[HCDX]: DX Listening Digest 00-72 June 5

["Glenn Hauser" <wghauser@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

	DX LISTENING DIGEST 00-72, June 5, 2000
	edited by Glenn Hauser, wghauser@xxxxxxxxxxx

{Items from DXLD may be reproduced and re-reproduced only providing
full credit be maintained at all stages and we are provided exchange
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THIS WEEK ON WORLD OF RADIO 1038: See topic summary at
http://www.angelfire.com/ok/worldofradio/wor1038.html

WORLD OF RADIO SHORTWAVE-ONLY SCHEDULE revision.
We have delayed circulating an updated schedule, waiting for RPFI to
come back on a new USB frequency. However, a current schedule, as
best we know it, is at

http://www.angelfire.com/ok/worldofradio/wormassw.html

You may check this page for latest info, whether or not we have
distributed a new schedule to our mailing list.

WORLD OF RADIO ON WWCR: Confirmed change from 3215 to 9475 the UT
Monday broadcast, which actually ran from 0026 to 0054 June 5.

WORLD OF RADIO ON CFN EUROPE. Dear Glen, Just a short note to let you
and potential listeners know that since April of this year, CFN has
been carrying your program as a relay from the WRN 1 satellite feed.
The program can be heard [Saturdays] at 0330 UTC (0530 CET).

CFN broadcasts on the following frequencies and areas in Europe:

Brunssum, The Netherlands & Geilenkirchen, Germany on 91.5 FM (100
watts) in stereo;
Mons, Belgium on 100.5 FM (100 watts) mono;
Ramstein, Germany on 101.9 FM (100 watts) mono.

Programming details can be found at the CFN website located at
http://cfn.cfsue-usfce.de Enjoying the show.

(Capt Pux Barnes, Canadian Air Force, Canadian Forces Network
(Europe), June 1)

** AUSTRALIA. Hello from Oz. A front page report in our leading
weekend news paper 'The Weekend Australian' shows that a British
company 'Christian Vision' (with its own web site) has done an
amazing deal with the Australian Government.

Christian Vision has pulled off a 10 year lease purchase of the
former Radio Australia facility at Cox Peninsula NT (near Darwin) to
broadcast its Christian shortwave message into Indonesia and China.
The article goes on to say that Christian Vision doesn't see any
available air time that can be allocated to Radio Australia.

Australia's third largest political party is expected to seek
amendments to the current bill before parliament to guarantee access
for Radio Australia at this facility. The Weekend Australian's web
site is at http://www.news.com.au Cheers (Chris Martin, Brisbane,
June 3, hard-core-dx via DXLD)

** AUSTRALIA. Here is the Rupert Murdoch--News Corporation owned "The
Australian"'s take on the Cox Peninsula transmitter lease to
Christian Voice:

Religious war in the airwaves By MICHELLE GILCHRIST and ERROL SIMPER

03jun00 AUSTRALIA'S most powerful shortwave radio transmitter has
been sold to a fundamentalist Christian group that will use the
Darwin facility to broadcast across Indonesia, China and India. The
sale will heighten tensions between Canberra and other governments in
the region offended at the use of an Australian facility to broadcast
Christian messages across Asia. British charity broadcaster Christian
Vision paid an undisclosed sum for a 10-year lease on land at the Cox
Peninsula radio transmitter near Darwin, and the transmitter's multi-
million-dollar equipment.

The sale is a blow to Radio Australia, which lost access to Cox in
1997, and prompted an extraordinary plea yesterday from ABC chairman
Donald McDonald for government support. ``What I would really like is
an expression of support from the Minister for Foreign Affairs on the
unique role of Radio Australia in the region,`` Mr McDonald said. But
the Government declined to respond and Christian Vision last night
said there was unlikely to be room for Radio Australia to use the
transmitter. Christian Vision financial controller Tim Boxall said
the group would broadcast in English as Christian Voice Australia
across South-East Asia, including to Indonesia, where the population
is more than 90 per cent Muslim.

Relations between the Howard Government and Indonesia have already
been strained as a result of Australia's role in the Timor crisis and
the Wahid Government is struggling to deal with bitter sectarian
conflict between Christians and Muslims in eastern Indonesia.
Christian Vision said it would also transmit into China, which has
previously lobbied the Australian Government against allowing
Christian broadcasts from Australia. Mr McDonald said Radio
Australia's lack of access to the powerful transmitter was a ``matter
of immense frustration . . . I remain perplexed that there is not a
clear statement from the Government as to the international value of
Radio Australia``. Mr Downer's office last night declined to respond
to Mr McDonald's statement. But the Australian Democrats said they
would attempt to force changes to a broadcasting bill, yet to be
passed by the Senate, that would require Christian Vision to
guarantee access for Radio Australia.

Christian Vision's website describes the group as a ``charitable
company that God has challenged to touch a billion people with the
message of Jesus through the use of media``. Its listed beliefs
include ``the everlasting conscious bliss of all who truly believe in
our Lord Jesus Christ and that everlasting conscious punishment is
the portion of all whose names are not written in the Book of Life``.

Cox's powerful transmitters cover Indonesia, India, China, Malaysia,
Thailand, The Philippines and Vietnam. The Coalition closed Cox in
1997, saying it was too expensive to operate at an estimated cost of
between $1 million and $5 million a year. Communications Minister
Richard Alston has defended the Cox closure, saying Radio Australia
had coped well by using private facilities. (via John Figliozzi,
swprograms via DXLD)

** AUSTRALIA. Glenn, This article in today's Sydney Morning Herald
would seem to indicate that the Australian Government has totally
lost its mind. I would have thought that there was an overload of
God-bothering on shortwave directed at Asia already! Words fail me!!
Regards, (Barry Hartley, Auckland, NZ, June 5, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
http://www.smh.com.au/news/0006/05/pageone/pageone12.html

Sale may transmit tensions By TOM ALLARD
The decision to sell Radio Australia's powerful Darwin transmitter to
an evangelical Christian organisation has sparked criticism that the
new service will inflame religious tensions in countries such as
Indonesia.

The sale of the transmitter to the British evangelical broadcaster,
Christian Vision, was heavily criticised by the Democrats and Labor
yesterday as further evidence of the Federal Government undermining
Australia's role in the Asia-Pacific.

Radio Australia's Asia listeners will have to rely on a very weak
signal from Shepparton, Victoria. Most won't be able to pick it up.
In 1998 there was bipartisan support from the joint standing
committee on Foreign Affairs to retain the transmitter. Its loss, the
committee concluded, would effectively close Radio Australia to Asia.
"Broadcasting evangelical Christian messages into countries such as
Indonesia will do little to ease tensions between Christian and
Islamic communities," said the Democrats' Senator Vicki Bourne.

The committee found it "incomprehensible" that the transmitter would
be closed to Radio Australia, saying "we have in reality lost our
voice in Asia".

Radio Australia has been used as a valuable source of relatively
unbiased information on the region's affairs. Its value comes to the
fore when there are regional crises and the local media is curbed,
such as in Fiji.

Given the antipathy toward Australia after the liberation of East
Timor, the effective closure of Radio Australia was a "clear betrayal
of Australia's national interest", said Labor's foreign affairs
spokesman, Mr Laurie Brereton. (Sydney Morning Herald June 5 via
Barry Hartley, NZ, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** AUSTRALIA. Foreign Minister "not concerned" by Christian radio via
Darwin site | Text of report by Radio Australia on 5th June

Australia's foreign minister, Alexander Downer, says he is not
concerned about powerful shortwave transmitters at Cox Peninsula near
Darwin being used to broadcast into Asia by a Christian group. The
transmitters were used by Radio Australia until 1997, when the
federal government decided they were too expensive. Mr Downer says he
does not think the Christian message will harm Australia in the
region. [Downer] Provided the material that is broadcast isn't
provocative and abusive of our neighbours and the like - and I've no
reason to believe that will be the case - then I don't see it as
being a particular problem. (Source: Radio Australia, Melbourne, in
English 0800 gmt 5 Jun 00 via BBC Monitoring via DXLD)

** AUSTRALIA. Christian broadcaster buys Darwin transmitter site |
Text of report by Radio Australia on 2nd June

The Australian government has sold its international shortwave
facility near Darwin to a British-based Christian organization.
Christian Voice International says it plans to use the facility,
previously used by Radio Australia, to broadcast to India. The terms
of the agreement have not been disclosed. Christian Voice spokesman
Tim Boxall says the station hopes to begin operating within months.

[Boxall] Well, we hope to begin test transmissions towards the end of
August this year, and we would then hope that if all goes well very
soon after we would be able to begin broadcasting live, as it were.
We would begin broadcasting in English, that's the easiest one for us
to do, and obviously it means that we need to get into recruiting
staff who have expertise in, say, the major language [as heard] in
India. And until we've done that, we can't actually put some
programming together. (Source: Radio Australia, Melbourne, in English
0800 gmt 2 Jun 00 via BBC Monitoring via DXLD)

Aren`t there far too many religious SW broadcasters already (to put
it politely)? This should be a stark lesson to other SW broadcasters:
OWN AND CONTROL YOUR OWN TRANSMITTERS. Even the BBC World Service
does not any more (Glenn Hauser, DX LISTENING DIGEST)7

** AZERBAIJAN. R. Baku is again on an traditional 6110, ex-9165, May
30 at -1759 s/off, May 31 at 0215- s/on. It seems they are on 6110 at
0215-0300, 1000-1500 and 1600-1800... (Mikhail Timofeyev, St.
Petersburg, Russia, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** CAMEROON. Radio, TV restructuring to include international radio,
satellite

The Cameroon Radio and Television Service [CRTV] has held its board
of directors meeting. After four years of inactivity, a discharge of
the director general for good governance was certainly not
expected...

Plans for national satellite feed and renovation of shortwave
transmitter

The board meeting  made a number of decisions. The CRTV will
broadcast via satellite so as to cover the whole country efficiently.
The project will cost over 3bn CFA francs [2.85m pounds]. In
addition, the international radio programme will resume with the
renovation of the Soa 100-kW shortwave station [Radio Cameroon
broadcasts intermittently on 4850 kHz shortwave.] The board of
directors also recommended the creation of an editorial writing
school and an engineer leadership school. Other innovations were
made: special correspondents, consulting engineers, directors of
photography and production manager units. The major innovation is
undoubtedly the creation of an advertising sales division. This marks
the end of receipts without counterfoils and commitments that are not
respected.

(Source: Afrik'Netpress web site, Yaounde, in French 31 May 00 via
BBC Monitoring June 5, excerpted by gh for DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** CANADA. Dear Glenn Hauser, The last transmission of the Radio
Canada International program to Africa, African Eyes, and its French
counterpart, was on Wednesday May 17, 2000. I understand the reason
was, the listeners found shortwave too hard to use. I guess there
were few letters from listeners, and those letters had complaints.

I do not know French, and I only check reception of the French
counterpart, but I think there was a fuller explanation of the
decision in French. I think the explanation in English was censored.
The two announcer-producers of African Eyes merely played a song, ``I
am angry``.

This is what happened:

The two announcer-producers of African Eyes know nothing about SWLing
and nobody taught them anything. They called 0600 UTC, six a.m.
Before the summer season, they did not warn listeners about any new
times and frequencies. When the summer season began, their listeners
all of a sudden found themselves out of contact.

Here right next to northeast Africa, I did have the new times and
frequencies because I am a regular monitor of RCI, and reception of
all RCI programs was quite good. I got the new schedule on a single
sheet of paper, printed simply without decoration, but on time.

Ordinary listeners received their printed schedule, with color and
pictures, much more than a month later, via Sweden. And African Eyes
never invited people to write in for schedules, because the
announcers-producers had no idea it was important.

RCI loses plenty of listeners every new season because it is so slow
with sending the new schedule to them. Only the First Edition program
announced frequencies of the coming season, and it did not mention
new times of transmission.

With the new African programs, the listeners were new to RCI and had
no experience with RCI`s seasonal changes, and they did not belong to
DX clubs, so they got lost and they complained to RCI.

That is not all. African Eyes had a mid-season frequency change to
17820 kHz at 0600 UTC. This was a good frequency. It was never
divulged to the announcers-producers, and they announced the old
frequency at 0612 UTC in their program.

So the real reasons for the complaints were:
The schedule was not mailed in time.
The listeners were not invited to ask for it.
The announcers were not taught shortwave.

