** ALASKA. 6890, KNLS, Nov 13 at 1417, P-F signal but no QRM here, praise music; 1419 admitting that 15% of today`s Americans profess no religious belief and proceeding to attack Deism, as illogical: since the Bible tells us that God created the world, how could he have lost interest? Or something equally illogical. 1422 back to music (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** BELGIUM. If it`s 9970, it must be RTBF, VG signal Nov 14 at 0805 with news in French about Guantánamo, diabetes, M&W alternating. As a non-native speaker, it seemed to me their French was perfectly Parisian, a delight to listen to. But is there really a Belgian accent easily discernible to the French French? Probably, but not to be used on the radio (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** CHINA. 8025-8080, Over the horizon radar pulsing, presumed from here, Nov 13 at 1432 (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** CHINA. Firedrake Nov 13 at 1433: nothing on 8400, 9000 but good on 10210. Around 1530 Nov 14: none of them (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** CHINA. 17710, CRI English at 0737 Nov 14 with Heartbeat, fair signal. Not something you would expect to hear in the nightmiddle from Beijing site aimed 193 degrees. 19m was also hopping with Eurasian signals (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** CUBA. 11600, no DentroCuban jamming at 1514 Nov 13, unlike the past two days. Perhaps they found out about this mistake from my previous reports and quickly fixed it, but that would be uncharacteristic.
11760, Nov 14 at 0734, VG in Spanish with MUF way up. RHC now in the eleventh day of not producing two dozen spurs from this frequency.
Three 49m channels // Spanish at 0746 Nov 14, but with progressively worse modulation. Clearest wideband on 6150, middling on 6140 and narrowband audio on 6120 (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** GREECE. 7475, playing ``Return to Sender``, I think originalversion by Elvis, lyrix in English, Nov 13 at 0616. Can this be Voice of Greece? Yes, // 9420, and soon followed by announcement in Greek.
12105 with Greek music, Nov 14 at 0734, fair signal and not // 9420. 0749 still Greek music. This hour is supposed to be in English, relay of the MW service R. Filia, but what good is it if they are just going to keep playing Greek music? Perhaps filling out hour starting with BBC relay earlier. At 0800, 12105 went into French YL. I wonder if that is really from Athens, or relaying RFI (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** INDIA. AIR 9470 Aligarh blobmess, Nov 13 at 1435 covering 9455-9465, bothering Russian KFBS on 9465, but not bothering the China radio war on 9450.
Nov 14 did not check until 1519 when signals were weaker, but believe the blob was still residing around 9460 (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** INDONESIA. 4750, RRI Makassar, Nov 13 at 1404, instead of news on the hour, phone conversation with laughing between M in studio and W on phone; fair signal this late.
VOI, 9525.9, still on the air in English at 1520 Nov 14, ID and slogan ``sound of dignity``, fair signal and modulation, atop the het from something on 9525.0. By 1558 could only hear the het, presumably from CRI English via Kashgar, East Turkistan at 15-17 (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** KOREA NORTH [non]. 5985, Shiokaze via JSR Japan, fair and clear Friday Nov 13 at 1411, M narrative about abduxions in the 1970s, no piano music now. Hard to understand English due to heavy accent, a marked difference with its neighbor NHKWNRJ on 5955, the robotic W newscaster and her too-precise enunciation (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** MEXICO. XEQM, 6104.8, best yet and totally in the clear at 0639 Nov 13 with hyper DJ, inserting ``Candela`` ID over music, and then fast 12:42 timecheck. Phone number for requests, apparently with birthday greetings; slogan ``la más grande`` instead of ``la mayor``. Some distortion as modulating too hard (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** NEW ZEALAND. I don`t know whether it was audible earlier, but at 1515 Nov 14, could not hear any RNZI on 6170, just a barely audible carrier. Nor on 7440. Nor at 1601 could I hear RNZI on either, with 7440 also squeezed by ChiComs on both sides. RNZI off the air or just not propagating?
