** CUBA [and non]. Anomaly observations Jan 10: at 0628, RHC 6150 missing. 6140 in Spanish today, with bigger signal and modulation than usual, so suspected that was the ex-6150 transmitter, // 6120 with pre-revolutionary historical talk. However, at 0700 check, 6150 back on. 6060 was continuing in English after 6010 had gone off.
At 1423, usual huge S9+22 signal on 13780, but modulation cutting on only at extremely distorted spikes; wiggle that patchcord! And the other equally big signal on 22m, 13680 was nothing but open carrier. // 13770 from other site and CRI relay 13740 were nominal, i.e. much weaker and somewhat undermodulated. At 1426, these two were mixing equally on leapfrog 13710 without any AIRGOS audible; but after 1500 interfering with the word of Allah from BSKSA HQS.
At 1428, more problems: 15120 nothing but open carrier, 15360 OK with modulation. Next check at 1453, 13780 was back to normal modulation, but 13680 was off as often happens on Sunday due to pending Aló, Presidente requirements, whether el Hugazo is a no-show or not (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) See VENEZUELA [non]
** CUBA [non]. 13820, R. Martí with another of its excellent apolitical cultural programs, Sunday Jan 10 at 1432, biography of modern-tango composer Astor Piazzolla with his music constantly playing in background, occasionally foreground. This frequency remained more or less atop the DentroCuban Jamming Command, unlike 15330, which is so paranoid it even has to block a program about Argentine music; I stuck with it for 25 minutes, instead of simultaneous La Cultura en Cuba from RHC with all its modulation problems, and risk of irrelevant revolutionary rhetoric.
Martí show ended with final tango chords at 1457, but NO program outro, no name of show, no credits, right into H1N1 PSA. This really annoys me about R. Martí and it`s frequently the case. Also annoying was the otherwise excellent narrator butchering several foreign names, such as Nadia Boulanger, the French music guru to so many including Piazzolla, pronouncing her ``Búlanguer``.
R. Martí website has a full-week program grid at http://www.martinoticias.com/rdprogramacion.aspx
which automatically shows today`s date, and already starts tomorrow Jan 11 according to the headers, but what about today?! Also shows times in EDT and GMT rather than EST and UT! Wake up, OCB!
As of next Sunday, anyway, this semihour must be ``Arte Latino``, and also airs Saturdays at 1430 (displaying 1330 GMT, but 9:30 am ``EDT``, so read the EDT times as EST, and ignore the GMTs which are one hour off.) Hotlink on the title http://www.martinoticias.com/programDesc.aspx?id=225
produces a javascript pop-up which is --- empty!
Before starting ``Resumen Semanal``, at 1501 promo for ``Estéreo``, a somewhat misleading title for a shortwave program, airing M-F at 8 pm, with all the latest rock hits and interviews; sounds like a frenetic feast for the juveniles. Guess what --- no sign of it on the program grid supposedly dated for the week to come. Instead listed at 8 pm ``EDT`` is ``Revista Informativa – Contacto Cuba``.
So any resemblance between what`s on the grid and what`s on the air is purely coincidental. But we also see ``Arte Latino`` again during that semihour on weekends (meaning UT Sun and Mon 0100-0130), and there are yet more airings listed Sat & Sun at 2130 UT, all of which must be confirmed before they can be believed. Geez, what a SNAFU operation, in its own way no better than RHC; or could it be that lack of concern for accuracy is just a Cuban cultural characteristic, Dentro- and Fuera-? (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** CYPRUS. 9100-9125, OTH radar pulsing, Jan 10 at 1409, presumed from here rather than China since it`s 25 kHz wide, atop some 2-way Spanish SSB circa 9119, and some digital utility in the middle of the range (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** EQUATORIAL GUINEA. 6250, no sign of a signal from RNGE at 0627 Jan 10, while it was quite good 24 hours earlier. Later sign on, Sundays, or just another irregularity (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** GREECE. VOG, Jan 10 at 0626, good on 7475 with Greek Orthodox chanting, // weaker 9420, so two transmitters are running, but is there a third? From a land where there is no separation of church and state, Sunday morning services taking up 2+ hours of public airtime. Fortunately, the rest of us can just enjoy this for the music without the baggage of belief, thank you very much to the broke Greek taxpayers (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** INDONESIA. 9526-, VOI carrier detectable around 1355 Jan 10, and retuned just in time at 1406:30 to hear a few notes of music before it cut off the air at approximately 1406:38* (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** LAOS [non]. 11785 was lacking any WHRI signal Sat Jan 9 before 1500, so Hmong Lao Radio was gone again, and the same situation Sunday Jan 10 at 1413 check; just some weak Chinese audible on frequency, which is CRI via Kashgar, East Turkistan. WHR online program schedule search at 1630 Jan 10 claims HLR is still running on 11785 Sat & Sun 14-15 (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** MALAYSIA. 5030, where I have been lamenting about CNR1 always covering Sarawak in our mornings, but not any more. As first observed by Ron Howard Jan 9, CNR1 is gone from this frequency. No help here yet as only a very weak carrier on 5030 Jan 10 at 1348, no match for adjacent Rebelde 5025. Now the challenge will be to pull in RMS late enough to have Cuba weakened, but not so late that itself is outfading; on until 1600* which is far too late here even in winter. Judging from the co-channel it used to impose under CNR1, 10 kW Kuching should make it adequately on a better day also the CNR signal helped to muscle aside Cuba. WRTH 2010 says the RTM Sarawak IS is ``a musical phrase (played on a native instrument, the Sape), alternating between A and F``.
S. Hasegawa confirms CNR1 is gone from 5030, possibly replaced by 6125, and 9675 in the daytime (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** PALAU. Re my previous report, T8WH 9965 carrying a Spanish program, Sat Jan 9 at 1430, La Verdad para el Mundo. On Jan 10 I am able to check the online schedule, which shows:
1430-1445 Sa Truth for the World Don Blackwell & Jim Dearman 9965
As if it were in English. Perhaps the programmers decided to switch to their Spanish version, or WHR downloaded the wrong one (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** PHILIPPINES [non]. 11715, RVA via VATICAN, Jan 10 at 1506 totally in English instead of Tagalog, with religious service, first a prayer interrupted by amens, guitar hymn, 1509 let us pray again, ``the liturgy of the word``, and lite reverb/echo. 1510 modulation drops down for a few seconds; at first thought an open carrier had come on atop. Further chex: 1521 still sermon in English with an accent I can`t place but maybe Tagalog, ditto 1529, 1541. So is it in English consistently on Sundays? At some points, especially the hymn with guitar accompaniment, one might have taken this for KJES, but no robokids, so surely still absent (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** TURKEY. VOT English at 1330-1420v on 12035 is getting worse and worse. Jan 9 audio was degraded, but Jan 10 at 1420 despite S9+15 signal level, just barely modulated as I could detect the sign-off in English; 1422 check // 15300, fast rippling het with RFI during last few notes of VOT IS (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** VENEZUELA [non]. Aló, Presidente check, via CUBA, Sunday Jan 10: At 1542, open carrier on 12010, a frequency used only for Aló, Presidente whether it be fulfilled or not. No carrier on 13750 yet. Weak carrier on 17750, could not tell whether Cuba, but nothing else is scheduled.
However, at 1715 recheck, El Hugazo was proclaiming on VG 13750, much weaker 12010, and possibly 17750 as something was there, so A,P started sometime in between, unknown when. However, another frequency which previously and supposedly carries A,P, 13680, was instead in regular RHC programming, // 11730, 11760, etc. Too much RTTY on 11690 to be sure whether or which programming was on there.
Say, what about RNV`s own SW service? Their new dentroVenezuelan site at Calabozo, south of Caracas, was supposedly going to be on air by December (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ###
At 1423, usual huge S9+22 signal on 13780, but modulation cutting on only at extremely distorted spikes; wiggle that patchcord! And the other equally big signal on 22m, 13680 was nothing but open carrier. // 13770 from other site and CRI relay 13740 were nominal, i.e. much weaker and somewhat undermodulated. At 1426, these two were mixing equally on leapfrog 13710 without any AIRGOS audible; but after 1500 interfering with the word of Allah from BSKSA HQS.
At 1428, more problems: 15120 nothing but open carrier, 15360 OK with modulation. Next check at 1453, 13780 was back to normal modulation, but 13680 was off as often happens on Sunday due to pending Aló, Presidente requirements, whether el Hugazo is a no-show or not (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) See VENEZUELA [non]
** CUBA [non]. 13820, R. Martí with another of its excellent apolitical cultural programs, Sunday Jan 10 at 1432, biography of modern-tango composer Astor Piazzolla with his music constantly playing in background, occasionally foreground. This frequency remained more or less atop the DentroCuban Jamming Command, unlike 15330, which is so paranoid it even has to block a program about Argentine music; I stuck with it for 25 minutes, instead of simultaneous La Cultura en Cuba from RHC with all its modulation problems, and risk of irrelevant revolutionary rhetoric.
Martí show ended with final tango chords at 1457, but NO program outro, no name of show, no credits, right into H1N1 PSA. This really annoys me about R. Martí and it`s frequently the case. Also annoying was the otherwise excellent narrator butchering several foreign names, such as Nadia Boulanger, the French music guru to so many including Piazzolla, pronouncing her ``Búlanguer``.
R. Martí website has a full-week program grid at http://www.martinoticias.com/rdprogramacion.aspx
which automatically shows today`s date, and already starts tomorrow Jan 11 according to the headers, but what about today?! Also shows times in EDT and GMT rather than EST and UT! Wake up, OCB!
As of next Sunday, anyway, this semihour must be ``Arte Latino``, and also airs Saturdays at 1430 (displaying 1330 GMT, but 9:30 am ``EDT``, so read the EDT times as EST, and ignore the GMTs which are one hour off.) Hotlink on the title http://www.martinoticias.com/programDesc.aspx?id=225
produces a javascript pop-up which is --- empty!
Before starting ``Resumen Semanal``, at 1501 promo for ``Estéreo``, a somewhat misleading title for a shortwave program, airing M-F at 8 pm, with all the latest rock hits and interviews; sounds like a frenetic feast for the juveniles. Guess what --- no sign of it on the program grid supposedly dated for the week to come. Instead listed at 8 pm ``EDT`` is ``Revista Informativa – Contacto Cuba``.
So any resemblance between what`s on the grid and what`s on the air is purely coincidental. But we also see ``Arte Latino`` again during that semihour on weekends (meaning UT Sun and Mon 0100-0130), and there are yet more airings listed Sat & Sun at 2130 UT, all of which must be confirmed before they can be believed. Geez, what a SNAFU operation, in its own way no better than RHC; or could it be that lack of concern for accuracy is just a Cuban cultural characteristic, Dentro- and Fuera-? (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** CYPRUS. 9100-9125, OTH radar pulsing, Jan 10 at 1409, presumed from here rather than China since it`s 25 kHz wide, atop some 2-way Spanish SSB circa 9119, and some digital utility in the middle of the range (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** EQUATORIAL GUINEA. 6250, no sign of a signal from RNGE at 0627 Jan 10, while it was quite good 24 hours earlier. Later sign on, Sundays, or just another irregularity (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** GREECE. VOG, Jan 10 at 0626, good on 7475 with Greek Orthodox chanting, // weaker 9420, so two transmitters are running, but is there a third? From a land where there is no separation of church and state, Sunday morning services taking up 2+ hours of public airtime. Fortunately, the rest of us can just enjoy this for the music without the baggage of belief, thank you very much to the broke Greek taxpayers (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** INDONESIA. 9526-, VOI carrier detectable around 1355 Jan 10, and retuned just in time at 1406:30 to hear a few notes of music before it cut off the air at approximately 1406:38* (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** LAOS [non]. 11785 was lacking any WHRI signal Sat Jan 9 before 1500, so Hmong Lao Radio was gone again, and the same situation Sunday Jan 10 at 1413 check; just some weak Chinese audible on frequency, which is CRI via Kashgar, East Turkistan. WHR online program schedule search at 1630 Jan 10 claims HLR is still running on 11785 Sat & Sun 14-15 (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** MALAYSIA. 5030, where I have been lamenting about CNR1 always covering Sarawak in our mornings, but not any more. As first observed by Ron Howard Jan 9, CNR1 is gone from this frequency. No help here yet as only a very weak carrier on 5030 Jan 10 at 1348, no match for adjacent Rebelde 5025. Now the challenge will be to pull in RMS late enough to have Cuba weakened, but not so late that itself is outfading; on until 1600* which is far too late here even in winter. Judging from the co-channel it used to impose under CNR1, 10 kW Kuching should make it adequately on a better day also the CNR signal helped to muscle aside Cuba. WRTH 2010 says the RTM Sarawak IS is ``a musical phrase (played on a native instrument, the Sape), alternating between A and F``.
S. Hasegawa confirms CNR1 is gone from 5030, possibly replaced by 6125, and 9675 in the daytime (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** PALAU. Re my previous report, T8WH 9965 carrying a Spanish program, Sat Jan 9 at 1430, La Verdad para el Mundo. On Jan 10 I am able to check the online schedule, which shows:
1430-1445 Sa Truth for the World Don Blackwell & Jim Dearman 9965
As if it were in English. Perhaps the programmers decided to switch to their Spanish version, or WHR downloaded the wrong one (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** PHILIPPINES [non]. 11715, RVA via VATICAN, Jan 10 at 1506 totally in English instead of Tagalog, with religious service, first a prayer interrupted by amens, guitar hymn, 1509 let us pray again, ``the liturgy of the word``, and lite reverb/echo. 1510 modulation drops down for a few seconds; at first thought an open carrier had come on atop. Further chex: 1521 still sermon in English with an accent I can`t place but maybe Tagalog, ditto 1529, 1541. So is it in English consistently on Sundays? At some points, especially the hymn with guitar accompaniment, one might have taken this for KJES, but no robokids, so surely still absent (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** TURKEY. VOT English at 1330-1420v on 12035 is getting worse and worse. Jan 9 audio was degraded, but Jan 10 at 1420 despite S9+15 signal level, just barely modulated as I could detect the sign-off in English; 1422 check // 15300, fast rippling het with RFI during last few notes of VOT IS (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** VENEZUELA [non]. Aló, Presidente check, via CUBA, Sunday Jan 10: At 1542, open carrier on 12010, a frequency used only for Aló, Presidente whether it be fulfilled or not. No carrier on 13750 yet. Weak carrier on 17750, could not tell whether Cuba, but nothing else is scheduled.
However, at 1715 recheck, El Hugazo was proclaiming on VG 13750, much weaker 12010, and possibly 17750 as something was there, so A,P started sometime in between, unknown when. However, another frequency which previously and supposedly carries A,P, 13680, was instead in regular RHC programming, // 11730, 11760, etc. Too much RTTY on 11690 to be sure whether or which programming was on there.
Say, what about RNV`s own SW service? Their new dentroVenezuelan site at Calabozo, south of Caracas, was supposedly going to be on air by December (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ###