The reasons were not frequency planning, propagation or interference.
Nor was there a technical difficulty. Today, May 18, 2000, the times
and frequencies of African Eyes and its French counterpart were
filled with music and a polite announcement. Too bad. Best wishes,
Yours, (David Crystal, Israel, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

And the timing could not have been worse, as this was just before the
Challenges VI conference in Montreal, with RCI hosting broadcasters
from around the world, including Africa, as Bill Westenhaver pointed
out on International Radio Report (gh, DXLD)

** CANADA. The International Radio Report with Bill Westenhaver and
Sheldon Harvey, from CKUT 90.3 Radio McGill, Montréal, is now
archived, thanks to a recent guest on the show, Ricky Leong. No
longer do you have to catch it on the live stream Sundays at 1430-
1500 UT at http://www.ckut.ca or miss it. The last two or three
programs are already at
http://members.fortunecity.com/crazyaboutradio (IRR June 4 via gh, DX
LISTENING DIGEST) Despite the title, first priority goes to Montréal-
market developments, then some national and American media news, and
a few shortwave items (Glenn Hauser, DXLD)

** COSTA RICA. 4230.21, May 2000 - 1100 UTC Radio Pampa, Nicoya. A
real super surprise, it does not seem to be a one time phenomenon as
I have logged this station at 3-4 occasions. This is a harmonic from
MW 1410 kc (3x1410.07 kc). Radio Pampa is listed in WRTH on 1420 kc
and has apparently moved. Up to 1100 a religious programme and after
that 60 minutes with ``Música tropical``. (Björn Malm, Quito,
Ecuador, SW Bulletin, translated by Thomas Nilsson for DX LISTENING
DIGEST)

** EQUATORIAL GUINEA 6249.3 Radio Nacional Guinea Ecuatorial, 2045
News programme in Spanish, perhaps relayed from a Spanish domestic
programme as all items dealing with Spanish news, 2100 into African
music without announcements. Fair signal and 100% copy but on LSB
only due to interference on 6250; still on 2255 with music, off at
2305 recheck (Mike Barraclough, England, May 29, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** GREECE. Voice of Greece Interprogramme in English from May 22nd
will be transmitted at 1830 instead of 1800 on 7475 (Edwin Southwell
via Mike Barraclough, World DX Club, May 31; also Observer, Bulgaria,
DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** GUATEMALA. Hello again, concerning Radio Verdad you wrote in your
last DX Listening Digest: >....``tapiales?? [not in my dictionary]
....< ``Tapía`` means loam wall or mud-wall. I think that they are
building roads or ways on the transmitter area and fences or walls
around it. Bye (Michael Schnitzer, Germany, May 31, DX LISTENING
DIGEST)

** HUNGARY. According to an announcement heard at the beginning of
their 0100 and 0230 UT broadcasts on June 4, Radio Budapest changed
9750 to 7130 for their 1900 broadcast to Europe on June 1. Also,
contrary to the schedule posted by the British DX Club in their DX
programs list, Budapest's DX Program (not DX Blockbuster, although
they may call it such in their printed schedule) began at 0115 and
0245, not 0105 and 0235 (John Norfolk, OKCOK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** IRAN. Hallo! On May 31, I observed IRIB Teheran Persian service on
15084.2 from 0100 to 0200. Two very strong spurs from this frequency
were on 15017.4 and 15151.0 accompanying it. Modulation totally
distorted, but strength was about S9 (Hans-Joachim Koch, Niddatal,
Germany, translated by gh for DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** IRAN [non]. CLANDESTINE FROM MOLDOVA TO IRAN 15550 Radio
International. Latest BC-DX has conflicting information on time for
this one so checked. On 1700 with Santana Black Magic Woman musical
bridge and identification, mostly talk by man in presumed Farsi,
burst of big band music 1715, 1725 identification and mention of e-
mail address which David Foster in NU reports as radio7520@xxxxxxxxx
and off 1728 after same Santana music. Good signal (Mike Barraclough,
England, May 31, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** IRAQ. [Tentative] Radio Baghdad, 11867 kHz (actually 11866 plus a
fraction) received with strength 5 S-units on a Radio Shack DX-392.
0520 UTC 5/29/2000 in Minneapolis, MN. The broadcast, which I presume
to have been in Arabic, sounded like news followed by an interlude of
Islamic religious music, with sign-off at 0530 UTC. I am fairly
certain to have heard the word ``Iraq`` immediately prior to the
interlude, and AFAIK, Saddam generally bounces between several
different frequencies in this area of the dial, thus my inferences.
(Reilly Liebhard / Prior Lake, MN (Mpls. suburb), via DXing.com for
DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** ITALY/VATICAN. Electromagnetic Pollution. Just read in latest
BDXC-UK Communication about the Rome tx situation, contributed by
Stefano Valianti, which has the reputation and the perspective on
that matter:

a - Santa Palomba near Pomezia, 25 kms south of Rome, built up in
1929, old 50 kW RCA tx then, now 1x1200 and 1x600 kW units of RAI
Rome MW site. Silenced April 15th on the order of the judge and Mayor
of Pomezia. Acc to Apr 30 newspapers, tests showed that power on both
stns should be reduced by two-thirds.

b -  Vatican Radio, at Santa Maria Galeria near Cesano just north of
Rome, where 4x500, 5x100, and 1x600 MW txs located. Became trouble on
Apr 21, but is an 'international agreement' matter between Vatican
and Italy.

c -  RAI SW txing centre of Prato Smeraldo was NOT under fire, it's
located north of Rome near Argentario promontory in a sparsely
populated area !

And here is the comment [which more or less I can agree with, also
for the Stuttgart airport question too]:

``It must be said, that when they were built, also Santa Palomba and
Santa Maria de Galeria were in open countryside, and only later they
have found themselves in the middle of densely populated areas - no
comments, but let's not blame radio for what's  happening now !``

vy73 de (Wolfgang Büschel, Germany, June 3, DX LISTIENING DIGEST)

** LITHUANIA. New SW antenna for North American service

Text of report in English by Estonian news agency ETA

Lithuanian radio and television centre will allocate 245,400 litas
(61,350 US dollars), i.e. a half of funds, appropriated for
dividends, for distribution of a new share issue. The funds to be
obtained will be employed for the purchase of an antenna, which will
help to transmit Lithuanian radio broadcasts from Sitkunai to the USA
from the beginning of October.

So far Lithuanian radio broadcasts have been transmitted to the USA
through a rented [shortwave] transmitter [in Germany].

Lithuanian Radio and Television [LRT] centre chief executive Algirdas
Vidmantas stated that earlier the Cabinet had vowed to finance that
investment project, but repudiated those plans, however, some time
later.

Securities commission approved distribution of a new issue of stocks
and allowed to re-register a 2.48m litas (0.62m US dollars) tranche
of share issue for public distribution.

LRT centre was transformed from a state company into a public company
in 1997. Shares of the authorised capital of the company were
registered as stocks for public distribution at the Lithuanian
central securities depository.

The latest issue will boost authorised capital of the LRT centre to
60.045m litas (15.011m US dollars). All stocks of the company belong
to the state.

(Source: ETA news agency, Tallinn, in English 1628 gmt 4 Jun 00
via BBC Monitoring via DXLD)

** MONGOLIA. Radio Voice of Mongolia, Ulaanbaatar on Internet
Signal, station's announcement in Mongolian and English and 30
minutes program in English!

http://www.mongol.net/vom/voice.ram

73,s (Volker Willschrey, Dillingen (Germany), DX LISTENING DIGEST)

It surely is: I listened to the June 4 program, and so nice to hear
loud and clear for a change. But even so, the only announcer, who
says her name is similar to the cosmonaut Gagarin, is still hard to
understand. Let`s hope incoming internet allows her to brush up her
English. She began by reading stories from three newspapers, no
pretense about it. Seems spring is the worst season for wildfires in
Mongölia (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** OKLAHOMA. The contemporary urban ``Groove`` music programming has
moved to KAKC-AM 1490 in Guthrie, broadcasting from 6 am to 7 pm,
seven days a week. The station can be picked up in the north part of
Oklahoma City metro area, KAKC general manager Mike Holt said. [KAKC
= sic in the source; used to be KOKC, or is this their typo? KAKC is
supposedly 1300 in Tulsa; you?d think in OKC the significance of KOKC
would be fairly obvious -gh]

``The Groove`` incorporates classic soul, blues, jazz, rhythm and
blues and gospel. KAKC still has the option to pre-empt ``The
Groove`` for University of Oklahoma and Guthrie High School sports
events and Guthrie civic events, Holt said.

``The Groove`` has leased air time with the station until Dec. 31,
2001 (Mel Bracht, Mixed Media column, Sunday Oklahoman TV This Week
June 4 via John Norfolk, OKCOK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** PERU. Björn Malm replies to our earlier quotation of his Quito
Logbook via DXPL:

> On 4577.32, Radio Uno, Chiclayo, at 0310 announcing ``4570``. In
repeating the frequency at the end of the item, AG (Allen Graham-
HCJB) gave this one as it were actual rather than nominal...

BM: I never said R. Uno was transmitting on 4570. It is on 4577.32,
but announcing 1280 and 4570. The program ``La hora Huarmacína`` -
música de pasillo, jointly produced with Radio Huarmaca.. ID/slogan
``Radio Uno - la diferente``.

> On 6520.44, Radio Paucartambo at 0030 in Quechua and Spanish, also
IDs as R. Universal, Cusco [??]

BM: I never said nor wrote that R. Paucartambo IDs as ``Radio
Universal, Cusco``. The station frequently advertises for ``Radio
Universal en la ciudad de Cusco``. Transmits in Spanish/Quichua.
ID/slogan ``Radio Paucartambo - la radio de su preferencia``. WRTH
shows it on 5894.7kc.

> On 3172.69, R. Municipal, Panal[? -- reported elsewhere as Cangallo]
at 0230, nonstop music with IDs as R. Panamericana [are all these
double-IDs the result of carrying network programming?]

BM: This station IDs as ``Radio Municipal, distrito de Panao``. It
greets people living in ``la ciudad de Panao``, often mentions
``Panao`` and never ``Cangallo`` at all. I have never said nor
written that R. Municipal has IDed as ``Radio Panamericana``. I did
say that sometimes Radio Municipal has a program of non-stop music
where they ``ID`` as ``Panamericana`` between each selection of
music.

> On 5580 and 5620, R. Tigre, Peruvian location unknown, or R. 2000,
La Voz del Nuevo Milenio, or La Voz del Campesino, at 0000 announcing
``5250`` [again repeated as if it were actual, not nominal. Were two
or three separate items merged together here??]

BM: R. Tigre can be found between 5580 and 5620 approximately,
although it announces 5250. The frequency varies considerably. QTH
unknown but perhaps transmitting from Cochapampa, department of
Cajamarca. Normally IDs as ``Radio Tigre`` but there are variations:
``Esta es Tigre - la radio`` or ``Radio 2000 es Radio Tigre, la voz
del nuevo milenio``. Also using the slogan(?) ``La Voz del
Campesino``. (Björn Malm, Quito, Ecuador, May 30, DX LISTENING
DIGEST)

** RUSSIA. Last year, we [the Radio Society of Great Britain] gave
details of some Standard Frequency and Time stations. One of the
Russian stations, callsign RID in Irkutsk, is no longer listed, but
we have had a recent report that it is still active. We would like
confirmation of this, as it has always been a useful indicator of
propagation to Siberia, which has the amateur callsign prefix UA0.
The Russian Institute of Meteorology for Time and Space operates the
station on 5,004, 10,004 and 15,004 kHz, with 1kW transmitters.
During each 15-minute period, they transmit five minutes of 1-second
pulses, five minutes of one-tenth-second pulses and five minutes of
unmodulated carrier. The one-tenth-second pulses generate wideband
splatter, and care is needed to identify the station, using zero-beat
in SSB or CW mode. In AM mode, the adjacent signals on 5, 10 or 15
MHz may be heard. The stronger signals 4 kHz below these standard
frequencies may be heard instead. RID identifies in Morse code every
quarter hour, but we have not had a recent confirmation. Try
listening for the station on 15,004 kHz between 2000 and 0400 UTC,
and send news of a positive identification by e-mail to
gb2rs@xxxxxxxxx (Radio Society of Great Britain GB2RS News, posted
May 31, via John Norfolk, OKCOK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** SOLOMON ISLANDS. Radio ``broadcasting normally``

The Solomon Islands Broadcasting Corporation says it is broadcasting
normally despite the coup, Radio Australia reported. Earlier reports
said the station had been taken over by armed militants. However, a
spokesman says it is still on air. (Source: Radio Australia,
Melbourne, in English 5 Jun 00 [no time] via BBC Monitoring via DXLD)

** SOLOMON ISLKANDS. Listening to SIBC 5020 tonight, everything seems
very normal with the current coup going on there. Not much comment
that seemed unusual after 0800, though as it was in Pidgin I won't
understand a lot of it. They have gone to BBC WS relay as usual at
1100 UT. (Richard Jary, Australia, June 5, Elecronic DX Press via
DXLD)

** SPAIN. Spain now has two new standard time stations located near
Cadiz. The callsign EBC may be heard on 4,998 and 15,006 kHz from its
10 kW transmitters. (Radio Society of Great Britain GB2RS News,
posted May 31, via John Norfolk, OKCOK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** UKRAINE. Hello, last night I checked RUI 13590, no definite result
due to rather poor reception but it sounded like a ancient 100 kW
transmitter. Two further clues suggest that indeed Kiev-Brovary was
thrown in: 6020 is off air, looks like they have sacrificed it to get
the transmitter available for the services to the Americas, although
another 100 kW transmitter should be available at Kharkov. And
furthermore longwave 171 from Krasne is still silent, meaning the
site is off air completely, perhaps for good (Kai Ludwig, Germany,
May 31, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** U S A. For the past 2 mornings, I've heard the BBC World Service
on 9715 between 1127 and 1225 UTC, which is used by Radio Netherlands
in Spanish. However, RNW's Spanish program has been relayed by WSHB
in South Carolina recently. At 1227 UTC today, I heard the RNW
interval signal underneath BBCWS on 9715. Yesterday morning, 9715
closed at 1225 UTC without an ID, and WSHB switched to 6095, with 2
or 3 seconds of a BBCWS story about Peru's president that began while
9715 was still on the air. A moment later, WSHB broadcast an ID,
followed by Christian Science religious programming. If anyone can
confirm that WSHB is relaying BBCWS, please post here. BBCWS was
missing from 9715 today between 1127 and 1225 UTC. 73, (Jim Moats, NE
Ohio USA, May 31, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

Probably another feed mixup, as we reported two weeks ago WSHB with
BBC instead of New Dimensions, UT Sun 0200 on 9430; this week, UT Sun
June 4 (not UT Mon) New Dims was actually on. I wonder if QSL-hounds
will now try to turn this program into a ``station`` (Glenn Hauser,
DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** U S A. About 6 months ago we were hearing V. of Greece relays via
Delano 17705 and Greenville 17565 at 1800-2200, but 17705 was a
satellite-delay ahead of 17565, contrary to logic, as Delano is
further from Washington (and Greece) than Greenville. We asked
several people in VOA about this, but no explanations have appeared
until now:

Re: Global Forum - April 2000 Monitoring Times
Glenn, Re the comment on Voice of Greece relay and the Delano 17705
leading the Greenville relay on 17565, I would assume you are
discussing audio delay.

The answer is quite simple. Even though Greenville is physically
closer to Washington than Delano, the Greenville delay is due to
different audio paths to the two transmitting stations. Delano is fed
via fiber optic from Washington, while Greenville normally gets some
of its audio via a satellite circuit from Washington. There is a C-
band uplink on the Cohen building looking at an Atlantic relay bird,
which feeds the European and African IBB sites, as well as
Greenville. Greenville does also have fiber connectivity with
Washington, but I think they normally use the satellite downlink for
audio feeds. The FO system to Delano has much less propagation delay
than the satellite path, thus the Delano audio will be ahead of the
Greenville audio.

An explanation for the Greenville use of the satellite circuit for
program feed is to have a real time monitor of the satellite feed
from the Atlantic Ocean satellite relay.

Delano, on the other hand, being the only IBB facility on the west
coast, is fed by fiber from Washington; the FO circuit is cheaper
than a satellite circuit from Washington to Delano. Delano also
uplinks the programming to a Pacific satellite for feeding the IBB
sites in Tinian/Saipan, Philippines and Thailand. (The Atlantic
satellite cannot be seen from Delano and is located far enough east
to give good coverage to the IBB sites in Europe and west Asia.)

BTW, the IBB program circuits from Washington go by satellite from DC
to Munich. At Munich, there is an uplink to the Indian Ocean Relay.
On the west side, the program circuits are by FO to Delano with a
satellite uplink to the Pacific Ocean Relay. At Tinang, there is
another satellite uplink that can also illuminate the IOR bird. The
IOR is either illuminated by Munich or Tinang, but, of course, not
both. The Atlantic (AOR) bird can also be illuminated from Munich, so
if the Wash DC uplink fails, the AOR can be fed via Munich with a
signal from the IOR, from Tinang, which is getting program feed via
Delano. In this situation, Greenville could be getting program feed
from Washington via the long path satellite connections and the audio
be almost seconds behind Delano!, and a path well over 25,000 miles;
yet Greenville is only about 250 miles from Washington (DX LISTENING
DIGEST)

** U S A. VOA Spanish booming in here on 17890, loud and clear with
Éxitos Latinoamericanos (hit parade) before and after 2345 UT
Saturday June 3, IDing as ``VOA-SAT`` with no mention of SW but it is
Delano beaming 126 degrees. 2358 closing ``Buenas Noches, América``
was cut off (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** U S A. NIST (WWV/WWVH) TIMESIGNAL STATIONS According to a special
report made by "Radio Enlace", the RN SP media pgm, WWV and WWVH
intend to increase power from 10 to 50 KW. (Horacio Nigro, Uruguay,
May 17, Noticias DX via DXLD) Maybe, but I vaguely recall listening
to this and my impression is that they were talking about VLF WWVB
only, for benefit of automatic clock-setting (gh)

** U S A. I was recently in range of the low-power (10 kW ERP, 56m
antenna per FM Atlas) Joplin MO classical music station KXMS, and
surprised to hear them with poetry and grandiosely claiming to be
``Fine Arts Radio International`` -- sure enough, this alludes to
webcasting, but if you go to the obvious http://www.kxms.org it is
``Forbidden ? 403``, as per several checks over a two-day period. The
main website is accessible at
http://www.mssc.edu/pages/kxms/kxmshome.htm from Missouri Southern
State College. But if you click on the webcast, it`s (not) back to
the Forbidden page (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** WESTERN SAHARA [non]. ALGERIA/Western Sahara. I note that the
Saharan station is now using 7500 at 0600-c0700 and at very nice
strength too. Morocco seems to have left 7475 and there's a
``heterodyne`` only on 7460 evenings. I have not traced Sahara
then (Noel R. Green, UK, May 26, BC-DX via DXLD)

** WESTERN SAHARA [non]. CLANDESTINE FROM ALGERIA TO MOROCCO: 7500,
National Radio of the Saharan Arab Democratic Republic, May 29 2250
Music, identification 2259, news bulletin 2300, identification 2310
and back to music, excellent signal but carrier on 7498 causing a
heterodyne. Nothing on 1540 or 1550 medium wave channels where I can
usually hear them. Noted next morning 0600-0700 but not in the
evening or morning of 31st (Mike Barraclough, England, DX LISTENING
DIGEST)

** WESTERN SAHARA [non]. CLANDESTINE FROM ALGERIA TO MOROCCO: 7100,
National Radio of the Saharan Arab Democratic Republic, 2345 talk by
excited sounding lady with brief bursts of music, 2357 identification
and off with anthem. Strong carrier still on 7498, Moroccan
interference? Heard next morning on same channel 0600 sign on with
anthem, identification and into Koran chants; had previously presumed
that this was Eritrea at this time (Mike Barraclough, England, May
31st/June 1st, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** WESTERN SAHARA [non]. ALGERIA: 7100, RASD has been found June 2 at
1955 with AR songs, 2000 with ID and many mentions on Sahara, then
new  program with ID after bagpipes and classical music. Signal max
S9 with QRM by carrier S9 at 7101.6  (Zacharias Liangas, Retziki,
Thessaloniki, Greece, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** WESTERN SAHARA [non]/MOROCCO. Hoi, thanks for the various info on
ALG/MRC/Saharan matter. Today Sat 3rd at 1900 Saharan R was again on
exact 7100.00: Qur`an prayer in progress, and also two accompanied
carrier like on 7498 in previous days, but now on the UPPER side on
7100.96[weak] and much stronger on 7101.83.

RTM Sebaa-Aioun [or a Moroccan Army reserve unit] is on varying
7469.79 again, only 22332 compared to GRC 55555 on nearby 7475.
(Wolfgang Büschel, Germany, June 3, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** ZANZIBAR. TANZANIA 6015 Radio Tanzania Zanzibar. Following a tip
from Noël Green heard here May 29 at 2312 with continuous local pop
music, brief identification in local language 2330. Fair signal on a
clear channel. Noël heard 11734 with different programming earlier in
the evening, testing new transmitter? (Mike Barraclough, England, DX
LISTENING DIGEST)                                     ###


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