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Radio Peru, Peru

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The following item is taken from Relampago DX #103 by Takayuki Inoue Nozaki. It is placed here with permission.

Radio Peru, one of the unlicensed stations located in the border town of San Ignacio, is probably known among Latin American DX enthusiasts as "a vagabond on shortwave." It was first observed in the middle of August, 1996, on the measured frequency of 5926.6kHz in the 49 meter band. Shortly thereafter, the station moved to 6076.8kHz on which frequency it was temporarily on the air from early September 1996 through late November 1996. Subsequently, it returned to the previous frequency. After having been absent for a couple of months, Radio Peru was reactivated in early May 1997, transmitting its carrier on 7032.0kHz, and it moved again to the out-of-band frequency of 5636.7kHz in late May of 1997.

In October of 1997, Radio Peru drifted slightly from 5636.7kHz to 5637.3kHz where it stabilized until the middle of July 1998. In Japan, its morning transmission was regularly audible around 1000-1100 with the early morning folklore show "El Madrugador" and at 1100-1200 with the music and information program entitled "Buenos Dias Peru, Arriba San Ignacio." The second morning program was simulcast on the FM outlet 97.7MHz, and for this reason it identified itself as "Estudio 97" instead of announcing the name of the shortwave outlet. Sometime later, the station vanished from the shortwave scene, and has not been observed since late July of 1998.

On September 24, 1998, I arrived in San Ignacio after a long overland journey from Chiclayo, and found a basic room at the "Hotel El Olivar" (charged US$6.60) just one block from the main square "Plaza de Armas." Checking into the hotel, I immediately turned on my radio and entirely scanned all of the appropriate bands. When I previously did some band-scanning during my stay in Lima, I found that Radio Frecuencia San Ignacio and Radio San Ignacio were active on shortwave, but I did not hear Radio Peru. For this reason I thought that Radio Peru had ceased broadcasting on the shortwave band. It was 20:25 local time. When I did the new band scan in San Ignacio, I found no local signals at all on medium wave. On shortwave, only Radio Frecuencia San Ignacio was audible with a program of pasillos, but even in downtown San Ignacio its signal was quite weak. I could not hear either Radio San Ignacio or Radio Peru. However, on FM I had to good fortune to hear Estudio 97 and to confirm that it was still active, broadcasting on 97.7MHz. I also encountered another local pirate on 93.1MHz which identified itself as Radio Uno.

On September 25, 1998, I walked up Avenida San Ignacio which was the main street and one of the few paved road in the town. An employee of the hotel at which I was staying informed me that Radio Peru was only three blocks from the hotel. I walked there and found a rustic coffee shop. Above the entrance was a large and beautiful billboard decorated with fantastic paintings, which depicted the station name "Radio Peru" in red and yellow, the slogan "La senal que apunta el futuro!" in sky-blue, the antenna tower, and the country map. Behind the coffee shop there was an old colonial adobe house with a sign giving the street number as "Avenida San Ignacio No. 493," and on the rooftop there were two antennas: a dipole antenna for shortwave broadcast and an antenna tower for FM broadcast. Proceeding inside the house, I confirmed that Ydelso Vasquez Chacon, the owner of Radio Peru and Estudio 97, was living with his family and I also saw the broadcasting facilities for the shortwave and FM outlets. Later, I learned that the coffee shop which I saw first was managed by his mother.

Ydelso Vasquez Chacon (older brother) and Oscar Vasquez Chacon (younger brother), greeted me and graciously ushered me into the station facilities. The facilities consisted of a reception desk and two separate studios. The studios were surrounded by rustic plywood partition walls. The studio for shortwave broadcasting, which had been out of service for a few months, was equipped with a "Perfection" MA-1200 amplifier, a "Pioneer" CTW103 cassette deck, a "Sony" microphone, a "Trident" radio-monitor, and an unknown brand microphone. There was no console mixer. The FM studio was equipped with a five-channel console mixer of "Nippon Amerika" brand MX8080, a "Sony" GFS-715 cassette deck, a "TEAC" IF-416 cassette deck, a "Pioneer" CTW105 deck, and a "Sony" microphone. Both of the studios had a good collection of cassette tapes, but no records, because the station had never used a turntable. The transmitting equipment for shortwave and FM broadcasting was installed in the kitchen beyond the studios. As previously observed by monitoring, the shortwave outlet had temporarily been off the air due to a technical problem, a missing spare part for the transformer.

Ydelso Vasquez Chacon and Oscar Vasquez Chacon ventured to establish a privately-owned broadcasting enterprise after having gained experience as announcers and operators when they worked at Radio Frecuencia San Ignacio. With great enthusiasm for broadcasting the message of "Peruanidad" (Peruvianism) over the border and with the desire to communicate with people living in Peru and all over the world, the two brothers established "Empresa Radiodifusora Peru Empresa Individual de Responsabilidad Limitada" on Saturday, July 27, 1996. Radio Peru started the transmission on the nominal frequency of 5925kHz shortwave. The first studio was located at Jiron Atahualpa No.193 in San Ignacio. The shortwave outlet caused a great deal of interference with international broadcasters. Nevertheless, it was widely heard and reception reports on the initial 5926.6kHz came from the USA, Europe and Japan. As the shortwave broadcasts of Radio Peru had never been authorized by the Ministry of Transports and Communications, it made experimental transmission on different frequencies inside and outside the broadcast band. Eventually the station found a quiet frequency free from interference on a frequency indicated on the crystal as 5634kHz. However, the frequency was announced as 5635kHz. Subsequently the station learned that it was being heard on approximately 5637kHz thanks to reports from overseas listeners, therefore the announcers often announced the frequency as 5637kHz. After the station moved to the out-of-band frequency, reports flowed in from many countries, including the USA, Argentina, Colombia, Brazil, South Africa, Sweden, Finland, France, Italy, Germany, Japan, and other countries.

In March 1997, they moved the facilities from Jiron Atahualpa No.93 to Avenida San Ignacio No.493 where their house was located and also where there was sufficient space to set up another FM station with an independent cabin and transmitting plant. On October 8, 1997, the FM outlet identifying itself "Estudio 97" commenced its operation on 97.7MHz FM stereo as the first FM station in San Ignacio. As of September 1998, Estudio 97 is on the air at 1100-0400 from Monday to Saturday, and 1100-0500 on Sunday with the following programs: 1100-1300 "Buenos Dias Peru, Arriba San Ignacio," 1300-1400 "Los Veteranos," 1400-1800 "El Gran Destape," 1800-1900 "El Informativo Sucesos," 1900-2100 "El Tremendo Show," 2100-2200 "Reencunetros," 2200-2400 "Contacto Cinco-Siete," 0000-0100 "El Show de la hora 19," 0100-0400 "Sentimientos." When the shortwave outlet was in operation, some programs had been broadcast on both outlets at these times: 1000-1100 and 1900-2200. Sometimes another morning show of the FM outlet "Buenos Dias Peru, Arriba San Ignacio" was simulcast on shortwave when the morning program was suddenly cancelled because the producer didn't come.

While Radio Peru was broadcasting only on shortwave, it had operated in two time slots: 1000-1400 (morning broadcast) and 2000-0200 (evening broadcast). Later, until the station discontinued its shortwave transmission, it broadcast uninterruptedly at 1000-0200 with the following programs: 1000-1200 "El Madrugador," 1200-1400 "Reportaje a la Selva," 1400-1700 "Hola Juventud," 1700-1800 "Canto al Peru," 1800-2100 "El Tremendo Show," 2100-2200 "Reencuentros," 2200-2400 "Atardecer Campesino," 0000-0200 "La Hora de las Provincias." Since Radio Peru claims to lead the way to the future as evidenced by its slogan "la senal radial que apunta al futuro" (the radio signal which points the way to the future), the station intends to further increase its broadcasting business. At the moment, as I was almost finished writing this article in early February of 1999, I learned that Radio Peru had recommenced operations on shortwave. It has been observed that the station has been drifting around 5640.5kHz instead of 5637VkHz.

Radio Peru has never been a good verifier due to economical reason, but welcomes reception reports and comments about the programs. So don't give up. Continue sending letters to the station. If you are lucky, you may get a reply from the station now I that have explained to them what a QSL is.

Opening announcement
"Buenos dias, senoras y senores. Aqui comineza la programacion de Radio Peru correspondiente a la fecha de hoy. Radio Peru transmitiendo en onda corta frecuencia internacional desde la viril y progresista ciudad de San Ignacio. Amables oyentes, esperamos que nuestra programacion a verterse del dia de hoy sea de vuestro completo agrado. Es el sincero deseo de la gerencia, direccion, plana de locutores, operadores, personal tecnico y administrativo. Radio Peru, la senal radial que apunta al futuro. Bienvenidos amigos a disfrutarse nuestro primer programa."

Closing announcement
"Hasta aqui llego la programacion de Radio Peru, la senal radial que apunta al futuro, transmitiendo en onda corta frecuencia internacional desde la viril y progresista ciudad fronterza de San Ignacio, Departamento de Cajamarca, Region Nor Oriental del Maranon, territorio nacional peruano. La gerencia, direccion, plana de locutores, personal tecnico y administrativo de Radio Peru, agradecen infinitamente la sintonia dispensada, esperando que la programacion vertida el dia de hoy, haya sido de vuestro completo agrado. Nos despedimos de todos y cada uno de ustedes hasta el dia de manana, Dios mediante, 7 y 30 antes del meridiano. Por hoy, tengan felices suenos y un alegre despertar, buenas noches, permiso. Radio Peru, la senal radial que apunta al futuro. Radio Peru desde San Ignacio en el Departamento de Cajamarca, territorio nacional peruano."

Canned identification texts
"Desde la ciudad de San Ignacio, transmite Radio Peru, ahora en simultaneo 5635kHz en onda corta y en los 97.7MHz frecuencia modulada estereo. Radio Peru, doble senal, doble llegada, doble calidad."
"No te quedes, subete a la onda de los 5635kHz onda corta y ahora tambien en los 97.7 frecuencia modulada estereo digital, Peru, tu radio."

Opening announcement of Estudio 97
"Amables oyentes tengan cada uno de ustedes muy buenos dias. De esta manera, Empresa Radiodifusora Peru inicia su transmision con una excelente programacion con musica y cultura. Desde la provincia ecologica de San Ignacio, Departamento de Cajamarca, Region Nor Oriental del Maranon, Republica del Peru, transmite Empresa Radiodiufusora Peru en simultaneo, en la frecuencia internacional y frecuencia modulada estereo. Muy buenos dias amigos."

Closing announcement of Estudio 97
"Y de esta manera amigos, ponemos punto final a nuestra transmision del dia de hoy, esperando que nuestra programacion haya sido de su completo agrado. Empresa Radiodiufusora Peru en simultaneo frecuencia internacional y frecuencia modulada estereo, Estudio 97, agradecen su preferencia. Nos vamos con la firme promesa de volver el dia de manana con una programacion mucho mejor a la de hoy. Gracias San Ignacio, gracias Peru."

Canned identification text of Estudio 97
"Para San Ignacio transmite Estudio 97, no es todo, super excitante, senal de gente ganadora como tu, que tiene todo lo que a ti te gusta escuchar musica del primer nivel, informacion, excelente compania de su gente joven que trabaja para darte siempre lo mejor. Estudio 97, tu radio joven, no es todo."

Technical Information

5635kHz: 500W transmitter was built by "Jorge Noriega" in Trujillo + a 1/2 dipole antenna (20 meters high above the ground).

97.7MHz: 200W stereo transmitter was built by "Javier Morante" in Trujillo + 4 elements antenna (30 meters high above the ground).

Address:

Avenida San Ignacio No. 493,
San Ignacio, Provincia de San Ignacio
Departamento de Cajamarca
Republica del Peru
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Association of North American Radio Clubs
DXer of the Year for 1995
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