WORLDWIDE DX CLUB Weekly Top News

Airport Corporation (CORPAQ) which is compensating the mission for labour,
but not providing funds for new site construction.
"We know that 30 towers at the Pifo site have to come down by December
2007" explained Jim Estes, director of HCJB World Radio's Latin America
region, referring to antenna systems that could obstruct the approach of
landing planes. Pifo is a town about 15 miles east of Quito.
Of 48 towers sustaining 32 antenna systems on the 110-acre site, another
18 lower-height antennas, whose signals do reach Latin America, will not
impede approach. But those too will be dismantled by the time airport
operations are expected to begin in 2009. Mission leadership has
determined that the station will not risk potential radio interference to
future air traffic communications once commercial flights begin. Barring
unforeseen circumstances, all txions from the Pifo site are expected to
end in 2009. Beyond that HCJB are considering various options, including
the idea of building a new, smaller site in Ecuador. Other options include
buying airtime from other broadcasters or placing txs at other sites owned
by likeminded missions.
"Cost is one of the issues for us. We're trying to be as economical as we
can be." said Jim Estes, HCJB director of radio. Ten SW txs remain in
Ecuador where Radio Station HCJB began broadcasting from Quito in 1931.
Four of these txs were designed and built at the HCJB World Radio
Engineering Center in Elkhart, Indiana, including a powerful 500,000-watt
unit. HCJB's pioneering work in digital SW radio also presses on, with
continued development and testing of Digital Radio Mondial (DRM)
equipment. "We are very much monitoring DRM in its development in Latin
America, hoping that we can eventually use that technology and be a
pioneer within Latin America, not only in digital SW but in digital AM."
said director Jim Weber.
(Press release, Alokesh Gupta-IND, via WDXC Contact May 2)
3279.8 LV del Napo, Tena, observed at 0601-0614 UT on 25 Apr, Spanish,
catholic preacher; 25231; could not monitor the fade out time.
(Carlos Goncalves-POR, wwdxc BC-DX May 2)
EQUATORIAL GUINEA Tuned in to 15190 just after 1000 April 12th and could
hear a US preacher in English underneath China Radio International. At
1011 there was an annt giving PO Box address and two clear identifications
as Radio Africa Number 2 then into another religious program. This station
seems to have been off the air for several months.
(Dave Kenny-UK, BrDXC-UK via WDXC Contact)
FRANCE 963 Paris Live Radio was to begin broadcasting on March 24, but
reportedly this has been postponed. Paris Live Radio says it will become
the first commercial English-language radio station in the French capital.
The station is already broadcasting over the internet, and hopes to add an
FM tx later. Paris Live Radio broadcasts 24 hours a day.
The station is run by Renzie Duncan, an Australian lawyer, and aims to
reach the English-speaking expatriate community as well as tourists
visiting Paris. The station is located at 91, rue du Faubourg, St. Honore,
Paris 75008, France, and can be contacted by email or by phone at +33 1 53
09 26 20.
(DXing.info 13.3.2006 via MWC 14.3.2006, additional comment by Thierry
Vignaud via BE; ARC MV-Eko Mar 24)
GABON This evening (May 1st) at 1855 UT I found Africa No. 1 from Gabon
on 19160 kHz (2 x 9580 kHz). Signal was very weak, but in // with 15475.
(Juergen Lohuis-D, wwdxc BC-DX May 2)
GERMANY Freq change of Brother Stair via DTK T-Systems from May 4: