venerdì 9 febbraio 2018

Glenn Hauser logs February 8-9, 2018


** ARGENTINA [non]. 9395, Feb 8 at 1945, WRMI with music fill instead of RAE in German, one month after it was supposed to commence. Remonitored across hourtop 2000, no break, no ID but ME world-music plays on. New sked grid updated Feb 7 still claims RAE Deutsch & Italiano to be on 9395 at 19-21 UT (which would have been M-F only) (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** CHINA [non]. 7360, Feb 8 at 1956, Chinese instrumental music, not Firedragon, S9-S7 and off at 1957*. Would be more interesting propagation if direct, but listed as concluding a bihour in French, 150 kW aimed 310 degrees also USward via ALBANIA (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** CUBA. 15570, 15509, 15440, 15302, 15233, 15163, 15095, 15030, 14952, 14897, 14818, 14744, 14674? Feb 9 at 1457, RHC-FM spurblobs out of 15370-AM transmitter at these very approx. centers up to 10 kHz wide. The closest ones are strongest, and the furthest ones barely detectable by the F# tone if nothing else. At first scan, 15570 is a trace, but at 1507, now it`s strong, plus further-uppers, 15642, 15710, so everything is constantly fluxuating. Also today, there seems to be a general hash level across the entire 19m band, including between the blob peaks. Readable FM audio only on the closer ones, for `Sonido Cubano` music show. By 1600, 15370 and its constellation are off, while 15230 is uncovered still on AM for another minute until 1601* (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** EGYPT. 9570, Feb 8 at 1941, S9-S5 JBM signal, no doubt R. Cairo as scheduled in JBM German (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** NIGERIA [non]. 11530, Feb 8 at 1939, R. Herwa International via WRMI is VG, and this time I try for // 9580 via Issoudun, FRANCE direct --- and I do hear a weak signal sounding the same. Next task: try to measure the asynchrony (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** OKLAHOMA. 530, Feb 8 at 2005-2010+ UT, I monitor our local station which I have not bothered to log for a long time. Incredibly boring program of a few PSAs played over and over, viz.:

1, Lock your doors and windows, trim bushes, get an alarm to discourage burglaries: from ncpc.org and US DOJ = National Crime Prevention Council (if Drumpf hasn`t eliminated it yet)
2, teach children to beware of internet, ncpc.org, USDOJ, Ad Council
3, discouraging sending nude pictures of yourself lest your dad see you topless, www.cybertipline.com, DOJ; really salacious-sounding
4, are you an embarrassment on the dance floor? Then consider adopting a child from foster care, 888-200-4005, HHS and Ad Council [non sequitur]
5, (kid voice), asthma attack prevention, www.noattack.org, 1-866-noattacks, EPA, Ad Council. 1-866-noattac is sufficient!

After 5 minutes they start repeating, as reconfirmed Feb 9 at 1705-1710+. An amateur ID with heavy background noise interrupts one of them but not always at the same spot, ``Enid, Oklahoma, you are listening to K-530-AM, operated by Vance Air Force Base``.

There used to be a bunch of other PSAs, which may or may not appear at different hourparts, such as what to do when a hurricane hits (Enid!?)

You may notice that the subjects of these helpful advisories have nothing to do with the USAF or anything military. K530AM presumably exists to deal with genuine emergencies such as a plane crash or terrorist attack, but I have my doubts. There is also an electronic sign on a street approaching the base advising of its existence. It`s generally audible on caradios around Enid, but unfortunately happens to be 430 kHz away from 960, which is 430 kHz away from 1390, our two local broadcast stations, a mixing product which gets boosted under powerlines even near Vance.

K530AM is obviously a made-up call. I can`t think of any DX loggings of this, presumably circa 10 watts. Richard Allen nearby cannot help but have heard it, but I am unaware if the few other Okie DXers in Tulsa, Shawnee or Hooker have ever reported it. Like any other 10-watt TIS/HAR station it`s barely possible to DX by skywave. A few miles away, it can`t overcome ordinary household noise level, and at night it is easily nullable to get Cuba. I believe I have heard it on the road close to NW OKC. 

I am reminded to draw attention to K530AM, since looking at seemingly exhaustive list of TIS/HAR and ordinary broadcasters on 530 at:
we see it does NOT exist! In OK there are only two, in OKC, WNWU499 with no further info. And WPTZ990 on MLK Drive (neither of which I have heard on visits). Listings are in order by callsign, not location, so you have to search on ``OK``.

Yet I am credited as one of the sources, and have reported K530AM a number of times in past. The fact that it is not in an FCC database, as under USG military control, should not make any difference. So please add it to the list! 

Northward from here, there is a Kansas Turnpike Authority station near South Haven on 530, which relays Wichita NOAA Weatherradio, and I have also reported, but nothing from Kansas on 530 is listed either. There are a few others further up the Turnpike (Glenn Hauser, Enid OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** U S A. 13565, Feb 9 at 1513, K6FRC HIFER beacon barely audible with CW IDs over and over. Figured this would be a good time for its 1.8 milliwatts, as KVOH is inbooming on 17775-; both Californian, altho Patterson is 258 miles = 415 km from Simi Valley (or if driving, 298/479) (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** U S A. WORLD OF RADIO 1916 monitoring: not confirmed Thu Feb 7 at first check circa 2235 UT, 5850 WRMI not on air! But OK in progress at 2242 check, VG S9+10, and finished at 2259.5 so playback must have started on time at 2230.5 even if transmitter not on yet. (And R. Tirana relay follows, JIP at 2300.5.)

WOR 1916 confirmed, UT Fri Feb 8 at 0030 on WBCQ, 9330.1v-CUSB, fair --- despite having been replaced by Brother Scare 24 hours earlier who I thought said he was now on 9330, 24 hours. Well, back to normal today. So never mind my assumption that our 9330 broadcasts were deleted. All we can do is keep monitoring to hear what may happen next.

BTW, I can`t help but notice that no other DX program host to my knowledge, in English or any other language, keeps reconfirming and reporting on their own broadcasts; why not? I consider this essential to keep up with what`s really happening, as stations make changes without notice, and there can always be technical problems. Next:

Sat 0030   WBCQ 9330v-CUSB to WSW
Sat 0729   HLR 6190-CUSB to WSW
Sat 1531   HLR 6190-CUSB to WSW
Sat 2030v  WA0RCR 1860-AM ND
Sat 2230   WBCQ 9330v-CUSB to WSW
Sat 2300   WRMI 7780 to NE
Sun 0200   WRMI 7780 to NE
Sun 0410v  WA0RCR 1860-AM ND
Sun 1130   HLR 9485-CUSB to WSW
Mon 0030   WBCQ 9330v-CUSB to WSW
Mon 0400v  WBCQ 5130v Area 51 to WSW
Mon 0430   WRMI 9955 to SSE, 9455 to WNW
Tue 0030   WRMI 7730 to WNW
Tue 0030   WBCQ 9330v-CUSB to WSW
Tue 2030   WRMI 7780 to NE, 9455 to WNW [or #1917?]

Full WOR schedule via all media, podcast access:
(Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** U S A [and non]. 9330.2, Feb 8 at 1939, very poor signal from WBCQ, can`t tell if BS but presumably on extended (test?) schedule. 

9330.159v-CUSB, Feb 9 at 0639, gospel huxter going on and on about Noah, not BS, and seemingly not from TOM at all, as BS is running on unparallel 5890 WWCR. By 0658 this UT Friday, Cuban spynumbers are way atop WBCQ on 9330, S9+20.

9330, Feb 9 at 1432, nothing audible (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** U S A. 7780, Feb 8 at 1945, can`t detect even a carrier from this WRMI, which had been scheduled on air all day with Oldies. Now I suspect it`s off between 15 and 20. Recheck 1958, now 7780 is on // stronger 9455 Oldies, in preparation for the 20-21 UT variety programming hour. 7780 is off again at 1515 Feb 9, while 9395 // 9455 go back to Oldies.

O, the skedgrid at 
has just been updated as of Feb 7, indeed showing a 7780 break at 15-20 (except Sundays 16-20). What else has changed? It implies 7780 at 13-15 is on air Sundays only with religion, leaving `The Power Hour` repeat weekdays at 13-15 to be on 9395 only. `TPH` live M-F at 21-23 is still supposed to be on 7780 // 9395, but most of the time if you really listen in, it`s not!

9395, Feb 8 at 2115, Biermann ID breaking Oldies for VOA News with Ann Ball. She makes three stumbles in the first minute which also includes an axuality of some newsmaker.

9395 // 9455, at 01-02 is a variety programming block, including a new `Grateful Dead` hour on UT Tuesdays, as opposed to plain old `Oldies` on UT Wednesdays (and `Countdown to Xmas` UT Mondays, `Jazz from the Left` UT Thursdays). BTW, nonexistent 11580 is still shown on the program grid in several blox.

9455, Feb 7 at 1945, Bob Biermann Oldies ID claiming to be on 9455 and 9395! There are so many exceptions to this, that canned IDs saying that need to be carefully managed (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) See also ARGENTINA [non]

** U S A. 9474.974, Feb 8 at 1942, WTWW-1 with SFAW, carrier is steady now without the fast hiccuping heard the past few days. It`s always off-frequency-minus. Still OK Feb 9 at 1451 (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** U S A. 12105, Feb 8 at 1948, surprised to find WTWW-3 on the air, as almost daily bandscans have found it missing since Xmas. Now it`s S9+20 of gospel country music, and as usual, carrier is wobbling slightly and modulation is somewhat distorted. But, I measure it right on 12105.00! (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** U S A. 17774.990, Feb 9 at 1509, KVOH is S9+30; other days it`s a JBA carrier if any this early. Is this entirely due to propagational variations? (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) See also K6FRC

UNIDENTIFIED. Trans-Atlantic JBA MW carrier search continues to be very productive except for being too weak for any audio: Feb 9 at 0659-, USB tuning 1 kHz below, R75 preamps off:

531, 558, 585, 603, 612*, 621, 684, 693*, 738, 774 (vs IBOC noise from what? Not WBBM, something from 760?), 783, 801, 846, 855, 882, 909*, 936, 954, 999, 1008, 1035, 1044, 1053, 1089, 1098, 1125, 1152, 1188, 1197, 1215*, 1224(2), 1296, 1306, 1314(2), 1341, 1413(2), 1485(2), 1503, 1521, 1539, 1575, 1602.

* = stronger ones. (2) means I can hear an unsteady het indicating more than one carrier beating on slightly different frequencies. Additional channels missing could well be due to temporary fades as I go by (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

This report dispatched at 1840 UT February 9