USPS: Jim Renfrew, 61 Wilcox Street, Rochester NY 14607-3832

E-mail: < renfrew@localnet.com>

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PLEASE NOTE my new e-mail address: <renfrew@localnet.com>. The old address is no longer working, and an incorrect address has appeared on the IDXD for several weeks. Half of this column was previously sent out via the NRC web page as IDXD 67-14, but it did not appear in print, so that material is folded into the current print column. Sorry for the redundancy. Some of my mail has been going out as <marquez@localnet.com>, which is my wife’s non-functioning address, and replies to her address fail to reach either of us. Please use the address shown above only!

Well, the much-anticipated Y2K catastrophe turns out to have been one of the biggest busts of the concluding millenium. My one concession to potential social meltdown was to be sure to do a large load of clothes on New Year’s Eve - so I would have some fresh socks and underwear to see me through the riots and chaos.

Some of you know that I have a real job besides IDXD, and that some of my IDXD commentary is related to my work as a minister. If you want to check it out, look for our web page <www.stonechurch.net> - at the very least you can see what I look like.

Please, please, please follow the format you see below. If you report via e-mail, please send loggings in text form, and do not use attachments! Thank you!

TRANS-ATLANTIC DX

153 ALGERIA ENDRS Bechar, DEC 20 0410 - Arabic under RFI Allouis. poor. DEC 28 0323 - Arabic music, good, no GG interference. DEC 30 0058 - Arab chantting/Time signal @ 0100. News AA male and female. [Stromsted-MA]

153 GERMANY D. Radio, Donebach, DEC 20 0410 - News/commentary GG Male, medium. [Stromsted-MA]

162 FRANCE RFI Alouis, DEC 20 0406 - News/commentary female and male, 5-9+5 Weather-Paris @ 3 degrees C, 0415 - Accordion music with French vocal-simulcast/verified with St Pierre/Miquelon 1375 kHz. Both excellent. [Stromsted-MA]

171 MOROCCO Nador, DEC 26 0037 - Good with both Moroccan and Christmas music, some with vocals, announcements mostly in FF. [Dangerfield-PA] DEC 30 0130 - AA music F- Modern fast beat included flute, drums? Good. [Stromsted-MA]

183 GERMANY Europe 1 Saarlouis, DEC 20 0403 - News FF-male. [Stromsted-MA]

189 ICELAND Rikisutvarpid Gufuskalar, DEC 20 0412 - Dance music. Good.

198 ENGLAND BBC synchros, DEC 20 0354 - Investment discussion-Interview. Good. Bank of America Official British Male interviewer. New age-young millionaires Its play money unlike earlier Rockefeller years" followed by World Today, World News (BBC World Service) Chechnya, World Cup, 0422 Financial News " Daimler Chrysler/Mercedes-Big truck export discussion. [Stromsted-MA]

234 LUXEMBOURG RTL Jungslingester, DEC 30 0233 - Rock Music-Heavy Beat woman vocal, poor. [Stromsted-MA]

252 IRELAND Atlantic 252 Clarkestown, DEC 28 0326 - Slow Blues beat with female vocal (English), good. DEC 30 0237 - Rock, fair. [Stromsted-MA]

252 ALGERIA Tipaza, DEC 27 2324 - Fair, Algerian music.[Dangerfield-PA]

531 SPAIN RNE R. 5, Pontevedra, DEC 31 0625 - Split from national network program into regional program with "Radio Cinco todo noticias Galicia" announcement and regional news, // 558 La Coruna; SIO 232 [Burnell-NF]

549 ALGERIA Les Trembles, JAN 8 2310 - AA talk by young woman; good. [Connelly*O-MA]

567 IRELAND RTE1 Tullamore DEC 19 0115 - Surprisingly strong with easy listening music, hampered by 570 domestic splash. [Conti-NH]

585 SPAIN RNE1, Madrid, JAN 8 2308 - // 855 with SS news, telephone interview; fair, hetted by Tunisia-585.25. [Connelly*O-MA]

603 SPAIN RNE5, Sevilla / Palencia, JAN 8 2307 - SS speech, then discussion; good. Not // RNE1 at the time. [Connelly*O-MA]

612 MOROCCO Sebaa-Aioun, JAN 8 2304 - AA vocal, drums; to fair peak. [Connelly*O-MA]

621 CANARY ISLANDS // SPAIN RNE1 synchros, JAN 8 2303 - fast SS news by man, // 684; good. [Connelly*O-MA]

684 SPAIN RNE1, Sevilla, JAN 8 2302 - SS news by man; very good. [Connelly*O-MA]

693.7 AZORES RDP, Santa Barbara JAN 8 2259 - PP discussion; good, stronger than stations on 693.0 (growl of 700 Hz noted). [Connelly*O-MA]

702 SLOVAKIA Slovensky Rozhlas, Banska Bystrica & Presov, DEC 31 2044 - Slovak talk, old pop/folk songs, // 1098 (much stronger); SIO 332 [Burnell-NF]

819 EGYPT General Program, Batra, DEC 29 0202 - AA news, // 12050; SIO 442, with extreme fading [Burnell-NF]

836 AZORES RDP, Pico da Barrosa, JAN 8 2247 - outdoor public address or sports announcements by man in PP; fair, better than Canaries-837 at the time. [Connelly*O-MA]

837 SPAIN COPE Las Palmas, JAN 8 2206 - Local ads until rejoined national net programming at 2209; SIO 333 [Burnell-NF]

846 ITALY RAI Rome DEC 27 0230 - Operatic vocals // 6060, very week with WEEI 850 nulled. [Conti-NH]

855 SPAIN RNE-1 Synch., Good signal, but what was interesting was the same channel interference between 2 or more of these transmitters causing a waving sound. This is how this channel sounds from Mallorca or Minorca out in the Mediterranean all day long. [Dangerfield-PA] JAN 8 2308 - // 585 & others with SS newstalk; loud. [Connelly*O-MA]

882 CANARY ISLANDS // SPAIN COPE synchros, JAN 8 2246 - man & woman in SS; to fair peak, in YVYM slop with WCBS phased. [Connelly*O-MA]

891 ALGERIA Algiers, JAN 8 2242 - AA vocal, flutes, drums; low audio, but huge S9+30 carrier. [Connelly*O-MA]

909 ENGLAND BBC R. 5 synchros, DEC 31 2355 - "Five Live" reports from around Britain, Big Ben chimes to the UTC New Year, champagne bottles popping in studio, excited descriptions of London fireworks SIO 444 [Burnell-NF] JAN 8 2238 - EE talk by man (seemed sports-related); poor, over probable Morocco, slopped by YVRQ/WABI, and hetted by Gambia-907.8. [Connelly*O-MA]

954 SPAIN R. Espana, Madrid, JAN 8 2236 - woman in SS; to fair peak. [Connelly*O-MA]

981.1 ALGERIA Radiodif. Algerienne, Algiers, JAN 8 2355 - back about 100 Hz on the high side of the channel: bits of AA vocal; mostly a big het against WTRY/WCAP. [Connelly*O-MA]

989.73 SPAIN SER network station, DEC 28 0522 - One of the SER stations noted off-frequency; SIO 343 [Burnell-NF]

999 SPAIN COPE Madrid, DEC 28 2038 - Local ID and local ads; SIO 333. JAN 8 2206 - Local ads, rejoined net at 2209; SIO 344 [Burnell-NF]

1008 CANARY ISLANDS Onda Cero, Las Palmas, DEC 31 2358 - Subdued welcome to the New Year "en Canarias;" SIO 333 over SER stations [Burnell-NF]. JAN 8 2233 - non-SER SS talk; poor. [Connelly*O-MA]

1035 PORTUGAL R. Nacional, Lisboa, JAN 8 2350 - light piano music, then man in PP; good. [Connelly*O-MA]

1044 MOROCCO Sebaa-Aioun, JAN 8 2232 - AA / Berber vocal and drumming; at low audio level on huge carrier. [Connelly*O-MA]

1044.03 SPAIN R. San Sebastian, DEC 27 2339 - Local ID noted in passing; SIO 343 [Burnell-NF]

1053 MOROCCO Tanger, JAN 8 2349 - instrumental music, then man & woman in AA; LOUD! [Connelly*O-MA]

1062 DENMARK Danmarks Radio, Kalundborg DEC 23 0720 - Good; man and woman in Danish, rock music. DEC 27 0700 - Good; rock music, man and woman with news in Danish. [Conti-NH]

1089 ENGLAND Talk Radio synchros DEC 11 2340 - Fair; Dave Barrett talk // 1053. DEC 27 0110 - Fair; "Talk Radio; on 1053 and 1089 AM, this is Talk Radio," breakfast program promo, and telephone talk. DEC 29 0815 - Bits of talk, otherwise just a het at this late hour against WBAL/CKKW. Lately this has been the only signal heard on a regular basis from the UK, as others like Virgin 1215 and Radio 5 909 and 693 have not been coming in. [Conti-NH]

1098 SPAIN RNE5 synchros, JAN 8 2347 - SS talk with messy growl. [Connelly*O-MA]

1107 ENGLAND Talk R. synchros, DEC 27 2005 - "Talk Radio Weather" and IDs; SIO 333 [Burnell-NF]

1125 CROATIA HRT Deanovec DEC 23 2220 - Fair; end of news into Croatian rock music // 1134. [Conti-NH] DEC 29 0103 - Pop music with vocals and coming in better than Zadar-1134. [Dangerfield-PA]

1161 EGYPT Mid-Delta R., Tanta, JAN 7 2351 - AA talk, Koran to just before 0000, sign off announcement then Egyptian anthem; SIO 322 with QRM from Euskadi Irratia [Burnell-NF]

1179 CANARY ISLANDS // SPAIN SER synchros, JAN 8 2244 - SS news; loud. [Connelly*O-MA]

1206 FRANCE R. Bleue, Bordeaux, JAN 8 2343 - woman in FF; to good peak. [Connelly*O-MA]

1215 SPAIN COPE synchros, JAN 8 2342 - woman with fast SS talk; fair. [Connelly*O-MA]

1296 SPAIN COPE, Valencia, JAN 8 2246 - // 882 with SS talk; poor to fair. JAN 8 2340 - bits of SS talk; in tough CJCB/WTSN slop. [Connelly*O-MA]

1314 NORWAY NRK Kvitsoy DEC 19 0150 - Good; nostalgic Norwegian folk music. DEC 23 0625 - Good; man and woman with news in Norwegian, fading up to an excellent signal with dawn enhancement. DEC 27 0030 - Excellent; rock music, jingle, woman in Norwegian, and Christmas carols. DEC 29 0810 - Fair to poor; rock music on a fading signal. [Conti-NH]

1332 unID DEC 11 2250 - Man and woman in English, on briefly audible fade-ups. [Conti-NH]

1377 FRANCE R.Bleue, Lille DEC 23 0640 - Fair; man in French, nostalgia, with hets against St. Pierre-1375 and 1380 domestics. [Conti-NH]

1467 MONACO Monte Carlo, DEC 24 2305 - Good with choral music during a Christmas Eve program, probably a mass. I know the transmitter is in France where it has always been, but there just isn't room for it in tiny Monaco, which the station basically serves. [Dangerfield-PA]

1467 FRANCE TWR Roumoules DEC 11 2220 - Fair; man and woman in Arabic, instrumental music. [Conti-NH]

1485 SPAIN SER synchros, JAN 8 2334 - SS teletalk; to good peak. [Connelly*O-MA]

1503 AZORES AFRTS, Lajes, JAN 8 2215 - US football game coverage; poor, over RTTY-type jamming(?) signal. [Connelly*O-MA]

1503 POLAND Norea R./TWR, Stargard, DEC 27 1932 - Presumed this, news in Nordic language; SIO 242 [Burnell-NF]

1512 BELGIUM R.Netherlands, Wolvertem DEC 23 2235 - Fair; news in English, "You're listening to Radio Netherlands" ID, difficult in WNRB splash. [Conti-NH]

1521 SAUDI ARABIA BSKSA Duba DEC 11 2210 - Good; man and woman in Arabic, string music // 9555. [Conti-NH] JAN 8 2222 - man in AA speaking in a somewhat echoey room; good. [Connelly*O-MA]

1521 SLOVAKIA BBC World Service, Rimavska Sobota, DEC 27 1924 - EE WS program, // 6195, ID at 1930 but then educational program not // 6195; SIO 353 [Burnell-NF]

1530 VATICAN CITY , DEC 24 2255 - Over/under WSAI with Christmas mass.and choral music. I would have added "man in Latin and Italian" but I think he was the Pope! // to 1611. [Dangerfield-PA] DEC 29 0655 - Fair; Christmas hymns // 6185, in WSAI null. [Conti-NH]

1548 ENGLAND BBC R. Bristol, DEC 31 2114 - Building excitement about New Year, reports from streets of Bristol and Bath; SIO 433 [Burnell-NF]

1557 FRANCE R.Bleue, Nice DEC 29 0640 - Good; man and woman in French, huge het against WQEW 1560. [Conti-NH] 1575 SPAIN SER synchros, JAN 8 2337 - // 1485 with fast SS talk and teletalk; good. [Connelly*O-MA]

1575 ITALY RAI synchros DEC 29 0650 - Fair; man and woman in Italian // 6060, apparent transmitter site dawn enhancement, although only at the high end of the band. [Conti-NH]

1584 SPAIN SER synchros, JAN 8 2336 - SER teletalk; under presumed Ceuta. [Connelly*O-MA]

1584 SPANISH MOROCCO RadiOle Costa del Estrecho, Ceuta, DEC 31 2101 - Flamenco-style music mixing with SER stations, thus this one now appears to be back on 1584.00 kHz; SIO 222 [Burnell-NF] JAN 8 2336 - tentative, SS music atop SER station: likely it's found its way back to the correct 1584 channel from its 1583.6 "drift" frequency. [Connelly*O-MA]

1611 VATICAN CITY, DEC 24 2246 - Good signal with man in Latin and Italian, probably the Pope, and choral muisic. // to 1530. [Dangerfield-PA]

1636.15 NETHERLANDS R. Mexicano and Speedy Gonzalez (joint pirate broadcast), Groenlo, JAN 1 0008 - Disco, '70's pops, some Dutch tunes with very few announcements, but IDs at 0013 and 0051, heard past 0057; many thanks to Julius Hermans and Piet Pijpers in Holland for assistance with the ID; SIO 252-3. My first "new" station of the millennium! [Burnell-NF]

Ben speaks: The last several days have brought a big improvement in TA reception - though not so as to LAs. All parts of the band seem better, and most of the regulars have returned. Norway-1314 is back and stations like Croatia-1134, Slovakia-1098, UK-1089 and Rome-846 are much better. The LW band is alive again, especially Morocco-171 and Germany-183. But my biggest recent thrill came on Christmas Eve when I picked up the mass from the Vatican stations on 1530 and 1611 with strong signals. There was also a nice signal from Monte Carlo, also a midnight mass. Next week my wife and I will take our college freshman granddaughter to Paris and London for 10 days, so I will try some DX over there. Hope all of you had a great Christmas and that you all enjoy a wonderful 2000."

1296 ENGLAND BBC European Service, JAN 4 1644 - FF political discussion, amazingly good at dawn anhancement with possible India behind. Still my only European since reactivating last October. No SW parallel noted and I believe there is none - this is a MW only service to France and Belgium. [Wood-HI] (Our first "trans-polar" entry since we last heard from Brian Vernon - Jim)

526 BAHAMAS ZLS, Stella Maris, JAN 8 2318 - "ZLS" code beacon; fair in RVC slop. [Connelly*O-MA]

530 TURKS & CAICOS IS. RVC, DEC 8 0204 - good with talk by man in SS, ID by man as "R. Visión" and later as "R. Visión Cristiana Internacional". [Sorensen-MB] JAN 8 2317 - SS talk about religion, law, and government; local-like signal. [Connelly*O-MA]

535 GRENADA GBC, St. George's, JAN 8 2315 - country influenced female pop vocal; rising up to a good level over the RVC-530 slop. [Connelly*O-MA]

550 CUBA R.Rebelde DEC 27 0825 - Good; salsa // 620, 670, 710, and 5025. [Conti-NH]

570 CUBA R.Reloj, Santa Clara DEC 27 0830 - Good; syncopated clock, news, IDs, etc. in WMCA null. [Conti-NH] JAN 8 2309 - SS news, clock ticks, "RR" beeps; huge, burying WMCA. [Connelly*O-MA]

570.71 UNID DEC 22 0234-0239 - whoever this Latin American is, it's still here and very weak. Tonight with some kind of live sporting event with SS male announcer, possible ads in passing. [Krueger-FL]

580 UNID, DEC 1 0200 - Spanish station giving two beeps every nine seconds. Could this be WKAQ - listed in WRTH as R. Reloj, but as R. El Mundo in log? [Kennedy-PA] (I believe WKAQ is news/talk, but not with any beeps - Jim)

580.7 NICARAGUA R 5-80 YNEA, Managua, JAN 2 1138-1155 - this is the the mystery station here. Tune-in to SS vocals, mechanical coo-coo's and "Aqui la hora" followed by male with "R Cinco Ochenta" and mention of Managua. Fair-good. Still no ID on the 1135 presumed Honduran or Guatemalan, nor the eastern Cuba buzzer on 1140. [Krueger-FL]

609.27 unID JAN 8 2305 - carrier with AC ripple; hetting 610 domestics. [Connelly*O-MA]

609.3 UNIDENTIFIED JAN 12 0321+ - rather strong continuous grinder-like noise, much like the 1142 Cuban jammer from years' past. A screwed-up Latin American transmitter, or something intentional? [Krueger-FL/Tocabaga #49]

627.5 unID JAN 8 2359 - het against WSKN/CFCY/WPRO-630. [Connelly*O-MA]

630 / 640 UNID - 630 and 640 both had the same Spanish music at 0130, but 890 had something else. Also, there’s no Progreso listed on 630. [Kennedy-PA] (Cuban stations sometimes switch between programs - Jim)

630 HONDURAS R America, Tegucigalpa or Santa Rosa de Copan, JAN 12 0324-0329 - very good in passing with ad string, singing "R America" and male announcer with timecheck, ID. [Krueger-FL/Tocabaga #49]

640 CUBA R.Progreso DEC 29 0925 - Fair; carrying R.Reloj, man and woman with news items, time checks, IDs, etc., over WHLO/CBN, 0958 national anthem and start of R.Progreso programming. [Conti-NH]

640 GUADELOUPE RFO Pointe-a-Pitre DEC 27 0730 - Fair; man and woman in French // St. Pierre 1375. [Conti-NH]

670 VENEZUELA R. Rumbos, YVLL, Caracas, JAN 8 2359 - R. Rumbos ID; strong, dominant. [Connelly*O-MA]

680.04 VENEZUELA R. Cumana (YVQR), Cumana, JAN 9 0320 - Religion with many up-tempo songs until end of "Voz de Dios" program at 0355, then sign off with 2 anthems; SIO 343 [Burnell-NF]

690 ANGUILLA Caribbean Beacon, The Valley, JAN 8 2301 - EE preaching from the gospels of St. Paul; strong, well over a messy melange (FF, SS, PP stations) and an unID tone-tester. [Connelly*O-MA]

700 JAMAICA JBC Montego Bay, DEC 1 0242 - Radio One jingle, ad for Jamaica (magic?), taking phone requests. Equal to or over WLW, but not a good signal. [Kennedy-PA]

700 COLOMBIA R.Net, Calí, DEC 27 1020 - Fair; news from Bogota fading in and out with WLW, over an unID Latin American station. [Conti-NH]

720 VENEZUELA R. Oriente, YVQE, Porlamar, JAN 8 2256 - Oriente ID and SS talk about cultural programming; good, over CHTN. [Connelly*O-MA]

740 PUERTO RICO WIAC, San Juan, JAN 9 0431 - SS sports under quasi-local CHCM, seemed to use the slogan "Radio Puerto Rico;" SIO 322 [Burnell-NF]

780 VENEZUELA Ecos del Torbes, San Cristobal DEC 27 1035 - Good; news with Rumbos-like doorbells // 4980, over WBBM. [Conti-NH]

780 ALASKA KNOM Nome, JAN 4 1605 - loud and clear "25 degrees in the Gold Rush City," PSA on traffic rules, winds 20 knots, weather for St. Matthew Islands< bristol, regional weather forecast from NWS office 1610. Earliest Alaskan here, KFQD is a poor second. [Wood-HI]

830 CUBA R.Reloj, Holguin DEC 27 0915 - Clock, code IDs, heard through domestics. [Conti-NH]

840 CUBA CMHW Santa Clara, DEC 1 0258 - Presumed with what appeared to be a political speech. Mentioned Santa Clara at 0258 and at 0302, "Viva Revolución" over/under WHAS. [Kennedy-PA]

850 CUBA R.Reloj, Nueva Gerona DEC 27 0920 - Code IDs under WEEI Boston/CKVL Verdun. [Conti-NH]

860 VENEZUELA R. Enlace 860, YVYE, Valle de la Pascua, JAN 8 2358 - Enrique Iglesias doing SS version of "Rhythm Divine", then numerous "Valle de la Pascua" mentions in slogans and advertising; good, atop CJBC. [Connelly*O-MA]

870 CUBA R.Reloj, Sancti Spiritus DEC 27 1005 - Fair; news, code IDs, etc. among a number of unID Latin American and domestic signals. [Conti-NH]

890 CUBA R. Progreso, Santiago de Cuba?, JAN 9 0357, 0438 - Deep fades but clear IDs noted at these times, Cuban music; SIO 342 [Burnell-NF]

895 ST. KITTS & NEVIS VON, Bath Village, JAN 8 2356 - mellow soul vocal (sounded like Boyz II Men); good. [Connelly*O-MA]

900 MEXICO XEW Mexico DEC 17 0057 - fair to good in CHML null with SS talk, mention of "navidad" ad for Cerveza Corona, ID sounded like "W en la capital Mexicana" into what may have been a Christmas nativity drama. [Sorensen-MB] DEC 27 0930 - Good; la Voz de la America Latina ID, XEW jingle, romantic/pop music. [Conti-NH]

940 MEXICO XEQ Mexico DEC 27 0945 - Good; "Cadena Q, verde y oro" ID, nostalgic salsa, over R.Reloj-Cuba. [Conti-NH]

940 PUERTO RICO WIPR San Juan, NOV 10 0059:45 - ID by man, followed by 45 second bumper music, then female with "Nuevo Puerto Rico", into news. This is a big mix tonight, but WIPR, Mexico and R. Reloj are strongest. Only the second new station since the demise of CBL. The other was a major achievement for me - WGRP. [Kennedy-PA]

950 UNID DEC 21, 0232-0315 - tune-in to seeming news or local announcements, then fast, bouncy SS vocals, some accordian-accompanied. Male "Radio ------" at 0300, vocal, then apparent ads 0303. Battling it out with R Reloj. [Krueger-FL]

980 CUBA COCO El Periodico del Aire, Sapo, Ciudad Habana, DEC 19 1830-1838 - recorded woman "Esta es la COCO, la emisora el Periodico del Aire... 980 kHz y 91 punto 7 F-M, desde la Ciudad Habana..." Soft SS rock, live woman announcer. Very good daytime. [Krueger-FL]

980 COLOMBIA RCN (HJES), Cali, JAN 9 0400 - RCN IDs, news; SIO 333 [Burnell-NF]

990 COLOMBIA RCN (HJDB), Medellin, JAN 9 0442 - RCN jingles and IDs, lottery results, news, // 980 and about 1 second behind 770; SIO 343 [Burnell-NF]

1060 GUATEMALA TGT R Sonora, Guatemala, JAN 8 0240-0301 - fair-good on peaks (mixing with XEEP R Educacion and local St. Petersburg-Clearwater Int'l Airport TIS co-channel). Live SS soccer coverage between Guatemalan and Honduran teams, frequent references to Guatemala, then two clear "R Sonora" ID's by the anncr at 0254. Recheck at 0434 with male ID, SS mid-tempo ballad and much weaker. First time I've heard this one, and always nice to catch a Guatemalan. [Krueger-FL/Tocabaga #49]

1060 MEXICO XEEP R Educación, Mexico, JAN 8 0240-0301 - in the mix while listening to the Guatemalan. Nonstop classical music. Recheck at 0434, airing Italian opera. Generally under the Guatemalan, fortunately. [Krueger-FL/Tocabaga #49]

1090 CUBA R Cadena Habana, La Salud, Habana, JAN 8 0528-0532 - tune-in to end of SS vocal, quick and seemingly recorded man at 0529: "Esta es CMCH, R Cadena Habana" into seriously truncated vocal version of NA from 0531. Fair, and parallel 1080 (very good), 1100 (fair) and 1120 (very good). Carriers seemed to remain on through 0535 tune-out. Semi-odd closing time. [Krueger-FL/Tocabaga #49]

1100.8 unID JAN 8 2346 - dramatic SS female vocal; in and out of the slop. [Connelly*O-MA]

1110 VENEZUELA R. Carupano, YVQT, Carupano, JAN 8 2345 - Carupano ID, man in SS with "telco" audio (possibly a feed from an outdoor event); atop WBT. [Connelly*O-MA]

1135.04 UNID (GUATEMALA?) I haven't heard this SS religious station (faded on a post-sunrise log for me along the path of a Guatemalan or Honduran, seemingly) for at least a couple of weeks, so not sure if it's still here. John Wilkins, Colorado first discovered this one, and he received this reply to his query from HRVC in Honduras (and as John says, "back to Square One.") -- "Estimado Señor: Le agradecemos por habernos reportado la señal de HRVC en ese lugar eferente a su pregunta pues aqui en Honduras, Tegucigalpa , no hay ninguna radioemisora en esa frecuencia. (signed) Edwin Mejia." [via Krueger-FL/Tocabaga #49]

