[HCDX] DX Listening Digest 00-97 July 30

["Glenn Hauser" <wghauser@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

	DX LISTENING DIGEST 00-97, July 30, 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
copies. DXLD may not be reposted in its entirety without permission}

THIS MONTH ON CONTINENT OF MEDIA 00-06, which could start as early as
August 1 at 2000 on RFPI: See topic summary at
http://www.angelfire.com/ok/worldofradio/com0006.html

** AFGHANISTAN. The information minister of the Taliban government
has officially rejected the reports by the Pakistani press about
possible re-introduction of TV broadcasting in Afghanistan. The
rumors that the Taliban government would allow some form of TV
broadcasting surfaced after a week-long seminar on this issue
sponsored by the Taliban Information Ministry. Taliban recognized
that it would be helpful to launch a governmental TV-channel to carry
religious and political propaganda. However, the authorities are
cautious that the population would start watching other TV channels
which, in their opinion, "would be a betrayal of the cause of Islam."
After capturing Kabul in 1996 the Taliban leaders announced that any
picture of a human being or an animal was a form of idolatry. Then
they shut down TV centers and banned ownership of TV-receivers. On
the streets of Kabul the Islamic moral police publicly destroyed the
uncovered TVs and VCRs. Currently, radio is the primary mass media in
Afghanistan. Over 70 percent of population own radio receivers. The
Afghani radio listeners prefer the foreign broadcasts to those
produced locally. According to the Russian Information Agency
Novosti, the US and Russian radio stations broadcasting in local
languages are especially popular among the Afghanis (Report by Echo
of Moscow Radio, July 24, 2000 via Sergei Sossedkin, DXLD)

** AUSTRALIA. In preparation for the reactivation of the Cox
Peninsula (Darwin) transmitter site, the new lease-holder, Christian
Voice (Australia) Ltd, is advertising for technical officers to
operate the site. Advertisements in the Australian press today
(Saturday, 29 July) call for a chief technical officer, senior
technical officers, technical officers and an administrator. The
contact is Mike Edmiston, Australian Director of Christian Voice in
Brisbane (Matt Francis, Canberra, July 28, Electronic DX Press via
DXLD)

** COLOMBIA CLANDESTINE. Hi Glenn: Anyone referred this page to you
yet? First reference I've seen to individual FARC fronts having
broadcast stations, but since they have everything else, I guess it's
no surprise: http://www.resistencianacional.org/radio.htm
Of the ones listed, only the Comando Conjunto Central would likely be
in the current "zona de distensión" (truce zone) in Caquetá.
Unfortunately the times aren't conducive to long-distance listening.
I'm not sure how current the list is...the site as a whole isn't too
current (Rich Stoller, July 30, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** CONGO. On 5985 July 21 at 2150, R Congo surprised by transmitting
in Spanish, a.o. sportnews. Yes, not the "old stuff" but the football
tournament "La Copa de Congo - los quartos de final, mañana sábado.
Interclub de Brazzaville y Soc. Deportiva de Punta Negra" and karate
championship "Campeonato de la Liga de Brazzaville". Nice! Final
announcement 2158 gave ".. oyentes, hemos terminado nuestros
(noticieros?) y nos volveremos mañana sábado a las (dos?) de la tarde
... a micrófono su credo compañero de siempre (Gadji Pedro Llombolo?).
¡Hasta mañana!". The name of the program leader very uncertain. 3+
overall (Stefan Björn, Sweden, SW Bulletin)

On 5985 July 14 at 1936 Radio Congo with news in English. Information
about Omar Bongo`s visit in Brazzaville. 2-3; July 25 at 2100 Radio
Congo, Cadena Nacional with news in Spanish! Heavy disturbed from VoA
with French for Africa - brilliant frequency choice! (Christer
Brunström, Sweden, SW Bulletin, both translated by ed. Thomas Nilsson
for DXLD)

** COSTA RICA. RFPI Mailbag reported: the antenna for 21815-USB is an
8-element log-periodic not too high above ground, aimed 10 to 15
degrees east of north, with homemade ladder-line feed, made of #10 or
#12 wire, low-loss and good for this purpose.

Progressive News Network: most of the volunteers who have been
producing this for the past 4-6 months are leaving. So from this week
it is shortened to 15 minutes, on Mondays and Wednesdays (2200
presumably, still repeated 0130?), and on Fridays at 2200-2230 the
new Freespeech Radio News produced by Pacifica stringers. Things are
in the works, such as an international progressive news service in
which RFPI may be involved (notes by gh, July 28, DX LISTENING
DIGEST)

** GOA - INDIA. 9705 at 1536-1545 A.I.R Panaji "The News at Nine"
still fairly strong but now mixed with VOA relay with VOA "News Now".
Both about equal and neither understandable! What VOA site? (Bill
Flynn, OR, July 28, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

GREECE, Kavalla, 105 degrees right toward India, 1500-1800 (IBB
Monitoring July 30 via gh, DXLD)

** GUATEMALA. Printed program schedule from R. Verdad, 4052.5 is
headed Monday to Saturday, with ``now from 5:00 a.m.`` written in,
but the first program labeled Saturday is at 7 a.m. (1300 UT), Música
de los Amigos which also airs at 6-6:15 pm (0000 UT Sunday). 17
educational programs are conveniently underlined to distinguish them
from the religious ones. The ones after sunset are, in UT: 0030-0100
Desarrollo Urbano; 0200-0230 Club de la Amistad y Filatélico; 0400-
0430 Venga Ud. A Guatemala [Turismo y Monografiías]; 0455-0500
Momento Cívico de Clausura con el Himno Nacional. About Domingo it
only remarks: programación especial. Also reproduced is a pennant
including the exact frequency as ``4.0525 Mhz., 74.03 Mts, Banda SW
1`` and shows two satellite dishes (via Masato Ishii, Niigata, Japan,
Radio Nuevo Mundo July 9, interpreted by gh for DXLD)

** HONDURAS. 4960,1 July 8 at 0215, Radio HRET must it be with ID
"Ésta es Radio Buenas Nuevas" and rel. px in Spanish, some local
language and final in English. C/d at 0245, QSA 2+. Have lately seen
a tip that Radio Villa [DOM REP] has reactivated a transmitter at
4960,3 so it might be difficult to hear this station. (Rolf Wikström,
Sweden, SW Bulletin July 30, translated by Thomas Nilsson for DXLD)

** HAWAII. Three 90-meter-tall towers of the former VOA relay
facility at Lualualei, Hawaii, were dismantled on July 21st. That
site relayed VOA and other U.S. government broadcasts to East Asia
from World War II until the 1960s. The towers, on what is now a U.S.
Navy communications facility, were rusting and susceptible to
collapse during a hurricane. According to the Honolulu Advertiser
newspaper, the towers were last painted in 1972 by a sailor named
Riggers, who left his mark at the base of one of them. However, I
wonder about that, because people who work on large antenna systems
are called riggers. Perhaps it was a group signature. This item from
the Honolulu Advertiser, July 21st, via Brock Whaley, via Glenn
Hauser. I found on the Web a picture of Lualualei, Hawaii, which
shows the transmitting towers. I have a link to it at the script for
todays's program at the Communications World Web site (Kim Elliott,
VOA Communications World July 29 via John Norfolk, OKCOK, DX
LISTENING DIGEST)

** LUXEMBOURG [non]. I can recommend http://welcome.to/208 "The
purpose of this site is to preserve the memories from the station of
the stars. We need your help to do this. Please contact the editor if
you have a contribution to this site. We are looking for: * Listeners
who want to share their memories or rare stories connected with the
radio station. * People who have been employees on Radio Luxembourg.
* People who can contribute with pictures of stickers, photos, QSL
cards, programme schedules etc. E-mail: emotland@xxxxxxxxxxx Postal
address: Svaneveien 17, N-4318 SANDNES, NORWAY. December 3, 1933:
Radio Luxembourg started transmissions in English from the Grand
Duchy of Luxembourg. The listeners loved its style, programmes and
formats. December 30, 1992: The station closed down after more than
59 years on the air. The memories live on! (Editor Eivind Motland,
Norway, via Mike Terry, DXLD)

** NEWFOUNDLAND. Tuned around last night to find CBC Radio Overnight
from Nfld. 6,160 kHz from St. John's @ 1,000 W at 1 a.m. EDT. (UTC
-3, - 4 in Winter) This must be recent, as I remember hearing them
sign off at 1:30 a.m. local time (midnight EDT) previously. If one
has a good enough radio, one can hear relays of international
broadcasters' programs via WRN from midnight to 5 a.m. Eastern Time,
notably RN's Media Network Thursday evenings @ midnight (Ricky Leong,
Quebec, July 27, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** PAKISTAN. Hi Glenn, I noted a change today to the Pakistan
schedule I sent to you. Abu Dhabi returned to 17835 and this time
from 0700. So, World Service to West Europe 0800-1100 and English
news 1100-1105 is now using 17525 // 21460. (Noel Green, England,
July 27, DX LISTENING DIGEST) see also UAE

** PAPUA NEW GUINEA. R. Central, 3290, missing again this morning UT
July 30; not heard since previous report, so perhaps just testing.
4890 was also off today (Chris Hambly, Victoria, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** PERU. 6194,78, July 20 at 0119, Radio Cuzco seems to have slid
downwards in frequency, but hard to find exactly and much better in
AM. Good strength but lousy music modulation. Clear ID. QSA 2-3 (Jan
Edh, Sweden, SW Bulletin, translated by Thomas Nilsson for DXLD)

** PUERTO RICO / U S A. Verification letter from AFRTS says:

The signal originates from Naval Computer and Telecommunications Area
Master Station, Key West, Florida, at 12689.5 kHz and Naval Computer
and Telecommunications Station, Puerto Rico at 6458.5 kHz. Key West
broadcasts with a 48 foot inverted cone antenna from Boca Chica,
Florida with 8 kW of power. PR broadcasts with a ground-based,
omnidirectional wire antenna with a 30 foot diameter with 10 kW from
Isabela. AFRTS SW radio transmissions have historically existed to
provide AFRTS radios service to US Navy vessels and outlying military
posts receiving limited American radio or TV through other means. The
signals will be in existence for a limited time until a new
technology, which is currently being tested, allows for reception of
AFRTS via satellite... (v/s Michael Foutch, Broadcast Operations
Specialist, July 17, Naval Media Center, 2713 Mitscher Road SW,
Washington, DC 20373-5819, via Leonard F. Estorge, Metairie LA, DX
LISTENING DIGEST)

** SRI LANKA. Gary Wise, Manager of IBB Iranawila gave July 21st the
following information about their QSL-policy. "I'm sorry it has taken
us so long to be able to address the QSL card issue. We will respond
to every reception report we have received -- but until recently it
was just not possible. Keeping our new station on the air was our
first priority! I have just put in place a system for generating
verification cards, and my secretary has started the process of
checking reception reports. We will send cards out via the Sri Lanka
Post (so you will get some Sri Lankan stamps too!). Please continue
to be patient." He also enclosed a jpg image of the card that will be
sent out (Stefan Björn, Sweden, SW Bulletin July 30 via DXLD)

** THAILAND. Radio Thailand's new English service left shortwave
around 27 July, and is now heard on MW only. 6070 and 7115 now relay
a domestic service in Thai. As far as I can establish, 4830 kHz is
now off air. Regards, (Alan Davies, Kuala Terengganu, Malaysia, July
30, Electronic DX Press via DXLD) Was it all a mistaken feed?

** TROMELIN ISLAND. Just a quick reminder that the Lyon DX Group is
expected to be on the air by August 1st. Operators Gil/F5NOD,
Larry/F5PYI, Eric/F5PXT and Erwann/F6JJX are expected to sign
FR/F6KDF/T until August 16th. Activity will be on 160-6 meters on CW,
SSB and RTTY. Again, suggested frequencies are as follows:

CW- 1823.5, 3504, 7004, 10104, 14020, 18074, 21020, 24894, 28020
SSB - 3790, 7065, 14195, 18145, 21295, 24945, 28495, 50110
RTTY - 14080, 21080, 28080 kHz

QSL via F6KDF, Radio Club de la Gendarmerie, 292 route de Genas,
69677 Bron Cedex, FRANCE. For more information, check out their Web
site at: http://perso.easynet.fr/~f6jjx/menu.htm (KB8NW/OPDX July
31/BARF80 via John Norfolk, OKCOK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** UKRAINE. SPECIAL EVENT. The Ukrainian special event station EM500E
will be active in August on all bands and modes to celebrate the
500th Anniversary of the "Cossack's Glory". QSL via UR4EYN or UR4EN.
(KB8NW/OPDX July 31/BARF80 via John Norfolk, OKCOK, DX LISTENING
DIGEST)

** U A E. Abu Dhabi is now carrying two services on SW. 21735 is
heard until 0700 and 17835 from 0700 (past 1200). What appears the
Main Arabic pgm is using 21630 // 15310 until 0700 and then 21630
changes to 21735. I'm still trying to check what happens after 1200,
but propagation makes it difficult. Best 73's (Noël Green, England,
July 27, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** U K. BBC World Service and Worldspace announced Wednesday that
World Service programs will continue to be heard on the Worldspace
satellite radio broadcasting system. World Service programs have been
heard on the Worldspace Afristar system for the past six months as an
on-air test. On Afristar, BBC English and French will be transmitted
on the West beam, English and Swahili on the southeast beam; on the
Afristar northeast beam, World Service will have two channels, one in
English and one in Arabic. Details are less specific about World
Service programming on the Worldspace Asiastar satellite, but
Worldspace says it will consist of English and major regional
languages such as Hindi. BBC World Service said it "remains committed
to maintaining its global shortwave distribution as the most
effective means of reaching the largest possible audiences." However,
Chris Gill, BBC Controller for Technology an Resources, said
Worldspace provides World Service with an exciting opportunity for
the delivery of programming in digital quality. BBC World Service is
paying Worldspace an undisclosed amount for access to the Afristar
and Asiastar channels (Kim Elliott, Communications World July 29 via
John Norfolk, OKCOK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** U S A. I am especially pleased to inform you that as of Saturday
of this weekend, VOA News Now, and specifically Communications World,
is now restored to Africa Saturday at 2130 to 22 Universal Time.
Frequencies are 6035, 7375, 7415, 11975, 15410, 15445, 15580, and
17785, plus 909 kilohertz medium wave to southern Africa. The 1530
kilohertz medium wave to central Africa will not be available
Saturday at 2130 to 22. Try those shortwave frequencies even if you
are not in Africa. To free up funds for this restored half hour, News
Now to Africa Monday through Friday at 11 to 1130 is canceled.

Some VOA listeners may be surprised this weekend by other
transmission and program changes instituted with less than a week's
notice. For example, at 2133 Saturday, listeners in central Europe
expecting to hear Communications World on 1197 kilohertz medium wave,
will be hearing instead VOA Bosnian. The following changes on 1197
are effective Saturday of this weekend: VOA News Now replaces VOA
Polish at 20 to 21 Universal Time, VOA Serbian replaces News Now at
21 to 2130, and VOA Bosnian replaces News Now at 2130 to 22.

Friday was the last day on the air for the majority of broadcasters
in the VOA Polish, Hungarian, Czech, Slovene, Latvian, and Lithuanian
services. These services are now greatly reduced in staff size and
daily output as part of a reorientation of language priorities
ordered by the U.S. Broadcasting Board of Governors. Here are the
last few seconds of the VOA Polish broadcast on Friday... [Recording]

VOA listeners expecting this weekend to hear one of the repeats of
Talk to America will instead hear this... [recording]

"On the Line" is a weekly discussion program produced by the
International Broadcasting Bureau's Office of Policy, which also
writes the daily editorials heard on VOA. Last week, the U.S. Senate
Appropriations Committee called for more policy programming in
English on VOA, and the committee report specifically mentioned On
the Line. On the Line has not been heard in English on VOA since the
News Now format began in May 1998. It has continued on Worldnet-TV,
and the content of then program has been translated by some VOA non-
English services. The schedule for On the Line on VOA News Now is
Saturday at 633, 1433, and 2233, and Sunday at 233, 1033, and 1833
Universal Time.

And beginning Monday, the number of editorials broadcast on VOA News
Now will also increase. The editorials will be heard at additional
555 and 2355 Universal Time Monday through Friday. Saturday and
Sunday, the editorial will be heard every four hours, beginning at
255.

[** ZIMBABWE non] The VOA English-language program Zimbabwe Forum,
heard daily at 1730 to 18 Universal Time, was canceled Friday. The
program began June 19th to focus on the Zimbabwean elections. Funding,
which came from the Open Policy Institute of the Soros Foundation,
has ended. Daily correspondent reports from Zimbabwe will continue on
VOA English-to-Africa news programs.

On 909 kilohertz medium wave to southern Africa, Talk to America
returns Monday through Friday at 1730 to 18, VOA Portuguese to Africa
Saturday at Sunday at that same time. The substitute shortwave
frequency of 17580 kilohertz for Talk to America, which was heard far
and wide with a good signal at 17 to 18, also ended Friday (Kim
Elliott, Communications World July 29 via John Norfolk, OKCOK, DX
LISTENING DIGEST)

** U S A. [...] Infinity doesn't seem to care much. As if WMAQ needed
another sign, WMAQ's Web site late last week had already been
replaced by WBBM's. Friday may have really been WMAQ's last weekday
as a news station.

Much of Monday will be spent looking back. All of the remaining on-
air staff at WMAQ will do at least one headline newscast at the top
of the hour. Twice an hour, starting at 5 a.m., WMAQ will air four-
to six-minute features on the station's history.

Starting at 9 a.m., the station will air longer excerpts of old
programming, including a 1936 recording of Benny Goodman playing live
at the Congress Hotel and Dave Garroway and Louis Armstrong at the
Blue Note from 1947.

At 6 p.m., the station will begin a "When Radio Was" marathon until 6
a.m. Tuesday, when WSCR takes over [the sports format, but another
story indicated the WMAQ calls on 670 would not be changed for 2
weeks while simulcasting on 1160 -gh]. If it feels like a wake, well,
that's because it is. "You can't say they are getting too nostalgic,"
Dempsey says. "It's appropriate to mourn this station because it was
so great." (Jim Kirk, Chicago Tribune July 30 via Artie Bigley, DXLD)

** VENEZUELA. Today July 30, 2000 will take place the Venezuelan
president election, so I think it will be a good day for Venezuelan
dx (Winter Monges, Barquisimeto, Lara, Venezuela, hard-core-dx via
DXLD)

** VENEZUELA. I stopped by Radio Mundial Los Andes in Mérida this
past weekend and spoke briefly with Mr. Raul Ureche P., the station
manager. According to Mr. Ureche, after the Venezuelan "mega-
elections" scheduled for this weekend, July 30th, the entire
government subsidised Mundial network will be sold to private
companies. Mr. Ureche also indicated that the shortwave transmitter
for Mundial Los Andes no longer exists and there is no chance that
the station will ever return to shortwave. Radio Mundial still
broadcasts on 1040 kHz AM.

In view of the scheduled "mega-election", some Venezuelan
broadcasters may have extended broadcast schedules. Numerous medium
wave stations have announced extended broadcast schedules for
election coverage, but it is not clear whether that will be true on
the tropical and shortwave bands. The election is particularly
important to Venezuela, since a new constitution was recently written
and approved. Essentially every elected office in the entire country
will be up for grabs, including president, congress, state and local
officials. The "mega-election" is scheduled for July 30, but was
post-poned once already due to a lack of voting equipment. The
Consejo Nacional Electoral (National Election Commission) is
currently saying that the election equipment is ready, but private
sources say that it may not be. We'll see this weekend (Walter Fair,
Venezuela, Cumbre DX July 27 via DXLD)

** VIETNAM [non]. Re Que Huong on 12150: Mr. Khoi of Que Huong tells
Cumbre DX that this was just a test for a few days and has now ended.
Que Huong continues via KWHR at 2300 on 17510 for the time being
(Hans Johnson, Jul 22, Cumbre DX via DXLD)

** YEMEN [non]. Whatever has been on 9900 at 0900-1100, when trying
today (Sunday) and last Monday it wasn`t there. Not even a carrier.
vy73 (Harald Kuhl, Germany, hard-core-dx via DXLD)

"Tonight the signal [on 9900] is strong at 1007 UT, but it sounds
like German or Dutch" >> Deutsche Welle in German via Petropavlovsk-
Kamchatskiy, here 1000-1400 (Kai Ludwig, Germany, July 27,
DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** ZIMBABWE [non]. Re: V. of People to Zimbabwe. Harald: Nope...Radio
Voice of Justice...per the manager's letter, translated in English
(Dan Henderson, hard-core-dx via DXLD) RN Media Network plans to
reveal who is behind this, August 3 (Andy Sennitt, RN via DXLD) ###


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