Checked at 1801 UT Nov 14, website says: ``Schedule Change from 12 November 2009. 11 Nov, 2009 19:15 UTC: 6170 (AM) and 7440 (DRM) kHz new early morning frequency for Cook Islands, Samoa, Niue and Tonga``
No time, but looking elsewhere for the schedule, that refers to 1551-1750 UT. What it really means is that DRM and AM frequencies have been swapped during this time period, so not really applicable to the 6170 collision with Russia at 13-15 (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** PORTUGAL. Since it`s a weekend, we get a strong RDPI morning signal on 15560 aimed 300 degrees USward, Sat Nov 14 at 1554. Trouble is, the fado was being marred by squeal and distorted modulation. Also audible on // 15520 much weaker, and longpath echo. The latter is also on weekends only (unless there is a weekday futebol game), 144 degrees oppositeward. Never mind those: good modulation and good signal on 21655 at 1606 (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** SAUDI ARABIA. 11785, Buzzing service again audible but poorly Nov 13 at 1444. I wonder if this is same Riyadh transmitter which used to buzz on 21505 until 1500, and therefore the latter is off, or off earlier than before? Anyhow I have not been able to hear both at same time. After 1500, 15435 is still the address for this (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** SIERRA LEONE [non]. I am rarely monitoring so late, but after hearing BBC on 13820 Nov 14 at 0729, it was time to check for Cotton Tree News at 0730 on 11875. Nothing there at first, but when I retuned a few dekaseconds after 0730, there it was in English news with very heavy accent, QRM de WEWN on 11870. But why would he mention ``Chilean`` several times? O, I get it: that`s how the announcer pronounces ``Sierra Leone``. Would seem to need some dixion lessons, unless everybody says it that way, and who am I to criticize the SL dialect?
At 0733, ``This news is coming to you from CTN`` (just the abbreviation). Next check at 0752 two women were conversing, with even heavier accents, or was it the local language, or a mixture? I certainly heard some English words now and then. They were still going at 0800* sharp when transmission cut off abruptly, no closing, sign-off or goodybe until tomorrow. I suspect the start at *0730 was just as abrupt. After all this time, the studio and transmitter are still unable to coördinate, or have no concept of how to open and close a radio program. The transmitter being VTC Rampisham UK, so my getting Ascension just before it on 13820 was not really a tipoff to a nightmiddle European opening (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** U K [non]. 13820, BBCWS in English at 0729 Nov 14 plugging Have Your Say, surprisingly good signal from a band usually dead at this hour, but even 15 MHz had lots of signals on it. A-index the day before was 74, slightly up from the doldrums, K-index at 06 was 1, and at 09 was 2. 13820 is Ascension at 07-08, 250 kW, 55 degrees. So I check for SIERRA LEONE [non], q.v. (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** U S A [non]. 7215, SW Asian language at 1426 Nov 13 with English clips, website starting www. and ending .org, but missed the middle. Clear except for ham SSB ACI on the hi side, seems news after 1430. Aoki says: R. Liberty in Tajik, 14-15, 250 kW, 348 degrees from Sri Lanka, USward.
15205, VOA English, discussion of Hasan cut off abruptly at 1458*. It seems Washington is still having a hard time coordinating with transmitter sites, or more likely does not even try. This is Lampertheim, GERMANY, supposedly scheduled 1400-1500, 100 kW, 92 degrees. 15205 used to be a prime VOA channel for hours and hours, but now it`s shared with DW, CRI, Saudi. And the powers that be want to cut VOA English even further (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** U S A. WRMI has degraded audio, 9955 with VG S9+20 signal but distorted during R. Praga in Spanish at 0739 Nov 14. The same plus hum at 0804 with Antonio Buitrago of REE`s DX program discussing DRM. I think that was originally on several weeks ago, but now part of Frecuencia al Día. Carrier is also slightly unstable. Likewise during R. Prague in English at 1523, no jamming audible. But at 1559 WRMI`s own problem masked by DentroCuban jamming as Zion Fellowship was ending, 1600 DX Partyline starting.
Jeff White is aware of the problem and says it`s not the transmitter but a $3500 tube which should be replaced Sunday afternoon. Well, the modulator is part of the transmitter (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
UNIDENTIFIED. 6074, unlike the day before, no sign of 8GAL Nov 13 around 1400. In past, the exact time has varied considerably for this less-than-a-minute transmission (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ###
** BELGIUM. If it`s 9970, it must be RTBF, VG signal Nov 14 at 0805 with news in French about Guantánamo, diabetes, M&W alternating. As a non-native speaker, it seemed to me their French was perfectly Parisian, a delight to listen to. But is there really a Belgian accent easily discernible to the French French? Probably, but not to be used on the radio (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** CHINA. 8025-8080, Over the horizon radar pulsing, presumed from here, Nov 13 at 1432 (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** CHINA. Firedrake Nov 13 at 1433: nothing on 8400, 9000 but good on 10210. Around 1530 Nov 14: none of them (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** CHINA. 17710, CRI English at 0737 Nov 14 with Heartbeat, fair signal. Not something you would expect to hear in the nightmiddle from Beijing site aimed 193 degrees. 19m was also hopping with Eurasian signals (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** CUBA. 11600, no DentroCuban jamming at 1514 Nov 13, unlike the past two days. Perhaps they found out about this mistake from my previous reports and quickly fixed it, but that would be uncharacteristic.
11760, Nov 14 at 0734, VG in Spanish with MUF way up. RHC now in the eleventh day of not producing two dozen spurs from this frequency.
Three 49m channels // Spanish at 0746 Nov 14, but with progressively worse modulation. Clearest wideband on 6150, middling on 6140 and narrowband audio on 6120 (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** GREECE. 7475, playing ``Return to Sender``, I think originalversion by Elvis, lyrix in English, Nov 13 at 0616. Can this be Voice of Greece? Yes, // 9420, and soon followed by announcement in Greek.
12105 with Greek music, Nov 14 at 0734, fair signal and not // 9420. 0749 still Greek music. This hour is supposed to be in English, relay of the MW service R. Filia, but what good is it if they are just going to keep playing Greek music? Perhaps filling out hour starting with BBC relay earlier. At 0800, 12105 went into French YL. I wonder if that is really from Athens, or relaying RFI (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** INDIA. AIR 9470 Aligarh blobmess, Nov 13 at 1435 covering 9455-9465, bothering Russian KFBS on 9465, but not bothering the China radio war on 9450.
Nov 14 did not check until 1519 when signals were weaker, but believe the blob was still residing around 9460 (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** INDONESIA. 4750, RRI Makassar, Nov 13 at 1404, instead of news on the hour, phone conversation with laughing between M in studio and W on phone; fair signal this late.
VOI, 9525.9, still on the air in English at 1520 Nov 14, ID and slogan ``sound of dignity``, fair signal and modulation, atop the het from something on 9525.0. By 1558 could only hear the het, presumably from CRI English via Kashgar, East Turkistan at 15-17 (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** KOREA NORTH [non]. 5985, Shiokaze via JSR Japan, fair and clear Friday Nov 13 at 1411, M narrative about abduxions in the 1970s, no piano music now. Hard to understand English due to heavy accent, a marked difference with its neighbor NHKWNRJ on 5955, the robotic W newscaster and her too-precise enunciation (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** MEXICO. XEQM, 6104.8, best yet and totally in the clear at 0639 Nov 13 with hyper DJ, inserting ``Candela`` ID over music, and then fast 12:42 timecheck. Phone number for requests, apparently with birthday greetings; slogan ``la más grande`` instead of ``la mayor``. Some distortion as modulating too hard (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** NEW ZEALAND. I don`t know whether it was audible earlier, but at 1515 Nov 14, could not hear any RNZI on 6170, just a barely audible carrier. Nor on 7440. Nor at 1601 could I hear RNZI on either, with 7440 also squeezed by ChiComs on both sides. RNZI off the air or just not propagating?
