Month: March 2024

Pacafic Bandscan

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Re.: https://mediumwave.info/2024/03/14/pacific-bandscan/ 630 kHz

“Yes of course.  Now that I found it on the Internet I see that it operates with 500 kW.  3LO is 50 kW.  The English lesson program material makes sense to.”

And here another update from later today (March 15th)
“Station T8AA [1584 kHz /Ed] in Koror is indeed on the air in Palau. The internet says its 5 kW, and it seems to cover all the islands well. They also have an FM signal on 87.9 with very limited range. The only programming I heard was recorded music in the local language, not what I expected from a government station.
There’s also a shortwave religious station on the island. Hope Radio (formerly LaSea Broadcasting) has 100 kW on 9965 kHz. It’s signal overpowered my radio.”

Via Ben Dawson (2024-03-15)

Pacific Bandscan

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My colleague who is on a round the world cruse sent this message this morning:

“We are now north of Indonesia and will stop at Palau tomorrow.   
I listened on 630.  There are signals in the distance, but not clear enough to identify.
I hear only one clear station on the AM band.  I am guessing it is 3LO from Melbourne.   It was broadcasting English lessons for Japanese speakers. 
But the shortwave bands are full of signals, unlike in the US.  Mostly signals in Chinese.  The Chinese time and frequency station BPM is strong on 5000 khz, with WWVH in the background.“

I had asked him if he would monitor 630 for me, operating as it is on a temporary antenna.  He did not report hearing the 1584 in Palau.

73, Ben Dawson (2024-03-14)


SW Pacific? 774 not 3LO but surely NHK.

Glenn Hauser (2024-03-14)

United Kingdom

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Longwave Campaign Update
The petition has now received close to 3000 signatures!

This is a quick update to let you know how things stand at the moment.
The BBC has confirmed that the LW transmitters will continue to broadcastradio teleswitching time signals used for Economy7 heaters until at least March 2025, following a request from the energy companies. We are told that ‘it is a good assumption’ that LW broadcasts of BBC Radio 4 will continue until this date, but this is not 100% certain yet.
However, separate LW programming is still expected to stop at the end of this month, March 2024. This means that the LW signal will be a simulcast of Radio 4 FM from April onwards. 
Most programmes will not change as a result of this. But ‘Yesterday in Parliament’, ‘Daily Service’ and ‘Test Match Special’ are not carried by FM and will therefore become digital only, available via Radio 4 Extra, Radio 5 Extra or online. The BBC don’t seem to be willing to budge on this, despite a reconfiguration of the Radio 4 schedule at the same time that could have seen ‘Daily Service’ at least get a new slot on FM.
The future of the LW band, and iconic Droitwich transmitter, after any potential switch-off remains unclear.
Since cost seems to be the main issue, a cheaper option of installing a ‘solid state’ LW transmitter at Droitwich instead of replacing the valves in the current one has been suggested to the BBC, but they are currently unwilling to pursue this.
Overall, we still have hopefully around a year to continue the campaign. It may be that a change in government, and more signatures on the petition, could help to sway things in our direction.
Do please get in touch with any ideas or questions.

Thanks again for your support,
Dr Tobias Thornes Campaign to Keep Longwave https://keeplongwave.co.uk

Via Mike Terry to Longwaveradiolistening iog (2024-03-13)

Mexico

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Radio Educacion‘s Centennial in 2024.
To celebrate its century of broadcasting, in Nov 2023, Radio Educacion in Mexico began a new feature, Radio Centenaria, to present programs emblematic of its history. Right now it is only on its AM channel, 1060 kHz, and on-line Monday-Friday at 15-19 hours local time. Each month covers a different decade (February was the 1940s). All of this is of course en Espanol and fascinating. Their Radio Centenaria special site is here and includes the program schedule for the month:
https://sites.google.com/view/agendare/radio-centenaria?authuser=0

In June there will be an Encuentro Diexista of more direct interest to shortwave listeners, and between now and then this column will carry more details about that event and the history of the station. Radio Educacion’s shortwave frequency is 6185 kHz. That service began in 1977, which is why the mediumwave centenary carries more heft on AM radio. Compared to its AM cousins the program schedule is more limited (with a lot of good music filler).

Classical music fans should take special note of Sunday’s Concierto O.S.N. which takes place Sundays from 1815 to 2015 local time (currently 0015-0215 UTC). More about the centennial and its programs (especially any shortwave tie-ins) in the coming months.

(Bill Tilford-IN-USA; private SW Program Spotlight; via NASWA Journal #3 – page #9; of March 8, 2024)
BC-DX items 8 March via WOR iog (2024-03-13)

Canada

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CANADIAN RADIO NEWS –Jon Pearkins
jon@pearkins.com
All times Eastern Standard Time (EST). {sic}

690 BC Vancouver CBU
“The Weekly Hour of Francophone Music” at 0222 on Thursday, March 7th serves as a reminder that anything French on 690 does not have to be CBKF-1 Gravelbourg SK. The same is true for other CBC Radio One stations, adjusting for the local Time Zone. This has been a long time tradition on the CBC. In the 1970s, it was “Musique de chez nous” which aired with bilingual announcing on both the English and French AM networks each week, as well as many CBC affiliates. Unfortunately, it fell victim to the CRTC’s later Ruling that bilingual announcing was not allowed on Canadian radio stations.

910 AB Drumheller CKDQ
Last week, their Branding changed from Real Country to New Country, to match co-owned CFCW-FM Camrose AB.

Canadian Radio News (CRN) posts on https://radiowest.ca by Dan Sys provide much of the information for this column, with additional tips from Theo Donnelly.

IRCA DX Monitor March 16, published March 12 via WOR iog (2024-03-13)

India

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Special Ramadan broadcast by Akashvani stations.
Like every year, the special transmissions for Ramadan has started from Akashvani stations in Jammu & Kashmir as follows:

Timings (variable) : 4.20 am to 5.25 am (2250 to 2355 hrs UTC)
Frequencies
1116 kHz 300 kW Srinagar
1350 kHz 20 kW Kupwara
103.5 MHz 10 kW Srinagar

This transmission is for about 1 hour and sign on and sign off timings vary. It will continue for one month – till Ramzan day ie around 9 April 2024.
After the above program the Srinagar station signs off and comes back on air for their regular broadcasts starting from 6.48 am.
It is a good time to catch the station from long distances

Yours sincerely, Jose Jacob to dxindia iog (2024-03-12)

United States

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Audacy has requested the cancellation of the licenses for 720 KDWN Las Vegas and 1140 KXST North Las Vegas NV after failing to resume operations by the March 1 deadline.

Audacy took both stations silent on March 1, 2023 after selling the land holding its tower site to a warehouse developer for $40 million. The site, which until the past couple of years was located in desert land near Nellis Air Force Base and Las Vegas Motor Speedway, has been rapidly built up with warehouse development. Three sides of the now-former Audacy property are now surrounded by Amazon warehouses. Ahead of the land-sale, Audacy acquired KDWN and 101.5 K268CS Las Vegas from Beasley Media Group in exchange for 107.5 KXTE Pahrump/Las Vegas. Beasley had diplexed KDWN at the 1140 KXST tower in 2020 after selling its real estate in Henderson to housing developers.

The company made an attempt to retain both licenses as it applied in September to combine both station at the site of co-owned Conservative Talk 840 KXNT North Las Vegas where KDWN would have operated with a non-directional 25kW day using one tower and a directional 4kW night utilizing three of KXNT’s towers and KXST would be directional day and night using two of the towers for a 12kW daytime operation and three towers for 100 watts at night.

KDWN launched in 1975 and would shift to a Talk format a few years later. It would add Art Bell as overnight host in 1983 and he would then go into national syndication a decade later with his show renamed “Coast To Coast AM”.

1140 The Bet KXST North Las Vegas

KXST’s history is longer as it originally signed on as 1050 KRBO in 1956. The station would move to 1140 and take on the KLUC call letters around a decade later. What the station has never had was any format or call letter stability with time as KMJJ, KZAP, KXNO, KSFN, and KYDZ before becoming KXST in 2013. Formats have varied from AC, Hot Talk, Casino information, multiple Sports attempts, Heavy Metal, Children’s programming, simulcasts of CHR 98.5 KLUC-FM, brand extensions of cable networks, and Sports Betting.

Following the sign-off of the AMs, KDWN’s programming continued on 101.5 K268CS Las Vegas fed via 94.1 KMXB-HD3, while KXST’s “The Bet” identity continued on 98.5 KLUC-HD2.
https://radioinsight.com/headlines/265979/audacy-surrenders-kdwn-kxst-licenses-after-failing-to-restore-operations-before-deadline/

Lance Venta, RadioInsight (2024-03-11)

United States

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DX Alert: WSB 750 off air.
Check out 750 kHz
WSB suddenly dropped of the air at about 0410 UTC and is still off.
Argentina  was heard here with Tango music

Mike Westfall to irca iog (2024-03-12 05:06 UTC)

Armenia

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Today monday 11 March at 1805 UTC Heard public radio of Armenia on 1395 strength good about s7 YL in unknown language slowly fading out

Kelly Marie Angel Johnson (2024-03-11)