Sunday, August 31, 2008

Radio St. Helena Day 2008

Radio St. Helena Day 2008 will be broadcast on 11092.5 KHz in USB on Saturday, 15. November 2008 as follows :
--------------------------
Times UTC Target areas
--------------------------
20:00 - 21:00 Japan
21:00 - 22:30 Europe
22:30 - 23:30 North America
Because of the very long "Revival" and "Double- Anniversary" transmissions in 2006 and 2007 and the especially heavy workload at Radio St. Helena during the entire second half of 2008, it was decided that RSD 2008 would be reduced to the above schedule. It is hoped that the times have been chosen so that reception in all areas will be acceptable. The QSL procedure is the same as in 2006 and 2007, and the QSL address is :
Radio St. Helena , P.O. Box 93 ,
Jamestown , St. Helena ,
STHL 1ZZ , South Atlantic Ocean

Wishing everyone excellent listening conditions,
Laura Lawrence ,
Station Manager
Radio St. Helena

Robert Kipp
(via Mark Nicholls)
(Via ARDXC- Australian DX News - September 2008 Newsletter)

Egypt is back to normal GMT+2

Hello DXers,
Starting last friday 29/8/08 00.00 Hrs. local time, Egypt is back to the normal GMT/UTC+2. we normaly do that in the last week of september..but this year the holy month of Ramadan will start tomorrow ( monday 1/9/08 ) so we had to get things back to normal to manage the number of hours that we fast.
all the best my friends
yours
Tarek Zeidan,Cairo,Egypt
(Via DX Listening Digest)

Saturday, August 30, 2008

Life on airwaves with radio ham

Check this link.......

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/wales/7588800.stm

Relays this weekend via 9290KHz

August 31st
Radio Victoria 11.00 - 12.00 UTC
Radio Joystick 12.00 - 13.00 UTC
Latvia Today 13.00 - 14.00 UTC

Good listening
73s Tom

Pakistan will change their local time in November 2008

from DXAsia News
Aug 29, 2008
The government of Pakistan has decided to postpone the change of local timings untill the first week of November - so VOA Urdu service will continue to use the present timings and frequencies till the end of A08 schedule period.
The current schedule is :
MW 972 1539 kHz is available at 1300-0100 hrs.
SW service 0000-0100 on 7135 11755 kHz.
SW service 1300-1400 on 9340 15795 kHz.
(Alok Dasgupta via
http://dxasia.info/news)

Friday, August 29, 2008

Snakes come crawling out of AIR station campus

29 Aug 2008, 0756 hrs IST, K Praveen Kumar,TNN

CHENNAI: All through Wednesday and Thursday, officials of the Velachery Forest Range camped on the All India Radio station campus in Thirumullaivoyal near Avadi on a snakecatching mission. At the end of the day, the officials, accompanied by three snakecatchers , had in their basket as many as nine adult snakes, 35 young ones and a few fertilised eggs. The exercise was undertaken following repeated calls of snakes being spotted on the AIR station campus that also houses the employees' quarters. "AIR station officials had written to us regarding the snake problem. They told us that the reptiles were found all over the campus. Many had crept into bedrooms and toilets. So we had sent a team to the place," Sathyamurthy, forest range officer, Velachery, told The Times Of India. "We found it very difficult to walk outside, especially at night. Our children could not play outside. Snakes were found in bushes as well as in open places. Many of us were shocked, on many occasions, to see poisonous snakes in the corners of our bedrooms and toilets. The number of snakes seems to have gone up in recent times. Almost all of us have spotted one or two at some point of time," Ratna, a resident said. The team from the forest range, in all, captured four adult cobras, 35 young cobras and 16 cobra eggs from the campus. The officials also captured a rat snake, a wolf snake and a green snake - all nonpoisonous ones. The residents sighed in relief when they saw the catch. "If we had not attended to their call now, the number of snakes in the campus would have tripled. There were 35 young cobras and more eggs to hatch. The reptiles do not have any other place nearby to go," said one of the snakecatchers . There is a lot of greenery on the AIR station campus, making it an ideal breeding ground for snakes. The captured snakes were taken to the Velachery Animal Rescue Centre and would be released into the wild later. "We have also brought the snake eggs to the rescue centre . They will be hatched here after which we will release them into the wild. We have well-designed hatching pits for this," Sathyamurthy said. The forest department officials now have to travel hundreds of kilometres to release these snakes. The fast-paced urbanisation has resulted in the loss of habitat for several reptile species. The captured snakes have to be taken to remote forest areas in the state and released.

BBC launches special news programme for Afghanistan

Date: 28.08.2008
BBC World Service launches today a special news and current affairs programme for audiences in the Southern and Eastern regions of Afghanistan. Stasu Narray, from the BBC Pashto service, will bring 30 minutes of news and in-depth analysis to Pashto-speakers, including those on the Pakistan border, every day at 2100 in Afghanistan (2130 in Pakistan). Stasu Narray will discuss a wide range of topics, from politics and economy to health and sports. There will also be opportunities for listeners to share their views on key issues affecting their lives in special phone-ins. Andres Ilves, Head of the BBC Persian and Pashto service, says: "The BBC has been broadcasting to Afghanistan for many decades. "Nearly two out of three adults listen to our programmes at least once a week, and research shows that the BBC is the international broadcaster most Afghans trust and tune in to. "We are delighted to be able to draw on our rich experience and expertise of the region to offer a new bespoke daily programme for southern Afghanistan. "I am certain our listeners will benefit from the BBC's tradition of impartial journalism and comprehensive on-the-ground coverage."

BBC in Afghanistan
BBC World Service broadcasts programmes in Pashto, Dari and Uzbek languages to Afghanistan. The news and current affairs programme Stasu Narray is available on 11 BBC FM frequencies in key towns across Afghanistan including Kabul 89.0, Kandahar 90.0, Lashkar-Gah 89.2, Jalalabad 89.0, Gardez 87.9, Ghazni 88.3, Khost 90.1, Kunar 87.5, Herat 89.2, Bamian 89.0 and Jabal os Saraj 92.2. Audiences can also tune in on shortwave on 6100, 7295 and 9913. In addition to news and current affairs programmes keeping listeners informed of the latest developments in Afghanistan, the region and the rest of the world, the BBC also offers thought-provoking discussions and audience interactivity on regional and Afghan domestic topics. The highly popular call-in programmes regularly feature newsmakers invited to the BBC's Kabul studios. Millions of people listen to the BBC's daily radio programmes for Afghanistan and access its online output on bbcpashto.com and bbcpersian.com/afghanistan. The BBC also offers its audiences in Afghanistan educational programmes produced by the BBC's international charity the BBC World Service Trust. They include the many programmes of the Afghan Education Projects, such as the renowned radio soap opera New Home, New Life as well as Afghan Woman's Hour.
(BBC World Service Publicity)

Radio Sweden Special 70th Birthday Broadcast

Live from Studio Five
Ever since 1938 Radio Sweden has served as an important link between Sweden and the rest of the world. On Wednesday, September 3 we'll be celebrating our 70th birthday with special broadcasts, a panel discusion, and live music. Our first English broadcast of the day, at 12:30 hrs UTC, will be a live program from Studio 5 at Broadcasting House in Stockholm. We'll be taking a look back at some of the major stories we've covered over the years, and talking with many guests, including some wellknown Radio Sweden voices from the past. That will be followed by a special panel debate in Swedish with a number of cultural and media personalities. The 14:00 hrs UTC Swedish broaadcast will also be live from Studio 5. The entire special program, from 12:30 to 16:30 hours UTC, will be carried live in a special web broadcast.
So don't fail to join us to celebrate our 70th, Live from Studio Five.

http://tinyurl.com/67cb28

Thursday, August 28, 2008

Abie Nathan, Voice of Peace founder, dies

Abie Nathan, the pilot, entrepreneur, peace activist and founder of the groundbreaking "Voice of Peace" radio station, died Wednesday at Tel Aviv's Ichilov hospital, the hospital said in a statement. He was 81.

Press reports:
International Herald Tribune
http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2008/08/27/africa/ME-Israel-Obit-Nathan.php


(Mike Barraclough via DXLD egroup)

New air mail rates in India wef 1 Sept 2008

For QSL hunters you have pay more more to send reception reports thru snail mail. India post has increased the airmail rates. The new air mail rates in India from 1 Sept 2008 is available at:

http://www.indiapost.gov.in/Foreign_Postage_Rates.htm

(Thanks to Jose Jacob, VU2JOS, NIAR)

More channels for farmers

Ranchi, Aug. 26: Basking in the glory of Birsa Hariyali — the FM channel launched by Birsa Agriculture University (BAU) in March — the varsity has chalked out plans to start community radio stations in 21 districts of the state. “There are 21 krishi vigyan kendras (KVK) across the state. Of these 15 are run by BAU and the rest are operated by NGOs, BAU director R.P. Singh Ratan said.
Read the full story here :

RFA Announces 12th Anniversary QSL Card Series

Radio Free Asia (RFA) proudly announces its 12th anniversary QSL card serieswhich will begin use on September 1st; a total of 3-cards comprise this series. Each QSL card celebrates RFA’s 12 years of on-air broadcasting. The first RFAbroadcast was in Mandarin on September 29, 1996 at 2100 UTC. Each card will beused for one month before it is replaced by the next card in the series. Card 1 willbe used for all valid reception reports dated Sep 1-30, 08; card 2 for all validreception reports dated Oct 1-31, 08; and card 3 for all valid reception reportsdated Nov 1-30, 08. The designs used are examples of many drawings made bythe children of RFA personnel earlier this year and were inspired by the work theirparents create daily at RFA. These cards not only commemorate RFA’s 12thanniversary but also help capture the youthful spirit of the RFA’s family andfriends around the world and encourage the spirit of democracy and freedom.
Sep 08: Card 1 of 3 celebrating RFA’s 12th Anniversary
Oct 08: Card 2 of 3 celebrating RFA’s 12th Anniversary
Nov 08: Card 3 of 3 celebrating RFA’s 12th Anniversary
Radio Free Asia is a private, nonprofit corporation that broadcasts news and information to listeners in Asian countries where full, accurate, and timely newsreports are unavailable. Created by Congress in 1994 and incorporated in 1996,RFA currently broadcasts in Burmese, Cantonese, Khmer, Korean to North Korea,Lao, Mandarin, the Wu dialect, Vietnamese, Tibetan (Uke, Amdo, and Kham), and Uyghur. RFA strives for accuracy, balance, and fairness in its editorial content. Asa ‘surrogate’ broadcaster, RFA provides news and commentary specific to each ofits target countries, acting as the free press these countries lack. RFA broadcasts only in local languages and dialects, and most of its broadcasts comprise news ofspecific local interest. More information about Radio Free Asia, including ourcurrent broadcast frequency schedule, is available at www.rfa.org.RFA encourages listeners to submit reception reports. Reception reports arevaluable to RFA as they help us evaluate the signal strength and quality of ourtransmissions. RFA confirms all accurate reception reports by mailing a QSL card to the listener. RFA welcomes all reception report submissions at www.techweb.rfa.org (follow the QSL REPORTS link) not only from DX’ers, but also from its general listening audience. Reception reports are also accepted by emails to qsl@rfa.org, and for anyone without Internet access, reception reports can be mailed to :
Reception Reports
Radio Free Asia
2025 M. Street NW,
Suite 300 Washington DC 20036
United States of America
Upon request, RFA will also send a copy of the current broadcast schedule and a station sticker.
(Via AJ Janitschek, Radio Free Asia)

Wednesday, August 27, 2008

Latest DRM capable receivers and DRM+ developments on display at IFA 2008

Berlin, Germany - The DRM Consortium introduces its most recent advancement at IFA in Berlin, one of the keyevents for the global consumer electronics industry. This year the DRM Consortium will be showing the latestDRM capable receivers at the Digital Radio Stand, Hall 2.2, booth 107. DRM+ will be featured in the Scienceand Technology Forum (TWF), at the Fraunhofer IIS stand, in Hall 5.3, booth 15. There are currently more than 700 hours per day of programming broadcast in FM-like quality around the worldusing the Digital Radio Mondiale (DRM) digital radio system. It offers listeners the possibility of receiving excitingand exclusive radio content from the world´s leading broadcasters without connecting to the internet. The DRMdigital radio system operates on the long, medium and short wave bands but has recently been extended to thebroadcasting bands below 120 MHz for the digitalisation of the FM band. This extension of the DRM standard iscalled DRM+.During IFA, the DRM Consortium in association with 004 GmbH, eCommence service providers and officialsupporters of DRM, will showcase the following receivers on the Digital Radio Stand, Hall 2.2, booth 107 :
- the Himalaya DRM2009, a DRM and DAB capable receiver. Additionally, two DRM receiver prototypes(DRM2008 and DRM2012), each based on its own unique hardware architecture, will be on display.
- Morphy Richards' receiver supports DAB/DRM/AM/FM with MP3/WAV playback. It is a portable, AC/DC,digital multi-band receiver with scheduled recordings and EPG for DAB.- Starwaves' Car Box is a DRM / DAB digital radio converter box for vehicles and boats and can also receive analogue short, medium long wave and FM broadcast.
- TechniSat´s MultyRadio can receive analogue FM, long-, medium and shortwave as well as DAB and DRMtransmissions. The device is equipped with high quality stereo-bass reflex loudspeakers and an SD card reader.
- Sarapulsky Radiozavod showcases an automobile digital radio receiver suitable for AM, FM, DRM. Textinformation as well as USB port and a record option are integrated in this receiver.
- Analog Devices will present its Digital Desktop Audio Developer's Kit. The Digital Desktop Audio system is a digital radio and an audio player based on the Blackfin Processor. As a digital radio, the unit performs as an internet radio and a DRM radio.
The results of recent DRM+ field tests from Germany will be presented publicly during IFA session entitled "Talkim TWF" on Tuesday, September 02, from 11:00 am to 1pm. Expert speakers from the DRM Consortiumand the German DRM Forum will contribute to the session which takes place in TWF Halle 5.3.Detlef Pagel, Chairman of the German DRM Forum, expressed his confidence in the success of DRM +worldwide: "DRM+ is more than the digitalisation of the FM band, DRM+ leads to a highly efficient usage ofspectrum and allows for more station to launch on-air with low-cost energy consumption. For listeners, DRM+,like DRM, offers an undisturbed mobile reception and digital quality sound and a wealth of optional featuresincluding DRM surround sound and data and text services such as Journaline".
(DRM Press Release)
Aug, 27, 2008
Contact: Fanny Podworny, DRM, pressoffice@drm.org
Telephone number: +44 20 75 57 32 71

Mumbai: Community radio for slum residents

Shai Venkatraman
Wednesday, August 27, 2008, (Mumbai) Two girls in Mumbai are leading students and residents of slums to host shows on a radio station started by the Mumbai University.The girls are spearheading a change through community radio.Born in a Mumbai slum, 17-year-old Gautami Chawre, a factory worker, has never been to school. Now her radio shows on MUST Radio have made her the talk of her neighbourhood.
Read the full story here :

Punjab children learning through radio

Ludhiana, Aug. 27 : Thousands of primary schools are being provided education through Radio in Punjab, as part of the Sarva Sikhsa Abhiyan (education for all) by the Punjab government.To make the initiative successful, radio sets have been provided to 13,000 primary schools in the State.
Read the full story here :

FM radio making rapid strides, revenue expected to touch Rs 800 cr this year

T E Narasimhan / Chennai August 27, 2008, 0:23 IST
The entry of private players has boosted the fortunes of FM radio in a big way in the country. This has been consistently reflecting in the revenue earned by the industry, which grew to Rs 550 crore last year from Rs 350 crore a year ago. The industry is expected to close with over Rs 800 crore in revenue this year.
Read the full story here :
http://www.business-standard.com/india/storypage.php?autono=332657

VOA launches election website

Washington, D.C., August 26, 2008 – Voice of America (VOA) this week launched http://www.usavotes2008.com/, an interactive election website offering an online meeting place where visitors worldwide can learn more about the historic U.S. presidential contest.
"The website is tailored to meet the diverse needs of our international audience," said VOA Director Danforth W. Austin. "By engaging our online visitors directly, we hope to increase understanding about the U.S. electoral process and to respond to the tremendous interest this presidential election has generated throughout the world."The site covers the entire U.S. presidential election process: the primaries, the Democratic and Republican Presidential Nominating Conventions, the November elections, and the first hundred days after the inauguration.Online visitors can interact with VOA and others in the global community through discussion groups and election-related polls and can share audio and video files and photographs with friends.Special sections highlight the presidential candidates in the 2008 U.S. elections as well as key issues of concern among the U.S. electorate, including foreign policy, immigration, health care, energy, and the economy. An electoral process timeline tracks the election process and an interactive slideshow provides facts about all U.S. presidents from George Washington to George W. Bush.
VOA is promoting the new website on YouTube, Facebook, and Twitter and is planning to expand it to other languages, such as Spanish, Chinese, and Persian.VOA (http://www.voanews.com/), the largest U.S. international broadcaster, is fielding a team of nearly 90 reporters, technicians, producers, directors, and coordinators to create a radio, television, and Internet broadcast center at both conventions. Broadcasters from 26 of VOA’s 45 language services are providing virtually round-the-clock coverage.
(VOA Press Release)

Saturday, August 23, 2008

Radio rewind

Dipanita Nath
Posted online: Friday , August 22, 2008 at 1351 hrsFrom a bulky box at the centre of family life to a gizmo for the iFirst generation, the radio has shrunk in size. The memories haven’t. Tune in, you’ll hear the history of a nation They were the listening generation. They crowded around a box every evening, fumbled through the airwaves and adjusted their watches to the evening news. Every neighbourhood had somebody with a Murphy, Bush or Philips and every family wanted one, just as much as they wanted a new Ambassador.

Read the full story here :
http://www.screenindia.com/news/Radio-rewind/351179/

HAM-TECH 2008, Expo & Conference – Hyderabad

HAM-TECH 2008, Expo & Conference – Hyderabad (InternationalConvention of Hams) coinciding NIAR Silver Jubilee Celebrations during18-20 October, 2008

Invitation Letter
http://www.niar.org/sj/HAMTECH_General_INVITATION.htm

Registration Form
http://www.niar.org/sj/HAM_TECH_Registration_Form.htm

Brochure
http://www.niar.org/sj/HAM_TECH_Brochure.pdf

Radio regains lost regime in Mizoram

Written by admin on 5:08 AM
Aizawl, Aug 22 : ‘When we grow tired of all this visual. Radio what’s new? Radio, someone still loves you,’ sings the British rock group ‘Queen’, perhaps predicting the revival of the popular audio medium recently eclipsed by the idiot-box revolution.The song seemingly inspired the people of Mizoram as the radio is seen regaining its lost popularity among the masses, thanks to the FM music programme that kicked-off on August 15.”Youngsters in the city had hardly tuned into the AIR before we introduced the channel. Apart from English and Hindi hits, most wanted numbers are aired to glue them to radio,” Station Director L CH Sailo maintained. The AIR Aizawl station was currently training 40 youths as radio-jockeys, out of which 12 had passed out, Mr Sailo added.”The RJs have a good taste of modern music, speak fluent English and Hindi. Some of them are experienced as DJs in the big cities,” the director informed.The FM music channel starts from 1700 hours and lasts till 2200 hours, which can be tuned in from mobile phones and car tapes. The duration might be extended up to 1200 hours in the near future, he added.”Since its inception on August 15, I am staying tuned to the programme. It’s a good programme,” said Valpuia, a taxi driver in Aizawl. ”I had never been interested in AIR programme before the FM channel came out,” 16-year-old girl Marini added.The AIR deputy director general C Lalrosanga said today that the programmes would be gradually improved. ” We would also include headline news in course of time,” he said.”Till the early 70s, only a few people in Aizawl afforded a transistor radio. In those days, radio was the only means of mass communication. All the neighbours swamped the house of a well-to-do family who had a radio to listen to music,” prominent journalist Lalkhawliana, 72, recollected.

http://northeastonline.blogspot.com/2008/08/radio-regains-lost-regime-in-mizoram.html

VOA Hindi radio service to be shut down

Voice of America's Hindi radio service is on the chopping block. As you will see below from the message that's been circulated by those who work there, radio service will cease on September 30, 2008 (it was first launched inJuly 1955). About six staffers will lose their jobs. The website and aonce-a-week, seven-minute segment on Aaj Tak, a television channel in India,will continue. A senior VOA official (who wouldn't talk on the record to SAJA forum) told me that how the web and TV presence will evolve will bedecided after the radio service stops running. I have a call into other officials, seeking on-the-record comments and will update this post asnecessary. If you have thoughts, comments, etc, please post it in the comments section below. Tips, leads, welcome, too: saja[at]columbia.edu
In the message below, Ashok Sarin of VOA Hindi Service (Radio) -akumarsarin[at]yahoo.com - asks those interested to write to members ofCongress who might be able to influence this decision. He concludes bywriting: "Even writing a letter to Wall Street Journal, New York Times and Washington Post can serve a useful purpose."You will be sorry to know that the Broadcasting Board of Governors (BBG) has announced to the employees of the Voice of America , Hindi Service (Radio) that their broadcasts will be abolished on September 30, 2008. Thisdecision was presented as being the "will of the Congress". However, in December the FY 2008 funding bill for the Broadcasting Board of Governors, which was PASSED by both houses and signed by the President, directed thatthis proposed cut be REVERSED. On July 16, 2008, the House Appropriations Subcommittee on State, Foreign Operations and Related Programs marked up the Broadcasting Board ofGovernors FY 2009 budget and again directed this proposed cut be REVERSED. Excerpts from their recommendation: Language Service Reductions - The Committee recommends sufficient funding infiscal year 2009, including $8,000,000 provided in Public Law 110-252, the Supplemental Appropriations Act, 2008, to maintain broadcasting in languages which the BBG proposed to reduce or eliminate. The Committee supports anongoing effort to improve audience reach by utilizing the most effectivemeans of transmission; however, the Committee does not support going silentin many critical regions.It appears that the Broadcasting Board of Governors is ignoring the will of the Congress.Hindi is the flagship and national language of India . There are severval million muslims in India (more than the population of Pakistan, who keenlylisten and ask questions about US strategic partnership with India and itsefforts in the Middle East . All Hindi VOA Radio Listeners depend on VOA Hindi Radio programming and news to keep themselves fully informed and thisis one of main reasons that in a recent survey 73 per cent people gave U.S.the most favored nation status. President George Bush has already launched an initiative to promote foreign languages in American schools including HINDI. U.S. is shifting more diplomats to India while reducing the numbers in Europe, boosting attention to the rising power and importance to India . The entire U.S. business is working on "India Strategy", but BBG is not thinking straight. Indo-US nuclear deal, India cooperation in the reconstruction of Iraq andAfghanistan , joint military exercises and several other issues figure prominently in Indo-US relationship which is going to be extremely substantial in the years to come.The Urdu Service of VOA for Pakistan, Dari and Pashto Services forAfghanistan, have been extended by several hours a day while the Hindi Radio Broadcast to India is only an hour a day and that too is likely to beeliminated. Shutting the Hindi Radio will be an insult to the people ofIndia . Radio is the only medium to reach all the 750 million Hindi speaking people of India.Given the strategic importance to India as the world's largest democracy, ade facto nuclear power, world's fifth largest economy and an important ally of the united States in the WAR AGAINST GLOBAL TERRORISM, shutting down the well established daily Hindi Radio programming since July 1955, should not be favored.I will urge you to please take this matter up with the members of India Caucus and other members of the Appropriation Committees of both the U.S.House of Representatives and the Senate, plead with them that they advise BBG Chairman and other members of the Board NOT to close down VOA HindiRadio Service. Some strong action is needed and I am hopeful that you will help us in ourmission.
Regards,
Ashok Sarin,
Voice of America, Hindi Service
Key appropriation committee members who can stop the Hindi Radio cuts:
1. Representative Chris Van Hollen, Jr., U.S. House of Representatives, 1707 Longworth House Office Building, Washington D.C. 20215 Fax: 202-225-0375
2. Representative Donna Edwards, U.S. House of Representatives, 2470 RayburnHouse Office Building, Washington D.C. 20215 Fax: 202-225-8714
3. Representative Steny Hoyer, U.S. House of Representatives, 1705 LongworthHouse Office Building, Washington D.C. 20215. Fax: 202-225-4300
4. Representative Roscoe Bartlett, U.S. House of Representatives, 2412Rayburn House Office Building, Washington D.C. 20215. Fax: 202-225-2193
5. Representative Frank R. Wolf, U.S. House of Representatives, 241 CannonHouse Office Building, Washington D.C. 20215. Fax: 202-225-0437
6. Representatives Thomas M. Davis III, U.S. House of Representatives, 2348Rayburn House Office Building, Washington D.C. 20215. Fax: 202-225-3071
7. Representative Robert J. Wittman, U.S. House of Representatives, 1123Longworth House, Washington D.C,. 20215. Fax: 202-225-4382
8. Representative James P. Moran, U.S. House of Representatives, 2239Rayburn House Office Building, Washington D.C. 20215. Fax: 202-225-0017
9. Hon. Howard Berman, Chairman, House Committee on Foreign Affairs. Fax202-225-3196.
10. Hon. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, Ranking Member, House Committee on ForeignAffairs Fax: 202-225-5620
11. Hon. Nita Lowey, Chairman, House Committee on Appropriations, Fax:202-225-0437
12. Patrick Leahy (Appropriations Subcommittee - State, Foreign Relationsand related Programs. Fax: 202-224-3479
13. Senator Jim Webb (Appropriations Subcommittee) Fax: 202-224-4024 MEMBERS OF
INDIA CAUCUS
1. Jim Mcdermott, 1035 Longworth HOB, Washington D.C. 20515. Phone: 202-225-2452 Fax: 202-225-2455
2. Joe Wilson, 212 Cannon House Office Building, Washington D.C. 20515.Phone: 202-225-2452 Fax: 202-225-2455
3. J. Crowley, Phone: 202-225-3965
Besides, India lovers like Palone and others can also provide help. It willbe a good idea to send faxes to almost all the above personalities. Evenwriting a letter to Wall Street Journal, New York Times and Washington Postcan serve a useful purpose.We need help.Your Friends at VOA, Hindi.

Friday, August 22, 2008

3rd DW Listeners and Viewers Gathering 2008

Venue: Goethe Institut, House # 10, Road # 9 (New), Dhanmondi R/A, Dhaka-1209
Program
22nd August 2008

9.30 am-10 am Registration
10 am-10.05 am Opening Remarks by Federation Chairman Mosud Mannan
10.05 am-10.10 am Remarks by Goethe Institut Director
10.10 am-10.15 am Remarks by CDA of German Embassy
10.15 am-10.30 am Address by Mr. Graham Lucas of Deutsche Welle
10.30 am-11 am Presentation on Deutsche Welle Bangla website, podcast and newsletter by
Mrs. Nurunnahar Sattar
11 am-11.30 am Tea Break
11.30 am-12 pm Self-introduction of participants
12 pm-1 pm Discussion with Listeners on Deutsche Welle Program
1 pm-2.30 pm Prayer Break followed by Lunch
2.30 pm-3.15 pm Individual Cultural Performance by participants
3.15 pm-4 pm Deutsche Welle Film
4 pm-4.30 pm Seminar on Leadership
4.30 pm-5 pm Tea Break
5 pm-6 pm Quiz Contest
6 pm-6.30 pm Workshop on DXing
6.30 pm Dinner

23rd August 2008
9.30 am-10am Registration
10 am-11.30am Discussion on new Deutsche Welle website (with participation from the floor) 11.30 am-11.45 am Tea Break
11.45 am-12.30 pm Discussion on Club Matters with Mrs. Nurunnahar Sattar
12.30 pm- 1 pm New federation committee formation followed by photo session
1 pm-2 pm Prayer Break followed by Lunch
2 pm-2.30 pm Individual Cultural Performances by participants
2.30 pm-3.30 pm Distribution of prizes for quiz competition and best Club
3.30 pm-4 pm Concluding session with remarks from Mr. Lucas, Mr. Torsten Oertel and
Federation Chairman
4 pm Tea Break

*Interested participants from outside Dhaka may avail a guided tour to Lal Bagh Fort
* Any info, Please Call: +88 01914 700022 Engr. Md. Monzurul Alam Ripon

Engr. Md. Monzurul Alam Ripon
Federation of Deutsche Welle Listeners and Viewers Clubs of Bangladesh
P.O. Box 6122 Gulshan Dhaka-1212 Bangladesh
Mobile: 01914700022

Wednesday, August 20, 2008

BBG Boosts Broadcasts to Georgia

Washington, August 19, 2008--
The Broadcasting Board of Governors (BBG) has implemented surge broadcasting in Georgian in response to the continuing crisis in the breakaway province of South Ossetia. News and information from the Voice of America (VOA) and Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) reaches audiences in Georgia via shortwave radio, in-country FM broadcasts, television, and the Internet.
Read the full story here :

QSL from KBS

QSL from KBS with photo of Park Ji-sung midfielder with Manchester United.

India participates in International Lighthouse Day


 

Deutsche Welle to air educational programme in three Indian languages

Bombay News.Net
Tuesday 19th August, 2008 (IANS)
Deutsche Welle (DW) Radio, Germany's international broadcaster, will soon broadcast programmes in three Indian languages, an official said Tuesday. The broadcaster and the Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU) have signed an agreement to this effect, varsity pro-vice chancellor Latha Pillai said Tuesday. Gyan Vani FM, the radio channel of IGNOU, will facilitate broadcasting of DW-RADIO programming in Hindi, Urdu, Bengali and English over campus radio at 29 universities across the country. 'This will facilitate students of our 29 associated universities getting a broader perspective of subjects happening across the world,' IGNOU spokesman Ravi Mohan told IANS. In addition, 'Tomorrow Today', the science magazine from DW-TV, will be integrated into the schedule of Gyan Darshan, an educational TV channel of IGNOU that operates nationwide via satellite and cable. In return, DW radio has agreed to support IGNOU with training courses for community radio operators and journalists. Germany's international broadcaster will oversee several intensive courses per year at the School of New Media Studies at IGNOU.
'We are happy to have the opportunity to reach out to students throughout India,' said Petra Schneider, head of sales and service at DW radio.

Monday, August 18, 2008

Bihar farmers to get first community radio station

Community Radio: Bihar Needs It
Vishal Singh
http://www.bihartimes.com/articles/general/community-radio.html

For poor Kalina students, lessons are Must

Priya Ramakrishnan
Monday, August 18, 2008  03:09 IST
The underprivileged school students in and around Kalina looking for help  with their lessons, can now tune into radio for assistance. Mumbai University students have recorded lessons from textbooks, which are being broadcast through the varsity's FM channel - Must Radio.
Read the full story at :

Crippled by Service Closures, Voice of America Struggles To Respond to Russia's Attack on Georgia

Read the story at :

VOICE OF RUSSIA EXPANDS BROADCASTING TO TRANSCAUCASIA

During the armed conflict in South Ossetia the Voice of Russia was the only broadcaster quickly delivering the latest news and the position of Russia to the people of Georgia. As of now the Voice of Russia will stipulate more airtime to broadcast to Transcaucasia. On August 9th the Georgian authorities banned all Russian television and radio channels and blocked access to all ru-Websites. Voice of Russia FM-band broadcasts to Tbilisi discontinued as of the night of August 8th. But the Voice of Russia has retained its presence on the Georgian information space. Moscow is broadcasting to Georgia and the neighboring regions 14 hours a day. The Voice of Russia's Commonwealth Service, which broadcasts in Russian to post-Soviet republics and the Baltic countries, has launched an on-line service broadcast reports by Russian news agencies and commentaries by prominent Russian politicians and experts. Yekaterina Yagunova is the head of the Voice of Russian press service. The Voice of Russia increased the number of short-wave and medium-wave transmitters to broadcast to Georgia. Besides, programs of the Voice of Russia in Russia are retransmitted in Sukhumi in Abkhazia at the FM-frequency of 107.9 MHz. Airtime has now been increased from 6 to 10 hours per day. And August 8th saw the opening of the South Ossetia Website at www.ruvr.ru which is called "South Ossetia: events and opinion" and is available in Russian and 31 foreign languages. During the conflict the Voice of Russia Internet audience increased by more than two and a half times. In addition, the Voice of Russia has started a text message service, which is available at +7 (917) 767 7845. Listeners can subscribe to a free news service which will be available in any corner of the globe and supply timely and unbiased information on the developments in South Ossetia regardless of access to the Internet.
During the conflict the Voice of Russia World Service broadcast to global audiences in 37 foreign languages. Georgia's aggression against South Ossetia triggered a wide-ranging reaction with people sending letters, making phone calls and texting to express concern and regret over the loss of life and to voice hope for a peaceful settlement. Many listeners express their gratitude to the Voice of Russia for providing an unbiased coverage of the latest developments in South Ossetia. For many the Voice of Russia was the only source of compete and comprehensive information on what was happening in the region. State Duma deputy Gennady Gudkov said as he spoke on the Voice of Russia that the broadcaster was doing the great service of filling foreign countries up on the viewpoints they rarely hear at home.
(Lada Korotun,Voice of Russia.)

New radio station planned by Belgian troops in DR Congo

Members of the Belgian armed forces in the Congolese province of West-Kasai are planning to set  up a radio station to inform the local population about why they are there, and what they are doing. Technical and editorial staff will be recruited locally. This isn't the first such radio station operated by the Belgian forces. Earlier there was a similar station, Radio Rafiki, in Eastern Congo. There are about 30 Belgian troops in Kananga, the capital of West Kasai in  the centre of DR Congo, where they are giving training to the Congolese army.
(Source: Belga via Radiovisie.eu via Arnaldo in cumbredx )
 

Sunday, August 17, 2008

MWLIST worldwide mediumwave & longwave database

Dear radio listeners and DXers,
This is a friendly invitaion to MWLIST (Mediumwave List) , welcome to MWLIST, this is a new easy to use free public worldwide software database of mediumwave & longwave broadcast stations.

Additionaly, bandscans or logs can instantly be created or edited using the PHP online MyAM tool included in MWLIST. This makes creating bandscans much easier and handled more practicaly, export in csv spreapsheet format is possible, this can be converted to excel or other formats. The regular html format can easliy be copied and added elsewhere. Bandscans can be linked directly to other websites and logs easily copied into forums or mailing lists. Our team wants to follow a new concept and our goal is to create a much more diverse and much more usable software and data resource than ever before for broadcast radio. This database software can be used also as a framework for exporting or presenting radio station data on other websites, if you are interested in becoming a partner website of MWLIST, please see contact details below.
----------------------------------------
For AM and MW DXers worldwide, Interested in AM radio - MW DXing - LW DXing?
Why not join the MWLIST project!
MWLIST is a (non-commercial, hobby-made) worldwide database of MW & LW radio stations
We feature world-wide data and seek:
- Data sources for MW radio from all around the world
- Collaborators as country editors and news reporters from all over the world
- More location or transmitter details, more technical details
- MW DXers to make use of the data for logs, bandscans and further reception analysis
MWLIST includes map, logs and bandscan features, data is available on-line, you can download it as PDF file or convert logs to a spreadsheet format. Direct linking of any bandscan is possible. Please let us know what you think about this project, or notify us about any missing stations and more corrections. Please have a look at http://www.mwlist.org/  or get in touch with us at: glorenz@lorenzsoft.de
the first major update for MWLIST data from North America (CAN and USA) is now complete, these first steps included converting coordinates to precisce arcsecond readings, updating station names and call signs, removing or updating inactive stations in Canada, a few coordinates on Caribbean islands. Additionaly data for many locations in Asia was updated including precisce coordinates. This means that if you now go to the MWLIST country list and select to show a transmitter map CAN or the US you can see amost all transmitters at once on Google Earth, try it out! The next planned major update includes adding low power MW and TIS stations from CAN and the US, plus updating coordinates from Mexico to arcsecond readings. Next we plan to integrate day and night antenna diagram maps for US MW transmitters. Another big data update is planned for Brasil including very presisce coordinates, already a few stations like 1220 Radio Globo use arcsecond coordinates (visible on a map link).
Any reports or suggestions, comments are most welcome. Reports can easily be done using the interface of the database software, anyone wanting to edit or update data can join our team.
Thanks for your attention and best regards
Björn Tryba and Günter Lorenz (FMLIST and MWLIST database team)
www.mwlist.org - www.fmlist.org

 

Radio stations turn watch towers

17 Aug 2008, 0505 hrs IST, D Madhavan,TNN
CHENNAI: For most people, a hobby is a leisure activity. If you walked into the lighthouse at Mahabalipuram on Saturday, you would have thought that the ten-member team of Ham Radio, who had assembled there, were just pursuing their hobby.
Read the TOI story at :

Friday, August 15, 2008

BBG Should Enhance SW, Not Replace It

by George Woodard, 8.13.2008
The author is a former vice president of engineering at Radio Free
Europe/Radio Liberty and director of engineering of the International
Broadcasting Bureau. He is now retired.

Read the article at :
http://www.rwonline.com/pages/s.0044/t.15065.html

Independence Day Greetings !


Heartiest greetings on 62nd Independence Day !!

Thursday, August 14, 2008

LIGHT HOUSE WEEKEND 16TH/17TH AUGUST 2008

The Radio Society of Sri Lanka will be activating its annual Light House Special Call sign 4S7LGT  from Barbaryn Island Light House  at Beruwala on the Western Coast of Sri Lanka.  This also qualifies as AS 171 for IOTA.  The operations from AS 171 Barbaryn needs special permission  from the Telecommunications Regulatory Commission of Sri Lanka and is subject to the approval of the Sri Lanka Ports Authority, Harbour Master.  So this is an opportunity for IOTA operators as well to make a valid contact.  There had been claims of operating AS 171 by 4S7DXG which unfortunately was neither from the Island nor a valid operation from  AS 171. We shall be QRV on 40m upwards depending on conditions, both CW/SSB from this beautiful Light House. A special QSL card will also be issued. 
QSL requests to
4S7LGT,
Secretary RSSL,
P. O. Box 907,
Colombo. Sri Lanka.
 
Cards will be sent via the Buro. For direct cards some form of return postage SASE will be appreciated.
-- 
G, Victor A. Goonetilleke   4S7VK
Frequency coordinator South Asia:Voice of America
British Broadcasting Corporation, Vatican Radio, R.Veritas.
National  Secretary Radio Society of Sri Lanka,
Disaster  Communications Coordinator RSSL
Sri Lanka Rep. International
Amateur Radio Union.
 
"Shangri-La" ,298 Madapatha Road,
Piliyandala. Sri Lanka.
E-mail:
victorg@slt.lk
victor.goonetilleke@gmail.com
Skype: victorgoonetilleke
Tel +9411 2614098. Mob: +94 774013775

Wednesday, August 13, 2008

TWR Australia launches new website

TWR Australia has launched a new website at : 
 
 

Mahabalipuram Lighthouse AT8LH special callsign

This year August 15th right from morning you would hear AT8LH special callsign working from Mahabalipuram on all band and modes of Amateur Radio on occation of International Lighthouse & Lightship Week(end) starting from 15th to 24th Aug 2008. We plan to work from Historical Lighthouse - which looks like temple (WLOL IND011) and much recent one WLOL IND016 with names of Mamallapuram & Mahabalipuram close to Chennai. A group of Amateur Radio Volunteers from Bangalore Amateur Radio Club - VU2ARC and Tamil Nadu have jointly put our countries First Lighthouse on Air, Equipment support from Lions Clubs International Amateur Radio Club Station VU2LCI. Team headed none other than Manohar (Arasu) VU2UR who is ARLHS First Awardee would most of the time be on CW. Our friend Gopal Madhavan, President, Amateur Radio Society of India & International Director IARU R3 has been cordially invited to be with us on the evening of 15th Aug 2008.
For receiving special QSL card do send your address label with Rs.10/- postage stamp - NOTE no envelop required as we would be sending you QSL thru Special Envelop duly stamped and Pictorial Cancellation which is a collectors item.
Details are on http://www.qrz.com/AT8LH
Friends, do dig up your log books/QSL cards and see how many LightHouse Amateur Radio Stations you have worked already and claim your ARLHS award details on http://www.arlhs.com
This event is on http://www.illw.org also look into http://www.illw.net
Do tell your Friends and Family abt International Lighthouse & Lightship Weekend.
" 88's from LH " that is our callsign AT8LH
de Lion Ajoy -VU2JHM
ARLHS # 1571

PS: Email from Arasu - VU2UR
Dear friends,
This week end of 16th/17th August, will be very interesting for
those of you who hunt lighthouses. AT8LH from Mahabalipuram
Lighthouse Old(IND-011) and New (IND-016) would be activated by a
group of amateurs from BARC/LCI Please try to have a QSO and do not
engage into a rag-chew, so that AT8LH can have many QSOs, within the
short time at their disposal.
Thank you.
de arasu vu2ur
Awards Manager,Contest manager,
Monitoring Systems Coordinator of
Amateur Radio Society of India (ARSI)

CVC Listeners Survey

Participate in CVC listeners survey here :

Voice of America, Radio Free Asia Jammed in China

RTHK-Kong Hong appoints new Director of Broadcasting

http://tinyurl.com/6ecnzt

Technical snag at AIR Kokrajhar,Assam

A news report in "The Telegraph" says repeated technical snags at All India Radio, Kokrajhar (20 kW MW), at Harinaguri has forced the station to stop transmission of programmes.

Tuesday, August 12, 2008

Australia talks DAB+ in China

http://tinyurl.com/56g7co

Digital Broadcasting Information Service "Journaline" first time demonstrated on DRM

Digital Broadcasting Information Service "Journaline" First Time Demonstrated on Digital Radio Mondiale as part of a Multiplatform Implementation at Olympic Games 2008. To support the increased information need at the 2008 Summer Olympics in China, the new text-based Digital Radio information service "Journaline" delivers added value to the listener. Integrated into selected Audi shuttle vehicles used in Beijing, this service provides passengers and drivers with up-to-date information in the form of a "sports and news ticker". Interested members of the DRM Consortium and friends of Digital Radio Mondiale are welcome to try out the service in an Audi VIP car in Beijing in the week 2008-08-09 until 2008-08-15. Detailed information like the event location is available under www.journaline.info. Journaline resembles the functionality of an electronic magazine or teletext on a TV set. It allows users to interactively access radio accompanying information, or to follow the self-updating scores of interesting matches either in the car (including text-to-speech presentation) or with carry-on radio receivers focusing on textual presentation. Journaline was internationally standardized with ETSI by the WorldDMB Forum. The service is currently broadcasted as part of DAB/DMB and DRM digital radio transmissions; however, the application is suitable for virtually any broadcast platform. The development focused on simple re-use of a broadcaster's existing information sources, efficient low-bitrate transmission, and easy integration in any digital radio receciver class. Through a hierarchical topic structure, users are able to browse the received information, which may comprise both programrelated and program-independent textual information. Favorite topics can be stored as bookmarks. The Journaline project partners include Audi, Fraunhofer IIS, Thomson, NXP, Atmel, Microtune, and BBC.
(DRM Press Release)


Pakistan is changing back to normal time UTC + 5.00 Hrs affecting VOA Urdu

Due to the local time change in Pakistan the following changes are effective from 1st September for VOA URDU SERVICE :

  • MW 972 1539 kHz is available at 1400-0200 hrs instead of 1300-0100 hrs.
  • SW service 0100-0200 (ex 0000-0100) on 7135 11805 kHz.
  • SW service 1400-1500 (ex 1300-1400) on 9510 11690 kHz.
 
(Alok Dasgupta via dxasia.info)

QSL from Bangladesh Betar



Metallica To Launch Their Own Radio Station

Band members will host shows...
by Jason Gregory
09 August 2008
Metallica are to launch their own radio station to coincide with the release
of their new album 'Death Magnetic'.
http://www.gigwise.com/news/45249/metallica-to-launch-their-own-radio-station

Trans World Radio Listeners Meet

Trans World Radio -India
Grow & Glow National Listeners Meet 2008
7 - 9, October 2008
Chennai

Radio Vatican Listeners meet in Kozhikode, Kochi

The Head of Asia Section of Vatican Radio Rev.Fr.Alphy Ben is visiting Kerala in Oct. 2008. During this occasion, Vatican Radio Listeners meeting are scheduled as follows:
14 Oct. 2008 10.00 am : Nava Jyothis Renewal Centre, By Pass Road, Kozhikode
15 Oct.2008 3.00 pm :POC Centre, Palarivattam, Kochi
Interested listeners can contact Vatican Radio Regional Office at Koch on Tel.No. 0484-28006227
Source: "Vatican Tharangam", Aug. 2008
Monthly magazine in Malayalam of Vatican Radio

73
Jose Jacob, VU2JOS
National Institute of Amateur Radio
Raj Bhavan Road, Hyderabad 500082, India
Tel: 91-40-6516 7388 Telefax: 91-40-2331 0287
Cell: 94416 96043
www.niar.org



 

Radio Guru paathshala back on track

Read the Times Of India story here :
 

America's Voice Abroad Silenced as Russia Continues Its Military Action in Georgia

Read the story at :

Sunday, August 10, 2008

Broadcast India 2008


The 18th Broadcast India 2008 will be held from 17 - 19 October, 2008 at Bombay Exhibition Centre, Mumbai. The Broadcast India show has been considered the single largest premier event for the infotainment industry in India from its very first year (1991). Having grown tremendously over the years, this year to accommodate the increasing number of exhibitors and visitors, the 18th Broadcast India 2008 has shifted to a new venue. The Bombay Exhibition Centre at Goregaon East is a good 100,000+ sq. ft. of space under a single roof and is situated very close to the International Airport and the Bombay Film & Television Industry. The Exhibition will be preceded by a Conference on 15 - 16 October, 2008. This conference will bring together the best of the speakers from all over the world and India. The conference will include workshops and seminars covering topics on Broadcasting, IPTV, Mobile TV, Film & Television Production, Animation and Visual Effects, Radio and Audio. Some of the world's leading manufacturers like Panasonic, JVC, Harris, ARRI, Thomson Grass Valley, Canopus, VIZRT, Datavideo, Hitachi, Ikegami, Canon, Fujinon, AP ENPS, da Vinci, Genelec, RCS, Sennheiser, APT, EVS, P+S Technik, Cooke Optics, Cartoni, Focus, Digital Vision, Panavision, Monarch Computers and many others will be present at Broadcast India 2008. There will also be a Bavarian and China Pavilion also at the show. Over 500 companies from all over the world will exhibit their products and technology at the show. The show will attract over 22,000 attendees from across the subcontinent and from the Middle East, South Africa and South Asia. The Broadcast India event has been the premier platform for the biggest names in the trade. The last 17 years have seen the event grow from strength to strength and constantly evolve to give the exhibitors and visitors the best experience and make multi-million dollar deals possible. This mega event is for all persons connected with the Television, Film, FM Radio, Video, Audio, Mobile TV, IPTV, Computer Graphics, Visual Effects, Multimedia, Music, Lights, Cable, Satellite, Broadband, Internet, Transmission and other related businesses and industries. For further information and media accreditation for the event please contact: Kavita MeerTel: 91 22 2215 1396/ 2215 2721 Email: saicomtradefairs@vsnl.com
About Saicom Trade Fairs & Exhibitions Pvt. Ltd.- Being part of the film and television industry the two main Directors, Kavita Meer and Ramesh Meer created a company "Saicom Trade Fairs & Exhibitions Pvt. Ltd" to organize exhibitions and conferences exclusively catering to the needs of the entertainment industry. Its first show titled "Broadcast India Exhibition & Symposium" was organized in 1991 and since then the company has been holding these shows every year in the month of October/November in Mumbai.

Websites of All India Radio regional stations

Here are links to the websites of some of the All India Radio regional stations :
 
All India Radio - Panaji
http://www.airpanaji.gov.in/

All India Radio - Ahmedabad
http://www.airahmedabad.in/

All India Radio - Rohtak
http://rohtakakashvani.com/

All India Radio - Thiruvananthapuram 
www.airtvm.com

All India Radio - Vividh Bharati ( Temp)
http://vividhbharati.weebly.com/index.html

All India Radio - Kolkata (Unofficial)
http://www.freewebs.com/airkolkata/

Bihar schoolkids are singing radio ga, ga

Prabhakar Kumar / CNN-IBN
Published on Sat, Aug 09, 2008 at 18:03, Updated at Sat, Aug 09, 2008 in Nation section

Saturday, August 09, 2008

HFCC B'08 conference

The B08 HFCC/ASBU conference will be held in Moscow from 25 to 29 August 2008. Visit the B08 Moscow conference webpage at :
http://www.hfcc.org/B08moscow.html
 

TWR - REDISCOVERING THE "LOST WRITINGS" OF CORRIE TEN BOOM

Trans World Radio and Zondervan Publishing Release Compelling Book "I Stand At the Door and Knock"
Cary, NC, August 8, 2008—International Christian broadcaster Trans World Radio announces the release of a book containing never-before-published devotions by Corrie ten Boom, noted Dutch speaker and best-selling author of renowned classic "The Hiding Place." The new book, "I Stand at the Door and Knock," debuted on July 31 and has been distributed to booksellers across the U.S. Published by Zondervan Publishing House in Grand Rapids, MI, it comprises the third and likely final installment of Corrie's extensive writings culled from unused audio segments containing her spiritual meditations. Through the rubble of post-World War II Europe, Corrie accomplished what brute force never could: conquering hearts across the world with the healing words of God's hope and love. Gleaned from her life experiences, including incarceration at a Nazi concentration camp, "I Stand at the Door and Knock" contains the simple yet powerful recollections of a life lived with integrity before God. TWR is pleased to present this book that includes 40 "lost" radio devotions uncovered by a TWR missionary in the Netherlands office audio archive. All the veteran saint's devotions were originally broadcast over TWR from 1966 to the early 1970s in her native Dutch tongue. TWR and Zondervan have previously published two other books of Corrie's unpublished radio scripts: "Reflections of God's Glory" and "Messages of God's Abundance." "While much history has been written in the last 40 years, Corrie's spiritual insights and vivid illustrations remain timelessly refreshing and relevant," says TWR's Tom Watkins, U.S. director of Strategic Initiatives & Partnerships. "It has been a great blessing and privilege to see this project come to fruition and to share these inspiring writings from a stalwart of the Christian faith."
(TWR News Release)

VOA DOUBLES BROADCASTING INTO THE REPUBLIC OF GEORGIA

Includes reports from inside the country
Washington, D.C., August 8, 2008 – The Voice of America (VOA) is doubling its Georgian language broadcasts in the wake of fighting between Georgia and Russia in the breakaway province of South Ossetia. VOA's Geogian Service will produce a 60-minute program daily, up from 30 minutes, with news, information, interviews, analysis and reaction to the crisis in the former Soviet Republic. News is also available on the Internet at
www.VOANews.com/georgian/. "We want to make sure Georgians are fully informed about what's happening in their country," said Steve Redisch, VOA's Executive Editor. The Georgian broadcasts are carried nationwide on a FM network as well as on shortwave frequencies 11945 and 15460 from 1530 to 1600 UTC, and on 11965 and 15460 from 1600 to 1630 UTC. Reporters and stringers on the ground are providing VOA with reports from inside the country, which is slightly smaller than the state of South Carolina and has about 4.6 million people. The crisis began when Georgian troops launched a military strike on the province of South Ossetia early Friday, seeking to end the region's bid for autonomy. In response, Russian troops entered the border province.
 (VOA Press Release)
 

Friday, August 08, 2008

GK With One World One Dream!!!!

Olympic Games Beijing 2008 Coverage of different Radio Stations like BBC World Service, Radio Australia,China Radio International plus our own All India Radio etc etc.
As I heard in BBCWS:::
BBC World Service is going to air special Olympic SportsWorld with Russell Fuller from 1300UTC right from the opening ceremony on August 8 friday on every weekday during the Beijing Olympic Games.This is in addition to their regular coverages. Previously, I heard extensive coverage of Radio Australia during Barcelona Olympics plus Sydney Olympics etc etc perhaps. I'm not sure whether they will air special live coverage of this Beijing Olympic Games. At present, they are airing a special feature in their Sports Bulletin called Olympic Minute where they air special news about Olympic like medal prospect of pacific country i.e.Tonga etc. I'm a regular listener of Radio Australia Sports News Bulletin around 1105UTC on 9475/11945kHz on weekdays.
Our All India Radio also broadcasts regular reports, highlights of the day with insight field reports etc, sports news bulletins & live coverage etc of Olympic Games from many years. I hope this time also they will air such special broadcasts. DW Radio-Bengali etc is also airing special feature of short duration during their transmissions. Let see how China Radio International English,Bengali,Hindi etc covers this
Olympic Games from their HQ. City in Beijing.

73 & 55
Gautam Kr.Sharma
Abhyapuri, Assam
August 8,2008

Thursday, August 07, 2008

BBC Arabic presence in the Middle East expands with new mobile phone partnerships

Date: 31.07.2008 
The availability of the BBC's multimedia service for the Arab world has further expanded across the Middle East thanks to the launch of mobile-phone partnerships in the Palestinian territories, Oman and Jordan. In addition to the availability of BBC Arabic on television, radio and online, international news seekers in these territories can now access the BBC Arabic content via their mobile phones. Subscribers to Al Jawwal – the operator in the West Bank and Gaza – can now receive SMS messages with top news stories from BBC Arabic. A first for the BBC in this territory, the service will keep Al Jawwal subscribers up-to-date with breaking news direct from the BBC via short and easy-to-read messages. This complements the availability of the BBC Arabic content in the Palestinian territories via BBC relays in Gaza (107.4 FM), Ramallah (98.8 FM) and Hebron (108 FM) as well as on the partner FM station, Radio Bethlehem 2000. In Oman, users of the mobile-phone operator, Nawras, can now receive the BBC's breaking news alerts on their phones – in Arabic as well as in English, from the English-language news site, bbc.com/news. The BBC's SMS service via Nawras adds to the existing arrangement with the country's other mobile phone operator, Omantel, which means all mobile phone users in Oman can now receive the BBC's breaking-news alerts. The latest news from BBC Arabic is available not just on mobile phones but also on PDAs and other wireless handheld devices in the region. In a recent business development, the BBC has secured WAP (Wireless Application Protocol) links with two of Jordan's mobile-phone operators, Zain and Xpress. In addition to the existing offer of SMS messages with top news stories from BBC Arabic, these two operators now offer their subscribers the BBC's WAP sites – mobile versions of news websites – designed specifically for wireless devices. Easy to use, they include full text of the story and images, allowing users to keep abreast of the world developments at all times. Availability via Zain and Xpress mobile phone systems complement the BBC Arabic presence in Jordan on radio via BBC FM relay stations – BBC 103.1 FM in Amman and BBC 89.1 FM in Ajloun. BBC Arabic television is freely available to everyone with a satellite or cable connection in the region, be it the Middle East, Gulf or North Africa. Head of BBC Arabic, Hosam El Sokkari, says: "We are very happy that we can respond to our audience needs of getting news as it happens. "Our audiences have embraced the new technologies, and they are expecting BBC Arabic to continue to serve them on all new platforms. "The launch of BBC Arabic television and our expansion into the mobile market demonstrate the BBC's commitment to the region." Simon Kendall, Head of Business Development, Africa and Middle East Region, BBC World Service, says that these new partnership agreements are great news for the BBC. He says: "They mean international news seekers can access the BBC's multimedia content wherever they are and whenever they like in these territories. "Our ambition is that the BBC Arabic news content is available to mobile-phone users across the Arab world. "The partnership agreements in the Palestinian territories, Jordan and Oman bring us closer to this goal." 

BBC Arabic is the BBC's integrated news and information service for the Arab world. It is available on air and on demand 24-hours a day, seven days a week. It is designed to reach audiences on radio, television, the internet – on bbcarabic.com – mobile phones and handheld computers in whatever way best suits the audience. BBC Arabic is both the largest and the oldest of the BBC's non-English language services. Launched on 3 January 1938, it has evolved into the Arab world's leading international broadcaster, covering the political, social and cultural issues that matter to its diverse audiences in the Arab world and across the globe. With its new TV presence, BBC Arabic is bringing the world to Arab audiences – reporting the news wherever it leads. BBC Arabic breaking news alerts are offered via mobile operators as a subscription service in Bahrain, Egypt, Jordan, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, UAE, Yemen and the Palestinian territories. As the BBC's first publicly-funded international television service, BBC Arabic television is freely available to everyone with a satellite or cable connection in the region, whether they are in North Africa, the Middle East or the Gulf. It is distributed free-to-air by Arabsat, Eutelsat and Nilesat satellite systems. BBC Arabic is also available on Channel 41 of the E Vision cable platform in the UAE.
(BBC World Service Press Office)

EBU survey on The Future of Digital Radio

http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=VeLErdozsoAhqbjYCD0mHQ_3d_3d

New Delhi's Radio City 91.1 FM BAN GAYA BEHTAR!

http://www.indiaprwire.com/pressrelease/radio/2008080711820.htm

Wednesday, August 06, 2008

ABU 45th General Assembly at Bali, Indonesia

The ABU will hold its 45th General Assembly and associated meetings in Bali, Indonesia, at the kind invitation of Radio Republik Indonesia from 19th to 25th November 2008. The meetings will be held at the Westin Resort Hotel at Nusa Dua, culminating in the General Assembly on 24th-25th November.
For details of the social programmes and updated information on the meetings schedule, please visit: http://www.abu-ga-2008.com/
For online registration, please visit: http://www.abu.org.my/aburegistration/

Tuesday, August 05, 2008

Charan Singh University to set up community radio stations

Monday - Aug 04, 2008
Televisionpoint.com Correspondent | Hisar
Despite advancement in communication technology, radio continues to be the most potent source of dissemination of information for farmers in the rural areas. Keeping this in mind, the Chaudhary Charan Singh Haryana Agriculture University (CCSHAU), Hisar, has decided to set up community radio stations at all Krishi Vigyan Centres run by it.
Full story at :
http://www.televisionpoint.com/news2008/newsfullstory.php?id=1217843733

Mandarmani - the dream DX location

Dr.Supratik Sanatni at his temporary shack inside his hotel room consisting of ICOM R75 & Ten Tec Rx-320D SDR.

Veteran dxer Dr.Supratik Sanatani from Kolkata recently visited 'Mandarmani' during holidays. " I was there to take break.I had not planned serious DX because in this period of low sunspot and peak Indian summer no one expects any DX. But I was awe struck by the quality of radio signals from this DX location. I am seriously planning a DX camp there in the end of December. I am sure it will repeat the success of the Chandipore DX camps of the late eighties. " says Dr.Sanatani

Read about the place and the logs at : http://www.geocities.com/supratiksanatani

About Mandarmani : http://wikitravel.org/en/Mandarmani

Sunday, August 03, 2008

Radio Singapore Intl. - Audio files of final broadcast

Here are audio files of Radio Singapore Intl's special programme at 1210-1300 UTC during final english broadcast on 31st July,2008. The first hour (1100-1200 utc) consisted of regular programming from 93.8 FM & news & the last hour (1300-1400 UTC) consisted of special edition of Singapop show.
Please make a note that audio is awful due to soundcard issues as my notebook's hdd crashed & had to use an old desktop to record the audio. Some portions have been edited, have removed the news & music segments. Here are the files :

RSI Final Broadcast 31st July,2008 - Part 1 (6 mb)
http://alokeshgupta.googlepages.com/rsifinal_1.mp3

RSI Final Broadcast 31st July,2008 - Part 2 (4 mb)
http://alokeshgupta.googlepages.com/rsifinal_2.mp3

RSI Final Broadcast 31st July,2008 - Part 3 (8 mb)
http://alokeshgupta.googlepages.com/rsifinal_3.mp3

RSI Final Broadcast 31st July,2008 - Part 4 (6 mb)
http://alokeshgupta.googlepages.com/rsifinal_4.mp3

Saturday, August 02, 2008

Misty to air Radio Netherlands content

By Radioandmusic.com
(2 Aug 2008 11:15 am)
MUMBAI: Netherlands' public broadcaster Radio Netherlands Worldwide (RNW), has entered into partnership with Radio Misty 94.3FM, the North Bengal and Sikkim FM station that will air a variety of RNW music programmes ranging from European pop charts to classical, jazz and world music as also RNW radio books.
Full story at :
http://radioandmusic.com/headlines/y2k8/aug/2aug/misty.php

RTI Delhi Listeners Club celebrates 80th Anniversary of Radio Taiwan Intl.

New Delhi, 1 Aug '2008 - RTI Delhi Listeners Club celebrated the 80th anniversary of Radio Taiwan International with a listeners get together at Fast Track, New Friends Colony, New Delhi on Friday, 1st August, 2008. Celebrations started with Mr.Andrew Cheng, Director of the Information Division of Taiwan Embassy cutting a cake to mark the 80th anniversary of RTI. Speaking to the members of the listeners club Mr. Andrew Cheng emphasized on different aspects of long standing Taiwan-India relations & urged to face challenges together that Taiwan is facing in the international arena. "Shortwave is a potent tool & can reach every nook & corner of the region which no other medium can" Mr.Andrew said.
Message from Radio Taiwan International Chairman Mr. Cheng Yu was read out on the occassion. He conveyed his heart felt thanks to Indian listeners for celebrating this auspicious occasion. "This event today was a success and was attended by more than 100 important personages in Taiwan including around 40 diplomats stationed in Taiwan. In 1998, Taiwan's legislature passed the statute governing the establishment of the non-profit, government-sponsored Central Broadcasting System (which is now known as RTI). The passage has given RTI a legal basis and a clear, new mission. RTI is now responsible for broadcasting news and other information to China and the rest of the world. This new role is a great departure from the past political functions and has turned RTI into a modern and international radio station with an emphasis on public service and professionalism. We have tried to establish listeners' clubs in different parts of the world including in India, to be more precise, in New Delhi, Kolkata and Chennai. That shows how much we value our listeners in India and we hope that our listeners in India will continue to support us in the future." said Mr.Cheng in his message.
On this occasion Mr.C.K.Raman, a veteran RTI listener urged RTI to continue broadcasting on shortwave as most of the Indian listeners do not have high speed internet access to listen online. Another avid RTI listener Mr.Jaynata Chakraborty narrated his experience on how he started listening to RTI & on Taiwan's contribution to the world. "RTI is an ambassador of peace", he said. Opinion was divided among members of the listeners club about their preference on listening on shortwave & internet, they also discussed their likes & dislikes about RTI programs & reception conditions at length. It was observed that llisteners normally tune in to english transmission on 11600 kHz during 1600-1700 UTC and reception quality was "FAIR" using a simple portable receiver & whip antenna. It's not "GOOD" as it was a year back. However some of the listeners suggested that signal quality can be improved by attaching a simple wire antenna at the back of the receiver. The poor signal quality was also attributed to the low sun spot conditions prevailing now a days. Listeners also discussed about ways to listen RTI english programs online on the RTI website. It was observed that "Groove Zone" was a favourite program among many listeners & the new programs "Spotlight" & "Health Beats" were also very much liked. Mr.Andrew later on answered the queries of listeners in an question answer session & asked RTI Listeners Club to pass on the suggestions made to RTI. All the participants were presented with books & DVD's on Taiwan. An announcement was made regarding the new RTI contest wherein one can win 16000 Usd, details at : http://rti.im.tv/english
Full text of RTI Chairman Mr.Cheng Yu's message for Indian listeners on the ocassion of 80th anniversary of RTI :

RTI Chairman Mr.Cheng Yu's message for Indian listeners on the ocassion of 80th anni of RTI

Mr.Cheng and Theresa of the Taiwan Embassy, Mr.Alokesh Gupta and dear RTI friends,
Today marks the 80th Anniversary of Radio Taiwan International and the 10th Year as the National Broadcaster. I would like to thank you all for celebrating this auspicious occasion with us in India. For your information, this event today was a success and was attended by more than 100 important personages in Taiwan including around 40 diplomats stationed in Taiwan. When RTI was first established in 1928, it was mainly responsible for propaganda, due to domestic political instability. During the Sino-Japanese War, RTI became a tool for the military since the radio station was able to continue broadcasting despite repeated Japanese bombing raids. After the KMT moved to Taiwan, RTI assisted with the government's political propaganda and military warfare. It was not until 10 years ago that RTI underwent a transformation from its original role. In 1998, Taiwan's legislature passed the statute governing the establishment of the non-profit, government-sponsored Central Broadcasting System (which is now known as RTI). The passage has given RTI a legal basis and a clear, new mission. RTI is now responsible for broadcasting news and other information to China and the rest of the world. This new role is a great departure from the past political functions and has turned RTI into a modern and international radio station with an emphasis on public service and professionalism. We have tried to establish listeners' clubs in different parts of the world including in India, to be more precise, in New Delhi, Kolkata and Chennai. That shows how much we value our listeners in India and we hope that our listeners in India will continue to support us in the future.
I hereby would like to wish you all the best of luck and success. Thank you for celebrating RTI's birthday with us!

Cheng Yu
Chairman
Radio Taiwan International

Friday, August 01, 2008

Radio Singapore Int'l ends transmission

www.chinaview.cn  2008-08-01 00:31:08
SINGAPORE, July 31 (Xinhua) -- Singapore's regional radio station, Radio Singapore International (RSI), ceased broadcasts on Thursday, ending its 15-year run. At a closing ceremony on Thursday, RSI's parent company MediaCorp CEO Lucas Chow presented momentos to transmitting station staff and together they bid farewell to an era of shortwave broadcasting in Singapore, according to local TV Channel NewsAsia. The regional shortwave radio service was set up in 1994 and broadcasted in English, Mandarin, Malay and Bahasa Indonesia. It had a listenership base of half a million listeners around Southeast Asia, including East and West Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam. MediaCorp announced the decision nearly two months ago, saying it was because the effectiveness of a shortwave radio service had diminished over time, with changing technology and media consumption habits. It then said while FM radio broadcast remains strong, audiences are turning to other channels such as the web and television International feed for their news.
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The RSI website www.rsi.sg/english is no longer available.