International Shortwave Broadcast Guide Winter 2016-2017 Now Available

Press Release:                                                                              

                    

Teak Publishing Company

P.O. Box 297

Brasstown NC 28902

  

For Immediate Release                                                                                                                         8 December 2016

New Winter 2016-2017 International Shortwave Broadcast Guide Now Available

Teak Publishing is pleased to announce the release of the Winter 2016-2017 International Shortwave Broadcast Guide (ISWBG) electronic book by Amazon bestselling author Gayle Van Horn, W4GVH. This all important semi-annual information resource is your electronic guide to the world of shortwave radio listening.

Shortwave radio listeners are routinely entertained with unique perspectives to events, music, culture, history, and news from other countries that you won’t see or hear on your local or national broadcast channels. Shortwave radio broadcast aren’t restricted by country borders or oceans, and can propagate thousands of miles, reaching millions of listeners worldwide, in over 300 different languages and dialects. These worldwide transmissions are monitored on internationally assigned radio frequencies between 1700 kHz and 30 MHz.

There are even broadcasts from the dark side, transmitted from broadcasters known as clandestine or clanny stations. Clandestine broadcasters are wrapped in mystery and intrigue, and they usually exist to bring about some sort of political change to the country they are targeting. Programming may largely be half-truths or sometimes even outright lies, but it is essentially propaganda for their cause.

Listeners who live in the United States can easily hear shortwave broadcast stations from Australia, Canada, China, Cuba, Egypt, France, Germany, India, Iran, Japan, New Zealand, North/South Korea, Saudi Arabia, Taiwan, Turkey, United Kingdom, United States, Vietnam, and many other counties if you have an inexpensive shortwave radio receiver, and you know when and where to listen!

If you want to get in on the action, then this Amazon electronic book is your ticket the travel the world via radio. The ISWBG is our exclusive 24-hour station/frequency guide to “all” of the known longwave, selected mediumwave and shortwave radio stations currently broadcasting at time of publication. This unique radio hobby resource is the “only” radio hobby publication that has by-hour station schedules that include all language services, frequencies and world target areas.

New in this seventh edition of the ISWBG is an Introduction to News and Entertainment Programming on Shortwave Radio by Spectrum Monitor columnist Fred Waterer; a feature on Online Radio: The crossroads of old and new technology by former Monitoring Times columnist Loyd Van Horn W4LVH; and comprehensive radio listeners Crash Course on Shortwave Radio Propagation by Tomas Hood NW7US, contributing editor to CQ magazine and Spectrum Monitor columnist.

There is also an expanded special feature on Who’s Who in the shortwave radio spectrum by former Monitoring Times editor and feature writer Larry Van Horn N5FPW. This story covers services and frequencies outside the regular broadcast and amateur radio bands, and includes our new, exclusive Hot HF 1000+ non-broadcast frequency list. The final feature article in this edition is Getting Started in Shortwave Radio, a primer, by Spectrum Monitor managing editor Ken Reitz KS4ZR.

Also new in this edition is increased frequency and station coverage of longwave broadcasters, selected medium wave broadcast frequencies used by international broadcasters, and all known international standard time and frequency stations transmitting worldwide.

The International Shortwave Broadcast Guide (Winter 2016-2017 edition) is now available for purchase worldwide from Amazon.com at http://www.amazon.com/dp/B01N2RRXV2. The price for this latest edition is US$7.99. Since this book is being released internationally, Amazon customers in the United Kingdom, Germany, France Spain, Italy, Japan, India, Canada, Brazil, Mexico and Australia can order this electronic book (e-Book) from Amazon websites directly servicing these countries. All other countries can use the regular Amazon.com website.

This new e-publication edition is a much expanded version of the English shortwave broadcast guide that was formerly published in the pages of the former Monitoring Times magazine for well over 20 years. This one of a kind e-book is published twice a year to correspond with shortwave station’s seasonal time and frequency changes.

Don’t own a Kindle reader from Amazon? Not a problem. You do not need to own a Kindle to read Amazon e-book publications. You can read any Kindle book with Amazon’s free reading apps on literally any electronic media platform.

The Kindle app is available for most major smartphones, tablets and computers. There is a Kindle app available for the iPad, iPhone, and iPod touch; Android Phone; Android Tablet; PC; Windows 8; Mac Kindle Cloud Reader; Windows Phone; Samsung; BlackBerry 10; BlackBerry; amd WebOS. This means with a free Kindle reading apps, you can buy a Kindle book once, and read it on any device with the Kindle app installed*. You can also read that same Kindle book on a Kindle device if you own one.

You can find additional details on these apps by checking out this link to the Amazon website at www.amazon.com/gp/feature.html?ie=UTF8&docId=1000493771.

For additional information on this and other Teak Publishing radio hobby books, monitor the company sponsored Internet blogs – The Military Monitoring Post (http://mt-milcom.blogspot.com/), The Btown Monitor Post (http://monitor-post.blogspot.com/) and The Shortwave Central (http://mt-shortwave.blogspot.com/) for availability of additional e-books that are currently in production. You can learn more about the author by going to her author page on Amazon at http://www.amazon.com/Gayle-Van-Horn/e/B0084MVQCM/.

The International Shortwave Broadcast Guide will have wide appeal to shortwave radio hobbyists, amateur radio operators, educators, foreign language students, news agencies, news buffs, or anyone interested in listening to a global view of news and major events as they happen.

Whether you are an amateur radio operator or shortwave radio enthusiasts, and want to get in on the action outside of the ham bands, then this new electronic book from Teak Publishing is a must in your radio reference library.

-30-

Here are some of the public comments from radio hobbyists who purchased previous editions of the International Shortwave Broadcast Guide Amazon e-book.

VERY Useful Guide! By Dave in Ohio

Being rather new to the SW DXing, I needed a guide. Most of them were pretty pricey so I decided to give this one a try. When it arrived, I didn't have a lot of time to review it, just glanced at it and was a little upset. I had expected something with page after page of countries with their frequency listings, much like other guides I'd heard about. This one seemed to have a lot of articles about SWL and only in the back did I find frequency listings. But the next day I had about an hour to sit and review the book on my Kindle and I discovered how clever Ms. Van Horn had been in her formatting. I realized that the last thing I needed was just a list of frequencies. The gem of the book is the section that divides the day into UTC hours and what frequency in which country is likely to be on the air at that time. After all, what good does it do me to know that Radio Slobovia broadcasts on 1305 if I have no idea of when to listen for them? (The book also contains a long listing by frequency for identifying those broadcasts that you stumble upon.) I've looked around the articles towards the beginning of the book and the ones I've read are well written and interesting. I strongly recommend that the new readers of Ms. Van Horn's guide use the table of contents to skip around and become familiar with the format. Very useful book at a good price. Ms. Van Horn has herself a new fan ) 

Essential reference for SWLs By Hundedrek

Gayle knows international SW like few others. She used to write a monthly column and directory in the late, lamented Monitoring Times mag. A big reason why I I subbed to it for years. This guide continues the tradition. The Kindle version is more convenient to use. Now that so many international broadcasters are streaming their programming, Gayle's guide is even more valuable.

Gayle does us a great service by publishing this Shortwave Radio Guide By Tampa

A needed re hash of previous books. Gayle does us a great service by publishing this Shortwave Guide. Many on ships have stopped using short wave as they do not have radio distribution systems for the crews as Satellite takes over. Many ships have wired hanging out of portholes as a result and all kinds of antennas stuck around the ships creating hazards so they can listen to their home countries. CBC has shut down Radio Canada to save money OMG #Stupid. Clandestine Radio is on the Rise and this book lists and explains. That in itself is interesting. Should be of interest to any #SWL or #HamRadio people.

Shortwave LIVES!!!!!! By Walter C. Thurman

The Van Horns are shining stars in the Shortwave Radio and MilComms World.... this read is helpful for us DIE HARD shortwave listener's and Ham Radio folks alike. THANK FOR WHAT YOU GUYS DO!!!!! N0RDC

Great Useful (and highly affordable) Data For SWLs By Randy S.

Gayle's monthly Monitoring Times roundup of shortwave broadcast schedules was always tremendously useful. With the demise of the magazine itself it's nice to see that her massive database (and the years of work on it) aren't going to waste. And at the price (less than the cost of a monthly issue of the magazine) it makes for a fine bargain and is well worth it for shortwave-broadcast listeners with e-reader capability. The twice- yearly updates will keep the project relevant and useful.

Solid for HF listening! By Mr geocacher

Very useful for identifying what you hear on HF. Lot's of good tidbits for listening hints too.

Shortwave Broadcast Guide by Kindle Customer

Since Monitoring Times is no longer in publication, this guide is required for the dedicated shortwave listener. There is information provided that I have found no where else. It will be a welcome addition to any listener's equipment. Gayle Van Horn has been publishing this research for many years and the followers are numerous, from beginners to professionals. The author's work is accurate, concise and thorough. If you have a shortwave radio, you need this publication as much as a set of earphones. There is none better.

Very Good Source for Shortwave Stations Broadcast Schedules by Kenneth Windyka

I've got to admit up front that I don't have a strong interest in this part of the hobby. HOWEVER, Gayle Van Horn makes it easy to determine what one can hear on the short wave bands during a particular time period (in GMT time sorted format). I also like the internet reference available, so that one can listen to programs via the internet even if its' not possible via the shortwave radio.

NJ Shortwave listener hears International Frequencies with new guide help by Stanley E Rozewski, Jr.

This e-book is complete and accurate in presenting a low cost SW frequency guide and important must read topics for the new or experienced user. I liked the easy reading format, and understandable frequency guide. I will order the second edition next year.

This is my go-to-first reference by Mary C Larson

When I turn on the shortwave receiver and want to find out what's on and where to look, Van Horn's handy frequency guide is a smart place to begin. The format is not unlike the one Monitoring Times (R.I.P.) used each month. Presumably, updated ISBGs will be published twice per year, but you can check for the updates on her blog, (mt-shortwave.blogspot.com).

Good value by DrP

This is an excellent well-written book that is very affordable when compared to encyclopedic guides, e.g., the WRTH. Much the same information is included. The first part is a nice introduction to SW listening pitched to the beginner. Included is an informative section on purchasing a radio spanning low-end <$100 models up through the most advanced transceivers. The bulk of the book contains a list of world-wide SW broadcasters, organized by frequency band. This makes it ideal for browsing one band at a time, but much less so if you want to search for broadcasts from a particular country.

I like this one by Charles

I have only had a brief chance to scan through this book. From what I have seen of it I will enjoy getting in to it.

Excellent Shortwave Introduction and Program Guide by Don K3PRN

Excellent, very reasonable guide to shortwave radio. As a long time shortwave listener, the listing of all shortwave stations by UTC time is very useful to me. I had previously a shortwave website that listed only English broadcasts rather than an all station listing with the language that will be broadcast. I would highly recommend this e book for all new shortwave listeners and those that interested in a very portable listing of all stations by UTC. I only hope that this will be updated twice a year for many more years.

Good Product by Radio Freq 

Since Monitoring Times stopped publishing shortwave radio schedules, there has been a dearth of resources for radio-heads. This guide nicely fulfills gap. It is very comprehensive.

It is nice someone is dedicated to SWL by Robert K. Mallory 

Very concise and well organized. Not much to choose from these days, it is nice someone is dedicated to Shortwave Radio Listening. 

New International Callsign Handbook 5th Edition Now Available on Amazon

Press Release:
Teak Publishing Company
P.O. Box 297
Brasstown NC 28902

For Immediate Release`                                                                          16 December 2016

New International Call Sign Handbook 5^th Edition Now Available on Amazon

Ask any radio monitor what information they consider important during any monitoring session, and usually two items will top their list: frequencies and call signs. If you can hear activity on a particular frequency, unless you can fully identify the participants transmitting on that frequency, you can’t fully appreciate or document the traffic you are hearing.

With millions of radio stations furnishing a variety of communication services throughout the world, it is necessary that their transmissions carry distinctive call signs or identifiers. Call signs have a four-fold purpose: They may identify the nationality of the station, the agency operating a particular station, the type of station, and the identity of each individual station being heard on the monitored frequency.

The need for station identifications/call signs can easily be illustrated here in the United States, which leads all other countries in the use of the radio spectrum, that now has some 85 different kinds of radio services operated by the government, military and civilians entities, providing air, sea, land and space communication services. There are hundreds of thousands of stations on the air and call signs and other forms of identification help the radio monitor sort through the various stations that are heard.

A call sign is defined as any combination of alphanumeric characters or phonetically pronounceable characters (trigraph), which identifies a communications facility, a command, an authority, an activity or unit. To aid the radio monitor in their listening endeavors, the International Call Sign Handbook series of books/e-books has been published.

Teak Publishing is pleased to announce their latest Kindle e-book -- the fifth edition of International Call Sign Handbook by Amazon Bestselling author Larry Van Horn, N5FPW. This e-book represents the most comprehensive collection of military and government station identifications ever published for the radio listening hobby. It is the result of year’s research, study and monitoring the HF/VHF/UHF radio spectrum, by the author. Many different radio monitoring disciplines have been used to compile the listings in this book. If you monitor the HF, VHF or UHF radio spectrum, there is something in this book for you.

The information presented in this book has also been gathered through personal correspondence, material published in the former Monitoring Times magazine, various radio publications, newsletters, public domain government and private internet web sites, but most have been gathered the old fashioned way via on-the-air monitoring. In addition, we have received generous support and contributions from many individuals in the radio hobby.

In addition to international and military/government tactical call signs, other types of identifiers such as Automatic Link Establishment (ALE) and Mode-S aircraft addresses have been included in this e-book. There is a chapter that had basic introductory material, as well as chapters devoted to call sign / words used by the Department of Defense including the US. Air Force, U.S. Army, U.S. Navy and Marine Corps. There are sections that cover the various Military Auxiliary Radio Services and the U.S. Air Force Civil Air Patrol auxiliary service.

There is also a chapter that covers call signs and ALE identifiers for the U.S. Coast Guard service. Sections in that chapter include a Coast Guard aircraft fleet list, miscellaneous U.S. coast guard calls, and also their international call signs.

Another large chapter covers various U.S. Government call signs. Sections in this chapter include the U.S. Custom and Border Patrol COTHEN radio system and ALE address list, plus call signs from the following department and agencies - Department of Commerce (DOC), Department of Energy (DOE), Department of Homeland Security (DHS), Department of the Interior (DOI), Department of the Interior (DOI) Bureau of Indian Affairs, Department of Justice (DOJ), Department of State, Department of Transportation, Department of Veterans Affairs (DVA), Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), Environmental Protection Agency, Federal Aviation Administration, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Federal Communications Commission, Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), General Services Administration (GSA), Health and Human Services, Housing and Urban Development Department (HUD), Miscellaneous Listings, National Aeronautics and Space Administration, National Communications System (NCS), and U.S. Marshal Service (USMS) service.

One of the larger chapters is devoted to an international / worldwide call signs list. We have a sampling of government and military call signs from 75 counties and international agencies.

The latest craze in aircraft military is decoding Mode-S/ICAO24 radio signals and is included in this book. Our list in this edition covers primarily government / military aircraft and introductory material on Mode-S monitoring.

The last chapter of this book contains a large list of resource information, useful in interpreting the individual entries listed in the book. Sections on U.S. Navy ship/squadron classifications; U.S. Coast Guard cutter designators; a massive list of abbreviations and acronyms that appear in the book; a comprehensive country abbreviation list; and the latest Table of Allocations of International Call signs from the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) are included in the last chapter on the e-book.

The Teak Publishing 5^th International Call Sign Handbook is now available for purchase worldwide from Amazon.com at http://www.amazon.com/dp/B01MQWYDPX. The price for this e-Book edition is US$7.49. This book is being released internationally. Amazon customers in the United Kingdom, Germany, France Spain, Italy, Japan, India, Canada, Brazil, Mexico and Australia can order the e-Book from Amazon websites directly servicing these countries. All other countries can use the regular Amazon.com website.

You do not need to own a Kindle reader to read Amazon e-book publications. You can read any Kindle book with Amazon’s free reading apps. There are free Kindle reading apps for the Kindle Cloud Reader, Smartphones (iPhone, iTouch, Android, Windows Phone and Blackberry); computer platforms (Windows XP, Vista, 7 and 8 and Mac); Tablets (iPad, Android and Windows 8), and, of course, all of the Kindle family of readers including the Kindle Fire series. A Kindle e-book allows you to buy your book once and read it anywhere. You can find additional details on these apps at this link on the Amazon website at www.amazon.com/gp/feature.html?ie=UTF8&docId=1000493771.

For additional information on this and other Teak Publishing radio hobby books, monitor the company sponsored Internet blogs – The Military Monitoring Post (http://mt-milcom.blogspot.com/), The Btown Monitor Post (http://monitor-post.blogspot.com/) and The Shortwave Central (http://mt-shortwave.blogspot.com/) for availability of additional e-books that are currently in production.

Information on other publications by the author is available on the author’s page at Amazon http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B00G1QMO4C.

Australian Shortwave Callsign VLL

SS Talune

The Australian shortwave callsign VLL began its usage on board a cargo/passenger liner in the South Pacific a little more than a century ago.  The ship was the SS Talune, it was built in Scotland, it was operated by the Union Steamship Company of New Zealand, and during its term of commercial service it plied across the Tasman Sea to Australia, and throughout the South Pacific to many of the varied island groups. 

            During World War 1, the Talune served as a troop carrier for New Zealand military personnel,  and after the war was over, the Talune returned to its former duty with cargo/passenger traffic in the South Pacific.  Unfortunately in 1919, some of the crew and passengers came down with the early stages of the horrendous Spanish Flu and this epidemic was carried to other islands in the South Pacific, with deadly results.      

            The callsign VLL was applied to the SS Talune somewhere around the year 1912, and it was in use until the ship was withdrawn from service nine years later, in 1921.  Four years later, the Talune was filled with rock and scuttled in shallow water at Waikokopu in upper Hawkes Bay on the eastern edge of the North Island of New Zealand. 

            This stricken ship served as a breakwater for many years, and these days the broken up wreckage can still be easily viewed on Google Earth.  The town of Waikokopu no longer serves as a small country port, though it is now no more than a few scattered country dwellings.

            The next known usage of the callsign VLL was applied to the transmissions from the now silent shortwave station that was located a little inland from the coastal town of Carnarvon in Western Australia.  This station was originally intended to be a temporary fill-in station for Radio Australia after the Darwin station was disabled due to Cyclone Tracy at Christmas time in December 1974, and it remained in service for a little over 20 years.

            Radio Australia took over the empty America NASA Space Station at Carnarvon and the second transmitter that was installed there was an American made Harris SW100.  Some time earlier, three Harris 100 kW transmitters had been obtained from the United States and these had been held in storage at the new ABC mediumwave station located at Pimpala on the coast south of Adelaide in South Australia.

            It was originally intended that these three shortwave transmitters would be installed at suitable though yet undecided locations in South Australia and the Northern Territory, as a regional shortwave service for dwellers in Australia’s outback.  Among the locations that had been given preliminary consideration were for example, somewhere on the outskirts of suburban Adelaide, Alice Springs in Central Australia, and Darwin at Cox Peninsula in the Northern Territory.

            However, as changing circumstances would have it, one of these Harris 100s was taken to Carnarvon and installed as Transmitter VLL, while the two other units were ultimately taken to Shepparton in Victoria and installed for Radio Australia.   Test broadcasts from Carnarvon VLL began on February 15, 1975, though it was removed from service during the next month due to frequent troublesome transmitter problems.  Design engineers flew out from the states to correct the problems.

            When VLL was taken into regular on air service, the program feed from the Melbourne studios of Radio Australia was provided by a 2,000 mile microwave link to Perth and thence by telephone line to Carnarvon.  In addition, there was a VLL program feed from a 30 kW transmitter located at Lyndhurst which operated as an ISB independent side band unit on 12290 kHz. 

            Then too, a 100 kW transmitter at Shepparton carried a parallel relay of the VLL service in the Indonesian language and this could be utilized as a back up program feeder if needed.  The Shepparton VLL service was on the air for eight years, from 1976 - 1984.  At that stage, the Indonesian service was transferred to the revived Radio Australia shortwave station near Darwin.  Two years later, (1986) the program feed to Carnarvon was carried by satellite and it was no longer necessary to receive the VLL service via Lyndhurst or Shepparton.  

            The shortwave service from Radio Australia Carnarvon ended on July 31, 1996, at which time  transmitter VLL was removed and sold locally for scrap.

            During its 20 years of on air service, transmitter VLL was verified by Radio Australia in Melbourne with a multitude of colorful QSL cards, and for a few years at one stage by Form Letters indicating the callsign and station location.

(AWR Wavescan/NWS 411)

The Early Wireless Scene on the Caribbean Island of Puerto Rico

As the first topic in our 2017 year-long emphasis on the radio scene in the Middle Americas, we visit the Caribbean island of Puerto Rico and we turn the clock back more than one hundred years, to the early 1900s.  Back at that stage, wireless was very young, and spark transmissions were the only way to transmit Morse Code messages through the air. 

            Puerto Rico is listed as the largest American island; 110 miles long and 40 miles wide.  It is a mountainous tropical island with many adjacent smaller islands, two of which are inhabited: Culebra and Vieques, both of which lie a few miles off the eastern edge of Puerto Rico.

            The original inhabitants of Puerto Rico back before the colonial era, were Amerindians who migrated in from North America, Central America and South America, usually via the intervening island groups.  At the time of the visit by the famed Spanish explorer Christopher Columbus, it is estimated that the island population was as many as 50,000 local tribes people.

            On November 19, 1493, Christopher Columbus claimed Puerto Rico for Spain.  A dozen years later, the first European settlement was established by the Spanish at Caparra, in what has since become a southern suburban area of the capital city San Juan.  Local historians claim the Caparra settlement as the oldest European settlement in the Americas.  The city of San Juan was established in 1521, and this is claimed as the second oldest European city in the Americas.  

            Settlement on Puerto Rico was established by the Spanish, it was attacked in succeeding centuries by the Dutch and the British, and it was annexed by the United States more than one hundred years ago.  The total population today stands at 3.4 million; with two official languages, Spanish and English.

            The first wireless station in Puerto Rico was established by the United States navy in December 1903 at Fort Morro on Old San Juan Island.  This introductory wireless station was a low powered 3 kW Slaby-Arco unit that was installed on a high bluff overlooking the ocean and the city of San Juan.  One of the stipulated requirements for this station was the capability for communication with another American navy station NAV that was installed on Culebra Island off the east coast of Puerto Rico.  

            During the following year (1904), work commenced on the construction and installation of a new high powered wireless station about a mile distant at Fort Cristobal, still on Old San Juan Island.  Three tall towers at a height of 210 feet were spaced in a triangle 300 feet apart.  Three descending fan antennas of 15 wires each were strung between the three towers, two for transmitting and one for reception.    

            The electrical equipment for the new 35 kW Morse Code station was manufactured by the de Forest company and initially the power source was the local electricity generating company.  However, the drain on the city power system was so heavy that the navy soon afterwards installed their own generating plant.

            After the final testing and tweaking that was performed by a de Forest electrician from the United States, station SA was taken into service in December 1905.  When the navy regularized their wireless callsigns worldwide seven years later in 1912, station SA San Juan became NAU.  

            Amateur radio was introduced into Puerto Rico when Joaquín Agusty Ramírez de Arellano  organized the Puerto Rico Radio Club in 1914.  His subsequent amateur callsign was 4JE.

            The first radio broadcasting station on the island was inaugurated on December 2, 1922 under the callsign WKAQ and it was the same Joaquín Agusty Ramírez who made the opening announcement.  The new WKAQ was installed atop the Puerto Rico Telephone Building under the auspices of RCA and ITT in New York, and the Radio Corporation of Puerto Rico.

            Back then, WKAQ operated with 500 watts on 880 kHz and it was a twin construction with another radio broadcasting station in the Caribbean, PWX in Havana Cuba.  The two tall towers for mediumwave WKAQ San Juan stood at ground level adjacent to the RCA Telephone Building. 

            Station WKAQ is currently owned by Univision Radio and it operates with 10 kW on 580 kHz.  The WKAQ programming is also relayed for islandwide coverage on WUKQ with 1 kW on 1420 kHz in Ponce, and WYEL with 5 kW on 600 kHz in Mayagüez.

Another early mediumwave station was the original WNEL, also with 500 watts, on 1290 kHz.  This station was inaugurated in the island capital, San Juan, on November 17, 1934.

            These days, there are almost a hundred mediumwave stations located throughout the various areas of the island of Puerto Rico, and in addition there is a dial full of FM stations.  Most of the mediumwave stations are at a lower power level, in the range of 1 kW to 5 kW, and lower. 

            Today there are several stations at 10 kW; and just one station at 25 kW, WVOZ San Juan on 1520 kHz.  There is also just one at 50 kW and this lone maximum powered station in Puerto Rico is WKVM Radio Paz on 810 kHz in San Juan.  Mediumwave  WKVM is a Catholic station and it was inaugurated in 1951.

(AWR Wavescan/NWS 411)

Deutsche Welle frequency updates

DW QSL via Gayle Van Horn Collection

Deutsche Welle frequency updates 

Effective: 11 January

All times UTC

1330-1400 9580*DHA 250 kW / 045 deg to WeAs Dari, ex 15215 NAU
1330-1400 15215 TRM 250 kW / 335 deg to WeAs Dari, addit.from Feb.1
1400-1430 9580*DHA 250 kW / 045 deg to WeAs Pashto, ex 15215 NAU
1400-1430 on 15215 TRM 250 kW / 335 deg to WeAs Pashto, addit.from Feb.1
1800-1900 9600 ISS 500 kW / 170 deg to WeAf Hausa, ex 11700
* co-ch same  9580 SHP 100 kW / 070 deg to EPac English Radio Australia

 (SWL DXing)

The Best of Shortwave 2016 Results

What is the best shortwave station?

 – Classification/Votes

First Place
Rádio Taiwan Internacional (RTI) - (11)

Second Place
Rádio Japão (NHK) - (09)

Third Place
Rádio Internacional da China (CRI) - (08)

Fourth Place
Rádio Miami Internacional (WRMI) - (07)
Rádio Romênia Internacional (RRI) - (07)

Fifth Place
Rádio Exterior da Espanha (REE) - (05)
Rádio KBS World - (05)
Rádio Voz da América (VOA) - (05)
Rádio Havana Cuba (RHC) - (05)

Sixth Place
Rádio Aparecida (Brasil) - (03)
Rádio Inconfidência (Brasil) - (03)

Seventh Place
Rádio All India (AIR) - (02)
Rádio Nacional da Amazônia (Brasil) - (02)
Rádio Trans Mundial (RTM) - (02)
Rádio Voz do Vietnã (VOV) - (02)

Eighth Place
Rádio Argentina para o Exterior (RAE) - (01)
Rádio Bandeirantes – Brasil - (01)
Rádio BBC de Londres - (01)
Radio Compañía Worldwide (RCW) - (01)
Radio Educación (México) - (01)
Rádio Guaíba (Brasil) - (01)

What is the best program to meet letters?

 – Classification/Votes

First Place
Ponto de Encontro (NHK Rádio Japão) - (14)
Club de Oyentes (Rádio Romênia Internacional (RRI)) - (14)

Second Place
El Cartero (Rádio Taiwan Internacional (RTI)) - (13)

Third Place
Encontro DX (Rádio Aparecida - Brasil) - (09)
Buzón del Radio Escucha (KBS World Radio) - (09)

Fourth Place
En Contacto (Rádio Havana Cuba (RHC)) - (07)
Encontro com os Ouvintes (Rádio Internacional da China (CRI)) - (07)

Fifth Place
Buzón de Radio Japón (NHK Rádio Japão) - (03)

Sixth Place
Cita con los Oyentes (Rádio Praga) - (02)
Espaço do Ouvinte (VOA) - (02)

Seventh Place
Conversando com os ouvintes (Rádio República Islâmica do Irã (IRIB) - (01)
Ponto de Encontro (Rádio Nacional Amazônia – Brasil) - (01)

 What is the best variety program?

  – Classification/Votes

First Place
Encontro DX (Rádio Aparecida - Brasil) - (13)

Second Place
Viva Miami (WRMI) - (12)

Third Place
Corea a Diario (KBS World Radio) - (08)

Fourth Place
Em Foco (NHK Rádio Japão) - (07)

Fifth Place
Atualidade DX (RAE Argentina ao Mundo) - (06)

Sixth Place
Cuentos y Proverbios Chinos (RTI) - (05)
EL MUNDO DE LA FILATELIA (RHC) - (05)

Seventh Place
Japão Fantástico (NHK Rádio Japão) - (04)

Eighth Place
Bom dia RTM (Rádio Trans Mundial) - (03)
Made in Taiwan (RTI) - (03)

Nineth Place
Além do Horizonte (CRI) - (02)
Conexión Español (RAE) - (02)

Tenth Place
África Hoy (REE) - (01)
Angola Fala Só (VOA) - (01)
De Todo un Poco (RTI) - (01)
De la Cancha al Museo (RTI)  - (01)
Delírio e Cia(Rádio Inconfidência – Brasil) - (01)
DX jukebox con Cucho Zavala - (01)
La hora del lolo  (RCW, Chile) - (01)
Observatório de Taiwan (RTI) - (01)
Outlook da BBC de Londres - (01)
Revista de Prensa (RTI) - (01)
Vale la pena visitar Rumanía (RRI) - (01)
5 Continentes (REE) - (01)
 
What is the best presenter?

 – Classification/Votes

First Place
Dino Bloise (WRMI - WWCR - KVOH) - (17)
Second Place
Manolo de la Rosa (Rádio Havana Cuba - RHC) - (10)
Third Place
Santiago Filho (Rádio Japão) - (07)
Fourth Place
José Moura (Rádio Aparecida) - (06)
Fifth Place
Cassiano Macedo (Rádio Aparecida) - (05)
Célio Romais - (05)
Luis Lu (RTI) - (05)
Sixth Place
Valeriu Radulian (Rádio Romênia Internacional (RRI)) - (04)
Seventh Place
Danilo Nonato - (03)
Iker Izquierdo (RTI) - (03)
Eighth Place
Arnie Coro - (02)
Cucho Zavala (RCW, Chile) - (02)
Jorge Castañeda (KBS World Radio) - (02)
Nineth Place
Antônio Xia (CRI) - (01)
Carlos Moreira - (01)
David Taranco (Radio Japón) - (01)
Everton Gontijo (Rádio Inconfidência) - (01)
Geraldo Ribeiro (Rádio Japão) - (01)
José Novero (RCW, Chile) - (01)
Lili Chou (RTI) - (01)
Marcelo Pacífico (Rádio Aparecida) - (01)
Roberto Maxwell (Rádio Japão) - (01)
Tim Frank da BBC de Londres - (01)
Ulysses Galleti - (01)

What is the best presenter?

 – Classification/Votes

First Place
Victoria Sepciu (RRI) - (23)
Second Place
Sonia Nakagawa (NHK - Rádio Japão) - (15)
Third Place
Danielle Stescki - Voz da América (VOA) - (07)
Fourth Place
Patricia Lin (RTI) - (06)
Fifth Place
Andrea Wang (RTI) - (05)
Sixth Place
Esther Molina (NHK Rádio Japão) - (04)
Julieta Galván (RAE) - (04)
Martha Salgado - (04)
Clara Li - (04)
Seventh Place
Malena Alegrin - (02)
Regina Palla (Rádio Inconfidência) - (02)
Eighth Place
Laura Li - (01)
Liz Dusett da BBC de Londres - (01)
Renata Burjato - (01)
Silvânia Alves (Rádio Bandeirantes - Brasil) - (01)
Sol Hong (RTI) - (01)
Sula Sevillis - (01)

What is the best DX program?

– Classification/Votes

First Place
Frecuencia Al Día (WRMI, WWCR, KVOH) - (26)
Second Place
Encontro DX (Rádio Aparecida) - (25)
Third Place
En Contacto (Rádio Havana Cuba (RHC)) - (09)
Fourth Place
Rincón Diexista (Rádio Romênia Internacional (RRI)) - (08)
Fifth Place
Amigos do Rádio (Rádio Trans Mundial) - (07)
Sixth Place
AWR Wavescan (WRMI) - (04)
Seventh Place
Atualidade DX e Suplemento da Atualidade DX (Rádio Argentina ao Exterior (RAE)) - (03)

Age Range:
10 – 20 - (02)
31 – 40 - (17)
21 – 30 - (10)
51 – 60 - (26)
41 – 50 - (18)
61 – 70 - (09)

How often listening shortwave stations:
Every Day  - (44)
Once a week  - (19)
One hour a day - (17)
Once a month - (02)

What is your hobby?
Radio Listening  - (30)
DXer - (29)
DXer and Amateur Radio - (19)
Amateur Radio - (04)

Participating Countries:
 Argentina – Brasil – Colômbia – Cuba – Chile – Dinamarca – Espanha –  Estados Unidos da América - Honduras – Índia – Itália – México – Peru –
Polônia – Taiwan – Venezuela
 
total number of participants
>> 82<<

The DX Clube Sem Fronteiras (DXCSF) thanks everyone Who participated
and contributed choosing the Best of the Short Wave of 2016.