1140 CUBA "The Buzzer," eastern Cuba, JAN 8 0519 - it's still here! I hadn't heard it since the last days of 1999, but indeed buzzing away for a few seconds at a time, and sometimes with long gaps between buzzing sessions. A real mystery as to whether this is intentional or a hosed transmitter. [Krueger-FL/Tocabaga #49]

1180 FLORIDA R Martí, Marathon, JAN 7 0244-0302 - haven't observed this one from Clearwater in years, until tonight. Mostly threshold through the powerhouse R Rebelde co-channel. SS man and woman with commentary on the Elian Gonzalez case, parallel 6030 (jammed), with the Martí electronic theme punching through nicely at 0300. There was a published report (Miami Herald) late last year, stating that this transmitter site was authorized to go up to 100 kW (from current 50 kW). Also, the NRC's "AM Switch" column (Vol. 67, No. 13) lists "Martí has increased power to 100,000 watts, not shown in FCC actions as this station is not licensed or regulated by the FCC." This DOES appear via the FCC dB AM State/City search. However, according the link at http://www.fcc.gov/fcc-in/amq?pat=13258 this is listed at the old 50 kW, with some antenna/pattern modifications. This information doesn't appear to be dated (the heading date refers to the entire AM Database update). [Krueger-FL/Tocabaga #49]

1210 MEXICO R Centro XEBD, Jalapa, Veracruz, JAN 2 1215-1225 - EZL SS ballads, man with R Centro ID at 1219, back to vocals with strings, another "R Centro... 6:24..." Very good on the sunrise grid. Another XE on 1190 about the same level at the same time, but didn't get around to the ID prior to fading down. [Krueger-FL]

1230 CUBA R Veinteseis, Union de Reyes, Matanzas, JAN 2 1234-1247 - tune-in to the very popular "Chan Chan" as sung by Eliades Ochoa and Compay Segundo (with the distinctive "luego a Cueto voy para Mayari") refrain, SS woman dj. You will hear this song all over Cuban local and provincial radio, and it has received international fame as well (the very same version is the opening track on the "Buena Vista Social Club" CD). Parallel much poorer 1220. Eventually mixing with domestic pop oldies station. [Krueger-FL]

1290 CUBA R Taino, unknown (Habana area) site, DEC 19 1720-1804 - seems to have bumped their power up of late, as now it's easily heard again daytime. Format remains SS and US pop/rock, SP "ads" for restaurants, hotels etc. catering to Euro tourists, SS ID, including reference to "93 punto 3 F-M en la Habana." At 1757, a brief, recorded GG man ID/promo, then Olivia Newton-John's "Xanadu." The good old days of long EE block programming (back when this was on the 1180 Rebelde transmitter) are gone, in fact the GG promo is the first non-SS I've heard in ages. When on 1180, they also had short II and FF segments in addition to EE, GG and SS. Also, no trace of the RHC-produced EE news that used to be here (even after the shift to 1290) daily approximately 12:50-1:00 p.m. local. Gone, or re-timed? [Krueger-FL]

1310 CUBA Dobleve, Sagua la Grande, Villa Clara, JAN 12 0334-0342 - very poor with male announcer, Cuban pop-flavored vocals, parallel very strong 840 kHz. [Krueger-FL/Tocabaga #49]

1350 PUERTO RICO WEGA, Vega Baja, JAN 9 0419 - Sports play-by-play, ads; SIO 333 [Burnell-NF]

1375.02 ST. PIERRE ET MIQUELON RFO, JAN 8 2339 - Latin American style jazz; good. [Connelly*O-MA]

1430 / 1440 CUBA R Surco, Moron and Ciego de Avila (respectively), Camaguey, JAN 8 0447-0503* - soft SS ballads, reverb over song from 0457 with closing ("... mi tierra... esperanza... buenas noches..."), then canned closing 0501 by male announcer "R Surco, Cadena Provincial de Instituto Cubano de Radio y Television..." and into instrumental NA from 0502. 1440 generally better, but 1430 up for best copy at the closing (1430 often mixing with WOIR-Homestead, running SS "la biblica americana" format and "Radio Amanecer" slogans, along with local phone numbers, SS modern Christian rock). [Krueger-FL/Tocabaga #49]

1500 VENEZUELA R. Dos Mil, YVRZ, Cumana, DEC 22 0700 - Fair in WTOP null with SS music and full ID mentioning call letters, Cumana, and R. Dos Mil. South America # 80. [Francis-TN]

1500 MEXICO XEDF Mexico DF, JAN 9 0530 - Poor signals with Spanish talk and music. Heard while trying unsuccessfully for WFIF DX test. First new station of the year.[Axelrod-MB]

1500 MEXICO XEAI Mexico City DF; JAN 9 0559 - I didn’t tune away from the WFIF test as I was otherwise occupied, but then I suddenly noted the Mexican anthem at this time, news seemed to follow (though weak), but I did hear an "A-I" slogan. So what are the correct call letters here? [Renfrew-NY]

1569.92 HONDURAS TGRF "RCN" R Cadena Nacional de Noticias, Tegucigalpa, JAN 12 0408+ - surprise number one on 1570 tonight. Tegucigalpa store ads block fade-up, then rapidly lost. Back up at 0429, with nonstop news by two men, frequent "R-C-N" slogans (no "R Cadena Nacional de Noticias" heard), and Tegucigalpa datelines. [Krueger-FL/Tocabaga #49]

1570 CUBA R Enciclopedia, NEW unknown site; JAN 12 0412+ - surprise number two amongst the 1570 mix, noted an instrumental EZL (Muzak) version of an old Dianna Ross song, followed by a Cuban-accented woman. I immediately jumped to 960 kHz, and indeed in parallel. Don't recall any Cuban on 1570, so presume this is a new one. Occasionally surfaced briefly later. At 0456 an instrumental Cuban NA was noted on 960 (presumed R Musical surfacing). Also noted past 0530 with Muzak-ish version of "The Way we Were," "Memories" and randomoid piano schlock. [Krueger-FL/Tocabaga #49]

1570 GUATEMALA TGVE R Voz Evangelica de America, Guatemala, JAN 12 0354+ - surprise number three on 1570, tune-in to reverb SS preacher, briefly over XERF's rancheras (initially thought this was R Amanacer, Dominican Republic). Then, at 0401, recorded mane with "Esta es TGVE, R VEA [phonetically pronounced Vee-aaah], Radio Voz Evangelica de America. Desde la capital de Guatemala... R Voz Evangelica de America." Into live chatter, then faded while other equally-interesting Latins faded up. [Krueger-FL/Tocabaga #49]

1580 BELIZE VOA Relay, Punta Gorda, DEC 28 0328 - EE "VOA News Now", IDs and program promos, // 1530 (very poor); SIO 433 [Burnell-NF]

1610 ANGUILLA Caribbean Beacon, DEC 21 0316-0322 - alone and fair on peaks with Dr. Gene Scott ramblings, parallel 5935. [Krueger-FL] JAN 8 0442-0445 - weak and alone, with usual Dr. Gene Scott babble, parallel 5935. Was checking the frequency for Gerry Bishop's recent TIS log of WRD347 Oconee County Emergency Management Agency, Watkinsville, GA, but no joy. [Krueger-FL/Tocabaga #49]

1630 MEXICO XEUT Tijuana BCN, DEC 27 0131 - with "Noticias Mexicana" and "Radio Universidad" ID. [Danneskjold-AZ]

Steve Whitt asks: "Jean, You noted VOA in // on 1580 & 1530. Were they both from Belize? Or was 1530 from Sao Tome?"

Jean responds: I suspect strongly that they were both from Belize, even though they are very rare visitors! 1580 was unequivocally Belize. On 1580, the ID at 0330 UTC mentioned specifically that this was the programme for the Americas. At that point I checked 1530. This was, as usual, dominated by Vatican R., but there was a VOA siganl underneath it. Sao Tome is the normal VOA outlet heard here on 1530, but they have the African programme. I was not confident about a // with 1580 until the 0330 news ended and the programme went into an item about internet use. I don't know if this was also an item in the African programme. (I didn't check Sao Tome on short-wave.) I did note that there was no detectable delay between the two signals (checked using 2 receivers), and the bearing seemed to be the same (south-west) for 1580 and 1530 from the K9AY loops."

Steve F. speaks: "When I noticed that YVRZ-1500 was my 80th South American catch (50 Colombians, 28 Venezuelans, Ecuador-540, and Rio-1180), I decided to check my log to see just when I'd heard them. I knew they were rarities now, but the breakdown by decade took me by surprise: 70 in the 70's, eight in the 80's (nothing after '84), and only Coro-780 and Cumana -1500 in the 90's. I'd forgotten how dependent those of us without a water path were on the North American clears taking their Monday morning silent periods. I remember some South American stations being downright easy - just as soon as the US or Canadian biggie would cut its carrier, a Bogota or Barranquilla or Caracas station would be the first thing you'd hear. When those silent periods went away, they took a whole continent (well, the very top of it, anyway - that's about all I ever heard) along with them!"

Morris speaks: Not much international DX since I moved to Winnipeg in early December. Over 150 stations logged, but most of them domestic."

701 NORTH KOREA JAN 4 1630 KK, inspirational music, // SW 3250, 3320 and others. [Wood-HI]

801 NORTH KOREA JAN 4 1608 - inspirational music (mass choirs and choruses - resembles old Soviet music). Very good, not // 701. [Wood-HI]

1521 CHINA Urumqui (?), DEC 20 1546 - RR ID "Mezhdunarodnoye Radio Kitaya" (=CRI), report on nationaliaties, 1557 off with usual melody, 1600 RR back on with ID. Until 1557 was // 1323, but at 1600 1323 went into Hindi (name of station given in EE). [Wood-HI]

1557 UNID MIDDLE EAST, JAN 4 1650 - Muslim call to prayer, 1653 talk by man. Good strength, mixed with possible Australian. [Wood-HI]

ALBANIA: Unusually strong signal from Albania this morning: 690.6 kHz - RTVSH 1 (listed Shkodër, nom. 693 kHz, 50 kW), DEC 25, 0710 UTC // 648, 1260, 1359, 6100 kHz. Still audible after 1000 UTC as the only Albanian station on MW - drifted to 690.9 kHz. NO SIGNAL on 1089 kHz (listed Durrës, 150 kW) this morning! [Karel Honzik (CZE) in MWC e-mail list]

ARGENTINA: A report from DX’er A. Slaen: according to dj Roberto Belo-Rovello working at BBC Spanish Service, it is regularly operating over 1670 kHz in Buenos Aires area, a new station with 5 kW power, at present still carrying irregular tests. [From Conexion Digital No. 32 in PLAY-DX 1048, DEC 12]

CUBA: The Elian Gonzalez stalemate is drawing (as expected) orchestrated daytime rallies in the town of Cardenas (where Elian's family is from) and central Habana, which are heard on the medim wave channels here. Many nights, the Progreso and Rebelde networks carry the rallies (I think at least some appear to be rebroadcasts). The question remains: will a full-scale radio war erupt? [Krueger-FL/Tocabaga #49]

DOMINICAN REPUBLIC: "Por las Rutas de Quisqueya"- an exceptionally fine MW, SW and FM bandscan - was made by veteran Japan DXer Takayuki Inoue Nozaki in his "Relampago DX" (No. 112 - December, 1999). The observations (mostly focusing on Santo Domingo area stations) took a little while to appear (these logs were made during his visit to Hispanola in December of 1998), however it is still a very useful guide which I highly recommend. FM entries alone total nearly 50 stations! His address is QZY07141@nifty.ne.jp if you wish to request a copy. [Krueger-FL/Tocabaga DX #49]

GERMANY: Mega Radio 1575 Burg, will commense transmissions at the start of 2000. Daytime power 100 kW, nightime power 500 kW. [RadioRed OCT 20 in Frekvensnytt #8-99]

IRELAND: Atlantic 252 will close down DEC 31 at 2359. Station’s license has not been renewed. In the future this frequency will be used by RTE. [RadioRed (NOV 11) in Frekvensnytt #8-99]

ISLE OF MAN: Music Man 279 is due to launch next year, has submitted a detailed planning application for the 500 kW transmitter at the Port of Ayre. [Radio Newsletter OCT 20 in Frekvensnytt #8-99]

KOSOVO: R. Prizren reactivated on 1377 kHz with a Local program. Heard on DEC 23 at 0030 UTC in Albanian with a request program (phone-ins, pop, no news). A number of IDs, a very clear one at 0101 UTC included frequencies (MW + FM). Radio Prizren is listed on 1377 kHz (10 kW) and 94.0 MHz. Good signal, S9+10 dB in peaks, clear channel. The station was on the air still after 0200 UTC, when mostly young people were still calling for their favourite songs. (Prizren is to be pronounced similarly like "prison", not "prize"). [Karel Honzik (CZE) via MWC e-mai list]

POLAND: TWR announced that TWR programs in Finnish, Norwegian, Swedish and Lithuanian would end JAN 21 and move to 1494 St. Petersburg Popovka transmitter. [WWDXC NOV 12 in Frekvensnytt #8-99]

RUSSIA: R. Mayak 1544, Murmancsk region, monitored on this split frequency during the last two months. Exact location unknown. [WWDXC NOV 6 in Frekvensnytt #8-99]

"I wonder if someone could let me know the identity of the Dutch pirate who I heard on 1634 kHz between 2148 and the end of transmission at 2255 UTC on 5 December. I found the presenter's IDs impossible to decipher, however the station address seemed to be Box 101 in Vriezeveen, and the postal code included "7670." Many thanks!" [Jean Burnell-NF]

@Shawn Axelrod VE4DX1SMA, Winnipeg MB; ICOM ICR-70 & Drake R8, 4 foor unamplified box loop / Quantum Loop, 145 outdoor wire / 100 foot indoor wire, MFJ Phasing Unit. VE4DX1SMA <saxelrod@mb.sympatico.ca>

@Jean Burnell St. John's NF; Drake R8A, Icom R-71A, modified MFJ-1026 phasing unit, K9AY delta loops.

@Mark Connelly WA1ION, DX’ing from South Orleans MA; Drake R8A, 30-m wire (running east), MFJ-1024 active whip, Superphaser-1 phasing unit. <WA1ION@ix.netcom.com>

@Bruce Conti, Nashua NH; R8B, DCP-2, 30-m east sloper, 15-m terminated loop, noise reduction via 4:1 xfmrs and buried coax.

@Ben Dangerfield, Wallingford PA; Drake R8A, 4 slopers, MFJ-1026 phaser.

@Ragnar Danneskjold, Mesa AZ; Kenwood R-1000 and Zepp antenna.

@Steve Francis, Alcoa TN; TRF, Select-a-Tenna. <amdxmail@aol.com>

Steve Kennedy, Coal Township PA.

@Terry Krueger, Clearwater FL; NRD-535 with diploes. <tocobagadx@earthlink.net> Terry’s report includes items from TOCABAGA DX #49 - retransmit or quote only with full credit given to Tocabaga DX and all attributed sources

@Jim Renfrew, Rochester NY; Drake R8, Radio West Loop. <renfrew@localnet.com>

Morris Sorenson, Winnipeg MB; Drake R8 with McKay-Dymek DA-9 loop on Fgrundig YB-400 with built-in antenna.

@Erik Stromsted W1ZBT, Pepperell MA; Yaesu 1000MP, 1500’ beverage aimed NNE-terminated, 20 ft. high, Palomar Active Preselector. <microadv@net1plus.com>

Richard E. Wood, Kesau HI; Yaseu FRG-100, longwires 300-1000 feet N/ENE and ESE.

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