DX LISTENING DIGEST 7-025, February 25, 2007 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 2007 contents archive see http://www.worldofradio.com/dxldmid.html For restrixions and searchable 2006 contents archive see http://www.worldofradio.com/dxldmid6.html NOTE: If you are a regular reader of DXLD, and a source of DX news but have not been sending it directly to us, please consider yourself obligated to do so. Thanks, Glenn NEXT SHORTWAVE AIRINGS OF WORLD OF RADIO 1347 Mon 0400 WBCQ 9330-CLSB Mon 0515 WBCQ 7415 [time varies] Mon 1330 WRMI 7385 Latest edition of this schedule version, including AM, FM, satellite and webcasts with hotlinks to station sites and audio, is at: 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 ** ADMIRALTY ISLANDS. 3315, R. Manus, 1207 24 Feb, lively island music, 1211 into ``Different Drum`` by Linda Rondstadt and the Stone Ponies, and off at exactly 1211:53 in mid-song, never to return. Nice signal on decent PNG morning (Dave Valko, Dunlo PA, HCDX via DXLD) Per NASWA rules, this qualifies as a separate radio country from the rest of PNG; I must confess I have not been assiduous in tearing apart PNG, or INDONESIA, like this in filing items in DXLD (gh) ** AFGHANISTAN [and non?]. 6700, 2330-0110 21/22-02, R Solh (presumed), Bagram Airbase Pashto(presumed), sporadic utility conversation on the USB-channel and at the same time non-stop Afghan folkmusic on the LSB-channel! 25312 (Anker Petersen, Denmark, via Dario Monferini, playdx yg via DXLD) Those two US Psyops stations on 6700 and 6800 (formerly known as Radio Peace/Radio Solh on 9300 kHz range) have settled to 6700 together with separate programming. Quite a mess. Possibly 24-hour operation, noted here from early UT afternoon until late nite (Jari Savolainen, Kuusankoski, Finland, Feb 23, dxing.info via DXLD) ** ANTARCTICA [and non]. Once again, no sign of LRA36 when checked 15476 Friday Feb 23 just before 2100. Seems like it is only on maybe 2 or 3 days a week. They really ought to try some other times, besides maintaining the original 10 ex-15 hours per week. Sunday Feb 25 at 1436, heard music on 15475, briefly suggesting LRA36 could be following my suggestion, but soon into Portuguese talk // 15560, so it is only RDPI, which per EiBi is sked: 15475 1200-1500 SaSu POR RdP Radio Portugal P Eu That and ANO daily at 16-19 are the only other occupants of 15475, per EiBi, and there is not much on 15470 or 15480 either. What an opportunity for LRA36! (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** ARGENTINA. 15820 LSB, Radio Diez 710 AM, 0945-1020, 25-02, locutora, comentarios, a las 1000 identificación, locutor: "Radio Diez siempre noticias", "Dos minutos de noticias", "Siete de la mañana en todo el país, temperatura en Buenos Aires 24 grados 8 décimas, humedad 84%". Noticias. A las 1002: "Desde la ciudad de Buenos Aires transmite Radio Diez, 710 AM". "A continuación les presentamos el programa Sensación Térmica del Domingo, en Radio Diez". "Las Siete de la mañana y 8 minutos de este domingo 25 de Febrero, temperatura máxima para hoy, 35 grados". Buena señal. 34333 (Manuel Méndez, Lugo, Spain, Escuchas realizadas en Friol, 7º 48' 05'' W, 43º 02' 05'' N, Grundig Satellit 500 y Sony ICF SW 7600 G, Antena de cable, 10 metros, orientada WSW, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** ARMENIA. 4810, *0150-0230, 23-02, National R, Yerevan, Armenian announcement 0200, ID: "Yerevan e khosum, yeterum Hayastani Dzayn" after the National Hymn by choir, read LW, MW, SW and FM frequencies for about five minutes! 0206 their special wake-up treatment: Armenian Opera! 44444, QRM AIR Bhopal until 0215* AP-DNK (Anker Petersen, Denmark, via Dario Monferini, playdx yg via DXLD) ** ASCENSION. New photographs of Ascension site added at bbceng.info: http://www.bbceng.info/Operations/transmitter_ops/Reminiscences/Ascension/dunmall/asc_pics2.htm (Mike Barraclough, DX LISTENING DIGEST) see also SAUDI ARABIA ** AUSTRALIA. Glenn, in response to 7-024. The cooling for the transmitters is also having problems; if you can imagine very little wind, no flow of air, heat the greatest destroyer of electrical components. Generally, components are made up to 60 C heat, but when continuously subjected to 45C and above for days on end no respite. Example that I best know of is: We have the latest Airbus A320 versions and one of the most vital components are the avionics cooling fans. These have an even higher rating for heat, but even though might be flying for say an hour sector at 39,000 feet, the air temp is 50 below zero, the avionics fans are still working. Having no avionics cooling and that`s it when you land, await maintenance to provide procedures. Basically, go to the Australian outback, and the last two years of constant heat with little respite, and I am sure you'll understand, why in Australia we drink beer, known as a "coldie". Served at 3 degrees. The outback is a beautiful place, but deadly; a US and a British tourist have been found dead through running out of water, going "off the beaten track", in recent times. Maybe what should have happened is a trial run with one of the transmitters in this case. Today as I type this it`s 85 degrees F at 9.05 am and about to drive the family 120 km for my mother`s 80th birthday; the wife will be driving back, as I will have a few coldies, (no drink driving), and at 3 to 4 pm the temp forecast is over the 100 F mark, and that`s Sydney on the east coast. It`s just too hot! Cheers all (John Wright, (Australian Radio DX club), Feb 23, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** BENIN. TWR 1566 kHz: I've seen photos of the mast and building but none of the transmitter. TWR is apparently fund raising to distribute wind up radios in Benin. AFAIK no transmissions have taken place. 73 (Steve Whitt, Feb 24, MWC via DXLD) ** BRAZIL. DST has just ended, Feb 25, so the south/east states resume UT -3 instead of UT -2. Radio Cultura São Paulo FM program listings have been shifted one UT hour later in MONITORING REMINDERS CALENDAR. Altho their webcast is down at the moment. This will also affect timings of SW broadcasts, e.g. RNA 11780 coming on an hour later in the mornings (Glenn Hauser, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** BULGARIA. Dimiter Petrov, LZ1AF: "In 1960 I ran a life-saving operation involving hams from several European countries and the USA when a vital medicine was found and flown to Bulgaria within 24 hours" Radio Bulgaria celebrates 70 years To mark the 70th anniversary of Radio Bulgaria the English Section offers a series of interviews with and statements by staffers, former and present, on what Radio Bulgaria and the English Section have amounted to in their personal lives . . . http://www.bnr.bg/RadioBulgaria/Emission_English/Theme_70RB/Material/DXPetrov.htm (BNR Bulgarian National Radio website, Feb 23 via BCDX via DXLD) ** BURKINA FASO. 7230.02, Radio Burkina, 0841 Feb 24, lively Afropops with M host in French, some kind of PSA 0845, M local news and interview mentioning Ouagadougou, carrier off 0856, back on at 0900 with more M talk; hard to grab more details, very low modulation during announces, music much louder; quite weak with noisy conditions, sank quickly with BF sunrise (Al Quaglieri, NY, HCDX via DXLD) Radio Burkina, 7230, after a couple of false starts (dropped carrier) finally got started at 0803 Feb 25 in French and what seemed to be the National Song/Anthem. Nice signal here (Steve Lare, Holland, MI USA, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** CANADA. CHU stays on 7335: Canadian time station CHU is currently broadcasting an announcement to the effect that they have been licensed to continue broadcasting on 7.335 MHz (7335.0 kHz). Their 7335.0 signal here faded out on me but I just heard it on 3330.0 loud and clear. "CHU has been licensed to continue broadcasting on seven point three three five megahertz." (John, KC2HMZ in "udxf" YG via Horacio Nigro, Montevideo, Uruguay, Feb 25, dxldyg via DXLD) Good! Now maybe Vatican et al. will have to take notice of CHU`s existence. I would have missed the changed announcement as my ears glaze over, and after the same previous announcements every single minute for months and months, I have avoided listening to CHU (Glenn Hauser, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** CUBA [non]. On 2/24/07. All the below were in Spanish unless otherwise identified: 6185, Radio República, 0156-0300, ID sequence from 0159 across the top of the hour, and continued on that frequency until 0300 (per usual.) SINPO 33443, with Cuban bubble jamming fairly effective. 6100, Voice of America!! 0156-0200. 0156 (when I thought to tune in), chatting between a man and woman, 0158 brief announcement by a woman, 0159 "This is the Voice of America now signing off." Yankee Doodle once. Carrier continued about 20 seconds and off, 0200. Nothing for the next 6 minutes & at spot checks until 0230. SINPO: 43443. Bubble jamming stopped at 0159, just in time for "Yankee doodle" to be in the clear. (Unusual punctuality for Cuban jamming control.) I know, this should have been RCI. I listened to the recording of the last minute 3 times. I'm quite sure I was on the right frequency. 9630, Radio República (presumed), 0205-0215+, Barely audible under Cuban bubble jamming with woman speaking. SINPO 32442. (CHU on 7335 had been all but inaudible at 0151 with Vatican Radio to South Asia adequate to understand the English, so nothing from the North was doing well here. Sackville was marginally better than Ottawa.) 6100, Radio República, 0344- 0349 spot check SINPO: 34233 with talk by 2 men, quick ID in passing 0345 (Mark Taylor, Madison, WI, R 75, Satellit 800, 110' random wire, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGST) VOA does have a Spanish broadcast on current sked: 0030-0200 UTC 9480 9885 11840 --- but not on 6100. So did Sackville somehow get VOA rather than RCI audio on the 6100 transmitter by mistake at 01-02? Why would VOA audio even be available at Sackville (or Montreal master control) unless some covert relays of IBB programming are taking place via Sackville? (Glenn Hauser, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Dear Glenn, a couple of days you wrote in your loggings about R. República: "Would appreciate people checking which frequency they are really using at 0100+ and 0200+`` Because of that I checked last night what I could hear here in Denmark between 2200 and 0215 UTC. This was all: 6135, R República, via Rampisham, 2235-2305, Feb 24, Spanish interview about Americans and Cuba, 2256 ID, slogan and frequency announcement, 43433. 6185, R República, via Rampisham, 0000-0215, Feb 25, Spanish drama, mention of República, 35333. I checked all other known R República frequencies several times during that period, but nothing was heard there. Best 73, (Anker Petersen, Denmark, Feb 25, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** CUBA [and non]. WOBBLING TRANSMITTERS IN CUBA --- In the IRCA discussion on this subject, quoted in DXLD, the question has been raised if such a phenomenon had been observed elsewhere, especially on transmitters made by Eastern European manufacturers, in particular Tesla (I think from the sixties onwards they and Soviet companies were the only ones anyway, as far as mediumwave broadcast transmitters are concerned). Well, I'm not aware of Tesla or Soviet-made transmitters in Europe running amuck this way. So it doesn't appear to be related to the design, and I dare to say that it should be entirely a matter of maintenance. After hearing recordings of some shortwave transmissions from Cuba and their embarrassing quality it does not surprise me that they let transmitters run in such a condition. Hey, you can hear something, so what? All the best, (Kai Ludwig, Germany, Feb 24, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** CUBA. TWO HAVANA-BASED FOREIGN CORRESPONDENTS ORDERED TO LEAVE http://www.rsf.org/article.php3?id_article=21103 Reporters Without Borders today condemned Cuba’s decision yesterday not to renew the visas of Gary Marx, the US correspondent of the Chicago Tribune newspaper, and Cesar Gonzáles-Calero, the Spanish correspondent of the Mexico-City based El Universal newspaper. Their accreditation has been withdrawn and they have been told to leave the country. At the same time, BBC correspondent Stephen Gibbs was refused an entry visa yesterday. “When the Cuban authorities are not cracking down on Cuba’s independent journalists, they target foreign correspondents,” Reporters Without Borders said. “The reasons for these expulsions are clear. The Cuban regime is hard put to understand that the press is not a propaganda tool. It should realise the foreign media is not there to please any government, any more than Cuba’s own media should be.” Marx, who has been in Cuba since 2002, was told his reporting was “too negative.” The authorities said he had been in the country “long enough” and gave him 90 days to leave with his family. Marx said he had anyway been planning to leave Cuba in mid-June when his children, aged 8 and 10, finished the school year. He is one of the very few US journalists to be allowed to reside in Havana. The authorities have nonetheless indicated they would considered a request for accreditation from another Chicago Tribune reporter. Gonzáles-Calero, who has been in Cuba since April 2003, said: “Their explanation was that my coverage of the Cuban situation was not convenient for the Cuban government.” The authorities told him to stop reporting on 28 February. El Universal vice-president Roberto Rock said the newspaper would lodge an official complaint with the Cuban government. Seven foreign journalists were turned back on arrival in Cuba last year and an eighth was expelled (RSF Feb 23 via DXLD) ** ECUADOR [and non]. Hello all, Just came across an English program on HCJB, Spotlight, in slow English; seems to be a program aimed at learning English. Subject was about women that disappeared in Mexico. Was at 2330 to 2359 UT Saturday February 24th and frequency was 11700 kHz; wonder if this is on every week? Signal was very good, SINPO 44444, they had Spanish ID at 2359 with frequencies mentioned. 73's (Gilles Letourneau, Montreal, Canada, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) I`ve heard this before, but I thought it was only a quarter hour at 2345. Also heard at least on weekdays at 0315 on 9745, 0330 on 6050 as in Monitoring Reminders Calendar. Not really sure of complete days of week schedule as cannot find detailed HCJB Spanish program schedule for SW, this being part of the Spanish service. An episode I heard did not seem to have much religious content, hard to believe. When officially terminating English on SW, HCJB missed a big chance to publicize Spotlight, even tho it is part of the Spanish service. Google reminds us of websites for this: Spotlight is an English radio program for native and non-native English speakers. It uses a special English method of broadcasting. http://www.spotlightradio.net/ Spotlight: special English radio programs --- Radio programs using a special English method - easy to understand. http://www.radioenglish.net/ Out of date schedule on the spotlightradio website gives us a clue that the 2345 is 6 days a week; 15140 was abandoned years ago. They also miss the 0315 on 9745 I heard in the meantime on a UT Tuesday and hypothesized was 5 days a week. In this list the unspecified times seem to be UT, at least matching 2345: Sa 00:15 Shortwave 9745 kHz 31m Sa 06:45 Shortwave 9745 kHz 31m Sa 00:15 Shortwave 11840 kHz 25m Sa 06:45 Shortwave 11840 kHz 25m Sa 00:15 Shortwave 21455 kHz 13m Sa 06:45 Shortwave 21455 kHz 13m Mo-Sa 23:45 Shortwave 15140 kHz 19m They also list a separate Spotlight on HCJB 690 and the 22:30 one, this time meaning local EST, matches when I heard at 0330 UT on // 6050, not mentioned: Ecuador - The Voice of the Andes Mo-Fr 22:30 AM 690 Sa 12:30 AM 690 Sa 18:45 AM 690 I believe exactly the same ambiguities were there the last time this came up sometime last year, so the sked is obviously not kept up to date. It includes some other SW stations, such as TWR. The other website, radioenglish, does not attempt to provide a station list, but instead an inquiry form to find out if it`s on a station ``near you``. How do they define ``near`` in the case of HCJB SW? Strangely enough, the homepage of the radioenglish site is © 2004, while that one with out of date skeds, spotlightradio, which one would have thought preceded radioenglish, is © thru 2007 (Glenn Hauser, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** EQUATORIAL GUINEA. 15190, [R. Africa] now regular guest here every day, US religious stuff, S=2-3 tiny signal. But guess, signal makes it much better towards Blackpool via Atlantic Ocean path. 0845 UT (Wolfgang Büschel, wwdxc BC-DX Feb 19/20/21 via DXLD) ** EUROPE. 15070.17, pirate, Cupid Radio, 1530-1555+ Feb 17, pops, ballads, ID, Netherlands address for reports. Poor, weak in noise (Brian Alexander, Mechanicsburg PA, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** GABON. ANU harmonic of 9580 on 19160 audible again, but barely, Feb 23 at 2100. Meter said S9, but could barely make out some speech along with high-pitched hum, not the buzz of yore (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) QRM to 17660 Afropop: see SAUDI ARABIA ** GERMANY [and non]. Deutsche Welle decline and fall --- This discussion again reminded me of my last phone conversation with Wolfram Heß. As reported Deutsche Welle referred listeners of the German program in North America to podcasting, and we found that we shared the same opinion on the outcome of this: Former DW listeners will just say "thank you for the tip" and dive into all the offerings from other German broadcasters. Abandoning shortwave means that international broadcasters lose for good the exclusive role they had on shortwave, and I'm not sure if really everybody is aware of this dramatically changed situation yet. All this speaking about radio. According to a recent interview, the BBC WS now seeks its hail in other media, praising innovations like news delivered as SMS to cell phones, something they see as an interesting means of content delivery in Africa. And now read on here: http://www.kimandrewelliott.com/index.php?id=1073 (Kai Ludwig, Germany, DX LISTENING DIGEST) I.e., SWRA Zimbabwe ** GERMANY. Another tribute to Wolfram Hess (in German): http://www.telesat-info.de/sat/003/307.htm And page to the bottom (via BCDX via DXLD) OBIT ** GREECE. ERA5 via SVO, 15630, Feb 24 at 1442 during English hour with inevitable carrier dropoffs every few seconds. John Babbis suggests they may be doing this just to hold the frequencies, keep other stations from occupying them; so it doesn`t really matter if no one can stand to listen to them (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Glenn: I found an item on the Internet that says: "Greece now has just one Coastal Radio Station, Olympia Radio SVO. This station offers VHF, HF radio telephone, and HF Sitor services. The station is remotely controlled from Athens." Its ZIP Code is the same as ERA 5's and may even be in the same building or close by. I seem to think that SVO is tapping in to the Voice of Greece's programs for test purposes at the present time and will eventually start using 5865, 11645, and 15630 as its regular frequencies at the beginning of the A07 broadcasting season. Even though this station is otherwise not connected with ERA 5, this will give Greece the opportunity to hold on to those long-time frequencies and prevent other broadcasters from taking over what some people call 'wooden' frequencies that have been in the HFCC database for many years. Perhaps Olympia Radio SVO will thus offer its crew and passengers 24-hour Greek music, sports, news, and commentary from a public-address system somewhat similar to what is called elevator music, with interruptions from the ship's radioman for special announcements. Now, if they can only get this coastal radio transmitter to act like a regular international short-wave transmitter, it might work (John Babbis, MD, USA, Feb 23, DX LISTENING DIGEST) If the main reason is just to hold the frequencies, it matters not whether the carrier keeps breaking. No one is really expected to listen to them (gh, DXLD) ** GUATEMALA. 4780, Radio Cultural Coatán, San Sebastian de Coatán, 2332-0010, 24-02. Esta emisora, que hace tiempo sólo se escuchaba de tarde en tarde, en los últimos meses se sintoniza siempre y sin problema alguno, parece como si hubiera aumentado la potencia. Locutor, español, cometario religioso. Identificación a las 2359: "Radio Cultural Coatán, San Sebastián de Coatán, Departamento de Huehuetenango, Guatemala, Centroamérica, a través de la onda corta, 4780 kHz. banda de 60 metros". A partir de las 0000 comentarios en vernáculo. 24322 (Manuel Méndez, Lugo, Spain, Escuchas realizadas en Friol, 7º 48' 05'' W, 43º 02' 05'' N, Grundig Satellit 500 y Sony ICF SW 7600 G, Antena de cable, 10 metros, orientada WSW, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** GUINEA. 7125, Conakry noted again, first under Bucharest 1952 Feb 24, then in clear after 1957; evening program of Afropops with French M announcer, minimal talk, "Radio Nationale" ID in passing at 2021, music until 2030, then into M urgent-sounding monologue in vernacular, handed over to W at 2036. Weak and noisy at first, gaining strength in time, good by 2035. Speechifying didn't end until 2111, then 2 minutes of pop music, finally M with full ID at 2114, into news. Recording is up at http://www.alcue.com/Guinea 7125 2111Z 2-24-07.mp3 ID about three minutes into the recording (Al Quaglieri, NY, DX LISTENING DIGEST via dxldyg) The mp3 file name really has spaces in it rather than underscores. Careful how you copy it. 7125 had been inactive for some 6 months, and still missing when latest strife started (Glenn Hauser, DXLD) 7125, Conakry, 2211-2226, escuchada el 24 de febrero en francés a locutor con invitado, comentarios, música afro, SINPO 33343. Audio: http://valenciadx.multiply.com/music/item/467 73 (José Miguel Romero, Spain, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) Noted here from 2315, upbeat African music and excited male announcer in French or French based vernacular, poor to fair strength, fading up, best in LSB (Mike Barraclough, Letchworth Garden City, England, ibid.) Following Al Quaglieri`s tip, I too heard presumed Conakry with music at 2330 Feb 23 on 7125. Only fair; some ham was unimpressed and was sending CW within 1 or 2 kHz thus requiring no BFO (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Also heard widely in Germany, reports say that Lhasa, Tibet starts co- channel at 2100 UT. Fading result sometimes Guinea on top, and vv (Wolfgang Büschel, Feb 25, DX LISTENING DIGEST) RTV Guinee (or actually The Guinean Ministry of Information) has website at http://www.rtg-conakry.com/ The site however hasn’t been updated since 26/03/2006 (Finndxer, DXing the Finnish Way, Feb 20 via DXLD) I see that this blog also copies lots of stuff from DXLD (gh) ** GUYANA. 0653 UT 23 Feb, 3291.1 kHz, Solo una portante. Segnale insufficiente. Ascoltata con il filtro da 2.3 kHz in USB per evitare una stazione UTE Pactor (Luca Botto Fiora, Rapallo (Genova), R7 Drake (R7), Satellit 500 Grundig (S500), 2 DE1103 Degen (DE1103), playdx yg via DXLD) 3291.183, Guyana trying to return to the air. Solid carrier at the moment, some low audio. in the mud. 0905 to 0911 UT Feb 23. For months only the Spanish numbers station has been on 3292 kHz (Robert Wilkner, FL, USA, DXplorer Feb 23 via BCDX via DXLD) ** ICELAND. 13865, Rikisutvarpid, 1835-1858* Feb 23. Finally got this one before their planned QRT. Carrier, talks by man, short music bridge, the only piece of music heard during the broadcast and then woman and man with talks. Mostly poor but brief peaks of audio. No QRM (Horacio Nigro, Uruguay, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) 13865 kHz: Keep forgetting to check other times but Iceland in again today with very good signal but suffering from splatter of VoA on 13870 kHz at tune in 1840 UT February 24/07. Has been going off around 1910 +- the days I have checked. 73 (Mick Delmage, Sherwood Park, Alberta, Rx: Collins HF2050, Ant: 7-30 MHz Log Periodic, DX LISTENING DIGEST) RUV, 13865-USB + reduced carrier, but no LSB, Feb 25 at 1433 with better signal than usual in presumed Icelandic news; no QRM from any other broadcaster (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** INDIA. AIR GOS in Sindhi to Pakistan noted 2/24 on 7195 at 1228 with IS, then announcements and music past 1235, poor with QRM on low side from CRI-Japanese -5; // 9620 (fair), 11585 (good) and 6165 (fair). 7195 is listed from Mumbai with 100 kW per Jose Jacob's qsl.net AIR listings, but it's not in WRTH-07 or in EiBi list (Joe Hanlon, NJ, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** INDIA. New chief for AIR station --- Friday February 23 2007, 14:24 IST. T'PURAM: KA Muraleedharan has taken charge as the director of All India Radio Thiruvananthapuram station. Muraleedharan, who joined AIR as a programme executive, has served at the Devikulam, Thrissur and Mangalapuram stations of Akashvani. Prior to this appointment, he was working as the director of Akashvani training institute. A native of Mavelikkara, Muraleedharan is also a poet, author and critic. His documentary, Madhyavenal avadhikkalam madhuram madhuram had bagged a state award. Alappuzha District Collector KR Viswambharan is his brother. . . http://www.newindpress.com/NewsItems.asp?ID=IEO20070222235432&Page=O&Title=Thiruvananthapuram&Topic=0 (Alokesh Gupta, dx_india via DXLD) ** INDIA. All India Radio DRM tests to Europe --- AIR had DRM tests directed to Europe on 21st & 22nd Feb. Time : 1945-2230 Freq : 7410 Site : Khampur Details at http://www.drm.org/livebroadcast/livebroadcast.php Further tests expected from Monday on atleast 2 frequencies directed towards Europe. Regds (Alokesh Gupta, India, dx_india via DXLD) ** INDIA [non]. Re CVC non-DRM tests via WRN via Armenia 15735 Feb 23: altho I posted this info well in advance on several DX groups including dx_india and GRDXC, not a single reply was posted that anyone heard it or tried to hear it from the 240 members of one or the 197 of the other; It appears there is not much interest in listening to CVC in India. Of course, some may have reported only direct to the station (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** INTERNATIONAL VACUUM. Glen[n]: I tuned in to WRN on Sirius to listen to World Of Radio last week only to find a basketball game. I called customer service at Sirius only to be told that World Radio Network is still on channel 140. After expressing my dissatisfaction, I was transferred to another customer service representative that laughed while I voiced my complaint. When I asked what was so funny about this, she hung up on me! I think other listeners that regularly listen to WRN on Sirius should send an e-mail to customer service and follow it up with a phone call to Sirius. Not only are we missing World of Radio, we are missing other programming on WRN. After several years of uninterrupted World Radio Network programming, this is totally unacceptable. I'm sure I'm not the only WRN listener who has a problem with this. This may be worth mentioning on the next World of Radio. Regards, (John Biggs, Owensboro, KY 42301, Feb 24, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** INTERNATIONAL VACUUM [and non]. NAB SETS UP BOGUS SATELLITE RADIO CONSUMER GROUP I saw the following at the Radio World site: http://www.radioworld.com/pages/s.0100/t.1894.html "The Consumer Coalition for Competition in Satellite Radio," huh? Just who are those people? Well, a Google search revealed the following: http://www.c3sr.org/index.asp OK, but some more Googling revealed the following (sorry for the long URL): http://66.102.9.104/search?q=cache:7OdZRP1gwmIJ:www.c3sr.org/news/c3sr/01-12-200\7_C3SR.pdf+%22Chris+Reale%22&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=10 From this, I learned the president of the group is one Chris Reale, who is a law student at George Washington University. In fact, the entire "consumer coalition" is just a bunch of law students! But something still didn't seem right; why is satellite radio such a pressing issue for law students --- I mean, aren't there more pressing issues (like homelessness, AIDS, etc.) they could advocate for? So I Googled "Chris Reale" and found the following: http://www.williamsmullen.com/wms/team.htm#reale Yes, Chris Reale is indeed a law student at GWU. But what the Coalition's PR releases fail to mention is that he is also associate director of government affairs at William Mullen Strategies, a Washington lobbying firm. Chris is a lobbyist, not just some ordinary satellite radio listener. And I'd bet my life the NAB is funding The Consumer Coalition for Competition in Satellite Radio through William Mullen Strategies. I realize the NAB is slow to figure out the implications of new technology, so I'll offer them this free and sage advice: this is the internet; people can fact-check your ass to death. Phony "consumer advocate" groups can be easily exposed. And to the news outlets that swallowed the "Consumer Coalition for Competition in Satellite Radio" PR without checking into it. . . . . . stop being so lazy and do some research! ---------- (Harry Helms W5HLH, Smithville, TX EL19 ABDX via DXLD) NAB DISCOVERS INDECENCY From a link found at the Radio World site: "From crippling a plan for low-power FM radio stations that would have created thousands of new ones to forcing cable-TV systems to load up with broadcast shopping and religious channels at the expense of more popular cable-only networks, the NAB has long used government regulation as a weapon to crush any potential competitors." ... http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/entertainment/columnists/glenn_garvin/16753\164.htm (Harry Helms, W5HLH, Smithville, TX EL19, ABDX via DXLD) ** INTERNATIONAL VACUUM. JOHNNY DARK: INTERNATIONAL BROADCASTER Former Baltimore local disk jockey "Johnny Dark is on the air five hours a day, seven days a week -- but don't try listening in the U.S. He is now on WorldSpace satellite radio and commutes to its Silver Spring studio three times a week from his Reisterstown home. At last count, he is heard in 132 countries around the globe. 'I get e-mails from Qatar and sunny South Africa,' he said yesterday about his music and his program, The Hop, which features songs of the 1950s through the early 1970s." http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/local/bal-md.whatever24feb24,0,3666669.story?coll=bal-local-headlines (Baltimore Sun, 24 February 2007. Posted: 24 Feb 2007 via kimandrewelliott.com via DXLD) ** ISRAEL. Kol Israel, 15640, Feb 24 at 1604 with Saturday-only service in Spanish/Ladino, mostly songs, and occasional announcements in slightly strange Spanish, which must have been Ladino; 1625 into IS for 5 minutes and 1630 without announcements into Hebrew(?) rock music past 1635. This quarter-hour is supposed to be in French, before Ladino-only at 1645 (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** LATVIA. LETONIA, 9290, Radio Six International, 0703-0800, escuchada el 24 de febrero [Sat only] en inglés a locutor con ID y programa musical, SINPO 45544. Audio: http://valenciadx.multiply.com/music/item/455 LETONIA, 9290, Latvia Today, 0800-0805, escuchada el 24 de Febrero [Sat only] a locutor y locutora con ID en inglés, comentarios, música, SINPO 45444. Audio: http://valenciadx.multiply.com/music/item/453 (José Miguel Romero, Burjasot (Valencia), España, Sangean ATS 909, antena Radio Master A-108, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** LIBERIA. 5470, Radio Veritas, Monrovia. 1947-2115, 24-02, canciones religiosas, locutor, vernáculo, locutora. A las 2100 identificación: "Radio Veritas in the 60 meterband, 5470 kHz.", programa en inglés. 24322 (Manuel Méndez, Lugo, Spain, Escuchas realizadas en Friol, 7º 48' 05'' W, 43º 02' 05'' N, Grundig Satellit 500 y Sony ICF SW 7600 G, Antena de cable, 10 metros, orientada WSW, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** LIBYA [non non]. Re: UNIDENTIFIED. Straining to hear Libya in English on 17725, Feb 24 at 1518, I instead noticed some SSB on the side, a bit more than 1 kHz above at 17726+, intermittent, and so 2- way, probably Spanish but only got brief snatches and could have been Portuguese (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) This one is pushing 9 + 10dB currently at my location (at 1525 Feb 25) but beginning to show some signs of deterioration. It is a consistently good signal on a daily basis, unlike RFI via ISS 17620 which is weak and often hardly audible. It therefore seems highly unlikely that both are via the same site (Noel R. Green (NW England), dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) I.e., really from Libya now. Good signal maybe for you, but isn`t it undermodulated? (gh, DXLD) ** LIBYA [non]. Today February 25 at 1200 UT I found Sawt al Amal as usual signing on with march, this time around 17630 kHz with fair to good signal, but suffering a strong heterodyne. I could not identify the second station on the channel. I could get acceptable reception with the "narrow" filer of the DE-1103 and tuning to 17633 kHz. I am no expert in finding exact frequencies but after playing for a while with the BFO my bet is that Sawt al Amal was roughly on 17632.5 kHz At around 1258 I found them now on around 17620 kHz again with strong het, same situation as before but 10 kHz below. This time I would say they were on 17622.5 kHz. Did someone else tune to this station today? Is it possible that they were on a split frequency or am I too imaginative? 73, (Moisés Knochen, Montevideo, Uruguay, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) Is it impossible to get an accurate to 1 kHz or better reading on the DE-1103? No BFO? (Glenn Hauser, DXLD) Saludos Moisés, probablemente emitiendo en paralelo por 17625 y 17630, es su nueva estartegia, emitir en paralelo por dos frecuencias contiguas produciendo un sonido parecido a las emisiones en USB, muy extraño. 73 (José Miguel Romero, Spain, condig list via DXLD) Gracias José Miguel, hacía un tiempo que no los escuchaba y no estaba al tanto de esa extraña estrategia. Ya me parecía raro que usaran una frecuencia fuera de canal. Me preguntaba si los transmisores de Moldavia podrían hacer eso. Veremos como sigue la novela. 73 de (Moisés Knochen, Montevideo, Uruguay, ibid.) Eso sí que es un misterio; por cierto antes la emisora afro-pop conseguía atorarla y eliminarla, ahora es al revés. A veces es Sawt al-Amal la que estando en una frecuencia libre cambia y se pone en la misma frecuencia que la afro-pop; no sé porqué, pero consigue anularla. Por lo menos así se escucha desde España; claro está que es lo que se escucha desde Libia cuando ocurre esto. Otra particularidad es que hace tiempo que no transmiten la emisiones de La Voz de África para atorar a Sawt al-Amal; hace unas semanas las escuché un día, pero ya no transmitieron más. 73 (José Miguel, ibid.) ** LITHUANIA. I am listening to KBC from Sitkhunai, Lithuania, 6255, with many identifications and 23432 now, in Buenos Aires!!!!! It´s a very interesting log from my country!!!! 73 (Arnaldo Slaen, Argentina, 2249 UT Feb 24, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) 22-23 Sat only (gh) ** MADAGASCAR. 7105, R Nasionaly Malagasy, Feb 22, surprised me here 1640 in French with 'les informations' short at 1645. Weak. Went off at 1650 when they and I jumped to 5010 kHz where the program in French continued. At 1701 had French announcements mentioning telephone Nos a.o. Shifted language 1705 (Malagasy) into Jose Feliciano-song (Finn Krone, Denmark, wwdxc BC-DX Feb 23 via DXLD) {NOT this but R. Japan: see 7-026} ** MEXICO. 9599.23, R. UNAM, Mexico City, 2200-2220+ Feb 18, tune-in to classical music. 