DX LISTENING DIGEST 1-178, November 21, 2001 edited by Glenn Hauser, wghauser@hotmail.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. For restrixions and searchable 2001, 2000 contents archive see} http://www.angelfire.com/ok/worldofradio/Dxldmid.html Check the WOR websites: http://www.angelfire.com/ok/worldofradio/ http://www.worldofradio.com [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 #1106: (STREAM) http://www.worldofradio.com/wor1106ram (DOWNLOAD) http://www.worldofradio.com/wor1106.rm (SUMMARY) http://www.angelfire.com/ok/worldofradio/wor1106.html [summary posted at 2145 UT November 21] FIRST AIRINGS ON WBCQ: UT Thursday 0030 and 0600 on 7415 FIRST AIRINGS ON WWCR: Thursday 2130 on 15685, Friday 1030 on 3210[NEW], Saturday 0300 on 3215 FIRST AIRINGS ON RFPI: Friday 1930, Saturday 0130, 0730, 1330 on some of: 21815-USB, 15040, 7445 THE OPEN DIRECTORY has a large listing of links directly to the individual sites of about 80 international broadcasters. You might find that helpful (John Townes, swprograms via DXLD) http://dmoz.org/Arts/Radio/International_Broadcasters/ ** AFGHANISTAN. The new name of Radio Afghanistan At the frontpage ClandestineRadio.com you'll find the (now) famous picture 'the new name of Radio Afghanistan' and a video file showing the installation of that new name. [CRW Team via DXLD] From NHK, also shows interior of studios (gh, DXLD) ** AFGHANISTAN. While we normally don`t reprint BBCM reports quoting DXLD, as rather redundant, you may be interested in how BBCM has dealt with our previous reports on 9950; much further down you`ll find their own follow-up report: (gh) MD1-AFGHAN-SHORTWAVE Afghanistan: Reported resumption of shortwave broadcasts A radio station possibly called "Voice of Afghanistan" has been reported by shortwave listeners in Mexico and the US. The frequency is 9950 kHz, time of broadcast 1330-1430 gmt, in languages thought to be Pashto/Dari. Glenn Hauser's DX Listening Digest e-mail newsletter on 20 November included a report that he had monitored 9950 kHz for one hour from 1326 gmt on 20 November. The station identified itself variously as Radio Sada-i Afghanistan and Afghanistan-Radio. The broadcast contained frequent musical interludes or backgrounds. Glenn Hauser's report continued: "Modulation, precision and production were of high standard, as was the signal strength, and I very seriously doubt this could have been transmitted directly from Afghanistan. More likely, to Afghanistan. As far as I know, there have been no previous reports of this in the DX or mainstream press, nor by BBC Monitoring, though there were certainly plans for the Northern Alliance to start up such a station, originally from areas it controlled north of Kabul. My guess is that this is transmitted from IBB [International Broadcasting Bureau - US] or CIS [Commonwealth of Independent States] facilities, but studios where? There were also plans for a US-sponsored Radio Free Afghanistan, presumably from RFE/RL HQ in Prague. Possibly this is it, as RFE/RL were reported to be ready to start at a moment`s notice. However, the word Azad was never heard in the IDs. Since Afghanistan is increasingly free of the Taleban, perhaps that word has been considered unnecessary." Another item from contributor Adrian M. Peterson included in Glenn Hauser's DX Listening Digest newsletter on 20 November, and headlined "Afghanistan. Radio Afghanistan returns to the shortwave scene", stated: "This evening, NPR [US National Public Radio] gave a report from Kabul in Afghanistan regarding the reactivation of the radio station, indicating that the station has returned to the SW scene. The NPR reporter was in Kabul, in the studios of Radio Afghanistan. He stated that the station and its facilities were previously operated by the Taleban as `Radio Shari'ah' and the station name has been changed (reverted) to Radio Afghanistan. There are now two women announcers on the air reading the news, one in Dari and one in Pashto, I would imagine. They are now broadcasting music, children's programmes as well as sports information. The station is operating at less than half capacity, probably programme-wise as well as power output. The man who is now the manager of Radio Afghanistan was last week managing the small Northern Alliance station in the Panjsher Valley. He has retained the previous Taleban staff, mainly due to the unavailability of experienced staff. "It was also stated that SW is the best way to give coverage to all of Afghanistan, thus indicating that the station is again on the air SW. The station is on the air daily beginning at 7:00 pm (local time). "The NPR reporter also played a cut from one of the announcers reading the news as well as some traditional Afghan music now on the air from this station..." The link to the five-minute NPR "All Things Considered" report, which includes an opening ID as "Radio Afghanistan, Kabul", is: http://www.npr.org/ramfiles/atc/20011119.atc.02.ram The 21 November issue of DX Listening Digest included the following contribution from Bill Whitacre of IBB Monitoring: "Radio Free Afghanistan is still in the funding stages - 15m dollars as I hear. Our schedulers have proposed hours of operation I believe but no idea of when it'll come on their. They're also dealing with a boatload of additional VOA and RFE/RL programming for the `war against terrorism'. Where it's going to fit in our network I have no idea!" Source: DX Listening Digest e-mail newsletter in English 20-21 Nov 01 BBC Mon MD1 Media pf We were listening again to 9950 at *1330-1430* Nov 21. Similar but different program to previous day`s, with frequent pauses for brief Qur`an recitations, but did not hear the ``Watanah`` poem this time. Held up well until the last few minutes. Now we have several more reports on the same broadcast (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) AFGHANISTAN(??) 9950, V. Afghanistan, 1415-1430 M in subcont lang, mention of "Saday-eh Afghanistan at 1415" followed by Koran at 1418. Into subcont mx at 1420. M at 1423 then back into more subcont- sounding music. M at 1428 (13:30) with possible ID, then short music and into dead air with transmitter off at 14:30:20. Excellent signal levels (S6-S7) on the WJ8712P/8711A on the N-S EWE (a weak signal antenna having good S\N ratio) here in Oregon. Commando Solo heard on 8700USB at the same time period but definitely not the same programming. This frequency was reported by Adolfo Murrieta González in DXLD1-176. I heard the NPR story two days ago, but I have heard nothing on the former V. Shariya frequency of 7089v (Don Nelson, OR, Nov 21, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Hello everyone, I've just been monitoring the station on 9950 that Glenn wrote about between c1325 and c1431. The opening procedure was exactly as described by Glenn. Unfortunately, I was interrupted by a phone call as the station came on (didn`t have my tape recorder switched on!), and am not totally clear about the ID at 1330. However, the transmission was split into four quarter hour programmes, each with its own ID. I did catch the ID at 1345 as "Radio Seday-e Afghanistan". Exactly the same ID was heard again --- and what sounded the same programme --- which featured the same martial music --- at 1415. At 1400, the ID was "Da Afghanistan Rag(phonetic) Radio". All four transmissions featured Koran, probably news --- I heard Taleban mentioned, and Azardi. However, these words were NOT used in the IDs heard, and were thought to be within the news. I also heard mention (between 1400 and 1415) of "Da Palestin 'Rag' Radio", so it's assumed a general type of announcement/ID. Some nice music featured throughout. My initial feeling is that two languages were used - Pashtu / Dari - and repeated. However, this is a first logging, and further listening is required. As to transmitter location --- I doubt if in Afghanistan as the signal was strongly received and of clean quality --- and 9 MHz would surely be too high for internal reception. There's a nearby D. Welle transmission in German on 9940 which was similar in strength, but not in audio quality (wooly) -- I guess a Russian site. VOA UDORN 9510 300 degrees in Urdu was not as strong as 9950 (Tibetan from UDORN on 7290 311 degrees was stronger and of similar characteristics). I couldn`t find an IRA [Iranawila, Sri Lanka, IBB, he presumably means, rather than IRAN –gh] outlet on 7 or 9 MHz to compare. V of Russia in Dari/Pashto same time was very poor on 9900 (Samara?) and not much better up on 15 MHz. The audio on 9950 sounds different to that used by Iran and the Alma Ata & Dushanbe relays of RFA and their services eastwards are not received at this strength either. If Kavalla, their aerial is producing good back lobes --- I think that site could use a higher frequency too. Best 73's (Noel Green, England, Nov 21, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Friends, I checked up the station reported on 9950 at 1330-1430 by Murrieta G. of Mexico and here are my observations of today, 21 Nov 2001. The program started at 1330 UT after open carrier and test tone. The program sounded like Afghanistan languages and new programs (segments) were heard at 1330, 1400 & 1415 (and may be at 1345 also; I did not check it). Till 1415 ID was "Afghanistan.......Radio" but from 1415 its ID was something like "Radio Sadayeh Afghanistan". Each segment had music, ID, Koran recitation, Music, Talk etc. The station signed off at 1430 and was quite strong here at Hyderabad, India (Jose Jacob, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Afghan Radio 9950: Very strong tonight, SINPO 45555. Good clear audio too. Mostly man talking in one of the local langs (and perhaps reading a poem at 13:40?) with quite bit of music, both Chant style [Qur`an –gh] and more uptempo with instruments and singing --- definitely NOT the kind of programming the Taliban would approve of! There were many mentions of Afghan. ID sounded like "Afghan Sogoi Radio?" One uptempo was repeated often (nat anthem?). Seemed to give sked (heard word kiloherz) at 1400, then off at 1430 with that tune again. Hey! anyone know of a website that plays national anthems? or some software? I saw a press conference by a spokesman for Taliban on CNN tonight. He referred to the Taliban part of Afghanistan as "Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan" (Jem Cullen, ARDXC, Nov 21, via DXLD) There's a Radio Voice of Afghanistan at http://www.rvoa.org/index.html apparently US based. Home Page mentions KEST 1450 AM, wherever that is. Maybe these people have hired some time on shortwave? (Andy Sennitt, Radio Netherlands, ODXA via DXLD) I listened to the beginning of their Nov 17 60-minute audio file, and the ID and programming were not the same as I have heard on 9950. After brief opening, went into long monolog by a male speaker (gh, DXLD) ============================================================ Here`s the BBCM follow-up report we have all been awaiting!: Afghanistan: Radio Voice of Afghanistan heard on shortwave | Radio Voice of Afghanistan picture bulletin 21 November The following is a picture bulletin for the "Radio Voice of Afghanistan" broadcast in Pashto and Dari, monitored by the BBC from 1330-1430 gmt on Wednesday 21 November: - 1330 gmt - Programme in Pashto began with station identification of "Da Afghanistan Ghaq Radio" [Radio Voice of Afghanistan] and an announcement saying "Da Afghan nasharati moasesai warandi kawi" [Presented by Afghan broadcasting agency]. Music was played between each announcement. The announcer read out the following in Pashto: "In the name of God, the Merciful, the Compassionate. We are pleased that it is the time of our programme again, and we are at your service presenting test programmes of Radio Voice of Afghanistan. Radio Voice of Afghanistan has begun its test programmes on the 31-metre shortwave band, corresponding to 9950 kHz. It will begin its main programme very soon with a speech by the founder of the Radio Voice of Afghanistan and Afghan intellectual, Sayd Jalal Afghan. We begin today's programme with the recitation of a few verses from the Holy Koran". - Koranic recitation. - Report in Pashto saying that Afghanistan has suffered as a result of war in the last 20 years. It added: "There are no mass media in the country such as radio, television, newspapers, magazines and other publications which would be accessible to all compatriots. It was because of this need that Radio Voice of Afghanistan was set up and began its test programmes. It will broadcast the latest international news and news about Afghanistan, as well as cultural, scientific and religious programmes. Radio Voice of Afghanistan will have an hour-long programme every day starting at six [p.m. - 1330 gmt] in Pashto and Dari on the 31-metre shortwave band, corresponding to 9950 kHz." - Patriotic song. - Announcement in Pashto: "Dear compatriots. As you know, Radio Voice of Afghanistan began its test broadcasts in the last few days." The announcement repeats the broadcast time. - Poem in praise of the homeland. - Report in Pashto: "Dear listeners. The common home of Afghans, dear Afghanistan, has suffered as a result of war for the last two decades and almost everything in this country has been destroyed. The international community has started to pay attention to our country. News about the reconstruction of Afghanistan has been broadcast via radios everywhere. These efforts by the international community are worthy of respect. The participation of Afghans themselves in this regard is very significant. This is because it is an obligation of each Afghan to take part in the reconstruction of his or her country. They should take advantage of the facilities which will be provided by the international community. The international community is waiting to see Afghans embrace each other once again and forget past animosity. This is because we have a saying that "blood cannot be washed out with blood". It is our duty to demonstrate to the international community that we can take a more active part in the reconstruction of our country. We will be able to make our country stand alongside the developed countries in the world." - Closing announcement. - 1345 gmt - Programme in Dari began with station identification of "Radio Saday-e Afghanistan" [Radio Voice of Afghanistan] and an announcement: "Moasesai nasharati Afghan taqtim mi konad" [Presented by Afghan broadcasting agency]. Music played before and after each announcement. This was followed by the announcement: "Dear listeners, you are hearing our test broadcast. We will broadcast every day at 6.30 [pm] Kabul time [1400 gmt] on the 31-metre band shortwave, corresponding to 9950 kHz. We begin today's programme with the recitation of a few verses from the Holy Koran". - Koranic recitation. - Report in Dari: "War is a destructive phenomenon. The continuation of over two decades of war in our dear country, Afghanistan, has inflicted heavy blows on all aspects of our lives, including radio, television and newspapers, which have suffered as a result of this. This issue initiated the idea of setting up Radio Voice of Afghanistan. The radio is founded with the financial assistance of Sayd Jalal Afghan. It will try to play a positive role in the process of ending war and creating understanding and national unity among Afghans. We will soon begin our main programmes." The report adds that each Afghan should help in the process of ending war, adding: "Radio Voice of Afghanistan will make every effort to play a role in the process of ensuring peace and creating a climate filled with affection and trust among all nationals of a united Afghanistan". It repeats the frequencies, and then says: " We will very soon give you our addresses, our telephone and fax numbers." - Song. - Announcement on schedules. - Patriotic song. - Announcement saying: "Our first main programme to be broadcast soon. This is to test the airwaves." 1400 gmt - Repeat of Pashto programme. 1415 gmt: Repeat of Dari programme. [Note: On 21 November BBC Monitoring heard the radio station identifying itself as Radio Voice of Afghanistan on 9950 kHz shortwave from sign-on at 1330 gmt to sign-off at 1430 gmt. The transmitter characteristics, aerial usage and strength of the broadcast suggest this might be relayed from a transmitter site in the Former Soviet Union.] Source: Radio Voice of Afghanistan in Pashto/Dari 1330 gmt 21 Nov 01 (via DXLD) So there we have it, an authoritative summary of the content with correct IDs. But the studio origination is still not at all clear. They do not claim to be in Kabul, and this may well represent one of many exile factions from somewhere abroad. However, the ``Afghan broadcasting agency`` makes it sound official. The forthcoming fax and phone numbers should give us some bigger clues. And we need to know more about its backer, Sayd Jalal Afghan (Glenn Hauser, DX LISTENING DIGEST) And today`s roundup, with duplications about the above omitted: Afghanistan: Media round-up Wednesday 21 November 2001 SHORTWAVE Resumption of shortwave broadcasts A radio station called "Radio Voice of Afghanistan" has been reported by shortwave listeners in Mexico and the US. The frequency is 9950 kHz, time of broadcast 1330-1430 gmt, in languages thought to be Pashto/Dari.... KABUL Radio Afghanistan BBC Monitoring has not yet observed the reported Kabul radio broadcasts. The station known as Radio Kabul or Radio Afghanistan is broadcasting via a mobile transmitter. The director of the Kabul-based radio, in an interview for India's Star News TV on 16 November, said the station was transmitting for three hours in the morning and four hours in the evening daily. The former Taleban-controlled Radio Voice of Shari'ah was last heard by BBC Monitoring on its shortwave frequency of 7085 kHz, on 8 October. Kabul TV on the air Kabul television began its first broadcast since 1996 at 1330 gmt (1800 local time) on Sunday 18 November. The Taleban had previously banned TV for five years. The station's transmitter can potentially cover a 60-km (36-mile) radius, but technical limitations have reduced the range, at least for the moment. Broadcasting through a 10-Watt transmitter, Kabul TV will be seen at first only for three hours a day in central Kabul. "Liberation" of Afghan television victory over terrorism, extremism - London's Al-Hayat Text of report by London-based newspaper Al-Hayat on 20 November Can you imagine a world without television? The Taleban did achieve this terrible fantasy. It deprived the Afghan people of the most important media organ of this age; put an end to watching scenes of people's daily lives; caused events, information, and scientific and medical developments to disappear; slammed the door on pictures, views, and other opinions; drowned the Afghans in an isolation as dark as the darkest night; usurped the right to knowledge; practised and advocated ignorance; banned television; and smashed the television screens. The day before yesterday Afghan television came back to life and presenters resumed their work after a five-year break imposed by the Taleban. The people took the television sets out of their hiding places, dusted them off and relayed the news. The people - both those who believed and those who did not - asked whether television did indeed come back to life, and then breathed a sigh of relief. How awful the Taleban are, and what a heartless movement this is - a movement which was more ignorant than the most ignorant, which took us back centuries, and which came on the pretext of putting an end to the war, spreading security and the true faith, and uniting the country. And all of a sudden they began alienating people from religion; distorted the image of Islam; put an end to the freedom of dialogue and to listening to the news; practised repression; blocked out the light; allied itself with injustice, darkness, and misery; fought civilization and modernity; caused awareness to disappear; put a ban on information, imagination, creativity and expectations; humiliated women; violated human rights; and turned the Afghan people's lives into hell. The war on ignorance and backwardness is undoubtedly worthier than the war on terrorism. The news that Afghan television has resumed its broadcasts and has been released from the jail of "the students of ignorance and backwardness" is as important as the news of their expulsion from Kabul, and one of the major achievements of this war. Unfortunately however, this achievement has not been given the prominence it deserves despite the fact that it is a victory over terrorism, extremism and excess, and an indication of the scale of the injustice that the Taleban committed against the Afghan people and against freedom. Source: Al-Hayat, London, in Arabic 20 Nov 01 MAZAR-E SHARIF Balkh Radio On Wednesday 21 November, the radio station broadcasting from the northern Afghan city of Mazar-e Sharif --- identifying itself as Balkh Radio --- was observed broadcasting as scheduled from 0230 to 0430 gmt on its usual frequency of 1584 kHz. Balkh Radio was heard later on 21 November, beginning its evening broadcasts earlier than scheduled at 1145 gmt; the broadcasts usually begin at 1230 gmt. The radio was carrying a religious talk on Ramadan. 21 November morning broadcast The 0230-0430 gmt morning broadcast of Balkh Radio in Dari and Pashto began with recitation and interpretation of the Koran, poetry, commentary on Ramadan and songs. The news in Pashto repeated an earlier bulletin from 1330 gmt on 20 November. The news bulletin included the following items: Gen Dostum's activities: Gen Abdorrashid Dostum met the heads of military councils in Samangan and Fariab provinces and other military commanders on 20 November. Gen Dostum later met officials and commanders from Sar-e Pol Province. Energy shortage: Gas pipelines in some areas of Mazar-e Sharif have been turned off for the lack of gas. Media: The setting up of Balkh Television station started yesterday and has been speedily continuing. The news in Dari and Turkmen repeated the Pashto news bulletin. Balkh TV airs one-hour test programme Text of report by Afghan Balkh radio on 20 November In line with the cultural policies of the Islamic State of Afghanistan, work to repair the transmitter of Balkh Television began today by the technical employees and talented engineers of Balkh Radio and Television. They are working hard to complete the task as soon as possible. The programmes of Balkh Television were interrupted during the era of the Taleban rule, and most of its technical equipment and archive material were sent to the capital [Kabul]. However, the television transmitter is being repaired using limited resources which have been salvaged by sympathetic technical and professional employees. According to a technician, Balkh Television today successfully aired one hour of test programmes. It is hoped that full coverage of Balkh Television will start soon with the attention of the officials of cultural departments and efforts of the employees of broadcast and technical departments. In this way, the television will be able to provide good and worthy services to the citizens of Mazar-e Sharif and Balkh Province. Source: Balkh Radio, Mazar-e Sharif, in Dari 1330 gmt 20 Nov 01 HERAT Radio Herat The BBC continues to monitor a station identifying itself as Radio Herat broadcasting in Dari from the western city of Herat. [WTFK??!!] Herat television A TV station in Herat calling itself "Herat City Television" is on the air, broadcasting in Dari from 1600 local time (1130 gmt) for two and a half hours a day. Herat officials to give priority to improving quality of media Text of editorial headlined "The roots of hope are rising from the field of freedom" published by Afghan newspaper Etefaq-e Islam on 19 November The present pleasant and free atmosphere in ancient Herat Province has appeared as a result of the blessings of Almighty God and the unprecedented courage of our brave youths and Mojahedin under the leadership of the beloved emir of the southwest zone. The appearance of this atmosphere has shone the glitter of hope and tears of happiness in the eyes of our righteous loving people after years of deprivation. The recapture of Herat Province from the hands of the Taleban to the Mojahedin, which has been a complex and difficult process, as a whole is the bearer of two fundamental messages. The first is that it is impossible a nation could be captive to one's imagination and superstitions with the strikes of lashes, rejection and insults. And the second is that the regained blessing of freedom and victory should be deeply respected and all possibilities and talents should be utilised towards protecting and safeguarding it. The conquering of Herat Province in itself is not everything. This freedom and victory are the starting point of a fresh historical chapter and a suitable opportunity towards the convening and organization of a wide political mechanism in an attempt to reach an overall and national understanding within the framework of a broad- based government in the country. There is no doubt that the role of Herat Province in the future political and economic structure of Afghanistan is indisputable. Because this blessed land with its gigantic material and moral resources, in addition to its special strategic location, enjoys a very important history, culture and civilisation in the region. This particularity adds to the attractiveness and importance of this cradle of ulema [religious scholars] and saints. Presently it is evident from the face of the city that a completely closed society has been newly reopened and this critical phase, which is accompanied by an existing anxious atmosphere, will soon come to an end --- Almighty God willing. A new fundamental phase of reconstruction, the restoration of rights, prestige and the lawful individual and social freedom and civil rights of the people will begin. This phase will include the reopening of schools for boys and girls, the recruitment and employment of women in offices and administration and the restoration of all human rights. The enforcement of the amnesty decree of the Islamic State of Afghanistan, the immediate reinstatement and enrichment of radio and television programmes and press will be implemented. Priority will be given to the principle of enhancing the quality of broadcasts, publications, music and the enhancement of the spirit and soundness of ideological thinking and physical health of the youths through the creation of healthy sports and recreation circles. All national and moral honours and values will be protected. National cohesion and solidarity will be consolidated and guaranteed. An atmosphere of understanding, confidence and trust between all fraternal tribes and nationalities of the country will be created. The formation, development and survival of a government acceptable to all will lead to upholding and guaranteeing the abovementioned aims. In addition, a spirit of feeling responsible towards carrying out social work and duties will be created. Duties and responsibilities will be allocated to those capable of accomplishing them. This task will be done through the channels of law and legality, which it is hoped will be realised as a result of the formation of the Council of the Constitution and the convocation of a Loya Jerga [grand assembly]. Source: Etefaq-e Islam, Herat, in Dari 19 Nov 01 US INFORMATION RADIO US PsyOps broadcasts continue US PsyOps Information Radio continues to be observed by BBC Monitoring broadcasting in Pashto and Dari to Afghanistan from 0030- 0530 gmt and 1230-1730 gmt daily. It is heard on 8700 kHz upper sideband mode and at times on the former Kandahar mediumwave frequency of 864 kHz. A third announced channel of 1107 kHz (former Kabul frequency) has not yet been observed by BBC Monitoring. The 864, 980 (reportedly a relay of Voice Of America) and 1107 kHz channels are believed to be broadcast from US PsyOps "Commando Solo" EC-130 aircraft. FOREIGN MEDIA Foreign journalists' bodies taken from Afghanistan to Pakistan | Text of report by Pakistan-based Afghan Islamic Press news agency on 21 November: Peshawar, 21 November: The bodies of the four journalists who were killed on the road between [the Afghan capital] Kabul and [the eastern Afghan city of] Jalalabad have been transferred to Pakistan by the ICRC [International Committee of the Red Cross]. The bodies were brought to Pakistan from Afghanistan's Nangarhar [Province] via Torkham [on the border between Afghanistan and Pakistan] some time ago. Three foreigners and an Afghan photographer [Azizullah Haidari] working for Reuters were killed by unknown persons on 19 November in Tangi Abrishum, 50-55 km from Jalalabad [the capital of Nangarhar Province], on the main road between Jalalabad and Kabul. [The foreign journalists killed on 19 November were Maria Grazia Cutuli, correspondent for Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera; Harry Burton, cameraman for Reuters news agency; and Julio Fuentes, correspondent for Spanish newspaper El Mundo.] Compiled by Foreign Media Unit, BBC Monitoring Telephone +44 118 948 6261 e-mail: fmu@mon.bbc.co.uk Source: BBC Monitoring research 21 Nov 01 (via DXLD) ** CANADA. As to the feeder station on 26142-150; I don't understand any French, but I have heard so many references to Quebec and Montreal, I am quite sure now, that its origin is in Canada. This is supported by the fact that Mr. Roberts can't hear the feeder, which is quite strong here in TN, since he, of course, would be in the skip zone. I asked Mark Morhmann who lives just a few miles south of the Quebec border in Vermont to also check; and again nothing. I would imagine this freq, 26142-150 would be audible in Europe under favorable 11m conditions (-David Hodgson, TN, Nov 21, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** DUCIE ISLAND. Ducie Island DXpedition Abandoned NEWINGTON, CT, Nov 20, 2001 --- High seas have forced the Ducie Island DXpedition team to abandon its already-delayed effort to reach the newest DXCC entity this week. Kan Mizoguchi, JA1BK, announced late on November 19 that the DXpedition was cancelled and that the team --- aboard the tri-hull sailing vessel Temarama and some 80 nautical miles from its destination --- was turning around and heading back to Pitcairn Island. "This obviously is a big letdown for the team and DXers around the globe," said The Daily DX and QST "How's DX" Editor Bernie McClenny, W3UR, "however the Ducie Island operators were concerned for their safety." McClenny called on DXers around the world to support the Ducie team's decision to turn back in the interest of safety. Once back on Pitcairn Island, team members plan to operate a multi-op station during the CQ World Wide CW DX Contest this weekend. Forecasts were calling for at seas of at least 3 meters (approximately 10 feet) around the newest DXCC entity over the next several days, which could have made landing extremely hazardous. Earlier, a storm in the Pitcairn area and a container ship in harbor had delayed efforts to load passengers and equipment aboard the vessel. The team had hoped to arrive on Ducie in time to begin operation last weekend, then depart Ducie by November 23. The group had planned to use the call sign VP6DI, and, in fact, JA1BK had identified using VP6DI/mm during the team's now-aborted effort to reach the island. Ducie Island in the South Pacific became the 335th DXCC entity last week. Ducie contacts made on or after November 16, 2001, will be eligible for DXCC credit as a result of a favorable vote to accept the Pitcairn Island Amateur Radio Association (PIARA) as an International Amateur Radio Union member-society http://www.iaru.org/rel011116.html Ducie Island has been activated previously for the Islands On The Air program (it's IOTA OC-182), but those earlier contacts will not count for DXCC. ARRL Membership Services Manager Wayne Mills, N7NG, acknowledged that the turn of events was disappointing to the DX community. He said Ducie would be activated --- just not this week. "Everybody should be confident that, at the right time, somebody will be there," he said. (ARRL via John Norfolk, OKCOK, DXLD) ** ETHIOPIA [non]. Rainbow Radio, 11840, *1858-1959* Nov 9, open carrier into opening ID and announcements with brief musical segment prior to long political talk in Amharic language. Horn of Africa music at 1919 and 1941. ID and sign off announcements prior to carrier being terminated. Fair. 11840, Radio Rainbow, *1900-1959* Nov 16, sudden on with a man in Amharic with ID and other announcements followed by News. Mainly long talks but nice music features at1920 and 1944. Sign off announcements at 1958 followed by instrumental music until carrier cut. Fair (R. D'Angelo, PA in DXplorer-ML via CRW via DXLD) ** FINLAND. Thank you for the attention given to YLE Radio Finland in your circular. --- There are no immediate plans for cutting back English for North America, either on SW or Satellite. However, should we have to reconsider the use of SW, English to N. America would be considered. Such a reconsideration may be triggered by increasing needs/poor service level in some other parts of the world, in our main languages. --- Perhaps the following background notes are of interest to you. YLE and foreign language programming Foreign language programming from Finland is financed on the basis of regular YLE revenue, mainly TV usage fees collected in Finland. Special funding (from example from the Foreign Ministry or comparable sources) for foreign language broadcasts has not been available (nor requested, I believe) since the 1950s. Foreign language broadcasts funded by the state had started in late 1930s and were closed down in 1957. In 1967 broadcasts in English resumed on the basis of YLE financing. German was resumed in 1985, French in 1987 and Russian in 1990. (Between 1957-1967 some shortwave hobbyist features ran. Some people may still remember those broadcasts.) - Decisions on foreign language broadcasting have been taken within YLE. The idea of a special " mandate" or "a charter" to represent Finland on the airwaves (so often heard in connection with international broadcasting) has been alien to the Finnish situation. YLE broadcasts are not "public diplomacy". International broadcasting in foreign languages has been a spin-off of the respective Finnish and Swedish services --- and a part of public broadcasting as such. The fact that there is no financial barrier between international and domestic distribution has made it easier to offer foreign language programming domestically as well. Domestic distribution began in the 1970s. It is YLE policy that YLE does not purchase air time on stations/ terrestrial networks abroad. Broadcasts are available for placement/rebroadcasting but YLE does not pay for air time. The use of YLE broadcasts by the CBC in their Overnight is an example of such free placement. YLE and SW I want to point out that the use of SW/MW by YLE is extensive, with c. one hundred frequency hours per day including all-day services for Europe on 11755 and 6120 kHz, some five hours per day towards Asia and Australia etc. The Finnish/Swedish service for North America was split into several half hours a year ago, with mainly news for the travellers, as we thought the off-news and feature programming would be obtained via satellite and internet. However, audience response was very negative and thus we introduced a weekend daytime 2,5 hours on SW for North America with light music features and a complete church service. My view has been that SW is competitive when the broadcasts are long enough (preferably all day) and the listening experience is to close to a domestic experience. The European 11755 and 6120 flows work fairly well and attract good audiences --- even though the same flows are available via satellites (both analogue and digital) and on the net. However, short, traditional half hours --- with seasonally changing frequencies --- are difficult to market. YLE in English, German and French In the budget for 2000, broadcasts in these languages were defined as a primarily "domestic service, also available abroad". Broadcasts were to be mainly morning peak hour services in Finland --- with simultaneous or delayed availability abroad. The implementation was slow and difficult for various reasons, including the lack of popularity of the early morning hours as working time. The English broadcast airs at 7.30 am local Finnish time on FM and DAB in southern Finland. The German and French are an hour later. If and when digital radio gets off the ground, we would air French and German earlier --- as 8.30 is too late --- but current FM capacity does not allow earlier broadcasts. The domestic "home" of Radio Finland are some FM frequencies --- as well as two DAB channels, YLE World and YLE Mondo. YLE World is all English --- and YLE Mondo is in German, French, Russian, Spanish, Italian, Danish and Norwegian. The FM output covers all those languages as well but is restricted. Programming in languages not produced by YLE is based on live relays from foreign sources, including both external services and domestic/national services. Within Radio Finland, these languages form a production group, under Dr Stefan Tschirpke. ( The language teaching slot could well run separately, say, in connection with the Special Finnish (slow speed) broadcasts. However, the ten minute slot should be filled then with other programming.) YLE in Russian Broadcasts in Russian have been expanded --- with the basic broadcast now being 50 minutes per day. Broadcasts are available both on MW/SW/Satellite as well as domestically on FM/DAB. There are currently four daily broadcasts. YLE is also relaying BBC news in Russian. The need to increase broadcasting in Russian has been accentuated by the growing number of Russian speakers in Finland. The broadcasts are available both domestically and in Eastern Europe. Two years ago YLE started airing short features in the languages of some Fenno-Ugric minorities in Russia. (These broadcasts air as part of the Russian service --- as Russian is the common language of those minorities.) (Juhani Niinisto, YLE Radio Finland, Nov 21, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** FINLAND. English broadcasts of Radio Finland "unofficial": What about French, German and Russian? One would expect that they first sacrifice French and German if needed (hopefully never of course). By the way, the German schedule is quite unique: Mon-Fri 0630-0645 and 1030-1045, Sat 0900-1000 and 1200-1300, Sun 1200-1300 only. The editorial staff consists on just three people, and until the decline of Radioropa the whole output was also relayed via Burg 261, i.e. on the longwave channel immediately above YLE's defunct longwave outlet, 252 from Lahti (Kai Ludwig, Germany, Nov 21, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** FRANCE. Radio France Internationale to broadcast daily in Pashto from mid-December | Text of report by French news agency AFP Sofia, 21 November: Radio France Internationale (RFI) is going to start broadcasting for half an hour a day in Pashto (1630 - 1700 gmt) from mid-December, on long wave, after its programmes in Persian, management of the international radio station have said. This initiative is a direct consequence of the events in September and the war in Afghanistan and will cost 300,000 euros on top of the broadcasting costs. It will have the joint objective of "mainstream" and humanitarian news to enable, for example, families which have been separated by events to be re-united. Details of how it will be broadcast are currently being finalized. It could use the RFI transmitter in Krasnodar in Russia. This new language will call on the services of a team of four to five people. "We have a few leads among the Pashto community in Europe." "We will have to check the journalists' qualifications and experience", and then "we will train them in using the broadcasting equipment", Erlends Calabuig, RFI's deputy broadcasting director and foreign languages editorial director, explained. RFI currently broadcasts in 19 foreign languages. Other languages such as Swahili and Hausa (Africa) could follow as part of RFI's objectives and resources contract, which is currently being discussed and is expected to be finalized by the end of the year. What's more, RFI's managers believe that Hindi should be one of the languages which they broadcast in. In more general terms, the coverage of the conflict in Afghanistan raises the question of the organization not only of French foreign broadcasting, but of the French public service, Jean-Paul Cluzel, chairman and managing director of RFI, believes. "The way in which our main competitors deal with the news must be looked at", at CNN and the BBC there is a "mutualization of the gathering and analysis of news, which is dispatched and processed for different channels, internal and external radio and television stations," he stressed. "We operate in a relatively dispersed way, France 2, France 3 [television], the various Radio France stations go out onto the ground (...) [agency ellipsis] If we want to improve the quality a better way of organizing our editorial operations must be considered," he believes. Source: AFP news agency, Paris, in French 0944 gmt 21 Nov 01 (via BBCM via DXLD) ** FRANCE. Hi Glenn: Concerning the 11m FF NFM signals on 25925-8, and cueing station on 26142-150: I have finally just mailed a cassette to Guido Schotmans, of Belgium, containing recordings from both sets of frequencies. Guido specializes in DXing 11m feeder/cue stations and has an interesting website: http://gallery.uunet.be/gs/ He will be dubbing some of my recorded material into real audio format (since I do not have the gear to do that), and making them available on the www. Guido also has several DXing friends in Antwerp who speak fluent FF, who he hopes can help unravel this mystery. As to the feeder station on 26142-150; I don't understand any French, but I have heard so many references to Quebec and Montreal, I am quite sure now, that its origin is in Canada.... [q.v.] I would like to reiterate: I am hearing not just one signal on 25926 as apparently Mr Roberts is, but a big pile up of many signals in the range of 25925-25928 NFM; I would estimate between 10 and 20 at one time! Every once in awhile I get some audio of professional sounding voice over material in FF with background music, but usable audio is limited to only a few seconds at a time. It would not surprise me to find out that these signals come from some sort of wireless automated information system, as there is precedent for such a thing with the now defunct R. Neige. Perhaps, many automated TIS outlets in France operate over this narrow freq range, thus explaining the pile up that I am hearing. Guido Schotmans also mentions that tracing the source of this mystery is complicated by the fact there are very few French DXers found in international mailing lists. Well, that’s it for now. I’ll let you know when the audio becomes available on the www (David Hodgson, TN, Nov 21, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** GERMANY. Deutsche Welle has a redesigned Web site, with a new URL: http://www.dw-world.com dw-world.de also works. And if you use their old URL, dwelle.de, that will transfer you to dw-world. The home page has a menu by which you select the Deutsche Welle language of your choice. The menu is in this order: German, English, Russian, Chinese, Brazil - then the other DW languages in alphabetical order from Albanian to Urdu, including its unique Sanskrit service. Go to the English page, and you can select from news stories in text, with audio available for some. On the left margin, you can go to specialty areas, such as science and technology. On the right margin, you can access DW radio or television live streams and program information. A shortwave transmission schedule for DW English is a bit difficult to find and requires several steps. Click on the world "reception," then from a world map click on your continent, then on the next page click on your specific region, then click on the words "list of frequencies." Finally, you will have the complete DW English schedule, very much in database format, with, for example, 6040 kilohertz listed as 06040 (Kim Elliott, VOA Communications World Nov 18 via John Norfolk, DXLD) ** LITHUANIA [and non]. Radio Vilnius via Jülich: Somewhere it was said that the feed circuit from Vilnius to Jülich was as expensive as the transmitter charge, finally leading to the decision to do without Jülich (Kai Ludwig, Germany, Nov 21, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** MALAYSIA. Shortly before 0600 UT today Nov 21, all Malaysian radio and TV stations carried a statement of the Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad. The King of Malaysia has passed away today at 0356 UT. The PM declared a mourning period of seven days. Consequently all official functions are cancelled. After the announcements, the stations carried the reading of the Koran. All programs have been replaced by Koran reading and soft music. The RTM domestic, Sabah and foreign services shortwave frequencies are also affected. Only soft music is heard on these frequencies. It appears that this will continue for the next few days (Riochard Lam, Singapore, Cumbre DX Special via DXLD) Malaysia is most often heard on 7295, 4845 would also be a good bet (Hans Johnson, Ed., ibid.) ** MOLDOVA. Re: Radio Pridnestrovya. All this is not so new. I can tell you, that at my CRW Clandestine Radio QSL Gallery there are 5 QSLs from this station. The first one (1994 J.Parker-Great Britain) is a long letter with info in English. It has the same info as the German letter (1995 D. Kraus-Germany). If you have difficulties in reading the English text - I can send you the original picture with better resolution (M. Schöch, Germany, Nov 19, 2001 for CRW via DXLD) ** QATAR. Al Jazeera available via Sky Digital: Well, for people in the UK only, since it is impossible to subscribe to Sky for the rest of the world (yeah, that's our unifying Europe!). Or is Al Jazeera in the clear like the radios within the Sky bouqet? (Kai Ludwig, Germany, Nov 21, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** SRI LANKA [non]. TAMIL CLANDESTINE RADIO STATIONS LATEST FREQUENCY DETAILS TAMIL BROADCASTING CORPORATION London, 21590, 1230-1330 IBC-TAMIL, 7460, 0000-0100; 17495 1500-1530 VOICE OF TIGERS - TAMIL EELAM, 7460, 0100-0230 (D. Prabakaran, Tamil Nadu, India, Nov 3 GRDXC via DXLD) ** U S A. Jukka Kinkamo in Finland is a relatively new friend of Communications World, but he's already in the habit of writing e- mails - long e-mails, but nevertheless interesting, with lots of thoughts and ideas about international broadcasting and radio technology. In his most recent e-mail, Jukka mentions the recent introduction of jamming by Iran, and the blocking of Web sites by China and other countries. Because of that, Jukka sees a continuing need for shortwave, especially by VOA. He's pleased with VOA's expanded frequencies to the Middle East, some of which are giving him good reception in Finland. Jukka has five suggestions about VOA's use of shortwave during the present military campaign in Afghanistan, which is the Coalition military campaign now underway in Afghanistan. Listen to them, and see what you think, from the perspective of a listener, but keeping in mind VOA executives who have to work within a finite budget. TALENT: One. VOA should use its idle frequencies to relay the VOA News Now stream as much as possible. A good example was on the 27th of October 2001 from 1630 to 17 Universal Time on 17775 kilohertz. It wasn't on the list, and I have not noticed it before. Two. VOA should also increase Special English and culture programs. The VOA director Mr. Reilly has already mentioned the need for more culture and feature programs. Special English is important for those who do not have a good command of English. VOA should consider integrating the Special English news into the News Now stream. For example, the news bulletin at the bottom of the hour every other hour could be in Special English. Three. VOA should also increase the times and frequencies on its non- English broadcasts in order to overcome possible jamming. Also when selecting the frequencies, target areas, and bearings, the secondary coverage area reached by multiple hops should be kept in mind. In other words, one frequency can serve two target areas at the same time. In Europe it is possible to tune in a number of beams targeted elsewhere with moderate equipment. Four. VOA and the U.S. Department of State should always remember that there is an ever growing need for reliable Western information, especially as the BBC essentially reduces its air time, and certain governments jam shortwave broadcasts and block the contents of the World Wide Web print media. The only reliable and relatively cost effective mode of sending information to the recipients is via shortwave broadcasts. The need for reliable information is not only in third world countries, but in the neighborhoods of European cities where the immigrant populations are dense. Five. In the case of shortwave jamming, VOA should prepare beforehand to use other than the frequencies mentioned in the schedules and announcements. For broadcasters and listeners who are designing their own emergency communications plans, there is a great help from a book written by a Lithuanian, Rimantas Pleikys, called "Jamming." The 163- page book published in 1999, in English, describes the jamming and its effects. KIM: Comments from Jukka Kinkamo in Finland. On the script for today's program, I have a link to information about the book on jamming the Jukka mentioned. http://www.is.lt/ratekona/jamming/jamminge.htm (VOA Communications World Nov 18 via John Norfolk, DXLD) ** U S A. 700, WLW, Cincinnati, 1022 NOV 21. Audible for the first time here, a set of harmonics from WLW. Dirty, with much distortion. Was able to get ID @ 1040 on the 4th harmonic using narrow rx bandwidth. Fundamental is 700. 2100, 3x700: weak level but audio matched fundamental. 2800, 4x700: fair/ match. 3500, 5x700: fair/match. 4200, 6x700: fair/ match. No copy on 7th harmonic freq, but did get dirty het on 8th harmonic, but too weak to confirm (David Hodgson, TN, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A. National Weather Service/ARRL Special Event Set for December NEWINGTON, CT, Nov 20, 2001--The National Weather Service and ARRL will co-sponsor an on-the-air event to recognize the contribution of SKYWARN volunteers. The NWS/ARRL SKYWARN Recognition Day will be Saturday, December 1, from 0000 to 2400 UTC. This will mark the third year that ARRL and the NWS have co-sponsored an Amateur Radio special event. Some 80 National Weather Service offices are signed up to participate. The Recognition Day is aimed at celebrating the contributions Amateur Radio operators make to the NWS during severe weather as members of SKYWARN program and as weather spotters during the hurricane season. During the special event, hams or ham groups will operate from NWS offices and contact other amateurs or amateur groups across the country. The special event offers an opportunity to provide information about the SKYWARN program and to express appreciation to all Amateur Radio volunteers. The object is for amateur stations to exchange QSO information with as many National Weather Service special event stations as possible on 80, 40, 20, 15, 10, 6 and 2-meter bands plus the 70-cm band. Contacts via repeaters are permitted. Stations will transmit call sign, signal report, location and a one or two word description of the weather at their location --- such as sunny, partly cloudy, windy. NWS stations will work various modes, including SSB, FM, AM, RTTY, CW and PSK31. Digital-mode special event stations will append "/NWS" to their call signs. Last year more than 23,000 contacts were made from National Weather Service offices. These included QSOs with operators from 60 countries. The National Weather Service will offer participation certificates and endorsement stickers to amateurs who request them and provide a self-address, stamped envelope along with their lists of stations worked. Requests go to National Weather Service, 920 Armory Rd, Goodland, KS 67735. This year's endorsements includes the Patriot --- a special endorsement to honor Amateur Radio volunteers who assisted in the aftermath of the September 11, 2001, attacks at the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. Additional information, operating instructions, a list of participating NWS stations, and certificate and QSL information is available on the NWS/ARRL SKYWARN Recognition Day Web page http://hamradio.noaa.gov/ or see November QST, page 76 (ARRL via John Norfolk, OKCOK, DXLD) ** VIETNAM [non]. Voice of Vietnam 0100-0130/0230-0300 on 5940, 0330- 0400 on 7260: This looks like revived outlets from Tbilisskaya, replacing the abandoned 7390/7440 slots from Moscow area. Allegedly 7260 is 500 kW towards 290 degrees, 5940 250 kW towards 315 degrees. The 5940 parameters are plausible since the site has only one high power antenna for this azimuth which is now occupied by Voice of Russia again; 250 kW could be in fact the same transmitter and antenna than 7300 1600-2000 (VoR German service). As a reminder, Tbilisskaya is the site which is mostly called either Krasnodar or Armavir and located in between these towns (Kai Ludwig, Germany, Nov 21, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** VIETNAM [non]. Regarding New Horizon frequency change, DTK info indicates On Nov 7 it changed from 15675 to 15750, not the other way around as previously reported (Wolfgang Büschel, Germany, Nov 21, DX LISTENING DIGEST) 15675 1330-1430 49,50 070 degr 281001-061101 VOH 15750 1330-1430 49,50 070 degr 071101-310302 VOH (DTK Juelich, Nov 9) Another Voice of Hope change since B-01 began: 15715 1200-1300 38,39 102 115 217 051101-310302 VOH * 15715 1300-1500 38,39 107 115 217 051101-310302 VOH * 15715 1500-1559 38,39 102 115 217 051101-310302 VOH * These three entries replace this single one: 15715 1200-1559 38,39 102 115 217 281001-041101 VOH * Note that the only difference is in the column following the CIRAF zones 38, 39: 107 at 1300-1500 instead of 102 throughout. I believe this merely refers to the DTK antenna in use, right? As everything else is the same. The column showing 115 would be the azimuth, judging from other entries, but what is 217? One would expect the kW power, but that`s an unusual figure. Or are 102 and 107 the kW and 217 the antenna designation? (Glenn Hauser, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** ZIMBABWE [non]. Voice of the People. 7120.0, Voice of the People (via Madagascar), 1705-1715 Nov 4, talks in Shona and local pop mx with an excellent signal. Not 7125 or 7215 as reported elsewhere (V. Korinek-ARS [sic --- has he moved from South Africa to Sa`udi Arabia? Down with these wacky French country abbreviations! --gh] Nov 4, 2001 in DX-Window via DXplorer-ML via CRW via DXLD) ###