DX LISTENING DIGEST 6-127, August 21, 2006 Incorporating REVIEW OF INTERNATIONAL BROADCASTING edited by Glenn Hauser, http://www.worldofradio.com Items from DXLD may be reproduced and re-reproduced only if full credit be maintained at all stages and we be provided exchange copies. DXLD may not be reposted in its entirety without permission. Materials taken from Arctic or originating from Olle Alm and not having a commercial copyright are exempt from all restrictions of noncommercial, noncopyrighted reusage except for full credits For restrixions and searchable 2006 contents archive see http://www.worldofradio.com/dxldmid.html NOTE: If you are a regular reader of DXLD, and a source of DX news but have not been sending it directly to us, please consider yourself obligated to do so. Thanks, Glenn NEXT SHORTWAVE AIRING OF WORLD OF RADIO EXTRA 70: 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 DX/SWL/MEDIA PROGRAMS Aug 22: http://www.worldofradio.com/dxpgms.html ** ALGERIA [non non]. ALGERIA ANNOUNCES MAJOR RADIO DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM Algerian Communication Minister El Hachemi Djiar says that the government has decided to devote over 127 billion centimes (US$1.74 billion) to develop the national radio, by extending its broadcasting and transmission capacities, and to improve radio production. The aim is to counter the sharp competition from private radio stations broadcasting from neighbouring countries, namely Spain, Italy and Morocco. These stations are taking advantage of the weak broadcasting ability of Algerian radio stations and the numerous shadow zones [areas of poor reception]. The Minister also announced a project to provide each of Algeria’s 48 provinces with its own digital radio station. The minister’s declaration was made on the occasion of the opening of the third Local Radios meeting held in the hall of the National Popular Assembly (lower chamber of parliament), under the motto ``Digitisation first --- modernisation at all times``. The General Manager of Algerian Radio and Television spoke of a major government program to develop local radio. It includes the realisation of 400 [sic] mediumwave broadcast stations to cover all of the shadow zones through which Italian, Spanish and Moroccan radio stations are infiltrating. The national territory’s broadcasting coverage will be extended and equipment installed in the sixties will be renewed. Digitisation is to be introduced, to replace the current analogue system. (Source: El Khabar)(August 20th, 2006, 12:14 UTC by Andy, Media Network blog via DXLD) ** ANGOLA. 4950, R. Nacional de Angola (Presumed), 08/17/06 in Portuguese. As early as 2245 past 2315 with music and talks with YL. Never did hear ID but am sure was them. Best signal heard from Angola in years; wonder if this is the new 25-kW transmitter? Still heard 0030 re-check but mixing with another station. (Peruvian? Srinagar?) Couldn't make out lang. of other station (Alex Vranes, WV, NASWA Flashsheet via DXLD) ** ARGENTINA. 15345.34, R. Nacional, Aug 19/20, 2350-0110, program in Spanish about fútbol, 2359 gave several super long ``goooooal``, into excellent program of traditional ballads in Spanish, frequent Radio Nacional IDs, 0100 5+1 pips over the music. Was so enjoyable, it was hard to tune away. Good reception (Ron Howard, Monterey, CA, RX340, with T2FD antenna, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** AUSTRALIA. Radio Australia --- Re When did Radio Australia actually abandon Europe as target area? The direct long path service to UKOGBANI seems to have been dropped in around 1983/84. The WRTH stopped listing it and their RA schedules directed European listeners to listen via services actually aimed elsewhere, but which continued onwards into Europe. In effect, there was no intended European/UK service any longer. As far as I'm aware, neither Darwin or Carnarvon ever used long path to Europe intentionally. And further examination of my two RA Programme Guides of 1962/63 show that New Zealand and South Pacific Islands were included with the service to the British Isles and Europe via 9570 & 11710 - or was it vice-versa? Their service was at 6.00 - 9.15pm N.Z.T. (0600-0915 UTC?). And if I dare mention a SBG, the M.C.C. Tour of Australia took place in Oct. 62-end of Feb. 63 - that's cricket by the way - and Australia-England test match commentaries were "aimed" at South Pacific Islands, West Indies and British Isles at 0055-0545 GMT on 17840, 0430-0805 on 11710 and 0615-0805 on 9570. I think that gives some idea of the long path that Kai was using three hands to trace out. As these tours always took place in the European winter I recall that pre-satellite/cable commentaries heard via the BBC were at times of dire quality. I recall the studio announcer in London one time complaining about commercial breaks when apparently the RA commentary was being received via Ceylon as it was then called. So it would seem that long-path direct wasn't working that day. 73 (Noel R. Green, UK, Aug 20, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) The changes made by Radio Australia were the result of a management decision to stop trying to compete with the BBC and switch from being a global broadcaster into a regional international broadcaster. It was a long time ago, and I can't remember the exact date, but I'm prepared to believe WRTH since I was the assistant editor at the time :-) It's a far cry from the 1970's, when I worked at BBC Monitoring. One of the daily tasks was to transcribe the bulletins of Australian news from Radio Australia and sent the transcripts to the Australian embassy in London, as it was the fastest way of them getting the latest updates. At that time, too, we regularly monitored their DX programme, DXers Calling, which was the best source of breaking media news from the Pacific. It was all a very long time ago :-( (Andy Sennitt, Netherlands, Aug 20, ibid.) ** AUSTRIA. See U K [non] ** AZORES. Christian Ghibaudo Viaggio AZZORRE Agosto 2006 Hi! In the PLAY-DX WEB page has been edited the report written by Christian Ghibaudo after his visit to Azzorre http://www.playdx.com/html/azzorre2006/azzorre2006.htm The report is in English and there are also some photos of the local radio stations he visited (Dario Monferini, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** BRAZIL. A Rádio Clube, de Araraquara (SP), está inativa na freqüência de 3365 kHz. Motivo: está sendo feita a manutenção no transmissor, que é muito antigo. As informações são do Luiz Chaine Neto, de Limeira (SP). (Célio Romais, Panorama, @tividade DX Aug 20 via DXLD) ** CANADA. 1580, CKDO, ON, Oshawa 08/18 1000 UT. Very good clear signals with oldies rock. ID as CKDO 1580 and 107.7 FM. NEW. Summer and the warm weather still here but still some DX to be had. This one had a very good signal and could be a pest if this is to continue 73 and Best of DX (Shawn Axelrod, VE4DX1SMA, amfmtvdx at qth.net via DXLD) ** CANADA [and non]. Re 6-126, USA [and non]: Glenn, I read through your publication of my message, and realized I'd been mistaken in one matter. Because the new [CKDO] 1580 operation isn't on the "original" or "real" class A station list, it actually is protected to its 0.5 mV/m 50% skywave or 0.5 mV/m groundwave contour (whichever is more distant at any particular azimuth) on an RSS basis using the "high latitude" propagation curves in the US/Canada bilateral agreement, just like the Alaska so-called class A stations are from Canada, and the other stations in the non-original class A list in the bilateral (Ben Dawson, WA, Aug 20, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** CANADA. CKNW [980 New Westminster BC] ID on 730 kHz [CHMJ Vancouver]--- they seem to be // M-F 2100-2359, and daily 0000-0300 (All local Pacific time) [= 0400-0659; 0700-1000 UT] . They play time- delayed CKNW content at other times. Seems like a waste of a resource to me, why not unplug it or sell it? 730 seems to me to have a much better signal than 980, btw ef (Eric Flodén, Vancouver BC, Aug 20, IRCA via DXLD) Both are 50 kW D&N (gh, DXLD) Eric, Here NW is better now. In the old days before 730 rebuilt their transmitter site, they did have a stronger signal down here. But apparently they tightened up the pattern. I don't know how much power 730 has in my direction, but NW has about 4500 watts ERP this way. Bring back the old LG-73. 73, (Patrick Martin, Seaside, Oregon, ibid.) ** CHINA [and non]. 6150, Firedrake, Noted Chinese music on 6150 as designated Firedrake. Checked 14050 kHz and signal there was broadcasting parallel Firedrake with 6150. Both signals were fair, 1000-1100 UT Aug 20 (Chuck Bolland, Clewiston, Florida, NRD545, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Hello all, today I used the opportunity of what was probably the last weekend with summer weather here for some outdoor listening, without the horrible noise level I have here in my flat. China Radio International spreads across the bands like Radio Moscow did more than a decade ago, and it is not so funny when tuning around suddenly brings up a blaring white noise (I think it's not necessary to explain what I'm refer to, isn't it?). Some observations in detail: Noted after 1600 loud Firedrake on 9350 and 9370, with a slight SAH as only sign of live from the victim (RFA in Uighur). The signal/fading patterns as well as the audio characteristics appeared to differ a little bit between both frequencies, so the jamming probably originated from different sites (and of course the SAH may also indicate that more than one site was involved on each frequency). (Kai Ludwig, Germany, Aug 20, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** CROATIA [non]. German relay synchronization problems: see GERMANY ** CUBA [and non]. 530, FLORIDA (AIRBORNE) Radio Martí; for the record, a no-show on Saturday, August 19th through 2305 GMT. This reactivated on August 11th and to date has transmitted on two consecutive local Fridays only as per my monitoring. 670, CUBA, Radio Rebelde, Arroyo Arena, Ciudad de la Habana; 1205-1220 August 20, 2006. Is it just me, or is this thing blowing way more signal that previously? Huge S9/+5-to-10dB just off the longwire. On a sidebar, Spanish WRMD [680 kHz, 690 watts, St. Petersburg] is running nothing but a carrier at this time. Aah, the wonders of automation on a Sunday morning (Terry L. Krueger, Clearwater FL, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** CZECH REPUBLIC. RADIO FREE EUROPE'S RELOCATION DRAGS ON New site outside city center will not be ready until 2008 By Hilda Hoy, For The Prague Post, August 09, 2006 More than a year after announcing plans to relocate to Prague 10, officials at Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) now say the lease on the site near Wenceslas Square where the broadcaster is currently located will have to be extended for an unknown length of time. But Acting RFE/RL President Jeff Trimble told The Prague Post in an interview that renewing the lease was not a sign that the broadcaster's move — so far five years in the making — is in jeopardy. "The process is going along very smoothly," he said, "and things are going along as anticipated." RFE/RL reached a deal in July 2005 to build a new facility in Prague 10, but construction has yet to begin and likely won't be finished until some time in 2008, Trimble said. . . http://www.praguepost.com/P03/2006/Art/0810/news8.php (via kimandrewelliott.com via DXLD) ** GERMANY [non]. SRI LANKA. I was in fact surprised to find after 1630 a German-language transmission in the 19 metres band, on 15680. Deutsche Welle? Yes, of course, via Trincomalee, performing a studio talk with a staff member who was involved in the recent interview of ARD, ZDF, DW and Radio Vatican with the pope (did anybody outside Germany and the Vatican care about this hyped interview?). Quite listenable signal, indeed to be preferred for its nice audio, unlike 6075 which to my taste sounds smashed and overcompressed (Kai Ludwig, Germany, Aug 20, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) see also U K [non]! ** GERMANY. Re: 9925 synchronization between Nauen and Wertachtal transmitter units. ``Der Fehler konnte durch die Auswechslung eines Sat-Receivers beseitigt werden.`` The echo failure has been solved. A Satellite receiver has been replaced. [?replacement physically, or just the satellite channel frequency only ? wb.] FYI, 73 wb Viz.: Hallo Herr Bueschel, Der Fehler konnte durch die Auswechslung eines Sat-Receivers beseitigt werden. Nochmals vielen Dank für die Information. Freundliche Grüße, Walter Brodowsky, Account Manager für Kurzwellenrundfunk, Postadresse: Bastionstr. 11 - 19, 52428 Jülich Im Zusammenhang mit unserem Kurzwellenangebot besuchen Sie uns bitte im Internet unter der folgenden Adresse: http://www.t-systems-mediabroadcast.de/coremedia/generator/www.t-systems-mediabroadcast.com/de/Home/Loesungen/DistributionNetworks/id=43236.html T-Systems Business Services GmbH Media&Broadcast Business Unit Hörfunk Account Manager für Kurzwellenrundfunk (via Kai Ludwig, Germany, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** GREECE. Katerina: The 0200-0300 UTC Sunday repeat of your show "Greeks Everywhere" was barely audible direct from Greece at SINPO 25422 on 9420 and faded out while in progress (nothing on 17520). Avlis 2 on 7475 started out at SINPO 45444 but gradually faded out at the end. This is The Voice of Greece's Live Radio web site. Click it, turn your speakers on, and wait for the sound. There are other Greek radio stations on the left-hand side which you may click on, too. http://tvradio.ert.gr/radio/liveradio/voiceofGreece.asp (John Babbis, Aug 20, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** GUATEMALA. 4780, Radio Coatán, 8/15/06, 0210-0234*, in Spanish. Nice program of rustic vocals hosted by a man announcer with short talks. Another man with ID, frequency and sign off announcements at 0233 with instrumental music to close. Poor to fair (Rich D'Angelo, PA, NASWA Flashsheet via DXLD) ** GUYANA. 3291.16, (Presumed), V. of Guyana, 0011-0032, Aug 18, English, Pop ballads featuring a Cyndi Lauper tune. "Canned" promo at 0017 and brief announcer. More music and talk until organ music at 0030 followed by either "Messages" program or obituary notices, both which I have heard in the past. Vox audio too weak to detail. Poor/fair at best (Scott R. Barbour, Jr., Intervale, NH, R75, 200' Beverages, MLB-1, DTS-4, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) 3291.2, Voice of Guyana, 8/14/06 [UT Monday], 0346-0403* in English. Light classical music with a man announcer with talk, announcements and ID at 0402. Carrier break and then returned but no programming noted. Planned sign off or just a break in transmission? Fair (Rich D'Angelo, PA, NASWA Flashsheet via DXLD) Cf recent report that BBCWS relay starts around 0400 (gh, DXLD) 560, unID, presumed Guyana with radio play // 1620, and 555 kHz, though no parallel noted on 3291.14 kHz, mixing with the Spanish language unID Wpks, 0508 21/8 (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) ** HONDURAS. 4819.2, La Voz Evangélica, 8/15/06, 0110-0204 in Spanish. Religious talk by a man with some vocal selections. Another talk began at 0130. ID and frequency announcement at 0153 followed by a series of announcements. Brief male vocal at 0158 until another ID by a woman announcer at 0200 followed by another religious program. Very poor with CODAR QRM. Have not heard this in quite some time (Rich D'Angelo, PA, NASWA Flashsheet via DXLD) 4919 [sic] HRVC, With change back to Standard Time in Honduras; seems this one now signing on 1000 UT instead of 0900. Sign-off seemed 0200 before; will have to check if that's now 1 hour later also (Alex Vranes, WV, NASWA Flashsheet via DXLD) ** INDIA. Re 6-120: ``6195 Lucknow, weak and // 7105 (a spurious product generated by the transmitter or my receiver) 7105 Lucknow // 6195 (Maarten Van Delft in India, DSWCI DX Window Aug 9 via DXLD)`` Just to make it clear: 7105 is the listed frequency of Lucknow, and 6195 is the -910 kHz receiver-produced 2 x 455 kHz IF image (Glenn Hauser, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** INDONESIA. Kang Guru Radio English --- 9680, RRI Jakarta, Aug 20 (Sun.), 1017-1035 (on a little past than their usual 1000-1020 time slot), KGRE program #5208, explaining about ``idiot box`` and ``boom box``, amusing story ``Beware of flying water and fighting cats`` by Cheryl, from Paciran, in East Java, song ``What’s New Pussycat`` (Tom Jones), fair (Ron Howard, Monterey, CA, RX340, with T2FD antenna, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** INTERNATIONAL VACUUM. OKC TV stations take 3 seconds to get to Enid via satellite(s) feed: see OKLAHOMA ** ISRAEL. Schedule changes coming up at Israel Radio: For English broadcasts, the 0330-0345 changes back from summer to winter frequencies on Sept. 1: to NAm/WEu, 7530 and 9345 resume, replacing 13720 and 11590, whilst 17600 continues to Australia, per http://www.iba.org.il/doc/shortwaves.pdf But DST does not end until 30 Sept at 2300 UT per http://www.timeanddate.com/time/dst2006b.html However IBA website says DST lasts to 28 Sept, so we have a two or three day discrepancy. I suppose some Jewish holiday has a bearing on it (Glenn Hauser, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** ITALY. Stumbled around 1615 over a signal with a loud whine on 9780, just as I did on my last outdoor listening session. Of course Rai again, burning their money by producing an absolutely unlistenable signal of their Russian service instead of repairing the transmitter or just putting it aside (Kai Ludwig, Germany, Aug 20, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** JAPAN. Radio Giappone chiude... davvero! Stamattina durante il programma in italiano di Radio Giappone è stata data la comunicazione ufficiale dei gravi problemi finanziari della NHK con conseguente chiusura del servizio in lingua italiana a partire da ottobre del 2007, sito web compreso (Roberto Scaglione, Sicily, Aug 20, playdx yg via DXLD) ** KAZAKHSTAN. CASAQUISTÃO, 12150, 1327 12/08, WYFR, via Almaty- Nikolayevka, OM, relg, CC, 45243, RFP (RUBENS FERRAZ PEDROSO, BANDEIRANTES-PR, BRASIL, @tividade DX Aug 20 via DXLD) Just to demonstrate how Kazakhstan is transformed in Portuguese (gh) ** KOREA NORTH [non]. 9485, Shiokaze via Taiwan, *1300-1314, Aug. 16 [Wed.], English, Piano IS, lengthy sign-on announcement re "Japanese probably abducted by North Korea" News at 1303 re N. Korea. "This is Shiokaze-Sea Breeze from Tokyo, Japan" ID at 1307. News continues. Poor/fair listening in USB. Best reception to date at my location (Scott R. Barbour, Jr., Intervale, NH, R75, 200' Beverages, MLB-1, DTS-4, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** KOREA NORTH [non]. COREA del NORTE, 11750 kHz, Emisión para la Libertad de Corea del Norte, 1004+, 15 Agosto, programa en coreano, principalmente locutor y ocasionalmente locutora con comentarios con breves intermedios musicales, cierre de emisiones a las 1030*. Señal débil pero no interferida. Similar programa fue escuchado en 9760 a las 1700 diariamente, pero nada escuchado hoy, con cierre a las 1730*; usualmente sufre de interferencias (Wendel Craighead, KS, USA, en DXplorer, via Conexión Digital Aug 20 via DXLD) Presumably translated by clandestine section editor Gabriel Iván Barrera (gh) ** LIBYA [non]. Today I heard Voice of Africa on 17850 at 1445 UT. Decent signal with news and new analysis featuring both male and female announcers. Broadcast was also audible on 17725. ID with "Voice of Africa from the Great Jamahiriyah". I was using an AOR AR-7030+ receiver and Wellbrook ALA-330S loop (Steve Daniel, Brooklyn, NY, Aug 21, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** MACAU. Radio Vila Verde has an interesting website, http://www.am738.com --- It`s mostly in Chinese, but you can see English in the underlying HTML coding. Looking at the program schedule, you might think some shows are in English, but I doubt it. Horse racing is a big deal there. As I discovered on my visit to Macau in the 1980s, when it was still a Portuguese colony, English is the second language, not Portuguese (and Cantonese is first or is Mandarin second?). Now has live streaming at http://www.am738.com/asx/1.asx It`s a commercial station, so ineligible for publicradiofan.com but add another `country` available to hear on the web. A link to weather info proves to be available not only in English but also in Portuguese, http://www.smg.gov.mo/p_index.php including a webcam updated hourly; rather misty(?) when I looked at 2358 UT Sunday = 7:58 am Monday. One is prompted to install Chinese Traditional language pack even when going to the Portuguese page (Glenn Hauser, OK, Aug 20, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** MALAYSIA. 7295, Traxx FM (RTM), Aug 19, 1440-1517, pop/rap songs in English (``Cherish``, etc.), many ``Traxx FM`` singing ID jingles, 1500-1510 ``News Roundup from the RTM News Center, Kuala Lumpur``, with one item about a 60M Ringgit pilot project, to be on a trial-run for 6 months, with some of the RTM programs to be in a digital format, TC ``10 past 11``. Fair. 6049.66, RTM, Aug 20, heard Asyik FM from 1340-1400, YL DJ with phone calls and pop music; 1400-1413 heard Suara Islam (Voice of Islam) program, ToH 2 pips, choral Anthem, IDs for ``Suara Islam`` and ``Suara Islam FM``, reciting from the Quran. Fair-good (Ron Howard, Monterey, CA, RX340, T2FD antenna, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** MEXICO [and non]. 6010, Radio Mil (Mexico City), 8/15/06 & 8/17/06, 0925-0945+ in Spanish. Music and talks with YL and OM, seemed one named Alex (not Alejandra or Alejandro!), reports from correspondents from other Mexican locations like Cancún. Possible program name is "Viva México" as both mentioned it frequently, and also jingles as "Viva México, R. Mil" and "R. Mil, Viva México." Also very frequent mentions of "radiomil punto com punto m-x" URL and UT-6 TC's [? Should be -5 --- gh]. Very nice signals, best I've heard them in years. No real sign of Colombian; something faintly underneath but usual het not noted. Marfil Estéreo heard though both days with good signals on 5910, with usual TC's 3 minutes fast! (Alex Vranes, WV, NASWA Flashsheet via DXLD) 6010, RADIO MIL. Mexico DF. 0314-0410 UT 21 agosto. Programa La Hora Nacional. Con varios temas sobre el Mexico de hoy. "...Mexico vive en el 1000 de AM XEOY, 1000 kHz amplitud modulada con 50 mil Watts de potencia y en onda corta XEOI en los 6010 kHz, banda internacional de los 49 metros, desde Santafé con vista panorámica a México a través de sus sonidos, en Radio Mil vive México, vive México en Radio Mil, emisora integrante de NRM comunicaciones..." Siguió música pop en español y al dar la hora: "Vive México en Radio Mil, 11 - 5" (Rafael Rodríguez R., Bogotá, Colombia, via Dario Monferini, playdx yg via DXLD) ``Viva`` = long live, but ``vive`` just means lives (gh, DXLD) 6185, RADIO EDUCACION. México DF. 0420-0445 UT 21 agosto. ID: "...está usted sintonizando Radio Educación onda corta desde la ciudad de México, XEPPM, 6185 kHz en la banda internacional de los 49 metros con 10 mil watts de potencia; envíenos sus reportes de recepción a Radio Educación onda corta, Apartado Postal 21465, código postal 04021 en México, DF. Radio Educación onda corta lleva hasta sus oídos lo mejor de la creación artística y cultural de México..." Luego la misma identificación pero en idioma inglés. Luego vino para mi sopresa y agrado el programa DX Sintonía Libre, tratando temas de comunicaciones, La "Cápsula Diexista" del colega Pepe González y el Informativo Libre (Rafael Rodríguez R., Bogotá, Colombia, via Dario Monferini, playdx yg via DXLD) So UT Monday, from 0430 or so? But no such programs appear on their playlist for Sunday Aug 20: http://www.radioeducacion.edu.mx/HojaProg21.html (Glenn Hauser, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** MEXICO. LA DEMOCRÁTICA - LA VOZ DE LA RESISTENCIA ``Radio plantón`` arranca transmisiones. --- La coalición de AMLO comenzó a difundir sus mensajes a través de La Democrática, la voz de la resistencia, la cual se encuentra en el 88.5 de FM; buscan difundir su verdad, pues consideran que los medios no han sido "objetivos" sobre la crisis postelectoral. La coalición Por el Bien de Todos difundirá sus mensajes políticos a través de la estación La Democrática, la voz de la resistencia; la cual inició transmisiones piloto en la frecuencia 88.5 de FM. El Economista adelantó que el candidato presidencial Andrés Manuel López Obrador buscaría dinfundir sus mensajes en distintas estaciones de radio por el interior de la República puesto que considera que los medios de comunicación masivos no han transmitido ``objetivamente`` su punto de vista sobre la crisis poseletoral. Esta estrategia mediática es característica del tabasqueño el referente más inmediato es el programa la Otra Versión que se transmitió durante su campaña electoral. - Elena Michel - El Economista - 21 de agosto 2006 - (via José Alba Z., México, condig list via DXLD) ** NICARAGUA. ESTÉREO 99, "LA SIEMPRE JOVEN" --- UNA RADIO HECHA A BASE DE INGENIO Y AUDACIA JUVENIL "Con un equipo cocido por el salitre y un tubo por antena, a los 21 años montó su primera radio" --- Arnulfo Urrutia Foto: El joven director y propietario de Radio Stéreo 99, en plena labor radiofónica. HEBERTO JARQUIN/END Especial para El Nuevo Diario Hasta este reportaje, no había tenido la oportunidad de entrevistar a un emprendedor caribeño. Era una deuda que tenía pendiente conmigo y con mis hermanos de la Costa Caribe. Hace varias semanas la oportunidad se presentó y la tomé al vuelo. ¡Y esto de al vuelo es literal, eh! Volé a Bluefields por invitación del Programa Emprendedores Juveniles de INDE, para asistir a la inauguración del primer curso de emprendedores en la Región Autónoma del Atlántico Sur (RAAS), y así realicé la entrevista que ahora me permite saldar esta deuda. La actividad inaugural se realizaría en la Bluefields Indian and Caribbean University (BICU). El ir y venir indicaba la importancia del momento. . . http://www.elnuevodiario.com.ni/2006/08/14/emprendedores/24246 (via Glenn Hauser, DXLD) Goes on to mention former SW station R. Zinica; remember it? (gh) ** NIGER. 9705, La Voix du Sahel, 8/18/06, 2152-2301*. West African pop/high-life music with talk by man in French. More talk than music noted after 2200. Kor`an recitation at 2255 followed by quick announcement by man at 2259, IS, and national anthem to 2301*. Anthem is distinctive with fanfare followed by singing by women or children. IS and anthem matched to those for Niger at http://www.intervalsignals.net Very poor signal, marginally above/below noise level at 2152, gradually improving to peak (SINPO 22222) 2255-2301*. First log of this station since 2001 (Jim Evans, TN, NASWA Flashsheet via DXLD) ** NIGERIA [non]. Re: ``Caught my attention this time that a transmission in English on 7255 was heard until 2300 with poor signal but no way it was VON. Australia was mentioned several times, but looking at Eibi and WRTH July update I didn't find anything alike. What could this be? Raúl Saavedra, Costa Rica, Aug 6, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST)`` Hi Raul, did you get a reply to this already? It is BBC. 73, (Mauno Ritola, Finland, Aug 21, ibid.) I finally found this on the BBCWS website as a change effective Aug 1, 7255 for Southeast Asia! http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/schedules/internet/800/radio_frequencies_south_east_asia.shtml And we have go here to find the site http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/schedules/frequencies/aspac.htm which is Oman, in use for only that one hour, 22-23. I should think it would also be a problem off the back for VON in West Africa when it is also on 7255. 73, (Glenn Hauser, ibid.) ** NORTH AMERICA. I heard the "Crystal Ship" pirate station last night for a relatively extended period. I was inspired by hearing another logging of it reported by Chris Lobdell on DXing with Cumbre -- I was listening to their transmission from WHRA on 5850 kHz in the 0230-0300 UT Monday 8/21/06 timeframe, in which he reported a logging of TCS on 6876 kHz. So, as that program ended, I tuned over to 6876 and there it was! Logging details: Tune-in at 0255 UT Monday 8/21/06 on 6876 kHz. Kept listening to the station until it appeared to terminate the transmission at 0400 UT. Relatively weak signal here in St. Louis, MO, but I was only using the whip antenna on a Grundig Satellit 800 or a short stub of a wire antenna (I lost my outdoor random wire antenna during the storm here July 19th, and am waiting for cooler weather to re-install a replacement). Signal averaged S2 with frequent fades. Seemed to be clearer on the voice announcements than on the music. IDs as "The Crystal Ship" & "Voice of the Blue States Republic" heard at 0256, 0315, 0334, & 0345 UT. An ID and the addresses for reception reports given at 0357 UT but the fading made it impossible to reliably copy the details; I confirmed the e-mail address from a listing in Monitoring Times. Program contents were a mix of music and politically-oriented talk, with a parody poem read at 0329 UT. Wanted to say that I really appreciate their transmitting during this timeframe. This is the prime time of day that I listen to shortwave -- late evening and overnight. It seems that the vast majority of pirates/free radio people transmit earlier in the day, and I never think to tune the pirate frequencies then, or there are too many competing things keeping me from doing it then. So to have a chance to hear pirates after 0200 UT and especially after 0300 UT is welcomed. Regards, (Will Martin, St. Louis, MO, Aug 21, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** OKLAHOMA. It appears the satellite delay has increased to a good 3 seconds between OTA OKC signals on ch 4, 5, 9, 25, 34 and 43, and as received via Suddenlink Cable in Enid. One satellite up/down hop takes only about .26 second, so such delay would amount to 10 or more hops. It seems unlikely there would be that many hops even if there is some indirect routing rather than station-to-teleport, teleport-to- satellite, satellite-to-cable system. All six of them have about the same delay, so this is not some random digital variation, but apparently deliberate. Can anyone explain? Or even delineate the axual routing of these signals? (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** OMAN. 15140, Radio Sultanate of Oman, 8/19/06, 1435-1510 in English / Arabic. First log of this station and country. YL announcer speaking with listeners' call in program. She also played some instrumental country and western music. Into news at 1446 followed by change to Arabic at 1459 with chimes, orchestral music (NA?), and ID. Fair (Joe Wood, Greenback TN, NASWA Flashsheet via DXLD) 15355, R. Sultanate of Oman, 2332-0003, Aug. 18, Arabic, Radio drama at tune-in. Tentative ID at 2343, Various OM between musical bits. IS at 0000, news headlines then more music and talk thru listed 0000*. Weak but clear (Scott R. Barbour, Jr., Intervale, NH, R75, 200' Beverages, MLB-1, DTS-4, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) see NIGERIA ** PERU. 4890.3, RADIO CHOTA. Chota. 0110-0125 Ago 20. Anuncios de Misas de Difuntos y Exequias, "...8 de la noche con 23 minutos, hora que te informa tu cariñosa del dial, la número 1, Radio Chota, 28 años en los coranzoncitos..." 4940, RADIO SAN ANTONIO. Villa Atalaya. 2340-0002* Música de Alabanza, programa Cantamos con Jesucristo. Anuncios comerciales que mencionan Villa Atalaya. pero no hubo una identificación de la emisora; además presenta una baja señal. 5070.6, ONDAS DEL SURORIENTE. Quillabamba. 2300-0004 Jul. 22. Retransmitiendo desde Lima la señal de La Mega 94.3 con música salsa. Mencionando la ubicación de la Megamóvil para acercarse y obtener recuerdos de la emisora. "...la Mega 94.3, sólo éxitos..." Luego de las 0000 ya con programación local. 5486.6, RADIO REINA DE LA SELVA. Chachapoyas, 2240-2315* Ago 9. Anuncios de Transportes Elada, Electrónica Noriega. Pgm: El show frescura latina, "el saludo para los grandes amigos que están en sintonía de Radio Reina de la Selva..." Fuera del Aire a las 2315* 6536.3, RD Comercial, LV del Rondero, Huancabamba, 0110-0120 Ago 19. Presentando el programa: Visión pastoral de la Parroquia San Pedro Apóstol de Huancabamba. Por lo menos algo diferente a los programas de curanderismo que usualmente tiene. Peruanas captadas tarde en la mañana entre 1600 y 1700 UT Domingo 20 de agosto; gracias a unas excelentes condiciones de propagación logré escuchar estas emisoras: 6019.5, RADIO VICTORIA, Lima. Con transmisión en vivo de campaña de sanidad, en // con los 9719.5 kHz. 6047.1, RADIO SANTA ROSA. Lima. Con programa cultural sobre Richard Wagner y su obra "El Anillo de Nivelungo". Anuncios de Actividades por Aniversario. "...colaborallevando [sic] tus aportes a las oficinas de Radio Santa Rosa..." Nota: Esta emisora fue una agradable sorpresa por que desde el 2004 no la escuchaba. 6114.9, UNION RADIO, Lima. Comentarios y Noticias locales. "En esta emisora tenemos mucho más que todas las demás juntas, Unión es la radio..." 6173.9, RADIO TAWANTI[N]SUYO. Cusco. Música folclórica. "Tawanti[n]suyo la primera en el sur del Perú..." 6193.4, RADIO CUSCO. Cusco, Programa evangélico, LV de la profecia. " Radio Cusco una voz para el mundo..." 9675, RADIO DEL PACIFICO. Lima. Predicación, mencionando la Pacific Gardens (Rafael Rodríguez R., Bogotá, Colombia, via Dario Monferini, playdx yg via DXLD) As in the Mission in Chicago, Unshackled? (gh) ** PORTUGAL. ``A Guitarra Portuguesa e o Fado`` é o programa que a RDP Internacional leva ao ar nos sábados e domingos. O colunista ouviu o programa, em 12 de agosto, às 1608. A apresentação é de Luís Sarmento que também conduz o programete diário Trilogia do Fado (Célio Romais, Panorama, @tividade DX Aug 20 via DXLD) ** SAUDI ARABIA [non]. NEW SAUDI OPPOSITION GROUP PLANS SATELLITE TV STATION A Saudi opposition group is set to breathe new life into the kingdom’s dormant political reform movement. But in a sign of changing alliances, its founder hopes for a boost from public anger over government criticism of Hezbollah. Founded in Paris by Talal Mohammed Al-Rasheed, the exiled son of the last ruler of part of present-day Saudi Arabia, the Saudi Democratic Opposition Front claims about 2,000 members, mostly in Saudi Arabia. Mr Al-Rasheed said his opposition group would start a satellite television channel within three months. It will broadcast from a European country and call on ordinary Saudis ``to rise up against the tyrants and usurpers plundering public funds.`` (Source: Washington Times [Moony], August 21st, 2006, 15:03 UTC by Andy, Media Network blog via DXLD) Lotsa luck this time (gh) ** UKRAINE. Sat, 12 Aug., 0610-0656, 11980, 1 5 2 2 1: R. Dniprovs'ka kHvylya (Dnieper Wave), Zaporizhzhya, relaying Ukrainian R.-1 Sun, 13 Aug., 0630-0705, 11980, 2 5 3 2 2: RDH (Ruslan Slavytskiy, Moskovskaya oblast, RusDX via DXLD) ** U K [non]. Re: VT Communications awarded German Broadcasting Contract With the promised upgrades to facilities at least somebody (Merlin) thinks that shortwave has a future. That should make us happy. I wonder if this means that Merlin will take over operation of Kigali, Sines and Trincomalee? If they do, will other broadcasters (BBC especially) be aired from those sites? Also, is the relationship between Merlin and ORF (in Austria) new? Here in Texas, Moosbrunn seldom has a good signal. Does anyone know if their coverage in Europe, Africa and the mid East is good? They have some high power transmitters (300 & 500 kW) but their coverage just doesn't seem as good as DTK (from next door in Germany). I don't know if they have the big curtain arrays or if they're using rotating log periodics (which, to me, don't seem to work as well). (Jerry Lenamon, Waco Texas, Aug 20, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) It is my impression that the contract with Deutsche Welle does not lend the operational control over the Kigali, Sines and Trincomalee plants to VT. Otherwise they would have pointed out this in their press release I think. But in fact Kigali already has a few transmissions on behalf of VT, FEBA, if I recall correct. And Sines was in the past as "Radio Trans Europe" extensively in use by other broadcasters. I think RCI was the last stranger who left Sines, less than ten years ago I seem to recall. The Moosbrunn relationship came into force already a couple of years ago, after the first cut-back at Radio Austria International. Back then VT (at this time still Merlin) started to market airtime at Moosbrunn. However, ORF kept the full operational control over the station, and so does today the recently founded Österreichische Rundfunksender (ORS) company in which ORF still holds a 60 percent share. So I found it quite interesting that VT will make its own investments into this site. Moosbrunn has one rotatable HR antenna, the only antenna there that can handle 500 kW. The remainder of the antenna farm consists of a fixed curtain for both the Americas and the Middle East (frequency range probably 9...17 MHz or something like that) which is good for 300 kW, two HQ's for 6 and 7 MHz, respectively (first one used for 6155), able to handle 300 kW as well, a rotatable LP and two VM's (5945, 13730) good for 100 kW, and probably the old rhombics are still there as well. Transmitters are two Telefunken S4005 (one already run at reduced power 300 kW due to the antenna limitations) from the eighties and two new 100 kW Thomcast (now Thomson) transmitters installed just a few years ago as successors of the old Telefunken rigs with class B modulation from the sixties. All this from memory, so probably not absolutely accurate (Kai Ludwig, Germany, Aug 21, ibid.) Kai, You're a treasure trove of shortwave info and I'm sure that your memory is fine. But I don't know some of the antenna abbreviations that you've used. "HR", "HQ" and "VM" are shorthand for what types of antennas? Thanks for the info (Jerry Lenamon, TX, ibid.) Here my comments, more or less accurate: H = horizontal dipole(s) R = Reflector curtains behind the dipoles S = Slewable up to 30-40 degrees on both sides. X/Y/Z db gain X = horizontal dipole rows Y = vertical dipole rows (floors) Z = wavelength level above altitude height level [for example: 1.0 in 49 mb = 49 metres above altitude height level. 73 wolfy HFCC lookup table ANTENNA ; Title : HFCC antenna types ANTENNA.RPT ; Date : Released Apr. 3, 1998 ; ; Copyright : (c) 1998 HFCC, Hi Frequency Coordination Conference, ; All rights reserved ; ; Disclaimer : This data is offered free of charge for information ; purposes only, HFCC do not offer any guarantee of accuracy. ; Use at your own risk. ; 0 Unknown 0 1 HR(S)4/4/1.0 22.3 2 HR(S)4/4/0.8 22.1 3 HR(S)4/4/0.5 21.5 4 HR(S)4/3/0.5 20.5 5 HR(S)4/2/0.5 19.1 6 HR(S)4/2/0.3 18.1 7 HR(S)2/4/1.0 19.7 8 HR(S)2/4/0.8 19.4 9 HR(S)2/4/0.5 18.8 10 HR(S)2/3/0.5 17.9 11 HR(S)2/2/0.5 16.5 12 HR(S)2/2/0.3 15.5 13 HR(S)2/1/0.5 14.5 14 HR(S)2/1/0.3 13.4 15 HR 1/2/0.5 14.1 16 HR 1/2/0.3 13.1 17 HR 1/1/0.5 11.8 18 HR 1/1/0.3 09.6 19 H 2/1/0.5 10.8 20 H 2/1/0.3 08.5 21 H 1/2/0.5 11.2 22 H 1/2/0.3 10.2 23 H 1/1/0.5 08.9 24 H 1/1/0.3 06.9 25 ND 03.9 non directional 26 LPH hor. log-periodic 27 LPV ver. log-periodic 28 RH hor. rhombic 29 T(S) hor. dipoles 30 VM ver. monopole 31 HR(S)8/8/1.0 32 HR(S)8/8/0.8 33 HR(S)8/8/0.5 34 HR(S)8/6/0.8 35 HR(S)8/6/0.5 36 HR(S)8/2/0.5 37 HR(S)4/8/1.0 38 HR(S)4/8/0.8 39 HR(S)4/8/0.5 40 HR(S)6/6/1.0 41 HR(S)6/6/0.8 42 HR(S)6/6/0.5 43 HR(S)6/4/1.0 44 HR(S)6/4/0.8 45 HR(S)6/4/0.5 46 HR(S)6/2/0.5 47 HR(S)4/6/1.0 48 HR(S)4/6/0.8 49 HR(S)4/6/0.5 50 HR(S)4/6/0.3 51 HR(S)3/4/0.5 52 HR(S)3/2/0.5 53 HR(S)2/4/0.3 54 HR(S)8/4/1.0 55 HR(S)8/4/0.5 56 HR(S)4/4/1.5 57 HR(S)4/3/0.3 58 HR(S)4/1/0.8 59 HR(S)4/1/0.5 60 HR(S)4/1/0.2 61 HR(S)2/3/1.0 62 HR(S)2/2/1.5 63 HR(S)2/1/1.0 64 HR(S)4/5/1.0 65 HR(S)4/5/0.5 66 HR(S)4/5/0.3 67 HR(S)4/4/0.3 68 HR(S)4/3/1.0 69 HR(S)4/2/1.0 70 HR 2/6/0.5 71 HR 2/4/1.5 72 HR(S)2/2/0.1 73 HR(S)1/4/1.0 74 HR(S)4/3/0.7 75 HR(S)2/8/1.0 ant# = the number of antenna (via Wolfgang Büschel, ibid.) ** U S A. SMITH AND MUNDT SPINNING IN THEIR GRAVES? (updated) MediaMetrix research shows 365,000 U.S. visitors to Voice of America website in July, an increase of fifty percent from June. http://sev.prnewswire.com/multimedia-online-internet/20060815/CGTU04315082006-1.html (comScore press release, 15 August 2006 via kimandrewelliott.com via DXLD) See also Smith-Mundt Act of 1948 http://wiki.uscpublicdiplomacy.com/mediawiki/index.php/Smith_Mundt_Act (via ibid.) Update: Newsland delivers Voice of America and other content to pocket PCs and smartphones in the United States and other countries. http://www.wirelessdevnet.com/news/2006/aug/18/news3.html (Wireless Developer Network, 17 August 2006, ibid.) See also http://www.newsland.net/eng/press/33/ (Newsland press release, 16 August 2006 via kimandrewelliott.com Posted: 20 Aug 2006 via DXLD) ** U S A. Death of a colleague (update). Robert Wone, 32, recently appointed attorney for Radio Free Asia, stabbed in a townhouse near Washington's Dupont Circle. Update: "Multiple sources say, at the very least, the attempted clean-up, if not the act of murder itself, involves more than one person." http://wusa9.com/news/news_article.aspx?storyid=51479 (WUSA, 17 August 2006 via kimandrewelliott.com 20 Aug 2006 via DXLD) ** U S A. WBCQ Schedule Update, Sunday, August 20, 2006 Noted new program, The Zeph Report, on 18910 at 1600 UTC Sunday, August 20. My apologies for not adding this one to the schedule earlier; Allan told me about this new show a couple of weeks ago. I believe this is a four hour show, Sundays 9 am-1 pm (1300-1700 UT) on 18910. The host gave contact info as mmeta zeph at yahoo.com and website http://www.zephnet.com. The show, a.k.a. "Spirit Talk," featured conversations of a secular nature, including an interview with "Brother D," a Hollywood production specialist. Very little religious content, although the host spoke once in a while about the fact he believes the US is largely a satanist state. Surprisingly excellent reception here in Maryland from 18910 from 1600 on. At 1659, the scary music and distinctive tones of the Global Spirit Proclamation began its daily ritual (Larry Will, Aug 20, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A. Yesterday, I went looking for the antenna of radio station WQCQ947 1620 kHz, University of Maryland - Baltimore County. There was nothing really obvious at the location described on the FCC site, except an antenna on top of a building as shown in the following URL. http://philcobill.com/towers/101_0064.JPG The FCC site says the antenna is located on a tank, but I did not find one that fit that description. I also looked on the website of the company which installed WQCQ947 http://www.issinfosite.com and could not find an antenna that matches. I would like to try to figure this out before I ask someone at the school. Any ideas anyone? http://svartifoss2.fcc.gov/cgi-bin/ws.exe/genmen/uls/uls_site_res.hts?db_id=19&link=WQCQ947&application_id= (Bill Harms, Elkridge, MD, Aug 20, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) Bill, This looks like a standard ground plane antenna for two way communications. Judging by the size of the mast (assuming it is about 1.5 inches in diameter) it appears that the element and the radials are about 10 inches long, which would probably make the operating frequency about 300 MHz (10 inches = 1/4 wavelength, 40 inches = full wavelength). But I don't know if there are any two way channels available at that frequency. If the mounting mast is closer to 2 inches then the operating frequency would be lower. The TIS antennas I've seen are whips of about 8 to 10 feet. I think the low power rules restrict the antenna length to about 10 feet. PS. Don't get yourself arrested by taking photos around government buildings (Jerry Lenamon, Waco, Texas, ibid.) Jerry: Here are a couple of photos of a capacitance hat I saw on top of a local TIS. It is the most elaborate one I have ever seen. This particular TIS is operated by the Howard County Maryland Office of Emergency Management and the transmitter is located in Clarksville, Maryland. http://philcobill.com/tis/howard_tis/20060804-WQCR505-antenna-top-01.JPG http://philcobill.com/tis/howard_tis/20060804-WQCR505-fullview.JPG From the way I read the FCC regs, TIS antennas can be up to 10.7 feet, but they are loaded to make them electrically longer, as in the case of the station above. In this case, the building was the Physics Building at the University of Maryland - Baltimore County campus, so taking the picture was no problem (Bill Harms, ibid.) This is a nice antenna. It looks like it's about 30 feet tall. Were you able to tell if there was an insulator in the mast to separate the top ten feet or was the mast a single radiator with a base insulator? (Jerry Lenamon, TX, ibid.) The antenna in the photo is a VHF (or UHF) ground-plane. My gut feeling is that it's a scanner antenna. -- (Doug Smith W9WI, Pleasant View (Nashville), TN EM66, http://www.w9wi.com NRC-AM via DXLD) I figured it was something like that. I will continue to look. Although, I have seen part 15 antennas with something similar on top (Bill Harms, ibid.) The radials (the three shorter pieces fastened at an angle on the bottom) are the giveaway. They're the ground system for the VHF antenna. It works on pretty much the same principle as the ground system for a full-power AM station. Except that the wavelength of a BCB station is about 100 times that of a VHF station - so the ground radials for a BCB station are about 100 times as long! I have seen shortened BCB antennas for TISs with "capacity hats". These are similar in appearance but are at the *top* of the antenna. They serve a totally different purpose. – (Doug Smith W9WI, ibid.) Doug, here is a capacitance hat for you [same as above] http://philcobill.com/tis/howard_tis/20060804-WQCR505-antenna-top-01.JPG http://philcobill.com/tis/howard_tis/20060804-WQCR505-fullview.JPG This is on top of the antenna for the Howard County Maryland Emergency Management TIS located in Clarksville, Maryland (1700 kHz). I have not seen anything like it before (Bill Harms, ibid.) Bill, that is a Valcom center loaded fiberglass antenna. They are usually only seen at the "upper class" TIS stations because they are considerably more expensive than the typical center loaded whip antenna that is common at most TIS stations. The spherical loops at the top are a capacitance hat providing a little bit of top-loading effect. Valcom's trade name for this a "Valcosphere". Check out their web site at http://www.valcom-guelph.com/ The backup antennas for CKWX and CKNW and the shipboard antenna used by KKOL [1300 WA] for their maritime STA all use a 75 foot version of this antenna with the Valcosphere on top. You may be able to see the Valcosphere atop those antennas if you look closely in the photos of those stations on my AM-DXer web site (see link below). The CO DOT "superpower" TIS on 530 here in the Denver area also uses one of these antennas. If you look on the FCC web page for that station you'll see that they claim to use a 10 watt transmitter but achieve an effective radiated power (ERP) of 40 watts through the use of this antenna. I doubt the accuracy of this claim. I don't really think this antenna could achieve a gain factor that high. But the station does get out better than most TIS stations. The 540 TIS at Denver International Airport also uses this type of antenna. Everyone driving in or out of DIA passes right by it on the north side of Pena Blvd. And when I toured the infamous expanded band TIS stations at the Dallas/Fort Worth airport in 1998 they were also using a pair of those same antennas mounted about 200 feet apart - one for each of the two frequencies in use at the time. (Patrick Griffith, Westminster CO, http://community.webtv.net/N0NNK/ http://community.webtv.net/AM-DXer/ ibid.) This TIS gets out pretty good considering the frequency (1700). I am able to hear it at about 10 miles with a fairly listenable strength, if I am away from power lines. It booms in at my home about 12 miles away on my R8B. Looking at the antenna height, it looks much taller than the prescribed 10.7 feet. Closer to 10.7 meters (Bill Harms, ibid.) WFYL-AM, 1180 King Of Prussia, PA is using a 75 Foot Valcom Whip between the rough of Holes 3, 4 and 5 of a local golf course. If someone who lives or works near one of these Valcom Whips used at a TIS can take pictures, I'd sure appreciate it! (Paul Walker, ND, ibid.) [see below] Bill, I'm not sure what you are referring to at 10.7 feet. The height limit on TIS antennas is 15.0 meters (49.2 feet). [Later:] Bill, now I see where you got the 10.7 figure. When you look at the FCC data click on the FREQUENCY tab. On that page you will see a figure for height to tip. For that station it is 14.7 meters (48.2 feet). The license data shows that station on 1670. It also shows 2 transmitter site locations - Jessup Vollmerhausen Road and the Clarksville Fire Station at 5000 Signal Bell Lane. Did they change frequencies recently? Do they have 2 transmitters? Several TIS stations around the country have multiple synchronized transmitters on the same frequency in order to achieve the desired coverage. So this is not unheard of. Naperville IL is one that comes to mind. Their system has 3 transmitters (Patrick Griffith, Westminster CO, ibid.) Actually, there are a total of ten transmitter sites licensed for 1670 and 1700. http://svartifoss2.fcc.gov/cgi-bin/ws.exe/genmen/uls/freq_st_res.hts?db_id=19&rows=999&state=MD&radio_serv=&freq=1.67 http://svartifoss2.fcc.gov/cgi-bin/ws.exe/genmen/uls/freq_st_res.hts?db_id=19&rows=999&state=MD&radio_serv=&freq=1.70 I am not sure if they will use both frequencies, but right now there is only one transmitter on the air and it is the one in Clarksville on 1700. What is odd is that the FCC shows the 1670 sites as active and 1700 sites as pending. 1700 is obviously active and there is nothing on 1670 yet (Bill Harms, MD, ibid.) Talk is that the new King of Prussia station may be on the air as soon as sometime this week. Call letters are WFYL, operating non- directionally on 1180 kHz with 420 watts into a Valcom whip antenna. It's not a very efficient antenna at 40 degrees electrical height, so coverage will most likely not be that great. (This would have been a station that might have benefited from the FCC-accepted new Kinstar NDA antenna being produced by Kintronics. It's a short-height antenna that has 98% efficiency of a 1/4 wave antenna.) Rumors are that WFYL may be running brokered foreign language programming. As of about 15 minutes they were not on the air yet. This station is, of course, a move in of the old 1530 McConnellsburg, PA station, with a change of frequency and city of license. 73, (Rene' F. Tetro, Lansdale, PA, USA, IRCA via DXLD) ** U S A. We miss Roger Ebert and his movie reviews; how`s he doing following cancer treatment? His ``full disclosure`` report is on his website as of August 17: http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060817/PEOPLE/60817001 That sure wasn`t Jay Leno but some other guy along with Richard Roeper last week on the TV show (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A. Public radio war: KAZU takes on KUSP BY GENEVIEVE BOOKWALTER SENTINEL STAFF WRITER August 20, 2006 http://www.santacruzsentinel.com/archive/2006/August/20/local/stories/02local.htm SANTA CRUZ --- When KUSP went on the air in 1972, the start-up public radio station aimed to fill its microphones with "the sound of this life around us, in and around Santa Cruz." The station's first brochure detailed plans to broadcast county board meetings, city council meetings and "the sound of our musicians, ... all our musicians." And with public affairs programming like "Gary Patton's Land Use Report" and music from Latin to reggae to blues, the station at 88.9 FM continues that mission to this day. But in recent years, public radio listeners have started looking for alternatives to KUSP's homespun format. They're finding it a couple points up the dial at a competing station out of Pacific Grove: KAZU 90.3 FM, which broadcasts almost all satellite-fed programs from National Public Radio and the British Broadcasting Corp. "I like the interviews on KAZU more than on any other radio station," said Sarah Vickers, 24, of Ben Lomond who listens on her way to work in Santa Cruz. "They seem to have a bit more international perspective." Vickers said she listens to the shows "On Point" or "Talk of the Nation" for their global flair, which she doesn't get in KUSP's locally produced "Talk of the Bay" and "The Open Road," which air at the same time. And she's not the only one flipping the dial. The latest listener ratings, released by media research firm Arbitron for spring 2006, show more than twice the number of listeners tuning into KAZU over KUSP. About 2,600 people turned to KAZU and 1,200 to KUSP for more than five minutes in a 15-minute period, a common measurement for comparing radio listenership. For KAZU, that's the peak of a steady climb started last year, when spring ratings showed the station had 1,700 listeners per average quarter hour. For KUSP, it's a slight dip. Spring 2005 showed 1,400 listeners per average 15 minutes. That trend is similar in fundraising. KUSP began missing its fundraising goals in 2005 --- a first in the station's history, said Susan Goldstein, president of the station's board of directors. In the station's latest call-in fund drive, KUSP ended up $24,000 short of its $125,000 goal. KAZU doesn't calculate its goals by call-in donations, but by total listener contributions, said Joan Weiner, spokeswoman for Cal State Monterey Bay, which owns the station. There, however, the NPR affiliate exceeded its goal of $160,000 by $5,000. The financial differences are amplified as KUSP balances its $1 million budget, and KAZU manages its budget of $865,000. Both stations, though 45 miles apart, broadcast signals strong enough to reach Santa Cruz, Monterey and San Benito counties, and are considered part of the same Monterey-Salinas-Santa Cruz market. The Rise Of KAZU Before 2002, the stations broadcast similar local programming. KAZU featured an eclectic mix of news and music comparable to KUSP, and shows carried names like "Rock and Roll Hospital," "Farmers Market" and "My Sister's House." But when the university bought the station in 2000, leaders made clear the format would change. "Although the programs aired by the station were excellent --- and the hosts knowledgeable in their fields --- the station was historically constrained by a very small listenership," Stephen Reed said in 2002 when he was associate vice president of university relations. To attract listeners, the station did away with local programming and brought in NPR favorites like "Morning Edition," "All Things Considered," "Prairie Home Companion" and "Car Talk." When that happened, "People who wanted to do the NPR thing stopped listening to KUSP," which played music along with a few of the same NPR shows that KAZU picked up, said Diana Troxell, wife of the late Peter Troxell, who managed KUSP from 1993 to 2003. Even more irritating, she said, her husband had been in talks to buy KAZU before the university stepped in. He planned to broadcast all talk on one radio station and all music on the other. His plans may have been visionary. For CSUMB, the decision to can KAZU's music programming paid off with more loyal fans. "Listenership has gone up significantly since the format changed," said Joan Weiner, spokeswoman for station owner CSUMB. That success also plays into studies showing listeners prefer all-talk radio to a mix of news and music. KAZU has a bigger audience than KUSP "because the programming on KAZU has a stronger appeal to public radio listeners," wrote George Bailey, head of Walrus Research in Wisconsin, which analyzes trends in public radio, in an e-mail. The Future Of KUSP "Sleepy" John Sandidge, a favorite on Monterey Bay radio stations for decades and host of a weekly program on KUSP, said the station should have fought harder to stop KAZU from playing the syndicated shows already broadcast from Santa Cruz. "It's good that we can have a lot of different choices. But KAZU didn't bring us different choices," Sandidge said. Others problems arose at KUSP as health care and capital improvement costs hit the station hard. That forced leaders to lay off staff in 2004 and recently reduce wages and hours, said manager Terry Green. So far, loyal supporters have donated enough money to make up for the fund drive shortfall, Green said. Listener contributions make up 35 percent of the station`s $1 million budget, and longtime members usually renew memberships through the mail, not a call-in fund drive, he said. But the drop in call-in pledges --- those often made by first-time donors --- has KUSP working harder to attract new, younger listeners. "Our demographic has a lot to do with people who have been listening for 30 years," Goldstein said. So changes are coming at KUSP, albeit not as dramatic as KAZU's four years ago. "If we want to get our audience to grow, we need to make some adjustments in our programming," Goldstein acknowledged. As a result, board members adopted a strategic plan last year, and created a committee to make sure it happens. Part of that includes adjusting the station's weekend lineup to include additional talk radio with Jesse Thorn, a popular former host on KZSC at UC Santa Cruz. Board members want to change slowly, see how listeners react and judge what works to keep KUSP viable. But the station says it will only go so far. "The kinds of programs that we offer now are all important," station manager Green said, "and need to be offered by the station for the immediate future." (via Kevin Redding, ABDX via DXLD) I am a regular listener to KUSP precisely because it has original locally-produced music programming, on Sunday afternoons, starting with Classical Foglift, recorded at local festivals such as Carmel Bach, at 18-20 UT. The new music show which followed has been cancelled (hiatused? The departing host was not too clear if and when she would be back), and the world music show which used to follow it a 22 has been moved up to 20-23, then Weekend ATC inserted. I also lost interest in KAZU when it became nothing but an NPR clone, same stuff available on hundreds of other stations. They also cancelled other distinctive programming, such as Left, Right & Center, and Le Show with Harry Shearer (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A. Napa, CA's new station --- CITY TO START AM RADIO STATION FOR DISASTER TRANSMISSIONS, By KEVIN COURTNEY, Register Staff Writer, Monday, August 21, 2006 1:15 AM PDT The city of Napa is going to start its own radio station, but don't expect to hear oldies hits or hip-hop artists. Radio Napa will focus on disasters, manmade and natural. It will be a place to go for news and information when the earth shakes or streams overflow their banks. The city is investing $30,000 to create a low-power AM station that will have the latest information when a disaster strikes. At 10 watts, the station should reach anyone living within four miles of City Hall in downtown, said Barry Martin, a consultant to the city. The goal is to have the station up and running by this winter's rainy season, he said. . . http://www.napavalleyregister.com/articles/2006/08/21/news/local/iq_3564428.txt (via Kevin Redding, ABDX via DXLD) WTFK?? The story never says ** U S A. The first anniversary of Hurricane Katrina national networks media hype begins this week with (cough) a flood of specials. I just (cough) got wind of this from the Tampa Tribune. Please keep (cough) the flood of emails to me at a minimum, for I would hate for you all to (cough) sandbag me on this topic. Of particular and potential interest is the following on The Weather Channel: "Storm Stories: Covering Katrina" (8 p.m. [EDT] Wednesday [August 23]): How do you cover the story when you're a part of it? Despite its best planning, nothing could prepare New Orleans television station WWL-TV for the challenges of covering the biggest story it would ever experience. Full listings are below (Terry L Krueger, Clearwater, Florida, DXLD) TV REMEMBERS KATRINA By WALT BELCHER The Tampa Tribune Published: Aug 20, 2006 Story currently at: http://www.tbo.com/life/MGBBT2IJ2RE.html TAMPA - Five days after Hurricane Katrina swept through the Gulf last year, the world witnessed an almost unthinkable sight. Thousands of people were trapped in flooded New Orleans and begging to be rescued. They had survived the storm's fury only to face rising floodwaters when the levees broke. These stranded souls filled the New Orleans Superdome and lined the highways leading out of the city. On television, the images of sad-eyed babies and hungry, thirsty families - some angry, many desperate - replaced the heroic images of U.S. Coast Guard helicopters rescuing people from rooftops. It was shocking: The richest country in the world appeared to be unable to adequately care for its most needy citizens. Those haunting images come back this week as many media outlets look back on the anniversary of Katrina, which struck on Aug. 29, 2005, and left more than 1,800 dead. Numerous television networks - from The Weather Channel and HGTV to PBS and the cable news channels - are airing Katrina specials. CNN, Fox News and MSNBC will be broadcasting live from New Orleans this week. The most impressive retrospective is Spike Lee's four-hour documentary, "When the Levees Broke: A Requiem in Four Acts," debuting at 9 p.m. Monday on HBO and continuing at 9 p.m. Tuesday. [all times presumably EDT = UT -4; adjust as needed] Lee interviewed more than 100 people who lived through the devastation, as well as celebrities who tried to help. What emerges from their eyewitness accounts are stories that are touching, heroic and insightful. Among those interviewed are controversial New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin and Louisiana Gov. Kathleen Blanco; actor-singer Harry Belafonte; CNN anchor Soledad O'Brien; and Grammy-winning New Orleans trumpeters Wynton Marsalis, a New Orleans resident, and Terence Blanchard, Lee's longtime film composer. Numerous experts and academics also describe a long history of racism in the city and a long history of government neglect and incompetence in constructing the levees that broke and flooded the city. The documentary offers one of the best demonstrations of how and why the city flooded, stranding 127,000 residents who had no personal means of transportation. Also interviewed are Times-Picayune reporters and editors who put the story into perspective. (The city's newspaper won two Pulitzer Prizes for its Katrina coverage). Big Easy Residents Tell Their Stories But the most compelling interviews come from ordinary residents such as Herbert Freeman, who calmly recalls pushing his elderly mother through the flooding street only to watch her die while trying to get to the Superdome. He had to leave her body in a hallway until help could come. Lee also takes us to the funeral of a 5-year-old girl who was swept away in the floodwaters and the rescue of five children stranded in a flooded house after their ailing mother died because her oxygen supply ran out. The film is deeply political and slowly builds its moral outrage. Lee's subjects spread the blame from Mayor Nagin to Gov. Blanco to FEMA chief Michael Brown and the Bush administration, which comes off as out of touch and ineffective. Part two of the documentary follows the hardships faced by the 1.5 million who were displaced; various battles with insurance companies; and the slow, painful attempts to rebuild New Orleans. A Flood Of Special Programs --- Other Katrina specials include: "Rebuilding New Orleans One Meal at a Time" (8 tonight, The Food Network): Chef Emeril Lagasse looks at the New Orleans restaurants and establishments that are trying to rebuild and keep the city's rich cuisine alive. [``tonight`` == Sunday Aug 20, UT Mon 21] "Hurricane Katrina Anniversary Special" (8 tonight, The Weather Channel): This special recounts what happened from a weather standpoint and looks at the economic impact by profiling small business owners who are trying to rebuild, such as restaurant owners Leah and Dooky Chase, shrimper Frank Parker and fisherman George Barisisch. The special also kicks off a weeklong (Monday through Saturday) look back at Katrina with a new "Storm Stories" every night at 8 devoted to witness accounts of what happened before, during and after the hurricane. Among these look for: "Storm Stories: Covering Katrina" (8 p.m. Wednesday): How do you cover the story when you're a part of it? Despite its best planning, nothing could prepare New Orleans television station WWL-TV for the challenges of covering the biggest story it would ever experience. "Storm Stories: Katrina Students" (8 p.m. Thursday): For two New Orleans high school students, Hurricane Katrina wiped out a senior year full of excitement and promise. Despite this, they remain committed to resurrecting their neighborhood and their school. "Storm Stories: Kennard vs. Katrina" (8 p.m. Friday): In Slidell, La., 65-year-old Kennard Jackley has chosen to stay and ride it out. The retired Merchant Marine feels he can survive whatever nature has to offer. Heart-Wrenching Accounts --- Specials continue with: "Life After Katrina" (9 p.m. Monday, HGTV): Over the past year, HGTV followed Katrina victims, such as Byron Virgadamo, Lacy Seuzeneau and new parents Michael and Kay Hewes, whose historical Gulf Coast homes were reduced to rubble. They face the difficult decision to rebuild and return to the neighborhoods they loved. As the special unfolds, residents experience the hardship of paying mortgages for houses that no longer exist. "Postmark Katrina" (8 p.m. Aug. 27, The Weather Channel): Produced in association with the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, this new documentary about the little-known agency follows USPIS agents as they go to extraordinary lengths to recover mail from demolished postal facilities and safeguard it until it gets to Gulf Coast residents - many of them in dire need as they anxiously await their monthly checks. [this is the one previously previewed featuring Les Rayburn, who is also IRCA/NRC DX test coordinator --- gh] "Surviving Katrina" (9 p.m. Aug. 27, Discovery): A two-hour documentary features emergency phone calls, never-before-seen home video from the Superdome, heart-wrenching first-person accounts and re-creations of rescues. Included is a doctor who performed emergency open-chest surgery by the light of flashlight and with no anesthesia. "Katrina: Send in the Guard" (8 p.m. Aug. 29, History Channel): The heroic efforts of the U.S. National Guard are recounted through the eyes of the troops, detailing the largest rescue effort in the Guard's 369-year history. The 3,600 troops placed throughout New Orleans on Aug. 27, 2005, were prepared for the usual hurricane relief operations. But when the levees broke and communications broke down, they were woefully undermanned, with floodwaters rising at the astonishing rate of one foot per minute; roving gangs on the loose and residents stranded on rooftops, many in severe need of medical help; women giving birth in unsanitary conditions; the elderly dying in the streets; and the sounds of gunfire echoing in the city. "Saving Jazz" (9 p.m. Aug. 29, Sundance Channel): This special traces the personal loss of legendary 83-year-old photographer and New Orleans resident Herman Leonard. Since the 1940s, Leonard has photographed jazz legends, such as Charlie Parker, Miles Davis, Dizzy Gillespie and Billie Holiday. But when floodwaters raced through his home and studio, they washed away thousands of prints. "In The Sun: Michael Stipe and Friends" (10 p.m. Aug. 29, Sundance): Following Katrina, REM frontman Michael Stipe rounded up musicians to produce "In the Sun," a six-song CD whose proceeds benefit the survivors of Hurricane Katrina. This documentary presents interviews with the artists who contributed and looks at a region still fraught with suffering, where homeless residents fear they have been forgotten and grassroots organizations have stepped in to do what the government has not. "In His Own Words: Brian Williams on Hurricane Katrina" (11 p.m. Aug. 29, Sundance): The NBC anchor recalls what he saw during the five days after Katrina and how he covered it. "Song for New Orleans" (10 p.m. Aug. 31, WMOR, Channel 32): Produced by a New Orleans TV station, this documentary tells the story of how Hurricane Katrina separated the members of the Rebirth Brass Band - one of the city's most iconic musical groups - and the band's efforts to reunite and set out on a mission to re-establish the city's musical traditions and legacy. Andre Braugher narrates. An encore presentation airs at 1 p.m. Sept. 2. "Seven Days That Changed New Orleans" (10 p.m. Sept. 1, WMOR): This special chronicles the week surrounding Hurricane Katrina's landfall and examines the lives of those most adversely affected by the storm, as covered by the news team at WDSU-TV in New Orleans. "SOS: Saving Ourselves" (8 p.m. Sept. 5, BET): This special looks at the future of life for the displaced in Louisiana and Mississippi. BET has been airing a monthlong series of daily news briefs and testimonials from survivors. "Washing Away" (9 p.m. Sept. 7, PBS): This program, produced by Louisiana Public Broadcasting, follows six Gulf Coast residents in the devastating months after hurricanes Katrina and Rita as they struggle to rebuild their lives. Susan Sarandon narrates (via Terry L Krueger, Clearwater, Florida, DXLD) Don`t forget radio, especially LE SHOW, wherein Harry Shearer has been focusing on NOLA for the past year, rather than the Home of the Homeless, Santa Mónica; also his blog at Huffington Post: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/harry-shearer/ (Glenn Hauser, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** VENEZUELA [non]. Tem regular sintonia, em Santiago de Compostela, na Espanha, a Rádio Nacional da Venezuela, às 2245, pela freqüência de 11670 kHz, conforme monitoria de José Turnes Núñez. A emissora utiliza os transmissores da Rádio Havana Cuba (Célio Romais, Panorama, @tividade DX Aug 20 via DXLD) So there is yet another new broadcast from RNV; I confirmed it Sunday Aug 20 at 2255 tune-in, good signal here too during very repetitive song ``Aguacero`` (Downpour). Quick check of other likely Habana frequencies found no //, but 13680 carrier was already on. 11670 wrapped up at 2258 with IS, YL ID as ``Radio Nacional de Venezuela, Canal Internacional``, Apartado 3979, Caracas 1010, address --- the one which bounces P-mail. Then to IS again and ID by OM, who has a different idea about the station`s name, ``Antena Internacional de Radio Nacional de Venezuela``. Then I switched to 13680 at 2259 and found modulation had already started with the ``finalizar`` of the 11670 broadcast! And once again ID as above by OM. At 2300 IS and switched to opening by YL with her version of ID, and yes, she does say ``directamente`` even tho everyone (except gullible casual listeners) knows it`s indirectly, via Habana. Now 13680 had the usual co-channel, Commies vs Commies, of China via Canada in English, but RNV was atop at the moment; // 15250 was also on, strong but hummy. Never have any frequencies or schedules been heard announced by me or reported by anyone else lately, tho I confess I have not listened to every minute of a tiresome single broadcast, extolling Chávez and brooking no opposition – l`état, c`est lui. So now we put together at least a partial schedule of one-hour RNV Spanish broadcasts via Cuba, including the morning ones monitored recently by Joe Karthaus: 1000 6180 1100 6060 2000 13680 2200 11670 2300 13680 15250 But there may well be others we can only find by running across them. The separate ``Alo, Presidente`` midday Sunday service, which is openly acknowledged via RHC, I heard Aug 20 at 1446 check on 11670 and 13680, but much stronger on 11875 and 13750. Except at that hour RHC was still vamping with their ``Somos Jóvenes`` program, QRX for HCF to show up. RHC`s own separate service was running at the same time on 9550, 11760, 11805 (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** WESTERN SAHARA [non]. RN Saharaui 7460 kHz è tornata! Ciao a tutti, Questa mattina, verso le 8 UT ero sui 41 metri ed ho scoperto che RN Saharaui su 7460 kHz è tornata in onda. Speriamo che non sia stata solo un'apparizione fugace (Luca Botto Fiora QTH: Rapallo (Genova), Italy, Aug 20, playdx yg via DXLD) Time for another look at US station scheduling on 7465, a bit of a problem for that here. WWCR runs 22-01 until Sept 1, then 22-24. Let`s see if RNASD still has Spanish at 23-24, and maybe lasting on 7460 a bit after 0000. WHRI-2 is on 7465 at 05-09. Only problem on 7460 itself would be R Free Asia in Korean via Mongolia at 21-23 (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) I also came across this by chance yesterday (Aug. 19) and monitored it from 2315 to 0002 signoff, fair to decent signal, with N African music and lots of talk by an enthusiastic M announcer. Also currently audible today here, albeit much weaker and with more interference. Supposedly in Spanish from 2300 on, but it sounded more to me like Arabic (or else Spanish with an extremely heavy Arabic accent) - lots of guttural consonants (Mark Schiefelbein, Springfield, MO, Sony 2010 & 25m longwire, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) Poor signal this Sunday 20 at 2300 from reactivated Saharahui if we compare it with months before. And I got the same impression as Mark did, no Spanish, just Arabic. We'll have to wait (Raúl Saavedra, Costa Rica, ibid.) National Radio of the Saharan Arab Democratic Republic is back on 7460 kHz after a few months off the air. Heard with good signal here from tune-in at 1900 this evening (Sunday 19th August). Thanks to Tony Rogers for drawing my attention to a log from Ralph Brandi (DXPlorer) who heard their morning broadcast yesterday. This station broadcasts from the Western Saharan refugee camps near Tindouf in SW Algeria (Dave Kenny, Aug 20, BDXC via DXLD) ** ZIMBABWE [and non]. Jamming of VOA - Studio 7 --- Glenn, I can confirm that only Medium Wave 909 kHz VOA - Studio 7 (IBB Botswana) is jammed. This is localised to Harare only. VOA - Studio 7 Shortwave frequencies are not affected, contrary to Media reports (David Pringle-Wood, Harare, Zimbabwe, Aug 20, DX LISTENING DIGEST) UNIDENTIFIED. Re 1600: Sorry Glenn, my location is Cheshire, CT (41.5N by -72.9W). NE of NYC about 100 km. Digging around the internet I see WTTF 1600 Tiffin, OH broadcasts Fox Sports overnite. Several others are ESPN affiliates. Other than that I come up empty. Poor weather here delays me until 0400 UT Mon. (Paul S., DX LISTENING DIGEST) UNIDENTIFIED. A huge T-storm woke me up, so once it abated somewhat I tuned around 49m on the YB-400 with inside antenna, Aug 20 at 0726- 0732*. Something strange on 5930: 5-letter Morse code groups, not CW but modulated tone on AM carrier, quite strong, but splashed by stronger Defunct Gene Scott on 5935. I assume this was the ``letters`` version of a numbers station with each letter substituting for a number. Of course the groups made no sense, but only 10 letters were used, (in no particular order), RNDAUGWIMT, the rest notable by their absence. I thought I heard a couple others and some punxuation but those were probably mistakes. Then I look up http://www.spynumbers.com/enigma.html to see what they have on it, and this matches exactly: M8 (Cuban Cut Numbers) M8 is the CW version of V2. It also suffers from the same technical blunders. M8 uses the "cut numbers" system, where each digit is replaced by a letter as a shorthand abbreviation, as shown in the following table: 0 A 1 N 2 D 3 U 4 W 5 R 6 I 7 G 8 M 9 T But how did they figure out which letter goes with which number, and where does that get us? And then follows an extensive frequency schedule, but 5930 is not included. Did not get the frequency measured for sure, but it was very close to 5930 (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Doesn't get you or me very far. I seem to recall someone saying that someone had decrypted this, but haven't seen any proof. (Someone other than a major national cryptoanalysis agency that is). I think that the number-letter connections were deduced from identical messages being sent on the corresponding voice circuits. Apparently these guys do crazy things like that. JC (J. Cramer, udxf yg via DXLD) UNIDENTIFIED. [Re RTTY on 7455, 9960, 11690]: Hi Tom, I think it is FUJ FN [French Navy] Nouméa as I can see a lot of FUJ after their string of Y's. It may help (Bryan Curtis VK3FBC, Mansfield, REC: NRD 545, Kenwood TS-570s, Victoria, DEC: M-8000v7, Australia, udxf via DXLD) Bryan, Which frequency are you referring to? If 7455, it`s audible here by sunset, so I doubt it is that far away or that far west. Another report thought it was in European France. Of course, it could be both (Glenn Hauser, Oklahoma, ibid.) Yes, it is "FUJFN" comes in 9+ down Here. Was reported a few months ago in WUNs. 73' (Dallas, LAT:- -41.36 South,..LONG:- -171.52 East. (Buller, New Zealand), Home:- http://www.freewebs.com/zl3sqth/ udxf yg via DXLD) Hello Group, Glenn, Tom & Bryan, The "unID" RTTY is indeed FUJ FN. This is a very strong sig. That comes into the southwest U.S. Enciphered, but still easily ID'ed. I've got a 200' wire pointed NE here in Albuquerque, NM. Comes in at mid afternoon here and continuous through out the night and early morning here. I use Skysweeper and other PC decoders and have worked 7455. It's been on for a while, but mostly no useful info on this stx. Running some serious power from what I can tell. Hope this helps. Cheers, K.R. New Mexico ( USA ) (Kevin Rinker, Aug 20, UDXF via DXLD) So are you saying it`s in European France rather than New Caledonia? If FUJ is the Nouméa callsign only, maybe that is the station being called rather than transmitting (gh, DXLD) ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ UNSOLICITED TESTIMONIALS ++++++++++++++++++++++++ Thanks for all you do for the wonderful world of radio. Cheers (Mike Terry, UK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) CONVENTIONS & CONFERENCES +++++++++++++++++++++++++ MADISON-MILWAUKEE DXERS GET-TOGETHER Along with about 30 others, I attended the Madison ­ Milwaukee DX'ers Get Together in Mequon, WI at the home of Neil and Laura Kazaross. The location was in a beautiful setting on the bank of Lake Michigan, with plenty of good talk in the ``shortwave corner`` (actually under the ``shortwave tree``), and at dinner. Victor Goonetilleke from Sri Lanka provided the international flavor, his great knowledge of the hobby, and wonderful personality for a special treat at the event. Many NASWA members were in attendance (of course) as well as National Radio Club and AM, FM, TV Broadcasting Club. Neil Kazaross provided interesting demonstrations of antennas and phasing units (primarily for MW DXing.) Overall, an enjoyable event. Kudos to Tim Noonan, who coordinated the event, and Neal and Laura Kazaross for hosting us (Mark Taylor, NASWA Flashsheet via DXLD) PUBLICATIONS ++++++++++++ PHOTO GALLERY OF ONE OF OUR LEADING TVDXERS, JEFF KADET IN MACOMB IL Channels 2-6 http://oldtvguides.com/2%20to%206/ 7-13 http://oldtvguides.com/7%20to%2013/ 14-19 http://oldtvguides.com/14%20to%2019/ 20-29 http://oldtvguides.com/20%20to%2029/ 30-39 http://oldtvguides.com/30%20to%2039/ 40-49 http://oldtvguides.com/40%20to%2049/ 50-59 http://oldtvguides.com/50%20to%2059/ 60-76 http://oldtvguides.com/60%20to%2076/ (WTFDA via DXLD) RADIO PHILATELY +++++++++++++++ INTERNATIONAL REPLY COUPONS Alan, VK4AAR, has received important information direct from the Universal Postal Union (in Switzerland) in response to his inquiry regarding the expiry dates for IRCs. Here is what he received from the IRC and Philately Programme Assistant: "Since 2002, the validity date for exchange is printed on each international reply coupon. The new international reply coupon (Beijing model 2), on sale from 1 July 2006, is valid for exchange until 31 December 2009. The international reply coupons (Beijing model 1), on sale from 1 January 2002, must be exchanged before 31 December 2006. They will have no value after this date. I would like to inform you that International Reply Coupons (IRCs) issued from 1906 to 1974 (in blue colour) do not have any value for exchange, but maybe they have a historical value. You may wish to consult a collector of IRCs to know if the coupon has any financial value. You should understand that currently the IRCs issued from 1975 to 2001 (in yellow colour) are exchangeable indefinitely according to the current UPU rules. However, this kind of IRC cannot be anymore exchangeable, in term of finances, between the postal administrations since 30 June 2006. Therefore, it means that some of them do not accept anymore this coupon for exchange. The exchange of IRC (after the customer's exchange) between the postal administrations is managed by a bilateral agreement, and if there's no bilateral agreement, the postal administrations loses money." Readers are suggested to visit a Web page that Jim, AD1C, has put up about the above IRC information (from the Universal Postal Union). On the Web site, readers will see the different IRCs as mentioned above. Go to: http://www.ad1c.us/upu_rules_irc.htm (KB8NW/OPDX/BARF80 Aug 21 via Dave Raycroft, ODXA via DXLD) RADIO EQUIPMENT FORUM +++++++++++++++++++++ MORE RECEIVER NEWS --- AR-ALPHA, KWZ-30/2 Noticed this one up on Universal Radio's site at the same time they uploaded the info about the ICOM R9500: http://www.universal-radio.com/catalog/widerxvr/1036.html This is a new AOR radio, the AR-Alpha, another wideband tabletop that apparently will be available only for government use or export. I'm still waiting for more info regarding Kneisner + Doering's KWZ- 30/2 DSP receiver which they announced earlier this year. http://kd-elektronik.com/index_e.html (Steve Lare, Holland, MI, USA, Aug 20, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Icom R9500 August 18, 2006 --- This page is now on the web site http://www.universal-radio.com/catalog/widerxvr/0095.html The Icom R9500-00 is professional-grade wideband receiver. Universal Radio will post photos, technical information, specifications and availability information as soon as it obtains permission from Icom USA to release this information. Please check back soon. [08/18/06] NOTICE: This device has not been approved by the Federal Communications Commission. This device may not be sold or leased, or be offered for sale or lease, until approval of the F.C.C. has been obtained. This device has not been approved by the appropriate authorities in each country. This device may not be sold or leased, or be offered for sale or lease, until approval has been obtained. All stated features, appearances, screen shots and specifications may be subject to change without notice. All screens show simulated pictures. Send e-mail to dx @ universal-radio.com 2006 Universal Radio, Inc. (via Mike Terry, dxldyg via DXLD) Since when does the FCC approve sale of RECEIVERS? Or are they merely talking about it being Part 15-compliant in not radiating significantly? And/or cell frequency reception disabled? (gh, DXLD) And I'm certain you'll pay a respectable price as well. My guesstimate of the price is $4500 (or more!). (dx-ace, rec.radio.shortwave via SW Bulletin via DXLD) GOOGLE EARTH RESOLUTION TIP For those of you using Google Earth to view transmitter sites here's a tip to improve the resolution of your pictures. Open Google Earth. Zoom into to a high resolution pic of your favourite transmitter site. On the MENU BAR go up to TOOLS & click. Go down to OPTIONS & click. Go to VIEW tab & click. Find the detail section & highlight LARGE. You`re now done. If you were operating on one of the two lower resolution settings your picture will be re- created in high resolution. Made a significant difference to my pictures. Sure hope someone gets something out of this tip. Why I didn't find this earlier I'll never know :-) Happy googling. Cheers (Ian Baxter, shortwavesites yg via DXLD) Antenna classifications on SW by HFCC: see UK [non] Antennas for TIS stations thread: see U S A Antennas for airborne, or direct waves on MW: see PROPAGATION THE LOGIK IR100 INTERNET RADIO Newest internet radio that could replace shortwave radios. Until the internet goes down. http://www.stuffmag.co.uk/hotstuffarticle.asp?de_id=2171 (Stuff Magazine, 9 August 2006 via kimandrewelliott.com via DXLD) REVIEW OF THE ACOUSTIC ENERGY WI-FI INTERNET RADIO "I love listening to oddball radio stations when I'm falling asleep at night, but I don't sleep on a desk next to my computer." http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/life/4116640.html (Houston Chronicle, 14 August 2006 via kimandrewelliott.com Aug 20 via DXLD) DIGITAL BROADCASTING ++++++++++++++++++++ DRM CHAIRMAN: ANALOGUE CAN END WHEN 50% OF AUDIENCE GOES DIGITAL 16th August 2006 Broadcasters attending the panel discussion during the ABU Digital Radio Convention today were told that it was viable to shut off analogue transmission when at least half of the audience had switched to digital mode. Digital Radio Mondiale (DRM) Chairman, Peter Senger, also said that consumers who could not afford digital receivers after the switch-off date should be given some form of assistance. Mr Senger, who spoke during the panel discussion on "What is the future of digital radio?", said existing listeners were "valuable capital" and must not be lost in the transition process. http://www.abu.org.my/public/compiled/p252.htm#Article2217 (via Mike Barraclough, dxldyg via DXLD) Has it crossed Mr. Senger's mind that if this proposal was implemented, the listeners he craves might do something else for their audio entertainment? Note he is not looking for financial assistance for small broadcasters without the financial resources to convert to digital; if there is enough frequency space for them, nice of him to think of me as valuable capital, though! (Mike Barraclough, ibid.) Reminds me of the DRM press conference at Berlin a year ago, where an interesting explanation was given for the analogue-digital simulcast test on 693: It's because Voice of Russia wants to avoid losing their existing analogue audience. I got the impression that this is no matter of course in the world of international broadcasting. I should add here that there is indeed evidence for the existence of an audience for Voice of Russia beyond shortwave listeners here in Germany. The recent discussion of VOR's English programs here also seems to indicate that their German service is considerably better. And yes: For a commercial broadcaster a listener is valuable capital. Nothing else (Kai Ludwig, Germany, Aug 20, ibid.) Yeah, this is pretty pie in the sky thinking, if you ask me. There still isn't one DRM capable standalone portable receiver on the market, nearly four years after the DRM consortium first predicted that there would be several for the Christmas season of 2002!!! 50% of the audience? They'd have to be force-fed this technology at this point to get to that level. Maybe that's what the consortium has in mind at this point. (e.g.: As a model, the FCC mandate that analogue broadcast video be forcibly shut down by 2009.) Every time my satellite radio goes silent when I travel under a bridge or a thick canopy of trees, I say to myself, "Yep, this silence is so much better than that weak, static-laden signal where I could at least still follow what is going on." On another score, the whole concept of public media has gone to hell in a handbasket. This is one of the less welcome results that accompanied the fall of the Berlin wall: listeners are all nothing more that "valuable capital" these days. The idea of actually making good radio for the sake of making good radio (or audio to use today's parlance) or to serve an underserved audience has gone right out the window, except of a handful of hardy souls who are being pushed into a progressively smaller corner. At the risk of being accused (once again) of exhibiting "elitist thinking", sometimes it is better to have professionals in the craft making key decisions rather that latest wave of master marketers. Yes, I know that some of this is being offered by podcasters and over the internet, but that won't last too much longer either, I'm afraid. What do you think the arguments over "net neutrality" are really about? The Chinese and the Iranians have solved that puzzle for the most part and our government and corporations (in near total harmony, btw) not too far behind in moving us there in some form as well. The deterministic delivery feature of digital media is what really makes it so attractive to those pushing it. The rest of it -- superior audio quality, consumer choice, technical reliability, user friendliness, lower costs -- are all myths to some degree. They're all possible outcomes; but commercial considerations will keep them from being realized. Control is what this is all about in the end -- and that control will not really rest with the end user when all is said and done (John Figliozzi, NY, ibid.) Glenn Hauser`s World of Radio Extra 70. is interesting on this subject, especially where he refers to Radio one day becoming a Subscription Service, presumably an opportunity readily afforded by DRM/DAB. I know that Classic FM have been 'muttering in this direction'. I don`t like this!!!!!!!!! (Ken Fletcher, UK, BDXC via DXLD) A COMMENT ABOUT HD RADIO FROM SOMEONE WHO HATES TALKING ABOUT HD RADIO I had been looking forward to the August meteor shower for months, hoping to catch a ton of new stations. Scheduling my time, buying and installing Total Recorder, figuring out which way to point antennas -- - the list goes on and on. I made a spreadsheet of all frequencies, listing all local stations and where I thought I could do some DXing. I found that out of 101 FM frequencies, local stations and strong semi-locals ate up a bit less than half of the frequencies. Looking at Total Recorder waveforms of reception on a few different frequencies, I grabbed the list of HD FM stations from the Ibiquity web site and added that information to the spreadsheet as well. I found that any "empty" frequency that is adjacent to a HD-enabled station within 40 miles of me is useless. The IBOC signature was very evident on all frequencies adjacent to a HD-enabled station. NO MS could penetrate the hash, even though there were plenty of stations that should have been able to. Out of 101 frequencies (the ONLY legal 87.9 in the country is here [KSFH Mountain View CA --- Kevin Redding]), only 2 were of any value, 93.1 and 97.1, if I aimed antennas away from semi-local powerhouses. Those two yielded 7 stations, of which 3 were new. All were in multiple times. Stations logged were: ----- 93.1 ----- KQOL - Las Vegas NV KZMG - New Plymouth ID KCBS - Los Angeles CA KLJZ - Yuma AZ (new) CJXX - Grande Prairie AB ----- 97.1 ----- KYCH - Portland OR (new) KXRX - Walla Walla WA WA (new) While I'm very grateful for getting something new, and always tickled to hear something beyond the 200-mile range that I'm used to, there's something very wrong with this picture. Stations running 50 KW at less than 90 miles away cannot penetrate the IBOC hash. I had always felt that the 15 kHz [sic; 150?] bandwidth that was allocated to a FM station was reasonable, and the empty adjacent would guarantee separation between two locals 0.4 MHz apart, even if they were in close proximity. IBOC has now increased the bandwidth from 15 kHz [sic] to 400 kHz in terms of the actual station and the hash that the station creates. This is just not right! (Mike Hawkins, CA, Aug 21, ABDX via DXLD) PROPAGATION +++++++++++ RE: DXLD 6-123, Groundwave Propagation Interesting tutorial on groundwave coverage from Dan & Rene`. A good example of the relationship between coverage and frequency here in the Southwest is Oklahoma City where 1520 is 50 kW and 640 is 5 kW (according to WRTH but my recollection is that 640 was 1 kW at one time). I live almost 300 miles south of OKC and most days I can pick up 640 but only very occasionally do I hear 1520 during the day. Ten times the power with less coverage. Of course, a listener 300 miles away has little commercial value and the fact that their groundwave coverage fades out so quickly is probably not a big deal for them. In some of the major markets that are quite large there may be dozens of AM stations but only a handful have either the proper dial position or sufficient power to cover the metro both day & night. The eastern suburbs of Dallas are probably 60 miles from the western suburbs of Ft Worth so it takes quite a bit of power to cover it all. In Dallas-Ft Worth I think only 3 stations (570 with 5 kW, 820 & 1080 with 50 kW) have really good daytime & nighttime coverage. A couple more stations have quality daytime coverage but must reduce power at night. I realize we're talking about groundwaves here but I wonder if anyone knows if direct waves (like VHF FM) could be used? Could a medium wave radiator be mounted at the top of a tall tower with no ground system at all so that the groundwave would be very weak and wouldn't travel far (to avoid interference) but the direct wave might have an unimpeded path to the horizon with improved coverage of the immediate area? Maybe the top end MW-AM stations could then use higher power levels without worrying about interference too far past the horizon. The skywave might still be a problem but most commercial stations are far more interested in daytime coverage (Jerry Lenamon, Waco, Texas, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) This must be exactly what ``Air Martí`` is attempting on 530, as being airborne there could not possibly be any ground system. If only the dentrocubanos would let it go unimpeded, field strength and general coverage measurements would be very interesting to be researched, compared to its actual transmitter power and ``antenna height``. Beyond that, I expect that if direct wave on MW from a tall tower were a viable approach, it would already be in use. How about it, knowledgeable engineers? (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) How about a 1000 kW transmitter on a 2650 metres high mountain, with the antenna being mounted on solid rock? Such facility indeed existed (and most of it apparently still exists, a quarter century after being shut down), the 819 kHz transmitter for Sud Radio in Andorra: http://perso.orange.fr/tvignaud/galerie/etranger/and-sudradio.htm Does anybody know something about the coverage of this site during daytime? Same story with the Burg transmitter near Magdeburg. Here in Elsterwerda, about 140 km away, 531 with 10 kW comes in stronger than 1575 with 100 kW, if the daytime AM I heard so far on 1575 was indeed 100 kW. Today after 1600 I had both signals on equal strength -- 10 kW on 531 vs. 500 kW on 1575. However, 1575 was presumably on the NVIS antenna, so it was actually residual skywave I got (Kai Ludwig, Germany, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) ###