COPE 1215. In Europe 1215 kHz is occupied by two Spain stations, COPE Córdoba and COPE León. For the last few nights only one very weak COPE audio is heard. It is hardly there at all. I think there are two carriers on the frequency but the second carrier has no audio at all. So maybe there are faults with each transmitter. Can a listener in Spain confirm that for us? Whenever there is a COPE transmitter fault we wonder if it will be repaired or switched off.
I have been going through the NRC AM Log to do updates and I compared the number of Canadian AM radio stations left on air over the years:
Year Number of Canadian AM Radio Stations 2011 329 2012 317 2013 300 2014 276 2015 261 2016 256 2017 246 2018 232 2019 216 2020 210 2021 208 2022 205 2023 191 Going going gone seems to be the pattern. 2023 is the year it went below 200 in decades.
Shawn Axelrod VE4DX1SMA Winnipeg MB Canada to irca iog (2023-06-24)
(Translated from German) Long wave 252 kHz: For several months it has been observed that Chaine 3 from Algeria is only broadcast sporadically via long wave 252 kHz. The times without their broadcast tend to accumulate or always take longer periods of time. In this regard, it might indicate testing whether it would be justifiable to end Chaine 3’s broadcasting on long wave.
Impartial Radio in The Occupied Territories of Ukraine: Broadcasts To Be Organised by The Ministry of Transport and Communications 2023 06 22
The Ministry of Transport and Communications was instructed by the Government on Wednesday [21 June 2023] to ensure the implementation of medium-wave radio broadcasts from the territory of the Republic of Lithuania in the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine. From April 2022, this service will [?] enable citizens of Ukraine to receive impartial information from the Ukrainian authorities through alternative means. In 2023, the broadcasting costs will be covered by the Lithuanian state budget. Ukraine is facing electricity supply issues and daily blackouts. In the event of a power outage, FM transmissions, TV broadcasting and internet access are interrupted. The public is left without any source of information. By transmitting medium-wave radio broadcasts from Lithuania, the Ministry of Transport and Communications ensures the stable and uninterrupted transmission of radio broadcasts to the citizens of Ukraine (including the territories of Ukraine seized by Russia, which cannot be covered by FM), as these broadcasts can be received by any car radios as well as by simple battery-powered radio receivers. Radio broadcasts remain the only source of reliable and timely information for citizens under occupation, where Russian propaganda and disinformation are actively disseminated. “Supporting Ukraine is a priority for the state, and therefore, taking into account the contribution we have made so far, we have found opportunities to continue to preserve radio broadcasts on the territory of Ukraine via a medium-wave transmitter,” told Ramūnas Dilba, Chancellor of the Ministry of Transport and Communications. The radio programmes can be received at a distance of more than 1000 km from Lithuania and reach an audience of more than 100 million people in Ukraine, Russia and Belarus. According to a letter from the Ministry of Culture and Information Policy of Ukraine, due to the unstable operation of the electric power system in Ukraine, it is extremely difficult, and sometimes impossible, to ensure the uninterrupted transmission of radio broadcasts. This is particularly relevant in areas where infrastructure is almost completely destroyed. Radio programmes are delivered to the occupied territories in Lithuania by SC Lithuanian Radio and Television Centre.
— There seems to be a problem with the tenses. The reference to April 2022 suggests that Lithuania pays for the airtime of the nightly broadcasts of the Ukrainian Radio which started in April 2022 and will continue doing so.
Dr Hansjoerg Biener (2023-06-25)
Actually, it’s about a prolongation of nightly relays of Radio Ukraine International (21:00-03:30 UC on 1386 kHz). There is a more detailed article on that at the Lithuanian Radio & TV’s site, though it’s in Ukrainian. I don’t think that they are efficient in the occupied territories, taking into account that these relays are made at nights and early mornings (when most people sleep) and the fact that almost every hour starts with a news bulletin in foreign languages. And the power of 75 kW is not that big to reach southern and eastern Ukraine in a decent quality. In fact, the Lithuanians pay for the external service of the Ukrainian Radio rather than for broadcasting for the occupied territories…
According to the article, last year’s expenses of the relays exceeded EUR 50,000. The Ministry of Finance requested to allocate EUR 170,130 for their prolongation in 2024. Initially I thought those were paid by RFERL, but now it has become clear that it’s up to Lithuania.
University Radio York switching of 1350 kHz with an 8 hour tribute.
UK: 1350AM: The Last Hurrah! Sunday, 25 Jun 2023, 10:00 Listen as URY presenters from over the years return for one final broadcast on 1350AM. https://ury.org.uk/schedule/shows/timeslots/151472/ University York Radio waves goodbye to AM transmission. 22/06/2023 By Nadia Sayed
On Sunday, 25 June 2023, University Radio York, the university’s student-run radio station, will be switching off its AM transmitter for the final time after having it on for 55 years.he station has been broadcasting to students at the University of York since 1968, utilising different AM frequencies. 1968 was also the year which saw the station become the first legal independent radio station in the whole of the UK. […] Shortly before the turn of the millennium, URY moved onto 1350 AM and has stayed at this AM ever since. After completing a one-year trial during the 2021-2022 academic year, Ofcom approved URY’s FM Restricted Service Licence to cover campus for five years until August 2027. Harvey Mellor, who is Station Manager at URY, said, Broadcasting on AM has been an important part of URY’s image and sound for more than five decades. With AM radios now used less and less, broadcasting on FM and online is the way forward. […] https://www.nouse.co.uk/articles/2023/06/22/university-york-radio-waves-goodbye-to-am-transmission
URY has a rich history of pioneering broadcasting, commencing under a test licence as Radio Heslington in 1967, becoming Radio York in 1968 and culminating in 1969 as the first fully-licensed legal independent radio station in the UK with an inaugural broadcast by John Peel. Over the years, we have been fortunate enough to receive numerous awards, including BBC Radio 1 Student Station of the Year in 2005, and many awards from the Student Radio Association. At URY we cover a large range of campus events including Student Union Elections, but we also host our own charity events, such as the 40-hour broadcast in aid of Macmillan Cancer Support back in March 2013, where we raised over £1,800. In June 2016, we went a step further and hosted URY’s longest ever show “URY 101”, live from Greg’s Place for 101 hours, all in aid of Yorkshire Cancer Research raising a massive £1,700. We pride ourselves at URY for running all the technical aspects of the radio station ourselves. In summer 2015, the internal audio routing was completely overhauled and converted to audio over IP by the engineering team in a project known as “Beat the Buzz”. In 2018 we were awarded a grant by the University of York of £40,000 to upgrade our studios and upgrade them we did. Brand new audio equipment, a total interior re-design, and fancy red/blue colour schemes to match, the 40K project, completed Christmas 2019 and fronted by some of URY’s most dedicated members, allowed us to produce highly polished material while also giving the broader community in the University a place to create their own audio content. Over the decades we’ve enjoyed ourselves doing all manner of ridiculous things on and off-air. We pride ourselves on our innovative approach to radio that you will struggle to find in the industry. Luckily these ideas are recognised by industry professionals by a plethora of awards. In 2020, nearly 15 years since our last win for gold in the category – we won the gold award for Best Student Radio Station in the country at the Student Radio Awards. The judges praised the attention we gave to our audience and the novel ideas we pushed to the forefront of our content. In 2021, we were given a license to broadcast on FM at the same time as AM, getting us onto both 1350AM and 88.3FM. https://ury.org.uk/about/
Just wondering if you can hear Channel 3 from Algeria on 252 kHz? I’m not getting it at the moment on any of my receivers here in Limerick, Ireland. Normally it comes in very strong (often drowning out RTE when that station was still on the same frequency). I can’t copy it on any web SDRs either. Of course this station has gone off the air a couple of times only to re-appear…
Conor Burns (2023-06-25)
Made a check via a Spanish SDR, and could see a strong carrier on the frequency. Maybe some transmitter problems?
Greek AM-pirates picked up outdoors with an XH Data D-808 + Tecsun AN 200 (induction) QTH: Mavrovuoni, Gytheio, s.Peleponessos 17-18 June, around 22:00, local summertime (GMT+3), plenty of local QRN-noise, almost all with nonstop laikes music
801 heard both nights 846 greek pop music 882 both nights, phone number 972 laikes 1044 strong signal, heard also in Athens 1125 live px, phone number, messages, DJ with echo, ID: “Radio …..” ( may have been Miniwatt?) 1188 laikes 1206 both nights 1224 laikes 1233 laikes 1287 laikes, ads (?) 1386 laikes 1395 strong signal 1440 both nights, strong signal 1476 + arab-QRM 1512 laikes 1530 laikes 1539 both nights 1548 laikes 1557 laikes 1602 laikes 1611 laikes
POSSIBLE GLANCING-BLOW CME: Minor G1-class geomagnetic storms are possible on June 27th if, as NOAA models suggest, a CME might graze Earth’s magnetic field. The slow moving CME was hurled into space on June 22nd by an M4.8-class solar flare. https://www.spaceweather.com/
