition party``, ``democracy``, etc.), financial news (current values for international currencies, etc.), sound effect, followed by ID, fair-good (Ron Howard, Monterey, CA, Etón E5, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** PORTUGAL. The DW relay station in Sines is operated by Pro-Funk, its full name in German being "Pro-Funk, Gesellschaft Für Rundfunk Im In- Und Ausland mbH", so, typically, "Pro-Funk GmbH" is the shorter version, and I'm sure many non-German speakers may have already stumbled into these letters, GmbH, which roughly translate into English as "Ltd." for limited. Postal addr.: Monte Mudo, P-7520-065 SINES P O R T U G A L tel +351-269- 87 02 80 fax +351-269-87 02 90 e-mail: profunk @ mail.telepac.pt A contact within Pro-Funk, Limitada (the Portuguese name for it), Carlos Mourato CT4RK, who lives in Sines and works at the station, explained the following after my recent comment on the possibility of spurii emanating from this relay be the cause of the sort of noise I observed on the 60 m band: "Our transmitters are adequately trimmed and constantly monitored so that the noise band observed 3 kHz above/below is of at least -50 dB. Secondly, we only broadcast on 3995 kHz after 2200 and on 5980 kHz 2100-2200, with all the remaining frequencies where DRM is used falling in the 11 & 15 MHz bands. Today [01May'06] for instance, the noise band on 5980 kHz was -48 dB 1 kHz on either side, i.e. on 5986 & 5974 kHz, the signal was 48 dB down relative to the power peak. Please note the DRM signal shows a steady value over the 10 kHz bandwidth, i.e. 5975~5985 kHz." 73, (Carlos Gonçalves, Portugal, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** RUSSIA. Hi! I have received a direct QSL letter from the "Television and Radio Transmitter Centre of Krasnodar Territory" confirming my reception of the 171 kHz transmitter broadcasting "Chechnya Svobodnaya" program. The letter includes the following information about the transmitter: freq.: 171 kHz callsign: RW-444 model: Buran-M power: 1200 kW. antenna: ARRT operation time: 03.00-21.00 GMT. The v/s is Mr. Valery Bulakh, Chief Executive of "Television and Radio Transmitter Centre of Krasnodar Territory". ADDR used: Territorial Centre for Broadcasting and Radio Communications-4, p. Oktyabrjskiy, Tbilisskiy rayon, 352341, Krasnodarskiy Kray, Russia. Sent CD no r/p. Received three big calendars with views of transmission centre too. Saludos (Mauricio Molano, Salamanca, Spain, May 3, HCDX via DXLD) ** SOUTH AFRICA. Frequency changes for Adventist World Radio: 1800-1830 English NF 9610 MEY 250 kW / 007 deg to EaAf, ex 9600 2000-2030 French NF 9655 MEY 500 kW / 350 deg to CeAf, ex 9735 2000-2030 French NF 9715 MEY 250 kW / 340 deg to WeAf, ex 9390 (DX Mix News, Bulgaria, May 4 via DXLD) ** SOUTH CAROLINA [non]. GERMANY(non), Frequency change of Brother Stair via DTK T-Systems from May 4: 1900-2100 NF 13810 JUL 100 kW / 160 deg to Ce/SoAf, ex 9405, re-ex 9860 (DX Mix News, Bulgaria, May 4 via DXLD) ** SRI LANKA. Re 6-069:``Dear Friends, SLBC Sri Lanka noted sign on in English at 0100 on 6005 9770 & 15745. Earlier they used to sign on half an hour earlier (Jose Jacob, India, May 2, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST)`` That`s because SL has shifted back to IST = UT +5:30, as maybe you had not heard while away in the Islands. SL provincially thinks in terms of local time rather than UT (Glenn Hauser, OK, WORLD OF RADIO 1314, DX LISTENING DIGEST) 11905, SLBC; *0018-0125 3 May. Tune-in to 1,000 Hz tuning tone, drums/choral interval from 0020, Hindi female ID 0025, into Hindi religious recitals till 0030 time sounder (five short, one long), ID, sitar music till 0040, man with seemingly religious sing-song patter, then subcontinental vocals. Clear and very good (Terry L Krueger, Clearwater, Florida USA, 27.55.83 N, 82.46.08 W, WORLD OF RADIO 1314, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** SURINAME. 4990, Radio Apintie presumed, 0850 OM in Dutch, 0900 music, deep fades, 1000 back to OM. 29 April (Robert Wilkner, Pómpano Beach FL, Japan Premium via DXLD) ** TRISTAN DA CUNHA. Hi Glenn, Put this URL in your Podcast downloader. http://www.lonelyplanet.com/podcasts/travelcast.xml Not directly related the shortwave but you might enjoy the Lonely Planet podcast about Tristan da Cunha. This was the real dream for DX'er; not sure if anyone ever heard it. 26.04.06, Destination Tristan da Cunha (20.4mb) Rob Crossan is in Tristan da Cunha, recording the intriguing sounds and voices of the world's most remote island. Right click this link and select 'Save As' to download or Listen here › RELATED Photo Feature: Tristan da Cunha http://www.lonelyplanet.com/podcasts/ (Larry Nebron, CA, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U K. Listen to the Tim Ayris Podcast from WRN. It's too bad WRN doesn't listen to Tim. You can download this from Itunes. ftp://217.163.8.200/podcast/wrn_forum411042006.mp3 73 (Larry Nebron, CA, DX LISTENING DIGEST) 8:40 ** U K. Just a quick note on my take on the comment about "sizeable" in regards to North American BBC listeners on SW: It's not that there *are*, currently, that many people actively listening to the BBC on SW (like I do, and like I suppose most of you do). It's that, no matter how much WiFi penetration there will be at some time in the future, and how many people eventually use satellite radio, right now a properly-powered SW service from the right relay sites can blanket the entire continent and provide decent signals to all the 300+ million North Americans who are potential BBC listeners, and they can then have the capability to hear it with a $50 (or less) radio. No computer-based system of hardware and software can match this now, and it will be decades before it will be available (if ever, given the extent of some of the less-populated regions). And the pay- for-subscription service model of satellite radio will cut off a huge portion of that potential audience, limiting that option. It's *that* number that is "sizeable", not the current listenership. One other side comment -- in a recent BBC "Over to you" feedback program, they mentioned that half the Worldservice's listeners are now in Africa, and broke it down somewhat further by country. Of course, they have forced this by the way they have arranged SW and local-relay services, and that adds to the "self-fulfilling prophecy" aspect of the discussion. 