** BRAZIL [and non]. Just as I tune across 9695, Feb 5 at 1236, I hear ``Fundação Rio Mar`` mentioned in Brazilian, so no waiting required for an ID from R. Rio Mar, Manáus, making an awful het of about 0.2 kHz with something in Thai on 9695.0, i.e. R. Japan aimed Thaiward from Yamata, whilst Rio Mar is Africaward at 70 degrees, both per Aoki; and NHK soon overtaking (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** CHAD. 6165, checking for Chad Feb 5 at 0558 just in time to hear some hilife music with SAH from weak open carrier, and start of French announcement before Bonaire blasted on at 0559 with tone and RNW IS starting Dutch to NAm. Anyhow, that was enough to confirm RNT active on 6165, the interim carrier probably Croatia (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** COLOMBIA. 2980, Feb 5 at 0614 just barely audible music, presumed HJAY Barranquilla. Wish they would turn up the power a bit on the second harmonic (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** CUBA [and non]. 11705, I noticed an open carrier shortly after 1300 Feb 5, presumed no quick turn-off for the Venezuela relay at 12-13; but at 1315 still OC here with occasional clicking.
11600, DentroCuban Jamming Command noise starts at *1557 Feb 5. Ramping up a bit ahead of hourtop is typical. Still going strong at 1800. I still have not been able to uncover any victim beneath the noise, but I have an unconfirmed report that Radio República is running a low-power transmitter from California. Can anyone detect that, perhaps closer to the site, or closer to Cuba in the skip zone of the jamming??
I`ve been hearing this `jamming against nothing`(?), several weeks on 11600 in the daytime as late as 2200, and even in the nightmiddle. If RR is the cause, they need to wise up and jump to different clear frequencies. Anyhow it ties up jammers which might be doing more damage somewhere else, à la Sound of Hope`s teeny ham transmitters vs Firedrake (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) More on jamming: see USA: WRMI
** ETHIOPIA. 7110.0, Feb 5 at 0549 with Horn of Africa music, 0550 announcement and more music, fair. Always seems odd to hear them at this time, almost 9 am local, but has to be R. Ethiopia, domestic service scheduled 03-21 overall per WRTH.
Aoki, however, shows this frequency OFF the air at 05-08 except weekends, and Uganda starting at 0600, but there have been NO reports in years of Uganda really on 7110. Also a weaker signal with music on 7175, no doubt more from Ethiopia, but nothing on 7165 except hams (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** INDONESIA. 9526-, VOI at 1307 Feb 5 in English, presumed news but too undermodulated to follow, especially with the propagational fades being louder. 3325, RRI Palangkaraya was also in later in the hour, mostly music (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** IRAN. 15545, at 1420 Feb 5, Qur`an with long pauses, fluttery signal peaking S9+8; 1442 conversation in Arabic. This is VIRI which has a very long continuous Arabic broadcast 0530-1628 via Sirjan, 500 kW, 295 degrees, per Aoki (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** MOROCCO [and non]. RTM normally switches from 15341 to 15345 around 1500, but Feb 5 it was already on 15345 at 1418, undermodulated and with usual whine, leaving 15340 clear for HCJB Australia, which was inaudible. This transmission is supposedly not among those HCJB has suspended because of wind damage to antennas, and often does not propagate here anyway.
Recheck at 1802, Arabic music still on 15345, and I think the whine is still self-imposed, not a het from Argentina if it is still there, as usual blocked by Morocco during European service (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** NETHERLANDS [non]. I`m such a lucky guy; once again quite by chance without any conscious intent, I am tuned to 9670 for RNW`s easily missed one-minute English broadcast! Feb 5 at 1256 I hear the RNW IS, 1257-1258* interview in English with a kid about something.
What is really happening: this is the tail end of the 1230 Dutch transmission to Indonesia via IBB Tinian, where they don`t cut it off when it`s really over at 1257, and the program feed circuit switches to English in progress for reasons unknown (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** SAUDI ARABIA. 15435, Feb 5 from *1456.6 with carrier, Arabic modulation with conversation from 1457.4: BSKSA remains in whack, good modulation and just occupying its proper bandwidth. Only problem is a bit of whine with varying pitch, but not too bad, noted at 1511 but continuous (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** SUDAN [non]. 15670, Míraya FM at 1419 Feb 5 with African music, via IRRS via SLOVAKIA. Propagation not so good today and weaker at 1443 when it had already started talking, intonation sounding English. A bit better at next check 1511, with usual mix of English and Arabic dialect from one sentence to the next, about Juba, Southern Sudan.
It will be interesting to hear what happens Sat and Sun at 1530 when Radio Mada via Pridnestrovye has been operating on same frequency. I have notified both IRRS and WRN of the potential collision (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** TURKEY. VOT wasting more megawatts on the 1330 English broadcast: Feb 5 at 1415, 12035 has fair signal strength but just barely modulated, while // 15300 is OK modulated but colliding with RFI in French.
Here`s what they should do, if they are not going to fix the modulation on 12035 and get off 15300: swap transmitters, so the unmodulated one is on 15300, and the modulated one is on clear 12035! More free advice TRT are sure to ignore (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** U K [non]. This is the `final week` for BBC`s temporary Creole service, ``Connexion Haïti`` produced in Miami, according to someone at BBCWS Trust via kimandrewelliott.com, so I made a point of listening to some of the 1232:30-1252:30 UT broadcast via WHRI 9410, Friday Feb 5. At 1238 an interview about vaccinations; 1241 message from the Haitian ambassador à Washington, Raymond Joseph, with musical accompaniment. 1252 sign-off listed the FM frequencies in each Haitian city for the 9:10 am repeat, but no mention of SW --- who listens to that??? Was this the final broadcast? No, ``à demain``, she says, however you spell that in Kreyòl, so maybe Feb 6 will be the last one. Immediately followed by classical music fill introduced in Spanish, ``Compositores de Siempre`` but never identifying the musical tidbits played (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** U S A [non]. 7235, VOA Korean underneath a much stronger open carrier at 1356 Feb 5. At 1358 the latter begins VOA sign-on in English, Yankee Doodle Dandy, and reepated at 1359. Meanwhile modulation has stopped on the weaker signal, or it`s off before hourtop.
At 1400 no English announcement that `the following broadcast is in Korean``, but did say in English ``VOA World News,`` immediately back into Korean.
1400 is when VOA switches sites for the continuing Korean service, from Tinian to Tinang. No telling how long the Tinang carrier has been on, VOA vs VOA! Should crash-start it instead.
9930, Feb 5 at 1507 with Pink Floyd, ``Another Brick in the Wall`` starting VOA Border Crossings requests, but poor reception here, 322 degrees from Sri Lanka.
Should be better on 9760 via Tinang --- but that`s no longer VOA English as still shown on Aoki! Or rather, it was Spe-cial Eng-lish at 1500, not BC, anyway, as the VOA A-Z schedule still claims.
Now at 1508, 9760 is really R. Farda, Persian music mix one second ahead of 15410 via Skelton. A feed mixup, or yet another inexplicable schedule shift by IBB?
The Farda schedule with today`s date when you click on Waves at http://www.rferl.org/howtolisten/FRD/ondemand.html
displays 9760 in use only in the mornings, at 0730-1100 local = 0400-0730 UT (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** U S A. 9955, WRMI good in French 1233 Feb 5, to gain an audience in Haïti. The M-F 12-13 hour now consists of 1200 R. Prague, 1230 R. Vatican and 1245 R. des Nations-Unies, but any of that may be replaced by religious programming in Creole. Already on the schedule Fridays at 1230-1245 is a program called ``Jesus Christ``, but I listened too briefly to tell what it was this week, assuming it was Vatican.
No jamming until end of hour at 1258 when the DCJC is getting a jump on R. Libertad. Nothing but jamming audible next bihour. At 1509, WRMI still relaying R. Prague in English about equal level to annoying DCJC pulses, but losing to them during fades. May be back on NW antenna now? Was not expected to be yet. But still needs more oomph vs accursèd uncalled-for jamming (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** U S A. 11715-, KJES at 1454 Feb 5 with steady S9+20 signal, better than usual, and way over Lampertheim; only problem is its own audio which is somewhat low and distorted, and apparently crosstalk with OM reading verses on top, YL/kids and guitar singing underneath.
At 1458 Vatican carrier came on 11715.0 with het since KJES is off-frequency. I was watching the S-meter to see if I could detect any change in KJES strength at 1500 when they are listed to rotate from 70 to 350 degrees, the former being OKward, but could not see any change, altho the Vatican relay of RVA complicated matters. At 1500:30 KJES broke for standard rather plaintive kid ID with plea for reports, continued in English (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** U S A. WJHR, Milton FL was not reported at all during January, while they were supposedly installing a higher-gain antenna, but now there have been reports from Jim Evans in TN and Harold Frodge in MI in the 18-21 UT span Feb 3.
I never hear it when bandscanning around 15-16, so may not be on that early, nor necessarily every day. Programming of nothing but old screaming sermons is not exactly a big draw, but I try again anyway Feb 5 after 1800 on 15500-USB: Yes, there it is, as weak as ever, barely audible at 1801 but I am not lucky enough to catch another standard ID (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** VATICAN [and non]. 11850, VR at 1449 Feb 5 Laudeturing Jesus Christus, into S Asian language, with some long-path echo, but sufficient signal direct from SMG holding up against WYFR 11855. Musical bits sounded like koto (the Japanese instrument, not the Telluride station).
Then checked 7585 and that was barely audible // but an echo apart. In previous report I failed to remention that the latter is via TAJIKISTAN. No Firedrake, so the ChiCom have apparently figured out that they don`t need to jam something in Tamil (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) See also USA: KJES
UNIDENTIFIED. 6930.0 SSB, pirate at 0556 Feb 5 with song ``I told the patriot(?) goodbye``; some splatter from WYFR 6915. 0559:35 pause but no ID, 0600 resuming more music. Poor signal. Anyone get an ID on this one? (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ###
** CHAD. 6165, checking for Chad Feb 5 at 0558 just in time to hear some hilife music with SAH from weak open carrier, and start of French announcement before Bonaire blasted on at 0559 with tone and RNW IS starting Dutch to NAm. Anyhow, that was enough to confirm RNT active on 6165, the interim carrier probably Croatia (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** COLOMBIA. 2980, Feb 5 at 0614 just barely audible music, presumed HJAY Barranquilla. Wish they would turn up the power a bit on the second harmonic (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** CUBA [and non]. 11705, I noticed an open carrier shortly after 1300 Feb 5, presumed no quick turn-off for the Venezuela relay at 12-13; but at 1315 still OC here with occasional clicking.
11600, DentroCuban Jamming Command noise starts at *1557 Feb 5. Ramping up a bit ahead of hourtop is typical. Still going strong at 1800. I still have not been able to uncover any victim beneath the noise, but I have an unconfirmed report that Radio República is running a low-power transmitter from California. Can anyone detect that, perhaps closer to the site, or closer to Cuba in the skip zone of the jamming??
I`ve been hearing this `jamming against nothing`(?), several weeks on 11600 in the daytime as late as 2200, and even in the nightmiddle. If RR is the cause, they need to wise up and jump to different clear frequencies. Anyhow it ties up jammers which might be doing more damage somewhere else, à la Sound of Hope`s teeny ham transmitters vs Firedrake (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) More on jamming: see USA: WRMI
** ETHIOPIA. 7110.0, Feb 5 at 0549 with Horn of Africa music, 0550 announcement and more music, fair. Always seems odd to hear them at this time, almost 9 am local, but has to be R. Ethiopia, domestic service scheduled 03-21 overall per WRTH.
Aoki, however, shows this frequency OFF the air at 05-08 except weekends, and Uganda starting at 0600, but there have been NO reports in years of Uganda really on 7110. Also a weaker signal with music on 7175, no doubt more from Ethiopia, but nothing on 7165 except hams (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** INDONESIA. 9526-, VOI at 1307 Feb 5 in English, presumed news but too undermodulated to follow, especially with the propagational fades being louder. 3325, RRI Palangkaraya was also in later in the hour, mostly music (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** IRAN. 15545, at 1420 Feb 5, Qur`an with long pauses, fluttery signal peaking S9+8; 1442 conversation in Arabic. This is VIRI which has a very long continuous Arabic broadcast 0530-1628 via Sirjan, 500 kW, 295 degrees, per Aoki (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** MOROCCO [and non]. RTM normally switches from 15341 to 15345 around 1500, but Feb 5 it was already on 15345 at 1418, undermodulated and with usual whine, leaving 15340 clear for HCJB Australia, which was inaudible. This transmission is supposedly not among those HCJB has suspended because of wind damage to antennas, and often does not propagate here anyway.
Recheck at 1802, Arabic music still on 15345, and I think the whine is still self-imposed, not a het from Argentina if it is still there, as usual blocked by Morocco during European service (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** NETHERLANDS [non]. I`m such a lucky guy; once again quite by chance without any conscious intent, I am tuned to 9670 for RNW`s easily missed one-minute English broadcast! Feb 5 at 1256 I hear the RNW IS, 1257-1258* interview in English with a kid about something.
What is really happening: this is the tail end of the 1230 Dutch transmission to Indonesia via IBB Tinian, where they don`t cut it off when it`s really over at 1257, and the program feed circuit switches to English in progress for reasons unknown (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** SAUDI ARABIA. 15435, Feb 5 from *1456.6 with carrier, Arabic modulation with conversation from 1457.4: BSKSA remains in whack, good modulation and just occupying its proper bandwidth. Only problem is a bit of whine with varying pitch, but not too bad, noted at 1511 but continuous (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** SUDAN [non]. 15670, Míraya FM at 1419 Feb 5 with African music, via IRRS via SLOVAKIA. Propagation not so good today and weaker at 1443 when it had already started talking, intonation sounding English. A bit better at next check 1511, with usual mix of English and Arabic dialect from one sentence to the next, about Juba, Southern Sudan.
It will be interesting to hear what happens Sat and Sun at 1530 when Radio Mada via Pridnestrovye has been operating on same frequency. I have notified both IRRS and WRN of the potential collision (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** TURKEY. VOT wasting more megawatts on the 1330 English broadcast: Feb 5 at 1415, 12035 has fair signal strength but just barely modulated, while // 15300 is OK modulated but colliding with RFI in French.
Here`s what they should do, if they are not going to fix the modulation on 12035 and get off 15300: swap transmitters, so the unmodulated one is on 15300, and the modulated one is on clear 12035! More free advice TRT are sure to ignore (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** U K [non]. This is the `final week` for BBC`s temporary Creole service, ``Connexion Haïti`` produced in Miami, according to someone at BBCWS Trust via kimandrewelliott.com, so I made a point of listening to some of the 1232:30-1252:30 UT broadcast via WHRI 9410, Friday Feb 5. At 1238 an interview about vaccinations; 1241 message from the Haitian ambassador à Washington, Raymond Joseph, with musical accompaniment. 1252 sign-off listed the FM frequencies in each Haitian city for the 9:10 am repeat, but no mention of SW --- who listens to that??? Was this the final broadcast? No, ``à demain``, she says, however you spell that in Kreyòl, so maybe Feb 6 will be the last one. Immediately followed by classical music fill introduced in Spanish, ``Compositores de Siempre`` but never identifying the musical tidbits played (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** U S A [non]. 7235, VOA Korean underneath a much stronger open carrier at 1356 Feb 5. At 1358 the latter begins VOA sign-on in English, Yankee Doodle Dandy, and reepated at 1359. Meanwhile modulation has stopped on the weaker signal, or it`s off before hourtop.
At 1400 no English announcement that `the following broadcast is in Korean``, but did say in English ``VOA World News,`` immediately back into Korean.
1400 is when VOA switches sites for the continuing Korean service, from Tinian to Tinang. No telling how long the Tinang carrier has been on, VOA vs VOA! Should crash-start it instead.
9930, Feb 5 at 1507 with Pink Floyd, ``Another Brick in the Wall`` starting VOA Border Crossings requests, but poor reception here, 322 degrees from Sri Lanka.
Should be better on 9760 via Tinang --- but that`s no longer VOA English as still shown on Aoki! Or rather, it was Spe-cial Eng-lish at 1500, not BC, anyway, as the VOA A-Z schedule still claims.
Now at 1508, 9760 is really R. Farda, Persian music mix one second ahead of 15410 via Skelton. A feed mixup, or yet another inexplicable schedule shift by IBB?
The Farda schedule with today`s date when you click on Waves at http://www.rferl.org/howtolisten/FRD/ondemand.html
displays 9760 in use only in the mornings, at 0730-1100 local = 0400-0730 UT (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** U S A. 9955, WRMI good in French 1233 Feb 5, to gain an audience in Haïti. The M-F 12-13 hour now consists of 1200 R. Prague, 1230 R. Vatican and 1245 R. des Nations-Unies, but any of that may be replaced by religious programming in Creole. Already on the schedule Fridays at 1230-1245 is a program called ``Jesus Christ``, but I listened too briefly to tell what it was this week, assuming it was Vatican.
No jamming until end of hour at 1258 when the DCJC is getting a jump on R. Libertad. Nothing but jamming audible next bihour. At 1509, WRMI still relaying R. Prague in English about equal level to annoying DCJC pulses, but losing to them during fades. May be back on NW antenna now? Was not expected to be yet. But still needs more oomph vs accursèd uncalled-for jamming (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** U S A. 11715-, KJES at 1454 Feb 5 with steady S9+20 signal, better than usual, and way over Lampertheim; only problem is its own audio which is somewhat low and distorted, and apparently crosstalk with OM reading verses on top, YL/kids and guitar singing underneath.
At 1458 Vatican carrier came on 11715.0 with het since KJES is off-frequency. I was watching the S-meter to see if I could detect any change in KJES strength at 1500 when they are listed to rotate from 70 to 350 degrees, the former being OKward, but could not see any change, altho the Vatican relay of RVA complicated matters. At 1500:30 KJES broke for standard rather plaintive kid ID with plea for reports, continued in English (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** U S A. WJHR, Milton FL was not reported at all during January, while they were supposedly installing a higher-gain antenna, but now there have been reports from Jim Evans in TN and Harold Frodge in MI in the 18-21 UT span Feb 3.
I never hear it when bandscanning around 15-16, so may not be on that early, nor necessarily every day. Programming of nothing but old screaming sermons is not exactly a big draw, but I try again anyway Feb 5 after 1800 on 15500-USB: Yes, there it is, as weak as ever, barely audible at 1801 but I am not lucky enough to catch another standard ID (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** VATICAN [and non]. 11850, VR at 1449 Feb 5 Laudeturing Jesus Christus, into S Asian language, with some long-path echo, but sufficient signal direct from SMG holding up against WYFR 11855. Musical bits sounded like koto (the Japanese instrument, not the Telluride station).
Then checked 7585 and that was barely audible // but an echo apart. In previous report I failed to remention that the latter is via TAJIKISTAN. No Firedrake, so the ChiCom have apparently figured out that they don`t need to jam something in Tamil (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) See also USA: KJES
UNIDENTIFIED. 6930.0 SSB, pirate at 0556 Feb 5 with song ``I told the patriot(?) goodbye``; some splatter from WYFR 6915. 0559:35 pause but no ID, 0600 resuming more music. Poor signal. Anyone get an ID on this one? (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ###
