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# MADEIRA # MARITIME RADIO DAY # MAURITANIA # MAURITIUS
# MEXICO # MOLDOVA # MONACO # MOROCCO # MYANMAR

 

MADEIRA
Back in Jan'09, the folded monopole used for 531 kHz 10 kW at Pico das Eiras, Porto Santo island, was destroyed in a storm.   Being a tower of this type, it meant it could be used as a mast for the VHF-FM antennae too, and it was indeed the case.   A new tower for these antennae was erected soon after that.  This RTP-radio facility is located west of the this island.
I have just been informed that the RTP administration decided not to reactivate the MW outlet since full coverage is being accomplished by VHF-FM.
Now it remains to be seen whether the Pico do Areeiro tx 603 kHz 10 kW, Madeira island, has the same fate.  The tower collapsed two days prior to the recent sad events in Madeira when floods and mud slides destroyed property and killed some 40 people.  Pico do Areeiro is located north of the capital, Funchal.
73, Carlos Goncalves, Lisboa (12/3-2010)

MADEIRA
531 RDP Madeira, Porto Santo island, off since Jan'09 due to a collapsed tower (probably a monopole), is said to resume operation towards the end of the year.  I would not be surprised, if RTP decides to shut down this MW outlet.  It puts a daytime signal over here on mainland despite co-ch. with Spain; during nighttime, conditions are a lot more adverse.
1531 Posto Emissor do Funchal, Funchal, was scheduled to move to their new site at Chão dos Balcões back in May of 2008; their new tower is already in place for many months together with the new building, but it seems there are plenty of other things that aren't.  While that, they're still using the old site in Funchal but at reduced power (and most certainly reduced modulation too) so as to reduce interference around the many homes built around the site.  PEF's other site, on the north coast of Madeira, is active and
typically provides a better signal that of 1530 albeit interferred by adj. chs.
Carlos Goncalves, Portugal (5/6-2009)

MADEIRA
Fallingrain shows Santo Antonio:
32 38 60 N  16 55 60 W
http://www.fallingrain.com/world/PO/10/Santo_Antonio.html
Masts seen at 32°38'53.63"N  16°55'52.98"W
Surprisingly a lot of Forcas Armadas Garnicao visible midst on the tourist village Funchal,
at 32°38'31.96"N  16°56'18.50"W, 32°39'6.21"N   16°56'19.18"W.
Chão dos Balcões - dos balcones ?
73 de
Wolfgang Büschel, Germany (11/12-2007)

MADEIRA
These are the new data on
PEF-Posto Emissor do Funchal, Madeira island.
Encruzilhadas (de Santo António) is the actual place where the present MF tower located, and nearby Barreira is the VHF tower site. Both are just a few km NW of Funchal.

PEF was forced to move out of the existing MF site because of dwellers' complaints against interference.   It seems that Encruzilhadas de Stº António, which I was unable to find in GoogleEarth, is becoming too much crowded with houses, thence the decision of the municipal authority.

The first consequence of that was the power reduction: abt. 1 kW which explains why PEF 1530 kHz is so pale for many months now.

The neighbouring Barreira VHF site also will move to the new MF site, where the 60 m high tower (already in place together with the building) will be used for the VHF-FM antennae too.   So most probably the MF tower will be grounded and the radiating system consisting of a cage.

Despite announcing the new MF & VHF site at Chão dos Balcões is expected to start still this year, it's believed the feasible date is on the occasion of PEF's 60th anniversary, in May'08.
Best regards,
Carlos Gonçalves (11/12-2007)

MADEIRA
PEF-Posto Emissor do Funchal, 1530 kHz 10 kW Funchal & 1017 kHz 1 kW Santana, www.pef.pt, has built a new site at Chão dos Balcões, near Poiso, for 1530 kHz that includes a 60 m high MF tower.  Click the "A Rádio" button on the page
(http://www.pef.pt/index.php?h_op=historial)

For many months now, 1530 kHz puts a very pale signal with a weak audio too while the weaker Santana tx exhibits a fair to moderate signal albeit plagued with adjacent QRM from Spain.
Best regards,
Carlos Gonçalves, Lisbon (9/12-2007)
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MARITIME RADIO DAY
Maritime Radio Day is held annually to commemorate to the era of nearly 90 years of manual maritime radio. All radio amateurs are invited to take part and work especially with former radio officers of the merchant marine and navy...
More details at
http://www.southgatearc.org/news/february2010/maritime_radio_day.htm
Mike Terry via dxld yg (27/2-2010)

MARITIME RADIO
For those of you knowing the morse alphabet the Maritime Radio Day may be of interest.
From April 14th 1200 UTC until April 15th 1200 UTC dots and dashes can be heard on the following frequencies:
1854 kHz
3520 kHz
7020 kHz
14052 kHz
21052 kHz
28052 kHz.

More info to be found here http://www.cyberelec.fr/radiomaritimeday/pages/indexpag.html
Just after 1200 UTC heavy traffic was heard at my location in southern Denmark on the frqs 7020 kHz and 14052 kHz, stations from POL, F, G and a few other countries were recognized. Not all respecting the silent period 1215-1218 UTC!
Thanks to
Ullmar Qvick, Sweden for informing me yesterday.
Ydun Ritz (14/4-2007)
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MAURITIUS
TRANSRADIO proudly announces the completion of our latest MW project, the installation and commissioning of a two frequency 10kW MW transmitting system at MCML (Multi Carrier Mauritius Ltd.) Malherbes site on the beautiful island of Mauritius (Republic of Mauritius).
The system comprises one 10kW MW transmitter pre-tuned to 684 kHz and 819 kHz carrier frequencies, one mains voltage regulator and one 50 Ohm dummy load. With its quick carrier frequency tuning capability the TRAM 10 transmitter can operate within minutes on either one of both MW frequencies required at the Malherbes site, adding remarkable redundancy to the existing equipment.
The complete project including installation, commissioning and customer training was finished on time and without any difficulties.
TSB would like to thank all the people at MCML Malherbes for their friendly cooperation, warm welcome and generous hospitality. We’re looking forward to continuing our fruitful partnership in future projects.
Pictures at: http://www.broadcast-transradio.com/html/mauritius.html
73 Dragan Lekic via dxld yg /19/5-2009)
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MAURITANIA
Re: Coup in progres: Mauritanie has been active on 783 only - and what a might signal they have evenings!
73, Carlos Goncalves (10/8-2008)

MAURITANIA
UPDATE: After interruptions to transmissions during the local morning, Mauritanian TV and radio on the Badr 4 satellite at 26 degrees east are now back on the air, though only with music, patriotic songs and a brief repeated announcement from the coup leaders. The TV has been showing National Geographic-style archive film of the country's landscape, wildlife, etc.
Chris Greenway via dxld yg 1634 UTC (6/8-2008)

MAURITANIA
A coup is in progress in Mauritania. The president has been abducted. State radio and TV appear to have been shut down.
DXers on coup alert, please!
Chris Greenway via dxld yg 1010 UTC (6/8-2008)
Radio Mauritania often reported heard in Europe on MW 783 kHz and on SW 4845 kHz.
Ydun Ritz (6/8-2008)
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MEXICO
730, dominating the channel for a few minutes from 0445 UT Jan 16 on the nondirexional caradio, not XEX, the onetime clear-channel leader, but instead Radio Viva-something, serving Chihuahua and Durango, which fits since it`s XEHB at Hidalgo del Parral, Chihuahua, right on the Durango border. Despite many repetitions of the ID, it was hard to tell what the second word was.

WRTH 2010 shows XEHB on 730 as Radio Viva Vida, 50 kW day and 1 kW night, so suspect it may be on day power.

Uplooked later in the new ``Quick & Easy`` MWList, http://www.mwlist.org/mwlist_quick_and_easy.php?area=3#kHz730
it`s not there! They still have XEHB under its previous identity on 770 whence it moved and where we first heard it long ago.

Then checking another source, Fred Cantú`s Mexico Radio site:
http://mexicoradiotv.com/listchih.htm
We get a different name, Radio Viva Villa! I`ll bet his version is correct since there is a graphic of the logo, very small which needs to be blown up; unfortunately no hotlink to a website.

That name presumably means ``long live Pancho Villa``, a local hero. I wonder what the new IRCA Mexican log shows?
Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST (16/1-2010)

MEXICO
A new AM HD Radio station along the U.S./Mexico border is on the air.
Broadcast Electronics said XEEZ at 970 kHz is based in the town of Caborca, Sonora.
"The station is one of the first AM stations in Mexico to broadcast with HD Radio technology since Mexico's Federal Telecommunications Commission (CoFeTel) announcement in May authorizing radio stations within about 200 miles of the Mexico/U.S. border to begin HD Radio broadcasting," BE stated.
The manufacturer's Deb Huttenburg described CoFeTel's support of HD Radio for border stations as "a huge step forward in radio's worldwide digital conversion." The company noted that two-thirds of stations in Mexico are AMs.
XEEZ 970 adapted a BE AM 6A solid-state transmitter for linear transmission and added a BE ASi 10 exciter. It purchased the gear through Distribuidora E Importadora de Radiofusion, S.A. (DIRSA)
http://www.rwonline.com/dailynews/index.cgi
Mike Terry via mwdx yg (20/6-2008)

MEXICO
More Mexican moves. XEPE 1700 is now taking XEPRS "The Mighty 1090", at least all night when we hear them in NZ (0500 UTC - until 0900), SS ID "XEPE Rosarito", wedged in between Mighty 1090 ID. Mex National Anthem 0700 UTC. 
Best 73. Tony King,  New Zealand (1/5-2005)
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MOLDOVA
The transmitter in Maiac on 621 kHz (relaying International Russian Radio) was switched off on 1 January.
Oleksandr Egorov, Ukraine in open_dx via Bernd Trutenau, ARC Info Desk
I think this may have been overlooked.
73
Steve Whitt, mwcircle yg (6/2-2010)

MOLDOVA
Radio Moldova has moved from 1494 to 1485 kHz. Heard November 23 from 2120 UTC and again November 25 from 1720 UTC with "Radio Moldova Actualitati" - news, weather and sports. Probably this is to avoid QRM from the Russian High Power Station at Krasnyy Bor near Petersburg carrying VOR programmes on 1494 kHz.
Ullmar Qvick (25/11-2007)

MOLDOVA
1548kHz
is a interesting Freq in Japan. I myself could not hear it recently, but two Japanese DXers got it on April 6 and 9. Heard Moldova-TWR&VoRussia, Australia-ABC, China, Sri Lanka-DW, Kuwait-VOA and Philippines on 21:00-05:00 Japanese Standard Time. No Japanese on the freq.
Tooru Gouhara (22/5-2005)
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MONACO
To-night 22/5/2007 the same Chinese? music only again on 702 kHz noted at 2000 UTC here in Holland. Yesterday 21/5/2007 still on air after 2200 UTC.
73s
Ehard Goddijn (22/5-2007)

MONACO
Thanks for the tip, Marco. Here in Holland MCO 702kHz is also noted 1930 UTC 21/5/2007. I have the impression that the music is Chinese, but I am not 100 % sure!
73s
Ehard Goddijn (21/5-2007)
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MOROCCO
Medi 1 noted with much improved signal recently on LW 171 kHz // SW 9575. It sounds like a new or revamped LW transmitter. The signal is even audible during the day whereas in the past it could only be heard at night with a weak signal. Audio also sounds better.
David Duckworth, UK?, and Dave Kenny, Caversham, Berks., England, Jan BDXC-UK Communication via DXLD 9-006 (21/1-2009)

171, Medi Un, Nador JAN 14 0405 - tuned-in to a program which did consist of mostly back-to-back plaintive Arabic vocals with male comments in Arabic, then at 0500 had a short newscast in Arabic that was followed by a weather report in French. Then a pop-dance number by Akon which was followed by a French newscast which mentioned an
earthquake that did shake neighboring Algeria not a long time ago, known in French as "glissement de terrain", then international weather forecast for a few neighboring worldwide cities, most of them being in southern France (where the daytime groundwave signal of Medi Un does a good job covering those areas). Fair-good. SINPO 34343 with occasional QRM from a long tone popping up; was it a LowFER?
Bogdan Chiochiu, QC, HCDX via DXLD 9-006 (21/1-2009)

MOROCCO
Correction to my report yesterday on Medi 1 Morocco, should have been 171khz.
David James (13/12-2008)

MOROCCO
Medi 1 Morocco 177khz strong signal day and night 85 miles west of London. Have they got a new tx?
David James, UK (12/12-2008)

MOROCCO
595 RTM has been noted elsewhere in Europe, and I've been asked whether it's
Morocco: it is Oujda, NE Morocco; e.g. 2117-..., 07 May, parallel to 540 Tahadart, 33443, weakish audio most of the time (hence hard to ID), QRM de POR. I was not fully sure of what it was a number of weeks ago, and even disregarded it because Oujda has been regular on 594 for ages, but it's the RTM after all, and the heterodyne is pesting the channel for too too long now. That of Syria on 782 is nevertheless even "older."
Carlos Goncalves, Portugal via dxld yg (12/5-2008)

MOROCCO
Needless to say this not DX, just an observation on how RTM outlets are behaving:
711.06 Laâyoune (?- see ID), regional programme, 0946-..., 13 May, Arabic, Arab songs, talks, Dakhla ID, songs; 55454 but still weak audio. Now Laâyoune, formerly El-Aiún, is "in front" of the Canaries whereas Dakhla (formerly Villa Cisneros I suppose), is well into the south, so quite different places.
1079.8 Tangiers ?, regional programme, 0905-..., 12 May, Arabic, Arab songs, news 1200, prayer 1410; 55555 whereas terribly after darkness, but then this one must be no other than a harmonic of 539.95 which was a detail I overlooked in a previous report about this case.
1187.9 Casablanca, "C" programme, 1014-..., 13 May, Berber, talks, interviews; 55454, engline-like QRN in the carrier.
1637.8 Rabat, "A" programme, 1010-..., 13 May, Arabic, Arab songs: 35353, harmonic of 818.9, still with bad audio though not as bad as during an April observation.
And as far as other MRC stations are concerned, maybe my home-made 4 element VHF-FM cubical quad antenna can help in the future since rough tests at just 3 m above ground on Sat. 12th inst. provided reception of several MRC stns, viz. "A", "B" & "C" networks, Médi 1, not to mention stations in CNR & MDR.
Carlos Gonçalves (14/5-2007)

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MYANMAR
Jose Jacob reports in the latest UADX Newsletter: “Myanmar noted today (27/2) on new 693 kHz MW at around 2300 UTC. It’s a bad choice as its neighbour Bangladesh is also operating on same channel with 1000 kW. Maybe its to jam their signals?” Jose says he is not sure whether this is an additional TX or a move from a regular channel.
UADX member Sarath Werakoon has meanwhile found this page on the website of Hong Kong-based Broadcast Technology Limited, referring to a project installing a mediumwave antenna and AM transmitter for Myanmar National Radio (MRTV) with BBEF (Beijing Broadcast Equipment Factory). It says the transmitter is 400 kW, and the project was completed in March 2010, so this is presumably what Jose heard.
UADX Newsletter via Andy Sennitt, Media Network weblog (4/3-2010)

MYANMAR
Myanmar noted today on new 693 kHz MW at around 2300 UTC. It’s a bad choice as its neighbor Bangladesh is also operating on same channel with 1000 kW. Maybe its to jam their signals?
Jose Jacob via dxld yg (27/2-2010)

MYANMAR
The brand new Myanmar transmitter on 594 kHz is throwing in local quality signals at Kolkata evenings ( 1500 UTC).Curiously it leads parallel 576 kHz (faint) and 5985 kHz (strong) by almost 9 seconds.English news at 1530UTC is followed by announcements and music.
Supratik Sanatani via dxld yg (17/8-2008)

MYANMAR
Regarding the observations from Alan Davies in DXLD 8-073 and wwdxc BC-DX TopNews July 3: seems to be a good possibility that Myanmar's AM station has moved to the new capital, Nay Pyi Taw. This per a March 20, 2008 story
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2008-03/20/content_7826113.htm
Part of the article reads:
"At present, Myanmar has one amplitude modulated (AM) radio station, which is the
state-run Radio Myanmar .... The Radio Myanmar, which was traditionally broadcast from Yangon, the former capital, has now aired from the new capital of Nay Pyi Taw beginning this month."
Certainly there has been a lot of new activity on the part of Myanmar Radio and Television (new schedules, changes in frequencies, etc.).
Unfortunately the story does not mention the SW operation and I still wonder about their current location. I was particularly interested in Alan's comment: "It's of note that 5985v is consistently on 5985.76 for the morning transmission, but on 5985.00 in the evening. So likely from different transmitters?" Different transmitters at different locations? Regarding the name of the new capital, Nay Pyi Taw, this seems to be the correct designation per
http://www.myanmaryellowpages.biz/govt.htm, although I have also seen it referred to as Naypyitaw.
Ron Howard, dxldyg (3/7-2008)

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