China Radio International on 846 and 1008 kHz in Beijing

China Radio International (CRI) has started test transmissions on 846 kHz and 1008 kHz in the capital Beijing. A 24-hour English-language looped service is being broadcast on both frequencies, says Connor Walsh at CRI. There is however a weekly maintenance break on Tuesdays at 0500-0900 UTC. Transmissions began on January 19, testing for a proper launch possibly around May. Walsh believes that the transmitter power is 10 kilowatts on 846 kHz and 1 kilowatt on 1008 kHz. The transmitters are located in the Beijing municipality. On the Beijing mediumwave dial, CRI has already broadcast in English with different program feeds on 900 kHz (relaying HitFM on 88.7 MHz) and 1251 kHz (relaying 91.5 MHz FM). The address of the station is: English Service, China Radio International, Beijing, 100040, China.
(DXing.info, January 25, 2004)

Czech Radio closes many mediumwave transmitters

Czech Radio (Ceský rozhlas) is closing down many of its mediumwave transmitters on January 31. According to an internal report dated January 15, and reported by Czech DXer Karel Honzik, CRo 6 (a magazine style news and information channel) will no longer be heard on 1071 kHz (currently two transmitters), 1233 kHz (five transmitters) and 1287 kHz (six transmitters). From February CRo 6 programming will however be heard at 1700-2300 UTC (18:00-24:00 local time) over CRo 2 transmitters on 639, 954 and 1332 kHz.
      Also, CRo transmitters on 558 kHz (Tachov/Právo), 864 kHz (Strakonice/Radomysl) and 981 kHz (Jihlava/Vetrník) will be shut on January 31. With the closing of Tachov, Studio Plzen, currently the last regional program remaining on the mediumwave band, will disappear from the AM dial. Studio Plzen has been broadcasting 24 hours a day at 1 kW of power.
      Czech Radio is trying to cut costs as a tax for telecommunication services increased from 5 to 22 % on January 1. Also, the country is well covered by FM transmitters, Honzik explains. Despite the plans to close down also the longwave transmitter in Topolná (270 kHz), the transmitter seems to survive again and stays on the air after 1 February.
(DXing.info, January 18, 2004)

CFAV in Montréal Canada testing on 1570 kHz

The mediumwave frequency of 1570 kHz is returning on the air in Laval, a suburban city of Montréal, in Québec, Canada. The call letters will be CFAV, says secretary Margo Rivard in an interview with DXing.info.
      The station is hoping to be on the air with regular broadcasts by the end of January, conditions permitting. "It is currently -37 degrees (Celsius) here in Montréal," says broadcast consultant Brian Sawyer, who is setting up the technical facilities of the station. According to Sawyer, transmitter power will be 10 kW day and night. A directional antenna with the main lobe at 65 degrees should improve reception in the rest of Québec. The frequency has been off the air for years after vacated by CKLM, which was a regular catch as far as Europe.
      CFAV will be playing nostalgic music from the 20's to the 50's, aimed at an audience of 45 years and older.
      CFAV aired a test transmission of non-stop music on December 23, and identified as Radio Nostalgie during a second test on January 12. According to Sawyer, these short preliminary tests were carried out at a power of 1 kW.
      The address of CFAV is: Radio Nostalgie, 2040 Autoroute 440, Laval, Québec H7S 2M9, Canada.
(DXing.info, January 12, 2004, last updated on January 16)

Sweden's 981 kHz comes alive briefly on January 15

An old Swedish mediumwave frequency will return on the air for a brief special broadcast. The radio amateurs of Gothenburg (Göteborgs Sändareamatörer, GSA) will be using 981 kHz on January 15 for a broadcast to commemorate a Swedish radio pioneer. As reported on HCDX, K.G. Eliasson (1884-1951) made his first regular broadcast from the localities on Vallgatan 8 in Gothenburg (Göteborg) 80 years ago, on January 15, 1924. The transmission will begin with "CQ" morse code and an introduction in Swedish at 1700 UTC, followed by a rebroadcast of Eliasson's historic transmission at 1730 UTC. In an email to DXing.info, project manager Robert Roos (SM6UQP) says that the transmitter will be located at Vallgatan 8, and will have a power of 300-1000 watts depending on the antenna. The name of the station will be SMZX, which used to be Eliasson's ham call sign. GSA welcomes reception reports of this historical event, and promises to answer them with a special QSL-card. The address of GSA is: Göteborgs Sändareamatörer, Box 230, S-435 25 Mölnlycke, Sweden.
       Because of technical difficulties the transmitter power turned out to be only 30 watts, so the station was not heard over a very wide area.
(DXing.info, January 12, 2004, last updated on January 16)

New in Argentina: Radio Italia 1620 and Planeta Radio 1580 kHz

Two new unofficial stations have appeared on the mediumwave dial in Argentina. Radio Italia on 1620 kHz is broadcasting from Villa Martelli, Vicente Lopez district, in the northern part of the capital region Buenos Aires. The station was first reported heard by Arnaldo Slaen in Argentina on January 1, 2004, with a test transmission. Telephone number +54-11-4709-1172 was announced. The station is broadcasting in Spanish for the Italian community in the area. For an overview of stations in Buenos Aires, and recordings of their station identifications, check out sound files compiled by Nicolás Eramo in the DXing.info audio archive.
      Also in Argentina, a station identifying as Planeta Radio AM 1580 from Rosario, Provincia de Santa Fé, has been heard testing by Rubén Guillermo Margenet in Argentina on December 31, 2003. According to Guillermo in DXLD 3-235, the station is an "unofficial" one (not officially licensed), and didn't announce any contact information.
(DXing.info, January 3, 2004)

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.

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