WORLD OF RADIO #1259, produced January 5, 2005 by Glenn Hauser

[for full credits please listen to the program or consult recent DX
 Listening Digests]

*Time changes on WBCQ: fewer airings of WOR. Mon-Fri 2200 on 9330 now
 with Jean Shepherd; nor Sat 2130 on 17495; WOR on WBCQ now: Wed 2300
 7415, Thu 0000 17495-CUSB, Sun & Mon 0400 9330-CLSB, Mon 0530 7415
*See DX Listening Digest at http://www.worldofradio.com to read all
 about the tsunami aftermath, radio-related
*R. Minivan, for Maldives, stepped up to a new program every day, to
 get info to outlying islands; 1600-1700 on 11810 via Germany; audio
 at website: http://radio.minivannews.com [launches automatically]
*Democracy Now interviewed Maldivian and Sri Lankan ambassadors to
 UN, Bernard Goonetilleke, any relation to Victor?
 http://www.democracynow.org/article.pl?sid=04/12/28/1511216
*Sarath Weerakoon, another Sri Lankan DXer, has been managing a bank
 in the Maldives, survived by going to a higher floor
*Victor Goonetilleke and family also OK, and as president of the ham
 radio society of SL, went into action establishing emergency
 communications
*Deutsche Welle`s Trincomalee relay on the northeast coast was not
 damaged by tsunami, a bit inland, but not sure if all staff OK
*SW normal, but on Jan 5, no signal from DW MW relay on 1548
*SLBC heard in NH on 9770 from 1227, weaker than usual; see SLBC
 website for aid info, and live audio from Sinhala and Tamil services,
 http://www.slbc.lk -- unsure if there are any English segments
*All India Radio: http://allindiaradio.org/Tsunami.htm
*DX organizations prompting aid contributions, including
 http://www.a-dx.com
*Chennai, hardest-hit city in India, is on 4920, heard at 1650 with
 funereal sitar music
*But on New Year`s Eve, at 1439, AIR 10330 had comedy program; arrival
 of new year a non-event at 1830 on 9425
*CODAR, ocean wave radars, with annoying swish-swish sounds on SW,
 might well have helped warn of tsunamis if they were in South Asia
*Ham radio vital means of communication covered by http://www.arrl.org
*FCC OKs third-party traffic in emergencies, but other countries need
 to do the same; too much health & welfare traffic to handle
*AIR Port Blair, Andaman & Nicobar Islands, 4760, continued on air
 later than usual to 1835 with contact shows
*A DXpedition on Andamans quickly turned to emergency communications
 http://sify.com/news/fullstory.php?id=13640455
 http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn/A41861-2005Jan2?language=printer
 http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/orl-asectsunamiham01010105jan01,1,6937775,print.story?coll=orl-news-headlines
*Myanmar would not allow the foreign press in to assess damage
*Some SW stations failed even to mention the tsunami, Radio Thailand
 and Voice of Indonesia --- running old recorded news?
*Sound of Hope, clandestine for China, mentioned in 1258: KVTO is a
 US callsign, the originating station in California on 1400
*VOA, Poro Point, Philippines, megawatt MW, moved from 1143 to 1170 as
 of Jan 1; to avoid Chinese interference, but they will put on another
 station to block it, and there is already a 500 kW South Korean there
*VOA`s new 1170 heard in Denmark, in clear 1600-1700* UT
*Talk to America with Kim Andrew Elliott was Dec 31, not Jan 1,
 contrary to erroneous info I gave last time; if you missed it, audio
 archive at http://www.mediazoo.co.uk and at http://www.voanews.com
*Pakistan Daily Times says VOA lost all eight FM relay stations in
 Pakistan Jan 1, six months before contract expiry
*RFE/RL to be renamed this year as Radio Liberty International
*Radio Free Asia has new QSL card marking Year of the Rooster for
 reports since Jan 1, for at least two months
*Voice of WWV, Marty Edwards, passed away, but his voice may live on
*WWV/WWVH appreciation site: http://www.geocities.com/radiojunkie3
*Time services by phone going out of fashion in Nashville, Flint
*Brother Stair detractors, http://www.thenetteam.net carry Walterboro
 newspaper story from Nov 30 about another court appearance; pleaded
 guilty to assault & battery, reduced from high-and-aggravated, and
 sentenced to time already served in plea agreement; but still pending
 are a dozen breach of trust and misdemeanor charges
*Standard disclaimer
*The media magazine your monitor with your mind, World of Radio 1259,
 woradio at yahoo.com or P O Box 1684, Enid, OK 73702, USA
*Thanks this week for financial support via PayPal go to Steven 
 Zimmerman in Milwaukee
*Exotic Mexican indigenous MW stations audible, such as XEETCH, 700,
 Etchojoa, Sonora, *1300 to 1420 fade, heard in San Francisco
*Another LA station on 6010 is back, Radio Inconfidencia, Brasil,
 heard at 0455
*R. Guaiba, Porto Alegre, Brazil, heard on 6720, mix of 6000 and MW
 720; some Brazilians found this hard to believe, but confirmed. Also
 reported on 6020, maybe a typo
*Brazilian reactivated on 19m, Radio Gazeta, Sao Paulo on 15325 at
 1837, but just relaying Radio Cancao Nova religious net
*Western Sahara clandestine on 7460 is back after a few weeks, also
 heard on 1550 at 2335 in Spanish; 2108 in Arabic. In Europe, QRM
 on 7460 after 2100 from RFA Korean, jamming, but clear at 0715
*Bamako, Mali, varies 4783-4787, but heard Jan 3 at 2030-2210 with
 same program on both 4784 and 4787, one presumably ex-4835 
*News in English from Benin on 5025, Sunday at 2035, but jammed
*V. of Nigeria on 7275 instead of 7255 at 1700 news in English
*Central African Republic appeared on 9590, 1700-2300, Radio
 Centrafrique, with audio problems. Unlikely direct. Africa Number
 One Gabon, 9580 was stronger tho 9590 sounded stronger due to
 modulation. Relay from Gabon? Or as reported, via 500 kW Issoudun,
 France? To counter opposition station Radio Ndeke Luka, on SW
*ZNBC Radio Two, Zambia on new 4500, news in English 0400, 2200,
 widely heard on clear frequency, not // other service on 4910;
 apparently ex-6165 which clashed with Chad
*In 1258, I omitted frequency for V. of Eritrean People, Sun 1730-1830
 via UK: 13690 [tho it was in the 1258 summary]
*V. of Delina, new clandestine for Eritrea, in Tigrigna, Sat 1500-1600
 on 15650; address in Cerritos, California 
 http://dmsi.delina.org/Notices/n041223.html  Same frequency after 
 1600 with Christian Voice to Nigeria, presumably via Bulgaria
*Egyptian media minister announces cut of languages at Radio Cairo
 from 35 to 11 [but when, exactly?]
*V. of Africa, Libya, replied to report with tourism CD-ROM ``Welcome
 to Libya``
*R. Prague has new QSL cards for 2005, visible at
 http://www.radio.cz/en/html/qsl2005.html
*R. Belarus, new 7440 at 2000-2300, Minsk, 250 kW beamed due west, //
 7105 7340, presumably incluindg non-daily English
*Rai website says Prato Smeraldo, Italy, SW transmitter site land is
 for sale; planning to move or close?
*Italian on 4509 is third harmonic of 1503, Tele Radio Stereo, Rome,
 heard in Europe
*Radio Malaisi, another Italian pirate on 6310 heard until 0100* as
 far as New York
*On almost the same, 6310.2, Kurdish clandestine at 1724-1920, 1547,
 1358, 0600; ID seems to be Radio Roja, meaning Sun, significant in
 Kurdish identity; also a Roj TV in Denmark
*RNZI on summer vacation, just relaying National Radio until Jan 17;
 but I heard Fox Sports from LA/San Diego relayed Dec 23 around 1500
 [on 9870]. That NZ network co-owned by Clear Channel and Murdoch, and
 RNZI relays it at other times for cricket
*Radio Heritage Foundation has new site http://www.radioheritage.net 
 with lots of historical info on broadcasting in the Pacific
*Guerrilla Radio, WSQT, 1680 in Washington DC, urges massive protests
 in the week leading up to Bush inauguration, See
 http://www.turnyourbackonbush.org and http://www.redefeatbush.com
*WD2XXM 1670, experimental in Maryland testing IBOC hybrid with analog
*Propagation outlook from Boulder Jan 4; flux range 85-100
*Wishing you a great 2005, I`m Glenn Hauser, concluding World of Radio
 1259 and inviting you to hear me again next week ###