All times UTC
Clandestine loggings
1550 MW,
Radio Nacional de la República Arabe Saharaui, *0600-0620, Jun 29, Anthem, opening ann in Arabic, reading from the Qur'an, 23322 heard // 6300 with 45444. (Méndez)
5955,
Radio República, via Nauen, Germany, *0100-0125, Jun 25 and 28, Spanish ID, talk about Cuba and Colombia, interview about internet, 54554. This broadcast was cancelled from Jul 01. Different programme on 6155! (Ivanov and Petersen)
6003,
Echo of Hope, Gimpo, 1108-1112, Jun 28, Korean news, 34433 // 6348 from Goyang with 22432 (jammed). (Slaen)
6600,
Voice of the People, Gimpo, 1102-1107, Jun 28, Korean news, jammed, 23432. (Slaen)
9515,
Radio República, 2310-2400*, Jul 06 and 07, Spanish talk about Cuban affairs, ID's, ann frequency 9515 and 9640 in 31 mb, Cuban music, abrupt s/off in mid sentence, 45434. New frequency, ex 6135. (Petersen)
9590,
Sudan Radio Service, via Dhabbaya, UAE, 1659-1705, Jun 27, Shilluk or Cholo language ann, local music, talk with references to Sudan, Darfur and Gambia, ID: "... Radio Service", 34333. (Romero)
9640,
Radio República, *0000-0140, Jul 07 and 08, Spanish sentence continued 5 seconds after it was interrupted on 9515! ID, 45434. New frequency, ex 6155. (Petersen)
9655,
Sawtu Linjiila via Wertachtal, DTK, *1830-1859*, Jun 28, theme music, ID in Vernacular (presumed Fulani), animal sounds, talk or news, animated exchange between man and woman, flute theme, ID. Fair, usual summer static. (Herkimer)
11530,
Dengue Mezopotamya, via Maiac, 1747-1755, Jul 05, Kurdish ann, local pop music, 34343. (Romero)
12035,
SW Radio Africa, via Rampisham, *1700-1820, Jul 04 and 05, choral theme, full ID and schedule in English, talk about the African Union, anti-Mugabe news and interviews hosted by Violet Gonda, 24332. (Herkimer and Slaen)
From a back room in a London commuter town, a secret radio station is broadcasting the voice Robert Mugabe's government does not want his people to hear. It is a constant battle, but exiled Zimbabweans are fighting to ensure SW Radio Africa's programmes reach their compatriots back in Africa.
Station manager Gerry Jackson started the station in Harare in 2000, but it was quickly shut down by the government. Since then she and her team have struggled on in the UK against attempts to block the transmission. "It regularly jams broadcasts using Chinese equipment and expertise. We get around that by going on additional frequencies," she said. Current affairs programmes and talk shows reach their home country on shortwave and over the internet, targeting people in rural areas in particular.
A special programme called "Callback" gives ordinary people in Zimbabwe the chance to describe the day-to-day horrors of living under Robert Mugabe's regime. "They are desperate to speak, they are desperate to have their voice heard," Ms Jackson explained. "They are desperate for the world to know what is going on, because they feel let down by the world community, particularly the regional countries who they feel have left them to suffer terrible violence and torture at the hands of the government."
Most people in Zimbabwe cannot afford to call in, so the radio station provides a local mobile phone to text in contact details. Producers in the UK then call people back - although it is not easy getting through to a country where mobile phone signals are often blocked. There is also an element of risk for the programme's participants, many of whom prefer to stay anonymous. "People are being made to feel afraid, but the opposition is very much alive" said Callback presenter Mandsi Mundawarara. "People are clinging to the hope that the opposition will one day take over the country and they see a brighter future for themselves and for Zimbabwe."
Zimbabweans who do have the courage to air their views tell of their frustration at the recent election. "They wrote our names down and then we were sent to vote," reported an unidentified caller from Zimbabwe. "Then we were told to say to the polling agent that we were blind or could not write. The polling agent would say who do you want to vote for and obviously I would say Robert Mugabe. Then they said if they see any evidence you voted for MDC they would check on the list and go around beating everyone who is MDC supporter."
Despite these strong messages coming through the airwaves, SW Radio Africa's journalists have only seen change for the worse in Zimbabwe in their eight years of broadcasting. (Kitty Logan, Sky News reporter, Jul 02, at http://tinyurl.com/5uayyj via Liangas). Scheduled daily 1700-1900 on 4880 (via Meyerton) and 12035 in English, Shona and Ndebele. (Ed)
13830,
Voice of Oromo Liberation (Sagalee Bilisummaa Oromo), via Wertachtal, *1700, Jul 06, weak signal at start, then a set-on narrow band noise jammer, which tuned to the carrier of the victim signal, turned on the noise jamming, which range in effectiveness from 10% to 100% during the first 15 minutes of the transmission. I presume it is Ethiopia who is jamming the signal. There was 1 minute during which time the noise jammer went off the air and signal remained weak but readable.Spectrum measured as good as I could (about 8 kHz wide). Jammer did not seem to drift as much as other days (it stayed locked to the victim carrier). (Henderson in DXplorer)
15485,
Southern Sudan Interactive Radio Instructions, via Meyerton, 1320-1330*, Fr Jun 27, English shoolclass, ID, children song, 45434, broadcast here and not on scheduled 15760, heard // 12070 but delayed one minute. (Petersen)
15650,
Miraya FM, via Slovakia, 1501-1630, Jun 21, news in English , theme about corruption at 1508 and ID at 1510 and good signal, but nearly marginal at 1630. (Liangas)
15750,
Southern Sudan Interactive Radio Instruction (SSIRI), 0607-0630*, Jul 04, educational programs sometimes with sound of drums, chimes, and children’s voice. The lessons of mathematics and English language were heard. After a brief song by children’s voice, ID was given at 0628: "...brought to you by Southern Sudan Interactive Radio...". 35333-45444. (Kato)
17585,
BBC Darfur Salaam, via Cyprus, 1705-1708, Jun 25, Arabic talk accompanied by music, interview about Darfur, 35333. (Romero)
17650,
Voice of Biafra International, via WHRI, Cypress Creek, SC, USA, *2001-2100*, Jun 27 and Jul 04, Biafran anthem, ann in English, noting that program would return to 19 mb on Jul 11. Highlife music and repeat ann before going into news commentary on Nigerian oil and gas reserves in English, later African language, fair to good, deep fades.(Jensen)
17690,
Sudan Radio Service, via Sines, Portugal, 1650-1656, Jun 25, talk in Nuer about Darfur and Sudán, must turn to 17689 to prevent a heterodyne, ID: "Sudan Radio Service", music and woman crying, ID, 44444. (Romero)
This e-mail came on Jul 02 from Addis Dimts Radio for a reception report on Jun 22-programme on 21585 kHz sent to abelewd@yahoo.com:
"Hello mr Patrick Robic.
Thank you for listening to Addis Dimts Radio. I received both your e-mail and letter. Thank you for your report, it is Correct.Next Sunday we will be on 17875 kHz. I will thank you on air; if you listen to it, please e-mail me". (Robic)
17875,
Addis Dimts Radio, via Samara, Russia, *1603-1659*, Su Jul 06, Amharic ann, flutes and song from Horn of Africa, long, excited political speech with many applauses, news, closed with songs, new frequency ex 21585 (Cf. above!), 54544 QRM CRI in Arabic 17880. Web address is www.addisdimts.com per "DX Mix News." Mail address: ADDIS DIMTS RADIO, P.O.BOX 21745, Washington DC 20009. Tel - 240 472 4439. (Herkimer and Petersen)
(Source: DSWCI/DX Window # 354 via Anker Petersen)
Just as in Britain teenagers in the 1960s would listen into pirate radio stations broadcasting from ships at sea, three miles off the coast, so in the United States youngsters would tune their new personal transistor radios into powerful signals beamed from across the border in Mexico.
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