Miscellaneous

Cyprus

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Former transmitter center USAGM SAWA DOUALYIA and TWR.
Although the USAGM (Voice of America and Sawa) installations have been dismantled, our friend George Vassiliu, former technician at the Radio-Monte-Carlo transmitting center in Cyprus tells us that the MC Doualyia installations are still present. .
So there is always an open door if TWR wishes to rent the facilities by contacting the Cypriot forest service. It would take a quick decision, because in the absence of a tenant, the destruction was to take place in the coming months.
https://www.media-radio.info
https://www.facebook.com/Radiosdumonde/
Michel FREMY to WOR groups.io (2021-01-14)

Uruguay

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Radio Clarín will not close down.
It would have switched off its transmitter on 31 December 2020, abandoning 580 kHz on medium waves. But the station made famous by its music programming focusing on tango, folklore and typical Uruguayan music continues to transmit. The decision by the owners, who wanted to continue on the web, was overruled by Pablo da Silveira, Minister of Education and Culture, who announced that the government would intervene to temporarily run the station to allow negotiations to take place with potential buyers, who have already come forward. Clarín broadcasts daily about 100 songs by Carlos Gardel, one of the most important interpreters of River Plate and Latin American song. The repertoire is limited to 488 recordings of the highest technical quality so that the same song can be heard every five days.
Radio Reporter blog
Mauno Ritola to WRTH fb group (2021-01-12)

Space

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The sun has been blank for 8 days–more than a week without sunspots. This interruption in solar activity is typical of young solar cycles like current Solar Cycle 25. They begin, sputtering, in fits and starts. Don’t be surprised if the action resumes soon.
https://spaceweather.com/
Mike Terry to WOR groups.io (2021-01-11)

The World

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What is that coming over the horizon? It’s the annual UNESCO World Radio Day on Saturday February 13th. This year’s theme is New World, New Radio: Evolution, Innovation and Connection, with UNESCO calling on radio stations to celebrate both this event’s 10th anniversary and over 110 years of radio. 
Radio has been part of our media landscape for over a century and continues to evolve, according to events, socio-economic, political, and legislative contexts.
There are many different ways to listen to the radio, anytime and in any place, making radio the number one media for mobility, thanks to its adaptation to new technologies.
Broadcasters and other organisations that putting on events or programmes for World Radio Day (#WRD21) are encouraged to sign up at the UNESCO World Radio website.
EDXC News (2021-01-11)

Space

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NOAA forecasters say there is a chance of minor (G1-class) geomagnetic storms on Jan. 6th when a double CME likely strikes Earth’s magnetic field. The impact could spark the first significant Arctic auroras of the New Year.
https://spaceweather.com/
Mike Terry to WOR groups.io (2021-01-04)

Space

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This disappearance depressed the average weekly sunspot number, which went from 17.4 last week to 10.3 this week, ending on Wednesday, December 23. Our reporting week runs from Thursday through Wednesday.
Sunspots went missing last Fr
iday and Saturday, but large new sunspot group 2794 appeared on Sunday, December 21, and on Wednesday, Spaceweather.com reported new sunspot group 2795 emerging over our sun’s southeastern limb.
Read more http://www.arrl.org/news/the-k7ra-solar-update-660
Mike Terry to WOR groups.io (2020-12-26)

Space

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A new sunspot is growing near the sun’s southeastern limb. The new ‘spot, numbered AR2795, has increased 10-fold in size since yesterday. It is currently crackling with minor B-class solar flares. Stronger flares are possible if the expansion continues apace.
Mike Terry to WRTH fb group (2020-12-24)

Iceland

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Winter solstice bandscan 2020
I went outside with the radio around 2110Z and was back in by 2120Z. A
small breeze and slight frost made it rather chilly so only one quick
turn on either band.
On the LW band, the clearest thing (after Eiðar, of course) was a
rather high noise level on 162 kHz that masked the Luxembourg effect
imposed on Allouis by Droitwich.
On the MW band, my first impression was that a vague hunch I got on LW
might be right – I was hearing more East European sounds than I’m used
to. I was still getting a few Spanish stations. though.
The Talk Sport relay on 1071 kHz was clear enough that I noticed it
for the first time. 1215 kHz sounded awful, in the suppressed-carrier
way, that is.
I didn’t think of checking it on the webwave band, but there was
something on R. Scotland (810 kHz) after the nine-o’clock news that
sounded like audio art mixing Christmas tunes with jammer transmitter
warbles. Sounded as weird as the description reads.
Reynir Heidberg Stefansson (2020-12-21)