venerdì 3 aprile 2009

Glenn Hauser logs April 1-2, 2009

** CANADA. 9515, RCI with the harmonica music filler we used to hear for a minute or two, but April 2 at 1744, this went on uninterrupted until cut back into French programming in progress at 1817. We enjoyed that CD when they would play different trax, but this was one single track in a loop over and over; I think it was one of Brahms` Hungarian Dances, with piano accompaniment, not something you really want to hear for 33 minutes straight. I didn`t really listen to it continuously, as evidenced by all the other logs in this report, but kept a second receiver on it low, and made a point of checking periodically, especially at 1804-1805 when there is normally a program transition. Just the harmonica music. They must have lost the feed and defaulted to this. Noble West in TN was hearing the same earlier in the day at 1400, but says there was French on the frequency at 1800, which I certainly did not hear when I checked at 1800 in case of a break then. At
 1904 in Arabic, no harmonica again yet (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** CHINA [and non]. 13760, Chinese echoing and cutting out, April 2 at 0535, much better signal than VOR 13775 to North America, altho 13760 is CNR1 jamming against R. Free Asia in Mandarin via Saipan, hardly intended for NAm at all. I thought Voice of Korea might be in there, but altho they use 13760 a lot, not at this hour.

Then I tried 19m, and found the only signal audible on the band was 15130, April 2 at 0536, not // 13760. This is CRI via Beijing site, 150 kW at 95 degrees; strangely enough, IBB Tinian is also scheduled on 15130 at 250 kW, 317 degrees with RFA in Mandarin. So that takes care of blocking two of RFA`s frequencies in China, and no doubt the others are too: 15615 15635 17615 17880 21550 21690.

What a loss of face for China! Won`t let its greatest trading partner get a free word into China; can`t risk anything contradicting the Party Line. Meanwhile, CRI in English and Chinese is unimpeded all over the SW dial in USA, even relayed by domestic stations.

Another check of the 7100-7200 range, April 2 at 1255 found only one frequency occupied by broadcasters, the China/Taiwan collision on 7185
(Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** CUBA. RHC, Arnie Coro wrapping up his newscast on the half hour, April 2 at 0538, quite undermodulated on 6000 but quickly checking 6060 and 6140, modulation was at normal level; on two receivers I did also notice that 6060 and 6140 are synchronized, but an echo apart from 6000, from a different site. Then into weekly mailbag presented by Isabel García.

Another SNAFU: 9550 on the air at an hour it should not be, 1748 April 2, Spanish talk about Cuba, but audio cutting off and back on a few times as of 1750. Did not find any // on the air, checking 25 and 31 meters. Sometimes for a special event they do put some transmitters on at mid-day (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** CUBA [and non]. Since I heard jamming and Spanish on 9545 the night before, I was standing by for it April 1: Nothing as early as 2200. At 2258, jamming already going, and R. República carrier popped on atop it at about 2259:50, brief sign-on without mentioning frequency, then Encuentro Informativo. The audio was sticking/skipping a bit as if it had something digital in the feed chain. Jamming seemed to be building up bit by bit and/or the Sackville(?) signal was fading bit by bit. At 2301, could hear RHC IS inverted bleeding over from 9550 opening English hour, tsk2. Meanwhile some jamming was still running on ex-9810 against nothing, just in case. Still need to confirm how long 9545 runs and whether R.R. changes to any other frequency before finished in the evening.

Also DentroCuban jamming against nothing (except maybe the wailing Brazilian preacher David Miranda) on 9565, April 2 around 0600, not only grinding and pulsing, but with faux-Morse-code-like intermittent tones; same at 1317, still against nothing. But when there was jamming against something on 9565, R. Martí at 1743, no such tones (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** IRAN. 15085, VIRI at 1801 April 2, fair in fluttery German as scheduled 1730-1830, 500 kW, 310 degrees from Kamalabad, so also usward (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** KUWAIT. 11990, R. Kuwait English service, April 2 at 1829, music with heavy beat, 1830 accurate 5+1 time signal, news theme and news by YL; unfortunately I was trying to hear it on the lunch table`s DX-390 with inside reel-out antenna only, and that was not enough; just occasional words at fadeups, and by 1839 when I got back to the FRG-7 with external longwire, news was done and back to rap. Who needs that all the way from Kuwait? By 1901 it had faded to just barely audible (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** ROMANIA [and non]. 11970, April 2 at 1816 a collision between a station with Farda-like song, and some romance language. Looking it up later, I see we have Bible Voice Broadcasting via Jülich, GERMANY in Persian at 100 degrees, and RRI in Romanian at 285 degrees, a `share` that may look OK on paper, but crossing beams are not likely to be interference free in the target-areas either. However, I thought I heard ``Family`` and ``Oakland`` mentioned, so really YFR instead of BVB? At 1900 RRI was alone, VG with news in Romanian (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** RUSSIA. I hope it`s working better on the west coast, but the only frequency now on the VOR English to NAm schedule between 0400 and 0600, 13775, was inaudible the first night I tried; April 2 at 0534 it was just barely audible with music, and I could recognize the voice of a VOR announcer, but that`s it. This is from a Far East site, listed as Vladivostok, a far cry from the abandoned Montsinéry (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** SAUDI ARABIA. Saut ul-Buzz, which I normally hear starting around 1500 on 15435, was still going with strong signal at 1754 check April 2, overriding the Arabic modulation which is presumably the exclusive intent for transmission; off at 1801 recheck (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** SYRIA. 12085, R. Damascus, April 2 at 1808 with big S9+15 carrier, hum/whine, modulation just barely audible, but sounded German as scheduled in this hour. If also on 9330, blocked by WBCQ. At 1857 on 12085 nothing but open carrier audible, or rather accompanied by clix and hum/whine; 1859 a YL was JBA in French saying `bonsoir`, 1900 choral anthem(?). If it were decently modulated, this would have been quite listenable, better than Kuwait on 11990 or Iran on 15085 (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** TURKEY [and non]. 7325 via Canada, VOT still in English for a second night running April 2 at 0312. Unless there are more mixups, no further reporting about this should be required. But if anyone notices this transmission in non-English again, please say so!

11835, very good S9+18 signal with tango music, but lyrix in Turkish(?), April 2 at 1814, concluding VOT`s German service from 1730, as per sign-off at 1822, IS until 1824*. Better signal than the English service on 9785, only P-F at 1845. 11835 is on the 310 degree beam from Emirler, same as for NAm at 2200 on 9830 among other transmissions (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** U S A. 9317.4, woman singing hymn with piano, April 2 at 1745, weak signal. Must be a spur. Is it // 9370 WTJC? No. But it IS // 9385 WWRB, so is there a match on the other side, plus 67.6 kHz? Yes, there it is, equal strength on 9452.6. And at 1752 check all three with Brother Scare after a musical respite (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** U S A. WRMI, 9955, Thursday April 2 at 1500 with Happy Station, a few minutes later Keith Perron mentioning my report of jamming at 0100, and a also from someone in Cuba about the jamming. Good now, no jamming heard. Unfortunately, I had to go out, and WRMI stream is down, so will have to pull show from archive like last week`s.

WRMI is still off the air in the afternoons, weekdays 16-24 UT when it would otherwise be filling unsold time with WRN relays, as noted April 2 at 1846. Our condolences to Jeff White whose mother died last week, and so he has been away from Miami (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** VATICAN [non]. 9900, VR IS, April 2 at 1314-1315*, `Laudetur` and to open carrier for a while. This is conclusion of the half-sesquihour in Chinese via Novosibirsk, RUSSIA at 111 degrees.

15235, at 1353 April 2, song in Vietnamese, 1355 talk, with lotsa mentions of ``kilosik``, 1357 VR IS. This is conclusion of the half-sesquihour in Vietnamese direct from SMG at 72 degrees, and way off-target here (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

UNIDENTIFIED. 11945, with a bad collision, April 2 at 1812, music and talk, but hard to make out details. Apparently during this hour we have NHK in Japanese via Issoudun, France, and CVC in Russian via Jülich, Germany (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ###