** GUIANA FRENCH. Now I think I know why I heard RFI Spanish at 0100-0130 on 7360 instead of 5995, UT Feb 4 but vice versa on Feb 5. At 2312 Feb 5 I noticed a VG signal in Portuguese from YFR on 7360, prompting me to look it up and find that Montsinéry is scheduled all the way from 2200 to 0100. Aoki shows all three hours in Portuguese, but it was Camping in English after 0000 Feb 6. So GUF must have just failed to make the frequency change to 5995 on the date I heard RFI on 7360. Once again on Feb 6 at 0100, RFI Spanish was on correct 5995 (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** OKLAHOMA. 1170, KFAQ, IBOC had been turned off at 2012 UT check Feb 5; finally 1160 and 1180 were clear for DX on the caradio, altho this early, there wasn`t any. Had been on constantly in daytime, so we`ll have to see if this be a fluke or a policy change. Then a sesquihour later, the powerline noise level around much of Enid was up, a lot like IBOC except it`s all over the band. Arrgh (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** U S A [and non]. As of Feb 5, Lavwadlamerik appears to have cut back its unpublicized extra broadcasts in Creole to Haiti. Did not check before 2200, when it had been on 15390 until 21 and 13725 until 22, but at 2311 nothing to be heard on 7590, 5835 nor any other frequency we could find in the 5-10 MHz range. We know that 7590 at least had been heard a few days ago during this hour.
Checked again just before 2400 and still no sign of LVA. UT Feb 6 at 0002, however, 5835 popped on the air with VG signal; at 0003 weak carrier from 7590, and // modulation audible from 0004.
Next check at 0101 or the next couple minutes found all the LVA frequencies, 5835, 5960 and 7465 AND all the VOA/Martí A Fondo frequencies, 7340, 9415 and finally 11625 --- // in VOA ENGLISH news! Wrong feed input, or Spanish and Kreyòl feeds unavailable?
After a pause at 0105, played some instrumental fill music. But circa 0108 these had switched to the correct languages. Anomalies may have been caused by heavy rain at the moment, or previous damage to some antenna?
But an hour later at 0158: A Fondo in Spanish about to end, audible on 11625, much better on 9415 which seems to have some co-channel QRM under, but nothing listed; and best strength on 7340 but it now has QRM from VOR IS via GUF on 7335 about to start Spanish loud and clear, while for English to N America we have to fish around for much weaker and unreliable frequencies from the Eastern Hemisphere.
LVA is also going on 5835, 5960 and 7465, off by 0200. However, at 0201, 7465 is on with VOA news in English, like an hour ago, not Kreyòl, joined by 5835 which comes back on at 0201:30. Still nothing on 7590 and of course 5960 is off in deference to NHK Japanese via Sackville.
English news finished at 0205 with reference to voanews.com for more, semi-minute of dead air before instrumental fill music inkix again. At 0208 change to ``Good morning, VOA World News Now`` on 5835 and 7465, so more English, the announcer imagining he is in Asia, or at least speaking to Asia rather than America in this fluke, which BBG believes is not entitled to any VOA English unless it`s Spe-cial. However, by final check 0228, 5835 was back in Kreyol and 7465 not audible, faded out? So tonight we had quite a mix of English, Spanish and Creole (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** U S A. Contrary to a report from a Downunderite, that WWCR-3 is using 4775 from 2300 due to an interference complaint to the FCC about 5070, 4775 really starts at 0300. Still on 5070 at 2311 check Feb 5 and after 0000, 0100 and 0200 Feb 6.
WWCR has been on 5070 for many years, and just now someone finds it a problem during the next nine hours? As I recall, initially it was on 5060 or 5065 but soon settled on 5070.
Another check of WWCR-1 found it going strong on 7465 after 2300 Feb 5, but almost like someone threw a switch, it became quite weak after 0000 Feb 6. I`m sure propagation would have been inbooming on previous 3240 --- but who knows, another interference complaint may have knocked them off that too like 3230 before it, which was used only briefly. After 0100, 7465 again had switched to 7490.
WWCR`s homepage now says:
``WWCR's Transmitter #3 will broadcast on 4.775 MHz from 0300-1200 UTC until further notice. WWCR's Transmitter #1 will broadcast on 7.490 MHz (moved from 7.465 MHz) for 1 hour daily, 0100-0200 UTC. These changes are noted in the program guide, updated 5 February.``
All these frequencies on 3, 4, 5 and 7 MHz are ``out of band``, really fixed bands in the US, and broadcasters trying them must take the risks associated with their usage being on a non-interference basis (NIB) to higher-priority transmissions, however sporadic.
Complaints from utility stations at home or abroad seem to count for more, or be more likely, than from broadcasters which are in-band tropical stations in their own areas (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** U S A. As I was checking out VOA around 0100 UT Sat Feb 6, I also could hear DX Partyline on WRMI 9955, weak signal but not jammed. Jeff White just sent me a new program schedule, but he`s not yet finished updating it.
As of now, DXPL is on it as follows: Sat 0100, 1100, 1600, 1800; Sun 0215, 0500, 1130; Mon 1600; Tue 0100, 1600; Wed 1530; Fri 0115.
AWR Wavescan: Fri 0230, 1100, 1630; Sat 0830, 1400, 2030; Sun 0930, 2230; Mon 1630; Tue 0115; Wed 1130; Thu 1530.
Happy Station: the main first broadcasts are still UT Thu 0200 and 1600, usually different but not always. The repeats may be one or the other? Fri 1400, Sat 0500, 1900, Sun 0600, Tue 0500, Wed 0100.
WORLD OF RADIO: Wed 1630; Fri 0200, 1530; Sat 0900, 1430, 2000; Sun 0900, 1615, 1815, 2000; Tue 1630; Wed 0230 [NEW].
As for WORLD OF RADIO on Area 51, UT Fri 0100 but WBCQ 5110 was missing --- Larry Will says that unfortunately, weeknight broadcasts of A51 have been suspended due to insufficient financial support, but he does plan to keep the webcast going including WOR at that hour.
Larry says: ``We are now Sunday 2200 to 0300 [UT Sun] and Saturday 2300 to 0300 [UT Mon] on 5110. Webcast will remain Tuesday-Saturday 0000-0300.`` For latest info see http://www.worldmicroscope.com (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** VATICAN. 5885, tuned in Feb 5 at 2309 to hear classical guitar music, but off at 2310* before there could be a 2.5 minute fragment of a Vatican Radio English broadcast as might have happened on 7395 or 9600 if I had remembered which frequency to check, leading up to Vietnamese from 2315 (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ###
** OKLAHOMA. 1170, KFAQ, IBOC had been turned off at 2012 UT check Feb 5; finally 1160 and 1180 were clear for DX on the caradio, altho this early, there wasn`t any. Had been on constantly in daytime, so we`ll have to see if this be a fluke or a policy change. Then a sesquihour later, the powerline noise level around much of Enid was up, a lot like IBOC except it`s all over the band. Arrgh (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** U S A [and non]. As of Feb 5, Lavwadlamerik appears to have cut back its unpublicized extra broadcasts in Creole to Haiti. Did not check before 2200, when it had been on 15390 until 21 and 13725 until 22, but at 2311 nothing to be heard on 7590, 5835 nor any other frequency we could find in the 5-10 MHz range. We know that 7590 at least had been heard a few days ago during this hour.
Checked again just before 2400 and still no sign of LVA. UT Feb 6 at 0002, however, 5835 popped on the air with VG signal; at 0003 weak carrier from 7590, and // modulation audible from 0004.
Next check at 0101 or the next couple minutes found all the LVA frequencies, 5835, 5960 and 7465 AND all the VOA/Martí A Fondo frequencies, 7340, 9415 and finally 11625 --- // in VOA ENGLISH news! Wrong feed input, or Spanish and Kreyòl feeds unavailable?
After a pause at 0105, played some instrumental fill music. But circa 0108 these had switched to the correct languages. Anomalies may have been caused by heavy rain at the moment, or previous damage to some antenna?
But an hour later at 0158: A Fondo in Spanish about to end, audible on 11625, much better on 9415 which seems to have some co-channel QRM under, but nothing listed; and best strength on 7340 but it now has QRM from VOR IS via GUF on 7335 about to start Spanish loud and clear, while for English to N America we have to fish around for much weaker and unreliable frequencies from the Eastern Hemisphere.
LVA is also going on 5835, 5960 and 7465, off by 0200. However, at 0201, 7465 is on with VOA news in English, like an hour ago, not Kreyòl, joined by 5835 which comes back on at 0201:30. Still nothing on 7590 and of course 5960 is off in deference to NHK Japanese via Sackville.
English news finished at 0205 with reference to voanews.com for more, semi-minute of dead air before instrumental fill music inkix again. At 0208 change to ``Good morning, VOA World News Now`` on 5835 and 7465, so more English, the announcer imagining he is in Asia, or at least speaking to Asia rather than America in this fluke, which BBG believes is not entitled to any VOA English unless it`s Spe-cial. However, by final check 0228, 5835 was back in Kreyol and 7465 not audible, faded out? So tonight we had quite a mix of English, Spanish and Creole (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** U S A. Contrary to a report from a Downunderite, that WWCR-3 is using 4775 from 2300 due to an interference complaint to the FCC about 5070, 4775 really starts at 0300. Still on 5070 at 2311 check Feb 5 and after 0000, 0100 and 0200 Feb 6.
WWCR has been on 5070 for many years, and just now someone finds it a problem during the next nine hours? As I recall, initially it was on 5060 or 5065 but soon settled on 5070.
Another check of WWCR-1 found it going strong on 7465 after 2300 Feb 5, but almost like someone threw a switch, it became quite weak after 0000 Feb 6. I`m sure propagation would have been inbooming on previous 3240 --- but who knows, another interference complaint may have knocked them off that too like 3230 before it, which was used only briefly. After 0100, 7465 again had switched to 7490.
WWCR`s homepage now says:
``WWCR's Transmitter #3 will broadcast on 4.775 MHz from 0300-1200 UTC until further notice. WWCR's Transmitter #1 will broadcast on 7.490 MHz (moved from 7.465 MHz) for 1 hour daily, 0100-0200 UTC. These changes are noted in the program guide, updated 5 February.``
All these frequencies on 3, 4, 5 and 7 MHz are ``out of band``, really fixed bands in the US, and broadcasters trying them must take the risks associated with their usage being on a non-interference basis (NIB) to higher-priority transmissions, however sporadic.
Complaints from utility stations at home or abroad seem to count for more, or be more likely, than from broadcasters which are in-band tropical stations in their own areas (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** U S A. As I was checking out VOA around 0100 UT Sat Feb 6, I also could hear DX Partyline on WRMI 9955, weak signal but not jammed. Jeff White just sent me a new program schedule, but he`s not yet finished updating it.
As of now, DXPL is on it as follows: Sat 0100, 1100, 1600, 1800; Sun 0215, 0500, 1130; Mon 1600; Tue 0100, 1600; Wed 1530; Fri 0115.
AWR Wavescan: Fri 0230, 1100, 1630; Sat 0830, 1400, 2030; Sun 0930, 2230; Mon 1630; Tue 0115; Wed 1130; Thu 1530.
Happy Station: the main first broadcasts are still UT Thu 0200 and 1600, usually different but not always. The repeats may be one or the other? Fri 1400, Sat 0500, 1900, Sun 0600, Tue 0500, Wed 0100.
WORLD OF RADIO: Wed 1630; Fri 0200, 1530; Sat 0900, 1430, 2000; Sun 0900, 1615, 1815, 2000; Tue 1630; Wed 0230 [NEW].
As for WORLD OF RADIO on Area 51, UT Fri 0100 but WBCQ 5110 was missing --- Larry Will says that unfortunately, weeknight broadcasts of A51 have been suspended due to insufficient financial support, but he does plan to keep the webcast going including WOR at that hour.
Larry says: ``We are now Sunday 2200 to 0300 [UT Sun] and Saturday 2300 to 0300 [UT Mon] on 5110. Webcast will remain Tuesday-Saturday 0000-0300.`` For latest info see http://www.worldmicroscope.com (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** VATICAN. 5885, tuned in Feb 5 at 2309 to hear classical guitar music, but off at 2310* before there could be a 2.5 minute fragment of a Vatican Radio English broadcast as might have happened on 7395 or 9600 if I had remembered which frequency to check, leading up to Vietnamese from 2315 (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ###
