ARLA/CLUSTER : DX material.

[Carlos L.R. de A.Gonçalves]

Dear Mrs. Ritz,

Pse. note the following items:

AÇORES, Portugal
Rádio Lajes - A Voz da Força Aérea Portuguesa, will hopefully be back on MW
soon, though neither on its previous, inactive, outlet on 648 kHz (was 650
kHz at least in the mid~late 70s) nor on the one shown in their website,
i.e. 1530 kHz, which was the fq. they originally planned to move to.   It's
going to be on 1584 kHz, a frq. where the stn seemed to have operated in the
past too.  Power will again be 1 kW via the old, idle tx.

Part of their future plans include DRM operation on MW via a new tx and
VHF-FM power increase from the current 0.150 kW PEP to 0.5 kW PEP.  Besides
that, split operation will be an option, i.e. VHF-FM, internet and MW all
carrying different channels albeit incl. some relays of R.Renascença, and
with sport being carried via MW.

R. Lajes' audience is not confined to the Lajes airbase personel, nor to
Lajes or even Praia da Vitória, the nearest town, but to the whole island of
Terceira at least.

If you want to visit their page www.radiolajes.com and still need more
detail, simply add the following: /lajes.

PORTUGAL, mainland
Rádio Renascença uses HARRIS txs at least at the sites of Seixal 963 kHz
(near Lisbon) 10 kW (reserve 1 kW) and at Muge 594 kHz 100 kW (reserve 2x10
kW) + HF 100 kW.

The normal output at Muge is said to be in the 60-80 kW range only while,
and sometimes just one stand by unit is used.   The MW tower is 265 m high,
mounted on a predominantely sandy soil, pretty much like the one at the
former RFE/RL site at Glória do Ribatejo some km to the south.

For some days' time, the 100 kW unit at Muge was radiating two images on 738
& 450 kHz, then it was taken off service for some reason, but one of
activated 10 kW stand by units, currently at just 8 kW, is also radiating
images, viz. some 24 kHz on either side of the fundamental QRG.

The (smaller) Seixal tower is mounted on a place so close to River Tagus,
that the path from the tx hut gets flooded during the high tide, which
greatly explains why the thus enhanced signal on 963 kHz is so good far
beyond its intended coverage area, like for instance the Algarve province
west coast.

Seixal is nearly 14 km away from my place here in the capital, but I still
manage to DX on 963, even if only E, FIN and TUN were the only countries
logged so far.

73.
Carlos.