::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: :: SWEDEN CALLING DXERS :: :: from Radio Sweden :: :: Number 2120--Nov. 20, 1990 :: ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: Shortwave and other electronic media news from Radio Sweden. This week's bulletin was written by George Wood. Packet Radio BID SCDX2120 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- SWEDEN--Some listeners on the West Coast of North America have suggested that we switch our broadcasts from 17880 kHz to 17875 (because of inference from the BBC). In order to test this alternative channel, we're using our third SW transmitter at a free time, 16:30-17:00 hrs, and relaying one of the programs already in service at that time--German. The beam is 320 degrees, and the tests should continue until Thursday-- Thanksgiving Day. We're very interested in reception reports, and encourage listeners to fax them to us. Americans should dial 011-468-667-6283. Sweden has the highest penetration of teletext (Text-TV) in the world. According to a study by the Swedish Broadcasting Corporation's Program Research Department, every second Swede has access to teletext. Remember, the complete Radio Sweden schedule to Europe can be found in the teletext service of EuroSport, on page 496. Personnel at Swedish Radio's immigrant languages department have protested a decision to cut-back broadcasts in Greek, to make way for increases in Polish and Persian. Greek broadcasts on weekdays would be taken off the air, leaving a broadcast on Sundays. Polish and Persian would each be carried "every other day". (TT) ************************************************************************* The Gulf: IRAQ--Radio Baghdad's "Voice of Peace" broadcasts to American soldiers in the Saudi Arabian desert have changed character. Originally playing music that AP describes as "more appropriate in elevators", "Baghdad Betty", as she's been dubbed, has switched to American Top 40. According to the soldiers, they tune in now to listen to the music, but ignore the commentary. As Staff Sgt. Joseph Herald told AP: "As long as she plays good music, who cares what she has to say? Anyone who's supported by someone insane can't be telling too much truth." (AP) SAUDI ARABIA/USA--We've reported before on the American military's "Desert Shield Network", relaying the Armed Forces Radio and Television Service to American soldiers in Saudi Arabia, on FM. Reuters reports that the introduction of American-style radio is having an effect in conservative Saudi Arabia. Information is rigidly controlled in Saudi Arabia, where censors tear offending pages from foreign newspapers and magazines before they go on sale. Desert Shield's own programs are specially tailored to avoid offending local susceptibilities. But programs are broadcast directly from the United States 14 hours a day. Hourly news bulletins read from Washington reflect a liberal society far different from Saudi Arabia. USA--Columnist William Safire has suggested in the "New York Times" that the United States counter "Baghdad Betty" with its own propaganda broadcasts to Iraq. The Voice of America is now broadcasting around the clock to the Gulf, 13 of those hours every day in Arabic. But Safire says the VOA is limited to straight reporting, and is not the vehicle for the job. The columnist wants to copy the existing Radio Free Aghanistan by using Iraqi and Kudish exiles to make programs in local accents, to be broadcast from VOA transmitters in Greece. (New York Times) Meanwhile, the American space shuttle "Atlantis" has been in space on a secret military mission. Civilian experts say they believe Atlantis launched a satellite to spy on Iraqi forces. (Reuter) UNITED ARAB EMIRATES/EGYPT--Egypt's Voice of the Arabs program is now relayed by satellite to the Gulf and retransmitted in the United Arab Emirates on 1575 kHz. (BBC Monitoring) UNITED ARAB EMIRATES--UAE Radio Dubai at 16:00-16:40 hrs in English is now using 11795, 13675, 15320, 15400, 21605, and 21675 kHz. (Tom Sundstrom, USA) UAE Radio in Abu Dhabi is now broadcasting in English to North America at 22:00-24:00 hrs on 6170 and 9600 kHz and 00:00-02:00 hrs on 6170 and 9505 kHz. Broadcasts beamed to "North West America" are scheduled at 22:00-23:00 hrs on 15100 kHz and 23:00-24:00 hrs on 13605 kHz. All other broadcasts from Abu Dhabi are in Arabic. (UAE Radio) ************************************************************************** SATELLITE-TV--Beginning November 22nd, Yugoslav Television and Radio will be broadcasting over France's TDF-1 satellite, using the La Sept transponder. Five hours of Yugoslavian programs are to be carried on this channel every week. (Radio Belgrade via BBC Monitoring) Britain's Independent Broadcasting Authority says the recent merger between satellite broadcasters Sky Television and British Satellite Broadcasting violates BSB's licence, which the IBA seems set to withdraw. The authority is unable to actually block the merger, since broadcasts from the new company will be from the Astra satellite, outside British jurisdiction. The practical result is that BSB signals will disappear from the Marco Polo satellite sooner than planned, leaving 100,000 receiver and antenna owners without a service. The IBA says it will invite offers from other companies for the Marco Polo frequencies, but it is uncertain anyone would want to take the risk. (Reuter) Sky News is supposed to be broadcast only to the British Isles, from the Astra satellite. But it was announced at the Vision 90 exhibition in Stockholm recently that Sky News is officially expanding outside of Britain. It's signed an agreement with Stockholm's largest cable company, Stjaern-TV, and will be carried in their basic tier from the beginning of the year. FUTURE TV TECHNOLOGY--CNN covered the summit meeting between Presidents Bush and Gorbachev in Helsinki in early September by shipping 15 tons of equipment to the Finnish capital. But in a few years a similar project will require considerably less tonnage. Cameras are growing smaller and lighter. And, according to CNN's Jerry Lilly, in the future digital telephone lines can be used to transfer signals, eliminating the need for satellite uplinks. (Svenska Dagbladet) Meanwhile, at the Radio Television News Directors Association Conference, held recently in San Jose, California, TV news technology of the next century was under discussion. Solid state cameras, expected to be available in 1999, will store video images on chips, rather than tape or film. That means newscasts can be assembled directly on computer screens. On the other hand, the fiber optic cable systems of the future will be inter-active, and viewers will be able to create their own custom-made newcasts, choosing what they want to see. One speaker at the conference envisioned reporters working independently, sending their reports to a central pool, to compete with other stories. Viewers would just choose the stories they want to see. News Directors and networks might then be a thing of the past. (San Francisco Chronicle) In today's English edition of Sweden Calling DXers, we're looking at the Cable News Network, talking to media critic Roger Wallis and CNN Regional Vice President Patric Hale. DIGITAL RADIO--Japan is about to launch the world's first nationwide digital radio system. The broadcasts will use pulse code modulation, or PCM, matching the quality of compact disks, and free from the usual radio hissing noises. Test begin this month via satellite, and full services are scheduled to begin in April. The first PCM station is Satellite Digital Audio Broadcasting, or SDAB. There are to be around 18 much such stations, all of which could be on the air late next year. The services will be offered on a subscription basis, costing around 4 and a half dollars a month. But the installation fee for the decoder will be nearly 200 dollars. Many listeners must also invest several hundred dollars in a satellite antenna and receiver. Around three million households in Japan have already installed satellite equipment to view NHK's satellite television channels, making the extra investment to listen to SDAB much smaller. But the other 18 radio channels to go on the air next year will be beamed from two different satellites, requiring new antennas and receivers. (Reuters) Swedish Radio would like to start a digital service, which could go on the air as early as 1996. However, for this to happen, the currently unused band between 104 and 108 MHz would have to be reserved for digital transmissions. ("Reptilen") ************************************************************************** Short and Medium Wave: COSTA RICA--Radio Impacto, which supported the Contra cause against the government of Nicaragua, is now called Radio Cordillera, and operates on 980 kHz medium wave only. The shortwave transmitters will probably be purchased by some other station. (Ken MacHarg, visiting Costa Rica, in "mv-eko") CUBA--Radio Havana Cuba is continuing to be relayed from transmitters in the USSR. There's an English broadcast to the Middle East and East Africa at 20:00-21:00 hrs on 11850 kHz and to Western Europe at 22:00-23:00 hrs on 7215 kHz. (Tom Sundstrom) CZECHOSLAVAKIA--Radio Prague International is now broadcasting at 00:00-00:15 hrs in English to North America on 7345, 9540, and 11990 kHz; and at 01:00, 03:00, and 04:00 hrs on 5930, 7345, and 9540 kHz. On Mondays (UTC) the 00:00 broadcast is 30 minutes long. (Tom Sundstrom) GUINEA--Radio France International is now being relayed in Conakry on 92.8 MHz FM. (BBC Monitoring) JAPAN--Studies are under way concerning a possible new Persian language service from Radio Japan to Iran and Afghanistan. The new service would use the transmitting station under construction in Sri Lanka. Radio Japan will start leasing transmitter from from Sri Lanka from January, 1991. (Radio Japan) RWANDA--Radio Rwanda has launched a daily 30 minute program in English. Inauguration of the program follows the invasion of Rwanda last month from rebels in exile in neighboring Uganda. Radio Rwanda already broadcasts in French. The English broadcasts are at 14:30-15:00 hrs. (Reuter) According to the WRTH, Radio Rwanda broadcasts on 3330 and 6055 kHz. SPAIN--The parliament of Catalonia has approved a prposal to create an external radio service from Catalonia. The station would broadcast on shortwave, preferably in Catalan, but also in other languages. The creation of the station, however, depends on an upcoming verdict from the Constitutional Court. The Canaries, Basque, and Galician governments have all challenged the article on the law on telecommuncations that restricts short and long wave broadcasts to the Spanish State. (Radio Exterior de Espana, via BBC Monitoring) USSR--Radio Vilnius is now broadcasting in English to North America at 23:00-23:30 hrs on 6100, 7400, 9750, 15180, 17690, and 17720 kHz. (Tom Sundstrom and Herbert Aichele, Germany) UNOFFICIAL RADIO--A new station calling itself Radio Mojahedin of Afghanistan has been heard on 6140 kHz, at 02:00-03:30 hrs. Announcing 6100 kHz, this station opposes the government of Afghanistan. (BBC Monitoring) Radio Caroline, forced off 558 kHz by London's Spectrum Radio, was to have moved to 576 kHz, and even had a jingle packet made. But crystals for that frequency were not available, so Caroline is using 819 kHz. Power output is about 4 kW, but signal strength varies greatly. There is interference from co-channel BBC Hereford and adjacent channel independent local radio stations in Luton and Leeds. (Paul Rusling) PUBLICATIONS--"World Perspectives" is a monthly magazine presenting summaries of news from shortwave, trying to balance the local orientation of American media. It is, in fact, required reading for two classes at the University of Wisconsin! Subscription price in the US is USD 19 a year, with sample copies available for USD 1.75. Overseas subscriptions are USD 30 or 75 IRCs, sample copies USD 3 or 8 IRCS. From: World Perspectives, Box 3074, Madison, WI 53704-0074, USA. ANARC/EDXC--We're sorry to report that the Association of North American Radio Clubs, which brought together clubs for listeners across North America, has ceased operation. This drastic action was prompted by the apparent lack of interest shown by member clubs, and the fact that no club had offered to host the 1991 convention. (EDXC Newsletter) Remember, the 1991 conference of the European DX Council will be held in Barcelona May 17-20, 1991. For more information, write to: EDXC, Box 4, St. Ives, Huntingdon, PE13 4FE, England. DXing AND THE KGB--We've received a letter from Ognyan Chengelien and Rumen Pankov in Bulgaria, who joined the Danish Shortwave Clubs International in 1974. Late that year they were arrested by the Bulgarian KGB for contributions to programs like Sweden Calling DXers and membership in what were called "Western espionage" DX clubs. They were released in May, 1979, but were unable to resume their hobby until the fall of the dictatorship in Bulgaria in November, 1989. Ognyan and Rumen want to thank all DXers and clubs who supported them over the years. -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Sweden Calling DXers is the world's oldest radio program for shortwave listeners. Radio Sweden has presented this round-up of radio news, features, and interviews since 1948. The program is now broadcast on the first and third Tuesday of each month. RS broadcasts to North America: 15:30 hrs on 17880 and 21500 kHz 02:00 hrs on 9695 and 11705 kHz 03:30 hrs on 9695 and 11705 kHz To Latin America: 23:30 hrs on 9695 and 11705 kHz To Europe, Africa, and the Middle East: 18:00 hrs on 1179, 6065, 9655, and 11900 kHz 19:30 hrs on 6065 and 7265 kHz 22:00 hrs on 1179 and 6065 kHz 23:30 hrs on 1179 kHz 01:00 hrs on 1179 kHz And to Asia and the Pacific: 12:30 hrs on 11715, 17740, and 21570 kHz 14:00 hrs on 9765 and 21610 kHz 01:00 hrs on 9770 kHz The Radio Sweden schedule to Europe in Swedish, English, German, French, and Spanish can be found on EuroSport (on cable and on the Astra and Eutelsat I- F4 satellites) Tele-Text page 496. Contributions can be sent to DX Editor George Wood to Swedish telex 11738, CompuServe (via the HamNet Forum or Easyplex 70247,3516), through the FidoNet system to 2:202/297 or to SM0IIN at the packet radio BBS SM0ETV. Reports can also be sent to: Radio Sweden S-105 10 Stockholm Sweden Contributions should be NEWS about electronic media--from shortwave to satellites--and not loggings of information already available from sources such as the "World Radio TV Handbook". Clubs and DX publications may reprint material as long as Sweden Calling DXers and the original contributor are acknowledged, with the exception of items from BBC Monitoring, which are copyright. We welcome comments and suggestions about the electronic edition, Sweden Calling DXers, and our programs in general. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Thanks to this week's contributors Good Listening! ============================================================================= Distributed by The Pinelands RBBS * 609-859-1910 * 24/12/3 @ 8N1 * 64 MB FIDO 1:266/32 * RBBS-Net 8:950/2 * Shortwave Listening * Ham & Packet Radio Home of PC Software by W2XQ * Receiver Control Programs for NRD-525, R-5000 English Language SW Broadcast Schedules (1988 WRTH Industry Award Winner) SYSOP Tom Sundstrom * W2XQ * MCI Mail 244-6376 * InterNet 2446376@mcimail.com TRS Consultants * 609-859-2447 * FAX 609-859-3226 * Telex 6552446376MCI UW =============================================================================