DX LISTENING DIGEST 6-106, July 21, 2006 Incorporating REVIEW OF INTERNATIONAL BROADCASTING edited by Glenn Hauser, http://www.worldofradio.com Items from DXLD may be reproduced and re-reproduced only if full credit be maintained at all stages and we be provided exchange copies. DXLD may not be reposted in its entirety without permission. Materials taken from Arctic or originating from Olle Alm and not having a commercial copyright are exempt from all restrictions of noncommercial, noncopyrighted reusage except for full credits For restrixions and searchable 2006 contents archive see http://www.worldofradio.com/dxldmid.html 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 1322: Sat 0500 WRMI 9955 Sat 0800 WRN 13865 DRM via Bulgaria Sat 1230 WRMI 9955 Sat 1430 WRMI 7385 Sat 1600 WWCR3 12160 Sat 1732 WRMI 9955 [from WRN] Sun 0230 WWCR3 5070 Sun 0530 WRMI 9955 Sun 0630 WWCR1 3215 Sun 0830 WRMI 9955 [from WRN] Sun 2230 WRMI 9955 Mon 0300 WBCQ 9330-CLSB Mon 0415 WBCQ 7415 Wed 0930 WWCR1 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 MUNDO RADIAL JULIO-AGOSTO: (corriente) http://www.w4uvh.net/mr0607.ram (descargar) http://www.w4uvh.net/mr0607.rm (descargar mp3) http://www.obriensweb.com/mr0607.mp3 (texto) http://www.worldofradio.com/mr0607.html En WWCR 15825, lunes y viernes 2114; en WRMI 9955, domingos 1030. ** ALBANIA. Frequency changes for Radio Tirana from July 18: 2300-0030 NF 7450 SHI 100 kW / 310 deg to NoAm, ex 7455 in Albanian 0145-0200 NF 7450 SHI 100 kW / 310 deg to NoAm, ex 7455 in English 0230-0300 NF 7450 SHI 100 kW / 310 deg to NoAm, ex 7455 in English (DX Mix News, Bulgaria, July 20 via DXLD) As already in DXLD ** ALGERIA. [Google Earth research] The Bouchaoui site is located at 36d 44' 20"N, 02d 56' 24E (high resolution). MR: But the town 1 km south-east is called Ouled Fayet, so I thought it was this? (Mauno Ritola-FIN, July 13, BCDX July 19 via DXLD) WB: "Ouled Fayet 02E57 36N43 site missed in WRTH 1995 onwards. Bouchaoui 02E56 36N44 missed in WRTH 2003. Tipaza powerhouse LW 252 opened again after refurbishing on Dec 12, 2001. Two other powerful LW stations on 153 and 198 kHz opened in early 90ties." MW Ouled Fayet MW site: masts on 36 43 20 01 N - 02 56 37 E 36 43 20 01 N - 02 56 55 E 36 43 20 01 N - 02 57 05 E lower size masts at 36 43 27 48 N - 02 56 48 03 E 36 43 28 92 N - 02 56 54 00 E 36 43 27 48 N - 02 56 48 03 E 5 mast array at 36 43 28 02 N - 02 56 55 00 E 2 mast dipole and two lattice towers 36 43 25 05 N - 02 57 09 E log-periodic at 36 43 38 28 N - 02 57 11 07 E (wb, wwdxc BC-DX July 13 via DXLD) ** ANGOLA. Glenn, To give you some information that may be useful, the company I work for (LBA Group) has sold to Angola two shortwave transmitters. Both are 25 kilowatts made by ELCOR. One is single frequency 4950 kHz; the other is a dual frequency 7245/11955. They are pulse step modulated using a single 4CX23000B in the final. I finished giving the customer training today and it appears the antennas are going to be dipoles. The shipment should be on its way there in the next 30 days. If I can, I will try and find out when they will be on the air and any other useful information 73 (Glenn Swiderski, Chief Electronic Technician, LBA Group, Greenville NC, July 20, DX LISTENING DIGEST) So RNA wants to get back on SW ** ARGENTINA. Re ``Nueva argentina en 1610 kilohercios, descubierta por Andrew Brade, Reino Unido, a las 0321 del 9 de julio, y entonces sintonizada tan lejos como Escocia por Martin Hall, ambos en el Círculo de Onda Media, entre las 23 y 05 horas. Es Radio Guaviyú, nombre de un árbol. Dice Arnaldo Slaen que se encuentra en Gregorio de la Ferrere, provincia de Buenos Aires`` (Glenn Hauser, Mundo Radial, julio-agosto) Radio Guaviyú --- Ola Glenn, como estás? espero que muito bem. Esta emissora R. Guaviyu nao é nova, talvez reativada; tenho sua escuta já há bastante tempo, nao me recordo se 2004 ou 2005, preciso rever os loggings. De qualquer maneira foi ouvida muito longe, bem interessante. Um grande abraço (Samuel Cássio, São Carlos SP, Brasil, July 20, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** ARMENIA. Voice of Armenia announced in its German broadcasts on Sunday, Monday and Tuesday that they will "soon" leave shortwave: (Kai Ludwig, July 20, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) Viz.: Radio Armenien verändert Verbreitungsweg --- Wie schon am SO/MO wurde auch heute in der deutschsprachigen Sendungen darauf hingewiesen das Radio Armenien die KW-Sendungen demnächst einstellen wird und die Programme sollen "nur mehr" via Internet zur Verfügung gestellt werden. 73, (Paul Gager, ADX, ibid.) 9960, Public Radio of Armenia, 1825-1830, escuchada el 15 de julio en armenio y en en paralelo por 4810 con programa de música pop, locutor con comentarios, horarios y frecuencias, dirección de correo, sintonía e himno nacional, SINPO 44453 (José Miguel Romero, Spain, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) Such an Armenian language broadcast does not appear on the schedules; I wonder if they just turned on the transmitter early? But instead starting at 1830, as in EiBi: 9960 1830-1850 Mo-Sa ARM Public Radio of Armenia F Eu 9960 1850-1910 Mo-Sa ARM Public Radio of Armenia D Eu 9960 1910-1930 Mo-Sa ARM Public Radio of Armenia E Eu 9965 0200-0230 ARM Public Radio of Armenia AR SAm 9965 0230-0245 ARM Public Radio of Armenia S SAm So get it while you can. Too bad they cancelled the evening English to NAm long ago (Glenn Hauser, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** AUSTRALIA. Re 6-105, UNIDENTIFIED: ARDS is indeed back on SW 5050, as first reported July 17 by Alex Vranes in WV. On the ARDS website it is still hard to find anything about SW, but there is a streamer giving all their AM & FM frequencies, and finally at the end::: ``Across north-east Arnhem Land on HF Radio 5050 kHz``. See http://www.ards.com.au/radio.htm or their other pages. Now to DX ARDS, it`s again a matter of finding a time when it can propagate and when there is little or no co-channel QRM, and Alex already accomplished that, at 0910-0950. ARDS was previously hostile to DX reports since they proved their short-range antenna was not working properly! Apparently it still is not, tsk2 (Glenn Hauser, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** AUSTRALIA. Hi Glenn: I don't know if you've reported this but neither the BBC or RA website note this. Lately, over the past couple of weeks, on weekdays at 2200 UTC Radio Australia has been carrying BBC news and their program "World Briefing". I don't know if this is a permanent situation, or not. BBC does have a satellite feed at this time to AUS/NZ of this program. By the way, the frequency at 2200 UTC is 15515 KHz (Mark Coady, Editor, Your Reports/Listening In Magazine, Co-Moderator, ODXA Yahoogroup, Ontario DX Association, 1038 Ward Street, Bridgenorth, ON K0L 1H0, (705) 292-0458 mark.coady @ sympatico.ca http://geocities.com/luckywimpy July 19, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Hi Mark, No, I haven`t. Also in 6-105 under NZ is a programme exchange BBCWS/RNZI, but not at this time. Of course RNZI and RA already have an exchange. This may get more complicated. 73, (Glenn to Mark, via DXLD) ** AUSTRALIA [and non]. RADIO AUSTRALIA ON NEW PLATFORMS IN CAMBODIA AND VIETNAM | Text of Australian Broadcasting Corporation press release on 3 July From today, Radio Australia is moving from shortwave broadcasting to online technology and local FM rebroadcasting to develop new audiences in Vietnam and Cambodia. Cambodian broadcasts will revolve around the successful placement of Khmer content on ``third-party`` FM platforms in Cambodia. The geographic coverage will be 70 per cent and the population contact is estimated to reach 85 per cent. In Vietnam, the declining popularity of SW broadcasts and the surging demand for online services has opened the path for a live interactive ``Australia-Vietnam`` information and cultural exchange web portal. This service is located at http://www.bayvut.com ``Delivering content via new platforms, to new audiences and providing new styles of programming is an international broadcasting trend that is being led by Radio Australia, `` stated John Westland, manager of Projects and Partnerships. At the same time, Radio Australia is now broadcasting from two new transmitters near Townsville that are digitally (DRM - Digital Radio Mondiale) capable. These transmitters will enable RA to trial digital shortwave radio to Asia and the Pacific. DRM is under trial in China by Chinese National Radio - 800,000 radios and 14 transmitters, while Radio New Zealand International (RNZI) has trialled and is successfully implementing DRM in the South Pacific. DRM is also being widely trialled by a number of major providers in Europe (Source: Australian Broadcasting Corporation press release, Sydney, in English 3 Jul 06 via BBC Monitoring via Media Network blog via DXLD) Is there really a greater audience for RA already on Internet in Vietnam than on SW???? If that is the case, or RA believe so, more and more languages may be taken off analog SW until nothing is left (gh, DXLD) ** BANGLADESH. News and others in English 1530-1555 on 4750, on July 15 (Rumen Pankov, Bulgaria, wwdxc BC-DX July 18 via DXLD) cf INDONESIA ** BENIN. Trans World Radio hat die Lizenz fuer den Betrieb eines Mittelwellensenders in Benin erhalten. Dem TWR-Direktor fuer Westafrika, Pastor Abdoulaye Sangho, wurde die Lizenz Anfang Juli im Beisein zahlreicher Kirchenvertreter in einer feierlichen Zeremonie ueberreicht. Bereits im vergangenen Jahr hat die Radiomission fuer 1,2 Millionen Euro die Sendeanlage in der Naehe der Stadt Parakou errichtet. Staatspraesident Mathieu Kerekou hatte TWR im Jahr 2003 zum den Bau einer Sendestation in dem westafrikanischen Land eingeladen. Von den rund 7,5 Millionen Einwohnern Benins sind 50 Prozent Anhaenger von Naturreligionen, 30 Prozent Christen und 20 Prozent Muslime. Die Station wird auf 1566 kHz christliche Programme auch fuer Algerien, Burkina Faso, Ghana, Mali, Mauretanien, Niger, Nigeria und Togo verbreiten. Die meisten Sendungen werden in Franzoesisch ausgestrahlt, aber auch in Regionalsprachen. Im August wird TWR-Praesident David Tucker Cary/USA, bei einer Afrikareise auch Benin besuchen. TWR sendet in Afrika ueber zwei weitere Grosssender in Swasiland und Suedafrika. Deutscher Partner von TWR ist der Evangeliums-Rundfunk (Wetzlar). Kuenftig werden ueber den neuen Sender auch Programme ausgestrahlt, die der Evangeliums-Rundfunk mitfinanziert. Im Rahmen des Projektes "Afrika soll leben" werden Sendungen produziert, die Hilfe im Umgang und zur Praevention von Aids vermitteln sowie zu Landwirtschaft, zu Hygiene und zum christlichen Glauben informieren (Lothar Ruehl 13.7.2006, via ntt Dr. Hansjoerg Biener-D via BCDX via DXLD) The TWR press release in English axually says the Benin service is not expected to start until next April (Glenn Hauser, DXLD) ** BOLIVIA. Radio Illimani cumple 73 años de servicio en pos de la unidad e integración nacional ABI Julio 16, 2006, 9:17 EDT http://www.redbolivia.com/noticias/Sociedad%20y%20Cultura/20622.html La Paz, Bolivia -- La radio emisora "Illimani" de propiedad del Estado boliviano, recordó este sábado 73 años de servicio ininterrumpido en pos a la unidad y la integración nacional, tras que un 15 de julio de 1933 irrumpiera en todos los rincones del país para denunciar las pretensiones paraguayas de arrebatar al país el Chaco Boreal. El inicio del conflicto bélico de la Guerra del Chaco, que se sucedió entre 1932 y 1935, llevó a las autoridades de gobierno a tomar conciencia de que era necesario contar con un medio de comunicación radial que estuviese al servicio de la defensa de los intereses de la nación. Es así que por disposición del entonces presidente, Daniel Salamanca, nace radio "Illimani" CP 4 - CP 5 con la orden de divulgar información relacionada con las acciones del conflicto y la neutralización de la propaganda guaraní. Actualmente, la emisora del Estado, a través de su variada programación, busca mantener la unidad nacional en el marco de su identidad cultural, por encima de las diferencias políticas, económicas, religiosas, étnicas y culturales. Y sobre todo fomentando los valores morales y éticos. Con la cooperación de organismos internacionales, actualmente radio Illimani emite su señal simultáneamente en Amplitud Modulada (AM) 1020, Frecuencia Modulada (FM) 94., onda corta 6025 señal satelital y la página web http://www.comunica.gov.bo En los pasados días la administración de gobierno del presidente Evo Morales Ayma concretó la instalación de ocho repetidoras en zonas rurales y las principales ciudades de capital. Existe la decisión de retomar el liderazgo en la emisión de información verás y objetiva, ya que con el correr de los años la emisora estatal perdió audiencia por la "pésima señal" y el desgaste de sus equipos que funcionaron sin interrupción por 23 años. Radio emisoras Illimani ha diseñado una variada programación con el objetivo de integrar a los bolivianos en su diversidad cultural y de lengua (via José Bueno, Córdoba - España, Noticias DX via DXLD) ** BRAZIL. 