Checked at 1801 UT Nov 14, website says: ``Schedule Change from 12 November 2009. 11 Nov, 2009 19:15 UTC: 6170 (AM) and 7440 (DRM) kHz new early morning frequency for Cook Islands, Samoa, Niue and Tonga``
No time, but looking elsewhere for the schedule, that refers to 1551-1750 UT. What it really means is that DRM and AM frequencies have been swapped during this time period, so not really applicable to the 6170 collision with Russia at 13-15 (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** PORTUGAL. Since it`s a weekend, we get a strong RDPI morning signal on 15560 aimed 300 degrees USward, Sat Nov 14 at 1554. Trouble is, the fado was being marred by squeal and distorted modulation. Also audible on // 15520 much weaker, and longpath echo. The latter is also on weekends only (unless there is a weekday futebol game), 144 degrees oppositeward. Never mind those: good modulation and good signal on 21655 at 1606 (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** SAUDI ARABIA. 11785, Buzzing service again audible but poorly Nov 13 at 1444. I wonder if this is same Riyadh transmitter which used to buzz on 21505 until 1500, and therefore the latter is off, or off earlier than before? Anyhow I have not been able to hear both at same time. After 1500, 15435 is still the address for this (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** SIERRA LEONE [non]. I am rarely monitoring so late, but after hearing BBC on 13820 Nov 14 at 0729, it was time to check for Cotton Tree News at 0730 on 11875. Nothing there at first, but when I retuned a few dekaseconds after 0730, there it was in English news with very heavy accent, QRM de WEWN on 11870. But why would he mention ``Chilean`` several times? O, I get it: that`s how the announcer pronounces ``Sierra Leone``. Would seem to need some dixion lessons, unless everybody says it that way, and who am I to criticize the SL dialect?
At 0733, ``This news is coming to you from CTN`` (just the abbreviation). Next check at 0752 two women were conversing, with even heavier accents, or was it the local language, or a mixture? I certainly heard some English words now and then. They were still going at 0800* sharp when transmission cut off abruptly, no closing, sign-off or goodybe until tomorrow. I suspect the start at *0730 was just as abrupt. After all this time, the studio and transmitter are still unable to coördinate, or have no concept of how to open and close a radio program. The transmitter being VTC Rampisham UK, so my getting Ascension just before it on 13820 was not really a tipoff to a nightmiddle European opening (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** U K [non]. 13820, BBCWS in English at 0729 Nov 14 plugging Have Your Say, surprisingly good signal from a band usually dead at this hour, but even 15 MHz had lots of signals on it. A-index the day before was 74, slightly up from the doldrums, K-index at 06 was 1, and at 09 was 2. 13820 is Ascension at 07-08, 250 kW, 55 degrees. So I check for SIERRA LEONE [non], q.v. (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** U S A [non]. 7215, SW Asian language at 1426 Nov 13 with English clips, website starting www. and ending .org, but missed the middle. Clear except for ham SSB ACI on the hi side, seems news after 1430. Aoki says: R. Liberty in Tajik, 14-15, 250 kW, 348 degrees from Sri Lanka, USward.
15205, VOA English, discussion of Hasan cut off abruptly at 1458*. It seems Washington is still having a hard time coordinating with transmitter sites, or more likely does not even try. This is Lampertheim, GERMANY, supposedly scheduled 1400-1500, 100 kW, 92 degrees. 15205 used to be a prime VOA channel for hours and hours, but now it`s shared with DW, CRI, Saudi. And the powers that be want to cut VOA English even further (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** U S A. WRMI has degraded audio, 9955 with VG S9+20 signal but distorted during R. Praga in Spanish at 0739 Nov 14. The same plus hum at 0804 with Antonio Buitrago of REE`s DX program discussing DRM. I think that was originally on several weeks ago, but now part of Frecuencia al Día. Carrier is also slightly unstable. Likewise during R. Prague in English at 1523, no jamming audible. But at 1559 WRMI`s own problem masked by DentroCuban jamming as Zion Fellowship was ending, 1600 DX Partyline starting.
Jeff White is aware of the problem and says it`s not the transmitter but a $3500 tube which should be replaced Sunday afternoon. Well, the modulator is part of the transmitter (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
UNIDENTIFIED. 6074, unlike the day before, no sign of 8GAL Nov 13 around 1400. In past, the exact time has varied considerably for this less-than-a-minute transmission (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ###
