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:: SWEDEN CALLING DXERS ::
:: from Radio Sweden ::
:: Number 2116--Oct. 16, 1990 ::
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Shortwave and other electronic media news from Radio Sweden.
This week's bulletin was written by Agnes Carbon.
Electronic Edition edited by George Wood.
Packet Radio BID SCDX2116
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SWEDEN--Sweden Calling DXers went on the air back in 1948. But in connection
with the recent reorganization of Radio Sweden, the program is being cut-
back. First of all, the printed SCDX bulletins are being suspended, from
sometime next month.
The Electronic Edition of the bulletin will, however, continue.
Beginning in November, the English edition of Sweden Calling DXers will be
broadcast twice a month, on the first and third Tuesdays. The programs will
probably be somewhat shorter, and will concentrate more on Nordic media news.
We'd like to thank everyone who has contributed to Sweden Calling DXers over
the past 42 years, and we hope you will continue to contribute, despite the
demise of the printed bulletins.
SATELLITE-TV--An Ariane rocket successfully carried two American
telecommunications satellites into orbit late Friday. Both will transmit in
the 11 GHz Ku-band, rather than the 4 GHz C-band, which is used for most
American satellite broadcasting.
SBS-6 carries 19 TV channels. And in fact, the various SBS satellites are
pioneers in the Ku band.
The other satellite is Galaxy-6, which is to relay video and newsfeeds. The
earlier Galaxy 1, 2, and 3 satellites are major C-Band broadcasters.
Moving to Europe, the second Astra satellite, 1B, is due to be launched at
the end of this year or the beginning of next year. Astra says it's lined up
at least 4 English language channels for the new satellite, including Super
Channel, CNN, and the Discovery Channel.
Astra is currently looking at the possibility of launching a third satellite
to expand its service to 48 channels by the end of 1992. The advantage of the
Astra system with several satellites at one position is that one relatively
small dish antenna can be used, without having to use an expensive rotor.
According to reports, United Artists wants to buy a majority of Super
Channel, which originally was supposed to reflect the best of British
television, before it went broke and was bought by an Italian music video
operation.
Nordic Channel, which can be found on the new Eutelsat 2 satellite, is a
strange combination. Most of the programs are aimed at Sweden, but some
programs present the Nordic region to the rest of Europe, in English. On
November 15th Nordic Channel is starting a daily newscast in English.
Nordic Channel also hopes to broadcast news in Swedish to hotels in Europe
where there are Swedish charter travellers.
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THE GULF:
SAUDI ARABIA--The Desert Shield Network has begun transmissions to the
200,000 American soldiers in Saudi Arabia. The broadcasts are on FM, and the
American National Association of Broadcasters has agreed to donate 25,000
radios to the soldiers. (Reuters)
Meanwhile, AT&T has cut short its offer to let US troops in Saudi Arabia call
home for free. The offer for was two weeks of free calls, but during the
first week the soldiers made 100,000 calls, which AT&T one million dollars.
Saudi officials claimed their telephone network was being clogged, so AT&T
called off the service. (Reuters)
IRAQ--Iraq's Voice of Peace, broadcasting to the American soldiers in Saudi
Arabia, has been heard occasionally on a new frequency. Baghdad Betty, as
it's called by the American forces, used Radio Kuwait's medium wave channel
of 1134 kHz, rather than shortwave 11860 kHz, on October 3rd and 8th at
17:00-19:00 and 21:00-23:00 hrs. The rest of the time 11860 kHz has been
heard as usual. (BBC Monitoring)
INTERNATIONAL WATERS--The original Voice of Peace, which broadcasts in
English, Arabic and Hebrew from a boat anchored 2 miles off Tel Aviv. The
station has announced that it is now using 6370 kHz as well as 100 MHz FM and
1540 kHz medium wave. (? Rolich)
ISRAEL--On Sunday Israel Television launched its first news broadcast in
English. The 15 minute program caters to the half million English speakers in
Israel and is carried at 18:00 hrs. (Reuters)
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PROPAGATION--A sudden magnetic pulse was detected from the Sun on October 9th
at 23:57 hrs. Radio propagation conditions are expected to be very poor for
the next few days over high latitude paths, especially those which pass
through the auroral zones. There should be high auroral activity, which may
make for some interesting propagation on VHF and UHF frequencies.
BELGIUM--BRT in Spanish is now scheduled at 12:30 Monday to Saturday on
21810, 13675 and 6035 kHz. (Luigi Policola, Italy)
COSTA RICA--The Adventist World Radio station Radio Lira recently increased
the power of its transmitter from 5 to 60 kW. (Maarten van Delft, the
Netherlands) Radio Lira is listed on 5970, 9725, 11870, and 15460 kHz.
CZECHOSLOVAKIA--Updating SCDX-2116, Radio Prague in English to North America
has been noted on the new frequency of 13715 kHz at 00:00. (Jibrin B. Abdul,
Nigeria)
GERMANY--No Radio Berlin International broadcasts appeared on October 3rd.
Frequencies normally used by RBI carried a live relay of the ecumenical
service in the Marienkirche in Berlin celebrating German unity. This relay
was originated by Berliner Rundfunk and also carried, among others, by
DS-Kultur, Radio Aktuell, Deutsche Welle and Deutschlandsfunk. At the end of
the service, former RBI frequencies were heard to carry Deutsche
Welle/Deutschandfunk external service programmes. (BBC Monitoring Service and
Manfred Schida, Austria)
The final broadcast in English from RBI was bittersweet. The head of the
service, Robin Mitchell, spoke of annexation of East Germany rather than
unification and added : "That's what happened between Deutsche Welle and
Radio Berlin International. After much sweet talk about a fusion and merger
on an equal footing, what is happening is that RBI will disappear tonight and
that Deutsche Welle will have taken over our frequencies and our transmitters
tomorrow. Out of a total staff of 250 RBI employees a mere handful might get
a new job with Deutsche Welle. Thus, like for so many in this country,
unification day spells unemployment for many of my colleagues. The champagne
of jubilation has a very bitter taste to it."
The program closed with the song "The End" by the Doors.
Deutsche Welle has added a broadcast in Arabic at 11:00-11:50 on 21530 and
17715 kHz to its existing broadcasts in Arabic at 04:00-05:50, 07:00-07:50
abd 19:00-21:20. (BBC Monitoring)
GUAM--AWR's KSKA is going to relocate its present two 100 kW transmitters to
a new site close to the present one at Agat. A third 100 kW unit will then be
added. The present property has been bought by a Japanese company which wants
it for a golf course. (Maarten van Delft, Netherlands)
ITALY--AWR Europe will add a 100 and 250 kW transmitter at a site close to
the one at Forli. (Maarten van Delft) AWR Forli broadcasts now daily at 07:30
and 10:30 in French, 08:00 and 11:00 in Italian, 08:30 and 11:30 in English,
and 09:00 and 12:00 in German. (Luigi Policola, Italy) The frequency is 7230
kHz. (Andreas Mieth, Germany)
MONTSERRAT--Radio Antilles, which was knocked off the air by hurricane Hugo
last year, is expected to resume broadcasts by October 31st. (BBC Monotoring)
NICARAGUA--Radio Sandino says a Sandinista radio station, Radio La
Primerisima, was destroyed on October 1st by a terrorist attack. When checked
on that day, the station was not heard on its frequency of 680 kHz. (BBC
Monitoring)
NORTHERN MARIANA ISLANDS--KFBS in Saipan has dropped its broadcasts in
German, but has introduced a transmission in Mongolian at 11:25-15:30 on
12025 kHz. (Maarten van Delft)
PAKISTAN--Radio Pakistan has been heard on the unannounced frequency of 15115
kHz at 02:30. (Jibrin B. Abdul, Nigeria)
SEYCHELLES--FEBA-Delhi was scheduled to start five-minute test broadcasts in
Tibetan on Oct. 1st. They will be followed on Nov. 1st by a daily 15-minute
broadcast. FEBA started a new language, Borana, to Southern Ethiopia and
Northern Kenya. The station aims to add Creole to the French broadcasts to
Mauritius. (BBC Monitoring)
UNITED KINGDOM--Spectrum Radio, the independent multi-cultural station
serving the Greater London area, has settled its claim for damages against
the IBA with an out-of-court deal. The terms of the settlement were not
revealed, but Spectrum was thought to be claiming a six figure sum to cover
losses in promoting its 558 kHz frequency which it claimed was hit by
interference from Radio Caroline (which has occupied this frequency for a
number of years). Spectrum is now also transmitting on 990 kHz. (Newslines
via Mike Terry, England)
Since 6th October, Radio Caroline has been heard on 819 kHz, having left 558
kHz because of Spectrum Radio. (Bradley Allen, England)
UNITED STATES--WWCR, the Worldwide Christian Radio in Nashville, has been
heard at 23:00-23:30 on 15690 kHz with a religious program in German. (Harry
Niebuhr, Germany)
USSR--Radio Moscow has reduced by a third its service in Chinese languages,
keeping only its broadcasts in Standard Chinese at 22:00-06:00, 07:00-08:00
and 09:00-16:00. (BBC Monitoring)
Radio Vilnius will have a new schedule in English from November 5th: at 22:30
hrs on 666, 1557, 6100 and 9675 kHz; and at 23:00 hrs on 6100, 11675, 11790,
15180, 17665 and 17690 kHz. (Tim Grundey, Scotland)
Updating SCDX-2115, Radio Tashkent can also be heard on 17665 kHz in English
at 12:00 and 13:30.
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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
02:00 hrs on 9695 and 11705 kHz
03:30 hrs on 9695 and 11705 kHz
To Latin America:
23:30 hrs on 9695 and 11705 kHz
To Europe, Africa, and the Middle East:
18:00 hrs on 1179, 6065, 9655, and 11900 kHz
19:30 hrs on 6065 and 7265 kHz
22:00 hrs on 1179 and 6065 kHz
23:30 hrs on 1179 kHz
01:00 hrs on 1179 kHz
And to Asia and the Pacific:
12:30 hrs on 11715, 17740, and 21570 kHz
14:00 hrs on 9765 and 21610 kHz
01:00 hrs on 9770 kHz
The Radio Sweden schedule to Europe in Swedish, English, German, French, and
Spanish can be found on EuroSport (on cable and on the Astra and Eutelsat I-
F4 satellites) Tele-Text 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 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 40 contributors this week Good Listening!
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