WORLD OF RADIO #1215, produced January 7, 2004 by Glenn Hauser

*Standard disclaimer
*We`re back on SIU Edwardsville Web Radio at a different time, Mondays
 10 pm CT = UT Tue 0400; followed half an hour later by Continent of
 Media alternating with Mundo Radial http://www.siue.edu/WEBRADIO/
*2004 brings many changes at World Radio Network, including our time
 to North America, Sundays 1500 UT changed to 1100; if listeners find
 this inconvenient, they may tell WRN so. But that may put us on some
 overnight relayers, such as KSFC [91.9] Spokane WA, 3 am Pacific on
 Sundays [and WDWN 89.1 Auburn NY, 6 am Eastern]. Let us know if you
 are hearing us there. Also gone from Sun 0530 UT to Europe; but still
 on WRN Sat 0900 to most of the world except North America
*RTE Ireland greatly increased time on WRN, 2-hour program thrice
 daily at 1400, 1900, 2200 UT [correxion: 1400-1500, 1900-1930 and
 2200-2230!]; R. Romania International added, at 1600 and 2230. RCI,
 RA and DW considerably reduced via WRN
*Hawaii`s 690, KORL, converts from R. Disney to Japanese format, ex-
 KJPN 1370
*HCJB Australia added Hindi, adjusted English, now: 0800-1100 11750
 still to Pacific; 1415-1730 on new 15405 to S Asia; DX Partyline Sat
 0830, 1430
*Another Papua New Guinea station off the air for failing to pay
 electricity bill, R. West New Britain, 3235; had been heard as
 recently as January 1:
*One of numerous stations logged by Sam Dellitt on DXpedition in
 Queensland; much more of his report in DXLD 4-003 at
 http://www.worldofradio.com
*Classical music tests from China on numerous SW frequencies, not
 heard since Dec. 24; either off, or into regular service as jammers
 from site in extreme western China, Kashi, further west than New
 Delhi and further south than Ankara or Madrid
*Mongolia on 12085 for English at 1000
*Iran`s English and German to Europe discontinued in late December,
 but another English broadcast still heard in Jan, 1030 on 15480,
 15550, plus Arabic, Turkish, Urdu
*V. of Iraq, 1179 kHz in Baghdad, http://www.voiraq.com in Arabic,
 except for English hour about Islam at 1200
*Fundamental Broadcasting Network on the air in Baghdad with
 `briefcase` FM transmitter, per http://www.fbnradio.com -- also runs
 US SW stations WTJC, WBOH
*Website found for AFN Iraq, called Freedom Radio,
 http://www.vcorps.army.mil/www/CJTF7/afniraq
 with aquiline logo surrounded by flags of some 50 countries; several
 FM transmitters of 1 kW or less; phone number is area code 914 =
 Westchester County, NY. A cellphone with roaming capability, via
 towers in Baghdad
*Galei Tsahal, Israeli Defence Forces on 6973 gives transmitter site
 as 20 km SE of Tel Aviv, so near Lod, not same site as Kol Israel
*One Kol Israel site, the Hillel Station, closed the MW transmitters
 on 576 and 738 Jan 1, already out of use; one 100 kW SW transmitter
 closed, but a 500 kW remains in use
*Cutbacks in Israeli international SW not as severe as expected; still
 Romanian, Spanish, Yiddish, Persian, Russian, Ladino, French, Arabic,
 English, Hebrew. See DXLD 4-002 for complete new schedule, including
 English: 0500-0515 on 6280, 7545, 17600; 1110-1120 15640, 17535; 1800
 -1815 11585, 15640; 2000-2025 6280, 11585, 15640
*Norway`s SW transmitters indeed closed down December 31; recording
 by Samuel Cassio of final R. Denmark broadcast at 2230 on 7560
*Goodbye, R. Denmark, one of the first SW stations I heard when I
 started in 1957 --- but this was not actually the last broadcast, as
 they ran one more hour by mistake
*See DXLD 4-004 for first-hand report on closure of Norwegian SW
 transmitters. Still powered in ``black heating`` mode so they remain
 operational in case somebody interested in leasing lots of airtime
 or moving them to other sites. Staff reduced from 13 to 5 until Feb
*Another major closedown last week was the Holzkirchen, Germany site
 used by IBB for VOA and RFE/Radio Liberty, see DXLD 3-235 for a
 German story, `No more Ukrainian coming out of our washing machines`
*Also two summaries of how each Holzkirchen transmission has been
 deleted or replaced [DXLD 3-235, 4-001]
*DX Listening Digest, online, offers a tremendous archive of info
 about SW and other media, if you know how to use a search engine.
 235 issues published in 2003, that`s an average of 4 or 5 per week,
 each about 100k, all freely available via http://worldofradio.com
*This is World of Radio No. 1215, wghauser at yahoo.com or woradio
 at yahoo.com or P O Box 1684, Enid, OK 73702 USA
*Our thanks this week for financial support, via PayPal, go to
 Steven Zimmerman
*V. of Croatia via Germany moved one of two transmitters on 9470, to
 13820, the one for Australia at 0600-1000, clashing with China until
 0800; the other 9470 toward New Zealand remains, until 0800
*R. Tre, Italy, heard relayed on 6310 over the holidays, 0200-0415,
 but that legal FM station on 100.3 will not QSL, saying it has no 
 connexion with the SW frequency; speculation about why this happens
*BBCWS announcer John Stone had a stroke in February 2000 and is no
 longer heard; story about his coping with recovering:
 http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,8123-892676,00.html
*Hopes that V. of Mediterranean, Malta might continue were fruitless.
 It did go off the air, since renewed Libyan support not officially
 forthcoming
*V. of Nigeria again heard since December 31, and more or less
 regular schedule from January 3, on 11770, 15120, [and 17800];
 worker once called it `epileptic`
*Optimum time of year for North Americans to hear V. of Biafra
 International, clandestine from South Africa to Nigeria, Saturdays
 only until 2159 on 7380, mostly in English, very anti-Lagos
*Expanded schedule of Sudan Radio Service, via UK, 1500-1700 on 15530
 announced addition of 0300-0500 on 9625, bad news for CBC Northern
*V. of Ethiopia, English at 1600 on 9561.4, heard in California via
 longpath
*South Africa`s Catholic station R. Veritas, resumes Jan. 11, 1000-
 1400 daily on 7240, 100 kW Meyerton
*R. Italia is new X-bander in Buenos Aires province, on 1620
*R. Uncia, new Bolivian on 4722.9, made quite a splash in December,
 but not heard as of January 1 at 0000 or 0950
*R. Ilucan, Peru, 5678, also has MW harmonic on 4260.42, heard as
 far away as Tokyo at 1050
*Venezuelan timesignal station YVTO, Observatorio Cajigal,
 refurbished and back on 5000, heard at 0500, Spanish mixing with WWV
*TIUCR, R. Universidad de Costa Rica, back on 6105, heard midday in
 Florida, also evening 0035-0105; later at night heavy interference;
 I found website, showing they have a rate card
 http://cariari.ucr.ac.cr/~radioucr/radioucr/
*Another brief reactivation from XERTA, Mexico City on 4810v, January
 1-3, later heavy noise on frequency
*Farewell to a colleague, tho we hardly knew ye, David Barosoain, no
 longer host of AWR Wavescan due to budget cuts; now two or three new
 announcers
*WJIE ID again used instead of WJCR, so official change in effect?
 Rather good here around 1500 on 7490 relaying `Praise 95` from
 Florida
*WWRB to add 3200, 3220 or 3225, close to WWCR; Dave Frantz more
 interested in his avionics repair station at same site, doing better
 business than broadcasting
*WRIB, 1220, Providence, Rhode Island, doing a DX test every morning
 thru March, raising power to 1 kW nondirectional at 0755-0805 UT,
 perhaps adding Morse code IDs too; Spanish music format overnight
 http://www.wrib.com
*WKDK, 1240, Newberry, SC, doing a 3-minute DX test, Sunday January 11
 at 1057 UT, including code IDs
*KTNN, 660, Window Rock, AZ, heard well eastward around 0400,
 apparently not going diectional, country and Navajo music
*WGN, 720, Chicago turned off AM stereo; and cancelled its noon show
 with Orion Samuelson and Max Armstrong, to the distress of everyone
 in mid-America interested in agriculture, not just farmers
*Low power station in Washington DC on 1640, KJI955, seems to be
 coming from CIA HQ in Langley VA
*Propagation outlook from Boulder January 6: flux range 135-115
*And so we conclude another World of Radio; hope you`ve enjoyed it
 and will join me again next week. This was No. 1215, and I`m Glenn
 Hauser ###