Clandestine Radio Watch 182
--------------xxxxxxxxxx CRW 182 xxxxxxxxxx--------------
CLANDESTINE RADIO WATCH 182
May 15, 2005
CRW is the biweekly online magazine for ClandestineRadio.com (CRC), the
Web's only portal on clandestine broadcasting and subversive media.
CRW : http://www.schoechi.de/crw.html
http://www.ClandestineRadio.com/crw/
CRC : http://www.ClandestineRadio.com
GCW : http://www.ClandestineRadio.com/gcw/
Editor of CRW : Martin Schöch, Eisenach, East Germany
Editor of CRC : Nick Grace, Washington, DC, USA
Editor of GCW : Richard Lafayette, Stillwater, MN, USA
------------xxxxxxxxxx Breaking News xxxxxxxxxx----------------
...............................................................
------------xxxxxxxxxx Schedules xxxxxxxxxx--------------------
Schedules - GAMBIA
Save the Gambia Development Project
Glenn: "Voices from the Diaspora," an opposition radio service to Gambia
from the Save the Gambia Development Project, will begin a weekly
half-hour program Saturday, June 4, 2005 at 2000-2030 UT on 9405 kHz with
100 kW from Juelich, brokered by RMI.
(J.White-USA May 11, 2005 in DXLD 5-080)
Save the Gambia Development Project launches weekly broadcasts Following
a series of successful test transmissions at the end of April, "Voices
from the Diaspora," an opposition radio service to Gambia from the Save
the Gambia Development Project, will begin a weekly half-hour programme
on Saturday, 4 June 2005 at 2000-2030 UTC on 9405 kHz from a 100 kW
transmitter in Juelich, Germany.
(Media Network via H.Johnson-USA May 12 in CDX-ML)
...............................................................
Schedules - RUSSIA
Radio Liberty
USA/CZECH REP.(non): Freqs changes for RFE/RL:
0000-0100 Kazakh NF 9815, ex 9660
0300-0400 Kazakh NF 11990, ex 11725
1100-1300 Russian NF 11705, ex 11660
1400-1500 Russian NF 15195, ex 15205
1400-1600 Kyrghyz NF 12115, ex 11780
1500-1600 Kazakh NF 9815, ex 9680
1500-1600 Russian NF 15130, ex 15205
1500-1600 Tatar NF 15415, ex 15130
1600-1700 Serbian NF 6055, ex 7115
1600-1700 Serbian NF 9840, ex 9680
1700-1800 CeAs langs*NF 12045, ex 11815
1800-1900 Serbian NF 15320, ex 15120
*Avari 1700-1720; Chechen 1720-1740; Cherkassi 1740-1800
(R BUL Observer 363 May 10, 2005 via W.Büschel-D for CRW)
...............................................................
Schedules - VIETNAM
UZBEKISTAN: Radio Que Me in Vietnamese now on air:
1200-1230 Sat on 15385 TAC 100 kW / 131 deg.
(R BUL Observer 363 May 10, 2005 via W.Büschel-D for CRW)
...............................................................
Schedules - ZIMBABWE
SW RADIO AFRICA LISTS SEVEN SHORTWAVE FREQUENCIES
SW Radio Africa, the independent radio station broadcasting to Zimbabwe
which is currently being jammed by the Zimbabwe government, is now
listing seven shortwave frequencies for its broadcast at 1600-1900 UTC.
However, it's possible that not all of them are in use at the same time.
The frequencies now listed are:
In the 19 metre band: 15145
In the 25 metre band: 12145 & 11770
In the 60 metre band: 4825 & 4880
In the 90 metre band: 3300 & 3365
The morning broadcast at 0300-0500 UT is now listed only on mediumwave
1197 kHz. SW Radio Africa http://www.swradioafrica.org
(A.Sennit-HOL May 7, 2005 in Media Network blog via DXLD 5-076)
------------xxxxxxxxxx Logs xxxxxxxxxx-------------------------
Logs - ASIA
Radio Free Asia
9850 kHz 8/5. R.Free Asia, USA, 20:13-20:16, Mandarin, locutor y locutora
comentarios con Mx de fondo, Mx local, SINPO 43332.
(J.Miguel Romero Romero-E May 8, 2005 in Lista ConDig-ML)
13625 - RFA - Tibetan -1200 ID by man 'this is radio free asia' in
english, cont. with news by man, mentioning 'hu chin tao' several times,
then 'sung chiu ie', suppose news about visitng Taiwan opposition-leader
to China, then comments by woman. Good audio & freq. SINPO 54444 (May 9,
2005)
(L.Kwet Hian-INS May 9, 2005 in CDX-ML)
Range of Radio Free Asia Reception in the Philippines :
On the 9th and 10th of May I did a non-exhaustive survey to determine the
number of relays from which Radio Free Asia signals could be received
from my location in the southern Philippines and the number of language
services I could pick-up. All nine language services are easily tunable
and signals from nine different relay stations were noted. The Tibetan
and Mandarin services are in many cases effectively jammed. Some
representative logs from this exercise follow:
UTC Lang Service Relay Location Freq
---------------------------------------------------------
0002 Lao Tinian, Northern Marianas 15545
0012 Lao Almaty, Kazakstan 13830
0035 Burmese Tinian, Northern Marianas 13680
0041 Burmese Iranawila, Sri Lanka 13820
0045 Burmese Saipan, Northern Marianas 17835
0110 Tibetan Tinian, Northern Marianas 15225
0115 Uyghur Dushanbe, Tajikistan 9350
0126 Uyghur Dushanbe, Tajikistan 11520
0210 Tibetan Gavar, Armenia 9365
0220 Tibetan Dhabbayya, UAE 11695
0518 Mandarin Tinian, Norhern Marianas 15685
0540 Mandarin Tinian, Northern Marianas 21690
1128 Lao Iranawila, Sri Lanka 15560
1130 Tibetan Ulaanbattar, Mongolia 7470
1145 Khmer Iranawila, Sri Lanka 15525
2221 Cantonese Palau 9955
2252 Korean Ulannbattar, Mongolia 7460
2352 Viet Namese Palau 15580
(T.C.Patterson-PHL May 10, 2005 in EDXP-Forum via ASWLC-ML
...............................................................
Logs - CHINA
Sound of Hope
9635 30/04 2206 TWN Sound of Hope, Taipei, YL tlks em CC (interferido por
jamming - emissora clandestina) 33443
(I.Dias-B Apr 30, 2005 in radioescutas-ML)
...............................................................
Logs - CUBA
Radio Martí
11930 kHz 1/5. R.Martí, 22:26-22:31, es, comentarios sobre el regimen de
Cuba. SINPO 33332.
(J.Miguel Romero Romero-E May 1, 2005 in NoticiasDX-ML)
9565 kHz 7/5. R.Mart?, USA,21:46-22:01,es,ID "Est?n escuchando a radio
Mart?", locutor y locutora, programa cultural, cu?a sobre la politica
migratoria de los EEUU, dan frecuencias, SINPO 34322.
(J.Miguel Romero Romero-E May 7, 2005 in HCDX-ML)
...............................................................
Log - EASTERN EUROPE
Radio Free Europe
6130 kHz 7/5. R.Free Europa, USA, 22:02-22.13, serbo-croata, ID "Radio
Free Europa",locutor, noticias con referencias al antifascismo,
corresponsal para R.Free Europa desde Zagreb. SINPO 55555.
(J.Miguel Romero Romero-E May 7, 2005 in HCDX-ML)
Radio Liberty
15480 kHz 7/5. R.Liberty, USA, 18:48-18:59, bielorruso,locutor,
comentarios, noticias con referencias al Vaticano, Bielorrusia e Irak,
seg. Mx clasica,reportaje sobre Jose Maria Pineira y el Opus Dei, SINPO
55444.
(J.Miguel Romero Romero-E May 7, 2005 in HCDX-ML)
9520 kHz 8/5. R.Free Europa, USA, 20:18-20:25, Ru, locutor con entrevista
SINPO 34432.
(J.Miguel Romero Romero-E May 9, 2005 in Lista ConDig-ML)
...............................................................
Logs - ERITREA
Voice of Delina
15660 kHz 7/5. Voice of Delina, ETH, 15:02-15:12, tigrina, Mx sintonia,
locutora,comentarios con musica de fondo y efecto de eco, Mx afropop,
SINPO 45333.
(J.Miguel Romero Romero-E May 7, 2005 in HCDX-ML)
Voice of Democratic Eritrea
15690 kHz 7/5. Voice of Democratic de Eritrea, ERI, 15:13-15:30, tigrina,
locutor con comentarios politicos sobre la democracia, Mx pop local,
referencias a Sudan, SINPO 45444.
(J.Miguel Romero Romero-E May 7, 2005 in HCDX-ML)
15690 kHz 7/5. Voice of Democratic de Eritrea, ERI, 15:30-15:40, Arabe,
Sintonia de inicio de programa, locutor, comentarios, seg. Mx, SINPO
44343.
(J.Miguel Romero Romero-E May 7, 2005 in HCDX-ML)
...............................................................
Logs - ETHIOPIA
Radio Voice of ENUF
12120 R.V.of ENUF May 06 *1700-1706 23232 Amharic, 1700 sign on with IS,
Opening announce, Talk.
