[HCDX]: DX Listening Digest 00-80 June 26

["Glenn Hauser" <wghauser@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

	DX LISTENING DIGEST 00-80, June 26, 2000
	edited by Glenn Hauser, wghauser@xxxxxxxxxxx

{Items from DXLD may be reproiduced and re-reproduced only providing
full credit be maintained at all stages and we are provided exchange
copies. DXLD may not be reposted in its entirety without permission}

** GERMANY. Re: next weekend`s specials: To reach us, please use
either fritz@xxxxxx or redaktion@xxxxxxxx, the domain
"radiofritz.de" does not exist at all. (Lutz Schramm)
-----
Lesson: Take it never for granted, that official publications will
include correct data... (Kai Ludwig, Germany, June 24, DX LISTENING
DIGEST)

** GERMANY. Below I include a copy of some remarks about the German
DLF. Perhaps you will find their time signal measures somewhat
interesting.

Also DLF Cologne was already subject of complains about audio delay:
Some listeners received FM in the sitting room and LW in the kitchen.
Most of the FM transmitters are meanwhile fed via satellite but the
LW transmitters still through cable connections, in the described
situation of course resulting in echo effects. As solution the
landline output is now delayed for 0.34 seconds, resulting in
synchronized audio on all frequencies. So the time signal had to be
readjusted and is now 0.34 seconds early - in the studio of course.
This rearrangement also contained an elimination of the separate feed
path with compressed audio for the AM transmitters in favour of the
LW/MW transmitter sites own processing; the audio on 6190 now seems
to be unprocessed at all according the practice at the Berlin-Britz
site. By the way, the handling of the sea weather forecasts (0440,
0905, 2305 on 177, 1269, 6005) is quite simple: The news announcer
has anyway a separate studio cabin, so only the mic there has to be
connected through a separate desk path while the production of the
regular program continues. (Kai Ludwig, Germany, June 25, DX
LISTENING DIGEST)

** JAPAN [non]. Surprised to find R. Japan in English at 1500 June 25
on unlisted 21615, 1505 into Japanese; probably special for the
elections (Joe Hanlon, PA, DX LISTENING DIGEST) We then found it
//weaker 21600, and in synch with each other. Probably Gabon, French
Guiana or Ascension; R. Japan website no help (gh, DXLD)

** JORDAN. Radio Jordan on some Sats noted on 17680 in English
instead of 11690 past the changeover time of 1200. A switching error
at the tx site. (Edwin Southwell, UK, 18/6, DSWCI via DXLD)

** MONTSERRAT [non]. This isn`t shortwave, but I know some of you
listen to BBC domestic radio via the Web. For the past few days, BBC
Radio 5 Live has been running promos for a live simulcast between 5
Live and ZJB Radio Montserrat on Monday 26 June. The promo features
the voice of ZJB`s Rose Willock. It doesn't mention the precise
starting time of the simulcast, but it`s part of the Nicky Campbell
Show between 0800 and 1100. Given the time difference, and the fact
that first hour of that show is usually a phone-in, I`d say 1000 UT
or later is most likely. (Andy Sennitt, swprograms June 25 via DXLD)

** PAKISTAN. R. Pakistan current schedule includes:
English nx & Comm ? Gulf & M.E. 1600-1615 11570 15100 17510*
EaAfrica 1600-1615 15725 17720
* via Karachi 50kW others via Islamabad 100/250kW
Home Services via Islamabad 100kW include
1000-1115 9540 with English news 1100-1104
(Noël Green, DSWCI June 25 via DXLD)

** RUSSIA. Nick Pashkevich in Moscow drew my attention to a rather
annoying mistake regarding FM 107.8 there: Radio Slavyanka uses only
a single hour a day; the remaining 23 hours are filled by
Militseyskaya Volna. He added, that according a newspaper report
Radio-1 will reappear in Moscow on 71.8 MHz. I will keep an ear on
171, where the Sasnovy transmitter is still silent like the Ukrainian
one at Krasne. (Kai Ludwig, Germany, June 25, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** SOLOMON ISLANDS. Greetings from a sunny and warm Vancouver Island!
Citing ``financial difficulties caused by the current security and
political situation``, the Solomon Islands Broadcasting Corporation
has announced cutbacks to their operations, beginning on June 26th.
Radio Happy Isles (5020 kHz) will cut back its hours of broadcast,
ending at 10 pm Solomon Islands time (which I make out to be 1100 UT)
instead of its usual midnight local time (or 1300 UT), and will begin
its broadcast day a half hour later than usual (6 am local time,
instead of 5:30 am, which I figure to be 1900 UT). This will
certainly affect reception here, which has tended lately to be best
during the final two hours of the broadcast.

Additionally, local AM and FM stations in the Solomon Islands will be
affected; in some instances through reduced hours of operation, and
in other instances through less local programming being generated and
relaying of the national service instead.

The announcement also states that SIBC staff will be sent on ``early
leave``, to be followed if needed by unpaid leave. The numbers of
staff so affected were not indicated in the news broadcast I heard.
The newscasts for the past several days have noted drastically
reduced government revenues being brought in, as government offices
have been closed or only operating at partial capacity due to the
continuing tensions in that country, and as tourism revenues have
also substantially dropped. The SIBC states that the radio stations
affected will hopefully return to their customary operations as the
situation is resolved and government revenues begin to flow again.
For your information. cheers, (b. cooley, BC, June 24, DX LISTENING
DIGEST)

** ZIMBABWE [non]. Ref. the speculation about the transmitter site
for Radio VOP, Voice of the People, in DXLD 00-79:

Madagascar: I checked the Radio Netherlands technical schedule on
their web site. At the precise times of the Radio VOP broadcasts
(1700-1730 and 1915-1945) they are only listing TWO transmitters as
being in use. So, if the RN Madagascar relay has THREE transmitters
available, as suggested by Kai Ludwig, one of them is spare for Radio
VOP.

Interestingly, the RN schedule shows the third Madagascar transmitter
in use for relaying RVI at 1757-1900. That would fit very nicely with
the Radio VOP schedule. They have 12 minutes to switch frequencies/
antennas after the end of the first Radio VOP transmission, and then
15 minutes after the end of the RVI relay at 1900 in time for the
second Radio VOP slot. This may explain why the second Radio VOP
transmission starts at the slightly odd time of 1915 (rather than
1900) - they just couldn't start it any earlier.

Rwanda: Kai Ludwig asked: ``But, why should Rwanda...?`` Well, Rwanda
and Zimbabwe are backing opposite sides in the civil war in the
Democratic Republic of Congo. Zimbabwe has troops in Congo fighting
on the government side and Rwanda supports one of the rebel factions.
So, whatever the technical likelihood of Radio VOP coming from
Rwanda, the politics would make sense (Chris Greenway, England, June
24, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** ZIMBABWE [non]. The daily VOA half-hour at 1730-1800 is called
``Zimbabwe Forum`` and on the inaugural program June 19 was referred
to as a ``special program on the African service of VOA for the next
two weeks``. The info minister Comrade Chen was interviewed on the
show objecting to it, since ``Zimbabwe is a tiny bit of Africa`` --
more grist for the new Tiny Trap page on the WOR website!! Then Kim
Elliott interviewed Gwen Dillard, Chief of the VOA Africa Division.
So will it actually stop at the end of this week? ``We hope it will
continue for some time.`` It was set up for this weekend`s
parliamentary elections but would like for it to go on beyond that;
there is a presidential election in two years. State radio has a
monopoly. Would it not be difficult to maintain a half-hour daily
program focusing on only one country? ``Absolutely not.`` VOA`s
Angola Project has been going for four years, produced in-country;
French service has a daily half hour, ``Today in Central Africa`` for
three or four countries. The Zimbabwe show will have reporters in
other places too with similar problems, Malawi, Mozambique and Kenya
(VOA Communications World June 24, notes by gh for DX LISTENING
DIGEST)

I can?t hear 11765 (or 909 !) but 17580 appears to carry News Now
(Noël Green, UK, DSWCI Jun 25) Every day? (gh, DXLD)        ###


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