domenica 21 ottobre 2012

Glenn Hauser logs October 18-19, 2012

** ALGERIA [non]. 9535, Oct 19 at 0537, Qur`an from RTA relay via FRANCE, almost as good as 7295, which is also Qur`an but NOT //. One of them is Chaîne 1 which also has 5 minutes of French news on the hour, otherwise Arabic, per Ivo Ivanov (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** CANADA [and non]. 9555, Oct 19 at 0457, VOV Vietnamese is on correct Sackville frequency tonight, only fair signal, instead of often 6175.

Then I monitor 6110 to hear what happen with the NHK English relay: 0500, `Sakura` intro music, but very poor signal; *0500:37 cuts on much stronger signal. I think the first part must really have been just receiver overload from the simultaneous NHK Spanish relay via equally doomed Bonaire 6080, which started on time.

In B-12, the post-Sackville, post-Bonaire era, NHK Spanish at 0500 will be moving to 6195 via WHRI; English at 0500 moving to Guiana French on 11740; also to other worldparts via 9770 France, 17660 UAE (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** CHINA. Firedrake October 19, after 1300:
12980, fair at 1315; none in the 13s, 14s
15900, open carrier with flutter at 1316, FD starts at 1317
16100, poor at 1319
16920, poor at 1319
16980, JBA at 1319; none in the 17s
(Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** GUIANA FRENCH. 11995, Oct 19 at 0458, poor open carrier with hum, as the Montsinéry mixup continues. Wonder what this wastage has cost them so far, after many weeks? (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** INDONESIA. 9526-, Oct 19 at 1323, VOI carrier attains S9+20 with flutter, but just barely modulated; can`t even tell if it is really English as scheduled. It`s really pointless to run the transmitter at all if you can`t modulate it. What VOI needs is a TH555 modulator tube for their B6131 Marconi transmitter; does anyone have a spare or rebuilt one to part with? (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** MEXICO. 760, UT Friday Oct 19 at 0525, Spanish sermon from the Libro de Jueces, sobre Deborah, from the SW. Don`t usually hear Spanish religion here, but the #1 XE heard on 760 is Chihuahua2, and sure enough this matches the somewhat disjointed program grid at
http://www.antena760.com/programacion.php

For Monday-Thursday[?] local CST starting in the pm:
11:00-11:30    Programación Católica    
11:30-12:00 am Hombre Nuevo con el padre Rivas
So per Cantú this is:
760 XEES Antena + FM 102.5 Chihuahua, Chih. 10,000 1,000
(Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** MEXICO [and non]. 770, Oct 19 at 1231 UT ``Los 40 Principales``, also mentions Grupo Chávez and Radio K, from SW, separable from weak KKOB, presumed night-only Santa Fe 230 watt co-channel relay. Cantú:
770 XEREV Los 40 Principales + FM 104.3 Los Mochis, Sin. 5,000 100
It`s obviously in the same group as XETNT 650, where we also hear Chávez and Radio K mentioned, shared website emphasizing FM sides:
http://www.promored.com.mx/
Searching that website, no hits on ``Radio K``, ``Radio Ka`` or ``Radio Ca``, so am I mishearing that, or what? (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** NETHERLANDS [non]. Re my previous report of RN Spanish on 9895 at 1100-1157, about to terminate `La Matinal` and replace it with `El Toque` but not on SW? Jorge García Rangel, Venezuela, has good news to update this: from Oct 30, `El Toque` will be on 9895, via WHRI at 0000-0030 UT Tue-Sat. But since it is explicitly primarily for freedom-of-information-starved Cuba, it`s also eligible for jamming! (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** NICARAGUA [non?]. 8989-USB, Oct 18 at 2317, presumed Pescador Preacher, Spanish talk about dios, with `engine noise` in background; 2321 QSO contact with weaker signal. Yes, on usual 8989 today, rather than 8990-USB where heard a couple recent dates but slightly later in the hour. I suppose they may shift a kHz if necessary due to QRM (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** OKLAHOMA. 960, UT Friday Oct 18 at 0500, KGWA Enid keeps right on modulating with Fox `News`, so no hole to DX tonight (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** OKLAHOMA. 1120, Oct 18 before 1300 UT I was noticing a tell-tale het of 1 Hz against post-sunrise remnant of KMOX, but no modulation from the understation. It`s still there at 1305 so I stay on 1120: it`s looping ESE/WNW, and not fading, clues that it is KEOR Catoosa OK via groundwave, back on the air after many months` silence. Really closer to Sperry, north of Tulsa. 1306 suddenly starts modulating with salsa music in Spanish, and then many segués, occasional interruptions and dead air pauses, especially after rechecking from 1336. Never any announcements heard. By 1350 music is more like techno-Spanish. 1402 pause and still no legal ID, 1404 more music, 1427 still going with KMOX absent by now. And still going with music at 1647 recheck. Maybe they are just keeping their license intact with a one-day revival.

We last heard KEOR on January 13, 2011 at 1605 UT, as in DXLD 11-02. Following were numerous notations of its absence. NRC AM Log 2012 says it has been silent since June 2012, but if it was on then, it must have been only a brief revival we missed.

At some time a few years ago it was simulcasting KJMU 1340 Sand Springs, which I can`t year, but they are not commonly owned now, and surely it would not be running this music with no announcements. NRC AM Log says it`s silent too since last November. The Raftt Corporation owns KEOR and no other AM station in Oklahoma.

NRC AM Log says this 2 kW direxional daytimer has a CP for D4 10000 / CH 7000. D4 means different patterns for daytime and critical hours. Same info in FCC AM Query, so something bigger may come of this yet.

For those who may not recall, KEOR was originally 1110 in Atoka, southeastern OK. That frequency was hijacked to The Metroplex TX, now KVTT apparently S Asian format, and KEOR banished to northeast OK on the next frequency up.

In Feb 2009, we located the transmitter site, less hidden in the woods than when the leaves are out; three photos of it remain visible at:
http://www.w4uvh.net/KEOR1.jpg
http://www.w4uvh.net/KEOR2.jpg
http://www.w4uvh.net/KEOR3.jpg
The third one is a close-up of the hat on one of the towers
(Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** OKLAHOMA. 1580, Oct 18 at 1250 UT, no signal detected from KOKB Blackwell, off the air? It`s after sunrise, yet KMIK AZ has 1580 to itself. See log of that at USA. Yes, KOKB is neither transmitting nor modulating on 1580 at 1647 check, while sibling station 1020 KOKP is nominal. Both of them are quite capable of running open carriers for long hours, night or day (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** RUSSIA. 9996, Oct 19 at 0539, RWM IDs over and over in CW, from Taldom timesignal station; 0540 resumes beeps, at first double, then single, one per second. :39-:40 is the ID minute, and I think also :09-10. Could use a detailed clock of what they transmit, what the double-beeps signify (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** SUDAN [non]. 17745, Oct 19 at 1647, immediately upon intuning, I hear ``Sudan Radio Service`` pronounced in English amid Arabic talk, good signal. SRS ceremoniously closed down its ``unneeded`` SW service to South Sudan in September, and this transmission via UK at 15-17 went off, but 17745 was again being heard around 1645 on Sept 30 by Walt Salmaniw in BC, and on Oct 6 by Zacharias Liangas in Greece.

It turned out that SRS had canceled only the S Sudan service, but maintained the separately programmed and separately-frequencied Darfur service (no English), but at some point moved the Darfur service onto the frequencies previously used by the S Sudan service. Ivo Ivanov, DX Re Mix News, Bulgaria, reports:

``Frequency changes of Sudan Radio Service, Darfur program from Oct 8:
0400-0500 13720*DHA 250 kW / 240 deg NEAf only in Arabic, ex 11800 DHA
1600-1700 17745*WOF 250 kW / 140 deg NEAf only in Arabic, ex 15500 WOF
* former freqs of EDC Sudan Radio Service in Arabic/English & various langs. Future plans: Extended transmissions up to 90 minutes: 0400-0530 & 1600-1730 (Ivo Ivanov, Bulgaria, DX Re Mix News 16 October via WORLD OF RADIO 1639, DXLD)``

However, per the above two logs, 17745 was already revived more than a week before October 8 (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** U S A. 5050, UT Friday Oct 19 at 0330, monitoring for WORLD OF RADIO on WWRB: ``Amen & amen`` at 0331:17 from the SC preacher, then dead air until 0334:51 hum starts and soon Capt. Dave`s ``special announcement`` about opening up winter frequencies 3215/3195 to N & S America, time available at half the price charged by [WWCR] on 90 meters. Phone 931-728-6087, or consult
http://www.wwrb.org

Another humpause, and finally at 0336:57 WOR 1639 playback starts with good modulation. I hope 5050 was kept on the air at least until 0406 for the rest of WOR. Couldn`t get the webfeed to play this time; it normally cuts to KJVB at 0400 sharp even if WOR is running late.

The 3215/3195 announcement probably means that 3195 will soon replace 5050 for WOR and everything else after 0200 [and of course off-DST timeshift to one hour later from November, WOR to 0430- UT Fridays].

Further WOR 1639 airings:
UT Saturday 0130v on Area 51 via WBCQ 5110v-CUSB
UT Saturday 0630 & 1630 on Hamburger Lokálradio 7265
UT Saturday 0800, 1500, 1730; Sunday 0800, 1530, 1730; Monday 0500; Tuesday 1100 on WRMI 9955
UT Sunday 0200 on WTWW-2 5085 (experimental?), Sunday 0400 on WTWW-1 5745
Tuesday 0930 on HLR 5980 (reconfirmed altho missing last week)
Saturday & Sunday 1730, Sunday 0830 on WRN via SiriusXM 120
(Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** U S A. 910, Oct 18 at 1235 UT, just before sunrise here at 1243, ``Extra Sports 9-10`` and into Fox sports network. I figure it`s probably Phoenix, and so it is per NRC AM Log: KGME, 5/5 kW, ``XTRA 910``, networks include FSR. I wonder if they are alluding to the old XETRA 690 --- was it sports for a while before becoming XEWW? KGME obviously alludes to ``game``, a better match than OKC`s KGHM 1340 (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** U S A [and non]. 1580, Oct 18 at 1250 UT from E/W, Disney-type teeny-bopper music, no signal from OK`s KOKB Blackwell which ought to be showing by now after sunrise 1243; off the air? [See OKLAHOMA]. From 1254 for the rest of the hour nothing but various Disney promotions, adult ads such as Home Depot, and frequent mentions of Radio Disney; finally at 1300 legal ID as KMIK and KMIK HD1, i.e. 50/50 kW U2 Tempe AZ. As in Mickey. Yes, it`s with IBOC tho not noticed here around 1567 or 1593.

Despite dominating 1580, should still be on night pattern with three major lobes, the largest toward the SW, others to the WNW and ESE and not much toward OK. But why is there a deep null toward the NNE, protecting some defunct Canadian? Not that I can recall. Official Maricopa sunrise in Oct is 1300 UT; Nov 1400. I bet they are really on daytime 50 kW nondirexional already. Also, in the 2005 NRC Pattern Book there is a huge overlap of circular coverage with Hermosillo, which must have made a big mess around the border, but that was when it too was 50 kW N-D. Apparently since then XEDM has been degraded to only 10 kW, and indeed it is seldom DXed (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** U S A. 88.7, listening to webcast of KRZA Alamosa CO/Taos NM, Oct 19 at 1539 UT, they mention their new 150-foot tower atop Mount San Antonio, which is barely on the NM side of the border with CO. Previous tower in this remote location came down due to storms or fires? Now the DJ thinx they have better coverage, reaching Albuquerque and invites reports from there. Distance from site to ABQ is 120-125 miles = 195-200 km. Previously KRZA didn`t reach much beyond Santa Fe where coverage was spotty in different parts of the city. FCC FM Query does not show any ACI or CCI around Albuquerque, so maybe they do have a long shot into the metropolis. But watch out for Encino`s 88.7 to the ESE, which should be blocked in Albuquerque by the Manzano Range.

Apparently this means their CP is on, which called for a slightly different location, 5 seconds of latitude further north, and 3 seconds of longitude further east. The new tower is 39 meters above ground (only 128 feet), up from only 18 m. But height above mean seal level soars from 3216 to 3222 m (10,568 feet), which is about has high as Sandia Crest near Albuquerque. Height above average terrain however has descended from 633 to 628 m. Power is same, only 9.8 kW ERP. Maybe the new site happens to have a better shot toward Albuquerque as these minor changes in parameters should not make much difference otherwise.

Also mentioned that they have a new office/studio in Taos on the bypass street rather than the tourist-clogged main drag. I`m often weblistening to KRZA`s 1430 UT pubaffs shows on weekdays, plus Jim Hightower at 1506 after NPR news if they can get it. But I would love to be close enough to hear them direct on 88.7 in Taos, Santa Fe or Albuquerque (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

UNIDENTIFIED. 6885, Oct 18 at 2318, JBA carrier presumably Galei Zahal, ISRAEL on new frequency ex-6973 recently reported by Brian Alexander (who credited two other guys for the tip, but since they didn`t post it to me or on any list I monitor, even ones they moderate, Brian gets the nod here). I suffer from a high line noise level around 7 MHz, otherwise could surely hear it. Same problem, even worse with 6970, where Harold Frodge has been hearing a WWCR difference mixing product, 13845 minus 6875, currently in effect at 21-24 UT (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)