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:: SWEDEN CALLING DXERS ::
:: from Radio Sweden ::
:: Number 2107--Aug. 14, 1990 ::
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Shortwave and other electronic media news from Radio Sweden.
This week's bulletin was written by George Wood.
Packet Radio BID SCDX2107
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SWEDEN--Because of the Gulf crisis, Radio Sweden is adding an extra
transmitter beamed to the Middle East for a number of our transmissions in
Swedish. This concerns the broadcast at 04:00-06:15 hrs and at 13:00, 18:00,
and 22:00 hrs. The extra frequency to the Middle East for all those
broadcasts will be 21660 kHz in the 13 meter band.
SATELLITE RADIO--An agreement has been signed to relay Radio France
International on cable networks in the Netherlands. To begin with, some
35,000 cable subscribers in Gouda will receive RFI. It's hoped to provide
similar programming to cable networks in Germany and Greece, and possibly to
expand to include the other satellite-relayed French radio programs, Hector
and Victor. ("La Monde" via Claes Englund) RFI is relayed on the TDF-1
satellite, using the transponder of Canal Plus.
When I was in the States, I had the pleasure of putting up a satellite dish
and receiver and being able to listen to BBC World Service on an audio
subcarrier on the C-SPAN I channel, on the Galaxy 3 satellite. That's the 5.4
MHz subcarrier.
The 5.22 and 5.94 MHz subcarriers were supposed to carry in parallel a
variety of international broadcasters, but none were available while I was
monitoring. (DX Editor) Now, the Radio Netherlands program guide says Radio
Netherland's broadcast to the Americas at 00:30 hours is being carried on C-
SPAN. (Subir Basu)
It's not just satellite dish owners who can listen. Cable subscribers with
the proper TV sets can also tune in to the alternative subcarriers. Radio
Sweden is due to provide some programs over C-SPAN beginning later this year.
Deutschlandfunk is now using the Astra satellite to relay all its
programming, in German and 11 foreign languages (including Swedish). The
transmissions use the German Sat-1 transponder on Astra. Programs in English,
Dutch, Norwegian, Swedish, and Danish can be found on the subcarrier on 7.75
MHz. French, Polish, Crech, Slovak, Hungarian, and Italian use the subcarrier
on 7.92 MHz. Round the clock German can be heard in stereo on the 7.38 and
7.56 subcarriers. (DLF)
WQHT Hot 97, with rap and hiphop music, can be found on the Lifestyle
transponder on the Astra satellite, with stereo on the subcarriers at 7.38
and 7.56 MHz. ("Paa TV" magazine, Sweden)
SATELLITE-TV--The British government has applied for five new direct
broadcast frequencies. This would be in addition to the current 5 channels
broadcast by the British Marcopolo DBS satellite. It is widely suspected that
BSB, the company behind Marcopolo, was involved in the application. It's
probable the new channels would be in use by the end of the decade. ("What
Satellite" magazine, Britain)
The Scandinavian TV3 has added another channel for a Danish version, aimed
especially at that country. While the regular TV3 to Norway and Sweden
continues on the Astra satellite, the Danish TV3 can be found on Intelsat VA-
F11, located at 27.5 degrees west. The transponder is at 11.135 GHz. ("Paa
TV" magazine, Sweden)
AUSTRALIA--Radio Australia has added two hours of programming daily for
Australians trapped in the Middle East. The programs are between 13:00 and
15:00 hrs and the frequencies 17630 and 21775 kHz. (Reuters)
Updating SCDX-2100, Radio Australia is now using 11800 kHz, instead of 12000,
for English to South Asia 14:30-17:30 hrs. 9710 and 13745 kHz are in
parallel. (Wojciech Zaremba, Poland; and Salil Paul, Subir Basu, Deepak
Agarwall and Tarun Sethi, India)
BELGIUM--In an interview on Radio Netherlands' "Media Network" the director
of the French-language RTBF Radio 4 International, Andre Moens, says the
future existance of the station is in doubt. Because of financial
difficulties, the administrative council of Belgium's French-speaking
community is to decide by December if the RTBF should continue to operate an
international service. (BBC Monitoring)
BULGARIA--Radio Sofia is broadcasting in German: 05:30-06:00 hrs on 11720,
15160, and 17825 kHz; 16:00-17:00 hrs on 11765 and 15330 kHz; and 19:00-19:30
hrs on 11660 and 11765 kHz. (Markus Thevessen, West Germany)
BURMA--The Voice of Myanmar has ended use of 954 kHz. Programs continue to be
broadcast on shortwave 9730, 7185, 5985, and 4725 kHz and medium wave 576
kHz. (BBC Monitoring)
CHINA/FRANCE/SPAIN/SWITZERLAND--Here's the latest on relays of Western
European broadcasters from transmitters in China:
Radio France International is broadcasting in French at 01:00-01:57 hrs on
15275 kHz, 10:30-11:27 hrs on 15285 kHz, 11:00-11:57 hrs on 11890 kHz, and
15:00-16:57 hrs on 8425 and 1296 kHz. Updating SCDX-2094, French and English
are carried 14:00-14:57 hrs on 4130 and 11910.
Radio Exterior de Espana is broadcasting (57 minute programs) in Spanish at
10:00 and 12:00 hrs on 9620 kHz, and at 11:00 and 13:00 hrs on 4130 and 11915
kHz.
Swiss Radio International is broadcasting (27 minutes) in French at 14:00 hrs
and in German at 14:30 hrs on 9620 kHz. Italian is heard at 14:00 hrs on
11695 kHz. English is 13:15-14:00 hrs on 9620 and 11695 kHz. (Shigenori Aoki
in "SW DX Guide" and Vidjit Vijaysanker, India)
Meanwhile, Radio Beijing can be heard over a Swiss transmitter on 3985 kHz in
German at 20:00-20:30 and 21:00-21:30 hrs. (Markus Thevessen)
COSTA RICA--Radio for Peace International has moved to 13630 kHz from 13660
kHz, to avoid interference from Radio Baghdad. They can be heard weekdays
20:00-03:00 hrs and weekends 18:00-00:30 hrs. (Tarun Sethi, India)
CZECHOSLAVAKIA--Radio Free Europe, which was jammed on shortwave for 40
years, is now being allowed to broadcast from within Czechoslovakia over
three medium transmitters, all using 1287 kHz. (BBC Monitoring; Jiri
Tieftrunk, Czechoslovakia; and Claes Englund, Sweden)
Radio Prague is now broadcasting in French to Europe: 05:00-05:30 hrs on
6055, 7345, and 9505 kHz; 16:30-16:45 and 18:30-18:45 hrs on 5930 and 11990
kHz; and 21:30-21:57 hrs on 5930, 6055, 7345, and 11990 kHz. French to North
America is: 22:30-22:45 hrs on 7345, 11680, and 11990 kHz and 00:30-01:00 hrs
on 5930, 7345, and 11680 kHz.
The Interprogram, to Europe in various languages, can be heard 06:00-12:00
hrs on 6055, 7345, and 9505 kHz. French is heard at 20 minutes past each
hour. (Francois Chalory, France)
ECUADOR--Updating SCDX-2102, HCJB is testing in single side band on 21640 and
25950 kHz. Programs to Europe 17:30-22:30 hrs (apparently 17:30 Greek, 18:30
German, 19:00 English, 20:00 Nordic languages, 20:30 French, 21:00 German,
21:30 English, 22:00 Spanish)
FRANCE--Radio France International has receiverd permission to be carried
over local FM transmitters in Warsaw and Bucharest. Other contacts are
underway in Sofia, Prague, and Berlin. (BBC Monitoring)
Radio France International is broadcasting in English to South Asia at 14:00-
14:30 hrs on a new frequency of 11910 kHz, apparently replacing 11925. 21770
kHz remains in parallel. (Salil Paul)
GERMAN DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC--In preparation for the upcoming unification of
East and West Germany, major radio changes have already been made. Earlier
this year Radio DDR-2 went off the air. Radio DDR-1 was renamed first Radio
DDR and now Radio Aktuell. (BBC Monitoring, Hans Puff, and "mv-eko")
Radio Berlin International, due to merge with Deutsche Welle later this year,
is now broadcasting in English to North America: at 21:45 hrs on 9730 and
13760 kHz; at 23:45 hrs on 6080, 9730, 11890, 13610, 13760, and 15240 kHz;at
01:45 hrs on 6080, 11890, 13610, and 15240 kHz; at 03:00 hrs on 6080 and
9730; and at 03:45 hrs on 11890 and 13770 kHz. (Arthur Cushen's DX World, New
Zealand)
IRAN--The Voice of the Islamic Republic of Iran can be heard in Russian at
17:00-17:30 hrs on 1404 and 9022 kHz. (Vladimir Pashuta, USSR)
IRAQ--Radio Baghdad can be heard in Russian to Europe at 15:00-16:00 hrs on
13600 kHz. (Denis Vasiljev, USSR)
IRELAND--The long wave pop station Atlantic 252 (on 252 kHz) has extended
broadcasts into the evening. The new schedule is 05:00-01:00 hrs. (Roy
Patrick and D.J. Norry, both England)
However, the station faces a problem. A court ruling on July 31st withdrew
the planning permission for the station's 300 meter antenna mast. This may
mean that the mast has be dismantled, which would force Atlantic 252 off the
air. Local residents complainthat the high power transmissions interfere with
television sets and telephones. The RTE/Radio Luxembourg consortium which
owns Atlantic is appealing. (Neil Wheatley, England)
Atlantic 252 is expected to lose 2 mimllion pounds in its first year of
operation. ("Medium Wave News")
ISRAEL--Kol Israel is now using 17590 kHz instead of 17575 for French to
Europe and Africa at 21:00-21:30 hrs and English 21:30-22:00 hrs. (Tarun
Sethi)
ITALY--Updating SCDX-2091, the Voice of Europe is once again operating 24
hours a day on 7540 kHz. (Valerio Stefano, Italy)
JAPAN/GABON--Because of the situation in the Gulf, Radio Japan expanded its
programming in Arabic on August 9th. In addition to the previous broadcast at
19:00-19:30 hrs on 15325 kHz, there is now an additional program at 09:30-
10:00 hrs on 21690 kHz. This is relayed from Africa No. One in Gabon. (Radio
Japan)
JAPAN/SRI LANKA--We reported back in SCDX-2098 about the new Radio Japan
relay station in Sri Lanka. The Ekala transmission station is located 30 km
northeast of Colombo. Work is making steady headway on the construction of
two 300 kW shortwave transmitters. When the station goes into operation in
January, Radio Japan will lease the transmitters for 10 hours a day, to be
shared by the General Service in Japanese and English and the Regional
service in Bengali, Hindi, Urdu, and Arabic. ("Super DX", India; Deepak
Agarwal, and "SW DX Guide", Japan)
QATAR--The Qatar Broadcasting Service is broadcasting in Arabic 02:45-08:00
hrs on 11820 kHz, 09:00-18:00 hrs on 17770 kHz, and 18:00-21:30 hrs on 15265
kHz. ("DX Time" via "SW DX Guide")
ROMANIA--Radio Romania International can be heard in German: 12:00-12:30 hrs
on 9690, 11940, 15365, and 15445 kHz; and 18:00-18:30 and 19:00-19:30 hrs on
5955, 7255, 9510, 9690, and 11940 kHz. (Markus Thevessen)
SPAIN--The Radio 5 transmitter in Soria is now operating on 1125 kHz,
replacing 1314. Radio 5 Castellon is also now using 1125. (PLAY-DX, Italy)
SRI LANKA--The domestic service of the SLBC in English can be heard regularly
on unlisted 6130 kHz 03:05-05:00 and 07:00-09:00 hrs. (Vidjit Vijaysanker)
SYRIA--Radio Damascus can be heard 21:10-22:05 hrs on 12085 kHz. 15095 kHz is
announced, but not heard. ("Super DX", India)
TANZANIA--Radio Tanzania has been heard testing at various times on 7165 and
7280 kHz. Both of these frequencies have been used by the station in the
past, but have not been observed for some considerable time. (BBC Monitoring)
UNITED ARAB EMIRATES--With the crisis in the Gulf, it may be interesting to
listening to some of the stations in the region. UAE Radio in Dubai is being
heard well on listed 21700 kHz for the English broadcast at 05:30-06:00 hrs.
17830 kHz is in parallel.
The Voice of the UAE in Abu Dhabi has been heard in Arabic at 03:00 hrs on
17855, 21725, and 21735 kHz. (Arthur Cushen)
UNITED KINGDOM--AM stereo has been used in the United States for some time,
but has had difficulties gaining popular support due to several incompatible
systems in use. Now a transmitter of Britain's Radio Orwell on 1170 kHz has
tested AM stereo, using the C-QUAM system developed by Motorola. The tests
were conducted between June 28 and at least the end of July. AM stereo could
be introduced on British independent radio by the end of this year. (Martin
Radford, England)
A new national network, BBC Radio 5, begins operations on August 27th.
Frequencies will be 693 and 909 kHz. Programs will include many relays from
BBC World Service and on Saturdays all the sports programs from Radio 2.
("Medium Wave News", England)
UNITED STATES--The commercial shortwave broadcaster WRNO has been running
only 1 kW (instead of the listed 100 kW) while waiting for a new power
amplifier tube for the transmitter. (Dan Ferguson in CompuServe)
USSR--Relays of the Western European satellite-TV broadcasters, Super
Channel, Sky News, 3-Sat, and Sat-1 are being carried over local transmitters
in Lithuania. (BBC Monitoring)
Lithuania's own Radio Vilnius broadcasts in English at 21:30 hrs on 666 and
6100 kHz and at 22:00 hrs on 11790, 13645, 15180, 15445, and 15485 kHz.
Beginning September 3rd, Radio Kiev will broadcast in English to Europe at
20:00-21:00 hrs on 7280 kHz, replacing the current 9865. English to North
America at 23:00-00:00 hrs continues on 11770, 12005, 12060, 15180, 17665,
and 17690 kHz. (John Spencer Carson, USA and Mitsuaki Mizuno, Japan)
Radio Kiev is broadcasting in German 18:00-19:00 hrs on 7330, 9600, 9810,
11780, and 15125 kHz. Updating SCDX-2083, Radio Minsk is broadcasting in
German Wednesdays, Saturdays, and Sundays 17:30-18:00 hrs on 7330, 9600,
11780, and 11960 kHz. (Markus Thevessen, West Germany)
YUGOSLAVIA--The Slovenian station Radio Koper, which broadcasts in Italian,
can be heard over Radio Yugoslavia shortwave transmitters at 10:45-11:15 hrs.
The frequencies are 6100, 7240, and 9620 kHz. (Leo Jung, West Germany)
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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 21500 kHz
02:30 hrs on 11705 and 15295 kHz
To Europe, Africa, and the Middle East:
15:30 hrs on 21655 kHz (East Africa and Middle East)
17:00 hrs on 1179, 6065, and 9615 kHz
21:00 hrs on 1179, 9655 and 11705 kHz
23:00 hrs on 1179 kHz
22:30 hrs on 1179 kHz
And to Asia and the Pacific:
11:30 hrs on 17740, 21570, and 21610 kHz
14:00 hrs on 17740 and 21610 kHz
01:00 hrs on 15405 and 17860 kHz
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 SM0ETV.
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
material as long as Sweden Calling DXers and the original contributor are
acknowledged, with the exception of items from BBC Monitoring, which are
copyright.
We welcome comments and suggestions about the electronic edition, Sweden
Calling DXers, and our programs in general.
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Thanks to 44 contributors this week Good Listening!