Radio América from Paraguay
testing on 7300 and 7737 kHz
A new shortwave station
from Paraguay is testing on low power. Radio América
from Asunción is broadcasting 24 hours a
day on 7300 (100 watts) and 7737 kHz. In late July
the station was transmitting around the clock also
on 15185 kHz with only 5 watts of power, but this
transmitter is being upgraded and is currently (mid-August)
off the air. Sporadic tests on 1610 are also conducted,
with a power of 100 watts or more, the station says.
Transmissions on 15185 kHz are omnidirectional,
while 7300 kHz is beamed to 184 degrees and 7737
kHz is beamed to 4 degrees, says Technical advisor
Adán Mur in an email to DXing.info. Programming
is a relay of ZP20 Radio América on 1480
kHz (1 kW) serving the capital area. The other frequencies
are transmitted from a location near Villeta (some
25 km southeast of Asunción), where Radio
América has built a new transmitter site,
while 1480 kHz is transmitted from Ñemby,
a suburb of Asunción. The station has already
been heard as far away as Germany. Reports are welcome
and can be sent by email,
to fax number +595 21 963 149 or by mail to Casilla
de Correo 2220, Asunción, Paraguay.
Starting September 3, 7737 kHz was replaced by 7370
kHz, which is on the air 24 hours a day along with
7300 kHz. In October, 7385 and 9980 kHz were announced.
Profile
of the station written by Adán Mur
(DXLD 2-118 via DXing.info
July 29, 2002, last update DXing.info, Oct 9)
Hezbollah station closed
down
Lebanese radio station Voice
of the Oppressed from Baalbek has closed down on
July 19th, obeying a government order that all unlicensed
stations must be shut down. Founded in 1983, Sawt
al-Mustadaafin (Voice of the Oppressed) was
the oldest radio station operated by the pro-Iranian
Shiite Muslim fundamentalists. The station used
to broadcast on 684 kHz and on FM. Hezbollah still
operates Radio of the Light (al-Nour) in
the capital Beirut on FM, but this is a licensed
station.
(DXing.info July 29, 2002)
Radio Okapi from Congo on
6030, 9550 and 11690 kHz
Radio
Okapi, a network run by the UN mission in the Democratic
Republic of Congo (MONUC), is expanding its services.
A new shortwave station is due to be completed in
Kinshasa in early September. Meanwhile, DXers may
try three shortwave frequencies of 6030, 9550 and
11690 kHz, each 100 watts of power. 9550 kHz is
the only frequency logged by DXers so far. Radio
Okapi already has a large network of FM stations,
the most recent one of which begun broadcasting
in the northwestern town of Gbadolite on 93 FM.
The other FM stations are located in Kisangani (94.8
FM), Goma (105.2 FM), Kalemie (105 FM), Kananga
(100 FM), Mbandaka (103 FM), Kindu (103 FM) and
the capital Kinshasa (103.5 FM), from where all
broadcasts originate. In the coming months, additional
FM stations will be opened in Beni, Bukavu, Bunia,
Lubumbashi and Mbuji-Mayi.
A joint initiative of MONUC and the
Swiss-based Fondation Hirondelle, Radio Okapi was
launched on 25 February to coincide with the convocation
of the inter-Congolese dialogue in Sun City, South
Africa. It broadcasts 24 hours per day, seven days
per week in French, Kiswahili, Lingala, and Tshiluba.
The material broadcast by Okapi is made available
to other local media free of charge. Radio Okapi
enables Congolese to talk to each other across the
country's political divides, the organisers say.
The radio's transmitting stations are guaranteed
freedom from censorship under agreements with the
various authorities in Congo, and broadcast from
UN military mission bases, guarded by UN troops.
Radio Okapi began using new 10-kilowatt transmitters
on September 30, initially on 6030 and 11690 kHz,
while 9550 kHz would be upgraded later.
(IRIN News via DXing.info
July 19, 2002, updated September 30)
Forest of Dean Radio new
from UK on 1521 kHz
Forest of Dean Community
Radio (FODCR) in the United Kingdom will begin regular
broadcasts on 1521 kHz from Coleford on July 19th.
Testing has already begun. Transmitter power is
200 watts, with a 5-watt relay transmitter in Newent
on 1503 kHz. Address: Forest Of Dean Community Radio,
The Studio, Unit 6/6F The Mews, Mitcheldean, Gloucestershire
GL17 0SL, United Kingdom. Telephone: +44 1594 542452
(Amanda Smith). The station can be contacted by
email and
it has a website, but it is poorly updated. This
is the second of the so-called Access Radio
stations to begin broadcasting on the AM band; the
first one was Desi Radio on 1602 kHz starting in
April 2002. Access Radio stations are local not-for-profit
radio services that can receive both public and
commercial funding. FODCR is one of the pilot stations
in this new category of radio stations licensed
by the Radio Authority, and has previously conducted
several short-term radio operations on FM. A sample
station
identification can be found in the Audio section.
(DXing.info July 14,
2002)
Radio Mi Amigo from UK on 1503
kHz for one month
Radio Mi Amigo, an RSL station
from the United Kingdom, will be on the air from July
18th to August 14th 2002, broadcasting from the harbour
of Harvich. The station is promoting the restoration
of a historic lightvessel. Their frequency of 1503
kHz is relatively free of interference, so the station
could be heard also outside the United Kingdom despite
its low power. Contact person for the station is A.
J. O'Neill, telephone +44 7796 280 980 and email.
(DXing.info July 14,
2002)
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Laser Radio testing from Latvia
on 5935 kHz
The only Latvian shortwave
transmitter is rarely on the air, but can now be heard
with Laser Radio's test programming. The first test
took place on Saturday, July 13, and further tests
are scheduled on three Sundays, July 14, 21 and 28,
at 1400-2200 UTC on 5935 kHz. Getting a special numbered
QSL is exceptionally expensive, the station is asking
£2, €3 or $3 toward the cost of preparing
and posting QSL cards. Reception reports should be
mailed to Reception Reports,
LaserRadio.net, BCM Aquarius, London WC1N 3XX, United
Kingdom. (DXing.info
July 14, 2002)
Radio Independent Makumui from Bougainville on 3850
kHz
Radio Independent Makumui
(RIM) has reactivated on 3850 kHz shortwave. Using
Radio Free Bougainville's equipment, this clandestine
station from the Bougainville Island of Papua New
Guinea began transmissions on June 12th. In late June
the station was off but should be on the air more
regularly by now. RIM operates from the self-declared
Republic of Mekamui, where Francis Ona is the President
of the Mekamui National Congress (MNC). The MNC fears
that the PNG elections are a way for the PNG government
to reestablish control over central Bougainville.
Hence the reactivatation of the radio station and
the declaration of the No Go Zone by the Mekamui
Defense Force. Mekamui means holy land in the
local language. RIM is using 3850 kHz in AM mode with
80 watts. It is on the air at 0845-1100 UTC. At 0845-0900
there is music and then programs in English, Pidgin
and vernaculars. RIM operates from the Panguna copper
mine site in Bougainville. Reception reports are confirmed
by Sam Voron, 2 Griffith Ave, Roseville, NSW 2069,
Australia. At least 4 IRCs should be enclosed.
(Hans Johnson, Cumbre
DX July 11 via DXLD 2-111 via DXing.info July 14,
2002)
Luxembourg to reactivate 6090
kHz shortwave
RTL
Luxembourg plans to reactivate its shortwave transmitter
on 6090 kHz. The first test is scheduled for July
10th at 0600-2100 UTC with 500 kW of power (2 x
250 kW Telefunken units). The programming will be
a relay of RTL-Radio - Die grössten Oldies.
Shortwave transmissions ceased in the end of
1994, but Broadcasting Center Europe (CLT-UFA RTL)
has continued to operate transmitters on 216 and
1440 kHz. The company plans further analogue tests
on shortwave but is also preparing to rebuild another
one of the two units to be able to broadcast digital
DRM signal. Mr. Eugène Muller is in charge
of verifying reports and can be reached by email
or by mail to Broadcasting Center Europe S.A., 45
boulevard Pierre Frieden, L-1543 Luxembourg.
On July 10 the reception proved to be pretty good
in Europe, but did not reach the Americas. In the
audio section you can listen to Radio Luxembourg's
station identifications
both from 1990 and 2002. (Jerry
Berg and Wolfgang Büschel via DXplorer via
DXing.info July 4, 2002, updated July 13)
Radio Hami from Finland on 1584
kHz on July 10-13th
A
special broadcast from Radio Hami in Finland is
scheduled on July 10-13th 2002 on the frequency
of 1584 kHz. Radio Hami is operated by the Finnish
Amateur Radio League (SRAL) and has been broadcasting
periodically since 1991 during SRAL happenings.
This summer's broadcast coincides with SRAL's summer
camp in Jämsä in Central Finland. Also
the World Radiosport Team Championships are held
in the capital Helsinki on July 9-16th 2002. The
AM station is simulcasting on 105.3 FM. You can
reach the station by writing to Radio Hami, c/o
Ari Husa, Kasöörinkatu 2 B 34, FI-00520
Helsinki, Finland. (DXing.info
July 4, 2002)
Radio Free Europe abandons
Czech but not Prague![](../images/empty_row.gif)
Radio
Free Europe will end broadcasts in the Czech language
in September as part of revising its strategy. Thomas
A. Dine, President of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty,
has announced that funding for the Czech language
Radio Svobodna Evropa will end later this
year and by mutual agreement RFE/RL will dissolve
its partnership with Czech Radio, which provides
a frequency for the broadcast. The U.S. Broadcasting
Board of Governors (BBG) has decided not to continue
funding for the Czech service starting October 1st,
when the new fiscal year begins. The decision to
end Czech broadcasts is in line with ending transmissions
in Polish and Hungarian in the 1990's. RFE's focus
continues to shift to Central Asia, where broadcasting
to Afghanistan is expected to be expanded from the
present 10½ hours daily to 12 hours daily.
However, unlike often speculated, RFE is not leaving
its headquarters in Prague.
(DXing.info July 3, 2002)
The purpose of the radio news section
is to inform about new mediumwave (AM) and shortwave
broadcasting stations worldwide. Other news are
published only on major international broadcasters
or issues very relevant to DXers. New programs and
schedules are not covered.
The news are edited by Mika
Mäkeläinen. Extracts from news items
may be quoted if the website http://www.DXing.info
is mentioned as source. See terms
of use for details.
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