DX LISTENING DIGEST 00-97, July 30, 2000 edited by Glenn Hauser, wghauser@hotmail.com {Items from DXLD may be reproduced and re-reproduced only providing full credit be maintained at all stages and we are provided exchange copies. DXLD may not be reposted in its entirety without permission} THIS MONTH ON CONTINENT OF MEDIA 00-06, which could start as early as August 1 at 2000 on RFPI: See topic summary at http://www.angelfire.com/ok/worldofradio/com0006.html ** AFGHANISTAN. The information minister of the Taliban government has officially rejected the reports by the Pakistani press about possible re-introduction of TV broadcasting in Afghanistan. The rumors that the Taliban government would allow some form of TV broadcasting surfaced after a week-long seminar on this issue sponsored by the Taliban Information Ministry. Taliban recognized that it would be helpful to launch a governmental TV-channel to carry religious and political propaganda. However, the authorities are cautious that the population would start watching other TV channels which, in their opinion, "would be a betrayal of the cause of Islam." After capturing Kabul in 1996 the Taliban leaders announced that any picture of a human being or an animal was a form of idolatry. Then they shut down TV centers and banned ownership of TV-receivers. On the streets of Kabul the Islamic moral police publicly destroyed the uncovered TVs and VCRs. Currently, radio is the primary mass media in Afghanistan. Over 70 percent of population own radio receivers. The Afghani radio listeners prefer the foreign broadcasts to those produced locally. According to the Russian Information Agency Novosti, the US and Russian radio stations broadcasting in local languages are especially popular among the Afghanis (Report by Echo of Moscow Radio, July 24, 2000 via Sergei Sossedkin, DXLD) ** AUSTRALIA. In preparation for the reactivation of the Cox Peninsula (Darwin) transmitter site, the new lease-holder, Christian Voice (Australia) Ltd, is advertising for technical officers to operate the site. Advertisements in the Australian press today (Saturday, 29 July) call for a chief technical officer, senior technical officers, technical officers and an administrator. The contact is Mike Edmiston, Australian Director of Christian Voice in Brisbane (Matt Francis, Canberra, July 28, Electronic DX Press via DXLD) ** COLOMBIA CLANDESTINE. Hi Glenn: Anyone referred this page to you yet? First reference I've seen to individual FARC fronts having broadcast stations, but since they have everything else, I guess it's no surprise: http://www.resistencianacional.org/radio.htm Of the ones listed, only the Comando Conjunto Central would likely be in the current "zona de distensión" (truce zone) in Caquetá. Unfortunately the times aren't conducive to long-distance listening. I'm not sure how current the list is...the site as a whole isn't too current (Rich Stoller, July 30, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** CONGO. On 5985 July 21 at 2150, R Congo surprised by transmitting in Spanish, a.o. sportnews. Yes, not the "old stuff" but the football tournament "La Copa de Congo - los quartos de final, mañana sábado. Interclub de Brazzaville y Soc. Deportiva de Punta Negra" and karate championship "Campeonato de la Liga de Brazzaville". Nice! Final announcement 2158 gave ".. oyentes, hemos terminado nuestros (noticieros?) y nos volveremos mañana sábado a las (dos?) de la tarde ... a micrófono su credo compañero de siempre (Gadji Pedro Llombolo?). ¡Hasta mañana!". The name of the program leader very uncertain. 3+ overall (Stefan Björn, Sweden, SW Bulletin) On 5985 July 14 at 1936 Radio Congo with news in English. Information about Omar Bongo`s visit in Brazzaville. 2-3; July 25 at 2100 Radio Congo, Cadena Nacional with news in Spanish! Heavy disturbed from VoA with French for Africa - brilliant frequency choice! (Christer Brunström, Sweden, SW Bulletin, both translated by ed. Thomas Nilsson for DXLD) ** COSTA RICA. RFPI Mailbag reported: the antenna for 21815-USB is an 8-element log-periodic not too high above ground, aimed 10 to 15 degrees east of north, with homemade ladder-line feed, made of #10 or #12 wire, low-loss and good for this purpose. Progressive News Network: most of the volunteers who have been producing this for the past 4-6 months are leaving. So from this week it is shortened to 15 minutes, on Mondays and Wednesdays (2200 presumably, still repeated 0130?), and on Fridays at 2200-2230 the new Freespeech Radio News produced by Pacifica stringers. Things are in the works, such as an international progressive news service in which RFPI may be involved (notes by gh, July 28, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** GOA - INDIA. 9705 at 1536-1545 A.I.R Panaji "The News at Nine" still fairly strong but now mixed with VOA relay with VOA "News Now". Both about equal and neither understandable! What VOA site? (Bill Flynn, OR, July 28, DX LISTENING DIGEST) GREECE, Kavalla, 105 degrees right toward India, 1500-1800 (IBB Monitoring July 30 via gh, DXLD) ** GUATEMALA. Printed program schedule from R. Verdad, 4052.5 is headed Monday to Saturday, with ``now from 5:00 a.m.`` written in, but the first program labeled Saturday is at 7 a.m. (1300 UT), Música de los Amigos which also airs at 6-6:15 pm (0000 UT Sunday). 17 educational programs are conveniently underlined to distinguish them from the religious ones. The ones after sunset are, in UT: 0030-0100 Desarrollo Urbano; 0200-0230 Club de la Amistad y Filatélico; 0400- 0430 Venga Ud. A Guatemala [Turismo y Monografías]; 0455-0500 Momento Cívico de Clausura con el Himno Nacional. About Domingo it only remarks: programación especial. Also reproduced is a pennant including the exact frequency as ``4.0525 Mhz., 74.03 Mts, Banda SW 1`` and shows two satellite dishes (via Masato Ishii, Niigata, Japan, Radio Nuevo Mundo July 9, interpreted by gh for DXLD) ** HAWAII. Three 90-meter-tall towers of the former VOA relay facility at Lualualei, Hawaii, were dismantled on July 21st. That site relayed VOA and other U.S. government broadcasts to East Asia from World War II until the 1960s. The towers, on what is now a U.S. Navy communications facility, were rusting and susceptible to collapse during a hurricane. According to the Honolulu Advertiser newspaper, the towers were last painted in 1972 by a sailor named Riggers, who left his mark at the base of one of them. However, I wonder about that, because people who work on large antenna systems are called riggers. Perhaps it was a group signature. This item from the Honolulu Advertiser, July 21st, via Brock Whaley, via Glenn Hauser. I found on the Web a picture of Lualualei, Hawaii, which shows the transmitting towers. I have a link to it at the script for todays's program at the Communications World Web site (Kim Elliott, VOA Communications World July 29 via John Norfolk, OKCOK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** HONDURAS. 4960,1 July 8 at 0215, Radio HRET must it be with ID "Ésta es Radio Buenas Nuevas" and rel. px in Spanish, some local language and final in English. C/d at 0245, QSA 2+. Have lately seen a tip that Radio Villa [DOM REP] has reactivated a transmitter at 4960,3 so it might be difficult to hear this station. (Rolf Wikström, Sweden, SW Bulletin July 30, translated by Thomas Nilsson for DXLD) ** LUXEMBOURG [non]. I can recommend http://welcome.to/208 "The purpose of this site is to preserve the memories from the station of the stars. We need your help to do this. Please contact the editor if you have a contribution to this site. We are looking for: * Listeners who want to share their memories or rare stories connected with the radio station. * People who have been employees on Radio Luxembourg. * People who can contribute with pictures of stickers, photos, QSL cards, programme schedules etc. E-mail: emotland@hotmail.com Postal address: Svaneveien 17, N-4318 SANDNES, NORWAY. December 3, 1933: Radio Luxembourg started transmissions in English from the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg. The listeners loved its style, programmes and formats. December 30, 1992: The station closed down after more than 59 years on the air. The memories live on! (Editor Eivind Motland, Norway, via Mike Terry, DXLD) ** NEWFOUNDLAND. Tuned around last night to find CBC Radio Overnight from Nfld. 6,160 kHz from St. John's @ 1,000 W at 1 a.m. EDT. (UTC -3, - 4 in Winter) This must be recent, as I remember hearing them sign off at 1:30 a.m. local time (midnight EDT) previously. If one has a good enough radio, one can hear relays of international broadcasters' programs via WRN from midnight to 5 a.m. Eastern Time, notably RN's Media Network Thursday evenings @ midnight (Ricky Leong, Quebec, July 27, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** PAKISTAN. Hi Glenn, I noted a change today to the Pakistan schedule I sent to you. Abu Dhabi returned to 17835 and this time from 0700. So, World Service to West Europe 0800-1100 and English news 1100-1105 is now using 17525 // 21460. (Noel Green, England, July 27, DX LISTENING DIGEST) see also UAE ** PAPUA NEW GUINEA. R. Central, 3290, missing again this morning UT July 30; not heard since previous report, so perhaps just testing. 4890 was also off today (Chris Hambly, Victoria, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** PERU. 6194,78, July 20 at 0119, Radio Cuzco seems to have slid downwards in frequency, but hard to find exactly and much better in AM. Good strength but lousy music modulation. Clear ID. QSA 2-3 (Jan Edh, Sweden, SW Bulletin, translated by Thomas Nilsson for DXLD) ** PUERTO RICO / U S A. Verification letter from AFRTS says: The signal originates from Naval Computer and Telecommunications Area Master Station, Key West, Florida, at 12689.5 kHz and Naval Computer and Telecommunications Station, Puerto Rico at 6458.5 kHz. Key West broadcasts with a 48 foot inverted cone antenna from Boca Chica, Florida with 8 kW of power. PR broadcasts with a ground-based, omnidirectional wire antenna with a 30 foot diameter with 10 kW from Isabela. AFRTS SW radio transmissions have historically existed to provide AFRTS radio service to US Navy vessels and outlying military posts receiving limited American radio or TV through other means. The signals will be in existence for a limited time until a new technology, which is currently being tested, allows for reception of AFRTS via satellite... (v/s Michael Foutch, Broadcast Operations Specialist, July 17, Naval Media Center, 2713 Mitscher Road SW, Washington, DC 20373-5819, via Leonard F. Estorge, Metairie LA, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** SRI LANKA. Gary Wise, Manager of IBB Iranawila gave July 21st the following information about their QSL-policy. "I'm sorry it has taken us so long to be able to address the QSL card issue. We will respond to every reception report we have received -- but until recently it was just not possible. Keeping our new station on the air was our first priority! I have just put in place a system for generating verification cards, and my secretary has started the process of checking reception reports. We will send cards out via the Sri Lanka Post (so you will get some Sri Lankan stamps too!). Please continue to be patient." He also enclosed a jpg image of the card that will be sent out (Stefan Björn, Sweden, SW Bulletin July 30 via DXLD) ** THAILAND. Radio Thailand's new English service left shortwave around 27 July, and is now heard on MW only. 6070 and 7115 now relay a domestic service in Thai. As far as I can establish, 4830 kHz is now off air. Regards, (Alan Davies, Kuala Terengganu, Malaysia, July 30, Electronic DX Press via DXLD) Was it all a mistaken feed? ** TROMELIN ISLAND. Just a quick reminder that the Lyon DX Group is expected to be on the air by August 1st. Operators Gil/F5NOD, Larry/F5PYI, Eric/F5PXT and Erwann/F6JJX are expected to sign FR/F6KDF/T until August 16th. Activity will be on 160-6 meters on CW, SSB and RTTY. Again, suggested frequencies are as follows: CW- 1823.5, 3504, 7004, 10104, 14020, 18074, 21020, 24894, 28020 SSB - 3790, 7065, 14195, 18145, 21295, 24945, 28495, 50110 RTTY - 14080, 21080, 28080 kHz QSL via F6KDF, Radio Club de la Gendarmerie, 292 route de Genas, 69677 Bron Cedex, FRANCE. For more information, check out their Web site at: http://perso.easynet.fr/~f6jjx/menu.htm (KB8NW/OPDX July 31/BARF80 via John Norfolk, OKCOK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** UKRAINE. SPECIAL EVENT. The Ukrainian special event station EM500E will be active in August on all bands and modes to celebrate the 500th Anniversary of the "Cossack's Glory". QSL via UR4EYN or UR4EN. (KB8NW/OPDX July 31/BARF80 via John Norfolk, OKCOK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U A E. Abu Dhabi is now carrying two services on SW. 21735 is heard until 0700 and 17835 from 0700 (past 1200). What appears the Main Arabic pgm is using 21630 // 15310 until 0700 and then 21630 changes to 21735. I'm still trying to check what happens after 1200, but propagation makes it difficult. Best 73's (Noël Green, England, July 27, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U K. BBC World Service and Worldspace announced Wednesday that World Service programs will continue to be heard on the Worldspace satellite radio broadcasting system. World Service programs have been heard on the Worldspace Afristar system for the past six months as an on-air test. On Afristar, BBC English and French will be transmitted on the West beam, English and Swahili on the southeast beam; on the Afristar northeast beam, World Service will have two channels, one in English and one in Arabic. Details are less specific about World Service programming on the Worldspace Asiastar satellite, but Worldspace says it will consist of English and major regional languages such as Hindi. BBC World Service said it "remains committed to maintaining its global shortwave distribution as the most effective means of reaching the largest possible audiences." However, Chris Gill, BBC Controller for Technology an Resources, said Worldspace provides World Service with an exciting opportunity for the delivery of programming in digital quality. BBC World Service is paying Worldspace an undisclosed amount for access to the Afristar and Asiastar channels (Kim Elliott, Communications World July 29 via John Norfolk, OKCOK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A. I am especially pleased to inform you that as of Saturday of this weekend, VOA News Now, and specifically Communications World, is now restored to Africa Saturday at 2130 to 22 Universal Time. Frequencies are 6035, 7375, 7415, 11975, 15410, 15445, 15580, and 17785, plus 909 kilohertz medium wave to southern Africa. The 1530 kilohertz medium wave to central Africa will not be available Saturday at 2130 to 22. Try those shortwave frequencies even if you are not in Africa. To free up funds for this restored half hour, News Now to Africa Monday through Friday at 11 to 1130 is canceled. Some VOA listeners may be surprised this weekend by other transmission and program changes instituted with less than a week's notice. For example, at 2133 Saturday, listeners in central Europe expecting to hear Communications World on 1197 kilohertz medium wave, will be hearing instead VOA Bosnian. The following changes on 1197 are effective Saturday of this weekend: VOA News Now replaces VOA Polish at 20 to 21 Universal Time, VOA Serbian replaces News Now at 21 to 2130, and VOA Bosnian replaces News Now at 2130 to 22. Friday was the last day on the air for the majority of broadcasters in the VOA Polish, Hungarian, Czech, Slovene, Latvian, and Lithuanian services. These services are now greatly reduced in staff size and daily output as part of a reorientation of language priorities ordered by the U.S. Broadcasting Board of Governors. Here are the last few seconds of the VOA Polish broadcast on Friday... [Recording] VOA listeners expecting this weekend to hear one of the repeats of Talk to America will instead hear this... [recording] "On the Line" is a weekly discussion program produced by the International Broadcasting Bureau's Office of Policy, which also writes the daily editorials heard on VOA. Last week, the U.S. Senate Appropriations Committee called for more policy programming in English on VOA, and the committee report specifically mentioned On the Line. On the Line has not been heard in English on VOA since the News Now format began in May 1998. It has continued on Worldnet-TV, and the content of then program has been translated by some VOA non- English services. The schedule for On the Line on VOA News Now is Saturday at 633, 1433, and 2233, and Sunday at 233, 1033, and 1833 Universal Time. And beginning Monday, the number of editorials broadcast on VOA News Now will also increase. The editorials will be heard at additional 555 and 2355 Universal Time Monday through Friday. Saturday and Sunday, the editorial will be heard every four hours, beginning at 255. [** ZIMBABWE non] The VOA English-language program Zimbabwe Forum, heard daily at 1730 to 18 Universal Time, was canceled Friday. The program began June 19th to focus on the Zimbabwean elections. Funding, which came from the Open Policy Institute of the Soros Foundation, has ended. Daily correspondent reports from Zimbabwe will continue on VOA English-to-Africa news programs. On 909 kilohertz medium wave to southern Africa, Talk to America returns Monday through Friday at 1730 to 18, VOA Portuguese to Africa Saturday at Sunday at that same time. The substitute shortwave frequency of 17580 kilohertz for Talk to America, which was heard far and wide with a good signal at 17 to 18, also ended Friday (Kim Elliott, Communications World July 29 via John Norfolk, OKCOK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A. [...] Infinity doesn't seem to care much. As if WMAQ needed another sign, WMAQ's Web site late last week had already been replaced by WBBM's. Friday may have really been WMAQ's last weekday as a news station. Much of Monday will be spent looking back. All of the remaining on- air staff at WMAQ will do at least one headline newscast at the top of the hour. Twice an hour, starting at 5 a.m., WMAQ will air four- to six-minute features on the station's history. Starting at 9 a.m., the station will air longer excerpts of old programming, including a 1936 recording of Benny Goodman playing live at the Congress Hotel and Dave Garroway and Louis Armstrong at the Blue Note from 1947. At 6 p.m., the station will begin a "When Radio Was" marathon until 6 a.m. Tuesday, when WSCR takes over [the sports format, but another story indicated the WMAQ calls on 670 would not be changed for 2 weeks while simulcasting on 1160 -gh]. If it feels like a wake, well, that's because it is. "You can't say they are getting too nostalgic," Dempsey says. "It's appropriate to mourn this station because it was so great." (Jim Kirk, Chicago Tribune July 30 via Artie Bigley, DXLD) ** VENEZUELA. Today July 30, 2000 will take place the Venezuelan president election, so I think it will be a good day for Venezuelan dx (Winter Monges, Barquisimeto, Lara, Venezuela, hard-core-dx via DXLD) ** VENEZUELA. I stopped by Radio Mundial Los Andes in Mérida this past weekend and spoke briefly with Mr. Raul Ureche P., the station manager. According to Mr. Ureche, after the Venezuelan "mega- elections" scheduled for this weekend, July 30th, the entire government subsidised Mundial network will be sold to private companies. Mr. Ureche also indicated that the shortwave transmitter for Mundial Los Andes no longer exists and there is no chance that the station will ever return to shortwave. Radio Mundial still broadcasts on 1040 kHz AM. In view of the scheduled "mega-election", some Venezuelan broadcasters may have extended broadcast schedules. Numerous medium wave stations have announced extended broadcast schedules for election coverage, but it is not clear whether that will be true on the tropical and shortwave bands. The election is particularly important to Venezuela, since a new constitution was recently written and approved. Essentially every elected office in the entire country will be up for grabs, including president, congress, state and local officials. The "mega-election" is scheduled for July 30, but was post-poned once already due to a lack of voting equipment. The Consejo Nacional Electoral (National Election Commission) is currently saying that the election equipment is ready, but private sources say that it may not be. We'll see this weekend (Walter Fair, Venezuela, Cumbre DX July 27 via DXLD) ** VIETNAM [non]. Re Que Huong on 12150: Mr. Khoi of Que Huong tells Cumbre DX that this was just a test for a few days and has now ended. Que Huong continues via KWHR at 2300 on 17510 for the time being (Hans Johnson, Jul 22, Cumbre DX via DXLD) ** YEMEN [non]. Whatever has been on 9900 at 0900-1100, when trying today (Sunday) and last Monday it wasn`t there. Not even a carrier. vy73 (Harald Kuhl, Germany, hard-core-dx via DXLD) "Tonight the signal [on 9900] is strong at 1007 UT, but it sounds like German or Dutch" >> Deutsche Welle in German via Petropavlovsk- Kamchatskiy, here 1000-1400 (Kai Ludwig, Germany, July 27, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** ZIMBABWE [non]. Re: V. of People to Zimbabwe. Harald: Nope...Radio Voice of Justice...per the manager's letter, translated in English (Dan Henderson, hard-core-dx via DXLD) RN Media Network plans to reveal who is behind this, August 3 (Andy Sennitt, RN via DXLD) ###