[HCDX]: DX Listening Digest 00-69 May 23

["Glenn Hauser" <wghauser@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

	DX LISTENING DIGEST 00-69, May 23, 2000
		edited by Glenn Hauser

{Items from DXLD may be reproduced and re-reproduced only providing
full credit be maintained at all stages. DXLD may not be reposted in
its entirety without permission. Other publications and clubs quoting
DXLD, including second-hand must reciprocate with access to their
information}

** BRAZIL. R. Anhanguera, 4915, May 13 0140-0255* irregular,
Portuguese talk, announcements by man and woman, echo announcements,
IDs, ads, jingles. Good-strong despite usual summertime static; also
May 20 (Brian Alexander, PA, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** COSTA RICA. RFPI`s transmitter situation:

15049: Despite all the fuse protection James had in the exciter
module of the transmitter, something (we expect a power surge) burnt
up a couple of transformers which will now have to be rewound. Our
back-up exciter is also down so we expect to be off a week at the
minimum. Frustrating.

25930: When the gardeners cut the feeder line, it damaged the tuner
mechanism which will have to be rebuilt. No word from James how long
this will take.

Until these frequencies are up and running again, 6970 will be
activated two hours earlier (2200), tho sounds like reception, at
least where you are, is not very usable. (Joe Bernard, RFPI, May 23,
DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** CROATIA [non]. Have noticed extended English broadcast lasting
about 25 minutes irregularly since Feb 19. May 20 on 9925: 0102-0125
``Radio Croatia`` ID, English news, 0118-0125 ``Topic of the Day``
editorial program, 0125 back into Croatian. No English heard in the
0200-0230 time frame. This same English program was repeated at 0302-
0325; very good (Brian Alexander, PA, DX LISTENING DIGEST) via DTK,
Germany

** GUATEMALA. R. Verdad, 4052.5, Chiquimula, is indeed signing on
earlier now; Tue May 23 tune in at 1107 already in progress with
``Volviendo [a?] Jesús`` show with hymns, vibes, preaching, wrapping
up at 1121 with program address, fading, 1122 R. Verdad ID. Half an
hour makes a lot of difference in improved propagation for only 800
watts. Local sunrise here in Enid is 1119 UT, which is in Local Mean
Time is actually 0447, the figure that really matters in terms of
sunrise. We are almost to our earliest sunrise of 1111 UT or 0439 LMT
during the middle of June. We are 92 minutes slow of Central Daylight
Time, which is ridiculous, pretending that the sunrises are 6:19 to
6:11 am (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** NETHERLANDS ANTILLES [non]. We have posted the following message
on the Radio Netherands Web site today: Due to essential maintenance
to one of the temporary generators at Bonaire, only one transmitter
is in operation. Most transmissions have been transferred to Flevo or
other sites (Antigua, Ascension Island, Cypress Creek and Jülich).
However, the following transmissions are OFF THE AIR:
2330-0025 UTC Spanish on 11715 kHz
0330-0425 UTC Dutch on 6165 kHz
0430-0530 UTC English on 6165 kHz
(Andy Sennitt, Radio Netherlands, swprograms May 23 via DXLD)

** PERU. HCJB DX Partyline May 20, pre-recorded to cover Allen
Graham`s fund-raising trip to the US, included some more ``Quito
Logbook`` items from Björn somebody which he hand-delivers to HCJB.
Once again some are questionable and need confirmation from experts
on this region; no one followed up the previous QLB I forwarded. I
quote as accurately as I could copy:

On 4577.32, Radio Uno, Chiclayo, at 0310 announcing ``4570``. In
repeating the frequency at the end of the item, AG gave this one as
if it were actual rather than nominal...

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

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?]

On 5323.65, La Voz de Anta, in Anta, weak at 0400

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??]

Next week`s DXPL: some harmonic items from same reporter (via Glenn
Hauser, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** PORTUGAL (?}. From 0935 until about 1000 UT May 21 I heard on
17810 an experimental digital broadcast, according to DRM standards,
mixed with rather long periods of analog AM emission. IDs were in
Portuguese, English, Spanish and Dutch, each with a musical interval:
``Bemvindo ao programa de testes DRM``, they said, adding that
comparisons were being made between analog AM and the sound of DRM.
They said DRM is destined to replace analog in the future on
frequencies below 30 MHz. The musical intervals were filled with
music from different parts of the world: Arab, Hispanic-American, and
a song by a Cape Verde musician in Portugal called Dani Silva.

At that moment they said the broadcast originates in Sines, Portugal,
and immediately afterwards that it comes from Rampisham, UK! The
analog sound was very frequently interrupted by very brief
repetitions, such as ``Com-com-pa-pa-rações-ções es-es-tão sendo
feitas-tas...`` Would these transmissions be alternating between
Sines and Rampisham, a few tenths of a second from each one? If so,
one would note variations in signal strength, which was not the case.
The signal was excellent throughout. Was the program broadcast
simultaneously from both and the echo due to some deficiency in the
system reading the messages recorded in the memory? The analog signal
was excellent, SINPO 55555. Sines is about 400 km from here in Porto.
[That would put you in the skip zone at 17 MHz; more likely the big
signal you got was from Rampisham -gh]

The worst was when the signal switched to digital. It was as if
suddenly we turned on a computer next to the receiver. The noise was
very much like that produced by a computer, and spread out some tens
of kHz, making reception of stations on neighboring channels useless!
The greater bandwidth of the digital signal is no surprise. It would
be difficult for a digital signal to occupy no more spectrum than
analog. The frequency of a digitalized signal has to be, according to
Nyquist`s law, equal or greater than double the highest [audio]
signal of the original analog signal.

Interference may be avoidable by various processes, permitting a
greater number of digital than analog signals to share the same
spectrum without interfering with each other. But in order to co-
exist peacefully, they must all use the same type of modulation. Is
this the case with DRM? It will not be possible for the two different
types of modulation to live together peacefully. If DRM signals
occupy as much bandwidth as I observed, it would take only half a
dozen of them to completely ruin reception of tens and tens of analog
stations! In this confrontation, the analog signals will be at a
disadvantage, because analog signals will be drowned out by the
digital noise.

If the DRM project proceeds, definitely replacing analog broadcasts,
the time will come when the analog receivers we use today, value so
highly, and have served us so well, will be useless. It may be that
future digital receivers will serve us even better, and we will wind
up taking a fancy to them, but the romanticism of managing to pull
out of the depths that faraway station in a poor country, doing great
service to the people there, will be lost. And thus arises another
problem: what will radio be like in the poorer countries? Will they
be obliged to turn off the analog broadcasters they have in order to
buy digital equipment? And the receivers, at what price? Will it be
legitimate to require populations living on the threshold of
subsistence to buy new receivers? However subsidized the prices of
these may be, it will be very difficult for them to be as low as the
simplest and cheapest ``chiricos`` made for example in Mozambique.

So all this calls for lengthy and delayed reflection. Personally, I
believe that rather than serving the needs of everyone, DRM is
nothing more than a big business deal  the manufacturers are about to
undertake. Imagine the millions of digital radios which they surely
hope to sell! But it could be that ``radio`` via internet will
frustrate their plans. The broadcast I heard last Sunday referred to
the official website of the broadcasters, manufacturers, and other
organizations promoting digital radio below 30 MHz, ``Digital Radio
Mondiale`` (DRM), http://www.drm.org  What kind of mixture of French
and English is this?! (Fernando de Sousa Ribeiro Porto, Portugal -
Receptor Sony ICF-2001D, com antena telescopica e pre'-amplificador
de antena Sony AN-1, radioescutas, translated by gh with a little
help from Langenscheidt for DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** ROMANIA. RRI, 15180, May 13 2100 English news, commentary, ID,
light instrumental music, very strong; much weaker on //15105, 11940,
11740 (Brian Alexander, PA, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** RUSSIA. RADIO MAYAK IS BACK ON SW OUT OF RUSSIA...BUT FOR THREE
DAYS ONLY!

In just a few days Russia's renowned Radio MAYAK will be conducting a
special short-wave test. Please note that the station does not plan
to resume its regular SW service. This test will be a one-time event
only!

Test dates:  May 26, 27 and 28
Time: 15:00-16:00 UTC
Frequency: 15.410 kHz
Transmitter: 200 kW, Novosibirsk
Azimuth: 291 degrees
Angle of antenna emission: 8 degrees

The sponsors of the test promise to confirm all correct reception
reports with a full-data QSL. So this might well be the DXers' last
chance to hear and to confirm this station broadcasting on SW out of
Russia!

The reception reports are ACTIVELY solicited at radiotest@xxxxxxx

Please provide date, time, SINPO, location, and a brief description
of your receiver and antenna. If you want a free full-data QSL by e-
mail, add a few program details. A brief sound file enclosed to your
report will be highly appreciated. If you prefer a QSL-letter by
regular mail, make sure you state this clearly in your report.
(Sergei Sosedkin, May 23, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** UKRAINE. I *did* hear RUI UT May 16 at 0300 on 13590, English to
NAm. UT May 17 at 0300 I checked again, and NO SHOW! Now it could
have been poor propagation (I usually get Turkey English at 0300 very
well on 11655; it was poor this date.) We`ll all just have to keep
checking at 0300 on 13590. It was back UT May 18. Announced this
English schedule effective March 26:

Eu 2100 5905, 6020, 11950; 0000 5905, 6020; 0300 6020. Russia and
Central Asia 2100 and 0000 on 6020, 9640; 0300 on same plus 12045;
NAm 0300 13590; Australia (upcut on tape) on 21510 (Bob Thomas, CT,
DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** U K. Almost TWO MONTHS after the new BBC WS multi-streaming
started, the feeds are still all mixed up. On the main webpage
http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice I frequently find the program
supposedly ON NOW is not the one you get when clicking for the
stream! Trying the alternate yahoo/broadcast.com stream may or may
not get what is supposed to be there, or on the American stream(?)
(Glenn Hauser, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** ZAMBIA. Christian Voice, 4965, May 20 0150-0230+, contemporary
Christian music, English religious talk, 0200 ID; nothing heard on
3330. Surprised o find CV here at this time; poor to fair with usual
summertime static (Brian Alexander, PA, DX LISTENING DIGEST)  ###

________________________________________________________________________
Get Your Private, Free E-mail from MSN Hotmail at http://www.hotmail.com

------------------------------------------------------------------------
This is a message from "Glenn Hauser" <wghauser@xxxxxxxxxxx>
to hard-core-dx@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx list. To unsubscribe the list, send
"unsubscribe hard-core-dx" in mail body to majordomo@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
For more information, please check http://www.hard-core-dx.com/
or email us, staff@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
------------------------------------------------------------------------