2210 Spanish announcements with ID, 2211 back to more classical music. Weak, poor; must use ECSS-LSB to avoid unID station on 9600 (Brian Alexander, Mechanicsburg PA, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Radio UNAM ha sido captada en la Argentina. Más precisamente en la provincia de Mendoza, por el amigazo, excelente colega y editor de la sección Sintonizando el Dial de Conexión Digital, Miguel Castellino. Miguelito la ha recepcionado después de las 23 UT en la frecuencia de 9599 y monedas con señal pobre, habiendo escuchado menciones a México. La radio fue tapada por otra emisora luego de las 2315 desde los 9600 kHz. 73 (Arnaldo Slaen, Feb 24, condig list via DXLD) 9599.2, R. UNAM, 2320-0002 23-24 Feb. Apparent educational discussion by several people in Spanish. Program outro at 2331 over Spanish pop music. Then live intro for next classical music program with ID ``R. Universidad Nacional``. 2355 song announcements, TC, instrumental music. W returned at 0001 with TC, nice complete ID with calls and FM and SW frequencies, but Havana slop QRM began at 2358 ruining nice reception. 9599.2, R. UNAM, 1356-1404 24 Feb, classical music to ToH, 1400 TC, intro for XE sports program by W with ID and into Black Sabbath music, then said sports program. Excellent signal (Dave Valko, Dunlo PA, HCDX via DXLD) Desde ayer sábado y hasta esta hora del domingo ha estado fuera del aire XEYU Radio UNAM (9600 kHz) esperemos pronto se reestablezca la señal. Desconozco las causas de esta circunstancia, Saludos, (Julián Santiago Díez de Bonilla, DF, 1735 UT Feb 25, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** MEXICO. 6010, Radio Mil, México DF, 0825-0915, 25-02. Continúan buenas condiciones de propagación para escuchar a esta emisora en este horario y sin rastro de La Voz de tu Conciencia. Programa de música y variedades "Buenas Noches México", canción identificativa "Vive México en Radio Mil". "Están escuchando lo mejor de Buenas Noches México". 0857: "Nos despedimos con esta canción...". Fin del programa Buenas Noches México, identificación: "Radio Mil, llegamos a todo el mundo a través de http://www.radiomil.com.mx y también en la onda corta, banda internacional de 49 metros, 6010 kHz, y por supuesto, alcanzamos 5 estados, aparte del Distrito Federal en 1000 AM". 24322 (Manuel Méndez, Lugo, Spain, Escuchas realizadas en Friol, 7º 48' 05'' W, 43º 02' 05'' N, Grundig Satellit 500 y Sony ICF SW 7600 G, Antena de cable, 10 metros, orientada WSW, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** MEXICO. XEXQ is not always audible around 0630 on 6045, but it certainly was Feb 25 with classical music, deep fades both up and down slowly, good at peaks in Wagner; still holding its own when CVC Chile came up on 6050 at 0700 (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) If I`m not mistaken, neither Manuel, nor Carlos Gonçalves over in Portugal have yet reported XEXQ in the 0630-0700 time period when I am hearing it on 6045. Manuel was getting XERTA 4810 then. It should be possible to Europe, tho quite weak (Glenn Hauser, DXLD) ** MEXICO. Me informa el buen amigo Andrés Cruz que la XERTA "Radio Transcontinental de América" (4810 kHz) que emite desde México, D.F., México, que acaban de mudar sus oficinas, por lo que su nueva dirección es: XERTA Calle López, 157 (1er. piso, Despacho 4) Col. Centro 06010 - México, D.F., MÉXICO Su teléfono ahora es el: (55) 55 12 88 53 Asimismo su apartado postal es: XERTA Apartado Postal, 207 - 033 06078 - México, D.F., MÉXICO Esta información se la proporcionó el Director de la emisora el Sr. Rubén Castañeda Espíndola. 73's (Julián Santiago Díez de Bonilla, Feb 25, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** MEXICO. MÉXICO / Fueron quitados del aire tres Radios del grupo mexicano Musicadena, las cuales son 92.1 FM La Primera, 920 La Tremenda, 1030 Radio Palabra y Central Catorce Cincuenta, estas tres últimas de AM. Las versiones extraoficiales en torno a la suspensión de transmisiones señalan que fue una disposición de la Secretaria de Gobernación, ya que desde hace tiempo se investigaba una presunta situación irregular en la operación de estas cuatro estaciones ya que se hablaba de que se estaban duplicando las frecuencias. Al respecto la delegación Ensenada del sindicato de trabajadores de Radio y Televisión había solicitado desde octubre del 2005 una investigación al Senado de la Republica y a la Secretaria de Comunicaciones y transportes para que se revisara la manera en que operaban estas estaciones. (23/02/2007) (from http://www.deradios.com via Nicolás Eramo, Argentina, Feb 25, condig list via DXLD) Viz.: XESS-620 / XESDD-920 / XESDD-1030 --- Update on the legitimate Ensenada/Tecate stations and their not-so-legitimate Tijuana doubles: The legitimate station XESDD-920 appears to be off. I can't tell about the other two legitimate stations XESS-1450 or XHBCE-92.1 FM as I don't hear them regularly from Chula Vista. The not-so-legitimate XESDD-1030 is still running music which I think could still be described as Mexican oldies, though I do hear some news in the mornings. The signal is currently very weak and (I would guess) undermodulated (the carrier is fairly solid but the music is barely audible). KURS-1040 is louder despite being a few miles farther away and (allegedly!) much lower power. I just noticed not-so-legitimate XESS-620 is running classic rock (last song was "I've Been Waiting for a Girl Like You") and using the slogan "Radio Fiesta" after their call-letter IDs. I believe they were still ESPN Deportes at the beginning of the week. I don't know if the current programming is a full-time format change or just a weekend program. No changes noted for XEPE-1700 or XEBCE-105.7. 73, (Tim Hall, Chula Vista, CA, Feb 24, IRCA via DXLD) ** NETHERLANDS [non]. Sat Feb 24 at 1501, RN was putting in a good signal via Madagascar, on 12080, opening a program about an artist. Sounded quite interesting, but did not have time to listen for a semihour, so made a note to catch it ondemand later. But what show was it? Checking the weekly programme preview newsletter for Feb 23, nothing about it! I had to go back to the previous week`s newsletter to find it listed under Thursday Feb 22: ``*** Dutch Horizons *** More than thirty years after his death, the work of Dutch graphic artist MC Escher remains popular all around the world. His woodprints and lithographs possess a unique quality that makes them instantly recognisable. Where did he get the inspiration for his powerful black and white landscapes, clever abstracts and mind-boggling metamorphoses? Join Bertine Krol for a special edition of Dutch Horizons about MC Escher and find out. Broadcast times on SW (UTC): 1027 (Asia/Far East/Pacific), 1227 (Eastern N America), 1430 (South Asia), 1827 & 2000 (Africa), 0027 (Eastern N America), 0127 (Central N America), 0527 (Western N America) Repeated: Wed 1500 (South Asia), Wed 1900 (Africa)`` Which DOES NOT mention this Saturday 1500 repeat! Wish RN would get its act together on this. So I go to http://www.rnw.nl and figure it must be under the Culture and History heading: http://www.radionetherlands.nl/features/cultureandhistory/ No, not there! So I search on Escher, and see that the same show was originally classified as a Documentary in June 2005, but now it`s Dutch Horizons. Was hoping for some visuals to accompany, as, let`s face it, radio about the visual arts cannot be left solely to the imagination; and there are some on this page along with audio linx: http://www.radionetherlands.nl/radioprogrammes/dutchhorizons/060405dh And a rather long article, a partial transcript? Plus the inevitable bloggy comments by (only) a triad of listeners (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Also I heard it on Network Europe via RNW on CBC Overnight this Saturday (Friday night) (Dan Say, BC, Swprograms mailing list via DXLD) I was a big fan of Escher growing up, in part as I was a math major. After graduating from a University in Ottawa, I chanced to learn that the National Gallery has (had?) the largest collection of his works, and that he used to summer in New Brunswick. Too cool. ef (Eric Flodén, BC, ibid.) ** NORTH AMERICA. USA pirates: 6850.9, MAC Radio, 1830-1840+ Feb 18, ID, E-mail address. Music by Tom Petty, Pearl Jam, Led Zeppelin and others. Very good. 6925-USB, Sunshine Radio, 1835-1846* Feb 18, ID, e-mail address, `70s pop music. Very good. 6925-USB, Grasscutter Radio, *1846-1915+ Feb 18, IDs, rock music by Rod Stewart, Cheap Trick, Van Halen and others. Very good (Brian Alexander, Mechanicsburg PA, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Just a reminder that I file these under NORTH AMERICA on the chance, however remote, that some of them may really be in Canada (gh) ** NORTH AMERICA. CONFESSIONS OF A RADIO PIRATE, by John Poet, Fri Feb 23, 2007. I am a habitual radio pirate. I broadcast radio on the public airwaves illegally, without a broadcasting license. I break the law. I am a criminal. Or, as I prefer to view myself, a patriot: "A very few -- as heroes, patriots, martyrs, reformers in the great sense, and men -- serve the state with their consciences, and so necessarily resist it for the most part; and they are commonly treated as enemies by it." - Henry David Thoreau. Why do I do it? Why risk huge fines, possible imprisonment, the confiscation of my equipment, just to enunciate a particular point of view, or maybe entertain my small handful of radio listeners on shortwave or FM? Well, its a long story... Read on after the break. Full article by the operator of US pirate Crystal Ship at: http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2007/2/23/8349/73444 (via Mike Barraclough, UK, DXLD) ** OKLAHOMA. KAMG-LP 92.1 finally went on the air in Enid Feb 18 at 1700 UT, and I tuned in after an item about it in the Eagle Feb 24. It`s in Spanish with seemingly continuous alabanza music, just what we need, from Amigos Ministries. Much more in upcoming DXLD 7-025 as I tracked down their transmitter site and spoke with the proprietor (Glenn Hauser, Enid, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) Viz.: Long on the books, but never heard until now, is an Enid LP or translator on 92.1 MHz. I`ve checked the frequency periodically. Now it`s finally occupied, and there goes one of our best DX channels -- or maybe not; on some of my portable radios, the signal is not fully quieted, and whip antenna positioning is touchy. (That could be because it`s horizontally polarized only, tho I had no problem hearing it on the caradio with acutely-angled whip. In contrast to KLGB-LP 94.3, which is vertical-only.) This ``brief`` and rather cryptic item was spotted in the Enid Eagle on Feb 24. Here it is in full: ``HISPANIC CHRISTIAN RADIO STATION STARTS FOR ENID RESIDENTS Hispanic Christian Radio Station 92.1 FM is now airing for Enid residents. This is the culmination of a seven-year project for Hispanic minister Jacob Desouza, who has overcome several struggles to reach this goal. In affiliation with the station, Amigos Hispanic members meet at Davis Park Christian Church for worship each Sunday.`` Latest FM Atlas XX, from Aug 2005, shows 92.1 in Enid as a translator of WPCS, gospel huxter in English, Pensacola FL, K211DU, but this has never really been on the air! Searching FCC info, we come up with all this about our new station: KAMG-LP 221 L1 FL 92.1 MHz CP MOD ENID OK US BMPL-20061023AAB - 123923 0.068 kW 36.5 m AMIGOS MINISTRY 36 27' 40.00" N Latitude --- 97 55' 20.00" W Longitude (NAD 27) Polarization: Horizontal Vertical Effective Radiated Power (ERP): 0.068 0. kW ERP Antenna Height Above Average Terrain: 36.5 0. meters HAAT Antenna Height Above Mean Sea Level: 422. 0. meters AMSL Antenna Height Above Ground Level: 11. 0. meters AGL Address: AMIGOS MINISTRY, 749 NORTH 11TH STREET, ENID OK 73701 - Phone Number: (580) 234-1941 Call Sign Begin Date KAMG-LP 05/13/2004 Application Type: MINOR MODIFICATION TO A CONSTRUCTION PERMIT Status: GRANTED Status Date: 01/04/2007 Expiration Date: 02/27/2007 So they just made it on air a few days before expiration! From the authorization pdf: http://svartifoss2.fcc.gov/prod/cdbs/pubacc/Auth_Files/1165479.pdf If the antenna is mounted on an existing tower that is not base- insulated or detuned at the AM frequency, the permittee shall submit a certification to this effect. If the antenna is mounted on an existing tower that is base-insulated or detuned at the frequency of AM station KGWA, Enid, OK, Facility ID 25899, the applicant shall notify the AM station. If necessary, the AM station may determine operating power by a method described in Section 73.51(a)(1) or (d), and/or request temporary authority from the Commission in Washington, D.C. to operate with parameters at variance in order to maintain monitoring point field strengths within authorized limits. Permittee shall be responsible for readjustment and continued maintenance of any detuning apparatus necessary to prevent adverse effects upon the radiation pattern of the AM station. Both before and after the installation of the antenna and transmission line on the tower, a partial proof of performance, as defined by Section 73.154(a) of the Commission's Rules, shall be conducted to establish that the AM array has not been adversely affected. The results of the partial proofs shall be submitted to the Commission with the application for license to cover this permit Transmitter: Type Certified. See Sections 73.1660, 73.1665 and 73.1670 of the Commission's Rules. Antenna type: Non-Directional Transmitter output power: As required to operate within authorized range of effective radiated power. Antenna Coordinates: North Latitude: 36 deg 27 min 40 sec West Longitude: 97 deg 55 min 20 sec Maximum Effective radiated power in the Horizontal Plane (watts): 68 Minimum Effective radiated power in the Horizontal Plane (watts): 34 Height of radiation center above ground (Meters): 11 Height of radiation center above mean sea level (Meters): 422 Height of radiation center above average terrain (Meters): 27 Overall height of antenna structure above ground: 11 Meters Obstruction marking and lighting specifications for antenna structure: It is to be expressly understood that the issuance of these specifications is in no way to be considered as precluding additional or modified marking or lighting as may hereafter be required under the provisions of Section 303(q) of the Communications Act of 1934, as amended. None Required Antenna structure registration number: Not Required *** END OF AUTHORIZATION *** Some of the FCC data show KAMG on 100.9, but that was before a transfer from Central Assembly of God to Amigos Ministries: original: Applicant Name: CENTRAL ASSEMBLY OF GOD Frequency: 100.9 assigned Status: GRANTED Consummation Date: 12/12/2005 Status Date: 11/01/2005 Positional Interest Information File Number: BAPL-20051017AAI Call Sign: KAMG-LP Name and Address JACOB DESOUZA, 801 LILAC DRIVE, ENID, OK 73701 US Citizenship Positional Interest Percentage of Votes Percentage Equity US PRESIDENT 100 0 Tiger maps show the antenna on the south side of what I know is Carrier Road, due NW of center of Enid, just inside city limits; cross street not shown. This site is not shared with any other FM translator or LP or full-power station; I compared it to all the other coördinates. It is farther out than KGWA 960, which is at: 36 26' 13.00" N Latitude 97 55' 16.00" W Longitude (NAD 27) So it is almost due north of KGWA`s well-known 3-tower site, but 20 seconds further west. This puts it near the intersexion with Oakwood Road, N-S. Service contour map will not (yet?) display: http://www.fcc.gov/fcc-bin/FMTV-service-area?x=FL1165479.html I started monitoring at 1615 UT Feb 24: mostly continuous alabanza music in Spanish, I continued monitoring despite just having had a waffle for breakfast, just this once to familiarize myself with our new station. Occasional pauses for shouted aleluyas; they are fixated upon a ``nuestro señor Jesucristo``. From the sound of it, it`s safe to assume these are not Roman Catholix, a passé sect. At 1649 there was briefly a hymn in English. More alabanza stuff in Spanish straight thru hourtop, but at 1704 ID in English, ``You`re listening to KAMG, LPFM, Enid, Oklahoma``. Enid had a previous gospel huxter satellator in Spanish from KCZO in S Texas on 89.1, but it`s been off the air for a couple of years tho still licensed. Now those addicted to nonstop praising have their fix. Around 2000 UT we headed out toward the coördinates of the transmitter site. No GPS here. Driving slowly eastward on Carrier Road from the intersexion with Oakwood Road, I spotted the 35-foot pole with a single horizontal element pointed SE toward the bulk of Enid. It`s on some ranch land with several buildings and vehicles around it and an oil well genuflecting nearby. Furthermore, there was a welding crew putting up a tall fence around the pole which I hesitate to call a tower, as no doubt the FCC requires, tho there is surely no high voltage danger about with 68 watts maximum ERP! Further2more, supervising the crew was pastor Jacob Desouza himself, with whom I conversed briefly in English. Said KAMG went on the air last Sunday, Feb 18 at 11 am (no doubt just in time for a church service), that they don`t have a studio yet but plan to set one up at Davis Park Christian Church --- that`s the address 749 North Eleventh. The original CP to Central Assembly of God stalled due to the death of its pastor. I asked if he was getting programming from satellite, and he said no, playing own recordings as LPFMs are not allowed to relay satellites. Would there be any programming that is not Christian? No, that is not what it was set up for, he said. Mr Desouza seemed quite rational, in spite of the programming he is now broadcasting over Enid. I should have asked him if he was really Portuguese. Yes, Brucey, it`s in stereo, both with pilot and on the headphones (Glenn Hauser, Enid, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** PERU. 4746.8, Radio Huanta 2000, Huanta, 2320-0035, 24-02, locutora, español, anuncios comerciales: "Gotas oftálmicas para mejorar la visión, ponga nuestro colirio por las noches". "Nuestra milagrosa medicina, productos orientales para todo tipo de males". "Atención a los comerciantes de Huanta". Música de flautas, canciones andinas, algunos comentarios en quechua. 24322. (Méndez) 4790.2, Radio Visión, Chiclayo, 0610-0820, 25-02, español, programa religioso, identificación: "Usted está escuchando el programa La Voz de la Salvación, desde la ciudad de Chiclayo, Perú, Iglesia Pentecostal La Cosecha, Radio Visión". A partir de las 0800 identificación: "Radio Visión, Chiclayo, para todo el Perú" y bonito programa de canciones andinas. 35333 variando a 25222. (Méndez) 6536.0, Radio Comercial Huancabamba, Huancabamba, Piura, 2350-0010, 24-02, locutor, español, comentairos. Señal muy débil, audible en LSB. 14321 (Manuel Méndez, Lugo, Spain, Escuchas realizadas en Friol, 7º 48' 05'' W, 43º 02' 05'' N, Grundig Satellit 500 y Sony ICF SW 7600 G, Antena de cable, 10 metros, orientada WSW, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** PERU. Re 4790: Have you heard anything along the lines of Radio Atlántida returning or Radio Visión possibly using dual IDs. Either that or both Joe Wood and I are hearing things. Everything I can find in the way of recent logs all say Visión. Both Joe and I have "heard" the word "Atlántida" the past two days, but it all has to be placed well into the Iffy section due to the heavy swiper QRM. I can't put much stock in Atlántida at this point. I was just wondering if anything had crossed your path lately. -- HF (Harold Frodge, MI, DX LISTENING DIGEST) No; another log just above ** SAUDI ARABIA [and non]. Checking again the new frequency of BSKSA, 17660, which collides with Afropop music distraxion: Afropop used to jump around from day to day between 17620 and 17695, and may still do so before 1400 when it has real jamming of Sawt al-Amal to accomplish, wherever it goes, but after 1400 when I check it`s on 17660. I suspected that BSKSA is opening 17660 as early as 1400, since that`s when the bihour in French is supposed to start, as formerly on 21600. Feb 24 at 1430 I could detect something under Afropop, just barely. At 1457 recheck, the SAH was heavier, and at 1525 rerecheck, BSKSA in French was axually on top in a bad collision. After Afropop was off at 1531, BSKSA remained audible and in the clear, with detailed newscast by woman (help me, help me, not to get turned on by hearing a woman`s voice on the radio; those wicked Saudis!). 1542 martial music, maybe their news theme, and into a talk about literature. By 1555 BSKSA was weakening, well after local sunset in Riyadh; bird chirping along with a meditation, again by a woman, mentioning Abraham. WYFR came on at 1559:30 with IS and right into Portuguese hymn, well atop BSKSA which may have gone into English if not off, but I had to give up. I await reports from east of Enid about how long the English, which is originally two hours on the domestic service, may last on 17660, or if they intend to turn it off immediately but sometimes dally as they did on 21600. BTW, taking another look at the BSKSA sked in 7-024, not sure from what source, note that it shows English at 0900-1200 on 15250, 15470, both at 250 degrees, apparently toward W Africa. Do these really exist? (Glenn Hauser, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) Saudi Arabia has French 08-10 UT on 17785 kHz. Usually they switch their transmitter on about 10 minutes before, and you'll hear the end of their English program. But it usually just consists of classical music. I did hear an English program on 15250 kHz (not on 15470), mentioning a.o. Jeddah, but no direct ID. They signed off abruptly at 1155 UT. 73, (Erik Køie, Copenhagen, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) Right now (1115 UT) I have a weak signal on 15250, with a lady talking in what indeed sounds like English, but it's too faint to make out more here. No carrier whatsoever detectable on 15470 (Kai Ludwig, Germany, Feb 25, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) Glenn, Some frequencies [in 7-024 schedule] are actual; others will come into effect on March 24 - in A07 season. 73 wb (Wolfgang Büschel, DX LISTENING DIGEST) From east of Enid --- I've been listening since about 1000 (Feb. 25) and found frequency 15470 empty but "something" on 15250 with a talk in English by a woman and mentioning "the Kor`an". An announcement at 1030 - possibly an ID? - was followed by three minutes of news read by a woman. Various talks by a woman/women with American accent - but not necessarily origin - mingled with pop music followed. This signal was peaking occasionally over another co-channel (CRI in Hakka is scheduled) at first but gradually became the dominant one, and began to peak up to S-9 at times later, but still with deep fading too. An animated male voice at 1150 began to give sports news from the Bahrain and Kuwait region and elsewhere in that area. Transmission ceased (i.e. it did not sign off) at about 1154. This surely has to be BSKSA. And re 17660 - the BSKSA signal continues to fade out before conclusion of transmission. I have heard it mixing with ASC [WYFR] until 1700, and I THINK it carries on after that hour - there appears to be a signal, but much too weak to copy. 73 (Noel R. Green (NW England), Feb 25, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) Just came back in, turned on the radio at 1701 and found no traces of a signal on 17660. But probably it just goes out into the space now, with most of the path being already under darkness. I could imagine that the move from 13 to 16 metres is related to a deliberate extension of this transmission into the evening, beyond 1600 (Kai Ludwig, Germany, Feb 25, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) BSKSA. French transmission listed from 1500 to 1900 UT (see schedule DXLD 7-024) on 17660 was in the clear from 1530 to 1600 with a very good signal Sunday, Feb. 25. It was under the Afro-music jammer from 1500 to 1530. French closed at 1600 followed by English (not listed at this time) competing with WYFR Portuguese (1600-1700). Both with strong signals initially but by 1630 WYFR was dominant and soon after BSKSA faded out completely. Heard readings from the Koran and a long commentary on democracy in Muslim countries and Western ideology, then more readings/history to fade out. So today it was French 1500 to 1600 and English 1600 to 1700(?). Maybe English was an error so will keep listening