4876.25, Radio Difusora Roraima, Boa Vista 1010 to 1030 UT, Have positive IDs. Never any sign of the Bolivian which used to broadcast on this frequency. 10 July (Bob Wilkner-FL-USA, DXplorer July 11 via BCDX via DXLD) ** BRAZIL. A Rádio Relogio não vai mais ter a OT retirada do ar neste domingo. O funcionário Sebastião que trabalha onde ficam os transmissores havia prometido, mas foi pedir autorização a um superior seu de nome Renato Castro, e, em conversa com o Renato ontem, me falou que vai ficar mais para o final do mês porque já está agendado uma revisão que sempre é feita em alguns periodos do ano. Ele vai avisar com antecedência. Quem quiser saber dele mesmo, o e-mail dele está destacado no meio do texto [truncated, removed]. Se preferirem telefonar, ligar depois de 11 horas para (21) 2467.4656 e falar com ele. ELE ADIANTOU TAMBEM QUE É UM TRANSMISSOR PHILIPS BEM ANTIGO E, DA POTENCIA DE 5 KW, ESTÁ OPERANDO SÓ COM DOIS E MEIO. Bem atencioso ele. Falou tambem que na revisão de dezembro do ano passado foi notado variação de frequencia. A exata que é 4905, chegou a ficar em 4901. TODO MUNDO EM CONTATO COM ELE (Isaac Rosa, Crateús - Ceará, July 21, radioescutas yg via DXLD) ** BURMA [non]. Updated DTK schedule includes: Democratic Voice of Burma (DVOB): 2330-0030 9490 WER 125 kW / 090 deg to SoEaAs Burmese (DX Mix News, Bulgaria, July 20 via DXLD) ** CAMEROONS [non]. 15695, R. Free Southern Cameroons, 1805-1845, July 16 (Sun), with report from the Nigerian Tribune about Ambazania ("The Southern Cameroons Peoples Organisation has released its political and economic blueprint for the Southern Cameroons when it becomes independent. Under this blueprint, the country shall be known as the Republic of Ambazania" (Tribune)). Nice tribal songs. Fair (Finn Krone, Denmark, DXplorer July 17 via BCDX via DXLD) 15695 via Armavir- Krasnodar, Russia (wb, BCDX via DXLD) ** CANADA [non]. See GERMANY EAST ** CANADA. Today CHNS - 960 kHz - from Halifax, Nova Scotia, began simulcasting the new FM outlet, so IDs at the moment are "89 point 9, Hal FM". This is a prelude to a disappearance of CHNS from medium- wave. The format of the new FM station is classic rock, a change from the unpopular "oldies" format on medium-wave, so the Archies and Tony Orlando and Dawn are gone, replaced by Pearl Jam and the Doors (Jean Burnell, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, July 19, MWDX yg via DXLD) ** CHINA. CRI in 2005 with 2,170,000 letters received from listeners. There are approximately 3600 listeners clubs in the world (according to contest rules of CRI, June 17). (Rumen Pankov, Bulgaria, wwdxc BC- DX July 12 via DXLD) ** CHINA. I listened to Guangxi Foreign Broadcasting Station on 5050 kHz from 1402 to 1432 UT on May 16, 2006. Mainly talk in Vietnamese and music. ID at 1415. SINPO-35333~34333. QRM: Unknown station on same frequency (Yasuhiro Shiozaki, Japan, Japan Premium July 14 via BCDX via DXLD) Now that could be ARDS; see AUSTRALIA (gh, DXLD) Google Earth coordinates: Three new transmitter sites of June 2002: unfortunately Dongfang CHN 18N54 108E39 has low picture resolution. GEM chines.: Geermu [Golmud, where the new exciting - but controversial Lhasa-Tibet railway of 1142 kms starts] Autonomous area of Mongol and Tibetans in Quinghai province. See pictures http://www.betzgi.ch/transhimalaya/foto/tibet.html http://www.savetibet.org/campaigns/railway/index.php ITU Geermu G.C. 36N24 094E59 Google Earth coordinates: Latitude: Longitude: but I measured with Google lineal grid 36 25 27 N, 95 00 00 E 100 kW SW site at non-dir, 172, 236 degrees. 1200 kW MW site. Geermu/Golmud seems a most modern MW and SW site, looks like well organized architecture. Much more space for site expansion. See on the Google Earth browser 2 x 2 mast MW section on the lower, southerly part of the site. 1 - 2 mast MW on the left side, masts in North-south direction, 490 meters apart each other, 230 meters tall masts. Looks like a 600 ... 700 kHz MW installation. 2 - 2 mast MW on the right side, masts in NE-SW 56/236 degree direction 70 meters apart each other, 210 meters tall masts. That seems the 1134 kHz, 1200 kW installation. Shortwave 100 kW, 2 curtain row lines at 172, 236 degrees, 5 x 3 mast triangle non-direxional antennas. 3 - Curtain row at 236 degrees[type 146], on left upper corner. 3 masts, left 49 mb 6080, right 31 mb 9630. Distance between masts 75 / 50 meters. 4 - Curtain row at 172 degrees[type 141], on center, north of the transmitter building. 3 masts, left 49 mb 6090, right 31 mb 9570. Distance between masts 80 / 50 meters. 5 - 5 x 3 mast triangle circle [HFCC type 925] type antennas for non- dir services, like registered 4800, 6190, and 7140 kHz. 30 / 50 meters distance between masts. ... add XIY Xingyang CHN 34N49 113E23 in June 2002: Two single separate MW masts of 85 and 50 meters height, also two towers of a poor dipole of 42 meters height seen, 55 meters distance apart, at Latitude: 34 48 28 08 N, Longitude: 113 23 16 70E. Measured by lineal grid at 34 48 37 N 113 23 13 N (wb, wwdxc BC-DX July 7) Google Earth coordinates: Latitude: Longitude: Xian SW site 34 22 31N 108 36 37E. HFCC shows XIA Xian CHN 34N12 108E54. Urumqi. I suspect the large new SW site is located 69 km NW of Urumqi and a short distance south of Hutubi at Google Earth coordinates: Latitude: Longitude: 44d 08'50"N 86d 53' 47"E. 44d 09'09"N 86d 53' 51 E. (Douglas Johnson-USA, via Olle Alm-SWE, wwdxc BC-DX July 11) ITU added 07-JAN-2004: new CHN SW site, add KAS Kashi, CHN, 39N30 076E00. But Google centers Kashi-Kashgar China at 39 28 48N 75 58 12E An older transmitter site location at Google Earth coordinates: Latitude: Longitude: 39 24 35N 75 55 21E but n o t the Thomson Thomcast ALLISS antenna and 500 kW tx site,- at least NOT when the image snap was taken... Two MW tower locations seen at 39 24 31 N 75 55 17E, and 39 24 37N 75 55 12E - 115 meters height each. The tall SINGLE SW curtain tower array on the eastern-right side of the image. 320 meters in length, and 10 towers of 98 meters height each, 2 towers x 5 pairs in row. SW curtain array in NW to SE row, direction of 60 and 240 degrees, center approx. 39 24 33N 75 55 25 E. But the HFCC entries show for 100 kW installation these bearings: 173, 209[slew minus30], 239; and non-dir in 50, 41, and 31 mb. So the changeover on back side of 60 degrees isn't in use or even never built up. Tall and a small tower shows the Google image on various locations, but seemingly rather chimneys, not radio towers at: 39 29 48N 75 53 45E 39 30 54N 75 59 31E 39 29 49N 75 57 00E 39 29 35N 75 57 00E 39 29 21N 75 58 11E 39 30 23N 75 53 50E (wb, wwdxc BC-DX July 11) Xingyang (34d 48' 39"N, 113d 23' 11"E): 2-mast MW and single LW mast Google Earth coordinates: Latitude: Longitude: 34 48 42 84N, 113 23 06 36E single mast 54 meters tall. 34 48 27 09N, 113 23 16 E two masts, directional MW system 41 metres tall, 55 meters distance apart of each other. 100 / 280 degrees angle. 34 48 39 96 N, 113 23 22 E a single mast. 86 meters height. 86 meters height is still MW, but not LW. Our local Muehlacker tower is 260 meters high, 576 kHz. Our DLF Donebach 2x LW tower are 360 metres high each. Google Earth coordinates: Latitude: Longitude: Liangxiang (SW of Beijing at 39 45 15N 116 10 16E 25 kms south-west of Beijing. single MW 260 meters mast height. (wb, wwdxc BC-DX July 13 via DXLD) ** CHINA [non]. 11700, Minghui Radio/Falun Gong, 1520-1600*, July 16 (Sun), with Chinese talk and longish closing ceremony by male and female alternating, Minghui mentioned (like on its web-site) and 6 peeps before closing. Chinese music jammer closed exactly same time! Equal level on the two when I tuned in, but Minghui became the stronger before close (Finn Krone, Denmark, DXplorer July 17) via Tanshui-TWN (BCDX via DXLD) ** COSTA RICA [and non]. Irregular is the word to define what has been going on with DGS Cahuita transmitters. While 5030 is firing up at 0000 with strong signal --- with that scratching audio not audible here in the past --- nearly a couple hours later they are off the air. Tonight, UT Friday 0200Z, Melissa Scott is driving the show only heard on 7375 with splatter from Radio Martí on 7365; // 6150 is off; much static noise on 49 m. But // Anguilla 6090, poor but audible is there. Is hard to know if 9725 is on because powerhouse Moscow is on that frequency (Raúl Saavedra, Costa Rica, July 21, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** CROATIA. V. of Croatia, 6165, nice looking jpeg e-QSL with frequency only, in 6-1/2 months; 2 months after postal f/up with PPC and SASE to: Dane Pavlic - Head of Station, Hrvatska Radio, Prisavlje 3, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia. "Card" shows printed v/s as Zlatko Kuretic, Executive Director. The email reply came from Milton.Arandia.Antezana @ hrt.hr This frequency (6165) is the Croatian transmitter at Deanovec (John Herkimer, NY, DXplorer July 13 via BCDX via DXLD) ** CUBA. 6140, Radio Rebelde; 0314-0343+, 19-July; M in Spanish with Cuban Revolución speech -- not Fidel. "Voces de la Revolución" at 0332, then news by W in Spanish. 0338 promos for RHC & Rebelde! then 2M in Spanish. 0341 "Aquí Radio Rebelde" spot. SIO=3+53. Not // 5025 with game coverage (Harold Frodge, MI, MARE Tipsheet via DXLD) Seems 6140 may carry either Rebelde or RHC, Rebelde also on 6120 (gh, DXLD) ** CUBA. Google Earth coordinates: Regarding Cuba, the Bauta SW site appears to have had all its curtains removed. So nothing originates from Bauta now, not even 5025 kHz? The new RHC SW site at Quivicán (22d 49' 39"N, 82d 17' 34"W - high resolution) has curtain arrays somewhat unusual in that the masts are of a design that I presume was designed to withstand hurricane wind forces (wb, wwdxc BC-DX July 11) [c.f. BC-DX TopNews #765 also, wb.] Stumbled over this article about the early days of Radio Rebelde. The article was first published in Verde Olivo, March 24, 1974. http://www.themilitant.com/1996/6017/6017_12.html first time I notice this (Finn Krone, Denmark, DXplorer July 18 via BCDX via DXLD) I had researched Radio Rebelde's history very extensively about 14 years ago, but this has more details on the actual beginnings than anything I found. Most of what I had on how the station was first put on the air came from Guevara's diaries and he pretty well gave himself the bulk of the credit. This article claims that someone else came up with the idea first and went to him. Nevertheless, Radio Rebelde's time in the mountains of Cuba is one of the most interesting radio stories ever. The complete version (7,200 words) of my article can be found at the links below. Monitoring Times published a abridged 4,000 word version. http://donmoore.tripod.com/central/cuba/rebel1.html - part one http://donmoore.tripod.com/central/cuba/rebel2.html - part two (Don Moore, DXplorer July 19 via BCDX via DXLD) ** CUBA [non]. Radio Martí, 530 kHz via EC-130 aircraft, verie letter in 13 months from Michael Paltone, Dir. Engr./Technical Operations, Office of Cuba Broadcasting. I was quite thrilled to get this as I believe they have stopped broadcasting from these facilities and now rent time on WDHP-1620 (Greg Myers, FL, Jul 19, 2006 in IRCA-ML via Martin Schöch, CRW via DXLD) ** CZECH REPUBLIC [non]. I think the Radio Prague schedule is going to change a bit. It will probably be (as of next week) [on 9955] 0430 and 0930 in Spanish, 0900 and 1400 in English (1400 on 7385). The 0930- 1000 half-hour will be Prague in Spanish instead of WRN. The English half-hours will be carried live from the WRN feed. Spanish will be pre-recorded (Jeff White, WRMI, July 21, DX LISTENING DIGEST) I had noticed that at the present R. Praga Spanish airtime, July 21 at 1320 check, nothing but jamming was audible on 9955 (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DGIEST) ** DJIBOUTI. 20 July evening time there was a terrible FMing mess centered on 4780. At 1843 a strong and clear Djibouti program was audible, but when rechecking later, the same splattering mess was on again. DJI having tx problems? (Jari Savolainen, Kuusankoski, Finland, July 20, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) Djibouti 4780 transmitter is still having problems, but at times OK reception (Jari Savolainen, Kuusankoski, Finland, July 21, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** ECUADOR. Google Earth coordinates: hfcc shows HCJB QUI Quito EQA at 00S14, 078W20 and the picture snap of Google Earth says approx. Latitude: Longitude: 00 14 09S 78 20 39W (wb, wwdxc BC-DX July 11 via DXLD) ** EGYPT. ABZ Abu Zaabal EGY 30N16 031E22. MW 558, 1071, 1341 kHz. SW targets in 20, 70, 90, 106, 160, 241, 250, 315, 330 degrees. Single MW pipe mast, 40 meters height at 30 16 07 N 31 21 50 E, another MW pipe mast, 30 meters height, at 30 16 40 40 N 31 22 05 07 E Main transmitter building near Google Earth coordinates: Latitude: Longitude: 30 16 25N, 31 21 55E. 20 curtain towers, 12 pipe masts, 1 log-periodic array (wb, wwdxc BC-DX July 11 via DXLD) ** ETHIOPIA. 9704.2, R. Ethiopia, Jul 10 *1459-1508 33432 Amharic, 1459 sign on with IS, ID, Three gongs, Talk, // 7110 (Kouji Hashimoto, Japan, Japan Premium via DXLD) Cf NIGER ** GERMANY. 17820, R. Multikulti-Berlin via DW Jul 16 *1027-1040, 35422 German, 1027 sign on with DW's IS, 1030 Opening music, ID, Talk and music, // 15275 (Kouji Hashimoto, Japan, Japan Premium via DXLD) Well, Sunday 1030-1100 on 17820 & 15275 is supposed to be Radio Multikulti in Romany, not German; other days DW in Turkish (gh, DXLD) ** GERMANY. Updated A-06 of DTK T-Systems. Part one - daily transmissions: [Note: a few of these, including the first one, are duplicated under the [non] country concerned --- gh] IBC Tamil Radio: 0000-0100 7315 WER 250 kW / 120 deg to SoAs Tamil Athmee Yatra He/Gospel For Asia (GFA): 0030-0130 9435 WER 250 kW / 060 deg to SoEaAs S East Asian langs 1330-1430 13860 WER 500 kW / 060 deg to SoEaAs S East Asian langs 1430-1530 13745 WER 250 kW / 090 deg to SoEaAs S East Asian langs 1530-1630 13750 WER 250 kW / 060 deg to SoEaAs S East Asian langs 2330-0030 9640 WER 250 kW / 060 deg to SoEaAs S East Asian langs Radio Free Asia (RFA): 0100-0300 11975 WER 250 kW / 060 deg to SoEaAs Tibetan Voice of Russia (VOR): 0100-0300 5945 WER 125 kW / 105 deg to ME Russian "Russ.Inter.Radio" 1400-1500 15430 JUL 100 kW / 105 deg to ME Russian "Commonwealth" 1900-2100 5985 JUL 100 kW / 105 deg to ME Russian "Russ.Inter.Radio" 1900-2100 9825 JUL 100 kW / 100 deg to ME Russian "Russ.Inter.Radio" 2000-2100 7155 WER 125 kW / 120 deg to ME Russian "Russ.Inter.Radio" 2200-2300 6145 WER 125 kW / 105 deg to ME Arabic Hrvatska Radio/Voice of Croatia: 0100-0500 9925 NAU 125 kW / 325 deg NoAmWe Croatian/English/Spanish 0400-0700 9470 WER 125 kW / 240 deg NZ Croatian/English/Spanish 0600-1000 13820 JUL 100 kW / 270 deg AUS Croatian/English/Spanish 2200-0300 9925 WER 125 kW / 240 deg SoAm Croatian/English/Spanish 2300-0300 9925 WER 125 kW / 300 deg NoAmEa Croatian/English/Spanish Radio Canada International (RCI) 0200-0300 5955 WER 250 kW / 120 deg to ME Arabic 0300-0400 7260 WER 250 kW / 120 deg to ME Arabic 1500-1600 15360 WER 250 kW / 090 deg to SoAs English 1800-1900 9530 WER 250 kW / 150 deg to NoAf English 1800-1900 13730 WER 250 kW / 165 deg to CeAf English [NOTE: RCI says this is Nauen now; see GERMANY EAST below] 2000-2100 11765 WER 250 kW / 120 deg to WeEu English CVC International: 0500-0600 9430 WER 125 kW / 210 deg to NoAf English 0600-0900 15640 WER 125 kW / 210 deg to NoAf English 1500-1800 15715 WER 125 kW / 210 deg to NoAf English 1800-2100 13820 WER 125 kW / 210 deg to NoAf English 1200-1400 17860 JUL 100 kW / 105 deg to WeAs English till Aug. 31 1400-1700 15795 JUL 100 kW / 160 deg to WeAs English till Aug. 31 1200-1500 13830 JUL 100 kW / 060 deg to EaEu English 1500-1700 13800 JUL 100 kW / 060 deg to EaEu English Radio Liberty (RL): 0200-0300 9775 WER 250 kW / 090 deg to WeAs Persian Radio Farda 0400-0500 15255 WER 250 kW / 090 deg to WeAs Persian Radio Farda 0500-0700 9510 WER 250 kW / 090 deg to WeAs Persian Radio Farda 1200-1300 15205 WER 250 kW / 090 deg to EaEu Russian 1500-1700 9725 JUL 100 kW / 050 deg to EaEu Belorussian 1600-1700 13815 WER 250 kW / 060 deg to CeAs Turkmen 1900-2000 9650 WER 250 kW / 090 deg to CeAs Tatar Radio Netherlands: 0600-0655 11665 JUL 100 kW / 030 deg to NoEu Dutch till Sep.1 Deutsche Welle (DW): 0600-1000 6140 JUL 100 kW / 175 deg to Eu English 1300-1600 6140 JUL 100 kW / 175 deg to Eu English BCE Radio Luxembourg: 0900-1700 7295 NAU 040 kW / 275 deg to Eu German DRM Brother Stair/The Overcomer Ministries (TOM): 0900-1100 6110 JUL 100 kW / 290 deg to WeEu English 1200-1400 6110 JUL 100 kW / 290 deg to WeEu English 1400-1600 13810 JUL 100 kW / 115 deg to WeAs/ME English 1800-2000 13855 JUL 100 kW / 160 deg to Ce/SoAf English WYFR (Family Radio): 1500-1600 15750 WER 500 kW / 150 deg to EaAf English 1600-1700 15750 WER 500 kW / 150 deg to EaAf Amharic 1600-1800 9925 JUL 100 kW / 115 deg to ME Turkish 1700-1800 3955 JUL 100 kW / non-dir to WeEu German 1700-1800 15750 WER 500 kW / 150 deg to EaAf Swahili 1700-1800 13840 JUL 100 kW / 160 deg to NoAf Arabic 1800-1900 15750 WER 500 kW / 150 deg to EaAf English 2000-2100 9705 JUL 100 kW / 115 deg to ME Arabic 2000-2100 11895 JUL 100 kW / 160 deg to WeAf French CBS Radio Taiwan International (RTI): 1600-1700 9760 JUL 100 kW / 120 deg to EaEu Russian 2000-2100 5975 NAU 100 kW / 230 deg to SoEu Spanish Minivan (Independent) Radio: 1600-1700 13620 JUL 100 kW / 090 deg to SoAs Dhivehi Voice of America (VOA): 1630-1800 6040 WER 250 kW / 090 deg to WeAs Persian 1700-1830 9770 WER 250 kW / 090 deg to WeAs Persian 1700-1900 7105 WER 250 kW / 090 deg to WeAs Persian 1730-1800 11905 WER 250 kW / 150 deg to EaAf Afan/Oromo Mon-Fri 1730-1800 7170 WER 250 kW / 060 deg to CeAs Azeri 1800-1845 11905 WER 250 kW / 150 deg to EaAf Amharic HCJB (The Voice of Andes): 1700-1800 6015 JUL 100 kW / non-dir to WeEu German IBRA Radio: 1730-1800 15450 JUL 100 kW / 160 deg EaAf Somali 1730-1830 11880 NAU 100 kW / 155 deg EaAf Swahili 1800-1900 13840 WER 250 kW / 150 deg CeAf Fulfulde/Arabic/Kabyle/Dia 1830-1845 11880 NAU 100 kW / 155 deg EaAf English 1900-2045 9675 JUL 100 kW / 210 deg WeAf Hausa/French/Bambara/Wolof 2000-2100 9840 JUL 100 kW / 175 deg NoAf Arabic Democratic Voice of Burma (DVOB): 2330-0030 9490 WER 125 kW / 090 deg to SoEaAs Burmese (DX Mix News, Bulgaria, July 20 via DXLD) ** GERMANY. The doctor who bought last Saturday the Nalepastraße radio headquarters at Berlin did not pay the agreed deposit and could not be reached to clarify the situation, so the sale has been terminated. Today the property went for 3.9 millions Euro to another purchaser, described as a Rotterdam-based investment group. This group founded a dedicated company called ´´Keshet Geschäftsführungs GmbH & Co. Radiocenter Berlin KG´´, pointing at Keshet TV, the leading commercial broadcaster in Israel, as driving force behind it. They emphasize that they want to keep and develop Nalepastraße as a home of the media. [Later:] Meanwhile I was told about a press conference on the new Nalepastraße deal: There the backers of ´´Keshet Geschäftsführungs GmbH & Co. Radiocenter Berlin KG´´ were specified as Rotterdam-based investment group without specific competence in the media business. This description of course not fits to Keshet TV. On the other hand I found no evidence for any Rotterdam-based company called after the Hebrew word for ´´rainbow´´. [Earlier:] Yesterday I put myself into a park at Leipzig after having finished my work, waiting for the sun to come down. So I had an opportunity to listen to Truckradio on 531 which comes in rather well there, although this 10 kW from 100 km away is still a bit too noisy for casual listening. It was quite a surprise for me to find that Truckradio broadcasts Deutsche Welle news, relayed live, // 6075 but with a hefty seven seconds delay. DW facilitates such relays by filling in a backtimer after the news (which are read out live), apparently to enable rebroadcasters to use a timer in their automation to leave the DW feed. Does any other foreign service allow commercial broadcasters in their own country to relay their news? So if anybody wonders about DW giving times in CET and concluding the news with a weather report for Germany. This should explain why they do this. Re. 6-103: ´´Radio Fritz --- I ran across a tape I'd made of Radio Fritz off shortwave in 2000 and wondered what had become of them. I knew this was Love Parade weekend in Germany and found the Fritz Web site. They seemed to be doing the same thing they'd done in 2000 -- blocks of techno music with various DJs planned all weekend. Every year I hope they might do another shortwave broadcast´´ --- Yes, last weekend there was again a Love Parade in Berlin, with new organizers and a new main sponsor. It was the first one after three years, after many people were already believing that the 2003 Love Parade was the last one. The special Fritz programming was somewhat scaled down in as far as no special studio had been set up at Berlin again; instead it all originated from the Potsdam-Babelsberg radiohouse. What had become of them since 2000: The gentleman who organized the shortwave transmissions then left the station afterwards, and the remaining staff did not even knew what shortwave is when Jülich contacted them to do it again in 2001. In 2003 Ostdeutscher Rundfunk Brandenburg (ORB), the public broadcaster running Fritz, merged with Sender Freies Berlin (SFB) to a new institution called Rundfunk Berlin-Brandenburg (RBB), so the QSL cards sent out in 2000 (like this one: http://willphillips.org.uk/QSLs/orb.htm ) are historical items now. ORB's classical music station Radio 3 has been closed down since, but the other ORB radio stations (Fritz, Antenne Brandenburg, Radio Eins) are still on air from Potsdam-Babelsberg, now from a new studio building inaugurated in 2002, replacing the provisional arrangements from the early nineties. RBB was so far and will hopefully be also in future able to keep the remaining seven radio stations (three ex-ORB, four ex-SFB), saving money elsewhere, including the now scrapped mediumwave outlet. And yes, another RBB shortwave broadcast would certainly be a nice idea . . . Re. 6-104: ´´1593 - Langenberg has been broadcasting WDR 2 in DRM since midsummer. It is not clear if this a regular WDR transmission or a transmitter manufacturer test´´ --- Meanwhile the label has been reported at drmrx.org as ´´WDR- Langenberg´´, so apparently WDR now accepted the transmitter and assumed responsibility for it. By the way, the program narrowcasted on 1593 is actually ´´WDR 2 Klassik´´. This is the output of an automation, taking all spoken word content from WDR 2 and filling in popular pieces of classical music in between. See http://www.wdr.de/radio/radiohome/aktionen/wdr_2_klassik__mit_playlist_.phtml (Kai Ludwig, Germany, July 19, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** GERMANY EAST. I got confirmation yesterday that RCI's 1800 UT English broadcast to Africa on 13730 is now running via Nauen and not via Wertachtal (I suppose that this may particularly be of interest to those using the NASWA country list, which would make this via the GDR, I believe.) There will be more Nauen relays for the B06 season, but it's too early to say which ones. 73- (Bill Westenhaver, RCI, July 20, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) As previously pointed out, more and more Wertachtal and Jülich relays are likely to migrate to Nauen with the upcoming takeover of Jülich by CVC (gh, DXLD) ** INDIA. The Delhi site, which I may have reported earlier, is located at Google Earth coordinates: Latitude: Longitude: 28 42 44N, 77 12 05E (high resolution). This must be Kingsway (Mauno Ritola-FIN, July 13) Latitude: Longitude: WB: tx house at 28 42 44 N - 77 12 04 E WB: SW antennas at 28 43 11 to 28 42 32 N - 77 11 55 E, 15 lattice towers seen, up to 90 meters high. Latitude: Longitude: WB: tall single [MW?] tower at 28 43 23 16 N - 77 11 48 12 E WB: more towers at 28 43 20 28 N - 77 11 46 68 E I couldn't Kampur at 28 50N 77 09E (Mauno Ritola-FIN, July 13) WB: Seems to be on 28 49 21 N - 77 07 39 E, 33 lattice towers. (wb, wwdxc BC-DX July 13) Exact at 28 46 09 N, 77 08 13 E, taller mast 93 meters high, the lower director mast of 54 meters height, is 93 meters away in 170 degrees angle. Exact at 28 46 04 N, 77 08 31 E, a smaller single pipe / tower of 58 meters high (wb, wwdxc BC-DX July 14) The Delhi A mediumwave site is located west of Nangli Puna, approximate coordinates 28.46 N, 77.08.15 E (Olle Alm, Sweden, wwdxc BC-DX July 13 via DXLD) ** INDIA. CNN IBN video (Mumbai) file --- The CNN IBN video on ham radio in wmv format is at: http://video.tv18online.com/cnnibn/videos/cellphone_ham.wmv Downloaded (1.51 MB) it. I saw Huzefa (VU2HIT) also may be useful as a promo video. 73s de Sandeep vu2mue http://www.qsl.net/vu2msy (via Alokesh Gupta, dx_india via DXLD) ** INDIA. How to by-pass India Government's blockade on Blogs http://tools.superhit.in Regds (Babul Gogoi, dx_india via DXLD) ** INDIA. To listen a stronger signal this local afternoon, 2245Z, on 9705 enthralls me for just a few seconds but I ended up convincing myself that that music couldn`t be from West Africa. So, if Niger was there, was under the powerful 250 kW from AIR Panaji, playing their usual type of Hindu of Indian songs, which cut abruptly at 2300 for news in English. Heavy splatter from RDP 9715 and not so heavy from adjacent Radio Sofía 9700. Didn`t check parallel frequencies but I know I have heard this service on weaker 11645 too (Raúl Saavedra, Costa Rica, July 20, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** INDONESIA [non?]. On 4750, if you think you have Makassar, be aware that Bangladesh has been reported again on this new frequency, but what is it exactly to two decimal places? Chuck Bolland`s log was on 4749.90 around 1100. That should be just a bit early for Bang this time of year, 1700 local (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** IRAN [non]. 6420.8, V. of Iranian Revolution, Jul 06 *1522-1535 35333-33332, Kurdish, 1522 sign on with IS, ID at 1527, Opening music, Opening announce, Talk, Jamming from 1523, // 4375 (Kouji Hashimoto, Japan, Japan Premium via DXLD) ** IRAQ. ID by lady: "Idaatu Jummuria Iraq min Baghdad" (Voice of Republic of Iraq from Baghdad) and Arab dance songs at 0820 UT on FM 97.3 (Rumen Pankov-BUL, wwdxc BC-DX July 12 via DXLD) Sporadic E DX, I suppose. How far is it from Baghdad to Sofia? Or is 97.3 really some other relay site? (Glenn Hauser, DXLD) ** ISRAEL. Google Earth coordinates. Latitude: Longitude. And apparently here is Tel-Aviv (Yavne) site, at 31 54N / 34 45E, NOT 31 52N (Mauno Ritola, Finland, July 13, BCDX via DXLD) ** ISRAEL. 6973, Galei Zahal, 1730-1735, escuchada el 20 de julio en hebreo; sorprendentemente durante tres días no pude captar a esta estación. Desconozco el motivo, quizás mala propagación o algún problema técnico; sin embargo en ese día entró con bastante fuerza, locutor y locutora con comentarios o boletín de noticias con referencias a Israel y fragmentos en árabe. Se aprecia de forma intermitente una señal de burbuja, jammer???, de quién??? Luego en la transmisión musical esta señal ya no se hace presente, SINPO 34443 (Joeé Miguel Romero, Spain, dxldyg via DXLD) Well, the war could cause some interruptions (gh, DXLD) ** KOREA NORTH [non]. "Investigation Commission on Missing Japanese Probably Related to North Korea" announced they changed the schedule of their 2nd broadcast of "Shiokaze" since July 10 to prevent jamming from North Korea. The new schedule is; 1300-1330 9485 in Japanese / English / Korean / Chinese. They say they will take another measure if North Korea persistently continue to jam their broadcast (Takahito Akabayashi-JPN, wwdxc BC-DX July 18 via DXLD) SHIOKAZE heard on 9485 in English for the first time at 1300 to 1330 on 16 July. I have heard it a number of times in Japanese, but never in English or Korean, on 9855 & 9485 with signal strength usually fair to good. After ID, frequency schedule, and info about Shiokaze, the man read a list of abductees: Mr. or Mrs., family name, and birth year. This was done in chronological order from 1935 to 1983. At least 3 times he announced, "The following number is the birth year." All this with slow piano music in the background (Wendel Craighead, KS, DXplorer July 18 via BCDX via DXLD) And today, 17 July, I received from SHIOKAZE a full-data [except site] blue on white card verifying reception on 9855. This 1 month after sending a report to Shiokaze, 3-8-401 Koraku 2-chome, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 112-0004, Japan (Wendel Craighead-KS-USA, DXplorer July 18, ibid.) SHIOKAZE: tested at 13-1330 on 9485 with the following results: on 19 July there was no signal; on 20 July there was a very faint signal of ca S2. However on the band there was a noise produced from V. of Turkey on 9465 with local-like signal (Zacharias Liangas, Retziki, THS, Greece, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** KOREA NORTH [and non]. NORTH KOREAN DEFECTORS' STEALTH PROTEST By Choe Sang-Hun International Herald Tribune July 20, 2006 Seoul http://www.iht.com/articles/2006/07/20/news/korea.php Each day, from a basement studio in a nondescript Seoul neighborhood, Kim Seong Min's seven-person staff records a 30-minute radio program. Within hours, beamed from a transmitter in Mongolia, Kim's radio signals penetrate North Korea's tightly sealed borders with news of the outside world. Once a week, Park Sang Hak and his colleagues travel to the border with North Korea and release bottle- shaped balloons. After soaring to an altitude of 2,500 meters, or 8,000 feet, above North Korea, the balloons release their payload: thousands of "freedom doves" - leaflets that describe leader Kim Jong Il as a greedy, womanizing despot with a protruding belly. The North Korean authorities bristle at the intrusion, condemning Kim's operation as psychological warfare sponsored by the United States. But Kim and Park say they are motivated solely by a desire to deliver messages of hope and freedom to starving people trapped in a garrison state. "My goal is to help North Koreans wake up and realize that they are living in a country built with lies," said Kim, head of Free North Korea Radio, or FNK. Kim and Park are defectors from the North, now settled in the South. They say they represent thousands of North Koreans who have escaped and begun to speak out against the North Korean leader, Kim Jong Il. Seoul fears that their blunt criticism of the Pyongyang regime might sabotage its efforts to coax the North to relax its grip. Experts say Kim Jong Il's recent missile tests resulted in part from his insecurity over what he perceived as U.S. attempts to topple his regime. The attempts include flooding the country with small radios, Korean-language propaganda broadcasts, and "impure publications and video materials." Pyongyang has demanded that South Korea disband FNK, calling it a "lackey for U.S. imperialists." But speaking in a U.S. congressional hearing in April, Jay Lefkowitz, a special U.S. envoy on human rights in North Korea, vowed to support operations like FNK as "a possible precursor to a more robust broadcast platform that creates an open window to North Korea." Kim and Park came up with the idea for FNK in 2004. At the time, South Korea was switching off radio broadcasts and tearing down billboards and loudspeakers along the demilitarized zone, implementing a cease- fire in a decades-old propaganda war. Until then, the two Koreas had bombarded each other with leaflets and radio signals. Day and night, shrill voices drifted across the DMZ, condemning a "U.S. colony" in the South and a "medieval fiefdom" in the North. Gigantic hillside posters in the North beckoned: "Come to the Socialist Paradise!" The South lit neon billboards flashing its per-capita income in dollars. Many defectors said they were encouraged by the South Korean propaganda. Now those billboards are being replaced with benign exhortations of "peace" and "reconciliation" under an agreement forged at inter-Korean summit talks in 2000, a deal struck when North Korea, gripped by economic failure, felt more insecure than ever. "We were dismayed. They were leaving the North Koreans in a darker world," said Kim, who came to the South in 1999. "I thought, if the South Korean government would not do it, we defectors should do it ourselves." It stirred controversy. None of Kim's staff had any radio experience. Seoul refused to give it a license. Students marched on Kim's studio, demanding an end to "anti-unification" broadcasts. Kim received anonymous phone calls threatening his life. Once he received a doll with a knife stuck in the chest. When Park and his friends first tried to send radio sets and leaflets by balloon, the police stopped them. After that, the defectors acted clandestinely, until on one occasion the wind shifted direction and a balloon dropped 3,000 leaflets in the middle of Seoul. Local media scrambled to the scene. "Our first balloons were those used by small children. Each carried four or five leaflets. We didn't know where and how far they went, but they carried our hearts with them," Park said. Park's balloons now carry up to 10,000 "freedom doves." "Whenever the wind is right, I head out with my doves," he said. "If outside radio opens the ears of the North Koreans, our leaflets will open their eyes," Park said. "When their eyes and ears are open, they will open their mouth, speak out and revolt." At FNK, three South Korean volunteers help four defectors: a former painter, physics teacher, female army captain and Kim, a former military propaganda writer from the North. Still without a government license, the station runs only a Web site in South Korea. But last December, with financial assistance coming indirectly from the U.S. Congress, Kim's Mongolian radio station began its first shortwave broadcasting. Its 30-minute program is broadcast twice a day on two different channels to increase the chances of penetrating North Korea's signal-jamming. In addition to news and commentary, FNK carries interviews with defectors and their letters to families in the North. On its talk shows, defectors ask why North Koreans celebrate Kim Jong Il's birthday as a national holiday. They point out that in South Korea, children carry cellphones worth as much as a house in the North. "Call me a liar if you like," said a female defector in a recent broadcast, revealing that South Korean women diet while North Koreans die of famine. Although the Washington-based Radio Free Asia and Voice of America also send signals into North Korea, Kim said his station was special. "We speak in North Korean dialects. We know what the North Koreans most need to hear," he said. "We speak directly to them." Park says his team has dropped more than 1.5 million leaflets over the North. "Have you ever wondered why the General Kim Jong Il has a big jowl and pot belly while promising to share the sufferings of the people?" said a recent leaflet. "Have you thought about this: North Korea is the only country in the world where people can't leave their villages without travel permit?" The four-page leaflet also revealed the names of what it called Kim Jong Il's "many women." It remains unclear how many North Koreans tune into Kim's radio or read Park's leaflets. Every home in North Korea is fitted with a speaker that receives only government broadcasts. But state control has started showing cracks recently as North Korea's economy crumbles. People who sneak into China to seek food, defectors say, return with firsthand accounts of a thriving market economy on South Korean television there, which shows Seoul not crawling with beggars - as North Korean radio routinely claims - but packed with nice cars and well-dressed professionals (via Mike Terry, dxldyg via DXLD) ** KUWAIT. On the street from Kuwait city towards Iraq. Google Earth coordinates: Latitude: Longitude: IBB site Kuwait 29 30 24N 47 40 24E Radio Kuwait: http://www.kuwait-info.com/sidepages/media_elecmedia_radio.asp There are three radio transmission stations: 1. Kabd: Has 20 transmission sets which range between medium wave and short wave. 2. Al-Makawa: Has two transmission sets and well as an emergency set 3. Al-Jeewan: Transmits FM programmes in Arabic and English. Kabd which is south-west of Kuwait City. Seems shadowed by dark brown colour at: Google Earth coordinates: Latitude: Longitude: 29 10 48N, 47 43 57E (wb, wwdxc BC-DX July 11) Sure would be nice if there were some standardized way of expressing geo coordinates (gh, DXLD) Kuwait's presumed SW site appears to have been all but destroyed during the opening of the first Gulf War (high resolution). I have not found any other SW site in Kuwait. Google Earth coordinates: Latitude: Longitude: 29 21 01N 47 46 23E (Douglas Johnson-USA, via Olle Alm-SWE, wwdxc BC-DX July 12 via DXLD) Is the first part of this item supposed to contradict the second part? (gh, DXLD) ** LAOS. Google Earth coordinates / Latitude / Longitude. Vientiane. MW Mast \\ gleichzeitig 6130 kHz Standort, ITU gibt Koordinaten 17N58 102E33 an. Mein Google Earth zeigt eine Anlage direkt am Fluss, den MW 567 kHz Mast und ein Gebilde im Mittelpunkt des Gelaendes, etwa einer Log- Periodic Antenne aehnelnd. Siehe Google unter 17N58.29.64 102E32.45.16, Angabe in Minuten/Sekunden (wb, wwdxc BC-DX July 11 via DXLD) Old MW list shows 17 59N / 102 39E: unfortunately that is just outside high resolution (Mauno Ritola-FIN, wwdxc BC-DX July 11, via DXLD) ** LEBANON [and non]. Lebanon Emergency/Welfare Net --- Urgentie: Hoog --- Today it was published in the CQ Magazine mailing list that: "In support of the current situation in Lebanon, the Arab Amateur Radio Emergency Service has been activated on 14305 kHz in order to take Welfare and Emergency messages". It may be interesting to listen to it. A brief log: 14305.0 HZ1ZH: Maan M. T. Jeddah, ARS, 1852, USB, clg OD5QB (G. Razzouk, Beirut, LBN), no reply, 2006-07-19 (CK) (Costas SV1XV Krallis, Greece, July 19, UDXF via Pim Ripken, BDX via DXLD) Good coverage of Israeli activities --- It's from an Israeli perspective of course but the site below has good details of the nitty gritty and up to the minute information on attacks and counter- attacks. http://www.debka.com/ Also hearing increased traffic on 11.175 USB, particularly Andrews AFB but others as well including a few EAMS. http://jitc.fhu.disa.mil/ot&e/eam.htm (Brian Crow, K3VR, July 21, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** LUXEMBOURG [non]. BCE Radio Luxembourg: 0900-1700 7295 NAU 040 kW / 275 deg to Eu German DRM (DX Mix News, Bulgaria, July 20 via DXLD) ** MALDIVE ISLANDS [non]. DTK updated schedule includes: Minivan (Independent) Radio: 1600-1700 13620 JUL 100 kW / 090 deg to SoAs Dhivehi (DX Mix News, Bulgaria, July 20 via DXLD) ** MALI. RTV Mali with news in English at 1907-1918 UT on 4835 and stronger on 5995 kHz, on July 15 (Rumen Pankov, Bulgaria, wwdxc BC-DX July 18 via DXLD) Saturday ** MEXICO. 6045.1, R. Universidad at 1330-1355+ UT on July 9. Classical music to 1332, then YL announcer with ID and talk (I think she was giving the playlist) to 1335 UT, then more symphonic delights. Slightly better signal than usual but was slowly deteriorating and was unreadable by 1400 UT (John Wilkins-CO, DXplorer July 9 via BCDX via DXLD) ** MONGOLIA. Specified as transmitter site of Free North Korea: q.v. ** MONTENEGRO. Montenegro International DX Festival Under Way. Several vehicles from various European locations, such as Bulgaria, Poland, Germany and Holland brought radio equipment and additional antennas to the already impressive multi-multi site on the Adriatic coast for the Montenegro International DX Festival to mark the latest addition --- the Republic of Montenegro --– to the DXCC List which is being held July 20 until August 13. The callsign is 4O3NT, being used by a large number of prominent DXers on all bands and modes including Martti Laine, OH2BH from Finland, Dave Sumner, K1ZZ, Secretary of the International Amateur Radio Union (IARU) and CEO of the ARRL, Nigel, G3TXF from the UK, Franz, DJ9ZB from Germany, as well as the Bulgarian DXers Nick, LZ1JY, Dimiter, LZ1UQ and Danny, LZ2UU. While the DX activation is the most visible part of the festival, the group will conduct meetings with the local telecom authorities and also help the Amateur Radio Union of Montenegro toward a membership in the International Amateur Radio Union. The 4O3NT operation has launched Yaesu`s new FT2000 transceiver and is employing several SteppIR antennas, courtesy of the Northern California DX Foundation (NCDXF). Also ACOM from Bulgaria has provided several amplifiers for this operation. QSL your contacts with 403NT via YT6A. Good luck to all! (Dimiter Petrov, LZ1AF, R. Bulgaria DX July 21 via John Norfolk, dxldyg via DXLD) ** NEW ZEALAND. WWCR was JBA at 2030 UT Fri July 21 on 15825, no Es to help out and could barely recognize WOR was on the air; NZ and VOR, tho, were coming in nicely from much greater distances. A few weeks ago during this semihour UT Friday we were hearing a repeat of RNZI Mailbox, but not this time: at 2050 check on 15720 analog, some Pacific news report about the Solomon Islands, even tho Mailbox does appear at 2035 UT Friday on http://www.rnzi.com/pages/schedules.php Just another of many anomalies at RNZI (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** NIGER. Probably site at Google Earth coordinates: Latitude: 13 33 34 92N Longitude: 02 06 51E (wb, wwdxc BC-DX July 19) Nach 2100 UT auch wieder hoerbar, schwach und gestoert, am besten in LSB und schmalen Filter, derzeit um 2105 UT werden Nachrichten gelesen. Seit 2200 UT ist das Signal der Voix du Sahel auf 9705 wesentlich weniger gestoert, zu hoeren war zur vollen Stunde eine Stationsansage und nun erfreut man uns mit lokaler Unterhaltungsmusik. Bester Empfang weiterhin auf LSB (Christoph Ratzer-AUT OE2CRM July 19) jo 9705 USB-Synch mit dem HF150 sauber La Voix du Sahel aus dem Niger, lange nicht mehr so gut gehoert. Leider ging das Spiel um 1930 vorrueber da jetzt die VOA dem Vergnuegen ein Ende bereitete. Schade! (Dirk Nees-D, A-DX July 19 via BCDX via DXLD) see INDIA Recently reported reactivated Niger 9705 was noted today 20 July 1730 onwards on 9704 kHz (Jari Savolainen, Kuusankoski Finland, July 20, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) Jari, are you sure in this case it was not Ethiopia? They are normally around 9704. If Niger varies down there too it will be confusing. 73, (Glenn to Jari, via DXLD) Glenn, I'm pretty sure it was Niger on 9704. They had the usual French news at 1900. Ethiopia was on 9704.2 but not very strong. 73, (Jari Savolainen, Finland, DX LISTENING DIGEST) There were indeed two stations operating very close together on the 20th at around 1815. The loudest one appeared to be on 9704 and a weaker one very slightly higher, audible mostly as a hum. There was no signal audible on 9705. Unfortunately Bulgaria 9700 was loudly splattering the frequency but a talk in a unrecognised language was heard followed by music - not the usual Horn of Africa type. So it seems that Niger - if that's what it was - is drifting. 73 (Noel R. Green (NW England), dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) Ethiopia (re)opens 9704.2 at *1459, q.v. See also INDIA (gh) Today, 21 July at 1800 Niger was back on 9705 (Jari Savolainen, Kuusankoski, Finland, July 21, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** NIGERIA. Some V. of Nigeria English programmes --- This message just came from Voice of Nigeria: "Encourage friends and fellow-DXers to listen to our music programmes: African Safari (Saturday 1805 GMT), Nigerian Popular Music (Friday & Saturday 1930 GMT), and VON Link Up (Sunday 1805)." Frequency 15120 kHz. 73, (Mauno Ritola, Finland, July 21, Swprograms mailing list via DXLD) ** OKLAHOMA. Re KUSH and KALV, licenses cancelled but still on air: Yes, but how often does the FCC fine stations that either have a cancelled license, failed to renew or have an STA? I think they are way too busy chasing low powered pirates to worry about commercial stations (Robert M. Bratcher, Jr., TX?, amfmtvdx via DXLD) It will take a while for the FCC to hand out the fines for failing to file for renewal. Looking at the enforcement action in the last few months, looks like 1 out of about 10 is for a "pirate" AM or FM (Bill Frahm - Boise, ID, ibid.) ** OMAN. BBC's relay at Oman. The BBC's small site in Oman is located in a remote coastal location some distance down the east coast at Google Earth coordinates: Latitude: Longitude: 21d 55' 06"N 59d 37' 01"E. (Douglas Johnson-USA, via Olle Alm-SWE, wwdxc BC-DX July 11 via DXLD) ** PAKISTAN. 156 ILLEGAL FM RADIO STATIONS JAMMED [sic] Islamabad July 19 2006 http://www.dawn.com/2006/07/20/top8.htm The government has taken 156 FM radio stations off the air to stop the spread of religious extremism and anti-state sentiments, notably among Pashtun tribes near the Afghan border, a spokesman for the regulator said on Wednesday. The raids have been conducted by the Pakistan Electronic Media Regulating Authority (Pemra), working in tandem with local officials in tribal areas during the last six months. "Our regulations do not extend to the tribal areas. But we are coordinating with local authorities and police to jam or shut down these illegal stations," a spokesman said. He said 94 stations had been operating illegally, and transmitting their religious and political views. "The rest were closed down by the local authorities," he said (via Mike Terry, dxldyg via DXLD) ** PAPUA NEW GUINEA. 7120, Wantok Radio Light. July 17 at 0902-0920. SINPO 35333. Relaying NBC National news till 0910, then ID in English "Wantok Radio Light expresses appreciations to the National Broadcasting Corporation... NBC National news can be heard at 7 o'clock tomorrow morning." I guess they relay NBC National news two times at 7 m & 7 pm local (Iwao Nagatani, Japan, Japan Premium via DXLD) ** PERU. 4790.2, Radio Visión (tentative); 0445-0503+, 16-July; M speaking like an auctioneer in a large hall with hallelujahs and glossalalia, with a crowd that sounds into it. Can make out a Spanish word now & then. No break or ID at 0500. SIO=322, Swiper QRM. SSB helps a bit. Peaks as good as any heard on 4386v. 0147, 17-July; Sounds like exactly the same thing. 0251- 0303+, 19-July; similar programming with very tentative ID at 0256. After ID, went from M speaking in hall to campo-like vocals (Harold Frodge, MI, MARE Tipsheet via DXLD) ** RUSSIA. Friday 20-21 is a good hour to listen to VOR, 15455 in English: July 21 contained Moscow Mailbag, with Carl Watts; actually, I just caught the closing at 2027 tune-in; and after the sesquiminute of headlines, a jazz show including some Melodiya recordings of Benny Goodman music (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** RUSSIA. Frequency changes for Voice of Russia from July 3: 1500-1600 Arabic NF 11645 S.P 400 kW / 145 deg, ex 12005 to avoid RTTunisia 1700-1800 Polish NF 9615 SAM 250 kW / 285 deg, ex 5925, re-ex 5810 Deleted transmissions of Deutsche Welle in DRM from July 1: 0400-0600 German on 9690 MSK 040 kW / 265 deg Frequency change for RNW from July 2: 1300-1357 Dutch NF 5910 P.K 250 kW / 247 deg, ex 5880 Frequency change for Vatican Radio from July 15: 1230-1300 Russian NF 5905 NVS 100 kW / 078 deg, ex 6210 Frequency changes for WYFR Family Radio from July 3: 1000-1100 Japanese NF 7150 K/A 250 kW / 178 deg, ex 7380 1300-1500 English NF 9415 NVS 500 kW / 180 deg, ex 7580 1500-1700 Hindi NF 9415 NVS 500 kW / 180 deg, ex 7580 1800-1900 Polish NF 9615 SAM 250 kW / 285 deg, ex 5925, re-ex 5810 (DX Mix News, Bulgaria, July 20 via DXLD) ** SAUDI ARABIA. High resolution imagery of the SW site at Riyadh, Saudi Arabia: the large Riyadh site is located at the northerly side of that city. Google Earth coordinates: Latitude: Longitude: 24d 49' 30"N, 46d 52' 07"E (Douglas Johnson-USA, via Olle Alm-SWE, wwdxc BC-DX July 11) Other SW sites also now available at high resolution on Google Earth are: Saudi Radio at Riyadh (the large site is located just NE of the city; Oh yes: 24 49N / 46 52E Google Earth coordinates: Latitude: Longitude: 24 49 33N 46 52 09E an antenna star of 36 lattice towers of various height. HFCC shows these bearings: non-dir, 55, 115, 175, 250, 270, 295, 340, 355 degrees also three separate single masts (MW?), 35, 25, 25 meters high. near 24 48 56 N 46 51 53 E location. a single feeder communications mast at 24 49 01 N - 46 51 55 E a single mast at 24 49 44 76 N - 46 52 54 03 E 30 meters high. Log-periodics (removable type ?) 24 49 27 12 N, 46 52 04 62 E and 24 49 25 40 N, 46 52 09 32 E and a large log-periodic 9675 kHz ??? 24 49 30 72 N - 46 51 59 04 E 2 times: 4 masts, like double corner reflector quadrant antenna at 24 49 39 36 N - 46 52 12 36 E and at 24 49 43 15 N - 46 52 06 06 E 46 meters in diameter (wb, wwdxc BC-DX July 13 via DXLD) ** SERBIA [non]. Hi Glenn, I learned, in a recent telephone conversation with an individual in Belgrade, that the transmitter site {R. Serbia, Bijeljina, Bosnia-Hercegovina} had been temporarily closed for maintenance. I was told that the transmissions could return in August. Necessary works were being carried out on the shortwave transmitters. All the Best (Christopher Lewis, England, July 20, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** SRI LANKA [non]. IBC Tamil Radio: 0000-0100 7315 WER 250 kW / 120 deg to SoAs Tamil (DX Mix News, Bulgaria, July 20 via DXLD) ** TAIWAN [non]. Radio Taiwan International gibt auf seiner Internetseite bekannt: Ab heute wird die Frenquenz 18930 kHz zwischen 2100 und 2200 UT aus Okeechobee, USA, eingestellt. Statt dessen senden wir zwischen 2000 und 2100 UTC auf der Frequenz 15695 kHz ebenfalls aus Okeechobee, USA. http://german.rti.org.tw/Content/GetSingleNews.aspx?ContentID=18450 (Frank Kreuzinger-D, A-DX July 18 via BCDX via DXLD) Contrary to the previous report that the new frequency would be 15600, which explains why I did not hear it there, and they also moved RTI German an hour earlier to 20 (Glenn Hauser, July 21, DXLD) ** UKRAINE. TAVRICHANKA ITU KHR Kharkov UKR 50N00 036E17 837 kHz and 1485 kHz scheduled. Google Earth coordinates: Latitude: Longitude: a single more like TV/FM tower at 50 02 35N - 36 14 09E 6 lattice towers at 49 37 28N - 36 06 29 07E other dipole masts row at 49 37 51N - 36 06 45E a single pipe? mast at 49 37 39 72N - 36 07 14E and a white image like mast of 270 meters height? at 49 37 46N, 36 07 27E a LW tower of 320 meters height at 49 38 08 07N, 36 07 27E (wb, wwdxc BC-DX July 13 via DXLD) ** U K [and non]. Is there ANYONE better than the BBC? I was listening to WOR 1322 and Glenn Hauser's mention of the annual broadcast of the "Prom" concerts on Radio Three. This led me to contemplate all the vast content available from the BBC. Is there any other broadcaster that comes close the wide variety of high quality (and low quality) programming ? Just think about it, not only do we get the amazing programming from Radio 3, the fascinating content on Radio 4, and some of the most varied pop/dance/rock format from Radio 1, we also get the BBC World Service, BBC World TV, and some very eclectic content from the BBC's digital radio channels. The BBC's news website has to be the best in the world (most American networks barely update their content after office hours) and the BBC innovates with podcasts and other cutting edge 'cast". I'm a big fan of Canada's CBC, and find they occasionally come close to the BBC, but is there anyone else? I realize my lack of ability to speak other languages confines my serious listening to English language broadcasters (although I often listen to CBC in French) -- (Andy K3UK O`Brien, Fredonia, New York, July 20, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) Maybe RNE in Spain (gh, DXLD) ** U K [non]. BBC relayed by R. Australia: q.v. ** U S A. USA Google Earth coordinates: Latitude: Longitude: IBB Greenville-A 35 42 00 N 77 09 00 W IBB Greenville-B 35 28 18 N 77 12 06 W surprisingly 26 kms apart away each other (wb, wwdxc BC-DX July 11 via DXLD) O yes, and the triangle completed by the now decommissioned -C receiving and control site (gh, DXLD) ** USA. 3215, WWCR Nashville TN; 0341 with Power Hour, which used to be on WHRI. They call themselves good conservatives but they're for legalized marijuana. It's not legal because of a big conspiracy yadda yadda yadda (Liz Cameron, MI, 15 July, MARE Tipsheet via DXLD) ** U S A. Per a posting on the FRN, Todd N9OGL is running a "low power" station on 13556 USB & LSB, "on most of the time", and signed the post as Free Radio America. You can find Todd N9OGL in Taylorsville IL on http://www.arrl.org How low power do you have to go not to attract attention? Methinks you'd better catch Todd soon. I checked at 1528, 19-July and heard continuous code OI; heard only in USB. Same at 2120 (Harold Frodge, MI, MARE Tipsheet July 21 via DXLD) ** U S A. Great Minds Think Alike: Both ABC and CBS started the story of prescription mistakes within half a minute of each other at 2250 UT July 20, joined by NBC a minute later. BTW, ABC must have been reading DXLD as ``Tonight`` has been dropped from the rejiggered news with Charles Gibson: now it`s just ABC World News with Charles Gibson. Or they finally figured out that especially in summer, it airs FAR before any signs of nighttime. But it`s still NBC Nightly News; and the CBS Evening News. BTW, Gibson has always struck me as a lightweight when it comes to hard news, and in the past have caught him in a number of mostly geographical gaffes. This may explain why ABC was giving him such a buildup before he took over. Soon the question will be whether Katie Couric is even lighter? (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A. KTRS LOSES TWO TOWERS IN STORM St. Louis Business Journal - July 20, 2006 http://stlouis.bizjournals.com/stlouis/stories/2006/07/17/daily60.html Business News - Local News KTRS loses two Ill. towers in storm St. Louis Business Journal - 4:37 PM CDT Thursday Radio station KTRS said Thursday that two of its four broadcast towers in Madison, Ill., toppled over during Wednesday night's storm, resulting in an emergency broadcast license granted to the station by the Federal Communications Commission. The FCC granted KTRS 550 AM a six-month license to broadcast in the evenings at 1,250 watts in a "nondirectional," or 360-degree, manner from one of its two remaining towers. KTRS typically broadcasts at night at 5,000 watts in a directional manner to the north, south and west, according to a release. KTRS officials said in a statement that the changes will not affect its listeners throughout the Midwest during the day nor those in the St. Louis metropolitan area at night. However, the radio's evening signal will be weaker beyond the St. Louis metropolitan area until the towers are repaired, according to the release )via Ken Kopp, dxldyg via DXLD) KTRS 550 Towers Damaged in Storm --- We had an unusual storm last night. It came done from the north and made a right turn in to St. Louis. 500,000 people and businesses lost power, down to 450,000 as of 5:00 pm. 550 KTRS lost two of its towers and will be non directional and 1250 watts at night (Pete Dernbach, St. Louis, Mo., July 20, IRCA via DXLD) ** U S A. RADIO DISNEY CELEBRATING BIRTHDAY ONLINE Burbank, California July 19 2006 UPI http://www.upi.com/NewsTrack/view.php?StoryID=20060719-084451-7948r When Radio Disney celebrates its 10th birthday this weekend, it will broadcast the celebration and corresponding concert in California as a live Web cast. A press release from The Walt Disney Co. said Saturday's birthday celebration will be aired live on the company's Web site, RadioDisney.com, at 7 p.m. Pacific Standard Time [0200 UT Sunday] The related Radio Disney Totally 10 Birthday Concert will also be aired live -- with musical acts including The Cheetah Girls, Jesse McCartney, Everlife and Bowling for Soup (via Mike Terry, July 20, dxldyg via DXLD) Thanks. My kid's favourite station! (Andy O`Brien, NY, dxldyg via DXLD) 10 Years of pure, unadulterated Disney bullshit!! Quick, grab the Bubbly!! (Perhaps we think about the hundreds of Entertainment industry career-seekers who have had their livelihoods destroyed by Disney blacklisting practices, which are usually implemented in response to Union-supporting activities, and to those expressing solidarity behind other victimized employees. Others frequently targeted by vindictive Disney honchos most especially include long- term employees of companies swallowed by Disney acquisitions, including Capital Cities-ABC --- and frankly, those who simply rub members of the Company's cadre of insecure ruling-Peter-Pans the wrong way are subject to treatment that would befit only the most egregious offenders of corporate culture, in other organizations which, unlike Disney, conduct activities with at least SOME semblance of morals and ethics. I personally know Disney has absolutely NO regard for the needs of these ordinary people to feed and clothe their children, to cover normal financial obligations such as mortgages, or to simply live their lives. Or, if you prefer, we should consider remembering the several tourists who have lost their lives in the past year, at Florida's Disney World, due to cost-cutting moves made, regarding safety protocols --- as I recall, three of those lost were children. Walt Disney was a virulent racist, known to despise African-Americans and Jews; he also is rumoured to have been a closet Hitler adherent -- - being a Public Relations genius, Disney knew to keep such sentiments close to the vest through America's pre-WW2 neutrality period in the 1930s. For the many folks who have attempted to make honest livings in Entertainment, only to have their hopes and dreams dashed to bits by evil Disney policies and practices, a "celebration" of ten years of Radio Disney is like lauding 60 years of lampshades from Auschwitz. Party on, fools! (Greg Hardison, CA, ibid.) Greg, I will assume that much of what you describe is true of much corporate radio in North American, very sad. However, from a programming perspective, their "format" is very clever. They cleverly mix the Disney Channel (TV) artists into their radio format and create a lot of "identification" for their young listeners. Their playlist is, in my opinion, excruciatingly short. However, this seems to fit the 6-10 years quite well. Their top 20 is an embarrassment in that it is blatantly biased towards Disney's own artists (Andy O`Brien, ibid.) Andy: -- I appreciate your assessment of R. Disney, and agree with most of it. My own daughter was tired of the repetition and incessant product-pitching by the time she turned 7. My general problem is the way the format conditions kids to be rabid consumers, preferably of course of the full line of cheaply-made Disney throwaways. Corporate Radio in the USA has never been an easy environment, but most people here aspiring to work in the industry are well aware of what I call the "BS Factor". Disney has taken that model to egregious extremes in many cases. At KABC/790 we had one of the finest Program Directors in the business, as Disney suits goose-stepped into the door in December 1996. They immediately told our PD he was "unqualified"; since that day the Ratings at KABC have seen steady decline. Thanks for your thoughts! (GREG HARDISON, CA, ibid.) ** U S A. CLASSICAL STATION OWNER STICKS TO PLAYING SOLO --- Saul Levine could sell K-Mozart radio for $100 million or more. But he's not about to. --- By David Colker, Times Staff Writer July 19, 2006 http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-saul19jul19,0,1869415.story?coll=la-home-business In 1958, atop Mt. Wilson overlooking Los Angeles, Saul Levine built a radio station almost solely with his own hands. He used a rented tractor to clear scrub brush from a patch of land so remote that the U.S. Forest Service leased it to him for $350 a year. With the help of a carpenter, he built a shack to house his broadcast equipment --- mostly secondhand --- and a bare-bones studio. The antenna was placed atop a flagpole. His station went on the air in February 1959, with selections from Franz Lehar's operetta "The Land of Smiles." "It was just by chance the first album I grabbed," said Levine, a lawyer who had dreamed of having his own radio station since growing up in rural Michigan. "But it was how we felt." Today that classical music station, now known as K-Mozart, or KMZT-FM (105.1), is worth at least $100 million and perhaps much more, according to analysts. But only if Levine would give it up. And he's not about to. Levine, 80, still comes into the office --- a modern three-story building in West L.A. --- every day. It also houses his other station, KKGO-AM (1260), which plays pop standards. He oversees every aspect of the stations' operations, including advertising sales and on-air personalities. In an industry that has gone corporate, Levine is one of the last of a breed: the independent radio station owner. Other independent owners - -- particularly in classical music radio, which has a limited, aging audience --- long ago accepted offers from industry giants that snapped up FM stations in lucrative markets. "The amount of money he could get is insane," said Brenda Barnes, president of USC Radio, which operates the other classical music station in L.A., the not-for-profit KUSC-FM (91.5). In fact, Los Angeles is the only city in the country that still has more than one full-time broadcast classical music station, according to research done for an upcoming National Endowment for the Arts report. Analysts say the broadcast license for the station ‹ which Levine originally had acquired for about $25 --- is particularly valuable because of the station's range. KMZT would be restricted under current Federal Communications Commission rules to a power output of 680 watts. But because it was founded before those rules went into effect in 1962, the station can operate at almost 18,000 watts. "He has the rights to one of the most powerful signals in Southern California," said Mary Beth Garber, president of the Southern California Broadcasters Assn. "It's one of the few stations that can be heard all the way in Palm Springs." But Levine refuses to bow to the economic pressures that have shut down commercial classical music operations to the point that there are only about a dozen left nationwide --- fewer than half of what there were 20 years ago. "Whenever I get an offer," Levine said, "I call my wife and she tells me to tell them to go away. She doesn't want me hanging around the house, and I would go nuts." Total advertising sales of stations in the Los Angeles radio market ‹ in general defined as Los Angeles and Orange counties ‹ last year amounted to nearly $1.1 billion, according to media advisory firm BIA Financial Network. KMZT's part of that was estimated by BIA to be $7.3 million. By contrast, the station with the highest revenue, alternative rocker KROQ-FM (106.7), took in $67.6 million. Station licenses, particularly for those on the FM dial, are so valuable in Southern California that beginning in the 1980s, many were purchased through leveraged buyouts, arts consultant Bob Goldfarb said. "A station, after it was bought, had to not only earn a profit but also service the debt that eventually got into the nine-figures range," said Goldfarb, who conducted the survey of classical music radio stations for the National Endowment for the Arts report. "You can't service a debt like that on the income of a classical music station." One by one, commercial classical music stations were sold and instantly changed format. The time came in 1989 for Los Angeles' KFAC- FM, which had been playing classical music for 58 years. It sold for $55 million and became KKBT-FM (now at 100.3), with the motto "Rock With a Beat." At that point, Levine's station was playing an all-jazz format, which he had switched to in the early 1960s because of competition from KFAC. The demise of that station cleared the way for Levine to return to classical music. His station finally began showing a steady profit, and the money made from the sale of a San Francisco AM station got him out of debt. The newfound prosperity reinforced Levine's resolve not only to hold on to his original station but also to program it the way he wanted to. In 2000 Levine changed the call letters from KKGO-FM to KMZT-FM, after Mozart. "I thought about naming it for Beethoven," he said, "but I couldn't figure out how to get that into call letters." That year the Los Angeles Philharmonic was hoping to broadcast its concerts on his station. But the orchestra had raised only half of the $200,000 the venture would cost. "We were at a meeting where this was being discussed," said Vanessa Butler, then head of marketing for the orchestra. "And Saul just wrote a check for $100,000. I'll never forget it." If there is a complaint against Levine, it comes from critics who say KMZT plays it too safe with its programming, sticking mostly to classical standards and light fare. But KMZT's music mix is why longtime listener Virginia Bortin, who is marketing director for the Los Angeles County Department of Beaches and Harbors, chooses the station over the more adventurous KUSC. "I prefer composers of the late 19th, early 20th centuries," Bortin said. "Debussy, Ravel, Rachmaninoff. KMZT plays a lot of their music." In fact, KMZT is the more popular classical station. In a survey released Tuesday by Arbitron Inc., KMZT got a 1.4 share rating, meaning that on average, about 1.4% of adult listeners in the L.A. area tune to the station. It shared 25th place with two other stations in the market. KUSC's share rating was 1.0, or an average of 1% of adult listeners. It tied for 31st place. Despite his success and reputation for being genial, Levine does not shy away from a fight when he feels his turf is being threatened. In 2004 he took on satellite radio, saying it should be subject to the same FCC indecency regulations as are broadcasters. The year before, he challenged a marketing alliance of industry giant Clear Channel Communications Inc. and KUSC, contending that the public radio station was tiptoeing into commercialism. Levine lost both battles, but he got national publicity for his efforts. The only topic Levine wouldn't discuss was his age. "The guy will never retire," Butler said. "For him, it has never been about the money." Furthermore, he does not want his children, both of whom are involved in the operation of the family company, Mt. Wilson Broadcasting Inc., to sell when he is gone and live off the proceeds. "You are supposed to work," Levine said. "I would not want them to sit around on an island in the Mediterranean." Levine's son, who is KMZT's marketing director, declined to comment on the station's future. "He is still the owner," Michael Levine said quietly. In the meantime, Saul Levine forges ahead. He loves to talk about podcasting --- the station offers listeners downloadable interviews and lectures about music on its website. "Otherwise, you are in the horse-and-buggy era," Levine said. He practically hops up the stairs at the station, disdaining the elevator, with the vitality of a man who does not intend to be left behind. Or lose his business sense. "They say that for every step you take, you add 10 seconds to your life," Levine said. "And you save electricity." (via Ray T. Mahorney, DXLD) ** U S A. The NAB FM translator for AM stations petition may be found here. A PDF file. They mention all kinds of interference to AM reception, but not IBOC. http://gullfoss2.fcc.gov/prod/ecfs/retrieve.cgi?native_or_pdf=pdf&id_document=6518400280 (Brock Whaley, July 20, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ PUBLICATIONS ++++++++++++ WHITE'S RADIO LOG in .pdf format has been posted at : http://www.amlogbook.com/white/white.html ENJOY !! (Lee Freshwater, Ocala FL, IRCA via DXLD) DIGITAL BROADCASTING DRM: AUSTRALIA; GERMANY; LUXEMBOURG; RUSSIA ++++++++++++++++++++ KBRT / KSPN HD interference I just noticed that the July issue of the Crawford Broadcasting engineering department newsletter, The Local Oscillator, starts out with a very interesting story detailing the problems that Crawford is experiencing with interference to KBRT from the HD signal on 3rd adjacent KSPN. To view it go to http://www.crawfordbroadcasting.com/ and click on Engineering. Look for the Local Oscillator archives and then the July 2006 issue (Patrick Griffith, Westminster CO, July 20, IRCA via DXLD) Another test of our callsign knowledge. Without looking them up, I think KBRT is 740, and KSPN 710 in the LÁ market. Am I right? Yes! Direct link: http://www.crawfordbroadcasting.com/~cbc/Local_Oscillator/July%202006%20Local%20Oscillator.pdf (gh, DXLD) At last year's IRCA convention, we toured KBRT, and it struck me as a very professional outfit. Perhaps I'm easily impressed, but to have that quality of engineering discussion on a station's web page is something to be proud of. Thanks for the link, Patrick. best wishes, (Nick Hall-Patch, Victoria, B.C., IRCA via DXLD) Is this same Crawford who in Radio World sics its preachy noncredible engineer/Hedda Hopper-wannabe upon all who dare question Saint iBLOC? Same lettered sock-puppet who claims iBLOC doesn't interfere? Same one who denies any fault of iBLOC and overstatedly shifts blame to others? You mean there really is Justice? How to sniff crooks: 1. Instinct: Tells us something 'wrong'. Many now admit HD 'wrong' from the start. 2. Language: Fanciful claims laced with overblown denials, evasions, blame-shifts, deflections and moralistic imperatives are automatic red flags. Example: 'HD is our inevitable digital future. Get over it." "IBOC is flawless. Problem is billions of defective existing analog radios." "If you don't like HD you're a techno-Luddite." "Inevitable digital future"? SS Titanic's New York arrival was also inevitable. Overblown self-confidence is TeamBLOC's Achilles' Heel. "Billions of existing defective radios" Really? Calling all class action lawyers! Billions of radios made over several decades by hundreds of manufacturers, all defective? Yikes!!! TeamBLOC gives new meaning to the word 'dissembling'. My opinion, latest FM Translator for AM is ploy to evade interference issue. Like admitting you wrecked your friend's car but you'll customize his glove compartment. Soliciting real-life HD interference cases for research? Ploy to discredit growing opposition and shift blame away from HD promoters onto broadcasters. If you sip something and right away feel sick, need you guzzle a gallon to know it's bad? =Z.= "When statesmen for public duty forsake their private consciences they lead their nations by a short route to chaos." - Sir Thomas More, "Man For All Seasons", c. 1960, Robert Bolt (Paul Vincent Zecchino, Manasota Key, FL, BT, ibid.) Yes there have been others on 1st and even 2nd adjacent channels. But what's really scary about the KBRT / KSPN situation is that the interference is on a 3rd adjacent channel. That's a lot of bandwidth! As far as technical facilities are concerned, Crawford has to be one of the most conscientious broadcast organizations that I have seen. Every Crawford facility that I have visited has been immaculate. And they always seem to be at the leading edge of technical advances. For example, here in the Denver area they seem to be having great success at using Motorola's Canopy as an alternative to traditional STL systems. I have to mention that a few months ago I expressed a concern about a possible technical problem with one of Crawford's Denver area AM stations. Corporate Director of Engineering Cris Alexander and Colorado Chief Engineer Ed Dulaney both responded immediately and, in my opinion, took extreme measures to ensure that their facility was operating correctly. Even more remarkable, they both went out of their way to keep me informed about the progress of their investigation. I believe I heard from one or both of them every day for almost a week. I find that to be amazing (Patrick Griffith, Westminster CO, ibid.) RADIO EQUIPMENT FORUM +++++++++++++++++++++ PLAN WOULD PUT A WEATHER RADIO IN EVERY HOME By Curtis Krueger and Aaron Sharockman July 13, 2006 St. Petersburg Florida --- Just about everyone keeps a smoke alarm in the home, so why not a hurricane alarm? That was the gist of the conversation Wednesday with a business executive who met with city officials to discuss distributing free weather radios to every household in St. Petersburg. Bruce Thomas, a spokesman for the Midland Radio Corp., stressed the idea is purely in talking stages. . . . . .The weather radios sound off for a variety of emergencies including: severe weather, Amber Alerts, evacuation notices, hazardous material spills, food contamination warnings and certain marine warnings, including tsunamis. That variety could be a curse as much as a blessing. Any landlubber awakened at 3 a.m. for marine weather might soon unplug the radio. Thomas said it's better to have the information than not. "Every warning gives you your best opportunity to make wise decisions." . . . http://www.sptimes.com/2006/07/13/Tampabay/Plan_would_put_a_weat.shtml (via Mike Terry, dxldyg via DXLD) This is quite true. I gave programmable weather radios as presents last Christmas to two households, and did the programming myself first. One was my next-door neighbor, where I go to use the computer, and I noticed that they had left it off and eventually unplugged it a month or so later. I leave mine set to display text messages but not to sound the alarm. One oddity here: I don't know if it is the NWS transmission or if it is the radio's internal software, but it consistently spells "Tornado" as "Tornato". It's not just that the lower-case "d" and "t" are mixed up, because it *does* correctly spell "Thunderstorm". Very strange... 73, (Will Martin, MO, ibid.) PARAN ANTENNAS Re 6-105: Glenn: The "PARAN" (Perimeter Current Antenna) was developed by Homer A. ("Bud") Ray, of Continental Electronics ("CEMCO" in the old days). (Bud was Jim Hatfield Sr.'s assistant at KIRO during WWII, and then at Weldon & Carr, and then at Continental until he retired.) Its ostensible original purpose was as a low-height MF/LF antenna for military use, particularly around airports. Continental reportedly supplied several for high power MF broadcast use offshore, but I have never seen any except the ones at Kona and Mt. Vermin. Bud published at least two or three papers on the antenna, and CEMCO issued product bulletins about it as well. Unfortunately, the PARAN paper I just looked at in our library doesn't have the publication name or date! None of Bud's papers were theoretically exhaustive, but he did provide modest justification for the horizontal plane efficiency and ground system requirement values he provided. The PARAN has a cos² vertical radiation pattern, as is typical of short vertical radiators. The Mt. Vermin PARAN had to have some small amount of additional top- loading added to it in order to make the FCC's minimum efficiency, according to the proof of performance report. I believe the Mt. Vermin one was installed because of the small size of the site which precluded a taller guyed tower. The measurement data on the Kona one was pretty sparse, as shown in its proof of performance report, and the FCC didn't like the original analysis of the data, so the licensee went to Bob duTreil Sr to get a proper analysis. The PARAN antenna is omnidirectional, and is considered so by FCC, but the one in Mt. Vermin has a current monitoring system like a DA, and that's why the database entry is the way it is - so that when it is pulled up from the database its vertical radiation will be "properly" calculated by a computer program that uses the FCC/ITU sinusoidal current distribution assumptions (Ben Dawson, WA, July 21, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Re: HOWARD STERN: FM TRANSMITTER "INTERFERENCE" Though Aaron discussed the issue of what frequency these transmitters are likely to be set to, the other aspect that seems to be ignored is what the *receiving* radios are tuned to. After all, if there is no local broadcaster on 87.9 MHz (which there won't be), why would a driver listening to local FM have his radio on and tuned to 87.9? He'd be hearing interstation noise or various interference! This over-transmission car-to-car could only be detected by unwitting drivers if the car with the satellite radio was using a transmitter set to the same frequency as a local station (unless their bandwidth is terribly terribly wide). And, while Aaron mentioned that some were using 88.1 MHz, even though there was a local college station there *on* 88.1, that isn't what most drivers are likely to be tuned to. You'd have to compare with the high-powered commercial FMs that serve the drive-time audience, and would people with satellite radios have their in-car transmitters tuned to the same frequency as those powerhouse local FMs? I think not, as they'd be getting lots of interference. I think this is a strong argument against the reality of the concept of "unexpected reception of offensive transmissions", especially when coupled with the actual rarity of offensive words (or sound effects?) in the brief periods of specific-car-to-other-particular-car closeness within the traffic stream. In my view, it *could* happen but would be extremely unlikely. You could *make* it happen with a properly-set-up experiment, but in real life it is so unlikely as to be a true rarity. 73, (Will Martin, MO, July 19, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) Good point BUT in my area of New York State, I do have a station on 87.7 --- the audio from Channel 6 TV in Toronto. It does "bleed" over a little to 87.9. Also, what about the nearby 88.1 stations? (Andy O`Brien, Fredonia, ibid.) I agree with your assessment. It is probably very rare in actual occurrence, but the group of people that observe it are quite likely to be listening to religious programming. This group tends to write letters and make phone calls at a higher percentage than the people listening to the rest of the band. Therefore, a rather rare event has become quite amplified. The media tends to give the mouse a microphone rather than the lion. Another aspect of this is that a large segment of the media, particularly electronic, probably do not like the fact that HS et. al. can move to satellite radio and do their shows uncensored while they remain under broadcast decency rules. They would like to discredit the likes of Stern, but they fail to realize that in our culture there is no such thing as bad publicity for entertainers. 73, de (Nate >> -- Wireless | Amateur Radio Station N0NB Bargmann, ibid.) HFRC --- REGIONAL COVERAGE SHORTWAVE ANTENNA Complete System For Broadcast & Communications http://www.lbagroup.com/technology/swant.php (via Glenn Hauser, DXLD) Cf. ANGOLA TIPS FOR RATIONAL LIVING ++++++++++++++++++++++++ DXing AND BIRDING I read, with interest, the comments regarding DXing and birding (birdwatching) in the #6-104 DX Listening Digest. At the 2006 Winter SWL Festival, I actually presented an informal evening workshop in which I discussed some of the similarities between birding and DXing. There are actually quite a few! I was really very surprised by the turnout at the session, and the reaction from the participants. It was really a fun experience. I discovered that there are a number of DXers, several at Winterfest, who are birders. Former Winterfest organizer, Bob Brown, is an avid birder, organizing some of the annual birding events at Cape May, New Jersey during the annual migration period. Certainly birds don't QSL, but using your ears to identify songs isn't a whole lot different than identifying radio stations by their interval signals. One major difference between the rare DX catch and the rare bird sighting is that, in the case of the radio station, it usually hangs out at the same place at the same time (its frequency). It's just a matter of being on frequency and hoping that the propagation brings you the signal. In the case of the rare bird, it may be hanging out at a particular place, for a period of time, but there is one major difference --- WINGS!, making the task that much more challenging. Both activities present great challenges and offer great rewards. Unfortunately some of the endangered species are becoming as rare as those hundreds of tropical band regional stations we used to be able to track down. (Sheldon Harvey, Radio H.F. - Canada's specialist in radio communications --- See the new Nature Books Division as well! http://www.radiohf.ca === President-Canadian International DX Club, Canada's national radio monitoring club since 1962 http://www.anarc.org/cidx/ Enjoy birds and birdwatching? http://www.birdprotectionquebec.org July 28, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ###