DX LISTENING DIGEST 1-172, November 15, 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 #1105 (STREAM) http://www.worldofradio.com/wor1105.ram (DOWNLOAD) http://www.worldofradio.com/wor1105.rm (SUMMARY) http://www.angelfire.com/ok/worldofradio/wor1105.html 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 (when reactivated) MUNDO RADIAL, noviembre-diciembre, primera emisión en WWCR, viernes 16 de noviembre a las 2215 en 3215 en vez de 9475! WORLD OF RADIO on WBCQ: again this week, forgot to repeat WOR at new time 0600 UT Thursday November 15, but as they were signing off, we phoned to remind them. Since the transmitter had not yet been turned off, WBCQ did run WOR starting at 0604; hope would-be listeners had not turned it off by then. See also COLOMBIA ** AFGHANISTAN. With the liberation of Kabul, can we expect the 7085v transmitter back on the air? I still miss R Free Grenada!!! (-David Hodgson, TN, Nov 14, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** AFGHANISTAN. 8700 usb 0132 GMT AA 333 8 Nov. Mostly Arabic music. No announcer was heard. // 7087 (Stewart MacKenzie, CA, swl@qth.net via DXLD) There is doubt about this contribution (Iwata Gaku, Japan Premium ed. via DXLD) ?? This is the ONLY report we have had of 8700 being parallel to 7087, or that the ex-V. of Sharia`h frequency bombed off the air Oct 8 was on the air at all. Are you positive identical programming was on both or that 7087 was actually on the air, or are you speaking historically? And why would they be playing Arabic music? Note date, Nov 8, well before the liberation of Kabul. Now we may really look for reactivations, possibly on SW (gh, DXLD) On the web page of the International Herald Tribune for November 15, http://www.iht.com/frontpage.html there is an AP photo of workers re- installing the "logo" on the Radio Afghanistan building in Kabul. They certainly didn't waste any time (Fred Waterer, Ont., Nov 15, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Not there at 1330; exact link to it? (gh, DXLD) Afghanistan: Media round-up Wednesday 14 November 2001 KABUL Radio Afghanistan The French news agency AFP on Tuesday 13 November reported that the most joyous sign of a more liberal Afghanistan was the music broadcast over Radio Afghanistan for the first time in five years. BBC Monitoring has yet not observed the reported Kabul radio broadcasts - the station may be broadcasting on an FM or MW frequency using low power. The former Taleban-controlled Radio Voice of Shari'ah has been unheard by BBC Monitoring since 8 October. MAZAR-E SHARIF Balkh radio heard on 14 November On Wednesday 14 November, the radio station broadcasting from the northern Afghan city of Mazar-e Sharif - identifying itself as Balkh radio - was monitored by the BBC from 0231-0430 gmt. The evening broadcast began as scheduled at 1230 gmt. A female presenter opened the broadcast, reading out a programme preview in Dari. Balkh radio broadcasts on 1584 kHz. 14 November morning broadcast The Balkh radio broadcast in Pashto and Dari from 0231-0430 gmt on 14 November began with music, Koranic recitation and interpretation and songs. A 15-minute spot featured Mazar-e Sharif's residents conveying their congratulatory messages to United Front (Northern Alliance) officials. There were several reports on the activities of Gen Abdorrashid Dostum, whom the radio described as "vice-president of the Islamic State of Afghanistan and commander-in-chief of the northern zone". Balkh radio also reported the appointment of a number of officials, including a new head of the Afghan Red Crescent for the northern zone and a new rector of Balkh University. Balkh radio's broadcast from 1230-1508 gmt on 13 November included the following: - Music and preview. - Recitation from the Holy Koran and interpretation. - Congratulatory messages to Prof Burhanudin Rabbani, Gen Abdorrashid Dostum and other officials. - Reports on General Dostum's meetings and activities. - Announcement by the security commission of Mazar-e Sharif ordering all military units to vacate the city as soon as possible and to redeploy to specified areas; no armed men are allowed to enter the city. - Various songs including "You broke my heart", "Come on, my dear, come on", "It's good to hear from you", and "O my God". - Interview with a car mechanic who was asked what stories he could tell about the Taleban; he replied that every time, they had to repair Taleban cars free of charge. New heads appointed for TV, radio On the recommendation of the High Military Council of the northern zone, various appointments have been made in the department for information and culture of Balkh Province, Balkh radio reported on 13 November. They included Abdorrab Jahed as head of Balkh radio and television; Sayed Rahman Safi as general director of television broadcasting; and Lotfollah Raoufi as general director of radio broadcasting. BADAKHSHAN - FAYZABAD TV TV Badakhshan, the pro-United Front (Northern Alliance) TV station from Fayzabad in northeastern Afghanistan, continues to be heard by BBC Monitoring. At 1430 gmt on 13 November TV Badakhshan carried the following report: "The city of Jalalabad, the centre of Nangarhar Province, was freed from Taleban control and captured by the forces of the Islamic State of Afghanistan at around 1100 hours [local time] today as a result of operations by the forces of the Islamic State of Afghanistan. The eastern and southern provinces of the country continue to fall." [TV Badakhshan is the only domestic TV station currently broadcasting in Afghanistan. It broadcasts programmes in Dari and Pashto. However, reception is weak and irregular. Recent station behaviour reports noted that the station broadcasts for two hours a day, from 1900 to 2100 local time and sometimes until 2300. It can be seen within a 40- km radius of the town. A daily news bulletin includes news from BBC World TV and Iranian TV.] US INFORMATION RADIO US PsyOps broadcasts continue US PsyOps broadcasts to Afghanistan continue. Information Radio continues to be observed by BBC Monitoring broadcasting in Pashto and Dari 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 and 1107 kHz channels are believed to be broadcast from US PsyOps "Commando Solo" EC-130 aircraft. President Bush comments on airtime for Bin-Ladin, media freedom Excerpt from press conference with President Bush and President Vladimir Putin of Russia at the White House in Washington on 13 November; a full text of the event is available on the White House web site, http://www.whitehouse.gov .. [Q] A question to President Bush. His advisers expressed concern over the situation with the freedom of speech in Russia. But after 11 September, it would seem to me that the situation is changing somewhat in the United States, too. There are special rules for covering - anti-terrorist operation, Bin-Ladin is denied any opportunity to present his views in the media, quite appropriately, in my view. And so on and so forth.. The authority of the special services have been extended, and there have been rumours that some of your members of your administration went to Hollywood explaining to them a few things. Where is the line in the sand where - beyond which it is impossible to cross, delineating a voluntary restraint on the part of the media and - [President Bush] Yes. First of all, I have been trying to tame our press corps ever since I got into politics, and I've failed miserably. [Laughter] They get to express their opinions, sometimes in the form of news - [laughter] - any way they want to. I asked them the other day, would it be okay if I cut a 30-minute tape, a piece of propaganda, no questions, just here - here it is, here's 30 minutes of me talking; please run it, not only across your airwaves but run it internationally, if you don't mind; I've got something to say about the conflict and our fight against evil. They said, no, they're not going to do that. If I'm going to get on the news, they've got to ask me questions. And so we extended the same courtesy to Usamah Bin-Ladin. He doesn't get to just cut a 30-minute tape where he may be calling his soldiers to action, where he is definitely condemning all Jews, Christians, threatening individuals, to be able to put a 30-minute propaganda tape on the free airwaves. And we made that suggestion; we didn't dictate, we just suggested. And some of the news organizations - or all the news organizations readily agreed that was a responsible posture to take. And for that, I'm grateful. But the press in America has never been stronger, and never been freer, and never been more vibrant. Sometimes, to my chagrin, and a lot of times to my delight. But whoever thinks that I have the capability, or my government has the capability, of reining in this press corps simply doesn't understand the American way. [President Putin] I would also offer a couple of words. Today, giving a rostrum to international terrorists would be equal to giving an opportunity to - newspapers of the second world war times to an opportunity to print Dr Goebbels' articles. This question could be termed in the following way: What is the limit and what is the measure of giving an opportunity to the terrorists and destructive element to use media in pursuit of their anti-human, inhuman, objectives? Let's look at it this way... Source: US White House web site, Washington DC, in English 14 Nov 01 Radio Netherlands article surveys the media propaganda war. The following feature entitled "Winning the Psycho War" appeared on the Radio Netherlands "Media Network" web site on 13 November; [see http://www.medianetwork.nl ] Taleban reportedly threaten journalists at border refugee camp Security was stepped up at the Pakistan-Afghan border crossing at Chaman on Tuesday 13 November after Taleban soldiers with rocket launchers and machine guns threatened journalists, the French news agency AFP reported. United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees spokesman Peter Kessler said he saw three Taleban soldiers carrying rocket launchers outside the Killi Faizo transit camp, on Pakistani territory. "They were milling around, not looking friendly," he said. Border security forces intervened and removed the journalists from the area. "An AFP reporter also saw three pickup trucks of Taleban soldiers cruising on the Afghan side of the border, threatening to open fire on cameramen and photographers who were filming refugees in the Killi Faizo camp. One Taleban soldier, not armed but on Pakistan land, was inciting the refugees to stone the journalists," the report added. AL-JAZEERA TV Station's former Kabul reporter now south of capital The former Kabul-based correspondent of the pan-Arab Al-Jazeera TV has said there was "betrayal and surrender" among the Taleban ranks and that Afghan anger was directed against the Arab and Pakistani fighters. Speaking from the city of Gardez, the capital of Paktia Province [south of Kabul], Taysir Alluni said: "A collapse began under heavy bombing and artillery shelling. Everything began to fall like dominos. I cannot describe to you what happened among the ranks of Taleban and others and among the people. I was flabbergasted, Abd-al- Samad. Yes, there was a betrayal and surrender." In a live telephone interview broadcast by Al-Jazeera TV on 14 November, Alluni said: "I was told that roadblocks were established at the entrance to Kabul. A field commander stood there to stop the vehicles. He would tell the passengers: We have no problem. You can pass even if a brother from the Taleban movement is with you. But if there are Arabs or Panjabis [Pakistanis] then you are in trouble." Asked if the bombing of the Al-Jazeera office was a human error - as a US official told Al-Jazeera - Alluni said: "I cannot say anything. There were many errors in the US bombing. No pilots, whether American or others, would willingly bomb a residential area or a home for poor people to kill women and children. I suppose that since the bomb did not hit the Al-Jazeera office directly - I know nothing about the damage or casualties, I was told that it fell on a nearby house and that Al-Jazeera windows were shattered - I suppose it is an error. We are awaiting the results of the investigations which the US defence secretary or his deputy promised." Source: Al-Jazeera TV, Doha, in Arabic 0741 gmt 14 Nov 01 [see also QATAR for more on Al-Jazeera`s changing bias] Compiled by Foreign Media Unit, BBC Monitoring Telephone +44 118 948 6261 e-mail: fmu@mon.bbc.co.uk Source: BBC Monitoring research 14 Nov 01 (via DXLD) Afghanistan: Afghan media liberated as Taleban cities fall The Northern Alliance's military victory across Afghanistan has freed the media from the restrictive control of the Taleban. Anti-Taleban troops swept into the key cities of northern Mazar-e Sharif and western Herat, followed by the capital Kabul. Local radio stations celebrated their arrival by playing music on the air for the first time since 1996. In Kabul, female radio presenters who had been banned from working by the Taleban, returned to work at the former state broadcaster Radio Afghanistan. Television broadcasting, prohibited in 1998, is also making a comeback. Television sets, video recorders and cassettes and satellite dishes are doing a brisk trade in Kabul as Afghans tune into international stations. Authorities in Kabul and Mazar-e Sharif have announced plans for a television service. Once telecommunications links are fully restored, the Internet - also prohibited by the Taleban- should return to the country. RADIO Radio Afghanistan back on the air in Kabul One of the signs of a more liberal Afghanistan was the music broadcast over Radio Afghanistan for the first time in five years. On 13 November, Radio Afghanistan was back on the air in Kabul after the Taleban deserted the capital and Northern Alliance forces took control of the station, AFP news agency reported. BBC Monitoring has yet not observed the reported Kabul radio broadcasts - the station may be broadcasting on an FM or MW frequency using low power. The BBC's Pashto Service correspondent in Kabul said the Alliance had brought a transmitter to the capital from Charikar, Parwan Province. Established in 1953, the state broadcaster Radio Afghanistan came under Taleban control in 1996. It was renamed Radio Voice of Shari'ah (Sada-e Shari'ah) and became the sole broadcaster operating in Kabul and provincial centres. It was largely a platform for official propaganda and religious sermons and claimed to be the only broadcaster in the world where music of any kind was banned - only a cappella singing was permitted. When US-led air strikes began on 7 October 2001, the Taleban's telecommunications facilities were targeted and broadcast facilities near Kabul were said to have been destroyed. Forty minutes before reception of the domestic and external services was lost, the Kabul Radio Voice of Shari'ah broadcast in English on 8 October at 1530 gmt said Taleban commanders in Kabul Province would "fight until their last drop of blood against the United States and other invaders". Radio Voice of Shari'ah in Kabul then resorted to broadcasting via a low-power mobile transmitter. A week later, Northern Alliance forces entered the capital on the 13th and for the first time in five years, residents heard music on Kabul radio, which was identifying itself under its former title "Radio Afghanistan". A song by popular exiled Afghan singer Farhad Darya played before official announcements were made. A woman presenter, Jamila Mujahid, came on the air, saying: "We have to thank God for giving us this opportunity for Afghanistan to move toward unity." Three women presenters, including Jamila Mujahid, have returned to work at Radio Afghanistan. "I don't believe this. I never thought that a time would come when I would be reading the news again. As I read the news this morning it was like a dream," Mujahid told AFP. Radio Afghanistan's new director is Mohammad Alam Ezdediar (name as received), the UK's Independent newspaper reported. Final broadcast of Taleban radio in Balkh On the evening of 9 November, Radio Voice of Shari'ah of Balkh Province - the former Taleban-controlled provincial radio station based in Mazar-e Sharif - signed on as scheduled at 1230 gmt for its evening broadcast, but abruptly signed off at 1445 gmt (1915 local time), 15 minutes earlier than normal. The station said over the last two or three days opponents of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, along with the crusader alliance, had taken the opportunity to claim to Western radios such as the BBC, VOA and Iranian radio that they were on the verge of capturing Mazar-e Sharif. Ustad Aqa, Gen Dostum and other defamed commanders held a meeting to plan how to enter Mazar-e Sharif. These claims broadcast on the radio were laughable, it said. The station's final commentary said: "The US attacks on Afghanistan, despite the killing of defenceless people, have not affected the spirit of the Afghan people, and people are calmly continuing their life in the big cities." Following the news headlines, the presenter was suddenly interrupted by another person, who said in Dari: "Here we end the evening programme of Radio Voice of Shari'ah. We say goodbye to you till 0700 tomorrow morning [0230 gmt], when we will be at your service again. We wish good night to you and may Almighty God bless you." The following day, Northern Alliance forces swept into Mazar-e Sharif and took control of the local Radio Voice of Shari'ah station. "Balkh Radio" in Mazar-e Sharif city falls to Northern Alliance On 10 November, the new Northern Alliance-controlled "Balkh Radio" began broadcasting at dawn (0223 gmt). It carried an announcement in Dari saying that the city had been taken by the forces of the Northern Alliance. "Dear pious and Muslim compatriots, peace be with you," the announcement began. "We congratulate you from the bottom of our heart on the victory of the Islamic State of Afghanistan." The station appealed to residents of Mazar-e Sharif to continue with their normal life "and help the armed forces of the Islamic State of Afghanistan". It also announced an amnesty for people who had previously backed the Taleban and urged citizens to refrain from fighting and instead to help the government. A female presenter has given announcements on Balkh Radio. The station continues to broadcast on the former Radio Voice of Shari'ah frequency of 1584 kHz mediumwave. Alliance take Herat; new station heard Iranian TV reported that Dari-language radio in the western city of Herat was heard after Northern Alliance forces entered the city on 12 November. The Iranian TV correspondent in Herat on 13 November said "after six years of interruption, Herat's local radio resumed its programmes in Persian [Dari] yesterday". The Iranian TV correspondent in Herat said the radio kept asking people to hand in their weapons to security centres and established bases including one in a city mosque. "The radio, in its statements, has called on the people to maintain calm and to resume their normal professions," the correspondent said. The station has identified itself as "Radio Herat". Kandahar still under Taleban control As of 15 November, the southern city of Kandahar, headquarters of the Taleban and home to its leader Mola Mohammad Omar, had not fallen to opposition forces. The Taleban-controlled Radio Voice of Shari'ah in Kandahar broadcasts on 864 kHz mediumwave. US PsyOps radio occasionally uses this frequency to broadcast to Kandahar. TELEVISION TV Badakhshan TV Badakhshan broadcasts in Fayzabad, capital of northeastern Badakhshan Province, which is under United Front (Northern Alliance) control. It was set up in July 1985 and was reportedly broadcasting on VHF channel 12. The station broadcasts for two hours a day, from 1430 to 1630/1730 gmt [1900 to 2100/2200 local time] and sometimes until 2300. It can be seen within a 40-km radius of the town. A daily local news bulletin is broadcast in Dari at 1430 gmt for around five minutes. The TV reportedly includes news from BBC World TV and Iranian TV. The station also airs Indian films. On 14 November, TV Badakhshan reported that the eastern city of Jalalabad was freed from Taleban control and captured by the anti- Taleban forces at around 1100 hours local time, on 13 November. The eastern and southern provinces of the country were continuing to fall, it said. "TV Afghanistan" to return to Kabul The UK's Independent newspaper on 15 November said TV Afghanistan, which was defunct under the Taleban, was being re-established. The new acting head of the station, Daud Naimi, told the paper that they expected to start broadcasting soon even though the transmission tower near the capital was destroyed by US bombs. Mazar-e Sharif TV to go on air "very soon" - United Front spokesman Anti-Taleban United Front commander Gen Abdorrashid Dostum's spokesman in Pakistan told the Iranian news agency IRNA on 11 November that television broadcasts would begin "very soon" in northern Balkh Province. Balkh Radio reported on 13 November that a head of Balkh radio and television, a general director of television broadcasting and a general director of radio broadcasting had been appointed. NEWS AGENCIES Bakhtar Information Agency On 13 November, Northern Alliance forces took control of the Kabul office of Bakhtar Information Agency, formerly the official news agency of the Taleban. AFP news agency quoted Iranian TV as saying that the Northern Alliance had taken control of the presidential palace and other major public buildings in Kabul, including Bakhtar Information Agency. The agency's office in Mazar-e Sharif, Balkh Province, has operated free from Taleban control after the Northern Alliance reclaimed the city on 13 November. FOREIGN MEDIA US Information Radio Since the start of the US military campaign, US psychological operations or PsyOps radio has broadcast in Pashto and Dari from 0030-0530 gmt and 1230-1730 gmt daily. Planes have dropped leaflets in Dari, Pashto and English over Afghanistan giving the three frequencies for US PsyOps "Information Radio". 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 and 1107 kHz channels are believed to be broadcast from US PsyOps "Commando Solo" EC-130 aircraft. The US PsyOps broadcasts are aimed at winning Afghan support for US military action against Usamah Bin-Ladin and his Al-Qa'idah group. On 11 November, US PsyOps radio aired a message thanking the Afghan people for listening to its broadcasts. "Noble people of Afghanistan. The coalition countries will continue their assistance to the Afghan people in the coming winter. We will continue to drop food to you by our aircraft. We know that this is a difficult season of the year. We know that you are suffering. In order to demonstrate our support for the struggle of the Afghan people we will continue to provide the assistance that we began." Another broadcast warned: "You have two options: Support the Taleban and face defeat, or join your Afghan brothers in their resistance against the Taleban. Some of your leaders along with their soldiers have decided to abandon the Taleban. If you are with the Taleban and fight, you will be killed. You have to make a decision finally. Why don't you leave the Taleban now?" Al-Jazeera TV Al-Jazeera (The Peninsula), a popular Arabic satellite TV news channel, was for some time, the only foreign broadcaster allowed to operate in Taleban-controlled Kabul and Kandahar. Usamah Bin-Ladin has in the past used Al-Jazeera as a platform to communicate his views to the world, prompting the US government to express concerns to the Qatari Emir over the channel's exclusive access to Bin-Ladin and his Al-Qa'idah organization. On 13 November, the station's headquarters in Doha, Qatar, reported that US planes had attacked its office in Kabul overnight. The following day, Kabul correspondent Taysir Alluni spoke live to Doha from the city of Gardez, the capital of Paktia Province located south of Kabul. Al-Jazeera TV said Alluni was assaulted after leaving the capital but would not say who the attackers were. On 12 October, the BBC office in Kabul was also hit by a bomb as Northern Alliance forces attacked the capital. BBC correspondent William Reeve was in the office when a bomb fell just outside the building, smashing all the windows. He was not injured in the blast. The Associated Press office in Kabul was also damaged. The Kandahar correspondent reported on 13 November that most journalists in Kabul were asked by Northern Alliance forces to gather at the Inter-Continental Hotel and not to leave. Later that day, Al-Jazeera's Kandahar correspondent left Kandahar for Quetta in Pakistan. Compiled by Foreign Media Unit, BBC Monitoring Tel: + 44 118 948 6261; e-mail: fmu@mon.bbc.co.uk Source: BBC Monitoring research, 15 Nov 01 (via DXLD) ** AFGHANISTAN [and non]. Narrator: The Flight of the Blue Eagle Just recently, the United States began a series of radio broadcasts to the people of Afghanistan, using a total of 7 different airplanes for this purpose. According to a report from BBC Monitoring, these new broadcasts began about three weeks ago, on October 14. These airplane broadcasts are heard in Afghanistan on two mediumwave channels, 864 kHz and 1107 kHz, which were the channels in use by Radio Afghanistan in Kandahar and Kabul. These broadcasts are in alternating languages, Dari and Pashto, which are the twin official languages in Afghanistan. The program feed to the airplanes can be heard on the shortwave channel 8700 kHz in the upper sideband mode, though it is not yet known where this transmitter is located. Each of these radio broadcasting airplanes contains a bevy of electronic equipment, which includes three broadcast transmitters at 10 kW for use in the mediumwave and FM bands. Electric power for all of the onboard electronic equipment is generated by four generators which are driven by the propeller engines on the aircraft. The story of these aircraft used for radio broadcasting goes back over a period of some 30 years. Today in this additional Wavescan feature, we trace the fascinating story of ``The Flight of the Blue Eagle``. It all began back in 1962 during the Kennedy Era and the Cuban Missile Crisis. A large cargo plane operated by the United States navy was quickly stowed with broadcasting equipment and flown over the waters separating Florida and Cuba. For these inaugural broadcasts, a radio receiver in the plane took an off-air program feed from the VOA mediumwave station at Marathon in Florida. The ground-based VOA channel was 1180 kHz and the plane re- transmitted this programming on 1040 kHz. Since this historic though unannounced beginning, airplanes have been used for local broadcasting in the mediumwave, FM, TV and shortwave bands while flying over a total of at least 11 different countries. Two years later, in the summer of 1964, a series of mysterious radio broadcasts were heard by DXers living in the central coastal areas along the Atlantic seaboard in the United States. These broadcasts were first noted on the shortwave channel 19,100 kHz and later on 532 kHz on the lower edge of the mediumwave band with identification announcements as ``The Blue Eagle``. Programming consisted of their own presentation of popular music, and sometimes a relay of local mediumwave stations such as WLDB and WMID in Atlantic City, New Jersey. Subsequent information revealed the fact that these broadcasts from the ``Blue Eagle`` were actually test broadcasts from an airplane before transferring over to Vietnam for use as an aerial broadcast unit. It should be noted that the Blue Eagle is a symbol of the United States navy. A total of six Lockheed Constellation C130 aircraft were fitted out with similar equipment for the purpose of aerial broadcasting and these are operated by the 193rd Operations Wing of the Pennsylvania Air National Guard. Currently, new Constellation aircraft are beginning to replace the 30 year old planes, though the same electronic equipment will be transferred from the old planes into the new. The broadcasts from these airplanes were originally identified on air as ``The Blue Eagle``, though this radio broadcasting network of 6 Constellations is now known collectively as ``Command Solo``. On each occasion of active deployment, the identification is changed to meet local circumstances. When flying over Vietnam during the Vietnam War, the Blue Eagles identified as ``AFRTS, the American Forces Radio TV Network``. In Vietnamese, their programming identified as VPMF, ``The Voice of Patriotic Militiamen’s Front``. During the invasion of Haiti in 1994 in an attempt to restore democracy, the radio programming from the aircraft was identified in French as ``Radio Democracy``. While flying over Serbia and Bosnia, the identification was ``Radio Allied Voice``, and in the Gulf War, it was ``Voice of the Gulf``. In the current broadcasts over Afghanistan, no clear identification announcements in the local languages have yet been noted. These planes have also flown on active broadcast missions over several other countries, including the Dominican Republic, Panama Grenada, and Somalia. Very few QSLs have been issued for these unique broadcasts, though at least three QSLs are known. QSLs from American ``Blue Eagles`` & ``Command Solo`` Planes ------------------------------------------------------------------- Listener, Location, Year, kHz, Flying Over, ID, QSL ------------------------------------------------------------------- Mr C. M. Stanbury, USA [sic], 1962, 1040, Cuba, VOA, VOA card Terry Krueger, Florida, 1994, 1035, Haiti, Democracy, Letter Clive Rooms, England, 1999, 1270, Balkans, Allied Voice, Letter =================================================================== (Adrian M. Peterson, AWR Wavescan 359 for Nov 11 via DXLD) ** CANADA. November 13, 2001 Press Release For immediate release, Toronto: CRTC Orders Star Ray TV Off Air Weary from the ongoing battle with the Canadian Radio-Television and Telecommunications Commission, Jan Pachul's fight to keep his Star Ray TV channel servicing the east end of Toronto has made him more determined than ever to expose the undemocratic practices of what is possibly, the most important regulatory agency in the country. At a CRTC hearing in Hull on September 19, Pachul defended himself against a charge that he was "operating a broadcasting undertaking without a licence." The CRTC determined that he was guilty of that "crime" and in a letter dated October 26, demanded that he "cease and desist" operating his free, channel 15 community TV station. "It was a kangaroo court," says Pachul, "designed to shut me down at a time when they aren't accepting any low powered TV applications while they ‘study' low power. They seem to be bending and making new rules whenever they feel like it; in many cases to suit the requests of established broadcasters who control the system." Denis Carmel, the media spokesperson for CRTC concurs that Pachul will not be given a license while "the study" is in process. He says, "We are looking at ways to provide low power stations, and how to do a better job of serving local communities." He adds that, "the results may be ready by the end of the year", but there is no indication of how the process of granting licenses will be made more democratic. Meanwhile, Pachul has applied for a Judicial Review of CRTC actions with the Federal Court of Appeals and their decision is pending. He remains adamant in his intention to keep his TV service going. "I'm not just going to lie down and die," he says, "I'm going to keep on fighting." The crux of the issue, and the question that really needs to be answered is "Who has the right to decide what should be on Canadian airwaves?" Is it just a handful of industry insiders that are allowed to engage in broadcasting activities, or does the public have a right to be allowed the freedom to create and broadcast content that they want? It is shameful for Canada to be forced into having this debate, when the U.S., Russia, and even, China have community TV stations. Star Ray TV provides programming that is not available elsewhere in Toronto and despite presentations at the hearing, and many letters of support from communities across Canada, the CRTC refuses to do the right thing and grant Pachul a license. However elected officials, business owners, and the community at large are coming together to apply pressure for changes. It is widely recognized that the unacceptable practices of the CRTC have caused immense hardship to Jan Pachul, everyone working at the station, and the entire community. For more information visit the Star Ray TV site at www.srtv.on.ca. If you would like to show your support for Star Ray TV, write to your M.P. and voice your opinion. Together we can make a difference. -30- For more information, please contact Jan Pachul directly at 416.693.7400, srtv@srtv.on.ca, or visit the Star Ray WWW site at http://www.srtv.on.ca (Star Ray via DXLD) ** CHECHNYA. CHECHEN STATE RADIO RESUMES BROADCASTING. Chechen state radio has resumed broadcasting, having suspended broadcasts in October 1999 when the current war began, Chechnya's Deputy Media Minister Yurii Rossokhan told Interfax on 13 November. A new Chechen newspaper began publication in August after repeated delays (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 20 August 2001). LF (RFE/RL Newsline Nov 14 2001 via Fred Waterer, DXLD) ** COLOMBIA. During the almost-forgotten WOR repeat on WBCQ 7415, Nov 15 at 0604, there was unexpected co-channel interference, confirmed at 1230 recheck as Idea Radio, still IDing in English as on 7380, but actually moved to 7415! A brief talk in Spanish followed. By now the signal was weakening and in the sideband of Super-Splatter WEWN 7425. Evidently Idea Radio preferred to clash with WBCQ rather than VOR (in the evening). But hey, it`s probably a pirate, so more power to it? ;) Without embargo, I have e-mailed Idea that they should get off 7415, and not try 7445 either. Has anybody received any sort of reply from them by now? (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** CUBA. 814 kHz, R. Progreso, Guantánamo, NOV 14, 0556 - Audio barely readable in monster het against 810 & slop from WNYC-820. Woman w/"R. Progreso, cadena nacional" just before top of hour. Audio very fuzzy - this transmitter is a mess. New (Rick Kenneally, Wilton CT, NRC-AM via DXLD) ** EGYPT. As remarked on WOR 1105, WWCR`s unexpected extension of 9475 to 0400* instead of 2400* is very bad news for R. Cairo and its would-be listeners in North America, including English at 0200-0330 on this frequency only. Theoretically --- I forgot to check it out last night (Glenn Hauser, OK, Nov 15, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** FRANCE. Radio France Internationale paid a nice tribute to its reporter who was killed when she and other journalists came under Taliban fire while traveling with opposition Northern Alliance forces. During the news program (in French) called "24 Hours in France," RFI's director-general Jean-Paul Cluzel (I think that's his name) delivered a several minutes-long tribute at the end of the half-hour program. News producers played a series of about 15 lockouts or outcues (e.g. the end of a report where the journalist gives her name and location) from various reports this woman had done from a variety of places around the world. I was impressed that they had found all these reports from their archives and assembled them for a one-time airing on this show. "24 Heures en France" airs at 1300 UTC and generally contains only domestic French news, with heavy use of interviews and actualities from domestic French stations such as France Inter, RTL, Europe 2. It seems to be the only newscast of its type on RFI's schedule (e.g. one that draws so heavily on domestic broadcasters and emphasizes domestic news). It is one of the few half-hours in French RFI broadcasts on shortwave to the Western Hemisphere (Mike Cooper, Nov 12, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** GERMANY [non]. WJZ [New York] (and others) had monster transmitters being built by RCA, in the hopes that their applications for Super Power would be granted by the FCC. When World War II began in Europe and it appeared Super Power was dead in this country, Britain's Political Warfare Executive (PWE) purchased this rig and others from RCA. The WJZ transmitter was beefed up to 600 kilowatts and installed in Great Britain for a MW radio propaganda project known as "Aspidistra." The transmitter site became known as the "Biggest Aspidistra in the World," after a popular British song. (Ironically, its title as highest-power station was soon eclipsed by another British operation.) Aspidistra took to the air on a test basis in November 1942 when Operation "Torch", the invasion of North Africa, began. It operated on a regular basis beginning in 1943. One of the more interesting applications came in a form called "Intruder." Aspidistra would mimic local German stations, providing false information during bombing raids. It was the practice of the German local stations to go off the air when bombers approached, so as not to provide a homing beacon for the Allied planes. The Brits installed a form of very fast carrier-sense system, to detect when the German local stations dropped off. They knew what city was to be bombed and pre-tuned the frequency-agile high-power transmitters for the local frequency. The instant the German carrier dropped, the station from England would come up in its place, rebroadcasting German material (relayed from one of the other stations still on the air). By continuing the German program, the interruption was usually undetected. Once the Brits had the frequency covered, they would drop out of the relayed German program, inserting their own false information in German. Among the "instructions" they'd broadcast (purportedly from the German High Command) would be orders for citizens to take to the roads. This had the effect of clogging the roads and obstructing Germany Army vehicle traffic (Mark Durenberger CPBE, Grand Junction CO, NRC-AM via DXLD) ** GUATEMALA. I made an interesting little discovery this morning. I received a spy #s station on 3360.08 @ 1145 NOV 14. It consisted of a YL reading 5 digit code in SS. Quickly I checked for 2nd and 3rd harmonics, and did indeed find the second harmonic audible at weak to fair level on 6720.16, and a weak carrier on the exact third harmonic frequency of 10080.24. This is significant because I have logged R LV de Nahualá, Guatemala (several times) on the exact same fundamental producing 2nd and 3rd harmonics. I was even able to get an audio match on the 3rd harmonic once. It is extremely (99.9%) likely that the source of this spy #s broadcast was from the TX of R LV de Nahualá. I have been chasing a harmonic producing SS language spy #s station since mid summer, but the audio from that transmitter sounds quite a bit dirtier. Don't think there is a connection, but could be. Also right time of day propagation wise. Code ended around 1148. Signal went off 1150 (David Hodgson, Nashville, USA, Nov 14, WORLD OF RADIO 1105, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Nahualá is certainly not where we would have expected espionage activities, but an interesting theory. Maybe the numbers station is trying to make it appear Nahualá is the source (gh, DXLD) Interesting, to say the least. To answer Mark's question from a follow-up e-mail, to my knowledge this is still a Roman Catholic station. I can't imagine it being sold or transferred. It's actually owned by the local Catholic church in the town of Nahualá. The population of the town of Nahualá is all Quiché Mayans and the town has a reputation as being somewhat closed to non-Mayan outsiders (other Guatemalans). The Quichés are the largest Mayan group in Guatemala. There used to be (and maybe still are) some programs in the Cakchiquel language in the afternoons. I visited the town and station in 1983 and 1987, the second time in company with three Guatemalan SWLs from Guatemala City. Both times I met Sister Janet Druffel (spelling?) of Spokane, Washington State, USA, who had lived in Nahualá and managed the station since the early 1960s. I don't know if she would still be there. She would be getting rather old by now. A article on my 1983 trip to Guatemala (including the Nahualá visit) can be found on the Guatemala section of my website at http://members.tripod.com/donmoore/central/guatemala.html Also on the website is an article on Radio Atitlán, their sister station in the nearby town of Santiago Atitlán. This tells the story of right wing death squads in that town, including the murder of the station manager and the American priest in that town in the early 1980s. The thing to see here is that these stations come from the liberal wing of the Roman Catholic church and represent people who have been persecuted by the Guatemalan military and traditional power structure. (On my website, read part one of the 'Sociolinguistic study of Guatemalan Indians' that I wrote for more on this.) Considering recent Guatemalan history, social structure, and the history of this station and other Catholic broadcasters in Guatemala, plus the organizations it is part of, the community, etc., this station could not operate as a CIA front. It's like saying the entire left-wing of the Catholic Church in Guatemala is really a CIA front. The other option, of course, is that the liberal Catholics at the station are broadcasting spy numbers stuff for left-wing groups. That can only be true if they are very suicidal people. For the past several decades, people who openly help left-wing politics don't live long in Guatemala. The right-wing death squads see to that. Things are much better since a peace treaty was signed a few years ago. Still, if La Voz de Nahualá were using its transmitters for subversive purposes, I'm sure the CIA monitors would pass the info on to their friends in the Guatemalan military. I don't doubt what David heard. I do wonder if there is some other explanation. Frankly, to me it is more likely that someone else was intentionally using that frequency because it was clear or (much less likely) to make the broadcasts appear to be from La Voz de Nahualá. Admittedly, I haven't been in Guatemala for nearly 14 years, but I spent a lot of time there and did a lot of research on the stations and the country's social structure, and I just don't see any plausible explanation for this coming from Nahualá's transmitter. In fact, the only thing that might convince me is if it is also heard on 5040 kHz. Why? That is the other harmonic of Nahualá, and is sometimes listed as a 60 meter band frequency for the station. Apparently the station uses a 1680 kHz crystal but amplify the second harmonic frequency of that to transmit on 3360 kHz. Thus, the station sometimes puts out a signal on 5040, which appears to be a 1.5 harmonic of 3360, but is really a third harmonic of 1680 kHz. A parallel signal on 3360 and 5040 would be a real smoking gun. (Don Moore, IA, hard-core-dx via DXLD) Very interesting, great info!! Very good! So actually 10080 is the 6th harmonic instead of the 3rd. In theory the 5th should also be audible @ 8400. I'm not sure about confirming the 3rd harmonic on 5040 due to co-channel LV del Upano, but will definitely give it a shot if ever again I have the opportunity. Should be possible since SAm has pretty much faded out by 1145. OK, would like to restate the obvious: I can not offer proof that what I heard was from Guatemala; that is why I listed it as a tentative logging. What I can offer is compelling evidence. Here's the problem: A spy # station which produces a harmonic is very rare to begin with. A spy station which produces both 2nd and 3rd harmonics is of course even more rare. The chances that such a rarity would also happen to randomly fall exactly on a fundamental frequency of a station proven to produce spurs on exactly the same harmonic frequencies is close to infinitesimal. Looking at this from the point of mathematical probability, it is illogical to deny the strong likelihood that what I heard was in fact coming from the transmitter of Nahualá. Perhaps some other entity is in possession of this particular transmitter either by force or maybe it's been sold, I don't know, and am not one to speculate. I can say that without a doubt I have, within the last few months received harmonics from Nahualá on 6720 and 10080 (rounded down to nearest kc). Using 2 different recievers and antennas; one on the fundamental and the other receiver on the harmonics, I have gotten a 100% audio match. I can say, there is no doubt that Nahualá has produced these spurs in the last couple of months. Yesterday I received the spy #s station on exactly the same set of frequencies. The likelihood of this being a purely random coincidence exists, but is exteremely low. 73, (David Hodgson, TN, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** INTERNATIONAL VACUUM. C-SPAN has replaced the feed of World Radio Network on analog audio subcarrier 5.2 MHz of Satcom C3, transponder 7, with CSPAN radio. WRN is also available on an audio subcarrier of Galaxy 5, transponder 6, but the network has announced this feed will terminate at the end of the year. WRN will still be available, but will require the purchase of an MPEG-type receiver. The sudden disappearance of the WRN feed via CSPAN means that millions of "big- dish" (C-band) satellite users will no longer have access to WRN. I wonder if the international broadcasters who provide programming to WRN know that their potential audience is about to be drastically reduced? (Mike Cooper, GA, Nov. 14, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** JORDAN. King inaugurates Armed Forces Radio | Text of report in English by Jordanian news agency Petra web site Amman, 13 November: His Majesty King Abdallah II Tuesday [13 November] moved the curtain announcing the opening of the Armed Forces Radio. In his remarks, the king stressed his pride in the Jordanian Armed Forces personnel. It is pleasure for me to share with you the opening of your radio, your courageous voice, in this Arab homeland, the king said. This radio will be the voice of truth, knowledge and enlighten free opinion proceeding from love to Jordan and its sacred soil, his majesty affirmed. His majesty expressed hope that the Armed Forces Radio will carry out its role of coping with the speedy development of information technology. Source: Petra-JNA news agency web site, Amman, in English 13 Nov 01 (via BBCM via DXLD) WTFK?? Probably not primarily SW, but someone recently reported here that 7155 carrying such a program in Arabic (gh, DXLD) ** KOREA NORTH. Monitoring of Voice of Korea has continued. For the benefit of others, this is what was heard yesterday Nov. 14th. At 1300 I only caught the end of their English programme on 11710 11335 9335 7505. They announced English programmes at :- 1300, 1500, 1900 & 2100 all on 11335 & 7505 to Europe and 1300 & 1500 to N America on 11710 & 9335. At 0100 & 0300 to N Asia on 9335 7140 & 6195. But, beware....English was also heard at 1600 on 9975. I couldn`t copy the sched as read out at the end of this transmission due to QRM, but guess it's to Africa & ME. Next from :- 1400 French 11710 11335 9335 7505 Russian 9325 6575 Korean could have been this station on 9850.2 1500 English 11710 11335 9335 7505 Russian 9325 6575 Arabic 9975 (Could not trace // on any other known channels) 1600 French 11710 11335 9335 7505 German 9325 6575 (appalling audio - could not copy the sched read at close) English 9975 (no // found) 1700 Korean 11710 11335 9335 7505 - close 1750 Spanish 9975 (no // found) Russian 9325 6575 1800 French 9975 6520 Spanish 11335 7505 German 9325 6575 1900 English 11335 7505 German 9325 6575 Arabic 9975 6520 2000 Korean 9975 9325 6575 6520 - off 2050 French 11335 7505 All transmissions were about 57 minutes long (except Korean 1700-1750 - conclusion of 2000 Korean not heard yet - it was 2050) and frequencies not all exact. The Russian sched heard at close of that service took about 3 minutes to read, so seems a long one! I would suggest that 9975 (and 6520 from 1800) are the Africa/ME services - and different to the rest which will be essentially for Europe. I'll try some of the earlier ones tomorrow. The station appears to have new less strident announcers(except the Korean!) - and they also have some new records! One a really jazzy tango! I've missed hearing such as 15245 and 17735 around 0700+. Possibly propagation, or maybe a re-scheduling? 9325 has been audible at that time, though. Such as 13760 and 13650 have not been found either, nor 9650 or 9600. Continuing Nov. 14th I found :- 2100 English 11335 7505 Chinese 9975 (and I THINK 11735) unID lang. 6520 (too weak and noisy to copy) 2200 Spanish 11335 7505 (at 2200 9335 covered by WBCQ / 9345 ISR / 9975 WEWN) Japanese 7580 6520 Chinese 11735 2300 Korean 11735 11335 9975(strong under WEWN) 7505 unID lang. 6520 (7580 now used by WHRA) Today Nov. 15th, I COULD hear HS transmissions at 0730 on about 11679.7 // 9665.5 at fair strength, and also about 6398.8 at weak strength. Foreign service continued :- 0700 Russian 11335 9975 9325 6575 Korean 9345 (6520 is on air but unusable) ("something" on 7140 too) Japanese not audible on 7580 due WHRA co-ch until 1000) - no other frequency found 0800 Russian 11335 9975 9325 6575 Chinese 9345 7140 (6520 is on air still but unusable - nothing heard on former 6195) 0900 Korean 9345 9325 6575 ("something" on 7140 but not IDed) off 0950 Japanese - 7580 still blocked - 9650 has a Chinese transmission - 6070 unusable 1000 / 1015 Nothing has so far appeared on any of the above freqs All frequencies still nominal - 9975 is on about 9975.1 as is 7140.1, and others off by a similar margin too. Local noise and marginal signals will now cause me a problem in monitoring their transmissions for a couple of hours or so, but I will persist! Best 73's (Noel Green, England, Nov 15, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** MICRONESIA. 1503 UNID, station here with island mx at 1044 11/11 and several rechecks between 1044-1059 UT. At 1050, the music ended or faded down and a woman(?) in island lang. s/off? Then sounded like typical "Samoan, Tongan, etc" type NA (Island choral song) to 1058, then just dead air. One of the islands must be operating on 1503 khz now. I have heard programming from the Pacific at least twice now. Bruce Portzer thinks maybe Kosrae may have moved here, listed in the PAL log. E mails to the station have gone unanswered (Pat Martin, OR, IRCA Soft DX Monitor via DXLD) 1503 kHz, Kosrae, V6AJ, 0952 11/11 island music (sounded religious) with no announcements between songs good-nil in KGA-1510 splatter, best on western wire, woman in island language 1043-1047, more island music to 1055, then same woman w/apparent s/off in EE, seemed to mention V6AJ, then anmt in island language & song (anthem?), gone after 1100. Again 11/12 0938 w/upbeat island vocals, male ancr, good at times but usually lost in domestic splatter, seemed to s/off in island language 1101, then anthem(?). Confirmed it was them by calling station a couple days later and describing what I heard. Ex- 1584, still listed there in WRTH. New country. (Bruce Portzer, Grayland WA DXpedition, hard-core-dx via DXLD) ** MOLDOVA. Alerted by the report from R. Petraitis, I checked 999 today, and indeed, from 1800 Radio Pridnestrovye was carried. I have not heard the station for years, so I was quite surprised: The once so typical telephone quality is gone, and not only the broadcast quality STL is unfamiliar to me but also the lively program presentation with "Radio PMR" techno-style jingles. Unfortunately I tuned in late, so missed the start of the broadcast with or without the old interval signal. The programme concluded with a read-out of the address; the transmitter operator just allowed the announcer to complete the address before abruptly switching to the Trans World Radio feed. Regards, (Kai Ludwig, Germany, Nov 14?, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Please note that the correct spelling of the (Russian-language) separatist station is "Radio Pridnestrovya", not Radio Pridnestrovye. You will find only this spelling in Russian language Internet source incl. those from Transnistria. 73s, Bernd Trutenau, Lithuania, Nov 15, DX LISTENING DIGEST) So there is really no D in Transnistria? (gh, DXLD) ** MONGOLIA. Voice of Mongolia announced the reduction of Russian broadcasts. From now on, they'll only be on the air on Sat/Sun, 1330- 1400 on 7380 kHz. Explaining this decision, VoM refers to a low stream of listeners' response. But I believe listeners have to blame VoM technical staff, for wrong selection of frequencies and azimuth, for sudden disappearance of Russian programs in scheduled time, while other languages did not suffer in this way (MIDXB N 239 - Fyodor Brazhnikov, Irkutsk, Russia, via Signal, via DXLD) Announced English schedule: 1030-1100, Australia/S. Asia, 12085 1500-1530, Europe, 12015 2000-2030, Europe, 12015 [previous report omitted this one –gh] Monitoring of 28/29 Oct: 12085 kHz (SINPO=43543, QRM CHN 12080): 0900-0930, Japanese 0930-1000, Mongolian 1000-1030, Chinese 1030-1100, English 7380 kHz (SINPO=32432, QRM CHN 7380): 1100-1130, Mongolian 1130-1200, Chinese 1200-1230, Japanese 1230 - s/off (Fyodor Brazhnikov, Irkutsk, Russia, Signal Nov 3 via DXLD) ** QATAR. Analysis: Al-Jazeera TV's coverage of Afghan war loses pro- Taleban edge With the advance of anti-Taleban forces and the departure of Al- Jazeera's correspondents from Kabul and Kandahar, the Qatar-based TV station's reporting from Afghanistan no longer predominantly reflects the Taleban perspective. Al-Jazeera is now showing the Afghan people's positive reaction to the Taleban retreat and is using CNN coverage to compensate for the loss of its access. Following reports on 13 November that US planes had attacked its office in Kabul and contact had been lost with correspondent Taysir Alluni, Al-Jazeera became reliant on feeds from CNN for live coverage from Kabul, changing the coverage perspective. During its 1230 gmt news bulletin on 13 November, for example, the station interviewed CNN correspondent Matthew Chance via telephone from Kabul. He reported that there was "anger" directed at the Taleban among people on the street. On 14 November, Al-Jazeera broadcast a live interview from Kabul with CNN correspondent Christian Amanpour reporting that there is "no sense of anarchy" or "chaos". Al-Jazeera's video reporting on the situation in Kabul showed popular rejoicing at the Taleban forces' departure. The station has been repeatedly showing people celebrating in the streets, men getting shaved and music being played, all activities which were previously banned by the Taleban. This more balanced approach was also apparent when Al-Jazeera's Qandahar correspondent Yusuf al-Shuli began reporting from Quetta, Pakistan on 14 November. Al-Shuli said that those Afghan refugees who opposed the Taleban were happy that the "Taleban is about to be wiped out, as they put it," and that they were making preparations to "return to what they called liberated Afghanistan." This different perspective on the part of Al-Jazeera was, however, less apparent in Taysir Alluni's reporting from the capital of Paktia Province, where he fled after the bombing of his Kabul office. While noting on 14 November the Afghan people's "anger against the Arab fighters," he continued to report on civilian casualties from US bombing. Al-Jazeera compensated for its lack of first-hand reporting on 14 November by giving greater airtime to other sources, broadcasting 23 minutes of a press conference by the Northern Alliance foreign minister, 20 minutes of the Bush-Putin press conference live from the White House, and 16 minutes of US Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld's press conference live from the Pentagon. Source: BBC Monitoring research 15 Nov 01 (via DXLD) ** TURKMENISTAN. Re DXLD 1-171: Solomon Islands of course, but --- huge?? (gh, DXLD) Well, strong anyway, but so strong on that day only. Much stronger than 4890 Karai National Radio; that's why I couldn't believe it was SIBC. I didn't know that SIBC has started broadcasting 24hrs a day. English news from Turkmen R heard also on Tuesday and Wednesday at the same time. The opening announcement by a female voice was: "Good evening. Welcome to the English programme of ... Radio channel. Now I'll present the latest news around the nation." I am not sure about the missing word, it didn't sound Turkmen. 73, (Mauno Ritola, Finland, Nov 14, WORLD OF RADIO 1105, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Maybe it was "Watan"? Or the translation "Fatherland" or "Heritage"? That's one of the new channel names. Would be very interesting to know which program is now carried on 5015 after the changes earlier this year (Bernd Trutenau, via Ritola, DXLD) Now that you mention it: yes, after re-listening it is "Watan" for sure! Best regards, (Mauno Ritola, Finland, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U K [and non]. Here's the URL for a press release, "Merlin Communications acquired by Vosper Thornycroft Holdings PLC for £95 million" http://www.merlincommunications.com/site3/press52.htm 73- (Bill Westenhaver, Nov 14, DXLD, WORLD OF RADIO 1105) I suppose this means Merlin will be even more distanced from BBC (gh, WORLD OF RDIO 1105, DXLD) ** U K [non]. NEW TRANSMITTERS FOR BBC. In 2000, Merlin Communications signed a major contract with the BBC World Service for the replacement of some transmission facilities. The agreement requires Merlin to manage the design and construction of a new combined HF-MF station at A'Seela, on the Oman mainland, as well as one HF transmitter and two HF antennas at the existing Thailand relay base. Work on site at A'Seela started in March 2000 and is to schedule. The MF building was completed in December 2000, followed by the HF building in February 2001. Installation work continues in the HF antenna field, related to tower erection and preparation for the antenna and earthing systems. All seven of the HF towers, 50 m to 85 m high, have been completed and painted to satisfy aircraft obstruction regulations. The MF system consists of four towers, 51 m high, and four towers of 102 m high, and these works are in progress. Site work is underway on the rotatable antenna, which will be about 80 m high and 65 m wide, rotating around a cylindrical steel tubular base, 4 m in diameter. At the Thailand station, modification work is nearing completion, and installation of the HF transmitter, antennas, matrix, and feeders has passed the interim site acceptance tests. (Based on an article from the "Oracle", in the ABU Technical Review, Sep/Oct 2001 via Bob Padula, EDXP Nov 14 via DXLD, WORLD OF RADIO 1105) ** U S A. Glen[n]: I wrote to MARS Net for information on their nets as pirate listeners on 6925 were reporting this net on 6913 lsb. (Some listeners were concerned that some of the pirate ops now on 6925 might be getting too close to authorized users such as the net on 6913 to cause harmful interference.) -----Original Message----- Sent: Monday, November 12, 2001 5:25 PM Subject: Your net (?) on 6913 LSB I heard AAR2BV, AAA9CE, AAT3IJ, AAR4FX, AAV6WI, on a net from 0240 - 0305 UTC on 11/11/01, on 6913LSB. I assume these were all MARS Stations? Just out of curiosity where is the net on 14MHz? I'm curious to check the sig strength there also, as compared to 6913. Does the middle numeral in the calls have anything to do with geographic locations? I was in Korea in the 1970s, and my sign site (B-51st Sig Bn) was right next to the 2nd Division MARS station at Camp Casey, on a hilltop. Sure appreciated all that MARS did for calling home, etc. Lee Silvi (N8XUF), Mentor, Ohio ********************************************************************* Reply from NY-MARS: Dear Sir, Thank you for your interest in MARS. Unfortunately, we do not verify signal reports or provide net or frequency information outside of the MARS membership. Under our current OPSEC posture (all frequency information is considered FOUO) we are not allowed to assist you with your questions. If you are interested in joining the program, I would be happy to have our Membership person send you an application package. Our mission has considerably expanded from the basic Morale and Welfare messages that you are familiar with. Although we still provide that service to our deployed troops, our primary mission is in disaster relief and emergency communications support. For example, during the recent events of 9/11 we opened backup communications nets with FEMA, the National Disaster Medical Service, and other response agencies. We are expanding our contacts with State National Guard units and cooperating with ARES/RACES folks as well. If I or other staff members can be of assistance, please contact me. Sincerely, Bob (via Lee Silvi, OH, DXLD) That`s a rather snippy response, as Lee was just trying to be helpful. And I don`t think there is anything classified about domestic MARS; the info should be available somewhere (gh, DXLD) ** U S A. Amateur Radio Shines During National Public Radio Broadcast NEWINGTON, CT, Nov 14, 2001 -- Amateur Radio was in the national spotlight during the "Tech Tuesday" segment of National Public Radio's "Public Interest" program on November 13. The show originates from WAMU-FM in Washington, DC, and is carried by some three dozen public radio stations across the US. Two well-known hams were the featured guests of program host Kojo Nnandi -- Amateur Radio on the International Space Station Board Chairman Frank Bauer, KA3HDO, and Automatic Position Reporting System guru Bob Bruninga, WB4APR. Both men are involved in technical professions, and both credited Amateur Radio with inspiring their career choices. Bruninga is a project engineer at the US Naval Academy Satellite Ground Station, and Bauer is chief of the Guidance, Navigation and Control Center at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center. Bauer and Bruninga covered a wide swath of common Amateur Radio activities, including digital modes. Among other aspects, Bauer pointed out that it's now possible to get a ham ticket without having to learn Morse code, and he outlined some of the areas of knowledge required for license examinations. He also explained the role of the Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) program and its schedule of school contacts. Bruninga noted that hams had e-mail via packet radio before it was widely adopted on the Internet. He also talked about contesting and activities such as moonbounce. The lively, informative segment was complemented by a series of callers --- most of them also Amateur Radio licensees -- who offered additional insights into ham radio or who wanted to share a story. One caller told listeners how a ham radio operator had helped to reunite her with a family member who was missing and presumed dead during World War II. Another listener e-mailed the program to say that he was eager to get his ham ticket. A third mentioned the growing problem of restrictive covenants that have precluded the installation of Amateur Radio antennas in some communities. Bauer conceded that restrictive covenants were a major issue for him in buying a house. "I know that the ARRL -- our national organization -- is working very hard to try to resolve that issue, but it is something that's going to take education," he said, pointing out ham radio's public service rôle during disasters and emergencies. At one point, the League's toll-free number (888-277-5289) and Web address were given as routes to additional information. Scheduled to run for an hour, the program was cut short by about 10 minutes to accommodate NPR's live coverage of a news conference with President Bush and Russian President Vladimir Putin. "ARRL wishes to express sincere thanks to Frank Bauer and Bob Bruninga for taking part in the interview and for doing a first-rate job," said ARRL Public Relations Manager Jennifer Hagy, N1TDY. The program segment remains available on the WAMU Web site http://www.wamu.org Click on "Public Interest" in the program directory (ARRL November 14 via John Norfolk, OKCOK, DXLD) ** U S A. Four ground-breaking albums to be reissued Dec. 4! Waiting For The Electrician, Or Someone Else Like Him How Can You Be In Two Places At Once When You're Not Anywhere At All? Don't Crush That Dwarf, Hand Me The Pliers I Think We're All Bozos On This Bus Emerging from the alternative LA radio scene during the summer of love and onto the record shelf of every self-respecting hippie and beatnik well into the seventies, THE FIRESIGN THEATRE took comedy into the psychadelic [sic] era. With their multi-layered satirical parodies, improvisational routines, peculiar puns and obscure media and literary references, PHIL AUSTIN, PETER BERGMAN, DAVID OSSMAN and PHILIP PROCTOR wrote some of the most original and surrealistic comedy theater ever! Now, their first four ground-breaking albums will be reissued December 4th! Intelligent, irreverent and just plain "out there," these records redefined the concept of recorded comedy. And with their upcoming new album [I assume this is a reference to "The Bride of Firesign", already available] and a major public television broadcast of their live show in early December, these records are as essential as ever! Waiting For The Electrician, Or Someone Else Like Him CK 85773 Some of the troupe's finest work. Originally released in 1968, the album is reflective of the time - with drug references and with psychedelic sensibility. Taking in satire ("Temporarily Humboldt County") and spoofs ("Beat The Reaper") and a whole lot of weird wordplay, Waiting For The Electrician... is the album that unleashed The Firesign Theatre on the country. -- "Far funnier than any comedy record that quotes James Joyce's Ulysses has a right to be." (-Amazon.com) How Can You Be In Two Places At Once When You're Not Anywhere At All? CK 85774 While featuring sketches of smart social commentary alongside television and radio parodies, this album also introduced the Nick Danger character with a near-perfect parody of a detective radio play "Further Adventures of Nick Danger." Featuring some of their finest work ever. -- A masterpiece comedy concept album. Don't Crush That Dwarf, Hand Me The Pliers CK 85775 The life and times of George Leroy Tirebiter viewed through hilarious spoofs and takes on adventure films, televangelists, commercials, war films and more. Funny, intelligent, even poignant. -- Comedy taken to the edge of absurdity! I Think We're All Bozos On This Bus CK 85776 Picking up where Don't Crush That Dwarf left off, I Think We're All Bozos On This Bus is another concept album - a "stream of comedy" look at the future which takes on technology and humanity's place in the equation. The Firesign Theatre's upcoming appearances: Nov. 30 NPR's FRESH AIR show Dec. 8 The new public radio show, BEEN THERE, DONE THAT, will feature the group. Don't miss The Firesign Theatre's PBS Special, airing this December! We invite you to their official site for cities, dates and times. http://www.firesigntheatre.com What are you going to listen to next? Shoes For Industry! The Best Of The Firesign Theatre C2K 52736 "Simply dazzling... they could be from another world." -David Sullivan, Los Angeles Times This double disc collection is in honor of the group's 25th anniversary (1993) and contains the most comprehensive, hilarious and best material ever from Peter Bergman, Philip Proctor, Davis Ossman, and Philip Austin: The Firesign Theatre. Copyright (c) 2001 Sony Music Entertainment Inc. All rights reserved. (http://legacyrecordings.com/thefiresigntheatre/ via John Norfolk, OKCOK, DXLD) ** UZBEKISTAN. Radio Tashkent is the external service of Uzbek Radio. This schedule is based on monitoring observations and information from Uzbek Radio. It is valid until 30 March 2002. Some programmes in Uzbek for Uzbeks abroad identify as "Radio Vatandosh" (Vatandosh = Homeland). Broadcasts are not subject to Summer/Winter time changes. Languages: Arabic, Dari, English, German, Hindi, Mandarin, Pashto, Persian, Turkish, Urdu, Uyghur, Uzbek Address : Radio Tashkent, 49 Khoresm Street, Tashkent, Uzbekistan Tel : +998 71 1330249 Fax : +998 71 1336068 E-mail : uzradio@uzpak.uz All daily: --------------------------------------------------------------------- 0000-0030 UYGHUR As 5.040 0100-0130 ENGLISH As 5.955 5.975 7.215 0130-0200 DARI As 5.955 5.975 7.215 0200-0230 PASHTO As 5.955 5.975 7.215 0230-0330 UZBEK ME 5.955 5.975 7.215 0600-0630 TURKISH EuME 15.165 15.330 1200-1230 ENGLISH As 5.955 5.975 6.025 9.715 1230-1300 URDU As 5.955 5.975 6.025 9.715 1300-1330 HINDI As 5.955 5.975 6.025 9.715 1330-1400 ENGLISH As 5.955 5.975 6.025 9.715 1330-1430 UYGHUR As 5.040 1400-1430 URDU As 5.060 5.975 6.025 9.715 1430-1500 MANDARIN As 5.040 1430-1500 HINDI As 5.060 5.975 6.025 9.715 1500-1530 UYGHUR As 5.040 1520-1550 DARI As 5.975 6.025 7.285 9.540 1550-1630 UZBEK ME 5.975 6.025 7.105 7.285 9.540 1630-1700 PERSIAN ME 5.975 6.025 7.285 1700-1730 ARABIC MEAf 5.975 6.025 7.285 1700-1730 TURKISH EuME 7.105 9.540 1730-1830 UZBEK ME 5.975 6.025 7.105 7.285 9.540 1830-1900 PERSIAN ME 5.975 6.025 7.105 7.285 9.540 1900-1930 ARABIC ME 5.975 6.025 7.105 7.285 9.540 1935-2030 GERMAN Eu 5.025 5.035 5.060 7.105 9.540 11.905 2030-2100 ENGLISH Eu 5.025 11.905 2130-2200 ENGLISH Eu 5.025 11.905 2330-2359 MANDARIN As 5.040 --------------------------------------------------------------------- (© BBC Monitoring Nov 14, condensed for DXLD) ** VIETNAM [non]. Meyerton is not currently relaying or rebroadcasting any services originating from the Voice of Vietnam, according to Terrestrial Planning (Sentech), Honeydew, South Africa (Bob Padula, Nov 14, EDXP via DXLD) ** WESTERN SAHARA [non]. FWIW, today a friend on the West coast was hearing Tamil on 7460 circa 12 UT (with directional antennas, no signal strength) and I've been listening to Arabic on 7460 since arriving home around 2130 UT. This is supposedly the Algerian clandestine broadcasting to Western Sahara (my Arabic isn't sufficient to recognize an ID yet). The signal peaked at 40db/s9 about 2130-2200, down to s9 now at 2245, and I'm now hearing a second station (Radio Free Asia?) underneath. Until the USAF is through with 7460, this may be the time to explore in and around the frequency (Tom Sundstrom, NJ, WWCR Webmaster, Nov 13, DX LISTENING DIGEST, WORLD OF RADIO 1105) Re WWCR vacation of 7460 ###