::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: :: SWEDEN CALLING DXERS :: :: from Radio Sweden :: :: Number 2043--May 16, 1989 :: ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: Shortwave and other electronic media news from Radio Sweden. This week's bulletin was written by George Wood. Packet Radio BID SCDX2043 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- SWEDEN--Here are some changes in the Radio Sweden schedule beginning May 22nd: We are resuming broadcasts to East Africa. For English at 15:30 hrs, 17705 kHz is being replaced by 21675, and the target beam is being changed to 165 degrees. At 14:30 hrs there's a new Swedish transmission to East Africa on this same frequency of 21675. In Russian, we're adding a third transmitter at 01:30 hrs on 11760 kHz, directed to Asia. At 11:30 hrs, 11845 and 11925 kHz replace 21570 and 21610 kHz. (Rolf Beckman, Radio Sweden) COMPUTER CORNER--Radio Australia now has a computer bulletin board, called Matilda. It is available at telephone number (61)-3-894-1517. (James Hope, New Zealand) CABLE/COMPUTER--"The Daily Telegraph" reports that should the Labour Party win the next British general election, British Telecom would be directed to install a comprehensive cable network, linking every home, office, shop, factory and school to a two-way computerized information system. The network would be installed by the end of the century, and would be used to home shopping, education, and television broadcasting. (Bradley Allen, England) SATELLITE BROADCASTING--France's Higher Broadcast Council (CSA) has announced the allocations on the TDF-1 direct broadcast satellite. The radio channels are Radio France International and two additional Radio France programs, France Musique and France Culture. The television channels will be: Canal Plus in both French and German, Sport 2/3, the cultural channel La Sept, and the children's channel Canal Enfants, which will be sharing its transponder with the music program Euromusique. (BBC Monitoring and Andre Renard, France) Sky Television is suing the Walt Disney Company for one and a half billion dollars for backing out of an agreement to operate four cable television channels in Britain. One of the services, the Disney Channel, was due to begin broadcasting later this year. But in a suit filed in Los Angeles, Sky says the film company has refused to start up the Disney Channel. Disney has denied the charges. (AP and Reuter) However, things are looking bleaker for British direct satellite television. A survey conducted for the "Financial Times" newspaper sees little demand or interest in buying satellite receiving equipment. According to the study, by the end of April the number of British homes with satellite dish antennas was between 60,000 and 100,000. The report estimates that 80 percent of Britons have no plans to install satellite receiving equipment. Sky Television has been transmitting four channels from the Astra satellite to Britain since February, but has been hindered by a lack of receiving equipment in the shops. Meanwhile, technical and equipment problems may force Sky's competitor, British Satellite Broadcasting, to delay its planned September launch. There are reports of delays in the special square satellite aerials, or "squarials" needed to receive the signals from BSB. As the expected war between Astra and BSB draws closer, the maverick electronics entrepreneur Sir Clive Sinclair says he plans to launch a flat 45 cm antenna for the Astra channels. He calls it a square dish, or "squish". The antennas are to be on sale before BSB launches its satellite and the cheapest models would cost only 170 pounds. ARGENTINA--RAE has returned to 11710 kHz, replacing 15345, for its English broadcast to Europe and Africa at 22:00 hrs (daily except Tuesdays and Thursdays). This applies as well to the broadcasts in English to the Americas at 02:00 and 04:00 hrs. However, 15345 kHz continues to be used to Europe at 17:30 hrs. (Andrzej Adamczyk, Poland) AUSTRALIA--Following the recent cyclone, the Radio Australia transmitter station at Brandon, Queensland returned to the air on April 23rd. It is scheduled 08:00-14:00 and 20:00-21:00 hrs on 6020 kHz, beamed to Papua New Guinea. (James Hope, New Zealand) BOLIVIA--Updating SCDX-2013, Radio Nuevo Horizonte has been heard on 4519 kHz at 23:02-23:50 hrs. When the station was previously heard on 4526 kHz it was speculated that it might have replaced Radio Riberalta, located in the same town and using the same frequency. But now Radio Riberalta has been heard on 4700 kHz at 22:45-01:40 hrs. ("PLAY-DX", Italy) BULGARIA--Radio Sofia is now broadcasting in French to Europe: 06:00 hrs on 11765, 15160, and 17825 kHz; 17:30 hrs on 11720 and 15110 kHz; and 20:00 hrs on 11660, 11720, and 15110 kHz. French to Canada is 22:30 and 00:00 hrs on 11660 and 15110 kHz. (Jean-Paul Roine', France) CANARY ISLANDS/SPAIN--Radio Exterior de Espana en Las Islas Canarias is broadcasting in Spanish to Latin America at 22:05 hrs on 17715 kHz. (Andrzej Adamczyk) CUBA--Updating SCDX-2038, Radio Havana Cuba is broadcasting in French to Europe and Africa at 21:00-22:00 hrs on new frequencies of 11705 and 17725 kHz. (Joachim Maurer, West Germany) ECUADOR--HCJB has changed the frequency of its broadcast in Swedish weekends at 21:00-21:30 hrs. 17790 kHz replaces 15270. (HCJB) FINLAND--Radio Finland is now broadcasting in English: 06:30-06:55 hrs on 254, 963, 6120, 9560, and 11755 kHz; 14:05-14:39 hrs on 11925 and 15185 kHz; 18:30-18:45 hrs on 254, 963, 9550, 11755, and 15185 kHz; and 21:00-21:25 hrs on 254, 963, 6120, and 11755 kHz. (Ulrich Berens, West Germany) FRANCE--There is a misprint in the new Radio France International schedule. The broadcast in English to the Middle East at 16:00-17:00 hrs is on 15360 kHz and NOT 15630. Also, the frequency of 11700 kHz to Central and Southern Africa at 03:15-03:45 hrs is used for broadcasts in English, and not in French, as printed. (Stephanie Ip, Mauritius) INDONESIA--Updating SCDX-2031, the Voice of Indonesia broadcasts on 7125 and 7225 kHz to Europe in Spanish at 17:30, German at 18:00, French at 19:00, and English at 20:00-21:00 hrs. (Uwe Gruner, West Germany) IRAQ--Radio Baghdad is now broadcasting to Europe in French at 18:00 hrs, German at 19:00, and English 20:00-22:00 hrs on 13660 kHz. Radio Baghdad's broadcast to Latin America in Spanish at 21:00 hrs uses 13670 kHz, and interferes with the English transmission. At 01:30-03:30 hrs there is a broadcast in English to North America on 11945 kHz and to Asia on 11810 kHz. (Joachim Maurer) ITALY--Correcting the report in SCDX-2041, AWR Forli is broadcasting in Italian, and not English at 07:00 and 11:00 hrs. (Joachim Maurer) JAPAN--The Radio Japan morning broadcast to Europe in various languages now uses 21690 kHz from Gabon and 21500 kHz direct from Japan. This concerns Russian at 05:00 hrs, Swedish at 05:30, Italian at 05:45, German at 06:00, and French at 07:00 hrs. Evening broadcasts are direct from Japan on 11835 kHz in German at 20:00 hrs, French at 20:30, Swedish at 21:00, and Italian at 21:15 hrs. (Bengt Ericson, Sweden; Fabrice Amar, France; and Bernd Matuszak, West Germany) Radio Japan is now using 15140 kHz instead of 15230 to South East Asia 15:00-17:00 hrs. (The Radio Japan schedule lists Japanese on this frequency at just 16:00-17:00 hrs.) In Japanese and English to South Asia at 13:00- 15:00 hrs, 15410 kHz replaces 11935. (Vidjit Vijaysanker, India) KIRIBATI--Radio Kiribati has been heard at 07:45-09:30 hrs on 14918 kHz. (Dave Clark, Ontario and Dan Sheedy, California in "Fine Tuning") In the WRTH and SCDX-2005 this station was listed on 14802 kHz. MONGOLIA--Radio Ulan Bator is now broadcasting on 9985 kHz instead of 9645 for English to Europe at 19:45-20:15 hrs. 11870 kHz remains in parallel. (Adrian Childs, England) NIGERIA--Last week we reported on the apparent end to the external service Voice of Nigeria. However, it is possible another external broadcaster may begin from Nigeria. BBC Monitoring relays a report that the Organization of African Unity intends to start a radio station which would be called the Voice of Africa. There's speculation it will be headquartered either in the Nigerian capital Lagos or the Egyptian capital Cairo. (BBC Monitoring) SOUTH AFRICA--Faced with the approach of an independent Namibia, Radio RSA has begun special programs to that territory in the Ovambo language. Heard on 4965 and 6130 kHz at 16:00 and 21:00 hrs. (Danish Shortwave Clubs International via "PLAY-DX") SURINAM--Correcting the report in SCDX-2041, Radio Surinam International is on the air weekdays only on 17875 kHz at 17:00 hrs (via Brazil). (Joachim Maurer) UNITED ARAB EMIRATES--Updating SCDX-2029, the Voice of the United Arab Emirates in Abu Dhabi is broadcasting in English to North America at 22:00- 24:00 hrs on a new frequency of 13605 kHz, replacing the still announced 9595 kHz. 6170 and 11965 kHz remain in parallel. There is a relay of Abu Dhabi's Capital Radio at 22:30-23:00 hrs. (Joachim Maurer) USA--WHRI is now broadcasting: at 00:00 hrs on 7365 kHz, 02:00 hrs on 7400, 06:00 on 9620, 08:00 on 7355, 11:00 on 9465, 15:00 on 21840, and 17:00-23:00 hrs on 13760 kHz. (Ulrich Berens) YUGOSLAVIA--Radio Yugoslavia is broadcasting in German: 16:30-17:00 hrs on 7215 and 9620 kHz; and 19:30-20:00 hrs on these same frequencies along with 6100 kHz. (Fritz Andorf, West Germany) UNOFFICIAL RADIO--BBC Monitoring reports the following Iranian opposition stations heard in late April: Iran's Flag of Freedom on 15560 and 11615 kHz at 16:30-18:20 hrs. Radio Iran Toilers on 10870, 6230, and 4775 kHz at 15:30-17:30 hrs. Voice of the Iranian Revolution on 7081, 6435, and 4005 kHz at 14:00-15:50 hrs. Voice of the Communist Party of Iran on 6430, 4480-4488 variable, and 4005-4015 variable at 17:00-19:00 hrs. Voice of the Worker on 4160 kHz from approximately 15:00 hrs until 15:50 and again 17:00-17:50 hrs. The Voice of the Feda'i apparently shares the Voice of the Worker transmitter on 4160 kHz at 16:00-16:50 hrs and is heard again on 4108 kHz at 17:00-17:50 hrs. (BBC Monitoring) Updating SCDX-2042, the Cambodian station reported last week on around 6975 kHz is in fact the clandestine Voice of Democratic Kampuchea, and not the government's "Voice of the Kampuchean People". (Joachim Maurer, West Germany) PUBLICATIONS--Two new publications are available from Bernt Erford in Norway. "Norwegian Naer-radio" lists the nearly 500 organizations that share Norway's 390 community radio transmitters. The 16 page booklet has listings by county, with frequency, location, and address, as well as a separate listing by frequency and a map. It's available for NOK 18 or 3 IRCs for surface mail, or for 4 IRCs for airmail outside of Europe. The third edition of "Radio in Ireland and the UK" has an updated frequency list covering all MW and FM transmitters in Britain, listed by frequency with details of power output and locations. There's also a separate station-by-station profile, with addresses, telephone and fax numbers, and details about programming, networks, staff, owners and promotion items for sale. The Irish section is shorter than in previous editions, following the recent law that outlawed private stations. This booklet is available for NOK 35 or 6 IRCs for surface post, or 8 IRCs for airmail outside of Europe. Write to: Bernt Erfjord, Hellemyrtoppen 56, N-4628 Kristansand, Norway. Both publications will also be available at the Scandinavian DX Meeting/EDXC Conference June 16-18. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Thanks for 45 contributors this week Good Listening!