Glenn Hauser logs April 3-4, 2010

** CHINA. Firedrake April 4: only found on 8400 at 1333, and poor with flutter (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** CUBA. 13680, RHC big carrier with hum, but just barely modulated // 13780 and 13770, April 4 at 1343.

On the modulated frequencies, then I noticed that programming unseemed En Contacto, the DX program supposed to be at 1335-1350 Sundays on all frequencies. Instead it was marxist propaganda, which turned out to be special coverage of the Noveno Congreso de la Unión de Jóvenes Comunistas, UJC, 3-4 abril en La Habana.

Finally at 1350 started En Contacto theme and initial weekly birthday greetings including to Jorge García Rangel en Venezuela, who will be 42 on April 7. This 15-minute program was cut off at 1400 for news on 13780, so it was fortunate to get even 10 minutes instead of En Compañía del Doctor, medical program. Maybe the repeats later Sunday, UT Monday will manage the full quarter-hour? (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** ETHIOPIA. I was not expecting to hear long-path from the Horn of Africa this late in season, but there it was April 4 at 1332 on 7165, HOA music tnx supranormal conditions. Aoki shows R. Ethiopia in Afar during this hour, and Eritrea not on frequency until later. Also noise jamming on 7175, and weaker music from R. Ethiopia on 7110, vs CW from a K4 ham. At 1402 there was talk on 7165, no more jamming heard on 7175; music audible on 7110, and similar music on 9704 without any het from 9705 (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** INDIA. Grayline conditions on 60 meters were much improved April 4 well after local sunrise 1213 UT here, only problem being our high local noise level. First noticed on 5010 with news in English at 1232-1235, some of it about India, 1235 into another language, i.e., from AIR Thiruvananthapuram, tho Aoki does not mention this English segment, just 1530-1545.

Several other intriguing carriers, some with audio, such as 4760, 4800, but the only other signal comparable to 5010 was 4920, at 1238 M&W discussion in S Asian language, and that carrier still audible at 1328, i.e. AIR Chennai (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** INDONESIA. 4750, RRI Makassar, good signal in Indonesian well atop the co-channel from China and/or Bangladesh, April 4 at 1237 and still audible an hour later.

Among a number of 60m signals, there was music a shade below 4870 at 1238 and 1245, which fits only for RRI Wamena, as measured by others, and on 4870 in Aoki but hard to believe the listing of only 300 watts. This station is completely missing from WRTH 2010. Ishida confirms it has been active in late March, but doesn`t split the frequencies nor speculate on power (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** INDONESIA. 9526-, VOI is achieving some decent modulation at the moment, so enjoy it while it last during English hour at 1300, which also lux out with nothing on 9525 to het it, nor even anything significant on 9520 or 9530.

April 4 at 1312 after news, report on an eye hospital; 1318 Today in History about NATO (pronounced natto), independence of Senegal and Bhutto hanged in Pakistan. 1323 a talk about police corruption in Indonesia; then Indonesian Wonders accompanied by gamelan music; 1332 Miscellany, about Indonesia being named to a high-level UN group of 19 countries in UK dealing with climate change. After 1400, VOI gone, ceding channel to CRI Russian 9525, but the day before they were hetclashing (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** JAPAN [non]. NHKWNRJ via CANADA, 6120, Sunday April 4 at 1228 reveals that World Interactive still exists and is still on Sundays in the new fiscal year, as she was upwrapping, cut off transmission at 1229*. As Joe Hanlon points out, NHK is now running a full 30 minutes, so the operators need to prolong the relays one more minute. Signal only fair here, over full-daylight path, and will only get worse into summer. Meanwhile NHK Radio Japan deprives us of the former loud and clear repeat at 1400 via Sackville on 11705. Checking that, not even audible on remaining transmitter direct from Yamata (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** MADAGASCAR [non]. Tried again for R. Mada International Sunday April 4 after 1530, hiding under usual good signal from V. of Greece on 15630: maybe a trace of something there (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** OKLAHOMA. No one minding the store at KOKB 1580 Blackwell. That`s what you get from abandoning your heritage as a real local radio station, KLTR, to become nothing but a repeater of KOKP 1020 Perry (or a Stillwater FM station). Once again April 3 at 1935 UT open carrier on 1580 with zero modulation, and still the case at 2035 recheck, while 1020 was OK thruout (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** OKLAHOMA [and non]. From a quiet location in west Enid, (the Walmart parking lot), a bandscan on caradio, see also USA, at 1937 UT April 3 found weak signals on 1450, and a SAH of 160/minute, plus hum; seems one is with a game and the other with talk, also maybe a low audible het.

The only groundwave-range stations here are Woodward, Shawnee, Altus OK and Hutchinson KS. KSIW Woodward is surely one of them. KGFF Shawnee likely the other by proximity except has nostalgia format per NRC AM Log 2009 while KWBW Hutchinson is newstalk. Too bad there is no reference to look up which two stations are exactly 2.67 Hz apart (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** RUSSIA [and non]. 5920, R. Rossii, Petropavlovsk/Kamchatsky, horrible motor-boating noise self-imposed, April 4 at 1249 with talk in Russian and music. Just for kix, I monitored around hourtop to see if 8GAL CW marker would accompany it, as it does in the winter when same defective Russian transmitter is on 6075 until 1400. No.

But RR timesignal was as usual 5 seconds late compared to WWV, and then to open carrier but still motorboating which lasted until 1303:20*. It was a stark contrast to clear Chennai on 4920, as I flipped down 1 MHz at 1302. Meanwhile, some very weak music was audible on 5920 but nothing listed in Aoki. FCC A-10 schedule shows WHRI here at 23-13, but of course not really for anywhere near that entire span (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** U K [non?]. Checked 15760 for the widely publicized on short notice special April 4 at 15-16, ``UK Rocks the World`` -- at 1530 very good signal with rock music, but what`s the point? We don`t have enough rock music already, especially in America? Site? (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** U S A. From a quiet location in west Enid, (the Walmart parking lot), a bandscan on caradio April 3, see also OKLAHOMA, found some intriguing subaudible heterodynes from normally open frequencies, thus bearing some very weak groundwave signals. (Skywave not a factor well past equinox and barely an hour past local mean noon.)

830, at 1948 UT, SAH of about 6 Hz. All the possibilities are long shots from here led by WCCO; also Wyoming, Missouri, NM/Texas, Tucson, even Coahuila. So which pair are 6 Hz apart??

840, at 1937, SAH of 144/minute. KTIC West Point NE is sometimes audible by itself at the limits of groundwave, so has to be one of them. Otherwise there is a station in the RGV, another in Louisiana, or maybe a remnant of WHAS. So which pair are 2.4 Hz apart?

1040, at 1944 UT, a slow SAH of 26/minute. Three possibilities are 50 kW WHO Des Moines, 3.3 kW KGGR Dallas, and 15 kW KCBR Monument CO (Colorado Springs). The first two are relatively common here, but KCBR [which inherited the call from VOA Delano] would be a neat daytime catch this far away. So which pair are 0.43 Hz apart?

Caveat: could be misled by local mixing products, but doubt it, since have never identified our only three local signals, 960, 1390 and 1640 on such other MW frequencies, altho 960 and 1390 do show up on shortwave harmonix and other mixes.

1130, another station whose store is not being minded, KLEY, Wellington KS, open carrier/dead air at 1944 April 3; back on at next check around 2005. It`s dual a 1550 station, not sure if same affected it (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) cf OKLAHOMA 1580

** U S A. If you hear gospel-huxters on 5920, don`t assume WBOH is back. That station is kaput, so WHRI has moved onto the frequency. I noticed it one evening. This could also be the frequency for DXing with Cumbre, since searching on Marie Lamb as program host in the online WHR schedule brings it up repeatedly, attributed to Angels 1, 5 and 6, even two of them at once! Presumably most if not all of these are imaginary, maybe on the webcasts but not really on the SW air.

The full imaginary DWC schedule from this search, rearranged into day and time order, listed days changed to UT days where applicable:

Sat 1830 6-11785
Sat 1930 4-9930 Palau
Sun 0130 1-5920, 5-5920
Sun 1000 6-5920
Sun 1330 6-11785
Sun 1930 4-9930 Palau
Mon 0200 2-5875
Mon 0330 1-5920, 5-5920
M-F 0430 1-5920, 5-5920

If anyone confirm any of these really on the air and really carrying DWC, do let us know (Glenn Hauser, April 4, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** U S A. 4050, quick check at 1235 April 4, mention of Milwaukee Brewers, presumed usual third harmonic of KWMO Washington MO, as I tuned down 1 MHz from WWRB 5050 which was still Bibling (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** U S A [non]. 7575, VOA Sunday at 1330 April 4, good signal 21 degrees USward from Tinang, PHILIPPINES (only on weekends) amid Jazz America giving contact info, and responding to a listener in Yukon OK, but he`s from abroad so that`s OK. Does he listen to this frequency too? Wondered if there was an archive of previous JA programs; no, you can only listen to the latest one online (if you can find it on confusing disorganized VOA website). At 1339 tried // 9760 but it had ChiCom co-channel QRM.

5835 at 1359 April 4, good open carrier, 1400 Radio Free Asia theme joined in progress and English announcement that Cantonese would follow. This is via TINIAN, kudos to be doing so well, so late almost two hours after sunrise, so far off-target; no jamming audible and presumably not jammed, since who cares if those southerners are further corrupted by outside influences? (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** VENEZUELA [non]. El Hugazo AWOL again, Sunday April 4 at 1645 check, nothing on the Aló, Presidente frequencies via CUBA, 17750, 13750, 13680, 12010 (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ###