Wednesday, December 02, 2009

Shortwave Blog "Bytes"


All times UTC

A third transmiter for HCJB Australia planned
The rapid closure of HCJB's shortwave facility in Ecuador means plans for the arrival of a third HC100 transmitter sometime in 2010 are underway. A co-ordinator has been put in place to oversee its removal from Ecuador to our technology centre in the US where it will be overhauled and eventually find its way to Kununurra. (Wolfgang Bueschel)

Australian Broadcasting corporation (ABC) chief Mark Scott argued in a speech last month for a massive expansion in the broadcaster's overseas services in an effort to rival the BBC, CNN and the emerging Chinese media offensive. He said that Australia's new-found influence as a member of the G20 group of nations means it needs to expand its `'soft diplomacy" campaign to win support not just in the Asia-Pacific region but around the world. This would include expanding its broadcasts to reach 53 countries in Africa, 22 in the Middle East and up to 21 in Latin America. He pointed out that Britain spends $868 million on the BBC's overseas services; France more than $600 million and Germany $532 million on their overseas broadcasters; while China is in the midst of an $8 billion media expansion that will involve its bilingual Chinese-English television service going global by the end of next year. He contrasts this with the $34 million funding for the ABC's overseas broadcasts. (The Age via Media Network)

Radio Australia has started a new service in Burmese. The Aoki B-09 online listing gives the schedule as 0100-0130 Monday to Friday on 17665 and 2300-2330 Sunday to Thursday on 12010. (Mike Barraclough)

Australian DX Report No. 179 available for download
Audio news magazine includes research and analysis of current spectrum occupancy in the 13 MHz band.

There are also other features, news and information about shortwave broadcasting, propagation, a solar activity report, monitoring notes, schedules for the new B09 season, extracts from schedules, and schedule updates.

It's 15 mins duration, and may be accessed from the Australian Internet Radio Magazine site, at
http://airm.edxp.org/

You may download/listen to/save the episodes as an MP3 file on your laptop/desktop, set up a Podcast, or receive/save it on your Mobile Phone or other portable internet-enabled digital device.

You may also subscribe via the site's RSS/Atom feed - full details are at the site.

The shows are very popular - in the four weeks to December 1, 2009, there have been 707 downloads by subscribers, 1579 site visitors, and 188 episode hits. There have been 19,285 channel visits in the past 12 months!

The episodes are also available on-air, over WWCR Nashville, 0300-0315 on Sundays, on 5070, and on Mondays 1245-1300 on 15825, and via WWCR's streaming audio (live) at http://wwcr.com/

Good listening to the Australian DX Report Episode No. 179, and enjoy the music!
(Bob Padula, Melbourne, Australia)

Clandestine changes frequency
Voice of Oromiyan Liberation Front:
1600-1630 new frequency 11760 WER 500 kW / 135 deg Su/Tu/Th to EaAf in Oromo, x 11805* *to avoid Radio Liberty in Russian
(DX News # 601/Jaisakthivel, India)

Current schedules of various broadcasters targeting North Korea
Radio Free Chosun: 1200-1300 11560 via Yerevan, 1230-1300 12085 via Tashkent, 1545 1615 9940 via Yerevan, 2000-2100 7515 via Tashkent.
Radio Free North Korea: 1100-1200 12150 via Dushanbe, 1300-1500 7490 via Dushanbe, 1900-2100 7530 via Yerevan
Open Radio for North Korea: 1400-1430 7550 via Tashkent, 2100-2200 7510 via Yerevan.
CMI: Voice of Wilderness: 1300-1400 9850 via Yerevan, 2000-2100 Sunday 5915 via Wertachtal.
North Korea Reform Radio: 1500-1600 7590 via Tashkent.
Voice of Freedom 1600-1700 6240 via Tashkent. (Sei-ichi Hasegawa, Japan via Wolfgang Bueschel)
Furusato no Kaze in Japanese at 1300-1400 is now using 9950 via Taiwan, ex 9810. (DX Mix News, Bulgaria via Cumbre DX)

CVC Australia news
Just received a letter from George of CVC Australia stating that currently they are both on SW and online, however in the first quarter of next year CVC will become exclusively online media with live web streaming. From that I understand that SW broadcasts from Australia will be
discontinued.(Thomas Drescher-D, wwdxc BC-DX TopNews Nov 27/wb, Germany)

Frequency change of CVC International in Chinese
0400-0600 NF 17690 DRW 250 kW / 340 deg, ex 15250
(DX News # 601/Jaisakthivel, India)

China Radio International changes frequency
Russian:
1600-1657 new frequency 6025 *KAS 100 kW / non-dir, ex 6070 to avoid WYFR in Punjabi
*co-ch Radio Romania International in Serbian from 1630
(DX News # 601/Jaisakthivel, India)

Gospel to Asia
Various South East Asian languages is now 2330-0030 on 7240 via Wertachtal as of November 2. They were initially broadcasting on 7200 but moved due to complaints from the DARC Ham Radio Bandwatch. (Wolfgang Bueschel/Contact/worldxclub)

Greenland heard on 3815 kHz
KNR Tasiilaq heard on 3815 USB November 1,2, 3 and 4 at 2138 to sign off around 2215, Greenlandic talk, announcement and music, 2200 KNR News jingle, news and reports in Danish, music and song at close, SINPO 24232 - 34333 with occasional utility interference from Russian stations. (Anker Petersen, Denmark)

Guyana revamping shortwave
Guyana's National Communications Network (NCN) is revamping its shortwave transmission system that will see the return of radio signals to interior locations and nearby countries. NCN Chief Executive Officer Mohammed Sattaur told Stabroek News that the process is being facilitated by the relocation of the company's radio transmitter. The relocation process should be officially completed before the end of the year. He said the company will use the relocation opportunity to revamp and modernise shortwave radio, making it more powerful on the air. It has also moved to procure new equipment for this purpose. The new move means that
people in interior locations would again hear radio and at different periods of the night countries close by would also be able to listen to NCN. The shortwave system was down for some time and so service to those locations were suspended. (Storebroek News November 21 via kimandrewelliott.com/worlddxclub)

Kol Israel's Persian service
Only remaining External Service in Persian is now 1500-1630 (-1600 Friday and Saturday) on 11595 and 13850, excellent reception of 11595 here at 1500 November 25, 13850 not as strong with some fading. (Mike Barraclough/Contact/worlddxclub)

Moosbrunn Austria tranmitter news
The Moosbrunn transmitter site has now for the first time two transmissions for Media Broadcast on air at 1400-1500, 6110.0 kHz is The Overcomer Ministry with Brother Stair. The low bitrate of the satellite feed is even more obvious on this Moosbrunn transmission than it was from Julich where the speech-optimised audio processing made the swirling artefacts less prominent. And on 6180 is the Raeren-produced Radio Traumland. Both are listed as non-directional. 6155 Radio Austria International is off air now at 1400-1600 as there is no suitable antenna available.(Contact/worlddxclub)

Pakistan on new frequency
Radio Pakistan is heard via new 17700, replacing 17835, with news in English at 1100. The 1600 news broadcast is being heard on 7535 and 15100. (Allen Dean/Contact/worlddxclub)

Radio France International
English from Radio France International is currently at 0400-0430 on 7315 9805, 0500-0530 on 7425 9805, 0600-0630 on 7315 11995, 13680, 0700-0730 on 11725, all these broadcasts Monday to Friday and daily at 1200-1230 on 21620 and 1600-1700 on 15605.
(HFCC listings via Mike Barraclough/Contact/worlddxclub)

Radio Liberty frequency change
Russian:
1800-1900 NF 7435*LAM 100 kW / 055 deg, ex 5820 to avoid WYFR in Polish
2000-2100 NF 9840 LAM 100 kW / 055 deg, ex 9405
*co-ch China Radio International in Italian
(Jaisakthivel Via Ivo Ivanov/(DX News # 601/Jaisakthivel, India)

SW Radio Africa is the subject of much publicity
A survey in Zimbabwe, June/July 2009 shows that VOA's Studio 7 dominates among international broadcasters with a weekly audience of 16%, followed by two percent for BBC, one percent for Voice of the People (shortwave via Madagascar), and rather less than one percent for SW Radio Africa. VOA's medium wave relay in Botswana is obviously helpful. (Kim Andrew Elliott via kimandrewelliott,com) The way the West has poured money for the MDC's election campaigns in Zimbabwe in the last ten years was a form of rigging. Beaming anti-Zanu PF propaganda through short wave radio to rural voters who did not receive the signal of the country's own national broadcaster, was a form of rigging. (Southern Times via kimandrewelliott.com/Contact/worlddxclub)