[HCDX]: IRCA's AM DX NewsFlash - 6/17/99
[Date Prev][Date Next][Thread Prev][Thread Next][Date Index][Thread Index]

[HCDX]: IRCA's AM DX NewsFlash - 6/17/99



         *******************************************************
           WELCOME TO IRCA's AM-DX NEWSFLASH   -  June 17 1999
                                Vol 5  No 11
         *******************************************************

*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-

    IRCA's web site... check it out!!

http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/5792/

*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-

 Deadline for next issue = THURSDAY, June 24 1999 @ 1400 UTC

 Send all contributions to me @ philip_bytheway@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

 The AM DX NewsFlash is sent weekly from Raytheon in Mukilteo WA
    All contributions will be used
    Comments regarding content are appreciated

 With your submission, please include as a minimum:
    Your name, location and email address

 Tell your email friends about "AM DX NewsFlash"
    To receive this email newsletter, send your email ID, name and
    location to philip_bytheway@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

 Folks whose bulletins are returned twice in a row are dropped from the
    list.  If your email address changes, please let me know!

 Information appearing the the NewsFlash can be quoted provided the
    original author and "IRCA's AM DX NewsFlash" are given proper credit.

 Soft copies of the latest IRCA BookStore and Reprint Updater are
    available from:  philip_bytheway@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-

IRCA DUES STRUCTURE

  DXM - printed DX MONITOR, SDXM - "soft" DX MONITOR

  WORLD - SDXM $10.00
  USA - DXM $20.00,  DXM/SDXM $25.00
  Canada - DXM $22.00,  DXM/SDXM $27.00
  Overseas surface - DXM $23.50,  DXM/SDXM $28.50
  Airmail (Central America, Caribbean) - DXM $35.00,  DXM/SDXM $40.00
  Airmail (Europe, North Africa, Middle East) - $38.00,  DXM/SDXM - $43.00
  Airmail (rest of the World) - $41.00,  DXM/SDXM $46.00

To join the IRCA, send the appropriate dues to:  IRCA HQ
                                                 PO Box 1831
                                                 Perris CA  92572-1831

"**" denotes that the tip/info/etc. came from the IRCA egroup, and you
must be a member of IRCA to subscribe to the egroup at
http://www.egroups.com

*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-

If you note any AM changes (call, format, slogan, etc), please send
them to the NRC Log coordinator (Wayne Heinen) @ nrclog@xxxxxxx

*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-
                 X         XX    XX     XX    X     XXXXXXX
                X X        X X  X X     X X   X     X
               XXXXX       X  XX  X     X  X  X     XXXX
              X     X      X      X     X   X X     X
             X       X     X      X     X    XX     X
*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-

CONVENTION - MEETING INFO (corrections/additions welcome)

IRCA '99/DecalcoMania '99:  The 1999 IRCA/DecalcoMania Convention will
be held at the Holiday Inn-Boardwalk Hotel in Las Vegas, Nevada on June
25-27  1999.  Reservations 1-800-635-4581 (mention code I-R-C).
Convention registration - $35.  SW Airlines is offering a 10% discount
1-800-433-5368 (mention code  LO199).  Host is Mike Sanburn, PO Box
1256, Bellflower CA 90707-1256, 310-614-1444.

WTFDA '99: The 1999 WTFDA convention will be hosted in NW Jersey, July
16-18, 1999.  Rick Shaftan will welcome you to his well equipped DX
outpost located less than an hour from the Newark airport.  For
accommodations Rick recommends the Days Inn/Ledgewood, 1691 Route 46
West, Ledgewood, NJ 07852.  Rates start at $69.  There is no special
club discount.  Make reservations by calling the hotel at 973-347-5100
or by credit card via their secure web site. Convention registration,
which includes food and beverages, will be $25. For more information
e-mail Rick Shaftan at <shaftan@xxxxxxx>.

NRC '99:  The 1999 NRC convention will be held at the Holiday Inn,
Bridgeport WV on Sept 3-6, 1999.  Reservations 1-304-842-5411, $70.95
for two double bed  room, no limit on how many in a room.  Convention
Registratio - $35.  Host is William Swiger, One Casey Ln, Bridgeport WV
26330, 304-842-4635.

MEDIA RELEASE #2 - 31 May, 1999
RADIO FEST 1999 - Celebrating 25 Years of Radio Fun

   The Ontario DX Association invites radio enthusiasts of all interests
and all levels to join us for Radio Fest 99. Following on the success of
our first Radio Fest event in 1998, this will be one of the major radio
listeners event of the year. Radio Fest 99 will also celebrate the 25th
anniversary of the Ontario DX Association, Canada's largest radio
listeners' club.
   Dates: Friday, September 24 to Sunday, September 26
   Location: Ramada Inn & Convention Centre, Oakville, Ontario (located
at Queen Elizabeth Way and Trafalgar Road)
   Theme: "Celebrating 25 Years of Radio Fun".
   Radio Fest 99 will reminisce about the origins of the Ontario DX
Association, the DX hobby 25 years ago, and we'll also look to the
future of DXing and broadcasting.

Program:
 Friday:  Wine & Cheese Reception at 7:00 pm. Join us for this
opportunity to meet other attendees in a very relaxed atmosphere.
 Saturday: Registration will begin at 8:00 am and the program will begin
at 8:45 am concluding at approximately 5:00 pm.
  The day begins with an audio-visual presentation, "The Origins of the
ODXA, the Gestetner Years", by Harold Sellers. Tom Williamson, a
shortwave listener for several decades will reflect upon his experiences
listening from three continents.
  A panel of special guests will address the subject: "On the Dawn of
the Millenium, Where Do We Find Ourselves?"
  The afternoon will conclude with the always fun Game Show and raffle
draws, plus a slice of 25th birthday cake for everyone!
  Everything will wrap up will a wonderful banquet on Saturday evening.
 Sunday: Before saying goodbye, join your fellow conventioneers for
breakfast (your choice and you pay) in the hotel restaurant. We expect
to offer a tour of a nearby radio site. More details later.
 Exhibits: Equipment suppliers; clubs; technology from yesterday, today
and tomorrow; plus tables of used equipment for sale.
 Accomodations : You may contact the Ramada Inn by telephone
(905)849-5950, toll free 1-800-357-0880, Web www.ramada-oakville.com. A
special rate of Cdn$82 per night for Radio Fest 99 is available.

*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-

 CPC DX tests

*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-

CPC Chairperson (IRCA) - Lynn Hollerman - gmhollerman@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Right now Lynn is looking for target station lists and stamps or money
to help get the lists worked on.  Thank you Lynn... pb

*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-

 HOT STUFF

*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-

GRAYLAND '99 DXPEDITION TO BEGIN JUNE 26! ANNOUNCES WEB PAGE

   There will be another in the now almost decade-long intermittant
series of DXpeditions to Grayland, Washington, USA at the end of this
month.The affair will start out on Sunday morning June 27(UTC) at about
0400 UTC and will Friday afternoon (UTC) at about 1600 UTC. Local PDT in
the Pacific Northwest, that is Saturday June 26 at sunset until the
following Friday at sunrise.
   Upwards of a dozen DXers will be in attendance at various times
throughout the week, with around seven being the "steady-state"
population. Those attending all week include Guy Atkins (Bonney Lake,
WA), David Clark (Toronto, ON), Greg Bailey (San Diego, CA) and John
Bryant (Stillwater, OK). Those attending for half-week stints at the
dials include Nick Hall-Patch (Victoria, BC), Walt Salmaniw (Victoria,
BC), John Fisher(Calgary, AB), Chuck Rippel (Virginia Beach, VA) and
Bruce Portzer (Seattle, WA). We also expect that Phil Bytheway (Seattle,
WA), Chuck Hutton (Seattle, WA), Craig Siegenthaler (Yakima, WA) and
Patrick Martin (Seaside, OR) will join the group for somewhat shorter
stints.
   Receivers of note will include the very sophisticated Cubic 3250, the
Rockwell-Collins HF-2050, both professional/military receivers and the
new JRC NRD-545. We will also be running a very interesting set-up, the
McKay-Dymek DR-333 driven by a laptop computer, which will be running
software that John Bryant dubbed "DX Radar." This "Radar" software was
developed by Nick Hall-Patch.  The combination continually monitors
signal strength on each of the 9 kHz. MW frequencies and reports the
results of the entire band, with individual frequencies identified,
graphically, on the laptop screen. VERY handy when a major opening is in
progress. This software may be given a try on 60 and 90 meters, as well.
   We will be using two or three 300 meter Beverages which will each
terminate more or less in the Pacific surf. One will bore-sight New
Zealand, the second will point across the central Pacific to central
Australia and a third, if possible, will aim at Japan and Korea.
   Although most of us will focus our efforts on Medium Wave, Tropical
Band shortwave will most certainly receive a fair share of attention.
   Unfortunately, our rather rustic motel-DX headquarters does not
provide telephones and the area is notoriously poorly served with
cellular service. However, we hope to report our efforts via internet by
e-mail and webpage several times during the week, either via
modem+satellite phone or some other means. We have established a
Grayland '99 DXpedition website (Guy Atkins as Webmaster) at
<http://surf.to/grayland99> which is already running with introductory
information. We hope to have Real Audio examples of some of the better
catches, digital photos of the Catchees in politically correct attire,
loggings in near real time, etc.
   We would really appreciate it if you each would pass the word amongst
other DXers about "Grayland 99." It would be very interesting to compare
our individual perceptions of listening conditions in near real-time. In
addition to the Grayland '99 webpage, We will be reporting our MW
results to "Greyline" and Phil Bytheway's IRCA AMDX News Flash, as well
as to both American medium wave clubs International DX columns.
   Guy Atkins will get the web page URL out to everyone as soon as it is
established.  The URL for the Grayland Website will be:

http://surf.to/grayland99

It is in the setup process now, but we expect to begin putting logs,
photos and audio on the page 6/27 (UTC).

*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-

**Charles Taylor - Charles_Taylor@xxxxxxxxxxxx

 710  WEGG  NC Rose Hill, has been observed with some SS programming
       recently. Noted in passing on my weekly bandscan, but didn't
       investigate more thoroughly as I was in the process of con-
       necting up a new TV antenna for the Fleet Admiral. Assume
       Mexican-based programming. (CAT/NC)

*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-

**Richard Toebe - Concord CA - richtoebe@xxxxxxx
 
Sony ICF 2010, Radio West Loop
 
1480  KRHT  CA, Concord  has been off the air for at least 10 days.  I
       don't know the status of their CP, and they are not listed in the
       local phone directory.  KYOS dominates during the day, now. 
       (RT-CA)

*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-

Tim Hall - halls@xxxxxxxxxxxxx

(Info from Mike Stonebridge, in IRCA AM DX News Flash 6/10/99):

>According to announcements yesterday and today on CKYL-610,
>CKHL-530-High Level, AB will cease transmitting on 530kHz June 16 and
>move to 102.1 FM.

Wonder if they're already gone?  I was in Alberta last week, as far
north as Jasper for 2 nights, and heard no trace of them.  I wondered
what was up.

***

**Mike Stonebridge - stonbrdg@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

I can only hear them at night, and then not very well. They were on one
day last week, because I did hear them. But you may be right because I
can't hear them tonight. I'll be up in the High Level area on Wednesday
so I'll find out for sure. I haven't heard the FM yet, so I'm not sure.

***

**Pat Martin - mwdxer@xxxxxxxxx

I heard them last week (I don't remember what night) playing  C&W mx
//610 khz. But cx got very poor this week so no sign of them, so I don't
know if they are off now. Glad I QSL'd CKHL years ago.

***

**Mike Stonebridge - stonbrdg@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

CKHL-530 was still on this morning at 10.30 MDT. I could hear them
faintly on the R390A.

*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-

 THE "X" BAND

*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-

 INDIVIDUAL LOGGINGS

*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-

BROADCAST BAND LOGS FROM
SHAWN M. AXELROD VE4DX1SMA
30 BECONTREE BAY   WINNIPEG MB   R2N 2X9   CANADA
E-MAIL:  saxelrod@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
DX'ING FROM WINNIPEG MB
RECEIVERS: ICOM ICR-70 & DRAKE R8
MFJ 1026 PHASING UNIT
ANTENNAE: 4 FOOT  UNAMPLIFIED BOX LOOP / QUANTUM LOOP, 145 FOOT OUTDOOR
  WIRE / 100 FOOT INDOOR WIRE

1620  KAZP  NE Bellevue - 06/08 0318 - Fair to good signals with some
       fading. ESPN programming and ID as "Sports Radio 11-80 Koil".
       NEW!!
1700  KQXX  TX Brownsville -06/08 0558 - Poor signals with easy to spot
       Mexican music and Spanish talk under KBGG. NEW!!

I suppose there is some DX left out there. T-storm static has made
listening a challenge at best and impossible some nights. Maybe FM
season will start soon. No skip or Tropo here as of yet.

*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-

Pat Martin - Seaside OR - mwdxer@xxxxxxxxx

1620  KAZP  NE, BELLEVUE-OMAHA , finally logged this at 0555 with News
       from Sports Center, lots of KSMH/KYIZ QRM, but ID at 0559.50 as
       KOIL BELLEVUE-OMAHA. Now I have all the X Banders logged that are
       on. 6/12. (PM-OR)
1660  WMIB  FL, MARCO ISLAND, very poor and weak inbetween static
       crashes, noted Barry Manilow music, followed by ID as ".....1480
       and WMIB 1660,......Naples and Fort Myers......" At 0259.45 EDT
       6/11. Into ABC News at 0300. Very rough and fading into the noise
       most of the time. QRM de WQSN I think, but WMIB seemed to be the
       strongest. KXOL off. (PM-OR)
      +hrd again at 0457 EDT 6/11 with Jo Stafford tune, You Belong to
       Me, followed by ID as " 1480 WODX and 1660 WMIB Marco, Naples,
       and Ft. Meyers." 0500 EDT ABC Net News. Also at 0511 EDT " Your
       unforgetable favorites.........They are all right here  on
       WODX-1480 and WMIB-1660." Better this time, KXOL still off.
       (PM-OR)

Drake R8, 1500' Eastern Beverage, terminated

*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-

**ragnar danneskjold - Mesa AZ - lwdxer@xxxxxxxx

Heard on a Kenwood R-1000 and zepp antenna, Realistic DX440

 560  KBLU  AZ, Yuma 2010 6/13 with talk program under very heavy splash
       from KGME 550.
 830  KPLS  CA, Orange 0045 with Catholic religious programming. VERY
       powerful. They mush have forgotten to switch power and antenna.
       WCCO is most often heard here at night. [new]
1290t KKDD  CA, San Bernardino 6/12 0105 with Radio Disney. This station
       is a notorious non-IDer. They ID as "AM 1290, Radio Disney." They
       never give the calls at the TOH at night. R. Disney has stations
       in Richmond, VA, Savannah, GA, and San Bernardino. I am sure that
       this is the California one, I just never got the actual ID.
1380t KTKZ  CA, Sacramento 0806 6/15 Came up under an UNID blasting EZ
       AC music mentioned N. California's Talk station and calling
       itself "K-Talk". Can't think of who else it could be. (Ragnar, it
       was indeed "K-Talks".  They have a series of promos like the one
       you heard. - Rich Toebe, Concord CA)
1440  KUHL  CA, Santa Maria 0800 6/15 Bruce Williams then ID and into
       ABC News.

*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-

Tim Hall - halls@xxxxxxxxxxxxx

  On vacation in MT, BC, and AB with ICF-2010, KIWA Pocket Loop, Ford
car radio.
  In the first two weeks of June, I visited the sites of a number of
Canadian TIS stations, and the news is not good.  A recent(?)
reorganization of Parks Canada resulted in the elimination of the Media
Technician position, as well as other funding cuts.  So maintenance of
TIS stations fell on other people who had neither the expertise nor the
time to run the stations.  As a result, the following TIS stations are
off the air (some of these may have never made it on the air).  Apart
from the Cameron Lake stations at Waterton National Park, no road signs
remain for any of these stations.
  Banff NP, AB:  Stations on 1230 and 1490 at Banff Townsite, the East
Gate Entrance (Canmore), Saskatchewan River Crossing, and Castle
Junction are off.  The park now has an FM station on 101.1 (English) and
103.3 (French), probably located in or near the Banff townsite.
  Jasper NP, AB:  Stations on 1230 and 1490 at Athabasca Falls, Maligne
Canyon, and the Columbia Icefields are off.  The Columbia Icefields
station may have just gone off recently, according to one ranger at Yoho
NP. Funding is the main problem here, but rangers tell me there is a
chance these stations will return to the air under the auspices of the
non-profit organization Friends of Jasper Park.
  Waterton Lakes NP, AB:  The stations on 1240, 1260, and 1490 at
Blakiston Falls and Cameron Lake are off, probably for good.  The Park's
surviving FM station, which operates along the park entrance road on
89.5 (English) and 90.3 (French) mentions to watch for signs elsewhere
in the park telling you to tune into other frequencies.  The only such
sign still in existence is at Cameron Lake, and the frequencies are
covered up with a "Closed" sign. These stations appear to have gone off
the air fairly recently; the surviving staff does not expect them to
return.
  Yoho NP, BC:  The stations on 1230 and 1490 are not on the air and
there are no current plans to construct them.  These may never have been
on the air.

Chasing GYDXA records on vacation in WA, MT, BC, AB
ICF-2010, KIWA Pocket Loop, Ford car radio

  Here is the summary of the graveyard stations I logged on my recent
trip. Conditions in several of the places I stayed were pretty good;
unfortunately many of the same pests followed me from one location to
the next.

Locations:

SEA = Seattle, WA
RAD = Radium Hot Springs, BC
LOU = Lake Louise, AB
JAS = Jasper, AB
JOH = Johnston Canyon, AB
      (on Highway 1A, 6km SE of the junction of Hwy 1A and 93
       between Banff and Lake Louise)
WAT = Waterton Lakes, AB
GLA = Lake McDonald Lodge, Glacier NP, MT
      (about a mile SW of the NE corner of Lake McDonald; some road atlases
       do show "Lake McDonald" as a town)

A "*" indicates I think I might have broken the existing GYDXA record
(in a few cases, I think I just missed the record but it might be close
enough to be worth checking).  Unfortunately, I think most of the
records I actually did break were my own!

1230
====
KLCB  MT Libby          RAD, JAS*, JOH, WAT, GLA
KOZI  WA Chelan         RAD*
KWYZ  WA Everett        SEA, RAD, LOU, GLA
KSBN  WA Spokane        RAD, JOH, GLA
CIYR  AB Hinton         JAS*
CJNL  BC Merritt        RAD, LOU, JAS, JOH, GLA*

1240
====
KOFE  ID St. Maries     RAD*, WAT, GLA
KLYQ  MT Hamilton       GLA
KBLL  MT Helena         JOH
KCVL  WA Colville       RAD, LOU, JAS*, JOH, WAT, GLA   (major pest!)
CKMK  BC Mackenzie      JAS
CJOR  BC Osoyoos        RAD, LOU, JAS*, JOH

1340
====
KYLT  MT Missoula       GLA
KLKI  WA Anacortes      SEA, RAD
CIBQ  AB Brooks         RAD, LOU, JAS, JOH, WAT, GLA  (HUGE pest!)
CINL  BC Ashcroft       RAD, LOU, JAS*, JOH*, GLA*
CKCR  BC Revelstoke     LOU, JAS

1400
====
KRPL  ID Moscow         WAT, GLA
KSPT  ID Sandpoint      RAD, WAT, GLA
KLCK  WA Goldendale     RAD
KITZ  WA Silverdale     SEA  (station is back on the air)
CKSQ  AB Stettler       RAD, LOU, JAS, JOH, GLA   (major pest)
CHNL1 BC Clearwater     RAD*, LOU, JAS, JOH, GLA*
CKGR  BC Golden         RAD, LOU, JAS, JOH
CIOR  BC Princeton      JAS*, JOH
CJEK  BC Sparwood       JOH*, GLA*

1450
====
KBFI  ID Bonners Ferry  RAD, JOH, WAT, GLA
KQDI  MT Great Falls    GLA  (these are correct calls, not KMSL)
KGRZ  MT Missoula       GLA
KKXO  OR Eugene         SEA
KCLX  WA Colfax         JOH
KONP  WA Port Angeles   SEA, LOU, JOH
KSUH  WA Puyallup       SEA, RAD
CKYR  AB Jasper         JAS

1490
====
KCID  ID Caldwell       RAD, GLA
KDBM  MT Dillon         JOH, GLA
KBRO  WA Bremerton      SEA
KEYG  WA Grand Coulee   RAD, LOU, JAS, JOH, WAT  (major pest)
CJPR  AB Blairmore      RAD, JAS, JOH, WAT, GLA  (major pest)
CJSN  SK Shaunavon      LOU, JOH, WAT, GLA

  The biggest difference between this trip and my previous visits to
Banff and Lake Louise in the late 1980s is how poorly the E-K radio
network gets out now. CKEK-570 and CFEK-1240 don't get out nearly as
well as they used to. CKKI-1460 has a lousy signal, and CFIW-1200 gets
out poorly as well, even for 50 watts.
  Warning to anyone chasing CJEV-1340:  This station, which I never
heard despite "surrounding" this location on my vacation, uses a
satellite feed called "The Heart of the Country".  CIBQ-1340, which gets
out like gangbusters, also uses this feed.  So if you hear C&W on 1340
//CJPR-1490, please do not assume you've got CJEV.  These stations ID
often ("CJPR-CJEV, Mountain Radio"), and CIBQ runs tons of local ads for
Brooks as well as their "13-40 Q-13" slogan.  By the way, I don't
believe CJPR and CJEV are //CJOC-1220 at all anymore.

*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-

Mark Connelly - WA1ION@xxxxxxxxxxxxx

[Connelly*H-MA] = East Harwich, Cape Cod, MA (GC= 70.021 W / 41.713 N)
(near junction of Routes 39 & 137: pitch pine forest 2 km from ocean)

[Connelly*O-MA] = South Orleans, Cape Cod, MA (GC= 69.991 W / 41.735 N)
(Town Landing, off Route 28, 0.3 km N of Tar Kiln Road)

[Connelly*R-MA] = Rockport, MA (GC= 70.60 W / 42.636 N)
(Pebble Beach: Penzance Road, E of South St.)

Receiver: Drake R8A

Antenna systems: cardioid array with BBL-1 broadband loop, APW-1 active
whip, DXP-1 phasing unit

*** TRANS-ATLANTIC DX ***

 549  ALGERIA  Les Trembles, MAY 31 0200 - female pop-style AA vocal
       with strings & drum, then man with AA announcement, music fanfare
       followed by AA news by woman; loud.
     + MAY 31 0400 - time pips, AA news by woman; fair. [Connelly*H-MA]
     + JUN 12 0213 - AA talkshow / interview; to good peak.
       [Connelly*O-MA]
 558  SPAIN  RNE5 synchros, JUN 12 0215 - SS talk; poor in WGAN slop.
       [Connelly*O-MA]
 567  IRELAND  RTE, Tullamore, JUN 12 0217 - folk vocal, then the female
       DJ mentioned that it was written by Joni Mitchell; EXCELLENT
       local-like signal ! [Connelly*O-MA]
 585  SPAIN  RNE1, Madrid, JUN 12 0218 - man in SS; to good peak over
       VOCM splash with WEZE phased. [Connelly*O-MA]
 603  SPAIN  RNE5, Sevilla / Palencia, JUN 12 0220 - // 585 with
       calm-voiced man in SS; over a weak 603.5 het of unknown origin.
       [Connelly*O-MA]
 612  IRELAND  Athlone, JUN 12 0221 - EE talk, dance-rock music; very
       good, over a cluster of others. [Connelly*O-MA]
 621  CANARY ISLANDS // SPAIN  RNE1 synchros, MAY 31 0206 - SS news;
       fair. [Connelly*H-MA]
     + JUN 12 0222 - absolutely HUGE (much stronger than the 620 kHz
       stuff) with SS newstalk by man. [Connelly*O-MA]
 621  unID  JUN 12 0229 - maybe Egypt here with bits of AA-style string
       music; way under Canaries. [Connelly*O-MA]
 639  SPAIN  RNE1, La Coruna, JUN 12 0223 - // 621 with SS talk; good,
       splittable from strong CBN-640 classical music program.
       [Connelly*O-MA]
 648  SPAIN  RNE1, Badajoz et al., JUN 12 0224 - SS // 621 occasionally
       surfaced over a pile-up of co-channel stations. [Connelly*O-MA]
 657  SPAIN  RNE5, Madrid, JUN 12 0224 - // 621 with man in SS; fair.
       [Connelly*O-MA]
 684  SPAIN  RNE1, Sevilla, MAY 28 0129 - calm SS talk by man; good with
       WRKO phased. [Connelly*R-MA]
     + JUN 12 0230 - // 621 with SS discussion program; good.
       [Connelly*O-MA]
 693  UNITED KINGDOM  BBC, Droitwich et al., JUN 12 0231 - EE talk by
       man; poor to fair over Azores. [Connelly*O-MA]
 738  SPAIN  RNE1, Barcelona, JUN 12 0237 - two men talking in SS; good
       signal. [Connelly*O-MA]
 747  NETHERLANDS  Flevoland, MAY 28 0132 - rock music, apparent Dutch
       talk; poor. [Connelly*R-MA]
 774  SPAIN  RNE1 synchros, JUN 12 0241 - // 621 with some kind of
       electronic Muzak (space age cocktail music), then man & woman in
       SS; to good peak. [Connelly*O-MA]
 792  SPAIN  SER, Sevilla, JUN 12 0244 - // 1044 with SS discussion;
       good. [Connelly*O-MA]
 836  AZORES  RDP, Pico da Barossa  MAY 28 0135 - soft music; poor, over
       837 het. [Connelly*R-MA]
     + JUN 12 0146 - "Joy to the World" by Three Dog Night: light audio,
       but the signal was so huge that low modulation was not a problem.
       [Connelly*O-MA]
 837  CANARY ISLANDS // SPAIN  COPE synchros, JUN 12 0147 - SS talk;
       QRM'ed by Azores-836. [Connelly*O-MA]
 855  SPAIN  RNE1, Murcia et al., JUN 12 0153 - // 1107 with dramatic SS
       talk by man over a guitar accompaniment; to good peak.
     + JUN 12 0249 - SS talk; now STRONGER THAN WEEI-850 !
       [Connelly*O-MA]
 873  SPAIN  SER R. Zaragoza, Zaragoza, JUN 12 0149 - SS teletalk //
       1044; fair to good. [Connelly*O-MA]
 882  CANARY ISLANDS // SPAIN  COPE synchros, JUN 12 0149 - // 837 with
       man & woman in SS; over others. [Connelly*O-MA]
 891  ALGERIA  Algiers, JUN 12 0313 - AA vocal; slopped. [Connelly*O-MA]
 936  SPAIN  RNE5 synchros, JUN 12 0312 - // 855 with romantic female
       vocal; fair. [Connelly*O-MA]
 954  SPAIN  R. Espana, Madrid, JUN 12 0312 - SS teletalk; to good peak.
       [Connelly*O-MA]
 999  SPAIN  COPE, Madrid, JUN 12 0311 - excited SS talk by woman; to
       good peak. [Connelly*O-MA]
1008  CANARY ISLANDS  Las Palmas, R. Las Palmas / RadioVoz, JUN 12 0115
       - SS teletalk (not // 1044); good with WINS nulled.
       [Connelly*O-MA]
1026  SPAIN  SER synchros, JUN 12 0310 - // 1044 with SS news by man &
       woman; good. [Connelly*O-MA]
1035  PORTUGAL  R. Nacional, Lisboa, JUN 12 0121 - '50s- influenced PP
       vocal; to fair peak. [Connelly*O-MA]
1044  SPAIN  SER synchros, MAY 28 0138 - SER SS teletalk by man & woman;
       fair. [Connelly*R-MA]
     + JUN 12 0124 - man & woman with SS discussion, some synchro-echo
       present.  Excellent signal. [Connelly*O-MA]
1053  MOROCCO  Tanger, MAY 27 2331 - AA talk fragments and het building
       against WEVD on pre-sunset fade-up. [Connelly*R-MA]
1053  SPAIN  COPE, Zaragoza / Castellon, JUN 12 0126 - man & woman SS
       talk, interlude of jazz, then more talk; dominant.
       [Connelly*O-MA]
1071  SPAIN  EI, Bilbao, JUN 12 0151 - male folk vocal and guitar;
       excellent. [Connelly*O-MA]
1098  SPAIN  RNE5 synchros, JUN 12 0129 - fast SS talk; in & out of
       jumbly mess and growl. [Connelly*O-MA]
1107  SPAIN  RNE5 synchros, MAY 28 0104 - news by woman in SS; to good
       peak over others. [Connelly*R-MA]
     + JUN 12 0130 - SS talk; getting badly dumped-on by Carupano-1110.
       [Connelly*O-MA]
1125  SPAIN  RNE5 synchros, JUN 12 0135 - // 1098 with fast SS talk;
       fair. [Connelly*O-MA]
1134  CROATIA  HR, Zadar, MAY 28 0049 - Slavic folk group vocal (Mystere
       Des Voix Bulgares or similar); over Spain. [Connelly*R-MA]
1134  SPAIN  COPE synchros, MAY 27 2356 - SS teletalk with man & woman.
       [Connelly*R-MA]
     + JUN 12 0134 - SS teletalk; excellent & dominant. [Connelly*O-MA]
1152  SPAIN  RNE5 synchros, MAY 27 2357 - man with fast SS talk; through
       remnants of phased WNFT-1150. [Connelly*R-MA]
     + JUN 12 0137 - SS man & woman, then vocal & guitar // 1098; to
       very good peak.
     + JUN 12 0156 - HUGE with vocal duet and acoustic guitar, // 855.
       [Connelly*O-MA]
1161  SPAIN  EI, San Sebastian, JUN 12 0138 - bits of SS vocal; poor, in
       slop. [Connelly*O-MA]
1179  CANARY ISLANDS // SPAIN  SER synchros, MAY 27 2337 - fade- up
       about 30 min. before sunset. [Connelly*R-MA]
     + JUN 12 0140 - fair with woman in SS // 1044. [Connelly*O-MA]
1197  SPAIN  EI, Vitoria, JUN 12 0152 - // 1071 with folk vocal &
       guitar; poor. [Connelly*O-MA]
1215  UNITED KINGDOM  Virgin R. synchros, MAY 28 0100 - EE headline news
       mentioning Milosevic; to fair peak over Spain. [Connelly*R-MA]
1224  SPAIN  COPE synchros, JUN 12 0147 - // 837 with woman in SS; mixed
       with unID rocker that may have been Netherlands. [Connelly*O-MA]
1251  LIBYA  Tripoli, JUN 12 0159 - AA man and interspersed AA orchestra
       (strings, percussion); good. [Connelly*O-MA]
1296  SUDAN  Reba, JUN 12 0255-0302 - an interval signal of
       approximately 11 notes kept repeating from 0255 to 0300: the
       signal gained strength all the while.  A few times Spain was
       noted in the background, but Sudan was fully dominant and loud at
       0300 when AA announcements were made by a man.  A stern-sounding
       male Koranic vocal with slight reverb (perhaps echoey room
       acoustics) came on at 0302 UTC: the signal was massive (way over
       S9) at the time.  This was the highlight of the night's DX
       session. [Connelly*O-MA]
1305  SPAIN  RNE5 synchros, JUN 12 0200 - // 1107 with SS news; in messy
       QRM. [Connelly*O-MA]
1359  SPAIN  Arganda, MAY 27 2340 - rambling SS chat; through
       phase-nulled WLYN splatter.
     + MAY 28 0012 - woman in SS, then a music segment; some CKBC QRM.
     + MAY 28 0034 - now really loud ! [Connelly*R-MA]
1422  ALGERIA  Algiers, MAY 28 0018 - AA music; in slop. [Connelly*R-MA]
1485  SPAIN  SER synchros, MAY 28 0019 - SS newstalk; poor.
       [Connelly*R-MA]
     + JUN 12 0205 - poor with SS news. [Connelly*O-MA]
1512  SAUDI ARABIA  BSKSA, Jeddah, JUN 12 0208 - AA vocal just getting
       through tough WNRB slop.  1521 had a monster carrier at the time
       on pre-sign-on warm-up. [Connelly*O-MA]
1530  VATICAN  R. Vaticana, JUN 12 0305 - eastern European language news
       by man & woman; mixed with WSAI.  Other signals behind these two
       may have been Sao Tome, Latin Americans, or domestics.
       [Connelly*O-MA]
1548  KUWAIT  VOA, Kuwait City, MAY 28 0022 - US sportstalk; over/under
       unID British station. [Connelly*R-MA]
1550  ALGERIA  RASD Clandestine, Tindouf, MAY 27 2344 - AA chant; in and
       out of jumble with domestics. [Connelly*R-MA]
1575  SPAIN  SER synchros, MAY 28 0023 - echoey SS teletalk; over
       AA-sounding unID second station. [Connelly*R-MA]
1584  SPAIN  SER synchros, MAY 28 0024 - // 1575 with SS teletalk by man
       & woman; good.  The Ceuta - 1583.65 het was in the background
       this time. [Connelly*R-MA]
     + JUN 12 0211 - SS woman // 1044; fair with receiver on upper
       sideband: 1.8 kHz bandwidth to dodge the Ceuta het.
       [Connelly*O-MA]
1593  unID  MAY 28 0024 - possibly Egypt here with bits of Middle
       Eastern sounding string music; hacked by WARV-1590 and WUNR-1600
       slop. [Connelly*R-MA]

*** PAN-AMERICAN DX ***

 555  ST. KITTS & NEVIS  ZIZ, Basseterre, MAY 31 0205 - Dr. Hook oldie
       "Sharing the Night Together". [Connelly*H-MA]
     + JUN 12 0213 - soca party music; good. [Connelly*O-MA]
 650  COLOMBIA  RCN Antena Dos, HJKH, Bogota, MAY 31 0207 - Colombian
       news in SS; through 660 slop. [Connelly*H-MA]
 680  PUERTO RICO  WAPA, San Juan, JUN 12 0229 - SS sports coverage with
       mentions of Puerto Rico and San Juan, then a brief 'cerveza' ad
       was inserted.  Under nulled WRKO Boston. [Connelly*O-MA]
 690  ANGUILLA  Caribbean Beacon, The Valley, JUN 12 0227 - US EE
       preaching; monster signal, way over Latin Americans.
       [Connelly*O-MA]
 700  JAMAICA  RJR, Montego Bay, JUN 12 0239 - reggae vocal, then
       Carib-EE talk by man; slightly over 2 or more SS Latin Americans.
       [Connelly*O-MA]
 705  ST. VINCENT & THE GRENADINES  Kingstown, JUN 12 0235 - Caribbean
       EE talk by man, then a mellow Caribbean romantic vocal with '50s
       street-corner doo-wop influences; fair. [Connelly*O-MA]
 800  NETHERLANDS ANTILLES  Trans-World Radio, PJB, Bonaire, JUN 12 0242
       - US black preacher in EE; excellent signal. [Connelly*O-MA]
 830  ST. KITTS & NEVIS  TBN, Basseterre, MAY 31 0215 - // 7510 with
       hymn; over/under WCRN. [Connelly*H-MA]
     + JUN 12 0246 - EE preaching that mentioned the creation of the
       Tigris and Euphrates rivers; way over WCRN/YVLT/CFJR.
       [Connelly*O-MA]
 880  VENEZUELA  Mundial, YVYM, Puerto Ordaz, JUN 12 0148 - Mundial ID;
       loud, over WCBS. [Connelly*O-MA]
 939.93  unID  MAY 27 2330 - 70 Hz growl on low side of channel; heard
       about a half hour before sunset, so possibly of domestic origin.
       [Connelly*R-MA]
 940  VENEZUELA  unID city, MAY 28 0122 - Valencia & Venezuela mentions
       in SS talk.  Signal was dominant, but the audio was "muddy" and
       muffled. [Connelly*R-MA]
1020  VENEZUELA  R. Margarita, YVRS, La Asuncion, JUN 12 0120 - R.
       Margarita mentions; over low growl. [Connelly*O-MA]
1039.61  unID  JUN 12 0122 - het, bits of audio; perhaps this is
       Barranquilla.  Has anyone positively ID'ed this ? [Connelly*O-MA]
1040  PUERTO RICO  WZNA, Moca, JUN 12 0122 - Puerto Rico mentions in
       apparent baseball game coverage in SS; dominant (though hetted by
       possible Colombian on 1039.61). [Connelly*O-MA]
1050.31  unID  JUN 12 0125 - het against WEVD. [Connelly*O-MA]
1060.3  unID  JUN 12 0128 - weak het against presumed Cuban.
       [Connelly*O-MA]
1100  ANTIGUA (t)  R. ZDK, St. John's, MAY 28 0108 - probably this with
       light pops including a female version of Bryan Adams' "Everything
       I Do"; momentarily rising over WTAM, HJAT, & the strong
       Spain-1098 het. [Connelly*R-MA]
1110  VENEZUELA  YVQT, Carupano, MAY 28 0048 - salsa music, R. Carupano
       ID; over WBT. [Connelly*R-MA]
     + JUN 12 0155 - festive Macarena-style group vocal with "corazon"
       refrain; local-like ! [Connelly*O-MA]
1131.8  unID  JUN 12 0136 - carrier with AC ripple; weak.
       [Connelly*O-MA]
1140  VENEZUELA  La Voz del Caribe, Porlamar, MAY 28 0051 - Venezuela
       mentions, SS man doing a live broadcast with audience sounds (and
       some hum on audio); dominant over WRVA. [Connelly*R-MA]
     + JUN 12 0308 - Caribe mention, then mellow vocal; dominant.
       [Connelly*O-MA]
1160  BERMUDA  VSB3, Hamilton, MAY 28 0053 - // 5975 with BBC discussion
       of Russia's economy and politics; strong, well over the
       WOBM/WSKW/WVNJ mess. [Connelly*R-MA]
1169  unID  JUN 12 0157 - weak 1 kHz het (or tone test ?) against
       HJNW/WWVA. [Connelly*O-MA]
1170  COLOMBIA  CARACOL, HJNW, Cartagena, MAY 28 0055 - fanfare music,
       then good ID "Esta es CARACOL"; over WWVA & unID-1170.4 het.
       [Connelly*R-MA]
1209.72  unID  MAY 28 0102 - low het against WPHT/VOAR. [Connelly*R-MA]
     + JUN 12 0142 - het against YVZT/WPHT mix. [Connelly*O-MA]
1210  VENEZUELA  R. Anzoategui, YVZT, Barcelona, JUN 12 0144 - booming
       "Anzoategui !" ID piled in over WPHT. [Connelly*O-MA]
1375.02  ST. PIERRE ET MIQUELON  RFO, MAY 27 2341 - interesting
       worldmusic show with AA-style flutes; loud. [Connelly*R-MA]
1410.7  CANADA  CIGO, Port Hawkesbury, NS, JUN 12 0204 - this bird is
       still WAY off frequency and should be widely received as a
       result.  Sports report; in at excellent level of course.  Some
       ripple noted on carrier when BFO was turned on. [Connelly*O-MA]

*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-

 HELP WITH

*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-

**ragnar danneskjold - lwdxer@xxxxxxxx

  Ok I give up, I need some help with a notorious UNIDer.
  Who is out west here on 1290 with R. Disney? These wonderful guys only
ID as "AM 1290, Radio Disney".

***

**Dennis Gibson - dcgibson@xxxxxxxxxxxxx

KKDD (as in K-Kid) in San Bernardino.

*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-

Pat Martin - mwdxer@xxxxxxxxx

KZAP-1620.  Does anyone know is this station is 24 hours? Are they on
reg sked? Here on the Northern Oregon coast I have not had one peep out
of them, even though KSMH and KYIZ aren't that strong off the Eastern
Beverage. WMDM is coming in o/CO tonight and cx do not seem too bad. Any
help would be appreciated.

*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-

 QSLs

*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-

Pat Martin - mwdxer@xxxxxxxxx

1610  TIS    WA, TOPPENISH, pd letter in 12d for taped report. Toppenish
       Chamber of Commerce, P.O. Box 28, Toppenish  WA  98948. V/S:
       Douglas D. Wood-Director. MW QSL #2575. (PM-OR)

*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-

**Nigel Pimblett - ntp@xxxxxxxxxxxxx

  Received an interesting QSL letter today from the CO Dept of
Transportation for a HAR outlet on state Highway 287/385 south of Lamar.
The v/s, Paul Westhoff, Project Engineer, mentioned the power was 15
watts, and the transmitter is solar-powered and mounted on a portable
trailer.  He also enclosed a CO map, with the site marked.  A couple of
days ago I had also received a verie letter from Dan Hopkins of the DOT
Publication Information Office (to whom I had written), but this one
provided more detail.  The day I heard this HAR, incredibly, it was the
only station audible on the frequency.  It's surprises like that that
make this hobby so interesting.

*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-

 MISC ITEMS

*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-

**Pete Taylor - Tacoma WA - taytac@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

  I called Earl Gross of KEYZ this morning to find out how he was doing
sending out veries for the DX test this past season.  The KEYZ
receptionist told me he was filling in at KTHC (FM) Sidney, MT (doing an
air shift).  He said all the reports were back at KEYZ in a pile and
that he had just not gotten around to sending out QSLs yet but hoped to
"soon."  As recipient of one of my all time most marginal reports, I
hope so (I had to resort to identifying the four different frequencies
he used for CW; mighty glad my son had a tone generator!)

*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-

"RADIO IN MY LIFE" - RADIO FEST 99 ESSAY CONTEST

  To celebrate the 25th anniversary of the Ontario DX Association -
Canada's largest radio listener club - the ODXA announces a special
essay contest.
  Radio listeners around the world; listeners of international
shortwave, mediumwave, FM, scanning, amateur radio; listeners of all
ages and levels of experience; all are invited to participate.
  Send us your essay on the following topic:

"Radio in my life"

  Tell us about the importance of radio to you, how it has contributed
to your life, why you love radio...share your emotions and passions with
other radio listeners around the world.
  Length : up to 1000 words (approximately 4500 characters in computer
wordprocessor file).
  All essays will be published in a booklet to be available at Radio
Fest 99, September 24-25 in Oakville, Canada.  All entrants will receive
a complimentary copy of the booklet. Copies will also be made available
to other radio clubs, publications and international radio stations, as
chosen by the Ontario DX Association.

Prizes
------
  First prize will be a portable shortwave radio. Four runnerup prizes
will be awarded and will be the winner's choice of the 2000 Passport to
World Band Radio or the World Radio TV Handbook 2000 edition.

Rules of Entry
--------------
There is no charge or fee to enter. Contest open to anyone, anywhere in
the world. Entries must be submitted by e-mail or by printed copy.
Printed copy must be typewritten. All entries become the property of
Ontario DX Association. Essays must be received no later than September
1, 1999.
E-mail to: dxontario@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx Mail to: Ontario DX Association,
P.O. Box 161, Station A, Willowdale, Ontario M2N 5S8, Canada

*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-

    phil bytheway - Seattle WA - philip_bytheway@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

    Tabulated from WWV at ~0518 GMT nightly

    Geomagnetic Summary June 10 1999 through June 16 1999

  6/10   161     6    1    low         quiet               -
    11   165     4    2    low         quiet               -
    12   168     5    2    moderate    quiet               -
    13   168     5    1    low         quiet               -
    14   168     1    0    low         quiet               -
    15   159     6    2    low         quiet-active        -
  6/16   153     9    1    low         quiet-unsettled     -

*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-

END of 6/17/99 IRCA's "AM DX NewsFlash"
------------------------------------------------------------------------
This is a message from "Bytheway, Philip" <Philip_Bytheway@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
to hard-core-dx@xxxxxxxxxxxxx list. To unsubscribe the list, send
"unsubscribe hard-core-dx" in mail body to majordomo@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx
For more information, please check http://www.kotalampi.com/hard-core-dx/
or email Risto Kotalampi, risto@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx
------------------------------------------------------------------------