this coming week. A correction to the Saudi schedule in DXLD 7-024: 15225 from 1500 to 1800 in Arabic 1st Program should read 15425 which is parallel to 15435. Both well received here Sunday, Feb. 25, with excellent strength to about 1645 but very weak after that. Nothing on 15225 (Bernie O'Shea, Ottawa, Ontario, Feb 25, DX LISTENING DIGEST) 15425 & 15435 at 15-18 are Call of Islam, not the first program (gh, DXLD) Also, Feb 24 at 1549, VOA English 15205 via Lampertheim, Germany, had co-channel with a fast SAH from something in Arabic, a speech, or should I say sermon, with reverb. I can only assume this is also BSKSA, with the Holy Qur`an service not supposed to start on 15205 until 1600 when VOA finishes, and not // 15425/15435 which are the separate Call of Islam service (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Same problem with this: 11935: Once again RNW at 0800-0857 UT in Dutch to pensionists in SoWeEUR and Canary Islands suffered by co-channel BSKSA Riyadh Holy Qur`an program at 0844 to 0857 UT. BSKSA Riyadh starts much early around 0844 UT. [nominal schedule:] 11935 0900-1200 RIY 500 kW 310 deg Arabic Holy Qur`an Contact between RNW and BSKSA on HFCC conference at Dubai on this interference matter was not successful yet (Wolfgang Büschel, Feb 23, BCDX via DXLD) ** SOUTH CAROLINA [non]. Brother Scare Sabbath service, via Guiana French, 17810, Sat Feb 24 at 1455 was playing rustic hymn, Sweetest Lord Jesus, I think it is called, but with hiccups in modulation. Later after 1500 B.S. was screaming irrationally but without hiccups (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** TURKEY. TURQUIA: TRT, la Voz de Turquía. Servicio Español. "70th Year Commemorative QSL Card". Datos completos, incluso sitio de transmisión. V/S: ilegible. Recibida en 28 días en respuesta a un informe enviado por e-mail por varias transmisiones correspondientes al mes de enero 2007 en 9865 kHz, 0200 UT. También enviaron un "Esquema de Emisiones 01.01.2007 - 01.07.2007" y un calendario de bolsillo. Como dato curioso, el sobre tenía un corte en diagonal de buen tamaño en una esquina, como han descrito varias personas en relación a correspondencia recibida de países musulmanes. Pero, tratándose de un sobre de "Impresos" perfectamente podría ser una práctica normal de control postal (Moisés Knochen, Uruguay, Conexión Digital Feb 25 via DXLD) I neither requested nor received a QSL, but the schedule folder and calendar I recently featured came in an envelope which did not have any diagonal cut in the corner! However, it was unsealed, the flap just tucked in, I believe. Remember, USA in Turkish is ABD. Matbua, (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U K. What`s going on with BBCR3 and the Metropolitan Opera? They`ve been replacing it with various other stuff, including Feb 24, Orfeo instead of Met`s Eugene Onegin, and this is not a Met classic rerun, either. If R3 want to do more opera they shouldn`t have to pre-empt The Met (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A. VOICE OF AMERICA CUTS AT A GLANCE 24 February, 2007, Sky Valley Journal, AP http://www.localnewswatch.com/skyvalley/stories/index.php?action=fullnews&id=67591 Changes to U.S. broadcasting services under a budget proposal from the Broadcasting Board of Governors. Some of the changes were first proposed for the 2007 budget, while others were proposed in February for the 2008 budget year: CUTS AND REDUCTIONS _Eliminates Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty's Macedonian service. _Reduces Tibetan broadcasts on VOA and Radio Free Asia. _Reduces RFE/RL broadcasts in Romanian, South Slavic and Kazakh. _Ends VOA's News Now broadcasts in English. NEW SERVICES AND INCREASES _Funds new broadcasts from VOA and RFA to North Korea . _Continues services in Somali to Somalia, Djibouti and the Horn of Africa. _Expands VOA television to Iran . _Expands VOA radio services in Pashto to the border region between Pakistan and Afghanistan . _Expands television programs to Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Alhurra Europe, which broadcasts to Arabic speakers in Europe. _Expands Spanish-language programming to Venezuela. (via Mike Terry, dxldyg via DXLD) ** U S A. VOICE OF AMERICA JOURNALISTS MARK 65TH ANNIVERSARY BY RESISTING PLANS TO RESTRICT VOA'S MISSION IN SUPPORT OF MEDIA FREEDOM http://www.bloggernews.net/14848 http://mensnewsdaily.com/2007/02/24/voice-of-america-marks-65th-anniversary/&cid=1113892462 http://www.wilmingtonstar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article%3FAID%3D/20070224/NEWS/702240342/1002/BUSINESS&cid=1113892462 This post was written by ted on 25 February, 2007 (00:05) | All News, European News, Asian News, Middle Eastern News, Government News, US Government News, Congressional News, US News, China News, Russia News, The War on Terror by Ted Lipien FreeMediaOnline.org Free Media Online, San Francisco, February 24, 2007 - The Voice of America (VOA) marked its 65th anniversary Saturday amid plans to cancel radio broadcasts to many countries where press freedom is under severe attack from dictators and authoritarian rulers. The Broadcasting Board of Governors (BBG) - bipartisan body managing VOA and other U.S. international broadcasts - plans to expand news coverage to the Middle East, North Korea and Latin America by eliminating or reducing programs to Russia, Tibet, China, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan and a number of other media-at-risk countries. Acting with apparent approval from the White House, the BBG also want to eliminate VOA's flagship English radio broadcast News Now. [Link to BBG announcement. ] Former and current VOA journalists who have criticized the BBG's plans as a betrayal of support for media freedom are circulating two online petitions asking the U.S. Congress to stop the proposed program cuts. One of the petitions specifically opposes the planned elimination of VOA Uzbek radio broadcasts by pointing out that Uzbekistan's authoritarian ruler Islam Karimov has effectively silenced political opposition and eliminated or forced underground nearly all independent media outlets. [Link to Save VOA Uzbek. Help Reverse BBG Proposal Petition.] This is the second time the Broadcasting Board of Governors (BBG) - bipartisan body in charge of U.S. international broadcasts - is trying to eliminate VOA radio programs to Uzbekistan. The BBG had stopped VOA Uzbek radio programs once before, in August 2004, but the pressure from the U.S. Congress and human rights groups forced the BBG to resume them in June 2005. This year the BBG is again trying to end VOA radio presence in Uzbekistan and in a number of other countries. In addition to VOA Uzbek radio programs, the BBG is planning to eliminate or reduce U.S. taxpayer-funded broadcasts to Kazakhstan, Russia, Tibet and China - countries whose regimes were declared by the Paris-based nongovernmental organization Reporters Without Borders (RSF) as major violators of media freedom and freedom of expression. Uzbekistan's leader Islam Karimov, Russia's President Vladimir Putin, Kazakhstan's authoritarian ruler Nursultan Nazarbayev and China's leader Hu Jintao have been all called by Reporters Without Borders "Predators of Press Freedom." [Link to RSF announcement. ] The second online petition focuses on the BBG plans to eliminate VOA Russian radio broadcasts. The petition asks the U.S. Congress to reject the proposed cuts and demand from the White House and the BBG a consistent U.S. international broadcasting strategy in support of freedom. [Link to Save Voice of America Programs to Russia and Other Media-at-Risk Countries Petition.] FreeMediaOnline.org, a California-based nonprofit group founded to support freedom of the press worldwide, described these proposed cuts and reductions in U.S. international broadcasting as nothing less than a "gift to dictators and suppressors of press freedom." FreeMediaOnline.org believes that "this lack of consistency sends a terrible signal to defenders of freedom and courageous journalists around the world. Some of them, like independent Russian journalist Anna Politkovskaya, paid with their lives for exposing human rights violations. To make their voices heard, they have relied on VOA Russian radio programs which the White House and the BBG plan to eliminate." According to the BBG, these program cuts are necessary to fund expansion of U.S. broadcasts to Iran and to other major Muslim countries and regions. Critics such as FreeMediaOnline.org activists have pointed out, however, that there are many other noncritical programs within the U.S. international broadcasting bureaucracy controlled by the BBG. They maintain that reducing these support programs instead could easily pay for new programming to the Middle East and for the much needed enhancement and modernization of programs and program delivery to countries like Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Russia, and China. VOA first broadcast on shortwave to Nazi Germany February 24, 1942, just weeks after the United States entered World War Two. In that broadcast, news announcer William Harlan Hale told listeners, "The news may be good. The news may be bad. We shall tell you the truth." VOA Director Dan Austin says although the technology of broadcasting may have changed in the intervening years, the Voice of America's adherence to its core mission remains the same. He says the agency will continue to honestly and accurately report the news. He did not address the issue of the program cuts demanded by the BBG and how they might affect VOA's mission. He was appointed to his position as VOA Director by the BBG. To sign Save VOA Programs to Russia and Other Media-at-Risk Countries Petition - go to: http://www.petitiononline.com/tl1122/petition.html FreeMediaOnline.org is ready to offer informational assistance to every independent journalist and media outlet working to support freedom of the press and democracy. For more information about this article or FreeMediaOnline.org send an email to contact @ freemediaonline.org or call 1-415-793-1642 (via Zacharias Liangas, DXLD) Andy Sennitt adds: 65 is, of course, the age at which many people retire from full-time work, and it’s ironic that as VOA reaches that milestone it, too, is facing the threat of major cutbacks in its radio services, including the complete abolition of VOA News Now. The world and the technology of international broadcasting have indeed changed dramatically, but the plan to eliminate a global news service in the native language of the originating country while expanding broadcasts in other languages is an extraordinary one, and as far as I can recall has never happened before in international broadcasting. As we wait to see whether the BBG’s proposed fiscal year 2008 budget will be approved by Congress, I hope that ways can be found to save VOA News Now. (Media Network blog via DXLD) ** U S A [non]. Feb 24 at 1453 found a good tho fluttery signal on 11510 with woman spelling out using English lettering, deewaradio at voanews.com, then S Asian music until 1459* without further announcement. This of course is the recently added service for the Pak/Afghanistan- border-area Pashtuns, the ``get Osama`` service, surely the most specialized USG SW transmissions. If you go looking for it under P in VOA language frequency schedules you will not find it, only the ordinary Pashto service. On the VOA homepage you will only find it in the ``select language`` drop-down under Pashto - Deewa which leads to: http://www.voanews.com/deewa/ And thence to a page in English explaining it: http://www.voanews.com/deewa/schedule.cfm which claims that there is a one-hour break in usage of 11510 between 14 and 15, but this is obviously not true! The latest info since Feb 7 shows 11510 Iranawila, Sri Lanka, now straight thru from 13 to 16. The parallel frequency 9565 from elsewhere has also been expanded to cover 14-15. Maybe 11510 came back on at 1500 after an antenna change, if I had kept listening, as each hour is supposed to be on a different azimuth, requiring breaks in transmission (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) VoA Deewa 9565 1300-1400 UT UdornThani Thailand, 1400-1500 Wertachtal 11510 1300-1600 UT Iranawila Sri Lanka 11765 1500-1600 UT Briech/Tangiers Morocco 15645 1300-1400 UT Briech/Tangiers Morocco wb (Wolfgang Büschel, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Deewa (and announcing Voice of America) was BOOMING in on 9565 at tune in 1430 parallel a strong 11510. A carrier appeared c1450 on 9565 and this materialized into CRI in Turkish at 1500 (via Cerrik, Albania) after Deewa had left the air abruptly at 1459. Deewa played some wonderful music - and it seems the Pashtuns prefer a slightly different sound/beat to the 'Daris'. I wasn't tuned to 11510 on the hour (1500) but there seems no change in signal strength at my location from before to after. Now parallel 11765 (not in sync) and this is less strong with more fading (Noel R. Green (NW England), dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A. Hunting around the VOA website I found this facility where you may check out all the times and frequencies when you may hear a certain language in a certain country. So I clicked on Spanish in Dominica, where Spanish is not spoken, and found this: http://www.voanews.com/english/broadcast_info.cfm?co=55&lang=41 Note numerous out of date SW frequencies, such as 21500, and no distinxion is made between VOA and Radio Martí, with RM frequencies mixed in, including outdated ones such as 11775. NOTE: this is the VOA site, and I was under the impression that RM is NOT part of VOA. Silly me. Is this worse than useless? (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) See also CUBA [non] ** U S A. KAIJ reconfirmed with WORLD OF RADIO, 1347, Friday Feb 23 at 2001 on 9480; not a solid signal here in the skip zone, but no doubt so further to the N and W. Rechecked at 2057, playing Andean music and if I did not know better, would have guessed it were HCJB. Fill music? Scheduled at 2030 is The Sower, with Dr Guido. BBC via WHRI 9480 carrier came on at 2058 and there was overlap as KAIJ announced QSY to 5755, but KAIJ announcement finished at 2059:30 just as BBC started talking, a perfect transition (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A. Both WWCR and KAIJ carry Pastor Pete Peters, at 0652 Feb 25, on 5765 and 5755 respectively, but KAIJ was about 5 seconds behind WWCR as he was giving the WWCR address (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A. Re 7-024: WWCR *IS* transmitting World of Radio today (Saturday, Feb 24) on 12160 kHz at 1730 UT (#1347) so that substitution [last week] must have been a one-time event. I have it coming in (weak & noisy) as I type this. One other thing I forgot to mention, which occurred to me as I tuned in Allan Weiner WorldWide last night (which turned out to be a repeat of last week's program), was that it is now back on only 7415 kHz at the 0100 UT Saturday time. He specifically said that, and I could hear a different audio on 5110 kHz, but I have to take his word about 18910 kHz having something else (or being off-air), as I haven't picked up any WBCQ signal on that frequency for weeks now, no matter when I happen to tune it. 73, (Will Martin, MO, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A. Catholix vs Protestants vs bauds! On Feb 25 I checked 7455 at 0624, well before WYFR came up at 0700, and found that WEWN, despite its 500 (350?) kW, was losing out to co-channel RTTY (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A. Local harmonics from X-band on 60 meters: 4920, Pennsylvania TIS station, 1115-1125+ Feb 17, weak 3 x 1640 TIS with advisory about routes 81, 80 and 78 closures due to snowstorm. 4830, WPEA856, Pennsylvania TIS station, 1140-1150 Feb 17, weak 3 x 1610 with ID and mention that this was a Pennsylvania Department of Transportation traffic advisory radio station announcing the closings of routes 81, 80 & 78 due to snowstorm. 1610 and 1640 run separate programming, not //. No other harmonics heard (Brian Alexander, Mechanicsburg PA, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Are the harmonics not normally audible at other times? Something changed due to storms? Or are the fundamentals only on the air during emergencies? (Glenn Hauser, DXLD) ** U S A. UNIVISIÓN ENFRENTA MULTA RÉCORD EN EEUU WASHINGTON.- Univisión, la cadena de televisión hispana más grande de Estados Unidos, enfrenta una multa récord por transmitir telenovelas como programas educacionales para niños, informó el diario The New York Times el sábado. Se espera que la Comisión Federal de Comunicaciones (FCC) estadounidense imponga una multa de 24 millones de dólares, la más grande que ha establecido el organismo contra una empresa, agregó el diario. La acción también “enviará una fuerte señal a los difusores de que ellos deben cumplir con la cuota requerida de programación educacional e informar a los niños, luego de años de permisividad en esta área”, dijo. El presidente de la FCC, Kevin Martin, le dijo al matutino que la comisión decidió imponer la fuerte multa porque Univisión aseguró haber cumplido con su cuota de programación educativa al transmitir la telenovela “Cómplices al Rescate” entre otras. “Cómplices al Rescate” cuenta la historia de un par de gemelas de 11 años que intercambian identidades tras descubrir que fueron separadas al nacer. “Un propósito educacional importante de este programa es ilustrar cómo la amistad, amor y amabilidad puede superar las adversidades de la vida”, dijeron los abogados de la Cadena en su comparecencia ante la FCC, según el Times. La multa es casi tres veces mayor que la anterior de nueve millones de dólares, impuesta a Quest Communications en 2004. Fuente: http://www.listindiario.com.do/app/article.aspx?id=4265 (via Dino Bloise / EEUU, dxldyg via DXLD) Univisión fined 24 megadollars for pretending that a novela is required children`s programming! (gh, DXLD) English version: FCC EXPECTED TO IMPOSE RECORD $24 MILLION FINE AGAINST UNIVISION By Frank Ahrens, Washington Post Staff Writer, Sunday, February 25, 2007; D01 Telenovelas are the popular programming staple of Spanish-language television giant Univision. Melodramatic and exaggerated, by turns steamy and violent, the dramas are ratings and revenue gold. What they are not, however -- according to the Federal Communications Commission -- is educational childrens' programming. The FCC is preparing to impose a record $24 million fine against Univision Communications, even as the government's authority to police the airwaves is being challenged in two courts. . . http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/02/24/AR2007022401453_pf.html (via Mike Cooper, DXLD) ** VENEZUELA [non]. As expected, the Cuban transmitters formerly carrying Aló, Presidente, or rather, standing by most of the time for HCF to show up, were missing Feb 25 at 1427 check now that the Sunday morning broadcasts have been abolished by Venezuela. Please check known Cuban frequencies in the 0000 sesquihour UT Tue-Sat in case RHC has decided to broadcast A,P on its new live schedule (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) UNIDENTIFIED. Broadcast station on transatlantic aero HF Channel Yesterday I wrote the following which unfortunately bounced. I am at present hearing a station on the unusual frequency of 5598 at 0440. Music seems to be definitely Mideastern. No announcements or ID. Yes, I'm cheating as I am using the DX Tuners remote receiver in Skurup, Sweden but am intrigued who it is. Went off 0447 and now transatlantic tic aero traffic wiped out channel. Nothing listed. The above was Friday and today absolutely zero but channel is dominated by transatlantic aero traffic which naturally has priority. The question remains who or what was the broadcasting station that was on 5598 between 0440 and 0447z. I only came across it by accident (Robin L. Harwood VK7RH, Norwood Tasmania 7250, Feb 24, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) UNIDENTIFIED. Straining to hear Libya in English on 17725, Feb 24 at 1518, I instead noticed some SSB on the side, a bit more than 1 kHz above at 17726+, intermittent, and so 2-way, probably Spanish but only got brief snatches and could have been Portuguese (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ UNSOLICITED TESTIMONIALS ++++++++++++++++++++++++ Hi Glenn: don`t feel bad about having to skip a week once in while on WOR. I`m surprised you didn`t start it long ago. It`s getting rather common these days, with so many broadcasters operating with reduced staff. We`re getting used to hearing the words ``encore`` or ``the best of`` preceding a show. In fact, RCI is doing it as I write this. They`re airing an old mailbag program from Jan 14, with sourpuss Terry Haigh acknowledging Christmas cards. Even in your category, current info on radio stations, we find Cumbre averaging about one rerun per month. You`re just getting in line with the rest of the world (Pete Bentley, NY, by p-mail, 18 Feb) LANGUAGE LESSONS ++++++++++++++++ Re 7-024, PHILIPPINES: In the interest of ethno-linguistic clarification, with reference to the last sentence: The Chams are a Malayo-Polynesian people, as Liz Cameron has noted, whose kingdom (Champa) thrived in what is now Vietnam before the ethnic Vietnamese arrived. Some are Moslem and some are Hindu, though I imagine they do not practice the standard versions of these religions. When I was serving in Vietnam in the US Army in 1966-67, I had occasion to visit what I suppose is the Eastern Cham area referred to, near Phan Rang on the central coast. Their stone temple was the dominant landscape feature in Tap Cham village near the city Phan Rang, and many remaining/unused temples can be found in several other cities (another I visited overlooked the large city of Nha Trang, and was being used as an artillery site by the South Vietnamese Army!!!). I understand there is a larger group of Chams along the western border of Vietnam. I was not aware of the extent to which the Cham language was active, but apparently it is, which I'm glad to see. Interesting that broadcasting is being done in the language of the Chams, who are considered a neglected ethnic minority. I also made a brief visit to the Rade, a Montagnard tribe, and even have a souvenir crossbow to prove it! (Saul Broudy, W3WHK, Philadelphia, PA, USA, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) Christian imperialists not satisfied until all Cham and Rade are too (gh) RADIO EQUIPMENT FORUM +++++++++++++++++++++ $10 WOK KEEPS TV STATION ON AIR http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/1/story.