mercoledì 2 febbraio 2011

Glenn Hauser logs February 2, 2011

** AUSTRALIA. Since local radio transmitters were in danger of being blown off by category-5 Cyclone Yasi, relays of Queensland ABC services were set up on SW via Shepparton, Victoria: 6080 at 1030-0030 UT, and 9710 at 0030-1030.

Feb 2 at 0632 I am getting 9710 with sirens, cyclone warnings of at least 125 kph near Ayr. 0634 ``ABC Local Radio for Queensland`` ID, and mentioning winds of 290 kph at another location. Warnings extend as far as the NT border. No sign of WYFR on 9715 which often is extremely strong. This is one of those nights with not much propagating on 31m from inside North America.

9710 was not // 9660, the only other audible RA frequency, presumably still with normal programming. 9660 is registered as Brandon, 10 kW at 21-08, and Brandon is certainly in the threatened area. If the RA site there is hit, its frequencies might well be shifted to Shepparton.

6080 I start checking at 1348; has 12:12 timecheck, taking callers such as one from Magnetic (?) Island, each describing how bad the winds and damages are. I shortly find that RA 6020 is //, and 6020 has a much better signal here. At 1406, all the audible RA frequencies are // with Yasi coverage from Queensland, 5995, 6080, 7240, 9590. So much for RA programming getting back to normal after summer vacations. I listen for quite a while.

Anchor is Kelly Higgins, on air until 5 am EST, and she does a great job calmly conversing with callers about the situation, debunking rumor that the roof of a shelter had blown off, general advice about safety. 1428 ID as ABC Local Radio Queensland. I suppose out of Brisbane. At 1439 she hears from a colleague in Townsville where the ABC studios had to be evacuated, so they can`t originate any coverage there. At 1435 report that 6080 was arriving loud and clear somewhere; but did not mention that all the other SW frequencies are now available (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** CUBA. 1620 kHz, Feb 2 at 0658 UT, news in Spanish dominating the frequency which is unusual vs Waco/Omaha; 0700 timesignal and ``Rebelde en La Habana, emisora de la Revolución``. Is // and synchronized with 5025; 0702 fades a bit audiblizing slight echo from second // transmitter on 1620 (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** CUBA. While all RHC`s Spanish frequencies were off the air after 0700 the night before, at 0708 Feb 2, 6120 and 6060 are still going, but 6150 is off and 6050 is open carrier. And all these except 6120 always in Spanish were funxioning normally a semihour earlier, plus 6010 in English (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** GUAM. 5765-USB, AFN, Feb 2 at 1353, NPR Marketplace a few sex ahead of // KOSU 91.7 which imposes its own digital delay to match its IBOC duplicate which no one listens to. Glad to find AFN back on NPR, a segment of Morning Edition, instead of country music, but who knows what will happen the next day. Fair and clear signal today, no QRM external or internal (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** KOREA NORTH [non]. 5910, Feb 2 at 1402, Sea Breeze, from Tokyo, another Wednesday in English, which is not always the case. Good clear reception today, and no jamming audible. YL says she will be giving data on abductees today, starting with someone who disappeared from Osaka, July 3, 1960, on the way to the movies (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** SWEDEN [non]. Radio Sweden again on shortwave, in English, thanks to WRMI. Just started at 0230 UT Wednesday Feb 2, also scheduled UT Thursdays and Fridays, but not any other days.

Loud and clear on webcast, following new airing of WORLD OF RADIO; heavy jamming on 9955. Can anyone hear it there? Just jamming, says Gilles Letourneau, Montréal; can hear a few words, but jamming is too heavy, says Giampiero Bernardini, Milano (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** U S A. 1630 kHz, Feb 2 at 0703 UT, manic music in Spanish: rather a disconnect with the lyrix being ballad-like, but the instrumentals really wild, hardly lullabye-like. Then ID, ``16-30, La Jota Mexicana``, and into a relatively slow tune. This is the new slogan for KRND Fox Farm WY, near Cheyenne. And yes, FCC AM Query confirms the call is still KRND, which used to connote ``Grande``. Should really change it to KLJM, not currently assigned to any AM, FM or TV station (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** U S A [and non]. 9330-CUSB, WBCQ with Radio 2:11, has developed an envelope of hash on the hi side only, more than ought to be coming from a plain USB transmission. Feb 2 at 1410 only a carrier can be detected under it with BFO, no doubt Korea North, while there is no such QRM to 9325 on the low side, where VOA in Cambodian is in the clear, which is due west from Tinang, PHILIPPINES (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

UNIDENTIFIED. 6074, Feb 2 at 1400 a few sex after concluding timesignal from well-modulated R. Rossii, 6075, the mystery marker is audible mixing with Taiwan/ChiCom 6075 which has just started: VVV CQ CQ CQ DE 2MTL 2MTL K (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ###