DX LISTENING DIGEST 11-06, February 10, 2011
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 2011 contents archive see
http://www.worldofradio.com/dxldmid.html
Searchable 2010 contents archive see
http://www.worldofradio.com/dxldmid0.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
WORLD OF RADIO 1551 HEADLINES:
DX and station news on: Argentina vs Guam, Australia, Brazil, China,
Colombia, Congo DR, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Egypt, Eritrea, Ethiopia,
Greenland, Guinea, Iran, Kuwait, Laos, Madagascar, Micronesia, Oklahoma,
Pridnestrovye, Russia, Switzerland, Turkmenistan, UK, USA
SHORTWAVE AIRINGS OF WORLD OF RADIO 1551, February 10-16, 2011
Thu 1600 WRMI 9955 [confirmed]
Thu 2000 WBCQ 7415 [confirmed on webcast]
Thu 2200 WRMI 9955 [confirmed on webcast]
Fri 0430 WWRB 3185 [confirmed]
Fri 1530 WRMI 9955
Fri 2130 WWCR1 7465
Sat 0900 WRMI 9955
Sat 1500 WRMI 9955
Sat 1700 WWCR2 12160
Sat 1830 WRMI 9955
Sat 1900 IPAR/IRRS/NEXUS/IBA 6090
Sun 0730 WWCR1 3215
Sun 0900 WRMI 9955
Sun 1630 WRMI 9955
Sun 1830 WRMI 9955
Mon 1230 WRMI 9955
Mon 2230 WRMI 9955
Tue 1630 WRMI 9955
Tue 2000 WBCQ 7415
Wed 0200 WRMI 9955
Wed 1630 WRMI 9955
Wed 2000 WBCQ 7415
Thu 0430 WRMI 9955
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 or
http://schedule.worldofradio.org or http://sked.worldofradio.org
For updates see our Anomaly Alert page:
http://www.worldofradio.com/anomaly.html
WRN ON DEMAND:
http://193.42.152.193/listeners/stations/station.php?StationID=24
WORLD OF RADIO PODCASTS VIA WRN:
http://www.wrn.org/wrn-listeners/world-of-radio/
http://www.wrn.org/listeners/world-of-radio/rss/09:00:00UTC/English/541
OUR ONDEMAND AUDIO:
http://www.worldofradio.com/audiomid.html
or http://wor.worldofradio.org
DXLD YAHOOGROUP: Why wait for DXLD? A lot more info, not all of it
appearing in DXLD later, is posted at our yg without delay.
When applying, please identify yourself with your real name and
location, and say something about why you want to join. Those who do
not, unless I recognize them, will be prompted once to do so and no
action will be taken otherwise. Here`s where to sign up:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/dxld/
** AFRICA. Subsaharan Africa on SW: Africalist on
http://www.africalist.de.ms
has been updated on February 8!
(Thorsten Hallmann, Germany, Feb 8, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** ALBANIA. Radio Tirana webcast,
http://radiotirana.funkhaus.info:8000/
at 0215 just starting the English programme. It turns out it`s the
short version, then about 2 minutes of interval signal to 0230. 6130
was not on at this time or recheck at 0237. At 0230 the same programme
repeated until 0243 then, in parallel with 6130, about 2 minutes of
interval signal then the scheduled English programme.
Is this normal for the Radio Tirana webcast in the 0130-0500 period?
Does the 0130-0145 English programme get repeated every 15 minutes in
between the scheduled SW broadcasts until 0330? And does the 0330-0400
get repeated until 0500? Perhaps someone could check at a more
convenient local time for them than myself. Regards (Harry Brooks,
North East England, UK, Feb 6, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST)
I already recently reported that the half-hour English repeated on
webcast only at 0400 between the 0330 and 0430 repeats also on SW.
Have not checked out earlier in the evening, but long ago when this
first came to light, there were some repeats of the quarter-hours
(Glenn Hauser, DXLD)
** ALBANIA. QSL Recebido - Radio Tirana. Amigos da Lista, Saúde e Paz!
Hoje fiquei muito feliz com a chegada do correio de cartão QSL da
Rádio Tirana, engraçado que nunca havia tentado esta figurinha, pois
via comentários que eles eram mal pagadores de QSLs, enviei o Informe
sem muita esperança, mas confirmaram em menos de 30 dias o IR, e o
mais engraçado ainda que a Engenheira da emissora fica enchendo a
minha caixa de e-mail com aqueles spans, rsrsrsrs.
Coloquei a foto do mesmo no meu blog: http://www.sokapo.blogspot.com
73s a todos e boas escutas (Leônidas dos Santos Nascimento, São João
Evangelista - MG, 7 Feb, RX: Siemens RK 759, Antena: Long Wire 7
metros, radioescutas yg via DXLD)
** ALBANIA. [A-DX] Radio Tirana Hörer Klub: es gibt neue QSL Karten!
Hallo, Der Radio Tirana Hörer Klub hat wieder eine neue Serie von 4
Farb-QSL-Karten fertiggestellt und auf den Weg gebracht. Die 4 Motive
zeigen Impressionen von der Hörerreise im Mai vergangenen Jahres.
Mehr Info und Abbildungen hierzu auf der RTHK Web Site
http://www.agdx.de/rthk/
("Neuigkeiten", bzw. "Radio Tirana" / QSL" ...)
Viel Spaß! (Dr. Anton J. Kuchelmeister, Germany, Feb 3, A-DX via
Wolfgang Büschel, DXLD)
NEW RT QSL cards issued. Four new QSL cards issued today of Radio
Tirana Listeners Club Munich.
Mail of Dr. Anton J. Kuchelmeister DK5TL
see
http://www.agdx.de/rthk/html/farbqsl-serie_g.html
and enjoy the various photo pages too, like
http://www.agdx.de/rthk/html/redaktionen.html
http://www.agdx.de/rthk/html/funkhaus.html
http://www.agdx.de/rthk/html/sendeanlagen.html
regards de (Wolfy df5sx Büschel, via DX LISTENING DIGEST) Proxy
** ALGERIA [non]. Subject: [radioescutas] Algerienne Holy Qur'an
Gostaria de saber se alguém teria informações de contato com a Rádio
Algerienne Holy Qur'an, que transmite de issoudun, na França. Já estou
com o Informe de recepção pronto, só não consegui achar o endereço.
73, (Diego Braga de Morais, PY1002SWL, Bom Jesus do Itabapoana-RJ,
GG98du, RX: Degen DE1103 e NKS AC-126, Antena: PA0RDT e "Marconi"
23Metros, 3 Feb, radioescutas yg via DXLD)
Olá Diego, De acordo com o British DX Club:
``RADIO ALGÉRIENNE
Radio Algérienne is part of Entreprise Nationale De Radiodiffusion
Sonore (ENRS). Shortwave transmissions currently consist of relays of
Algerian radio's home service in Arabic for listeners in North Africa
and the Sahel.
Address: Radio Algérienne, 21 Boulevard des Martyrs, Algiers, Algeria.
Web: http;//www.radioalgerie.dz
Transmitter Site: Issoudun, France - 500 kW
HOLY QUR'AN SERVICE
Times/UTC Days Lang. Target Freq/kHz
0400-0500 Daily Arabic North Africa/Sahel 5865
0500-0600 Daily Arabic North Africa/Sahel 5865 7295
0600-0700 Daily Arabic North Africa/Sahel 5865(7295 from 27 Feb 2011)
1800-1900 Daily Arabic North Africa/Sahel 9390
1900-2000 Daily Arabic North Africa/Sahel 7455 9390
2000-2100 Daily Arabic North Africa/Sahel 7455
2100-2200 Daily Arabic North Africa/Sahel 5865 7455(9390 from 27 Feb)
Radio Algérienne's own shortwave transmitters were last reported in
late 2000. In 2003, Bassil Ahmad Zoubi of the Arab States Broadcasting
Union confirmed that Algiers had ceased shortwave broadcasts of their
own "until further notice" because of technical problems, according to
a HFCC Report by Jeff White in a NASB Newsletter of that year.
In early 2006 Radio Algérienne signed a contract with VT
Communications for its "Holy Qur'an" service to be relayed via
shortwave transmitter sites in the UK (and later Sines, Portugal). At
the same time, Radio Algerienne was also occasionally relayed via TDF
Issoudun in France. TDF relays of Radio Algérienne became permanent in
October 2008 and VTC relays were discontinued in December 2008.
Speaking at a seminar on the future of radio in early March 2009, the
Algerian Secretary of State for Communications and former director of
Algerian Radio, Azzedine Mihoubi said "For radio, our strategy is to
provide multiple applications and usages in a multi-media environment.
Radio will benefit from a national FM network with some 300
retransmitters to fill shadow zones, and the installation of an
international centre for shortwave broadcasting" (Radio World April
2009 issue via BDXC Communication)``
Eu já enviei relatório de recepção a esta emissora, mas até o momento,
sem resposta. Boa sorte. Forte 73 (Fabricio Andrade Silva, PP5002SWL
Tubarão - SC, radioescutas yg via DXLD)
** ANTARCTICA. 15476, a perfunctory check for LRA36, missing now for
three months, Feb 10 at 1335 --- nothing. I am still waiting for a
reply to my e-mail inquiry in January. Lúcio Otávio Bobrowiec in São
Paulo is also checking for it periodically (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX
LISTENING DIGEST)
Our contributor Marcelo Caneva in Eldorado called base Esperanza some
days ago; broadcasting will be resumed on February 25 (Roberto
Scaglione, http://www.bclnews.it dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** ANTARCTICA [non]. La Antártida argentina recepcionada en la Zona
ártica finlandesa --- Y en la onda media, no en la onda corta, ya que
se trata de la que se llama "AM 1310 Radio Antártida argentina", y que
emite programas de tango y de basquet en horario algo irregular. De
cualquier manera es una buenísima escucha. Autor: Jan-Erik Österholm.
Lugar: En la ya legendaria cabaña expedicionario de Lemmenjoki,
Finlandia. Epoca: pocos días atrás, es decir en pleno invierno, con un
manto de nieve de casi un metro de espesor. Para cotejar la grabación
enviada por Jan-Erik con la de la red, se necesitaba algo de
paciencia. La guarida de esa "trucha" sigue siendo una incógnita ya
que dice que transmite "desde el aire". Así empieza en todo caso su
identificación cada hora sobre la hora. Por la lista tan útil de
Luciano Gentile, sin actualizar desde hace dos años, se dice que es el
partido de José C. Paz. ?Alguien sabe más? Saludos desde el
invernadero escandinavo, (Henrik Klemetz (Suecia), Feb 6, condiglist
yg via DXLD)
Estimado Henrik: Esta emisora se denominaba hasta hace un tiempo atrás
"la radio que no tiene nombre". Ahora, mientras te escribo este
correo, la estoy escuchando con excelente recepción. Se identifica
como "Radiodifusora Antártida Argentina" y su slogan es "la radio con
nombre propio".- Te cuento una curiosidad: en estos momentos estoy
ubicado a tan sólo cuatrocientos metros de esta emisora ya que estoy
en la casa de mi pareja, Carolina, en el porteño barrio de Parque
Chacabuco. La radio tiene QTH en la Avenida José María Moreno 1443 de
esta Ciudad autónoma de Bs As. Nosotros estamos ahora en Saraza y Jose
María Moreno (al 1900).
Mientras me tomo un vino tinto y espero los ravioles del domingo estoy
escuchando una hermosa selección de tangos y milongas de los años
dorados de nuestra música ciudadana (los años 40 y 50) con lo mejor de
las orquestas típicas rioplatenses. Su página web (no actualizada con
el nuevo nombre) es
http://www.radioam1310.com.ar
La captación del colega Jan-Erik Österholm es, sencillamente,
fabulosa. Pero ojo --- la estación es, y dispénsame el neologismo y
argentinismo, "recontratrucha" por lo cual es imposible visitar la
emisora. Yo le recomendaría al colega mandar un informe por vía postal
tradicional al QTH que antes te mencioné. 73 (Arnaldo Slaen, ibid.)
Gracias Arnaldo por ubicarme esa radio. Es muy importante ese dato.
Sí, tanto "Juanito" (Jan-Erik) como yo nos dimos cuenta que ya tiene
nombre, que antes no lo tenía, solo AM1310. Un abrazo, (Henrik, ibid.)
Pero el QTH no es Antártida (Polo Sur), sino Buenos Aires. El nombre
es engañoso (Horacio A. Nigro, Montevideo, Uruguay, ibid.)
Luciano Gentile dice "José C. Paz" en su lista. Por internet consulté
las páginas de LZP Radio y Super 8 deportivo, y no sabía si era la CF
o el ptdo. José C. Paz. Al entrar a su página también saqué la
conclusión de que 'no tenía nombre' cuando era simple "trucha",
llamándose "AM1310" a secas, y ahora que es "recontratrucha" , sí
'tiene nombre propio', un nombre engañoso por cierto.
Curiosamente, el WRTH 2011 resulta coincidir con los datos del colega
Arnaldo, pero siempre convenía preguntar a la lista antes. Son
frecuentes los errores del magistral libro cuando se cotejan los
audios que recibo con los datos consignados en él. Un abrazo, (Henrik,
ibid.)
** ARGENTINA. 11710.87, RAE, General Pacheco. 0034 February 2, 2011.
Portuguese with female, slightly drifting. Clear and fair (Terry L
Krueger, Clearwater, Florida USA 27.55.83 N, 82.46.08 W, dxldyg via DX
LISTENING DIGEST)
** ARGENTINA. 6060, R. Nacional, General Pacheco, 2203-2240, 06 Feb,
Castilian, talk prgr, interviews, Argentinian music; 43432, adj. & co-
ch. (Brazil) QRM; \\ 15345.2 vy. good.
11710.7 RAE, General Pacheco, 1253-1328, 07 Feb, Castilian,
Argentinian music, history prgr; 24432, adj. QRM (Carlos Gonçalves,
Portugal, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** ARGENTINA [and non]. 13363.5, Fuerzas Armadas Argentinas, B. Aires
site, 2232-2315, 06 Feb, Castilian/relay of some [UNID] local station,
football match report Independiente vs. (?), advertisements, news at
2302; 25443 (Carlos Gonçalves, Portugal, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
13362(USB), GUAM. AFRTS (Barrigada), 2225-2235, 2/8/2011, English. Man
and woman with NPR programming. News at 2230. Poor signal with strong
interference from Argentine feeder on 13.363.55 (LSB). Stronger
parallels noted from Saddlebunch Key (5446.5, 7811, 12133.5).
13363.55(LSB), ARGENTINA. Argentine Feeder, 2225-2405, 2/8/2011,
Spanish. Argentine ballad music with a couple attempts at rap.
Occasional announcements by a man with mention of Buenos Aires.
Disappeared in mid sentence at 2242. Poor signal at first, quickly
becoming stronger after 2230. Recheck at 2301 found them back, very
strong, with talk by a man over/around music, possibly news. Music
returned at 2305. Disappeared again at 2405. Unable to determine the
station being relayed, or the location of the feeder transmitter (Jim
Evans, Germantown, TN, IC-R75, RX-340, E1, ICF-SW7600G, G6, Random
Wire, ALA100M Loops, WORLD OF RADIO 1551, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** AUSTRALIA [and non]. Week in Review: Hi Glenn, Not much of a week.
120M Aussies weak except for 2/4 when reception was very good with
wires finally unfrozen. Right now it's snowing again with 2-3 inches
predicted (Bill, W1OW, Smith, MA, Feb 8, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
2368.5, Radio Symban, randomly from 1311 to 1512, Feb 6. Coverage of a
sporting event; noise of fans in the background sounded to be in
Greek; poor, but strong enough to punch through the noise.
3210, Nameless station (per DXLD 11-05) (very tentative), Feb 6. Have
been checking on this low powered station for a while now; usually
only hear a very faint carrier (some days not even that), but today at
1307 heard a much stronger open carrier; a check at 1410 found audio
of a woman talking; too weak to ID language; later hear a man talking
and then woman again; no real details, but this was my first audio
here, so I am encouraged to continue to monitor this. Today had
outstanding propagation, with R. Symban also being heard (Ron Howard,
Asilomar State Beach, CA, Etón E1, dxldyg via WORLD OF RADIO 1551, DX
LISTENING DIGEST)
** AUSTRALIA. 9590, R Australia in English with "Sunday Evening". I
had no intention of listening so long, but they had a really
fascinating long format interview with a former Scottish Episcopal
minister Richard Holloway talking about the state of religion in
today's world. He offered such gems as "the church exists in order to
exist" and the "dysfunctional trilogy of sex power and religion" and
he had a wonderful way of turning a phrase (he described someone as a
'violently bald' man!) that made you just want to keep listening!
He also mentioned things such as Abu Ghraib and Auschwitz and
concluded that we are 'all only a few steps away from being a
monster'. He also discussed the concepts of 'strong' ('God's truth is
immutable, and we have to accept it') versus 'weak' ('God's truth is
immutable, but we are not smart enough to figure it all out so
sometimes we have to accept that good people have made mistakes in the
past') religious beliefs, and the continuum that leads from strong
beliefs to atheism, as well as the distinctions between morality and
religion.
The interview was interspersed with music like "Send in the Clowns"
and "Mr. Bo Jangles" to illustrate points made. REALLY good radio -- I
miss this stuff which was a lot more common on SW 20 years ago!
RA News was also heard at the top of both hours, with items re the Al
Jazeera offices in Egypt being shut down in the 6th day of protests in
Cairo, Cyclone Anthony [?] affects Queensland and another category one
storm (Anthony was Category 2) is aiming at Vanuatu, and the fact that
an estimated 99% of the voters in Southern Sudan approved independence
during the recent election. After the 1400 news, they had an ad for
"Fly Me to the Moon" CD available at ABC shops and online, and mention
of local radio website http://abc.net.au/local as well as
http://radioaustralianews.net.au
After the ad block, they went into the John Cleary "Sunday Night"
show, but the 'kicker' before the news was "Back after the news with
the Inquisition" (the Inquisition is a call in show that offers people
the chance to ask questions!) Sounded like a Monty Python routine:
NO-ONE expects the Spanish Inquisition! :) A cute kicker! SIO 4+54+
1258-1408 30/Jan (Kenneth Vito Zichi, MI DXpedition, MARE Tipsheet via
DXLD)
** AUSTRALIA. 7240, RA, Thu Feb 10 at 1410, program about Alfred
Russel Wallace, co-discover of evolution by natural selexion,
overshadowed by Darwin. I wanted to keep bandscanning, or go back to
sleep, but could not pull away from this engrossing story, embellished
with exotic bird and animal calls; he was a naturalist exploring the
Malay archipelago. 1443 onto second story, about a painter of nature
in WA, Georgianna Malloy, `Botany in the Bush`. Since ``big idea`` was
mentioned, I suspected this was the show `Big Ideas`, but it was
really `Hindsight`, as scheduled; more here:
http://www.abc.net.au/rn/hindsight/stories/2011/3094124.htm
and for audio link you have to go back to
http://www.abc.net.au/rn/hindsight/
for the episode `Tracing Wallace` (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING
DIGEST)
** AUSTRALIA. 6080 2.2 1817 ABC Sitter just och följer rapportering
fråm cyclone Yasi. ABC reläar det lokala programmet via 6080 kHz med
telefon-in program hur det är runt om i området. Man kör kortvågen för
dem som bor långt ut i bushen och inte ha lokal radio. Hemska vindar
och regn. Du kan även lyssna till detta på ABC Far North Queensland
webpage. Intressant och hemskt. Kl 22 SNT byter de till 9710 kHz. 6080
går riktigt bra. En störande sändare med px på arabiskt-besläktat
språk har startat 1800 SNT.. Hälsningar/ Bengt Ericson
6080, 02.02 1817, ABC. I am sitting right now following the reporting
of cyclone Yasi. ABC relays the local program via 6080 kHz with phone-
in programs how it is around the area. Transmissions on short wave for
those living far out in the bush and do not have any local radio.
Horrible winds and rain. You can also listen to this on the ABC Far
North Queensland webpage. Interesting and scary. At 21 UT they switch
to 9710 kHz. 6080 is heard really well. An interfering transmitter
with px in Arab-related language starts at 1700 UT Regards (Bengt
Ericson, Sweden, SW Bulletin Feb 6, translated by editor Thomas
Nilsson, for LISTENING DIGEST)
This morning, 3 February, ABC Local Radio Queensland came up on 6080
at 0933 (Steve Lare, Holland, MI, USA, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST)
6080, ABC Local Radio Queensland 1441-1500 Feb 3. Heard again with
more storm updates, mentions of evacuations; at 1452 played song
"Somewhere Over the Rainbow"(!); UT + 10 TC's; ABC news at 1500. Good
signal (John Wilkins, Wheat Ridge, Colorado, Drake R-8, 100-foot RW,
Cumbredx mailing list via DXLD)
ABC Local Radio Queensland - 6080 --- I did not hear them come up this
morning around 0930 but in checking 6080 at 1150, ABC Local Radio is
indeed there. So, no idea what time they came on the freq. today. At
1240, conducting an interview with a truck driver. Wonder just how
long this relay will continue, as the cyclone is over. Now, just the
aftermath/cleanup (Steve Lare, Holland, MI, USA, Feb 4, ibid.)
Right Steve, at 1311 I heard 'Pretty Woman' and ID afterward, followed
by interview w/ laughter, ID again at 1325 (Tony Ashar, West Java -
Indonesia), Feb 4, ibid.)
6080, Feb 4 at 1352, RA still with special relay of ABC Local Radio
Queensland service, no longer an anchorette but an anchor, taking a
call from Matt in Mackay while main RA on 6020 was back to `Football
Weekly`. Mark Fahey in NSW says SW radios are extremely scarce in
Australia and wonders how many Queenslanders are axually listening to
this service? (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
Interested to see if there is any analysis of the use of shortwave
radio here in North Queensland this week. We all know shortwave was
used, DXers worldwide heard the transmission and I guess will be
sending in reception reports. But did anyone in North Queensland
listen to the broadcasts? In my wide circle of family and friends I am
the only person that has a radio capable of picking up shortwave.
Unless I am blind, I don't think I have seen a shortwave radio in a
regular (non radio hobby) shop in Australia for decades. You would
have a very hard time walking into Big W (Australia's Walmart) or
Cosco and trying to buy a domestic radio with a shortwave band.
Cheers, (Mark Fahey, NSW, Feb 3, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST)
9710, ABC Local Radio Queensland via RA, Shepparton, Victoria, Feb 5
at 0732 YL with phone interview about cyclone cleanup, not // RA
mainstream 9660 transmitted from Queensland itself. This time has ACI
from WYFR 9715 whose signal has not dropped out tonight. 0744 mentions
hearing from listeners all over, including in the Pentagon by WiFi,
Lincs. by internet, Saskatchewan but not on SW, apparently.
6080, next check at 1242, Kelly Higgins is back, with flutter, and
weaker than non-// mainstream RA 6020 without any flutter, but with
Chinese CCI thanks to Vatican via RVA PHILIPPINES. Caller is looking
for a generator, phone numbers; 18 minutes to go for this program
(Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
ABC Local Radio Queensland, 6080, came up on frequency right around
0930 this morning with 'Fly Like A Bird' by Boz Scaggs. 5 February.
(Steve Lare, Holland, MI, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST)
ABC Local Radio Queensland, 6080, came up on the frequency this
morning at 0942. I was beginning to think that the relay was finished.
6 February (Steve Lare, Holland, MI USA, ibid.)
6080, Sunday Feb 6 at 1345 religious discussion, but not // RA 6020,
and 6080 has Queensland angle, so apparently still relaying ABC Local
Radio Queensland. If it was the Local Radio network show, `Sunday
Nights`, probably one-hour delayed from feed on mainstream RA due to
lack of DST in Qsld, but that would mess up call-ins if not live
everywhere. Again, 6080 was fluttery whilst 6020 was not, tho both
emanating from Shepparton upon different azimuths.
http://www.abc.net.au/sundaynights/
says it`s on LR from 10 pm to 2 am AEDT = 11-15 UT, which BTW lasts
until April 3.
After 1407, listened to continuation of show on 9590, with
``Inquisition`` quiz segment. First contestant did not know the name
of those Catholic beads, maybe vespers?!
9660 and 9710, RA at 0704 Feb 7 with news, sounds the same, until
checked on two receivers and they are not //, so 9710 must still be on
the ABC Local Radio Queensland relay, post-Yasi (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX
LISTENING DIGEST)
ABC Local Radio Queensland, 6080, came up on the frequency this
morning at 0931. 7 February. How much longer will the relay continue?
Stay tuned (Steve Lare, Holland, MI, USA, dxldyg via DX LISTENING
DIGEST)
Not for long, Steve, as it was gone when I checked at around 1130
(Robin Harwood VK7RH, Norwood, Tasmania 7250, Radio Monitor SWLR-
KS001, Feb 7, IBID.)
** AUSTRALIA. CYCLONE HITS AS RADIO STATIONS BATTEN DOWN
"The Radio Wave" "Keeping Radio People in Touch"
8 February 2011 Issue #97
Ian MacRae, Editor, radiowave @ allaboutradio.net
From Far North Queensland as far south as the Sunshine Coast,
communities and their radio stations were on cyclone watch as cyclone
Yasi tracked across Australia's northern coastline. It slammed into
coastal towns in Far North Queensland in the early hours of the
morning.
Before it hit, State Premier Anna Bligh warned residents that power
and communications were likely to be disrupted and radio stations
currently broadcasting to the area were hoping their transmission
towers would remain upright and their studio premises would not be
damaged during the catastrophic winds, seas and storm surges.
As an indicator of the severity of the storm, weather telemetry
equipment on Willis Island weather station was taken out by the
cyclone. The equipment was rated stable up to a category five cyclone,
but the measuring equipment and transmitters were disabled as the
cyclone passed.
Radio stations in the area reported that they had done all they could
to prepare and secure their transmission, but they feared winds and
rain of that magnitude would inevitably damage their equipment.
In fact, some studios were in the evacuation area and some staff were
forcibly evacuated.
Residents were advised to listen to the radio for the latest updates
as the cyclone hit the coast and all emergency preparation documents
urged people to pack a portable radio and spare batteries so that they
could stay informed about the latest developments.
The devastating cyclone came after floods engulfed Queensland in
January, covering an area the size of France and Germany and
inundating the capital city, Brisbane.
What is interesting is that, in all the TV coverage I watched, not
once were the heroic efforts of local radio stations mentioned (via
Mike Terry, dxldyg via DXLD)
And: your article does not even mention the role of *shortwave* (gh)
** AUSTRALIA [non]. 1395 kHz, ABC Radio Queensland relay at 1730 (Mark
Davies, Anglesey UK, Feb 2, dxldydg via DX LISTENING DIGEST)
1395 kHz, ABC Queensland booming in 1900, I bet from an Irish relay
(Mark, Anglesey, Feb 2, ibid.)
Hi Everyone, ABC Queensland this pm on 1395:
http://www.box.net/shared/7tubcrg5ez
(Mark Davies, Anglesey, ibid.)
`This shared file or folder link has been removed` (gh, Feb 8, DXLD)
That recording is actually the (national) ABC News Radio service, as
the ID at the top says, rather than the special Queensland state-wide
cyclone service which is being relayed on SW from Australia at the
moment.
News Radio is still an interesting service though, particularly when
you hear a timecheck which includes five separate timezones! (Gavin
Robertson, Sydney, [who has a UK email address], ibid.)
ABC Queensland on 1395 kHz! I'm hearing a nice clear signal from ABC
Queensland covering storms floods & emergencies. This is live
programming judging by the time checks. I'm assuming this is a
webstream being relayed by a UK/Irish pirate since this signal is
strongest from the NW of me. 73s (Steve Whitt, York, England, UK, 1704
UT Feb 2, MWCircle yg via DXLD)
I hear it here in the west of Scotland (Paul Crankshaw, 1749 UT Feb 2,
ibid.)
SIO 243 in Veurne, Belgium, 73 (Hugo Matten, 1753 UT Feb 2, ibid.)
ABC is peaking at over S9 +10 here in Brecknockshire. The signal is
coming in over N. W. beam of K9AY array. It sounds too good to be
true!!!! (Andrew Ikin, Wales, 1835 UT Feb 2, ibid.)
Just about audible here in Blackpool on my ALA 1530 (Ray Browell, 1851
UT Feb 2, ibid.)
Ray, Just checked here at about 1913 Z with the ALA1530; ABC is S9
+10. Reception with the loop is now wiped out with TWR [ALBANIA]. But
I still have good reception (S9+15) with the K9AY Phased array (Andrew
Ikin, Wales, ibid.)
Hi Folks! This is my first post to the group, though I have been a
member for some time, and enjoy all the posts. I couldn't let this one
pass! Remarkably, I have been receiving ABC Queensland on my pocket
ultralight receiver (SONY SRF-T615) ('barefoot') here in Aberdeen,
North-East Scotland in the last 30 minutes or so!
Reception has been fair on peaks (strongest around 1915 UT when I
heard the 'quarter past six' time check loud and clear). Long, slow
fades, with huge static crashes, but very listenable at times.
When TWR came on at 1917 UT, although I could almost completely null
out TWR, there was little copiable audio from ABC any more.
If it is indeed a direct transmission, which it certainly seems to be,
this will be my best DX logged on an ultralight receiver so far!
Cheers, (David Henry, (GM7VZV), 1946 UT Feb 2, ibid.)
I'd rather not disclose the source of the signal, but rest assured the
signal isn't coming from Australia but from rather closer to home.
Those who reckon it is coming from the NW of the British Isles are
correct (Paul Crankshaw, 1953 UT Feb 2, ibid.)
Oh well. Thanks Paul for that information! I am intrigued, but I shall
not enquire further! LOL It's a hobby full of surprises, that's for
sure (David GM7VZV, Aberdeen, Scotland, ibid.)
Reception reported as follows: "I have heard BBC (sic) local radio
Queensland Australia on the Big L frequency at 1395am all day to early
evening as the Big L is off air. Reception: receiving it on Drake SW8
transreciver [sic], no fading constant signal. Also was receiving it
on my Eton transistor radio e5 model. I am living in Letterkenny, Co
Donegal, Ireland. Eamon, Ireland" So transmitter probably in that
vicinity. 73 (Steve Whitt, ibid.)
** AUSTRIA [and non]. 9460, Moosbrunn (transmitter site presumed),
Polish Radio External Service English Language broadcast heard in
progress 2/3/11 [meaning Feb 3] at 1315 GMT through sign off 1359.
News and programming primarily about Poland. Seamless sign off rolling
right into Brother Stair and the Overcomer Ministry sign on at 1400
GMT for his English language broadcast (Steve Handler, Illinois, Sony
ICF-7600GR with both a whip and long wire antenna and a Yaesu FT-897D
with a horizontal wire dipole antenna, NASWA Flashsheet via DXLD)
It may have been seamless, but really transitioning from Moosbrunn to
Wertachtal for BS; both however 100 kW, 300 degrees USward (gh, DXLD)
** BELGIUM [non]. TDP RADIO, English
2100-2200 daily NAm 17555guf+
(ex 15755bon) Key: + DRM.
(WRTH 2 Feb update via DXLD)
No, the new centre frequency is 17755, as confirmed by noise
monitoring, not 17555, as we pointed out when this mistake was
originally made in some other source. And see HFCC. See also USA (gh)
6015, 2/2 1420, The Disco Palace, DRM, via France, video ID "The Disco
Palace", perfect very good signal, great audio and great 70-80 years
disco songs, http://www.thediscopalace.com
(Giampiero Bernardini, Perseus, T2FD, QTH: Milano, Italia, My SW Blog:
http://radiodxsw.blogspot.com/ dxldydg via DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** BOLIVIA. 4699.970, 2312 UT, Radio San Miguel, Riberalta, ID "Radio
San Miguel" (Maurits Van Driessche, Belgium, Feb 5, hard this stations
with my Perseus SDR receiver in overnight recording, Super Kaz
antennas, HCDX via DXLD)
4700, R. San Miguel, Riberalta, 2319-2332, 06 Feb, Castilian, light
songs, talks, chimes at 2326 for Gospel readings; 34342, CODAR QRM,
AC-noise on the carrier causing poor readability.
4716.7, R. Yatun Ayllu Yura, Yura, 2314-2329, 06 Feb, Castilian, folk
songs in Castilian, ID in Quechua; 35332.
4796, R. Lípez, Uyuni, 2316-2331, 04 Feb, Indian songs; 44433, CODAR
QRM.
4865, R. Logos, St.ª Cruz de la Sierra, 2215-2229, 04 Feb, Castilia,
light songs; 34432.
6134.8, R. St.ª Cruz, St.ª Cruz de la Sierra, 2243-2307, 06 Feb,
Castilian, football match report; 34433, adj. QRM, stronger after 2300
(Carlos Gonçalves, Portugal, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** BRAZIL. I notice in the WRTH 2011, page 110, a frequency is missing
for an entry between 3255 and 3365, SP112) ZYG867, 2.5 kW, R. Mundial,
Guarulhos, irr. --- in 2010 edition the frequency was 3325 (Glenn
Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** BRAZIL. 3355.02, 4.2 2340 UNID Brazilian very strong at 2330. A lot
of talk about São Paulo. Gradually weaker and fade away at 0010.
Unfortunately too weak audio at 0000 to make a decent recording. Also
heard Feb 5 at 2300. A recording from this date sent to HK for
examination. TN (Thomas Nilsson, Sweden, SW Bulletin Feb 6 via WORLD
OF RADIO 1551, DXLD)
[translations by Google and Thomas Nilsson interspersed:::]
Kommentarer från NORDX 4/2:
01:07 ingenting her, men antydning til en svak bærebølge. /TBV
Comments from NORDX Feb 4:
0007 UT, nothing here but a hint of a weak carrier (Tore B. Vik,
Mysen, Norway, ibid.)
En brasse borde väl inte fada ut kl 0100 sv t och för PNG är det väl
för sent om där inte fanns en lokal solförmörkelse vid denna tid. /HK
A Brazilian station ought not to fade out at 0000 UT and for PNG it is
well out of time unless there was a local solar eclipse at that time
(Henrik Klemetz, Borås, Sweden, ibid.)
Tycker också det är väldigt mystiskt med den styrka man hade vid 0030.
Det är 100% säkert att den var portugistalande och är nästan säker på
ändå att det var en brasse. Mycket snack om São Paulo bl a. Men sen
började den ge sig för att vara borta helt vid 0110. Samtidigt gick
3310 och 3330 hyggligt. Mauno Ritola hörde dem också på DL0AO:s
Perseus server i Tyskland där man har 200 m Bev mot sydväst. Konstigt
också att 3375 inte hördes överhuvudtaget, inte ens en bärvåg. Det var
annars helt fantastiska styrkor på 90 och 60 mb i går kväll. Kan inte
minnas jag hört stationer på länge med sådan styrka som vid 00-01 SNT.
/TN Thomas Nilsson, Ängelholm, Sweden
Also think it's very mysterious with the strength it had at 2330 UT.
It is 100 % certain that it was Portuguese-speaking and I‘m almost
certain however that is a Brazilian. Among others, lots of talk about
São Paulo. But the signal decreased and was gone at 0010 UT. The
stations on 3310 and 3330 continued quite well.
Mauno Ritola also heard 3355 on DL0AO's Perseus server in Germany
where they use 200 m Beverage towards southwest. Strange also that
3375 was not there at all, not even a carrier. Otherwise it was
excellent signal strengths on 90 and 60 mb this night. Can’t remember
hearing stations in a long time with such tremendous strength at 23-24
UT (Thomas Nilsson, Ängelholm, Sweden, ibid.)
Maybe both the enhancement and fade-out took place due to variation in
geom. storm and not local sunrise (Mauno Ritola, Finland, ibid.)
Fick just per telefon info som stämmer bra med Thomas'
konditionsbeskrivning och Maunos förklaring. Det var JEÖ som nu är på
väg hem från en DXpedition till Lemmenjoki. Texten finns på PUDX
Northern Dimensions http://www.tapiokalmi.net/~kn1460/dx/lem/ - LEM303
29 Jan 2011- 5 feb 2011, Jan-Erik Österholm (JEÖ), Saturday, Feb 5:
Just got the phone info that are in good agreement with Thomas'
condition description and Mauno’s explanation. It was JEÖ who is now
on his way home from a DXpedition to Lemmenjoki. The text is on PUDX
Northern Dimension http://www.tapiokalmi.net/~kn1460/dx/lem/ -- LEM303
29 Jan 2011 - February 5, 2011, Jan-Erik Österholm (JEÖ), Saturday,
Feb 5:
Minor storm characterized the early night hours 4-5.2 around 2200-0100
with heavy signals from Brazil. Around 01 the band went completely
dead in all directions. A check with WWV gave the expected
explanation: Geomagnetic field reaching the G1 level, radio black-outs
R1, K5 and A 15. Went to have some hours of sleep and was quite
surprised when I checked at 04 UT. Strong NA signals with very heavy
fading with a surprisingly clear band on the 320 aerial to 09 UT when
the band went completely dead again and I decided to start unplugging
and start to pack for the short drive to Ivalo and the flight back to
Helsinki and Porvoo (Henrik Klemetz, Borås, Sweden, ibid.)
Visst låter det som en brasse. Två gånger har jag lyssnat och bägge
gånger tycker jag mig höra "governo ...São Luis" just före slutet.
Intressant upptäckt. Har redan kollat på brasse-listor men ingenting
har synts till. Jag ska leta vidare. /HK
Sure, it sounds like a Brazilian; I have listened twice and both times
I seem to hear 'Governo... São Luis' just before the end. Interesting
discovery. Have already looked at the Brazilian-lists, but nothing
there. I'll look further (Henrik Klemetz, Borås, Sweden, ibid.)
I SWB 1528 (2004!) rapporterade GN att Rádio Educadora 6 de Agosto
"märkligt nog" annonserade 3355 fast den hördes på 3255z. Den hade
tidigare legat på 3401z.
In SWB 1528 (2004!) GN reported that Rádio Educadora 6 de Agosto
"oddly enough" advertised 3355 though it was heard at 3255. It had
previously been heard at 3401 kHz.
Dateline Bogotá 1995: 3255 BRAZIL. New frequency for R dif 6 de
Agosto, Xapuri, Acre, listed in the WRTH on 3401 kHz. Having noticed
the signal a few days earlier, I was able to identify the stn only on
April 3, at 1030. Transmissions are said to be "em carácter
experimental". Heard both local am and pm.
Kanske stationen till slut hamnat rätt?? /HK
Maybe the station finally landed on the right frequency? (Henrik
Klemetz, Borås, Sweden, ibid.)
Nya inspelning till HK: Jag hör att det delvis är samma snutt som
förut, men med litet bättre bandbredd och lite längre. Loggen (UTC)
Den blev ju bättre vartefter. 2:45 pratas om "donativos para nosso
projeto (?)" donationer till vårt projekt. Tyvärr ger det inte så
mycket mer. Nästa gång kan du kolla om det finns spår av Xapuri
strax nedanför 3255. Jag ska kolla om den här hörts på sista tiden.
Har hittat en blogg som drivs av direktören för Xapuri, men där står
ingenting om någon ny frekvens. Den här stationen kommer du snart att
kunna knäcka. Du har ju bra mottagarutrustning. Rätt vad det är
kommer den här stationen in med OK styrka. /HK
A new recording was sent to HK: I hear that it is partly the same
snippet as before, but with a little more bandwidth and a bit longer.
The audio is getting better as time goes on. At 02:45 into the
recording, talk about "donativos para Nosso Projeto (?)" Donations to
our projects. Unfortunately, not much more. Next time you can check
for traces of Xapuri just below 3255. I'll check if this one is heard
recently. Have found a blog run by the Director of Xapuri, but it says
nothing about any new frequency. This station you will soon be able to
identify. You've got a great receiving location. Eventually the
station will have OK strength (Henrik Klemetz, Borås, Sweden, ibid.)
Ett stort tack till HK för hjälp med bandlyssning och forskande om vad
det kan vara. /TN Thomas Nilsson, Ängelholm, Sweden
Many thanks to HK to for helping me with tape listening and research
of what it could be (Thomas Nilsson, Ängelholm, Sweden, ibid.)
** BRAZIL. 4804.980, 2321 UT, Rádio Dif. do Amazonas, Manaus. Talks
about Brazil local in Portuguese, fair
4814.960, 2333, Rádio Difusora Londrina, weak Portuguese talks.
4845.230, 2316, Rádio Cultura Ondas Tropicais, Portuguese talks by
male (Maurits Van Driessche, Belgium, Feb 5, hard this stations with
my Perseus SDR receiver in overnight recording, Super Kaz antennas,
HCDX via DXLD)
** BRAZIL. 4965, R. Alvorada, Parintins, 0954-1005, Feb 2, Portuguese.
M announcer with talk at tune/in; into ad string; ID announcement at
ToH; talk by various announcers; poor and rapidly deteriorating after
ToH. (Barbour-NH)
5055, presumed R. Difusora Cáceres, 0738-0802, Jan 31, unID language.
Lite vocal music and a bit of talk; very weak in ECCS-USB under band
noise; though perhaps Vanuatu on reactivated frequency; skeptical once
heard again on 2/1 at 0509, also very weak; on-line query received
replies from W. Salmaniw, V. Goonetilleke & M. Ritola that what they
were hearing was Brazilian (Scott R. Barbour Jr. Intervale, N.H. USA,
NRD-545, MLB-1, 200' Beverages, 60m dipole, dxldyg via DX LISTENING
DIGEST)
** BRAZIL. 11855, RADIO APARECIDA. Aparecida, Brasil. 2120-2150 febr
5. Programa: Encontro DX. Mencionando la emisora de Burkina Faso en
onda tropical. Dentro del programa, segmento Memorial Musical.
"...você está acompanhando Encontro DX pela Rádio Aparecida y a Rede
Católica de Rádio..." luego con entrevista a un locutor que rememora
la transmision del Maracanazo en 1950 (Rafael Rodriguez R., Bogota
D.C. - COLOMBIA, Receptor Winradio G303i, Antena Dipolo de 10 metros,
condiglist yg via DXLD)
** BRAZIL. 11735, R. Transmundial, St.ª M.ª RS, 1227-1258, 05 Feb,
traffic program Contra Mão followed by some rlgs. propaganda; 35433.
11749.85, R. Voz Missionária, Camboriú SC, 2214-2229, 05 Feb, rlgs.
propag., songs to match; 25422.
11815, R. Brasil Central, Goiânia GO, 1904-1952, 03 Feb, folk music
prgr, advertisements, news, weather report; 44444 and improving.
Modulation splatter some 25 kHz to either side noted on 05 Feb at
2215. 11815 ditto, 1230-1345, 05 Feb, advertisements, news, football
news; 35433.
11830, R. Daqui, Goiânia GO, 1847-, 03 Feb, songs; 44444, co-ch. QRM
de UNID. They were off at the latest recheck, at 1908, but I'd say
they had some tx fault.
11854.95, R. Aparecida, Aparecida SP, 2206-2226, 05 Feb, prgr Com a
Mãe Aparecida, with songs & rlgs. propag.; 34433, QRM de Family R in
Castilian. Their other freqs were also audible evenings: 5035 too weak
& fluttery (backup tx instead?), 6135 getting too much QRM, 9629.9
which is normally good, but weak 3-6 Feb evenings, and so was the
modulation.
11925.2, R. Bandeirantes, São Paulo SP, 1912-1946, 03 Feb, news
bulletin; 34443, co-ch. QRM.
15190, R. Inconfidência, Belo Horizonte MG, 1927-1956, 03 Feb, music,
advertisements, prgr A Hora do Fazendeiro (the Farmer's Hour); 34433.
15190 ditto, 1503-1546, 07 Feb, info prgr including the feature Por
Dentro da Lei, municipal news; 25433 (Carlos Gonçalves, Portugal, DX
LISTENING DIGEST)
15190, Rádio Inconfidência, Belo Horizonte, 1825-2050, 05-02,
Brazilian songs, male, comments, Portuguese, identification: "Rádio
Inconfidência". Interference at times from Radio Africa. 23322.
Also signing on *0857-0910, 06-02, Brazilian songs, male,
identification: "Na rede Inconfidencia de Radio, onda média e onda
curta". 33433 (Manuel Méndez, Lugo, Spain, Logs in Friol, 27 Km. W of
Lugo, Grundig Satatellit 500 and Sony ICF SW 7600 G, Cable antenna, 10
meters, faced WSW, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** BURMA [non]. Re 11-05, DVOB to cut morning broadcasts: not yet:
GERMANY, 5905 Dem. V. of Burma via Germany Jan 29 2335-2345 33333-
32332 Burmese, Talk, ID at 2341; Jan 31 *2330-2340 33433-34433
Burmese, 2330 sign on with opening music, ID, Opening announce, Talk
(Kouji Hashimoto, Japan, Japan Premium via DXLD)
** BURMA [non]. 7245, Feb 9 at 1334 kid and adult conversing in
Burmese, i.e. RFA, 250 kW, 278 degrees via TINIAN at 1230-1400, at
first atop QRhaM SSB, but then stronger signals from a net including
W5EAK, not to be construed as `weak`, Rex King who wears a beard and
an oxygen tube: http://www.qrz.com/db/W5EAK (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX
LISTENING DIGEST)
** CANADA. 7325, RCI Spanish in mailbag, Sunday Feb 6 at 1355,
reception reports from Honduras, Cuba, so must be `The Messenger
Beaver` show; heavy QRM from CRI in Japanese, 500 kW, 59 degrees from
Jinhua site so also USward, while RCI is 250 kW, 277 degrees from
Sackville, for western USA, not Central America and Caribbean --- and
the collision can only get worse further west from here. It`s been
going on for years, as RCI doesn`t really care if they have any
listeners to this absurd early-morning service also in Arabic and
Chinese to the USA (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** CANADA. CRTC NIXES CKLN’S LICENCE --- SHOCKED MEMBERS PLOT THEIR
NEXT MOVE --- By Saul Chernos
My jaw dropped when I learned the Canadian Radio-Television
Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) released Decision 2011-56 late
Friday morning, announcing that it had revoked the licence of campus-
community radio station CKLN.
The regulatory body had hauled CKLN to a hearing this past December 8
to discuss performance issues and the station was put on notice that
it was expected to “show cause why the Commission should not take
steps to suspend or revoke the broadcasting licence in question.”
Fighting words or formality, I wondered at the time, in an article in
NOW. I truly didn’t expect the CRTC to dispense with this volunteer-
driven station. . ,
http://www.nowtoronto.com/daily/news/story.cfm?content=178937
(via gh, DXLD)
Previous story:
http://www.nowtoronto.com/news/story.cfm?content=178144
Saul Chernos is better-known as an active MW and FM DXer (gh, DXLD)
CITY --- WHY WE NEED COMMUNITY RADIO IN TORONTO
Posted by Guest Contributor / February 3, 2011 41 Comments
By now, even those with a passing interest in Toronto media already
know about the Canadian Radio-Television and Telecommunications
Commission's (CRTC) decision to shut down CKLN 88.1 FM, a community
radio station based in Ryerson's student centre.
First let me first show my cards: I've been volunteering for CKLN on a
segment called "Word of Mouth." Actually, I've worked on only three
shows, having received the CRTC's charges the day of our last show (we
have two more to go before the guillotine). So, it might be fair to
assume that I'm writing out of self interest. Well, I am. But not
because I'm a volunteer of the station; instead because I'm a
dedicated listener and have been for many years.
I believe in community radio. I believe in radio as a medium first and
foremost, because of the intimacy it creates between listener and
speaker, because it trains people to be better listeners, to be
patient, and to appreciate the craft of narrative and storytelling for
the ear, an entirely different exercise than writing, or visual media.
While I listen to commercial radio, I also believe that we have too
much of it right now, and believe that Toronto is increasingly moving
towards commercialized airwaves. Such commercialization robs us of
diversity, privileges sameness over difference, quantity over quality,
and the status quo over creativity. We thus need community radio
stations, which offer alternatives to repetitive and often clichéd
programming. . .
http://www.blogto.com/city/2011/02/why_we_need_community_radio_in_toronto/
(via Artie Bigley, OH, DXLD) WTOR: see U S A
** CANADA. Vancouver, BC, Canada, CKZU-CBU Photos.
The CKZU-CBU 6160 + 690 kHz Tx site.
[Vancouver, BC, Canada, CKZU-CBU. 1]
<http://www.flickr.com/photos/55577274@N05/5416809442/>
[Vancouver, BC, Canada, one of CKZU-CBU MW masts. 5]
<http://www.flickr.com/photos/55577274@N05/5416812538/>
[Vancouver, BC, Canada, one of CKZU-CBU MW ant. 4]
<http://www.flickr.com/photos/55577274@N05/5416815624/>
[Vancouver, BC, Canada, CKZU-CBU antennas. 2]
<http://www.flickr.com/photos/55577274@N05/5416206413/>
(Lev Lytovchenko, Canada, shortwavesites yg via DXLD)
** CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC. 5035.00, R Centrafricaine, Bangui, 1745-
1800, Feb 07, vernaculars and Afro music, French news at 1800. Quite
strong (Victor Goonetilleke, Sri Lanka, DSWCI DX Window Feb 9 via
DXLD) Have not seen other reports of this yet; anyone? (gh, DXLD)
** CHAD. 6165, R. Chad, N'Djamena in French, 01/28 0430-0510 Afropop
song with OM DJ talk; local pop songs; at 0441 heard only unid co-
channel with English talk in low audio by man & YL; again non stop
Afropop till 0446, then again same unID co-channel with talk in
English till 0450 (possible Zambia ??); again man talking in French
overwhelmed the unID co-channel; Afropop & slow song (with QRM of same
lite co-channel at times for few minutes); brief afropop & man
announcement; tribal song; man talk mentioning Radio Chad (0503);
brief announcements & Afropop; better heard in LSB to avoid lite het;
splats at times; moderate QSB & statics with S. 9+20 of peak; fair/
almost good; (Serra-Italy)
6165, R. Chad, N'Djamena in French, 02/04 0443-0510, pop song, man
talk mentioning some times: " Mesdames et messieurs....", Afropop song
& man talk after each song, announcement (also over slow music),
talking about "élection administrative", interview & mentioning
N'Djamena, brief slow music pause then Afropop till 0507, since then
s/on only with lite unID co-channel, better heard in LSB to avoid lite
splats, from 0449 lite unid co-channel, increasing splats from 0503,
moderate QSB, from 0455 lite het nulled with rx notch filter,
fair/almost good (Giovanni Serra, Roma, Italy. JRC NRD 525; Alpha
Delta DX-SWL Sloper-S; RG 8 mini coaxial cable; JPS NIR 12 Noise &
Interference Reducer-Dual DSP outboard audio filter; Intek PS-35 5
ampere feeder; JRC – NVA 319 external loudspeaker unit; Yaesu YH – 77
STA stereo headphones; Oregon Scientific radio controlled clock, DX
LISTENING DIGEST)
** CHINA. This year the Chinese New Year's Eve Gala audio feed
produced by CCTV was not carried by as many SW stations as in
past years. Noted the following in parallel at random points on Feb 2
from 1355 to 1625:
CNR1 – 6125, etc. (including the echo jamming frequencies: 11665,
etc.)
PBS Nei Menggu – 7420
Voice of Strait – 4940
China Huayi BC – 6185; ran past their observed normal 1600*
Noticeably not carrying the New Year's Eve Gala this year:
CNR2/CBR – 6065, 6155, etc.
PBS-2 Sichuan – 6060 and 7225
Voice of Pujiang – 3280, 4950 and 5075
All in all a disappointing showing! Perhaps due to CCTV coverage being
available via streaming online? (Ron Howard, Asilomar State Beach, CA,
Etón E1, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) See also TIBET
3280, amid all the Koreans [q.v.], Feb 9 at 1324, poor signal with M&W
in a Chinese, so presumably V. of Pujiang, 15 kW, 182 degrees from
Shanghai, per Aoki (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** CHINA. 4800. CPBS1, Golmud. 0000-0005 February 6, 2011. Slow ChiCom
time sounders into Chinese news. Clear, fair. Others in at the same
time: 4220 threshold, 5060 fair (Terry L Krueger, Clearwater, Florida
USA 27.55.83 N, 82.46.08 W, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** CHINA. 4940, Voice of Strait, 1530, Feb 6. Outstanding reception;
unfortunately they did not carry their usual Sunday program in English
(“Focus on China”); they seemed to have a few problems today with
segments of dead air. Suspect they just had a skeleton staff working,
with most people being off for the Spring Festival - Chinese New Year
Holiday (Ron Howard, Asilomar State Beach, CA, Etón E1, dxldyg via
DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** CHINA. 5050, Beibu Bay Radio (BBR), 1443, Feb 5. Non-stop pop
songs; ToH pips (5+1); multi-language IDs including English: “FM 96.4
Beibu Bay Radio”. This is heard every day with a fair signal; only
light AIR QRM (Ron Howard, Asilomar State Beach, CA, Etón E1, dxldyg
via DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** CHINA. NEW 6025, 1920-2000 29.01, Voice of China, New all night
frequency Chinese, talks and interview - not broadcast at this hour
before! 33333 From *1955 // 4800 (Anker Petersen, from Skovlunde,
Denmark, where we the latest days have had spring-like weather, so all
snow have melted. My RX is an AOR AR7030PLUS with 28 metres of
longwire, via Dario Monferini, playdx yg via DXLD)
Not a big deal; it`s there only to jam Radio Free Asia, which started
using this frequency in mid-January (gh, DXLD) Viz.:
[and non]. 6025, in Feb BDXC-UK Communication, some downunderite
reports that a domestic service never before on SW, Voice of China,
was being heard Jan 24 from 17 past 22 UT, new transmitter or ex-
jammer? Not in HFCC.
! If you look at page 151 of WRTH 2011, you will see that ``V. of
China`` is merely another name for CNR1, the prime domestic radio
service, which IS on countless SW frequencies. The reason it showed up
here is likely R. Free Asia, which on Jan 14 started using 6025 in
Mandarin via Tinian at 18-22. As a jammer frequency, this CNR1 will
never be in HFCC listings (Glenn Hauser, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** CHINA. Firedrake, 1326, Feb 4: 10300 (fair) not // with 9380
(strong). 6030 as usual had both FD (// 9380) and CNR1 echo jamming
(Ron Howard, Asilomar State Beach, CA, Etón E1, dxldyg via DX
LISTENING DIGEST)
** CHINA. Firedrake Feb 10: 8400, very poor with flutter at 1319, //
6030 which was good atop all the other QRM and whatever is left of
Radio Ming Hui, Taiwan, a Falun Gong entity. Also checked 9380 where
FD heard before; at 1321 could only hear VP talk in presumed Chinese.
Previously this DW hour via Tajikistan has been Firedraked. WWRB 9385
not yet on (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** CHINA. 9440, Feb 7 at 1145 one of few FE signals listenable on 31m
is here with Firedrake-like music, but not really, as soon breaks for
announcement in Chinese. Aoki shows it`s really the Chaozhou dialect
from CRI, 150 kW, 154 degrees via Kunming (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX
LISTENING DIGEST)
** CHINA. 9835 kHz, CNR Jammer, 29-01-11, 2225-2231. Locutores con
comentarios y música en emisión de la Radio Nacional China, para
interferir la emisión de Radio Free Asia dirigida hacia el Tíbet, en
chino. SINPO 54444 (Javier Robledillo, Elche (Alicante), EA5-1028,
Spain, http://cuadernodebitacoradx.blogspot.com
via Roberto Scaglione, shortwave yg via DXLD)
** CHINA. GOVERNMENT CENSORSHIP DEPT.: "Firedrake" Jammer Music
stations heard L/C [loud & clear?] on 1/20, at 2330 and to midnight UT
on 14950, 15900, 17170. no stations heard underneath, just the
crashin' and bangin'. At tune-in, had mistaken the station for the
drum intro to "I'm Just a Singer in a Rock and Roll Band (Moody Blues)
until the rest of the instruments started (Rick Barton, El Mirage AZ,
Hammarlund SP-600-JX, outdoor lw, outdoor slinky, ABDX via WORLD OF
RADIO 1551, DXLD)
** COLOMBIA. 780, ANTENA DEL RIO. Barrancabermeja, 0620-0640 febr 6.
"...somos la emisora del Magdalena medio...." música tropical y
vallenatos. "...estamos en todo el Magdalena medio para entregarles la
mejor música y toda la información, somos tu mejor compañía, Antena
del Rio 7-80 AM..."
Más sobre las amenazas recibidas por esta emisora en:
http://www.vanguardia.com/santander/barrancabermeja/90919-amenazan-mediante-panfleto-a-trabajadores-de-antena-del-rio
(Rafael Rodriguez R., Bogota D.C. - COLOMBIA, Receptor Degen 1103,
Antena ferrita incorporada, condiglist yg via DXLD)
** COLOMBIA. 2879.995 tentative, Radio Vida Nueva, Barranquilla, 1100
to 1130 om en espanol with many ments de Colombia, no positive ID ...
2 February (Robert Wilkner, Pompano Beach, Florida, US, Icom 746Pro
Modified by Dallas Lankford, NRD 535D [Gilfer] Drake R8, WORLD OF
RADIO 1551, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** COLOMBIA. 5200, Harmonic, CAUCANA 1040. Popayán, 2320-2340 febr 5.
(1040 kHz x 5) Programa: Fiesta Vallenata ID: "...ésta es Caucana 1040
HJSY, desde Popayán, Cauca; Caucana 1040, sonido de nuestra tierra,
otra estación de Red Sonora, presente y futuro de la radio..." (Rafael
Rodriguez R., Bogota D.C. - COLOMBIA, Receptor Winradio G303I, Antena
Dipolo de 10 metros, condiglist yg via DXLD)
** COLOMBIA. 5910, Alcaraván Radio, Puerto Lleras, 0503-0710, 06-02,
Latinamerican songs "Llaneras", identification by male: "Alcaraván
Radio AM, 1530 kHz, onda corta 5910 kHz.". 33333 (Manuel Méndez, Lugo,
Spain, Logs in Friol, 27 Km. W of Lugo, Grundig Satatellit 500 and
Sony ICF SW 7600 G, Cable antenna, 10 meters, faced WSW, dxldyg via DX
LISTENING DIGEST)
** COLOMBIA [non?]. EMISORA DE LAS FARC VOLVIÓ A EMITIR SU SEÑAL EN
FRONTERA CON ECUADOR --- domingo 6 de febrero de 2011
http://noticiasderadiodelmundo.blogspot.com/2011/02/colombia-emisora-de-las-farc-volvio.html
Una radioemisora de la guerrilla colombiana de las FARC volvió a
emitir su señal en la frontera con Ecuador tras meses fuera del aire,
una situación que preocupa a las autoridades ecuatorianas por los
mensajes del grupo para reclutar jóvenes, publica el domingo la prensa
local.
Según el diario El Universo, que cita fuentes militares, La Voz de la
Resistencia, volvió a escucharse en las últimas semanas en una
frecuencia de FM que cubre varios pueblos de la provincia de
Sucumbíos, incluido uno limítrofe con Perú.
La estación tiene dos bloques de programación en la mañana y en la
tarde, que incluyen música popular y del grupo armado, un noticiero y
segmentos que reproducen discursos de líderes de izquierda de la
región, agregó el reporte.
El coronel Milton Rodríguez, jefe de un grupo de fuerzas especiales
del Ejército ecuatoriano, señaló al diario que el organismo trata de
neutralizar la emisora, a través de la cual se emiten mensajes en que
las FARC invitan a jóvenes a enrolarse en sus filas.
"Con nuestros equipos la monitoreamos para saber de dónde emiten la
señal, pero vemos que se mueve de un lugar a otro. No la consideramos
una amenaza, pero sí un agente de riesgo", indicó el oficial.
En declaraciones al mismo diario, el alcalde de la localidad de
Sucumbíos, Ernesto Buitrón, se dijo "preocupado" y recordó el caso de
dos estudiantes de secundaria -una ecuatoriana y un colombiano-
reclutados por las FARC en la frontera y que murieron en un ataque a
una base cerca de ese poblado, el pasado 15 de noviembre en territorio
de Colombia.
En esa acción murieron 16 presuntos rebeldes.
Fuente: Univisión, Estados Unidos (via Nicolás Eramo, Argentina,
condiglist yg via DXLD) On FM, but WTFK?
FARC INVITAN A JÓVENES DE ECUADOR A UNÍRSELES A TRAVÉS DE EMISORA
Farc Foto: AFP
Los mensajes se han vuelto a escuchar en la fronteriza provincia
ecuatoriana de Sucumbíos.
El grupo armado hace las invitaciones a través de la radio 'La Voz de
la Resistencia', según informó este sábado el diario ecuatoriano 'El
Universo'. "En pocas semanas la emisora guerrillera ha penetrado con
claridad en poblados que se encuentran ubicados a lo largo de la línea
fronteriza", dice.
Informes de las Fuerzas Armadas ecuatorianas y de ciudadanos dan
cuenta que esa emisora se escucha desde el cantón Sucumbíos, en el
límite con Carchi, y cubre los cantones Gonzalo Pizarro, Cascales,
Lago Agrio, Shushufindi, Cuyabeno y Putumayo, fronterizo con Perú.
Los temas protesta, las canciones de las Farc y la música popular de
Colombia forman parte de la programación que se divide en dos bloques
diarios.
El primero comienza a las 9 de la mañana, hora local, con el himno del
grupo armado, y sale al aire hasta las 12 del mediodía. Luego retoma
su programación de 3 a 5 de la tarde.
La emisora cuestiona la política del Gobierno colombiano a la que
califica de "entreguista al imperio americano"; fustiga el
intervencionismo de Estados Unidos en los países de América Latina e
invoca los principios revolucionarios de Simón Bolívar.
Puntualiza que todos los mensajes van dirigidos a captar la simpatía
de los jóvenes, a quienes se invita a ingresar a sus filas.
"Yo escucho esa radio por curiosidad. Me gusta oír los saludos que se
envían entre camaradas y la música, que también es buena", relata
Nelson Machoa, de 32 años, de la comuna Tacé del cantón Putumayo, uno
de los pocos campesinos que decidió opinar e identificarse, según el
matutino.
Machoa indica que 'Radio La Voz de la Resistencia' compite en
audiencia en esta zona con Radio Ejército, de Colombia, y Noty Mil,
del Ejército ecuatoriano.
Por su parte, Milton Rodríguez, comandante del grupo de Fuerzas
Especiales 53 Rayo, señala que las Fuerzas Armadas ecuatorianas tratan
de neutralizar la emisora guerrillera.
"Con nuestros equipos la monitoreamos para saber de dónde emiten la
señal, pero vemos que se mueve de un lugar a otro", manifiesta.
Añade que para contrarrestar los mensajes que emite la radio de las
Farc, el Ejército ecuatoriano intensificó la difusión de mensajes
alusivos a la paz, el respeto y la tolerancia, a través de la emisora
Noty Mil, que tiene estaciones en las provincias de Esmeraldas,
Carchi, Orellana y Sucumbíos.
"A la radio de las Farc no la consideramos una amenaza, pero sí un
agente de riesgo", estima el comandante. EFE
FUENTE: http://bit.ly/ePuIWq (via Yimber Gaviria, Colombia, DXLD)
** CONGO DR. 5066.33, 4.2 1750 UNID. Definitely French, low modulation
but clearly there. Candip reactivated? (Thomas Nilsson, Ängelholm,
Sweden, SW Bulletin Feb 6 via WORLD OF RADIO 1551, DXLD)
5066,337 1 1650 OID på franska men kan väl inte vara annat än Candip?
Hörd flera dagar, svagt och med låg modulation. Har vanligen stängt
omkring 17 men en lördag hördes de till efter 19. Utökad sändningstid
?? SA
5066.337 1 [meaning 1 Feb?], 1650 UNID in French but can hardly be
other than Candip? Heard several days, weak and low modulation. Has
usually closed down around 17, but one Saturday they were heard after
1900. Extended air time? (Stig Adolfsson, Vallentuna, Sweden, SW
Bulletin Feb 6, translated by editor Thomas Nilsson, WORLD OF RADIO
1551, for LISTENING DIGEST)
Hi everyone, 5066.3, 3/2 1730, Weak audio here gone by 1750, possibly
R Tele Candip ?? (Mark Davies, Angelsey UK, dxldyg via DX LISTENING
DIGEST)
Weak audio on 5066.3ish again tonight 1737; anyone else? Poss R Tele
Candip DR Congo reactivated (Mark Davies, Anglesey, Feb 4, dxldyg via
WORLD OF RADIO 1551, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
CONGO-Kinshasa. 5066.3, R. Télé Candip, Bunia, 1733-1902*, 04 Feb,
vernacular, African pops, announcements in French at 1900 prior to
abrupt closure; 35332 (Carlos Gonçalves, Portugal, WORLD OF RADIO
1551, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** COSTA RICA. 5954.3, RADIO REPUBLICA, Via ELCOR. Costa Rica?? 2225-
2240 febr 5. Presentado el programa: Barrio Adentro. Con fuerte
interferencia cubana. Originado emisiones espúreas en + - 18 kHz, en
5936.3 y 5972.3 (Rafael Rodriguez R., Bogota D.C. - COLOMBIA, Receptor
Winradio G303i, Antena Dipolo de 10 metros, condiglist yg via DXLD)
5954.3, Elcor Radio, Radio República relay, 0540-0550, 06-02, Spanish,
male, comments about Cuba: "El mercado negro en Cuba", "Una economía
de mercado". 23322 (Manuel Méndez, Lugo, Spain, Logs in Friol, 27 Km.
W of Lugo, Grundig Satatellit 500 and Sony ICF SW 7600 G, Cable
antenna, 10 meters, faced WSW, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST)
5936+, at 0644 Feb 9, bothersome het upon WWCR`s Dead Gene Scott 5935,
i.e. the spur from R. República, 5954.24v via ELCOR, Guápiles, which
itself was buried in DentroCuban jamming. Seldom can make out any
audio on the spur, but previously traced to that, and a match on the
hi side which has nothing to het (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING
DIGEST)
** CUBA. 1620, R. Rebelde, Bauta site too?, 2323-2339, 06 Feb, talks,
light songs; 44433; \\ 5025 Bauta vy. good (Carlos Gonçalves,
Portugal, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
1620, Feb 9 at 0652, music // 5025, so R. Rebelde, making fast SAH
with US stations. BTW, I recently referred to WTAW as being in Waco
while it`s really nearby College Station (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX
LISTENING DIGEST)
** CUBA [and non]. For the past few nights, RHC has been partially or
totally missing after 0700 UT, leading us to suspect that they have
done away with all-night broadcasts. See previous reports. Feb 4 at
0704 UT, all RHC Spanish frequencies are gone from 6 MHz, as well as
5040. I had noted that 6150 only was on a bit past 0700.
Some schedule changes have definitely been made with frequencies
formerly closing at 1500 still on at 1535 Feb 4: 13780, 13680, //
15360, 11760, 11730.
New schedule posted on RHC website is in the usual confusing format,
http://www.radiohc.cu/espanol/c_frecuencia/frecuencias.htm
so I have redone it in time order for the mainstream Spanish
broadcasts, showing no longer on the air at all between 06 and 12 UT
or 16 and 22, ending the 24-hour service which began a sesquiyear ago
with the Honduran coup, the programming content of which was never
published, but repeating earlier blox. Being completely off the air
mid-day (well, until 1900 when Venezuela and foreign languages begin),
also may be necessary for installing alleged new transmitters,
antennas?
Here is the Spanish schedule, unscrambled by time block:
12-13 6000 6095 6150
12-15 15120
12-16 15230 15360 12040 11760 6140 11690
13-16 13780 13680 11730
22-24 5040 11770 9820
22-05 6140
22-06 12040 12010
00-05 11760 9770
00-06 15230 6120
02-06 5040
And here by time block with frequencies in order, combined between
changeover times:
12-13 6000 6095 6140 6150 11690 11760 12040 15120 15230 15360
13-15 6140 11690 11730 11760 12040 13680 13780 15120 15230 15360
13-16 6140 11690 11730 11760 12040 13680 13780 15230 15360
22-24 5040 6140 9820 11770 12010 12040
00-02 6120 6140 9770 11760 12010 12040 15230
02-05 5040 6120 6140 9770 11760 12010 12040 15230
05-06 5040 6120 12010 12040 15230
The separate `Mesa Redonda` program remains: 23-01 on 6000, 9640.
Axually times vary somewhat and not necessarily on the air every day.
Morning broadcasts include plugs for it with topic and start time.
Aló, Presidente schedule has not been changed:
Sundays 1400- on 11690, 13680, 13750, 15370, 17750
This inevitably means that on Sundays only some of the frequencies
shown for mainstream at 1400 are off the air: 12040, 13780 at least,
but RHC never gets down to such insignificant details in published
schedules. Most of the time, it`s no-show Hugazo, so RHC programming
continues on these frequencies.
I had notified Manolo de la Rosa that I heard his DX program `En
Contacto` at 0730 UT Monday, but that`s gone, as well as the other
just-discovered repeat which he says was around 2005 Sundays. So it`s
back to only three airings, Sun 1435, 2240v, Mon 0235. He forwarded
this notice from management:
``Estimados oyentes: A partir del primero de febrero de 2011 se harán
ajustes a la programación de Radio Habana Cuba.
Por tal motivo desde esa fecha no saldrá al aire la revista Nuestra
América, que se transmite de 1 a 3 de la tarde de lunes a sábado.
También la revista Iberoamericana ajustará su horario, y comenzará a
las cinco de la tarde con una duración de 120 minutos.
El resto de la programación se mantiene sin cambios. Los domingos se
mantendrá la programación habitual de 7 a 11 de la mañana y de 5 de la
tarde a la una de la madrugada del lunes. La dirección general de
Radio Habana Cuba agradece su comprensión.``
That`s in local time of UT -5, but will there be one-hour adjustments
when DST of UT -4 starts March 13 in order to stay in step with enemy
#1, the USA, in its absurd scheduling of clock-shifting?
I don`t see any significant changes on the new schedule concerning
broadcasts in English or other languages. 6050 is still listed for
English at 01-05, but at least HCJB has it back in the mornings. You
may want to consult the link above if you care about nominal target
areas.
Unfortunately, this new RHC schedule came a bit too late to be
included in the just published WRTH update:
http://www.wrth.com/files/WRTH2011IntRadioSuppl1_B10SchedulesUpdate.pdf
(Glenn Hauser, OK, Feb 3, WORLD OF RADIO 1551, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
However, if RHC makes another DST shift March 13, `En Contacto`` will
be back to Mon 0135, as well as Sun 1335, 2140v.
11880, Feb 4 at 2115, pulsing from DentroCuban Jamming Command,
presumably spur from the wall of noise on 11930 against Martí.
Matching 50 kHz up on 11980 was a different weaker `dittering` spur.
Frequency managers would be well advised not to land ~50 kHz on either
side of any Cuban-jammed frequency; tnx a lot, Arnie!
Feb 5 I make quick chex of RHC frequencies, and find the ones in use
do match the latest schedule I compiled in previous report:
1219, about what else, Los 5, on 6000, 6095, 6140, 6150
1239, in sports also on 11690-lofi, 11760, 12040-lofi
1307, the 6 MHz frequencies have gone off except for 6140, now also on
11690, 11730, 11760, 12040, 13680, 13780, 15120, 15230, 15360
1520, same as before except 15120 is off
1604, all RHC frequencies are off!
(Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) See also USA: WRMI re jamming
6095, RHC. 1242 February 6, 2011. Spanish. Ridiculous to be on so many
channels: beside 6095, also on 6000, 6140, 6150 and 6190. But recheck
just after 1300, only 6140 active (Terry L Krueger, Clearwater,
Florida USA 27.55.83 N, 82.46.08 W, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST)
6190 is leapfrog; see my report below (gh)
As reported previously, RHC has finally cancelled its 24-hour service
in Spanish, presumably due to austerity, with millions of Cubans
filling make-do-nothing government jobs due to be fired March 1; now
only 12 hours a day, drastically cut in half to 12-16 and 22-06 UT
only. It will be interesting to note whether any familiar RHC voices
in Spanish or English begin to disappear, and whether any minor
language services such as Quechua go away.
Also RHC have apparently been persuaded to leave the `Aló, Presidente`
frequencies off when there is advance word that Venezuela will not be
providing that Sunday show [see VENEZUELA].
Until now, RHC always ran the frequencies anyway from 1400, filling
with its own programming if nothing else, but Feb 6 at 1452 check, no
signals on 13750, 15370 or 17750. Yet the transmitters pre-empted for
those on Sunday mornings only, 12040 and 13680, are also missing. So
these are still running at 1452 and 1520 chex: 11690, 11730, 11760,
13780, 15120 [until 1500], 15360. Final check at 1635: all frequencies
are still off.
Another Sunday and also another no-show by the Esperanto service of
RHC, scheduled 1500-1530 on 11760 only – Feb 6 at 1519 it`s in Spanish
// all the other frequencies. Better luck at 2230 on 15370??
DentroCuban Jamming Command: 9955, Feb 7 at 0705 is pulsing litely vs
R. Prague via WRMI, the latter generally atop. See USA.
At 1155, now 9955 has wall-of-noise jamming, but 9965 does not.
However, by 1158, pulsing is starting up on 9965, so I check R.
República`s other frequency, 5954, and find no jamming or RR, just a
weak carrier on 5955. By 1203, 9965 has become a WON, but we could
never hear any trace of RR on it, which is usually the case.
Before 1200 Feb 7, the only Cuban signal on 49m is the Venezuelan
relay on 6060; I suppose the full schedule for those remains
unchanged; also reconfirmed after 12 on 11705, and after 15 on 11680.
At 1214, I am hearing RHC again on 6190, which is a leapfrog mixing
product of 6000 over 6095, another 95 kHz higher, despite the fact
that 6000 is the weakest of the four fundamentals during this hour,
also 6140, 6150. Terry Krueger in FL also logged 6190 at 1242 Feb 6
along with the other four.
I looked for more leapfrogs, and could also hear RHC on 6160 at 1235
vs CKZU, and on 6130 at 1253. Might as well compute all the possible
leapfrogs during the 12-13 hour only, from Las Cuatro Fundamentales:
5850 = 6150/6000, 150 kHz separation
5860 = 6140/6000, 140 kHz
5905 = 6095/6000, 95 kHz
6040 = 6150/6095, 55 kHz
6050 = 6140/6095, 45 kHz
6130 = 6150/6140, 10 kHz
6160 = 6140/6150, 10 kHz
6185 = 6095/6140, 45 kHz
6190 = 6000/6095, 95 kHz
6205 = 6095/6150, 55 kHz
6280 = 6000/6140, 140 kHz
6300 = 6000/6150, 150 kHz
[WORLD OF RADIO 1551]
Is that all? Yes, each frequency appears six times in one combination
or another, since it would mix above and below with three other
frequencies. Fortunately, any leapfrog on 6185 was inaudible vs XEPPM,
nor on 6205 vs R. Free Sarawak, qq. vv.
Now, I don`t want to see anyone reporting unIDs or misIDs on those 12
channels; easy to check for // with a fundamental. If any of these be
from the other transmitter site, it could not produce a mix; however,
they are all synchronized, so seemingly from the same single site.
A different set of possible leapfrogs could be computed in the
evenings at 01-05 when the 6 MHz channels are 6000, 6050, 6120, 6140,
the first two in English. Note that 6060 is no longer on the RHC
schedule, before 0500 when it starts in English, the frequency now
clear for Argentina and/or Brasil, Sichuan; and Spain 6055 will no
longer get a double-whammy Cubasqueeze from both sides, from 6050 and
6060.
15120, nominally scheduled at 12-15 now, was already off at 1443 check
Feb 7.
`Mesa Redonda` at 23-01 on 6000, 9640. Usually starts at 2330,
soundtrack of TV show well-suited to radiophony. 2230 during DST.
13880, Feb 7 at 1447, Arnie is finally getting jammed, not by us, but
by the incompetence of RadioCuba! During his science talk on this
leapfrog of 13680 over 13780, there is also the clicking spur centered
circa 13883 from the jammers on 13820 against Martí. 13883 and 13880
were fading independently. Commies vs Commies!
Similar clicking around 11982 at 1450, spur from the 11930 jammers,
bothering a weak signal on 11985, where per HFCC, IBB via Sri Lanka
and BBC via Cyprus are already colliding, both aimed at CIRAF 41 =
South Asia! (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
Arnie entertains tonight --- DXer's Unlimited on RHC 5040 just pre-
0100 tonight, February 8. Arnie spent a lot of time talking about
building a home-brew shortwave radio out of old light bulb filaments,
and touted the benefits of not spending money on a manufactured radio
at a store (well fuck yeah, where are you going to buy a shortwave
radio -- open-market -- in Cuba).
Then he mentioned something he felt needed to be spelled out in
universal phonetics, as he so touted. He stated "Nancy" (for "N") but
when repeated, correctly stated "November". The brain is a terrible
thing to waste.
Then he informed us that, over the next few days, E-skip is a virtual
zero possibility (presumably in North America). Damn, that's awesome
propagation prognostics.
Contest: "What has Radio Havana Cuba meant to you during its' 50 years
of existence?" is the question, to which you can send your entry to
their email address (radiohc@enet.cu? Not sure I bothered to copy it
correctly). Yeah, I will enter the contest, claiming Arnie's many
years of entertainment is what meant the most to me (Terry L Krueger,
Clearwater, Florida USA 27.55.83 N, 82.46.08 W, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
6050, 6060, 6010 all open carrier from RHC, Feb 8 at 0608; 0610
English modulation kicked in again. Probably same applied to
unnecessary fourth frequency, 6150.
15120, RHC noted several times off the air well before scheduled
1500*; Feb 9 it`s gone already at 1404, but was on a few minutes
earlier, so I figure it`s really closing at 1400. No, next tuneby at
1440, 15120 is back on, still at 1454 until 1456 cut to open carrier,
1457* off; while all the other frequencies now continue to 1600, then
siesta time (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** CUBA [and non]. CUBA GETS FIBRE-OPTIC CABLE LINK TO VENEZUELA
A 1,000-mile (1,600 km) undersea fibre-optic cable, trumpeted as a
blow against the US trade embargo against Cuba, has been strung from
socialist ally Venezuela to the communist-led island, officials said
on Wednesday. The cable, which will one day improve Cuba’s slow-paced
Internet, was laid from a ship by the French company Alcatel-Lucent.
It came in near the city of Santiago de Cuba in eastern Cuba, where
Cuban officials including Vice President Ramiro Valdes awaited.
According to Prensa Latina, Cuban Information and Communications
Minister Medardo Diaz said the cable was “a breach” in the
longstanding US trade embargo against the island, which Cuba has
blamed for not having a better Internet service. He said it would
“strengthen national sovereignty in telecommuncations.”
The cable is a $70 million project financed by the left-wing regional
group ALBA which includes Cuba and Venezuela. It will not be connected
until July and Cuban officials have said it will take time to link up
the island due to poor infrastructure. Santiago de Cuba is 540 miles
(870 kms) southeast of Havana.
Cuban dissidents have accused the government of stalling Internet
access because it wants to control the islanders’ access to
information. But Deputy Information and Communications Minister Jorge
Luis Perdomo said at a Havana conference this week there were no
“political obstacles” to making the Internet more widely available.
When operational, the cable will provide download speeds 3,000 times
faster than Cuba’s current Internet and be capable of handling
millions of phone calls simultaneously.
Currently, Cuba gets its Internet through a satellite connection that
is slow and expensive. According to government figures only 14 out of
every 100 Cubans used the Internet in 2009, one of the lowest rates in
the Western Hemisphere. Another segment of the cable will be strung
from Cuba to Jamaica, officials said (Source: Reuters) (February 10th,
2011 - 10:34 UTC by Andy Sennitt, Media Network blog via DXLD)
** CUBA [non]. 7210-LSB, Nelson, N1NR, Pennsylvania, Feb 10 at 1406 in
QSO with another Cuban exile discussing in Spanish getting a 19-year-
old out of Cuba so she can *live* rather than ``vegetate``; atop
broadcast CCI, CRI Japanese via Xian (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING
DIGEST)
** CYPRUS. 15782-15807, OTH radar pulses presumed from here, Feb 10 at
1510; so much for Galei Zahal inaudible under on 15785 (Glenn Hauser,
OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** CZECHIA [non]. 9955, WRMI relay of Radio Prague in French continues
weekdays at 1430, heard opening on Feb 9; altho this language not
mentioned in Jeff White`s press release about continuing Prague on SW
in Spanish and English, it remains on the schedule for the time being.
Pulse jamming disrupts, after YL preacher in English until 1430. 1455
check, 9955 is playing steel drums, unlike WWCR, so Prague must have
come up short (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** DIEGO GARCIA. AFN, 4319-USB, 1440, Feb 5. Noticeably off the air
today while AFN Guam (5765-USB) continued with fair reception and the
traditional AFN SW format (non-music). DG was heard yesterday at 1322;
// with AFN Guam.
AFN, 4319-USB, 1315, Feb 6. Back on the air again after being off
yesterday; // AFN Guam (5765-USB) (Ron Howard, Asilomar State Beach,
CA, Etón E1, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** DOMINICAN REPUBLIC. Harmonic: 2280 kHz - Radio Anacaona - 0220
1/31/11 - Coming in strong with Latin music and numerous "Radio
Anacaona" Spanish announcements. 1140 x 2 (Tim TROMP, MI, MARE
Tipsheet Feb 5 via WORLD OF RADIO 1551, DXLD)
2280, tnx to a log from Tim Tromp, Michigan in the MARE Tipsheet, we
have a new MW harmonic to chase. So I try Feb 5 at 2357 UT and there
is a very weak carrier, some music occasionally audible. At 0000 Feb 6
a yelled announcement, sounds Spanish, back to music. Modulation seems
a bit distorted, but hard to be sure as signal is threshold vs the hi
local noise level here. 0020 about the same; 0026 peaking a bit with
singing, 0029 sounds like canned ID but cannot copy it.
Tim says he heard Latin music and numerous Radio Anacaona IDs Jan 31
at 0220, coming in strong, 2 x 1140. WRTH 2011 info: HIRA, Radio
Anacaona, 5 kW, San Juan de la Maguana, 1100-0400. I had checked for
it the previous morning after 1200, but that was too late to
propagate.
Wikipedia explains the derivation of this unusual name: ``Anacaona
(1464 – c. 1504), also called the Golden Flower, was a Taíno cacique
(chief), sister of Bohechío and wife of Caonabo, chief of a nearby
territory, two of the five highest caciques who ruled the island of
Hispaniola when the Spaniards settled there in 1492. She was
celebrated as a composer of ballads and narrative poems, called
areítos``. It`s nice that the Taíno, who were exterminated by the
Spaniards, at least leave a legacy of nomenclature, no doubt due to a
lingering sense of well-deserved guilt (Glenn Hauser, OK, WORLD OF
RADIO 1551, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
2280 UNIDENTIFIED. 1114 Feb 9. A station in Spanish with man and
woman. Poor (Harold Sellers, Vernon, B.C., Listening from my car with
an Eton E1 and Sony AN1 active antenna, dxldyg via WORLD OF RADIO
1551, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** ECUADOR. 6050, HCJB, La Voz de los Andes, Pichincha, *0825-0905,
06-02, tuning flute music, anthem, female, quechua, identification:
"HCJB Quito, AM 690, 6050 onda corta". Time signals at 0830 and nice
program of Equatorial music. No interference today from RHC. 45444
(Manuel Méndez, Lugo, Spain, Logs in Friol, 27 Km. W of Lugo, Grundig
Satatellit 500 and Sony ICF SW 7600 G, Cable antenna, 10 meters, faced
WSW, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) RHC no longer on 6050 mornings
(gh)
** EGYPT. New 9305, 2025-2110 01.02, R Cairo, Abis, Arabic phone-in
reports, ID: "Huna al-Qahira", songs, 2057-2107 President Hosni
Mubarak speaking to the Nation stating that he will resign in
September at the next Presidential election. 45433. Best 73, (Anker
Petersen, from Skovlunde, Denmark, where we the latest days have had
spring-like weather, so all snow have melted. My RX is an AOR
AR7030PLUS with 28 metres of longwire, via Dario Monferini, playdx yg
via DXLD) ?? 9305 is not new at all (gh, DXLD)
** EGYPT. WRN advises that they are now including Radio Cairo`s
English broadcast on their website. Here`s where to get it:
http://www.wrn.org/listeners/#radio-cairo/
(Glenn Hauser, Feb 3, dxldyg via WORLD OF RADIO 1551, DX LISTENING
DIGEST)
By the way, we started podcasting the German service of Radio Cairo in
2009 already. see
http://www.radio700.info/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=48
XML file for itunes etc:
http://www.radio700.eu/podcasts/kairo/kairo.xml
Best regards, (Douglas Kähler, Germany, Feb 3, dxldyg via WORLD OF
RADIO 1551, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Auch:
** EGYPT. Täglich Neues aus Kairo - auf Deutsch! --- Pressemitteilung
Über die Unruhen in Ägypten kann man sich auch sehr leicht auf Deutsch
aus erster Hand informieren
Berlin/Kairo (IMH) - Trotz der chaotischen Zustände in den Straßen der
ägyptischen Hauptstadt sendet der staatliche Auslandsrundfunksender
Radio Kairo ungestört weiter - und zwar erstaunlich neutral. Wie viele
arabische Auslandssender strahlt auch Radio Kairo sein Programm nicht
nur in der Landessprache, sondern ebenfalls in den bedeutendsten
Weltsprachen - darunter Deutsch - aus. Die deutschsprachige Redaktion
in Kairo umfasst mehrere männliche und weibliche Mitarbeiter. Sie
produzieren täglich eine einstündige Sendung von 21.00 bis 22.00 Uhr
mit kulturellen, touristischen und politischen Nachrichten für die
deutschsprachigen Länder Europas. Die Sendungen hören sich teils etwas
amateurhaft und chaotisch an. Dadurch spiegeln sie aber gut die Lage
im Land wider und wirken sehr authentisch. Zu hören sind die deutschen
Töne aus Kairo über Kurzwelle, Satellit und übers Internet. Unter
folgender Internetadresse lassen sich die aktuellen Sendungen
jederzeit abrufen:
http://www.podcast.de/podcast/13493/Radio_Kairo
Neben dem deutschsprachigen Programm von Radio Kairo gibt es noch
weitere deutschsprachige Medien in der arabischen Republik: eine
Zeitschrift für die deutschsprachigen Touristen, ein
Wirtschaftsmagazin für Geschäftsleute und ein Mitteilungsblatt für die
in Ägypten dauerhaft lebenden Deutschen.
Deutsch ist in Ägypten außerordentlich populär. Über 100.000 Schüler
und Studenten lernen dort die Sprache Goethes. Es gibt sogar eine
deutsche Universität.
Weitere Informationen bei Bedarf hier:
Arbeitsgemeinschaft Internationale Medienhilfe (IMH)
Netzwerk deutschsprachiger Auslandsmedien
Büro Berlin
http://www.medienhilfe.org
http://www.deutschsprachig.de
(IMH Internationale Medienhilfe via WRN via DXLD)
** EGYPT. Do you recall if Egypt had bad audio in the 70s on SW?? I
listened to them in the 70s and their audio quality was not good then.
I haven't listed to them on SW for over 25 years now. 73s, (Artie
Bigley, OH, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** EGYPT [and non]. Watching compilation of videos re Egypt Crisis on
CNN site today. One report on prison breakout in Abu Zaabal. This, of
course, is well known to HF listeners as one of the Radio Cairo
transmitting sites. Funny, or not so funny, but I now remember that
Abu Ghraib, another notorious prison site, was also host to Radio
Baghdad SW transmitters (Derek Lynch, Eire, Feb 2, DX LISTENING
DIGEST)
** EGYPT. HAM RADIO NOT A VIABLE OPTION FOR EGYPT --- From PCWorld
http://www.pcworld.com/businesscenter/article/218338/ham_radio_not_a_viable_option_for_egypt.html
73, (via Kraig, KG4LAC, Krist, Feb 3, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST)
Very interesting article. It made me think down a new angle, of course
Egypt is a political revolution rather than natural disaster. In many
non-western countries amateur radio is often an elitist hobby (just
like golf is in many non-western countries) and perhaps the majority
of ham operators may not fully support the views of the uprising. I
once met King Hussein of Jordan during a state visit to Australia.
This was because he was a very active amateur and wanted to meet his
"friends" that he had QSO's with over the air. Hussein has gone, and
now his son who has continued the family rule is facing the very real
possibility of a popular uprising in his country this year. Cheers,
(Mark Fahey, NSW, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** EGYPT. QUASI-CLANDESTINE COMMUNICATION OUT OF EGYPT
Dear Glenn, An anarchist group is helping to spread info out of Egypt
using messages received over CW on ham radio. They're posting the
messages they're receiving on the following web page:
http://werebuild.eu/wiki/Egypt/Ham_radio
"Receive: 40m band 7050-7100, 20m 14000-14050. We always listen on
hamradio 7080.8 kHz CW transmit frequency. We may call CQ SU, best
time 18h-20h UTC. Please spread."
Thought you'd like to know (April Yamane, Feb 3, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
Very brief, worse than tweets, but maybe something significant will
appear (gh, DXLD)
** EGYPT. UPRISING IN EGYPT: A TWO-HOUR SPECIAL ON THE REVOLT AGAINST
THE U.S.-BACKED MUBARAK REGIME
http://www.democracynow.org/2011/2/5/uprising_in_egypt_a_two_hour
In a special Saturday edition, Democracy Now! airs a two-hour
broadcast. Highlights include:
* Live Reports from Cairo with Democracy Now! senior producer
Sharif Abdel Kouddous and Democracy Now! correspondent Anjali Kamat.
* Egyptian novelist Ahdaf Soueif on how life in Tahrir Square "is
truly democracy in action."
* Columbia professor Rashid Khalidi on the impact of the Egyptian
and Tunisian uprisings on the Middle East.
* Mohamed Abdel Dayem of the Committee to Protect Journalists on
the continued attacks on journalists by supporters of the Mubarak
regime.
* Khaled Fahmy, professor at the American University in Cairo, on
reports that Hosni Mubarak has resigned as head of the ruling NDP
party.
* University of California-Santa Barbara professor Paul Amar on
the military’s role in a post-Mubarak Egypt.
* Stanford Professor Joel Beinin on the Egyptian labor movement
and the historical roots of the Jan. 25 uprising.
* Egyptian American activist Mostafa Omar on the role of Egyptian
youth in the protests.
* And we play the "video that started the revolution"–Asmaa
Mahfouz’s Jan. 18th message calling for protests in Tahrir Square on
Jan. 25 (Democracy Now mailing list, Feb 6, via DXLD)
** EGYPT [non]. Israel News - Haaretz Israeli News source.
As usual, there are too many good, thought provoking articles here for
me to conveniently itemize, much less discuss even briefly. Check out
the slideshow while you're at it: There are several improvised helmets
of note to behold on the heads of anti Mubarak protesters.
http://www.haaretz.com/#wrapper
(Des Preston, MI, Feb 4, Sent from my iPhone, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
From BBC Egypt coverage blog:
2245 UT Feb 4: Arab experts at BBC Monitoring have been watching TV
news coverage across the region, and have come up with some
interesting observations. Libyan TV coverage of the unrest has focused
on the arrest of "six foreigners heading to Tahrir Square". Reports
quoted Chinese news agency as saying three of foreigners were "US
citizens of Dutch origin carrying Israeli currency".
This is one of the first mentions I've seen or heard from BBC News of
BBCMS. It's sad to see most of the reporting on what is being said on
Egyptian state television (Nile), Al Araybia, and other channels in
the region all attributed to Reuters and AFP wire reports.
I have been monitoring multiple Middle East satellite channels - as
well as APTN and Reuters Television feeds and most of the news
agencies' text output directly for the past week. (Much as I did from
Nicosia - almost exactly 20 years ago - during the first Gulf war.)
- DRA (David R. Alpert, Twitter: twitter.com/DaveAlpert Feb 4, DX
LISTENING DIGEST)
** EGYPT. On 4th Feb 2011 Urdu service of Radio Cairo was heard with
strong signals but poor modulation on 6270 kHz 1700-1800 UT. Interval
signal observed from 1650 onwards. Modulation was so poor that I could
not make out the content inspite of my knowledge of Urdu (Supratik
Sanatani, India, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** EGYPT. A blank carrier was heard this morning on 6270 at 0115-0130.
Cairo? (Roger Tidy, UK, Feb 5, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST)
"Back"? Not really I've heard Cairo several times recently on 6270 at
the beginning of their Spanish broadcast at 0045 // 9900 9915 (JM
Aubier, France, Feb 5, ibid.)
And for those of you who would like to listen live to Radio Cairo's
Overseas Service: Livestream by Radio700.info:
http://91.143.94.10/radiocairo.m3u
Regards, ((Douglas Kähler, Germany, ibid.)
Good. What is the language schedule? Checked at 0317 UT Sunday, it`s
in Arabic altho the English broadcast to North America should also be
in progress. Is this all-Arabic, or are English and other languages
interspersed? Glenn
Italian (1800-1900 UT), German (1900-2000 UT) English for North
America (2215-2245 UT) followed by the broadcast in French (Douglas
Kähler, ibid.)
It's the SW schedule. Not sure it's the same for the live stream. I've
heard turkish at 1030-1057(SW 1700-1900), followed by Russian (SW
1900-2000) (JM Aubier, France, Feb 6, ibid.)
Webcast, http://91.143.94.10:80/radiocairo at 0208 February 6, in
Arabic. Shortwave at 0211 February 6, presumably Radio Cairo on 6270
with a very good signal but audio far too faint to be sure it was the
same as the webcast. 0254 February 6, ditto as above. Regards (Harry
Brooks, North East England UK, ibid.)
I'm listening to a English broadcast since 1304 approx (J-M Aubier,
Feb 6, ibid.)
The transmission at http://91.143.94.10/radiocairo.m3u is a live feed.
I heard it ending an English transmission just before 1330 - they said
it was English to Asia on 17870, which matches the schedule provided
by Wolfgang in posting 50639. At 1330, a transmission in Farsi began,
which also matches the SW schedule (Chris Greenway, Feb 6, ibid.)
Followed by english at 1700. Note that the English segment ending at
1328 was 25 min. long only. Let's see if european transmissions have
the same schema as on SW (Aubier, ibid.)
The Radio Cairo afternoon and evening webcast schedule as monitored
by Jean-Michel Aubier, Chris Greenway and myself today Sunday 6
February 2011.
1300-1330 English
1330-1530 Farsi
1530-1700 Swahili
1700-1800 English
1800-1900 Italian
1900-2000 German
2000-2115 French
2115-2245* English
* = presumed. Regards (Harry Brooks, North East England, UK, ibid.)
Please add
0400 (presumed)- 0600 Swahili
1030-1100 Turkish
1100-1230 Russian
1230-1300 Indonesian
73. (JM Aubier, France, ibid.)
The webstream is captured on Eutelsat Hotbird 13 E with a Receiver and
then digitally transcoded to 44.1 kHz, 96 kBit/s MPEG 1 Layer 3 and
pushed to Icecast. Regards, (Christian, Radio 700, ibid.)
Thanks for this initiative. Unfortunately, the stream is no longer
working (file not found). Regards (Jean-Michel Aubier, France, 2016 UT
Feb 9, ibid.)
The stream is back online. The satellite receiver crashed (Christian,
1511 UT Feb 10, ibid.)
** EGYPT. What is the role of radio in the Egyptian uprising?
February 7th, 2011 by Paul Riismandel in emergencies, shortwave
http://www.radiosurvivor.com/2011/02/07/what-is-the-role-of-radio-in-the-egyptian-uprising/
When the Egyptian government shut down internet access over a week ago
in order to compromise the opposition movement’s ability to
communicate there were several press reports that ham radio operators
were stepping in to fill the information void. On the surface it seems
a very credible story. Amateur radio operators have stepped in to
assist with most major natural disasters, providing a communications
lifeline with phone, cell and internet lines are down. But things get
a little murkier when the circumstances are a political, rather than
natural, emergency. Furthermore, while ham radio has a strong history
in much of the West, it is not necessarily so pervasive in all
nations.
The Amateur Radio Newsline decided to investigate the claim of ham
action in Egypt, and fails to find evidence to support it. First off,
reporter Norm Seeley, KI7UP, notes that none of the reception reports
of Egyptian hams have been attributed to a named licensed amateur
operator with a call sign. Moreover, Seeley says that technically
skilled hams in nearby countries like Israel would certainly be filing
reception reports if there were transmissions from the Egyptian
opposition, but none have surfaced.
Finally, Seeley reports that there are only about two dozen amateur
radio operators licensed by the Egyptian government. While it is
certainly plausible that there are unlicensed transceivers in the
country, Seeley posits that someone familiar with shortwave would be
associated with the military and therefore not necessarily sympathetic
to the opposition, and also aware of the risks involved in being
detected.
On the broadcast bands it is also true that we’ve seen unlicensed
broadcasters take to the air during both natural disasters and
political crises. So one might also wonder if there are any unlicensed
broadcasts supporting the opposition in Egypt.
At this point there is just one report of any kind of unlicensed radio
activity in Egypt, coming from a report by the Russian Federation
state news agency RIA Novosti. An article dated Friday says that the
opposition movement has started a single-sheet newspaper called Maidan
Tahrir and is setting up a radio station.
I must admit that I do not know enough about RIA Novosti to critically
evaluate the quality of its reportage. Furthermore, I know nothing
about Egyptian broadcast regulation. In particular, given the Egyptian
army’s strong role in national affairs, I don’t know if it would
involve itself in shutting down unlicensed stations, regardless of
their political persuasion.
As a believer in the power of radio to help mobilize in times of
crisis, it would be romantic to think hams or unlicensed broadcasters
were stepping up to support democracy in Egypt. However, it may also
be true that doing so may be riskier than other types of action.
At this point, especially as the opposition enters talks with the
government, I think the best we can say about whether radio has been
employed by the opposition is, “maybe.” I’ll stay on the lookout for
additional reports, and we would certainly appreciate any tips our
intrepid readers can pass along (Radio Survivor blog via Artie Bigley,
DXLD)
** EGYPT. Hello DXers, checking the MW freq of the main networks from
Egypt I noticed that:
774 is back again with the normal Middle east Radio.
711 is back with idhaat al shaba wel reayad - youth and sports
programs.
During the last turmoil in Egypt, 819, 774 and 711 used to have the
same network with a new ID al Idhaa al Masreya - the Egyptian radio.
621, Voice of the Arabs is still on with the normal programs, same as
861 Holy Quran Radio. [you mean 864? gh]
Things are getting back to normal on the MW freuencies. B. Rgds (Tarek
Zeidan, Aalborg, Denmark, 1919 UT Feb 7, dxldyg via WORLD OF RADIO
1551, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
Hi Glenn, Egypt is still active on 6270 kHz, but it seems only in Urdu
at 1600 to 1700z. At least this broadcast was easily heard here in
Europe with time sig, hymn, ID, news etc. with decent signal (O=4).
But the scheduled broadcasts for Europe from 1700 were not active.
In our evenings, R. Cairo was in parallel on 9305 kHz and MW 819 kHz
(with a slight delay of > 1s), SW with excellent and MW with fair to
good signal, but the modulation was distorted in both cases. Best
regards, Tobias (T²) from Central Europe (Tobias Taufer, Germany, Feb
7, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** EGYPT. Trouble hearing R. Cairo on SW for an important
announcement? Douglas Kähler of Radio 700 in Germany tells DXLD they
have set up a live stream relay from a satellite feed:
http://91.143.94.10/radiocairo.m3u
The satellite receiver had crashed as I was recording WOR 1551, but
Douglas says it was later restored. The language schedule takes part
of what is on SW, as monitored partially by Jean-Michel Aubier, Chris
Greenway and Harry Brooks as of Sunday 6 February 2011; note only
portions of longer English broadcasts appear:
1300-1330 English
1330-1530 Farsi
1530-1700 Swahili
1700-1800 English
1800-1900 Italian
1900-2000 German
2000-2115 French
2115-2245* English * = presumed
I also heard it in Arabic after 0300 rather than English. At 2100 UT
Feb 10, French service was *not* broadcasting Mubarak`s non-
resignation speech, just something about the Qur`an (Glenn Hauser, OK,
DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** EGYPT [and non]. Egypt was more than "partially successful" in
blocking the internet. For a few days, finding a modem and dialing in
to internet providers in Europe, or a personal satellite node, was the
only way to connect. Al Jazeera was taken off Nilesat, the most
popular satellite. Al Jazeera's channels on Arabsat and Hot Bird were
subject to interference. Egypt was pretty well bottled up. Still
getting though were the Arabic-language broadcasts of Radio Sawa, BBC
Arabic, and France's Monte Carlo Doualiya, all from medium wave relays
on Cyprus. Radio, however, is old media, unhip, uncool, and therefore
unmentioned (Kim Andrew Elliott, Feb 10, kimandrewelliott.com via
DXLD) see also INTERNATIONAL INTERNET: Commando Solo; UK - BBCWS
** EQUATORIAL GUINEA. 15190, R. Africa, 1610, Feb 5. Preacher in
English (not Tony Alamo); weak (Ron Howard, Asilomar State Beach,
CA, Etón E1, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** ERITREA. ERITREAN OFFICIALS PANICKED BY EVENTS IN EGYPT
Gedab News via Awate.com reports: “As the people’s rage moves from
Tunisia to Egypt and possibly to Yemen, the Eritrean regime is in a
state of panic and is trying to engineer a total news blackout in
Eritrea. The State media, which is the only legal medium of
information dissemination in Eritrea, has maintained total silence on
the Tunisian and Egyptian revolutions, and the uprisings in Sudan and
Yemen. Until now, Eritreans could get the information from
international radio broadcasts and satellite TV. Now the Eritrean
regime is attempting to control the latter.
“According to our reporter, Eritrea’s national security office
contacted the ministry of information demanding that they “plug off”
the satellite television transmission, just like Egypt was able to
“plug off” the Internet and mobile phone service. The ministry of
information replied that there is “no switch” to block airwaves coming
through space.
“After mulling over the issue, the National Security Office sent out
an order to every village, town and city administration demanding that
cafes, restaurants and all public places which provide satellite-
carried international news cease and desist immediately and that
failure to comply immediately will result in loss of their licence.
“The business owners have protested that the major reason they have a
clientele is because of the satellite dish, which carries news, sports
and movies, and without that service, they will risk losing their
business. The national security office stated that this was a matter
of “national security” and they have to comply or lose their business
licence.
“This leaves shortwave radio as the only source of independent news
for Eritreans. Our reporter commented, ‘I still have my radio, glad
the regime does not have the ability to block radio waves!’ The
reporter also said that he is following all the news and he is up to
date with the news.” (Source: Gedab News via Awate.com) February 8th,
2011 - 17:51 UTC by Andy Sennitt, Media Network blog via DXLD)
** ERITREA. Hi Everyone, Arabic section of Voice of the Broad Masses
of Eritrea, signing off. 1759, 7150 kHz, 7/2/11, off at 1800
http://www.box.net/shared/fytmjkys5i
(Mark Davies, Anglesey, Feb 7, dxldyg via DXLD)
** ERITREA [non]. Target: ERITREA --- VOICE OF DEMOCRATIC ALLIANCE
Afar
1530-1600 .t.t.s. EAf 7235gjw (ex 7165)
Arabic
1500-1530 m.w.f.s EAf 7235gjw (ex 7165)
Kunama
1530-1600 m.w.f.. EAf 7235gjw (ex 7165)
Tigrinya
1500-1530 .t.t.s. EAf 7235gjw (ex 7165)
1530-1600 ......s EAf 7235gjw (ex 7165)
VOICE OF ERITREA
Tigrinya
0400-0430 .t.t.s. ERI 7235gjw (ex 7165)
1800-1830 .t.t.s. ERI 7235gjw (ex 7165)
VOICE OF PEACE AND DEMOCRACY OF ERITREA
Tigrinya
0400-0500 m.w.f.. ERI 7235gjw (ex 7165)
1800-1830 m.w.f.. ERI 7235gjw (ex 7165)
(WRTH 2 Feb update via DXLD) Rest of 7235 sked: see ETHIOPIA
** ESTONIA. 4645, Tallinn Volmet, surprised to find this in the clear,
was covered by noise in the last couple of years, 4 Feb, 2218, with
met reports in English for Tallinn Airport, repeated for approx. 5
minutes until updated, 33422 (Eike Bierwirth, Leipzig, Germany, JRC-
NRD525 with DX-10 Pro active antenna on the balcony, dxldyg via DX
LISTENING DIGEST)
** ETHIOPIA. RADIO ETHIOPIA
Afar
1300-1400 daily EAf,ME 7235gjw (ex 7165)
Arabic
1400-1500 daily EAf,ME 7235gjw (ex 7165)
English
1600-1700 daily EAf,ME 7235gjw (ex 7165)
French
1700-1800 daily EAf,ME 7235gjw (ex 7165)
Somali
1200-1300 daily EAf,ME 7235gjw (ex 7165)
(WRTH 2 Feb update via DXLD)
See ERITREA [non] above for more on 7235 at 15-16, 04-05, 1800-1830.
BTW, this is the transmitter off-frequency to the hi side putting a
het on VOA Korean when we hear it around 14, longpath (gh)
** ETHIOPIA. Re 11-05, Ethiopian jammers back --- More or less the
same Feb 1, 2 & 3 - jamming until 1600* and returning towards
1630 one-by-one sometimes with blank carrier at first. Five jammers
heard usually, leaving 7165 or 7185 uncovered. Until 1700* 73
(Thorsten Hallmann, Germany, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** ETHIOPIA [and non]. ERITREA/ETHIOPIA: Observations from Friday Feb.
4 to Tuesday Feb. 8 generally show the following pattern: Ethiopian
Noisejamming at 1500-1600 and 1630-1700 against VoBME-2 (7175) and
low-powered transmitters. 4770, 5980 and 9700 seem to be out of use.
7130 + 7150 show weak signals and are usually jammed at the above
times. 7120, 7165 and 7185 irregular. Most ERI-transmitters are
switched off at 1700 or earlier - or on new frequencies? (Thorsten
Hallmann, Germany, Feb 8, http://www.africalist.de.ms
WORLD OF RADIO 1551, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
ERI 4770 has moved to 4760 (was there at least Feb 7). (Jari
Savolainen, Finland, dxldyg via WORLD OF RADIO 1551, DX LISTENING
DIGEST)
** ETHIOPIA. Roberto Pavanello: QSL R. Oromiya 6030 kHz
OROMIYA RADIO 6030 kHz QSL Email in 12 days, V/s : Habtamu Dargie
Gudeta (Head of Engineering Department). Snail address : Radio
Oromiya, P. o. Box 2919, Adama, Etiopia.
Email : habtamu_dargie @ yahoo.com
Sent 1 IRC. WEB : http://www.orto.gov.et/
Roberto Pavanello
Da: Habtamu Dargie Gudeta
Date: 03/02/11 07:37
Oggetto: Oromia Radio
Messaggio:
Dear Roberto, I have received your letter that explain the reception
of our signal. Thank you very much for your letter.
I am very happy and glad to hear about the reception of our signal in
Italy. The signal on 6030kHz and 49M band shortwave broadcast is our
program. We have daily program broadcasted on this band and its main
content is in Oromo Language which focuses on local issues and local
music. We are happy to promote our station around the world and hope
you are one of our customers.
I will list the time of our daily programs broadcast time as below.
1. Monday --- Friday
Morning 0330-0600 GMT
Noon 0900-1100 GMT
Evening 1530-1900 GMT
2. Saturday-Sunday
The whole day 0330-1900 GMT
I hope this will give you the information you may need to follow our
transmission. If you have any question please do not hesitate to
contact me.
With best regards,
Habtamu Dargie Gudeta
Oromia Radio and TV Organization
Engineering Department head (via Dario Monferini, playdx yg via WORLD
OF RADIO 1551, DXLD)
Radio Oromiya 6030 KHz - P.O. Box 2919 - Adama - Etiopia con da
habtamu_dargie@yahoo.com in 12 giorni. v/s Habtamu Dargie Engineering
Department Head. 1 IRC (Roberto Pavanello, Vercelli / Italia, via
Roberto Scaglione, shortwave yg via DXLD)
** FRANCE. 15605, RFI English on its sôle frequency, Feb 5 at 1603 but
blocked by running-water ute QRM centered on 15603 just as I tune in;
finally relents, uncovering report on Cairo protests (Glenn Hauser,
OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** FRANCE. 5925, Feb 9 at 0643, song in English, ``Standing in the
Corner``, so what`s this? Not ``on the corner``. RFI in French, daily
06-07, 500 kW, 204 degrees via Issoudun.
Later I hear from Mike Cooper: ``Another strike at RFI, on Wednesday
and Thursday until 0600 UT. English-language broadcasts at 12 and 14
ran as usual, but 17 [or 16?] was replaced by RFI Musique`` (Glenn
Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
There is still a 17 UT but not heard on satellite here. However, it is
available via RFI multilingual feed:
http://mp3.live.tv-radio.com/rfimultlingue1/all/rfimultlingue1.mp3
mc (Mike Cooper, ibid.)
** GERMANY. Question about World of Radio #1549 --- Hi, I enjoy
listening to your informative weekly broadcast of World of Radio. You
said in your show #1549 that Deutsche Welle was planning to cut their
shortwave service. Do you have a form letter that listeners could mail
to Deutsche Welle to persuade them to maintain their existing service
and possibly restore broadcasts targetting North America? Could you
post such a form letter on your website for listeners to mail to
Deutsche Welle? If you don't have such a letter could you refer me to
other listeners in the shortwave community who might have such a
letter? Could you pass this idea along in the wider shortwave
community? Thanks, (T.B., DX LISTENING DIGEST)
X, I hate to seem defeatist, but I don`t think a form letter would be
very persuasive. Just piling up identical letters tends to be
discounted by anyone on the receiving end of a campaign. An
individually composed well-reasoned response might be considered if it
reaches the decision-makers. But I`m also afraid these things are
decided at a much higher level than the mere listener, especially
listeners abroad who have no political clout in the home country. We
may as well resign ourselves to DW and other stations cutting
themselves back or even disappearing (Glenn, ibid.)
** GHANA. 4915.0, Radio Ghana, 1/31/2011, Music followed by OM brief
talk, 2213 pop song (French Creek DXpedition #40 (French Creek State
Park, PA): Kris Field, Drake R-8; Harold Cones, Winradio 313E, NASWA
Flashsheet via DXLD)
?! Ghana has been gone from SW for many, many years. Guess this is
what happens when you reactivate after years being out of touch with
what has been going on in the SW medium, documented in sources such as
the NASWA Journal and DXLD; or maybe they were referring to the 1948
or 1952 WRTH brought along for display, hi. 4915 at this hour was
surely one of the Brazilians (Glenn Hauser, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** GIBRALTAR. Gibraltar Broadcasting Corporation, 1458, f/d logo QSL
card in 245 days for English airmail report and US $5.00 return
postage. V/s: Gerard J Teuma, Head of Radio. Station was heard from my
room in the Amsterdam Airport Sheraton in June of 2010. Nice hotel
too! ;-) Just finding time again to get back into DXing. It comes and
goes with this fiber project rollout. 73 to all! (Al Muick, Kandahar
Airfield, Afghanistan, Feb 3, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
GBC heard in HOL? If I understand Al correctly, he heard Gibraltar on
1458 kHz in Amsterdam? 73 (Harald Kuhl, Feb 4, MWCircle yg via DXLD)
That's pretty good going, especially from a hotel room. The strongest
signal is Sunrise in my part of Holland (Dave Onley, ibid.)
Perhaps he heard BBC World Service and inferred that it was GBC? A
hotel room is also a really unforgiving place for DX let alone local
reception due to steel building construction and high levels of QRM.
I've tried for years to hear GBC and have never heard it in the UK. I
don't think I've ever seen GBC reported heard. 73s (Steve Whitt,
ibid.)
That´s what I thought when I saw this. Even from the Canary Islands or
along the Spanish coast you have to listen carefully for an ID if you
don´t want to mix up the English language stations on that channel
(Sunrise dominating most of the time) 73 (Harald Kuhl, Germany, ibid.)
Dubious I would have thought. When in Southern Spain I heard the BFBS
on FM rather than a signal from 1458. Best wishes (Barry :-) Davies,
ibid.)
I agree; it is impossible to hear Gibraltar on MW from The
Netherlands. As said before by others, even in Southern Spain it is
very difficult to hear Gibraltar on 1458, 73 (Max Van Arnhem, ibid.)
Hi guys, Sunrise Radio is most of the time dominant on the freq. What
time did you hear the GBC Al? Can you give some programme details
which proved your reception? (Ruud Vos, Utrecht, ibid.)
Ruud, I imported the news from another list (HCDX), so he will not
answer here. But you can ask him directly if you wish. 73 (Harald
Kuhl, ibid.)
Hello Al, We in the Netherlands are suprised that you heard GBC
on 1458 Khz, because most of the time Sunrise Radio is dominant on the
freq. What time did you hear the station? Do you have a recording of
the reception? If you heard GBC, It's real a great DX catch! So far I
know not heard before in the Netherlands or UK. Thank you so much for
your reply. 73! (Ruud to Al, via ibid.)
Hi Ruud, The station was caught whilst I was traveling back to
Afghanistan from last year. The time was 2320 hours GMT, and they were
in the midst of an Oldies program on June 6th 2010. I do not have a
recording of the station, but apparently my details matched their log,
or I would not have received a QSL.
I was using my WinRadio G303e and a Palstar amplfier/tuned ferrite
loopstick antenna. I am amazed that the station has never been heard
in the Netherlands or the UK before. According to my log, the QRM was
especially heavy from a co-channel station, and although I did not
take the time to find out exactly who that was, I presume it may have
been your Sunrise Radio. According to the log, the reception was poor,
but enough was identifiable. I recognized most of the Oldies and
finally got a complete station ID at 2330 GMT.
I'm sorry I do not have a recording for you. I think that if I have
heard the station with a ferrite loop, some of you guys who have room
to put up a good antenna there should be able to hear the station too,
especially in these winter months! 73, (Al Muick, Kandahar
Afghanistan, via Ruud Vos, ibid.)
Hello Al, Thanks for the reply. This was a very good catch really!
Btw nice QTH to DX in Kandahar! Wish you the very best in Afghanistan
with your mission! 73! (Ruud, ibid.)
Radio Gibraltar´s web site shows that they have changed the BBC relays
for own programming...
Today on RADIO GIBRALTAR:
...
18:01 Yesterday When I Was Young with Richard Cartwright
19:00 Latest Hits, Classic Songs - through the night
Latest Hits, Classic Songs:
"Radio Gibraltar prides itself in offering the best selection of hits
from the past three decades, as well as tunes from the latest charts
and new releases. Just as our slogan says, we play "Latest Hits and
Classic Songs", and overnight we bring them to you with no
interruptions. So, enjoy!". (Mauricio Molano, Salamanca, ESPAÑA -
SPAIN, ibid.)
Well, Carlos Gonçalves in Portugal reports it regularly (gh)
1458, R. Gibraltar, Maida Vale, 1231-1350, 05 Feb, English, newscast,
music, advertisements, slot in Castilian at 1300; 45454 (Carlos
Gonçalves, Portugal, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** GREECE [and non]. R. Makedonias, 7450 at 2340 in Greek with music.
Poor. Faint het but can't determine frequency, 8 Feb) 73 (Liz Cameron,
MI, Finally got my NRD back. Yay! dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST)
That would be from the constant WWCR-1 spur, approx. 15.5 kHz above
and below, in this case from 7465.0 (Glenn Hauser, DX LISTENING
DIGEST)
** GREENLAND. 3814,98 3.2 2150 KNR Tasiilaq med danska nyheter kl 22.
Skall stänga snart för gott, tyvärr. Som vanligt störd av det ryska
nätet ”kratchuk”, kråka eller kraxa?? Svag och USB som alltid. SA
3814.98, 03.02 2150, KNR Tasiilaq with Danish news at 2200. Should
close soon for good, unfortunately. As usual, disturbed by the Russian
net "kratchuk", crow or croak? Weak and in USB as always (Stig
Adolfsson, Vallentuna, Sweden, SW Bulletin Feb 6, translated by editor
Thomas Nilsson for DX LISTENING DIGEST) Last date to be Feb 11 (gh)
3815 USB, 2115-2212* 29.01 + 02+03.02, KNR, Tasiilaq, Greenlandic
talk, 2200 Danish news, 2209 KNR jingle and closing ann, 15211. Last
call before station closing 08.02! (Anker Petersen, from Skovlunde,
Denmark, where we the latest days have had spring-like weather, so all
snow have melted. My RX is an AOR AR7030PLUS with 28 metres of
longwire, via Dario Monferini, playdx yg via DXLD) I thought it was to
be 11 Feb (gh, DXLD) Viz.:
** GREENLAND. GREENLAND CLOSES SW AND MW ON FEB 11 2011
On February 11 2011 at 8 AM local time all medium wave stations
carrying KNR (Radio Greenland) - Upernavik (810 kHz), Uummannaq (900
kHz), Qeqertarsuaq (650 kHz), Nuuk (570 kHz) and Simiutaq (720 kHz) -
will be switched off for good, and the transmitters will be
dismantled. On the same day the relays of KNR newscasts twice daily
via Tasiilaq 3815 kHz will also cease.
The decision has been taken by the Ministry of Housing, Infrastructure
and Transport in the Government of Greenland.
After February 11 2011 KNR will only be available via Low Power FM-
radio in inhabited areas of Greenland. Thus no coverage of the waste
[vast?] country outside the towns and villages - and KNR will no
longer be available for the fishermen at sea nor the Inuit population
in Canada.
The decision was made because the transmitters were getting old and
too costly to maintain. Besides - very few people are using the MW
transmissions.
Weather forecasts will be available for fishermen and others via VHF
coastal radio.
At a point it was considered replacing the aging MW transmitters with
one or two new SW AM-transmitters near Nuuk, but it was estimated that
it would cost 4 million DKK (535.000 euro) to establish such a new SW
operation. It was also felt that few listeners would invest in a SW
receiver and the quality would be 'doubtful' - suffering from
'atmospheric phenomena'. So these plans were given up.
Full report (in Danish) here:
http://www.radionyt.com/artikel/default.asp?id=18070
Best 73s (Stig Hartvig Nielsen, Denmark, Dec 10, mwdx yg via WORLD OF
RADIO 1543, DXLD 10-50 via WORLD OF RADIO 1551, via DXLD 11-06)
Re: Greenland about to leave MW for good --- Remember, on Feb 11 at 8
am local time all Greenlandic AM transmitters will sign off for good.
Record them as long as they are active.
Nuuk (570 kHz)
Qeqertarsuaq (650 kHz),
Simiutaq (720 kHz)
Upernavik (810 kHz),
Uummannaq (900 kHz),
On the same day the relays of KNR newscasts twice daily via Tasiilaq
3815 kHz will also cease. vy 73, (Willi Passman, MWC yg via DXLD)
Hi! Does anyone have information about the name of the v/s or the
email-address for reception reports to Greenlands Radio? It has been
really difficult to receive any reply from KNR during the last
years. 73s (Hannu Romppainen, Finland, http://www.romppainen.net
ibid.)
** GUAM. 5765-USB, AFN, Feb 1 at 1329 first time in a while I found
them with normal AFN SW format; // with AFN Diego Garcia, which was
about one second behind Guam. Feb 2 at 1622 continued to be // with DG
and with non-music format (Ron Howard, Asilomar State Beach, CA, Etón
E1, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) See also ARGENTINA
5765-USB, Feb 8 at 1404, AFN with ABC news item about wide-screen TVs;
1406 opening Dr Joy Browne advice show with phone number; so no
country music today (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** GUATEMALA. 4052.460, 2322 UT, Radio Verdad, Chiquimula. Some
religious program in Spanish, weak but fair (Maurits Van Driessche,
Belgium, Feb 5, hard this stations with my Perseus SDR receiver in
overnight recording, Super Kaz antennas, HCDX via DXLD)
4052.5-, R. Verdad is still here tho I had not logged it recently, Feb
8 at 0602 during majestic national anthem which one never tires of
hearing; S9+8 including the high local noise level. TGAV plans to
shift to 4055.0 sometime this month when the new crystal can be
installed; I suppose still not up to full power either (Glenn Hauser,
OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** GUINEA. -Conacri. 4900, Familia FM, Timbi Madina, 1923-1951, 03
Feb, French, African pops, talks; 35422 (Carlos Gonçalves, Portugal,
DX LISTENING DIGEST)
4989.913, Familia, 2330-2345 Afro Pop music, French comments, good
signal. 3 February (Robert Wilkner, Pompano Beach, Florida, US, Icom
746Pro Modified by Dallas Lankford, NRD 535D [Gilfer] Drake R8, DX
LISTENING DIGEST)
4899.979, 3.2 2240, Familia Radio also noted 4.2 lots of mx. A little
fading (Thomas Nilsson, Ängelholm, Sweden, SW Bulletin Feb 6 via DXLD)
4899,98v 6.2 00.03 Radio Familia med c/d. Svänger fram och åter ca
4899,978(?)-4899,985. Fick inte med yttersta vänstersvängen innan
close down. Började lyssa 23.15 och signalen var fri från störningar
mest hela tiden. Avslutade med ett lokalt(?) musikstycke och stängde
sedan tvärt. AHK
4899.98v, 02/06 0003, Radio Familia close/down. Swinging back and
forth about 4899.978 (?) - 4899.985. Didn’t got the extreme left turn
before they closed down. Started listening at 2315 and the signal was
free from interference all the time. Finished with a local (?) piece
of music and then abruptly shut down (Anders Hultqvist, Dalarö,
Sweden, SW Bulletin Feb 6, translated by editor Thomas Nilsson for DX
LISTENING DIGEST)
** GUINEA. On Sunday, Feb 6 at 1755 noted (tentative) RTG Conakry
again on 7125. Long talk by male voice in African French. Continued
through TOH 1800. Later, when randomly checking 1820-1900 there was
mostly W African pops. Good signal at times, some deep fades and ham-
QRM. They seem to be highly irregular, long time since I last logged
them on 7125 (Jari Savolainen, Kuusankoski, Finland, dxldyg via WORLD
OF RADIO 1551, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
It has not been heard since Aug 2010 (Anker Petersen, DSWCI DX Window
via WORLD OF RADIO 1551, DXLD)
7125, Feb 9 at 0628, S9+12 signal with undermodulated West-African
sounding vocal and instrumental music, initially with SSB QRhaM in
Spanish, precisely with this as BFO.
Must be RTG reactivated after several months and they still haven`t
organized a new frequency outside the hamband in the meantime! Still
there at 0704, poor signal with vocal music; and het on the hi side,
perhaps a hamjammer. Go get `em, Intruder-Busters! Perhaps someone
could helpfully suggest a proper new 7 MHz band SWBC frequency for
Guinea that would be clear at least 18 hours a day? Good luck.
I often tuned past 7125 just in case, but first to report this was
Jari Savolainen, Finland Feb 6 at 1755. Also heard a bit after my log
by Lúcio Otávio Bobrowiec, SP, Brasil until abruptly off at 0855*
(Glenn Hauser, OK, WORLD OF RADIO 1551,
DX LISTENING DIGEST)
7125, Guinea, R. Conakry. February 09, 0853-0855 two male in French
discussion. At 0855 abrupt s/off, 24322 (Lúcio Otávio Bobrowiec, Embu
SP Brasil, SW40 - Dipoles and Longwire, dxldyg via WORLD OF RADIO
1551, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
7125, RTG, Conakry, Feb 10 at 0743, better signal and modulation than
24 hours earlier, just hilife music (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING
DIGEST)
** HAITI. EE.UU: 25 años hablando en Creole
En un país en donde es complicado para los medios de comunicación
sobrevivir, el Servicio Creole, de la VOA, cumple un rol indispensable
en la vida de los haitianos. Foto: Jean Robert Philippe
Keneth Merten, embajador de EE.UU. en Haití, así como el editor en
jefe del Servicio Creole, Ronald
Haití no es simplemente una nación pobre con problemas de
infraestructura. Muy pocos tienen energía eléctrica, agua potable y
otros servicios básicos.
Ni hablar del internet o de grandes cadenas de televisión. Sin
embargo, los haitianos cada día están mejor informados, gracias a un
proyecto que inició hace 25 años.
El Servicio Creole, de la Voz de América, financiado con fondos del
gobierno de Estados Unidos, se ha convertido en una de las fuentes de
información más importante de Haití.
Parte del éxito del Servicio Creole ha sido adaptarse a las
necesidades de los haitianos, y más importante, a sus realidades.
“No simplemente proveemos información y noticias, también los ayudamos
de otras formas. Cuando el terremoto golpeó fuertemente Haití,
nosotros estuvimos ahí para hacerles saber qué tipo de asistencia
Estados Unidos estaba listo para enviar”, dijo Ronald Cesar, editor en
jefe del Servicio Creole.
Con el impacto telúrico, el país entero se fue abajo, la mayoría de
estaciones de radio salieron del aire, debido a que sus edificios se
destruyeron o tuvieron daños mayores que imposibilitaron la
transmisión regular de su programación, pero “el Servicio Creole no
dejó de transmitir y proveer información que la gente necesitaba
urgentemente”.
Este proyecto de la Voz de América inició a principios de los años 80
con un informe de noticias de cinco minutos y un solo periodista. En
1986, con la salida al exilio del ex dictador Jean-Claude “Baby Doc”
Duvalier, el Servicio Creole formalizó una programación diaria en la
isla y con el pasado terremoto del 12 de enero de 2010, la transmisión
se amplió a 24 horas seguidas con una señal que llega a todo el país.
“Tenemos una gran cantidad de socios, radios en Haití a quienes
llamamos afiliados, tenemos 13 afiliados y son radios que cubren cada
rincón del país, que llegan a todo el país, eso nos permite llegar a
todos los haitianos sin importar el lugar en donde vivan”, aseguró
Cesar.
A parte de la información, las noticias, y los servicios que provee
esta agencia, radicada en Washington, Cesar explica que uno de los
grandes objetivos es contribuir a la democracia del país, “ese es un
sueño que lastimosamente todavía tenemos pendientes los haitianos”.
FUENTE: http://bit.ly/hcvIGo (via Yimber Gaviria, Colombia, Feb 7
DXLD) Deleted SW last April (gh, DXLD)
** HONDURAS. 3250.060, 2329 UT, Radio Luz y Vida, San Luis, Weak
Spanish talks (news) by male (Maurits Van Driessche, Belgium, Feb 5,
hard this stations with my Perseus SDR receiver in overnight
recording, Super Kaz antennas, HCDX via DXLD)
** HONDURAS. 3340-, Feb 9 at 0649, just barely modulated music on
signal almost as strong as CHU 3330. HRMI often stays on late, but
don`t they realize their modulation is shot? Slightly on low side
compared to 1340 jumble 2 MHz below (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING
DIGEST)
** HONDURAS. LA EMISORA COMUNITARIA RADIO FALUMA BIMETU REANUDA SUS
TRANSMISIONES BAJO UNA GRAN TENSIÓN
La Asociación Mundial de Radios Comunitarias (AMARC) y Reporteros sin
Fronteras esperan de las autoridades hondureñas un compromiso claro en
favor de la protección, tanto física como jurídica, de los medios de
comunicación de las minorías. Sobre ellas recae especialmente la
responsabilidad por el menor acto de censura o sabotaje que afecte a
Radio Faluma Bimetu (Radio Coco Dulce), voz de la comunidad Garífuna,
que reanudó sus actividades el 26 de enero de 2011 tras doce días de
interrupción forzada
http://es.rsf.org/honduras-blanco-de-un-incendio-criminal-18-01-2011,39345.html
http://legislaciones.item.org.uy/index?q=node/2142
Ver también el videorreportaje:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q-WPF_EYn3s
Más: http://ow.ly/3Ovr1
(etcetera.com, Mexico via Yimber Gaviria, Colombia, DXLD)
** INDIA. 4970, AIR Shillong, 1436-1512, Feb 4. DJ in English playing
pop songs (Britney Spears, et al.) and reading requests (one from
Nagaland); 1446 news headlines and back to requests; made an
announcement that Shillong felt a quake measuring 6.4 “this evening”;
1512 suddenly switched over to the audio feed from Delhi. Many local
IDs; almost fair even with their never-ending persistent hum. But I
must say this hum is nothing compared to the monster hum produced by
the Delhi transmitter on 5015, which is heard almost every day with
barely any audio. At least Shillong can still be enjoyed to some
degree! With the switch over at 1512 they became // 4810, 4835 (one of
their better days), 4840, 4965, 5010, 5040, 5050, 9425 and 9470 (Ron
Howard, Asilomar State Beach, CA, Etón E1, dxldyg via DX LISTENING
DIGEST)
** INDIA. Who is sabotaging AIR? Who is messing with the transmission
quality of AIR FM Gold on 106.4 MHz? You can barely hear it now.
In a convoluted way, CR stations like ours that broadcast on 107.8
(usually reviled as a lousy frequency) benefit from being neighbours
of All India Radio's FM Gold broadcast on 106.4 MHz. We use FM Gold as
a landmark of sorts, when directing the community to our frequency,
saying "It's the one after FM Gold", or "Just after the channel on
which you listen to the cricket commentary".
In the last week or two, I have been noticing that AIR FM Gold's
transmission in Delhi has nosedived. The transmission is so scratchy
that our 50W transmitter sounds like a 6000W transmitter in
comparision. Even AIR Chandigarh is clearer in Gurgaon than AIR Delhi.
The volume is down, the sound is scratchy, and there are definite
transmission blackouts that are completely inexplicable. This has
started just after the controversy involving AIR trying to migrate
from 106.4 to 101 apparently because a private player wanted 106.4.
Does anyone know why this is happening?
Arti Jaiman, Station Director : Gurgaon Ki Awaaz Samudayik Radio
Station 107.8 MHz FM website: http://www.trfindia.org
Gurgaon Ki Awaaz is the first and only civil-society-led community
radio station in the National Capital Region of Delhi. We broadcast
24X7, in Hindi and Haryanvi, with a team of community reporters,
generating community content, and community participation.
Join the Community Radio Forum. For membership details, please go to
http://www.crforum.in (via cr-india list via Alokesh Gupta, Feb 6,
dx_india yg via DXLD)
** INDONESIA. 3325, carrier and some music at 1352 Feb 8, a bit better
at 1358; 1402 talk with deep fades, presumably RRI Palangkaraya; 4750-
at 1354 had detectable carrier from RRI Makassar, 1402 talk, with less
fading than 3325, past a semihour after local sunrise here.
3325, Feb 9 at 1325, poor with talk in Indonesian, RRI Palangkaraya.
Nothing making it on 4750 (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** INDONESIA. 3385, RRI KUPANG [Timor] (tentative), 1159, 31-JAN, in
Indonesian. 21122. YL sings at tune in; 1200 SCI; 1203 music from
Indonesia; 1205 YL sings with music; 1209 YL talking; 1217 OM & YL
yak, signal picking up nicely; 1219 pop rock song "Take it on the run,
baby; you don't want me around"; 1223 OM yaks, signal stronger; 1224
current pop song by OM in English, 1225- signal completely drops.
The entire time there was an S5 intermittent ute signal with 3 short
pulses one long pulse. [+] 1159, 1-FEB. There were no PNG stations
heard on other common frequencies for the 2nd morning in a row. The
music, the fade up from 1210 to 1225 indicate this could be Indonesia
(French Creek DXpedition #40 (French Creek State Park, PA): Kris
Field, Drake R-8; Harold Cones, Winradio 313E, NASWA Flashsheet via
DXLD)
One note, the tentative on 3385 could have been East New Britain, but
the music the first morning was not typical for PNG (Field, ibid.)
[From original report:] what we believe to be an Indo on 3385. The
music was distinctive and not typical for PNG. The usual heavy ute
QRM lasted throughout the broadcast, but we believe we heard a short
snip of the Song of the Coconut Islands at 1200. The signal improved
quite a bit by 1115 and the music and chatting was easily heard around
the ute. This signal dropped suddenly at 1225- but even with the
noise, it was quite the enjoyable catch,
3385, INDONESIA, RRI KUPANG (tenative) 1159 GMT, IN, 21122, 31-JAN YL
sings at tune in; 1200 SCI; 1203 mx from Indonesia; 1205 YL sings
w/mx; 1209 YL talking; 1217 OM & YL yak signal picking up nicely; 1219
pop Rock song "take it on the run baby; you don't want me around";
1223 OM yaks signal stronger; 1224 current pop song by om in EG 1225-
signal completely drops. The entire time there was a S5 intermittent
Ute signal with 3 short pulses one long pulse. Field & Cones FCDX #40.
(Kris W. Field, NASWA yg via DXLD)
I.e. PNG would not be playing `Song of the Coconut Islands`, an RRI
theme. But Ron Howard already explained in the NASWA ygroup how Kupang
has been gone from SW for years, not reported by Ishida, and 1225* is
what PNG always does, as he and I have observed repeatedly. Such
follow-ups apparently get lost (gh) Viz.:
Hi Kris, Sounds like you had a great time (well all except the snow!).
Is fun to get away from home to do some DXing. Something I do almost
every day.
One log caught my attention and with all due respect I want to share a
few thoughts with you about it. Am almost positive you were hearing
NBC East New Britain on 3385. You are describing exactly what PNG
sounds like. The signal dropped off at 1225 because that is their
traditional sign off time, per my recent log in DXLD 11-03. They
suddenly go off the air in mid-song, as if on a timer. It was Glenn
Hauser who first commented on this back in DXLD 10-37. There is
virtually no chance of it being RRI Kupang. But look on the bright
side; even PNG for the east coast is a very nice catch!
Whenever reporting on not often heard RRI stations, please take a
look at Atsunori Ishida’s site http://rri.jpn.org/ He monitors
Indonesia on a daily basis. Yes, that’s right, daily! He is kind
enough to provide a great site with all is observations, so we
should utilize it whenever possible (Ron Howard, Asilomar State Beach,
CA, NASWA yg via DXLD)
Ron, Thanks for the info. We may have been hearing ENB. The music the
first day was not typical of PNG and we thought we heard a short snip
of the Song of the Coconut Isl's. Could have been mistaken. We heard
Northern Australia both days but nothing from any of the other PNG
freqs. It was difficult to hear under the ute qrm and both days the
signal came up around 1210 or so.
Maybe we were hoping it into an Indo! Didn't hurt to have Dr DX there
agreeing with the tentative logging either. Thx for the website too.
Thx, (Kris Field, ibid.)
** INDONESIA. 4749.978, RRI Makassar, Tentative, 1030-1045 Feb 4,
Noted a male in Islamic type reciting until 1034 when a female talks
in Indonesian language. After she comments, a brief interlude of music
is heard, then more comments. At 1036 a male converses with the
female. Signal was poor and muffled. As I decided to tune away, I
notice a second signal on 4750.030 starting to fade in, but it's still
too weak to copy anything (Chuck Bolland, WR-G31DDC, 26N 081W,
Clewiston FL, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
4750-, Feb 4 at 1344, some music audible, presumed RRI Makassar, as
this was slightly low in frequency as reported elsewhere; with BFO on
it seems the carrier is slightly unstable too. Have others noticed
that? Also carriers and some audio on 3325 and 3345, the only two
active 90m Indonesians per http://rri.jpn.org/ i.e. Palangkaraya and
Ternate respectively (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** INDONESIA. 9525-, VOI, Feb 4 at 1405 in Indonesian news, some hum,
and undermodulated. At http://rri.jpn.org/ Atsunori Ishida reports
that this frequency has become unstable, sometimes also on 9526-, with
spurs:
Feb 2: 9526 kHz *1607-1700- 1607 (AA), 1700 SS. The modulation was
bad, and oscillating some spurious signals. Screen Shot of Perseus:
http://ruri-hp.sakura.ne.jp/sblo_files/ruri-blog/img_2011/09526-110202-1700.gif
(Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
9525.96, VOI, 1418, Feb 5. Ex: 9524.96. Yes, they have yet again
switched to a different transmitter; still with the very noticeable
audio hiccups (Glenn’s IADs - intermittent audio dropouts) and hum
(Ron Howard, Asilomar State Beach, CA, Etón E1, dxldyg via DX
LISTENING DIGEST)
9526-, VOI back on this off-frequency, and ever so slightly on the low
side of it, Feb 5 at 1215 in Japanese but inserting English ID, the
one about being first and best. So the other transmitter has been
reactivated, as Atsunori Ishida first noted a few days ago, ex-9525.
This was immediately obvious, as the het against something on 9530 was
circa 4 kHz instead of 5. Ron Howard measured both of them 40 Hz low.
1230 still in slowly-spoken Japanese. I don`t hear any intermittent
audio dropouts until 1234, so maybe the 9526 transmitter doesn`t have
that problem? 1300 when English starts, signal has declined to very
poor, but still on 9526.
Much better and still on the air overtime at next check 1507, with YL
English news, atop a slight het from a 9525.0 station. 1510 begins
commentary about elexions, and now I can hear a few IADs until abrupt
1511:42* as SW listeners to the 1500 English broadcast will always be
frustrated.
9526-, VOI is still here ex-9525-, Feb 6 at 1358 concluding English
hour with lite whine, still IADs, good signal. 1400 into Indonesian.
9680, RRI domestic service was more interesting at 1417 with
traditional music, sounding like mix of Native American chanting and
Chinese instrumentals (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
9525.9, VOI, 1411, 2/6/2011. Lately moving between 9525 and 9526.
Extended talk in Indo by OM. S6 carrier, but low studio audio level.
Overall fair signal (Jerry Strawman, Des Moines, IA, Perseus SDR,
Wellbrook 330S loop, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST)
9526-, VOI English at 13-14 I missed Feb 7, but still on air at 1503
with extremely unreliable bonus broadcast, during news by M, 1513
commentary by W about ``change in Myanmar``. Occasional IADs became
much more obvious after 1525 when `Indonesian Wonder` talk had musical
bed. 1530 `Let`s Learn Bahasa Indonesia` reciting terms about cooking,
cut off abruptly at 1533*. That`s a lot more than we usually get after
1500. Fair reception.
9526-, VOI absent this Tuesday Feb 8 at 1315 for English broadcast so
any `Exotic Indonesia` simulcast with RRI Banjarmasin did not make it
to SW. Conditions were generally very poor from E Asia, but 9680 RRI
was audible OK at 1357 with island music, when 9526 was still absent.
9526-, VOI missing yesterday Tuesday, but back today Wednesday Feb 9,
as soon as I tune in at 1340, hear an IAD and more to come, but good
signal, during `Let`s Learn Bahasa Indonesia`, expressions on the
subject of learning to drive, but presented far too swiftly by YL, and
with no visuals to reinforce. Plus, distracting music bed. This is not
the way to teach your language.
Without measuring, I assumed it was still 9525, but on next check at
1502, signal is now VG and yes, it`s back on 9526-, with news in
English, this time rudely cut off already at 1503:10* (Glenn Hauser,
OK, WORLD OF RADIO 1551, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
9526-, Feb 10 at 1325, VOI with IADs, YL talk in halting English about
family planning, population growth rate, visit by ``Sweddish``
delegation.
9680, RRI domestic service, with gamelan rudely cut off the air
earlier than usual at 1458:30* (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** INTERNATIONAL INTERNET. COULD COMMANDO SOLO BE USED OVER EGYPT?
The website wired.com says that America has a lot of ways of
reconnecting the Internet if countries try to block it, but quotes
John Arquilla, a leading military futurist, as warning that “It could
be considered an act of war.” Mr Arquilla says that Commando Solo, the
Air Force’s airborne broadcasting centre, could be used for such a
purpose. He doesn’t want to go into detail about how to do it, but
says that if it flies over a bandwidth-denied area, “suddenly your Wi-
Fi bars will go back up to full strength”. * Read the whole article
http://www.wired.com/dangerroom/2011/02/secret-tools-force-net/
(February 7th, 2011 - 14:45 UTC by Andy Sennitt, Media Network blog
via DXLD)
8 Comments on “Could Commando Solo be used over Egypt?”
1. #1 Roy Sandgren on Feb 7th, 2011 at 20:23
Cost a lot to broadcast on am per hours. Better coverage by an old
fashion SW TX of 500 kW, cost 100 euro per hour, easy to receive by a
cheap 20-30 USD wind up multiband radio.
2. #2 jolyon curran on Feb 8th, 2011 at 06:21
Roy, did you even read the article before responding?
3. #3 Roy Sandgren on Feb 8th, 2011 at 07:44
JC, yes I did read it. Unlicenced broadcasting from a ship or aircraft
is unlegal. It’s pirate radio. How much does it cost per hours for a
airborne wifi. 1000 USD per minute. If you have a private radio
station airborned over Europe it’s pirate radio, so do USA Army.
4. #4 Mervyn Hagger on Feb 8th, 2011 at 09:07
The article is about reconnecting WIFI links to the Internet which
have been shut down by the Egyptian government. A circling airplane
can provide this service. Roy switched topics because Commando Solo
has been used in the past for radio and television broadcasts, and he
seems to have a preoccupation with the subject of shortwave
broadcasting, regardless of the fact that in this instance the issue
is WIFI signals. Perhaps Roy will explain to everyone how shortwave
broadcasting can provide this two-way service link? I did not know
that it was possible. -:) [oooh, watch out for Klingenfuss --- gh]
5. #5 Roy Sandgren on Feb 8th, 2011 at 09:46
80% of the population are poor and can not afford any computer with
Wi-Fi, but more of the population got a SW radio, more than 50%.
Average income is 2-3 USD daily.
6. #6 Jonathan Marks on Feb 8th, 2011 at 09:58
I like the phrase bandwidth denied areas. Shortwave broadcasting has
little impact in the Middle East - high power mediumwave was used for
regional broadcasting between countries. Now its satellite TV.
7. #7 Mervyn Hagger on Feb 8th, 2011 at 10:13
Jonathan zeroed in on the key phrase: bandwidth denied areas. This
fuss began over Egyptians being denied the use of Twitter, so if Roy
is correct in his figures for the average Egyptian income, you can bet
that this revolution began with a privileged few who have access to
Twitter. Put another way:
The Daily Telegraph on Saturday, January 29, 2011 ran this headline on
page one: “America’s secret backing for rebel leaders behind Egyptian
uprising”. If the Egyptian elite began this American revolution (to
end the status quo over the Middle East Peace Process), then America
does not want to lose control of the revolution that it started. As
with any uprising the poor can be manipulated to do the bidding of the
elite, but the poor seldom have time for strategy meetings and
geopolitics. Food comes first and the elite can always feed their
revolutionaries. Sorry Roy, it is a very cynical world that we live
in.
8. #8 Jonathan Marks on Feb 8th, 2011 at 10:28
Mervyn’s right. International broadcasters like BBC and VOA are
targeting elites, i.e. those who can bring about change.
Coincidentally put up an old Media Network about the use of Commander
[sic] Solo in Serbia back in 1999.
http://jonathanmarks.libsyn.com/mn-15-04-1999-serbia-and-changes-to-un-radio
(MN blog comments via DXLD)
Commando Solo is a psyop (now called MISO, or military information
support to operations) tool, to be used in areas where the US military
is fighting or occupying. Commando Solo univited over Egypt would be a
violation of sovereignty that would probably not appreciated by either
the Egyptian government or the opposition.
Protesters in Egypt could set up satellite nodes to reach satellite
broadband internet services, or low-earth-orbiting satellites for e-
mails and tweets. Individuals could connect to these by getting close
to the nodes, and accessing via wifi or a LAN cable (Kim Andrew
Elliott, kimandrewelliott.com via DXLD)
** INTERNATIONAL WATERS [and non]. 4045-USB, Weather Centre, FL. Great
Harbour Key 1200 http://www.consultresearch.com/GHC2.htm sailing
vessel with wx reports. 3 February.
4045-USB, Crooked Island 1205 sailing vessel with wx request. 3 Feb
4045-USB, Cuba, Isle of Pines, 1155 7 February, discussion of weather
(Robert Wilkner, Pompano Beach, Florida, US, Icom 746Pro Modified by
Dallas Lankford, NRD 535D [Gilfer] Drake R8, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** IRAN. 9790, Feb 5 at 1304, Qur`an, then W & M in S Asian language,
right back to Qur`an. This smax of VIRI, and indeed it is, Urdu at
1300-1430, 500 kW, 118 degrees via Kamalabad. Fairly good signal. By
1313 is in Urdu talk (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** IRAN [and non]. 7250 IRAN. Voice of Justice, 0208 Feb 8, English,
comment on US war in Afghanistan, 0210 ID and into a program on
Iranian cultural history. Iran not heard on 6120, which was occupied
by RHC in Spanish, and Voice of Russia not heard here, on 7250. Have
Iran and Russia both moved? Poor-fair (Harold Sellers, Vernon, British
Columbia, Listening from my car with Eton E1 and Sony AN1 active
antenna, dxldyg via WORLD OF RADIO 1551, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** IRAN. IRIB - V Rep. Islamica Iran --- Recebi ótimo material em
resposta a mensagem enviada sobre a programação em ingles para a
América do Norte. além de carta resposta, recebi uma revista, dois
bonitos calendários de mesa com o logo da IRIB. Bem simpática a
emissora, bastante diferente do estereótipo criado pela imprensa
ocidental (Sarmento Campos, Rj, radioescutas yg via DXLD)
Realmente a Voz da República Islâmica do Irã é muito simpática e
atenciosa com seus ouvintes. Recebi recentemente do serviço em
espanhol, um belo calendário e um belo cartão de Natal e Ano Novo. 73!
(Rubens Ferraz Pedroso, Brasil, Feb 8, radioescutas yg via DXLD)
Bem interessante Rubens, volta e meia ouço a programação em inglês e o
tom é sempre de moderação e cultura do pais. Contrasta com o que é
pintado no ocidente de que eles são o imperio do(s) mal(us). 73s
(Sarmento, ibid.)
** IRAN [non]. Target: IRAN --- VOICE OF IRANIAN KURDISTAN, Farsi:
0230-0330 daily IRN 3970± (add)
1230-1330 daily IRN 3970± (add)
(WRTH 2 Feb update via DXLD)
** IRELAND. ABC Local Radio Queensland relay: see AUSTRALIA [non]
** ISRAEL. 1224, Galei Zahal with song // 6973, 5 Feb, 0333, 22332
(Eike Bierwirth, Leipzig, Germany, JRC-NRD525 with DX-10 Pro active
antenna on the balcony, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** ITALY. 1368, Challenger Radio from Villa Estense, near Padova, 5
Feb, 1925, Italian jazz music in Glenn Miller style, 34232 (Eike
Bierwirth, Leipzig, Germany, JRC-NRD525 with DX-10 Pro active antenna
on the balcony, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST)
VOA on 1368 --- Challenger Radio on 1368 kHz has been relaying the
Voice of America since 1500 gmt today (Border Crossings) and still on
the air with world news and Middle East Monitor. 73, (Stefano
Valianti, Milano, Italy, Feb 8, BDXC-UK yg via DXLD)
Challenger Radio on 1368 kHz heard today at 1500/1600 gmt with a relay
of Border Crossings from the Voice of America. 73, (Stefano Valianti,
Feb 8, MWC yg via DXLD)
Where is the transmitter OM? Best wishes (Barry :-) Davies, UK, ibid.)
Hi Barry, As always, simply consult the EMWG:
*I* - Challenger Radio**, Villa Estense (Padova) (0.35) - 24h; mostly
children songs. You can find this at http://www.emwg.info 73 (Herman
Boel, ibid.)
http://www.box.net/shared/zttm3p6cxf
Here the recording from this afternoon (Maurits Van Driessche,
Belgium, ibid.)
Yes, Villa Estense south-west of Padua as written by Herman. Good to
excellent daytime reception in Bologna, good also after dusk.
Fortunately (in my opinion at least) less children songs now, much big
band jazz. Let`s try again tomorrow if this VOA relay is regular. Time
today was 1520 (in progress) to 1758 gmt. Best wishes, (Stefano
Valianti, ibid.)
Cheers OM. It was the Anglicised name which fooled me. I thought not
another Australian log hi! Best wishes (Barry :-) Davies, ibid.)
Now at 1610 UT very good signal of VOA English news on 1368 khz. Can
anybody tell me the origin of this transmission? 1615 UT Africa Today
programme with lots of news from Africa. My antenna is 160 degrees KAZ
(Max Van Arnhem, The Netherlands, ibid.)
Here the same Max, signal 8 clear audio, most talks by female about
Liberia (Maurits Van Driessche, Belgium, 1622 UT, ibid.)
I`ve checked right now, Challenger Radio on 1368 kHz still on the air
with VOA programmes. Ciao, (Stefano Valianti, 1639 UT Feb 8, ibid.)
Thanks Stefano, Interesting, they have an excellent signal here !
(Max, The Netherlands, ibid.)
Nice to know this, but not a great catch for me (Maurits, ibid.)
Currently with 2.5 kW, soon 25 kW!!! According to e-QSL from station
manager. Now (1700 gmt) still with VOA, World News and Middle East
Monitor (Stefano Valianti, ibid.)
I can even hear it underneath BBC Radio Lincoln which is south of me
and a very strong semi-local. Just heard female news reader at 1702
refer to voanews.com 73s (Steve Whitt, York, ibid.)
At 1759 gmt normal Challenger Radio programmes have been resumed on
1368 (Stefano Valianti, ibid.)
Also here in de the Ardennes, Belgium, VOA at 1368 kHz with SINPO
44433 1700 UT. Challenger Radio - great (Ge Huijbens, Beffe, Belgium,
ibid.)
Nice this one !! By the way, the VOA on 1368 seems to be a regular
thing. Border Crossings again today at 1500, now African News Tonight.
Best wishes, (Stefano Valianti, ibid.)
** KASHMIR. Hi Everyone. 4950, AIR Srinagar (R Kashmir) at 1729
8/2/11 going into English news. This is what I heard
http://www.box.net/shared/vi90zboy36
(Mark Davies, Anglesey UK, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** KAZAKHSTAN [and non]. 9310, Feb 10 at 1322, propeller airplane
engine noise, with a trace of talk underneath. Only thing scheduled is
YFR in English via Almaty, 200 kW, 132 degrees, so presumably this
transmitter very much out of order. Not the first time.
Next check at 1549, nothing scheduled yet but only open carrier
without the noise on 9310, presumably R. Liberty, Tinang, PHILIPPINES,
warming up for the 1600 broadcast in Tatar/Bashkir, 250 kW, 332
degrees (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** KOREA NORTH [non]. 5910, Shiokaze is still here via JSR Tokyo, Tue
Feb 8 at 1408 with piano accompanying YL in Japanese, poor-fair.
5910, Sea Breeze via JSR JAPAN, another Wednesday in English, Feb 9 at
1408, good signal with details about Miyoshi Yamaguchi, who
disappeared from Ohsaka on March 3, 1965; musical stingers between
each abductee.
5985, Shiokaze/Sea Breeze has made another frequency jump starting Feb
10: at 1402 here with het from Myanmar, ex-5910, this Thursday in
Japanese. I never heard any jamming while they were on 5910 (Glenn
Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** KOREA SOUTH [and non]. 3480, Feb 4 at 1337, triumphal choral music,
fair signal, and no het audible. Presumably [North] Korean National
Democratic Front relaying PBS, rather than its nemesis Voice of the
People, from the South. Could have been on 3481 as listed by Aoki; did
not nail down the frequency. Much better signal here than on 2850 from
KCBS.
3480, Feb 5 at 1226 in Korean; stronger signal with modulation is
here, with weaker het from 3481. Per Aoki, 3480 is V. of the People,
clandestine from S to N, while 3481 is jamming by KNDF from the North.
3480, Feb 8 at 1333, triumphal choral music, 1339 W&M talk in Korean,
from V. of the People, fair signal and SSOB on 3 MHz band except WWRB
3185; only slight het from KN on 3481 (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING
DIGEST)
** KOREA SOUTH [and non]. Feb 9 was an especially calm morning for
reception from the Koreas, temperature here +5 F with snowdrifts:
4450-, at 1315 Korean talk, poor but outstanding as nothing much from
Asia was making it on 60m, i.e. V. of the People from S to N.
3480, Feb 9 at 1326, Korean talk best of all, good with het de 3481,
V. of the People, but should have tried to // 4450.
3320, Feb 9 at 1324, undermodulated carrier, presumably P`yongyang BS.
3250, Feb 9 at 1322, triumphal choral music, S9+10, then M&W in Korean
talk; P`yongyang BS.
3220-, Feb 9 at 1321, very weak carrier, slightly on lo side compared
to 1220, 2 MHz below. Could be the 5 kW KCBS Hamnung, altho I would
also settle for 10 kW R. Morobe, PNG. I was first seeking Australia on
3210, but no carrier there.
2850, Feb 9 at 1327, KCBS with soprano, chorus, fair (Glenn Hauser,
OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** KOREA SOUTH. 4450, 2010-2030 29.01, Voice of the People, Goyang,
South Korea Korean talk 45333 // 3912 (35232) and 3480 (45333). AINDF
still off the air till *2157 (Anker Petersen, from Skovlunde, Denmark,
where we the latest days have had spring-like weather, so all snow
have melted. My RX is an AOR AR7030PLUS with 28 metres of longwire,
via Dario Monferini, playdx yg via DXLD)
** KOREA SOUTH. 6160, Radio Canada International (relay), Gimje.
*2259-2302 February 5, 2011. RCI interval signal X 3 under CKZN, into
French news by female. Poor (Terry L Krueger, Clearwater, Florida USA
27.55.83 N, 82.46.08 W, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** KOREA SOUTH [non]. 9650, KBSWR, English to NAm via Sackville, Sat
Feb 5 at 1236 in `Worldwide Friendship` mailbag with M&M hosts;
trouble is it`s just barely audible, but as I listen it starts to fade
up to good level in a few sex. Back to it at 1250, but it`s poor
again, and then fading up some with more mailbag. 1255 regional
summary of listening conditions, asking for reports on how well this
very transmission from New Brunswick is heard, ``so we can address the
problem``. The `problem` has been there for years, in the winter ---
the frequency is too high for reliable propagation this early in the
morning. Meanwhile Sackville with RCI Arabic is very good without
fadeouts on 7325, the band where this broadcast ought to be!
Then to WWF closing, and no Kevin O`Donovan! His 3-minute `listening
tips` from New Mexico used to appear at this time; is he no longer on
at all? Still time to promote Quiz #2 for 2011, two easy questions
which I am not going to quote since those interested should at least
take the trouble to discover them on their own. 1258 starts reciting
KBSWR English schedule but only has time for a few transmissions,
starting at 1300, general and to Europe, before cut to RCI IS and off
at 1259:13 (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** KUWAIT. 1134, Radio Kuwait, dominating the channel, in Arabic
parallel to 5960 and to weak 1341!, 6 Feb, 0223, Qur'an recitation,
news at 0300, 43433 (Eike Bierwirth, Leipzig, Germany, JRC-NRD525 with
DX-10 Pro active antenna on the balcony, dxldyg via DX LISTENING
DIGEST)
** KUWAIT [and non]. 21540, Feb 8 at 1423 medium-fast SAH and mixture
of REE in Spanish, Kuwait with Koran; Spain was in the clear on
stronger // 21570 and 21610. At 1430 Spain was weakening and Qur`an
was atop 21540. So nothing has been done about this collision despite
scads of open frequencies on 13m (Glenn Hauser, OK, WORLD OF RADIO
1551, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** KYRGYZSTAN. 4795.00, 0105-0115 01.02, Kyrgyz R 1, Bishkek, Kyrgyz
talk and interview 33333 splashes from 4800, heard // 4010 (55443)
(Anker Petersen, from Skovlunde, Denmark, where we the latest days
have had spring-like weather, so all snow have melted. My RX is an AOR
AR7030PLUS with 28 metres of longwire, via Dario Monferini, playdx yg
via DXLD)
** KYRGYZSTAN. 4049.9, R. Rossii, via Biskek, 0011, 2/6/2011. Presumed
the one with a poor signal. OM delivering comments, possibly news
(Jerry Strawman, Des Moines, IA, Perseus SDR, Wellbrook 330S loop,
dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) Maybe, but watch out for KWMO X 3 (gh)
** LAOS, 6130, LNR, 1418, Feb 4 (Friday). “Functioning in English”
program; equally in Laotian and English; language lesson related to
the business world; interview with Mike Epstein of Advanced
Technologies; light to heavy adjacent QRM. After monitoring this for
about 3 weeks, believe they have tweaked the transmitter, as the
signal is surely improved from last year and it would be hard to
attribute it all to just improved propagation (Ron Howard, Asilomar
State Beach, CA, Etón E1, dxldyg via WORLD OF RADIO 1551, DX LISTENING
DIGEST)
** LUXEMBOURG. The DRM schedule at http://www.drm.org when checked on
29 Jan confirms that there is now no DRM on 1440 kHz from Marnach
(Tony Rogers, ed., Mediumwave Report, Feb BDXC-UK Communication via
DXLD)
** MADAGASCAR. 5010.28** RTV Malagasy, Antananarivo, seemly here at
1534 with announcements and music typical to their format. Buried AIR
on 5010.0, and very strong carrier, not favoring USB. This may have
been AM format. Something heard here last evening (0358) and was
probably same station off frequency (Jim Young, Wrightwood, CA, IC-
756ProIII + 40-M yagi + antenna tuner, Feb 2, NASWA yg via WORLD OF
RADIO 1551, DXLD)
In our mornings it would arrive by long-path (gh, DXLD) See also UNID
UNIDENTIFIED [non]. I can receive UnID on 5010.28 kHz at *1443 on Feb.
4, very weak signal in unknown language. QRM/AIR-5010. V of
Madagascar? but normal AM modulation (S. Hasegawa, Japan, dxldyg via
WORLD OF RADIO 1551, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
Most probably with this ".28" (Roberto Scaglione http://www.bclnews.it
ibid.)
Yes, Madagascar has been a few days on this split freq with AM mode
(Jari Savolainen, Finland, dxldyg via WORLD OF RADIO 1551, DXLD)
Right now, 4 Feb at 1645 they're on that split with French talk. AIR
5010 QRMing. Jari Savolainen, ibid.)
It was masked in Indian music of AIR in Japan (S. Hasegawa, Japan,
ibid.)
5010.2 (carrier+usb), R. Madagasikara, Ambohidrano, 1804-1835, 04 Feb,
Malagasy, songs, local & foreign; 45433 (Carlos Gonçalves, Portugal,
DX LISTENING DIGEST)
5010.3, Radio Madagasikara / R Nationale Malgache, Antananarivo coming
thru nicely. Already in progress at tune-in 0300 with fair-good power,
lite fades and moderate static. Clear frequency 2/5. 100 kW listed and
sounded like it! Pleasant, melodic African choral chanting/pop
accompanied by local ensemble, heavy on rhythm and bass. Seguéd
similar songs thru to 0330, when signal severely faded. Seemed
newscast by OM caught in fragments at bottom of the hour. Unable to
raise a streaming broadcast to get a //, but did find their website:
http://takelaka.dts.mg/radmad/ At same time, a decent signal on
4976 which I believe was Kampala also coming thru (Ralph Perry,
Wheaton, Illinois, Drake R8B; Eton E1; Hallicrafters SX100; Knightkit
Star Roamer, Dentron Super Tuner + Ameco PLF-2, Longwire, HCDX via
WORLD OF RADIO 1551, DXLD)
** MALAYSIA. 5030, Feb 8 at 1354, very poor signal with music, but not
much weaker now than Cuba 5025; presumed R. Malaysia, Sarawak (Glenn
Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** MALAYSIA. 9835, Sarawak FM via RTM, via Kajang, 1517, Jan 30. New
transmitter doing very well; DJ with request show of pop songs; many
listeners in Brunei; many IDs; long series of promos for Music-X;
audio at http://www.mediafire.com/?prz5nzto57eg1qz
11665, Wai FM via RTM, via Kajang, 1455 Jan 30. Putting out as good a
signal as 9835; probably made some adjustments to the new transmitter;
lively DJ with many on air phone call; she starts calls with: “Hello,
Wai FM”; audio http://www.mediafire.com/?1zizu406adtilvc
(Ron Howard, Asilomar State Beach, CA, Etón E1, dxldyg via DX
LISTENING DIGEST)
** MEXICO. 1140, Feb 9 at 0655 UT, Spanish dominating with M&W
forwarding personalized prayers from listeners to a god DXing 1140; as
for me, I wondered if it was a USSS station, such as the Arkansawyer,
rather than XEMR, and there was Latin music underneath it, but at
0700, this cut to full canned ID including M-R, 11-40, 24 horas, 365
días, 50,000 vatios, street address in Monterrey, and into music of
its own.
Neither this nor the praying jibes with ``MR Deportes`` sports format
+ Notiradio news, as in 2010 IRCA Mexican Log; could be just late-
night deviation from main format. It may be 50 kW NSP, but NRC Pattern
Book shows at night it`s supposedly a circle tangent to Monterrey with
lobe to the SW, and hardly anything toward the USA, especially WRVA
(Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** MEXICO. 6185, Feb 7 at 1214, XEPPM is still on past nominal 1200*,
talking about radios comunitarias, 1215 `Cosas de Indios` apparent
program title, but maybe just a promo, then federal government PSA
with phone number to report violence against women; 1216 live ID by YL
for XEEP 1060 only, starting shift with current date and time, it`s a
school holiday, name of person on duty at transmitter site Sergio
Rojas(?). Still going at 1224 with yipping Mexisong, off circa 1230
when no longer heard.
So the axual schedule appears to be 2300v-1230v. 6185 had lite CCI,
but not // RHC which could have produced a leapfrog here from 6095
over 6140; see CUBA. There was JBA mostly musical CCI, presumably 15
kW China Huayi, Chengdu. Before 1200, 6185 blocked as usual by NHK
1130 in Russian, 300 kW, 35 degrees from Yamata, for DVR but also
USward (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** MEXICO. Re: Mexican TVDX Sunday midday to OK --- ``Es opening
underway at tune-in 1747 UT Jan 16, pileup on channel 2, generally
peaking SSW. 1800 net-5 bug UR on channel 3 during war movie, and
continuing to dominate that channel, quite good by 1810, probably
XHBQ. 1817 on 3, Televisa Querétaro animated ID. Signs of activity on
4 and 5 too. First report on the TV-FM Skip Log of Es reaching ch 2
was at 1552, and thence some pokes into FM. DX Sherlock map at 1813
shows center of activity over W/C Texas (Glenn Hauser, Enid OK, DX
LISTENING DIGEST)``
Your Canal Cinco on channel 3 with the Televisa Querétaro animated ID
was XEZ-3 Zamorano, Queretaro. The XEZ stations are now relayers of
XHGC-5 Canal Cinco and are no longer with XEW. BTW, seeing that ID
certainly makes that a great catch (Danny Oglethorpe, Shreveport, LA,
Feb 4, ABDX via DXLD)
** MEXICO. Re 11-05: No hay señales en el canal 5 de Mérida, Yucatán.
Estimado Sr. Hauser: Respecto a su frase "XHOPME-TV is on channel 5 in
Mérida, Yucatán", le comento que el canal 5 está vacío en señal
abierta en Mérida. Sólo se encuentran ocupados 2 (XHY), 4 (XHMEN, 5
Televisa), 7 (XHMEY, 7 TV Azteca), 9 (XHTP, 2 Televisa), 11 (XHDH, 13
TV Azteca), 13 (XHST). Ignoro si su señal está por cable (Israel
González Ahumada, Yucatán, Feb 9, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
Israel, Se trata de una nueva cadena en el aire, proyectada y
autorizada -- a ver (Glenn, ibid.)
Sr. Hauser: Ya había escuchado algo respecto a eso (desde hace una
década atrás) con frases como "planean poner un nuevo canal aquí",
incluso personas que trabajan en ése medio me lo habían comentado
aunque ya es "historia vieja". Sin embargo parece que todo ha quedado
en proyecto, sabiendo que la TV está monopolizada por el binomio
Televisa-TV Azteca, siendo algunas notables excepciones algunos
canales culturales (no siempre con señal abierta) y algunos canales de
gobiernos a nivel estatal.
Antiguamente existió IMEVISION propiedad del gobierno mexicano y TRM
(Televisión Rural Mexicana y luego Televisión de la República
Mexicana), además (por lo menos en este estado) hay falta de canales
UHF ya que la TV por cable no llegó sino hasta mediados de la década
de 1990 y tengo entendido que se está haciendo una migración al
sistema digital en esta ciudad.
Al parecer lo que si existe es un canal por cable que funciona en
algunas localidades fuera de la capital, obviamente ignorado por los
meridanos: http://www.canal6yucatan.tv/
(Israel González Ahumada, Yucatán, Feb 9, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** MICRONESIA. Re 11-06: 4755.45, The Cross Radio, Pohnpei, FSM, first
heard weak carrier at 0605. Program followed all night to 1520+.
Mostly Christian religious music, some pop style. Some short Christian
value discussions, frequent IDs, all in English. A Mark Schultz song,
"If We Are the Body" from 1152 to 1155. Then F announcer with, "You
are listening to the Cross...", at 1159, with the time given (missed),
almost the very same at 1259, with same F voice and ID. Seemed like
same ID, but carried FM frequency as well at 1359. ID at 1459 was at
this time a M voice. Music continued. Station was never strong, but
little QRM, and less QSB than January 31. Best signal strength in the
1130-1230 time slot (Jim Young, Wrightwood, CA, IC-756ProIII + 40-M
yagi + antenna tuner, Feb 2 NASWA yg via DXLD)
'The Cross', 4755.4, Heard here with religious music and ID by YL at
1159 "You are listening to The Cross". They seem to do pretty well for
running 1 kW. 3 February (Steve Lare, Holland, MI, USA, dxldyg via DX
LISTENING DIGEST)
4755.44, FSM. The Cross, PMA, via Pohnpei, 1320, 2/3/2011. Signal was
fair at tune-in, but declined to poor after 1325. Programming featured
musical ballads, separated by a few presumed announcements. Too weak,
this date, to follow announcements (Jerry Strawman, Des Moines, IA,
Perseus SDR, Wellbrook 330S loop, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST)
4755.44, The Cross Radio, randomly from 1313 to tune out at 1502, Feb
3. Non-stop contemporary Christian songs (soul, pop, ballads, etc.) in
English; IDs (local time checks, frequencies [both FM and SW] and
often given by young girls [Angel, Tanya, etc.]); IDs given near ToH
and BoH, but seems their clock is off by 1-2 minutes. Attached audio
is of various IDs heard today (the best one is the last one);
reception much better than yesterday. Nice to see this making it over
to the east coast. If only 1 KW, then the antenna they have been
working on for some years now is really fabulous! (Ron Howard,
Asilomar State Beach, CA, Etón E1, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST)
Also at: http://www.mediafire.com/?yg19uuoi5nh92op
(Howard, Cumbre DX via DXLD)
4755.43, PMA Radio (presumed), 1345-1440 Feb 3. Spot-checked for about
an hour; was always playing music. Fair signal but not good enough to
rise above my local noise level (John Wilkins, Wheat Ridge, Colorado,
Drake R-8, 100-foot RW, Cumbredx mailing list via DXLD)
4755.45, The Cross-Pacific Missionary, 1520+ Feb 3 11. Program of
religious hymns, caught a station ID at 1530 for 'The Cross', by
female speaker, in English. This was followed with the same type of
programming (hymn music by groups in English). Despite somewhat low
signal (about s2 to s3 level) the audio was well heard (Edward
Kusalik, Alberta, ODXA yg via DXLD)
4755.452, Cross Radio, Tentative, 1044-1055 Feb 4, Noted a weak signal
here with possibly religious singing? Signal still needs time to reach
its peak fade-in time. At 1046, believe a female commented briefly.
Rechecked this at 1145, and the signal had improved to a poor level
while music was heard (Chuck Bolland, WR-G31DDC, 26N 081W, Clewiston
FL, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
[and non]. Week in Review: Hi Glenn, Not much of a week. The Cross
heard on 2/2 as previously reported. Good reception of the Cross on
2/4 at 1130 UT. No Papua/NG heard at all (Bill, W1OW, Smith, MA, Feb
8, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
4755.447, 5.2 1440, Tentative PMA-The Cross in ENGLISH, mostly music.
Rather weak and weaker at 1400. I connected to Mauno Ritola’s Perseus
via the server to compare my reception when using his 500 m Beverage
pointing eastwards. And there The Cross was on exactly the same Hz! A
very exciting logging down here that early in the afternoon. (Why not
listen to Ron Howard’s excellent recording here).
Mauno, thanks a lot for changing feed on your Beverage so I could
compare signals via Perseus Server (Thomas Nilsson, Ängelholm, Sweden,
SW Bulletin Feb 6 via DXLD)
email for reception of the Cross Radio --- Hi Glenn, Thanks to Jari
Savolainen (Finland) for the contact name in DXLD 11-05. Sent a report
to Dave Casement. Am very pleased with his quick response!
"Thank you for the audio clip, I just listened to it. I am pleased
with the modulation being so clear from that distance. I installed a
"Radio Design Labs" compressor/limiter from their Stick On series fed
into an Inovonics 222 processor. This as I hoped is working very well.
The antenna is a one wavelength horizontal loop and the transmitter is
an Armstrong 1000 watt.
I am glad that you are enjoying the station, they do have a good line
up of music and programs. While we are here I sometimes wake up at
night and listen on the FM in my MP3. Their intention is not to go 24
houors with the SW as the folks in the islands would not be listening
through the night. They are doing test transmissions now and getting
reports from the islands so the regular schedule is yet to be
determined. Keep listening and you may pick up on that. Also I hope
the music and the messages presented will be inspiration to a closer
relationship with God.
David Casement
Broadcast Technician
Galcom International
(1) 613-766-2536
(2) 905-574-4626
dave @ galcom.org ” (Ron Howard, Asilomar State Beach, CA, Feb 4,
dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST)
4755.44, The Cross, Pohnpei. Reactivated, religious talk in English
0905 tune/in. Had been off mid-week when I checked, after reactivation
beginning of February. Quite strong & not heard here since disappeared
without trace in 2007 due to unspecified technical difficulties, after
some brief but undistinguished initial broadcasts, 5 Feb (Craig
Seager, Bathurst NSW, Icom R75, Folded Dipole, ARDXC via DXLD)
4755.4, V6MP, The Cross, Feb 5 at 0747 tune-in to S9+15 signal with
music, 0753 announcement but too weak to copy; 0755 gospel rock; 0759
seems like ID in English, but still too weak, and fading.
This is a nice clear frequency with no QRM at all, not even CODAR,
except for an occasional rapid swoosh by an ionosonde, to which all
frequencies are subject. I found it initially by zero-beating on WTWW
5755, then down 1 MHz, and hearing the het of some 400 Hz --- some
have refined it to 4755.44, which means the het should have been A =
440 Hz, but no musical instrument handy.
I have no doubt I was hearing this station, reactivated after 3.3
years, but hope for a better catch with more definite details. I am
awake again at 1205, and the carrier is still there, also at 1228, but
that`s all (Glenn Hauser, OK, WORLD OF RADIO 1551, DX LISTENING
DIGEST)
4755.44, The Cross Radio, 1356-1432, Feb 5. Non-stop contemporary
Christian songs in English; IDs at 1358 and 1430; mostly fair.
Received a friendly email from Melinda R. Espinosa (Pacific Missionary
Aviation Headquarters, P.O. Box 3209, Hagatna, Guam 96932
info @ pmapacific.org
She sent a copy of my report to PMA Pohnpei pohnpei @ pmapacific.org
and said: “Thank you so very much for your reception report. I am
sending a copy of it to our Station in Pohnpei so that they may be
informed of the reception. Yes, we are on 24/7. PMA Pohnpei will
respond to you shortly concerning your request for a QSL Card.”
So it would seem that the Pohnpei email address would be the most
direct method of requesting the Cross Radio QSL card. Wish everyone
good luck with their requests! (Ron Howard, Asilomar State Beach, CA,
Etón E1, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST)
4755.5 tentative, PMA THE CROSS RADIO. Pohnpei, 0825-0930 febr 6. Voz
masculina con predica en inglés, en algunos momentos música de estilo
góspel. Señal aceptable pero la modulación es regular haciendo que por
momento no se entienda nada. No logré una positiva ID. Al parecer con
buena propagación desde el Pacífico, ya que al mismo tiempo se
escuchaba SIBC en 5019.9 luchando contra la inteferencia desde 5025 de
Radio Rebelde; además escuchadas estaciones utilitarias desde
Australia VMC, Sidney Volmet (Rafael Rodríguez R., Bogotá D.C. -
COLOMBIA, Receptor Winradio G303I, Antena Dipolo de 10 metros,
condiglist yg via DXLD) He got QSL too; below
4755.43, The Cross Radio, 1327-1502, Feb 6. Checking only for IDs near
BoH and ToH. By far their strongest reception so far. Outstanding
signal for a 1000 watt transmitter! Seems to daily have a very slight
change in frequency.
1335 – young person: “Hi. My name is Norse (?). I listen to the Cross
Radio” (on attached audio)
1359 – young person: “It is one o’clock and this is the Cross Radio,
88.5 FM” (also on attachment)
1429 – young girl: “The Cross Radio is a (reaching out?) Pacific
Mission Fellowship, find us on the web at radio dot p-m-a pacific dot
org" == http://www.radio.pmapacific.org
1459 – man: “This is 88.5 FM, the Cross (did not say “Radio”) and it
is two o’clock”
<*>Attachment(s) from Ron Howard [in the dxldyg]:
<*> 1 of 1 File(s)
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/dxld/attachments/folder/1189817682/item/list
<*> The Cross Radio, 4755.43 kHz, 1335 + 1359 UT, Februaray 6, 2011.mp3
(Ron Howard, Asilomar State Beach, CA, Etón E1, dxldyg via DX
LISTENING DIGEST)
4755.4, Feb 7 at 0708 a carrier is JBA, but no trace of a carrier at
next check around 1135. This correlates with observation by S.
Hasegawa, Japan, dxldyg that it went off today at 0852. Ron Howard was
not hearing it either at several chex starting at 1318.
However, As/Pac conditions were subnormal, no significant signals on
120, 105, 90, 75 or 60 metres heard here, specifically seeking 3210,
3945 around 1135 Feb 7. BTW, ``As/Pac`` is pronounced A`s-pus like the
first syllable of each full word, not azz-pack. I say so (Glenn
Hauser, OK, WORLD OF RADIO 1551, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
I just received a verification from Sylvia! Yours should be on the way
shortly. Also, the QSL cards themselves may go out today as well. I
made a copy of their QSL card, filled it in to show her the simplest
way and returned it to her for a type of template.
And regarding your 3210 reception, I heard nothing here this morning,
but was getting ready for Church, so my mind was not 100% on DXing,
hi, hi (Jim Young, Feb 6, to Ron Howard, NASWA yg via DXLD)
IDs - Cross Radio --- Can anyone tell me if they are still doing
announcements and giving IDs for Cross Radio? I believe I have been
hearing them in Arizona over this past week, but during my own
listening sessions, I am only hearing Christian rock and gospel music.
I haven't yet "logged" the station, as I am not hearing any definitive
IDs. Regards (Rick in AZ, NASWA yg via DXLD)
Hi Rick, Glad you are hearing the music. The IDs are given
approximately at the ToH and BoH. Give a listen to IDs at:
http://www.mediafire.com/?4iej81etac4f6pb
http://www.mediafire.com/?yg19uuoi5nh92op
Also note my Feb 6 naswyg posting "Ron Howard logs from Asilomar
Beach". Hope these help. Once you hear the IDs, send off for their QSL
card and email verification statement (see my posting: "QSL - The
Cross Radio"). Good luck! (Ron Howard, California, ibid.)
4755.44 - The Cross Radio emailed a verification statement with date
and time, along with attached QSL card (blank).
“Thank you for your reception report for The Cross Radio. We are
pleased to verify your reception of our transmission.
On: Feb. 3 from 1313 UTC to tune out at 1502 UTC
SW 4755 KHz, V6MP 1KW
Antennae: 1 wavelength, Horizontal Loop @ 35ft.
FM 88.5, 99.5, 102.5 MHz, V6MA 300W
Pohnpei, Federated States of Micronesia 7N/158E
Currently we are on the air with the SW 4755, 24/7 until we establish
the best times for the islands we are targeting. They communicate with
us via HF radio and don’t always have the battery power to give us
their reception reports.
The Cross Radio is a ministry of Pacific Missionary Aviation, an
evangelical mission serving the islands of Micronesia and the
Philippines. Our target is to broadcast SW radio to the isolated outer
islands of Micronesia, in the Pacific, where common conveniences such
as electricity, plumbing, airport, hospital and radio do not exist.
Due to technical problems with our antennae we have been off the air.
At the beginning of 2011, Galcom engineers arrived to take care of
that problem. We appreciate your enthusiasm for hearing us in your
part of the world. We have received reports from USA, Japan, Canada,
Finland, Sweden, and other countries.
Please visit our website for more information about PMA. If you feel
so inclined, and want to help keep us on the air, you can donate to
the Cross Radio through http://www.pmapacific.org using the Paypal
option. Please designate “radio” in the message box.
We prefer to send QSL verification requests by email. However, if you
need a hard copy, please let us know. That Every Island May Hear,
Sylvia Kalau
The Cross Radio
Pacific Missionary Aviation
Station Manager
PO Box 517
Pohnpei, FM 96941
Tel: 691-320-2496
Fax: 691-320-2592
email: pohnpei @ pmapacific.org
Website : http://www.pmapacific.org ”
Many thanks to Jim Young (CA) who called Sylvia directly and talked to
her about providing a verification statement with the email. Well done
Jim!
<*>Attachment(s) from Ron Howard:
<*> 2 of 2 Photo(s)
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/dxld/attachments/folder/1912702963/item/list
<*> The Cross Radio QSL card - the front.jpg
<*> The Cross Radio QSL card - the back.jpg
(Ron Howard, Asilomar State Beach, CA, Feb 6, dxldyg via WORLD OF
RADIO 1551, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
Received an email verification from The Cross Radio, similar to Ron's
with a few wording variations, for my Feb 2 log, sent Saturday night
(Feb 5), and received this morning (Feb 7). I used the email address
on the web page radio @ pmapacific.org (Jim Evans, Germantown, TN,
NASWA yg via DXLD)
4755.45, The Cross Radio (Pohnpei). Full data email QSL letter
received in 2 days for a report of 2/2/2011 reception. Response was
sent by Sylvia Kalau, Station Manager, The Cross Radio, Pacific
Missionary Avaition, P.O. Box 517, Pohnpei, FM, 96941. She requested
reports via email to pohnpei @ pmapacific.org Images of their QSL
card were attached (Jim Evans, Germantown, TN, Feb 7, DX LISTENING
DIGEST)
Hi Glenn, As Sei-ichi Hasegawa (Japan) and I have already reported
today, the Cross Radio was off the air for a good portion of Feb 7. So
I reported this to Dave Casement (Broadcast Technician - Galcom
International). He is now actually on the way home, but he commented
that the station is “contacting the islands around Micronesia to see
when they hear it best. That will determine the final schedule. They
can only contact them by 2way radio so it will take some time before
the final schedule is determined. It is also possible they are making
some adjustments to other equipment in the station or on the tower
and needed to turn off the short-wave transmitter. I think you will
hear the station again in the next couple of days. Thanks for
noticing.” So we should continue to check for their reception.
Certainly I appreciate all of Dave’s correspondence to me.
Most informative!
[later:] Hi Glenn, Updated information just in from Sylvia Kalau
(station manager): “Warm greetings from the Islands! We are not
continuing with 24 hour on the air, that was mostly for testing
purposes. Our times will most likely be from 830 am to 830 pm until we
get the reports from the islands as to the best transmitting times for
them. We are thankful for the positive impact the radio is having in
the islands of Micronesia. Thank you for your interest!”
So the tentative schedule will be from approximately 2130 UT to 0930
UT, for the time being (Ron Howard, California, Feb 7, dxldyg via
WORLD OF RADIO 1551, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
The Cross, 4755.44 heard here with ID at 1158, so not on the tentative
schedule yet. 8 February (Steve Lare, Holland, MI USA, ibid.)
Noted also here at 1430 (Jari Savolainen, Finland, Feb 8, ibid.)
4755.44, PMA-The Cross Radio, randomly from 1253 to 1618, Feb 8.
Clearly they have not yet started their temporary schedule (thank
goodness!), early ID at 1254 ("You are listening to the Cross Radio,
88.5 FM and it is 12 midnight"); 1458 ("It is 2 o'clock and this the
Cross Radio, 88.5 FM") followed by song "Jesus Gave Me Water"; mostly
fair. Audio http://www.mediafire.com/?8x8sx1l7b77q7s3
(Ron Howard, Asilomar State Beach, CA, Etón E1, dxldyg via DX
LISTENING DIGEST)
I was wondering what happened to the ID as I tuned back in at 1256 or
so to absolutely stunning reception much as it was on the 6th and not
hear the ID at around 1258, just continuing music (Steve Lare, MI,
ibid.)
Micronesia, The Cross, 4755.4, heard here this morning with ID at
0958. Checking the frequency several times after that they seemingly
left the air around 1045 or so, OR propagation took a big dive. 10
February (Steve Lare, Holland, MI USA, ibid.)
Dear Steve, The Cross s/off at 1049 UT today (S. Hasegawa, Japan, Feb
10, ibid.)
MICRONESIA
4755 Khz
The Cross Radio
Carta, incluyendo imágenes de la QSL en papel
V/S Sylvia Kalau - Station Manager
Informe enviado a: pohnpei @ pmapacific.org
incluyendo archivo de audio .mp3
Demoro 10 horas
Gracias a la información del colega Ron Howard en la lista Cumbre DX,
via Rudolf Grimm en la lista Radioescutas; me enteré sobre los datos
de esta emisora para reportarles sintonía; así visité la página web de
ellos donde mencionaban que se les podría enviar un archivo de audio
junto al reporte, pero que no superara los 300 KB. Y a pesar que en mi
escucha del pasado domingo no logré una ID positiva con el archivo de
audio grabado de su programación confirmaron mi reporte. Es una carta
estándar, pero los datos están completos y conformes, a mi informe.
Igual ante el ofrecimiento les he pedido la QSL en papel que prometen
enviar.
Imagenes y mas en: http://dxdesdecolom bia.blogspot.com/
Buenos DX (Rafael Rodríguez R., Bogotá D.C. - COLOMBIA, Feb 8
condiglist yg via DXLD)
The Cross Radio QSL
After seeing Craig Seager`s observation about The Cross Radio,
Pohnpei, Micronesia I tuned in to a respectable signal. I then tracked
down their website which gives guidance about reports and QSLs. They
prefer email for reports and QSL but will post a QSL card if
requested. Recording attachments are welcome; they request that they
be limited to 300 KB as they only have dial-up access.
I recorded at 1 minute before the hour and got time check, ID and
intro music for next programme. Problem is that the Excalibur records
in WAV format and the file was too large, so a search of Tucows found
a conversion program and I wound up with a 300 KB MP3 file.
I duly emailed a report with MP3 and the received an email QSL after
12.5 hours. I then made a donation via PayPal (credit cards also OK),
enough to cover QSL expenses and leave a small donation. As I`m old
fashioned I then replied to the QSL email requesting hardcopy QSL and
advising of the donation. Done this way, I had QSL before donation so
I didn`t ``buy`` it. A fairly civilised QSL procedure that avoids the
hassles of IRCs. It`s quick too. You may find the QSL Text useful:
Dear Mr. Ian Johnson: Thank you for your reception report for The
Cross Radio. We are pleased to verify your reception of our
transmission.
On: 08 February 2011 at 0959
SW 4755 KHz, V6MP 1KW
Antennae: 1 wavelength, Horizontal Loop @ 35ft.
FM 88.5, 99.5, 102.5 MHz, V6MA 300W
Pohnpei, Federated States of Micronesia 7N/158E
The Cross Radio is a ministry of Pacific Missionary Aviation, an
evangelical mission serving the islands of Micronesia and the
Philippines. Our target is to broadcast SW radio to the isolated outer
islands of Micronesia, in the Pacific, where common conveniences such
as electricity, plumbing, airport, hospital and radio do not exist.
Due to technical problems with our antennae we have been off the air.
At the beginning of 2011, Galcom engineers arrived to take care of
that problem. Currently we are on the air with the SW 4755, 24/7
until we establish the best times for the islands we are targeting.
They communicate with us via HF radio and don`t always have the
battery power to give us their reception reports.
We appreciate your enthusiasm for hearing us in your part of the
world. We have received reports from USA, Japan, Canada, Finland,
Sweden, and other countries.
Please visit our website for more information about PMA. If you feel
so inclined, and want to help keep us on the air, you can donate to
the Cross Radio through http://www.pmapacific.org using the Paypal
option. Please designate ``radio`` in the message box.
We prefer to send QSL verification requests by email. However, if you
need a hard copy, please let us know. That Every Island May Hear,
Sylvia Kalau
Station Manager
The Cross Radio
Pacific Missionary Aviation
PO Box 517
Pohnpei, FM 96941
Tel: 691-320-2496
Fax: 691-320-2592
email: pohnpei @ pmapacific.org
Website : http://www.pmapacific.org
(Ian Johnson, Brisbane, Australia, WinRadio Excalibur, NNE facing
3mx5mx3m EWE (ARDXC/John Smith type) ant. Feb 9, ARDXC via DXLD)
** MOROCCO. 15345.14, 2/2 1541, RTV du Maroc, Morocco, songs, Arabic,
very good (Giampiero Bernardini, Perseus, T2FD, QTH: Milano, Italia,
My SW Blog: http://radiodxsw.blogspot.com/ dxldydg via DX LISTENING
DIGEST)
** MYANMAR/BURMA. 5985.0, Myanma Radio, 1530, Feb 5. This was a rare
day that they used the transmitter at Naypyidaw, instead of the off
frequency one at Yangon (5985.83); sites are assumed. Start of their
final English segment of the day; full ID with frequencies; news
followed by C&W songs in English; 1559 seem to read something from the
New Light of Myanmar; poor with adjacent QRM; 1600 totally covered by
very strong CRI sign on.
5985.83, Myanma Radio, 1308, Feb 6. Back to being off frequency again
via the transmitter at Yangon (assumed), after yesterday`s 5985.0
broadcast from assume Naypyidaw (assumed); EZL music and in vernacular
(Ron Howard, Asilomar State Beach, CA, Etón E1, dxldyg via DX
LISTENING DIGEST)
** NETHERLANDS [and non]. RNW LAUNCHES NEW WEBSITE IN FARSI
Hello from Hilversum, What a week it has been! International
broadcasting has been back in the spotlight due to the ongoing
protests in Egypt, and in the southern hemisphere Radio Australia on
shortwave has been used to ensure that residents of Northern
Queensland could receive continuous coverage from their regional ABC
service as Tropical Cyclone Yasi battered the area, in case local
transmitters went off the air. Oh, and Radio Netherlands Worldwide has
started producing material in an 11th language...
Prompted by the tense relations between Tehran and The Hague following
the execution of Dutch-Iranian Zahra Bahrami, RNW has launched a new
website aimed at Iran. The new site www.rnw.nl/farsi went live today
in a 'light version' - for social media and mobile phone use -and will
be, as its name indicates, produced in Farsi, the language spoken in
Iran and by the many Iranians who live outside the country.
The decision to start this new internet service has also been prompted
by the continuing crises in Egypt and Tunisia, both of which are of
great significance for many other countries in the region, including
Iran. The current Islamic Republic there is itself the result of a
popular uprising which took place in Iran in 1979. This new RNW
website is also Radio Netherlands Worldwide’s first service in Farsi,
the station’s 11th broadcasting and website language.
RNW Editor-in-Chief Rik Rensen believes that there is a large market
within Iran which would welcome an independent and balanced service
from the Netherlands: “The website’s initial launch is for a period of
one month, at the end of which we’ll decide whether it should be
continued.”
With social media providing popular information-sharing platforms for
many Iranians, too, much of the output of http://www.rnw.nl/farsi will
also be re-published via these channels.
RNW already provides an Arabic-language service which produces radio
programmes and satellite text TV alongside its main website
http://www.rnw.nl/hunaamsterdam The service in Farsi will translate
and publish material from the Arabic service where relevant for Iran
and Iranians. A daily review of major news as covered by Dutch and
international media will also be provided in Farsi.
RNW says it intends and hopes to work with media partners both in and
outside Iran which want to share information in Farsi, provided these
organisations are able to operate independently (Andy Sennitt, Media
Network Newsletter Feb 3 via DXLD) And Iran condemned it; see blog
** NEWFOUNDLAND. 6160, CKZN, St. John's. 2240-2302 February 5, 2011.
Canned Canadian artist folk-rock music program. "This is CBC Radio 1"
at 2259 into CBC News. Clear and fair, until co-channel from, of all
things, Radio Canada International (see log at KOREA SOUTH). (Terry L
Krueger, Clearwater, Florida USA 27.55.83 N, 82.46.08 W, dxldyg via DX
LISTENING DIGEST)
** NEW ZEALAND. 9765, RNZI with Saturday night request-and-dedication
show, VG signal; anything goes, it seems, including ancient
recordings. After some show tunes, then a romantic crooner, from the
teens or twenties, outroed as Romanian-born tenor Joseph Schmidt; then
Motown by Syreeta (Wright) from Tennessee, *1946-2004*. I never would
have guessed how to spell her name beyond `Cyrita`(?) without:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Syreeta_Wright
The RNZI SW schedule is as usual totally unhelpful, merely showing
RNZI National is relayed Sat 06-08, including newscasts. So the
National schedule lists ``7:04 Saturday Night with Peter Fry -
Four hours of music, reminiscences, requests and entertainment``
Look at the playlist!
http://www.radionz.co.nz/national/programmes/saturdaynight
Apparently it is not available on demand, not among the long list of
program titles podcast (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** NIGERIA. 9690, VOICE OF NIGERIA (VON), 1113, 31-JAN, in English.
43434. YL in English mentions Nigeria; YL with ID at 1120; YL with ID
at 1126; OM with ID at 1128; OM says "Thank you Cynthia" (French Creek
DXpedition #40 (French Creek State Park, PA): Kris Field, Drake R-8;
Harold Cones, Winradio 313E, NASWA Flashsheet via DXLD)
VON is scheduled for six hours straight of English to W Africa at 09-
15 on 9690, but rarely reported during this hour. Between 1330 and
1500 the only English we ever hear on 9690 is AIR GOS.
15120, VON, Feb 7 at 1550 fair signal with deep fades, also marred by
somewhat distorted modulation on heavily-accented speaker, and carrier
slightly unstable. At least Cuba, q.v. is avoiding the frequency from
even before 1500 (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** NORTH AMERICA. 6940/USB, pirate, WEAK Radio with a most
entertaining CW music show, including many many '15 minute programs'
from Lester Moran, the Old Road Hog and his Cadillac Cowboys"
including a "live" show from the "Johnny Mack Brown High School Dance"
and sponsors from such Rainbow Valley businesses as Burford's barber
shop (If you kin grow it, Burford kin cut it!" and an egg market with
the motto "If you need eggs, let us lay one on you!" Many IDs as "WEAK
radio" and the email address. Nice show. SIO 344 1838-1918 and
continuing on afterward too! 29/Jan (Kenneth Vito Zichi, MI
DXpedition, MARE Tipsheet Feb 5 via DXLD)
** NORTH AMERICA. 6899.6 AM, S9+18 as I tune in at 0705 Sat Feb 5,
``Contribute to the Bowling League, P O Box 32, Mount Jackson,
Virginia; you should listen to me``, or something like that, and into
music. 0710, Commander Bunny talking about monkeys, FRN, Al Fansome;
0714 ID as ``International Bowling League Relay Service``.
0724, the unmistakable down-east voice of Allan Weiner saying ``I want
to marry my cat``, conversation with Jay; mentions SWL Fest will be
March 12-13, or from March 11 for early arrivals. Hmmm, those were the
dates in 2004y, while this year it`s March 4-5:
http://www.swlfest.com/
Mister Camping is so strong on 6875, that 6900 area gets desensitized;
pirates need to give him even wider berth. Unfortunately another
pirate was simultaneous on 6948, forcing me to split my attention
(Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** NORTH AMERICA. 6899.48-AM approx., UT Sunday Feb 6 at 0555 rock
music, 0556 announcement mentions 100 hits Saturday night on 6900,
website something+ online.com; techno till 0617 tune-out. No ID caught
but sounds like the same station heard 23 hours earlier on 6899.6-AM,
which was WBNY (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** NORTH AMERICA. 6948-USB, Saturday Feb 5 at 0707 music, S9+18 at
peaks like 6899.6-AM, but this one sounds louder; I have to attenuate
it to the max `local` to eliminate pumping. Must tune back and forth
since they are competing with each other. 0717 music segué to bass
strumming, then drumming. 0721 ID I think as ``W-E-A-K Radio`` (Glenn
Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** NORTH AMERICA. 6925-USB, USA (PIRATE) Wolverine Radio. 0128-0229*
February 6, 2011. Thanks Gerry Bishop tip while on a Trillian live
chat. Excellent signal with a "Rivers" songs theme. Brenda Lee "Too
Many Rivers"; Johnny Rivers "Muddy River"; Bob Dylan "Watching the
River Flow"; Talking Heads "Take Me To the River"; Joni Mitchell
"River"; Jimmy Cliff "Many Rivers To Cross" etc. ID's after every
couple of songs (Terry L Krueger, Clearwater, Florida USA 27.55.83 N,
82.46.08 W, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** NORTHERN MARIANA ISLANDS. NORTHERN MARIANA LEGISLATIVE BILL CALLS
FOR END TO "ILLEGAL LAND LEASE" AT BBG TRANSMITTER SITE (updated).
Posted: 10 Feb 2011
Saipan Tribune, 7 Feb 2011, Haidee V. Eugenio: Northern Mariana Island
House of Representatives "Joint Resolution 17-19, which asks the
Department of Public Lands to officially end 'the illegal land lease'
between DPL and the U.S. Broadcasting Board of Governors and its IBB,
narrowly passed an 8-7 vote referring it to the Natural Resources
Committee. The resolution also seeks back payment 'for lower than
appraised rental value that IBB has been paying since the lease
expired in 2006.'" (kimandrewelliott.com via DXLD)
-- The IBB has shortwave relay facilities on Saipan and Tinian in the
Northern Mariana Islands, used for both VOA and Radio Free Asia. I'm
not sure which site this legislation refers to, although the sponsor
is from Saipan (Kim Andrew Elliott, ibid.)
Update: Saipan Tribune, 10 Feb 2011, Haidee V. Eugenio: "Public Lands
Secretary Oscar M. Babauta told the House of Representatives yesterday
he will renegotiate with International Broadcasting Bureau an extended
or new land lease agreement, shortly before the House adopted a
resolution asking the Department of Public Lands to rectify the
'flawed' deal. The 25-year lease deal expired in 2006, but Babauta
said IBB at the time 'reluctantly refused' to renegotiate with DPL's
predecessor, the Marianas Public Lands Authority. As a result, IBB
continues to pay DPL $15,000 in annual lease rental even after the 25-
year period expired in 2006. ... Babauta said DPL preliminary
estimates show that IBB should have been paying $24,540 to $32,720 in
annual lease. ... Babauta said DPL will communicate with IBB whether
it wants to extend the lease for another 15 years or negotiate a new
lease." (kimandrewelliott.com via DXLD)
** OKLAHOMA. The Foxification of AM Radio, Or: What's That Sound
Supposed To Mean --- Am I watching TV, or what? On several stations,
during snowstorm coverage, I've heard whizzers and zingers in the
middle of program content. On KRMG, a two-note signature shows up at
random times (not during commercials.) I presume these are supposed to
indicate visual changes on their websites? Granted, I'm a blind guy,
but, um, this is radio we're talking about. These random sounds don't
seem to mean a thing to listeners only monitoring radio. I'm not fond
of them on TV, but at least I understand that they're supposed to grab
the visual attention of viewers. But on radio? Do these make sense?
(Rick Lewis, ABDX via DXLD)
Rick, the tones you hear on KRMG are their "storm center" alert, used
for severe weather year-round. They activate the "storm center"
whenever severe weather is occurring in the Tulsa area. They are in
"storm center" mode now due to the record snow fall yesterday (14
inches officially at the airport). Some surrounding towns reported 20+
inches. I can't get out of my driveway due to drifts in the street.
KRMG has done a GREAT job during this storm, keeping folks informed.
Glad we have such an example of local radio serving the community
during severe weather (Bruce Winkelman AA5CO, Tulsa OK, ibid.)
KRMG 740 appears to be on day pattern/power with coverage of winter
weather emergency in Tulsa. They are clobbering normally dominant CHWO
Toronto here in central Illinois. Many mentions of "AM 740 and FM
102.3" newstalk KRMG" (Steve Branch, Savoy, IL, 0519 UT Feb 5, WTFDA-
AM via DXLD)
They were into NJ over CHWO Wednesday night. Good snow advice they
gave: "Don't pass the plow truck when it's spreading" and "Don't get
stuck because no one's coming to get you out" :) (Mike Hunter, W2MHZ,
Neshanic Station, NJ, 0550 UT Saturday Feb 5, ibid.)
** OKLAHOMA [and non]. Yes, the two Tulsa market stations on 1270 and
1570 are now under new ownership and converted to Spanish. Feb 4 at
1938 UT I hear music on 1570, reminding me to check the stronger
signal on 1270 too. Wait a minute! Sounds like the same music. I carry
a portable radio in the car so I can try //, and yes indeed, the two
are simulcasting, but ID at 1940 only as ``La Que Buena, 12-70 AM``
and hyperenthusiastic promo for LQB listeners to tune to 1270 now
(instead of KXTD 1530 --- what`s on that now? Cannot pull it past KOKC
1520 in daytime.) I guess the new owner isn`t ready to program 1570
separately with Spangospel, no hurry! But this seems a bit redundant
and wasteful. Will the callsigns change from KRVT on 1270 and KZLI on
1570?
BTW, the Jan 27 Tulsa World article about this consistently wrote
``KLZI`` --- so much for the impact its former ``Smart Talk`` format
in English made on the writer. Still not corrected at:
http://www.tulsaworld.com/business/article.aspx?subjectid=52&articleid=20110127_15_E2_DnIuDn68992&archive=yes
As I recall, KRVT underwent some kind of upgrade in the last few
years. So the seller may have made a neat profit on the deal.
Now we shall have to pay attention whether the Spanish on 1270 is KRVT
or KFLC Fort Worth; and the 1570 is KZLI or XERF Ciudad Acuña.
Meanwhile, 1120 KEOR was off the air again at 1945 UT check Feb 4
1570, Feb 5 at 2204 UT on caradio, talk in Spanish not // KRVT 1270,
so I briefly think that KZLI must have started separate religious
programming --- no, the subject is the Mexican consulate in Del Rio,
so XERF is already dominant with no sign of KZLI under it.
Still wondering what programming KXTD 1530 Wagoner-Tulsa has, La Que
Buena`s abandoned station now that they have purchased KRVT 1270 ---
on caradio I do manage to pull it somewhat thru the KOKC 1520 splash,
Feb 6 at 1950 UT --- and by golly, sounds like the same music not only
on 1270 but 1570 too --- THREE simulcasting stations for the time
being; what a waste. Could not check for definite // then, but an hour
later the skywave was already dominating 1530.
1530, Feb 7 at 2100 UT on caradio I tune in time to hear after Spanish
a TOH ID as KXTD, I am pretty sure, pronounced in English, back to
Spanish with ``La Qué Buena`` hyper-promos. Now it`s definite that
this station is indeed running same // programming on three Tulsa
market frequencies (except for legal IDs), 1530, 1570 and 1270. 2203
back to music already. At the moment it is better than 1570 which is
starting to get XERFed, altho KOKC 1520 splash comes and goes
depending on music bits in ads, news. LQB format is supposedly moving
to newly acquired better signal on KRVT 1270, leaving 1530 with what?
Again at 1343 Feb 8 I find 1530 // 1570 // during M&M Spanish
conversation; 1349 check 1270, and also // with discussion of sports
in México (Glenn Hauser, OK, WORLD OF RADIO 1551, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** OKLAHOMA. 1580, KOKB Blackwell --- you may recall all the SNAFUs
from this we were reporting last year --- hours, even days of dead
air; when on, overmodulated/distorted, but here`s a new one:
Feb 7 at 2153 UT I notice an open carrier again on 1580 from this
semi-local station. Here we go again? Not exactly. At 2154, ``Test, 1,
2, 3, 4, 5``, hellos, heys, ``Poncan Opry``. It`s obvious that they
have cut off the sportstalk feed // 1020 KOKP Perry, which is still
underway, and put the produxion studio on the air without knowing it!
Various playing around, shuffling sounds, clearing throats; finally at
2155 starting takes of a commercial they are producing, voiced by Sean
Anderson/Shawn Andersen? and Dave May/Mei?, for The Poncan Opry, new
season starting March 5. 2156 another longer take, plugging eight
[more or less monthly] country music shows for $99, like getting two
freee! Sponsored by 101 Country KPNC.
Then they discuss which performers they should or should not mention
in next takes. Then no more talking but experimenting with bits of
music cuts, trying to select what to back their spiel in the
commercials with. This goes on and on past 2203 and I have to take a
break. At 2215 they now have one almost finished with some music mixed
in, but playback interrupted, and I do not monitor further. I was
praying that they would start swearing, but never heard any!
KPNC 100.7 and KOKB are both part of Eteam radio:
http://www.eteamradio.com/
We`ve been intending to attend a performance at The Poncan Theatre, as
much to view the classic building itself:
http://www.poncantheatre.org/
But will wait at least until March 27, April 2 or 9 when the brows are
somewhat higher, to justify a 2-hour round trip:
http://www.poncantheatre.org/upcoming.htm
(Glenn Hauser, Enid, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** OKLAHOMA. 1670, Greg Winklejohn`s talking house in NW Enid,
previously tracked down, is still on the air, audible when driving
close enough to the area, Feb 8 at 1745 UT (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX
LISTENING DIGEST)
** OKLAHOMA. KGOU Welcomes Woodward-area Listeners --- We're
officially welcoming our listeners in northwest Oklahoma with a
ribbon-cutting ceremony and come-and-go reception on Thursday, Feb. 17
from 4 - 6 p.m. at the Josie Adams Cultural Centre in Woodward.
Everyone's invited to meet and greet the KGOU staff and to celebrate
KGOU's new repeater station now broadcasting at 88.1 FM in northwest
Oklahoma. If you plan on attending, RSVP to Jolly Brown so we'll have
an idea how many to expect (KGOU E-newsletter Feb 10 via DXLD)
** OKLAHOMA. A foot of snow on the ground and temps around zero have
not impeded tropo enhancement of OKC TV signals. Around 0600 UT Feb
10, KWDW-LP, analog 48 with Univisión is much stronger than usual, and
another low-power analog, HSN on 21, KTOU-LP is also visible. Same
shortly after sunrise, before the temp has warmed much above the low
of -6 F.
They both improve, 48 almost snow-free by 1630, but lose out by 1700.
ThisTV also stayed decoded from KOCO-7 = 5.2, on my #3 antenna which
normally is marginal for that signal. Meanwhile no signal on 19 from
GCN`s KUOT-CA so I suspect it is now off the air – or maybe flash-cut
to DTV as per CP, as yet unchecked in that mode (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX
LISTENING DIGEST)
** OMAN. 15140, Radio Sultanate of Oman (Thumryat), 1727-1735,
2/1/2011, Arabic. Traditional vocal music. Short announcement by woman
at 1730 followed by alternating talk by woman and man, with an
occasional few bars of music. Generally weak signal with fading,
sometimes up to moderate strength (Jim Evans, Germantown, TN, IC-R75,
RX-340, E1, ICF-SW7600G, G6, Random Wire, ALA100M Loops, Cumbredx
mailing list via DXLD)
Esta é possível ouvir por aqui! Vou nos próximos dias tentar enviar um
Informe de recepção, quem sabe tenho sorte de conseguir o QSL deles
(já tentei antes, sem sucesso). (Rudolf Grimm, São Bernardo SP,
BRASIL. http://dxways-br.blogspot.com DX Clube do Brasil
http://www.ondascurtas.com radioescutas yg via DXLD)
Gracias, Rudolf por tus comentarios; Yo envié un CD grabado con una
Semana de audios, de la programación el año pasado y hasta este minuto
sin ningún resultado, lamentablemente al parecer no confirma y si le
ponemos un IRC cupon de Resposta capaz que perdamos uno. Es
lamentable, pero es cierto, difícil que confirme Radio Sultabanto de
Oman. Me pregunto en qué escritório estará durmiendo mi trabajo de una
semana y un gasto de 5 dólares (Héctor Fróas J., CE3FZL, FEDERACHI, 2
Feb, CHILE, ibid.)
Héctor, Acredito muito que essa questão de QSLs é como um fim-de-
semana de pescaria. Preparamo-nos bem, escolhemos a melhor vara de
pescar, a melhor isca para atrair o peixe, vestir aquela bermuda nova
comprada na C&A e que ganhamos no Natal, e garbosos vamos ao mar, ou
ao rio, depende. O que trazemos para casa como resultado? Os mesmos
pequenos peixes de sempre, resfriado e frustração.
Só que numa outra oportunidade, despretensiosamente, colocamos o anzol
+ isca na água, e num momento inesperado, aquele grande peixe que
sempre gostaríamos ter pescado surge e morde nosso anzol. Pronto,
pegamo-lo.
QSLs é assim: tentamos fazer o melhor, cheios de esperança procuramos
facilitar ao máximo com que o diretor técnico da emissora se
sensibilize a analisar o informe de recepção que enviamos aguardando
que o responda, e nada: frustração! Em outra oportunidade, tentando
mais uma vez o mesmo esquema, mandamos as informações sem muita
expectativa, e eis que acabamos de receber a resposta: o raro QSL da
mesma!
Por isso que o nosso lema no rádio pode ser: persistir sempre,
desistir jamais! E assim vamos tentando capturar o ‘big fish’ (Radio
Sultanato de Oman, 15140) até que a isca seja mordida.
73, e tudo de bom a você e aos demais amigos da lista (Rudolf Grimm,
São Bernardo SP, BRASIL, ibid.)
Aconselho que enviem a carta aos cuidados do Sr. Abdullah Alaraimi, da
Radio Sultanate Oman, pois ele muito gentilmente respondeu ao meu
informe de recepção no ano passado. Aconselho ainda que tentem entrar
em contato com através de e-mail: asalaraimi @ hotmail.com
Ano passado chegamos a trocar alguns e-mails. Acho que o Ivan Dias
também chegou a trocar e-mails com o Sr. Abdullah. Ele é muito
prestativo e gentil. Forte 73 (Fabricio Andrade Silva, Tubarão - SC
PP5002SWL (SWARL), ibid.)
Fabricio, Assino embaixo suas palavras. Recebi na mesma época que você
um postal confirmando a escuta. Inclusive postei em meu blog na época.
Certamente o caminho informado por você é o mais simples. Na época
mantive contato preliminar por email e em seguida mandei minha carta
com CD com o registro da transmissão aos cuidados dele para o seguinte
endereço: PO Box 600, Postal Code 100, Muscat, Sultanate of Oman.
Boa sorte aos que tentarão a confirmação deste interessante país.
73 (Ivan Dias Jr. - Sorocaba/SP, http://ivandias.wordpress.com ibid.)
** PAKISTAN. PBC 7100 --- This isn't heard any more. Have they moved
to another frequency? 73, (Mauno Ritola, Finland, Feb 6, dx_sasia yg
via DXLD)
Recently reported transmissions on 7100 in the (Asian/Euro-) evenings
unheard Feb. 5-8 between 1600 and 1800. 73 (Thorsten Hallmann,
Germany, Feb 8, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** PAKISTAN. Hello Dxers, I received Radio Pakistan December Magazine
Last week of January. I am sending you copy of Pakistan Calling
Magazine (Abid Hussain Sajid, Pakistan, dxldyg via DX LISTENING
DIGEST)
As a pdf attachment in the dxldyg --- Very interesting, mostly in
English even about programming in other languages, tho there is very
little SW programming in English itself (gh, DXLD)
** PERU. 3329.53, Ondas del Huallaga, Huánuco, 1030 to 1100 hyper om
en espanol, ID once, and music, 8 February.
4789.912, Radio Visión, Chiclayo, 1100 noted distorted and FMing. 2
February.
4986.833, Radio Manantial, Huancayo, 2330 to 0020 "...con junto en
Santo Domingo" excellent music, mentions of Bolivia, 0000 ID by om
Radio Manantial, Huancayo .....kilo...banda..." 3/4 February [Wilkner]
(Robert Wilkner, Pompano Beach, Florida, US, Icom 746Pro Modified by
Dallas Lankford, NRD 535D [Gilfer] Drake R8, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** PERU. 3329.560, 2330 UT, Ondas de Huallaga, Huànuco, Spanish talks,
noisy.
4746.970, 2315, Radio Huanta 2000, Huanta. Nice Peru songs and ID in
Spanish, good reception.
4789.900, 2317, Radio Visión - LV Salvación, weak religious talks in
Spanish.
4955, 2332, Radio Cultura Amauta, Huanta, Good, Spanish talks by male
and nice Peru music + ID "Radio Cultura" [sic].
4986.400, 2328, Radio Manantial, Huanta, Spanish talks by female,
religious program.
5120.553, 2318, Ondas del Suroriente, Quillabamba, Nice Peru music but
weak (Maurits Van Driessche, Belgium, Feb 5, hard this stations with
my Perseus SDR receiver in overnight recording, Super Kaz antennas,
HCDX via DXLD)
** PERU. 4747.1, RADIO HUANTA 2000. Huanta. Perú. 0048-0102* febr 6
Presentado música de Los Errantes de Chuquibamba, en el programa:
Sentimiento Arequipeño. "...yo escucho Radio Huanta 2000, siempre en
primer lugar..." Fuera del aire a las 0100
6174.0, RADIO TAWANTISUYO. Cusco, Perú. 0020-0035 febr 6. Programa:
Voces y Canciones del Perú. "...Radio Tawantisuyo ofreciéndoles
siempre la música del Perú profundo..." Locutor en vernacular
9674.8, PACIFICO RADIO. Lima, 2040-2115 febr 5. Programa: Dialogando,
Con análisis de libros evangélicos. Anuncios de Librería El Inca.
Menciona Grupo Pacífico de comunicaciones. "... estamos en Pacífico
Radio 640 amplitud modulada, usted nos puede leer en en nuestra página
http://www.pacificoradio.com o a través de Facebook..." Promo del
programa: Fé en Marcha. Excelente calidad en el audio y en la señal
mas no así en los 4975 kHz que aunque activa durantes las noches el
audio no puede ser entendido (Rafael Rodríguez R., Bogotá D.C. -
COLOMBIA, Receptor Winradio G303i, Antena Dipolo de 10 metros,
condiglist yg via DXLD)
** PERU. 4955.006, Radio Cultura Amauta, 1117-1130 Feb 4. Yes with the
best signal on the band, noted a male and female in what sounded like
serious Spanish comments. Heard the male mention "Amauta" here and
there. This sounds like a news program with reports by other
announcers. After listening for awhile, "Amauta and Peru" are
mentioned rather often.
4986.385, Radio Manantial, Tentative, 1125-1150 Feb 4, Noted a fair
signal at tune in with a female in Spanish Language comments. From her
tone, she sounded as if she were giving a religious discourse, which
continued during the period. Tried to find some backup information on
this. Ran a search for DXLD, but Google rejected me. [?? gh] I'm use
to it. Checked out AOKI's database and Manantial was listed on 4991.
Next I looked at EIBI and Manantial was listed on 4986. Signal was
fair to threshold (Chuck Bolland, WR-G31DDC, 26N 081W, Clewiston FL,
DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** PHILIPPINES. 9570, R. Veritas Asia missing again during R.
Blagovest Russian service, Feb 9 at 1502 and further chex to 1516. Not
due to propagation, as VOA Tinang was VG on 9760, fading up news
modulation late at 1501. I will not jump to a conclusion that
Blagovest has finally been canceled, and merely assume for now that
transmissions are irregular.
9570, RVA with R. Blagovest in Russian missing for a second day, Feb
10 at 1505, 1549 checks, while VOA Tinang was VG on 9760 (Glenn
Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** PORTUGAL [and non]. 13m showing some signs of life for a change:
Feb 5 until 1559* Libya on 21695 and YFR Ascension, both in English.
Leaving 21655 RDPI to be the SSOB after 1600 timesignal; also JBA WHRI
21630, Spain 21610, 21570 (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) see
also KUWAIT
** PRIDNESTROVYE. Radio PMR missing off 6240 at 1923 February 7. It's
now on 7290 presumably for the full 1800-2400 period and then relaying
Voice of Russia. Regards (Harry Brooks, North East England, UK, dxldyg
via WORLD OF RADIO 1551, DX LISTENING DIGEST
New frequency for Radio PMR --- PRIDNESTROVIE, 7290, Radio PMR at 2230
on Feb 2 with time pips and a man with “This is the next edition of
the informational analytic program of the Pridnestrovian Radio PMR”
then news - Very Good. This is ex-6240. I assume they went to this
frequency so that they don't have to change frequencies at 0000 when
Voice of Russia uses this transmitter (Mark Coady, Peterborough, ON
K9J 6X3, ODXA yg via DXLD)
** QATAR [non]. Al Jazeera will stream on RNW website until 14 Feb
The arrangement to stream Al Jazeera English on the RNW website to
cover breaking news from Egypt has been extended, and the stream will
now be available on our website through Monday 14 February 2011.
View the live stream
http://www.rnw.nl/english/video/live-footage-cairo
(February 7th, 2011 - 15:36 UTC by Andy Sennitt, Media Network blog
via DXLD)
** REVILLAGIGEDO. 4A. Santos, EA4AK, sent out a press release
announcing a DXpedition to Revillagigedo (XF4) during March. The
assigned callsign will be 4A4A. The DXpedition's Web site is:
http://www.revillagigedo2011.com
The team leader and DXpedition organizer is Marcos, XE1B, and the QSL
Manager is David, EB7DX see: http://www.eb7dx.com Confirmation will
only be DIRECT and LoTW. A team of 9 operators will operate from "Isla
Socorro" (officially "Benito Juárez" Island) between March 3-20th. The
island's reference numbers are: IOTA NA-030, WAZ Zone 6, ITU Zone 10,
Grid Locator DK48MS and located -approx- at Longitude 111º West and
Latitude 18º 46´ North. Sunrise will be around 1320z and Sunset around
0100z. Currently the team consists of Marcos/XE1B (Team Leader/SSB),
Santos/EA4AK (Logistic/SSB), Vicente/EA5AFP (CW), Fernando/EA5FX (CW),
Francisco/EA5KM (CW), Javier/EC4DX (SSB), Edu/EA8AUW (SSB/Digi) and
Alejandra Ortiz (Geology - Photography).
Activity will be on 160-10 meters, possibly 6 meters, using CW, SSB
and the Digital modes. They plan to have a CW team and a SSB team
operating simultaneously on the air at all times. Yagis will be used
for the higher bands and verticals for the lower bands. Efforts are
being made to bring some linear amplifiers to the island. Santos,
EA4AK, states, "Because propagation conditions are still low or
average we must make a special effort to optimize the DX windows. I
have prepared some 'propagation movies' (one for each band) for
Revillagigedo to help those with less experience estimating the best
times/bands to work 4A4A. You can see the movies on my YouTube
'channel' at: http://www.youtube.com/user/EA4AK "
The press release also mentions: "The licenses and permits for the
4A4A DXpedition have taken long time to obtain due to the complexity
of this archipelago. Revillagigedo is a natural reserve, a protected
reserve of the biosphere. Only visits or expeditions of scientific
nature are permitted by the relevant Mexican authorities (a
prestigious Mexican geologist will travel with the team to perform
studies of natural life interest while 4A4A is running). Also, it is
an emplacement of military interest, and tightly under the control and
supervision of military authorities. These two permits from those two
mentioned authorities are absolutely necessary before proceeding to
request an amateur radio operating license to the telecommunications
authorities."
This 4A4A DXpedition is exclusively financed by the personal financial
effort of the team of operators. The team is looking for some support
from sponsors, clubs or other organizations. See the official Web site
(provided above) for details on how to help them. Santos, EA4AK, has
also provided a few links for interest:
* A Twitter Page for updates: https://twitter.com/EA4AK
* Various maps and images of Isla Socorro, and Revillagigedo, on
EA4AK's Picassa album:
https://picasaweb.google.com/EA4AK.Santos/4A4AVARIOS#
* All the JPG images of those propagation movies can be more carefully
scrutinized at the Picassa album on:
https://picasaweb.google.com/EA4AK.Santos/4A4APROPAGATIONIMAGES#
(Ohio/Penn DX Bulletin No. 997, February 7, 2011, Editor Tedd
Mirgliotta, KB8NW, Provided by BARF80.ORG (Cleveland, Ohio), via Dave
Raycroft, ODXA yg via DXLD)
** ROMANIA. 17540, Feb 5 at 1525 very poor signal with flutter and
Doppler wobble on the carrier, at first intonation sounding French,
but improving at 1530, not French, seems language lesson with Arabic
words, repeated, M&W alternating, bits of music, recognizable words in
other language like aeroporto, Qahira, musica. 1540 to music; 1545
stronger peaks, fast beat pop music. Thought I might have something
exotic, but 1555 contact info, 1556 RRI IS. Yes, it`s RRI`s Arabic
service, 300 kW, 247 degrees from Tiganeshti at 15-16, wedged between
English from WHRI before 1500 (if on), and YFR English via Ascension
after 1600.
15460, Feb 10 at 1340, RRI German service with program about Miraya
Cortez (?), opera singer, but my spelling must be way off as Google
does not find her. Maybe she will eventually appear here:
http://www.rri.ro/cat.shtml?lang=7&sec=466
Included several nice recordings of her past 1350; unlike so many SW
stations, RRI has excellent modulation level and quality --- good
dynamic range and fidelity, with selective fading beyond anyone`s
control the only thing detracting from it.
However, RRI needs to work on their continuity, since she was rudely
interrupted at 1352:30 for brief close-down announcement, yet followed
by some pop song with piano until 1356 when that too was interrupted
for one minute of IS, no further announcements and off at 1357*. This
hour is 300 kW, 307 degrees from Tiganeshti, reliably reaching far
beyond Austro-Germany to deep North America (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX
LISTENING DIGEST)
** RUSSIA. Re 11-06, VOR intruding on 7200 kHz: Dear Mikhail, see
Circular letter no. CR/282 of ITU Genf, Radiocommunication Bureau,
Fax No. +41 22 730 57 85 of April 17, 2008 signed by Valery Timofeev,
Director, Radiocommunication Bureau, ITU Genf
Please read carefully, see included/attached .DOC file:
quotation "3.2 The allocation to the amateur service in the band 7100
- 7200 kHz, in Regions 1 and 3, will become effective on 30 March
2009. As from that date (i.e. as from season A09), the band 7100 -
7200 kHz will no longer be available for HF broadcasting in any ITU
Region and will be excluded from the procedure governed by Article 12
of the Radio Regulations."
So, the first broadcast channel in 41 mb starts in AM / (DSB mode)
only from 7205 kHz upwards. See the Radio Rossii JINGLE played at
10.32 UTC Febr 3rd, on Screenshot of SDR-IQ radio set on Browser
display, at least 7 kHz wide signal down to 7196.5 kHz frequency.
Regards de (Wolfgang df5sx, to Mikhail Timoveyev, St. Petersburg, via
DXLD)
Dear Mikhail, I am just studying to become a licenced Amateur Radio
Operator. We learned about bandwidth. I am sure if you use 7205 kHz
your signal width doesn`t affect 7200. Amateur Operators in Austria
are NOT allowed to use 7200 because their signal width does exceed
7200 kHz then; we have to stay lower so not to "overstep" 7200.
Regards (Thomas W., Austria, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST)
Moscow ------------ Interestingly, allegedly filed claims ITU Voice of
Russia for his work on 7200 kHz. Ostensibly its lower band of GR
prevents amateurs. Although, as I noticed an additional range of 7100-
7200 is not very readily mastered European and especially our radio
amateurs. Still the main mass of their works on the site until 7100.
At the same time in the range 7100-7200 is still audible veschalki
even like DRM and in kind, obscure wide range of frequencies. The
procedure is, of course, necessary to establish, but not to absurdity.
GR on 7200 kHz is unlikely much damage does hams.
In addition, the clear delineation of the emitted bands around 7200
kHz was. Also at this frequency, work and other stations. Just me
it seems that amateur and official control bodies (in mostly former
military) swing right will likely prove its the need for the
community.
In general, for 7200 kHz, a struggle begins between radio amateurs and
broadcasters. While I believe that the GR vain me during the day on
9680 in 7200, that illogical from the point of view begins soon spring
transmission of radio waves. In my opinion, to 1500, you can safely
continue work in 9680 - nobody special interference is not expected.
What is your view colleagues? (Alexander Yegorov, Kiev, Ukraine /
"open_dx")
I've already managed to enter the discussion with Wolfgang Byushel
about it ... My position is this: according to the circular ITU CR/282
on April 17, 2008 to March 30, 2009 is distributed using frequencies
in the band 6765-8100 kHz between different radio services. Including
black and white (with respect to our region of the world):
7100-7200 AMATEUR
7200-7300 BROADCASTING
No one comments on the new frequency allocation table in the specified
band does not explain the "status" of the border frequency 7200 kHz,
in other words, that is not forbidden is allowed.
Any radio station can use the frequency 7200 kHz in any mode of
transmission, as well as any amateur station. In the case of
interference ham can always change the frequency in the allotted area
7100-7200 kHz, and radio station as in the case of serious
interference from p / fans or other service stations close to 7200 kHz
can replace it with any in the band 7200- 7450 kHz.
I hope the employees GRCHTS savvy enough not to react to this
kind of claim, the German side (if they did). (Mikhail Timofeyev, St.
Petersburg / "open_dx")
05/02/2011, at 11:30, Dmitry Mezin wrote: Here I completely agree: if
such an "imperfect legal base, "both parties will consider themselves
right :-( frequency 7200 kHz shares two fairly heavily used range
(amateur and Broadcasting), so it was on the mind, but in general such
boundary frequency set.
ITU, in my opinion, it would explicitly clarify operating procedures
of the near these frequencies (Dmitry Mezin, Kazan, Russia / open_dx)
Re: [open_dx] GR new frequencies --- But, as I think the trouble is
that when amateur radio band allocation of 7100-7200 kHz were not
governed by the boundary conditions of the frequency 7200 kHz
(Alexander Yegorov, Kiev. Ukraine / "open_dx")
Continuing the theme: just received two of his personal email. address
threatening letter (at the office. letterhead!) by Ulrich Bihlmayer
DJ9KR / DL0IW, Vice Coordinator of IARU MONITORING SYSTEM, Intruder
Watch and Spectrum Control, with the requirement to stop The harmful
Interference immediately and look for a frequency higher than 7200 kHz
(e.g. 7460 kHz). The radio Amateurs of the world have the right to use
their exclusive Amateur Radio frequencies without the interference of
"Radio Golos Rossiye", end quote.
That does not even know how to react, and it is not even that, "and
here am I" or the seasonal schedule - the handiwork of "General Radio
Frequency Centre, where and to send such mails right there, I
suppose," not fools, right? " (By Raikin).
In addition to previous my post: What prevents all these vice-
coordinators and the German amateur radio association (or whatever
it's called) back in 2008, after the mailing of the circular mentioned
ITU formally contact them through the proper administration of the
German connection with the offer made to the circular the modification
to change the band PB band at 7205-7450 kHz? Be bold, flag in your
hands, as they say ...
Finally, another excerpt from a letter Sir, to: Also Golos Rossii is
in "bad company": Besides of Golos Rossii the BC stations Islamic of
Iran Broadcasting IRIB (IRN) and R. Omdurman (SDN) are also occupying
the frequency 7200 kHz. Not good! (Mikhail Timofeyev, St. Petersburg,
Russia / "open_dx") all via Rus DX Feb 6 via DXLD)
Re: broadcast signal outlet of Voice of Russia St.P. in 7195 to 7200
kHz range.
Voice of Russia or GFC Moscow organization is in the same bad position
as P. R. of North Korea Pyongyang in the past, when Kim Jong-il
dictator's mouthpiece used 7100 kHz in AM DSB mode in the past decade.
And 7100 kHz was the frontier channel between ham radio range 7000-
7100, and bc range 7100-7300 kHz. This cross-border discussion
happened on 7100 kHz channel also already 20 years ago ... nothing new
discussion, except the new 7200 kHz cross-border point now.
http://www.google.de/search?q=kim+il+yong&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&aq=t&rls=org.mozilla:de:official&client=firefox-a
GFC Moscow and Voice of Russia may allowed to use 7200 kHz
in SSB-U S B - uppersideband - mode ONLY,
=================================
to cover only the upper 7200 to 7205 kHz frequency range,
BUT NOT USB + LSB + CARRIER - like AM mode,
which has a signal portion in the 7195 to 7200 kHz range.
<<re>> that is not forbidden is allowed.
Your error in reasoning on signal geometry: But no BC/broadcast signal
p o r t i o n in 7195 to 7200 kHz range allowed.
vy73 wb (Bueschel, via DX LISTENING DIGEST)
Dear Intruder Busters, this is very good news from Mr. Alexsey Vesnin
from "The General Radiofrequency Centre" in Moscow. See my letter of
complaint further down. I wonder if already tomorrow morning 7200 kHz
is free from Golos Rossii (The Voice of Russia). Regards,
Ulrich Bihlmayer DJ9KR, Vice Coordinator of IARU Monitoring System
Intruder Watch Region 1 and Coordinator of DARC Monitoring System
!!!!! Die weitergeleitete Original-E-Mail hängt dieser E-Mail als
Anhang "OriginalMail.eml" an. !!!!!
----- Original Nachricht ----
Von: Alexsey Vesnin <becha@mail.ru>
An: dj9kr@arcor.de
Datum: 08.02.2011 15:01
Betreff: 7200 move to 7265
Dear Ulrich Bihlmayer, I moved 7200 to 7265. For me it easy :-) Are
you happy? (Alexey Vesnin, GFC, becha @ mail.ru via WORLD OF RADIO
1551, DXLD)
-Original Message- Subject: Harmful Interference by Golos Rossiye on
7200 kHz
Concern: Harmful Interference t the Amateur Radio Service world wide
by Radio Golos Rossiye on 7200 kHz (= exclusive amateur radio
frequency)
Dear Sir or Madam, Since February 1st, 2011, the Russian radio station
"Golos Rossii" has been transmitting programs in Russian language from
0800 - 1500 UTC on the frequency 7200,0 kHz with very high power.
Location of the transmitter is St. Petersburg area.
This is causing very harmful interference to the Amateur Radio Service
world wide. The Amateur Radio Service has an exclusive allocation in
this range.
As the range 7000 - 7200 kHz is allocated world wide to the Amateur
Radio Service, these transmissions are causing very harmful
interference to the Radio Amateurs world wide. See ITU Radio
Regulations of ITU 4.5 and Circular Letter of ITU Switzerland CR/282
3.2!
Therefore I ask you to leave the frequency 7200 kHz immediately. The
Radio Amateurs of the world have the right to use their exclusive
Amateur Radio frequencies without the very harmful interference of
"Golos Rossii". Thank you very much for taking action!
Please read the letter of complaint in the attachment.
Yours very truly,
Ulrich Bihlmayer
Vice Coordinator of IARU Monitoring System Region 1 of ITU Geneva
Dear Alexsey Vesnin, Spasibo tebye za pomoshch` [Thank you for your
help]. Positive move from 7200 to 7265 kHz today February 9th.
TX at St. P. switched on at 0747:10 UT. 10 seconds 800 Hertz measuring
test tones heard 0747 to 0758 UT, interspersed by 10 seconds pause.
From 0758 to 0759:36 UT carrier only.
Identification "Golos Rossii Radio" at 0759:36, and time signal pips a
little late at 0800:11 UT.
See attached browser screenshots, signal on software defined radio in
Switzerland about S=8, on England monitoring post S=8 up to S=9+5dB.
regards de Wolfy df5sx P11 (via WORLD OF RADIO 1551, DXLD)
** RUSSIA. RUSIA: La Mezhdunarodnoye Russkoye Radio (MRR), opera en
ruso conforme al siguiente esquema:
HORA UTC KHZ
0000-0400 7225
0400-0500 7250
La emisora verifica con una tarjeta QSL de "La Voz de Rusia". QTH:
Mezhdunarodnoye Russkoye Radio, Pyatnitskaya 25, 115326 Moscú, Rusia
(Marcelo A. Cornachioni, Argentina, Conexion Digital Feb 5 via DXLD)
WRTH 2011 agrees that these are the *only* SW transmissions of MRR =
Russian International Radio, plus a number on mediumwave. Meanwhile,
regular Golos Rossii transmissions also in Russian are ongoing at same
time on many different SW frequencies. Could someone remind us of what
the point is, having this separate but limited external service in
Russian? (Glenn Hauser, OK, D XLISTENING DIGEST)
** RUSSIA. Moscow ------------ Changes in the schedule VOICE OF RUSSIA
Over the past two months, Voice of Russia "has expanded the list of
frequencies used on medium and short waves. Due to the fact that
changes were planned for a short period and then extended twice, the
publication of information about these changes occur with such a
substantial delay. All of these changes and additions are planned to
remain in operation until the end of the winter season. Time anywhere
- UTC.
Changes entered into force on 17 December 2010:
0000-0100 - 7210 Portuguese for South America
0000-1300 - 621 Russian (MPP) for Ukraine, Moldova
0400-0600 - 6065 Spanish for South America
1200-1600 - 12025 Russian for Central Asia
1300-1500 - 6005 Japanese for Asia
1300-1700 - 621 Russian for Ukraine, Moldova
1500-1800 - 5955 Russian for Central Asia
1700-2200 - 12025 Russian for Central Asia
2300-0400 - 7260 Russian for Central and South America
2300-0000 - 621 Russian for Ukraine, Moldova
2300-0000 - 11830 English for Asia
Changes entered into force on 1 February 2011:
0000-0400 - 7225 for the Russian Caucasus, Bl. East
0000-0500 - 7290 (6240 kHz vm.) in English for C. Am.
0100-0600 - 7280 Spanish for Central America
0200-0400 - 11870 Russian
0200-0400 - 15250 Russian
0200-0400 - 15520 Russian
0300-0600 - 12010 English to North America [WORLD OF RADIO 1551]
0300-0700 - 12070 Russian for Central Asia
0400-0600 - 11870 English
0400-0600 - 15250 English
0400-0600 - 15520 English
0400-0800 - 1548 Russian for Europe
0500-0800 - 9680 Russian
0700-1100 - 12010 English
0700-1100 - 15700 English for Australia
0800-1500 - 7200 Russian for Europe
0900-1400 - 1215 Russian for the Baltic countries
1000-1100 - 585 Chinese in Asia
1000-1200 - 12055 Russian for Central Asia
1100-1200 - 1080 kHz on China in Asia
1100-1300 - 801 Chinese in Asia
1100-1300 - 9720 German for Europe
1200-1500 - 5940 Russian to Europe, Ukraine, Moldova
1300-1400 - 12055 Hindi for Asia
1300-1500 - 15450 Pashto / Dari for Bl. East
1400-1500 - 12055 English for Asia
1400-1600 - 1089 Russian for the Caucasus
1400-1700 - 1026 Russian for Central Asia
1500-1700 - 5975 (5985 kHz vm.) in Turkish for Bl. East
1500-1700 - 7270 Turkish for Bl. East
1600-1700 - 999 Russian to Europe, Ukraine, Moldova
1600-1800 - 6020 Persian for Bl. East
1600-1900 - 7330 English to South East Asia
1600-1900 - 9880 English to South East Asia
1700-1800 - 7270 Kurdish for Bl. East
1700-1900 - 5985 Russian for Bl. East
1700-2200 - 9745 French for Europe
1700-2200 - 11600 French for Europe
1800-1900 - 7290 Russian for Europe
1900-2000 - 999 Russian to Europe, Ukraine, Moldova
1900-2000 - 5985 English to Bl. East
1900-2000 - 7290 English for Europe
2000-2100 - 7290 Russian for Europe
2000-2200 - 1494 Russian for Europe, the Baltic States
2000-0000 - 1026 Russian for Central Asia
2100-2200 - 7290 English for Europe
Database on Russian-language broadcasts have been updated according to
the above changes, a consolidated schedule in the "Voice of Russia"
will be edited in the coming days.
Reception Report are welcome. Correctly formatted reports are
confirmed by QSL-cards. E-mail reports can be directed to the general
address letters @ ruvr.ru (marked, for some editions) or to the
appropriate editor to the email address listed on the page of this
edition. For the Russian service, you can use the address postru @
ruvr.ru
Mailing address: (Name version), Voice of Russia, ul. Pyatnitskaya,
25, 115326 Moscow, Russia (Vadim Alexeev, Moscow, Russia /
http://www.dxing.ru/content/view/1362/1/ via RusDX Feb 6 via DXLD)
** RUSSIA [and non]. Additional frequencies, V. of Russia from Feb. 1:
0200-0400 on 15250 IRK 100 kW / 110 deg EaAs Russian
0200-0400 on 15520 TCH 500 kW / 194 deg SEAs Russian
0200-0600 on 11870#IRK 250 kW / 110 deg EaAs Russian
0400-0600 on 15250 IRK 100 kW / 110 deg EaAs English
0400-0600 on 15520 TCH 500 kW / 194 deg SEAs English
0500-0800 on 9680 SAM 250 kW / 280 deg WeEu Russian
0600-0800 on 17650^DB 500 kW / 120 deg AUS Russian
0700-1000 on 12010*NVS 500 kW / 110 deg EaAs Russian
0700-1100 on 15700 IRK 250 kW / 152 deg SEAs English
0800-1100 on 17650^DB 500 kW / 120 deg AUS English
0800-1500 NF 7265 S.P 200 kW / 215 deg WeEu Russian, ex 7200>> Feb. 9
1000-1300 on 9720 KLG 100 kW / 245 deg WeEu German, ex 1000-1100
1000-1600 on 12025 SAM 250 kW / 117 deg CeAs Russian
1100-1200 on 17650^DB 500 kW / 120 deg AUS Russian
1500-1700 on 5975&S.P 200 kW / 147 deg N/ME Turkish, not 1400-1600
2300-2400 on 11830 P.K 250 kW / 247 deg SEAs English, ex DWL Chinese
# co-ch WEWN in Spanish
^ co-ch CRI in Chinese
& co-ch VOR in Serbian from 1600-1700!!!!
* co-ch AWR in French/Tachelhit 0800-0900
(DX Mix News, Bulgaria, 10 Feb via DXLD)
Are all these really *additional*, i.e. not replacing other
frequencies?? (gh, DXLD)
** RUSSIA. DST to be `abolished`, rather entrenched: WORLD OF HOROLOGY
** SAIPAN. 11650, Feb 9 at 1346 M&W in language hard to place,
``central Asian``? And nice music bits, unusually as strong as
adjacent NHK/Sackville 11655. No wonder I couldn`t savvy the lingo, as
Aoki shows KFBS in Osetian during this quarter-hour on Wednesdays;
other days: Uzbek, Karakalpak, Tatar or Chuvash; 100 kW, 323 degrees
from Marpi (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) See also N M I
** SARAWAK [non]. CLANDESTINE - 6205, R. Free Sarawak (presumed) 1251-
1300* Feb 4. Noted with usual telephone report/conversation; tuned
away for a few minutes and when I came back at 1300 they were gone.
Fair signal (John Wilkins, Wheat Ridge, Colorado, Drake R-8, 100-foot
RW, Cumbredx mailing list via DXLD)
6205, R. Free Sarawak via presumed TAJIKISTAN, Feb 5 at 1220
conversation in Iban if not Malay between studio announcer and guy on
phone, the latter throwing in English phrases such as ``Yes, I know``,
``If you really``, ``Who are you?``. Fair with heavy flutter. By 1245
vocal music is playing, but it`s just barely modulated, still heavy
flutter.
6205, R. Free Sarawak via TAJIKISTAN (still missing from HFCC, but
WRTH Update says Dushanbé), Feb 7 at 1217, F-G but fluttery with usual
phone discussion between studio announcer and interviewee in presumed
Iban; at 1220 for almost a minute they were talking over each other.
Fortunately no RHC spur strong enough to QRM; see CUBA (Glenn Hauser,
OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** SIERRA LEONE [non]. Target: SIERRA LEONE --- COTTON TREE NEWS
Shortwave transmission has been discontinued, but may return.
(WRTH 2 Feb update via DXLD)
Maybe so, but just appeared in DXLD 11-05 under the complete and
updated Babcock schedules under INTERNATIONAL as: ``Cotton Tree News
0730-0800 11875 RMP 500 kW / 190 deg CeAf English/Local``. Please
check on it (Glenn Hauser, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** SOMALIA [non]. 9960, Feb 10 at 1558, VTC/Babcock music IS loop,
much stronger than WRMI 9955; 1600 changes to ululations and jingle,
then 6-pip timesignal ending at 1600:50! ID and singing ID as Radio
Bar-Kulan. This 1600-1700 broadcast in Somali is 500 kW (HFCC) or 250
kW (Aoki), 20 degrees from Meyerton, SOUTH AFRICA, another US-backed
EDC effort meaning ``Meeting Place`` (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING
DIGEST)
** SOMALIA [non]. 11740, CLANDESTINE (Somali). Radio Damal via
Woofferton, *1900-1930* Feb 2. Instrumental music opening followed by
man in Somali language talks and news with frequent mentions of
Somalia and Mogadishu. After news, mix of talks and Horn of Africa
music with ID noted at 1913. Carrier cut in mid-sentence. Fair to good
(Rich D'Angelo, Wyomissing PA 19610, Ten-Tec RX-340, Drake R-8B, Eton
E1, Eton E5, Alpha Delta DX Sloper, RF Systems Mini-Windom, Datong
FL3, JPS ANC-4, NASWA Flashsheet via DXLD) Supposed to be *1830-1930*
Viz.: (gh, DXLD)
UK: R Damal (presumed) 11740 at 1834 in Somali. Barely audible but
better by 1845. 8 Feb. 73 (Liz Cameron, MI, Finally got my NRD back.
Yay! Dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** SOUTH CAROLINA [non]. 17580, WBCQ With Brother Scare er Stair, and
a chorus of what sounded like a half dozen followers emoting and
echoing "amen" on cue and including such gems as "Please, Lord, I have
PLENTY of knowledge" and "Don't tell me you didn't know I was gonna
talk like this..." Yeah, I have to admit, I knew! ;)
The best bit was his rant about how awful the Old Testament is with
its stories of massacres, murder, fornication and the like. He asked
"How do you get inspired by that?" He makes an interesting point!
Maybe it is designed to inspire you to act better than that? Maybe
there is something in the NEW Test about a change in things? Nawww,
couldn't be that obvious could it? SIO 444 1525-1535 29/Jan (Kenneth
Vito Zichi, Michigan DXpedition, MARE Tipsheet via DXLD) Except 17580
is NOT WBCQ: (gh)
U S A, THE OVERCOMER MINISTRY
Revised complete schedule, English
1200-1400 daily SAs 15320nau
1300-1400 daily EAs 11680nau
1300-1400 daily SAs 17765wer
1400-1600 daily Eu,ME 9460wer, 13810nau
1400-1600 daily Af 17580wer
(WRTH 2 Feb update via DXLD)
It`s NOT COMPLETE. Why do WRTH and British DX publication schedules
insist on ignoring the much more significant usage by TOM of 24/7 or
nearly so, transmissions via WWCR, WWRB, and also large blox on WBCQ?
That is extremely provincial --- doesn`t count unless it`s relayed
from Europe? (Glenn Hauser, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
9385, Brother Scare via WWRB, Feb 3 at 2155 as I tuned past was
listing countries in alfabetical order, apparently 120 of them from
which he claims to have received DX reports (and therefore considers
himself greatly influential worldwide). He stumbled over a lot of the
names, which I found extremely amusing. He tried to pronounce
Macedonia about a semidozen times and never got it right. BS may be
the Last Day Prophet of God, but the deity did not see fit to bless
him with a basic education --- or a nice radio voice; but he has truly
Overcome such limitations (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** SPAIN [non]. 15170, REE via COSTA RICA, Feb 9 at 1438 discussion of
pirates hijacking oil tankers near Socotra. Mentions ``el mar`` twice,
but title of this hour as soon heard too is strictly `Españoles en la
Mar`. That`s because the Latin root mare is neuter and its bipolar
descendants never can decide whether to make it masculine or feminine,
so why not both? Same goes for French (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING
DIGEST)
** SRI LANKA. SLBC is testing on 1125 kHz between 1430-1630 UT with
the Tamil Service to India and are requesting reports from the South,
especially along the coastal belt. Eventually power will go up to 50
kW (Victor Goonetilleke`s Facebok page, 24 January via Alan
Pennington, Feb BDXC-UK Communication via DXLD)
Presume this is the 50 kW transmitter at Puttalam targetting South
India mentioned under Future Plans in the 2011 WRTH National section.
Tried 1125 on Global tuners in Australia and Hong Kong, more in hope
than anything, but nothing; just a dominant CHinese on 1125 on the HK
receiver (Alan Pennington, ibid.)
** SRI LANKA. 11905, 2/2 1555, Radio Sri Lanka, ID "National Radio"
and "Radio Sri Lanka" popular Sri Lanka songs and international
Greatest Hits, good (Giampiero Bernardini, Perseus, T2FD, QTH: Milano,
Italia, My SW Blog: http://radiodxsw.blogspot.com/ dxldydg via DX
LISTENING DIGEST)
** SUDAN [non]. Target: SUDAN --- SUDAN RADIO SERVICE
Revised complete schedule
Arabic
1600-1630 mtwt.ss SDN 11785mey*, 17700asc*
Arabic (Juba)
0400-0530 daily SDN 13720dha
1500-1700 daily SDN 17745sin
Bari
1700-1730 ...t... SDN 9840dha
Dinka
1700-1730 m...... SDN 9840dha
Fur
1630-1700 m..t... SDN 11785mey*, 17700asc*
English
0530-0600 daily SDN 13720dha
1730-1800 daily SDN 9840dha
Masalit
1630-1700 ..w...s SDN 11785mey*, 17700asc*
Moru/Nuer
1700-1730 ..w.... SDN 9840dha
Shilluk
1700-1730 ....f.. SDN 9840dha
Zagawa
1630-1700 .t...s. SDN 11785mey*, 17700asc*
Zande
1700-1730 .t..... SDN 9840dha
Key: * Darfur News & Information Service
(WRTH 2 Feb update via DXLD)
I am not convinced that English is limited to the two half-hours as
shown, or that those blox are always in English; isn`t there some
English within the 15-17 ``Juba Arabic`` on 17745? Please monitor
(Glenn Hauser, Feb 4, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Viz.:
17745, Sudan Radio Service via PORTUGAL; English "Let's Talk"
'political themed' drama show, with YL and OM talking and including
such gems as "Help me to help you" (There is a wonderful scene in
"Scrubs" where the caustic Dr. Cox says that 3-4 times really fast to
the intern who views him as a mentor in a really sarcastic way....)
and "A good leader is one who is willing to listen compromise for the
benefit of the people" rather than pushing his own agenda. And a
commentary re leaders mentioning "Al Jadita" (spelling?) several times
-- is this a name of something related to South Sudan? I thought it
was majority Christian? This sounds Arabic. SIO 34+3+ with some pretty
deep fades. Thanks to Frodge for the tip! 1512-1520 29/Jan --(Kenneth
Vito Zichi, MI DXpedition, MARE Tipsheet Feb 5 via DXLD)
17745, Sudan Radio Service via Portugal, *1603, Feb 5. On with African
stringed instrument; into multi-language loop: “Sudan Radio Service is
experiencing some technical difficulties. Please stay tuned. We
apologize for the inconvenience”; signal improving by 1608 tune out
(Ron Howard, Asilomar State Beach, CA, Etón E1, dxldyg via DX
LISTENING DIGEST)
17745, Sudan Radio Service via PORTUGAL, good Feb 10 at 1513 with cute
singing ID in English, but then talk programming in colloquial Arabic
(Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** SWEDEN [non]. [no entry] (WRTH 2 Feb update via DXLD)
WRMI relays of CZECHIA AND SLOVAKIA are included, but WRTH missed
relays of SWEDEN, in English 0230-0300 Wed/Thu/Fri on 9955 (Glenn
Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** SWITZERLAND. Voice of Russia, Moscow, Stimme Russlands from 01
March on 558 kHz Monte Ceneri - Cima di Dentro
558 From March 1st, 2011, Voice of Russia will use Swiss mediumwave tx
Monte Ceneri-Cima di Dentro to serve audience in Switzerland and
northern Italy target, to reach foreign listener of Voice of Russia,
as well as Russian citizen nationals.
SUI Mt Ceneri Cima di Dentro 558kHz 300kW
46 08'18.94"N 08 59'25.82"E
http://maps.google.de/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=de&geocode=&q=46%C2%B008%2718.94%22N++08%C2%B059%2725.82%22E&aq=&sll=46.133099,8.978405&sspn=0.085293,0.222988&ie=UTF8&ll=46.138627,8.99055&spn=0.002665,0.006968&t=h&z=18
Press release see below vy73 de wb
http://www.bakom.admin.ch/dokumentation/medieninformationen/00471/index.html?lang=en&msg-id=37584
Medium wave frequency for the "Voice of Russia" radio station
Biel/Bienne, 09.02.2011 - The Russian public service broadcaster
"Voice of Russia" has been granted permission to transmit its program
service on medium-wave from the Monte Ceneri transmitter. The Federal
Office of Communications (OFCOM) awarded the station a corresponding
licence. Voice of Russia aims to start broadcasting on 1 March 2011.
The programme service is targetted at foreign listeners as well as
Russian citizens living abroad and reception will be possible
primarily in the Tessin and northern Italy. As Voice of Russia is
transmitted from Switzerland, the programme service is subject to the
registration obligation and programme content is subject to
supervision by the Independent Complaints Authority for Radio and
Television and general supervision by OFCOM.
In accordance with international agreements, a total of five medium-
wave frequency bands are available for Switzerland, though these are
not currently being used. An assessment of requirements performed by
OFCOM in autumn 2008 indicated that interest in medium-wave had wained
in the Swiss media sector.
On 22 December 2010 the Federal Council adopted the new Broadcasting
Directives thereby creating the legal foundations for releasing unused
frequencies to prospective customers.
French
http://www.bakom.admin.ch/dokumentation/medieninformationen/00471/index.html?lang=fr&msg-id=37584
Italian
http://www.bakom.admin.ch/dokumentation/medieninformationen/00471/index.html?lang=it&msg-id=37584
German
http://www.bakom.admin.ch/dokumentation/medieninformationen/00471/index.html?lang=de&msg-id=37584
----- Original Message -----
From: "Wolfgang Thiele-D"
Sent: Wednesday, February 09, 2011 1:12 PM
Subject: [A-DX] Stimme Russlands ab 01.03. auf 558 kHz Monte Ceneri
Hallo allerseits, Pressemeldung des schweizerischen Bundesamtes für
Kommunikation (BAKOM):
"Mittelwellen-Frequenz für Radiosender "Voice of Russia"
Biel/Bienne, 09.02.2011 - Der russische, öffentlich-rechtliche
Radiosender "Voice of Russia" darf sein Programm über den
Mittelwellen-Sender Monte Ceneri verbreiten. Das Bundesamt für
Kommunikation (BAKOM) hat ihm die Konzession dazu erteilt.
Voice of Russia will am 1. März 2011 auf Sendung gehen. Das
Programm richtet sich an ausländische Hörerinnen und Hörer sowie an
russische Staatsbürgerinnen und -bürger im Ausland und wird vor
allem im Tessin und in Norditalien zu empfangen sein. Da Voice of
Russia von der Schweiz aus verbreitet wird, ist das Programm
meldepflichtig und unterliegt der inhaltlichen Aufsicht der
Unabhängigen Beschwerdeinstanz für Radio und Fernsehen (UBI) sowie
der allgemeinen Aufsicht des BAKOM.
Der Schweiz stehen gemäss internationalen Vereinbarungen insgesamt
fünf Mittelwellen-Frequenzen zur Verfügung. Diese Frequenzen werden
derzeit nicht genutzt. Eine Bedürfnisabklärung des BAKOM vom Herbst
2008 hat ergeben, dass die Mittelwelle bei der schweizerischen
Medienbranche an Interesse verloren hat.
Am 22. Dezember 2010 hatte der Bundesrat die neuen
Rundfunkfrequenz-Richtlinien verabschiedet und so die rechtliche
Grundlage geschaffen, damit brachliegende Frequenzen an
Interessenten freigegeben werden können."
Quellen:
<http://www.bakom.admin.ch/dokumentation/medieninformationen/00471/index.html?lang=de&msg-id=37584>
oder: http://is.gd/J30MoA
<http://www.satnews.de/mlesen.php?id=6cff62ed23a829fdf2030eded9b3d95b>
oder: http://is.gd/EcVilt
Gruß, Wolfgang Thiele
(via Wolfgang Büschel, Feb 9, dxldyg via WORLD OF RADIO 1551, DXLD)
** SWITZERLAND. RADIO GLORIA TESTING FROM SWITZERLAND ON 1566 KHZ
3 February 2011
Please be informed about our very new test transmission on Medium Wave
Frequency 1566 kHz in Central part of Switzerland. At this time this
is the only Medium Wave station left in Switzerland at all and the
very first AM private station in Switzerland.
Our transmitter broadcasts in “AM”-modulation - 24 hours a day. The
power is 250 watts only, with a longwire antenna near of the city of
Lucerne (Luzern). Radio Gloria hopes that these broadcasts can be
heard in Europe. These transmissions will end March 2nd. Please stay
tuned and have fun to pick up our low powered AM station.
We kindly confirm your correct reception report by a special QSL card.
Send your reports by e-mail to: qsl@radiogloria.eu or by regular
(snail) mail to:
Radio Gloria,
PO Box 540,
CH-6281 Hochdorf
Switzerland
Good listening and best 73 de Peter Galliker, station manager
Radio Gloria Switzerland
About Radio Gloria English site:
http://www.radiogloria.ch/articulos/new.php?cod=106
The unofficial radio site: http://radiogloria.beepworld.de/
By the way QSL cards for 6085 kHz regarding our test transmissions in
December 2010 will be sent these days by airmail to the listeners.
Thank you for your reports.
(bclnews.it bclsiciliaclub@inwind.it via shortwave@yahoogroups.com
(via Mike Terry, dxldyg via DXLD)
Hola... Radio Gloria 1566 kHz, 1810 UT, segnale debole nel mix delle
stazioni ma ascoltabile !!!!! // verifica via web! Ciaooooooo buoni
DX! (- Mauro - Giroletti, -Swl 1510-, -IK2GFT-, Feb 4, bclnews.it via
WORLD OF RADIO 1551, DXLD)
Re: Radio Gloria Switzerland now on 1566 kHz --- I have a carrier on
1566.8 kHz. 73 (Harald Kuhl, Germany, 1756 UT Feb 3, MWC yg via DXLD)
That is a Greek pirate, also audible here. Gloria should be exactly on
frequency, but their power seems to be rather low (also compared to
the Greek station). 73, (Günter Lorenz, D-85354 Freising, Germany,
Perseus, ALA1530+SSB, ibid.)
Greek pirate, ok. Audio sounded a bit like coming from ME at first.
73 (Harald Kühl, ibid.) see UNIDENTIFIED
** SWITZERLAND. Swiss special event station --- February 9, 2011
Members of the Rav, Radio Amateurs of Vaudios (HB9MM) will activate
the special callsign HE3OM from Sottens during the month of February.
Sottens is a small village where the last medium waves transmitter
active in Switzerland was located. It stopped its emissions on
December 31st, 2010, at 2359 local time.
Permission has been granted to the "Radioamateurs Vaudois" club to use
the 2 giant antennas for amateur purposes.
The callsign HE3OM was chosen for the following reasons:
* The prefix HE3 has already been used in 2004, when the shortwave
transmitter in Sottens went off the air. At that time the special
callsign was HE3RSI.
* The suffix OM in French means Ondes Moyennes, mediumwaves.
* Also, OM are the initials of Option Musique, the last program that
was transmitted over these big antennas.
The tallest antenna, 188 meters high, is used on the HF bands,
especially the lower bands like 160m and 80m. The "small" mast, 125
meters high is connected to the VLF station transmitting on the 137
kHz amateur band.
QSL HE3OM via HB9TOB. For more details, see:
http://www.hb9mm.com/sottens
(Southgate http://www.southgatearc.org/news/february2011/he3om.htm
via Mike Terry, dxldyg via WORLD OF RADIO 1551, DXLD)
** SYRIA. 9330, 2118, Radio Damasco, English, ADRA, 54544
From a 1-hour SW bandscan Feb 5 by
http://ondacorta-colombia.blogspot.com/2011/02/band-scan-onda-corta-05-02-2011.html
Como siempre toda critica, sugerencia o comentario seran muy bien
recibidos! Se despide cordialmente, (Omar Alfredo Ortiz Robayo,
Estudiante & Diexista, Bogotá, Colombia via noticiasdx yg via DXLD)
WBCQRM? (gh)
Siria, 9330, R. Damascus, Adra, 2228, Feb 05, news, very low
modulation, Spanish. Good (Michele D`Amico, Italy, (Perseus, Asus
1201n, antenna verticale Cushcraft R8 sul tetto, bclnews.it yg via
DXLD)
** TAJIKISTAN. 7245, Ovozi Tajik, 6 Feb, empty carrier at 0150,
started at 0200 with a few bars of music, ID "Ovozi Tajik", Tajik
programme, fill music, getting weaker as the Sun rises over TJK. 42432
with splatter from the neighbouring channels. 73, (Eike Bierwirth,
Leipzig, Germany, JRC-NRD525 with DX-10 Pro active antenna on the
balcony, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** THAILAND. 7465, Feb 10 at 1315 English announcement introducing
Mandarin, good signal and no jamming hits it! So we know it`s not a
major threat to ChiCom power, just R. Thailand as scheduled 1315-1330,
250 kW, 30 degrees from IBB Udorn, changing azimuth from 54 degrees in
Japanese (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** TIBET. 4905, Xizang PBS-Lhasa with the “Holy Tibet” program in
English from 1530 to 1600. Mostly all fair. Monitored randomly.
Jan 29 (Saturday) - carrying their “Sunday” cultural show.
Jan 30 - usual format of news items about Tibet
Jan 31 – the normal repeat on Monday of the Sunday show
Feb 1 – not checked
Feb 2 – special show devoted to explaining all about the Spring
Festival, also known as the Chinese New Year (Ron Howard, Asilomar
State Beach, CA, Etón E1, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** TURKEY. Voice of Turkey, English:
2300-2400 daily Eu,NAm 7335emr (ex 5960)
(WRTH 2 Feb update via DXLD)
No, it`s still on 5960 as we have been reporting by axual monitoring
(Glenn Hauser, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
Frequency changes for Voice of Turkey effective from Feb 4:
1600-1657 NF 9530 EMR 500 kW / 105 deg to WeAs, ex 5930 in Persian
2300-2357 NF 5960 EMR 500 kW / 310 deg to NoAm, ex 7335 in English
Note: 5930 and 7335 were used in the period January 14 to February 3
(DX Mix News, Bulgaria, 10 Feb via DXLD)
No, 7335 was not --- we confirmed on two or three occasions starting
Jan 29 that it was still on 5960, not 7335. See previous DXLDs (gh)
** TURKMENISTAN. NEW 5015.00, 0005-0035 06.02, Turkmen R., Asgabad,
Turkmen short ann, typical Central Asian instrumental music with Horn.
Reactivated, but only in SSB, best in LSB, but not in AM-mode! 34333.
Not audible on their other frequency 4930. Best 73, (Anker Petersen,
Denmark via Dario Monferini, playdx yg via WORLD OF RADIO 1551, DXLD)
** UGANDA. 4750, Dunamis BC, Mukono, 1735-1903*, 04 Feb, vernacular,
rlgs songs, talks; 35332, abrupt closure (Carlos Gonçalves, Portugal,
DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** UGANDA. 4975.96, UBC R. Kampala in vernacular, 01/23 2037-2051
nonstop Afropop; man talking mentioning UBC with some brief music
breaks; phone calls " Hallo ?" and chats by man & woman mentioning
Uganda; heard in USB to null het; mild static & QSB; from 2046 QRM het
nulled with rx inter filter; fair (Serra-Italy)
4975.97, UBC R. Kampala, 02/01 0458-0505, fast song and unclear men
talking with low & muffled audio (possible news); heard in SSB with
moderate het, fast QSB & static; poor (Giovanni Serra, Roma, Italy.
JRC NRD 525; Alpha Delta DX-SWL Sloper-S; RG 8 mini coaxial cable; JPS
NIR 12 Noise & Interference Reducer-Dual DSP outboard audio filter;
Intek PS-35 5 ampere feeder; JRC – NVA 319 external loudspeaker unit;
Yaesu YH – 77 STA stereo headphones; Oregon Scientific radio
controlled clock, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** UGANDA [non]. 17725, CLANDESTINE, Radiyo Y’Abaganda via Issoudun
[FRANCE], *1700-1715* Feb 5. Opened with group singing followed by a
man talking in local language with ID and news. Group vocal at 1709
followed by more talk until closedown. Poor to fair with unID French
language station deep in background. After closedown the unID French
language QRM sounded like Voice of Africa/Libya. Frequency change?
(Rich D'Angelo, Wyomissing PA 19610, Ten-Tec RX-340, Drake R-8B, Eton
E1, Eton E5, Alpha Delta DX Sloper, RF Systems Mini-Windom, Datong
FL3, JPS ANC-4, NASWA Flashsheet via DXLD) Maybe, or mixup at Issoudun
(gh)
** UKRAINE. RADIO UKRAINE INTERNATIONAL, Revised complete schedule
English: 2000-2100 daily Eu 6030khr . . . (WRTH 2 Feb update via DXLD)
See DXLD 11-05: this transmission and others after 1800 are canceled,
just 15-18 on 7435, presumably only in Ukrainian (Glenn Hauser, DX
LISTENING DIGEST)
** U K. 5790, Feb 9 at 0640, poor signal in Russian, i.e. BBCWS, 500
kW, 47 degrees from Rampisham at 05-07 M-F. Elsewhen BBC uses this
frequency for Arabic at 03-05, 17-21 daily from Skelton (Glenn Hauser,
OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** U K [non]. BBC World Service to West/Central Africa
Picked up BBC World Service, in English, on 5910 at 2200-2300 this
past Sunday night, Feb. 6. Signal was pretty good, about 80%
intelligible. From what I can tell, this was the BBC broadcast to
West/Central Africa, and I picked it up in Mississippi (Allen McBroom,
Feb 8, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST)
Allen, Welcome. This is 330 degrees from South Africa, so fortuitously
aimed more or less toward us beyond. I have heard this staying on the
air as late as 2333, by mistake? (Glenn Hauser, ibid.)
** U K. BBC DEFENDS SCALING BACK WORLD SERVICE IN EGYPT
http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2011/feb/03/bbc-world-service-egypt
BBC says majority of World Service listeners in troubled Middle East
nation tuned in on FM or via local broadcasting partners
John Plunkett guardian.co.uk, Thursday 3 February 2011
Egypt A demonstrator in Egypt attempts to calm the crowd.
Photograph: Sebastian Scheiner/AP
The BBC is standing by its decision to cut back its World Service
broadcasts to Egypt despite the political crisis that has engulfed the
country.
Over the past week the popularity of the BBC's Arabic website surged
as president Mubarak's government looked to clamp down on media
reporting of the uprising, shutting down the al-Jazeera news channel,
arresting journalists and pulling the plug on mobile phone and
internet services.
Short-wave broadcasts of the BBC Arabic service, which has around
400,000 listeners in Egypt, will be shut down as part of plans to save
£46m from the World Service's budget. The changes follow a 16% cut in
its funding by the government and are likely to lead to the loss of 30
million listeners worldwide.
There will also be "significant reductions" in the BBC's Arabic TV
services, according to the plans outlined by the BBC's global news
director, Peter Horrocks, last week.
The National Union of Journalists described the World Service's
transmission policy as "short sighted".
"The Egyptian government's attempt to close down the internet and
mobile phone network demonstrates how short sighted the current World
Service transmission policy is," said an NUJ official at the World
Service.
"In a volatile world the World Service needs to maintain its own
network of transmitters beyond the reach of dictators so it can
continue to reach its audience."
The BBC said the majority of its World Service listeners in Egypt
tuned in on FM or via local broadcasting partners.
Short-wave broadcasts accounted for around 400,000 listeners out of
the World Service's Egyptian radio audience of 1.6 million, the
corporation added. BBC Arabic's total audience in Egypt, across TV,
radio and online, was 3.4 million.
"With satellite TV becoming virtually ubiquitous in the Arab-speaking
world, and the success of its own TV channel, the BBC has decided to
stop its short wave broadcasts to some countries in the Middle East,"
the corporation said in a statement.
"However, BBC Arabic will continue to serve its radio audiences on
medium wave, through its network of FM relays and via existing and new
rebroadcasting partnerships.
"It will also continue to serve its most sensitive audiences in Sudan
and Arabic peninsula with short wave and medium wave broadcasts.
"We have seen a significant spike in the number of people visiting
http://bbcarabic.com It's now at record levels – 1.3 million unique
users in the week commencing 24 January, generating a total of 8.5m
page impressions.
"This is the highest weekly reach ever measured, more than twice as
high as the average week in December, despite the fact that the
majority of our audience in Egypt, our biggest market, cannot reach
the website because of the internet restrictions introduced by the
Egyptian government."
But one visitor to the Save World Service page on Facebook said: "With
the events in Egypt this week where the internet was shut down, how
can the BBC honestly believe that satellite and internet feeds will
replace shortwave?"
Another said: "As shown in Egypt the internet and cell phones can
easily be cut off. In many places where the internet does exist
service is not reliable ... You cannot compare a relatively
inexpensive radio set with a costlier computer or hand-held electronic
device."
With short-wave broadcasts of the BBC Arabic service also due to cease
in Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, the West Bank, Libya, Iraq and the Maghreb
region of north Africa, it is expected to lead to the loss of around
5.7 million listeners across the region.
Source: http://goo.gl/XBoGk
Website: http://www.bbc.co.uk/arabic/
(via Yimber Gaviria, Colombia, Artie Bigley, DXLD)
A BBC reporter in Yemen said on the World Service that very few people
in that country have access to the internet. So why take BBC Arabic
off shortwave? (Roger Tidy, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST)
The public in Yemen have limited access to the internet but just like
most countries in the far and middle east the general public have in
excess of 100's of international radio and television media outlets
available to them with most buildings having one or more satellite
dishes. Here is a typical image of the urban area in Sana...
http://www.flickr.com/photos/34441597@N00/355599315/
People are still listening to the BBC (and now watching BBC World) in
all of these countries, they now have 100% reception quality options
that are seen as more convenient than shortwave radio. Cheers, (Mark
Fahey, NSW, ibid.)
** UNITED KINGDOM. BBC WORLD SERVICE, English
2100-2200 daily CAs 9419sey (ex 7465mey)
(WRTH 2 Feb update via DXLD)
Typo for 9410, of course (Glenn Hauser, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** U K [non]. 9410, the doomed `Cuban` service of BBC, still going via
WHRI, Monday Feb 7 at 1210 in Spanish, report on Chicago mayor`s race
which I am sure the dentroCubans are dying to hear about; weak and
fluttery now with some musical CCI, per Aoki CNR5 100 kW Beijing vs Fu
Hsing, 25 kW from Kuanyin, Taiwan.
Equally doomed final semisesquihour from BBC is English filler, since
15 minutes weekdays is all they can manage in Spanish these days. By
1250 signal is now good atop any QRM, our only chance to hear a BBC
English broadcast from and to somewhere in this Hemisphere (Glenn
Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** U K [and non]. BBC Caribbean Service - post script
Jamaica Observer Editorial February 3, 2011
http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/editorial/BBC-Caribbean-Service---post-script_8327091#ixzz1CtP02IB7
Since its establishment in 1932, the British Broadcasting Corporation
(BBC) World Service has provided reliable, independent information in
countries where, in some cases, the local media is not free, and it
has won many friends and influenced even more people for Britain.
One of the most potent tools of British diplomacy is about to be
disbanded at a time when drastic cuts in the army and navy elevate the
role of soft power in Britain's foreign policy. The BBC whose
broadcasts in 32 different languages reach 180 million people across
the globe each week, will begin cutting staff by one third.
Given the massive fiscal deficit, it was almost inevitable that there
would be reduction in government support for the BBC whose budget is
to be slashed by 16 per cent or US$73 million per annum, as part of a
33 per cent cut in expenditure for the budget of the Foreign and
Commonwealth Office (FCO).
It is proposed that the BBC takes responsibility for funding the World
Service from UK television license fees. The prospects are not
propitious. Unfortunately for the Caribbean, one of the services to be
terminated is the closure of the BBC Caribbean Service, a development
which is seen as further proof that the region is not considered to be
important as a foreign policy concern and is viewed as well served by
local and international news media.
The Caribbean will be losing an invaluable, credible service that had
regionwide ambit. It was also an important source of information on
the Caribbean Diaspora in the UK.
It is also seen as a further winding down of Britain's role in the
Caribbean as part of a reconfigured role in world affairs. Britain is
no longer willing to bear the expense of providing services to the
region and that includes access to the Privy Council.
It is worthy of note that the Caribbean Court of Justice will exhaust
its initial endowment in two years. Its future upkeep is beyond the
means of the few extant members with almost no prospect of additional
member states. If it is the final court for only some members of
Caricom then it is not a genuine regional court.
The dilemma, of course, is how much longer is it reasonable to ask the
UK to provide the services of a final court.
But opportunity beckons for regional news services to fill the role
which the BBC Caribbean Service performed. Here the issue is the
financial viability of such a venture at a time when a PBS/BBC model
would be beyond the resources of the financially strapped Caricom
governments and private media houses are competing for shrinking
advertising revenue.
The Barbados-based Caribbean Media Corporation (CMC), formed in June,
2000 out of the merger of the Caribbean News Agency (CANA) and the
Caribbean Broadcasting Union (CBU), is an obvious candidate.
The business of informing ourselves and the world about Caribbean
affairs is our responsibility. Enhancing the bonds and functional
relations between the globally spread Caribbean peoples is a task that
we must do for ourselves.
Every end can be a beginning. So let it be with the BBC Caribbean
Service. We are indebted to and will be inspired by those who over the
years have purveyed to the Caribbean information and commentary of the
highest professional standards. They have been a voice to the
Caribbean and a voice for the Caribbean.
It is time for the voice of the Caribbean to emanate from within the
mouth of the Caribbean (via Mike Terry, dxldyg via DXLD)
** U K. PETITION TO SAVE THE BBC WORLD SERVICE RADIO DRAMA
From the petition organiser:
We now have almost 5,000 signatories. But with the Internet we have
the ability to greatly increase that number.
We would be grateful if you could help us further our cause in getting
many more signatories by forwarding this email to just 10 friends.
The reason for this urgency is the announcement of Parliament's
Foreign Affairs Committee Inquiry into the World Service Cuts. The
deadline for submissions is February 11. This campaign intends to make
a submission on February 11 which will include this petition.
The inquiry was precipitated by the announcement on January 26 that
World Service will slash spending by ?46 million per year by 2014.
And around 30 million listeners worldwide will be lost! In addition,
around 650 jobs will be cut, which is 25% of the total staff at
World Service. This announcement received worldwide media coverage.
On January 27 we delivered an OPEN LETTER signed by top British
celebrities, including Dame Judi Dench, to Peter Horrocks, Director of
the World Service. The content of the letter is appended for your kind
perusal.
On January 30, The Sunday Times (UK) published a favourable opinion
article about our campaign. We now appeal for your help as this is the
last chance before the petition closes.
Archie Graham
Petition Organiser
Save The BBC World Drama
Please sign the petition here http://savethebbcworlddrama.com/
(via Mike Terry, Feb 3, dxldyg via DXLD)
SAVE THE BBC WORLD SERVICE - FACEBOOK PAGE
"Nation should speak peace unto Nation".
See the Info tab for what you can do:
http://www.facebook.com/SaveBBCWorldService
(via Mike Terry, Feb 3, dxldyg via WORLD OF RADIO 1551, DXLD)
SAVE THE BBC WORLD SERVICE - TWITTER
Get short, timely messages from Save BBC WS. Twitter is a rich source
of instantly updated information. It's easy to stay updated on an
incredibly wide variety of topics. Join today and follow @SaveWS.
http://twitter.com/SaveWS
(via Mike Terry, Feb 3, WORLD OF RADIO 1551, ibid.)
** U K. BBC DEFENDS SCALING BACK WORLD SERVICE IN EGYPT
The Guardian By John Plunkett 3 February 2011
http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2011/feb/03/bbc-world-service-egypt
The BBC is standing by its decision to cut back its World Service
broadcasts to Egypt despite the political crisis that has engulfed the
country.
Over the past week the popularity of the BBC's Arabic website surged
as president Mubarak's government looked to clamp down on media
reporting of the uprising, shutting down the al-Jazeera news channel,
arresting journalists and pulling the plug on mobile phone and
internet services.
Short wave broadcasts of the BBC Arabic service, which has around
400,000 listeners in Egypt, will be shut down as part of plans to save
£46m from the World Service's budget. The changes follow a 16% cut in
its funding by the government and are likely to lead to the loss of 30
million listeners worldwide.
There will also be "significant reductions" in the BBC's Arabic TV
services, according to the plans outlined by the BBC's global news
director Peter Horrocks last week.
The National Union of Journalists described the World Service's
transmission policy as "short sighted".
"The Egyptian government's attempt to close down the internet and
mobile phone network demonstrates how short sighted the current World
Service transmission policy is," said an NUJ World Service official.
"In a volatile world the World Service needs to maintain its own
network of transmitters beyond the reach of dictators so it can
continue to reach its audience."
The BBC said the majority of its World Service listeners in Egypt
tuned in on FM or via local broadcasting partners.
Short wave broadcasts accounted for around 400,000 listeners out of
the World Service's Egyptian radio audience of 1.6 million, the
corporation added. BBC Arabic's total audience in Egypt, across TV,
radio and online, was 3.4 million.
"With satellite TV becoming virtually ubiquitous in the Arab-speaking
world, and the success of its own TV channel, the BBC has decided to
stop its short wave broadcasts to some countries in the Middle East,"
the corporation said in a statement.
"However, BBC Arabic will continue to serve its radio audiences on
medium wave, through its network of FM relays and via existing and new
rebroadcasting partnerships.
"It will also continue to serve its most sensitive audiences in Sudan
and Arabic peninsula with short wave and medium wave broadcasts.
"We have seen a significant spike in the number of people visiting
bbcarabic.com. It's now at record levels - 1.3 million unique users in
the week commencing 24 January, generating a total of 8.5m page
impressions.
"This is the highest weekly reach ever measured, more than twice as
high as the average week in December, despite the fact that the
majority of our audience in Egypt, our biggest market, cannot reach
the website because of the internet restrictions introduced by the
Egyptian government."
But one visitor to the Save World Service page on Facebook said: "With
the events in Egypt this week where the internet was shut down, how
can the BBC honestly believe that satellite and internet feeds will
replace shortwave?"
Another said: "As shown in Egypt the internet and cell phones can
easily be cut off. In many places where the internet does exist
service is not reliable ... You cannot compare a relatively
inexpensive radio set with a costlier computer or hand held electronic
device."
With short wave broadcasts of the BBC Arabic service also due to cease
in Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, the West Bank, Libya, Iraq and the Maghreb
region of north Africa, it is expected to lead to the loss of around
5.7 million listeners across the region (via Mike Terry, dxldyg via
DXLD)
A shortwave audience of 400,000 in Egypt is very big indeed and, given
that Egypt is still a poor country there must be a great number of sw
listeners who do not have access to the internet.
As for reaching them via partnerships with other stations, does the
BBC not realise that such stations can pull the plug at any time they
choose? (Roger Tidy, UK, ibid.)
Hi Everyone, I agree with prior posts on this topic. HOW can the BBC
justify scaling-back, when (1) the usefulness of HF has been proven in
the Cyclone Yasi emergency, (2) the Egyptian gov't was quick in
shutting down cell phones and the internet, and (3) local rebroadcasts
are really under someone else's control. These rebroadcast stations
can be closed with no notice.
BBCWS would have more money to work with, if the governing body gave
other branches of 'The Service' a little less priority. But for some
inexplicable reason, HF isn't the "flavor of the month." It still
serves a purpose. 73s (David Sharp, NSW Australia, dxldyg via DX
LISTENING DIGEST)
** U K. BBC CUTTING ARABIC SERVICES DURING EGYPTIAN UNREST
BY Neal Ungerleider Fri Feb 4, 2011
In polls, Egyptians stated they trust the BBC more than Al Jazeera. So
why has the BBC announced plans to cut evening Arabic-language radio
broadcasts just as Egypt undergoes a revolution and the Middle East
enters an era of widespread unrest?
BBC Arabic
Among the BBC's massive budget cuts announced in late January were 650
jobs, the shuttering of approximately 15% of its foreign language
services, and, most importantly, severe cuts to Arabic-language
services. Just days later, citizens of Egypt began rising up against
Hosni Mubarak.
The biggest problem: According to a 2010 survey conducted by the BBC,
Egyptians trust the BBC more than Al Jazeera. In the words of BBC
Director-General Mark Thompson, "Egyptian respondents, for example,
said they would miss the BBC much more than Al Jazeera."
Meanwhile, evening short-wave radio broadcasts in Arabic via the BBC
World Service are about to be terminated. The BBC also announced that
"significant reductions" would be made to BBC Arabic television
service. According to the BBC, there are approximately 400,000
listeners to the BBC's shortwave services in Egypt. In addition, 1.2
million Egyptians listen to the BBC's broadcasts through FM
frequencies or local radio partners. . .
http://www.fastcompany.com/1724055/bbc-cutting-arabic-services-during-egyptian-unrest
(via Artie Bigley, DXLD)
** U K. WORLD SERVICE CUTS: WHY WE NEED THE BBC
Time Viewpoint by Dejan Anastasijevic Belgrade February 5, 2011
http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,2045502,00.html
http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,2045502,00.html?xid=rss-mostpopular
[2nd version via Artie Bigley, DXLD]
There's a small shortwave radio sitting on the kitchen shelf in my
home in Belgrade, just gathering dust. The broken antenna has been
replaced by a piece of wire, the titanium casing is dented and
scratched, but all it needs to spring to life is a fresh set of
batteries. Not so long ago, this gadget was a very important part of
my life. And it was permanently tuned to BBC World Service.
During the 1991-1999 bloody breakup of Yugoslavia, in the days before
the Internet and cell phones, the shortwave radio was a reporter's
best friend, and sometimes virtually a lifesaver. In the absence of
electricity, operational phones, and reliable local news sources, the
voices of BBC news presenters were often the only friendly ones
around. In the fog of Bosnian war, the BBC's constant stream of
balanced and detailed reports was everyone's compass. No other media
outlet had so many people on the ground, and no other could provide
the big picture, updated every hour and so easily accessible. And
during the despotic rule of Slobodan Milosevic, BBC Serbian Service
was one of few media outlets where opposition voices could be heard.
See more on Milosevic
http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1172154,00.html
Soon my shortwave radio will become just a useless little relic. A few
days ago, the BBC announced the cancellation of several foreign
language services, including Serbian, Macedonian, Albanian, Russian,
and Mandarin. And in a couple of years, all shortwave transmissions
will be shut down, as a part of the austerity measures introduced in
the U.K. The BBC management says that the state-funded corporation is
adapting to "changes in the global media landscape" that have taken
place in the last decade.
I'm not the only one who finds this decision regrettable. "Could the
Allies have won World War II without Radio London?" asks Milos Vasic,
a veteran Serbian reporter, recalling that listening to the BBC's
predecessor was a capital offense in Nazi-occupied Europe, and that
during the Cold War, the Soviet Union spent considerable resources to
jam the BBC's broadcasts. "The first things that disappear in times of
trouble are cellphone networks and the Internet - look at Egypt," says
Vasic. "The shortwave was, and still is, indispensable."
See more on the BBC
http://www.time.com/time/business/article/0,8599,1675379,00.html
In the BBC Serbian Service Bureau, which will close in a few weeks,
the mood is unsurprisingly gloomy. "We expected cuts, but not a
complete amputation," says Slobodan Stupar, who is about to lose his
job after 18 years with the corporation, along with more than 600
others worldwide who are affected by the budget squeeze. It's not that
BBC is leaving Serbia in the dark. More than ten years after
Milosevic's downfall, Serbia is a democracy, and the press is free, at
least in theory. In practice, the combined pressure of the government
and the oligarchs discourages journalists from probing into unpleasant
topics, such as high-level corruption or organized crime. In its
recent report, the U.S.-based watchdog Freedom House ranked Serbian
media as "partly free," citing undue political and business influence
and harsh libel laws.
Still, partial freedom is better than none, so maybe there's room for
a more optimistic view. When the BBC dissolved its Slovenian and
Croatian language service some years ago, it was widely seen as a sign
that these countries are becoming stable democracies that no longer
need information transfusions from the outside. Maybe this also
applies to Serbia, and other countries affected by the recent cuts,
like Macedonia and Albania? "Not likely," grumbles Vasic. "We are
about to lose the gold standard of objectivity and accuracy in radio
reporting. This will not end well." (via Mike Terry, dxldyg via DXLD)
India: Radio silence in Khandwa
BBC Hindi --- Tuned in: An old man listens to the radio at the Shimla
railway station [caption] Achala Sharma, Sun Feb 06 2011, 15:52 hrs
BBC Hindi will no longer be heard in the north Indian heartland from
March. Achala Sharma, former head of the service, remembers how a
British broadcaster brought the world to the towns and villages of
India.
It was the morning of October 31, 1984. I was working as a programme
executive at the Delhi station of All India Radio, after a three-year
stint with the BBC Hindi Service in London.
At the 10 am meeting of AIR programmers, a senior colleague barged in
to say that Prime Minister Indira Gandhi had been shot by her
bodyguards. We were asked to tone down the programmes but, at the same
time, instructed not to say a single word about the incident.
In the afternoon, BBC’s Mark Tully and Satish Jacob broke the news of
the assassination on BBC World Service — and on BBC Hindi. The AIR was
mum. Until six in the evening, AIR officials maintained that a
clearance from the top was awaited before the death of the Prime
Minister could be announced. Those were the days of state
broadcasting. So what? The BBC was there.
SOURCE: http://bit.ly/Dvluaz (via Yimber Gaviria, Colombia, DXLD)
The piece I recorded for BBC WS Over to You is now available for
download. http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p002vsn8
(Keith Perron, Taiwan, Feb 7, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** U K [and non]. Re 11-05, BBC WORLD: I don't think feeds of the BBC
World News have changed too much (other than that they are now from
KCET in Los Angeles and not WLIW in Long Island, NY) since I retired
over 6 years ago from KTWU. Feeds to U.S. stations are for only a half
hour and at one point occurred four times a day. There is (or was) a
requirement that stations identify BBC newscasts not aired live. KTWU
has dropped a couple of the times when I had the program scheduled but
they still air it at 10 p.m. weekdays as I did. However, I have
noticed that when they delay it, they no longer identify it as not
being live. It is awkward on the occasions that they do on-going
stories and U.S. stations have to exit when the half hour is up.
And I agree that the term "America" is misused. There is a lot more to
America than just the United States. I am leaving for South America
next week for a month and will still be in America as I am when I am
in Canada or Mexico. I never put my nationality as American, but
United States (Dave Pomeroy, Topeka, Kansas, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** U K. BBC TRUST PUBLISHES RESULTS OF REVIEW OF RADIO 3, RADIO 4 AND
RADIO 7
The BBC Trust has today publishes the results of its review of three
of the BBC's national radio services, including the digital-only
service, Radio 7 (formerly known as "BBC 7"). The review took account
of responses from listeners invited which the trust invited last year;
as I made one of those responses, I have just received this e-mail
containing a summary of the report's conclusions:
"The review considered the overall performance of the three stations
– including their quality, distinctiveness and value for money, as
well as the BBC's future plans for the services. Over 16,500 licence
fee payers took part in the public consultation, and the Trust also
drew on a range of audience research, performance monitoring and
financial analysis.
The key findings of the review are that all three stations are high
quality and offer truly distinctive public service broadcasting. The
challenge for them is to gradually extend their core appeal without
jeopardizing their distinctiveness.
The review recognises that Radio 3 has gone some way to adopting a
more welcoming tone, and should build on this while maintaining its
commitment to high quality music and arts. Radio 4 should aim to
broaden its appeal amongst different demographic groups, such as those
outside of London and the South East.
We have approved the BBC Executive's proposal to reposition Radio 7 as
Radio 4 Extra as part of this review to raise awareness, bring more
listeners to the station while preserving the elements that audiences
value. [See my opinion on this below- MAS]
In addition, we have approved strategic proposals, put forward by the
BBC Executive, to develop a new strategy for children's audio which is
designed to better serve children of all ages which will see the
refocusing of children's programming on Radio 7 to appeal more to
families; and the development of permanent collections of on-demand
content for Radio 3, Radio 4 and BBC 4.
You can read more details, including both a summary report which you
can find at
http://www.bbc.co.uk/bbctrust/assets/files/pdf/regulatory_framework/service_licences/service_reviews/radio_347/radio_347_summary.pdf
and the full report which you can find at
http://www.bbc.co.uk/bbctrust/assets/files/pdf/regulatory_framework/service_licences/service_reviews/radio_347/radio_347_final.pdf
If you would like to receive e-mail updates on the BBC Trust's work,
including details of consultations and publications, please click on
this link
http://www.bbc.co.uk/bbctrust/news/email_updates/index.shtml
I welcome most of these findings and proposals, though note that the
report includes meaningless media and marketing talk like "re-
focussing". It has to be borne in mind, surely, that any review is
taking place against the background of severe cutbacks in the Beeb as
a whole, and a flat licence fee for the next five years. I get the
impression they are trying to cover this up by giving the impression
that the on-demand content, i.e. repeats! - will make up for a lack of
any real children's programming and perhaps shortcomings in other
areas of output.
As to the suggestion to re-name Radio 7 as "Radio 4 Extra": pass the
sickbag, Alice! Just because this works for Radio 1, does not mean
it's appropriate for Radio 7. The output on 7 has always included a
mixture of archive programming and genres from across the other
networks0 including comedy from Radio 2 and even Radio 1. The style of
that is very different to Radio 7; I hope these programmes won't be
ditched under yet another new look: isn't one new name enough to be
going on with, i.e. when "BBC 7" became "BBC RADIO 7"? (Mark Savage,
UK, BDXC-UK yg via DXLD)
** U K. BLOW TO DIGITAL RADIO SWITCHOVER AS DAB LISTENERSHIP STALLS
Daily Telegraph, By Neil Midgley, Assistant Editor (Media)
3 February 2011
Plans for a mandatory switchover to digital radio have suffered
another blow, with new figures showing that the share of listening
achieved by DAB broadcasts has stalled for the last nine months.
DAB, which is the government's chosen method of broadcasting digital
radio, achieved 15.8 per cent of radio listening in the last three
months of 2010 - up from 15.3 per cent in the previous three months,
but exactly the same as it managed in the spring of 2010.
A senior source at Digital Radio UK, the switchover body, dismissed
the figures as seasonal and said there would likely be a jump in DAB
listening in the early part of 2011 as people started to use digital
radios that were bought as Christmas presents...
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/tvandradio/bbc/8299512/Blow-to-digital-radio-switchover-as-DAB-listenership-stalls.html
(via Mike Terry, dxldyg via DXLD)
DRM+ trial in the UK --- Southgate February 3 2011
The latest issue of the World DX Club newsletter highlights the DRM+
Digital Radio trials expected to take place in the UK this month.
DRM+ delivers high quality digital radio in a narrower bandwidth, its
promoters describe it as being greener, clearer, wider, bigger, better
quality and audio content and cost efficient.
The trial, expected to start in early February, will take place in
Edinburgh. No details of the frequency have yet been released but
there has been speculation that it could be the 107.0MHz frequency
that was used by former Edinburgh station Talk107.
The DRM.org news release says its objectives are:
. To measure the coverage of DRM+ operating in various
transmission modes (lower capacity, higher ruggedness; higher
capacity, lower ruggedness);
. To compare the coverage of FM and DRM+ in terms of transmit power;
. To assess the impact of DRM+ on FM and vice-versa;
. To demonstrate the performance of DRM+ in a range of environments
throughout the coverage area, for example, urban, suburban, rural,
etc., and therefore provide an analysis of performance in the presence
of multipath interference, terrain shielding, man-made obstructions,
etc., in both strong and weak signal areas;
. To measure the pattern of the antenna in order to correlate
performance in different directions with expected performance;
. To provide suitable measurement data to international regulatory
bodies, such as CEPT and ITU.
DRM News Release
http://www.drm.org/index.php?p=news_item&uid=230
Digital Spy Edinburgh DRM+ Thread
http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?t=1419652
The World DX Club publish an excellent monthly electronic newsletter
called Contact. Further details at
http://www.southgatearc.org/news/may2010/world_dx_club.htm
http://www.southgatearc.org/news/february2011/uk_drm_trial.htm
(via Mike Terry, dxldyg via DXLD)
** U S A [non]. BBG - VOA ASHNA RADIO, English
2030-0030 daily AFG 7560kwt (ex 7405)
(WRTH 2 Feb update via DXLD)
English?? WRTH 2011 page 486 also shows this in English, when it was
on 7405, and also MW 1296 via Afghanistan. And in HFCC it`s registered
as in English! This service is supposed to be in Dari and Pashto,
altho I think the MW 1296 had/has some VOA English. But if 7560 is
four hours straight in English, would it not be plain old VOA? Or is
there really separate Ashna programming in English? Please monitor
(Glenn Hauser, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** U S A [and non]. 7235 via TINIAN, VOA Korean, Feb 4 at 1359: now I
cannot say that VOA never plays a note of classical music. Several
notes were played for about half a minute before news on the hour,
from a flute concerto, just as Matilda was starting to waltz on 7240.
Preceding, there was a mélange of show tunes with Korean commentary,
and before that an Obama clip.
It`s hard to believe VOA has really canceled its Indonesian service on
SW, so I check the formerly listed frequencies. Yes, nothing to be
heard:
Feb 4 around 2230 and 2303, no 15205; At 2314, only Spain on 9620,
nothing on 11805.
Feb 5 at 1217, a barely audible carrier on 7255, doubt it`s VOA, maybe
listed Lhasa; VOA Korean 7235 in well. At 1223, nothing on 9725.
9885, strong open carrier Feb 5 at 1249; since it`s Saturday, VOA
Spanish does not start until 1300, as everybody knows, nothing ever
happens on weekends, so `Enfoque Andino` is M-F only at 1230. Recheck
1314, now it`s American C&W music in English but announced in Spanish,
as VOA insists on plying its Latin listeners with this stuff instead
of anything significant.
7575, Sunday Feb 6 at 1352 VOA`s `Jazz America` about to conclude the
hour, with something from the NEA Jazz Fest, Lincoln Center Jazz
Orchestra, tribute to Coltrane with Wynton Marsalis. Fluttery signal,
250 kW, 332 degrees from Tinang, PHILIPPINES, but the best we can do
now.
** U S A [non]. 17650, Feb 8 at 1438, VOA news about Cambodia/Thailand
border conflict, despite the fact that this is the African service
which is not supposed to hear about Asia! Poor-fair and better than //
17715, an echo apart. 17650 listed as São Tomé by EiBi and HFCC, 88
degrees, but not in Aoki, and I had not been hearing it, so may be a
recent change. 17715 is Botswana at 350 degrees.
17740, VG open carrier Feb 9 at 1500, no doubt IBB Greenville tuning
up again for the 1700 VOA Portuguese broadcast (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX
LISTENING DIGEST)
Frequency changes of Voice of America:
0230-0330 NF 9440 IRA 250 kW / 324 deg to WeAs, ex 9745 in Farsi
0330-0400 NF 9400 SAO 100 kW / 114 deg to CeAf, ex 11750 Kinyarwanda
0400-0430 NF 9400 SAO 100 kW / 114 deg to CeAf, ex 11750 in Kirundi
1600-1700 NF 9340 PHT 250 kW / 283 deg to SoAs, ex 11850 in Bengali
1930-2000 NF 5930 BIB 100 kW / 105 deg to SEEu, ex 6015 in Albanian
(DX Mix News, Bulgaria, 10 Feb via DXLD)
EE.UU: 25 años hablando en Creole, VOA: SEE HAITI
VOA relayed on Challenger Radio, 1368: see ITALY
Problems with land, Saipan and Tinian transmitters: NORTHERN MARIANA
** U S A [non]. Frequency changes of Radio Liberty:
0400-0500 NF 7425 LAM 100 kW / 055 deg RUSS, ex 9760 Russian
1200-1230 NF 11990 TIN 250 kW / 315 deg CeAs, ex 11805* Kyrgyz
1900-2130 NF 9965 IRA 250 kW / 332 deg WeAs, ex 9340 Farsi R. Farda
2000-2100 NF 7485 UDO 250 kW / 316 deg CeAs, ex 5990# Tatar-Bashkir
2000-2200 NF 5930 BIB 100 kW / 063 deg EaAs, ex 7485 in Belarusian
* to avoid Voice of Turkey in Chinese
# to avoid Radio Romania International in Romanian
(DX Mix News, Bulgaria, 10 Feb via DXLD)
** U S A [non]. Frequency changes of Radio Free Asia:
1230-1400 NF 7245 TIN 250 kW / 278 deg to SEAs, ex 7515 in Burmese
1400-1500 NF 7245 TIN 250 kW / 278 deg to SEAs, ex 7515 Vietnamese
1630-1730 NF 7245 TIN 250 kW / 278 deg to SEAs, ex 7570 in Burmese
1400-1500 NF 6025 TIN 250 kW / 280 deg to EaAs, ex 5810 in Cantonese
1500-1600 NF 6025#TIN 250 kW / 296 deg to EaAs, ex 5810 in Chinese
1600-1800 NF 6020^TIN 250 kW / 296 deg to EaAs, ex 5810 in Chinese
1800-2200 NF 6025*TIN 250 kW / 296 deg to EaAs, ex 5810 in Chinese
2200-2300 NF 7250!TIN 250 kW / 280 deg to EaAs, ex 7505 in Cantonese
2300-2400 NF 9585 SAI 100 kW / 310 deg to EaAs, ex 13745 in Chinese
# co-ch CRI in Russian + Chinese Mx Jammer
^ co-ch VOR in Persian + Chinese Mx Jammer
* co-ch VOIROI French 1830-1930 + Chinese Mx Jammer
! co-ch CRI in Spanish (DX Mix News, Bulgaria, 10 Feb via DXLD)
** U S A. WORLD OF RADIO 1550 monitoring: 2200 Thursday Feb 3 on 9955,
nothing but jamming audible; tnx a lot, Arnie! Confirmed UT Friday Feb
4 after 0430, VG on WWRB 3185 and webcast; Friday 1530+ on WRMI 9955
poor with SAH from Taiwan, no jamming except bleedover from 9965. Also
confirmed after 1600 Feb 4 on 2-hourly Friday repeats from ACB Radio
Mainstream webcast.
Next SW chances on WWCR: Friday 2130 on 7465, Saturday 1700 on 12160,
Sunday 0730 on 3215. The Feb WWCR program schedule still shows only
these three airings.
9955, Feb 5 at 1238, WRMI with preachers in English, no jamming unlike
wall of noise on 9965 against Radio República. Two guys discussing
sin, garments, blood sacrifice of animals. Maybe there is hope for DX
shows at this time on other days, such as WOR Mondays at 1230. At
1306, now 9955 has equal WON to 9965. At 1504 today Sat, WORLD OF
RADIO 1550 is fairly audible on 9955 without jamming, nor much Taiwan
CCI, 9980 WWCR overload being the greater problem.
WORLD OF RADIO also reconfirmed Sat Feb 5 at 1700 on 12160 WWCR; next
airing is Sunday 0730 on 3215. Sunday broadcasts on WRMI are: 0900,
1630, 1830.
WORLD OF RADIO 1550 monitoring: Sunday Feb 6 at 1634, no jamming on
9955, but only a JBA carrier which may be WRMI, or YFR via Taiwan.
WRMI webcast is down too. Next scheduled WOR times are: Mon 1230,
2230, Tue 1630, Wed 0200, 1630, Thu 0430; also on WBCQ Tue 2000 on
7415.
9955, Jeff White tells me there was a power failure at the WRMI
transmitter site, accounting for no signal and no streaming either
during the scheduled 1630 and 1830 Sunday Feb 6 airings of WORLD OF
RADIO 1550. No jamming either when checked after 1630.
Jeff says power restored at 1914. Certainly back on by 0705 UT Feb 7,
when weird rock music turned out to be intro to program on one of R.
Prague`s daily relays in English, over lite pulse jamming.
9955, next check at 1155, wall of noise jamming, while 9965 not yet
jammed; see CUBA [and non]. And Monday at 1539 during Studio DX in
Italian, too much pulse jamming to follow it. Next WOR chances: Mon
2230, Tue 1630, Wed 0200, 1630.
WORLD OF RADIO 1551 monitoring: first airing of new edition confirmed
on 9955, WRMI, Thu Feb 10 at 1601; poor signal but seemingly no co-
channel jamming, just bleed from 9965, and also ACI from R. Bar-Kulan
on 9960 [see SOMALIA [non]]. Also heard earlier at 1550 with JSWC
fill-in-the-blank SW catches, during AWR Wavescan.
Next chances for WORLD OF RADIO:
Thu 2000 on WBCQ 7415
Thu 2200 on WRMI 9955
Fri 0430 on WWRB 3185
Fri 1530 on WRMI 9955
Fri 2130 on WWCR 7465
Sat 0900 on WRMI 9955
Sat 1500 on WRMI 9955
Sat 1700 on WWCR 12160
Sat 1830 on WRMI 9955
Sat 1900 on IPAR 6090
Sun 0730 on WWCR 3215
(Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** U S A [and non]. Holguín, Cuba (Carlos Campos Aldana, Calle 83 No
52, Reparto: Juan George Soto, Mayarí, Holguín, Cuba, C.P. 83000,
carlos_cca@correosdecuba.cu) - Hola estimados amigos de WRMI, ante
todo un cordial saludo. Les escribo para ver si me pueden solucionar
un problema. Contaba con un receptor de radio soviético pero ya no
funcionó más y aquí no venden radios de onda corta. Por ello les
solicito si pudieran enviarme alguno para seguir en la sintonía de las
estaciones por este medio ya que no contamos con internet, y la onda
corta es lo único que nos queda.
[Editor's Note: We receive many similar messages from listeners in
Cuba. Some of our Cuban programmers in Miami have purchased from us
small solar-powered radio receivers fix-tuned to our frequency for $10
and have sent them to listeners in Cuba via various methods, including
sending them with people who are travelling to the island. These
radios are now in various parts of Cuba, and we have received many
positive reports from listeners who are now able to hear us. We will
be sending some of these receivers to this listener in Holguin for
himself and to distribute to friends (WRMI News – February 2011,
Selected Comments from Recent Listener Correspondence, via WORLD OF
RADIO 1551, DXLD)
** U S A. 11714.8, KJES, YL Bible reading (NOT robo-kid, but young)
with songs interspersed, including an actual musically valid
choral/traditional religious tune rather than the usual thin
arrangement of kids singing. Either the Robo kids are getting older,
or they've improved their production standards (or both....). Started
out SIO 344 but down to 233 by ToH and an ID by a VERY young female,
and then into Robo-young adults chanting Bible verses. I keep
expecting to hear about the Lord's Ranch on the evening news, but
nothing yet .... :o 1445-1510 29/Jan (Kenneth Vito Zichi, MI
DXpedition, MARE Tipsheet Feb 5 via DXLD)
11714.9, KJES Vado NM; 1444-1501+, 29-Jan; W in English offering me
her tunic with professional-sounding background chorus (not the usual
robo chorus); ID at 1501 by VYL into robo-adults. SIO=4+44 (Harold
Frodge, MI, ibid.)
** U S A [non]. THE DISCO PALACE, English
2000-2100 daily NAm 17555guf+
(ex 15755bon+) Key: + DRM.
(WRTH 2 Feb update via DXLD)
No, the new centre frequency is 17755, as confirmed by noise
monitoring, not 17555, as we pointed out when this mistake was
originally made in some other source. And see HFCC (Glenn Hauser, OK,
DX LISTENING DIGEST) See also BELGIUM [non]; in reality both of these
come from TDP, suspect USA/Miami have nothing to do with it (gh, DXLD)
** U S A. KVOH - LA VOZ DE RESTAURACIÓN, Spanish
0100-0800 daily CAm 9975voh (del)
1300-1500 daily CAm 9975voh (del)
1600-2400 .twtf.. CAm 17775voh†
(ex 1500-0100) (ex daily)
Key: † Irregular (WRTH 2 Feb update via DXLD)
Finally the 9975 schedule gets killed, after we pointed out again and
again that it`s imaginary! 17775 is certainly not heard every day, but
we had not figured out a schedule of Tue/Wed/Thu/Fri only. But then it
is also irregular. It was certainly on today Friday Feb 4. Viz.:
17775, KVOH is often absent, but on the air today Friday Feb 4 at
2119, S9+18 so VG signal with gospel rock in Spanish, but muffled, lo
fi, and with BFO, carrier is unstable. Unfortunately, not quite strong
enough to audiblize the spurs on 17630v and 17920v.
WRTH Update shows 17775 schedule as 16-24 on Tue/Wed/Thu/Fri only, but
also daggered as irregular. Maybe, altho I had not figured that out;
is that `official` info? More to the point, perhaps, never on
Sat/Sun/Mon. WRTH has also finally deleted the imaginary 9975 for KVOH
(Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** U S A. 5755, WTWW, which served such a useful purpose by zeroing in
on MICRONESIA 4755.4, by 1205 Feb 5 was open carrier, still at 1223,
1228. Not checked again until 1310 when it`s off; and at 1312, 9479 is
poor but audible, and now modulated, SFAW having wasted at least an
hour of purchased airtime --- but when you buy it in bulk, not so
important. BTW, WTWW now targets #2 transmitter to oncome circa second
week of March, on 5080 at night, 9990 day (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX
LISTENING DIGEST)
WTWW, 9479 at 2100. Faint ID, then PPP. 8 Feb. 73 (Liz Cameron, MI,
Finally got my NRD back. Yay! Dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST)
You mean the ID was faintly modulated compared to PPP or the whole
signal was faint? (gh, DXLD)
** U S A. 9405, JBA carrier Feb 7 at 0702, much weaker than 9370 WTJC,
in turn weaker than several WYFR 9 MHz band frequencies starting with
9355. I suppose any carrier at all on 9405 at this time has to be WINB
as nothing else is known to be scheduled (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX
LISTENING DIGEST)
** U S A. 9405, Feb 9 at 0634, JBA carrier, presumably WINB; also JBA
were 9370 WTJC, 9355 WYFR, but BA on 9680, 9715.
13570, Good Friends Radio Network via unstable-carrier WINB, Feb 9 at
1509, found to be running 5 sex ahead of WBCQ 9330; furthermore, WBCQ
15420-CUSB was already on at 1511, good and steady signal with better
audio than // 9330.
Preacher was discussing reservations about The Apostles` Creed, the
stuff about ``the holy catholic church`` and ``descended into hell``;
see I Peter 3: 18-22 which he referred to as ``a difficult and naughty
sexion of scripture``. [?]
Us revisionist Methodists skipped ``descended into hell`` but were
always assured `catholic` here meant `universal`, not Roman, whew!
Compare the various versions at
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apostles%27_Creed
with the %27 replacing the computer-confusing original apostrophe
(Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** U S A [non]. Additional transmission of WYFR Family Radio via Media
Broadcast (MBR): 2000-2100 on 9830 NAU 250 kW / 202 deg to WeAf in
English, eff. from Feb. 9 (DX Mix News, Bulgaria, 10 Feb via DXLD)
** U S A [and non]. Week in Review: Hi Glenn, Not much of a week. The
antennas were iced over for three days after some rain which froze.
The snowpack was reduced about a foot with a good three feet left and
about 3 inches of ice in the driveway. Sunday got up to 40 F so I
rescued the TV antennas. Fortunately, just a few elements needed
straightening.
WSBA, 2730 (910 x 3) still on. Right now it's snowing again with 2-3
inches predicted (Bill, W1OW, Smith, MA, Feb 8, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** U S A. 560, KWTO Springfield MO, is usually just barely audible on
daytime groundwave here, a bit too far, but Feb 4 around 2015 UT was
quite readable on caradio with local talk show about computers. I
suspect all the snow on the ground between there and here is helping
to extend the range. Program schedule at
http://www.newstalk560.com/schedule.aspx
shows this is a Friday-only program, and they have four other
specialty shows during this hour weekdays, suspiciously resembling
infomercials: Fri ``2:00PM 3:00PM ComputerTalk with Premium
Computers`` But what a lead-in, Rush! (Glenn Hauser, Enid OK, DX
LISTENING DIGEST)
** U S A. WTOR-770 open carrier still on --- Once again it's time to
let WABC know that WTOR-770 have been running open carrier all this
week. Seems like they don't run OC all night, but fire up the carrier
around 0530 or 0600 ELT, well before their scheduled sign-on time. And
it's killing reception of WABC. I enjoy listening to Imus in the
Morning on WABC, at least for about half an hour or 45 minutes until
WTOR's scheduled s/on, which is about all I can take before the I-Man
starts to repeat his tired schtick. 73 (Mike Brooker, Toronto, ON, 2
Feb, IRCA via DXLD) WTOR = Youngstown NY, a pseudo-Toronto station
** U S A. 1160, GEORGIA, WCFO, East Point. 1240-1301 February 6, 2011.
Excellent a little after sunrise with LarMar (sp?) Security owner
interviewed on one of those wonderful Sunday public affairs programs.
Canned ID 1259 as, "WCFO, East Point-Dundee (? -- can't find a town
called Dundee, just a small lake south of Atlanta -- maybe it was
Dunwoody)-Sandy Springs" into CBS News (Terry L Krueger, Clearwater,
Florida USA 27.55.83 N, 82.46.08 W, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** U S A. KVOL 1470: Vandalized all towers
http://www.wsmv.com/news/26732482/detail.html
If you click on the video report, they give you a tour of the towers.
BUT a MILLION dollars in damage?? (Artie Bigley, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
In North Nashville. It`s not the towers themselves which were damaged,
but wiring inside the six transmitter shacks (gh, DXLD)
WVOL-1470 TN temporary operation --- WVOL-1470 may be operating non-
directionally. Our TV station reported yesterday that vandals trashed
the tower houses (where the matching networks are) for all six towers
of WVOL-1470 Berry Hill/Nashville Wednesday night.
The TV report said they'd managed to get back on the air with a single
tower (obviously non-directional) yesterday, and they are in fact on
the air right now. I'm not entirely certain they're still non-
directional though I suspect so.
Nighttime format is classic blues & soul. TV footage showed wiring
(actually, copper tubing) cut and a vacuum capacitor sitting on the
floor. – (Doug Smith W9WI, Pleasant View, TN EM66, WSMV, Feb 4, NRC-
AM via DXLD)
** U S A. 1510, Feb 7 at 2127 UT, skywave is in, and aside KOKC-1520 I
am hearing a continuous het --- some 1510 station is off frequency.
Dominant signal is from 913 area code, with ad for IFG Tech; that`s
the Kansas side of Kansas City, so KCTE, ``Independence MO``.
Incredibly, the pitch against 1510.00 stations is the same to within a
Hz or two as that heard on 1600, from off-frequency KMDO Fort Scott
KS, against closer to 1600.00 stations such as KUSH, KRVA. I wonder if
they got their crystals from the same grinder?
So far I can`t be positive KCTE is the one off-frequency, on the
nondirexional caradio, so when I get home I take out the DX-398 and
get a fix on it --- yes, the 1510 het is on the hi side and from
NNE/SSW, Kansas City: by stepping 10-kHz, comparing the pitch to
adjacent frequencies which surely average close to being spot-on.
If I null it, I can hear a much weaker 1510 signal which matches the
non-offset of its neighbors. I have heard KCTE before, but never
noticed the het, so maybe it`s recently shifted off recently. It`s
hard to estimate frequencies by audio pitch in this range, but I would
put it circa 150 Hz, far beyond legal variation allowed.
Checked again Feb 8 at 1341, now the KCTE het is slightly higher than
the one on 1600, during Mike & Mike sports talk. 1347 full legal ID
despite not being hourtop, ``You`re listening to Hot Talk 1510, KCTE,
Independence-Kansas City``; the KCTE carrier and consequently het is
wobbling slightly now.
1510+, KCTE Independence MO is still off-frequency producing audible
het against weaker stations, Feb 9 at 1416; ID at 1417. Taped the day
before and then checked against a keyboard, close to F# below middle
C, i.e. circa 185 Hz above 1510 (Glenn Hauser, OK, WORLD OF RADIO
1551, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** U S A. 1600, Feb 6 at 2159, usual Vietnamese talk, interrupted at
2200 UT sharp for legal ID in English, ``AM 1600, KRVA, Cockrell Hill-
Dallas`` and right back to Viet; I had impression that it was not
paused, so a few words with strange accents were missed during the ID;
who cares?
I have been looking for a website to find whether KRVA with `Asian`
format as in NRC AM Log 2010-2011 really has any languages but
Vietnamese, the only one I have heard, but no site found; I am usually
hearing it in the hour+ before sunset or after sunrise. Wikipedia site
about it is obviously outdated, saying KRVA is currently ``La Buena
1600`` in Spanish! However:
``There was also a period, including summer and autumn of 2005, during
which 1600 am broadcast an Asian format (including Punjabi, Hindi,
Urdu and English languages), with music, talk, games and advertising
relating to the Asian community in the D/FW area.``
Wiki-link to station website finds it blank/blanco/white/trang/trong:
http://www.krvaam.com/
Radio-locator.com is also out of date, showing ``Radio Romántica``,
http://www.radio-locator.com/info/KRVA-AM
(Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** U S A. 1620, happened to pass this frequency at 0007 UT Sunday Feb
6, just as an interesting talkshow was starting, `Science Fantastic`
with Prof. Michio Kaku. Plugs his new book `Physics of the Future`,
and talks about meteorites, subject of this hour, including how
meteorites landing in 1807y led to the Millerites, to Jehovahs`
Witnesses and Seventh Day Adventists, to the Branch Davidians in Waco
--- fortuitous local angle since this is WTAW, a few counties away in
College Station!
Before the guest, an adstring starting with the ubiquitous C. Crane
Co., radio receivers, so CCC is sponsoring a genuine scientist this
time --- voiced by Kaku himself unlike the following ones for:
Visiting Angels franchises, non-medical home care; Caltrate; GEICO.
Then at 0013, the author of `A Professor, A President, and a Meteor`,
Prof. Catherine (sp?) Prince. The guest has hardly started talking
when the signal drops out at 0016, and tho it recovers somewhat a few
minutes later, no longer easy copy, and R. Rebelde`s Spanish can be
heard in the mix. It`s almost as if WTAW powered down at that time,
but there was NO courtesy announcement:
``As required by our federal license, WTAW is about to reduce its
power by one order of magnitude for the night hours. We say goodbye to
our distant listeners who may no longer be able to hear WTAW, but
shall resume full daytime power at sunrise.``
Checking FCC AM Query for WTAW`s SR/SS times, indeed sunset is
officially at 0015 UT in February, sunrise at 1300. In March,
nighttime will be 0030-1230 UT, a.k.a. 7:30 pm to 7:30 am once
nonsensical daylight shifting kicks in on March 13 (Glenn Hauser, OK,
DX LISTENING DIGEST)
We find this program is on the Talk Radio Network, with many better-
known shows including several farrightwingnuts also on WTAW.
Eventually down this page, just before `The Savage Nation`, there is a
list of frequency-less affiliates for `Science Fantastic`, and WTAW is
on it, with the wrong time Saturday 8-9 pm:
http://streamingradioguide.com/streaming-radio-shows-by-syndicator.php?syndicatorid=21
Leading to WTAW`s own schedule
http://www.wtaw.com/schedule/
showing it`s really 6-9 pm Saturdays (00-03 UT Sundays). TRN will be
glad to sell you the privilege of listening to its podcasts (Glenn
Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** U S A. WPRR 1680 off frequency again? At 05:50 CST [1150 UT] am
hearing 1 kHz het on 1680. Suspect WPRR in Michigan is again off
frequency 1 kHz high (Tom Jasinski, Joliet, IL, Feb 10, IRCA via DXLD)
** U S A. 1690.05, FLORIDA (MIS) Pinellas County Emergency Management,
Largo. Noted February 2, 2011 with open carrier and telco hum (on rare
occasions, the recorded make ID would drop, but nothing else such as
the usual traffic construction loops. And still just an open carrier
mid-day February 5th check (Terry L Krueger, Clearwater, Florida USA
27.55.83 N, 82.46.08 W, Florida Low Power Radio Stations:
http://sites.google.com/site/floridadxn/
dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** U S A. DX TESTS CANCELLED --- Bad news. I just heard from the
engineer who was planning to run tests at KHMO, WLIQ, and WLRB this
weekend and next. He has had to cancel them for now, with a view to
***maybe*** running them later this season. I won't get into details
at this time, but rest assured the reasons are completely
understandable and have nothing to do with the tests themselves.
The engineer sends his apologies for the short notice, as do I.
I would really appreciate this notice being circulated as far and wide
as possible. I am at Burnt River and borrowing e-mail access because
my computer is in the shop for a fix and tune up. I have no contact
lists with me. There are people who find out about these tests via
paper bulletins and DXAS, etc., so if you know someone in such a
situation, who does not have e-mail access but is likely to be
anticipating the tests, please let them know, if at all possible
(Saul Chernos, Ont., Feb 10, DX Test Committee, NRC-AM via DXLD)
So never mind my publicizing these at the end of WOR 1551. FOR THE
RECORD, here was the previous publicity before cancellation: (gh)
** U S A. DX TESTS REMINDER - PLEASE FORWARD WIDELY: Paul Walker
reports two DX tests scheduled for this weekend (Friday night /
Saturday morning):
Saturday February 12 - At precisely 0100 and 0200 CENTRAL Standard
time (0700 and 0800 UT):
KHMO 1070 MO Hannibal
Will test with morse code, sweep tones and voice announcements for 5
minutes at the top of the first hour with its 5KW/3 tower day pattern
and 5 minutes at the top of the second hour at its 1KW/6 tower night
power.
Saturday February 12 - From 0300 to 0400 CENTRAL STANDARD TIME (0900-
1000 UTC):
WLIQ 1530 IL Quincy
Will test for 20 minutes using morse code, sweep tones, voice
announcement, special music, sound bites, etc, at its 1400W Non-
Directional Day Power, then for 20 minutes at is 290W Non Directional
Critical Hours Power, and then for the final 20 minutes it will test
at its once-proposed 3 Watts Non Directional Night Power.
[The original plan for WLIQ was to test for 20 minute segments at its
1400W Day, then 290W Critical Hours then 3W night. WLIQ once proposed
3W of night power, but it was never applied for and the transmitter/
remote control never set up to lower power automatically. Since these
tests are being done automated/by remote control, going to 3W probably
won't happen == Paul B Walker, Feb 9, mwdx yg via DXLD]
... AND ONE FOR NEXT WEEKEND: [NOT]
Saturday February 19 -- From 1am to 2am CENTRAL STANDARD TIME (0700-
0800 UTC)
WLRB 1510 IL Macomb
Will test for the first 30 minutes using morse code, sweep tones,
voice announcement, special music, sound bites, etc, at its 1KW Non
Directional Day power and for the final 30 minutes with much the same
content at its 250W Non Directional Critical Hours Power.
Snail-mail QSLs: Send a self addressed stamped envelope to the Chief
Engineer at the following address:
Gary Glaenzer
c/o (Put the name of the station whose DX test your are reporting on
this line)
325 East Douglas Avenue
Jacksonville, IL 62650
Tapes or CDs will be accepted along with written reports but MUST be
cued up to the point of where the best reception is. If sending in a
report by mail, you MUST include a return, self addressed, stamped
envelope. The reports are being sent to the engineer`s home address,
not the station. So please be patient, as Mr. Glaenzer is the Chief
Engineer for 16 radio stations in Missouri and Illinois.
E-QSLs are available - Send to the engineer at glaenzer @ frontier.com
with both the station call letters and the words "DX test" in the
subject line, as follows:
KHMO DX Test
WLIQ DX Test
WLRB DX Test
Finally, we ask that you please not telephone any of the stations or
the engineer during the test. No one will be at the stations during
the tests - everything is being done remotely by phone control.
Of course, be sure to report any catches to the DX lists, to club
bulletins, or to any of your regular communication channels. And
please help the cause by forwarding this test information far and
wide, and - if you can - by organizing a test of your own!
With thanks to Paul for arranging and Gary for running (Saul Chernos
IRCA-NRC DX Test Committee, Feb 9, IRCA via WORLD OF RADIO 1551, DXLD)
AGAIN, these tests have been cancelled (gh)
** U S A. KTRU WILL AIR ON KPFT'S HD STATION UNDER NEW DEAL
http://blogs.houstonpress.com/hairballs/2011/02/kpft_ktru_rice_uh.php
Rice's legendary KTRU will live again on the FM dial -- sort of.
Rice has signed a seven-year deal with KPFT to have KTRU broadcast on
the Pacifica station's HD station, the achool announced today.
This means the station won't be reduced to just broadcasting on the
Internet, a move that didn't make too many radio station supporters
very happy when they were told that's how they could continue
operations. The broadcasts begin at 9:01 a.m. February 14 on KPFT's
90.1-HD2 FM channel.
Rice President David LeBron took a lot of heat for the sales agreement
which was negotiated privately between Rice and UH -- even from people
who didn't listen to the station at 91.7 but who felt the matter
should have been open for discussion by students before the
universities made their deal.
Rice sold its broadcast tower and license for use by KUHF. Leebron
said in a press release today that some of the money from the sale --
its approval is still pending before the Federal Communications
Commission -- will be used to help pay for the seven-year lease.
KTRU Station Manager Joey Yang said they will also be reviewing their
playlist in their new operation. "KTRU is also adding new and exciting
music we haven't traditionally played before," he said.
Listeners will need an HD radio receiver to listen to the KTRU
broadcasts, but there is no subscription fee, the press release said
(via Kevin Redding, ABDX via DXLD)
** U S A. KXKW-LP-6 --- I was driving thru Lafayette, LA today and
just happened to bring my old Watchman along to check this LPTV. It's
still there, playing obscure oldies and some more recent Country
("It's 5 o'clock Somewhere"). The TV slides alternate between a nice
big KXKW logo along with analog weather gauges, a Gulf coast regional
map, and a US map (couldn't tell if these were weather maps for sure).
At 3 kW, I'm surprised no one has picked this one up yet (or have
they?). If not, you should be on the lookout for it during Es season
(Jeff Kruszka, Houston, TX, Feb 8, WTFDA via DXLD)
** URUGUAY. Photo visit to the old and abandoned S.O.D.R.E.s "Martin
Fierro" transmitter site
With the camera in my pocket ... Photo visit to the former S.O.D.R.E
(Servicio Oficial de Difusión Radio Eléctrica) transmitter site on
Martín Fierro Street
I first visited this place when I was part of the group of Uruguayan
DXers that created "Radioactividades" as a DX (this hobby specially
focused during its first years) Media & History program, produced to
be aired on CX 26 SODRE (which has recently been renamed as Radio
Uruguay), and which - somewhat apart from its initial format - still
airs on the weekends.
At that time, as a member of the Grupo DX del Uruguay (a.k.a. DX Club
del Uruguay), and along with a few other colleagues, it was foreseen
the need and possibility of making a featured radio program intended
to talk about our hobby of DXing, dedicated radio listening and radio
communications. In fact, one of the first recordings of this program
to be broadcast was prepared here. The place was at the time, a kind
of provisory broadcast center, while SODRE headquarters were looking
for a definitive building to house SODRE's studios and offices.
This site is located in the #2603 of Martin Fierro street, three
blocks away from the long and relevant Artigas Boulevard in
Montevideo, near the Military School and not far from the studios and
antenna of the National TV (Channel 5). It served as the official
radio station transmitter site since 1929, despite the transmitters
were moved through other sites, elsewhere in the city and along the
years and which, at last, settled in the current headquarters in the
Old Quarter of Montevideo.
At the time of my visit, which were only a couple of times, I was
fortunate to see, not without some amount of astonishment, large discs
of the "National Discotheque" put in wooden crates. I also, got to
meet Alfredo Carlos Dighiero, a Carlos Gardel specialised journalist
with its long-running program about our best all time popular singer,
Carlos Gardel, and last but not least could meet the remains (or
skeleton) of an old transmitter. It was a very moving moment and
special experience for me!
I forgot to mention the year: this was in 1989. 60 years before, this
place was the starting point for official radio broadcasts from
Uruguay aiming to the country and to the world. Both on the
mediumwaves and the shortwaves. If this really could happen is another
story. But SODRE was received in the 30s by North American DXers and
even special broadcasts were prepared for them. SODRE and Uruguay
never showed a true International radio service, but English
programmes via SW were prepared for the last time in the 1980's, using
31 and 19 mb frequencies.
Today is an abandoned plot, an unfortunately destroyed place, eventual
den of drug addicts (I had to wait for two strange guys to come out,
not without fear), homeless intruders, drunks and "bichicomes"
(Uruguayan slang coming from the word "beachcomber" and as waste
pickers are named by Uruguayans). The neighbors look at them with
concern. But anyone - except that infralived people and a pair of
dedicated radiofans one of them being me -, seems to be interested. It
is fortunate that this place could be visited after all these years
and can be subject of a photographic camera session, before it comes
swept by bulldozers (Horacio A. Nigro, Uruguay, Feb 2, 2011)
----------------------------------------------------------------------
The photo gallery is here ---> http://imgur.com/a/8Qblr
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Addenda:
Historical references of the creation of SODRE as the Uruguayan
National Broadcaster:
"In 1926, the "Dirección Nacional de Radiocomunicaciones" (the
National Radio Council) under the administration of the Ministry of
Defence, and under whose orders the telegraph stations of "El Cerrito"
[call CWA] were administered, needed to buy a new telegraph station.
Then the late Dante Tartaglia, who was the station chief at "Cerrito",
was in the need of buying a new telegraphic station from the U.S. By
the new season the new station arrived but, by mistake, instead of
sending a telegraph station, [the Americans] sent a [radio]telephone
station. Tartaglia said to Engineer Gilberto Lasnier, at the time
director of the Radio Board under the Ministry of National Defense
'Look engineer, they have sent us a radiotelephone station, what do we
do?', and Lasnier replied: 'Set it up!, anyways!"
Then, the Ministry of Education and Social Welfare (nowadays the
Ministry of Education and Culture), appointed a commission for the
purpose of creating an official broadcaster. The committee was
composed of two parliamentarians, Dr. Francisco Ghigliani and Dr.
Carlos Butler; the Director of the Radio Department, Engineer Gilberto
Lasnier, and Professor Emilio Berdesio.
The venture also featured Dante Tartaglia and Carlos Mazzey, two of
the first technical persons of this first era. Finally the first
broadcasts as Radio CWOA began, and in 1929 became CX6 Radio Oficial,
SODRE. This new radio had inaugurated at the Military School and later
moved to the Bulevar Artigas and Martin Fierro site.
In 1927, the Uruguayan national radio station began to relay the
performances of the Teatro Colón in Buenos Aires, [Argentina], which
were originated from LS1, then named as Radio Municipal (which
nowadays is known as "Radio Diez"). LS1 used to broadcast all seasons
of the opera theatre starting from May 25, (the Argentinian national
holiday) until the end of October." (Part of an interview with Diego
Errandonea who was one of the first officials of Sodre, which he
joined at age 14 as a messenger and became Director General of the
Institute. Read full article in Spanish at
http://www.larepublica.com.uy/ cultura/7204-los-70-anos-del-sodre
--
"In fact, the SODRE [which embodied the National Symphonic Orchestra,
Ballet & Opera, National Discotheque] appeared closely linked to CX6,
which would be added later by CX26 and CX38[...]. CX6 emissions began
immediately on April 1 1930 - from the transmitter of "Martin Fierro"
at the # 2603, of that street, with a Western Electric brand
transmitter" adapted from:
http://www.sodre.gub.uy.asp1-4.websitetestlink.com/Sodre/Sodre/Qui%C3%A9nessomos/tabid/59/Default.aspx
Vintage pictures of the old transmitter site:
http://www.dumpyourphoto.com/files2/50679/XwseD.jpg
http://www.dumpyourphoto.com/files2/50679/XwseD.jpg
Transmitter building and one of the antenna towers "Milliken" type at
Martín Fierro, in Montevideo. Photo taken in 1929 (Source "Archivo
Nacional de la Imagen, Uruguay)
http://www.dumpyourphoto.com/files2/50680/joAwPE.jpg
http://www.dumpyourphoto.com/files2/50680/joAwPE.jpg
One of the SW transmitters, CXA 10, 11900 KHz, 20 KW. Front Panel.
Photo taken on May 25, 1944. (Source "Archivo Nacional de la Imagen,
Uruguay)
http://www.dumpyourphoto.com/files2/50681/Q0z.jpg
http://www.dumpyourphoto.com/files2/50681/Q0z.jpg
Vintage map of the SODRE's "Martin Fierro" transmitter site showing
the station and the rhombic antennas for the shortwaves. At the left
the one beaming to N. América, and the one at the right beaming
Europe. (Source "Archivo Nacional de la Imagen, Uruguay)
---
Other References:
http://hanigro.tripod.com/index.html ("Los primeros años del
S.O.D.R.E. en Ondas Cortas", by Horacio Nigro, 1992, in Spanish, note:
some audio links don't work).
1927-1928, CWOA, inicios de la emisora estatal del Uruguay. Horacio A.
Nigro (in Spanish, online e-brochure)
http://es.calameo.com/read/000080198216c0dcdd382
73 de (Horacio A. Nigro, Montevideo, Uruguay, dxldyg via DX LISTENING
DIGEST)
Con la cámara en el bolsillo... Visita fotográfica al ex sitio
trasmisor de la calle Martín Fierro del S.O.D.R.E.
Este lugar lo conocí cuando "Radioactividades", el programa de DX (al
inicio) y de "Medios" ("Mass Media") por CX 26 la emisora del SODRE
(hoy radio Uruguay), comenzaba a ser una realidad, que algo distante
de su formato inicial, dura hasta hoy.
En aquella época, como integrante del Grupo DX del Uruguay (DX Club
del Uruguay), junto a varios otros compañeros, se vio la necesidad y
se vislumbró la posibilidad de hacer un programa que hablara de
nuestro hobby de la radio escucha y las radio comunicaciones.
Pues una de las primeras grabaciones de este programa se hizo desde
acá. Aquí en la Planta trasmisora de la Calle Martin Fierro 2603
funcionó desde 1929 la emisora oficial, que pasó por otros lados
después para mudarse a la calle Sarandí.
Vi cajones de madera con los discos grandes de la "Discoteca
Nacional", vi al periodista Alfredo Dighiero despues de irradiar su
programa sobre Gardel. Conocí los restos (esqueleto) de un viejo
trasmisor.
Era el año 1989. 60 años antes este sitio de trasmisión comenzaba a
emitir desde Uruguay al mundo. Por onda media y onda corta.
Hoy es un predio abandonado, lastimosamente destruido, antro de
drogadictos (tuve que esperar que saliera dos tipos para entrar, y no
sin temor), intrusos, beodos y bichicomes, al que los vecinos miran de
reojo y con preocupación y al que nadie, excepto los mencionados, hoy
parece interesar. Es una fortuna que pude estra aquí antes de que sea
barrido por las motoniveladoras.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Vea las imágenes aquí:
http://imgur.com/a/8Qblr (fotos tomadas por Horacio Nigro)
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Testimonio histórico de la creación del SODRE
"En 1926, la Dirección Nacional de Radiocomunicaciones, dependiente
del Ministerio de Defensa Nacional, bajo cuyas órdenes estaban las
estaciones de telegrafía del Cerrito, necesitaba comprar una nueva
estación de telegrafía. Entonces, Dante Tartaglia, que era el jefe de
la estación Cerrito, mandó importar de Estados Unidos esa nueva
estación. Llega la nueva estación y, por error, en vez de mandar una
estación de telegrafía, mandaron una estación de telefonía. Tartaglia
le dice al ingeniero Gilberto Lasnier, director de Radiocomunicaciones
del Ministerio de Defensa Nacional: 'Mire ingeniero, mandaron una
estación de telefonía, ¿qué hacemos?', y Lasnier le contesta:
'Instálenla igual'.
Entonces, el Ministerio de Instrucción Pública y Previsión Social
(ahora Ministerio de Educación y Cultura), designó una comisión con el
propósito de crear una radioemisora oficial. La comisión estaba
integrada por dos parlamentarios, el Dr. Francisco Giligliani y el Dr.
Carlos Butler, el director de Radiocomunicaciones del Ministerio de
Defensa, ingeniero Gilberto Lasnier, y el profesor Emilio Berdesio.
El emprendimiento contó además con Dante Tartaglia y Carlos Mazzey,
dos de los primeros técnicos de la época. Así comenzaron las primeras
emisiones de CWOA Radio Oficial, que a partir de 1929 pasó a ser CX6-
SODRE. Esta nueva radio tuvo sus estudios en la Escuela Militar, y
luego se trasladaron a Bulevar Artigas y Martín Fierro.
En 1927 empezaron a retransmitir las funciones del Teatro Colón de
Buenos Aires, que permitía LS1, que era Radio Municipal (ahora Radio
Diez). LS1 transmitía todas las temporadas de ópera desde el 25 de
Mayo, fecha patria argentina, hasta finales de octubre."
--- parte de una entrevista a Diego Errandonea quien fue uno de los
primeros funcionarios del Sodre, donde ingresó a los 14 años como
mensajero y llegó a ser Director General del Instituto. Lectura
completa en
http://www.larepublica.com.uy/cultura/7204-los-70-anos-del-sodre
"En los hechos, el Sodre surgió estrechamente vinculado a CX6, a la
cual se agregarían luego CX26 y CX38 (esta última, adjudicada a
Carmelo, fue expropiada por el Poder Ejecutivo). Las emisiones de CX6
comenzaron de inmediato –el 1 de abril de 1930– desde la planta de
Martín Fierro 2603, con un equipo Western Electric."
http://www.sodre.gub.uy.asp1-4.websitetestlink.com/Sodre/Sodre/Qui%C3%A9nessomos/tabid/59/Default.aspx
---
Fotos antiguas del sitio trasmisor:
http://www.dumpyourphoto.com/files2/50679/XwseD.jpg
http://www.dumpyourphoto.com/files2/50679/XwseD.jpg
Sitio de trasmisión del SODRE, en la calle Martín Fierro, de
Montevideo. La foto fue tomada en 1929,y muestra la sala el edificio
de trasmisores y una de las torres.
http://www.dumpyourphoto.com/files2/50680/joAwPE.jpg
http://www.dumpyourphoto.com/files2/50680/joAwPE.jpg
Uno de los trasmisores de onda corta, CXA 10, 11900 KHz, 20 KW. Panel
frontal. Foto tomada en mayo 25, 1944.
http://www.dumpyourphoto.com/files2/50681/Q0z.jpg
http://www.dumpyourphoto.com/files2/50681/Q0z.jpg
Mapa de la planta trasmisora de "Martín Fierro" mostrando la estación
y las antenas rómbicas para onda corta. A la izq. la que apuntaba a N.
América y la de la der. dirigida a Europa.
----
Visite: http://hanigro.tripod.com/index.html ("Los primeros años del
S.O.D.R.E. en Ondas Cortas", Horacio Nigro, 1992).
1927-1928, CWOA, inicios de la emisora estatal del Uruguay. Horacio A.
Nigro (publicación en formato e-brochure, online)
(Horacio A. Nigro, Montevideo, Uruguay, Feb 2, dxldyg via DXLD)
** VANUATU. 3945, presumed R. Vanuatu, Port Vila, 0933-0950, Feb 2,
vernacular. M & W announcers & occasional vocal music; definitely AM
mode and not usual ARO splatter via the perpetual ham net on 3947-LSB
which has been on every day I've checked since late 2009; too good to
last as hams started warming up the transmitters at 0948; very
poor/weak (Scott R. Barbour Jr. Intervale, N.H. USA, NRD-545, MLB-1,
200' Beverages, 60m dipole, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST)
[non]. Not much luck hearing either frequency here; 7260, Feb 5 at
1220 has Japanese on top, but CCI from something; CRI Japanese, 500
kW, 73 degrees via Xi`an, starts at 1100. Before then per HFCC the
only competition on 7260 is CNR, 100 kW non-direxional from Urumqi,
East Turkistan at 0257-1205 (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** VATICAN CITY. VR observed in English at 1715 on 5885, 7250, 7290.
Not checked on 4005 or MW. But they are not on 9645 at this time; this
frequency cuts off around 1630 after the Latin (Vespers) programme and
is not heard at 1700 in French or 1715 in English (Edwin Southwell,
England, December observations delayed in post, Feb BDC-UK
Communication via DXLD)
** VATICAN [non]. VATICAN RADIO:
English
1200-1215 daily CAm,NAm 9865sac (add)
Spanish
1130-1200 daily CAm,NAm 9865sac (add)
(WRTH 2 Feb update via DXLD)
In our review of the WRTH 2011 we noted that the 9865 transmission was
missing, but we also pointed out that the English portion was
imaginary, instead continuing Spanish, as proven by several monitoring
chex. Has anyone axually heard the English resumed at 1200-1215? Those
up and DXing at that hour, please take a moment to discern whether
it`s in English or Spanish.
BTW, Vatican Radio`s printed schedule for B-10 just arrived today Feb
4! The envelope is imprinted ``Poste Italiane - PP – Economy``, maybe
meaning it came by ship and without a postmark one cannot tell when it
was despatched. And yes, this schedule also claims VR to be in English
at 1200 on 9865. That doesn`t necessarily make it so.
[Later:] Despite our repeated monitoring chex late last year that
Vatican Radio`s scheduled English broadcast at 1200-1215 via Sackville
9865 was really in Spanish, extending the 1130-1200 portion, the new
WRTH Update claims English is on, and so does VR`s own printed B-10
schedule, just received (by surface mail?) Feb 4.
So once again we have to turn on a radio to find out what is really
happening. I was unexpectedly awake Feb 5 at 1206, so tried to hear
it, but signal was very poor, so poor that I could not discern the
language, only the IS starting at 1213. Did anyone else check? [See
KOREA SOUTH non, another SAC 9 MHz transmission which should be on a
lower band]
9865, R. Vaticano, Sackville relay is coming in better Feb 7 at 1140
in Spanish, except it`s noised by DRM from RNZI 9865-9870-9875 until
its 1200* sharp. Helps some to side-tune down from 9865. At 1200 RV in
the clear starting another Spanish show, `Misiones y Misioneros`, and
still in Spanish past 1203.
So once again I reconfirm by *axual monitoring* that THERE IS NO
ENGLISH BROADCAST at 1200, despite RV`s own published schedules, and
consequently WRTH Update info. Apparently there is a huge disconnect
between the studio and Sackville about what is supposed to be done.
As for the QRDRM, there seem to be plenty of open frequencies between
this and A-10`s ex-9830 with the RTTY. Fortunately, Vividh Bharati
does not start on 9870 until 1245, then heard well as usual.
13765, Feb 9 at 1510, VR in S Asian language, with long/short path
echo. It`s 500 kW, 95 degrees from SMG, but what language, exactly?
Even VR`s own printed schedule says Hindi/Tamil/Mal[alayam]/English at
1430-1530. Eibi has it broken down as Tamil 1450-1510, then Malayalam.
[Correct date, omitted from previous report] (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX
LISTENING DIGEST)
** VENEZUELA. RNV is now in process of building and installing its new
SW broadcasting transmitting centre. It would be a rather logical
choice to dedicate one transmitter to the 60m tropical band, but that
is a decision to be taken by the Venezuelans! The site is at a place
by the name of Calabozo, at what I was told is an excellent location
for the antenna. Using one of the new transmitters [how many???] on
the 60m TB to provide nationwide coverage of Venezuela is a decision
to be taken by the Venezuelans (RHC`s Arnie Coro on Facebook, 27 Jan
via Feb BDXC UK Communication via DXLD)
** VENEZUELA [and non]. Info about el show del Hugazo is here:
http://www.alopresidente.gob.ve/
Feb 6 saying there will be none this week as the presidente has a
cold; see CUBA (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** WESTERN SAHARA [non]. CLANDESTINE, 700, Polisario Front, Rabouni,
ALG, 1051-f/out 1140, 05 Feb, Arabic, music, talks; 25341. \\ 6297.15
vy. good.
6297.15, Polisario Front, Rabouni, ALGERIA, 1106-, 05 Feb, Arabic,
music, talks; 55444; closed at around 1300; \\ 700 (Carlos Gonçalves,
Portugal, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
6297.1, SASASAM, Feb 10 at 0745, vocal music with drumming, better
than usual and with less ute QRM; a good WAf morning along with GUINEA
[q.v.] (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** ZAMBIA. 4965.01, 26.1 2235, Number One, Africa, Noted a male in
English language, religious comments. Clear ID (Thomas Nilsson,
Ängelholm, Sweden, SW Bulletin Feb 6 via DXLD)
Did They Really ID as ``Number One`` instead of OneAfrica? (gh to TN,
via DXLD)
Yes, it was a reggae program for young people and they said “Number
One” several times. I interpreted it as they were referring to the
station (Nilsson, ibid.)
** ZANZIBAR. 6015, RTZ (presumed), *0257, Feb 4. This is now heard
on a regular basis, alas with a weak signal. Suddenly on with
repetitive xylophone sounding IS; 0301-0306; non-stop reciting from
the Qur'an (the most distinctive detail of their broadcast) and then
sounded like a talk about Islam (Ron Howard, Asilomar State Beach, CA,
Etón E1, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** ZIMBABWE. Zimbabwe potenziato? 4828, Voice of Zimbabwe (presumed),
Gweru, 1825-1833, Feb 7, afro music very fast, talk in unID language.
Good signal. New transmitter? More power? (Leonardo Peppe, Italy,
playdx yg via DXLD)
** ZIMBABWE [non]. MADAGASCAR, Additional transmission for Voice of
People effective from Feb. 14:
1600-1630 on 9445 MDC 050 kW / 265 deg to ZWE in
English/Shona/Ndebele (DX Mix News, Bulgaria, 10 Feb via DXLD)
UNIDENTIFIED. 1359 --- Is it possible? While listening to 1360 at 0441
UT 05 FEB 11 (2241 CST 04 FEB 11) I noted a weak het/tone on
frequency. Tuning down, I zero beat the het to 1359. A quick check on
line shows 1359 has a NIGERIAN station that has a s/on at 0430 UT.
Hmmm...
Checking some other 9 kHz spacing frequencies between 0445 and
0500, I found other hets that zero beat at 1377, 1305 and 1296. 1305
has an EGYPTIAN station (only 10 kW!) listed and 1296 has a SUDAN
station (listed at 600 kW). Both Egypt and Sudan are near the SR
terminator at this time.
Is it possible, given the somewhat auroral conditions following a G1
storm, that I indeed had carriers from Egypt, Sudan (even tho they are
on a 55-60 degree bearing from Tulsa) and Nigeria (in a full darkness
path at about 90 degrees)?? Or am I "hearing things"? Hmmm (Bruce
Winkelman AA5CO, Tulsa, OK, Par EndFedz SWL antenna (45 feet)
Drake R8, 0521 UT Feb 6, NRC-AM via DXLD)
Spain, Madrid area on 1359 can come in quite enhanced near their
sunrise. EMWG is showing them as DRM and with considerably less power
than they used to use, but who knows? Developing semi-auroral
conditions can sometimes enhance higher end TA's even as far inland as
you are. I expect your 1377 to be the usual France and every other
frequency you mention to be from Spain. 73 KAZ (Neil Kazaross, IL/WI,
ibid.)
Agree 100% with Kaz on this. Spain 1359 uses a high-angle antenna
which gives a mediocre signal most of the evening for the power but a
loud one as dawn approaches on their end. The thinking is that the
reflecting layer tilts, allowing reflection over a long distance.
Think of a flashlight pointing up at a mirror held horizontally except
for a short interval when tilted, let's say 45 degrees - halfway
between horizontal and vertical.
After 0400 UT, 1296 and 1305 are more likely to be Spain than anything
else and 1377 is almost always France. These are all common catches
here in eastern MA. Good to see them getting to OK (Mark Connelly, MA,
WA1ION, ibid.)
I agree. Even with auroral conditions, it takes a lot to wash out
Spain. In Newfoundland during a heavy week-long aurora several years
ago when Europe was totally absent, Spain still made it through (Jim
Renfrew, NY, ibid.)
Bruce Winkelman in Tulsa tipped that he had a carrier on 1359 kHz at
0441 UT Feb 5; could it be Nigeria, listed sign-on *0430? I hastened
to check 1359 and do a 9-kHz bandscan between 0540 and 0550 UT Feb 5.
I reported:
1359 certainly stands out, and seems right on by pitch, so not a
variant. However, it also gives a good DF bearing of NE/SW, maybe a
bit more, in the 45 to 50 degree range.
A number of other TA carriers but all seem to be from about the same
direxion (Europe/ME) despite `auroral` condx -- 1584, 1575, 1557,
1539, 1503, 1485, 1422, 1413, nothing midband, but also 783, 612, 594.
All too weak to expect any audio.
Neil Kazaross suggests 1359 is likely Spain, which can put in a good
signal around sunrise there. I see that WRTH 2011 shows that RNE
Madrid`s key station runs 600 kW, but has been testing DRM with only
10 kW at 2000-0600. Well, if this was it, must have been back to 600
kW AM (Glenn Hauser, Enid OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
The het on 1359 was also very prominent here too. WMOB 1360 which is
normally good copy was also quite strong this evening (Tom Jasinski,
Joliet, IL, IRCA via DXLD)
Re: 1359 khz HET/CARRIER --- Bruce and Glenn, That carrier on 1359
also heard here in the North Atlantic was in all evening long; I
wondered what it was also, as no readable signal ever developed. Here
it sounded like a very strong open carrier but with a roaring or
rushing sound. 73 (Allen Willie, St. John's, Newfoundland, IRCA via
DXLD)
Hmmm, that smax of DRM, but there would be no carrier on exactly 1359.
Could it have been the rarely used hybrid DRM/AM mode? Wonder what
will develop on 1359 tonight. 73, Glenn Hauser (gh, DXLD)
I asked Mauricio Molano of Salamanca, Spain and he confirms with a
screenshot that there really is an AM carrier included! The
transmission is in DRM only and there isn't any modulation in the AM
signal, so it isn't clear whether this arrangement is intentional or
an exciter problem. 73, (Mauno Ritola, Finland, ABDX via DXLD)
Thanks to all that replied to my earlier email. I had thought with a K
index of 5 that higher latitude paths had been suppressed leaving the
more southerly paths possible. Glad to hear that Spain and France are
the mostly likely "suspects" here in the south-central US. Not bad for
a 45 foot wire sloping N-S from 20 feet to 4 feet (Bruce Winkelman,
AA5CO, Tulsa, OK, Par EndFedz SWL, Drake R8, Feb 5, DX LISTENING
DIGEST)
UNIDENTIFIED. Earlier today (while looking out for Swiss Radio Gloria)
I heard a station with Arabic chanting on 1566.80 kHz, on 3 Feb 2011,
2050 UTC. It did not seem to be parallel to AIR National Channel 9470,
although that was very, very weak so I'm not certain about this. But
then again, the mystery station signed off at 2100 UTC with no anthem
played. If there was an announcement, I didn't hear it. Also it wasn't
parallel to the webstream which you get for searching for IRIB Radio
Iran, which is listed on 1566 in WRTH.
Any ideas? The .8 should be a give-away, but "MW Offsets" doesn't list
such a station. If it's 2 x 783 I can't check that, 783 is covered by
local powerhouse MDR Info.
Of course the station caused a serious het with the stations on 1566
proper, where I tuned after 2100 (with the het gone). Those turned out
to be dominated by County Sound from England, one of the last good ole
classic stations not "Golded", but not the 250 Watt test from
Switzerland. That was heard elsewhere in DL so the quest goes on. 73,
(Eike Bierwirth, Leipzig, Germany, JRC NRD-525 with DX-10 Pro, Feb 3,
HCDX via DXLD) See also SWITZERLAND
Hi Eike. Any chance this unid was a Greek pirate? There's usually one
strong pirate audible here on either side of 1566. Some of the old
Greek songs sometimes sound to my ears like Arabic chanting :-) Just a
guess... 73, (Jari Savolainen, Kuusankoski, Finland, ibid.)
Thanks Jari and Harald, that's probably it. Sometimes mentioned on the
web as Radio Asteras from Kilkis. That brought me to one interesting
post, on
http://www.retromaniax.gr/vb/showthread.php?14217-Franco-s-MW-LW-SW-radio-scan-list
dated 22 Dec 2010:
"Franco, we are members of 1431 am Thessaloniki (the station of the
students of the local university). (Thessaloniki-Greece) the station
is on air at 1431 kHz every day, all day. I would like to tell me if
you have hear us in radio and where? (location). Also, please try to
listen us now. We have started to broadcast since November of 2010
with new transmitter. The power now is about 280 watt R.F and the
antenna is inverted-L 5/16. thank you very much" 73, (Eike, ibid.)
UNIDENTIFIED. 3210, Feb 4 at 1338, I am able to detect a JBA carrier,
so will like to think it`s the new low-power no-name NSW station, and
will be interested to see if others report it on the air at this time.
90m conditions were better than usual with carriers and some audio
from Indonesia/PNG on 3325, 3345, 3365 (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING
DIGEST)
UNIDENTIFIED. 3325/USB, NNN0AKT net control from somewhere north,
including lots of check ins from stations all having the NNN0 prefix
including one from NNN0KBP w/digital comms ("MP63"?) in addition to
the voice contacts. Stations heard included NNN0BON, AKT, AHH (from NW
Arkansas) AJB, BOK, TFL, XES, and NNN0WZET (why this station has 4
letters rather than three like all the rest, I don't know.) Any idea
what this service is supposed to be for? 1045-0155 30/Jan (Kenneth
Vito Zichi, MI DXpedition, MARE Tipsheet Feb 5 via DXLD)
NNN0 means US Navy MARS nets, of course; or did you mean something
more specific beyond that? (gh, DXLD)
UNIDENTIFIED. 3355: See BRAZIL
UNIDENTIFIED. 4444/USB, UnID Portuguese (or heavily accented Spanish?)
2 OM talking -- perhaps a sports play by play with what sounded like
crowd noise in background. There were long pauses but not much
enthusiasm (unlike most Latin America sports!) -- I suppose this could
have been a two way communication not heard well enough to really get
the gist of what was being said, and nothing that sounded anything
like an ID heard. Ideas on this one, anyone? SIO 343 with intermittent
ALE "squeaky wheel" QRM, 2231-2301 28/Jan (Kenneth Vito Zichi, MI
DXpedition, MARE Tipsheet Feb 5 via DXLD)
UNIDENTIFIED. 4690.00, 1155-1210 Feb 7, Noted a signal here with a
male commenting in Spanish language. This sounds like a broadcast, but
it could be a harmonic or SPUR of another station nearby. Radio San
Miguel is not on 4700 kHz at this time, but it could have fade away by
now? But as I consider everything this may be Radio San Miguel off of
frequency this morning? Brief music at 1202 UT. Sounds like news after
the hour. Still no ID heard. Signal is weak and the noise is strong.
(Chuck Bolland, WR-G31DDC, 26N 081/W, Clewiston FL, DX LISTENING
DIGEST)
4690 is not a likely pure harmonic from MW, and since it was
precisely-on, not likely to be a LA variant either from 4700; instead,
most likely a leapfrog or difference mixing product between two higher
SW frequencies, or maybe a SW minus a MW at same site. As we have
around here it could also be mixing product between two MW, at this
frequency one of them a second harmonic (gh, DXLD)
UNIDENTIFIED. 4895, BRAZIL? **4894.94** Unidentified (Brazil??) First
heard at tune-in at 0020 with strong carrier and lite music.
Transmission on/off several times until 0227. Beam heading put it to S
America/Africa, but just not enough audio to even guess a language.
The typical Brazilian has faster pace language, and much different
music than what was heard to past 0059. Announcements on the hour
almost sounded English, with more music and singing pop style ballads.
By 0300, too little audio to detect any details, and still noted at
0430. Many Brazilian stations on 60-M very strong same time, and all
faded to same weak levels as this one by 0430. Campo Grande or Manaus?
In my extensive survey of 60-M started December 1, nothing ever noted
here in over two months! (Excepting the regular ones in India &
Mongolia which are both on 4895.0 in the early PM and AM time). (Jim
Young, Wrightwood, CA, ICOM IC-756ProIII + 40-M yagi + antenna tuner,
NASWA yg via DXLD)
UNIDENTIFIED [non]. 5001 kHz is an unusual frequency, a broadcaster
(probably a mixing product) is audible here in Europe every evening
from about 2100z sounding Russian, e.g. heard 2011-01-22 at 2059 with
1 kHz test tones, followed by program at 2100. Also heard 2011-02-06
at 2130 with music. Best regards, Tobias (T²) from Central Europe
(Tobias Taufer, Germany, Feb 7, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
See DXLD 10-49 and 10-50: UNIDENTIFIED [non]. Hi Glenn ! Re 10-49:
``UNIDENTIFIED. 5001, 2152 Nov. 30, Russian presumed, in AM, talks in
Russian, music, could be religious. End of the program at 2200, fair
(Giampiero Bernardini in Pescia, Tuscany, with Perseus and 30 meters
wire, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) SW - MW mixing product?``
``Yes. This is the well known mixing product from
Krasnodar/Armavir/Tbiliskaya with programme of Yevangeslkie Chteniya
(// 1089 kHz) heard during A10 schedule on 4831 kHz. Now 6090-
1089=5001 kHz. 73, (Patrick Robic, Austria, DX LISTENING DIGEST)``
UNIDENTIFIED. 5898: Shortwave station blurting out random numbers in
Spanish? A question on Yahoo
http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20110202233905AAwMwBq
"I was scanning around on my shortwave radio and I came across a
station on 5898 kHz that was just blurting out random numbers in
Spanish. The transmission lasted about an hour and then the station
disappeared. Why would a radio station just blurt out random numbers?
What is the point of it? I am assuming since it was in Spanish that
maybe I was picking up a station from Mexico or South America. Has
anyone else heard this mysterious transmission on shortwave?"
"La Chica"? Cuba? (via Mike Terry, dxldyg via dXLD)
This is a constant transmission heard any night, with very strong
signals, probably Cuba with spy numbers. If not Cuba, then US. Why in
the world do you think they are random? This is a way of encoding
messages, probably with a one-time pad and virtually impossible to
break. To say they are random you would have to know how to decode
them and then find nonsense.
And why would you assume Mexico or South America since they are in
Spanish? That language also applies natively to USA, much of the
Caribbean, Central America, and with only eleven words ever
transmitted, could easily be used deceptively by non-Spanish
countries. Blurting? Well, generated mechanically. Can a machine
blurt? (Glenn Hauser, ibid.)
And then Mike posted my answer at the URL above (gh, DXLD)
UNIDENTIFIED. Hi everyone, Last night (30-01-2011) I was listening to
the radio when by the way I found an interesting broadcast on 5990v
kHz broadcasting a Morse code transmission between 0115 and 0139 UT.
What really called my attention was that I wasn't using SSB neither
USB because it was with my simple JWIN JXM 14 receiver and a four
meters long wire. At least for me, it is unusual to find stations
broadcasting Morse code on the normal broadcast bands and less by not
using any lateral bands.
I recorded the station. Reception was acceptable. Very low
interference but some noise. No fading. I have been wondering if it is
some numbers station which was broadcasting Morse at the time. Could
be the Cuban station "Atención"? So if someone of you has listened in
to this kind of broadcast, if someone of you have an idea, please let
me know what it is. Thanks beforehand!
NOTE: If you have an idea but you need to listen to one of the records
I did, so please let me know that and I'll send you a clip in due
course of the week, Your friend, (Leonardo Santiago, Mérida,
Venezuela, playdx yg via DXLD)
You say it was not on SSB or USB, so do you mean it was on A1 or A2?
Was the carrier cutting on and off with each dit and dah, or did the
carrier stay on, and the code was sent by audio frequency tones? The
latter is usually the case for Cuban spy numbers, but sometimes they
use pure CW.
These transmissions are regular later in the night, on several
frequencies 5898 or below, but well inside the 49m band is certainly
unusual. If the transmissions consisted of only 10 letters,
substituting for the ten digits, in regular groups of five between
pauses, then it was certainly a `cut numbers` spy transmission. I`ll
be glad to listen to your recording to verify this.
Note that a broadcast transmitter in Cuba does use 5990 just before
this, for the CRI relays in English and Spanish at 2300-0057. We have
long suspected some of the same high-power broadcast transmitters are
also used for spy numbers, which are also extremely strong, and it
could well be that they forgot to change the frequency from 5990 on
this occasion (Glenn Hauser, OK, ibid., Feb 8, via DXLD)
Hi, I’m sending to you one of the records I did of the mysterious
station broadcasting Morse code I commented about on the Play DX list.
I hope it can help you and please keep informed me on. If you need any
additional tips so please write me as [soon as] possible. Best
regards,
I use to record on WAV because it sounds better than MP3. I hope you
don’t find any problem to reproduce this one. You can download the
file by using the following address:
http://www.sendspace.com/file/uc3r1g
(Leonardo Santiago, Venezuela, Feb 10, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
Leonardo, A huge WAV file is certainly more than necessary just to
convey a code message, but heard it OK. Yes, I hear only ten different
letters, G R I T A N U W M D (in no particular order) so they are
substituting for ten digits. On one of the spy numbers sites, probably
ENIGMA, somebody figured out which goes with which number, altho that
does not help us to decode anything. There was also some punctuation,
AR, and near the beginning sent several times in a row, WNGNA as some
kind of header (Glenn to Leonardo, via DXLD)
UNIDENTIFIED. 6074, before the timesignal from R. Rossii, Pet/Kam,
6075 finished at 1400, the CW marker started, again clearly copied as
VVV CQ CQ CQ DE 2MTL 2MTL K, as the QRM from 6075 changed to Chinese.
6074, Feb 10 at 1400, the R. Rossii, Pet/Kam sign-off timesignal and
the V/CQ marker starting at the same time, and it`s still DE 2MTL
rather than 8GAL (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
UNIDENTIFIED. 6165, Feb 8 at 1321, central Asian vocal/instrumental
music, I thought, flutter and some CCI, 1328 segué to music sounding
more S Asian; 1332 YL announcement, but too poor to guess the
language. Probably AIR Sindhi service from Delhi/Khampur site, 250 kW,
65 degrees per Aoki, 334 degrees per HFCC. However, Aoki shows CNR6
also on air at this time, 100 kW, 163 degrees from Beijing 491 site;
and V of Vietnam-4, in Hmong, 50 kW, ND from Hanoi/Xuan Mai site
(Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
UNIDENTIFIED. RE 11-05: ``I’m wondering if you have a reference source
for beacons? I’m hearing two on 7.0395 Mhz. One sends a continuous
string of “M”s and the other is very weak but sounds like “FFF”.
(Scott Lindstrom NW7U, Jan 29, DX LISTENING DIGEST) . . .``
These are typically known as SLB - single letter beacons - and are
Russian in origin. They make for interesting propagation indicators
and I have often heard the various letter beacons at times when normal
propagation wisdom would say "no way". Far more info at:
http://www.cvni.net/radio/nsnl/nsnl032/nsnl32mx.html
and http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Letter_beacon
- (Don VE6JY Moman, AB, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
UNIDENTIFIED. 11520, Feb 10 at 1506, very strong open carrier cutting
on and off, including whoopie-cushion and other rude noises;
equivalent signal to WEWN Spanish on 11550, 12050, yet nothing on
15610 scheduled for English, so I suspect 11520 was the third WEWN
transmitter acting up [11520 being one of their frequencies at other
times]. 15825 WWCR was audible at similar megameter distance from a
somewhat different azimuth, so 15610 should have been detectable if on
(Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
UNIDENTIFIED. 11660, Feb 7 at 1242 continuous noise, 1245 starts
cutting on and off irregularly. Only thing scheduled here per Aoki is
VOR English via Tajikistan, so maybe that`s malfunxioning, or
unrelated, with nothing needing jamming; no programming audible (Glenn
Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
UNIDENTIFIED. 12040-12140 approx., squeaks at the rate of about 5 per
second, forget about AFN 12133.5, and bothering as low as Cuba 12040,
Feb 10 around 1555. I suppose another type of CODAR, strength and rate
varying across this range, and separate from conventional weaker and
slower 1-per-second CODAR swishes also audible on 12040. This seemed
to peak around 12070 (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
UNIDENTIFIED. Am Hearing Chinese broadcasts on 14720 kHz at 0045 UT.
Since my departure from the groups I went to Cambodia, found a
shortwave receiver for $6 Kchibo kk-9813 and also went Nicobar Island
in the Indian Ocean. Hello and sorry for my long absences from the
groups; my vessel cut off the yahoo and other sites due to bandwidth.
Even Facebook was turned off. 73 (from Manila Philippines, De
du1/n6hpx, Larry Fields, Feb 9 swl at qth.net via DXLD) 2 x 7360? Aoki
shows China on that frequency but not at this hour (gh, DXLD)
UNIDENTIFIED. 17450, UNKNOWN, 2/2 2230, loud series of "braaaaaap"s
from the stations that transmit such things. later moved up the band,
intruding into 16m. SWBC band between 17500-17600, popping up in
different places. 73 and Good Listening! (Rick Barton, El Mirage AZ,
Hammarlund SP-600-JX, outdoor lw, outdoor slinky, ABDX via DXLD)
I`ve reported closely-spaced multi-carrier hi-pitched whining centered
on 17450 a number of times, but no one ever has an explanation; how
far it bleeds from center 17450 depends, but I have never heard the
whole thing move up to 17600. I would not describe what I hear as
braaaaaaps, altho I am not sure exactly what you mean by that (gh,
DXLD)
UNIDENTIFIED. Heard Hindi songs on 1200 UT at 17708 kHz. Can anybody
help me out to identify this station? I need suggestion from all of
you, so that I can nourish my DXing more technically. Thanking you
all. Regards, (Prithwiraj Purkayastha, Jorhat, Assam, Email:
prithwi20062006 @ yahoo.co.in 5 or 6 Feb, dxldyg via DXLD)
All India Radio`s Chinese service is on 17705 at 1145-1315, 500 kW, 58
degrees from Bengaluru and should be aimed across Assam. And it is
also jammed by the ChiCom. Is your frequency readout accurate? AIR
would not normally vary that much, but the jamming could be offset
(Glenn Hauser, DX LISGTENING DIGEST)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
UNSOLICITED TESTIMONIALS
++++++++++++++++++++++++
Tnx to Anonymous for a donation (gh)
Tnx to Ron Howard, for a check in the mail to Glenn Hauser, P O Box
1684, Enid OK 73702 (acknowledged on WORLD OF RADIO 1551)
Tnx to Frederick McGavin in Ireland for a contribution in Euro via
PayPal to woradio at yahoo.com (acknowledged on WORLD OF RADIO 1551)
As always, many tnx for your work, without which the world would be a
poorer place (Gerald T. Pollard, NC)
LANGUAGE LESSONS
++++++++++++++++
THOSE CONFUSING PREPOSITIONS IN ENGLISH
Some of our DXers who are not native speakers of English, whose
participation we do appreciate very much, have trouble using the right
prepositions in monitoring reports. Just three tips:
Before a time, say ``at``.
Before a date or day of week, say ``on``
Before a language, say ``in``
(Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
CONVENTIONS & CONFERENCES
+++++++++++++++++++++++++
WRMI ASISTIRAN A LA CONFERENCIA DE COORDINACION DE ALTAS FRECUENCIAS
Coordinating Conference (HFCC) in Prague, Czech Republic February
14-18, 2011, where shortwave stations from around the world coordinate
their frequency usage for the summer 2011 broadcasting season.
Listen for special reports on the programs DX Party Line on February
19 and Wavescan on February 27.
Jeff y Thais White de WRMI asistiran a la Conferencia de Coordinacion
de Altas Frecuencias (HFCC) en Praga, República Checa del 14 al 18
de febrero, donde emisoras de onda corta de todo el mundo coordinan
sus frecuencias para la temporada de verano de 2011. Puede escuchar
informes especiales sobre esta conferencia en los programas DX Party
Line el 19 de febrero y Wavescan el 27 de febrero. FUENTE: WRMI on
Facebook (Via Yimber Gaviria, Colombia, Feb 5, noticiasdx yg via DXLD)
WORLD OF HOROLOGY
+++++++++++++++++
Wrong news headline from RT! Rather then abolishing daylight saving
time Russia switches to it permanently. Starting next fall Moscow time
will be UT + 4h. Sergei S.
TIME STOPS: RUSSIA ABOLISHES DAYLIGHT SAVING TIME
President Medvedev has announced the abolition of daylight saving time
starting autumn 2011. Medvedev argued that switching clocks twice a
year is harmful for people's health and triggers stress.
"Every fall and every spring we are swearing at this system," Medvedev
said. "Our biorhythms are damaged. We are all angry. We either
oversleep and turn up late for work or wake up too early and don't
know what to do with this free time. Let alone poor cows and other
animals that can't understand why they should have their meals or be
milked earlier or later."
The daylight saving system has long been subject to discussion.
Medvedev first suggested considering its abolition back in November
2009, which was followed by massive studies of the subject.
The report published by Russian Academy of Medical Sciences revealed
that when the clocks are changed, the number of heart attacks
increases by 1.5 times, the rate of suicides grows by 66 per cent, and
many more people call the ambulance service.
The Academy said that the effect was the biggest on children and
elderly people, who experienced stress, sleep disorders,
cardiovascular, immune and metabolism problems.
"Daylight saving time not only deteriorates national health, but also
results in economic losses, such as sick leave and additional drug
expenditures," Dr. Tatiana Yakovleva, first deputy head of the United
Russia party, was quoted as saying by the ITAR-TASS news agency.
Further research into economic reasons behind daylight saving time
also showed that the system has long outlived itself.
"There is an opinion that the artificially prolonged day helps save
energy," Public Chamber member Elena Nikolayeva said. "However,
according to an official report by specialists at the Kola nuclear
power plant, daylight saving time in Russia saves 4.4 billion
kilowatt/hours of electricity or about 31 kilowatt/hours per capita.
The thesis that the economic benefit is global for Russia's economic
life is disputable. The impact on human health and social life is much
more serious."
The daylight saving time idea was put forward back in 1895 by New
Zealand entomologist George Vernon Hudson. Nowadays, 110 out of 192
countries adjust their clocks twice a year. Iceland is the only
exception in Europe. Russia started to use daylight saving time in
1981.
http://rt.com/news/daylight-saving-time-abolished/
(via Sergei S., dxldyg via DXLD)
Furthermore, Russian timezones have generally been shifted so that
everywhere is on DST all year, one hour ahead of what standard time
should really be. Moscow is just barely east of +37.5 longitude, where
the proper boundary should be between UT +2 and UT +3, so in effect,
Moscow will be a sesquihour ahead of solar time (gh, DXLD)
PUBLICATIONS
++++++++++++
WRTH 2011 INTERNATIONAL UPDATE #1
The first update, as of Feb 2, to the WRTH 2011 has now appeared at:
http://www.wrth.com/files/WRTH2011IntRadioSuppl1_B10SchedulesUpdate.pdf
We are glad to see that some info already published in DXLD has been
incorporated, but other info which ought to have preceded the deadline
was overlooked. Perhaps WRTH will want to issue an update to the
update, as last year. Several items have been excerpted and/or
corrected elsewhere in this issue. They were originally aggregated in
one DXLDyg post (gh)
HITLER'S RADIO WAR BY ROGER TIDY
Published 31 January 2011 by Robert Hale, Clerkenwell House, 45-47
Clerkenwell Green, London EC1R 0HT Tel: +44 (0) 20 7251 2661
publicity @ halebooks.com http://www.halebooks.com price £20,00.
ISBN-13: 978-0-7090-9149-3
BOOK SHELF - New Books Reviewed by Arthur Ward
A history graduate from Birkbeck College, London, Roger Tidy a former
member of this club, has been interested in the use of international
radio as an instrument of propaganda all his adult life. He has worked
for many years in the broadcast-monitoring business and has
contributed, as a freelance writer and reporter, to numerous
publications and radio programmes in the UK and abroad. In the 1980s,
during the Cold War, he published a weekly newsletter for radio
enthusiasts, charting the latest developments in the ongoing struggle
of the airwaves between Western, Eastern and 'non-aligned' ideologies.
This book tells the story of Nazi international broadcasting before
and during the Second World War. At its peak German radio stations
broadcast in fifty-four languages to a worldwide audience.
For the first time in an international conflict, citizens of the
warring nations could hear enemy propaganda in their own living rooms.
Many of the voices that they heard belonged to a new type of criminal:
the radio traitor. The nick-name Lord Haw-Haw is still famous
internationally, but there were numerous other radio renegades
speaking on behalf of the Nazis. The Nazis' propaganda was sinister
enough, but they also ran a series of secret stations that spoke to
enemy audiences in the name of 'patriotic' dissidents who claimed to
be broadcasting from clandestine transmitters in their own countries.
Using archival material, Hitler's Radio War dissects the message that
Germany's overt and covert propaganda stations broadcast to their
audiences, as well as the lives and motivations of the broadcasters.
This 9½" x 6½", (24 x 16cm) 240 page hard bound book after the
introduction, is divided into 27 short chapters which more or less
chronologically tell the story of a score or more secret, black and
official radio stations that operated from Germany from late 1930's
until May 1945, plus a few from the Low Countries, mainly Luxemburg.
As one would expect much space deals with "Germany Calling" that was
broadcast via Hamburg, Bremen and stations in the shortwave band and
its news reader William Joyce which was always audible to listeners in
England (including me!). Many other characters appear in the text from
the traitor Norman Baillie Stewart through to the prisoners of war who
took a chance of being free from a prison camp existence to a better
life in a broadcasting studio. Some paid the penalty but others
surprisingly escaped punishment when they were captured after
hostilities ceased in May 1945.
There are stories for Americans about Americans and their way of
programming with two hosts that were carried by shortwave from the
Zeesen facility. On a bright note comes the story of Charlie
(Schwedler) and his Orchestra, but as Russell Davies said in the BBC
Radio 2 documentary "Rhythm of the Reich" reviewed here in 2006
nothing further than rumour is known about Charlie's later life and
that still is in the case, Some of Charlie's parodies, "Stormy
Weather", "Thanks for the Memory", "I Want to be Happy", "Slumming
on Park Avenue", one with a Russian flavour "Who'll Buy My Bublitchky"
and "Japanese Sandman" are given in full.
A story that I am familiar with, the Hilversum transmission of Arnhem
Calling which started three weeks after Operation Market Garden
failed, and the soft voice of Mary of Arnhem is the subject of Chapter
24.
My first reaction on seeing this book was its 2011 that's 70 years on,
a book too far, but even though much of the contents have appeared in
other works as the four page bibliography shows and obviously as many
of these stories have appeared in our magazine over the past forty
years it turned out to be a very good read. What Mr. Tidy has done is
to bring all the facts, dates and characters of this period together
between one set of covers, thus to have them all up-dated and
refreshed together on your radio bookshelf might seem an appealing
decision. (aw)
// Available direct from the publishers at www.halebooks.com at
discount price of £14.00, and from the usual online sites or High
Street bookstores (Feb World DX Club Contact via DXLD)
REVIEW: Hitler’s Radio War
With Steve Whitt
This month I’ve mostly been reading a new book called Hitler’s Radio
War by Roger Tidy. I say “mostly” because this is such a thorough book
that I’ve had little time to read much else. This book tells the story
of Nazi international broadcasting before and during the Second World
War. At its peak German radio stations broadcast 54 languages to a
worldwide audience. For the first time in an international conflict,
citizens of the warring nations could hear enemy propaganda in their
own living rooms.
Many of the voices that they heard belonged to a new type of criminal,
the radio traitor. The nickname Lord Haw-Haw is still famous
internationally, but there were numerous other radio renegades
speaking on behalf of the Nazis. The Nazis' propaganda was sinister
enough, but they also ran a series of secret stations that spoke to
enemy audiences in the name of 'patriotic' dissidents who claimed to
be broadcasting from clandestine transmitters in their own countries.
Using archival material, "Hitler's Radio War" dissects the message
that Germany's overt and covert propaganda stations broadcast to their
audiences, as well as the lives and motivations of the broadcasters.
This book clearly is extensively researched so much so that every
chapter is thoroughly annotated with the sources of the various facts
researched by the author. The book is based on archival research at
such places as the Imperial War Museum, the UK National Archives and
the BBC's Written Archives Centre at Caversham.
Although the author covers the technical side of the operation (many
MWC readers would appreciate the German’s use of Beverage antennas to
pick up news from American MW stations) the real story is one of human
faith, error or coercion in which individual’s were used to convey
white and black propaganda for the government.
The surprise in the book to my mind was the fact that radio listening
by the general public continued without much obstruction throughout
the hostilities and I was equally surprised to learn of the coverage
that many of the propaganda stations received in the national
newspapers. Surely that was how most curious listeners would have
learnt of their existence?
The unanswered question is whether all the effort and resources used
by the Germans had any tactical or strategic impact or benefit. In
this respect, although the book has a short chapter on the impact of
propaganda, it seems that this question will not be answered.
The author of Hitler’s radio War is Roger Tidy a history graduate from
Birkbeck College, London. Roger Tidy has been interested in the use of
international radio as an instrument of propaganda all his adult life.
He has worked for many years in the broadcast-monitoring business and
has contributed, as a freelance writer and reporter, to numerous
publications and radio programmes in the UK and abroad. In the 1980s,
during the Cold War, he published a weekly newsletter 'Media Monitor'
for radio enthusiasts, charting the latest developments in the ongoing
struggle of the airwaves between Western, Eastern and 'non-aligned'
ideologies. Hitler’s Radio War is published by Hale publishing;
Format: Hardback, 240 pages; size: 234 x 156 mm; Publication date: 31
Jan 2011; ISBN-13: 9780709091493 (Steve Whitt, Feb Mediumwave News,
via DXLD)
RADIO’s HIDDEN VOICE
The Origins of Public Broadcasting in the United States with Jennifer
Waits My fascination with the early days of college radio began when I
started diving into the history of the radio station at my alma mater,
Haverford College. Although Haverford’s first radio station, WABQ,
drew much press and attention during its short run from 1923 to 1927;
few people outside of the college are aware of the triumphs of this
student-built station that was for a time the most powerful college
radio station in the United States.
So, it was with great interest that I sought out Hugh Richard
Slotten’s 2009 book Radio’s Hidden Voice: The Origins of Public
Broadcasting in the United States.
In the book he points out that, “Radio stations at universities were
particularly important because they pioneered some of the earliest
experiments with radio in the United States and they played a key role
in the establishment of an alternative, non-commercial, public service
model for broadcasting.”
Also of interest to me is Slotten’s acknowledgment that college radio
faced competition from commercial stations way back in the 1920s. He
writes, “As early as 1922, President Jardine at Kansas State College
wrote to a colleague about his fears that commercial interests were
actively ‘trying to eliminate’ college radio stations.”
It’s not surprising, considering the huge growth of radio in the
United States in 1922. According to Slotten, on January 1, 1922 there
were only 28 licensed broadcast stations in the U.S. This number
soared to 570 by December 1, 1922.
In the book, there’s a big emphasis on the importance of stations at
land-grant universities, many of which offered extension courses and
home study courses over the radio airwaves (particularly in the
1920s) for residents in rural areas. Slotten points out that by the
late 1920s there was even more competition for space on the radio dial
and that many stations were forced to share frequencies and
commercial stations seemed to be favoured in the Federal Radio
Commission’s decisions surrounding assignments.
In order to gain more insight into his research into the early days of
educational radio in the United States, I spoke with Hugh Slotten over
email. In our conversation he talks about how he became interested in
college radio, explains why much of college radio’s early history has
been unwritten, and offers up his take on why pinpointing the “first
college radio station” is such a challenge.
Jennifer Waits: When did you begin researching the history of radio
and what sparked your interest in educational radio?
Hugh Slotten: I especially got interested in the history of the early
university stations after I wrote my first book on broadcasting. That
book dealt with technical standards and the role of engineers in the
early regulation of radio and television. I realized while doing the
research for that book of the importance of these early university
stations. It seemed clear that there was an important early history
that needed to be uncovered. It was also clear that their history was
tied closely to the early history of government policy. Because I
attended the University of Wisconsin-Madison as a graduate student, I
was also aware that these stations were some of the first in the
country (WHA at the UW-Madison).
Jennifer: I’m amazed that you’ve uncovered so much about the early
days of educational radio. Why do you think this history has been
largely unexplored?
Hugh: I think it has been ignored especially because the winners in
the battle that occurred early on (between the large commercial
networks and the small, non-commercial stations) have tended to
write the history. The standard histories have focused on the winners,
who portrayed the “American System” of commercial radio operated by
large networks as inevitable (the best system possible).
The records of most of the earliest stations have also been lost (in
general). But I was able to find much information in university and
college archives about the educational stations. This wasn’t easy, so
that would help explain why the early history of these stations has
not been explored.
Jennifer: There’s a great deal of conflicting information about who
can rightfully claim to be the “first” college radio station in the
U.S. In your opinion, which station was the first?
Hugh: It depends on the criteria you use to figure this out. They
didn’t give “broadcast” station licenses until after WWI. There
clearly were experiments going on as early as the late 1890s with
radio or wireless at universities (wireless telegraphy). The federal
government didn’t officially start to keep track of stations until
1913. People were operating “stations” at universities and colleges
before then but they were more like amateur operators (and not voice
transmissions expect for a few exceptions).
The first licenses were not for “broadcasting” because this didn’t
exactly exist as a separate concept until after WWI. I had a
researcher look up all the university and college station licenses
from before WWI and 1920 (published in an official register starting
in 1913) …Interestingly, one of the earliest licensed stations at a
small college was a station at Beloit College.
The University of Wisconsin was one of the first university stations
to broadcast voice transmissions. It also continued to operate during
WWI (the other ones were forced to shut down).
I think that is why it claims to be the earliest continuously operated
broadcast station. But you see that it depends on the specific
criteria you use.
Live Chess Match at WABQ in the 1920s Photo courtesy of Haverford
College Archives, HCHC photographs
Jennifer Waits: Why do you think that landgrant university stations
were “more important” than stations at other types of universities?
Hugh: Most of the earliest stations were at the larger state
universities. During the 1920s when “broadcasting” took off, things
were different (lots of smaller schools had stations too).
I focused on the state university stations especially in my book, but
I think more could be done with the stations at smaller schools and
private universities. The state university focus on extension
education (especially using radio for agricultural extension) is very
important. It provides a larger justification and a larger source of
support for these stations (state support).
Jennifer: Your book is concerned with educational radio being a
precursor to today’s public broadcasting in the United States. From
that perspective, how do you feel about the trend in recent years for
some independent college radio stations to turn more and more of their
day over to programming from public broadcasting companies?
Hugh: Actually, I wasn’t aware of that. I know there has always been a
tension been smaller independent, non-commercial stations and stations
connected to the national public broadcasting system. Local interests
clearly suffer when national networks became dominant, but I know that
it has always been difficult for small, independent stations to
survive. Your discussion of the recent history of the Haverford
station seems to underscore this problem.
Jennifer: I’ve been doing a lot of research about the history of
college radio at Haverford College. From what I’ve read, their station
was unique in the 1920s in that it was built entirely by undergraduate
students. They ultimately sold off their station at the end of 1926 to
a commercial station in Philadelphia. Have you run across similar
stories of stations from the 1920s that were student endeavours?
Hugh: Students played important roles at all of these stations (larger
state universities too). But at the state universities, faculty always
seemed to have oversight. Often, the stations were tied to existing
extension divisions too. Your research on the Haverford station seems
to show that the smaller colleges were a bit different–faculty and
staff did not seem to have as much oversight (students seemed to be
more independent).
Jennifer: Have you ever been a college radio DJ?
Hugh: No. I went to Earlham College in Richmond, Indiana (another
Quaker school). My brother was a DJ there in the early 1980s, but I
wasn’t.
Jennifer: Are you a fan of college radio today? What are your
favourite stations?
Hugh: Since I’m in New Zealand, I don’t get to listen to stations over
the air in the US (although I am in the US fairly often). I do listen
on the internet sometimes. When I’m back in the US, I’m usually either
in Washington, D.C. doing research or visiting relatives in Carlisle,
PA. In Carlisle, I do listen to the Dickinson College station
sometimes. Also, the Messiah College station is available, and I also
enjoy hearing that station.
Jennifer: Is there anything else you’d like to share about your radio
research?
Hugh: I did see your discussion of the early years of the Haverford
station. That was very interesting, especially about the international
chess playing, which I didn’t know about. Here is a link to a great
early photo of students at Radcliffe using a radio station (or radio
equipment)…It does show that some women were involved in this early
period (1922).
Radio’s Hidden Voice is available from Amazon. It is 344 pages
hardcover, published: by University of Illinois Press; 1st Edition
(June 25, 2009) ISBN-10: 0252034473 (Medium Wave News 56/09 11
February 2011 via DXLD)
EIBIview V2.2 FREEWARE JUST PUBLISHED
Hi Glenn, Hi DXLD'ers, EIBIview has now finally been released in a new
version considered stable (non-beta, compiled 2011-01-25). You'll find
it at the EIBI website http://www.eibispace.de
I sincerely hope this program will be helpful to the DXing and SWL
community. Thanks to Eike Bierwirth for hosting this little helper
program! Please find a brief description of features below.
And for those of you interested in digital NAVTEX broadcasts, you may
wish to check out its sister program NAVTEXview, kindly hosted by Alan
Gale (G4TMV) at http://www.ndblist.info/navtex.htm
Thanks to EIBI, AOKI and Alan Gale for sharing their great infos!
Best regards, Tobias (T²) from Central Europe
Here's a "Screenshot" of what it looks like in AOKI mode (see below):
_____________________________________________________________________
# EIBIview @ 1804 UTC (AOKI) * 820 stations active, 11 coming
up next, 9631 total * Winter Schedule 2010/11
---------------------------------------------------------------------
18:08:15 UTC | BBC British Broadc. Corp. via Ascension I. (ASC)
1500 - 2000 | English Service
15400 kHz | Broadcast from Ascension, 250 kW, Beam 27
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Active BBC frequencies: | ######### ### #########
kHz Language kW ITU Site Beam| ####### ## #### #############
6190 English 100 AFS Meyerton 15| ##### # ################ #
7225 English 300 CYP Limassol 359| #### ############## #
7260 English 250 CYP Limassol 90| ### # # ##### #####
7355 English 250 THA Nakhon S. 290| # # ######### ## ##
9615 English 300 G Skelton 150| ## ###### # ###
11810 English 250 ASC Ascension 65| #### * ### ###
12095 English 250 CYP Limassol 177| ###### ### #####
15400 English 250 ASC Ascension 27| #### ## #### #
15420 English 250 AFS Meyerton 5| ## #
------------------------------------| #
*kHz St'n Time Next ITU LX Site DRM | Lat-7.90 Lon-14.38 (6524km 211)
----------------------------------------------------------------------
kHz from to ITU Radio Station LX beam kW Tr. Site Lat. Lon.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
15400 2000 2100 ASC BBC E 27 250 Ascension -7.90 -14.38
15420 1700 2200 USA WBCQ The Planet E 245 50 Monticello 46.33 -67.83
15465 1700 2100 POR Radio Portugal P 226 300 Lisbon 38.78 -8.68
15520 2000 2100 ASC Family Radio E 65 250 Ascension -7.90 -14.38
15540 1800 2100 KWT Radio Kuwait E 310 150 Sulaibiyah 29.17 47.75
15550 1400 2200 USA WJHR Radio Int. E 5 1 Milton CA 30.65 -87.08
15580 1930 2100 ATN VOA Voice of Am. E 80 250 Bonaire 12.22 -68.32
15590 1600 2200 USA WRNO New Orleans E 20 50 New Orl. 29.83 -90.12
15610 1900 2400 USA EWTN (WEWN) E 85 250 Vandiver 33.50 -86.47
15620 2000 2030 STP VOA Voice of Am. F 88 100 Pinheira 0.30 6.77
15665 2000 2100 USA WHRI Cypress Cr. E 87 250 Cypress Cr.32.68 -81.13
15720 1851 2050 NZL R.New Z. DIGITAL E 0 50 Rangitaiki-38.83 176.42
----------------------------------------------------------------------
MAIN FEATURES OVERVIEW (text extracted from EIBIview Help)
EIBI AND AOKI MODES
-------------------
EIBIview can digest both EIBI (sked*.csv) and AOKI (bi*.txt) files,
giving you the choice. To switch between the two modes, hit F10 or
left click the kHz indicator.
REAL TIME BROWSING
------------------
EIBIview will by default only show the active frequencies and all
parallel frequencies of each station, so you won't have to check
what's currently on and what's not. You may also set a certain date
and time to check what was / will be on then or choose to display all
there is regardless of the activity. The built-in Look Ahead function
will also show transmissions about to start, adjustable from 0 to 60
minutes in advance.
PARALLELS LIST
--------------
If applicable, parallel and other available frequencies are displayed
in the separate Paralells List, making cross-checks quick and simple.
WORLD MAP
---------
If known, the transmitter location is displayed on a world map, along
with the true distance and angle from your location. In AOKI mode, the
antenna direction is given. Press and hold the right mouse key to
display the geographical coordinates, your distance and the azimuth
towards any point on Earth.
SORTING
-------
You may sort the Main List in multiple ways by clicking radio buttons.
This automatic sorting combines multiple column sorting with ease of
selection. While in kHz sequence, enter a frequency directly by typing
it and the selection will follow your input.
SEARCHING
---------
Find any bit of information in the lists by left clicking the world
map or simply type Ctrl + F, then enter (part of) the string you're
looking for. Hit F3 to continue.
DRM
---
Digital Radio Mondiale broadcasts may only be shown, excluded from,
or included in the Main List along with the AM broadcasts. Push the
3-state button to select these modes.
STATION SELECTOR
----------------
Launch the integrated Station Selector by hitting F2 or pressing the
mouse wheel. The list offers you all there is in alphabetical order
plus the associated ITU. Double clicking a station will take you
there immediately.
LANGUAGE GROUPS
---------------
Hit F6 or right click the Main List to select one out of 6 groups of
languages. This unique feature helps you narrow down the abundance of
information to what you're really after: You may define any
combination of one or more languages in the Preferences Screen [F12],
allocating for example your favorites in one or 2 groups, and
languages of other parts of the world (e.g. Spanish and Portugese for
South America) in another. Of course, you may also ignore the groups
and display all there is: [Ctrl + L] will toggle the all languages
vs. your selection, while any single group can be activated by [Ctrl
+ 1] through [Ctrl + 6], switching the content immediately.
LOGGING FUNCTION
----------------
EIBIview comes with 2 sample logbook files which can easily be used
for logging your received stations, one in EIBI compatible format,
and one for AOKI.
HARMONICS CALCULATOR
--------------------
You can calculate sub- and real harmonics up to a factor of 10 for
the currently active frequency by hitting F4. Manually entering any
frequency is supported, too.
OFFLINE OPERATION
-----------------
You don't have to be online to use EIBIview. Once you have the
program and data, there is no need for an internet connection at all.
The software itself also doesn't need an installation, it even runs
from a memory stick, but writing should be possible to store your
individual preferences and settings in the EIBIview folder. This
includes window position, fonts and colors, listener location, the
last selected frequency etc.
INTEGRATED HELPFILE
-------------------
The EIBIview Help Pages are easily accessed by hitting [F1] or
clicking one of the 3 station information text labels at the top of
the screen. EIBIview Help will explain all functions of the program
and also gives lots of information about International Broadcasting,
the used bands, receiving practice, logging, harmonics and related
technical items (via Tobias Taufer, Germany, Feb 7, DXLD)
RADIO EQUIPMENT FORUM
+++++++++++++++++++++
WATER WAY TO LISTEN
Radio Today, under the above headline, highlighted their favourite
press release of the week on January 26 about a water powered radio:
The team that helped commercialise the award winning Wind-Up Radio has
launched the world's first water powered radio; a product that uses
the water pressure provided by household showers to power an FM radio,
without the need for disposable batteries. The H2O brand and its
earlier product range has also previously showcased on the hit BBC TV
programme
The H2O Shower Powered Radio provides users with a convenient, and
energy-efficient, means of listening to their favourite radio stations
whilst in the shower. Using a patented micro turbine concept, the FM
radio is powered solely through the motion of water flowing through a
small H2O micro turbine; driving a generator that creates energy to
power the radio.
The radio dispels the need for disposable batteries, as the integral
battery recharges as the shower runs.
Turning on automatically when the shower is used, the H2O Shower
Powered Radio memorises the last chosen radio station and speaker
volume. The radio even allows users to carry on listening after the
shower is turned off; using any excess energy stored in an integral
Ni-Mh rechargeable cell.
Installing the H2O Shower Powered Radio is simple, with no need for
tools. The small, slim design slots directly on to the faucet of the
shower; placing the radio in a position to use the steady flow of
water on its way to the shower head, without impinging or getting in
the way of the shower user. The radio is also waterproof receiving a
waterproof rating of IP44, and so complying with industry standards.
The patented H2O micro turbine technology is the latest technology
from the H2O design labs. Previously, Vivian Blick, Managing Director
of Tango Group, the owners of the H2O brand, the company behind the
radio, showcased the H2O brand and its first generation of products on
the hit BBC television series Dragon's Den. Vivian Blick is also a
former director of Freeplay Energy Group, the company behind the
commercialisation of the Wind-up Radio, which was invented by Trevor
Baylis OBE in the 1990s. He had the following to say about the launch
of the H2O Shower Powered Radio:
"Having seen huge success with the commercialisation of the Wind-Up
Radio; we were constantly looking into new ways that further
innovations in the radio sector could be made. Creating the now-
patented micro turbine technology, that allows the radio to operate
solely through the flow of water, was the key to our new innovation;
and thus the world's first water-powered shower radio was created. We
are extremely excited about the launch of the H2O Shower Powered
Radio; particularly given its presence as the only radio of its kind
available on the market. The radio gives users a unique means of
listening to the radio in the bathroom, without having to worry about
the inconvenience that disposable batteries can cause. With the clear
sound, and excellent reception that the radio enjoys; we hope to
encourage singing in the shower all around the UK."
The radio will work with 99.9% of all household showers and will be
available to purchase from March 2011, at the recommended retail price
of £34.99. To find a list of stockists visit http://www.tangogroup.net
(Feb World DX Club Contact via DXLD) Is it April 1 yet?
BUT THAT`S NOT ALL ---
LIQUID RADIO: AMERICA’S NAVY IS DEVELOPING AN ANTENNA MADE OF SEAWATER
Military communications Jan 27th 2011 | from PRINT EDITION, ECONOMIST
Sticking out like a hundred sore thumbs [caption]
A BIG American warship bristles with more than 100 large copper
antennae that send and receive signals for its weapons, its radar and
its voice and data communications. A lot of aerials, then, but still
not enough. The navy wants its ships to carry even more of them.
Fulfilling that desire has, however, stymied experts for decades. If
placed too close together, antennae interfere with each other’s
signals. They also get in the way of aircraft and weapons. And,
crucially, naval antennae — many of them more than 20 metres tall —
make warships more easily visible to enemy radar.
At the American navy’s Space and Naval Warfare Systems Command (known
as SPAWAR for short), in San Diego, a team of more than 30 engineers
is trying to solve such problems. In 2007 the team’s leader, Daniel
Tam, thought of a possible answer, appropriately enough, while taking
his morning shower. The sodium and chloride ions in salt water conduct
electricity. Could a spout of seawater, he mused, replace a metal
antenna?
After a trip to a hardware store, Mr Tam discovered that indeed it
could. With an $80 water pump, a $15 rubber hose and a $20 electrical
device called a current probe that was easily plugged into a hand-held
radio, he produced a spout roughly four metres tall from the waters of
San Diego Bay. With this he could send and receive a clear signal.
Over the intervening years his invention, dubbed the “pee antenna” by
incredulous colleagues, has been tweaked and improved to the point
where it can transmit over a distance of more than 50km (30 miles)...
http://www.economist.com/node/18007506?story_id=18007506&CFID=161081930&CFTOKEN=10722635
(via Gerald T Pollard, NC, DXLD) Also check the comments, only a dozen
GLOBAL TUNERS REACHES 55 RECEIVERS WORLD-WIDE
Southgate February 6, 2011
You can now access 55 receivers world-wide on the Global Tuners
website. Receivers on-line operate a variety of modes including the AM
and FM broadcast bands, the shortwave spectrum, HF and UHF bands in
various modes.
Countries currently on-line include the USA, Australia, Finland,
France, Germany , Greece , Italy , Hong Kong, the Netherlands, the
Slovak Republic, Sweden and the United Kingdom to mention only a few.
So far there are 33,777 registered members and you will have to sign
up for an account if you wish to control a receiver. For more
information go to: http://www.globaltuners.com
(from http://www.southgatearc.org/ via Mike Terry, dxldyg via DXLD)
DIGITAL BROADCASTING --- DAB/DRM+ See UK
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
DIGITAL BROADCASTING --- DRM See BELGIUM; LUXEMBOURG; RUSSIA; UK+;
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ USA; VATICAN; UNID 1359; PUBLICATIONS
DIGITAL BROADCASTING --- DTV See also OKLAHOMA
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
SET-TOP BOXES FAILING
Two of my DTV STBs have started to act up independently, turning
themselves off without warning. The Zenith went from red-eye to no-eye
rather than blue-eye when I tried to turn it back on. I swapped it out
for one less used since the Transition. Plugged in again a few days
later, its eye is blue and red again but haven`t hooked it up yet to
see if it`s really funxional.
The Insignia has also been turning itself off unexpectedly, but would
come back on. Except one time it froze with some kind of error message
over half the screen, which I have NEVER seen before, while audio
continued, but channel would not change and would not turn off either.
Unplugged for a bit, and plugged back in apparently rebooted and OK
for now, until the next failure. Anyone else experienced these
symptoms, suggestions? (Glenn Hauser, OK)
My Zenith has had its software crash with errors several times (almost
looks like a Commodore 64 screen). Needs to be unplugged to get back
to normal (Bill Hepburn, Ont., DX LISTENING DIGEST)
We used to use an Insignia to monitor our Telemundo 4.2 subchannel,
and it would do this periodically. As Bill Hepburn says, the fix is to
unplug it for a second & plug it back in. – (Doug Smith W9WI, Pleasant
View, TN EM66, WSMV, DXLD)
I have already lost some programs I was taping unattended because of
this newfound unreliability (gh, DXLD)
Been running my Zenith box, 24/7, for 2+ years with no problems.
73, (Ed NN2E, Owner / Operator - Murphy's Law Test Site &
Thunderstorm Proving Grounds, Benton, KY. EM56, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
I have four or five Zenith/Insignia boxes, and of them, one started to
get flickering video and had to be swapped out. That one then found
its way to the UVA radio club where it subsequently died a few months
later with error messages and freezes every few minutes.
The others are still fine, though one of them loses the aspect ratio
every so often such that it stretches vertically, chopping off the top
and bottom. It has to be turned off and on to restore it, but
otherwise all is well among them. - (Trip Ericson,
http://www.rabbitears.info DX LISTENING DIGEST)
Good evening Glen[n], Our STB (Digital Stream DTX9950) occasionally
hangs up with a cryptic error message. A call to the manufacturer's
support line informed us that the error was due to "corrupted program
guide" data received from the station. Essentially, in that particular
case, it was a buffer overflow issue. I have no idea if you're
experiencing the same issue, but our issue occurs with a regular
frequency when viewing our local OETA PBS translator (either OETA 36-1
or OKLA 36-2 in our neck of the woods). Now that I think about it, I
think that's the only channel that causes it. For what it's worth,
(Jeramy Ross W5XTL, Lawton, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
I bet that`s it --- I was probably watching OETA too, as it`s the
prime OTA DTV of any use whatsoever around here (gh, Enid)
If it has a wall wart power supply, try replacing that. It often is
the cause of intermittent failures (Craig Healy, Providence, RI, WTFDA
via DXLD) No wall warts for these (gh)
This has been a thread in the WTFDA forum, see below.
http://www.wtfda.info/showthread.php?p=16572#post16572
Could well be power supply electrolytic capacitor problems, especially
if the box runs hot. A symptom of old Panasonic set top boxes here in
Europe was switching to standby now and again, reboooting solving the
problem. Till in the end it wouldn't, just stuck in standby this
wasn't power supply but main board problem.
Some set top boxes seem designed to fail due to so much heat; they're
built down to a price. The old "Mission Impossible" tape recorder
always springs to mind, "This box is designed to fail in 12 months"
(Mr Hugh Hoover, Portugal, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
My main DX STB box is a Zenith which I have been using since before
the transition. No problems. I have an identical Insignia box on
another set that I use less frequently and which I have had no
problems with. I have two other Insignia boxes still un-boxed in case
I do have any problems. Have three others in boxes--Magavox, Dish, and
DigiStream that I haven't tried yet. Two early Accurian and one RCA
ATSC-11 box have failed. The Win TV-D still installed in an old
computer that I started DTV DXing with over 10 years ago still works
but I don't use it very often. I use a Toshiba VHS/DVD recorder's
built-in tuner with an older tube Samsung HDTV as the Samsung tuner
won't reliably tune Kansas City DTVs. Two new Sony HDTV sets are not
DX friendly and are used only for family viewing. I would hate to be
without a Zenith/Insignia box for regular viewing. There can't be too
much demand for DTV boxes in the U.S. anymore and I am surprised that
Radio Shack hasn't put their remaining stock on sale. Maybe plans are
to ship them off to Canada or Mexico when the transition is completed
in those countries (Dave Pomeroy, Topeka, Kansas, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
We're not really that far after conversion. Analog TV's can last a
long time, and for those who have them and perhaps have fixed incomes,
there's likely an expectation of keeping them as long as they operate
– probably without thought that the STB's probably won't last as long.
We don't use the TV's that have STB's very often - in fact one is
unplugged entirely. That lack of use will hopefully offset any
potential issues from overheating, although I haven't noticed that
with the Zenith STB's. I can still use the smaller TV without the STB
for TV DX should I have the inclination.
My understanding is the same as that in a prior post or two that these
STB's weren't made with longevity in mind, so I fully expect I could
go through both STB's for one TV while using the other for DX and
still have two working analog TV's and no working STB's. I could
probably be persuaded to purchase another Zenith as a backup if I see
them. But based on everything I've heard and read, I'm not sure I'd
want to rely on a DigiStream. – (Russ Edmunds, Blue Bell, PA. ( 15 mi
NW of Philadelphia ) WTFDA via DXLD)
Glenn, do you keep the STBs on 24/7? I've heard of situations where
the Zenith/Insignia boxes need to be turned off on a daily basis in
order to avoid problems like you are having. I also know of one
situation where the box died after several months of continuous use.
On the other hand, there are a few DXers who run their DTVs 24/7
without problems (Danny Oglethorpe, Shreveport, LA, ABDX via DXLD)
No, they are on long hours usually, but not 24/7 (gh, DXLD)
My Insignia will crash (freeze up) every once in awhile & the only way
to fix it is to unplug it for a minute, then plug it back in & turn it
back on. It's done that off & on since I first hooked it up (Robert M
Bratcher, Jr, Feb 5, ABDX via DXLD)
I have cable so had no need to go the converter route, but a friend of
mine bought several of them when the rebates were available. He's had
a couple of them fail. It seems clear the manufacturers slapped these
things together as cheaply as possible to get in on the big government
cash giveaway.
A couple years ago I spent a few months at my parents' house. Soon
after I arrived I set up my radios and found a horrible RF racket over
much of the dial. A bit of prospecting with one of the ultralights
quickly lead me to the DTV STB they had for the one TV in the house
that wasn't on cable. They normally left the box on all the time and
just turned the TV off. I turned off the STB and the horrible noise
instantly disappeared. My listening post was a good 40 feet away from
the STB, so it was putting out a LOT of noise. – (Jay Heyl, ABDX via
DXLD) Even if you have cable you also `need` OTA DTV (gh, DXLD)
Ages ago, before the music channels were integrated with the regular
STBs, I had a separate box for tuning cable music. It was powered from
a switched console used for my computer. I turned the master switch on
the console off every night. Then I noticed there were some channels I
was unable to receive anymore. I went several rounds with the cable
company. They'd send signals to the box and it would start working
again. A few weeks later some of the channels didn't work again.
Finally somebody asked if I switched off power to the box at night.
Turns out they regularly reprogrammed the boxes at 3 am and mine was
missing the updates because it was powered down.
I think many of the cable boxes today are a bit smarter and will ask
for program downloads when they're powered on, but I still leave mine
running 24/7. On an individual basis the amount of electricity used is
negligible. That spinning disk drive likely doesn't use more than a
couple Watts
I have a PA system amp I use to power the subwoofers in my audio
system. Because of its intended use, there's no remote, just a
mechanical power switch on the front. I'm far too lazy to get up out
of the chair to go turn that one piece of equipment on when I can
fully control all the rest from the comfort of my easy chair. It used
to bug me that I was wasting electricity. Then I use a Kill-a-Watt
meter to monitor the power usage. Just idling it used well under 1kWH
a month. I stopped worrying about it when I knew it was costing me
less than a quarter a month (-- Jay Heyl, ABDX via DXLD)
My cable STB is on a power strip so I can shut it completely off at
night. It has a DVR that wastes a lot of power when just the power
button is off because the hard drive spins 24/7. Not many STBs are
Energy Star yet (Tim Kridel, ibid.)
Your emails inspired me to look for a spare Zenith. There are quite a
few New in Box DTT901s on EBay. I picked one up this afternoon for
$39.00. I have a new Channel Master box, too that I've never opened.
Has anyone used this converter? (Mike Hunter, W2MHZ, Neshanic Station,
NJ, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
I tested one and wrote a review on it for WTFDA. Find the review
here.....
http://www.wtfda.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=143&Itemid=43
(Jim Thomas, wdx0fbu, Springfield, Missouri, WTFDA via DXLD)
Thank you Jim. It seems the CM might be best left in the box (Mike
Hunter, ibid.)
So you haven't put a Kill-a-Watt meter on the STB? I haven't either,
but considering how hot it is even after sitting powered off
overnight, I wouldn't be surprised if it's like the Drake R8, which
someone posted draws nearly as much power off as on (Tim Kridel, Feb
6, ABDX via DXLD)
My Insignia has now reached the point where it will turn itself off
after a few minutes, and sometimes freeze on the error message. This
gave me plenty of time to copy and photograph it. The screen is full
of 8 digit numbers, but the text portions include:
64ms
Program counter at exception
MMU Control register
INST ``unknown fault status (OxO8)`` DATA Transition Section (OxO5)``
debug Main (exc)
[could be zeroes instead of Oh`s; not crossed]
This happened when I was tuned to KFOR-27, but just before that I was
on OETA-13; as Jeramy suggested could be the cause. Zeniths are not
doing this and have resumed reliability so far (Glenn Hauser, Feb 10,
DX LISTENING DIGEST)
PROPAGATION
+++++++++++
The geomagnetic field ranged from quiet to major storm levels during
the period. The field was mostly at quiet to unsettled levels until
mid-day on 01 February when the onset of a recurrent coronal hole high
speed stream (CH HSS) brought a period of active to minor storm
conditions. These levels lasted through mid-day on 02 February, after
which the field returned to quiet levels. A sudden impulse was
observed at 04/0236 UTC (8 nT detected at the Boulder magnetometer)
from a shock behind a slow moving CME. Late on the 4th, Bz was
southward between -15 to -20 nT and geomagnetic activity had increased
to active to major storm levels. Solar wind speeds approached 500 km/s
after the initial shock and peaked near 675 km/s early on the 5th. The
CME originated on 30 January and was embedded in a recurrent CH HSS,
which arrived mid-day on 05 February. As a result, active to minor
storm levels persisted through 06 February. The following day saw a
return to quiet geomagnetic conditions.
FORECAST OF SOLAR AND GEOMAGNETIC ACTIVITY 09 FEBRUARY - 07 MARCH 2011
Solar activity is expected to be at very low levels with a chance for
a C-class X-ray event through the period. The return of old Region
1149 (N17, L= 349) on 10 February will add a slight chance for M-class
events through 23 February. No proton events are expected at
geosynchronous orbit. The greater than 2 MeV electron flux at
geosynchronous orbit is expected to begin the period at high levels,
returning to low levels by 11 February.
Geomagnetic activity is expected to be mostly quiet early, with
occasional unsettled periods through 10 February in response to a weak
CH HSS. Conditions are expected to be quiet from 11-28 February. A
second CH HSS is expected to be geoeffective 01-04 March, bringing
unsettled to occasionally active geomagnetic field conditons.
:Product: 27-day Space Weather Outlook Table 27DO.txt
:Issued: 2011 Feb 08 2027 UTC
# Prepared by the US Dept. of Commerce, NOAA, Space Weather Prediction
Center
# Product description and SWPC contact on the Web
# http://www.swpc.noaa.gov/wwire.html
#
# 27-day Space Weather Outlook Table
# Issued 2011-02-08
#
# UTC Radio Flux Planetary Largest
# Date 10.7 cm A Index Kp Index
2011 Feb 09 82 7 2
2011 Feb 10 82 7 2
2011 Feb 11 82 5 2
2011 Feb 12 82 5 2
2011 Feb 13 82 5 2
2011 Feb 14 82 5 2
2011 Feb 15 82 5 2
2011 Feb 16 84 5 2
2011 Feb 17 88 5 2
2011 Feb 18 88 5 2
2011 Feb 19 88 5 2
2011 Feb 20 88 5 2
2011 Feb 21 86 5 2
2011 Feb 22 84 5 2
2011 Feb 23 84 5 2
2011 Feb 24 80 5 2
2011 Feb 25 80 5 2
2011 Feb 26 80 5 2
2011 Feb 27 80 5 2
2011 Feb 28 80 5 2
2011 Mar 01 80 8 3
2011 Mar 02 80 10 3
2011 Mar 03 80 10 3
2011 Mar 04 80 8 3
2011 Mar 05 80 5 2
2011 Mar 06 80 5 2
2011 Mar 07 80 5 2
(SWPC via WORLD OF RADIO 1551, DXLD) ###