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10425224 Slainte, (via Jeroen Kloppenburg http://www.PeatFreak.com/ DXLD) CHERNOBYL OVER THE HORIZON RADAR The monster Woodpecker antennas are visible in Google Earth at 51 18 17 N, 30 04 E. The bigger of the two could probably be designated as HR(S) 30/10/0.2 (compare with VOA Delano's HRS 12/6/0.5 ...) The Woodpecker is one of the high-power Soviet OTH (over-the-horizon) radars which operated near Chernobyl (Ukraine) during the years 1976-1986 and which used the pulse frequency of 10 Hz. For more info: The Woody Woodpecker Story, Pt3 by Väinö Lehtoranta. (I just completed its translation into English): http://www.voacap.com/documents/woody_woodpecker_story_pt3_VKL.pdf (Jari Perkiömäki, OH6BG, shortwavesites yg via DXLD) I think it was Bob Thomann of SSS who always used to call it ``Woody Woodpecker``, but for most it was just ``The Woodpecker`` (gh, DXLD) DIGITAL BROADCASTING ++++++++++++++++++++ DRM PROMOTION FROM THOMSON http://www.thomson.net [see also INDIA] DRM in Africa. Broadcasters welcome new DRM Technology. Broadcasters from across Africa gathered in Rwandan capital Kigali beginning of December to propose new plans for the transition to digital for their hundreds of millions of listeners. Co-hosted by Rwanda's broadcaster ORINFOR and Germany's official voice to the outside world, the Deutsche Welle (DW), the first-ever Pan-African Conference on Digital Radio Mondiale (DRM) included special DRM test transmissions as well as a wide variety of lectures from various representatives from large international broadcasters and the transmitter industry. "The conference is mainly for African broadcasters," said Peter Senger of DW. Senger is also chairman of the DRM consortium. "The ones coming in from overseas will be there to explain the benefits of this technology." Live DRM Transmissions on 26 MHz. In cooperation with DW, Thomson Broadcast & Multimedia provided test equipment and a specialized transmitter engineer for around-the-clock DRM pilot transmissions on 26 MHz DRM low power shortwave. The use of DRM in the 26 MHz shortwave band is an interesting option for local broadcasting, especially for broadcasters with limited space within the existing network or for those who wish to transmit a digital service without impairing the existing one. This under-used band is available for transmissions on DRM standard since 2004. The 26 MHz test system for the Pan-African Conference was installed at the DW Kigali shortwave relay station. Each of the delegates was presented with a Hong-Kong assembled digital radio receiver from the company Himalaya to listen to the special broadcast. "They'll be hearing for the first time digital shortwave with FM quality", said Senger. The receivers were sponsored by the Society for the Development of Democracy and Human Rights. New DRM Receivers. "The receivers are more like computers than radios, and have a little display screen overwhich someone can read the news headlines. Listeners can also see the name of our station on the screen," reported Senger. "Audio can be stored on a memory card. It offers completely new opportunities for schools and universities in Africa. Educational programs can be stored, played back later, discussed and analyzed. It also incorporates an MP3 recorder and can store 100 hours of Podcasts." Excellent Reception. Equipped with a DRM World Traveller together with DREAM software and a Himalaya DRM 2009 receiver, Thomson and DW engineers drove around the vicinity of Kigali to verify the quality of reception at different sites. Receiver antennas included an active antenna set as well as the wire delivered together with the World Traveller. The Thomson transmitter was broadcasting on 25.740 MHz with 80 Watt DRM mean power and using a provisional omni-directional antenna. The DRM signal provided good reception up to 13 km beeline from the transmitter site with an excellent SNR of around 25 dB. The average MER (Modulation Error Rate) of the transmitter was around 38 dB, which is well above the DRM minimum requirement of 30 dB. Regional Digital Broadcasting. The 26 MHz band is a 430 kHz wide broadcast service band divided into forty-two 10 kHz channels with an average of 20 frequencies for the same geographical area, depending on transmitter power class. Thus, depending on quality and number of programs per frequency, 20 to 80 programs can be transmitted to the same geographical area in audio quality comparable to FM. Unlike FM coverage, the relatively low-cost DRM shortwave coverage is not limited to line-of-sight. A 10 kHz channel provides FM-mono or parametric stereo audio quality. As the 26 MHz band is mostly vacant, it should be relatively easy to use double channel bandwidths (20 kHz) instead of the standard 10 kHz single channels. The doublechannel mode would provide more capacity and hence flexibility in terms of services and audio configurations. The use of SFN (Single Frequency Network) would enable coverage of an even wider area with lower power transmitters than if a single transmitter were to be used. This new option allows broadcasters to maintain own editorial and technical control while augmenting services to reach a large number of listeners. In addition, the coverage of the same area with DRM on 26 MHz is reportedly cheaper than with FM. New opportunity for Broadcasters in Africa. The introduction of DRM comes to Africa, the world's so-called "radio continent", at a time when the popularity of local stations is growing rapidly. With the expansion of de-regulation in many countries, the private broadcast sector is also a fast growing market. 26 MHz DRM offers more spectrum for local broadcasts than is presently available. DRM could also be a saving for the entire African continent. Whenever and wherever data need to be delivered to a whole country or a region, DRM is the most economical way to do it. Also, digital radio transmitters reportedly use 50 percent less energy than analog ones. Rwanda, Nigeria and South Africa used the conference as a platform to launch their respective national DRM projects and Thomson is delivering fully DRM equipped transmitters to broadcasters in Sudan, South Africa and Nigeria. Even though the price of DRM receivers is still far beyond the reach of most of Africa's 800-million population, it is predicted that the price will come down considerably, depending on how quickly the market develops. Winning Africa's broadcasters to DRM would clearly play a role in bringing down receiver prices. The response to the conference was encouraging. A second conference has already been planned in Mozambique for 2007. 26 MHz is an exceptionally low-cost method to introduce DRM technology into densely populated areas and make it known to large sectors of the population. Editorial. As the story goes, radio became a sound medium on Christmas Eve in 1906, when Reginald Fessenden used an alternator transmitter to send a voice and music to shipboard operators. A hundred years later, thanks to the joint efforts of the manufacturers, retailers and broadcasters, the digital vision has become a reality for AM broadcasting under the brand name of DRM. There are currently over 30 broadcasters transmitting DRM content, totalling over 750 broadcast hours per day. When discussing the exciting new possibilities offered by DRM, the key question put to me regularly is about the availability and cost of DRM receivers. End of 2006, the digital radio technology company "RadioScape" announced the availability of the award winning RS500 module, which provides reception for DAB (Band-11 & L-Band), DRM (LW, MW & SW), FM-RDS AM (LW, MW & SW). The new technology from RadioScape ensures that DRM integrates seamlessly with DAB. Users will not have to be concerned with having to know which technology or frequency to tune in to. They simply select the station name just as they do for FM or DAB today. Several other receiver companies are also working on new models and we hope that listeners worldwide will soon have a wide choice of DRM receivers. A main factor will be the cost of the receivers that are replacing the three billion analogue ones in the world today. Winning large audiences as in Africa, India or China, would clearly boost consumer demand and help to bring down prices. New Antenna System for 26 MHz DRM Broadcasting. Cost-Efficient Design for Local Coverage. Broadcasters are showing increased interest in low power DRM transmisssion systems in the 26 MHz band as a cost-efficient, high quality alternative for local coverage. As opposed to customary international shortwave using sky wave propagation, the 26 MHz system relies on "direct wave" propagation. This "free-space propagation" phenomenon is comparable to the situation in VHF range. In the Radio News of Spring 2006, we discussed directive antennas with tilted main lobes in connection with 26 MHz low power DRM shortwave broadcasting. By nature, these antenna systems call for rather extensive use of dipoles and a complex RF feed-system. Such a complex system could prove to be disproportionate to the relatively low-cost, low power transmitters. To extend the low power product range by a cost efFcient, robust new component, which is easy to install, easy to put into operation and easy to maintain, Thomson has now designed an omnidirectional 26 MHz antenna for a transmitter peak power up to 40 kW. This new antenna design offers broadcasters quite the same advantages as the well-known Thomson Rigid Array Antenna Technology, like high performance, low life cycle costs and low cost of ownership. To insure maximum reliability, the construction is completely rigid, statically grounded (lightning protection) and does not have insulators in structural parts. The monopole antenna with ground radials can be installed on the top of a tower or building. Its polarization is vertical and its radiation characteristic is omnidirectional. Another significant advantage of this highly specific antenna design is the fact that tuning is done without any capacitors and coils. This feature also further increases the robustness and reliability. Schematic Drawing of Thomson Low Power 26 MHz DRM Antenna (left side) and a CAD drawing (right side) illustrating a possible roof- installation. Impedance Curve for the Frequency Range 25.6 MHz to 26.1 MHz; Omni- directional antenna, 50 ohms, VSWRmax 1.173 at 26.10 MHz Thomson Broadcast & Multimedia AG, Spinnereistrasse 5 CH-5300 Turgi - Switzerland Tel : +41 (0)56 299 22 10 Fax: +41 (0)56 28811 25 info @ thomson-bm.ch Thomson Broadcast & Multimedia SA 1, rue de I'Hautil F-78702 Conflans Ste. Honorine - France Tel: +33 (0)134 90 31 00 Fax: +33 (0)134 90 30 00 info @ thomson-bm.com Thomson Broadcast & Multimedia GmbH, Carl-Benz Strasse 6-8 D-67105 Schifferstadt - Germany Tel: +49 (0)6235 92 50 300 Fax: +49 (0)6235 92 50 330 info @ thomson-bm.de (Thomson Radio News #25, Thomson Broadcast & Multimedia AG, Winter 2005 via BCDX Feb 25 via DXLD) Recent registrations DRM on 26 MHz 25700 0000 2400 27N RMP 1 0 G MNO MER 25700 0000 2400 28 SOF 5 0 BUL RBU BUL 25720 0000 2400 28 SMG 1 0 VAR.LANG. CVA VAT VAT 25750 0000 2400 28 SOF 5 0 BUL NEW BUL 25765 0000 2400 27 ISS 1 0 F NEW TDF 25775 0000 2400 27 ISS 1 0 F NEW TDF 25795 0000 2400 27SE JUN 1 0 ENGLISH LUX BCE BCE 25800 0000 2400 27N SKN 1 0 G MNO MER 25800 0000 2400 28 SOF 5 0 BUL RBU BUL 25805 0000 2400 27SE JUN 1 0 ENGLISH LUX BCE BCE 25825 0000 2400 28 NAU 1 0 D NEW FNA 25850 0000 2400 28 SOF 5 0 BUL NEW BUL 25900 0000 2400 28 SOF 5 0 BUL RBU BUL 25950 0000 2400 28 SOF 5 0 BUL NEW BUL 25980 0000 2400 28 SMG 1 0 VAR.LANG. CVA VAT VAT 26000 0000 2400 27N RMP 1 0 G NEW MER 26000 0000 2400 28 SOF 5 0 BUL RBU BUL 26010 0000 2400 28 MUN 1 0 D NEW FNA 26020 0000 2400 28 BLN 1 0 D NEW FNA 26040 0000 2400 27N RMP 1 0 G MNO MER 26045 0000 2400 28 NAU 1 0 D NEW FNA 26060 0000 2400 28 SMG 1 0 VAR.LANG. CVA VAT VAT 26060 0000 2400 28 MUN 1 0 D NEW FNA 26080 0000 2400 27N RMP 1 0 G NEW MER (via BCDX Feb 25 via DXLD) PROPAGATION +++++++++++ ANTIPODAL TARGET VIA SHORTWAVE During an interview on "Ask WWCR" an off-hand remark regarding the HFCC caught my attention and caused me to pull my globe off the shelf and think. The gentleman from HCJB who was being interviewed mentioned that they try to co-ordinate not only in their target area but also in their antipodal area. I had never really thought about it from a transmission perspective (only from a reception perspective) but there is a place where an antenna always points, no matter what direction the antenna is pointed. It's the antipode, the place on the exact opposite side of the globe. We all have an antipode, mine is in the southern Indian Ocean. No transmitters there. But there are a few places that are interesting because of their location opposite transmitter locations. Of course there is a long path to overcome, 12500 miles, but it is in the main beam every time. Back to the example of HCJB, Quito's antipode is near Singapore. Northern South America is favorably placed in relation to Indonesia, but there aren't very many directional transmitters in the area. What looks like the most obvious example is south-western Europe and New Zealand. Assuming a bit of beam spreading at the target 12,500 miles away a transmission from Noblejas would be aimed at central New Zealand every time. Assuming a bit more beam spread and transmissions from Portugal and Morocco could be included. Even Rampisham, Issoudun and Wertachtal might be included. Not to take anything away from Mr Cushen but it looks like he was in the right place to DX (Jerry Lenamon, Waco, Feb 25, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) ###