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:: SWEDEN CALLING DXERS ::
:: from Radio Sweden ::
:: Number 2052--July 18, 1989 ::
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Shortwave and other electronic media news from Radio Sweden.
This week's bulletin was written by Ingemar Sandberg.
Electronic Edition edited by George Wood.
Packet Radio BID SCDX2052
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SATELLITES--An Ariane 3 rocket has carried the Europe's Olympus 1 direct
broadcast satellite into orbit. At 2800 kg, Olympus was the largest payload
ever carried by an Ariane rocket, and was the last launch for Ariane 3, which
is to be succeeded now by Ariane 4. Besides two high-powered television
channels, Olympus will relay specialized point-to-point communications, such
as video conferences, data transmissions, and educational television, between
frequencies of 12 and 14 GHz. One of the TV channels is for Italian
television (12.16862 GHz), the other for European broadcasters (12.14534
GHz).
With 3 transponders in the unusual frequency range of 20 to 30 GHz, Olympus
will for the first time attempt to relay video conferences and data across
frequency bands as wide as 700 MHz. Olympus is to be placed at 19 degrees
West longitude. (Dow Jones, "New Scientist", and "1988 World Satellite
Almanac")
ANARC--Some 150 radio listening hobbyists and broadcasters gathered July 15-
17 for the annual convention of the Association of North American Radio
Clubs, in St. Petersburg Beach, Florida. Because of its location there was a
Caribbean/Central American theme, and highpoints included talks by Dr.
Ernesto Betancourt, the director of the anti-Cuban government station Radio
Marti, whose keynote speech was entitled "Radio Marti in an Era of Glasnost";
DX journalist Glenn Hauser, who presented slides about Central American radio
stations; and exiled Panamian Senator and radio journalist Mayin Correa who
spoke about the role of radio in democratizing Panama.
There were non-Caribbean items as well. Mike Villard presented interference-
reducing antennas for shortwave, which he developed for the Voice of America
before jamming in Eastern Europe ended.
"He brought his antennas with him and showed them off and talked about the
concepts," says ANARC Executive Secretary Robert Horvitz. "People were just
aglow with the possibilities because these are all simple enough to make and
experiment with."
This week marks the 20th anniversary of the launching of the first Apollo
mission to the Moon, from nearby Cape Canaveral. Alan Parrish of the National
Aeronautics and Space Administration spoke about the use of two way radio on
the space shuttle missions.
ANARC's European counterpart, the EDXC, has been experiencing problems
recently. Complaints about the annual EDXC conferences led to the holding of
two gatherings this year, and clubs have been experiencing declines in
membership. This has not been a problem in North America.
"Overall membership in all of the clubs that make up ANARC has remained
essentially unchanged," says Robert Horvitz. "But there has been a
significant redistribution of membership. The large shortwave clubs are
losing members to the regional clubs, the scanner clubs, and the specialized
clubs."
Congratulations to organizer Jeff White on a job well done! There's a bid to
hold next year's ANARC convention in Virginia Beach, Virginia in September.
(George Wood)
BOLIVIA--The Radio Television Popular network resumed its activities on June
19th--a year after it was closed by the authorities for "violating national
laws". The network had broadcast comments by drug-trafficker Roberto Suarez
Gomes, which the government believed harmful to national dignity. (BBC
Monitoring)
On 28th June, Radio Horizonte from La Paz was observed signing on in Spanish
at 10:00 on the new frequency of 6005 kHz. The opening announcement also
mentioned 1060 kHz. (BBC Monitoring)
CANADA--CKZU, the CBC station in Vancouver on 6160 kHz, announces the new
sign on time of 12:30. (Arthur Cushen's DX World)
COLOMBIA--Updating SCDX-2045 another old Radio Sutatenza frequency - 810 kHz
- is now being used by the Caracol network. (Richard E. Wood, Hawaii)
Caracol, Bogota, which was reported to use 5075 kHz, now seems to have moved
to 6075 kHz. Heard around 08:00 hrs but mixed with Deutsche Welle on the same
frequency. (Arthur Cushen's DX World)
Radio Reloj, Neiva, now uses new 6150 kHz, heard around 08:30, identifying as
HJFR and the Caracol Network. (Arthur Cushen's DX World)
CZECHOSLOVAKIA--Radio Prague in English at 01:00-02:00 and 03:00-04:00 uses
the new frequencies of 13715 and 15540 kHz. (Arthur Cushen's DX World)
GUAM--AWR-Asia will open an FM station by the end of 1989. The 3 kW
transmitter will operate 24 hours a day. (Aboe Nawan Thaliep, Radio Listeners
Club Indonesia)
English programs from AWR on shortwave are now broadcast: at 00:00 on 15125,
10:00 on 13720, 16:00 on 11980 and 23:00 on 15125 kHz. On Saturdays and
Sundays also at 02:00 on 11700 kHz. (Aboe Nawan Thaliep)
HUNGARY--Balaton Channel TV-S, the first commercial television station in
Hungary, went on the air on July 1st. Programs are in Hungarian and German
and will be transmitted from the Siofok Cultural Centre for 72 days during
the Summer 08:00-10:00 and 20:00-24:00 local time. The limited company is run
mainly by Siofok Television, set up by Siofok town council, and by
Filmpremier, a small co-operative. (Wojciech Zajac, Poland and BBC
Monitoring)
The two US government-financed radio stations Radio Free Europe and Radio
Liberty are this summer to open a news bureau in the Hungarian capital
Budapest. The president of the two stations, Eugene Pell, says that the
Hungarian government has given approval for the accreditation of a radio
correspondent. To begin with, a journalist from Hungarian Radio would work
for Radio Free Europe and Radio Liberty. It is the first time that both
stations have been allowed to open a bureau in an Eastern bloc country. (BBC
Monitoring)
INDONESIA--The Radio Republik Indonesia Programa Nasional, Jakarta, now
broadcasts on 15155 kHz between 10:00 and 11:00 with 7270 and 999 kHz in
parallel plus 104 and 106 MHz FM. Between 17:00 and 22:30 the frequencies are
3275, 4775 and 6550 kHz. (Aboe Nawan Thaliep)
NORTH KOREA--Radio Pyongyang in Russian at 16:00-16:50 is noted on new 11760
kHz replacing 11740 kHz. 9325 kHz remains in parallel. (Richard E. Wood)
PHILIPPINES--According to the "Manila Chronicle" a pay dispute threatens to
silence the Catholic Church-run Radio Veritas at the end of this month. (BBC
Monitoring)
POLAND--Radio Polonia has introduced a program in German at 05:30-06:00 on
5995, 7270, 9675 and 1503 kHz. (Herbert Aichele, West Germany)
SOUTH AFRICA--Updating SCDX-2043, Radio RSA has a fairly new service in
Afrikaans to Southern Africa. Interval signal is noted at 03:50 on 4965 and
6130 kHz. At 05:00 11810 is added. This service seems to coincide with the
impending independence of Namibia where Afrikaans is widely spoken. (Richard
E. Wood)
SRI LANKA--The Deutsche Welle relay station in Trincomalee will go into full
operation this month. The installation of the station has been interrupted
several times because of the internal situation in Sri Lanka. In May 1988
work resumed at the station and all technical equipment was operational by
October 1988. Since then there have been daily transmissions from 07:00 until
17:00. (BBC Monitoring)
TURKEY--The Russian programme from the Voice of Turkey has moved half an hour
earlier and is now at 14:00 on the new frequency of 15105 kHz. (Alexander
Zacharov, USSR)
The Voice of Turkey now broadcasts twice a day in German: at 16:30-17:25 and
at 19:30-19:55, both on 9825 kHz. (Herbert Aichele)
USA--Next month is the historic 50th anniversary of the start of commercial
short wave broadcasting from the United States. A number of American
commercial short wave stations broadcast to Europe and Latin America during
World War II and were very popular.In 1942 some of them became part of the
Voice of America. The Crosley Company's WLWO is now VOA's Bethany, Ohio
transmitter site. KGEI in San Francisco now belongs to the FEBC and still
exists. And W1XAL, Scituate, Massachusetts in 1939 became WRUL. In 1962 this
station broadcast Spanish to Cuba during the Cuban Missile Crisis and then
became WNYW and finally in the 1970's became WYFR and moved transmitters to
Okeechobee, Florida, and studios to Oakland, California. (William Dickerman,
USA)
YUGOSLAVIA--Radio Yugoslavia is noted on new 21555 kHz with sign on in Serbo-
Croatian at 07:00 on a Saturday. (Richard E.Wood)
Radio Yugoslavia in German in 16:30-17:00 is on new 7215 kHz with 9620 kHz in
parallel while German at 19:30-20:00 uses two new frequencies: 6100 and 7215
kHz with 9620 remaining in parallel. (Horst Veit, GDR)
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Sweden Calling DXers is the world's oldest radio program for shortwave
listeners. Radio Sweden has presented this round-up of radio news, features,
and interviews on Tuesdays since 1948. RS broadcasts to North America:
15:30 hrs on 17880 and 21610 kHz
03:00 hrs on 9695 and 11705 kHz
To Europe, Africa, and the Middle East:
15:30 hrs on 21675 kHz (East Africa)
17:00 hrs on 1179, 6065, and 9615 kHz
21:00 hrs on 1179, 9655 and 11705 kHz
And to Asia and the Pacific:
12:30 hrs on 17705 and 21610 kHz
14:00 hrs on 17705 and 21610 kHz
01:00 hrs on 15390 and 17790 kHz
The Radio Sweden schedule to Europe can be found on Sky Channel's teletext
Service, Sky Text, on page 496.
The Electronic Edition is based on the Sweden Calling DXers bulletins
which are mailed out every 4 weeks to contributors. Contributions can be sent
to DX Editor George Wood to Swedish telex 11738, CompuServe (via the HamNet
Forum or Easyplex 70247,3516), through the FidoNet system to 2:202/297 or to
SM0IIN at the packet radio BBS SK0TM.
Reports can also be sent to:
Radio Sweden
S-105 10 Stockholm
Sweden
Contributions should be NEWS about electronic media--from shortwave to
satellites--and not loggings of information already available from sources
such as the "World Radio TV Handbook". Clubs and DX publications may reprint
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copyright.
We welcome comments and suggestions about the electronic edition, Sweden
Calling DXers, and our programs in general.
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Thanks to 28 contributors this week Good Listening!