DX LISTENING DIGEST 6-121, August 11, 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 1325: [WRMI schedule still in flux] Fri 2030 WWCR1 15825 Sat 0800 WRN 13865 DRM via Bulgaria Sat 1230 WRMI 9955 Sat 1430 WRMI 7385 Sat 1600 WWCR3 12160 Sun 0230 WWCR3 5070 Sun 0630 WWCR1 3215 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 CONTINENT OF MEDIA 06-07 available from August 9: (stream) http://www.dxing.com/com/com0607.ram (download) http://www.dxing.com/com/com0607.rm ** ALBANIA. I just called the head of Shijak and he told me that the transmitter is still out of order because of one or two condensators that will arrive from China in the next days, so its repairements will last some days more. All the best, (Drita Cico, R. Tirana, Aug 11, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Re R. Tirana frequency changes to Europe: Hello Drita, I'll take a listen tonight and send you a report if the new frequencies are used. By the way, when is the second unit at SHI going to be repaired? I noticed that the Albanian service was off air on 7105 again this morning when TWR had use of 11865. Greetings from sunny Blackpool (Noel Green, UK, via Drita Cico, Albania, DXLD) Wed August 9th, at 1900-1928:55 UT I had a listen to the 5920 kHz channel. Both adjacent channels had only a very poor S=1 signal, 5915 Kol Israel, 5925 tentatively Magadan-Rossii, or even VoRUS Kaliningrad towards Middle East at 115 degrees. 73 de wolfy Albanian 2030-2157, I had a look to 6130 and 6205 kHz channels instead, but came across - very late - this item in Glenn Hauser's DXLD: "2030-2200 from 6205 to 5910 kHz in Albanian. Those who like Albanian music are recommended to check the last part of these transmissions (Ullmar Qvick, Sweden, DXLD Aug 7)" Very, very late around 2156 UT, so I couldn't prepare my MP3 recorder for a technical program cut. But 5910 was loud and clear as 5920 (Italian) was too at 1900 UT. No QRM on adjacent channels, at least here in Germany. Close-down at 2157 UT. No transmission of English service to UK at 2130 UT on 7465 kHz. vy 73 greetings de (Wolfgang Büschel, Aug 9, via Drita Cico, Albania, DXLD) Hi Drita: Tonight I checked the new frequencies in spite of the fact that we went to Laura, my daughter-in-law, to see her newborn baby boy. We left just after 8 PM but I still managed to check 5920 kHz for the transmission in the Serbian language. Heard loud and clear, SINPO 55555. I was away during the Italian transmission but my checks earlier indicate a free frequency. I left early for home to check the 2230-2400 local time Albanian language transmission on new 5910 kHz. This proved a success as well. Just at the beginning there was some splatter from adjacent frequency but it disappeared after five minutes. SINPO 55555 more or less. Had a check also on the small SONY in my bedroom, same fine result. After the rather tiresome news there was a fine programme of Albanian music - much appreciated! Dashuria ime e hershme! The change-over has been a total success! At least here in Sweden. Kind regards, (Ullmar Qvick, ibid.) Hello Drita and Wolfgang, Yes, I was listening to the new frequencies last night, and sorry for the late report. My reception seems to have been very much the same as Wolfgangs' - that's based on his fine recordings. I could tell that he was using a wide bandwidth but still he couldn't find any interference! [hi! Wolfy]. But conditions were not good last night and when they improve there might be traces of adjacent stations, but I think the Shijak signals should be strong enough to counter this. Drita - as perhaps you heard on the recordings, the audio quality is awful. It sounds like an old acoustic gramophone. And when this is affected by the selective fading we had last night then distortion is dreadful. Here's my report: Serbian at 1800 UT on 5920 - signal strength was peaking to 9 on my meter but with much fading. In SINPO I estimate a signal of 3+5533. The overall rating of three being due to fading and distortion. Italian 1903 on 5920 - signal strength was now 10 dB over 9 throughout and I estimate SINPO 45533 - again affected by fading and distortion. Albanian 2030 on 5910 - signal strength still 10 dB over 9 and SINPO estimated at 45533 - audio was late in 'arriving' after transmission had started. At 2110 the signal had improved to 20dB over 9 and estimated at SINPO 55533+ and it continued like this past 2140 UT. There was no interference at all to any of the transmissions so it remains to be seen what occurs as the season progresses. I could hear such as Radio Netherlands via MDG in English 1900-2057 on 5905, ISR 5915 in Arabic and 5925 Family Radio via MDG 1900-2000 but all were less strong than when previously monitored due to the day`s propagation conditions. Holland (FLV = Flevo) on 5930 from 2100 UT was again very strong and I think would have splashed 5920 had that been used for Albanian 2030. I did check 7465 at 1950 and again at 2005 and the signal was slightly less strong than usual - peaking to about 10dB over 9 and SINPO estimated as 45533 due to fading and distortion. And by the way, the receiver being used by Rudolf Krumm must be quite insensitive if he could not hear any of these signals. But it was nice to see how strongly SHI was being heard in Sweden. I didn't have time to check if 7105 was on air this morning at the same time as 11865 - hopefully the transmitter will soon be restored to working order. Regards from (Noel Green, UK, Aug 10, via Drita Cico, DXLD) Dear Drita, best wishes and greetings to you all at Tirana monitoring office as well as to the whole staff of Radio Tirana: Thank you very much for the informative and interesting programs. Monitoring Radio Tirana's new frequencies at Frankfurt am Main, Germany The new RT frequencies 5920 and 5910 kHz are working very well - the details please see the enclosed word-document. Congratulations to Noel who was absolut right on these new QRGs. The last two weeks I have some problems at 7465 German and English by atmospheric noise, maybe also a magnetic storming. August 10, 2006 UTC UTC kHz Azimuth TX kW Days Language RX SINFO Signal 1759 1815 5920 OND SHI 100 2-7 Serbian 1 55544 9+40 False ID in German, 1801 UT Serbian 1900 1929 5920 OND SHI 100 2-7 Italian 1 45544 9+30 False ID in French, 1901 UT Italian 1930 1959 7465 OND SHI 100 2-7 German 1 45444 9+20 SINFO also 45333 due to atmospheric noise or storming 2000 2028 7465 OND SHI 100 2-7 English 1 45444 9+30 SINFO also 45333 due to atmospheric noise or storming 2029 2200 5910 OND SHI 100 1-7 Albanian 1 45444 9+30 Less audio / modulation (Siegbert, Frankfurt/Main, Germany, via Drita Cico, DXLD) ** AUSTRALIA. ABC NT service via Shepparton 6080 may have been missing on previous days as Raúl Saavedra noted, but it was there as usual on Aug 10 at 1248 with ID in passing for 105.7 ABC Darwin (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Glenn, after almost a week of no trace from ABC on 6080 at 1100, I felt tempted to report yesterday they have vacated that frequency. Well, they were back this Thursday Aug. 10, when I checked around 1150 almost over riding Radio Singapore Int. So, this means ABC is using it while having transmission problems? NT 11880 has become a regular in Tiquicia after 0400, improving with each hour, and showing the better signal around 0800. BTW, at this time RA is coming loud and clear on 12080 // 9580 which have just started, altho with // 9590 was weaker again at 1155 (Raúl Saavedra, Costa Rica, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** BAHRAIN. BAHREIN, 9745, Radio Bahrein, Abu Hayan, 1927-1935, August 04, Arabic, local songs, announcement, 22432. At 1928 UT sign-off other station in the frequency and I could hear Radio Bahrein with 25432. From 1930 UT sign-on CRI-Beijing in Esperanto language and put the signal of Radio Bahrain (Arnaldo Slaen, Argentina, HCDX via DXLD) ** BRAZIL. Recibida ayer 10/08 tarjeta QSL no data ("Gracias por su relato de recepción" en varios idiomas) + varias calcomanías de Radio Guaíba de Porto Alegre - Brasil en 11785 kHz., por un informe de recepción enviado en Noviembre de 2004, luego de varios follow-up a través del correo electrónico. Las direcciones utilizadas fueron produtores @ radioguaiba.com.br y centraltecnica @ radioguaiba.com.br El tiempo total fué de 623 días (14 días desde el último follow-up). V/S: Ademar J. Dallanora, gerente administrativo? (Gabriel Schvartz, Argentina, Noticias DX via DXLD) ** CANADA. RCI`s harmonica fill music seems to be stuck on one cut, which I keep hearing at every break, e.g. Aug 10 at 1330 and I`m pretty sure at 1304 and 1404: Badinerie, by J. S. Bach --- which, AAMOF is the first and shortest cut as in 6-108. But 1:24 is still too long to squeeze into any of the breaks where it is used, lasting a minute or less. It`s a great piece of music, as in this MIDI version: http://www.classicalmidiconnection.com/cgibin/x.cgi/mid/bach/os2_7bad.mid where you can also find a huge collexion of Bach music. I wonder if the RCI automation keeps defaulting to the first cut; but we`d really like to hear bits and pieces of the other selexions, rotating from one to another. Aug 11 morning: still Badinerie, Badinerie, Badinerie (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** CANADA. CBC Radio 1 is really overdoing it with its Sirius promotion in every ID. ``Sirius 137`` is being given equal billing to CBC Radio 1 itself, while in fact Sirius is merely another platform for conveying CBC Radio 1 (and dozens of other networks). It would make as much sense, if not more --- hey, why not? --- to mention RCI relays and SW frequencies in every domestic CBC Radio 1 ID (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** CANADA. Noticed that Dead Dog in the City, the First Nations humour show, but applicable to all of us, such as this week`s episode Aug 10 about the end of the world, has an additional airtime on CBC Radio 1, Thu 1345 UT within the first hour of Sounds Like Canada, as first aired in the AT zone, +1/2/3/4 hours, and also on RCI at 1445 on 9515, 13655, 17800. So if you miss it at 2329 UT Wednesdays +1/2/3/4 hours you can catch it the next morning; apparently not available ondemand. The humour is, shall we say, Dead Pan (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** CANADA. DX ALERT - LAST CHANCE TO LOG 1350 OSHAWA ON (CKDO) --- I have it on good authority that CKDO 1350 in Oshawa ON is on day pattern and power, from now until 10 AM [1400 UT] this Sunday, then it will go silent. Its replacement, 1580 with 10 KW day-night U3 with mostly east-west pattern will sign on 22 hours later, this coming Monday, at 6 am [1000 UT]. They apparently plan to use the same antenna. CKDO, under various calls, has been on 1350 since Dec 31, 1955 - over 50 years. The station will mark its 60th anniversary this October 3 (Saul Chernos, ON, Aug 9, IRCA via DXLD) Thanks, Saul. I got them last night just before 1 AM ET, playing Beatles and giving a call ID. New for me, and it's unfortunate that I log them just before they go dark. Guess the non-directional pattern helped (Dave Hochfelder, Highland Park, NJ, ibid.) I forced myself to listen to CKDO for about 20 minutes this morning. The nice official sounding "legal" ID mentions 1350 and their FM on 107.7 as well as "60 years of broadcasting". Nothing about any move to 1580. Their website http://www.ckdo.ca also mentions nothing about the move. I wonder when they plan to advise their actual listeners to move up the dial to 1580? I have fond memories of using my Realistic TRF to null Akron (WSLR) in order to be able to listen to CKDO (back when they were CKLB). CKLB was the "local" station for the Montreal Expos in the late 1970s and early 1980s. And at some point (1979 ?) CKLB changed calls to CKAR talking the calls that had previously been on now-defunct 630-CFBK in Huntsville Ontario (if I have my timeline correct) (Niel Wolfish, Toronto, Aug 10, WTFDA-AM via DXLD) Yes, CKDO are running day power as of 2300 EDT, but I haven't heard any testing on 1580, not even an open carrier. If the move to 1580 was imminent, wouldn't there be some kind of testing with music, tones or carrier, as well as mentions of the upcoming frequency switch on the air and on their web site? I listened to Boots Day, John Boccabella, Ron Hunt, Mike Jorgensen, Hal Breeden, Tim Foli, Steve Rogers and other early-1970s Expos on CKLB-1350, a few years before the Blue Jays joined the AL. (and did you know that Ron Fairly played for both the 1969 Expos and 1977 Blue Jays.. one of the only players to play for two first-year expansion teams!) 73 (Mike Brooker, Toronto, ON, Aug 10, IRCA via DXLD) There is a black "time ticker" banner near the top of their web page that mentions their upcoming move to 1580. 73 (J .D. Stephens, Hampton Cove, AL, IRCA via DXLD) ** CANADA. The move of CHER-950 Sydney NS to move to FM (98.3 MHz, 100 kW) has been approved by the CRTC: http://www.crtc.gc.ca/archive/ENG/Decisions/2006/db2006-355.htm CHER Sydney - Conversion to FM band 1. The Commission approves the application by Maritime Broadcasting System Limited for a broadcasting licence to operate a new English- language FM radio programming undertaking at Sydney to replace its AM station CHER. 2. The new station will offer a Classic Hits format. The local programming will include 2.6 hours of news weekly, covering local politics as well as national issues. The local spoken word programming will continue to reflect the community’s cultural diversity through scheduled talk shows, news reports and promotion of concerts and other events in Cape Breton. 3. In the area of Canadian talent development (CTD), the licensee shall abide by the Canadian Association of Broadcaster’s plan which requires licensees in markets the size of Sydney to make a minimum contribution of $400 annually to eligible third parties, upon commencement of operations. 4. The station will operate at 98.3 MHz (channel 252 C1) with an effective radiated power of 100,000 watts. 5. The Commission received an intervention in support of this application. 6. The licence will expire 31 August 2012. It will be subject to the conditions set out in New licence form for commercial radio stations, Public Notice CRTC 1999-137, 24 August 1999. 7. The licensee also is authorized, by condition of licence, to simulcast the programming of the new FM station on CHER for a transition period of three months following the commencement of operations of the FM station. Pursuant to sections 9(1)(e) and 24(1) of the Broadcasting Act (the Act), and consistent with the licensee’s request, the Commission revokes the licence for CHER effective at the end of the simulcast period. 73, (via Deane McIntyre VE6BPO, AB, Aug 11, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** CANADA. CKOT-1510 Tillsonburg ON, Canada's only currently operating daytimer, has been authorized to add an FM transmitter in Tillsonburg on 107.3 MHz, 4.5 kW, to simulcast the AM signal during the day and to provide service at night: http://www.crtc.gc.ca/archive/ENG/Decisions/2006/db2006-357.htm Note that the AM transmitter will remain on the air. In light of the above, the Commission approves the application by Tillsonburg Broadcasting Company Limited to operate its new English- language, commercial FM radio programming undertaking in Tillsonburg at 107.3 MHz (channel 297B) with an average ERP of 4,500 watts. The Commission authorizes the licensee, by condition of licence, to simulcast, during the daytime only, the programming of the new FM station on the licensee’s AM transmitter at 1510 kHz with a transmitter power of 10,000 watts. 73, (via Deane McIntyre VE6BPO, AB, Aug 11, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** CANADA [non?]. See HAITI ** CHINA. Aug. 10, 0015Z, 14261 KC. I am hearing the Chinese Music Jammer right in the middle of the 20M phone band (Roger K7DDG Kofler, swl at qth.net via DXLD) Hi, I just checked here at 0055 UT and there isn't any sign of it. There IS a Chinese broadcast coming from Australia on 15170 KC, which is the IMAGE frequency if your receiver has a 455 kc IF. Perhaps China was jamming that one? 73 de (Phil, KO6BB DX begins at the noise floor! Atchley, ibid.) There have been numerous reports of an axual Chinese music jammer on 20m, including 14260. I heard it myself Aug 10 at 1249 but not at 1332. It comes and goes, depending on the movements of Sound of Hope. There has been a great deal of discussion of this in DX LISTENING DIGEST. 73, (Glenn Hauser, ibid.) Viz.: Firedrake against Sound of Hope also heard here on 14260, Aug 10 at 1249, fair signal with flutter; not heard on 17 or 18 MHz, nor on 14260 at 1332 recheck (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Uli: hi folks at Bangalore IARU-R3-Conference, here is an item which is certainly interesting to the conference members. The switch to music only has happened since I lost my DF capabilities. The previous jamming source is in Shantou; the music coming from Hoinam [Cantonese for Hainan?] means that mainland has escalated this. This has probably been PRC military all along, but now roll out the big guns instead of using puny commercial facility. They have a unit dedicated to dealing with FLG. The source of what PRC is jamming has, as you have seen, recently stepped things up. PRC only responding to clear & present threat to itself. So everybody can move on to something else now, since military can do what it bloody well pleases, or so everybody keeps claiming. I think I will pull 06/XIII/068 [??] tomorrow, since is inappropriate for HARTS [Hong Kong Amateur Radio something?] to question motherland's actions - especially since it seems to be the fashion for member-societies to ignore their own administrations' transgressions. AC & Regions don't seem to give a hoot, either. 73, (VU/VR2BrettGraham via Uli Bihlmayer, DXLD) Hi Ulrich, Brett has been attending the R-3 conference in Bangalore since Sunday 5th August. The jamming case you refer to has been discussed, but I am not sure if the conference has been advised of the recent additional detail of jamming from the PLA base in Hainan. Today is the last day of the conference, when voting on all motions takes place. If there is a long coffee break perhaps Brett may see your email and perhaps reply. 73 (Paul VR2BBC (in HK) Anderson, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Hi Brett, thank you for your quick answer. First of all, I should like to know if you are able to inform the R3-Conference in Bangalore about the Music-Jammer on 14260 kHz and the latest developments, e.g. the report of the German Telecoms Tracking Station. Now we know now for sure that the transmitter site is on Hainan Island in the Gulf of Tonkin off the Chinese mainland. This afternoon local time the jammer has switched off after more than 200 hours of transmitting always the same 55-minutes-long Chinese program with flutes, violins, whistles and gongs. It first showed up August 5, 2006, and has since been transmitting all around the clock. I do not know if this switching off was a consequence of my various emails, faxes and phone calls with the Chinese Embassy in Berlin and emails to Sound-of-Hope in Taiwan. However I think it was a good sign that the Secretary of the Press Section of the Chinese Embassy in Bonn phoned me back a couple of times. He especially wanted to know what BC station (Sound-of-Hope) was the "target" of the offender. From S-o-H I have not received an answer, yet. See attachment translation of Measuring Report of Konstanz Tracking station of "Bundesnetzagentur". Are you in Bangalore, already? Please let me know! Regards, (Ulrich Bihlmayer DJ9KR, Vice Coordinator of IARU MONITORING via DXLD) Hainan would be a logical place as it is at one extreme edge of China. However, that would entail a skip zone of several hundred km on the higher frequencies, so to be really efficient they would be using at least two and probably more sites on the same frequency at the same time in widely separate regions of China. So don`t assume that it is only Hainan, and don`t assume that all Firedrake music jammers on many different frequencies, in-band and out, are necessarily coming from there. Also, are we to take this that Firedrake jamming is done by the military, and other jamming audio (such as CNR-1 which was used for this same target originally) is non-military? I would not call that a ``puny commercial facility``. And does it really matter, since it is all PRC government-controlled? As for it stopping, you don`t say what time in the ``afternoon`` it went off, but on August 10 I was still hearing it on 14260 at 1249 UT, but not when rechecked at 1332. However, I would not leap to the conclusion that it is really over with just yet. Anyhow, it will be interesting to see if what pressure has been applied has had such effect. 73, (Glenn Hauser, OK, USA, DX LISTENING DIGEST) There is this thing called Marco Polo Syndrome, but I really don't think anyone here really does understand greater China better. RCI/CRI/whatever the pedantical debates conclude, it is the state & not commercial broadcast program material being used previously to jam SoH. China is a place that Army guys have special license plates & can run red lights, run over pedestrians & pretty much do what they please. PLA unit responsible to deal with FLG & given what FLG is considered up there, will be able to commandeer whatever resource they fancy in this fight with the enemy. It has always been what appears to be the Shantou transmitter being used to cover up SoH. Little "sausage" pirate station from BV [Taiwan] not need much to be covered up if so hard for us in China to hear it. But SoH "sausage" pirate upping the ante. PLA then brings out big guns. Maybe next they let loose with country-wide jamming network, but for now they still just stepping on a real small potato. Maybe Shantou wanted their stuff back - who knows. Anyway, the crucial point here is this: the jamming everybody is objecting to is a military operation. Since what RR says apparently need not apply to white man military, it not apply to yellow man military. You will see final result of R3 Conf has HARTS' paper on intruders had the mainland side of this problem removed from list of "persistent & blatant" intruders. So go chase something else, like ZC4 [OTH radar from Cyprus] (so then when we go after Hainan woodpecker, China not say why white man not practice what white man preach to yellow man?). CTARL's paper to R3 Conference does not say what they are meaning: that there is no legitimate SoH transmission from BV. It should not be construed as a denial of SoH, though I wish I could find some way to convince BV5AF to have worded it differently. Until SoH stops transmissions, mainland is unlikely to stop jamming. I ask, was mainland doing this before SoH appeared? I do not think so. Glenn, poor VK3KI had to sit next to me on the bus all day yesterday - I trust he'll fill you in later. 73, (VU/VR2BrettGraham, India/Hong Kong, DX LISTENING DIGEST) The Music Jammer on 14260 kHz is still rattling. Hi everybody, after a break of some hours, the Firedragon Jammer from Hainan Island, CHN, is again shaking and rattling on exclusive Amateur Radio frequency 14260 kHz. I have heard him this morning already at 0230 UT, and it is still transmitting now at 0745 on Friday morning 11 August 2006. Cut off his tail! Please show the two slides attached to the plenary in Bangalore! Regards, (Uli, DJ9KR Vice Co-ordinator of IARU MONITORING SYSTEM Region 1 and Co-ordinator of DARC MONITORING SYSTEM Germany, Homepage: http://www.iarums-r1.org DX LISTENING DIGEST) Neither 14260 nor other likely frequencies were audible here at 1315 UT check Aug 11 (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** CUBA. 5025, Radio Rebelde, 2355-0305, 02-08, "Deportivamente, un programa en permanente contacto con Vd.", locutor, programa de deportes. A las 0301 noticias: "Lo que necesitas para estar al día, las noticias, estamos muy atentos al estado de nuestro presidente Fidel Castro". 34333 (Manuel Méndez, casco urbano de Lugo, Spain, Grundig YB 400, antena: cable, 4 metros, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** CUBA [and non]. CUBA ON GUARD AGAINST U.S. Wednesday Aug 9, 2006, Havana, Reuters http://today.reuters.co.uk/news/articlenews.aspx?type=worldNews&storyID=2006-08-09T225718Z_01_N09172497_RTRUKOC_0_UK-CUBA.xml&pageNumber=1&imageid=&cap=&sz=13&WTModLoc=NewsArt-C1-ArticlePage1 Cuba's government signalled a crackdown on Wednesday on black-market satellite dishes on which its citizens get news from the United States, nine days after ailing President Fidel Castro temporarily ceded power to his brother. The Communist Party newspaper Granma warned that the dishes, on which many Cubans receive Spanish-language TV programs from the exile bastion of Miami, could be used by the U.S. government to broadcast subversive information. "They are fertile ground for those who want to carry out the Bush administration's plan to destroy the Cuban revolution," said the newspaper, the official voice of the government. Such articles in Granma usually signal that action can be expected. Since Castro provisionally relinquished power to his brother Raul Castro on July 31 after undergoing stomach surgery, Cubans have been anxious for information. Some had expected word from former Nicaraguan president Daniel Ortega, who arrived in Havana on Saturday to visit his old ally, but he shed no light to reporters on Wednesday. U.S.-funded TV and Radio Martí, not available on commercial satellite [sic], have pumped up their output of anti-Castro programming, but few Cubans are believed to have access to them because of successful jamming by the Cuban government. But there may be as many as 10,000 illegal TV satellite dishes in Cuba, each one linked to perhaps hundreds of televisions by cables their owners snake over rooftops and between buildings, charging other users $10 a month. Many who get black-market U.S. television watched with astonishment as exiles in Miami danced in the streets when they heard on July 31 that Fidel Castro had undergone surgery and handed over power. Castro's communist Cuba is widely viewed in Miami as an authoritarian prison where dissent and economic freedom are brutally quashed. Castro's supporters view him as a champion of social justice and national pride for standing up to Washington for more than four decades. Cuban officials say Castro, who will be 80 on Sunday, is recovering and should be back in charge within weeks. But neither he nor his brother has been seen. Nicaragua's Ortega, whose Sandinista government was backed by Cuba in a civil war against U.S.-backed Contra rebels in the 1980s, declined to say whether he had actually visited Castro or even spoken to him by telephone. Ortega used the news conference to voice support for Havana's campaign to seek the release of five Cubans jailed in the United States for spying on militant anti-Castro groups in Miami, ostensibly to prevent acts of violence against Cuba. "This struggle is led by Fidel. He is accompanying us here," Ortega said. Sources close to the Sandinista party in Managua said Ortega had not been able to see Castro since arriving in Havana on Saturday. The reason was not immediately clear. While Cuban coastal residents have been told to scan the skies for a U.S. invasion that Washington has assured Cubans it will not stage, Cuban authorities continued to organise neighbourhood rallies in support of the Castro brothers (via Mike Terry, dxldyg via DXLD) ** CUBA [and non]. CUBA DENOUNCES US PIRATE AIRWAYS [sic] Havana, Aug 9 (Prensa Latina) Cuba has exposed the US pirate satellite signals broadcasting to the Island in violation of national and international law, which call for the overthrow of the Cuban Revolution and annexation of the Island. Most of the broadcasts are plagued with destabilizing, interfering, subversive content and increasing calls to engage in terrorist activities, warns an editorial Wednesday in Granma daily. The newspaper says the drive is in line with the annexation plans of US President George W. Bush. Granma also lists, as part of this anti-Cuba drive, the distribution of computers, shortwave radios, satellite dishes, decoders, fax machines and photocopiers to US mercenaries on the Island. The US has enormously increased funds allocated for these plans and for radio and TV stations, disrespectfully named for Cuban National Hero Jose Martí. [he`s also the national hero of the fueracuban exiles, nitwits!! --- gh] Such US behavior violates the Cuban Constitution and the agreed upon regulations of the International Telecommunications Union. ITU by-laws state that the signatories are to use fair telecommunications to facilitate peaceful relations, and promote international cooperation between peoples as well as socio-economic development. The editorial condemns the US Administration s double standard: severely sanctioning pirate satellite TV signals in its territory while encouraging them in Cuba by illegally supplying appropriate technology. Illegal use of service also involves smuggling satellite and card receptors into Cuba via tourists or Cuban residents overseas, violating local customs regulations. Broadcasts involve large volumes of commercials with misleading pictures of capitalism, along with anti-Cuba messages, and extending to pornographic material with children and teenagers. Granma termed it worrying that a large number of people in the world "consume" such satellite TV and cable broadcasts through pirating access to such services, which is severely condemned in all nations. hr/ccs/emw/abm (via Mike Cooper, DXLD) O come on; Habana is full of whores and they are worried about porn by satellite? I assume your average telenovela or talkshow on Telemundo amounts to `porn` for the puritanical commies. & Tsk tsk, shortwave radios, how awful, that some DentroCubans should have access to uncontrolled media! AAMOF, They should have the right to vote in a free elexion whether they wish to be annexed by the US; they would be a helluva lot better off today and for the past century if that had happened following the SpAm War. Pride goeth before a fall. But I rather doubt the US would want Cuba now with all its post- revolutionary problems (Glenn Hauser, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** CUBA [non]. RADIO AND TV MARTI BEEF UP BROADCASTING TO PROMOTE CHANGE IN CUBA --- LAURA WIDES-MUNOZ Associated Press, posted Aug 10 . . .On Saturday, TV Martí expanded its four-hour a night transmission to six days a week, using a new Lockheed Martin G1 aircraft [sic: see below] to beat the jamming. The programming adds to weekly broadcasts transmitted since 2004 from an Air Force C-130 plane. The new plane was unveiled days after an ailing Castro announced he was temporarily transferring power to his brother Raul. Although anti-Castro messages remain the main dish for the stations, Roig said diverse viewpoints are encouraged. "We have people who discuss the pros and cons of the U.S. embargo of Cuba, abortion, stem cells, so that they know there's not one dogma," he said. The radio station transmits a mix of news from Cuba, the U.S. and around the world. This week the station has also been airing excerpts from a recently released presidential commission report on Cuba, and urging Cubans not to take to the sea in rafts. The most popular show, Roig said, is a sitcom called "The Chief's Office," a satire on life behind the scenes in the fictional office of a military leader with an extraordinary resemblance to Fidel Castro. . . http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/news/breaking_news/15240664.htm?template=contentModules/printstory.jsp (via Mike Cooper, DXLD) THE TV MARTÍ AIRCRAFT IDENTIFIED. AP reports that it is a "new Lockheed Martin G1." AP, 10 August 2006. [same as above] http://www.grandforks.com/mld/grandforks/news/nation/15240618.htm Actually, there is no Lockheed Martin G1. There is the Gulfstream G1, a.k.a. Grumman G-159 http://www.airliners.net/info/stats.main?id=236 a two-engine turboprop, produced 1959-1969, so it is also not "new." AP's misinformation about the TV Martí airplane dovetails nicely with Reuters' misinformation that TV Martí is not yet transmitted via satellite (Kim Andrew Elliott, kimandrewelliott.com Posted: 10 Aug 2006 via DXLD) ** CUBA [non]. IS ANYONE IN CUBA ACTUALLY WATCHING TV MARTÍ? Despite the recent increase in airborne broadcasting to six days a week, there`s still some disagreement about how many people in Cuba are actually watching the US government`s TV Martí. The station - named after Cuban liberation hero Jose Martí - began transmissions in 1990 but Havana has long claimed it jams the signal in urban areas. Alberto Mascaro, chief of staff for the US Office of Cuba Broadcasting, says that when TV Martí started broadcasting from a C- 130 aircraft flying in US airspace near the Florida Keys more than two years ago, anecdotal evidence indicated the signal was getting through. ``We found that their jamming was limited`` with the plane, he said. ``Really for the first time we feel we`re reaching deeply into Cuba and getting a good reach and a good audience.`` Mascaro said Cuba complained about the airplane broadcasts a few months after they began. ``They started to get all hot and bothered,`` he said. ``That tells us that it`s working. Why would they complain if no one was receiving it?`` However, Reuters says its correspondents in Cuba have yet to come across anyone who has seen TV Martí. An official at the US Interests Section said the signal was strongest in central Cuba. ``When the aerial platform was up on Friday evening, reception was especially good in central Cuba,`` the official said (Media Network blog Aug 10 via DXLD) ** EQUATORIAL GUINEA ECUATORIAL. 5005, Radio Nacional, Bata, 2207- 2315, 02-08, locutor, comentario sobre el presidente de la República de Guinea Ecuatorial. A las 2300 identificación: "24 horas en la República de Guinea Ecuatorial", noticias. 24322 (Manuel Méndez, casco urbano de Lugo, Spain, Grundig YB 400, antena: cable, 4 metros, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Hola, ¿sabéis por casualidad si RADIO BATA de Guinea Ecuatorial, tiene e-mail? Anoche la oía perfecta hasta su cierre a las 2300 UT con el himno nacional en 5005. Me gustaría enviarles un informe de recepción si tienen un e-mail o alguna persona relacionada con dicha emisora. Saludos (Juan Carlos (elescucha), Noticias DX via DXLD) Hola Juan Carlos, estoy consultando el WRTH 2006 y veo que no figura ninguna dirección de correo electrónica para esta emisora. Lo que sí te puedo decir es que, desde hace muchos años, Radio Nacional de Guinea Ecuatorial es una de las emisoras más dificiles de poder obtener confirmación de ella, tal vez la peor. Ya hace muchos años he enviado informes de recepción, por carta, incluyendo siempre 1 US $ para ayuda del sello de retorno y nunca tuve respuesta. Lo mismo he oído a otros colegas, y si se consultan los archivos de recepción de tarjetas QSL existentes en internet, prácticamentee no aparece nadie que tenga confirmación de dicha emisora. Por aquí se escucha muy bién, pero ya no pierdo el tiempo enviándole informes de recepción. Saludos, (Manuel Méndez Lugo, España, ibid.) ** ERITREA. VOBM, on Aug. 7 in Tigrynia at 1707-1715 UT, on 7100 with news, suffering LSB QRM from digital modes comm's on 7098 / 7099 (José Turner, Portugal, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** ERITREA [non]. 13830, Voice of Democratic Eritrea via Jülich. Aug. 3 at 1700-1733. SINPO 25332. S/on with opening music & ID in Tigrinya. Male talk and local music (Iwao Nagatani, Japan, Japan Premium Aug 11 via DXLD) 15260, V. of Eritrea, Aug 03 1635-1651, 35422, Tigrigna, Local music and talk, ID at 1648 (Kouji Hashimoto, ibid.) ** ETHIOPIA [non]. GERMANY, 15650, V. of Oromia Independence via DTK Aug 05 [Sat only] *1500-1510, 35322-35333, Oromo, Talk, ID at 1506 and 1509 (Kouji Hashimoto, Japan, Japan Premium via DXLD) ** EUROPE. Following Weekend Music Radio`s return in June, the hoax station that rebroadcasts WMR also made a comeback. First heard on July 9 airing a WMR programme from a few weeks earlier on 6400. Also on June 10 & 13. WMR operator Jack confirmed this was the hoax station in a message on the Swedish Report Service forum, SRS (Paul Watson, Radio Without Licence, Aug WDXC Contact via DXLD) Viz the loggings: 6400, 1630 9 July, WMR (hoax) (also hrd Jul 10, 13)(SIO 433, PW)(fair, ZE)(RPe) 6401, 2115 26 June, WMR, rock (also hrd Juu 1, 2, 15, 22, 23)(232, RPe)(ZE)(RM)(ibid.) Tho we could guess most of them, the contributors are not identified beyond their initials! (gh, DXLD) ** GERMANY. ALEMANIA, 6045, Baltic Music Radio, 1239-1245, 06-08, música pop, comentarios en alemán. 34333 (Manuel Méndez, casco urbano de Lugo, Spain, Grundig YB 400, antena: cable, 4 metros, DX LISTENING DIGEST) One Sunday a month, I think, and designed not to propagate beyond one hop at midday (gh, DXLD) ** GOA. See INDIA ** GUAM [and non]. Discussion of 9 vs 10 kHz MW channel spacing flowed from thread starting under PUBLICATIONS, WestList below ** GUYANA. The most interesting of the morning was the logging of BBC WS on 560 kHz. Was this Guyana? Their website does refer to 560 kHz (the only one of the three frequencies listed in WRTH that is mentioned), but the programme at this time is listed as "Music to Remember". Couldn't check their webcast, since is subscription only. 560, UNID "BBC World News", then "This is the BBC World Service", mixed CHVO, in splatter; Guyana, perhaps? Fpk 0532 10/8 mah 73s (Martin A. Hall, Clashmore, Scotland. NRD-545, RPA-1 preamp, beverages: 513m at 240 degrees, terminated; 475m at 265 degrees, terminated; 506m at 290 degrees, terminated. http://myweb.tiscali.co.uk/clashmoreradio/index.html MWC via DXLD) Martin, Guyana on 3291 kHz certainly carries BBC WS overnight. I heard them (presumably) quite a few times there but only with BBC IDs so I made an effort last September to catch them earlier and eventually got a clear ID "This is the Voice of Guyana" at 0337. When I checked again after 0400, they were into the BBC relay. So I presume they end local programmes around 0345 or 0400. I haven't tried 3291 recently, but it may well be audible now as a parallel check. The actual frequency was variable and usually slightly high - about 3291.15. Regards, (Jack Weber, UK, ibid.) ** HAITI [non?]. Re whether the 1280 heard in UK was CFMB or 4VAM: Sorry if this is dragging on a bit but the mystery thickens. David Towers sent me a URL this morning which would appear to suggest 4VAM is on the air. Their website http://www.metropolehaiti.com/metropole/pageaudio.phtml?808065 has real audio streaming and archives of recent broadcasts. Although I can't get the streams to play on my players this would appear to suggest 4VAM is on the air. Due to the uncertainty of all of this and the fact I will probably never find out which station I had, I may have to let this one go. My French is probably not sufficient to contact the station to ask if they can check my recording, though I might as well try. It still seems too much of a coincidence that CFMB should be playing a recording of 4VAM who also use this frequency. If anybody wants to hear the recording again, click on the two links below. Clear 4VAM ID ... http://www.skywaves.info/mw/1280-CFMB-4VAM-0404-06-08-06.mp3 More of the 4VAM signal ... http://www.skywaves.info/mw/1280-0404-06-08-06.mp3 Thanks (John Faulkner, MWC via DXLD) I listened to the clip and heard 4VAM ID 12-80 AM with "Destination Haiti". 73 de (Vincent Leclair, France, Aug 9, ibid.) Thank you very much to all, including Vincent and Rémy, for listening to my recordings. I took a gamble and sent an email to 4VAM, composed in French, but my French is rather limited. Nothing back yet. I simply explained to them that I thought I had heard their 1280 signal and could they listen to the recordings on the attached URLs. I simply asked if they could confirm that this was definitely them. The further I get into this, the more determined I am to solve the mystery, but the further away I get from a clear answer. There are just too many uncertainties. I would phone the station if I knew somebody there would speak English and be able to give me a definite answer. I would feel sure this must be 4VAM but for the fact CFMB were carrying Haitian at the same time. Another point - I don't think CFMB have been heard in the UK after they switch to their night time antenna pattern - as the last season's loggings would appear to confirm. Apparently, CFMB were also using a temporary (10 instead of 50 kW) antenna at the time I heard 4VAM, but am I assume I am right in assuming they would still have been using their night time antenna pattern. The conditions were enhanced towards north America at the time of the reception but South America was coming in too so this doesn't solve anything either. Too many questions and uncertainties. I suppose the real answer is to keep listening to 1280 and try again. Meanwhile I am inclined to log this as "presumed", but with a full explanation. There is, after all, a full and clear ID in there! We now have "4VAM" 12-80 AM", "Metropole" and "Destinantion Haiti" IDs. If 4VAM is heard again I would count my logging as 100%. It is all rather frustrating as everything appears to point to a positive identification. The two clips I posted were the only bits I had that were intelligible. Thank you very much to all for listening to the clips. It's possible that the "Destination Haiti" part could point to a link- up programme - strange that the programme controller at CFMB did not seem to know this. Many thanks all and best wishes! (John Faulkner, ibid.) Listen to CFMB online at the same time you heard the programme (Paul Crankshaw, ibid.) Well, I would need to go back in time, ideally. I will try to listen at the same time next Sunday morning if I am around (I'll set the alarm clock). I presume you weren't referring to archived audio were you? I cannot find any of this on their website. Cheers (John Faulkner, ibid.) ** INDIA. 15770, AIR, Aligah, 1114-1145, 06-08, música de sintonía, inicio transmisión, programa en Tamil, identificación: "All India Radio". A las 1135 programa DX "Vanoli Ulagam (Radio World), noticias sobre Radio Lebanon, Vatican Radio, Armenia, TWR, Radio Japan, Radio Cairo, RTV Malaysia, DX logging in English, logs from Radio Tirana, Radio Australia, Bangladesh Beter, Radio Canada I. Identificación: "All India Radio, Chennai". 1145 fin programa DX. 44444. En paralelo con 17810 AIR Panaji, 34333 y 15050 AIR Delhi, 24322 (Manuel Méndez, casco urbano de Lugo, Spain, Grundig YB 400, antena: cable, 4 metros, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** INDIA. Dear Friends, After Chennai, now it`s the turn of AIR Guwahati SW transmitter to replace FM Gold programs with External Service. AIR Guwahati 50 kW is observed as follows on 7420: 0130-0230 Nepali 0230-0245 Hindi News (HS) 0245-0300 English News (HS) 0300- Bangla It was also noted at around 1600-1730 in Bangla. At 0130-0230 Panaji 250 kW was not heard on 7250 in Nepali. Mumbai 7195 is also not heard with FM Gold programs. However at my location 6155 is heard with better signals with Urdu External Service at 0015-0430. Must confirm if it`s via Mumbai. More details as they come by. [Later:] Here is the new External Service schedule in UT via AIR Guwahati 50 kW replacing HS FM Gold programs. [all on 7420 as above?? Guess so, short haul even at noon to Nepal] 0130-0230 Nepali 0230-0245 Hindi 0245-0300 English HS 0300-0430 Bangla HS 0700-0800 Nepali 0800-1100 Bangla 1215-1330 Tibetan 1330-1430 Nepali 1445-1515 Bangla 1515-1530 Hindi HS 1530-1600 English HS 1600-1730 Bangla 1730-1735 English HS 1735-1740 Hindi HS 73 (Jose Jacob, VU2JOS, National Institute of Amateur Radio, Hyderabad, Aug 10, dx_india via DXLD) I wonder if this affects WBCQ 7415 reception in Europe (gh, DXLD) ** INDONESIA. VOI still missing from 9525/9526, Aug 10 and 11 at 1324 check. Is it also missing during the English hour at 0800? (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** INDONESIA. 7289.86, RRI-Nabire, Aug 09 0751-0818* 25442-25342 Indonesian, Music, 0800 Jakarta news relay, ID at 0817, 0818 sign off (Kouji Hashimoto, Japan, Japan Premium via DXLD) ** INTERNATIONAL. INTERNATIONAL BROADCASTING AND THE MIDDLE EAST As the Journal goes to press, the Hezbollah-Israel conflict continues to dominate news in most of the world. Arab-Israel matters, perhaps more than any other, always spark accusations of bias in news coverage and related analysis, and the current episode is no exception. USA-based news organizations are at the center of the furor, given the close ties the USA has had since 1948 with Israel and, before that, with the Jewish Diaspora. This subject, more than any other, provides an opportunity for critical, comparative listening to multiple, internationally-based information sources in order to gain better understanding of the conflict, its roots, and its implications. This situation can be an excellent ``evangelistic`` opportunity for we shortwave enthusiasts to extol the benefits of our hobby – and our knowledge of regional issues – to our friends, family and colleagues. One of the imponderable questions I’ve long considered is why Arab countries do not make more effective use of international broadcasting to put forward their agendas. I still don’t have a good answer for that – one would think, especially given the quagmire of Western presence in Iraq, that regional perspectives targeted to Western Europe and North America would be an effective tool given the culture and value systems prevalent in the Middle East. BBC World Service The BBC is mentioned first due to a recent true story. Some media have claimed the BBC has a decidedly pro-Israel bent to its reporting, while I was chatting with some colleagues here at work who grumbled that the BBC had a decidedly pro-Arab component to its reporting. Decide for yourself – substantial portions of the BBC’s key news programs – Newshour, World Update, The World Today – are given over to coverage in the region, and the conflict has also been featured in a few editions of Analysis, which devotes a 9-minute program slot to a single issue. As most probably know, the BBC isn’t exactly easy to hear via shortwave in the ``prime time`` evening hours, so your choices are to listen to African or European-targeted services from approximately 0300 to 0600 and 1300 through 2200, all times approximate. See the April Journal for recommended frequencies. Other listening options – USA public radio stations, XM and Sirius satellite radio, and live and on-demand Internet webcast, are the BBC’s favored means of reaching North America (Richard Cuff, Easy Listening, August NASWA Journal via DXLD) This was the introduction to the items quoted in 6-120 under IRAN, ISRAEL, SYRIA (gh) ** IRAN. IRIB Interval signal --- Greetings from England. Was listening to Listener's Special, on Voice of Islamic Republic of Iran on Sunday. A listener in the USA asked what the name of the interval signal that VOIRI Used, as he liked it a lot. The hosts said it was called "Baran Eshgh" or Loves Rainfall by Nasser Cheshmazar. I managed to locate a copy, and it arrived this morning, and it is exactly the same. It is a nice album. Best Regards (Christopher Lewis, England, Aug 10, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Tuned in 15085 Aug 10 at 1930 just as ``Govorit Tegeran`` and opening Russian with vocal anthem, but cut off at 1931* as this frequency was supposed to close after French at 1830-1930. Russian scheduled at 1930 on 3985 and 7175 only. Wake up? (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** IRAN [non]. IRAN/LITHUANIA --- 7540, Voice of Islamic Republic of Iran via Sitkunai transmitter site in Lithuania, 2020-2030, August 04, English, transmission in English for Europe, music, announcement by female, identification, s/off, 25432. 7540, Voice of Islamic Republic of Iran via Sitkunai transmitter site in Lithuania, 2030-2040, August 04, Spanish, transmission in Spanish for Europe, identification by female: "Ésta es La Voz de la República Islámica de Iran...", music, international news bulletin, 25432 (Arnaldo Slaen, Argentina, HCDX via DXLD) ** KOREA NORTH [non]. Shiokaze, 9485: could not detect it in the 1300 semihour Aug 8 or 9, but maybe due to poor propagation; Aug 10 at 1325 check, it was JBA with piano music, Korean? Poor with T-storm static. Finally on Fri Aug 11 it was in English and with good reception; this time not tuned in until 1322 but was reading off abductees` names with sad piano music background, first time I had heard this clearly. Pattern was: year, Mr or Mrs (were none of the women unmarried??), two names, surname last I think. Such as 1971, which was mentioned as a very bad year for this. Closing info referred to the 1300 UT (``10 pm``) broadcast as Shiokaze-2, while the 2030 broadcast on 9785, never in English, is Shiokaze-1. Gave E- and P-mail addresses; Tokyo CPO Box 1022 (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Solar-terrestrial indices for 10 August follow. Solar flux 80 and mid- latitude A-index 3. The mid-latitude K-index at 1200 UTC on 11 August was 2 (13 nT). No space weather storms were observed for the past 24 hours. No space weather storms are expected for the next 24 hours (SEC via DXLD) ** KURDISTAN [non?]. V. of Free Kurdistan noted 7/7 at 1725 tune-in on 4675. 1730 female ID ``Dengi Azadi Kurdistan, dengi khabati Kurdistan. . .``, M&W news in Kurdish, local music, 1858* Strength fair. Strange, but an Iranian jammer came on the air with a delay, at 1800 (Robert Petraitis, Lithuania, Clandestine column, Aug WDXC Contact via DXLD) ** LITHUANIA. See IRAN [non] ** LUXEMBOURG. YOUR STATION OF THE STARS An illustrated history of Radio Luxembourg: http://www.transdiffusion.org/rmc/commercial/luxembourg-kif-01.asp http://www.transdiffusion.org/rmc/commercial/luxembourg-kif-02.asp (via Aug World DX Club Contact via DXLD) see MUSEA ** MONGOLIA. 4895, Mongolian Radio, Murum, 2132-2148, 02-08, música mongol. 24222. En paralelo con 4830, Mongolian Radio, Altay con SINPO 24322 (Manuel Méndez, casco urbano de Lugo, Spain, Grundig YB 400, antena: cable, 4 metros, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** MYANMAR. BURMA (Myanmar), 5040.34, Radio Myanmar, 1110 7 Aug, traditional music, 1124 YL to 1130, music bridge, back to YL 1131 (Bob Wilkner, FL, Japan Premium via DXLD) 9730.77 kHz, Radio Myanmar (presumed). Aug. 5 at 0721-0730*. SINPO 34333. Local pops and short announcements in English. ID was heard at 0729 as "This is... Myanmar" then music and signed off (Iwao Nagatani, Japan, Japan Premium via DXLD) ** NEW ZEALAND. No sign of RNZI on scheduled 7145-analog, Aug 10 at 1327, tho DRM on 6095 had not yet faded out. Nor on 9615, and there was a weak signal on 9870, but doubt it was NZ as RA was inbooming on 9590, 9580. I should have checked all other RNZI frequencies supposedly scheduled only at other dayparts (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** NIGERIA. Don`t usually have a listenable signal from VON 15120 at this hour, but Aug 10 at 1256, lo-fi English talk with a busy signal, so presumably over phoneline; 1258 Voice of Nigeria ID with drumming; quite a bit of flutter and there may have been some other signal underneath causing a SAH (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** PERU. 4790.2, Radio Visión, Chiclayo. El día 20 de Julio envié una carta con un informe de recepción y 1 US $ a Radio Visión, y acabo de recibir el siguiente e-mail de la emisora: "From: "Iglesia Pentecostal La Cosecha" consultas @ iplacosecha.org Subject: repuesta a informe de recepción Sirva la Presente para Saludarlo en el Nombre de nuestro Señor Jesucristo. Mi nombre es: Otoniel Córdova Palma mi correo electrónico es: Otoniel @ iplacosecha.org Soy uno de los siete hijos de mi papa Francisco Córdova Rodríguez que es el Presidente y Pastor de la Iglesia Pentecostal "La Cosecha" Ubicada en Calle Juan Fanning 457 Urbanización San Juan Chiclayo - Perú. Quiero Agradecerle Grandemente por su carta de información de recepción que nos ha enviado con la dirección de Pedro Ruiz 1250 Urbanizión San Juan la hemos recibido el día de hoy martes 08 de agosto del año 2006 y le contestamos conforme a su petición y a su correo que nos ha enviado para verificación que su carta ha sido bien recibida. Una vez mas le agradecemos por el informe que nos ha enviado, y nos da mucha alegría que a travez de Radio Visión en los 4790 oc que así como usted muchísimos nos están escuchando en diferentes países. Dios que hizo los cielos y la tierra nos ha bendecido con esta emisora para dar a conocer el Santo Evangelio de Nuestro Señor y Salvador Jesucristo como nos dice la Palabra de Dios en el Evangelio de San Marcos Cap. 16 Vers. 15 al 18. (SANTA BIBLIA) Le recomendamos que usted siga escuchándonos a travez de Radio Visión en la Onda Corta; también le comunicamos que Radio Visión pertenece a la asociación evangélica Cristiana: IGLESIA PENTECOSTAL "LA COSECHA". También puede vernos en nuestra página web: http://www.iplacosecha.org donde usted puede vernos en vivo en los horarios que están programados en la sección en Vivo . Sin otro particular me despido de usted con la Paz de nuestro Señor Jesucristo Su Hermano y amigo en Cristo, Otoniel Córdova Palma. Dios le Bendiga. Chiclayo, 9 de agosto del año 2006" (via Manuel Méndez, Lugo, Spain, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Beware of people who can`t get a paragraph out without invoking JC; they suffer from serious mental health problems; but hey, just so they QSL! (Glenn Hauser, DXLD) ** SAIPAN. I checked 16m again 24 hours later, Aug 10 at 0543 and confirmed the frequencies where I was hearing // Chinese --- yes, 17880 and 17615, which are listed as RFA via Saipan. Reception was not so good this time. Unseemed the Chinese jammers which usually dominate; I assume they were blaring away as usual, but not making it here on higher-latitude paths. So Chinese who want to listen to RFA: come to Oklahoma! (Glenn Hauser, Enid, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** SOMALIA [non]. 17550, R. Waaberi via DTK, Aug 04 [Fri only] *1330- 1357*, 33433-35433, Somali, 1330 sign on with opening music, Opening announce, Kor`an, Talk, ID at 1351, 1357 URL announce, 1357 sign off (Kouji Hashimoto, Japan, Japan Premium via DXLD) ** SOMALILAND [and non]. BBC’s Somali Service --- ISSUE 237 EDITORIAL http://www.somalilandtimes.net/sl/2005/237/16.shtml The Somali population in the Horn of Africa region has depended on the BBC’s Somali programme for news information for decades. As the only news media with a capacity to be accessible to most Somalis no matter where they are in the Horn, the BBC’s has gained an enormous influence in shaping the political opinion of Somalis with regard to local or international issues. A case in point is the way that the BBC had covered the recent fighting in Mogadishu which pitted a group of powerful warlords against an alliance formed by the city’s Islamic courts. In the months before the Islamists were able to score a final victory against their foes, the BBC has through its Somali news broadcasts kept portraying the warlords as the bad guys while presenting the Islamic courts militia and their leaders as the good guys. While it was true that the warlords were nothing but a bunch of bloodthirsty gangsters interested only in extorting their own people to death, that was no justification for the BBC’s portrayal of the leaders of the Islamist militia as saints. Most neutral Somalis would agree that the Somali Service’s advocacy for the Islamists’ cause was actually one of the main factors that contributed to the speedy victory won by the courts’ militia. A closer look at how the BBC’s Somali programme handled those events, would reveal a constant violation of the basic rules of balanced reporting. In every vox pop conducted on the issue, at least 95% of those asked about their opinion voiced praise and support for the Islamic courts. The outcome was often presented as though the overwhelming majority of Somalis favored the courts. While the BBC showed no hesitation to express contempt in its editorial contents for the warlords, it deliberately avoided to mention the implication of some of the Islamic Courts leaders in the killings committed against a number of aid workers in Somaliland. It can be argued of course that in the final analysis the unpopular warlords were destined to be defeated by the Islamists. It can also be said that the courts have restored peace to Mogadishu for the first time in 15 years. But such arguments can not be an excuse for the BBC’s wrong-doing in deceiving its listeners by having presented one side of an important story. Since the last 2 decades, partisan reporting has unfortunately become one of the regular features of the Somali programme’s broadcasting. During the 1980s, Somalia’s former dictator Siyad Barre bought the collaboration of most of the Somali staff of the BBC either through intimidation or cultivation of clan ties. Barre, a master in the art of deception and disinformation and a gifted orator himself, was aware of the powerful impact that the Somali language news broadcasts from the BBC could have on an oral society as the Somali one. He wanted the Somali program to suppress news about his atrocities against the civilian population in Somaliland which at the time was witnessing a popular armed rebellion. For a whole decade the BBC gave southern Somalis a distorted information on what was going on up in the north. The BBC’s biased reporting on those events and the conspiracy of silence on the gross human rights violations that were taking place, have in a way helped prolong the suffering of the Somaliland people. Following the defeat of Siyad Barre, Somaliland embarked on the difficult task of national reconciliation and rebuilding a new democratic state out of the ashes of destruction and death. The BBC’s Somali Service played little attention to that gigantic effort. Instead, Southern editors at the helm of the radio programme have made it their daily business to harass Somalilanders over the airwaves by using the prefix ``the so-called`` before the historical name of their country ``Somaliland`` (they didn’t do the same with Puntland, a region previously known as ``Majeerteenia``). With the onset of the Arta conference the BBC has again indulged in campaigning journalism. The Somali Service has suddenly become a mouthpiece for Djiboutian president Ismail Omer Geleh who engineered the conference to install his business partner Abdul Qasim Salad as Somalia’s next nominal president. The Transitional National Government of Somalia headed by Salad was formed in August 2000. A number of the BBC’s Somali staffs were granted Djiboutian passports. However the fact remains that despite its reputation for biased reporting, the Somali programme’s out-reach services remain an unchallengeable and only source of news information for most Somalis. With the unlikelihood of the development of an equally powerful local broadcasting service Somalis are expected to continue tuning to this London-based radio news programme. But the fundamental issue is that at this age of religious extremism, it would be strongly dangerous to allow the BBC’s broadcasts in Somali to remain vulnerable to abuse by its own staff. The BBC leaders are urgently needed to take the necessary steps for the restoration of the Journalistic integrity and neutrality of the Somali Service. Also, they have to consider helping Somalis develop an [sic] alternative local media. Source: Somaliland Times (via DXLD) ** SWITZERLAND [non]. La Rosa de Tokyo para el próximo fin de semana El Grupo Radioescucha Argentino está colaborando con LA ROSA DE TOKIO, el programa de DX y comunicaciones que se irradia por LS11 Radio Provincia, La Plata, Argentina, con 56 kw en su horario habitual de 13 a 14 hora argentina (1600 a 1700 UT) y también en Internet, en: http://www.radioprovincia.gba.gov.ar Este domingo 13 de Agosto se dedicará el programa a la radiodifusión en Suiza, poniéndose especial atención en el análisis de las dos emisoras más representativas que han irradiado sus programas desde territorio helvético por la onda corta: Radio Suiza Internacional, la más emblemática y la Radio de la Cruz Roja Internacional. Ahora también por WRMI, Radio Miami Internacional en los 9955 kHz cada sábado y domingo a las 0700 UT y en tiempo real desde su pagina: http://www.wrmi.net/ [so they haven`t heard these have been blown away by expanded Cuban exile programming; any replacement??] Además, a las 18 Hs. Argentina, 21 UT [domingo] la retransmisión se realizará en la siguiente dirección: http://www.frecuencia9.com.ar La temática que se desarrolla cada domingo consiste en la investigación y análisis de la situación radiofónica en un país. Se revisa su historia, su actualidad política y social y, por supuesto, se revisan y analizan sus emisoras de radio y TV más representativas. También pueden escuchar su grabación a cualquier hora, cualquier dia desde Programas DX: http://es.geocities.com/programasdx/ No dejen de escucharlo! (Arnaldo Slaen & Omar Somma / Argentina, Noticias DX via DXLD) ** TIBET. CHINA, PBS Xizang, noted Aug. 5 around 2340-2355 UT on 6050. Two OM talking in presumed Mandarin, and oldies + pop songs. SINPO 34333 (José Turner, Portugal, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** TURKEY. VOT, Live from Turkey, Thu Aug 10 at 1255 check on 15450: very poor with music at first, 1300 talk, but too poor to follow. If sufficiently motivated one must fire up the computer and listen to live stream instead (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U K. BBC Somali criticised editorially: see SOMALILAND [non] BBCWS Mideast coverage: see INTERNATIONAL ** U S A. BBG Contract Award: 08/09/2006 11:11:48 AM EDT FedBizOpps Notice Type: Presolicitation Notice Posted Date: 08-AUG-06 Agency: Broadcasting Board of Governors Office Address: Broadcasting Board of Governors, Associate Director for Management, Office of Contracts (M/CON), 330 C Street, SW, Room 2500, Washington, DC, 20237 Subject: R -- R-Non-Personal Expert 'Advisory and Assistance' Services Classification Code: R - Professional, administrative, and management support services Solicitation Number: Reference-Number-BBG-08082006 Contact: Wayne Greene, Contracting Officer, Phone 202-619-2339, Fax 202-205-1921, Email wgreene@ibb.gov - Herman Shaw, Contracting Officer, Phone 202-205--8412, Fax 202-260-0855, Email hshaw @ ibb.gov Description: Broadcasting Board of Governors Associate Director for Management Office of Contracts (M/CON) The Broadcasting Board of Governors (BBG) has a requirement for a contractor to provide specialized and timely non-personal expert 'advisory and assistance' services, including analytical and research services as they may be required, to support the BBG in the performance of its entire worldwide multimedia broadcasting public diplomacy mission in the most effective, timely, and efficient manner practicable in a very competitive global marketplace. The contractor must have recent pertinent experience in such functions as providing strategic (mid-term or long-term) and tactical (short- term) advice and assistance on planning, developing, testing, and evaluating unique radio programming, television (TV) programming, and other multimedia products, services, and methodologies (including but not limited to the effective use of computer technology in broadcasting and digital radio and television production techniques), as well as the use and development of programming on medium wave, FM, and shortwave broadcasting to attract substantial target audiences, as determined by the BBG. The contractor may also be requested by the BBG to perform ad-hoc special projects and/or make special presentations to the BBG. Because of the specialized nature (i.e., technical, business, cultural, logistical, and politica1 considerations) and the necessary timeliness of the contractor's performance of the above-stated expert 'advisory and assistance' services in support of the BBG during their development and implementation of the BBG's multimedia programming efforts, the BBG intends to non-competitively award a negotiated firm-fixed-price contract to Bert Kleinman Programming, Inc. (BKP), 16832 Edgar Street Pacific Palisades, CA 90272, for this specialized work on the basis of BKP's unique technical, business, and other qualifications and recent pertinent experience in radio, television, and multimedia news, information, and music programming for mass audiences, BKP's known capability to successfully meet the BBG's overall time schedule for its multimedia programming efforts, and BKP's comprehensive international broadcasting qualifications and experience. The term of this proposed contract is for one base-year, with a single one-year option, subject to annual funding availability. BKP is the only responsible source known to the BBG that has demonstrated in-depth specialized business and technical knowledge (including, but not limited to, the above-stated radio and TV methodologies), and current radio, television, and multimedia experience with mass audience programming that is critical to the contractor's ability to perform the above-summarized work in a high quality and timely manner for the BBG. Such unique BKP capability is due, in part, to BKP's experience in dealing with the BBG and other organizations in addressing complex radio, television, and multimedia program planning, development, and implementation issues, including the Middle East and Russia. The Statutory authority permitting other than full and open competition that is applicable to this proposed procurement is the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) Subpart 6.302-1(a)(2), 41 U.S.C. 253 (c)(l), that states: -When the supplies or services required by the agency are available from only one responsible source and no other type of supplies or services will satisfy agency requirements, full and open competition need not be provided for.- This Public Notice of the BBG's intent to non-competitively procure BKP's expert advisory and assistance services is NOT a request for competitive price quotations or proposals. However, other interested individuals or firms may express to the U.S. Government their interest in and detailed capabilities to perform the above-stated non-personal expert advisory and assistance services. Any such written expressions of interest AND accompanying detailed written statements of existing technical, business, and other capabilities must be received by the Government (BBG) Contracting Officer (CO) within fifteen (15) calendar days of the GSA's publication of this Public Notice in order to be considered. The Government will not accept oral or incomplete submissions. A final determination by the Government not to compete this proposed procurement, based upon any responses to this Public Notice, is solely within the discretion of the Government. Any information received from interested persons or firms responding to this Public Notice will be considered by the Government solely for the purpose of determining whether to conduct a competitive procurement. Any submissions or questions regarding this Public Notice shall be submitted in writing to the Government (BBG) Contracting Officer (CO), Myria Carpenter, via E-mail at mecarpen @ ibb.gov and the interested person or firm making the submission and/or asking the question shall confirm the BBG-CO's receipt of any such submissions and/or questions by telephonically contacting the BBG-CO at (202) 205-2498. This Public Notice is not a RFQ, RFP, or IFB. Internet Link: http://www.fbo.gov/spg/BBG/ADM/MCONWASHDC/Reference-Number-BBG-08082006/listing.html (via Mike Cooper, Aug 10, DXLD) ** U S A [non]. VOA Pinheira [São Tomé] in French, to Africa, as I write this, Aug. 10, on 15730 from tune-in at 1905 UT with program about situation in Nigeria and Cameroon until 1930 when ID and news. SINPO 35343 (José Turner, Portugal, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A [non]. ``BENIN``. WYFR 9465 card came back with site listed as Benin. The June Journal says Wertachtal (Marlin Field, MI, QSL Report, Aug NASWA Journal via DXLD) I had the same situation with one of their QSL cards. Mine said Libya. I tend to think this was the coverage area (Sam Barto, ed., ibid.) ** U S A. I haven't heard New York VOLMET in a while. I note these active Notices to Airmen: [ ] A1497/06 - VOLMET BROADCAST UNSERVICEABLE NEW YORK INTERNATIONAL VOLMET FREQ 13270 KHZ U/S 05 JUL 14:15 UNTIL UFN [ ] A1185/06 - VOLMET BROADCAST UNSERVICEABLE NEW YORK INTERNATIONAL VOLMET FREQ 6604 KHZ U/S 10 MAY 23:00 UNTIL UFN No NOTAMs found for the other frequencies which are unheard here (Mike Cooper, GA, Aug 10, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A. Some more info on the situation with our FM transmitter [Evanston WY, NE Utah]. (Yes, I know this is getting off-topic). We are LMAing KNYN from a guy named Kent Frandsen who owns a bunch of stations in Logan, UT. He is the actual owner of the station. So when something goes wrong transmitter-wise, he fixes it. The tower is on a mountain-top and that's where the transmitter is. (see the KNYN pics on our web site in the photo albums / tower pics section). Even year-before-last when the OTHER tower fell down up on the mountain, we weren't at full power. All last summer, however, we DID take the output of the backup transmitter (500 W) and run it through the big antenna once the communications company put up another tower (the one that has now fallen down too). That gave us an ERP of about 3000 watts which isn't too bad --- especially from atop Medicine Butte at almost 10,000 feet. The main transmitter hasn't run in probably 2 years. I think it is because there are other plans for KNYN. Right now we have all kinds of swipping and swapping going on up here to make more Salt Lake City rimshots. There is a peak south of here called Humpy peak. So now we have 5 stations on the air on Humpy peak. And well, the signal from Humpy doesn't cover the Salt Lake City metro because of the mountains. So that gives these stations the right to bellyache to the FCC about that so the FCC lets them put power boosters all over the Wasatch Front (Ogden / Salt Lake City / Provo metro). Never mind that none of them are licensed to any cities along the Wasatch Front --- but that's another tangent. Anyways, KNYN is going to become a casualty of all of this. Mr. Frandsen is putting a station licensed to Lyman, Wyoming on the air on Humpy peak. It'll probably be on by this fall and that station is moving over from Smithfield, UT. Meanwhile in order to do that, KNYN must move down there to Franklin, Idaho (go ahead, look up KNYN at the FCC's site. You'll see it) and hence, KNYN will go away. The new Lyman station will of course be a Humpy peak Salt Lake rimshot and have power boosters down there. The boosters have already been approved and are probably already installed just waiting on the main to go on the air. I THINK this is how it all boils down but nonetheless KNYN will go away. It has to. It doesn't have a choice. It has to move down there to Utah (Franklin, ID is just over the Utah/Idaho state line still in the Logan market). The Lyman station (KYLZ at this point) will be controlled by the guys in Logan because it'll be just another Salt Lake rimshot on Humpy. That'll make 6. Meanwhile I've heard a promise that another new Humpy move-in (100.7 - licensed to Woodruff, UT - population 100) will be on the air by this fall too. So we'll have 7. Even the ORIGINAL station that was licensed (and still is) to Evanston - 106.1 is on Humpy now doing the power booster thing. I told ya all that to make this point --- this is why nothing is being done about the 500w situation. Nobody cares. It's going away. Our only hope is for a new allocation for Evanston at 98.3 and that CP was won by