Red: HeP

Ännu ingen som hört av sig med synpunkter kring mina Update-spalter, så allt är väl bra, varför jag ångar vidare och ändra och donar som det passar mig...

LRA36, Radio Nacional Arcangel San Gabriel, 15476 kHz, is operating still now with 1 KW power and according to my friend there, only in the next year the station probably will be equiped with a new transmitter. Currently the station is on air at 1230-1430 on Mon, Wed & Fri. (Barrera, September NASWA Listeners Notebook)

Bolivian survey of activity by Tony Jones, Paraguay: active AM = 1000-1300; active PM = 2200-0200

3391v R. Camargo, active PM (Mon-Fri)
4408.8 R. Eco, active PM
4450.0 R. Frontera, active AM & PM
4472v R. Movima, active AM & PM
4549.4v R. Tropico, active AM & PM
4599.3 R. Villa Montes, active AM
4600.0 R. Perla del Acre, active AM (Mon-Sat), active PM (Mon-Sat)
4649.0 R. Santa Ana, active AM & PM
4682v R. Paititi, active AM & PM
4702.2 R. Eco (San Borja), active PM
4719.8 R. Abaroa, active AM & PM
4732.2 R. La Palabra, active AM & PM
4777.8 R. ANDES, active AM & PM
4845.0 R. Fides, active AM, active PM irreg. (Sun only-?)
4855.0 R. Centenario, active AM & PM
4875.0 R. La Cruz del Sur, active AM & PM (Mon-Fri)
4885.6 R. Sararenda, active AM (Mon-Fri)
4900.6 R. San Ignacio, active AM
4926v R. San Miguel, active AM & PM
4939.3 R. Norte, active AM & PM (Mon-Sat)
4945.0 R. Illimani, active AM & PM
4965.0 R. Juan Veintitres, active AM & PM (Mon-Sat)
4991.0 R. Animas, active AM (Mon-Fri), active PM (Mon-Fri, irreg. Sat)
5927.0 R. Mineria, active AM & PM
5952v R. Pio Doce, active AM & PM (Mon-Sat)
5964.7 R. Nacional Huanuni, active AM
5994v R. Loyola, active AM
6025.0 R. Illimani, active AM & PM
6085v R. San Gabriel, active AM & PM
6105v R. Panamericana, active AM & PM
6135.0 R. Santa Cruz, active AM & PM
6155.0 R. Fides, active AM & PM
6194v R. Carlos Palenque, active AM
9624.8 R. Fides, active AM, irreg. PM (Sunday only?)

No trace was found of the following stations:

3200-R. 9 de Abril (not heard in years), 3475v-R. Padilla, 4530.3-R. Hitachi, 4864.4-R. 16 de Marzo, 5153v-R. Galaxia, 5504v-R. 2 de Febrero, 5580.2-R. San Jose, 6014.8-R. El Mundo, 9717-R. La Plata, nor any others. (Jones, NU via September NASWA Listeners Notebook)

in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, has moved to FM 102.1. Another station, CHSN-AM, should start up at 650 kHz, format as-yet unknown. More info still pending. (Mizar's Mediumwave News, Sept 8)

the french-language CBC outlet in Quebec City, Quebec, apparently has gone silent, completing the CBC's to FM in that city. (Mizar's Mediumwave News, Sept 8)

in Ottawa, Ontario, has switched to an all-sports format. The station, which will bill itself as "Ottawa Sports Radio," and "OSR-1200," will carry Ottawa Senators hockey, Blue Jays baseball, and other sports events on a regular basis, in addition to airing sports talk shows. The new format officially was launched on September 9. (Mizar's Mediumwave News, Sept 9)

The United Nations Mission in the Central African Republic has set up a radio station in Bangui - Radio Minurca. It is broadcasting in the runup to the legislative elections in the country, with programming concentrating on civic education and the electoral process. The station is currently broadcasting on FM, with shortwave planned from early September to reach the whole country.

The manager David Smith said on a recent Radio Nederland Media Network program that the station is a small operation. At the moment there are three announcer-producers, two technicians, and David himself. Most of what they broadcast is generated locally, through studio. They are also using magazine programmes from Radio France Internationale, BBC World Service and some music features from Radio Netherlands.

-- Radio is clearly the best way of reaching Central Africans, and we've made a special effort to use the local language, said Smith. (For more info on this Media Network interview, see DX-Windows 130 on the Nordic Shortwave Center)

Radio Minurca is planning to start the first test transmissions on short wave from Bangui on September 11 on 11300 kHz. The tests will carry announcements in English and French.

Danish Dxer Stig Hartvig Nielsen adds:

-- Please bear in mind that the short wave transmitter arrived (or rather was supposed to arrive) in Bangui on Monday, September 7.While the transmitter has tested in Denmark before shipping it does take some time to unpack and install a transmitter.

Reception reports are welcomed to UN Radio Manurca, ST Broadcast Service, P. O. Box 202, DK-7400 Herning, Denmark.

Please include return postage (2 IRC's or 2 US dollar). Correct reports will be verified by a QSL-card, says Nielsen. (Nordic Shortwave Center)

I've culled monitoring info from as many sources as possible for this frequency lineup of Voz Christiana:

6070 noted around 1100 20-Aug
9535 not heard 25-Jul or since
11890 noted around 0830 end of July, but not since
15374.8 noted from 1145-1300 on 8-Aug
17860 noted from 1500-1640 on 15-Aug
21550 noted from 1500-1640 on 15-Aug

These guys have been testing now for several months. I dare say it's high time they quit jumping around, publish a schedule and stick with it. (Al Quaglieri via Naswa, Aug 25)

The fusion of Süddeutscher Rundfunk (SDR) and Südwestfunk (SWF)

to the new Südwestrundfunk (SWR) caused the following new programme formats on AM frequencies:

576 SWR 1 Baden-Wuerttemberg, Muehlacker
666 SWR 4 Bodenseeradio, Bodenseesender
711 SWR 1 Baden-Wuerttemberg, div. tx
828 SWR 4 R. Breisgau, Freiburg
1017 SWR 1 Rheinland-Pfalz, Wolfsheim
1485 SWR 4 Ortenau-Mittelbaden, Baden-Baden

The Dutch government has announced the winners of the latest round of frequency allocations in Holland, most on FM but these on AM:

1035 Echt Hoppa Radio;
1332 Utrecht Hoppa Radio;
1485 Den Haag de Hindoestaanse Omroep Stichting;
1485 Tilburg Visie Marketing & Media;
1557 Amsterdam Amstel Radio;
1584 Utrecht Gooiland Radio en
1602 Leeuwarden Quality Radio

All Dutch frequencies will be up for grabs again in two years time. (Newstide Radio Site, Sept 3)

Isle of Man, a semi-autonomous jurisdiction within the United Kingdom has issued an invitation for applications for a longwave radio station. The available frequency is 279 kHz (ed. note: other sources says 270 kHz), with a permissable power of 500 kilowatts. That would be reduced at night to protect the coverage of existing. (VOA Communications World, Sept 5)

According to the 'National' newspaper in Port Moresby on 1 September, the NBC's Radio Morobe station is likely to remain off air for the forseeable future because of transmitter faults.

Acting program manager Mack Meruk told the paper the station went off the air on 12 August because some parts - mode valves - needed replacement. Spares had to be purchased in the US.

All local radio stations are to be funded by provincial government under recent reforms - leading to problems such as the housing provided for four staff at Radio Madang being condemned by health inspectors because of sewerage blockages. 6,000 kina would be needed

to repair the problem. (Matt Francis, Australia, hard-core-dx, Sept 1)

The last few weeks the DX-ing world has been all hyped about finding that AFN/AFRTS is broadcasting on shortwave, for the first time since the station left shortwave in 1986.

Now it turns out to be more of a special US Navy utility transmitting, than regular shortwave broadcasting.

After all excitement the AFRTS broadcast center in California explained this:

"The U.S. Navy is relaying the AFRTS signal from their Key West, Florida transmitters", said Charles P. Barker, Armed Forces Radio and Television Service Broadcast Center, to American DXer Bill Harms.

Why?

According to Larry van Horn, speaking with "contacts" within the US Navy, the reason is loss of a transmitting satellite, forcing the Navy to "replace that service with HF for West lant ships".

The transmissions can be head on 4278.5, 6458.5 and 12689.5 kHz.

Reception reports could possibly be addressed to:

Armed Forces Radio and Television Service Broadcast Center, Affiliate Relations Customer Service, 1363 Z St. Bldg 2730, March ARB CA 92518-2017, USA (Nordic Shortwave Center)

Wilmington, DE, is a new classical music station which has been heard testing on the AM band, Aug 25 at 1310-1401. The Philadelphia market is underserved in classical since the demise of WFLN (FM) and there is hardly any classical to be heard on AM since the demise of WQXR; there will be even less once CBC 740 and 940 are gone. (Joe Buch, World of Radio 955)

Brigham City, UT, sent an e-mail letter from Brent Larson at sister-station KSOS. They are 10kW from 6:30 am till 8:30 pm MDT - guess that means they are 1kW from 0230 - 1230 UTC. Their e-mail address is KSOS@webtv.net

Arvada, CO, has sent QSL for report sent July 7th. V/s was Julia Newton, Administrative Assistant to the General Manager. (Paul Ormandy, via hard-core-dx, Aug 31)

Allan Weiner's new shortwave station, WBCQ, has been inaugurated after some weeks of testing. The official start was on September 9 at 0000 UTC. The frequency is 7415 kHz.

WBCQ uses 50 kW transmitter, with a main beam of 245 degrees. The antenna is a hybrid, both logperiodic and beam, 60 feet or about a halfwave above ground, according to announcement on the air.

Address for reports: WBCQ, 97 High St., Kennebunk, ME 04043.

The have two web sites: http://wbcq.com and http://theplanet.wbcq.net

E-mail: alweiner@wbcq.net

It is kind of ironic that WBCQ has been authorized to use 7415 kHz, as this station started out as a pure pirate station. For most of the 1980s and early 1990s, 7415 kHz was the most popular pirate operating frequency - all while the FCC often cited possible interference to utility stations in other countries as a major reason why 7415 kHz had to be kept clear of pirates. (Nordic Shortwave Center and Dxing.com)

Salt Lake City, Utah, has this schedule:

0000-1500 English 7510

1500-0000 English 15590

Monday, October 5, 1998 - WIBW-580, Topeka, KS 1:00-6:00 am ELT. (NRC)

Monday, October 19 1998 - WSGI-1100, Springfield, TN 1:00-6:00 am ELT. (NRC)

Monday, October 19, 1998 - KEYZ-660, Williston, ND in intervals from 1:05-6:00 am ELT. (NRC)

Monday, November 2, 1998 - KLER-1300, Orofino, ID 0200 - 0215 ELT. (NRC)

(ELT = Eastern Listening Time, i.e. the local time in the Eastern time zone) Please remember, what's listed as being on, say, Monday may be what you think of as Sunday night! (IRCA's AM DX NewsFlash, Sept 3)

1610 CHEV Toronto area
1620 WPHG Atmore AL
KRIZ Renton WA
1640 KDIA Vallejo CA
KKJY Lake Oswego OR
WKSH Sussex WI
1650 KKTR Costa Mesa CA
1660 WBAH Elizabeth NJ
KXOL Brigham City UT
1670 WNML Warner Robins GA
WTDY Madison WI
1690 KAYK Arvada CO
WMDM Lexington Park MD
1700 WCMQ Miami Springs FL
KBGG Des Moines IA

Years ago, Slinky Toys (those toys coils that could "walk" stairs) became popular as portable, quick setup antennas. Feelings about their usefulness range from mild interest to outright derision, with verdicts that they are completely useless.

Be that as it may, Arizona DXer Ragnar Danneskjold began experimenting with the Slinky Toy as an antenna and designed a terminated helical coil antenna, constructed of six joined slinky toys. You can view the design on Werner Funkenhauser's excellent DX site at http://home.inforamp.net/~funk/ragscoil.GIF

And while on the subject of low noise antennas, you can read an extremely interesting article on the subject, by noted DXer, Al Merriman. He writes about 'Terminated Loops' for AM DXing at http://home.inforamp.net/~funk/termloop.html

hermod@sydsvenskan.se