lunedì 2 novembre 2009

Glenn Hauser logs November 1-2, 2009

** ALBANIA [and non]. R. Tirana monitoring Nov 1 into UT Nov 2: At 2258, just caught the last few notes of anthem as 7435 was closing daily Albanian sesquihour to Europe and North America. Very good S9+20 signal, but poor audio on worn-out (?) recording. Open carrier remained on past 2300.

Next broadcast is 0000-0130 in Albanian to NAm on 7425; and on 6110, which has been getting jammed by Cuba. At 2355, Tirana`s open carrier already on 6110 and in the clear, but at 2358 jamming appeared and ramped up steadily to full force as Tirana started modulating at 0000 Nov 2. But tonight, Albania`s signal is strong enough to fight the jamming, at least a more than equal mix, if not overcoming it completely. That`s gratifying, but RT should not have to cope with any jamming whatsoever on what would otherwise be a free frequency, and as we found most nights in previous week, the jamming was totally on top.

6110 was quite a bit stronger than // 7425 which also had adjacents squeezing both sides, Ascension and Sri Lanka and/or Armenia listed. RT was playing music until abrupt stop at 0028, then a talk feature, apparently a hookup with the Radio Kosova studio in Pristina for an historical discussion (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** BIAFRA [non]. Correxion to my Oct 30-31 report. The Friday date for VOBI via WHRI 15665 should have been Oct 30, not 29 (gh)

** BRAZIL. 11815, distorted Brazilian music, song sounded like a round, Nov 1 at 2339; good signal and blessedly free of the plus-one RHC spur from 11760 during this hour circa 11812 since that transmitter was on 19m: see CUBA. Identity of 11815 quickly confirmed as Rádio Brasil Central, Goiânia, by // 4985 now, which I was already hearing around 2300 as the best SAm signal on 60m, no contest compared to 5045, 4885, tho 5045 is usually best later at night (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** CHINA. Firedrake November 1 at 2306: poor with heavy flutter on 10210, just barely audible on 9000; at 2307 poor on 8400, but not // 10210, so must be the 6-minute displaced playback. Same frequencies we hear just about every morning (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** CUBA [and non]. Observations in the 2253-0039 period Nov 1-2, a time when I am not monitoring SW every day: At 2253, 17660 with S9+18 signal but distorted during music from RHC Spanish service, // 13790 synchronized, and an echo apart from 13760, 11800. The other RHC 16m frequency at this time, 17705 was just as strong, in French.

While tracking RHC and DCJC, also tried 9810 for R. República, but this time could hear nothing but jamming at several chex Nov 1 at 2302 and during the following sesquihour, unlike the night before.

RHC`s English hour at 2300 existed Nov 1 on 13790; at 2319 bitching about the blockade; at 2334 ``Ed Newman`` with mailbag letter from Tom Power in Canada. ``Tom Power`` sounds even more pseudonymous.

Now we know where they put the transmitter with two dozen spurs during the bihour it is not on 11760: previously heard at 22-23 spurring from 11670 with Venezuela relay; and at 23-24 it is on 15250, making the 19mb band a mess instead of 25. At 2320 Nov 1 found RNV with a statement in Spanish about Honduras, outroed in English. Fundamental is S9+20 but with hum and somewhat undermodulated.

Analog-tuning across 19m, we heard the same modulation and a whine every 50+ kHz, further out just the whine, same pattern as on 25m. 15250 was a smidgin on the hi side, but ignoring that, spur minus 1 we put at 15198.9 with plenty of audio, i.e. 51.1 kHz displacement, so the others are multiples of that, detectable down eight steps to 14841.2 and nine steps up to 15709.9. Along the way, more mushy QRM blobs centered on 14994.5 and 15556.6 bothered WWVH which was IDing on 15000 at 2329 and Radio Australia in English on 15560.

And what became of the other frequency for RNV at 23-24, 13680? No sign of it any time during the hour. This is the only RNV daily hour which had been running on two frequencies. But then, the 17 spurs from 15250, potentially 24, more than compensate for it. I am amazed that apparently no one else has noticed or reported these, which must have been happening since at least October 10 when we first found all the spurs surrounding 11760.

At 2340 I went looking for RHC`s Esperanto service, supposedly scheduled during this semihour on Sundays only. Instead heard uncharacteristically soft choral music and eventually Spanish announcements in // on 5965, 6120, 9600, 11690. Nothing audible on 9640, 6000 or any other RHC frequency I could think of.

Contrary to the wacky transmission schedule presented in Spanish, this one presented in Esperanto shows the frekvencoj for 2330-2400 as
5965, 6120 and 9600:
http://www.radiohc.cu/esperanto/c_frecuencia/frecuencias.htm
Esperanto did make an appearance earlier today at 1504 on 11760.

R. Prague, English on 5930 at 2341 Nov 1, bothered by clix, probably spur from heavy Cuban jamming on 5890 (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) More on Cuban jamming: see ALBANIA; USA: VOA, WRMI

** EGYPT. R. Cairo, English to WNAm on 7580 with good signal Sunday Nov 1 at 2350, YL concluding ``Life in Egypt`` segment with credits; modulation level good at the moment but audio muffled on mike, good on music. 2352 next show ``Questions & Answers``, starting with birdwatching, a pastime which is ``in its infancy`` in Egypt, but a good location on migratory routes between Europe and Africa (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** GUAM. Without even trying, confirmed at least one AWR Wavescan time is unchanged via KSDA, UT Sunday 2230 on 15320. As I bandscanned across the channel Nov 1 at 2252, there was the JSWC YL`s voice recognizable despite the flutter and echoes on poor signal here. On the assumption that the same English broadcasts on Sundays as previously still carry that program, those have been included in my DX/SWL/Media programs reference with frequencies changed for B-09 at
http://www.worldofradio.com/dxpgms.html (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) See also USA: WRMI

** GUINEA. 7125, RTG or Radio Conakry, Nov 1 at 2309 in hilife music, fair signal with fading, and good modulation. I have not had any luck hearing it from nominal sign-on 0600; the nominal sign-off is 2400. Brian Alexander had heard them go off abruptly at 2020* this day, but they certainly came back; a holdout in the mostly evacuated hamband (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** INDIA [and non]. The AIR Aligarh blob which has been infesting the mornings circa nominal 9470 is also audible in the evenings here. It`s the National Channel`s all-night service scheduled straight through from 1318 to 0040 UT. Nov 1 at 2304 there was the mushy blob covering 9460-9470 and mixing with Spanish preaching at center 9465: YFR via GUIANA FRENCH at 22-24, 500 kW, 215 degrees, tsk2 (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** NETHERLANDS [non]. 11655, RNW in Spanish, announcing frequencies at odd time of 2336 UT Sunday Nov 1, then mailbag/DX show Cartas Arroba RN with Jaime Báguena. Fair signal but QRM under sounded like Spe-cial Eng-lish. Guess what: both of these are IBB signals, so they should know about each other: RN via Greenville, 250 kW, 160 degrees at 2300-2357; and VOA via Thailand, 250 kW, 30 degrees USward at 2330-2400 (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** POLAND [non]. 11675, via AUSTRIA, Nov 1 at 1336 Slawek Szefs giving an ID as ``Polish Radio Warsaw`` so I guess that is still kosher, if not official; or should it be with a comma, ``Polish Radio, Warsaw``? Anyhow, next ID I heard from someone else at 1353 more conventionally said ``Polish Radio External Service``. Ditto, comma question. Just don`t call them ``Radio Polonia``! This is harder for Spanish speakers to avoid, since Polonia is the name of the country in that language. Look for and please confirm their Multimedia show which should now appear Thursdays around 1323-1345, also on // 11860 eastward from UK (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** PRIDNESTROVYE. Radio PMR is on winter frequency of 6240, where I expected it to be since that`s the site for Voice of Russia to NAm after 2300 on same, ex-9665 in A-09. Nov 1 at 2311 intermittent tones in typical Russian site tune-up style, 2315 ``This is Tiráspol``, actually pronounced Radio DMR this time, and into usual stilted propaganda in English. At 2354 tuneby even more stilted in German, and presumably in stilted French betwixt. This 2315-2400 service is M-F in local terms, i.e. UT Sunday-Thursday (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** U S A. From what happened in the morning of Nov 1, VOA Spanish appearing contrary to its own initial B-09 schedule, I was expecting more contradixions in the evening, and was not to be disappointed.

It had been at 2300-2400 UT on 9885, 5940 and 5890. At 2255, there was an open carrier on 9885, but off at 2257.

At 2300, 5890 had no trace of VOA, just DentroCuban jamming, which still expected VOA to be there. No VOA or jamming on the third frequency, 5940. 9885 remained unoccupied. Obviously the Spanish hour was not going to show up between 23 and 24 as it had through October.

So I start looking again before 2400. At 2355, 5890 is still heavily jammed, but the open carrier is back on 9885. At 0000 Nov 2, instead of VOA Spanish programming we get fill music in // on those two, still nothing on 5940. The jamming level on 5890 is decreasing, or at least the VOA non-programming is achieving an S/N advantage at the outset.

Final check at 0037 found no signal on 5890, so Greenville apparently concluded by then that they were wasting watts with fill music. Perhaps from Monday there will axually be some Spanish programming, if Wáshington and Greenville can get coördinated.

Meanwhile, Dragan Lekic in Serbia found an updated VOA Spanish schedule, effective Nov 1, all Greenville, with azimuths, confirming the one-hour-later timeshifts for convenience only of Washingtonians:
SPANISH
0000-0100   5890/174   9885/183
1230-1300   9885/205  13715/176  15590/164  [MO-FR]
1300-1400   9885/205  13715/176  15590/164
(Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** U S A. Not only was AWR Wavescan on KSDA [see GUAM] but at the same time on originating station WRMI, Sunday Nov 1 at 2256, altho I can`t be sure it was the same edition, wrapup giving P-address in Indianapolis, voice sounded like Allen Graham, but this was no DX Partyline(?). Fair signal on 9955, no jamming.

Next check a few minutes later at 2300, nothing but jamming and no WRMI audible. For once the DentroCuban Jamming Command is coördinated on when to start jamming as the 2300 program is Voz de la Coordinadora. WRMI has a few other exile programs until 0300 UT Monday, but mostly not and partly in English. Are they all getting jammed, anyway? (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** U S A. WBCQ is making numerous programming changes this week on 7415, basically to clear everything off the Saturday schedule except two hours of Brother Scare, UT Sundays. Among the moveouts is Marion`s Attic, which had been at 2100 UT Saturdays, but we heard the Oct 31 edition announce that it is moving to 5 pm EST Sundays in November. We thought this might mean already Nov 1, but no, as Allan Weiner Worldwide was still occupying the 22-23 UT hour as heard upwrapping at 2258. Signal getting fluttery already, after dark in Monticello.

Shortly afterward, Area 51 on 5110v was more solid with an oldtime radio SF drama at 2313. Per this week`s sked at
http://www.worldmicroscope.com/?p=1423 it was X Minus One from 8/11/1955, ``Almost Human`` episode. It seems that Area 51 now starts at 2300 on Sat & Sun, 0100 UT Tue-Sat, commencing on UT Fridays with WORLD OF RADIO (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** U S A [and non]. WWCR-1 confirmed on new 3230, from *2300 Nov 1, quick change from 7465 which announced the QSY a minute before. It seems we aren`t hearing much steel drumming any more for the transitions. VG signal on both, while WWRB is already on 3215, the WWCR frequency it previously usurped, but WWCR still gets to use that after 0200.

WWCR on 3230 may be bad news for Radio El Sol de los Andes, Juliaca, Perú, still listed in Aoki, and in WRTH 2009 as irregular with 1 kW. But I haven`t seen any reports of it for ages. WRTH gives callsign as OBX72, which can`t be correct as the last character is always a letter, probably should be Z. It doesn`t even appear in the archive of
http://www.mcdxt.it/LASWLOGS.html tho a 3230v Brazilian does, from over five years ago (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** U S A. NMN, USCG Chesapeake VA, heard in SSB // on 12778 and 13089 at 2331 Nov 1 with robot feigning human male voice in frequency announcement already in progress, about a change in schedule I wish I could have copied from the outset. Mentioned other NM- callsigns. 13089, heard first, was quite distorted, and I wondered if it were a spur. Halfway between the two would be 12933.5, but did not check that in time before they went off with `end` (English for ``final``) at 2333 (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** VENEZUELA [non]. See CUBA for RNV on 15250 plus spurs, not 13680

UNIDENTIFIED. 6940.2, must be a pirate, seems like on AM, Nov 1 at 2344 with an old song from the 20s or 30s; by next check at 2348 it had faded to JBA, as I checked the sidebands and found upper and lower about equal along with what was left of the carrier (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ###