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

Laser Radio testing from Latvia on 5935 kHz

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
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)

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