** CANADA. CRI relay on 15230, March 8 at 1355, English audio cutting off and on continually, more off than on, and unlistenable. OK during the repeat at 1409 recheck (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** CHINA. Firedrake appearing on some additional frequencies, probably ramped-up jamming to celebrate the big Commie congress getting underway in Beijing: March 8 at 1325 very good not only on usual 8400 and 9000, but also on 7525 where I could hear no other station even during pauses, and // on 9530 where it was atop something in Chinese. Per Aoki the victims are: V. of Tibet in Chinese via Tajikistan at 1300-1345, 100 kW, 131 degrees, on 7527, but I heard no het, either; and on 9530 VOA Chinese via Tinang at 349 degrees. CNR1 transmissions were all over the bands too (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** CUBA. RHC check UT Sunday March 8 at 0317: English still on 6140, instead of 6180 where it was one night last week, and no RRI Spanish audible, tho I assume it is still colliding on 6140. Everything seemed `normal`, until another check at 0535 for DXers Unlimited: guess what? 6140 and stronger // 6060 are now in Portuguese! Yes, Portuguese, which is supposed to be broadcast only at various times between 22 and 24 UT on other frequencies. News headlines were 1) world economic situation, and 2) what else? cinco héroes. Meanwhile, 6000 was open carrier, as the transmitter operator there must have realized he wasn`t getting the correct program feed.
At 0538:30, Portuguese cut off, and at 0539 the other frequencies joined DXUL in progress, in English. Arnie may have noticed this too and phoned them. But that`s not all, SNAFU city. RHC didn`t manage to stay in English until 0700 like it is supposed to. At 0622, I found 6000 again in open carrier, 6060 and 6140 synchronized with no echo between them, in Spanish! And 6060 was splattering enough, even during talk, to bother CFRX 6070, which doesn`t usually happen. What a mickey-mouse operation: they can`t even broadcast in the correct languages according to their own schedule.
Listening to En Contacto, RHC`s Spanish DX program Sundays at 1335-1350, on March 8 via 11760 and 12000, one might have thought R. Nederland`s Radio Enlace had revived as Jaime Báguena and Alfonso Montealegre were talking about `marconistas` and the vital rôle ship radio operators played in the last century; no doubt something out of the archives. See also VENEZUELA [non] (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** CZECHIA [non]. R. Prague English relays have shifted one UT hour earlier on WRMI 9955, such as Sunday March 8 at 1404, still mixed with totally uncalled-for DentroCuban jamming (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** GERMANY [and non]. 6085 in DRM, bothering VOA 6080 and less so, stronger DGS Anguilla 6090, March 8 at 0626. This has to be from the 10 kW Ismaning transmitter carrying Bayerischer Rundfunk, scheduled 0400-2200 nondirexionally in the current DRM schedules. A rare way to hear a German SW broadcast direct from Germany (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** INDONESIA. Could not detect VOI on 9525 March 8 before or after 1400, nor on 11785 when freed from WHRI after 1400 (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** LAOS [non]. Hmong Lao Radio via WHRI 11785, confirmed to have made the DST shift, Sunday March 8 at 1335 check, i.e. 13-14 UT instead of 14-15; and off the air at 1403 recheck (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** ROMANIA [and non]. Operatic singing in a Romance language on 15170, Saturday March 7 at 1438, first bringing to mind REE, of course, via Costa Rica --- except there was no CCI from RRI, it was not // Noblejas 17595, and was in fact // RRI on 11940, the Romanian service at 1300-1500 to Europe and thence North America. For reasons best known to REE, 15170 at 1200-1500 is Sunday-Friday only, so Saturday`s the only day to hear RRI unimpeded. In A-09 this RRI Romanian transmission to Europe shifts to 15195 and 11920 at 1200-1400.
RRI not making it in Romanian on 11940 or English on 11970 March 8 at 1354, but 15105 was audible closing English hour, only fair. In A-09 this transmission moves two hours earlier, not one, and on all-new frequencies, so we may forget about hearing it in our mornings. UKOGBANIans may find it convenient during their noon hour starting at 1100 (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** TURKEY [non]. VOT via Sackville, STILL in wrong language, Turkish instead of English at 0407 UT check March 8 on 7325; sounds like the cabaret show I have heard before, but a few minutes later failed to find a match on any of their webstreams, while the English one on VOT World was running normally (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** UKRAINE. Whole World on the Radio Dial is still airing on RUI, altho its host Olex Yegorov has reported elsewhere that it is the final edition and he is no longer with RUI as the powers that be would rather hire someone to do political programming; on webcast started at 0417 UT Sunday March 8, after having found 7440 just barely audible. We`ll miss his well-researched info on broadcasting to and from Ukraine, and his unique accent (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** U S A. KJES, 11715, barely audible with child intoning catechisms, March 8 at 1406. On the meter S9+10, about as strong as WYFR 11725, but incomparably weaker modulation, and also much weaker signal than NHKWNRJ via Canada on 11705 (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** VENEZUELA [non]. Aló, Presidente service again active via Cuba on Sunday March 8: 1407, 11875 on the air with programming separate from RHC 11760, // VG 13750, and an echo apart on weaker 13680. Open carrier over HCJB on 11690, presumably also thence. Nothing yet on 17750 except VOA English via South Africa, but at 1452 recheck nothing audible but A,P // synchronized 13750. At 1410 mentioned Venezolana de Televisión (whatever became of TVes, the expropriated channel?), and CANTV, so seems to be direct relay of Venezuelan TV already rather than RHC-produced prélude programming. 1450 with news headlines on 11875 not // 11760, so apparently still waiting for Hugo to get started, which last week was around 1530 (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
UNIDENTIFIED. 13460-13480, OTH radar pulses, presumed at 1350 March 8, and mixing with CODAR. I wonder if each is robust enough not to be spoilt by the other, as their ranges often overlap (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ###
** CHINA. Firedrake appearing on some additional frequencies, probably ramped-up jamming to celebrate the big Commie congress getting underway in Beijing: March 8 at 1325 very good not only on usual 8400 and 9000, but also on 7525 where I could hear no other station even during pauses, and // on 9530 where it was atop something in Chinese. Per Aoki the victims are: V. of Tibet in Chinese via Tajikistan at 1300-1345, 100 kW, 131 degrees, on 7527, but I heard no het, either; and on 9530 VOA Chinese via Tinang at 349 degrees. CNR1 transmissions were all over the bands too (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** CUBA. RHC check UT Sunday March 8 at 0317: English still on 6140, instead of 6180 where it was one night last week, and no RRI Spanish audible, tho I assume it is still colliding on 6140. Everything seemed `normal`, until another check at 0535 for DXers Unlimited: guess what? 6140 and stronger // 6060 are now in Portuguese! Yes, Portuguese, which is supposed to be broadcast only at various times between 22 and 24 UT on other frequencies. News headlines were 1) world economic situation, and 2) what else? cinco héroes. Meanwhile, 6000 was open carrier, as the transmitter operator there must have realized he wasn`t getting the correct program feed.
At 0538:30, Portuguese cut off, and at 0539 the other frequencies joined DXUL in progress, in English. Arnie may have noticed this too and phoned them. But that`s not all, SNAFU city. RHC didn`t manage to stay in English until 0700 like it is supposed to. At 0622, I found 6000 again in open carrier, 6060 and 6140 synchronized with no echo between them, in Spanish! And 6060 was splattering enough, even during talk, to bother CFRX 6070, which doesn`t usually happen. What a mickey-mouse operation: they can`t even broadcast in the correct languages according to their own schedule.
Listening to En Contacto, RHC`s Spanish DX program Sundays at 1335-1350, on March 8 via 11760 and 12000, one might have thought R. Nederland`s Radio Enlace had revived as Jaime Báguena and Alfonso Montealegre were talking about `marconistas` and the vital rôle ship radio operators played in the last century; no doubt something out of the archives. See also VENEZUELA [non] (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** CZECHIA [non]. R. Prague English relays have shifted one UT hour earlier on WRMI 9955, such as Sunday March 8 at 1404, still mixed with totally uncalled-for DentroCuban jamming (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** GERMANY [and non]. 6085 in DRM, bothering VOA 6080 and less so, stronger DGS Anguilla 6090, March 8 at 0626. This has to be from the 10 kW Ismaning transmitter carrying Bayerischer Rundfunk, scheduled 0400-2200 nondirexionally in the current DRM schedules. A rare way to hear a German SW broadcast direct from Germany (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** INDONESIA. Could not detect VOI on 9525 March 8 before or after 1400, nor on 11785 when freed from WHRI after 1400 (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** LAOS [non]. Hmong Lao Radio via WHRI 11785, confirmed to have made the DST shift, Sunday March 8 at 1335 check, i.e. 13-14 UT instead of 14-15; and off the air at 1403 recheck (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** ROMANIA [and non]. Operatic singing in a Romance language on 15170, Saturday March 7 at 1438, first bringing to mind REE, of course, via Costa Rica --- except there was no CCI from RRI, it was not // Noblejas 17595, and was in fact // RRI on 11940, the Romanian service at 1300-1500 to Europe and thence North America. For reasons best known to REE, 15170 at 1200-1500 is Sunday-Friday only, so Saturday`s the only day to hear RRI unimpeded. In A-09 this RRI Romanian transmission to Europe shifts to 15195 and 11920 at 1200-1400.
RRI not making it in Romanian on 11940 or English on 11970 March 8 at 1354, but 15105 was audible closing English hour, only fair. In A-09 this transmission moves two hours earlier, not one, and on all-new frequencies, so we may forget about hearing it in our mornings. UKOGBANIans may find it convenient during their noon hour starting at 1100 (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** TURKEY [non]. VOT via Sackville, STILL in wrong language, Turkish instead of English at 0407 UT check March 8 on 7325; sounds like the cabaret show I have heard before, but a few minutes later failed to find a match on any of their webstreams, while the English one on VOT World was running normally (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** UKRAINE. Whole World on the Radio Dial is still airing on RUI, altho its host Olex Yegorov has reported elsewhere that it is the final edition and he is no longer with RUI as the powers that be would rather hire someone to do political programming; on webcast started at 0417 UT Sunday March 8, after having found 7440 just barely audible. We`ll miss his well-researched info on broadcasting to and from Ukraine, and his unique accent (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** U S A. KJES, 11715, barely audible with child intoning catechisms, March 8 at 1406. On the meter S9+10, about as strong as WYFR 11725, but incomparably weaker modulation, and also much weaker signal than NHKWNRJ via Canada on 11705 (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** VENEZUELA [non]. Aló, Presidente service again active via Cuba on Sunday March 8: 1407, 11875 on the air with programming separate from RHC 11760, // VG 13750, and an echo apart on weaker 13680. Open carrier over HCJB on 11690, presumably also thence. Nothing yet on 17750 except VOA English via South Africa, but at 1452 recheck nothing audible but A,P // synchronized 13750. At 1410 mentioned Venezolana de Televisión (whatever became of TVes, the expropriated channel?), and CANTV, so seems to be direct relay of Venezuelan TV already rather than RHC-produced prélude programming. 1450 with news headlines on 11875 not // 11760, so apparently still waiting for Hugo to get started, which last week was around 1530 (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
UNIDENTIFIED. 13460-13480, OTH radar pulses, presumed at 1350 March 8, and mixing with CODAR. I wonder if each is robust enough not to be spoilt by the other, as their ranges often overlap (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ###