73, (Will Martin, MO, May 3, dxldyg via DXLD) The BBC is not alone at reducing or abandoning SW broadcast to developed countries. Interestingly enough it was the VOA that pulled the SW and AM plug on Europe long before the BBC reciprocated. However in Europe little was said about the loss of VOA. Not wishing to sound unkind, but if the American tax payer can ill afford to run the VOA radio service to Europe, why should the Beeb not be effected by the same financial criteria? I guess the maximum broadcasting effort is being made towards countries that don't have a free press and everything, including radio and TV, is politically controlled by a sometimes unelected government. The USA on the other hand is probably one of the best informed and most democratic nations on earth. I do agree that the BBC should be flattered that in an era of diminishing international broadcasting people are still anxious to access the service. Mind you while we are cutting back on SW, the People's Republic Of China have become one of the most prolific international broadcasters (Andy Cadier, UK, ibid.) ** U K. BBC STATEMENTS OF PROGRAMME POLICY 2006/2007 PUBLISHED TODAY The BBC's Statements of [domestic] Programme Policy (SoPPs) are published online today. The statements detail, service by service, how the BBC will deliver its public service remit across its portfolio over the year ahead. The priorities outlined for 2006/2007 reflect what audiences have said they want from the BBC. Mark Thompson, BBC Director-General, says: "The style of SoPPs has changed this year to reflect the BBC's transition to new governance arrangements. However, we have yet again demonstrated our ongoing commitment to meeting audience needs and to delivering excellence and value across all our services. We will offer diverse television, radio and new media content, as well as non-broadcast services such as the orchestras. Our efforts to provide the best in information, education, and entertainment are enhanced this year with innovative services like the Creative Archive and pilots such as BBC iPlayer [subject to approval by the Board of Governors, which will include a public value test]. For the first time this year we have a new public purpose: to help build digital Britain. Without exception every BBC service now provides some digital interactivity – whether podcasts or a website – designed to encourage and include everyone, and to expose us all to the benefits of the future. It is fitting, therefore, that this year's SoPPs are only available online." BBC Statements of Programme Policy 2006/2007 http://www.bbc.co.uk/info/statements2006/index.shtml # posted by Andy @ 12:36 UT May 2 (Media Network blog via DXLD) ** U S A. COMMENTARY: AT VOA, LESS SHORTWAVE = LESS GLOBAL Sites Like the IBB Shortwave Facility At Kavala, Greece, Will Be Missed --- by Kim Andrew Elliott --- RW Special Report 05.10.06 http://www.rwonline.com/reference-room/special-report/2006.05.10-05_rw_guest_voa.shtml The Broadcasting Board of Governors, which oversees U.S. government funded international broadcasting, has decided to shift resources to newer media, such as satellite-delivered television, and to languages associated with the war on terror. The BBG intends to close Voice of America's News Now, its global English service, along with five other language services and radio, while keeping television, in six additional languages. International Broadcasting Bureau relay stations in Greece have already shut down. The cuts are part of the proposed fiscal 2007 budget of $671.9 million for U.S. international broadcasting. It has not announced a specific date for the closure of VOA News Now, however it would probably happen by Oct. 1, when the new fiscal year begins. When the power is cut These days, international broadcasters achieve their largest audiences by placing programs on television or FM stations inside the target country. For cross-border delivery of detailed news and current affairs reports, a Web site is the most efficient means. But in closed societies, and in more open societies when they descend into crises, these local television and FM relays are not available, and Web sites are blocked. Some recent examples: The State Department's human rights report for Togo reported that in February 2005 "the Voice of America affiliate in the northern city of Sokode, Radio Tchaoudjo, had its power cut just before each VOA news segment. Power was always restored 30 minutes after the scheduled start of the thrice-daily broadcasts. Togo would turn off electricity to the local FM station during the half hour it rebroadcast." In February 2006, according to Reporters Without Borders, Uganda joined the expanding list of countries blocking Web sites, the first sub-Saharan country to do so. Shortwave can also be blocked, by way of jamming, but rarely with complete success. This is because shortwave is the only medium of international broadcasting granted immunity from interdiction by the laws of physics. Signals from distant broadcasters are often heard with stronger signals than closer jamming transmitters. A shortwave broadcaster can usually overcome jamming by transmitting on as many frequencies as possible, from as many locations as possible. For VOA, this is becoming less possible. The United States needs the ability to deliver a strong shortwave signal into any part of the world at any time. This is why the IBB shortwave facility at Kavala, Greece, will be missed. The site - off the air as of March 26 - was an amazing performer. On my VOA program "Communications World," which ran from 1995 to 2002, it was not uncommon for me to be heard by listeners from New Zealand to North America, who were listening on the same Kavala frequency at the same time. Kavala is strategically located one or two ionospheric hops away from countries where domestic media are suppressed, or could be in the future. Global shortwave coverage? Without Kavala, or some replacement facility in the same region, VOA's global coverage is in question. The IBB is left with no major shortwave site between Morocco and Sri Lanka. VOA's shortwave transmitters may be needed in the future for languages now most effectively served by local television and FM rebroadcasts, when those relays are taken off the air because of a crisis or a new dictator in the target country. For now, these shortwave transmitters can usefully be occupied with a global English service. The global English-speaking community consists of the elites of virtually every country, as well as expatriates of the United States and other countries, workers abroad, international students, Peace Corps and other volunteers, NGO employees, missionaries, seafarers, diplomats, military personnel and so on. This is perhaps the most influential audience in the world, and they make the effort to be well informed. Many of these people live or travel in areas where CNN International or BBC World are not available on the local cable television system, or where Internet access is unsatisfactory. And so they carry along their shortwave radios. This audience can't be served by VOA if the broadcaster does not have a global English service. VOA may not be able to deliver programming to the global English-speaking community, nor to future overseas hotspots, if it has a gaping hole in its global shortwave network. Kim Andrew Elliott, here expressing his own views, is an audience research analyst for the International Broadcasting Bureau. His Web site is kimandrewelliott.com. RW welcomes other points of view (via Mike Barraclough, Jilly Dybka, Mike Terry, DXLD) We were under the impression that IBB usage of Kavala did not close until a few weeks after March 26, and the site is still on with ERA programming. Is Kim correct, and perhaps IBB has been off Kavala, since the start of A-06, with frequencies already moved to other sites as of March 27? Note info below reflecting many Kavala replacements, and see also GREECE (Glenn Hauser, DXLD) Truer words were never spoken, IMHO. Yes, there is a cost associated with maintaining a global shortwave service in English. But no one here is arguing that such as service should be (or need be) maintained at the levels it was during the Cold War years (such as by using multiple frequencies and transmitter sites simultaneously) when shortwave was the only option for international broadcasting. Outside of crisis times and crisis locales, single frequencies could be used to wide areas from close-in transmitter sites as a means of maintaining a minimal but consistent global presence and keeping key transmitter sites in strategic locations in good working order. Such a service also would serve a small, but arguably important (and grateful) audience traveling in remote areas (i.e: aid workers, expatriates, even vacationers). Some transmitters and transmission sites could still be retired through careful planning and cooperation among "like-minded" nations that could be trusted not to interdict a client's transmissions. All this could be done prudently at very low and reasonable cost if intelligently planned. Television is desirable, but it is expensive and is very easy to interdict, as Dr. Elliott points out. In the past, in the euphoria over "new things", the old tried and true time and time again has been initially discarded, only for the euphoric to learn that something has indeed been lost and that the tried and true still has usefulness, albeit in a changed role. At the rate the IBB is closing down the tried and true, none of it will be left when that realization is inevitably reached. Sort of like the trams (streetcars) of old in the U.S., which several cities are reintroducing now at substantial cost, after having literally ripped up the rails at the behest of the carmakers (John Figliozzi, swprograms via DXLD) Although I agree with the good doctor's commentary, I do see some flaws in his logic. First, he presumes that shortwave will be a useful option if it's needed one day. To be useful, shortwave must a) reach its target audience, and b) be receivable on [equipment] they have. Those two criteria are always the very same areas shortwave has been weak in forever. I mean, shortwave broadcasters have never been able to compile credible statistics about their listening audiences. I suppose that's just inherent to the medium, but it is also what is driving shortwave listening to virtual extinction. Logic says that you're going to catch hell trying to retain funding if you can't provide solidly-based numbers about your audience. I sadly don't think shortwave broadcasters realized just how important audience statistics were until the early '90's, and it was already much too late by then. You can bet your last dollar that consumer electronics companies know exactly how many television sets are sold, and in which countries. Those companies take delight in publishing that data because it shows how successful they are. No such statistics were ever kept on the sales of shortwave-capable radios. I guess you can chalk the omission up to an earlier, less sophisticated era, but that lack of data now leaves broadcasters with very little hard numbers to use in justify their budgets. Another facet of Dr. Elliott's commentary that makes my teeth itch is the supposition that shortwave can again be valuable in crisis areas if only we'll maintain the physical plants. Maybe, but I find myself wondering about the average life-span of a shortwave portable in your typical third-world environment. They may be so cherished that they are pampered and last forever. That might be the case, but I seriously doubt it. I think a more likely scenario is that we would have saved expensive fixed-point transmitter facilities to reach into a stricken area where few --- if any --- can hear us. If it comes down to a choice between reaching a few radios or TVs, the latter would probably give more information faster to the people who need it the most. I notice that most "radio people" still think in terms of fixed-point operations. Where were they these last twenty years? These days, it's a lot cheaper to pop a Commando Solo into wherever a RF presence is needed. We have at [least] one squadron of those puppies already, and they're pretty cheap to buy and fly. The bulk of their budget just goes to program production costs. The C-130s themselves are incredibly reliable, rugged, and downright miserly on gas when asked to be. An added advantage is that signals from aircraft (including TV signals) are much harder to jam effectively. Hell, I daresay that even the Aussies and Kiwis could afford a few copies of a stripped-down Commando Solo (without our onboard jammers and other spooky toys). By the way, I'm now listening to more "radio" than ever before. The only differences are that the shows are now called "podcasts," and I listen at a time of my choosing. If I get a bur up my ass, I can even listen to the BBC, R. Australia, R. New Zealand, etc live via EVDO as I walk my dog. (Easy John, don't cry. :)) (Scott Royall, Conch Republic, ibid.) ** U S A [non]. Some changes for IBB: *NF Radio Liberty: 0400-0500 Russian 9520 MOR 250 kW / 043 deg, ex LAM 100 kW / 065 deg 0300-0400 Tajik 9760 KWT 250 kW / 070 deg, ex LAM 100 kW / 065 deg 1900-2000 Tatar 9650 WER 500 kW / 090 deg, ex KAV 250 kW / 051 deg Radio Farda: 0200-0300 Persian 9775 WER 500 kW / 090 deg, ex KAV 250 kW / 090 deg 0300-0400 Persian 9775 DHA 250 kW / non-dir, ex KAV 250 kW / 090 deg 0400-0500 Persian 9510 DHA 250 kW / non-dir, ex KAV 250 kW / 090 deg 0400-0500 Persian *15255 WER 500 kW / 090 deg, ex 15225 KAV 250 / 100 0500-0700 Persian 9510 WER 500 kW / 090 deg, ex KAV 250 kW / 090 deg 0500-0600 Persian *15255 IRA 125 kW / 340 deg, ex 15225 KAV 250 / 100 0600-0800 Persian 17845 IRA 125 kW / 340 deg, ex KAV 250 kW / 100 deg 0700-0800 Persian 9510 DHA 250 kW / non-dir, ex KAV 250 kW / 090 deg 0800-0930 Persian 15290 DHA 250 kW / non-dir, ex KAV 250 kW / 100 deg 0930-1000 Persian 15290 IRA 125 kW / 340 deg, ex KAV 250 kW / 100 deg 1700-1900 Persian 7105 WER 500 kW / 090 deg, ex KAV 250 kW / 105 deg Voice of America: 1500-1530 Uzbek * 7555 IRA 250 kW / 340 deg, ex 11520 1700-1730 Shona *13755 SAO 100 kW / 138 deg, ex 11975 Mon-Fri 1700-1730 Shona *17730 MOR 250 kW / 172 deg, ex 17895 Mon-Fri 1730-1800 English *13755 SAO 100 kW / 138 deg, ex 11975 Mon-Fri 1730-1800 English *17730 MOR 250 kW / 172 deg, ex 17895 Mon-Fri 1800-1830 Ndebele *13755 IRA 250 kW / 291 deg, ex 12110 Mon-Fri 1800-1830 Ndebele *17730 SAO 100 kW / 138 deg, ex 15730 Mon-Fri 1300-1400 Kurdish * 9695 KWT 250 kW / 070 deg, ex 9825 KAV 250 / 090 1730-1800 Oromo 11905 WER 500 kW / 150 deg, ex KAV 250 / 172 M-F 1800-1845 Amharic 11905 WER 500 kW / 150 deg, ex KAV 250 / 172 deg 1845-1900 Amharic 11905 DHA 250 kW / 225 deg, ex KAV 250 / 172 deg 1900-1930 Tigrina 11905 DHA 250 kW / 225 deg, ex KAV 250 / 172 M-F 1630-1800 Persian 6040 WER 500 kW / 090 deg, ex KAV 250 / 105 deg 1800-1930 Persian 6040 DHA 250 kW / non-dir, ex KAV 250 / 105 deg (DX Mix News, Bulgaria, May 4 via DXLD) ** U S A. WOR on WBCQ: this week Wed May 3, it was not a phone feed, but started 3 minutes late at 2203 on 7415; was the end cut off as a result? Quite contrary to last week, the first repeat after 2300 was inbooming here on 18910-CLSB (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A. Greetings from Dallas. If you remember I was one of the co- hosts of the 2003 convention, the 70th anniversary NRC convention, along with John Callarman and Bill Hale. And since that time life has taken some interesting turns. First of all, I'm still the audio guru at WFAA-TV, celebrating 25 years as an employee. . . AM and FM radio in Dallas-Fort Worth has seen a few changes since the 2003 convention. Top AM stations are WBAP-820 News Talk, KTCK-1310 guy talk-sports (and the new radio home of the Dallas Cowboys), KRLD-1080 and KLIF-570, both news-talk. KMKI-620, Radio Disney, KAAM-770, Nostalgia and KRLD were the first adoptees of AM-IBOC, for better or worse. KSKY-660 now has a conservative talk format, business news can be found daytimes on 1360. Air America is on 910. 1160, which was KBIS-1150 is oldies for now but is said to be going talk, probably syndicated. The once mighty 1190 is country oldies. KKDA-730 is still "Soul 73", 1480 takes Southern Gospel music from the bird. 970 and 1040 are black-gospel, and 850-870-1270-1440-1540-1600 are Spanish or other foreign languages including Indian and Oriental. Our two X banders are KKGM-1630 with religion, some gospel music and sports, and KKLF-1700 which simulcasts 570. Easiest way to get in touch is at wallyw26 @ verizon.net I look forward to continued participation the club. Thanks so much! (Wally Wawro, May 2, NRC via DXLD) He also explains his medical condition, awaiting a heart transplant (gh) ** U S A. In response to Michael Procop and the God of Broadcasting at WABC: I don't often wander into posting replies in these parts (then again, DX season for me is just now beginning and I'm back in my usual DX region in Michigan again -- void of DX - FYI). But this one I had to reply to. I hate to say it, especially to Michael because I respect Michael 10000 times more than this guy at WABC for his lack of caring, but I almost agree with the WABC guy. WABC is a pretty busy station, a big one at that. He is completely correct: the hobby of DXing is a DYING ONE. Maybe it's the people such as myself that help keep it alive --- 24 years old and somehow still hanging in there with the old folks and keeping some of the old interests and all, alive, as well as spreading the word to other younger folks about this interest. Although many are fascinated in it I find, not enough to take it up as a hobby. I have never taken an ounce of interest in QSL cards or verification of any kind however. I do not see any point in this. I think it is dead. The only people who seem to keep this alive are the older people (... greatest apologizes if anyone has taken offense to my word of "older" - you're not the only ones who still do this!). If I hear a station in Florida via Es, I'm thrilled, really. I e-mail the station and let them know "hey, I heard you way the hell up here". They're happy usually. They often give me a mail in return thanking me for the note. It's exciting to DJs knowing they were heard so far away. But, I don't go further than that. I know most of these people just don't give a crap aside from brief excitement and they sure as hell don't care enough to verify anything. The verification is with myself -- I know I heard it, I jot it down, I'm happy. I can say --- you believe that I heard it or you don't. If you don't, well, I know I did. Verification these days --- no longer needed. It is, as was said, something from the old days when there weren't so many goddamn stations dotting every f_ing inch of terrain of the continent. Yes, it pisses me off to have to agree with Phil Boyce here, but our hobby is a dying one. This is why it is so important for us to stay together with newsgroups such as this one, or the WTFDA's VUD (which I write for -- deepest deepest apologies for lack of FM News this month -- hit me if you want, I suck!). DXing is dealing with IBOC and digital whatevers and things that I even don't know about right now. As a younger guy, I hate these things that other people my age love, and it's because it's fooling with my favourite hobby of DXing. Maybe hate the guy for what he's said, and he is a tad stuck-up (... well, that's not saying enough), but there is a little bit of truth stuck in there. Still, I'm on Michael's side. Management isn't helping any of us... especially at WABC. Michael on the other hand has done a great deal for me in the past year :) (Chris Kadlec, Fremont MI, FM News editor, amfmtvdx at qth.net via DXLD) And, truly enough, DXing has been through plenty of changes before: - Stations refusing to standby for DX programs (yes, in the 1920s stations could be convinced to go off the air to allow DXers to hear other stations on the same frequency!) - The explosion of new stations after WWII - All-night operation (I'm not that old, and I remember a day when many stations still signed off at midnight or 1 am) - 24/7 operation (many stations that did operate 24 hours during the week used to sign off for a few hours early Sunday and/or Monday morning) - FM. Originally it was felt FM would completely replace AM. - TV. Originally it was felt TV would completely replace radio. - Breakup of the clear channels. Originally, "clear" meant *exactly* that -- *no* other station operating on that frequency at night. And sometimes, during the day. I have a 1951 station list on my desk. At that time, CBK-540, WMAQ-670, WGN-720, and WOAI-1200 were the ONLY stations on their frequencies, day *or* night. WLW shared only with VOWR in Newfoundland. - Electric stuff in the home besides lights and radios. Used to be bad wiring - and streetcars - and thunderstorms - were the only sources of noise. - Restrictive covenants and zoning. Used to be if you owned a home (and often, even if you rented) you could have an outdoor antenna. - LPTV. DXers feared it would clutter the dial with useless mini- stations. (actually, it did, but we're still DXing...) DXing is still around. WTFDA membership is indeed relatively constant. What's dying is our relevance to stations. The value of DX reports to stations is long gone. As the broadcasters who knew of our past value die off, they're replaced by personnel who don't know, don't care, and don't see any benefit to the station. Unfortunate, but like the days of $1.09/gal. gas, it's history. – (Doug Smith W9WI, Pleasant View (Nashville), TN EM66, http://www.w9wi.com ibid.) ** U S A. KCKN 1020 Roswell NM, ``alien cowboy`` QSL card received in the P-mail today for their April 3 DX test. Thanks! Probably my first NM MW QSL since KOB (not KKOB) a couple sesquidecades ago. We already had a link to a jpg of it (Glenn Hauser, Enid OK, May 4, DX LISTENING DIGEST) see also OKLAHOMA [and non] ** U S A. WORDS OF WISDOM: LET IT BE --- A commercial-free FM station has an eclectic playlist and avid fans whose curiosity is spooking the reclusive man behind the music. By Charles Duhigg, Times Staff Writer May 1, 2006 TUCSON — The cult of the mysterious KCDX-FM started innocently enough. Bill Keeling, a 51-year-old respiratory therapist, found the Arizona radio station when his daughter fiddled with his car stereo. Lynn Richeson, a graphic designer, fell in love with it when she heard a song for the first time in 30 years. One man became an acolyte after he rented a car in Phoenix and all the radio buttons were set to 103.1. The signal, which started broadcasting throughout central Arizona and much of Phoenix in 2002, played an eclectic mix that included hits by Huey Lewis and the News and an obscure 1971 tune about cannibalism by the Buoys. There were no commercials, no DJs, no way the station made money. Hundreds of e-mails filled KCDX's inbox each week. Who was choosing the playlists? How did the station survive without advertising? [much more, fascinating story] http://www.latimes.com/news/printedition/la-fi-kcdx1may01,1,300302.story (via DXLD) ** VATICAN. Very good signal on 21850 (55555) at 1115 UT (Denis, Curitiba - Brazil, May 3, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) See GERMANY R. Vaticano. Nuevo servicio?? Saludos cordiales, escuchada a Radio Vaticano el 3 de Mayo en español por la frecuencia de 11740 desde las 1157 a 1200 en el final de su transmisión, con un SINPO 45554, comentarios y locutor con horarios y frecuencias, sintonía. A partir de esa hora no hubo ningún otro servicio de Radio Vaticano; no me consta ni en el EiBi ni en el ILG. Se trata de un nuevo servicio??, emisión accidental?? Atentamente (José Miguel Romero, Spain, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) 4 Mayo: 11740, Radio Vaticano, 1151-1158, escuchada en español; lo curioso de esta transmisión hoy es que estuve a la escucha en esta frecuencia desde las 1132. No había emisión; sin embargo a las 1146 se activa una señal sin emisión y poco después desaparece, a las 1150 ocurre lo mismo y a las 1151 empieza a escucharse el programa ya empezado con unas palabras de Juan Pablo II, las últimas que pronunció en su visita a Nicaragua, para finalizar una cuña publicitando de cómo escuchar sus programas a través de internet. Al terminar anuncian las siguientes frecuencias en Onda Corta: 1850 kHz, 7305 kHz, 9605 kHz y 11910 kHz, despedida en español y latín, SINPO 45554 (José Miguel Romero, Burjasot (Valencia), España, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) Bueno, en los horarios hay español a las 1130 en 21850 (no 1850!) (y OM 1260) excepto domingos (y sábados?). E italiano de las 12 en 11740. Parece que encienden el transmisor para ésto un poco temprano, pero debe ser sólo con portadora. Nota: en WRTH 2006 dicen que la emisión de las 1130 dura hasta las 15! Esto se debe a que RV nunca publica en sus propios esquemas la hora que termina cada emisión. En su página http://www.oecumene.radiovaticana.org/spa/sched_ame.asp vemos que la siguiente emisión comienza a las 15. Esto NO quiere decir que la anterior dure tantas horas! Supongo que existan otros errores tales que no podemos creer. 73, (Glenn Hauser, ibid.) Saludos cordiales Glenn, he revisado la grabación obtenida y compruebo que anuncian en 16.13 [sic] metros 1850 kHz, sin lugar a dudas es un error en la cuña, querría decir 21850. También he esperado a la transmisión de las 1300, estaba a la escucha desde 4 ó 5 minutos antes del comienzo, no había emisión. Se supone que tendría que estar la emisión en italiano; sin embargo a las 1259 se ha activado la señal y he podido escuchar el final anunciando la emisión en italiano. Luego comenzó la transmisión en español y se prolongó hasta las 1315. Compruebo que no se trata de la misma emisión escuchada una hora antes; a las 1315 comienza la emisión en portugués. SINPO 45454. 73 (José Miguel, ibid.) From 07.05.06 onwards Vatican Radio Tamil service planned to change their morning service. New frequency 0100-0120 UT: 9650, 12055 kHz (K. Raja, 21, J. P. Koil Street, Old Washermenpet, Chennai-600021, Tamilnadu, South India, May 4, DX LISTENING DIGEST) So maybe even more changes are imminent; as previously discovered here by John Callarman: (Glenn Hauser, DXLD) Frequency changes for Vatican Radio effective Apr. 30: 0030-0100 Portug. NF 9610 SMG 100 kW / 250 deg to SoAm, ex 9605 0100-0145 Spanish NF 9610 SMG 100 kW / 250 deg to SoAm, ex 9605 0145-0230 Spanish NF 9610 SMG 100 kW / 270 deg to SoAm, ex 9605 0230-0250 French NF 9610 SMG 125 kW / 300 deg to CeAm, ex 9605 0250-0320 English NF 9610 SMG 125 kW / 300 deg to CeAm, ex 9605 0320-0400 Spanish NF 9610 SMG 125 kW / 300 deg to CeAm, ex 9605 (DX Mix News, Bulgaria, May 4 via DXLD) ** VIETNAM [non]. TAIWAN, 7380, Little Saigon Radio via Taiwan. Apr. 28 at *1500-1530*. SINPO 43443. QRM from a station on 7375. Sign-on with chorus & ID in Vietnamese. Talk & popular songs (Iwao Nagatani, Japan, Japan Premium via DXLD) ** ZIMBABWE [non]. New frequencies for VOA Studio 7 service, M-F 1700- 1830 in Shona, English, Ndebele, on 13755 and 17730, as above under USA, but note that altho both frequencies run the entire sesquihour, strangely, transmitter sites change at 1800 from São Tomé on 13755, Morocco on 17730, to Sri lanka on 13755, São Tomé on 17730. What is the point of this? No other option due to lack of previous transmitter availability after 1800? (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** ZIMBABWE [non]. Hi Glenn, Forwarding this info I received just to let you know that SWRA is back only on MW 1197. 73 (David Pringle- Wood, Harare, May 3, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Viz.: Please note that on Wednesday 03/05/06 SW Radio Africa will be resuming our Mediumwave transmissions on Mediumwave 1197 kHz 5 – 7am Zimbabwe time. You will still be able to access us online 24 hours a day at http://www.swradioafrica.com Mandisa B Mundawarara SW Radio Africa 'Zimbabwe's Independent Voice' MW 1197 kHz (05h00 - 07h00) SW Radio Africa is an independent station run by and for Zimbabweans. We broadcast on medium wave to Southern Africa, and world-wide on the internet. We are not affiliated to any political party (via David Pringle-Wood, WORLD OF RADIO 1314, DXLD) That would be Lesutu, 03-05 UT (gh) Re 6-069: Hi Glenn, Thank you for your editorial integrity! By holding back these postings that they had returned to shortwave again, you helped prevent the jamming of SWRA. If the authorities in Zimbabwe had learned of the activities of SWRA, for sure they would have jammed their programs. Persistent jamming was one reason SWRA ceased broadcasting their programs via shortwave. Back on March 17th, I received an e-mail from Gerry Jackson (station founder and manager) indicating what the situation was with her programming. I felt guilty about not posting this in full on DXLD, but did not feel comfortable giving this information out via a public forum. So of course I believe your editorial decision to hold back the postings about SWRA until now was the correct one! For what it's worth, here is her e-mail: -----Original Message----- From: Gerry Jackson Sent: Friday, March 17, 2006 7:49 AM To: Ron Howard Subject: RE: Greetings from California Dear Ron, Good to hear from you and thanks so much for letting us know we're being heard. It's a complex, and sadly temporary situation. As you know we were jammed on SW and turned to a rather badly placed MW transmitter that covers only part of Zimbabwe but most of South Africa. We also only have access to the transmitter in the early hours of the morning which is less than ideal. There's recently been a fire at the transmitter site so we've lost MW. Our service provider therefore put us back on SW until repairs are effected, but of course we can't advertise it because we will be jammed. So up until Sunday 19th we remain on 3230 KHZ and are heard from 5 - 7 am in Southern Africa. This changes as from Monday 20th when we are going back to evening broadcasts as this is the preferred listening time. We sent out the following email: While repairs are being undertaken to enable our early morning Medium Wave transmission to resume SWRADIOAFRICA will be temporarily available IN THE EVENING on Short Wave at the following times: From Monday 20th March 2006 to Saturday 25th March: Between 7 and 9 pm in Southern Africa From Sunday 26th March 2006 onwards: Between 6 and 8 pm in Southern Africa Short Wave Frequency: 3230 KHZ With the government so determined to jam our shortwave signals we would appreciate it if you would forward this with discretion and help spread the information through word of mouth. We believe the MW transmitter may be repaired sometime in early April, but we're not certain. You really have to have dedicated listeners when you're trying to get around a dictator who is determined to silence you! Thanks for listening Ron. Keep well. Best Regards, Gerry - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - (Ron Howard, Monterey, CA, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** ZIMBABWE [and non]. RADIO VOICE OF THE PEOPLE WINS SPECIAL MEDIA AWARD Radio Voice of the People, the Harare-based radio and production house whose directors are being persecuted by the authorities in Zimbabwe, has been awarded the 2006 One World Special Award for Community Media. The award will be presented in London on 8 June. Radio VOP, as it is commonly known, is privately owned by Zimbabweans and has since 2000 been battling to obtain a commercial licence to broadcast locally on FM. In the meantime, it broadcasts on shortwave via the Radio Netherlands Madagascar relay station. A bomb destroyed its Milton Park offices in 2002, and police and officials of the Central Intelligence Organisation raided new VOP offices in Beverly Court in December 2005 - in search of transmission equipment, which they could not find. They ended up by arresting three employees who were only released four days later, after the directors had presented themselves to police. On Thursday, Harare Magistrate Rebecca Takavadii remanded the VOP directors out of custody to 14 June. The directors are being accused of broadcasting from Zimbabwe without a licence, a charge they deny. (Source: Zimbabwe Standard) One World Broadcasting Trust http://www.owbt.org/ # posted by Andy @ 11:05 UT May 2 (Media Network blog via DXLD) ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ UNSOLICITED TESTIMONIALS ++++++++++++++++++++++++ Hope things are well. I appreciate World of Radio a lot. I've caught a lot of DX that I probably would otherwise have missed if I hadn't heard you talk about it. Take care and 73, (Rene' F. Tetro, PA, Radio Veronica US) PUBLICATIONS ++++++++++++ MW CIRCLE WEBSITE NEWS Since the Medium Wave Circle re-launched its web site on 31st March there has been continued development. In April we added: 1) A substantial collection of over 50 independent receiver reviews has been added, re-housed from Radio Netherlands. http://www.mwcircle.org/page100.htm 2) Audio clips from the new R Caroline & Laser 558 CDs have been added so you can listen before you buy. http://www.mwcircle.org/mcd.htm#rc 3) Another archive CD has been added to our catalogue, namely the archive of the famous Sony ICF2010/2001D receiver http://www.mwcircle.org/mcd.htm#sony 4) An example extract from the MWC All Time DX Logs has been added on line so you can see what you are getting before you order the Volume 51 Archive CD http://www.mwcircle.org/mcd.htm#vol51 5) A direct link to the Circle shop. http://www.mwcircle.org/shop.htm 6) An Introduction in Portuguese has been added http://www.mwcircle.org/page63.htm 7) An Introduction in Danish has been added http://www.mwcircle.org/page52.htm 8) Live Solar Terrestrial Data direct from NOAA is now fed directly to our Home Page; http://www.mwcircle.org/index.htm 9) The popular "Hear Some DX" has been expanded to include South America, Africa, Mexico & Canada. http://www.mwcircle.org/page10.htm 10) Some more QSL cards and photos have been added to their respective galleries http://www.mwcircle.org/page20.htm What would you like to see on the MWC website? Enjoy! (Steve Whitt, MWC, May 3, DX LISTENING DIGEST) DIGITAL BROADCASTING ++++++++++++++++++++ HD RADIOS AT NAB LAS VEGAS Couple of entries and pictures of HD Radios at NAB Las Vegas in Jonathan Marks' weblog including: I went to a couple of electronic store outlets in Vegas (like Fry's) and they hadn't heard (yet) of HD Radio - they said I must be confusing it with XM or Sirius radio. Perfect proof that marketing still has a long way to go. http://criticaldistance.blogspot.com/ (Mike Barraclough, DX LISTENING DIGEST) CLEAR CHANNEL CE COMMENTS ON AM IBOC POWER LEVEL Fred Vobbe discovered and passed on this information concerning IBOC: "The following letter, reportedly from Steve Davis, Chief Engineer, Clear Channel Radio, is posted on the radiolists.net website to resolve a controversy associated with AM IBOC sideband power levels. While it is one thing to quote the power of an individual carrier within an IBOC sideband, it is another to quote the aggregate power of all the IBOC carriers. For a 50 kW AM station, the aggregate IBOC power amounts to 2.4 kW according to the Davis letter, not 500 watts as had apparently been claimed in an earlier posting." http://tinyurl.com/q6kn7 (via Paul Swearingen, KS, May 1, NRC via DXLD) Well, now I know why KOA wipes out the entire 800 range! (Wayne Heinen, Aurora CO, ibid.) THANK STATIONS FOR TURNING OFF THAT BOTHERSOME HISSING NOISE 830-KMXE had been running IBOC for quite a while, but I noticed a couple weeks ago they've turned it off. Been meaning to mention that. Not that it matters much here since their analog splatter is almost as bad as IBOC (Jay Heyl, Orange, CA, ABDX via DXLD) I have maintained several times, on different lists, that it could not hurt to send a letter to the operations manager of the station and thank them for turning off the bothersome hissing noise that has been noticed on their signal recently. Since the general viewpoint is that the average listener is not yet aware of AM HD, I believe such a letter would have value beyond the minimal effort it would take to write and send it. And of course this is sent as a local listener, which of course you are; not a DXer. This is a real letter, ink on paper. No e-mails. Too easy to ignore e- mail Yes it is worth the 39 cents. But then if you don't notice any bothersome hissing noise, or if you do believe in the future of HD on AM, or if you believe that radio stations are just vehicles for marketing and advertising, and do not exist to serve listeners, then by all means, don't send that letter. BTW I believe letters such as this are supposed to end up in the Public File. Not that that matters a lot. What matters is that the PF exist, not necessarily what it contains. Probably best to make no mention of PF. Any comment on why this would not be worth doing? (Bob Foxworth, FL, ibid.) I was wondering about KMXE; I hadn't noticed their IBOC lately. I think there are one or two down in San Diego too. I think KOGO-600 was running it, but I haven't heard the hash the last couple of days. It sure seems to me that while FM IBOC is moving forward, with HD2 channels coming on line, and the ads starting to appear, AM is a very different story. Lots of stations turning it on, only to turn it back off again later. Either they are having engineering difficulties, or they just don't see much value in AM IBOC at this point (Brian Leyton, Valley View CA, ibid.) KFWB-980 has IBOC installed as well, but has not been running it on a regular basis. Brian knows how I know this :-) There is definitely a difference right now in the way the engineering community sees the two systems. Unfortunately, as we all know, the decisions being made at the FCC are being made for political, not engineering, reasons. s (Scott Fybush, NY, ibid.) Well, in this case, Jay would have to write the letter in Spanish in order for it to be plausible, as KMXE is SS :-) Point well taken, though. I think I read in the CGC Communicator a while back about a big controversy over XEPRS-1090 in Tijuana, and how they were getting hammered from both sides (KNX-1070 and KDIS-1110). They program English sports, and historically they have always commanded a pretty nice share of listeners in the L.A. area. When KNX and KDIS went IBOC, they started getting a lot of listener complaints about hiss on their signal. These three 50 kW stations would have been a wonderful test case for the legal aspects of IBOC interference, were it not for one crucial factor. As a Mexican station, XEPRS has no legal right to an interference-free contour on this side of the border. Case closed. As IBOC gets turned on at more stations, I'm sure that the victim stations will start getting more complaints, and eventually a good test case will come along. It's just a matter of time. Hopefully there will still be an AM band by then (Brian Leyton, Valley Village, CA (GMT -0800 [sic]), DX-398 / RS Loop, ibid.) NAB 2006 --- Herculean changes are underway for the radio and television broadcast industries as graphically displayed at the just- concluded NAB Convention in Las Vegas, Nevada. Multiple platforms now compete for viewers' eyes and ears where MoTV (mobile TV) receivers tuned to proprietary data streams are about to become the latest assault to the traditional viewing model. In the radio arena, iPods, satellite radio and Internet audio continue to siphon off valuable ears. And the changes are coming at a breathtaking pace. For example, a draft Report and Order to allow all U.S. AM stations to use HD Radio at night is reportedly sitting on the FCC Chairman's desk. Insiders say the document will allow all stations (with equipment in place) to light up simultaneously. Hopefully an interference resolution mechanism is included in the paperwork. Broadcast engineers surveyed on the floor of the NAB were not optimistic about the long-term prospects of AM HD at night, but iBiquity investors will undoubtedly make a concerted effort to make it work (CGC Communicator May 1 via Kevin Redding, ABDX via DXLD) DRM PRESENTATION AT COLOGNE RTL Radio presented DRM on the Radio Day branch meeting at Cologne, showcasing a Roberts receiver similar if not identical to one known from IFA 2005 and a car radio that looks like an engineering sample. The sets must have been tuned to 1440, or did they switch shortwave from Nauen to the German program for this presentation? Pictures: http://www.radioszene.de/radioday2006-11.htm (bottom), http://www.radioszene.de/radioday2006-12.htm (top). I was not there, so I can only guess what they answered if asked about the availability of these receivers. How about -- may be ordered online within the next few months? (Kai Ludwig, Germany, May 3, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) See lso GERMANY; PORTUGAL RADIO EQUIPMENT FORUM +++++++++++++++++++++ "DITHERING" USED TO SPREAD POWER SUPPLY RFI Switching power supplies can generate some nasty RFI spurs particularly in the AM broadcast band. Now, some designers are turning toward "dithering" the power supply switching frequency courtesy of a built-in random number generator. With this approach, instead of having a lot of RFI on one frequency, the RFI will be thinned out and spread across a wide spectrum like cheese on a cracker. See: http://powerelectronics.com/mag/603PET07.pdf (CGC Communicator April 17 via Kevin Redding, ABDX via DXLD) a.k.a. spread spectrum EUROLOOP HF SPREAD SPECTRUM PROPOSALS We could do without this system polluting the 9 - 18 MHz spectrum, see http://www.southgatearc.org/news/may2006/euro_loop.htm John Gould`s paper on the possible groundwave impact of this system is worth reading. 73 (Trevor M5AKA, monitoringmonthly yg via DXLD) Viz.: In 1996 the International Railway Organisation, UIC, made proposals to CEPT for spectrum approval for the development a high-speed data- communication system for railway rolling stock. The proposals were a technical solution to improve management of trains by giving the train drivers early notice of the forward signal status. This apparently would avoid less braking and acceleration with the result that trains could run faster and closer together. The 1996 proposals included one by Siemens for an HF transmission system between track-to-train called Euroloop. The original proposals mentioned plans to use spread spectrum on a centre frequency of 6.78 MHz. Now there are new proposals for a spread-spectrum system between 9 and 18 MHz, centred on 13.5 MHz. The current proposal is for a HF spread- spectrum signal that would be received by the Euroloop equipment in the rolling stock. The mechanism would be through magnetic field coupling to emanations from lengths of terminated leaky coax laid along the side of the rail. Although, somewhat wrongly termed loops, these linear lengths of leaky coax vary in length from 300m to 1000m. For further information see http://www.iaru-r1.org/Euroloop.htm My concern with a system like this is the impact it would have on Amateurs living within a few kilometres of railway lines. A leaky spread spectrum system covering our 10, 14 and 18 MHz bands could make these bands unusable. In my view this is just as big a threat to the Amateur service as BPL. I do not believe there is any need to pollute our precious HF spectrum for such a system. Alternative approaches using UHF or microwave frequencies should satisfy the technical requirements. 73 (Trevor M5AKA Hawkins, Southgate ARC via WORLD OF RADIO 1314, DXLD) Hello Trevor, An interesting potential threat without doubt. The paper takes a rather simplistic approach to population densities of amateurs and Euroloop (which is acknowledged) that almost certainly skews upwards the percentage of amateurs at risk from ground wave q.r.m. - those in r.f. quiet (probably rural) locations close to railway lines. As the UK appears not to be looking at Euroloop perhaps we could worry too much too soon - but it's probably worth keeping an eye on. Cheers (Clive Hardy, G4SLU, ibid.) The trouble is if 10 European countries do adopt it it'll affect the Amateurs living there. But once established it'll be that system that'll be adopted elsewhere and there's sure to be pressure on UK to harmonise systems. I'm sure the manufacturers would also look to other potential markets in Africa, Asia and South America which could put a lot of DX operators off the air and leave us with little to work. I also wonder what the effects would be of skywave leakage ? 73 (Trevor M5AKA, ibid.) Hello Trevor and others, I wonder if your fears of QRM to DX by Euroloop are unfounded, Trevor. In the docs you will see the leaky- feeder/train antenna distance is 1 metre and I doubt they will be using megawatt output power to propagate the signal. There is nothing new about leaky feeder - how do you think radio comms on London Underground or our major under river tunnels occur? To blindly state, "We could do without this system polluting the 9 - 18 MHz spectrum" before knowing the full, unbiased facts seems a little cavalier to be honest. 73 (Paul G7VAK, ibid.) The figures indicate it'll go a lot further than 1 metre (Trevor, ibid.) LOOPS OVER AMERICA Hello All... Read this on the recent "World of Radio": "In both Seattle on the way out and at Raleigh-Durham Airport on the way home, security people pulled out the LW and MW Palomar loops after viewing their scanned images. No questions, just careful scrutiny (Pete Taylor, Visiting in Williamsburg, VA, ICF2010 + Palomar loop, IRCA via DXLD)" One of the DXer's probable aims when going to the States is to do some DXing. How do you get things like loops in past Security without risking being arrested under National Security suspicions? When I went in 1992 I took a pre-made wooden frame, a coil of wire in my luggage and assembled the loop once I was there. I would not dare do this now! And what would they make of things like home-made amplified ferrite rod antennae? (Andrew Tett, BDXC-UK via DXLD) DEGEN 1103 RECEIVER Bueno, queridos amigos aquí me tienen con mis primeras captaciones hechas con mi querido Degen 1103, al cual tengo por fin conmigo, luego de cuatro meses de espera gracias a la gente de ipostel Barcelona. Debo decirles que me animé a comprar este radiecito por internet, gracias a los diferentes comentarios de los colegas diexistas que lo catalogaban como un buen radio. Pues bien, debo decir que efectivamente el Degen 1103 es un buen radio receptor multibanda a pesar de su tamaño, es compacto y se ve que pusieron cariño en su construcción. Estoy muy satisfecho con lo que hasta ahora he podido disfrutar con él. Tanto en onda media, onda corta y FM ha demostrado que es muy bueno; creo que muchos me llamaran loco, pero la verdad es que no siento diferencia alguna con otros portátiles de Sony, y Siemens, hasta creo que es mejor, esta es mi opinión. Particularmente las he disfrutado una barbaridad con este Degen 1103 y el buen sonido que tiene. Un fuerte abrazo para todos ustedes queridos amigos (José Elías Díaz Gómez, Venezuela, May 4, DX LISTENING DIGEST) PROPAGATION +++++++++++ The geomagnetic field ranged from predominantly quiet to active levels. The period began with a solar wind speed of 485 km/s. During this time, conditions were mostly quiet at middle latitudes with quiet to active periods at high latitudes. Solar wind speed continued to diminish to a low of approximately 310 km/s by 27 April with the IMF Bz not varying much beyond +/- 5 nT. Early on 28 April, solar wind speed began to increase with the IMF Bz fluctuating between +12 / -9 nT. During this time, quiet to active conditions were observed at middle and high latitudes with isolated substorming reaching minor to major storm levels. By midday on 28 April through the end of the period, the IMF Bz relaxed to +/- 5 nT while the solar wind slowly decreased to approximately 300 km/s. The geomagnetic field remained quiet during this time. FORECAST OF SOLAR AND GEOMAGNETIC ACTIVITY 03 - 29 MAY 2006 Solar activity is expected to be at very low to low levels. No greater than 10 MeV proton events are expected. The greater than 2 MeV electron flux at geosynchronous orbit is expected to be at high levels on 07 – 18 May. The geomagnetic field is expected to be at quiet to unsettled levels for the majority of the forecast period. Active to major storm conditions are expected on 05 – 07 May due to the effects from a weak CME coupled with a coronal hole wind stream. On 10 – 13 May, active to major storm levels are possible due to a co-rotating interaction region followed by a recurrent coronal hole wind stream. Active to minor storm conditions are expected on 19 May due to the effects from a recurrent coronal hole wind stream. :Product: 27-day Space Weather Outlook Table 27DO.txt :Issued: 2006 May 02 2054 UTC # Prepared by the US Dept. of Commerce, NOAA, Space Environment Center # Product description and SEC contact on the Web # http://www.sec.noaa.gov/wwire.html # # 27-day Space Weather Outlook Table # Issued 2006 May 02 # # UTC Radio Flux Planetary Largest # Date 10.7 cm A Index Kp Index 2006 May 03 90 10 3 2006 May 04 90 10 3 2006 May 05 90 20 4 2006 May 06 85 30 5 2006 May 07 80 15 3 2006 May 08 80 5 2 2006 May 09 75 5 2 2006 May 10 75 15 3 2006 May 11 75 30 5 2006 May 12 75 30 5 2006 May 13 75 20 4 2006 May 14 75 15 3 2006 May 15 75 10 3 2006 May 16 75 8 3 2006 May 17 75 8 3 2006 May 18 75 8 3 2006 May 19 75 15 3 2006 May 20 80 8 3 2006 May 21 85 8 3 2006 May 22 85 8 3 2006 May 23 90 8 3 2006 May 24 90 5 2 2006 May 25 90 5 2 2006 May 26 90 8 3 2006 May 27 90 8 3 2006 May 28 90 8 3 2006 May 29 90 10 3 (http://www.sec.noaa.gov/radio via WORLD OF RADIO 1314, DXLD) THE SUN IN HIGH DEFINITION Esta imagen a algunos les da escalofríos [shivers]; es el sol en alta definición http://solarsystem.nasa.gov/multimedia/gallery/PIA03149.jpg (Horacio A. Nigro, Montevideo, Uruguay, condiglist via DXLD) ###