sabato 20 marzo 2010

Glenn Hauser logs March 19-20, 2010

** CHAD. 6165, just as I tuned in at 0530 March 20, went from drumming to RNT = Radiodiffusion Nationale Tchadienne ID, then to YL in French still with drumming intervals. Fair signal but no QRM during this semihour, probably our best chance to hear it before *0559 Bonaire and Croatia.

In A-10 the situation will change, as the Dutch broadcasts via Bonaire move one UT hour earlier at 0400-0427 and 0500-0527, and Croatia also starts an hour earlier at 0500. Turkey in English is also on there until 0355 or so. WRTH says Chad starts at 0425, so the window should then be 0427-0459 when propagation should be better anyway; maybe still audible after 0527 but depending on Croatia QRM or maybe that fading out earlier in summer; not considering possible adjacent-channel problems. Of course Chad could revert to 4905 or 7120 at any time (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** CHILE. 17680, CVC La Voz, as noted in previous report earlier on March 19, still badly distorted and spurring, at 2038. Splatter audible from 17615 to 17700 at least, and at 2114 a greater problem than usual for RNZI on 17675, needlessly next to this other southern hemispherian in a wide-open band.

March 20 at 1419 check, 17680 still distorted, overmodulated music but not splattering much (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** CHINA [and non]. 13745, March 19 at 2130 Chinese vs Chinese with flutter, and roughly equal levels. It so happens in B-09 that only one station is scheduled on this frequency for only one hour a day, Radio Free Asia in Chinese via TINIAN. Yet there are two stations to be heard! Whadddyaknow, CNR1 needs to use this frequency too, so tough luck, RFA (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** CUBA [and non]. DCJC, 11930 heavy noise against R. Martí, March 20 at 1403, but pulsing spurs also audible out to 11910-11950, bothering e.g. Romania on 11940 (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) See also USA: WRMI

** GUAHAN. 9345, March 20 at 1346 S Asian language singing, at least a duet, accompanied by authentic instrument, good signal, then outro mentioning NELC (?) Recording Studio, and address I could not copy; 1358 a bit of Amazing Grace on piano, mentioned Agana, Guam (not Agaña, Guahan), open carrier and off. Did not hear TWR or KTWR mentioned but that`s what it was, per Aoki: 9345 KTWR GUAM 1345-1400 1234567 Santhali 100 293 Agana GUM 14440E 1317N KTWR b09 (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) WWCR to use 9345 elsewhen: U S A

** INDONESIA. 9526-, VOI at 1458 March 20 with song, good reception; also had been on this frequency during English hour around 1330 check (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** KURDISTAN [non]. 11530, V. of Mesopotamia, March 20 at 1433-1441 good with signature singer we have heard before; his style is somewhere between vibrato and yodeling (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** LAOS [non]. Since the demise of Hmong Lao Radio, the other Hmong Lao Christian Radio had remained on WHRI 11785, Saturdays 1500-1530, and should have timeshifted to 1400 from March 20 with DST, but off the air at 1404 check, clearing frequency for weak CRI Chinese via Kashgar, EAST TURKISTAN. Just in case, checked again an hour later, and still no WHRI/HLCR.

Aha, searching on Hmong as ``specific program criteria`` in the WHR online skeds, it now shows another hour earlier at 1300-1300 Sat = 9-9:30 am ET on 11785. (And also via PALAU: ``0030 - 0100 UT 8:30 PM - 9:00 PM ET Friday Hmong World Christian Radio Gia Tou Lee 15680`` So in WHR`s warped way of telling time, presumably means UT Saturday) (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** MOROCCO. 15341, RTM, March 20 at 1416 just open carrier plus some noise and ringing sounds, splash from Martí 15330 (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** NIGERIA [and non]. 15120.1, VON in English, March 19 at 2036. Noticed a lo het and it appears there is another carrier on 15120.0, but nothing else should be there at this hour. In any event, too tightly squeezed between WYFR 15115 and REE/Costa Rica 15125, while numerous other channels in the 15.1`s are vacant.

Per WRTH 2010, in REE`s needlessly complex schedule, 15125 is in use only on weekends. Aoki and Eibi show REE 15125 18-20 daily, and 20-23 only on weekends, so obviously on later than scheduled on Friday (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** RUSSIA. 14996, time pips on CW, March 20 at 1411, no doubt RWM Moscow, and stronger than WWV/H on 15000. The two matched nicely with top-of-minute prolonged tones (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** U S A. 9955, WRMI confirmed with WORLD OF RADIO 1504 underway at 1345 Saturday March 20, vs DentroCuban pulse jamming which was stronger. Thanks a lot, Arnie! (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** U S A. 7465, WWCR now starting at 2000 since DST started, including WORLD OF RADIO Friday March 19 at 2030; VG reception here at 2050 check but dropped off the air for less than a minute at 2055, during which nothing else was heard, altho R. Tirana is supposed to be there in German Mon-Sat 2030 in B-09. However, at 2059 as WOR was ending, underneath heard very weak IS from one of the gospel broadcasters, TWR? That is not scheduled on 7465 at all. Anyhow, in A10, WWCR plans to move the switch from 15825 to 7465 an hour later to 2100, so that will put WOR back on 15825 for the rest of the season.

Instead of Musical Memories, which was instead of Country Crossroads still showing on the schedule for Saturday 1300-1330 on 7490, when I intuned March 20 at 1323 heard Jerry and Brady with Ask WWCR!?

Not exactly; apparently this is a special 30-minute program they are inserting at various unknown times until April 15, discussing the A-10 schedule, etc. Toward the end, Phil Patton explained why SW stations don`t stay on a single frequency all the time, striving for the ideal Optimum Working Frequency, just below the MUF.

A new quarter-hour Ask WWCR is starting today #311, but nothing on the webpage about this other half-hour special, nor is the A-10 transmission schedule on display yet. But the sked was explained on #311 which I listened to online, summarizing here:

WWCR-1:
0100-0900 3215
0900-1100 9985
1100-2100 15825
2100-0100 7465 (7490 no longer for one hour)

WWCR-2:
0000-1200 5935 DGS
1200-1600 7490
1600-2100 12160
2100-2400 9345 NEW

WWCR-3:
0000-1200 4840
1200-2400 13845 DGS et al.

WWCR-4, PPP:
0200-1200 5890
1200-0200 9980

Thus for half the day, in the daytime, transmitters 2 and 3 are exchanging frequencies; 4840 is extended at night, 5070 no longer in use (but plans to bring it back later). 9345 had been registered for some time but not in use until A-10. I should point out that reception may be different as the nominal azimuth for #2 is 85 degrees, and #3 is 40 degrees.

The programming on #2 frequencies ex-#3, 7490, 12160 will continue to be what had been on the same frequencies when they were coming from #3 transmitter, is that clear? Conversely, DGS at least in the afternoons, and Joyce Riley at 12-15 M-F will continue to be on 13845. (She`s also simulcast on 7490 which becomes #2)

BTW, V. of Korea has a 200 kW non-direxional broadcast on 9345 at 21-24, and likely to continue in A-10. Perhaps WWCR was unaware of it since North Korea does not participate in HFCC.

As for WORLD OF RADIO, that should mean the Saturday 1630 broadcast (reconfirmed still there March 20) stays on 12160. As expected, the Friday 2030 moves from 7465 to 15825 starting April 2. Sunday 0230 on 4840, since altho DGS is on #2-13845 in the daytime, he`s on #3-5935 at night. And WOR still Sunday 0630 on 3215.

They also confirmed that the reason for leaving 5070 was a complaint the FCC got from an ``eastern bloc`` country about interference to a fixed transmission, even tho WWCR has been using it for since 1991 with no such problems (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** U S A. As I tuned by 9480 WTWW, March 20 at 1501, Scriptures for America announcer was giving outdated schedule and asking for e-mail or phoned reports. Still claimed to be on 9475 and 5755 instead of only 9480 and 5080! Wake up in Laporte (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** U S A [non]. 5995, March 20 at 1334, slow Chinese talk with piano accompaniment, must be YFR via Pet/Kam, RUSSIA, good reception with no sign of the usual DRM noise from Brandon, Australia, scheduled 12-14 (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ###