venerdì 15 aprile 2016

Glenn Hauser logs April 14-15, 2016


** ALBANIA. 9855, April 15 at 0129, R. Tirana IS is recognizable, very poor S5, but by 0134 is too weak to copy presumed news. Drita Çiço explains its absence on UT April 13 and 14 as noted by Steven C Wood in Massachusetts: ``No electrical power - reported Shijak R/Station``. I also could not confirm it on April 10. 

9570, at 0140 April 15, the other Albanian site, Cërrik is as usual, much better with CRI English relay, S9+25! (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** BOLIVIA. 5952.5, April 15 at 0149, weak signal here no doubt Radio Pius The Twelfth, from the Twentieth Century, unfortunately too weak to benefit much from the temporary absence of WRMI [see USA] from 5950 (which is also a problem for P12 within South America), and also has to contend with Cuban [q.v.] jamming against nothing on 5955. While shifting to a split from its licensed 5955 helps a little, it would help a lot more to move to a clearer even frequency (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Such as?

** BRAZIL. 6180, April 15 at 0147, RNA is still off. Some editors will find a `log` like this insignificant, but I consider them very significant, dealing with a frequency that *has* been active and may well be again; keeping track of what stations are doing, including going AWOL (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** CHINA [non]. 9580, April 15 at 0140, CRI English relay via CUBA is back on // 9570 ALBANIA, but with very different modulation levels and audio bandwidth. 9580 was off April 10, and also missing from CRI`s own schedule, and thus had been mis-presumed to be deleted (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** CUBA. 15140, April 14 at 2000, no signal from RHC which should be starting French on this new frequency after an hour of English. Higher-band propagation is degraded, but not from Cuba, S9+20 on 15370 in Portuguese at 2005. 

Later I see why: Dan Robinson discovered RHC English at 1902 on 16180 instead, why? Humberto Molina reveals that 16180 is a Cuban spy-numbers frequency: His YouTube audiovideo is labeled: ``"Estación de números" Cubana, voz + digital - HM01 - 16180 kHz - Humberto Molina - Published on Sep 15, 2015 - Captada en Antiguo Cuscatlán, La Libertad, El Salvador @2140 UTC 15/Sept/2015``.

So the Bauta site has once again mixed up RHC with Spy-numbers! There is plenty of spare capacity for espionage since RHC needs only one frequency until 1930, only two after that until 2100. Not to mention the other two sites idle for overt broadcasts at mid-day.

6060, April 15 at 0148, RHC fails to broadcast in the wrong language, English, instead back in Spanish (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** CUBA. 11845, April 15 at 1413, pulse jamming against nothing, a frequency abandoned by Radio Martí *years* ago, as the incompetent DentroCuban Jamming Command keeps on keeping on; pulse rate is about 144/minute. 

9805, April 15 at 1414, I compare to more jamming against nothing, after RM has closed here at 1300, and find these pulses are slightly faster and higher-pitched; also somewhat syncopated making them harder to count, possibly from two transmitters: 174 per minute (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** JAPAN. See OKLAHOMA [and non]

** KOREA NORTH. 11865, April 15 at 1316, operatic vocalizing in Juche style, 1317 Japanese announcement, cut off at 1319:26.5* so it is VOK as scheduled in Aoki (not HFCC!), all-Japanese at 2130-2420 & 0730-1320. Noticed this while trying to hear YEMEN [non] [q.v.] on 11860 (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** MADAGASCAR. 9665-, April 15 at 0137, tell-tale het against Voz Missionária, Brasil which is always off-frequency, about 9664.97. The low audio heterodyne from a weaker signal however is on the lower side of that, approx. 9664.92, rather than 9665.00. But suspect Madagascar World Voice has been reactivated after a biweek of silence, before which it was also hetting the ZY like this, a weak signal here on a service aimed at South Asia. 

MWV is soon confirmed by Steven C Wood in MA, who was hearing the previous hour in English on 9600 until 0058 April 15. I also check for the next hour in English, 0400 on 9480, and get a JBA signal, presumably this, but much less than it was providing during its initial activity. Ron Howard then confirms he was getting ``African Pathways Radio`` during this hour much better in California. I`ve also been checking almost every day for the 1800 English broadcast on 17640 with no results, but maybe it will be there April 15 (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) 

** OKLAHOMA. 1210, April 15 at 1247 UT, KGYN Guymon, instead of C&W music has local morning talkshow, `Coffee Shop`, interviewing somewoman about courses offered at OPSU [Panhandle State University, nearby Goodwell], then break for PTCI ad, which is the local telco/ISP, etc.; no obvious explanation at https://www.ptci.net/ of what the letters originally stood for, but I can guess: Panhandle Telecomms Inc.? And also a market report from Mid-America Ag Network, run by KGYN`s corporate master in Kansas. At this hour, KGYN is still getting some skywave boost (Glenn Hauser, Enid, DX LISTENING DIGEST) See also USA: 1210

** OKLAHOMA [non]. 7489.89-AM, Thu April 14 at 2343, YL on WBCQ commenting on the ``perfidy of the Oklahoma legislature``, i.e. the Republican-caused budget crisis, hitting Education especially hard. This is part of Broad Spectrum Radio`s hour, but sounds like the `Okie Show`, which per the April schedule in DXLD 16-13 wasn`t supposed to be on until next week, with `Nappy Roots Radio` this week. Trying to find that audio online: This month`s Okie episode not yet accounted for at
but some content comes from this, well worth exploring:

Too much else is going on now: WORLD OF RADIO on 9330, Dave pursuing pirates on 5050. BTW, WBCQ continues to be silent on 9330 after 0100: nothing at 0129 check April 15 (Glenn Hauser, Enid, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** OKLAHOMA [and non]. RF 13, and virtual 13-1, April 14 at 1600 UT, `NHK Newsline` via KETA/OETA and not a word about the Kumamoto 6.5 earthquake, which hit at 1226 UT according to Japan Times. That`s because this `news` is delayed 6 hours from original airing at 1000 UT (sometimes admittedly at ``7 pm in Tokyo``). We have to wait another 24 hours for this to be the top story on April 15 at 1600 UT.

This `cast often, including today, includes ``expert`` guests in studio on some topic, who can barely speak English even with a script, so is this a training show? It can be excruciating for a native speaker, but the fluent Japo-American anchors are unfazed. Even some correspondents in the field have a hard time with English, but that doesn`t keep them from trying, and NHK from airing ``olds`` from them worldwide.

As for earthquake coverage direct from Japan, S. Hasegawa tells the DXLD yg: NHK General TV Live in Japanese.

But Martyn Williams replies: 
Hasegawa-san, The NHK link is only accessible in Japan. Here are some alternative streams on YouTube that are accessible globally:
(Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** TURKEY. 9870.02, April 15 at 0132, poor S7 station with talk: is it Hindi? No, AIR VBS must still be absent. Instead it`s stilted-Spanish, i.e. VOT // stronger Emirler 9770, into music. Say, does anyone know what became of TRT`s second SW site, Çakrilar? Was it demolished? (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** U S A. 6993, April 15 at 0146, JBA carrier, which has often been noted here and passed over. Now Terry L. Krueger has info about it: 

``4443 / 6993, FLORIDA, WH2XWF, ASTRA (experimental class Traveling Ionospheric Disturbance Stations), Hawthorne, Inverness, Homosassa and/or Keystone. 2203 April 6, 2016. Carrier(s) at fairly strong levels both channels, thanks David Crawford tip and information. Other listed frequencies not audible here. Says 164 watts``.

Is there ever any modulation? What are the other frequencies? Refers to this website: Atmospheric & Space Technology Research Associates:
HQ in Boulder CO; they also operate in Alaska, Perú but haven`t found frequencies on that site. Specifically this under

``Traveling Ionospheric Disturbance (TID) Mapping System --- ASTRA provides subscription services to data sets from our arrays of TIDDBIT HF Sounder mapping systems deployed both in the US and internationally``

