BC-DX TopNews WWDXC #945 BC-DX 945

At all levels, IBB staff members were energetic, interested, and involved
in their primary mission - that of broadcasting U.S. government programs
to a foreign audience. Recent years have been difficult for the staff at
overseas broadcasting stations as budgets and resources are continually
shrinking.
In Germany, for example, as recently as October 2006, the station had
three transmitting sites (Ismaning, Lampertheim, and Biblis) with a staff
of 41. At the end of FY 2009, 20 staff members remained. During that same
time, however, the number of annual shortwave broadcast hours has
increased from 32.400 to 45.760. In addition, the Germany Transmitting
Station has taken on numerous additional responsibilities for IBB
operations in Tajikistan, Cyprus, and Afghanistan.
- also involved in ... 972 kHz Radio Aap Ki Dunyaa, Orzu Tajikistan,
990 kHz Radio Sawa, Cyprus, and 621 kHz Radio Mashaal, Khost Afghanistan
operations.
[...]
Fifteen IBB staff members were employed previously as technicians at the
IBB Philippines Transmitting Station. The personnel files for these
employees indicate that they were hired from abroad as third country
national (TCN) employees, and brought to Kuwait at U.S. Government
expense. Unlike non-Kuwaiti TCN staff hired in Kuwait, these employees,
whether on tours of duty in excess of 1 year or for tours of duty for
1 year or less, were entitled under 3 FAM 7274.4-3 to benefits that may
not be in the local compensation plan.
These Filipino TCN employees are covered under the local compensation
plan, which includes salary in local currency,
[...]
Due to its isolated location, the transmitting station provides two
shuttle buses from residential areas to the station and back. The
station's 48-hour work week includes two 12.5-hour days and three 8-hour
days. The technical staff works rotating shifts, to cover nights, and the
compensation plan reflects this arrangement.
[...]
A spot check of the physical stock found 29 transmitting tubes, each
valued at $38,000. The inventory in the Stock Record System showed 19. BBG
concedes that the inventory of these high-value items called tetrodes did
not match, but states that the agency procedures are not to declare the
fragile tetrodes to be viable components until in-service testing can be
done.
In-service testing of such tubes is a time consuming process. With the
broadcasting schedule of the Kuwait Transmitting Station, it may take up
to 6 months to fully test a tube and declare it to be viable. Because of
the large number of tubes shipped to the station, combined with the other
workloads placed on the station, the station transmitter plant technicians
have not been able to complete in-service testing of these tubes. "
(William Hague-UK, NWDXC Aug 17)
KYRGYZSTAN 4010 on 25 Aug at 0125 UTC, Kyrgyz Radio. Very strong
carrier with abysmal modulation. I could just make out the man and woman
speaking. They need to turn up the dial on the modulator. No help even
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