HAITI / U S A
Sixty miles west of Port-au-Prince, Haiti, an Air Force C-130 makes slow and lazy ovals over the Golfe de la Gonzave, a 264-foot weighted wire dangling from its belly like a plumb line.
This is Commando Solo, a radio station in the sky. The long wire, kept vertical by a 500-pound lead weight, is helping transmit an AM radio signal [1030 kHz] to the people of Haiti. Four other antenna on the wings and fuselage are sending FM signals.
For the full CNN report read
http://edition.cnn.com/2010/TECH/01/26/haiti.flying.radio/index.html
CNN website via Mike Terry via dxld yg (26/1-2010)
HAITI / U S A
Commando Solo broadcasting to Haiti on 1030 kHz AM.
The U.S. military has begun airborne broadcasts as part of the relief effort to help earthquake victims in Haiti. Broadcasts are conducted by "Commando Solo" aircraft of the Air Force Special Operations Command's 193rd Special Operations Wing, based in Pennsylvania. According to the U.S. Department of Defense, AM transmissions are aired on 1030 kHz AM, as well as on 92.4 and 104.1 MHz FM. In coordination with the government of Haiti, the U.S. Joint Task Force-Haiti (JTF-Haiti) is broadcasting news and information on public health, safety and aid distribution. CNN reports that also messages discouraging Haitians from trying to flee to the United States have been aired. CNN, citing U.S. authorities, says that broadcasts last five hours daily, but no schedule has been published.
Commando Solo's frequency of 1030 kHz is the same as that of Radio Ginen in the Haitian capital Port-au-Prince. The office building of Radio Tele Ginen collapsed in the earthquake, and it remains unclear whether 1030 kHz is still on the air.
Jim Solatie and Håkan Sundman in Finland were the first DXers to pick up Commando Solo tentatively on January 19 on 1030 kHz, with a relay of Voice of America programming.
According to the 193rd SOW, three C-130 aircraft are involved, but only one serves as a flying radio station, while the other two transport cargo. The aircraft are "staged at locations outside the devastated area," says a press release by the 193rd SOW. In practise this would most likely mean Guantánamo or Puerto Rico. The aircraft left their home base on January 14 and 15.
The Air Force is also delivering 50,000 hand-held receivers for distribution to survivors of the recent earthquake. The receivers are distributed by Joint Task Force Haiti. The small emergency radios are both solar-powered and hand-cranked and don't require batteries.
DXing.info (24/1-2010)
HAITI / U S A
Found this at Shortwave Central:
AM Broadcast DXers should look for EC-130 transmissions on 1030 kHz AM. See our related story on the Commando Solo aircraft at
http://mt-milcom.blogspot.com/2010/01/193rd-special-operations-wing-to.html
HOMESTEAD ARB, Fla. - A U.S. Air Force C-130 is delivering 50,000 hand-held radios for distribution to Haitian earthquake survivors by the recent devastating earthquake.
The radios will be distributed by JTF-Haiti and are expected to arrive later this week.
The small emergency radios are both solar-powered and hand-cranked and do not require batteries.
Radios are being distributed in order for affected citizens to receive news and important information concerning international relief efforts.
In close coordination with the government of Haiti, JTF-Haiti is currently broadcasting news, public health, safety and information regarding relief efforts via a military aircraft equipped with FM and AM broadcasting capability.
Public safety messages are broadcasting in the following frequencies: 92.4 FM, 104.1 FM, 1030 AM.
The role of U.S. military forces during this humanitarian assistance and disaster relief effort is to rapidly respond with critically needed supplies and medical services in those areas the Haitian government deems necessary.
U.S. Department of Defense forces are part of a larger, unified United States federal response to the Government of Haiti's request for humanitarian aid. U.S. Southern Command is working with the Department of State, USAID, the Office of U.S. Foreign Disaster Assistance and others to aggressively provide life-sustaining services to the people of Haiti. at 7:10 AM Labels: Earthquake relief, EC-130 Commando Solo, Haiti, Operation Unified Response, USAF.
73 and Best of DX Shawn Axelrod, Winnipeg CAN via mwdx yg (21/1-2010)
REMEMBER ON A CLEAR DAY YOU CAN HEAR FOREVER
HAITI / BONAIRE
International Christian media ministry Trans World Radio (TWR) has since last Thursday been simulcasting local Christian programming from Haiti’s Radio 4VEH via TWR’s 100kW AM outlet on Bonaire. Broadcasts of Radio 4VEH’s live Internet audio stream will be aired on 800 kHz from 0315-0700 UTC.
“Two solid Christian stations on Haiti are Radio 4VEH and Radio Lumière,” explains TWR Americas International Director Tim Klingbeil. “Since Radio Lumière is off the air due to a damaged transmitter facility, we believe broadcasting Radio 4VEH’s programs from Bonaire will reach people who currently are not able to receive much-needed gospel messages.” Radio 4VEH is located on the northern part of Haiti, and broadcasts do not effectively reach listeners in Port-au-Prince.
According to sources from Radio 4VEH, the station plans to make adjustments to its regular programming in an effort to address the needs of those who are suffering and looking for help. “Our thinking is that we will continue providing simulcasts at least until Radio Lumière is able to go back on the air,” Mr Klingbeil says.
TWR press release via Media Network blog (19/1-2010)
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HUNGARY
Dear Friend, I'd like to amend my report dated 14/01-2011.
Yesterday the hungarian media authority (it is called as Media Council) told that they could lengthen the mw broadcast license of Magyar Katolikus Radio for another five years if the radio had asked, but, the radio had never asked it. The radio wants to migrate to FM, but, Hungary has not enough FM band space for a new country-wide network. In far western part of hungary (Szentgotthard, where I live) the FM is so overcrowded. We have Hungarian, Austrian (Austria is 10 km away), Slovenian (15 km away) and Croatian (70-80 km away) stations and they occupied the space well before Hungary migrated from OIRT FM (66-74 mhz, popularly was known as 'eastern fm') to CCIR FM (87-108 mhz, which was called at that time as 'western fm band'). I think Magyar Katolikus Radio made a big administrative mistake not submitting its application for renewing mw license on time. And now, the license is expired.
Tibor Gaal, Hungary (15/1-2011)
HUNGARY
Dear Friends,
From 00.00 CET (23.00 utc) 16th of january, 2010 the Magyar Katolikus Radio will cease its mw broadcast on all mw band. The frequencies are: 810 khz Lakihegy, 1341 khz Szolnok and Balatonszabadi.
The reason of cease: expiration of frequency licenses. This is the official explanation, but, I don't know whether true or not. The MKR is not so informative in this question. I asked more info from the transmitter operation called Antenna Hungaria, but they couldn't supply more info.
Tibor Gaal, Hungary (14/1-2011)
HUNGARY
Hi Ydun ! Régió Rádió from Mohács, licensed in autumn 2007, began transmitting on 1485 kHz. Besides Hungarian, the station can be heard with identifications in German, English and a Slavic language. The modulation is not good, but Régió Rádió is audible regulary on late afternoon in Southeastern Austria.
73, Patrick Robic Austria (25/9-2008)
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