(Ko.Hashimoto-J May 6, 2005 in JAP 368)
12120 kHz 8/5. V.o.Ethiopian Nacional United Front, ETH, 17:12-17:19,
vernacular, comentarios,locutor. SINPO 55433.
(J.Miguel Romero Romero-E May 8, 2005 in HCDX-ML)
Radio Xoriyo (Radio Freedom)
15670 kHz 10/5. R.Xoriyo, 16:30-16:59, somalí, ID, locutor,canto
coranico, Nx con ref. Ogaden, Oromo u Oromia,Somalia y Africa, ID "Radio
Xoriyo ... Ogaden", canción popular sin musica, Mx y comentarios. SINPO
55544.
(J.Miguel Romero Romero-E May 9, 2005 in Lista ConDig-ML)
Voice of Ethiopian Medhin / Voice of Ethiopian Salvation
15670 kHz 8/5. V.o.Ethiopian salvati?n, ETH, 16:53-16:58, vernacular,
locutor con comentarios,seg. Mx con comentarios, final del programa,
sintonia. SINPO 23322.
(J.Miguel Romero Romero-E May 8, 2005 in HCDX-ML)
Voice of Oromo Liberation
15670 V.of Oromo Liberation via DTK May 04 *1700-1714 25332 Oromo, 1700
sign on with opening music, ID, Talk,
(Ko.Hashimoto-J May 8, 2005 in JAP 368)
15670 kHz 8/5. V.o. de Oromo liberatión, ETH, 17:00-17:07, vernacular,
locutora en presentación con seg. Mx, locutor con comentarios,
referencias a Oromo. SINPO 34232.
(J.Miguel Romero Romero-E May 8, 2005 in HCDX-ML)
...............................................................
Logs - GAMBIA
Save the Gambia Democracy Project
9430, Save the Gambia Democracy Project, test xmsn on Apr 27, 2000 start
to 2015*. Pretty decent strength, audio a little tinny. All an interview
of one man by another in English, some African instr. mx at the end. Many
ments. of Gambia and the "Gambia Democratic Project." URL is
http://www.sunugambia.com/ Probably via DTK. Slightly better signal in
local lang. at 2000-2015 Apr 28, and still better, also in lang., on Apr
29, but bothered that day by jamming or other noise that ended at 2020.
(J.Berg-MA-USA Apr 27-29, 2005 in DXplorer-ML)
The new clandestine to Gambia heard here testing on 9430 at 2000 27
April. Very weak here. Crash start at 2000, so seemingly not via a TDP
brokered Russian site. I could hear mentions of 'Gambia' and what seemed
to be 'democratia' or 'democratic' in the announcements. station went off
at 2015 after a brief bit of African music
(S.Lare-MI Apr 27, 2005 in DXLD 5-070)
9430 Save Gambia 1956 a signal with harsh audio. Crash opening with talks
in French then in local lang, with references to Gambia Senegal. S10
44444 sometimes with short audio gaps. Also 29 at 2012 talks in a local
lang with several words in English as leader, national alliance
democratic development. IN 201300 YL starting with bonjour but
immediately stopped, 35 secs after with highlife music having several
audio gaps and at 201530 audio gone leaving just background buzzer. A
strong background noise in the audio channel
(Z.Liangas-GRC Apr 28+29, 2005 in CDX-ML)
Re : Log of Z.Liangas-GRC ?? No one else has reported them in French, and
why would they be using French at all? Unless slipup with some other
audio (G.Hauser-USA in DXLD 5-073)
The next line might include the explanation - Senegal. Since The Gambia
is compl surrounded by Senegal it would make sense to me. (M.Schöch-D May
8, 2005 for CRW)
STDGP, 9430, via Germany, also heard Apr 28 at 2000 when the program in
English with parts in FRENCH already had started. In French, it talked
about support from Senegal to the Victory of Democracy in Gambia (!). May
be it is better, to give Democracy in Senegal before asking this for the
neighbours. Reception nice, but sometimes some problems with the audio
(C.Ghibaudo-F Apr 28, 2005 in DSWCI DX Window via DXLD 5-076)
...............................................................
Logs - IRAN
Radio Farda
9960 kHz 8/5. R.Fardá, USA,20:02-20:10, farsí, ID, locutor, Mx local.
SINPO 55444.
(J.Miguel Romero Romero-E May 8, 2005 in Lista ConDig-ML)
7105 kHz 9/5. R.Fardá, USA, 18:22-18:30, farsi, ID, locutor, Mx pop
local, SINPO 55544.
(J.Miguel Romero Romero-E May 9, 2005 in Lista ConDig-ML)
Radio Internacional
13800 R.International May 04 *1630-1638 35433 Farsi, 1630 sign on with
opening music, ID, Talk.
(Ko.Hashimoto-J May 4, 2005 in JAP 368)
13800 kHz 8/5. Radio Internacional, IRN, 16:43-16:49, farsi, locutora
comentarios. SINPO 34332.
(J.Miguel Romero Romero-E May 8, 2005 in HCDX-ML)
Radio Payam-e Dost
7480 kHz 9/5. R Payam-E Dost, USA, 18:30-18:45, farsi, locutor con
comentarios. SINPO 55544.
(J.Miguel Romero Romero-E May 9, 2005 in Lista ConDig-ML)
Voice of Iran
11575 kHz 7/5. R.Voz de Iran, IRN, 15:42-15:47, farsi, locutor con
invitado, comentarios, SINPO 34322.
(J.Miguel Romero Romero-E May 7, 2005 in HCDX-ML)
11575 V.of Iran May 09 *1530-1539 35433 Farsi, 1530 sign on with opening
music, Opening announce, Talk.
(Ko.Hashimoto-J May 9, 2005 in JAP 368)
...............................................................
Logs - KURDISTAN
Voice of Iranian Kurdistan
4850, Voice of Iranian Kurdistan, +0151-0203+, Apr 7 [rather May 7 -CRW],
Kurdish songs non-stop warming up to the sign-on hymn at 0200 and usual
Kurdish ID "Aira dengi Kurdestana Irana". Very weak at first, but picked
up a bit up to the hour. This is ex 4860 kHz and one hour earlier than
the *0250 reg in DBS. In fact a very quick ID also at 0158.
(F.Krone-DNK Apr 7, 2005 in DXplorer-ML)
Voice of Komala
4610 V.of Komala Apr 27 1555-1607 33333 Kurdish, IS and ID repeat,
Opening music, Talk,
(Ko.Hashimoto-J Apr 27, 2005 in JAP 367)
Voice of Mesopotamia
11530 kHz 1/5. Dengue Mesopotamia, 11:37-11:48, Ku, Musica local y
folklorica. SINPO 34433.
(J.Miguel Romero Romero-E May 1, 2005 in NoticiasDX-ML)
11530 kHz 8/5. Dengue Mesopotamia, IRQ, 07:02-07:29, Ku, locutor con
comentarios, seg. MX, rezo del coran, locutora y seg. Mx clasica. SINPO
43322.
(J.Miguel Romero Romero-E May 8, 2005 in HCDX-ML)
11530 V.of Mesopotamia May 04 1430-1440 35433-35333 Kurdish, Talk, ID at
1431 and 1433.
(Ko.Hashimoto-J May 8, 2005 in JAP 368)
...............................................................
Logs - MALDIVES
Minivan Radio
12015 Minivan R. via DTK May 04 1651-1700* 33333 Vernacular, Music, ID at
1653 and 1654,
(Ko.Hashimoto-J May 8, 2005 in JAP 368)
12015 kHz 8/5. Minivan Radio, MLD, 16:49-16:53, vernacular, locutora con
comentarios e invitado, seg. Mx. SINPO 33222.
(J.Miguel Romero Romero-E May 8, 2005 in HCDX-ML)
...............................................................
Logs - MYANMAR
Democratic Voice of Burma
17625 Democratic V.of Burma May 08 *1429-1435 35433 Burmese, 1429 sign on
with Opening music, ID, Talk,
(Ko.Hashimoto-J May 8, 2005 in JAP 368)
...............................................................
Logs - NIGERIA
Voice of Biafra Internacional
7380 kHz 7/5. Voice of Biafra Internacional, NIG,21:38-21:46, Ingles,
locutor y locutora, comentarios. SINPO 34422.
(J.Miguel Romero Romero-E May 7, 2005 in HCDX-ML)
...............................................................
Logs - SOMALIA
Radio Horyaal
12130 R.Horyaal May 04 *1730-1735 44444-43433 Somali, 1730 sign on with
opening music, ID and opening announce, Koran, Talk.
(Ko.Hashimoto-J May 4, 2005 in JAP 368)
12130 kHz 7/5. R.Horyaal,SOM, 17:30-17:36,somal?, canto coranico de
inicio del programa, locutor y locutora, comentarios, SINPO 44232.
(J.Miguel Romero Romero-E May 7, 2005 in HCDX-ML)
Radio Shabelle
R. Shabelle aus Somalia ist derzeit, 20.15 UT, auf 6969,1 in USB
verständlich aufzunehmen. Normalerweise ist kurz nach 20 UT Sendeschluss,
man überträgt wohl die Maifeiern aus Somalia...
(C.Ratzer-AUT May 1, 2005 in A-DX-ML)
6960, R. Shabelle, May 10 at 2013 with folk song followed by talks.
Tested also with satellite radio program but seems either not // or
delayed by at least 20 seconds! Marginal signal
(Z.Liangas-GRC May 10, 2005 in DXLD 5-080)
...............................................................
Logs - SUDAN
Voice of Sudan
7999.35 V.of Sudan May 08 1528-1558* 25442-35333 Arabic, IS, ID, Opening
announce, Talk and local music, 1558 sign off,
(Ko.Hashimoto-J May 8, 2005 in JAP 368)
...............................................................
Logs - VIETNAM
Que Huong Radio
15680 Que Huong R. Apr 27 1245-1259* 35433 Vietnamese, Talk, 1258 address
announce and ID, 1259 sign off,
(Ko.Hashimoto-J Apr 27, 2005 in JAP 367)
15680 - Que Huong - Vietnamese - 1220 man & woman comments on celebration
of 60th world-war II (presume). SINPO 54444, clear & good audio and freq.
(May 9, 2005)
(L.Kwet Hian-INS May 9, 2005 in CDX-ML)
...............................................................
Logs - WESTERN SAHARA
National Radio of the Arab-Saharan Democratic Republic
7460 kHz 29/4. R.N.Saharaui, 23:02-23:15,es,ID, Mx pop, repaso historico
desde 1075-1989. SINPO 44333.
(J.Miguel Romero Romero-E Apr 29, 2005 in ListaConDig-ML)
7460 kHz 30/4. R.N.Saharaui, 23:00-23:15,es,ID "Radio nacional saharaui,
voz del pueblo saharaui", Mx pop hispana. SINPO 44444.
(J.Miguel Romero Romero-E Apr 30, 2005 in ListaConDig-ML)
7460 kHz 1/5. R.N.Saharaui, 23:04-23.14,es, ID, anuncian 1550 y 7470, y
de 12 a 1 hora local, Mx pop. SINPO 55444.
(J.Miguel Romero Romero-E May 1, 2005 in NoticiasDX-ML)
07460 r nac rasd - algerie ds 20k 0617 musiq locale bluesy 10mai05
(M.Lacroix-F May 10, 2005 in HCDX-ML)
...............................................................
Logs - ZIMBABWE
SW Radio Africa
15145 SW R.Africa Apr 27 1641-1703 34433-33333 English, Talk, //12145
kHz.
(Ko.Hashimoto-J Apr 27, 2005 in JAP 367)
1197 04/05 0312 Radio SW Africa, ingles e vernacular, comentários, 34422
(S.Cássio Martins-B May 4, 2005 in mw-br-ML)
15145 SW R.Africa May 04 *1600-1621 35333 English, 1600 sign on, SJ at
1600, African pops music, ID at 1607, Talk.
(Ko.Hashimoto-J May 4, 2005 in JAP 368)
12145 kHz 7/5. SW R.Africa, ZWB, 17:41-17:51, Ingles y
vernacular,locutora entrevistando a un invitado,finalizan con seg. Mx
sintonia comentarios, locutor con otra entrevista, SINPO 44333.
(J.Miguel Romero Romero-E May 7, 2005 in HCDX-ML)
11770 kHz 7/5. SW R. Africa,ZWB, 18:31-18:45, Ingles,locutora con
entrevista a invitado, jamming de fondo aparece y desaparece, Mx pop,
SINPO 44544.
(J.Miguel Romero Romero-E May 7, 2005 in HCDX-ML)
SW Radio Africa posts a couple of alternate frequencies in the 90m & 60m
bands, via their website. Alternate: 4825 & 3365 given at 1600-1900 UT.
Not much use to the jammers of SWRA as also 3300 & 4880 are listed,
1600-1900. SWRA, 4880, 12145, 15145, 11770 has been heard with patterned
block jamming 1600-1900. 1197 MW, Lesotho, 0300-0500 is heard here in
Zimbabwe un-jammed.
(D.Pringle-Wood-ZWE May 7, 2005 in DXLD 5-076)
15145 is always best here; listened to the 1600 opening May 7, no
jamming. They immediately started talking about coping with jamming, but
did not mention 4825, 3365. As usual here, nothing audible on 12145 from
Russia
(G.Hauser-OK-USA May 7, 2005 in DXLD 5-076)
SW Radio Africa again has made some changes (cf 3365 and 4825 kHz) and
writes: "Listeners are asked to track us at different places on the dial
1800-2100 Zimbabwe Time. In the 19 metre band: 15145 kHz. In the 25 metre
band: 12145 kHz & 11770 kHz. In the 60 metre band: 4825 kHz & 4880 kHz.
In the 90 metre band: 3300 kHz & 3365 kHz."
(F.Krone-DNK May 8, 2005 in DXplorer-ML)
Ich empfange gerade SW Radio Africa mit passablem Signal auf 12145 //
15145.
(A.Tschauder-D May 9, 2005 in A-DX-ML)
12145 kHz 9/5. SW R.Africa, 18:03-18:10, Ingles, locutora con
comentarios, Mx pop, comentarios con referencias a la democracia, Zimbawe
y Mugabe. SINPO 44433.
(J.Miguel Romero Romero-E May 9, 2005 in Lista ConDig-ML)
11770 kHz 9/5. SW R.Africa,18:10-18:21, Ingles,locutor con comentarios
"En Zimbawe se vive la típica situación colonial", se pide democracia y
se compara con Botswana y Sudafrica, sufre Jamming discontinuo. SINPO
53443.
(J.Miguel Romero Romero-E May 9, 2005 in Lista ConDig-ML)
15145 SW R.Africa May 09 *1559-1610 35333 English, 1559 sign on with
Music, SJ at 1600, ID at 1601, Song.
(Ko.Hashimoto-J May 9, 2005 in JAP 368)
15145 kHz 10/5. SW R.Africa, 17:05-17:25,In, locutora con entrevistas, se
hacen referencias a Zimbawe y Mugabe. SINPO 55555.
(J.Miguel Romero Romero-E May 10, 2005 in Lista ConDig-ML)
SW R Africa heard today under lousy conditions, Sinpo 22222 to 32222:
- 12145, May 12 1608 UT RUS SW R Africa Krasnodar. Many feeder breaks
between London VT Bush house bc center and foreground Caucasus satellite
feed. Audio is nearly 1.8 to 2 seconds behind UK transmitter 15145.
Lovely African songs by female singer.
- 15145, May 12 1615 UT G SW R Africa Woofferton. English schedule,
frequencies and mbands given in a badly arranged manner.
- 11770, May 12 1900 UT AFS SW R Africa, Meyerton. English, ID, African
music. It's a lousy signal here in Europe.
(W.Büschel-D May 12, 2005 in DXLD 5-0181)
Re 5-068, Anker Petersen's theory that SW Radio Africa on 15145 at
1600-1800 is actually via IBB São Tomé: This might explain why we have
audible reception here, as that would be roughly off the back, as opposed
to a UK site, which would be aiming SSE, and far from off-the-back toward
OK. Must notice in future how 15145 reception correlates with hi-latitude
Euro signals on 19m at that time, compared to low-latitude Equa ones (if
I can find any to compare with, as there are few/none aiming to NAm at
that time). And relatively close São Tomé would certainly be an advantage
over Rampisham in field strength delivered to Zimbabwe. However: all four
100 kW transmitters at Pinheira are accounted for during this bihour ---
unless a fifth one has cropped up there, or one scheduled transmission
has been moved to some other site.
(G.Hauser-OK-USA May 14, 2005 in DXLD 5-081)
Radio Voice of the People
7120 kHz 7/5. R.Voice of the People (Radio Vop), ZWB, 17:37-17:41,
vernacular, Mx local, locutor con comentarios, SINPO 33232
(J.Miguel Romero Romero-E May 7, 2005 in HCDX-ML)
7120 kHz 10/5. R.V. del Pueblo (Radio Vop), 17:00-17:05, vernacular,
locutor, seg. Mx, comentarios. SINPO 33332.
(J.Miguel Romero Romero-E May 9, 2005 in Lista ConDig-ML)
------------xxxxxxxxxx QSL Verifications xxxxxxxxxx------------
Qsl's - ETHIOPIA
Tensae-Ethiopia Voice of Unity
Today, 7 hours after I sent an e-mail report of reception of
Tensae-Ethiopia Voice of Unity on 15,660, I received the following brief
e-mail acknowledgement: “This is an acknowledgement of receipt of your
message. Thank you for your interest.” My report was sent to, and the
e-mail was received from, ethio@unitedethiopia.org. Not a QSL, of course,
but at least it shows that the address is active. (W.Craighead-KS-USA May
10, 2005 for CRW)
Hi Friends, I also got the following "reply" to my reception report to
Tensae Ethiopia Voice of Unity. It is an automatic answer from a machine!
There seemed to be something attached to the message, but there was
nothing to open attached :
From : ethio @ unitedethiopia.org
Sent : Tuesday, May 10, 2005 7:27 PM
To : Björn Fransson
Subject : Re: Reception!

This is an acknowledgement of receipt of your message.
Thank you for your interest.
(B.Fransson-S May 11, 2005 for CRW)
...............................................................
Qsl's - GAMBIA
Save The Gambia Democracy Project
After 11 days I got the following answer by e-mail from the Save The
Gambia Democracy Project (STGDP@sunugambia.com) for an e-mail report
about their test transmission on 9430 kHz:
Patrick,
Sorry for the late reply but this is due to the fact that we have been
overwhelmed with emails after the test run program and we are just
getting to your email. Thank you so much for letting us know you have
received our signal because that will help us to gauge our coverage area.
If you need for us to send you an actual letter in paper form let us know
and we will put that together and send it as soon as possible. If you
also want know more about our organization our website address: is
sunugambia.com. Again, thank you so much. Take care.
Banka.
(P.Robic-AUT May 10, 2005 for CRW)
Yesterday I got the following reply from STGDP@sunugambia.com regarding
"Save the Gambia Democracy Project":
"Bjorn,
Sorry for the late reply but this is due to the fact that we have been
overwhelmed with emails after the test run program and we are just
getting to your email. Thank you so much for letting us know you have
received our signal because that will help us to gauge our coverage area.
Our programs will start on June 4th 2005 and will be a weekly program
(every Saturday) at the same time you heard it in your area."
(B.Fransson-S May 10, 2005 in HCDX-ML)
...............................................................
Qsl's - IRAN
Seda-ye Jambushi Iran e Farda (Iran of Tomorrow Movement)
Sedaye Jambushi Iran e Farda via Moldova 7490 kHz verified with an undet.
letter in 18 days. 1 US-$ for RP. QTH: 17328 Ventura Blvd. #209, Encino,
CA 91316, USA.
(P.Robic-AUT May 13, 2005 for CRW)
...............................................................
Qsl's - SOMALIA
Radio Horyaal
There have been some uncertainties in regard to the zipcode in the
announced contact address for Radio Horyaal in Canada; a Canada Post
zipcode search reveals these figures: P.O. Box 51045, Scarborough,
Ontario M1L 4T2.
(B.Trutenau-LTU May 5, 2005 in DXplorer-ML)
------------xxxxxxxxxx Other News xxxxxxxxxx--------------------
Other - AFGHANISTAN
Taliban Radio Back On The Air
A good overview of all the recent reports, plus some stuff I haven't seen
before.
http://www.rferl.org/featuresarticle/2005/5/CE6C0EC5-EBE3-47EE-A543-1F3A8
F357F3D.html
(A.Sennit-HOL May 9, 2005 in DXLD-ML)
TALIBAN RADIO BACK ON THE AIR
By Amin Tarzi
In April, residents of the southern Afghan city of Kandahar were able
to hear again Shari'a Zhagh (Voice of the Shari'a) -- the name used for
Kabul's Radio Afghanistan during the Taliban rule between 1996 and 2001.
The opening statement of the broadcast in Pashto told listeners that
"Shari'a Zhagh radio raises the voice of the Islamic brotherhood against
the superpower, United States of America, and its associates who have
been insulting the honor of the Muslim world and its religion and who
[have] harmed Islamic rule."
Challenging Foreign Broadcasts
On 18 April, neo-Taliban spokesman Mufti Latifullah Hakimi told
Peshawar-based Afghan Islamic Press (AIP) that because foreign radio
stations broadcasting to Afghanistan while claming to be independent and
free are "not actually free," the neo-Taliban has established its own
radio station.
Hakimi said the purpose of the radio would be to "report on the
realities and facts" throughout Afghanistan and to introduce "the goals
and objectives of the Islamic Movement of Taliban" to Afghans.
Hakimi said that the radio station resumed broadcasting after only "a
six-month break." However, there is no credible information to suggest
that the neo-Taliban operated a radio station in the past. There could
have been experimental broadcasts, but neither the neo-Taliban nor others
are on record discussing the issue.
According to Hakimi, the radio station began broadcasting on 18 April
for one hour from 0600 to 0700 in Dari and Pashto and would resume for
another hour in the evening between 1800 and 1900. Shari'a Zhagh was
heard in Kandahar on 18 and 20 April, but since then no other
confirmation of the radio's broadcast has been available.
The radio station broadcasting to Kandahar is one of three owned by
the neo-Taliban, Hakimi said. The other two stations will "start
functioning soon," he added. In a separate interview with AIP on 21
April, the spokesman said that the additional stations would broadcast in
other local languages, namely Uzbek and Turkmen. The Afghan Constitution
recognizes Pashto and Dari as the country's official languages, while
several other languages have official
third-language status in areas where the majority of residents speak that
language.
Hakimi told AIP on 18 April that the equipment for the radio stations
was imported from abroad and set up by Afghan engineers inside the
country.
Conspiracies Abound
While the message of the broadcast has not been the center of much
debate, the fact that the neo-Taliban has managed to establish a radio
station has. This has led to conspiracy theories among Afghans and the
Afghan media.
The pro-government "Kabul Times" daily on 26 April wrote that while
the Afghan government has taken a nonchalant attitude towards the Shari'a
Zhagh based on the calculation that most Afghans have suffered horribly
under Taliban rule and therefore would not heed any message propagating a
return to such a system, the U.S.-led coalition has vowed to find and
destroy the radio station. There is "no doubt that the coalition will
locate...[the transmitter] with the help of advanced eavesdropping
devices," the daily hoped.
The "Kabul Times," however, also speculated that a foreign hand might
be involved in the establishment of the neo-Taliban radio. Calling the
militants a "bunch of mullahs" who are "completely ignorant about
engineering," the daily questioned who is supporting the radio venture
technically and financially.
Without directly accusing Pakistan, the "Kabul Times" wrote that the
Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) "has been dealing with the Taliban
since its inception." The daily added that "surely the ISI" can "find
answers" to the location, type of equipment, and funding for Shari'a
Zhagh. The "ISI is expected to fall into line and find out" the necessary
information about the neo-Taliban broadcast venture, the commentary
recommended. Hakimi said the purpose of the radio would be to "report on
the realities and facts" throughout Afghanistan and to introduce "the
goals and objectives of the Islamic Movement of Taliban" to Afghans.
The mere existence of the Shari'a Zhagh has further fueled questions
about the motives of not only Pakistan, but even the United States.
Voice of the Islamic Republic of Iran on 21 April interviewed Kabul
University professor Nasir Ahmad, asking why the United States, which
"utilizes modern technological equipment and could easily find the
Taliban radio station," has not done so.
Nasir Ahmad responded that, since the United States has long-term
strategic plans in Afghanistan, it needs the neo-Taliban to justify its
presence in that country. Thus, he argued, the United States is not
challenging the radio station.
Hakimi told AIP on 21 April that he believes that U.S.-led coalition
forces are looking for the transmission station of Shari'a Zhagh. He
believes, however, they will fail in their efforts because the broadcasts
are transmitted from a "mobile
station." Furthermore, the programs are aired at dawn and dusk when
"no-one can detect the station's frequencies," Hakimi contended. He also
said that "expert Afghan engineers" have designed the station in such a
manner to safeguard it "against all possible risks."
Worrying Echoes
For many Afghans, accepting anything associated with the Taliban
regime is a dilemma at best, and loathsome at worst. Some may genuinely
support the reconciliation efforts of the Afghan government aimed at
bringing most of the former Taliban rank and file back into society, but
very few seem to lend support to the return of a Taliban-style system of
governance.
If the neo-Taliban radio manages to broadcast regularly and expand
its coverage area, it would be a moral boost for the few people who still
may be supporting the neo-Taliban for ethnic, personal, or political
reasons. Many people are nostalgic for what they see as the Taliban's
ability to safeguard public security.
(A.Tarzi-? May 13, 2005 in RFE/RL MEDIA MATTERS Vol. 5, No. 10)
...............................................................
Other - CUBA
Radio Marti ...
Interview with Cuban national just returned from family visit "to that
imprison island". [John F. Kennedy] She is 26 years old. Executive in
Hollywood Florida.
"Do people listen to Radio Marti in Cuba"
Senorita X "What is Radio Marti? People don't listen to radio in Cuba"
Why don't they listen?
Senorita X "It is just not popular!" People in Havana are in the streets
looking for work or making money. If they try to set up a business they
are taken to jail. My relatives in Miami listen to the radio, but not
those in Cuba."
Is this because of the US embargo or Castro?
Senorita X "Castro does not care if people have money. Since Bush we can
not take many things to our relatives."
Did you visit many people in your stay?
Senorita X "Yes I have lots of family and friends"
Do any of your friends and family listen to radio?
Senorita X "No! We have TV, but no one watches."
By "no one", you mean your friends and family? [bad question, leading the
person being interviewed]
Senorita X "Yes"
Do people have shortwave radio's "/radio/ /banda corta/"?
Senorita X "I don't know of anyone who has one"
Would people listen and believe radio broadcasts to Cuba from the North
American government?
Senorita X Yes, maybe if they could get them, if radio became popular....
but people don't have time"
How long have you been in the US?
Senorita X "Five years, I am getting my citizenship"
Why did you come to the US?
Senorita X "You can not earn a living in Cuba"
(via R.L.C.Wilkner-FL-USA May 3, 2005 in CDX-ML)
...............................................................
Other - ETHIOPIA
NEW OPPOSITION RADIO OBSERVED ON SHORTWAVE
BBC Monitoring observed a new opposition broadcast called Radio Voice of
ENUF [Ethiopian National United Front] on 12120 kHz shortwave at
1700-1800 gmt on 1 May 2005. The broadcast was in Amharic, and according
to information on the ENUF organization's web site is on the air only on
Sundays and Fridays. Transmitter time is hired through Belgian airtime
broker TDP, with characteristic on-off tones observed before the start of
the broadcast suggesting that the transmitter is in the CIS. The ENUF's
bilingual Amharic/English web site http://www.enufforethiopia.org states
one of their political objectives is to "eliminate the oppressive regime
of the TPLF/EPRDF" [Tigray People's Liberation Front/Ethiopian People's
Revolutionary Democratic Front, the country's ruling coalition].
Source: BBC Monitoring research 1 May 05 (via DXLD 5-071)
...............................................................
Other - IRAN
D-Hour for Iran rapidly approaches
http://worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=44023
"If we can raise sufficient funds, we will broadcast the walk day-by-day
over the opposition satellite radio and TV transmissions into Iran."
(via A.Sennitt-HOL May 3, 2005 for CRW)
...............................................................
Other - ISRAEL
HEBREW-LANGUAGE CLANDESTINE RADIO BROADCASTING DURING THE BRITISH
PALESTINE MANDATE ---
by Douglas A. Boyd, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY 40506-0042
U.S.A.
{Boyd is a Professor in the Department of Communication and the School of
Journalism and Telecommunications, University of Kentucky. He
acknowledges the assistance of the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC)
Monitoring Service Written Archives Section, Caversham Park, England,
Carol Forrester, BBC World Service, London, and Professor Akiba Cohen of
Tel Aviv University in gathering data for this study. This research was
made possible in part by a grant from the Kaltenborn Foundation.}
It was an intriguing idea to some governments, pressure groups, political
enthusiasts, and revolutionary organizations in the mid-20th
century that well crafted radio broadcasts directed to supporters and
opposers alike might play a major role in successfully promoting a
particular cause to achieve a specific goal. This does not mean that
other forms of communication -- handbills, newspapers, the telephone, or
even person-to-person communication -- were not important. However,
broadcasts "coming from the ether" were thought to be a very effective
means of communication, especially if the "opposition" controlled or
influenced state-run or -sanctioned radio and newspapers. It was Lenin
who reportedly observed that radio was a "newspaper without paper and
without frontiers." By the late 1930s, "the magic of radio" was a well
known expression. After all, where commercial broadcasting was permitted,
businesses attested to the effectiveness of radio advertising. World War
II and the period just before it proved to be a time when psychological
warfare attracted a great deal of attention, and for those involved in it
clandestine radio became a growth industry, albeit with little, if
anything, to show in terms of specific outcomes.
Various types of revolutionary/clandestine radio operations have existed
since the Russians first used them in an attempt to rally German workers
to support the revolution (Hale, 1975). Flicke (1977) confirms that the
"use of broadcasting as a means of propaganda by government originated
with the Soviet Union" (p. 280). Clandestine stations are challenging to
discuss in geo-political, social, or economic contexts because they are
so difficult to define; those countries and groups that have used such
stations have often done so without specific goals, adequate equipment,
or experienced personnel. By their very nature clandestine radio groups
are not known for keeping historical records. In the case of Palestine,
the British government does not permit the public to examine official
British Mandate Authority documents housed in the Foreign and
Commonwealth Office Archives and related to clandestine stations
operating in the 1930s and 1940s, [Footnote 1] apparently fearing that
the documents might reveal the identities of British intelligence
contacts in Palestine. Soley (1989) writes that clandestine radio
operations are "illegal political stations that advocate civil war,
revolution, or rebellion." Further, they "provide misleading information
as to their sponsorship, transmitter location, or raison d'être" (p. 2).
With regard to the potential impact of clandestine radio on consumers,
Browne (1982), discussing clandestine radio stations in Africa, observes:
Listening to them can be dangerous, and few who do so would be willing to
report the fact in a survey. Most of them are difficult to receive. Their
typically polemical tone would be attractive to their supporters, but one
that would probably not be very appealing to anyone other than a 'true
believer.' (p. 279)
After noting that there is no precise definition of clandestine radio,
and referring specifically to the Middle East, Hale (1975) states that,
"[clandestine] radio comes in a variety of shades from pristine white to
hellish black -- from, that is, the most open and above-board to the most
devious, misleading and underground" (p. 103).
This research concerns Jewish clandestine radio broadcasting in Palestine
-- commonly referred to as the Holy Land -- under the British Mandate,
and for a brief period after the creation of Israel. Palestine was part
of the Ottoman Empire until Turkish forces were defeated toward the end
of World War I. The British and French were allowed to administer some
Middle Eastern territory after various agreements negotiated by these two
countries and agreed to by the League of Nations. Although there have
been changes in the political map of the area, until various forms of
independence took place in countries under League of Nations (and later
under United Nations) mandates, the British administered Iraq,
Transjordan, and Palestine; the French, Syria and Lebanon. [Footnote 2]
It is important to note that shortly after World War II ended the British
realized they needed to find a face-saving way of leaving Palestine.
Economically, the area had become a further drain on the British economy
already devastated by the war. The British also knew that Jewish
immigration from Europe and rising anti-Zionist feelings by Arab
governments were key ingredients of a potential disaster. The World War
II experience of Britain in the field of radio propaganda made them aware
of the potentially damaging effects of such broadcasts in Palestine. Wood
(1992) notes, "The expenditure on broadcasting equipment by the British
during the war years was staggering" (p.60). Thus, as noted below, the
British Mandate Authority devoted considerable resources attempting to
locate and stop clandestine transmitters.
This study's importance rests in part with its uniqueness; Jewish
clandestine radio operations were apparently among the first successful
effort by revolutionary groups to use the sound medium to help achieve
specific goals, in this case the departure of an unwelcome, occupying
force, and eventually the creation of an independent Jewish state.
The purpose of this study, outlined in subheadings that follow, is to
provide readers with (1) an understanding of the motivations behind the
Jewish clandestine stations; (2) information about the sponsoring
organizations; and (3) a discussion of some of the programming that may
help explain the role radio played in Britain's departure from Palestine
in May 1948, the creation of Israel, and the resulting political
situation that continues to exist in Israel and the Arab world, despite
the historic agreement signed on September 13, 1993, in Washington, D.C.,
between Israel and the Palestine Authority and its Chairman Arafat's
subsequent move to Gaza. This study examines only Jewish clandestine
stations because there was very little Arab clandestine radio activity
during the 1940s. This was due, at least in part, to the fact that
state-run radio stations in neighboring Arab countries -- primarily
Syria, Lebanon, and Egypt -- were enthusiastic outlets for Arab
information and editorial opinion. No such facilities in the area were
available to Jewish groups. Also, most Arabs believed that Sharq al-Adna,
an Arabic-language station secretly operated by the British government,
sided with them. As the British announced that they would leave
Palestine, the Arabs believed that they had the upper hand
psychologically and militarily and thus had little need for secret radio
operations.
Clandestine broadcasts in Palestine are mentioned in several articles or
books, many used in this study; but only Zimmerman (1973/1974), dealing
exclusively with Arabic-language broadcasts, examined radio monitoring
service reports of both clandestine stations and those from neighboring
states. He found that Jewish-sponsored Arabic-language broadcasts did not
suggest that Arabs leave Palestine upon British withdrawal. Zimmerman's
research is dissimilar to the present study and is very limited because
he relied only on radio monitoring reports. Monitoring reports are
helpful and are used in this study, but both British and U.S. monitoring
was limited because those who did it only sampled broadcasts and then did
not transcribe or summarize all that were heard.
For the purpose of this study, clandestine broadcasting as regards
Palestine is defined as those unofficial stations, mostly identified with
specific underground organizations, that attempted to gain a
psychological or military advantage as well as to communicate, often via
coded messages, with operatives in the field.
Palestine Electronic Media Environment
It was Italy that first brought foreign radio broadcasts to the Middle
East, specifically to Arabic speakers. Because of the creation of Radio
Bari's Arabic service, at least a few Arabs could hear what a Western
country thought about them. For the first time Arabs and a few Western
observers became aware of the potential influence of radio later in the
Middle East. The Italian broadcasts provided sufficient motivation for
the reluctant BBC to start its first foreign-language service in Arabic
on January 3, 1938 ("Arabic broadcasts," 1938; Reith, 1949).
The first local radio station, the Palestine Broadcasting Station (PBS),
started under the British Mandate Authority with BBC supervision in 1936
(Palestine department of posts, 1935; Palestine department of posts,
1936). However, the trilingual (English, Hebrew, and Arabic) PBS,
operating as the Voice of Jerusalem, was not the first radio station in
the Middle East. Firsts are often difficult to identify with regard to
the introduction of radio services, and so too in the Arab world. But
Egypt seems to be the Middle Eastern state that can boast of the first
radio broadcast in the 1920s (UNESCO, 1949; Metwally, n.d.), just after
experimental transmissions started in North America and Europe. After
World War II Britain started an English-language only British Forces
Station (JCPA) in Palestine that provided no local news items, but did
rebroadcast BBC short-wave broadcasts, thus making them available to
citizens without short-wave radios. First headquartered on Mount Zion in
the Old City of Jerusalem, the station later moved to a location near
Bethlehem (Martin, 1949). Finally, special mention is necessary for an
almost unique Arabic-language station started in Palestine - Radio Sharq
Al-Adna.
The Technology of Clandestine Transmission in Palestine
Of course, during the 1940s there was no FM radio broadcasting in the
Middle East. Medium- and long-wave receivers were the norm, but most home
sets were also capable of receiving short-wave transmissions. This was
because of the long-established practice of listening to European news
from the BBC and other stations. A survey done in 1943 by social science
faculty members at the American University of Beirut showed that among
Arabs surveyed in Palestine, 87% had sets capable of receiving medium-,
long-, and short-wave signals (Dodd et al., 1943). Partner (1988) states
that Jewish homes in Palestine in the mid-1940s had a higher percentage
of short-wave receivers than did Arab homes. This state of affairs proved
to be very helpful to those operating clandestine stations; they all
transmitted on the short-wave band, most on frequencies between 45 and 50
meters. Although primarily used by international broadcasters to reach
listeners far away from transmission sites, short-wave transmission was
ideal for Palestine clandestine operations because a relatively low power
output could reach a large area. Additionally, short-wave transmitters
did not need the extensive antennae and grounding facilities required for
mediumwave, thus making them both portable and relatively easily
hidden.[Footnote 3]
"Establishment" Clandestine Broadcasting
The clandestine radio broadcasts sponsored by Jewish groups from the late
1930s until 1948 were done not by those interested primarily in radio
broadcasting, but rather by groups that understood both the strategic and
tactical importance of the sound medium. These broadcasts had five major
goals. First, they were intended to provide various types of information
to scattered Jewish communities in Palestine, an area where the Mandatory
Authority controlled print and radio. Second, they were intended to gain
favor, and members, among the Jewish population for the three major
independence groups discussed herein. Third, they aimed to hasten the
departure of the British and foster the subsequent creation of an
independent Jewish state. Fourth, they were used to provide specific
political and tactical military instructions to members who otherwise
would have had to rely on slower, less reliable communication channels.
Finally, they solicited funds and military aid from outside Palestine.
Haganah Radio, a station operated by the Haganah (Hebrew for defense) --
an illegal military organization established in 1920 -- started
Hebrew-language broadcasting in the late 1930s when there were violent
disturbances by Arabs who opposed Jewish immigration to Palestine. For
the most part, clandestine radio in Palestine ceased operations during
World War II as the British, most Jews, and many Arabs united to defeat
the Axis powers. However, as the war was in its last year, clandestine
radio activity started anew. On October 13, 1945, the New York Times
quoted an AP dispatch from Tel Aviv telling of a resistance radio station
with an unspecified name that had broadcast for the fourth time.
Listen to the voice of Israel! This is not a terrorist station. This is
the station of Hebrew resistance.
Never again will Jews be deported from their homeland. Our patience is
over. No power in the world shall break our determination ("Secret radio
urges," 1945, p. 6.)
Haganah Radio was the most extensive and well organized of the Jewish
clandestine radio services, having started transmissions first from Tel
Aviv in 1940 to protest a British law banning British press censorship
and the sale of certain types of land to Jews (A. Avnerre, advisor,
Israeli Broadcasting Authority, personal communication, January 3, 1992).
Between 1945 and 1948 the Haganah added Arabic broadcasts, at one time
headed by Shaul Bar-Haim, an Iraqi Jew who had immigrated to Palestine
and later became the Director of the Israeli Radio Arabic Service (S.
Bar-Haim, personal communication, January 26, 1980). A Jerusalem station
hidden on the sixth floor of a well located apartment building started in
1947 and was especially active during the months before May 1948, when
the official British departure from the area triggered the first
Arab-Israeli war. At first the station used the name Kol Israel (Voice of
Israel), but Haganah leadership objected, wanting to reserve the name for
the official radio broadcasting service of the new state. Thus, from
March 1948 until independence, the Jerusalem station used the name Voice
of the Jewish Defender (A. Avnerre, advisor, Israeli Broadcasting
Authority, personal communication, January 3, 1992; British Broadcasting
Corporation, 1948, March 25). Because the Haganah was very well organized
and funded, and as the British departure date came closer -- thereby
decreasing somewhat British enthusiasm for finding and closing
clandestine stations -- the Jerusalem station was able to add a greater
variety of programming, including children's shows, to its Hebrew radio
broadcasts.
Like most secret operations in Palestine during the pre-independence
period, there were elaborate security precautions in an attempt to
protect both Haganah radio sites and those involved in operating them.
Thus, the transmitting equipment, most home-made in Palestine, was very
valuable. The stations became regular reminders to listeners that the
resistance groups operating them were still active.
Mandate authority laws stipulated imprisonment for those caught
transmitting illegally. Unlike at least one of the other clandestine
broadcasters, there is no record of any Haganah station being discovered
by the British. This was due, at least in part, to frequent transmitter
moves and an elaborate security system that was so effective that even
close friends did not know they were working in various capacities for
the same station. The Tel Aviv station serves as an illustration of the
elaborate security arrangements. Elkana Galli was a news reader for the
station for approximately one year between 1946 and 1947. His "all clear"
signal after each broadcast, indicating that all had gone well, was to
walk on the previously designated side of an automobile that someone was
watching. During a period when the British decreed an all-day curfew in
Tel Aviv, newscasts were passed from those who wrote them to news readers
by concealing them in partially hollowed-out oranges that were then
thrown across streets during brief periods when the curfew was lifted in
order for residents to get food (E. Galli, personal communication, Tel
Aviv, January 5, 1992).
Martin (1949) states that Haganah eventually started some
English-language programming, but after the British announced they would
leave the area, it was Haganah Radio's Arabic broadcasts that were
effective, at least to some extent, in attracting an Arab audience.
The speed at which the news about these [Haganah] daily broadcasts in
Arabic got around was amazing. The Jews would say jokingly (and the Arabs
took up the joke), that the Haganah would start raids at 8:45 p.m.,
because at the time all the Arabs were at home listening to Haganah's
Arabic news broadcast. There was a great deal of truth in this. The news
bulletins in Arabic included 'information' about individual Arab leaders,
their 'corruption,' and 'facts about their embezzlement of public funds.'
The station would broadcast warnings to individual Arabs (some of whom
took these warnings very seriously and escaped to Egypt), and gave
'inside information' on the situation 'behind the Arab lines' (Martin,
1949, p. 192).
On March 11, 1948, an Arabic-language station believed to be Haganah-
operated, Free Jewish Station, was monitored in Cairo. Foreign
Broadcasting Information Bureau (FBIB) monitors noted that the station
seemed "in its propaganda trend" to resemble Haganah broadcasts (British
Broadcasting Corporation, 1948, March 18).
Another Haganah-sponsored Hebrew-language station, Station of the Moon,
appeared briefly on March 11, 1948, announcing that it would be on the
air for a limited schedule on Tuesdays, Fridays, and Saturdays (British
Broadcasting Corporation, 1948, March 18). Some former Haganah
broadcasters in both Jerusalem and Tel Aviv believe that this station
operated in one of the rural areas in an attempt to serve Jewish
settlements that were not in range of Tel Aviv or Jerusalem.
On May 12, 1948, Haganah Radio announced that it would soon become the
Voice of Israel, Kol Israel (Foreign Broadcast Information Service, 1948)
-- the official name of the Israeli national radio service that was a
department of the Prime Minister's office until the creation of a
Broadcasting Authority in 1965 (Encyclopedia of Zionism and Israel,
1971). The next day the Haganah announced in a broadcast monitored in
Cairo that its first program would be a live broadcast from the National
Assembly and called on the Voice of the Defender in Jerusalem, the Voice
of Haganah in Haifa, the Voice of Galilee, and the Voice of the Negev to
convey "this announcement to your listeners" (British Broadcasting
Corporation, 1948, May 13, p. 55).
Hard-Line Clandestine Stations
If the Haganah was the primary illegal military organization destined to
play an important part in Israel's political and military future, two
other organizations that were also broadcasters discussed herein were
seen as renegades in the Jewish struggle to drive the British from
Palestine and establish a Jewish state. Briefly, there were some in
Palestine who believed that the "establishment" Jewish organizations such
as the Jewish Agency [footnote 4] and the Haganah were not doing enough
to create a Jewish state, the precondition for which was the departure of
the British from Palestine.
Until his death in 1940, Ze'ev Jabotinsky was the "spiritual leader" of
the Irgun Zevai Leumi (IZL), National Military Organization, an
underground resistance group whose most famous military operation was the
bombing of the King David Hotel in Jerusalem. From early 1944 until the
creation of Israel, Menachem Begin -- later Prime Minister who signed the
Camp David peace accords establishing diplomatic relations with Egypt --
was the IZL commander (The Jabotinsky institute a national treasure,
n.d.; Begin, 1951; Encyclopedia of Zionism and Israel, 1971).
The primary founder of Lohame Herut Yisrael (Fighters for the Freedom of
Israel) -- known also as the Lechi or Stern Group [footnote 5] -- was
Avrahim Stern, a Polish-born immigrant and former IZL member who believed
that an organization more militant than Irgun was essential to the
creation of a Jewish state. After British police killed Stern in a Tel
Aviv apartment in 1942, Lechi was commanded by a triumvirate including
Yitzhak Shamir, twice Israeli Prime Minister until his defeat in the June
1992 general election (Political dictionary of the state of Israel, 1987;
Katz, 1987; Apelboim, 1991). These were relatively small organizations
that did not find enthusiastic public support for their military
operations, but because the leadership understood the potential tactical
value of clandestine radio, both the Irgun and Lechi were active
clandestine radio broadcasters.
Of the two main underground military organizations competing with the
Haganah, Irgun was the first to use clandestine radio by transmitting in
March, 1939 (A. Avnerre, advisor, Israeli Broadcasting Authority,
personal communication, January 3, 1992). Hurewitz (1968) notes that the
Irgun first operated a clandestine station in 1939 and in one
transmission claimed responsibility for Arab deaths resulting from land
mines detonated in a Haifa fruit market. The broadcast also included an
attempt to recruit new members. Begin writes about the Irgun's Voice of
Fighting Zion, whose broadcasts in late 1947 were used to get information
to the public about the British-proposed partition of Palestine and
replacement of British military forces with some type of United
Nations-sponsored police force (Begin, 1951). As noted later, until the
1948 War of Independence, the Irgun did not devote as much time and
effort to its broadcasts as did its rival Lechi. Because production
equipment of the two non-Haganah stations only consisted of microphones,
there was no way of playing recorded music. In order to tell listeners
they had found the intended station, an announcer for Voice of Fighting
Zion would whistle Lamut Lichbosh et Hahar, the anthem of an Irgun youth
movement. The Stern radio, Fighters for the Freedom of Israel, used the
opening bars of an anthem composed by Stern himself.
Of the two groups, Stern's broadcasts appear to have been somewhat better
known because of the strident and emotional nature of the organization
and those organizing broadcasts. Unlike Haganah and Irgun, Stern did not
completely stop broadcasting during World War II. Also, Stern was a
writer and poet who, until his death, broadcast some of his own material.
The importance the Stern Group attached to its Tel Aviv-based Fighters
for the Freedom of Israel clandestine radio service is evident from a
visit to the house where Stern was killed. On the top floor of the house,
now a small museum and headquarters for the Lechi Memorial Committee,
there is a replica of the room in one of the houses from which broadcasts
originated. Further, in a booklet published by the Jabotinsky Institute,
there is a picture of a Stern Group broadcast showing an announcer and
engineer operating a transmitter from the home of Pinhas Ginnosar
(Jabotinsky institute catalogue, 1989). The intensity of clandestine
broadcasting from all three Jewish groups was highlighted after World War
II, as it was clear to the British, the Jews, and Arabs that the current
state of affairs in Palestine could not continue.
After World War II, Geula Cohen, who would later become an outspoken,
right-wing member of the Knesset, [footnote 6] was recruited as an
announcer for the station. Arrested by the British on January 18, 1946,
and jailed for clandestine radio activity, Ms. Cohen is Israel's most
celebrated underground broadcaster, in part because she wrote a book
about her exploits; also she is the only female to be apprehended while
actually on the air (Cohen, 1966). Inspired to participate in clandestine
broadcasting by hearing Stern's own broadcasts, she broadcast twice per
week on the Stern station until her arrest while broadcasting; her first
broadcasting partner was Yitzhak Shamir. Her book tells of her escape and
eventual return to clandestine radio broadcasting after being sentenced
to 7 years in prison -- 2 for illegal broadcasting, 5 for firearm
possession (Cohen, 1966; G. Cohen, Member of Parliament, personal
communication, January 6, 1992). One of Cohen's broadcasts provides some
indication of the reason Lechi devoted time and attention to them:
From the depths of the Hebrew Underground our voice will rise. We do not
speak by the grace of the British regime, or under its supervision. Our
voice calls out freely. It is the voice of those fighting for the
liberation of the Jewish people and its historic homeland . . . .
Again and again we have been dealt insult and injury. Again and again our
blood has been shed. Where now are those who insulted us? Where are the
shedders of our blood? But the People of Israel lives [sic] on, bearing
its glorious past . . . .
No war is holier than ours, for none is more just. The land of our
fathers, the land of the Kingdom of Israel awaits our redemption. The
land is rich, the nation is large and deserving. Who then stands in the
way? (Cohen, 1966, pp. 96-97)
A July 7, 1946, transmission from Irgun's Rising Zion Broadcasting
Station clearly indicates they were hoping that shortwave broadcasting
would help secure military aid from sympathizers in Europe:
Free peoples of the world; peoples striving for Freedom - listen. . . .
Do not stand aside while you witness a struggle between unequal forces,
between justice and evil, between the striving for freedom and the
appetite for oppression. Rise (sic) your voices! Come to our aid! Help
our wandering brothers return to their country. Send us arms; send us
ammunition, send us help! (Irgun Zvai Leumi, The Rising Zion Broadcasting
Station, p. 1) Another Fighters for the Freedom of Israel broadcast tells
of something the Stern Group had wanted for years: the Haganah to join
them in military operations directed at the British.
You are listening to the Voice of the Hebrew Underground! You are
listening to the Voice of the Hebrew Underground! The British divisions
could not stop us. The solid wall of British bayonets has been smashed.
During the night of the twenty-first of October, Jewish fighting forces
struck a sin-gle co-or-di-na-ted blow at the enemy, from Acre to Gaza,
from the sea coast to the hills of Judea and Jerusalem . . . . (Cohen,
1966, p. 97)
Another Stern-run radio station, the Voice of the Jewish Spearhead, was
first monitored on May 2, 1948. That transmission included an attack on
both the Haganah and Britain (British Broadcasting Corporation, 1948, May
6).
When it became clear that the British were, in fact, going to leave
Palestine, their enthusiasm for locating Jewish clandestine transmitters
and jamming radio broadcasts diminished. As 1948 approached and as it
became clear that there would be fighting after the British left, the
radio stations started targeting other resistance groups as they moved
beyond attempting to attract new recruits and into forcing the British to
leave.
Radio Battles Among Jewish Clandestine Stations
Disagreements over political and military tactics against the Mandate
Authority spilled over into some radio programs, especially as the
British were leaving Palestine; after independence, when these groups,
especially Irgun and Stern, were positioning for control within the
government and military of the new Jewish state, the radio warfare
intensified. On April 25 and 26, 1948, Haganah transmissions criticized
Irgun military activities; the transmissions said that Irgun had
"concentrated all its forces from throughout Palestine and had begun
action against Jaffa without informing Haganah of this action beforehand"
(British Broadcasting Corporation, 1948, May 6, p. 72). Then on April 28
a Haganah broadcast announced a "union" with Irgun:
The Jewish defence force, Haganah, is the force of the nation and of its
elected institutions. According to the decision of the Zionist Executive
Committee, Haganah and Irgun representatives met and the Executive
Committee's decision was put into effect. This decision was taken to
assure the Jewish population that no separate military action will be
taken, which will only do harm from the military, moral and internal
viewpoints. (British Broadcasting Corporation, 1948, May 6, p. 72)
A May 5 transmission via Stern's Fighters for Freedom of Israel attacked
Irgun, allegedly for contacts with the British; defending itself on Voice
of Fighting Zion, Irgun said that it had never "negotiated" with or
"surrender[ed]" to the British (British Broadcasting Corporation, 1948,
May 13, p. 67). With this and other exchanges, it was clear that the
battle of the airwaves had intensified beyond jockeying for military and
political positions in the soon-to-be-created state. Irgun and Stern were
positioning themselves financially as they relied heavily on
contributions from the Jewish Palestine population to finance operations.
Eventually, Stern and the Irgun understood that the Haganah had the upper
hand and that those involved with the military organization would form
the basis of Israel's Army, Navy, and Air Force. However, an Irgun
station, Kol Haherut (Voice of Freedom), continued to broadcast for about
4 months after the British departure and the State of Israel was
officially proclaimed. An offshoot of Voice of Fighting Zion, this
station existed as a protest voice against those heading the new state,
especially Ben-Gurion. According to the official English translation of
the final night's broadcast on September 18, 1948, the announcer said,
"[we are] discontinuing the broadcasts which sounded forth the truth
since the days of the great insurrection unto this very day. It behooves
us, in line with our practice, to tell the public the truth." Further,
the broadcast noted that the Israeli government had adopted British laws
permitting the government to close unofficial stations and practicing
censorship, rather than using the "Book of Books as the basic law of our
country and nation." The closing statement by Kol Haherut, in what was
apparently the last broadcast by a Jewish clandestine station, was:
We send our greetings to you all -- greetings for victory, the unity of
our homeland, and the freedom of man and citizen. The broadcasting
station Kol Haherut is discontinuing its broadcasts, but the Voice of
Freedom will never be silenced. They, who lived and died so that freedom
might reign here, they are your guarantors. (Irgun Zvai Leumi, The Voice
of Freedom, p. 1)
Discussion
Jewish organizations in Palestine broadcast clandestine radio programming
because they believed the human voice received at home and in the work
place vital to their respective interests. The printing and distribution
of written information was difficult for Jewish groups, especially as the
British prepared to leave the area. Clandestine broadcasts were thought
to be an effective and inexpensive way of (1) stating philosophical
positions; (2) recruiting new members; (3) staying in touch with those
who were already members; (4) disseminating coded information of military
importance; (5) communicating, in a "back-channel" way, with the British;
(6) providing information to the world press; and (7) stating information
that would later appear in the form of handbills.
There were two additional reasons motivating clandestine broadcasts. Even
today, there is very little Hebrew-language broadcasting outside of
Israel. Around the time of independence, except for that done by the
British-run Palestine Broadcasting Station, there was almost none.
Second, especially among the smaller political/military groups, radio
transmissions were a means of helping to create an identity: I broadcast,
therefore I am.
There seem to be three distinct phases to the development of clandestine
radio in Palestine. First, the Haganah, Stern, and Irgun organizations
started stations because they were struggling for both an identity and
support among the Jewish population. They believed that in the
environment of tightly British-controlled Palestine, clandestine radio
was the only way of reaching a large number of people with the most
powerful medium of the day. Second, as World War II ended and Jewish
refugees from Nazi Europe headed toward Palestine in large numbers, the
Irgun and Stern stations intensified their call for the British to leave
so that a Jewish state could be created. Haganah broadcasts were almost
always less strident than those of the other two groups because Haganah
leaders saw their organization as being synonymous with the government
and the legal broadcasting organization of the new Jewish state. Thus
they took measures to be responsible, credible broadcasters. Third, just
before and after the British officially departed, disagreements over
political and military influence in the new state became airborne via
these stations, especially since the Haganah clandestine operations had
become the new broadcasting service of the Jewish state.
There are no hard data addressing the impact of Jewish clandestine
broadcasting during the British Palestine Mandate, but it is clear that
the British were concerned about the broadcasts because they devoted a
great deal of effort to stopping them. At times the Mandate authorities
tried jamming the stations. They also utilized direction-finding
equipment in an attempt to locate transmitter sites. Although largely
unsuccessful in locating the stations, when they did they arrested,
tried, and imprisoned those involved. By all accounts these efforts only
strengthened the resolve of the three major broadcasting groups -- Irgun,
Stern, and the Haganah -- to continue transmitting.
Although no survey research was done to help assess the degree to which
Palestine residents listened to these clandestine broadcasts, they were
apparently well heard; otherwise Jewish organizations would not have gone
to such great lengths to provide them.
Largely forgotten except for those who remember hearing the broadcasts
and those who made them possible, the clandestine broadcasts illustrate
that groups of people with specific goals will use all means at their
disposal to help achieve those goals. Although the effects of the
broadcasts are admittedly open to speculation, the use of clandestine
radio in Palestine appears to have been the first case of using
underground broadcasting successfully to help achieve
a goal -- the creation of a new state.
Notes
1, I.S. Lockhart of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office confirms that
file FO371/68669 dealing with clandestine radio broadcasting in Palestine
remains closed except for those "needing to consult [it] for very
strictly defined official purposes." Lockhart was replying to an official
request the author made to British Foreign Secretary Douglas Hurd on
January 15, 1991, to open this record for my inspection (I.S.Lockhart,
Library and Records Department, Foreign and Commonwealth Office, London,
personal communication, January 6 and June 5, 1991).
2, There are many sources of information from different points of view
detailing the historical, political, and military situation in Palestine
between the end of World War I and the creation of Israel. The author
suggests that interested readers start with the overview and recommended
sources provided by a good encyclopedia.
3, For researchers, this situation was advantageous. Because official
British government files on Palestine clandestine broadcasts are still
closed to public inspection, those records of monitoring activity outside
of Palestine were done in Cairo by an agency of the United States
government, the Foreign Broadcast Information Bureau/Foreign Broadcast
Information Service, which became part of the Central Intelligence Agency
(CIA), created later in 1947. Because the broadcasts were shortwave, they
could be heard with varying degrees of clarity in Egypt where FBIB/FBIS
had a listening post. All references to clandestine stations in Palestine
in the British Broadcasting Corporation Monitoring Service Written
Archives Section come from U.S. government sources.
An article in the British Mandate approved by the League of Nations in
1922 called for the establishment of "an appropriate Jewish Agency"
concerning Jewish affairs. It was, until the creation of Israel, the
official body dealing with British authorities on matters related to the
Jewish community in Palestine
(Encyclopedia of Zionism and Israel, 1971, via Conexión Digital April 30
via DXLD 5-071) [remaining footnotes missing]
WTFK??????? In this entire opus, not a single frequency is mentioned.
Surely the author in extensive research must have come across numerous
frequency citations, but apparently considered them irrelevant!
(G.Hauser-USA in DXLD 5-071)
...............................................................
Other - RUSSIA
Hate is all around
The recent release of the movie Hotel Rwanda has rekindled interest in
the phenomenon of hate radio. In the past few months I've received
E-mails from several students who have decided to do a dissertation on
the subject. All of them mentioned that they were especially interested
in the Rwandan radio station Radio-Télévision Libre des Mille Collines
(RTLM) which is featured in the movie.
But, while RTLM is undoubtedly the highest profile example of hate radio,
with the most tragic consequences, it would be a mistake to assume it was
an isolated example of the genre. Hate radio continues to be a problem in
many countries, and not only in the developing world.
http://www2.rnw.nl/rnw/en/features/media/hate050504.html?view=Standard
(A.Sennit-HOL May 4, 2005 in Media Network Newsletter)
...............................................................
Other - ZIMBABWE
Zimbabue, nuevo foco de actividades clandestinas radiales.
Poco a poco la situacion politica de el pais africano, Zimbabue va
poniendose mas caliente al girar su orientacion politica y recibimiento
de tecnologia de paises socialistas y comunistas.
Hay ya varias estaciones fuera de Zimbabue orientando su señales de radio
para diseminar propaganda contra el gobierno de el presidente Mugabe.
Ya en OCPR habiamos reportado una de estas estaciones.. a modo de
preambulo a esta situacion politica en el cono africano, le incluimos un
interesante relato extraido de la pagina "La Nueva Cuba"
http://www.lanuevacuba.com/nuevacuba/notic-05-05-808.htm el cual los
informara de lo que sucede en ese pais..
Corea del Norte en Asia, Iraq e Afganistan en el mediano oriente y ahora
Zimbabue en Africa.. calienten sus radios, afilen sus antenas..
Alvin Mirabal, OCPR :
En una medida destinar a controlar el flujo de información que sale y
entra a Zimbabue, el gobierno de Robert Mugabe ha adquirido del régimen
totalitario de China comunista equipos altamente sofisticados para el
monitoreo de conversaciones telefónicas, interferencia a emisiones
radiales del exterior y de control y vigilancia del acceso a la Internet.
Estos sofisticados equipos de procedencia china se instalan ya de manera
clandestina en oficinas, hogares, restaurantes, y hasta en baños
públicos. Desde comienzos del presente año, técnicos chinos han hecho
entregas de estos equipos a laOrganización Central de Inteligencia de
Zimbabue, en un esfuerzo por bloquear en la nación africana, la libre
circulación de información, a la que Mugabe ha querido calificar de
"propaganda enemiga".
Los primeros objetivos de la interferencia radial son las estaciones de
radio de onda corta de Inglaterra, que transmiten informaciones acerca de
lo que ocurre en Zimbabue siete días a la semana. La estación de radio
independiente, SW Radio Africa, ha sido blanco de problemas a lo largo de
todo este año proveniente de los transmisores instalados en el área
central de Zimbabue.
La fundadora de la estación de radio, Gerry Jackson, voló a Nairobi,
Kenia, la pasada semana para recibir un premio del Instituto para la
Prensa Internacional (International Press Institute), el Premio a los
Pioneros de los Medios de Comunicación Libres ( "Free Media Pioneer
Award"), galardonado al coraje en el periodismo.
"Mugabe hará todo lo que esté en su poder para detener cualquier intento
de que la verdad sobre Zimbabue sea escuchada," dijo ella.
Entre los medios de la más alta y sofistacada tecnología adquiridos por
Zimbabue se incluyen versiones muy mejoradas de equipos de espionaje de
manufactura israelí, "pirateados". A tra'ves de Cuba esos equipos han
sido transferidos al gobierno de Mugabe. Se trata de equipos altamente
sofisticados de lo que utiliza la inteligencia israelí, Mossad, para
espiar a los palestinos.
Wilf Mbanga, quien edita el nuevo semanario, The Zimbabwean, afirma:
"parte del plan consiste en desarrollar la capacidad de escucha de todas
las líneas telefónicas de toda persona de importancia o prominente en
Zimbabwe."
Después del la elección general de este año Mugabe le comunicó a la línea
dura de su partido que él nuevamente había vuelto a tornar su mirada
hacia China comunista.
El Día de la Independencia de Zimbabue (April 18), ante los gritos de
vivas de parte de sus simpatizantes en su partido, Mugabe dijo: "Volvemos
a los buenos viejos tiempos cuando nuestros más grandes amigos eran los
chinos (comunistas). Ponemos de nuevo nuestra mirada hacia el Oriente,
donde sale el sol, no miramos ya más hacia el Oeste, donde el sol se
pone."
(A.Mirabal-PRT May 9, 2005 in Onda Corta PR-ML)
------------xxxxxxxxxx Sources xxxxxxxxxx----------------------
Contributors: Andy Sennit, Björn Fransson, Patrick Robic, Wendel
Craighead, Wolfgang Büschel
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