** ALBANIA [and non]. R. Tirana, 0000-0130 Albanian service to North America, 7425, Jan 23 at 2358 IS but poor signal, and not much audible after 0000. Chinese had been on 7425 around 2355, which is CRI via Kunming. CRI is also scheduled on 7425 in English via Kashgar at 00-01. R. Tirana`s other frequency from Shijak, 6130, had much better signal at 0006 Jan 24, no QRM, but just barely modulated.
Meanwhile noted rapid clicking QRM covering 7432-7436 or so which at first I thought was spur from DentroCuban jamming on 7405, but clix still there when jamming had ceased after 0000. Fortunately, no broadcasts scheduled on 7435 until 0030 (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** ARGENTINA. Since 11710v was reactivated on Jan 22-23, I look for the other frequency from same transmitter, 15345, at the earliest opportunity, scheduled from 2000 on Saturdays with R. Nacional relay. Jan 23 at 2057 there is a weak signal, sounds Spanish rather than Arabic --- where is Morocco? Is it off or not propagating? By 2157, 15345 considerably stronger and definitely in Spanish, 2100 precisely accurate 5-pip timesignal, and talking about Argentina. Still no sign of Morocco, no het. LRA close to 15345.0.
Next check at 2355 music and Argentine-accented talk, 2358 giving an e-mail address for R. Nacional, or maybe it was a government PSA. UT Jan 24: 0004 saying they were now transmitting from Mar del Plata. On UT Sundays they stay on 15345 until sign off nominally at 0230, while on Sundays they use 11710v instead from 1800 to 0300 UT Mondays.
As for the 25m channel, which I estimated at 11709.4 based on my one-kHz stepping up and down on the YB-400, Giampiero Bernardini in Italy was listening at about the same time from 0040 UT Jan 23, and put it on 11710.56 drifting upward very slowly by about 1 Hz per minute. He also has an FRG-7 but can measure frequencies much more accurately with SDR-IQ and/or AOR AR7030. Apparently I got it on the wrong side of the center channel.
Wolfgang Büschel reports that RAE is back on the air because a new tube has been installed, while Gabriel Iván Barrera previously told us that purchase of a whole new transmitter had been approved in November, so was there a misunderstanding or is the new transmitter still on the way? (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** ECUADOR [non]. HCJB via CVC CHILE, 11920 in Portuguese, Jan 24 at 0008 *still* with dirty FMy mushy spurs including obviously // audio around 11900 and 11940. How can either organization allow these to go on and on? Is anyone paying attention? (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** U S A. Lavwadlamerik, again Jan 23 with fill-in secret transmission on 15390 until 2100* sharp, and up on successor 13725 at *2102:30. After 2200, 15390 was off while 13725 remained on; and by 2201, 11905 had also come on late.
Another check at 2359: the secret 7590 channel, only fair signal, cut off with programming in progress at 2359:50*. Expected it back on within two minutes, but instead it did not resume until 0007 Jan 24. Wonder why it took so long.
Meanwhile I was also checking the VOA Spanish service which starts at 0000: 9885 was on with music fill shortly after, but // 5890 took a few more minutes to come up, confirmed at 0009.
Repeatedly not being able to start a transmission by the top of the hour certainly looks amateurish. Back at HQ they apparently don`t understand that frequency changes cannot be made in a few sex on these old transmitters, and need to build in flex programming time at the end of hours, or just plain pauses for switching time. Many other SW stations have the same disconnect (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** U S A [and non]. WTWW rock music and ID testing continued July 23 on 9480 until 1900 when as scheduled shifted to 9475 to avoid YFR. No difference in signal strength here, unlike some other places. Only problems, occasional usually brief carrier drops off the air due to some failsafe circuit, and I ceased to keep track of those exact lapses. 2200 back to 9480 still with VG signal. But must have faded down with the sun, as by 2355 was not hearing it at all, or maybe off; instead, some other weak station, probably the Tibetan service CNR-11 which starts 9480 at 2155 via Baoji-Sifangshan 724 site per Aoki.
Kept checking 5755 for WTWW`s evening test, but nothing there yet by 0009, while WWRB was in well on 5745, so WTWW must not have been on. Still no sign of it at 0054 so the 5755 test may have been scrubbed tonight (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ###
Meanwhile noted rapid clicking QRM covering 7432-7436 or so which at first I thought was spur from DentroCuban jamming on 7405, but clix still there when jamming had ceased after 0000. Fortunately, no broadcasts scheduled on 7435 until 0030 (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** ARGENTINA. Since 11710v was reactivated on Jan 22-23, I look for the other frequency from same transmitter, 15345, at the earliest opportunity, scheduled from 2000 on Saturdays with R. Nacional relay. Jan 23 at 2057 there is a weak signal, sounds Spanish rather than Arabic --- where is Morocco? Is it off or not propagating? By 2157, 15345 considerably stronger and definitely in Spanish, 2100 precisely accurate 5-pip timesignal, and talking about Argentina. Still no sign of Morocco, no het. LRA close to 15345.0.
Next check at 2355 music and Argentine-accented talk, 2358 giving an e-mail address for R. Nacional, or maybe it was a government PSA. UT Jan 24: 0004 saying they were now transmitting from Mar del Plata. On UT Sundays they stay on 15345 until sign off nominally at 0230, while on Sundays they use 11710v instead from 1800 to 0300 UT Mondays.
As for the 25m channel, which I estimated at 11709.4 based on my one-kHz stepping up and down on the YB-400, Giampiero Bernardini in Italy was listening at about the same time from 0040 UT Jan 23, and put it on 11710.56 drifting upward very slowly by about 1 Hz per minute. He also has an FRG-7 but can measure frequencies much more accurately with SDR-IQ and/or AOR AR7030. Apparently I got it on the wrong side of the center channel.
Wolfgang Büschel reports that RAE is back on the air because a new tube has been installed, while Gabriel Iván Barrera previously told us that purchase of a whole new transmitter had been approved in November, so was there a misunderstanding or is the new transmitter still on the way? (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** ECUADOR [non]. HCJB via CVC CHILE, 11920 in Portuguese, Jan 24 at 0008 *still* with dirty FMy mushy spurs including obviously // audio around 11900 and 11940. How can either organization allow these to go on and on? Is anyone paying attention? (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** U S A. Lavwadlamerik, again Jan 23 with fill-in secret transmission on 15390 until 2100* sharp, and up on successor 13725 at *2102:30. After 2200, 15390 was off while 13725 remained on; and by 2201, 11905 had also come on late.
Another check at 2359: the secret 7590 channel, only fair signal, cut off with programming in progress at 2359:50*. Expected it back on within two minutes, but instead it did not resume until 0007 Jan 24. Wonder why it took so long.
Meanwhile I was also checking the VOA Spanish service which starts at 0000: 9885 was on with music fill shortly after, but // 5890 took a few more minutes to come up, confirmed at 0009.
Repeatedly not being able to start a transmission by the top of the hour certainly looks amateurish. Back at HQ they apparently don`t understand that frequency changes cannot be made in a few sex on these old transmitters, and need to build in flex programming time at the end of hours, or just plain pauses for switching time. Many other SW stations have the same disconnect (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** U S A [and non]. WTWW rock music and ID testing continued July 23 on 9480 until 1900 when as scheduled shifted to 9475 to avoid YFR. No difference in signal strength here, unlike some other places. Only problems, occasional usually brief carrier drops off the air due to some failsafe circuit, and I ceased to keep track of those exact lapses. 2200 back to 9480 still with VG signal. But must have faded down with the sun, as by 2355 was not hearing it at all, or maybe off; instead, some other weak station, probably the Tibetan service CNR-11 which starts 9480 at 2155 via Baoji-Sifangshan 724 site per Aoki.
Kept checking 5755 for WTWW`s evening test, but nothing there yet by 0009, while WWRB was in well on 5745, so WTWW must not have been on. Still no sign of it at 0054 so the 5755 test may have been scrubbed tonight (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ###