Antonio Avelino
Diretor/Director

DX Clube Sem Fronteiras

Tel.: 55 (81) 99741-3846 (Whatsapp)
E-mail: antonioadx@yahoo.com.br
             dxclubesemfronteiras@hotmail.com
Site: www.dxclubesemfronteiras.com
Blog: www.antonioadx.blogspot.com

DX Clube Sem Fronteiras
Caixa Postal 77
CEP- 55002-970
Caruaru - Pernambuco - Brasil

KJ4URG
Dino Bloise
Miami, USA.

Euro weekend relays

All times UTC

QSL _ Gayle Van Horn Collection

Hamburger Lokal Radio via Shortwave Station Göhren, Germany with 1KW to Western Europe:
6190 KHz     Every Saturday      07.00 to 11.00
7265 KHz     Every Saturday      11.00 to 16.00    
9485 KHz     Every Sunday        10.00 to 13.00      
Contact email: redaktion@hamburger-lokalradio.de

NEXT WEEK Radio City via:
IRRS to Europe on 7290 KHz (every 3rd Friday) between 19.00 to 20.00
IRRS to Europe on 9510 KHz (every Saturday) between 09.00 to 10.00
Challenger Radio to Northern Italy on 1368 KHz every Saturdays from 20.00 onwards
Radio Merkurs on 1485 KHz Every Saturday between 20.00 onwards
Contact email: citymorecars@yahoo.ca

A comment: IRRS has been noted on a Sunday on 9880 kHz instead of 9510 kHz, in order to avaoid co-channel interference from a domestic Chinese station. This may perhaps also apply to Saturday transmissions.

European Music Radio transmissions via
WBCQ to Central & North America on 7490 KHz on 14th January between 22.00 to 23.00
KBC to Western Europe on 6045 KHz on 15th January between 09.00 to 10.00
Shortwave Station Göhren on 9485 KHz on 15th January between 09.00 to 10.00
Channel 292 on 6070 KHz on 15th January between 14.00 to 15.00
Contact email: emrshortwave@gmail.com

EMR Internet Repeats on 15th January 2017:
EMR will repeat this months Transmissions via two streams running at the following Times:16.00, 18.00, 20.00
http://nednl.net:8000/emr.m3u will be on 96 kbps /44 KHz stereo for normal listening
http://nednl.net:8000/emr24.m3u will be 24 kbps / 22 KHz mono will be especially for low bandwidth like mobile phones.
( at 17.00, 19.00 &  21.00 are recordings from the 15th of January 1978 with AJ's  DX & Roger Tate's mail box )

KBC via:
Media Broadcast to America on 6145 KHz Every Sunday between 00.00 to 01.00
Contact email: themightykbc@gmail.com

Hobart Radio via:
Channel 292 to Western Europe on 6070 KHz Sundays between 21.00 to 21.30
WRMI to Americas, Asia/Pacific on 9955 KHz Sunday between 03.30 to 04.00
WRMI to Americas, Asia/Pacific on 9955 KHz Tuesday between 22.30 to 23.00
WBCQ to North America on 5130 KHz Mondays 03.30 to 04.00
Contact email: hriradio@gmail.com
 --
For outside the listening area please try the Twente/Netherlands Web RX at http://websdr.ewi.utwente.nl:8901/
You can also hear many European free and alternative stations via the Internet at: http://laut.fm/jukebox

Radio Channel 292  Transmission schedules on 6070 KHz (on the air every day):
http://www.channel292.de/schedule-for-bookings/

Radio Mi Amigo Transmission schedules:
www.radiomiamigo.es/shortwave
Good Listening!
Tom Taylor

European Music Radio:
website: www.europeanmusicradio.com
email:  emrshortwave@gmail.com

VOA Radiogram weekend schedule

Hello friends,
The VOA Radiogram broadcast last Sunday (8 January) at 1930-2000 UTC on 15670 kHz was heard in Europe, or at least parts of Europe, but also in western North America. The top row of images above was decoded by Franco in Italy, the bottom by Eric in California, both tuned to the same 15670 kHz transmission.
This weekend's VOA Radiogram will be all MFSK32 except for the transmission schedule in Olivia 64-2000 at the end of the show.
Here is the lineup for VOA Radiogram, program 198, 14-15 January 2017, all in MFSK32 except where noted:
 1:48  Program preview
 2:48  Iranians fear health effects of jamming*
13:23  Flagstaff, Arizona, keeps night sky dark**
23:29  VOA 75th anniversary*
25:57  Closing announcements
26:31  Olivia 64-2000: Transmission schedule
* with image
** with two images
Please send reception reports to radiogram@voanews.com

VOA Radiogram transmission schedule
(all days and times UTC):
Sat 0930-1000 5865 kHz         (To the Americas, try also in Asia-Pacific and Europe)
Sat 1600-1630 17580 kHz       (To Europe, try also in the Americas and Asia-Pacific) 
Sun 0230-0300 5745 kHz        (To the Americas, try also in Europe)
Sun 1930-2000 15670 kHz      (To Europe, try also in the Americas and Asia-Pacific)
All via the Edward R. Murrow transmitting station in North Carolina.
The Mighty KBC broadcast to North America will be Sunday at 0000-0200 UTC (Saturday 7-9 pm EST) on 6145 kHz, via Germany. A minute of MFSK32 will be transmitted at about 0130 UTC. Reports to Eric: themightykbc@gmail.com . See also http://www.kbcradio.eu/ and https://www.facebook.com/TheMightyKbc/ . 
DigiDX transmits DX news in MFSK32 and sometimes other modes:
Sunday 2030-2100 UTC on  11580Khz (Via WRMI Florida, to Europe)
Sunday 2330-2400 UTC on 11580kHz (Via WRMI Florida, to North and South America)
Monday 2000-2030 UTC on 3975 kHz (via IBC)
Wednesday 2100-2130 UTC on 3975 kHz (via IBC)
See http://www.digidx.uk/ and https://www.facebook.com/digidx/
Italian Broadcasting Corporation (IBC) has digital modes as follows:
EVERY WEDNESDAY ON 3975 KHZ 20.30-21.00 UTC in MFSK32 and OLIVIA 16-500
EVERY FRIDAY ON 9955 KHZ 02.25-02.30 UTC in MFSK32
EVERY SATURDAY ON 1584 KHZ 21.25-21.30 UTC in MFSK32
EVERY SUNDAY ON 7730 KHZ 00.55-01.00 UTC in MFSK32
EVERY SUNDAY ON 6070 KHZ 11.30-12.00 UTC  in MFSK32 and OLIVIA 16-500 (VIA RADIO BCLNEWS)
For the complete IBC transmission schedule, including voice broadcasts, visit  http://ibcradio.webs.com/
Thanks for the many reception reports from last week's VOA Radiogram. A gallery of decoded MFSK32 images has been compiled and is being sent to the reporters. 
I hope you can tune in and write in this weekend.
Kim Andrew Elliott, KD9XB
Producer and Presenter
VOA Radiogram
voaradiogram.net
Twitter: @VOARadiogram  (especially active just before, during, and after broadcasts)

New Broadcasting in Russian Handbook now available

The 21st edition of the "Broadcasting in Russian" Handbook, published by St. Petersburg DX Club, has been recently released. The handbook is the most comprehensive guide to broadcasts in Russian in AM bands (LW, MW, SW). It features ALL radio stations transmitting Russian language broadcasts at present, both from Russia and abroad, that could be received in Russia, CIS and surrounding countries (totally 56 stations from 32 countries and territories of the world). Station listings include frequency and program schedules, transmitter location and power, target areas, postal addresses, phone/fax numbers, Websites, social network pages, e-mail addresses as well as QSL policy info. The schedules are generally valid until 25 March 2017 (i.e. during B16 broadcasting season).
The Handbook is in Russian and distributed as a hard copy only. Volume is 64 pages of A5 size.
Please address your purchase requests and questions to St. Petersburg DX Club:
Alexander Beryozkin, P.O.Box 463, St. Petersburg, 190000, Russia or by e-mail: dxspb@nrec.spb.ru.
The price is 6 EUR or 7 USD (including delivery by registered mail) by cash/PayPal/Skrill.
(BDXC/Jan Comm)

BBC schedule updates

BBC via Gayle Van Horn Collection

Updated BBC schedule of January 4, 2017

All times UTC
 3255 1600 2000 52,53,57 MEY 100 0   804 1234567 311216 Eng AFS BBC ENAFES
 5855 1330 1400 41NE     TAC 100 131 218 1234567 010117 Ben UZB BBC BENGA
 5875 1700 1730 40E,41NW ERV 300 100 218 1234567 010117 Prs ARM BBC DARIA
 5875 1730 1800 40E,41NW ERV 300 100 218 1234567 010117 Pus ARM BBC PASHA
 5875 1800 1830 40E,41NW ERV 300 100 218 1234567 010117 Prs ARM BBC DARIA
 5875 1830 1900 40E,41NW ERV 300 100 218 1234567 010117 Prs ARM BBC DARIA
 5875 0030 0100 41NE     TAC 100 131 218 1234567 010117 Ben UZB BBC BENGA
 5875 1630 1700 41NE     TAC 100 131 218 1234567 010117 Ben UZB BBC BENGA
 5875 0000 0030 49NW     TAC 100 131 218 1234567 311216 Mya UZB BBC BURMA
 6045 0700 0800 28       WOF 300 102 611 1234567 291216 Kor G   KBS
 6135 0600 0629 37       WOF 300 180 216 1234567 291216 Fra G   BBC FRENAN
 6190 1600 2000 52,53,57 MEY 100 15  803 1234567 311216 Eng AFS BBC ENAFES
 7235 1800 1900 29N,29SE WOF 250 74  611 1234567 030117 Rus G   KBS
 7235 1900 2000 46       WOF 250 170 611 1234567 241216 Haus G  IBR WeAF
 7285 0400 0500 47E,48NW WOF 250 140 611 1234567 241216 Ara G   BBC ARABAN
 7445 1600 2000 48SW,53W MDC 250 315 218 1234567 311216 Eng MDG BBC ENAFEE
 7445 0030 0100 40E,41NW WOF 250 82  611 1234567 241216 Prs G   BBC DARIA
 7445 0100 0130 40E,41NW WOF 250 82  611 1234567 241216 Pus G   BBC PASHA
 7445 0130 0200 40E,41NW WOF 250 82  611 1234567 241216 Prs G   BBC DARIA
 7465 1400 1500 41,42SW  SNG 250 315 147 1234567 211216 Eng SNG BBC ENASS
 7485 0200 0230 49NW     SNG 100 340 146 1234567 010117 Mya SNG BBC BURMA
 7485 1330 1415 49NW     SNG 100 340 147 1234567 010117 Mya SNG BBC BURMA
 7485 1415 1500 49NW     SNG 100 340 147 23456   010117 Mya SNG BBC BURMA
 7560 1800 1830 40E,41NW ERV 300 100 218 1234567 010117 Prs ARM BBC DARIA
 7560 1830 1900 40E,41NW ERV 300 100 218 1234567 010117 Prs ARM BBC DARIA
 7565 1330 1400 41NE     TAC 100 131 218 1234567 010117 Ben UZB BBC BENGA
 7600 1545 1600 41SE     ERV 100 125 218 1234567 010117 Tam ARM BBC TAMLA
 7600 1630 1700 41SE     ERV 100 125 218 1234567 010117 Sin ARM BBC SINHA
 7600 1400 1430 41N,42SW TAC 100 141 158 1234567 010117 Hin UZB BBC HINDA
 9410 0100 0200 41,42SW  SNG 100 315 147 1234567 010117 Eng SNG BBC ENASS
 9510 1400 1430 41N,42SW SNG 100 320 145 1234567 010117 Hin SNG BBC HINDA
 9560 0100 0130 41N,42SW SNG 250 315 207 1234567 010117 Hin SNG BBC HINDA
 9560 0130 0200 41NE     SNG 250 340 207 1234567 010117 Ben SNG BBC BENGA
 9560 0200 0230 49NW     SNG 250 340 207 1234567 010117 Mya SNG BBC BURMA
 9760 1100 1130 28W      WOF 100 102 618 6       291216 Eng G   NHK
 9760 1100 1130 28NW     WOF 100 102 618 7       291216 Eng G   KBS
 9760 1130 1200 28W      WOF 100 102 618 6       291216 Rus G   NHK
 9810 1700 1730 40E,41NW SNG 250 315 207 1234567 010117 Prs SNG BBC DARIA
 9810 1730 1800 40E,41NW SNG 100 315 207 1234567 010117 Pus SNG BBC PASHA
 9920 1500 1600 41NW     ERV 300 100 218 1234567 010117 Urd ARM BBC URDUA
11700 0000 0030 49NW     SNG 250 340 145 1234567 301016 Mya SNG BBC BURMA
11750 1330 1400 41NE     SNG 250 330 207 1234567 211216 Ben SNG BBC BENGA
11895 1200 1300 43E,44   SNG 100 13  207 1234567 010117 Eng SNG BBC ENASEF
11910 1500 1600 41NW     DHA 250 70  146 1234567 211216 Urd UAE BBC URDUA
11995 1400 1430 41N,42SW SNG 250 315 147 1234567 211216 Hin SNG BBC HINDA
12095 1400 1500 48       MDC 250 0   217 1234567 241216 Som MDG BBC SOMLA
12095 0100 0200 41,42SW  SNG 100 315 607 1234567 010117 Eng SNG BBC ENASS
15215 1200 1230 41NE     DHA 250 70  146 1234567 241216 Bod UAE FEC Tibet
15310 0830 0900 40E,41NW SLA 250 35  146 124567  030117 Prs OMA BBC DARIA
15310 0830 0900 40E,41NW SLA 250 35  151 3       030117 Prs OMA BBC DARIA
15310 0900 0930 40E,41NW SLA 250 35  151 3       030117 Pus OMA BBC PASHA
15310 0900 0930 40E,41NW SLA 250 35  146 124567  030117 Pus OMA BBC PASHA
15310 0930 1000 40E,41NW SLA 250 35  151 3       030117 Prs OMA BBC DARIA
15310 0930 1000 40E,41NW SLA 250 35  146 124567  030117 Prs OMA BBC DARIA
15310 1000 1030 40E,41NW SLA 250 35  151 3       030117 Pus OMA BBC PASHA
15310 1000 1030 40E,41NW SLA 250 35  146 124567  030117 Pus OMA BBC PASHA
15510 1300 1330 30S,40NE DHA 250 20  206 1234567 010117 Uzb UAE BBC UZBKA
15530 1100 1130 48       DHA 250 220 206 1234567 301016 Som UAE BBC SOMLA
15755 0200 0230 40E,41NW SNG 100 315 547 1234567 010117 Pus SNG BBC PASHA
15755 0230 0300 40E,41NW SNG 100 315 547 1234567 010117 Prs SNG BBC DARIA
17640 1600 1700 52,53,57 ASC 250 114 558 1234567 311216 Eng G   BBC ENAFES
17720 0830 0900 40E,41NW DHA 250 45  146 1234567 010117 Prs UAE BBC DARIA
17720 0900 0930 40E,41NW DHA 250 45  146 1234567 010117 Pus UAE BBC PASHA
17720 0930 1000 40E,41NW DHA 250 45  146 1234567 010117 Prs UAE BBC DARIA
17720 1000 1030 40E,41NW DHA 250 45  146 1234567 010117 Pus UAE BBC PASHA
17720 1030 1100 40E,41NW DHA 250 45  146 1234567 010117 Prs UAE BBC DARIA
17720 1100 1130 40E,41NW DHA 250 45  146 1234567 010117 Pus UAE BBC PASHA
17745 1500 1700 48       MEY 250 32  411 7       311216 Som AFS BBC SOMLA
17745 1400 1500 48       SLA 250 215 206 1234567 241216 Som OMA BBC SOMLA
17780 1430 1700 46SE     ASC 250 65  547 7       311216 Hau G   BBC HAUSA
17830 1600 1800 47SW,52  ASC 125 65  547 1234567 311216 Eng G   BBC ENAFWC
17830 1200 1230 37       WOF 200 170 618 1234567 291216 Fra G   BBC FRENAN
21470 1500 1700 48       ASC 125 85  216 7       311216 Som G   BBC SOMLA
21470 1400 1500 48       DHA 250 225 146 1234567 241216 Som UAE BBC SOMLA
 5985 0230 0330 40       WOF 250 90  607 1234567 010217 Fas G   BBC FARSA
 6095 0230 0330 40       TAC 100 236 158 1234567 010217 Fas UZB BBC FARSA
 7230 0230 0330 40       WOF 250 86  611 1234567 010217 Fas G   BBC FARSA
 7300 0230 0330 40       KCH 300 116 218 1234567 010217 Fas MDA BBC FARSA
 9540 1500 1600 40       SNG 250 315 207 1234567 010217 Fas THA BBC FARSA
13660 1500 1600 40       WOF 250 92  216 1234567 010217 Fas G   BBC FARSA
(via  wb  df5sx, wwdxc BC-DX TopNews Jan 7/#1283-09 Jan)

WRMI frequency schedule updates

via Gayle Van Horn Collection

Effective 01 January
Al times UTC
Overcomer Ministries
2100-2200 on 11580 YFR 100 kW / 044 deg to WeEu English tx#01
0100-0300 on  5985 YFR 100 kW / 222 deg to MEXI English tx#02
0600-0700 on  5985 YFR 100 kW / 222 deg to MEXI English tx#02
2100-2200 on  5985 YFR 100 kW / 222 deg to MEXI English tx#02
2200-1200 on  7780#YFR 100 kW / 044 deg to WeEu English tx#03
0200-1200 on 11530 YFR 100 kW / 160 deg to CeAm English tx#04
1200-2200 on 17790 YFR 100 kW / 160 deg to CeAm English tx#04
2200-2400 on 11530 YFR 100 kW / 160 deg to CeAm English tx#04
0000-2400 on  6855 YFR 100 kW / 285 deg to WNAm English tx#05
1000-1400 on 21675 YFR 100 kW / 087 deg to NCAf English tx#07
0000-1300 on  5765 YFR 100 kW / 355 deg to ENAm English tx#08
0000-2400 on  5015 YFR 100 kW / 222 deg to MEXI English tx#09
1400-2100 on 13695 YFR 100 kW / 315 deg to WNAm English tx#11
2200-2300 on 13695 YFR 100 kW / 315 deg to WNAm English tx#11
0900-1000 on  5850 YFR 100 kW / 315 deg to WNAm English tx#12
1400-2300 on 11565 YFR 100 kW / 315 deg to WNAm English tx#12
0600-0700 on  7730 YFR 100 kW / 285 deg to MEXI English tx#13
1400-2300 on 15440 YFR 100 kW / 285 deg to MEXI English tx#13
0100-1100 on  5950 YFR 100 kW / 181 deg to Cuba English tx#14
1200-1300 on  5950 YFR 100 kW / 181 deg to Cuba English tx#14
1300-2000 on  9495 YFR 100 kW / 181 deg to Cuba English tx#14
2000-2200 on  5950 YFR 100 kW / 181 deg to Cuba English tx#14
#listed in updated schedule of WRMI, but really is not on air

Radio Slovakia International relay
2100-2200 on 13695 YFR 100 kW / 315 deg to WNAm Slo/Eng tx#11
Additional transmissions
Radio Slovakia International relay
2100-2200 on 11580 YFR 100 kW / 044 deg to WeEu Slo/Eng tx#01

Overcomer Ministries
2300-2400 on 11580 YFR 100 kW / 044 deg to WeEu English tx#01

Various WRMI programs
0000-2400 on  6855 YFR 100 kW / 285 deg to WNAm various tx#05
0600-0700 on  7730 YFR 100 kW / 285 deg to MEXI various tx#13
(Ivanov/05 Jan)

Weekly Propagation Forecast Bulletins

Product: Weekly Highlights and Forecasts
:Issued: 2017 Jan 09 0609 UTC
# Prepared by the US Dept. of Commerce, NOAA, Space Weather Prediction Center
# Product description and SWPC web contact www.swpc.noaa.gov/weekly.html
#
#                Weekly Highlights and Forecasts
#
Highlights of Solar and Geomagnetic Activity 02 - 08 January 2017
Solar activity was at very low levels with only a few low level   B-class flares observed. The solar disk was mostly spotless throughout the period. No Earth-directed coronal mass ejections were
observed.  No proton events were observed at geosynchronous orbit. The greater than 2 MeV electron flux at geosynchronous orbit was normal to moderate levels with high levels observed on the 05-08 of January. The largest flux value of the period was 25,537 pfu observed at 08/1935 UTC. The geomagnetic field activity was at quiet to unsettled levels on 02 January under a nominal solar wind  environment. By 03 January, a solar sector boundary crossing was observed at approximately 03/0956 UTC. By  transitioning into a negative sector followed by increase in solar wind speed and total field indicating the onset of a negative polarity coronal hole high speed stream (CH HSS). Total fiel increased to a maximum of 15 nT on 04/0444 UTC. Solar wind increased from approximately 372 km/s to 695 km/s by 05/1423 UTC. Solar wind speeds continued near 670 km/s through the rest of the period. The geomagnetic field responded with quiet to active levels from 03-08 January.

Forecast of Solar and Geomagnetic Activity 09 January - 04 February 2017
Solar activity is expected to be at very low levels with low levels possible from 12-26 January due to the return of old Region 2621 (N10, L=237). No proton events are expected at geosynchronous orbit. The greater than 2 MeV electron flux at geosynchronous orbit is expected to be at normal to moderate levels with high levels likely on 9-10, 12-16, 18-27 January and on 01-04 February due to CH HSS influence. Geomagnetic field activity is expected to be at unsettled to active levels on 09, 11-14, 17-23, and 27 January through 04 February with G1 (Minor) storm levels likely on 17-19, 21-22 January, and again on 03 February due to recurrent CH HSS effects. 

Product: 27-day Space Weather Outlook Table 27DO.txt
:Issued: 2017 Jan 09 0610 UTC
# Prepared by the US Dept. of Commerce, NOAA, Space Weather Prediction Center
# Product description and SWPC web contact www.swpc.noaa.gov/wwire.html#
#      27-day Space Weather Outlook Table
#                Issued 2017-01-09
#
#   UTC      Radio Flux   Planetary   Largest
#  Date       10.7 cm      A Index    Kp Index
2017 Jan 09      72          12          4
2017 Jan 10      72           5          2
2017 Jan 11      72          12          4
2017 Jan 12      72          15          4
2017 Jan 13      72          10          3
2017 Jan 14      72           8          3
2017 Jan 15      73           5          2
2017 Jan 16      73           5          2
2017 Jan 17      73          25          5
2017 Jan 18      73          20          5
2017 Jan 19      74          25          5
2017 Jan 20      75          18          4
2017 Jan 21      75          20          5
2017 Jan 22      75          20          5
2017 Jan 23      75          10          3
2017 Jan 24      75           5          2
2017 Jan 25      75           5          2
2017 Jan 26      74           5          2
2017 Jan 27      74          12          4
2017 Jan 28      74          15          4
2017 Jan 29      73           7          3
2017 Jan 30      73          10          3
2017 Jan 31      73          12          4
2017 Feb 01      73          16          4
2017 Feb 02      72          18          4
2017 Feb 03      72          20          5
2017 Feb 04      72          16          4
(NOAA)

From the Isle of Music programming, January 9-15

From the Isle of Music, Week of January 9-15, 2017

A Jazzy show this week - Leonardo Pérez shares more of Una Mecanica Diferente, and we have two other special guests: pianist Alejandro Falcón and saxophonist Carlos Miyares, part of the new generation of Jazz stars in Cuba. Also, a tribute to the recently- departed Carlos Averhoff, who was a key figure in both Cuban Jazz and early Timba.

Three options for listening on shortwave:
WBCQ, 7490 KHz, Tuesdays 0100-0200 UTC (8pm-9pm EDT Mondays in the Americas)
Channel 292, 6070 KHz, Fridays 1100-1200 UTC (1200-1300 CET) and Saturdays 1200-1300 UTC (1300-1400 CET)
See the From the Isle of Music Facebook Page for more information. 
Tilford Productions

VOA Radiogram weekend schedule, January 7-8

Hello friends,

Eastern North Carolina is expecting snow and perhaps other forms winter precipitation on Saturday.  If there is any disruption to VOA Radiogram transmissions this weekend, that might be the cause.  You can follow weather developments in Greenville NC at http://www.witn.com/weather

For those of you who are new to sending reception reports, Fldigi automatically saves decoded MFSK images as png files in the folder \fldigi.files\images\ . That’s under C:\Users … on my Windows machine.  Folder names might be different with other operating systems.  You can attach those png files with your report.

Last week we experienced the first relatively good gray-line reception in Europe during the Saturday 0930-1000 UTC broadcast on 5865 kHz. If you are in Europe, especially northern Europe, try it soon, while the nights are still long!

Here is the lineup for VOA Radiogram, program 197, 7-8 January 2017, in MFSK32 except where noted:

1:31  Program preview
 2:41  Turkey moves to block Internet access*
10:46  McDonald's opens near Vatican*
14:56  BBC World Service feature re BBC Monitoring* **
19:08  Olivia 64-2000: FEMA interoperability exercise
26:07  MFSK32: Image* and closing announcements

* with image

** includes some audio from the BBCWS radio program

Please send reception reports to radiogram@voanews.com.