Terry also forwards the FCC licensing info for these, adding as a fifth site, Cross City FL. All may use 4 frequencies, 164 watts ERP: 4443, 4647, 6797, 6993, and less than one-year license expires July 1, 2016. You may be able to find this on the FCC website by callsign or File number 0388-EX-PL-2015 (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** U S A. 7425, April 15 at 0143, Greenville-B at ~S4 which is really under the noise level, talk seems to match R. Martí on 7365, which is S9+40 over jamming, and so is 7305, Vatican Radio carrier which starts signing on in Spanish at 0145, so the frogs continue to leap (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** U S A. WORLD OF RADIO 1821 monitoring: confirmed Thursday April 14 from 2100 on WRMI 13695, S9+30. Also confirmed the 2329+ Thursday April 14 broadcast at 2344 check on WBCQ, 9330.125-CUSB, S5. Next:
Fri 2130   WRMI 15770 to NE
Fri 2130.5 WRMI 13695 to NW
Fri 2330   WBCQ 9330v-CUSB to WSW
Sat 0630   HLR 6190-CUSB to SW [or off air last week and this?]
Sat 0700   Unique Radio 3210 NSW low-power
Sat 1400   Unique Radio 3210 NSW low-power
Sat 1430   HLR 7265-CUSB to SW [or off air last week and this?]
Sat 1930v  WA0RCR 1860-AM ND 
Sat 2230   WBCQ 9330v-CUSB to WSW
Sun 0310v  WA0RCR 1860-AM ND 
Sun 0830   Unique Radio 3210 NSW low-power
Sun 2330   WBCQ 9330v-CUSB to WSW
Mon 0030   WRMI 7730 to WNW
Mon 0300v  WBCQ 5130v Area 51 to WSW
Mon 0330   WRMI 9955 to SSE  
Mon 2330   WBCQ 9330v-CUSB to WSW
Tue 1100   WRMI 9955 to SSE
Tue 2130   WRMI 15770 to NE
Tue 2330   WBCQ 9330v-CUSB to WSW
Wed 1315.5 WRMI 9955 to SSE
Wed 2100   WBCQ 7490v to WSW
Wed 2330   WBCQ 9330v-CUSB to WSW
(Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** U S A. 9955, April 15 at 0130, surprised to find no WRMI, not even a carrier, and the pulse jamming isn`t that heavy. As I bandscan the next 20 minutes, I note *all* the other WRMI frequencies are off: 11530, 9395, 7780, 7730, 7570, 5985, 5950, 5850, 5765, 5015; except: 11580 has a weak signal, figured something else, but nothing else is scheduled; and 6915, the 24-hour BS frequency *is* on, the only one remaining for sure. That`s 13 of them; #7, 21675 in daytime is the only transmitter not scheduled at night. So it`s not a total power failure, and 6915 is the one priority transmitter which gets to stay on! 

Another check at 0532 finds most of them back on, including algo on 11580, JBA on 9955, JBA carrier on 9395, poor S9 on 7570, also 7730, 7780. 7570 is normally blasting in, so either it`s under-powered or propagation is really bad as implied by the weak 9 MHz signals (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** U S A. 5129.74-AM, UT Fri April 15 at 0154, two guys discussing relativity on WBCQ, so it`s still `Just Right`, described on WBCQ schedule:

``Join hosts, Bob Metz and Robert Vaughan every Thursday night as they analyse a variety of issues concerning economics, society, science, art and entertainment from a viewpoint of individual rights, freedom and capitalism. No, no, it’s not right wing...it’s Just Right!
Full programme archives and further information, articles, clips and interviews can be found at http://www.justrightmedia.org ---``

If you go there, podcast of this show #448 is ready, titled ``Guest: Professor Christopher Essex – The fluid dynamics of the climate debate`` and starting with some formulae. The two Bobs also have several guest hosts, and no postal address, but appear to emanate from Ontario, making this equally CANADA [non] (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) See also OKLAHOMA [non]

** U S A. 5050, April 14 at *2255:22, WWRB carrier-on, modulated by Radio RSA IS from 2255:45, poor at first vs local noise level but we know it will build up. 2300 Dave signs on and right into another monolog, emphasizing his 115,000 watt transmitter and 200-foot-high rhombic antenna --- that height improves takeoff angle, and minimizes ground loss. Then pitches for pirates to participate in a feature to air Friday nights, `Pirate Cove`, inviting several pirates by name to phone in and go legal, avoiding the risk of fines or having their Social Security payments eventually docked. 

Recheck at 2342, still going now saying it took him 20 years to realize that Christian broadcasters are only interested in making a profit. Next check at 0145 UT April 15, now he`s talking about aviation; has it been all-Dave-all-the-time this evening?

Richard Langley in NB was also listening and in e-mail contact: 

``Dave Frantz also said: "Three 100 kW transmitters are being scrap[p]ed. The heat exchangers & plate transformers have been hauled off to the scrap yard. We are expanding our VERY profitable Avionics shop and need the room. So WWRB is down to two 100 kW transmitters; not profitable but love shortwave"

This evening, he was doing his monologue again when I tuned in at about 0130 UT. Talking about flying again and plans for the "Pirates' Cove" show. Plans to run it from about 7 p.m. ET to midnight on Friday evenings [2300 Fri to 0400 UT Sat]. Closed down 5050 kHz at 0200:44 UT`` (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** U S A. 9475 & 5830, April 15 at 0141, WTWW-1 missing from both frequencies: possibly amid a QSY, but that would be an odd time to do it. So I check the others: 

12105, April 5 at 0141, JBA carrier, so maybe WTWW-3 is on and as usual not really propagating this late; 5085 & 9930 also both off, no WTWW-2. However at 0154, 5085 is now on with open carrier + hum at S9+50, along with its plus/minus 12.9+ kHz parasites circa 5072 and 5098, so Ted is probably about to begin another DJ show prélude to `Midnight[sic] in the Desert` which starts at 0400 UT Tue-Sat, when it is only 9 pm in the Nevada desert (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** U S A. 9265, April 15 at 0142, one station with a gospel huxter, presumed WINB. Also at 1502 UT Fri April 15, JBA algo, presumed WINB, again on air much earlier than still scheduled *1800 on weekdays per http://winb.com/schedule.htm

Or could it be something else? I`ve not heard a WINB ID in the mornings, and I really couldn`t imagine any station other than WINB appearing on this WOOB frequency, but Rumen Pankov, Bulgaria, tells me, 

``On April 7th at 0045 on 9265 an English religious program was heard, seems via WINB and at 0056 another station started on same frequency with ID in English at 0100 and country songs from 0101 UT (WMLK?), but WINB was under with religious program in English.`` 

Altho WMLK has a history of sharing a frequency with WINB, WMLK would not be playing country music, and of course it would be a big foulup if both Pennsylvanians were on 9265 simultaneously. Further chex of 9265 morning and evening needed. 9265 is on again but JBA, April 15 at 1502 (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** U S A. 870, April 15 at 1256 UT, Spanish roughly N/S and it`s too late for XETAR, mentions Radio Transmundial, and partial ID as ``la nuestra --- cadena --- 870 AM``, so it`s certainly KFJZ Fort Worth TX, 1 kW direxional daytimer, which NRC AM Log shows as Radio Fortaleza, format ETHnic rather than SS:RELigious, with an address in Houston. Radio-locator.com has no such name but shows it as Spanish Christian. Fades out before 1300 UT. Its pattern is close to circular, but with a bit more oomph OKward, i.e. north. TWR/Radio Transmundial does run promotional programming on domestic stations (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) 

** U S A. 1210, April 15 at 1251 UT as I am listening to KGYN [see OKLAHOMA], a twist of the wrist holding the DX-398 brings in a mention of ``downtown Huron``, i.e. KOKK, 5000/870 watts U4 from Huron SD. Neither day nor night pattern is favorable for us: night to the NW, day to the SE, and it`s officially daytime since 1145 UT in April (1100 UT in May, 1045 UT in June!) (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** YEMEN [non]. 11860, April 15 is not a good day for Republic of Yemen Radio – at 1316 a JBA carrier; slightly improved at 1348; very poor S2 at 1412 and 1429 (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

UNIDENTIFIED. 11450-USB, April 15 at 1327, slow/low strumming of a guitar(?) from presumed Indonesian QSO pirate, best here; another talk pileup on 11435-USB, the latter still at 1347 (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

UNIDENTIFIED. 11980.4275 approx., April 15 at 1310, CRI English 11980 from Kunming has a het on the hi side measured here, no modulation and pretty steady so possibly from a local device altho none noted here previously. Nothing else listed, on 11980 or variable, but Aoki reminds of this one, so whatever became of it, not reported lately?
``11980 0800-1000 UKRAINE Radio Dniprovska Hvylya Ukr Zaporizhia 17``
(Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

This report dispatched at 1744 UT April 15