College Creek Broadcasting - another name for Millcreek who first conceived the idea of putting a station on Humpy Peak and having power boosters in the SLC metro. So I don't see much hope there except for the fact that it's slated to go on a hill here in Evanston and NOT on Humpy. And I don't know if they CAN move it to Humpy. If they can't, then they are stuck with it being a station localized to Evanston and we may be able to LMA it (or even buy it) if that ends up being the case. Not sure about that. If that don't fly and it moves to Humpy Peak as well, then Evanston will have one local station, KEVA. No local FM. Sorry for the longevity, guys. I just thought you all might find it interesting what's going on here. Don't know how many others of you are having to contend with rimshot bullsh*t like this and if it's going on in other parts of the country as well. We've known this was coming and basically KNYN is a good money-maker so we'll keep making money with it as long as we can. When it goes away, it goes away. I don't see too many signs that it'll be this year so we'll probably have it through Christmas and the winter and then maybe next summer is when they're planning on moving it. I wish I was FCC-savvy enough to look at all the applications and stuff and figure out where the deadlines are for all of this to occur (Michael n Wyo Richard, Aug 9, ABDX via DXLD) I don't know about anyone else, but I find it all very interesting and somewhat depressing, all at the same time. Goodby local radio, hello corporate-satellite-fed garbage. At the rate we're going, FM will begin to go the way of AM within 10 years. Sigh (Brian Leyton, CA, ibid.) ** U S A. Glenn, go to philly.com --- second line in the headlines is about some changes on the FM dial in Philly. Sunny 104.5 and smooth- jazz 106.1 are gone as of 1600 UT, and both are now simulcasting with up-tempo dance-pop music, aimed at women. Read the details. [Later:] As soon as I rechecked philly.com the update, from the Inquirer's Michael Klein, was gone. For what it's worth 106.1 (ex- smooth jazz) and 104.5 (ex-Sunny 104.5) are now simulcasting "Philly's 106.1" with the new female-targeted up-tempo dance-pop format; 104.5, which was competing with adult-contemporary B-101, might switch in a few weeks to talk, or more likely a Spanish music format -- a first for the Philadelphia market. Also 106.1 will as of Aug. 14 pick up Whoopi Goldberg's syndicated morning show, 5-9 am ET. Both stations are owned by Clear Channel. Easy way to see article --- http://www.philly.com and search for "radio changes"; Michael Klein's article posted today will be up there (Joe Hanlon, NJ, Aug 10, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** VENEZUELA [non]. Ah, estoy a punto de enviar un informe de recepción a RADIO NACIONAL DE VENEZUELA, ya que anoche la descubrí en onda corta y llegaba con buena señal en 13680 pero interferida por una emisora en inglés que creo que es alguna de Estadio [sic] Unidos. Esta emisora tiene e-mail? A ver si este fin de semana la pillo de nuevo para enviarles un informe de recepción (Juan Carlos (elescucha), Spain, Noticias DX via DXLD) Juan Carlos, Debe consultar DX Listening Digest http://www.worldofradio.com/dxldmid.html para enterarse de todo eso. Acabo de informar en DXLD 6-119 que RNV anuncia su e-mail de internacional @ rnv.gov.ve --- y no debe gastar correo para su p-mail anunciado de Apartado 3979, porque se devuelven las cartas. La interferencia en 13680 a las 23 es: China en inglés via Canadá, choque que existe desde hace varios años, pero no les importa ni a Venezuela ni a Cuba ni a Canadá ni a China - sólo a los oyentes. También informé que acaban de activar una nueva frequencia, canal libre para Venezuela (siempre vía Cuba y no en directo desde Venezuela) a esta hora: 15250. 73, (Glenn Hauser, ibid.) Muchísimas gracias, Glenn, por la información del e-mail de RNV; intentaré escuchar en esa nueva frecuencia a ver si llega a España con buena calidad. Y espero que haya muchas novedades este año de reactivación de emisoras de Latinoamerica que existián o seguramente existen pero estoy perdido (jeje). Radio Mexico Internacional, Radio Chile Saludos (Juan Carlos, ibid.) ** VIRGIN ISLANDS BRITISH. 4045.0 kHz usb, The Caribbean Weather Center Ltd, British Virgin Islands, Mystic Breeze, and various pleasure boats (just like CBers, they either don`t have callsigns or don`t feel like giving them). 1108:32 UT (2006-06-17) (Jon-FL in Florida, USA on ZIRC:#wunclub) (UDXF yg via DXLD) UNIDENTIFIED. Who is on 1633???? I can't be dreaming. There's a guy talking on 1633. It's weak and I can't tell if it's English. I had it for a minute before it faded down into the noise. The X-band has splits?? (Mike Bugaj, Enfield, CT, 0317 UT July 27, WTFDA-AM via DXLD) A het here in western NY on 1632.75. Slop is pretty bad from 1630 (Jim Renfrew, Byron NY, 0328 UT July 27, ibid. [long delayed digest]) UNIDENTIFIED. Trying to establish the identity of three long-hours virtually continuous RTTY transmissions which broadcasters have to (or should) avoid; frequencies might be slightly different than: 7455 during darkness hours in NAm 9960 during darkness hours in NAm 11690 during daylight hours in NAm First I check the second-quarter ITU monitoring file at http://www.itu.int/ITU-R/terrestrial/monitoring/files/pdffiles/310.pdf And find that they have only noticed 7455, but it is unID for them too (The third-quarter file /311.pdf has not yet appeared). Unfortunately, all of the ITU monitoring stations are in Europe except for one in Korea. Why not any in the Americas?? Also note that the columns (in English, not French or Spanish) are mis-labeled. Column 20 contains the bearing of the station, if determined (not in the case of 7455). Searching 7455 in the UDXF yg which has been active for a few months now, only got these two hits: 06/29/06 05:54z, 7456.0 RTTY/1175/850 encrypted (unusual freq. here) (Steve Smith, Redwood City, CA, UDXF yg via DXLD) In what way unusual? Rather fast at 1175 Bauds! It's NATO-75/75/850 and the frequency is 7455 kHz. Measured in USB mode?? !!!! 73 de (Jim, MPJ, Scotland, June 30, ibid.) This was the only hit on 9960: 9960.0 kHz dig unID: KG-84 FSK 850Hz/75Bd encrypted 1029:26 UT (2006- 06-17) (Sferix in Taipei, Taiwan on ZIRC:#wunclub) And there were no hits in UDXF on 11690, nor 11689, 11691. Also checking the Klingenfuss 2002 SW Frequency Guide: nothing on 11690; 9962 has NPM Pearl Harbor, but I don`t think the frequency is that high; nothing on 7455. So can anyone determine the source of these three transmissions? Or offer any clues if they are not openly identified? Thanks, (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) > 7455 during darkness hours in NAm Band is allocated to fixed and land mobile stations. Only the broadcasters have been DF'd on 7455; possibly because they are out of band. > 9960 during darkness hours in NAm Fixed service allocation. This is probably NPM/Pearl Harbour HWA > 11690 during daylight hours in NAm Broadcasting allocation. There should be no broadcasters in the fixed and mobile service allocations. On the other hand there should be no RTTY in the broadcasting allocation. Scotland? There's no RTTY audible on these in Europe at the moment. If they come up again I shall try to get a line bearing on them, but that may be extremely difficult due to the presence of high-powered broadcasters near the frequency. Additionally there is a 180 ambiguity in a single line bearing. 73 de (Jim, MPJ, Aug 11, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Hi Jim, Tnx for your comments and will appreciate more if you find out anything. I clicked on your yahoo profile and it said Scotland. So where are you, then? And what does MPJ mean? 73, (Glenn to Jim via DXLD) ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ CONVENTIONS & CONFERENCES / DIGITAL BROADCASTING DRM: see NEW ZEALAND +++++++++++++++++++++++++ ++++++++++++++++++++ ABU DIGITAL RADIO CONVENTION TO GO LIVE ON INTERNET http://blogs.rnw.nl/medianetwork/?p=5780 The audio-visual proceedings of the upcoming ABU Digital Radio Convention in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, will be made available live via webcast - the first time an ABU event is broadcast over the Internet in real time. The webcast, to begin at 9 am local time [0100 UT] on 14 August, will be made available to ABU members and others in the radio broadcasting and equipment manufacturing industry worldwide free of cost, as a means to promote radio broadcasting. Those interested in participating in the conference over the Internet can do so via audio-visual stream or audio-only stream. "Both the streams will have relatively low bit rates. This is being done to enable widespread access to the streaming information provided, even in those cases where the access lines are of lower capacity," said ABU Head of Transmission Technology & Spectrum, Sharad Sadhu. More details of the live streaming will be provided in the next few days on the ABU website. http://www.abu.org.my/public/index.cfm (Source: Asia-Pacific Broadcasting Union) (Media Network blog via Mike Terry, dxldyg via DXLD) So when I check the page Aug 11, it says; The ABU Digital Radio Convention proceedings will be webcast from 14 to 17 August by Internet streaming, using an audio-visual stream of around 110 kbps. The URL to the webcast is http://219.93.228.234/ABU_DRC/abu.asx Highlights of the four-day convention, to be held in Kuala Lumpur, include: - Presentations and panel discussions by 40 international speakers and experts on implementation issues specific to digital radio transmission networks and case studies; - Introduction of comparative features of available digital radio broadcasting systems; - Delivery of content via new applications and services in a competitive convergent environment; and - Interactive workshops on policies and business models for supporting digital radio broadcasting, implementation of conversion plans etc... (via Glenn Hauser, DXLD) MUSEA +++++ TRANSDIFFUSION.ORG A broadcasting history website, UK/Europe http://www.transdiffusion.org/index.html (via Mike Barraclough, Aug WDXC Contact via DXLD) e.g. LUXEMBOURG PUBLICATIONS ++++++++++++ WestList in PDF I am very pleased to announce that the entire WestList of all AM stations in the western hemisphere is now available for download in PDF format. It's around 1000 pages and 1.4 MB in size. It's free, of course. This will be updated every month or maybe weekly in DX season. No need to put up with an outdated list. Available at: http://www.am-dx.com/lists/westlist.pdf The formatting will be improved over time, and perhaps some additional information can be made available such as addresses. As always, this is a work in progress and will be improved. I use the WestList for quick reference, and the info at 100000watts.com for more involved work. http://www.100000watts.com/default.asp The combination of those two resources do everything I need for AM DX station info. 100000watts may be a pay site, but it is well worth the money compared to any other pay resource. Constantly updated (Craig Healy, Providence, RI, IRCA mailing list via DXLD) Excellent. First in frequency order. Over 1000 pages, but loaded quickly for me. It`s so long because of multiple sorts, and many stations have at least 4 entries covering different combinations of powers and antennas. Sort by callsign in alphabetical order: from page 444 starting with Canada; Mexico from page 585, including numerous incomplete XE- listings. US Sort by states and then frequency, but NOT in alphabetical order, starting with Delaware, from page 645. Canada is further divided by province, but in geographical order east to west, from page 774; Mexico by states, in alphabetical order from 792. There are also separate lists by each Latin American country and then frequency at the end, starting on page 853. But looking at the start of the list, how come Grenada is shown on 540 instead of 535, and St Kitts on 550 instead of 555? And are any of those Canadians on 530 besides CIAO really on the air? (Glenn Hauser, IRCA, DX LISTENING DIGEST) This is a limitation of the FCC database. I have written a number of text manipulation and FTP macros. Their function is to pull the info from the FCC database and format it in various ways for searching. They seem not to use non-10 kHz channels. I am considering creation of a database with a series of corrections such as the 535 and 555 stations so that is fixed. I simply haven't had time to get it done yet. As to the status of the 530 Canadians? I'm not sure offhand, though no doubt the people who are local to them can let us know. There are also a number of duplicate listings. That's another task for the overlay database. I can also add corrections that are reported from the various lists. Just a matter of finding the time to do it. I set the original file names on the web site at 001stat.htm for Delaware, as it was the first state. RI is 013stat.htm, and so on. One of the things on my list is to change the sort order to alphabetical. The numericals work fine behind the scenes, but not in the PDF format. It'll be fixed. And of course, this is all available on line. The PDF was made by pulling the HTML code out of the web pages and creating a document from them (Craig Healy, Providence, RI, ibid.) The FCC data is historically somewhat suspect as to both accuracy and currency. It is better than it was when they first were online, but there are limitations. Their info for countries other than the US can be really bad. As to the 530 Canadians, remember that Canada loves to keep listing long-deactivated stations. It's their way of asserting their possession of the allocation and right to protection (Russ Edmunds, Blue Bell, PA, ibid.) Yes. The 550 allocation in New Brunswick is one of many. I have often wondered if the Canadians would consider renting or leasing that allocation. For example, my client WDDZ-550 has to protect the New Brunswick station, even thought it's been silent for many years. If they could rent that allocation and increase power that way, it would be a win-win deal. The Canadians get some money, and WDDZ gets increased coverage, likely in the form of an STA that is valid for the term of the lease. If the lease expires, then WDDZ would have to go back to it's normal licensed pattern. I'd think that this could be done, if someone were creative and had some political connections (and money) to make this happen. Not that WDDZ specifically would bother, but there must be some stations that would. Right now 550 is just a wasted resource where the New Brunswick station was. Maybe if our Canadian candidate for office wins, he can look into this. I really don't see a downside anywhere (Craig Healy, Providence, RI, ibid.) I believe I had read that the car issue was huge once the old- fashioned continuous tuning was replaced by push-buttons which were locked in at 10 kHz (Russ Edmunds, Blue Bell, PA, ibid.) Perhaps this is why Am. Samoa wants to move to 720 and why there were recent allocations for Marianas on 1440 and I think on 630. I'd bet the FCC wants to move every one of their far Pacific allocations onto an "even" TP frequency to get rid of what must be a real headache for their database manager --- not to mention the problem of the 10 kHz car radio tuning (Bob Foxworth, ibid.) I believe I had read that the car issue was huge once the old- fashioned continuous tuning was replaced by push-buttons which were locked in at 10 kHz (Russ Edmunds, Blue Bell, PA, ibid.) Hots for Hets --- Another reason must be heterodyne interference from the neighboring country station. They are all on 9-kHz waveplan frequencies. KUAM-620 was reassigned 621. Wonder where they will go. 630 sounds good off the top of my head. Maybe not, Isn't the 50-kW Metro-Manila station there? Next lower channel will put them 37 kHz away from KATB-567, while FCC R&Rs want 40 minimum. 720 it will have to be. Will that work? Worse possible het is 2 kHz, which the human ear is most sensitive to. Then there are the orphan w. Africa stations that didn't move down 1 kHz! (Charles A Taylor, WD9INP/4, Greenville, North Carolina, ibid.) KUAM used to be on 610 (Pete Taylor, Tacoma, WA, ibid.) Pete, I knew they were on 610, then moved to 612 in 1979. But Charlie mentioned 620. I never logged them until they moved to 612 though. 73, (Patrick Martin, OR, ibid.) I'm not sure why 10 kHz spacing would be a huge issue for stations close to 10 kHz channels. WVUV [SamAm] for example is on 648 and the 3 Guam stations are on 567 612 & 801 - fairly close to mainland US channels. Given the selectivity of most car radios and the relatively small size of the islands I would expect the stations to sound OK when tuned to the nearest 10 KHz channel. This definitely has been an issue with KJES in AM Samoa but they were licensed to 585 kHz which is farther off-channel. Many car radios can select between 9 and 10 kHz spacing but the average user may not realize it. It typically involves flipping a switch on the back of the radio or pushing some combination of buttons on the front panel. Owners manuals may mention it but the purpose may not always be clear - for example the manual for my car refers to "European" and "American" spacing which folks out in the Pacific would surely find irrelevant (Bruce Portzer, WA, ibid.) QSL PRESERVATION Re 6-120: The basic principles are: 1. Save original cards, letters and associated memorabilia from the trash bin, dump and fireplace 2. Find a 'safe home' for the documents 3. Catalog items 4. Scan all items into a free public access web-based virtual archive 5. Encourage research, publishing, exhibitions and other access using a mixture of original and scanned material. The Radio Heritage Foundation currently holds around 10,000 QSLs with 30,000 more in negotiation. Beyond that are hundreds of thousands in collections we know about. We're currently concentrating on principles 1, 4 [limited scale] and 5 above, and offering [on a limited scale] the safe home. For more information about our projects and programs, visit http://www.radioheritage.net where donations of volunteer time, funds and resources are always welcome. Paper based ephemera [such as QSLs] are often seen as decorative and/or of little value to broadcasting sound archives and a considerable mindshift amongst professional archivists and cultural funding agencies is needed to make progress. However, radio, compared to film and TV is a distant third cousin in the resources stakes across the world. Individual DXers can make a difference. Protect your own collections. Make clear your instructions for those handling estates. Better still, make arrangements now so you have a say in where your materials end up. And, consider making funding donations to archives as well as giving them boxes of QSLs and radio ephemera. Without resources, it's difficult to make progress (David Ricquish, Radio Heritage Foundation, http://www.radioheritage.net Aug 10, DX LISTENING DIGEST) PROPAGATION +++++++++++ Space Weather News for August 10, 2006 http://spaceweather.com NEW SUNSPOT: A large and beautiful new sunspot is emerging from the sun's eastern limb. So far it poses no threat for Earth-directed solar flares, but this could change. The spot is growing fast and turning toward Earth. Visit http://spaceweather.com for images and updates. PERSEID FIREBALLS: With the Moon glaring in the background, this weekend's Perseid meteor shower is supposed to be a dud. But maybe it won't be so bad after all. Observers have been seeing some bright, early Perseids beaming through the moonlight. One such fireball is featured on today's edition of http://spaceweather.com along with a 2006 Perseid observing calendar and links to meteor radars (Spaceweather via Art Blair, IRCA via DXLD) Tsk, but that makes no difference at all for radio observations (gh) METEOR SCATTER DX With the annual Perseid peak almost upon us, this subject has been discussed: METEOR SCATTER AND FREQUENCIES QUESTION --- Does meteor scatter act like e-skip in that it is better lower in the FM band then higher? The past couple of days I notice that I can hear lots of pings around 93.9 and 94.1 but I don't hear many or any really when I sit on 100.1 or 101.3 or higher. This doesn't make sense to me since I used to work lots of people on 2 meter MS. So I'm not sure why I'm not hearing many pings or any up higher when I'm hearing lots of them lower at the same time. I did log WMJY Biloxi this morning on MS (Craig, car radio, - RS 6 ele beam, DM-79, location otherwise unknown, WTFDA via DXLD) I'm interested in the answer as well as I was hoping to sit on some high-band VHF TV for meteor scatter. Don't want to do it though if it's a waste of time (Dave Williams, Redmond, OR, ibid.) The partial answer is that MS bursts tend to be longer with the lower frequencies. I've had good MS bursts as high as 95.3. My next MS- available frequency is 99.7, and I've not spent much attention there, but I've gotten nothing on 106.5. That said, there are lots of other variables, one of which is location. A second one is antenna height, which I don't have. I never worked any MS on 2m when I was active there. Lots of tropo but neither MS nor Es. That was 1975-81, and I knew a lot less about those modes than I do now, which probably accounts for it in part as well. Then of course there's the problem of having your MS burst include something besides music ;-} (Russ Edmunds, WB2BJH, Blue Bell, PA, 40:08:45N; 75:16:04W, Grid FN20id; FM: Yamaha T-80 w/ APS9B @ 15'; Conrad RDS Decoder; Onkyo T-450RDS, ibid.) Having picked up over 90 MS stations on TV, may I add my 2 cents. With channels 2-6 one can use most any antenna; sometimes lower is better and most of my catches were with the antenna only 5 ft. above ground. When it comes to high-band TV, the higher the antenna and with an amp the better. Now with FM, has anyone tried using an amp with an open channel? Does anyone have open channels? Sure we do. This is what I would do. And as for Dave Williams, sure, try it, Dave. A 10 element cut to channel would be best with and amp and up around 20 ft or more, with the antenna aimed at the optimal point in the sky, and tape for 6 hours during the peak and you will find some hits, I am sure (OLD ROY Barstow, Cape Cod, ibid.) I find the 2 most important things is having an exceptionally clear frequency that is also well away from any local transmitters that might be desensitizing your receiver, And a frequency that has an abundance of possible targets with decent power. I've recorded all day on low FM frequencies as well as high and get good meteor burns on any clear frequency. I do notice generally more and longer burns at lower frequencies, though. Use Girard's FM spreadsheet and see how many higher powered FM's there are to hear on your frequency. Some FM frequencies the FCC has set aside for lower powered stations only, or used to anyway. 101.7 is an example and is my overall quietest frequency in any direction. Yet I do not hear half as many good burns there as I do on my second best frequency 93.9, which has dozens of 25-100 kW stations. 101.7 only has a handful of stations over 25 kW in the US and half of them seem to be in Texas. So naturally those are the ones I hear most often. Most meteor ID's for me are 500-1000 miles. Luck is also involved in getting good hits. Yesterday I only recorded 93.9 from 7 am to 9 pm and had 6 ID's and there weren't all that many total burns. Today I recorded both 93.9 and 101.7 from midnight to now and only had one ID, and it was one of the most commonly heard on 101.7 - 50 kW KBKB in Iowa at 755 miles. The actual number and length of the burns were comparable to yesterday (Randolph Zerr, KW4RZ grid EM60qk, Fort Walton Beach, Florida, "The Emerald Coast" - between Pensacola & Panama City, FM DX - Denon TU-1500RD with 150/110kHz IF filter mod and Onkyo T- 450RDS with 150 kHz mod, 8 element log periodic antenna 15 ft http://www.geocities.com/kw4rz WTFDA via DXLD) ###