VOA Radiogram transmission schedule for January 7-8

(all days and times UTC)
Sat 0930-1000 5865 kHz   (to the Americas, try also in Asia-Pacific and Europe)
Sat 1600-1630 17580 kHz  (to Europe, try also in the Americas and Asia-Pacific)
Sun 0230-0300 5745 kHz   (to the Americas, try also in Europe)
Sun 1930-2000 15670 kHz  (to Europe, try also in the Americas and Asia-Pacific)
All via the Edward R. Murrow transmitting station in North Carolina.

The Mighty KBC broadcast to North America will be Sunday at 0000-0200 UTC (Saturday 7-9 pm EST) on 6145 kHz, via Germany. A minute of MFSK32 will be transmitted at about 0130 UTC. Reports to Eric: themightykbc@gmail.com . See also http://www.kbcradio.eu/ and https://www.facebook.com/TheMightyKbc/ .

DigiDX transmits DX news in MFSK32 and sometimes other modes:

Sunday 2030-2100 UTC on  11580Khz (Via WRMI Florida, to Europe)
Sunday 2330-2400 UTC on 11580kHz (Via WRMI Florida, to North and South America)
Monday 2000-2030 UTC on 3975 kHz (via IBC)
Wednesday 2100-2130 UTC on 3975 kHz (via IBC)
See http://www.digidx.uk/ and https://www.facebook.com/digidx/

Italian Broadcasting Corporation (IBC) has digital modes as follows:
EVERY WEDNESDAY ON 3975 KHZ 20.30-21.00 UTC in MFSK32 and OLIVIA 16-500
EVERY FRIDAY ON 9955 KHZ 02.25-02.30 UTC in MFSK32
EVERY SATURDAY ON 1584 KHZ 21.25-21.30 UTC in MFSK32
EVERY SUNDAY ON 7730 KHZ 00.55-01.00 UTC in MFSK32
EVERY SUNDAY ON 6070 KHZ 11.30-12.00 UTC  in MFSK32 and OLIVIA 16-500 (VIA RADIO BCLNEWS)

For the complete IBC transmission schedule, including voice broadcasts, visit  http://ibcradio.webs.com/
Winter SWL Fest.  I am planning to attend the Winter SWL Fest, March 2-4, 2017, at Plymouth Meeting, Pennsylvania, near Philadelphia. Hope to see you there. Information at  http://www.swlfest.com .
Thanks for all the excellent reports to VOA Radiogram from New Year’s weekend.  I think I have answered all of them with the gallery of images, which you can see in compressed form here: https://twitter.com/VOARadiogram/status/815980102563590148

I hope you can tune and write in this weekend.
Kim Andrew Elliott, KD9XB
Producer and Presenter
VOA Radiogram
voaradiogram.net
Twitter: @VOARadiogram  (especially active just before, during, and after broadcasts)

Farewell, Firewall

by Kim Elliott
Deep in the massive FY2017 National Defense Authorization Act is a provision to eliminate, in its present form, the U.S. Broadcasting Board of Governors. The NDAA has been passed by the House and the Senate and is expected to be signed by President Obama. The BBG is the topmost authority of the elements of U.S. government-funded international broadcasting: Voice of America, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, Radio Free Asia, Radio and TV Martí, and the Arabic-language Alhurra TV and Radio Sawa. Together they broadcast in 61 languages.

This BBG’s demise eliminates the “firewall” of a nine-person bipartisan board with fixed and staggered terms, and replaces it with one politically-appointed CEO. This change will have consequences.

Traditionally, people around the world huddled around a shortwave radio to get news from abroad. Increasingly, they watch an international news channel via cable or satellite television, or access a foreign website or social media outlet. Whatever the medium used, the need for a credible alternative to domestic state-controlled media is the main reason international broadcasting has had an audience since the 1930s.

Credibility is the essence of successful international broadcasting. The shortwave frequencies, satellite channels, and online media are full of propaganda, but serious news consumers seek out the news organizations that they trust.

International broadcasting in languages such as Burmese or Hausa has little commercial potential. National governments must step in to provide the funding. The foremost challenge is to ensure that the journalism is independent from the governments that hold the purse strings.
To achieve this, there is no substitute for a multipartisan governing board. Its main function is to appoint the senior managers of the broadcasting organization, so that politicians don’t. This is how “public service” broadcasting corporations throughout the world, e.g. BBC, Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, Australian Broadcasting Corporation, maintain their independence.

When a government is directly involved in the production of news, the results are generally deleterious. The outcome can be as extreme as the lies and distortions of German broadcasts before and during World War II. Or the output can be something like the stultifying commentaries that filled much of Radio Moscow’s schedule during the Cold War. And, as can be observed by watching Russia’s RT or China’s CCTV News on cable TV, propaganda can also be manifest by emphasizing some topics, while downplaying or ignoring others.

I believe I had a role in the creation of the BBG 21 years ago. As an audience research analyst at VOA and a student of international broadcasting, I was concerned about the impact of politically appointed VOA directors on the VOA news service. I wrote about this in “Too Many Voices of America,” Foreign Policy, Winter 1989-90.

I was pleasantly surprised that the article sparked lively discussion. A House of Representatives hearing on the subject took place in 1990. Then a President’s Task Force on U.S. Government International Broadcasting was formed in 1991 and issued a report. This process culminated in the International Broadcasting Act of 1994, which created the BBG. The BBG began its work in 1995.
So, if I was not the father of the BBG, I was at least its crazy uncle.

For the most part, the BBG functioned well as a firewall. Most importantly, directors of VOA and presidents of RFE/RL were no longer appointed by the president, but by the BBG. When a new president was elected, those directors and presidents and their senior managers stayed on. There was no jarring change of the news agenda that the audiences for international broadcasting would notice.
Only an independent news organization can build the credibility needed to attract an audience. Audiences that seek out international broadcasting are seeking an antidote to the state-controlled media in their own countries. More state-controlled media is not the answer.

Nevertheless, among the employees of U.S. government international broadcasting, few tears will be shed for the passing of the BBG. The BBG had to make unpopular but necessary decisions. Veteran personnel with radio skills had to make room for new television and online talent. Language services of the Cold War era signed off while others, especially those serving Muslim nations, rose in priority.
With the new one-person oversight of U.S. international broadcasting, the pendulum that vexed VOA and the other entities before the 1990s begins to swing again. In the old days, some VOA directors were committed journalists, others were policy hawks. The latter imposed priorities on news output which conformed more to the administration’s agenda than to the tenets of journalism. This will eventually happen again with a presidentially appointed CEO.

The revision of the International Broadcasting Act does stipulate a three-year term for the CEO, so that, in theory, provides something of a buffer. There could be short-lived continuity when a new president is elected. When that term expires, a future president could, hypothetically speaking, have an unusual level of interest in the mass media, and might appoint a CEO with a peculiar notion of news.

The legislation also retains standards of journalism, e.g. the news “will be accurate, objective, and comprehensive.” The CEO, however, can interpret what is meant by that. There is no longer the moderating influence of a bipartisan board.

Why should the U.S. government fund a news organization if it cannot influence its content?

1) Only an independent news organization can build the credibility needed to attract an audience. Audiences that seek out international broadcasting are seeking an antidote to the state-controlled media in their own countries. More state-controlled media is not the answer.
2)  Independence enables the balance that builds trust in a news organization. VOA began broadcasting in 1942 with the famous words, “The news may be good or bad, we shall tell you the truth.” To radio listeners in Europe, VOA and BBC reported the many Allied losses early in the war. They were therefore believed when reporting Allied victories later in the war.
3) Well and fully informed audiences are bolstered against disinformation, information, and what we now call the fake news of dictators and terrorists and other international miscreants. These audiences are better equipped to form their own opinions about current events.
4) An unfettered news service supports U.S. interests in the long term. If U.S. policies are wise and virtuous, fully informed audiences, will, in the long term, understand the reasoning behind U.S. international conduct.
5) It speaks well of the United States that it is providing the news service that many people around the world rely on. It will alienate publics abroad if the United States provides a news-like product that is actually propaganda.

With the resumption of the swinging pendulum, it is only a matter of time until a future CEO of U.S. international broadcasting cleans house in its newsrooms. The change of tone will be apparent to audiences abroad. Credibility can be lost in a matter of weeks. It will take decades to restore.
(courtesy of Kim Elliott)