giovedì 19 marzo 2020

Glenn Hauser logs March 18-19, 2020

** CUBA. 15700, March 18 at 1555, CRI relay is undermodulated with hum, tone and crackle, otherwise excellent. Something`s always wrong at RadioCuba (Glenn Hauser, OK, WOR)

** CUBA. 15370, March 18 at 1930, RHC still not on here, but later with distortion (Glenn Hauser, OK, WOR)

** MEXICO. 6185.0, March 18 at 2355, XEPPM JBM with Mexican music, S9 signal; rather than no modulation audible yesterday. BTW, Radio Educación has much more important matters on its mind: holding on to MW 1060 after migration to FM is complete; seems 100 kW on MW has better coverage than FM. Not a word however about SW here, tnx via GRA blog: https://www.americaeconomia.com/negocios-industrias/radio-educacion-busca-retener-la-historica-xeep-am-1060-de-la-ciudad-de-mexico (Glenn Hauser, OK, WOR)

** OKLAHOMA. RF 25, March 18 around 1600 UT, KWTV ``9``, OKC is not decoding, and still not at 2115. Normally it`s in solid. I sent this on webform to the news department:

``Why is there no way to reach the Chief Engineer via the website?? Just ``signal issues`` by phone only. Please pass this on to the CE.

Here in Enid today March 18, have not been able to decode KWTV on RF25 all day. Almost all other OKC signals are normal. Is it low-powered? The signal level is BAD barely registering on set-top-box from my rooftop antenna.

If not reduced power, I think the problem is DX interference. There is currently enhanced strong level 5 tropospheric in this area, and I see in listings there are low-powered channel 25 stations in about a dozen other OK towns! {closest probably Ponca City; also Lawton, Tulsa...} You should realize that this situation reduces your effective coverage area! I don`t suppose you could do anything about it in the short term, but you might in the long term.

BTW, KSBI on RF 23 has never been an adequate signal here like it was on 51 (? I recall that was it). Most of the time it doesn`t decode including now.

Yes, we have cable, but these stations are supposed to be ``local``. Suddenlink has KSBI itself but not its extra channels. Of course we have to depend on that when you pre-empt CBS on KWTV`` (Glenn Hauser, OK, WOR)

** PERU. 5980, March 18 at 2351, JJBBA carrier from Radio Chaski, so weak that I can`t tell exactly when it cut off despite not much jamming now. Increasing daylight on path may finish audibility before the Cuban radio war does in A-20 (Glenn Hauser, OK, WOR)

** PUERTO RICO. 391-MCW kHz, March 18 at 0700, ND beacon DDP, no dash but very long pauses. It`s San Juan - Dorado, LMM airport, 1000 watts. Classaxe.com shows it with unusually long cycle duration, 20.87 seconds. Format is ID + 6 second gap [what`s the difference?]. Last logged here January 2 at 0714: both then and now I am tuned to 389-USB. Distance 3676 km = 2284 statute miles (Glenn Hauser, OK, WOR)

** ROMANIA. 7220, March 18 at 2350, RRI English fair, 300 kW at 300 degrees from Galbeni, supposed only for NW Europe but here we are beyond, QRMing our extended hamband.

6035-6040-6045, March 18 at 2352, DRM noise, which is RRI English, only 90 kW, 300 degrees from Galbeni also for Europe only.

6040 is in further use for Spanish on AM at 00-01 as heard before; 06-07 in French & English back to DRM; and 15-16 in German AM, the last from Tsiganeshti (Glenn Hauser, OK, WOR)

** TAIWAN [non]. 5800, March 19 at 0100, checking what`s on WRMI now that the 3-day RTI test should be over: It`s still running, Spanish, and 0129 Chinese music, 0130 two WRMI IDs in Spanish by Dino & Jaime, squeal, into unID music, Spanish? NOT Tirana which was showing up here, nor on // 9395 where Albania is supposed to be. After 0200 RTI yet again, including 0214 Chinese lesson for Spanish, not only on 5800 which normally stops at 0200, but on 7780, and with a good signal into Colombia, 5010. What`s next? Has RTI decided to permanentize the tests, or just haven`t reverted yet (Glenn Hauser, OK, WOR)

** U S A. 383-MCW kHz, March 18 at 0702, NDB CNP, which is 25 watts from Chappell, Nebraska. Chappell is on I-80 west of Ogallala, just above the NE corner of Colorado (Glenn Hauser, OK, WOR)

** U S A. WORLD OF RADIO 2025 monitoring: confirmed Wednesday March 18 at 2100 on WBCQ 7490.2v, very poor.

Also confirmed UT Thu Mar 19 at 0100 on WRMI 7780, good via UTwente, poor direct.

WOR 2026 should be ready by early UT Fri Mar 20 for first NAm broadcast Friday at 2200 on WRMI 9955 (Glenn Hauser, OK, WOR)

UNIDENTIFIED. 2098.0, March 18 at 0548 UT, beep exactly every three seconds, noticed as checking for 2097.3 beacon A, which has not been heard in some time. Once before I had this beep and then found several more at odd intervals up the 2 MHz band. This time there is lots of storm noise and only other one found is on 2440. Previous:

``UNIDENTIFIED. 2098.0, 2166.0, 2231.0, 2298.0, 2800.0, Feb 16 at 0643-0713 UT, things that go beep in the night, CW carrier pips exactly 3 seconds apart = 20 per minute on these even frequencies, first noticed when I was checking beacon A on 2097.3. Then found more as I tuned up, always on exact kHz, but not equally spaced: intervals of 68, 65, 67 kHz but none around 2365 nor below around 2032 by 0653. Not until 0713 did I find another, way up on 2800.0 but no others around it. What in the world? Can`t totally rule out a local device, but random frequencies would not all be exact; seems intentional`` (Glenn Hauser, OK, WOR)

This report dispatched at 0325 UT March 19