sabato 12 novembre 2011

Glenn Hauser logs November 11-12, 2011

** ALBANIA. 7425, Nov 12 at 0012, R. Tirana Albanian hour is very good both in signal and modulation, no QRM from China audible tonight. R. Tirana IS played after 0102 until 0102:20* (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** BRAZIL. 11780, Nov 12 as late as 0643, RNA has still not cut on, unlike the night before when we were hearing it already at 0639. Typical wide variation. But on Nov 13, being a UT Sunday, we may expect 11780 to stay on all-night instead of closing around 0200, local midnight (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** BURMA [non]. 7510, Nov 11 at 2355 there is a weak signal in Burmese, also noted 24 hours earlier, nothing listed in HFCC as of 11/11. I was checking this area to reconfirm that 7505 would be clear for WBCQ if it were to acquire this frequency from silent/extinct? WRNO. 0001 Nov 12, 7510 still going, but missed an ID break if any. Next check at 0037, 7510 is off. Aha, this fits for the morning broadcast of Democratic Voice of Burma. Sure `nuff, that`s what`s shown in Aoki, 100 kW, 100 degrees from ARMENIA, in Burmese/dialects, but missing from HFCC, why? (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** CHILE [and non]. 9635, Nov 12 at 0024, Spanish religion mentioning rosario, but surely not really RCatholic, as this is the frequency of Protestant/evangelical CVC, Miami via Chile --- has heavy QRDRM from REE via COSTA RICA, 9625-9630-9635 continuing this season with DRM 00-02 for North America. Even side-tuning to upper edge of 9635 cannot get rid of it.

Confirmed at 0042 as CVC by // 17680 which at times, but not now, has its own problems with adjacent QRDRM from NZ 17675. Meanwhile, 9640 is open and available. It`s really amazing how AM stations continue to be coordinated only 5 kHz from DRM stations, which ought to banished to the almost-vacant pure fixed utility bands where digital noises of all types are to be expected (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** CHINA. Firedrake Nov 12, circa 0030:
12230, very poor at 0029
13850, fair at 0030 with CCI
14400, poor at 0030
14700, very poor at 0030 with het
14970, good at 0031
15970, good at 0032
16100, fair at 0034
16980, fair at 0034; none in the 17s, 18s

After 0100:
16980, fair at 0119
15970, good at 0119
14970, not on now, unlike previous hour
14700, poor at 0120 with het on hi side
14400, poor at 0120
13850, poor at 0121

After 1420:
10300, poor with lo het at 1426; none in the 11s
12600, very good at 1428
12670, very good at 1428; none in the 13s, 14s
15795, very good at 1430. Vs Sound of Hope via Tajikistan at 1400-1430
(Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** CUBA [and non]. 9955, UT Nov 12 at 0017, WRMI in Spanish, and not jammed! Despite being an exile program, OM reminiscing about the good old days, religious element too at 0043 YL mentioning Cristo, Ciencia Noética. DentroCuban Jamming Command must still be out of synch since the clock change, as UT Tue-Sat 00-01 on WRMI`s schedule is `Radio Libertad`. Meanwhile there was slow pulsing jamming against nothing (such as R. República) on 9965. After 0100, jamming reattacked 9955, when WRMI has non-exile programming. Way to go, incompetents!

RHC at 0023 Nov 12: new unlisted 9810 is on again // 9740, but nothing on 9660 or former 9640, the `Mesa Redonda` separate service, which must not be on tonight.

9540, Nov 12 at 1430, here`s RHC Spanish on yet another new, unlisted frequency! As of today, both 9540 and 9810 are still missing from the B-11 schedule at
http://www.rhc.cu/de-interes/frecuencias.html
I have no idea what frequency 9540 transmitter previously used: still on all the 25m channels, 11690, 11750, 11760, 11840 at 1427; maybe now missing 12040? But it was really horribly distorted.

9540 fair signal reads S9+20, but undermodulated and sounds much weaker than // 9850 an echo apart from different site. 9540 is clear of any QRM, no ACI or CCI, concluding `Cartas a la Redacción` version of mailbag. RHC has more transmitters than they know what to do with: suggestion: scrap the awful ones. I wonder if it`s on 9540 just to `hold` the frequency for the always-imminent startup of R. Nacional de Venezuela`s own new Calaboose SW site? 9540 was the old pre-Chávez RNV channel. RNV also might feel obligated to relay RHC as a payback, tho RHC hardly needs that.

I still haven`t caught a new(?) frequency announcement circa 1400, but hoped RHC might mention some before 1500*. I was on 9850 at this time, but just as it started to say ``Amigos radio-oyentes,`` in sign-off, modulation was cut; quickly checking other frequencies on 11 and 13 MHz, they were also in dead air or off. 9540 stayed on until 1503* (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** CYPRUS. 21583-21612, Nov 12 at 1435, OTH radar pulses presumed from here, victimizing REE on 21610 (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** FRANCE. 9765, Nov 12 at 0644, RFI English interviewing manager of one of several Liberian radio stations which have been ordered off the air by the YL`s government for stirring up elexion trouble; denying any wrongdoing. No mention of ELWA being burned down, separately Nov 8; latest press on that says the cause has not been determined yet, accident or arson (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** GERMANY [non]. 17800, Nov 11 at 1837, VG signal but with whine also transmitted, drama in Hausa? With SFX. I recall that this used to be the 16m frequency of V. of Nigeria, used many years ago, so are they trying it again, maybe with the new transmitter?

No! Soon at 1840 referred to dw-world.de and 1841 DW jingle. HFCC shows 1800-1857 on 17800 is DW in Hausa, 250 kW, 305 degrees via MADAGASCAR. Surprised MDC would have such a modulation problem. At several other hours of the day, DW on 17800 is via Rwanda (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** GREECE [and non]. 15650, Nov 11 at 1902, ``Edho Athinai``, ID, good signal and into Greek Music. Meanwhile, 15540, JBA carrier presumably what`s left of KUWAIT`s English broadcast (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** INDIA. 15045-15050-15055, Nov 12 at 1433 during AIR`s Sinhala service at 13-15. Jose Jacob says DRM is here to stay, not just a test. When we opine that DRM should be banished to the utility bands, we don`t mean the aero bands such as this between 15010 and 15100, nor the marine bands, but the fixed bands --- tho there is plenty of precedent for AM SWBC below 15100 from several stations, also BBC (until a few years ago), still Egypt, Iran, more from India. Even IBB invaded 15090 recently but not currently in HFCC. 10 kHz of DRM in this band is an atrocity (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** PHILIPPINES. 7099-LSB, Nov 12 at 1450, DX1J is calling CQ Contest, over and over in English, no answer past 1453; once IDed contest as `DRP`? and another time revealed he was in Manila. QRZ.com shows
DX1J, FTI Ham Club, Inc, METRO MANILA, Philippines, QSL: VIA JA1HGY, no individual name(s) provided. Altho fonetix were always ``Delta Xray One Juliet``, I assume the real significance is ``DX one Japanese`` in the Philippines (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** SAUDI ARABIA. 9675, Nov 11 at 1910, lo-key talk in unID language, fair signal, not much else from abroad on band at this hour. Uplooked later, HFCC shows only: BSKSA, 18-21 in Turkish, 500 kW, 340 degrees from Riyadh. That fits: same azimuth carries on USward far beyond Turkey (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** SPAIN [non]. QRDRM: see CHILE [and non]

** TAIWAN [non]. 6875, missing last night, is back Nov 12 at 0618 check, yes, still in German from RTI via WYFR instead of scheduled Spanish; undercurrent presumably Chinese being voiced-over. Attn all SW stations: LOSE the voice-under completely after a few sex – we don`t need any such self-imposed QRM (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** U K. 7445, Nov 12 at 0056, S Asian singing, good signal; 0059.5 ``BBC Afghanistan – Pashto``. HFCC shows 7445 is 250 kW, 75 degrees from Woofferton at 0030-0200 in Dari/Pashto/Dari, switching site to Cyprus for 0200-0330 300 kW, 77 degrees in Pashto/Dari/Pashto, plus 0330-0430 Farsi at 97 degrees (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** U K [non]. 5975, Nov 12 at 1454, BBCWS in English, poor // 9740 and 5875. HFCC B-11 as of Nov 11 shows 5975 as 14-17, 250 kW, 320 degrees from SINGAPORE.

I`d rather this be the entry just above it: 5975, 13-16, RRI, Indonesia, 10 kW, 0 degrees from SER[ui?], in English! Sorry, I don`t believe it. Who comes up with such imaginary registrations? (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** U S A. 7490, Fri Nov 11 at 2230, amid shifted hour of old 78s on the `Behaviour Night` show, always enjoyable. WBCQ well atop BBC Thailand today, unlike yesterday during WOR and Tuesday during `Frecuencia al Día`, but still lo-het rumble QRM.

I can`t help but suspect the persona/accent of the host is a put-on, like Marion of `Attic` sister show 48 hours later on Sundays. This still has a Myspace page with portrait of John Landry a.k.a. Sir Scratchy
http://www.myspace.com/sirscratchy
Later he inserted what sounded like a real commercial for a contemporary NYC club which apparently features this kind of music, for NY at amazingly low admission price/cover charge + drinx minimum (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
 
** U S A. 5755, Nov 12 at 0620, SFAW audio is no longer breaking up. Apparently a problem at WTWW-1`s satellite receiver. George McClintock confirmed at 0615 that it had been fixed. But the SFAW modulation is still deficient with hum as always, 9479 in the daytime.

Everything is go for the special live inaugural broadcast of WTWW-2, Sat Nov 12 at 22-24 on 9990, 00-04 UT Nov 13 on 5085, with Ted Randall playing oldies and taking phone calls, most of which will probably come from hams due to advance publicity via ARRL and Southgate. They should not expect to hear any oldies or call-ins like this after regular service begins with a new full-time client (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENIG DIGEST)

** U S A. 15420-CUSB, UT Sat Nov 12 at 0105, WBCQ is on at this late hour, as initially listening to `Allan Weiner Worldwide` on 7490, he said they were `trimulcasting`(?) this week, and asking for reports on 15420. It was rather weak but steady here, sufficient if received in USB, and // 5110v.

However, the audio on 15420 and 5110 was running way behind 7490! I timed it at 1 minute and 11 seconds delay; can this be deliberate for 11/11/11?? I suspect the other two transmitters are for some reason being fed by an internet stream even tho they are right next to the 7490 transmitter. Phone calls kept interrupting what Allan was trying to say (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** VATICAN [non non and non]. 7250, Nov 12 at 0622, very poor signal in English, // 6075, so it`s Vatican Radio, now scheduling the 10 kW transmitter inside the Vatican Gardens here, instead of 4004v (which was usually blocked in NAm by utility QRM). HFCC shows 7250, 10 kW, 340 degrees from VAT at 0540-0630 in French and English, then over to SMG from 0630, 250 kW at 4 degrees.

Had been checking 7250 for this since B-11 began, but unheard until now; had it really been on? 7250 was a split second ahead of 6075, which fits for direct from the studio, vs a satellite or other feed delay to main extraterritorial Santa Maria di Galeria site surrounded by ITALY. Recheck at 0641: now via SMG, 7250 is much stronger with soft choral music, 0642 Latin mass. Never any QRM from 7245 missing Mauritania.

Checking HFCC as of Nov 11, whether VR is still on 4004 at any time? No, but guess what, IRAN has moved in onto 4005, 1930-2030 in Russian, 500 kW, 0 degrees (or nondirexional?) from Kamalabad. Is that on?

7360, Nov 12 at 0638, African news in African accented English, about Liberian elexions, homosexuality bans, Somalia. This is VR`s separate service to W Africa at 0530-0700, 250 kW, 234 degrees from SMG in Portuguese, French, English. VR is doing a lot of seemingly `straight` newscasts now, but forever suspect of being slanted according to the papal/RCC agenda (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** U S A. WORLD OF RADIO 1590 monitoring: Saturday Nov 12 after 1600, JBA on 9955 WRMI; at least there is no jamming now. HFCC shows nothing but WRMI on 9955 after 1600 when RFA finishes Tibetan via Tinian; but Aoki still has YFR Russian via Taiwan at 15-17, but is it really? The first hour would conflict with RFA over there. Taiwan listings are still banned from HFCC by the ChiCom.

Remaining SW airings of WOR: on 9955 WRMI, Sat 1830, Sun 0900, 1630, 1830, Mon 1230, 1630, 2230; Tue & Wed 1630.

On WTWW: UT Sunday 0500 on 5755
On WBCQ Area 51: UT Monday 0400v on 5110v-CUSB
On Hamburger Lokalradio: Tuesday 1030 on 5980
I wonder if WOR was ever heard on HLR`s 7265 tests?
(Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)