lunedì 25 aprile 2011

Glenn Hauser logs April 24-25, 2011

** ANTARCTICA [and non]. 15476, April 25 first checked at 1310, only to find strong open carrier and tone test on 15480 but thankfully off at 1311. That`s 250 kW from Greenville warming up for the new R. Sawa transmission at 1430-1600, which we hope will be abandoned as quickly in a few days as the previous one on 15470. LRA36 at 1311 audible with music, weakening by 1348 check. It certainly can`t take such adjacent interference, which is also co-channel to Poland 15480 via UK before 1430 (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** AUSTRALIA. 15400, April 25 at 1259, HCJB Global Voice Australia ID in English, and signing off until tomorrow morning at 2200 UT on 15525. A weaker carrier came back on at 1302, thought maybe HCJB after antenna change, but HFCC lists KNX on same 340 degree antenna from 1230 to 1430, with English at 1300-1330 amid Mandarin.

HCJB`s own more current A-11 program schedule
http://www.hcjb.org.au/docs/A11_Schedule_HCJB_Australia_20110327-20111029.pdf
does show closing at 1300 after English shifted to 1230-1300, later Chinese deleted (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** CHINA. Firedrake April 25: none found between 13 and 14 UT, 7-18 MHz. However, 15670 had CNR1 jamming around 1313 vs RFA Tibetan via Tajikistan per HFCC and Aoki, via UAE per EiBi. 17515 had VG signal from CNR1 jamming at 1316 vs BBC Uzbek via Thailand; also on 17705 until 1315 vs AIR Chinese, which continued with tone test (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** LIBYA. 17725, V. of Africa from the Great Jamahiriyah, I was hearing in English Sunday April 24 much better than usual both in signal and modulation, at a few chex between 14-16 UT, but did not even bother to log it.

Then David Alpert reported at 2244 UT that there was a blank screen on Libya's satellite TV channel following reports by AFP and Reuters that the Libyan state TV building in Tripoli has been hit by airstrikes -

``BREAKING Reuters: Three Libyan state TV stations go off the air after explosions heard in Tripoli: witnesses - 1546 PDT

I can confirm #Libya state TV Jamahirya Satellite Channel is off the air - 1549 PDT [2249 UT]. Not sure, but I believe Libya's shortwave broadcasts originate from the same building.`` But at 0107 UT April 25 he followed up: ``Half an hour later, rechecking - Libya state television sat channel back on the air. Regular programming.``

So I check 17725 again April 25 at 1406 --- yes, still on the air, poor with music. Can`t be sure it`s the English broadcast as usual. Of course, most of the programming is so generic and repetitive that they could just be playing back old tapes at the Sabrata transmitter site as a rule even if the Tripoli studio isn`t destroyed (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** MEXICO. 55.25 MHz, I have been running my old Zenith 12-inch B&W TV much of the time all winter/spring on channel 2 with antenna southwards, just waiting and hoping for some sporadic E from Mexico. Finally an analog signal overcomes the snow, April 25 at 1601 UT, weak but locking in enough to tell the lettering is in Spanish, about Pablo Montero. It came and went so quickly that at first I suspected a meteor burst, but faded in some more for longer periods, then mixed with weak CCI including cartoons. Lasted 10-15 minutes, in and out, mostly out. But still signs of video at 1655. Meanwhile the ham QSO maps showed zero Es on 6 or even 10 meters, but for me it`s the first opening of the `season` (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** NEW ZEALAND. 9615, April 25 at 1412, good signal with `live` continuous reggae concert, no announcements except occasionally from the stage and incomprehensible. Normally nothing heard here at this time; what in the world? Kept listening and finally at 1457 outro as ``1814``, group name? And recording credits mentioning Radio New Zealand International, 1500 timesignal and RNZ news.

RNZI is supposed to be on 6170 during this hour, but we`re not complaining as that has long since faded out here. 9615 is on the current schedule in AM at 1836-1950 only, so yet another foulup in their frequency programming. [HFCC shows 1745-1900]. The RNZ National schedule for early April 26 shows: ``2:05 Womad Taranaki 2010 (RNZ)`` (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** SPAIN [non]. 9675, surprised to hear REE via COSTA RICA here, instead of usual 9630, April 25 at 0513, interview about the 25th anniversary of Emisión Sefardí, // 3350, 5965 and direct on 6055. I`m quite sure I have been hearing this on 9630 in A-11, altho it was on 9675 in B-10. HFCC now shows identical registrations for both frequencies at 0200-0600, 100 kW, 340 degrees from Cariari, so have they deliberately switched to an alternate, or by mistake? Not a good idea, as overshadowed by WYFR on 9680 (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** U S A. 9955, WRMI, UT Monday April 25 after 0500 with `DX Partyline`. Re previous report: Jeff White confirms that there was a power outage again at the transmitter site April 24, but it was back on the air before 1800 during WORLD OF RADIO from 1730. What`s with the erratic electricity supply at urban Hialeah, anyway? (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** U S A. 5000, April 25 at 1318, WWV announces that propagation info will cease on Sept 6, inviting comments to
http://www.spaceweather.gov/wwv by June 30. Does that mean we have two months to talk them out of it? That forwards to http://www.swpc.noaa.gov/wwv/ titled ``WWV replacement instructions`` with the same info, and an e-mail link to swpc.wwv @ noaa.gov
Then the usual prop info shifted a minute later to 1319. SF = 117, K = 1, but 13m is dead again today (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** ZAMBIA. 13599.8, April 25 at 1350 a new signal here with overblown drama in English, het from weaker 13600.0 station which went off at 1357* but back on a few sex later. Then YL speaking with Strinish accent, 1400 plugging
http://www.1africa.tv and Jesus. So it`s CVC, ex-13590 which was vacant altho still registered in HFCC at 06-20, 315 degrees toward Nigeria and Michigan. Own website above still shows 13590!

Why would they move? HFCC shows collisions on 13600: CRI going from Russian via Xian to Tamil via Kashgar, EAST TURKISTAN at 1400, and also VOR via Irkutsk until 1400. But 13590 also listed with Russians before and after 1400. CODAR affects both frequencies. BTW,
http://www.oneafrica.tv goes to something else, a real TV station, unrelated? (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ###