Thursday, April 30, 2009

Shortwave Blog "Bytes"


All times UTC

Antarctica on 15476
LRA 26, 15476 LRA. Heard April 28 from from 1903 tune via Global Tuners UK (8,500 mi path length) w/ decent signal on peaks, but fading in and out, S1 to S3. Argentinian folk songs, frequent men and women announcers. Average SINPO 25432. Faded by 1940-45. (Bruce Churchill/Cumbre DX) LRA 36, Radio Nacional Arcángel San Gabriel, Base Esperanza, 1847-1905 , 28-04, canciones latino americanas, tangos, comentarios, locutora. Señal débil hoy. 14321. (Manuel Méndez/Cumbre)

BBC frequency changes
1500-1700 on 7385 MEY 500 kW / 005 deg English, x 1500-1900
1700-1900 NF 7385 MEY 250 kW / 005 deg English, x 7385*
1800-1830 NF 17660 ASC 250 kW / 070 deg French, x 17640#
* to avoid CRI in Chinese 1730-1827
# to avoid CVC in Portuguese in DRM
(DX Mix News # 570 via Alokesh Gupta, India)

Belgium-TDP schedules changes
Addis Dimts Radio in Amharic
1600-1700 on 15195 SAM 250 kW / 188 deg to EaAf Sun, cancelled (DX Mix News #570 via Alokesh Gupta, India)

Bulgaria-BNR's EURANET changes
New schedule of BNR's EURANET in English(only) from April 18:
0900-0930 on 11900 SOF 050 kW / 306 deg to WeEu in DRM mode, Sat/Sun only. All other transmissions are cancelled!(DX Mix News #570 via Alokesh Gupta, India)

China Radio International unregistered German changes
New frequency of China Radio International in German:
1800-1957 NF 7395 KAS 500 kW / 308 deg, instead of registered 9755
\\ 11650 URU 500 kW / 308 deg and 11775 KAS 500 kW / 308 deg. (DX Mix News #570 via Alokesh Gupta, India)
Xinjiang PBS.

I do not know if it has already been mentioned somewhere, but Xinjiang PBS is also still operating on 7120 from 0320 and on 7155 from 0300 in the evacuated band.
(Olle Alm-SWE, wwdxc BC-DX TopNews Apr 17)

3990 Xinjiang PBS, Urumqi, 1731-1800*, 11 Apr, Uighur, songs, announcements, TS; 25332; \\ 4980, 6120, 7195.

4980 Xinjiang PBS, Urumqi, 1734-1800*, 11 Apr, Uighur, songs, announcements, TS; 25332; \\ 3990, 6120, 7195. (Carlos Goncalves-POR, wwdxc BC-DX TopNews Apr 14)

4980 Xinjiang PBS, Urumqi, 1745-1800*, 19 Apr, Mandarin, light westernised songs, talks, ID+TS; 34433, uty. QRM. \\ 3950. (Carlos Goncalves-POR, wwdxc BC-DX TopNews Apr 22)(BC-DX #909 via wb, Germany)

Croatia on 3984.87
Croatian Radio/Voice of Croatia 3984.87, 0200-0214, April 25, English. “Croatia Today” news & current affairs program. Sports news. Weather. Interesting feature on local escargot dishes. A popular food in Croatia that is sometimes eaten for breakfast,lunch and dinner. Yum, yum!! Poor-Weak signal. Very good-strong on // 7375 - via Germany. (Alexander-PA)

Ethiopia and Eritrea monitoring
Ethiopia: 7110 Radio Ethiopia, 0314-0345, Apr 22. Man and woman with discussion in Amharic language. Segment of Horn of Africa vocals followed by a man announcer interviewing another man. ID at 0330 followed by news with Horn of Africa vocals at 0341. Good signal. (D'Angelo-PA/NAWA)

7110 Radio Ethiopia (Gedja Jewe), 0356-0410, 4/24/2009, Amharic. Horn of Africa music. Announcements by man at 0359. Talk by man at 0400 More music music at 0405. Good signal, audible here almost every night. Only this station and the Voice of the Broad Masses on 7175 / 7165 heard here in late evening local time in the 7100-7200 frequency range. (Jim Evans, TN)

7110 Radio Ethiopia, 0330-0350, April 26. Talk in listed Amharic. Horn of Africa music. Local pop music. Good signal. Fair on // 9704.19. Very weak on // 5990.63. (Alexander-PA)

Eritrea: 7175 / 7165 Voice of the Broad Masses of Eritrea (Asmera), 0353-0405, 4/24/2009, Amharic. Interval signal and recorded announcements, repeated. Jammer cranked up at 0359, tonight with about 10 seconds of loud music, then the usual jamming signal. VOBME switched to 7165 and was in the clear for 2 minutes with opening announcements by woman, and talk by man with short musical bridges. Jammer switched to 7165 at 0402. VOMBE signal was stronger than usual tonight and could be heard under the jammer. Only it and Radio Ethiopia on 7110 heard here in late evening local time in the 7100-7200 frequency range. (Jim Evans, TN)
Media Broadcast's frequency changes
Germany (non)
Bible Voice Broadcasting Network update
0030-0045 on 9815 WER 250 kW / 075 deg to SoAs Bengali Sat/Sun, cancelled
1400-1500 NF 17805 WER 250 kW / 090 deg to SoAs English Sat/Sun, x 15680 ISS1530-1600 on 17650 ISS 100 kW / 120 deg to EaAf Tigrinya Wed, cancelled
Adventist World Radio (AWR):
0300-0330 NF 7270 WER 250 kW / 135 deg to EaAf Oromo, ex 9845 from Apr.25
WYFR Family Radio, additional transmissions
1400-1500 on 15715 WER 500 kW / 090 deg to SoAs in English from Apr.21
1800-1900 on 13830 WER 250 kW / 180 deg to WCAf in English from Apr.28
Voice of Oromia Liberation Front
Oromo to EaAf:
1600-1630 new frequency 11975 JUL 100 kW / 130 deg Sun/Tue/Thu, ex 15670 \\ 11760 JUL

Polish Radio Warsaw in English:
1700-1800 NF 9790 ISS 100 kW / 025 deg to NoEu, ex 9555
\\ 7265 WER 040 kW / 300 deg to WeEu DRM mode

Greece- 11645 A puzzle on Monday
Today April 20th the ERT Athens service on 11645 kHz contains the same GREEK programme as 9420 and 15630 kHz at present 0500-0800 UT. Is the international sce relay of Filia MW 666 kHz at 0500-1000 UT in Albanian, English, French, Spanish, German and Russian language only on air Tuesday til Saturday? Monday never ? Or is today a special holiday in Greece on Filia broadcaster, - maybe of the Greek Orthodox church on Holy Easter ? (wb, wwdxc BC-DX TopNews Apr 20)

"Dear friend of the Voice of Greece"
We inform you that yesterdayApril 20th was a special holiday on Greece. Is the day after Greek Orthodox Easter and in Greece we don't work. This was the reason that the ERT Service on 11645 kHz contained the same Greek program as 9420 and 15630 kHz.
With our best regards - from Athens.(Apodimoa_ERA5, wwdxc BC-DX TopNews Apr 21)
(BC-DX #909 via wb, Germany)

Islamist militia closes radio station, arrests three journalists
http://halganews.com/the-news/fikradaha/islamist-militia-closes-radio-station,-arrests-three-journalists-200904289565/

Reporters Without Borders strongly condemns the raid which members of the Islamist armed group Al-Shabaab carried out yesterday on Radio Jubba in Baidoa (250 km northwest of Mogadishu), closing the station and arresting three of its journalists. Al-Shabaab is in control of Baidoa.

“The climate of terror which Somali Islamist insurgents are imposing on the press has gone on for too long,” Reporters Without Borders said. “The militias are responsible for many of the murders of journalists in Somali in the past two years, and have targeted leading civil society members on the grounds that they are serving the interests of the ‘Crusaders’. If nothing is done to stop them, Al-Shabaab will end up convincing journalists to give up working altogether.”

Heavily-armed Al-Shabaab militiamen burst into Radio Jubba’s studios yesterday evening and ordered the journalists to stop broadcasting. Station manager Muktar Mohamed Atosh, editor Mohamed Adawe Adan and reporter Mohamed Nur Mohamed were arrested. The raid was ordered by the head of security in the region, Sheik Hassan Derow, who accuses the station of “not obeying the administration’s orders.”

Muhidin Hassan Mohamed, the Baidoa correspondent of Mogadishu-based Radio Shabelle, was arrested by Al-Shabaab members on the evening of 16 April, a few hours after the station broadcast a report in which he said residents were subject to extortion by insurgents at checkpoints set up around Baidoa. He was released four days later, after admitting to disinformation.

With 11 journalists killed in the past two years, Somalia is Africa’s deadliest country for the news media. Al-Shabaab is on the Reporters Without Borders list of “Predators of Press Freedom.”
(Jose Miguel Romero/HCDX)

Israel's Galei Zahal monitoring
15784.55 Army forces radio Galei Zahal was on even frequency since Kol Israel ceased their program. But now traced today on a very odd frequency, at 0900-1000 UT, signal S=7-8 in Germany. (wb, wwdxc BC-DX TopNews Apr 17)

15784.88 once again odd frequency, Israel forces radio Galei Zahal with distorted audio at 1000-1100 UT, Apr 18. 15784.94 Galei Zahal at 0724 UT, wandering downwards.
And on 15783.23 kHz at 1340 UT on Apr 19.
15784.70 S=9+10dB on 0650 UT Apr 20.
(wb, wwdxc BC-DX TopNews Apr 18-20/BC DX #909 via wb, Germany)

Radio Netherlands Worldwide expands in India
HILVERSUM/NEW DELHI - Radio Netherlands Worldwide (RNW) has taken on a new partnership with one of the largest cable networks in India, Incablenet (IndusInd Media & Communications Ltd. of Hinduja Group); This allows around 2 million listeners of Indian households to listen to the English programmes of RNW. The international broadcaster is already collaborating with various FM radio stations, and Incablenet allows the Indian public to access RNW programmes via cable for the first time.

Last year RNW began establishing partnerships with local FM stations and broadcasting organisations such as Radio Misty to provide the Indian population with information about the Netherlands and Europe. And during the India festival in the Netherlands last year RNW covered the event together with All India Radio.

The partnership with Incablenet enables RNW to air its English programmes not only on FM, but for the first time via digital cable. Incablenet, headquartered in Mumbai, is one of the largest and pioneering cable MSO ( Multi System Operator) companies in India. The company currently serves over 6.5 million households in analogue cable and its coverage is expected to grow to over 9 million households in the next two years. The digital cable networks of "Incablenet" also continue to grow rapidly.

RNW's Director General, Jan Hoek says: "India is one of the fastest emerging superpowers in the world. Growing trade, historical and new cultural relations with the Netherlands mean that the need for information about Western countries is growing. Via Incablenet we aim to contribute to fulfilling this need."

Managing Director of Incablenet Ravi Mansukhani: "We are pleased to distribute RNW in our digital distribution networks in India. The radio industry is estimated to have grown at an impressive CAGR (Compound Annual Growth Rate) of 19.7% over the year 2006-08 in India. Emergence of radio stations like RNW could also help the industry in attracting new listeners and driving up overall radio listener ship. We wish RNW all the success and a long innings in India after this launch."
(Rachel Baughn/MT)

Mauritania on 4845
Radio Mauritanie Apr 20, 0602-0630. Tuned-in to Koran singing followed at 0608 by music. OM talks in AA over stringed instrument, similar to a guitar. Then switched to piano recording with more AA talk. ID in AA at 0630. Poor to fair signal until CODAR showed up for the first time around 0630 tune-out. (Barker-PA)

Serbia adjust schedule
New summer A-09 schedule of International Radio Serbia from Apr.13
1800-1828 on 6100#BIJ 250 kW / 310 deg to WeEu Russian
1830-1858 on 6100#BIJ 250 kW / 310 deg to WeEu English
1900-1928 on 6100#BIJ 250 kW / 310 deg to WeEu Spanish
1930-1958 on 6100#BIJ 250 kW / 310 deg to WeEu Serbian Sun-Fri
1930-2028 on 6100#BIJ 250 kW / 310 deg to WeEu Serbian Sat
2000-2028 on 6100 BIJ 250 kW / 310 deg to WeEu German Sun-Fri
2030-2058 on 6100 BIJ 250 kW / 310 deg to WeEu French
2100-2128 on 6100 BIJ 250 kW / 310 deg to WeEu English
0000-0028 NF 9675*BIJ 250 kW / 310 deg to NCAm Serbian Mon-Sat
0000-0058 NF 9675*BIJ 250 kW / 310 deg to NCAm Serbian Sun
0030-0058 NF 9675*BIJ 250 kW / 310 deg to NCAm English Mon-Sat
0100-0128 NF 9675*BIJ 250 kW / 325 deg to NoAm English
# co-ch Radio Bulgaria in Bulgarian 1800-2000 to WeEu and ME
* ex 9580 to avoid RRI in English 0000-0056; CRI in English from 0100 (DX Mix News 570 via Alokesh Gupta, India)

Vatican Radio adjust frequencies
Hindi,Tamil,Malayalam,English:
0200-0330 new frequency 9310 SMG 250 kW / 086 deg, ex 9545
\\ 12070 SMG 250 kW / 098 deg
Zambia updates Christian Voice schedule via Lusaka
English and local Bemba/Tonga/Lozi to South and Central Africa
0600-1700 on 6065 LUS 100 kW / non-dir, ex 0600-1600
1700-0600 on 4965 LUS 100 kW / non-dir, ex 1600-0600
(DX Mix News # 570 via Alokesh Gupta, India)