[HCDX]: G Hauser's Shortwave/DX Report 99-77

[Glenn Hauser <wghauser@xxxxxxxxx>]

        GLENN HAUSER'S SHORTWAVE/DX REPORT 99-76, Dec 19, 1999

{Items from this and all our reports may be reproduced and re-
reproduced only providing full credit be maintained at all stages. If 
excerpting, that means appending the line above}

WORLD OF RADIO ON WBCQ. Good reception Wed Dec 1 at 2200-2230 on 7415 
(Dario Monferini, Italy, Play-DX) Nice to know, despite VOA Botswana 
cochannel at 10 degree azimuth more or less toward Italy. At southern 
midsummer, I assume it does not get out so well even at local 
midnight; its QRM here in OK has also diminished since our 2200 time 
started in November, tho occasionally audible underneath toward 2230* 
Over the hump, we can assume the QRM will gradually increase in Jan 
and Feb.

** ALASKA [non]. KJNP, 1170, North Pole, considered adding shortwave 
but decided not to, since the ground conductivity is inadequate. 
However, a KNJP program is carried by V. of Hope stations in Palau, 
San Francisco [sic] and Lebanon (KJNP staffwoman interviewed by Ken 
MacHarg a few years ago, repeated on HCJB DX Partyline Dec 18) I 
thought ground conductivity mattered on MW, not SW. And how does the 
permafrost affect it? (Glenn Hauser, temperate zone, highly ground 
conductive OK)

** ALBANIA. Hello Glenn- I heard your broadcast for the second time 
ever today (Dec 18) - 2030 ut on 12160kHz - #1016.  I really enjoyed 
it. I happened to hear the broadcast of #1015 an hour earlier on WPKN 
from Bridgeport, CT.

In broadcast 1016, I believe I heard you say Radio Tirana was a half 
hour broadcast at 0130. I happen to have been trying to hunt them 
down as their web page is of no use. However, their broadcast at 0130 
on Dec 19 was only 14 minutes, concluding with their soulful theme. I 
had thought they might broadcast another language but just 
unexpectedly no reception. Merry Christmas and Bon'Anno (Happy New 
Year - see below) Sincerely, (Dean Bonanno, Durham, CT) N.B., BBCM

** CHILE. Voz Cristiana blaster on 21550 was accompanied by distorted 
FM spurs, no carriers, about 10 kHz wide centred around 21519 and 
21581, i.e. plus and minus 31 kHz from the fundamental, when 
memasured Dec 19 at 0050, a few minutes before signoff. An hour 
earlier, they were even worse. No, my modem had nothing to do with 
them (Glenn Hauser, OK)

** CUBA. Since I made an issue of the buzz surrounding RHC's 11760 a 
few weeks ago, I am pleased to report that I no longer hear it, such 
as Sun Dec 19 at 1335-1352 for En Contacto, the Spanish DX program 
(Glenn Hauser, OK)

** ECUADOR. DX Partyline host Allen Graham says he is in Costa Rica 
as of Dec 18 (studying some more Spanish?), so DXPL is into rerun 
stuff; Dec 18, KJNP visit; Dec 25 pre-empted by A Christmas Carol; 
Jan 1 Rich McVicar?s national anthem special; Jan 8 the DXPL 
beginners? special yet again (Glenn Hauser)

**IRAN [non]. Clandestine radio station 7520 kHz in Persian language;
Heard of the monitoring observation results on this frequency today:

Daily exc Mon & Fri [sic, should be Wed] 1730-1800 UTC f = 7520 kHz.

On Dec 16th German monitoring stns verified some direction finding
measurements [acc to DW sources]:

determined coordinates 46N38, 30E58.   <<<<<<<<

That means MIDWAY between Grigoriopol Maiac, Moldova and Nikolayiv 
Kopani, Ukraine. I don't know from what location that transmission 
coming from, most likely from MDA, when I take some inaccuracy into 
consideration.

Also UKR served some ETH clandestine transmissions in the past: I 
remember me on approx. 9920 kHz KIEV outlet few years ago, 160 degrs 
towards Horn of Africa target. 73 (Wolfgang Bueschel, Germany, Dec 
18) 

Steffen Hilbig told about a direction finding exercise by Deutsche 
Welle monitoring, which pinpointed the origin of Radio International 
on 7520 as 46N38 and 30E58, just east of Tiraspol, so this is almost 
definitely still Grigoriopol. By the way, a few years ago Radio 
Pridnestrovye used 7520 for a daily Russian-language broadcast, 
perhaps indicating that especially the 235 and 250 degrees aerials 
are indeed capable to beam also reverse to 55 and 70 degrees, 
respectively. (Kai Ludwig, Germany, Dec 18)

** KOREA NORTH. Checked for R. P?yongyang's ommmy 17735v Dec 18 at 
2355 but no sign of it; VOA News Now in English remained weak but 
unmarred to 0100* Dec 19 and still no RP. I scanned the 21, 17, 15, 
13 and 11 MHz bands for signs of a replacement, but found nothing 
except a similar hum upon DW German 11785, but doubt it was this. Not 
propagation either, as Japan was in nicely on 17835, 17845, 21670. 
Did IBBill Whitacre get to the Norkies, or just some downtime? (Glenn 
Hauser, OK)

** MACAU [non]. Special transmission on historical MACAU handover to 
China. At present [1420 UTC Dec 19] RDP Lisbon in Portuguese language 
can be heard with a mixture of bitter sweet songs from both POR and 
CHN, commentaries, live phone in program on shortwaves
11875, 15540, 15575, 17745, and 21800. (Wolfgang Bueschel, Germany)

** MACAU [non]. CRI's special coverage of the handover began at 1500 
UT Dec 19 on 7405, the regular NAm service frequency. Checked the 
others mentioned in 99-76: 9515 and 9535 were blocked by BBC and 
Japan, of course, but special 9785 was coming in better here than 
7405. They said something about ceremonies beginning at 1530, also 
covered in Std. Chinese, Cantonese (and Portuguese?) and also 
referred to website (Glenn Hauser, OK)

** NEW ZEALAND. >I am well aware of your current thinking about
17675 rather than 9700 for Pacific, but I would like to encourage 
RNZI to take a broader view of covering the world (including North 
America) for this special occasion only.

We do not have any discretion in this matter. We are contracted to 
the NZ Government to provide a service to the Pacific Islands. 
However as it happens 6105 kHz should be audible in the USA at 12 UT 
when NZ goes into next year! [so you disdain DST too? gh]

>Have you seen the webpage of M Hackett making the case for RNZI 
acquiring a second transmitter, and what do you think of it?

It is flattering to know that there are listeners out there that are
prepared to spend time on such issues. Unfortunately at the end of 
the day it comes down to how much money the Government of the day has 
to spend on International Broadcasting.

I can say in more positive mode that the change of Government may be 
good for RNZI. The new Government were responsible 10 years ago when 
last in office of setting up RNZI. The change of Government improves 
RNZI's chances of having it funding restored to the previous level. 
They may also be more sympathetic to our current application for the 
purchase of a new transmitter which will deliver a digital audio 
signal. (Adrian Sainsbury, RNZI)

** SRI LANKA. The VOA relay station at Ekala, near Colombo, has been 
transmitting VOA programs since 1953 . December 31st will be its last 
day of operation for VOA. It will be replaced by the new VOA relay at 
Iranawila, Sri Lanka, which is already in limited service and will 
come fully on line during the year 2000. Dan Ferguson provides us 
with this schedule for the last days of VOA via Colombo: 

1 to 3 Universal Time on 7115 kilohertz, 10 kilowatts, and on 11705 
and 15250, 35 kilowatts. 14 to 18 on 7215, 10 kilowatts, and 15395, 
35 kilowatts. All programming is VOA News Now, and I will ask VOA 
News Now anchor persons to make some special announcements on 
December 31st. (Kim Elliott, VOA Communications World Dec 18 via John 
Norfolk)

** U K O G B A N I. This week's Letter from America on BBCWS, UT Sun 
0345 on 5975, 6135 and 6175, was not introed or outroed as anything 
out of the ordinary, but as Joel Rubin noted when he listened earlier 
on a BBC domestic network, it was a very old edition, when Javits was 
senator and Lindsay was mayor of NY, gold was $35(?) an ounce and 
when Alistair Cooke could still refer to himself as ``middle-aged''. 
Let us hope Mr. Cooke will be well enough to resume new Letters next 
week. BTW, a lengthy article about him appeared recently; not sure of 
the original source, but an interview by Joanna Coles was posted by 
Ed Mayberry on the swprograms list. A few excerpts follow:

At the age of 91, Alistair Cooke is an institution. But lately the 
broadcaster has been under siege. Here the BBC World Service legend 
hits back. 

Cooke has been slightly battered of late. Not just by ill-health - he 
had an operation two months ago - but also by Nick Clarke's 
biography, Alistair Cooke. Though it failed to unearth any great 
scandals, the book shone an unsettling light upon its subject's life, 
in particular, it zoomed in on his sometimes strained relations with 
his children. Has Cooke read the book? 

"No. I told Nick I wouldn't read anything," he says, folding his 
arms. "I said 'I'll give you the facts, I don't want an authorised 
biography but you say what you want'. He got some facts wrong, I've 
heard, but it doesn't matter. I gave up reading the reviews." 

So back to the business in hand; we are supposed to be talking about 
his latest book, Memories of the Great and the Good, an irresistibly 
readable collection of his essays, some new, most old. The subjects 
vary from Wodehouse ("His pipe wheezed a reedy bass against the 
melodic tenor of his voice") to an equally taut profile of Frank 
Lloyd Wright ("He could spot a fawn at 20 paces and flattery got you 
nowhere . . . He looked like Merlin posing as Whistler's mother") and 
Harold Ross (the founder of The New Yorker who had an "exquisitely 
neurotic feel for syntax"). 

It is Cooke's 14th book in a bulging career, which includes his 
influential television series, Alistair Cooke's America (a 
leatherbound book of the series sits on his coffee table) and of, 
course, Letter from America. "The talk", as he calls it, began as a 
series of 13 programmes and is now, in its 53rd year, the longest-
running broadcast in the world. 

"It's luck," he grins, when I ask him how he has managed to keep at 
it for so long. It cannot be just luck, I protest. "No, it is," he 
says chippily. "It's the genes. I know reporters who faded away in 
their fifties mentally, their sense of life and curiosity just faded. 
I was blessed with a good memory and sometimes I feel it's sharper 
now than it used to be. 

The city where he has lived since he arrived on these shores now 
seems foreign, too. "I've tired of New York," he says, gesturing to 
the stunning Central Park panorama behind him. "When people ask if I 
live here, I say 'I live in an apartment I like, and it's a sanctuary 
against New York'. 

"Age has a great deal to do with it," he nods. "It's too dense and 
noisy for me, it's a jungle I don't often go into." 

Did he ever consider moving? After all, his memory is portable and he 
could work anywhere. "About 20 years ago we did think of moving, to 
San Francisco. It's a big small town, cosy and beautiful. But my wife 
goes to every gallery and every show, she gets everything out of New 
York." They were also trapped by the good fortune of their eight-
room, rent-controlled apartment - on Fifth Avenue, no less. They 
moved in 50 years ago paying $269 a month. Under the city's rent 
control laws, their rent increase was limited to 7 per cent a 
year. But last June their protection ended and their rent quintupled, 
to $10,000 a month. "It's changed our lives," he says. "But as a 
friend pointed out, we did live here for 50 years almost rent free." 

And so we move on to another of his achievements, his remarkable 
ability to survive the whims of the BBC's mandarins for a full half-
century. It is no secret that several managers have longed to prise 
him from his slot. "This business of a plot, well I never heard a 
syllable. And when I checked with ex-governors and ex-directors-
general, they had never heard of it either." Perhaps they were being 
diplomatic, I suggest. I can remember from my own days working at 
Radio 4 being told by the then network chief that he hankered to 
shift Cooke but did not dare. 

"They didn't let me know. I was lucky there, too. The talk was liked 
by enough ordinary people. The listener surveys were always 
terrifically good. And it appealed to young people, too, not just to 
my generation." 

How much does the Beeb pay him? "Thanks to Heather, my producer, who 
was shocked when she took it over, I now get $1,100 per Letter." I 
say I am surprised it is so low. "Everybody thought I got paid more. 
In 1963 I was on a United Nations mission and I got to Nairobi and I 
was given the Freedom of the City - it's always a shock going round 
the world to find out that they all know the talk. They had a 
question time and an old lady asked 'Is it true the BBC pays you 
£1,000 a talk?' I said 'No, it's not true. If you said £100, you 
might be a little closer'." 

Forbidden from reading the script in advance, the producers now 
record Cooke at his apartment. "The permanent staff always seems to 
be being reduced," he remarks. "I keep running into people who say 
'I'm just here for this project'." Is that a bad development? "I 
don't know enough about the development of the BBC. I've not known 
the last three Directors-General, though I always seemed to get to 
know the chairman. I don't know the current one but I knew Dukey ." 

Does he know the new director-general, Greg Dyke? "No, and I never 
met John Birt. Though he wrote to congratulate me once," he snorts, 
"on my birthday." 

Two months ago he underwent angioplasty. "They did an arteriogram and 
the picture was dramatic. It's supposed to be like this," he says, 
curling his right thumb and forefinger to make a circle. "But it was 
tiny, like this," he squeezes his fist. "Now it's like a brand-new 
pipe and I don't get any angina symptoms. There was 5 per cent of the 
artery where the blood was going through and it could have happened 
that night." 

Well, you look great, I say, as he escorts me down the hall. "Oh come 
on, how many 91-year-olds do you know?" he fires back. 
Actually, quite a few, I lie. (via Ed Mayberry, swprograms Dec 8)

** UNITED ARAB EMIRATES. There is the UT plus 4 timezone, but in Abu 
Dhabi it is UT plus 4:00:25. Dec 18 at 2251 found Mideast music on 
17760, 2300 timesignal precisely 25 seconds late, as least compared 
to WWV, ID in Arabic and news mentioning Abu Dhabi. Rather heavy 
Mideast flutter, which is increasingly common with ionospheric 
scintillation here in deep NAm at solar max. Still audible at 2400, 
and consistent, with another 25-second-late timesignal, about gone by 
0020 check. Standard remark about inaccurate timesignals. The poor 
Abu Dhabians will be late greeting the New Millennium if this is not 
fixed (BTW, just wait till Islamic year 2...) (Glenn Hauser, OK) ###


__________________________________________________
Do You Yahoo!?
Thousands of Stores.  Millions of Products.  All in one place.
Yahoo! Shopping: http://shopping.yahoo.com

------------------------------------------------------------------------
This is a message from Glenn Hauser <wghauser@xxxxxxxxx>
to hard-core-dx@xxxxxxxxxxxxx list. To unsubscribe the list, send
"unsubscribe hard-core-dx" in mail body to majordomo@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx
For more information, please check http://www.kotalampi.com/hard-core-dx/
or email Risto Kotalampi, risto@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx
------------------------------------------------------------------------