giovedì 30 aprile 2009

Glenn Hauser logs April 29-30, 2009

** CHINA [and non]. Not only does the new Firedrake frequency 15600 block the newly discovered RHC mixing product in our mornings, Commies vs Commies, but at 2145 UT I was again hearing Firedrake on 15600, now underneath some religionist in Spanish, which would be WFYR 44 degrees to Europe at 1900-2245 including this hour in Spanish. Per Aoki, other collateral damage victims on 15600 are Iran in English at 1030-1127, and CRI in Malaysian via Kunming at 1230-1327.

East Asian conditions were excellent the morning of April 30, on 9-12 MHz but not higher: 13970 Firedrake was just barely audible at 1305, but not on 15600; and 13970 was missing at next check 1312. Perhaps the ChiCom determined that Sound of Hope was off the air by then. At 1338, FD on 9000 was good but much weaker on // 8400. Numerous CNR1 program jammers were to be found inside the 9 and 11 MHz bands, such as 9605, 9845, 11775, 11785, 12040 (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** CUBA. Altho previously RHC English on 6000 and 6010 were found to be synchronized, they were again an echo apart with different feed routings when checked at 0528 UT April 30.

My local noise level abated, I fear only temporarily, April 30 at 1312 so I could make out RHC in Spanish on 13880, the weak leapfrog mixing product of 13680 over 13780 (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** CUBA [non]. R. República`s new 9840, via UK? Survived another day without being hit by the DentroCuban Jamming Command, as still in the clear at 2145 check April 29; presumably running 2100-2300 (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** KOREA NORTH [and non]. 9665v, April 30 at 1347, harmonious Juche music from KCBS, low het no doubt from Mongolia as confirmed by Martien Groot, Netherlands. VOM might have picked a better new frequency. VOK also inbooming in stilted English, different music on 9335 and 11710 (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** SOLOMON ISLANDS. 9541.5, giveaway off-frequency for SIBC, making a good het with China 9540.0, April 30 at 1329 during above normal FE conditions. I was able to make out a bit of BBC English and // 9740 Singapore altho not synchronized during news headlines on the half-hour. But at 1332 they went their separate ways. I wonder which BBC stream feed SIBC is getting to relay? I also wonder why they bother as BBCWS is surely better audible on several of its own frequencies in the Pacific during these hours, but no complaints as this at least audiblizes Solomons even unto Central North America (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** THAILAND [and non]. 9455, R. Thailand via Udorn, April 30 at 1336 in Thai, but with co-channel QRM, off-frequency enough to make a rumble. Seems to be another Asian language! 1345 heard the QRM giving an address in USA, and YFR theme. Theme again at 1358. R. Thailand also had QRM from the Brother Scare spur on 9453 from WWRB 9385, no thanks to Dave Frantz, and as usual that was even stronger on the 9317 match. Thailand has English after 1400, but altho the co-channel was off by then, reception deteriorated, as Thailand switched from favorable 54 degree azimuth to unfavorable 132.

Per Aoki, the offender is YFR in Vietnamese via Tainan, Taiwan, 1300-1400, 100 kW at 267 degrees. So during that hour we have Taiwan and Thailand crossing beams on 9455. During the first semihour, Thailand is 54 in Japanese, then 30 in Mandarin. Taiwan transmissions are forbidden by the ChiCom to appear in HFCC, so IBB, which handles frequency management for NBT Thailand, may have assumed there is no collision. If one actually monitors the channel as far away as Oklahoma, or consults the unofficial Aoki list, one learns the truth. Perhaps IBB should also get together with the YFR frequency manager (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** ZAMBIA [and non]. 13590, April 30 at 1310 a guy in English sounding rather like Keith Perron until he started going on and on about God --- i.e. CVC Lusaka at 315 degrees toward Upper Michigan. But with co-channel from something unintelligible. That must be VOR Mongolian service via Novosibirsk, as scheduled with 100 kW, 110 degrees per Aoki (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ###