martedì 18 maggio 2010

Glenn Hauser logs May 17-18, 2010

** CHILE [and non] 11920, CVC relay of HCJB in Portuguese, May 17 at 2304 puts its spurs this time at plus and minus 23 kHz, big mushy blobs centered around 11897 and 11943. Among other things, this QRMs the 2-way SSB intruders on 11900 speaking what sounds like Vietnamese; ex-11899 and they may well have shifted to get a bit further from CVC; but CVC can vary that far after them (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** CUBA [and non]. RHC 15370 again with whiny spurs, May 17 at 2104 shortly after opening European service in Spanish: big one centered at about 15407.9, and weaker ones circa 15446, 15484, 15522; and at 2107 also on 15332, 15284 and a trace of the whine on 15256, i.e. 38-kHz intervals. At that time, 15370 fundamental was needling S9+21 and a trace of the same-pitch whine could be heard on it, but the modulation there was otherwise OK. By 2215, however, 15370 was reading S9+20 but the spurs were no longer audible, so they are also sporadic as 1 dB less signal should not have been enough to disaudiblize them. I wonder if anyone is hearing these in Europe.

It`s been a few weeks since I looked for RHC on 12020, where it started colliding with Portugal, both to SAm at 2300, shortly after A10 began. May 17 at 2255, RDPI is already on with NA, 2258 sign-on giving all frequencies and so far no RHC, so I wonder if they have found a new frequency. 2300 RDPI into news. But sometime during the next 7 minutes as I was tuning elsewhere, RHC came on, for there it was atop RDPI at 2307 making a slow SAH so almost zero-beat. RHC 12020 is // 12030 but an echo apart from two different sites. 0123 May 18 recheck, by now 12030 is off but 12020 is still a big collision. Note: Portugal does not use 12020 on weekends, so if you only check then, you may think there is no problem.

This is one of those total failures of frequency management, tnx to Arnie Coro, who refuses to coördinate in advance with other stations in HFCC and does not pay attention to who is really on a channel despite waiting about a week after a new season begins to activate his own changes. Guess what, there are plenty of clear spots above 12 MHz if that is where he wants to stay (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** KUWAIT. 15540, May 17 at 2058 just in time to hear R. Kuwait signing off in English still claiming to be on 11990! 2059 brief NA by military band, finished in time for accurate 5+1 timesignal to 2100 as checked against WWV. (One has to do that since so many other SW services broadcast inaccurate timesignals and think nothing of it.) And into news theme, Arabic news for a minute or so // 17550, the Arabic-only frequency for C&W NAm, then 15540 cut off while 17550 continued. By 2211, however, the latter had faded to quite weak and fluttery between S3 and S9 (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** PORTUGAL. 12020 still colliding with CUBA: q.v. Even tho Cuba is at fault, RDPI is apparently oblivious to this problem. They should move if Cuba won`t (Glenn Hauser, OK, May 18, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** RUSSIA [non]. 9735 huge signal of VOR via GUIANA FRENCH, which had been in English instead of original Spanish the last three nights, is back in Spanish UT Tuesday May 18 at 0222, as announcer claims they are on 25, 41 and 49 meters! At least the audio is not cutting out. Boy, is VOR screwed up. So was English all a mistake --- or a power struggle over this superior frequency between the English and Spanish departments? Which language will it be in next?

Chuck Albertson, WA, also noted that 9735 while in English last night, signed off an hour earlier at 0400 UT May 17, and that they were in Spanish May 18 after 0200 (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** SPAIN. 15385, VG signal from REE in Spanish, May 17 at 2107, but nothing on 15110 which it normally inhabits. Must be a mistake or possibly a test but surely no change needed. Does a number on much weaker Cuba 15380. WRTH update shows REE is supposed to be on 15385 only at 15-17 M-F, to Africa. When we do hear it during those hours it is rather weak. 15110 is 302 degrees to North America, and surely that was the antenna being employed on 15385 at this time. Next check at 2212, it was back on 15110, not 15385 (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ###