Radio La Voz de Atitlan

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RADIO LA VOZ DE ATITLAN

(TGDS)

The following item is taken from pages 127-128 of LA-DXing, 4th Edition (1987), as published by Radio Nuevo Mundo. It was written by Takayuki Inoue Nozaki and is placed here with permission.
La Voz de Atitlan had long been listed in WRTH on 2390kHz which is the same with Mexican XEJN, Radio Huayacocotla, but was deleted from WRTH 1982. Per my monitor in Antigua city on April 24, 1985, I found that they had resumed transmission on 2390kHz. They have programs in local language and recorded programs in Spanish. They gave the following closing announcement in Spanish: "Hemos cumplido una vez mas con Ud., amigo oyente. Nos retiramos para volver manana Dios mediante con nuevos pensamientos para acompanarlo mientras tenga la amabilidad de escucharnos. Radio La Voz de Atitlan que transmite por su frecuencia autorizada de los 2390kHz en banda de 120 metros, se despide por hoy y los invita para que manana nuevamente nos acompanen en otra programacion."
To go on a little trip to communities around Lago Atitlan (Lake Atitlan), which is one of the famous and beautiful lakes in Guatemala, I left Guatemala City, taking a bus of "Transportes REBULI", bound for Panajachel on June 10, 1985. It took 4 hours and the price was Ql.75 (US$l = Q3). Panajachel is a tourist town where many american hippies visit; so the town is called "Gringotenango".
After passing a pleasant day there, I continued my "DX trip" for local SW stations. First of all, I decided to visit Radio La Voz de Atitlan at Santiago Atitlan. Some launches connect directly Santiago Atitlan with Panajachel, crossing over the lake in 90 minutes. But I took another way: Took a microbus from Panajachel to San Lucas, seeing the marvelous landscape of Volcan and Lago Atitlan, passing through small communities around the lake. At San Lucas, I took another microbus to Santiago Atitlan. After 2 and a half hours in total, finally I got to the village.
Santiago Atitlan is so small a village that easily I could find out the station with an antenna tower painted red and white. They have two studios: one was used until 1979, equipped with home brew console mixer. The other is composed of equipments presented by Radio Nederland: console mixer "LPB" S-15A, microphone "LPB", 2 open decks "Ampex" ATR-700, disk player "LPB" S-7A. Transmitter is "IED Inc." model 1000AX with lkW (maximum power 1.2kW), antenna is 1/2 wave vertical with 35 meters high tower. The transmitter (original output power is 500W) was obtained in 1979 and remodelled to 1.0/1.2kW in 1983. They also have an old transmitter for US Army, 610A (300w / maximum power 600W) which had been used until 1979.
1968 On August 25, founded by Catholic mission "Diocesis de Oklahoma". Assigned a call sign TGDS (Diocesis de Solola).
1970 Ownership was transferred from the Catholic Mission of Oklahoma to "Asociacion La Voz de Atitlan", which is composed by Tzutuhuil farmers around Lake Atitlan. So they broadcast programs in Spanish (10%) as well as in Tzutuhuil (90%). "Tzutuhuil" is spoken in villages around the lake like Santiago Atitlan, San Pedro, San Juan, San Paulo, San Marcos, Santa Cruz, and the like.
1980 On October 24, Director, Paspar Culan Yataz, also served as Sacerdote, was kidnapped by a rightwing military personnel, and he has been missing since then. A few days later in the night, many broadcasting equipments were robbed and President and leading members in the Association have not been heard of. (It is said that the were surely murdered. Details of the reason are unknown (because no station personnel wants to tell), but they seemed to have made anti-military propaganda, and broadcasts were ceased completely in November. Incidentally they were operating as follows; Monday-Saturday: 0500-0735, 1500-2100, Sunday: 0500-0905, 1200-1605 and 1800-2105.
1982 May 1, assisted by "Federacion Guatemalteca de Educacion Radiofonica" resumed transmission. Due to limited personnel and fund, broadcast time was greatly reduced as follows; Monday-Friday: 1600-1800, Saturday: 1500-1800, Sunday: 1200-1800. Had been relaying "Cadena Nacional Alfabetizacion", an educational program of TGW Radio Nacional de Guatemala until March 1984 at 1700-1730.
1985: Schedule as of March; Monday-Friday: 1600-1930, Saturday: 1500-1930, Sunday: 1200-1800. Closing time may be changed to 1900 (for weekdays when recorded tape of a program "El Maestro en Casa" does not reach in time. Except for those recorded programs sent from other place, programs are totally in "Tzutuhuil" (Spanish is prohibited). Programs are composed of education, agriculture, health, music (folklore, marimbai, ranchera), misa relay. Q30 or 40 per month (US$l = Q3) is obtained from "Avisos" service. Currently no fund is supplied from religious organization, their economical condition is quite bad. Station personnel raises funds for the station, working in the mornings when they are off the air.
Opening Announcement in Tzutuhuil
"TGDS radio la rztojbai tnamit Atitlan, c'ola champ Santiago Atitlan, champ departamento Tzanlci y champ nim tnamit Guatemala, Centro America, nismaja champ precuencia autorizada 2390kHz champ onda corta, 120 metros, junc'a invitacion chewa tzra jun programa rxin k'ij camic, netzej jele radio npona ptak ewoclhoch utzlaj tak k'jom."
(Translation into Spanish: TGDS Radio La Voz de Atitlan en Santiago Atitian del departamento de Solola, Guatemala, Centro America, que transmite en la frecuencia autorizada de 2390kHz en onda corta, 120 metros, una invitacion a todos del pueblo para que escuchen esta radio en su programa de marimba.)

This website is maintained by Don Moore,
Association of North American Radio Clubs
DXer of the Year for 1995.

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RADIO LA VOZ DE ATITLAN (TGDS) The following item is taken from pages 127-128 of LA-DXing, 4th Edition (1987), as published by Radio Nuevo Mundo. It was written by Takayuki Inoue Nozaki and is placed here with permission. La Voz de Atitlan had long been listed in WRTH on 2390kHz which is the same with Mexican XEJN, Radio Huayacocotla, but was deleted from WRTH 1982. Per my monitor in Antigua city on April 24, 1985, I found that they had resumed transmission on 2390kHz. They have programs in local language and recorded programs in Spanish. They gave the following closing announcement in Spanish: "Hemos cumplido una vez mas con Ud., amigo oyente. Nos retiramos para volver manana Dios mediante con nuevos pensamientos para acompanarlo mientras tenga la amabilidad de escucharnos. Radio La Voz de Atitlan que transmite por su frecuencia autorizada de los 2390kHz en banda de 120 metros, se despide por hoy y los invita para que manana nuevamente nos acompanen en otra programacion." To go on a little trip to communities around Lago Atitlan (Lake Atitlan), which is one of the famous and beautiful lakes in Guatemala, I left Guatemala City, taking a bus of "Transportes REBULI", bound for Panajachel on June 10, 1985. It took 4 hours and the price was Ql.75 (US$l = Q3). Panajachel is a tourist town where many american hippies visit; so the town is called "Gringotenango". After passing a pleasant day there, I continued my "DX trip" for local SW stations. First of all, I decided to visit Radio La Voz de Atitlan at Santiago Atitlan. Some launches connect directly Santiago Atitlan with Panajachel, crossing over the lake in 90 minutes. But I took another way: Took a microbus from Panajachel to San Lucas, seeing the marvelous landscape of Volcan and Lago Atitlan, passing through small communities around the lake. At San Lucas, I took another microbus to Santiago Atitlan. After 2 and a half hours in total, finally I got to the village. Santiago Atitlan is so small a village that easily I could find out the station with an antenna tower painted red and white. They have two studios: one was used until 1979, equipped with home brew console mixer. The other is composed of equipments presented by Radio Nederland: console mixer "LPB" S-15A, microphone "LPB", 2 open decks "Ampex" ATR-700, disk player "LPB" S-7A. Transmitter is "IED Inc." model 1000AX with lkW (maximum power 1.2kW), antenna is 1/2 wave vertical with 35 meters high tower. The transmitter (original output power is 500W) was obtained in 1979 and remodelled to 1.0/1.2kW in 1983. They also have an old transmitter for US Army, 610A (300w / maximum power 600W) which had been used until 1979. 1968 On August 25, founded by Catholic mission "Diocesis de Oklahoma". Assigned a call sign TGDS (Diocesis de Solola). 1970 Ownership was transferred from the Catholic Mission of Oklahoma to "Asociacion La Voz de Atitlan", which is composed by Tzutuhuil farmers around Lake Atitlan. So they broadcast programs in Spanish (10%) as well as in Tzutuhuil (90%). "Tzutuhuil" is spoken in villages around the lake like Santiago Atitlan, San Pedro, San Juan, San Paulo, San Marcos, Santa Cruz, and the like. 1980 On October 24, Director, Paspar Culan Yataz, also served as Sacerdote, was kidnapped by a rightwing military personnel, and he has been missing since then. A few days later in the night, many broadcasting equipments were robbed and President and leading members in the Association have not been heard of. (It is said that the were surely murdered. Details of the reason are unknown (because no station personnel wants to tell), but they seemed to have made anti-military propaganda, and broadcasts were ceased completely in November. Incidentally they were operating as follows; Monday-Saturday: 0500-0735, 1500-2100, Sunday: 0500-0905, 1200-1605 and 1800-2105. 1982 May 1, assisted by "Federacion Guatemalteca de Educacion Radiofonica" resumed transmission. Due to limited personnel and fund, broadcast time was greatly reduced as follows; Monday-Friday: 1600-1800, Saturday: 1500-1800, Sunday: 1200-1800. Had been relaying "Cadena Nacional Alfabetizacion", an educational program of TGW Radio Nacional de Guatemala until March 1984 at 1700-1730. 1985: Schedule as of March; Monday-Friday: 1600-1930, Saturday: 1500-1930, Sunday: 1200-1800. Closing time may be changed to 1900 (for weekdays when recorded tape of a program "El Maestro en Casa" does not reach in time. Except for those recorded programs sent from other place, programs are totally in "Tzutuhuil" (Spanish is prohibited). Programs are composed of education, agriculture, health, music (folklore, marimbai, ranchera), misa relay. Q30 or 40 per month (US$l = Q3) is obtained from "Avisos" service. Currently no fund is supplied from religious organization, their economical condition is quite bad. Station personnel raises funds for the station, working in the mornings when they are off the air. Opening Announcement in Tzutuhuil "TGDS radio la rztojbai tnamit Atitlan, c'ola champ Santiago Atitlan, champ departamento Tzanlci y champ nim tnamit Guatemala, Centro America, nismaja champ precuencia autorizada 2390kHz champ onda corta, 120 metros, junc'a invitacion chewa tzra jun programa rxin k'ij camic, netzej jele radio npona ptak ewoclhoch utzlaj tak k'jom." (Translation into Spanish: TGDS Radio La Voz de Atitlan en Santiago Atitian del departamento de Solola, Guatemala, Centro America, que transmite en la frecuencia autorizada de 2390kHz en onda corta, 120 metros, una invitacion a todos del pueblo para que escuchen esta radio en su programa de marimba.) This website is maintained by Don Moore, Association of North American Radio Clubs DXer of the Year for 1995.