** ASCENSION. 6100 at 0514 April 5, talk in Luso Portuguese, must be an African morning service, VOA? No, there is none in the morning. At 0523 with English lesson featuring British accents and London locales. BBCWS scheduled 0430-0530 M-F only, at 102 degrees. Off at 0529*
After that, I did hear a weak Yankee Doodle Dandy, I drowsily thought on 6100 too, but must have been 6095 São Tomé about to open VOA M-F French, unless that has shifted (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** CUBA [and non]. RHC normally makes frequency adjustments about a week after other stations enact seasonal changes, since as an outlaw nation, Cuba refuses to participate in advance planning with HFCC countries. And so it has as of April 5:
12030, new frequency found at 1330, ex-11800 and with the same deficient lo-fi modulation, as also on 9660 afternoons, 6120 at night. 12030 is an echo apart from all the remaining parallels checked at 1356: 11760, 11730, 13780, 13880; and 19m was barely propagating, 15360, 15120; and -
RHC 6110 now has Asian co-channel, i.e. ChiCom jamming and VOA Mandarin via Tinang at 1230-1500 (also via Tinian at 1100-1230).
At 1359 Despertar con Cuba was upwrapping, to resume at 7 am = 11 UT, and 1400 frequency announcement alleged in typical disorder: ``15120, 15360, 13760, 13680, 13780, 11760, 11730, 11800, 6110``. So 12030 is unknown to the studio.
I think he said 13760 instead of 13770 where it has really been for months, but not positive as they sound so much alike. In any event, 13770 is also missing, and replacement for that found on new 15380 at 1401, much weaker than // 15360. So 15380 also unknown to the studio.
At 1419 check I suspected 12030 had disappeared but no, still there, very weak. Propagation not favorable today; 1444 back to good strength.
Full span of new 12030 and 15380 yet to be determined, but 12030 is also in use by V. of Russia and perhaps IBB Sri Lanka. 15380 has Saudi Arabia until 1400, then VOA via Wertachtal to Afghanistan from 1430.
Another check at 1700 just as Enid was testing its storm-warning sirens, found 15380 and 12030 still on, along with 11690, 11730, 11760, and JBA carrier on 6110, nothing on 13 MHz. So it`s pretty clear that 12030 replaces 11800 and 15380 replaces 13770 for all-day service and perhaps beyond.
After all that, I check RHC website and to my astonishment the schedule presented in Spanish has already been updated:
http://www.radiohc.cu/espanol/c_frecuencia/frecuencias.htm
Yet to be verified as 100% accurate, but some changes of note:
15380 runs 11-12 and 00-05 to Buenos Aires.
12030 runs 11-24 to Central America.
Also new in Spanish: 12020 // 9525 both 2300-0500 to South America.
5040 now starting Spanish earlier at 21-23, as well as 02-11, after the break for English, French and Creole (tho some have heard English sporadically after 0200 or 0700).
5970 is new too, shown as 01-05 in English to NAm // 6000; 07-11 in Spanish to Chicago (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** KOREA NORTH [non]. Wondering if Shiokaze will have made another frequency shift with the new season, so April 5 at 1415 I tried to hear it on 5915 or 5985 --- inconclusive, as only an extremely weak carrier on the former, nothing on the latter, despite some other weak Asian signals on band, and RA good on 5995. No doubt Ron Howard will notice if JSR QSYs (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** MEXICO. 6010, Radio Mil, holding up as late as 1417 April 5, weak signal but in the clear with news of Banco de México (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** NETHERLANDS ANTILLES. 6250, quite readable R. Japón in Spanish, April 5 at 0512 vs ute bursts near frequency. This leapfrog has appeared in A-10 since new frequency via Bonaire 6080 has started for the 0500-0530 broadcast, mixing with RN in Dutch on 6165 to land another 85 kHz higher. In the B-season, same mix was between 6165 in Dutch and 6195 in Spanish appearing as Dutch on 6225.
List-loggers, beware of assuming Spanish on 6250 during this semihour be Equatorial Guinea! But that usually does not start until after 0530, when active, which it has not been for some weeks (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** NEW ZEALAND. 6170, RNZI, clear of VOR QRM, in nicely for good copy of new Mailbox from 1329 Monday April 5, lots of DX news and clips from Bryan Clark, who said he would not be back until June. Still sufficient signal at 1413 check with jazz singer (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENINGN DIGEST)
** RUSSIA [non]. 9735, La Voz de Rusia, 0458 April 5, huge signal closing transmission with Spanish schedule mentioning meterbands only. This is 500 kW, 320 degrees from GUIANA FRENCH for Caribbean, Mexico, AND the conterminous USA, CIRAF Zones 6-8.
Meanwhile, the poor English-speakers in North America must now struggle to hear VOR only on weak and unreliable signals direct from Asia or Europe. We know when we are not wanted as listeners (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** SOUTH AFRICA. 7310, BBCWS in English with Network Africa, fairly good April 5 until cut off abruptly at 0551, back on at 0553 (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** U S A. Checking for a few of the scheduled DXing with Cumbre airings per website, as I amassed previously: UT Monday April 5 at 0218, 5850 not on the air. At 0330, 5920 not on the air. (It was, however, at 0218 in Spanish) (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** U S A. 5890, WWCR-4 confirmed with new WORLD OF RADIO airing, #1506, UT Monday April 5 at 0330, VG signal. Even I forgot to check the other new one, Sunday 2330 on 9980, when normally the signal is still extremely strong here (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
UNIDENTIFIED. 9565, open carrier vs DCJC pulses at 1406 April 5. Likely Greenville tuning up for R. Martí broadcast which does not start until 1700, but jam it anyway!
BTW, the DRM test jointly with HCJB via Greenville on 9445-9450-9455 in the daytime has finally been terminated (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ###
After that, I did hear a weak Yankee Doodle Dandy, I drowsily thought on 6100 too, but must have been 6095 São Tomé about to open VOA M-F French, unless that has shifted (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** CUBA [and non]. RHC normally makes frequency adjustments about a week after other stations enact seasonal changes, since as an outlaw nation, Cuba refuses to participate in advance planning with HFCC countries. And so it has as of April 5:
12030, new frequency found at 1330, ex-11800 and with the same deficient lo-fi modulation, as also on 9660 afternoons, 6120 at night. 12030 is an echo apart from all the remaining parallels checked at 1356: 11760, 11730, 13780, 13880; and 19m was barely propagating, 15360, 15120; and -
RHC 6110 now has Asian co-channel, i.e. ChiCom jamming and VOA Mandarin via Tinang at 1230-1500 (also via Tinian at 1100-1230).
At 1359 Despertar con Cuba was upwrapping, to resume at 7 am = 11 UT, and 1400 frequency announcement alleged in typical disorder: ``15120, 15360, 13760, 13680, 13780, 11760, 11730, 11800, 6110``. So 12030 is unknown to the studio.
I think he said 13760 instead of 13770 where it has really been for months, but not positive as they sound so much alike. In any event, 13770 is also missing, and replacement for that found on new 15380 at 1401, much weaker than // 15360. So 15380 also unknown to the studio.
At 1419 check I suspected 12030 had disappeared but no, still there, very weak. Propagation not favorable today; 1444 back to good strength.
Full span of new 12030 and 15380 yet to be determined, but 12030 is also in use by V. of Russia and perhaps IBB Sri Lanka. 15380 has Saudi Arabia until 1400, then VOA via Wertachtal to Afghanistan from 1430.
Another check at 1700 just as Enid was testing its storm-warning sirens, found 15380 and 12030 still on, along with 11690, 11730, 11760, and JBA carrier on 6110, nothing on 13 MHz. So it`s pretty clear that 12030 replaces 11800 and 15380 replaces 13770 for all-day service and perhaps beyond.
After all that, I check RHC website and to my astonishment the schedule presented in Spanish has already been updated:
http://www.radiohc.cu/espanol/c_frecuencia/frecuencias.htm
Yet to be verified as 100% accurate, but some changes of note:
15380 runs 11-12 and 00-05 to Buenos Aires.
12030 runs 11-24 to Central America.
Also new in Spanish: 12020 // 9525 both 2300-0500 to South America.
5040 now starting Spanish earlier at 21-23, as well as 02-11, after the break for English, French and Creole (tho some have heard English sporadically after 0200 or 0700).
5970 is new too, shown as 01-05 in English to NAm // 6000; 07-11 in Spanish to Chicago (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** KOREA NORTH [non]. Wondering if Shiokaze will have made another frequency shift with the new season, so April 5 at 1415 I tried to hear it on 5915 or 5985 --- inconclusive, as only an extremely weak carrier on the former, nothing on the latter, despite some other weak Asian signals on band, and RA good on 5995. No doubt Ron Howard will notice if JSR QSYs (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** MEXICO. 6010, Radio Mil, holding up as late as 1417 April 5, weak signal but in the clear with news of Banco de México (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** NETHERLANDS ANTILLES. 6250, quite readable R. Japón in Spanish, April 5 at 0512 vs ute bursts near frequency. This leapfrog has appeared in A-10 since new frequency via Bonaire 6080 has started for the 0500-0530 broadcast, mixing with RN in Dutch on 6165 to land another 85 kHz higher. In the B-season, same mix was between 6165 in Dutch and 6195 in Spanish appearing as Dutch on 6225.
List-loggers, beware of assuming Spanish on 6250 during this semihour be Equatorial Guinea! But that usually does not start until after 0530, when active, which it has not been for some weeks (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** NEW ZEALAND. 6170, RNZI, clear of VOR QRM, in nicely for good copy of new Mailbox from 1329 Monday April 5, lots of DX news and clips from Bryan Clark, who said he would not be back until June. Still sufficient signal at 1413 check with jazz singer (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENINGN DIGEST)
** RUSSIA [non]. 9735, La Voz de Rusia, 0458 April 5, huge signal closing transmission with Spanish schedule mentioning meterbands only. This is 500 kW, 320 degrees from GUIANA FRENCH for Caribbean, Mexico, AND the conterminous USA, CIRAF Zones 6-8.
Meanwhile, the poor English-speakers in North America must now struggle to hear VOR only on weak and unreliable signals direct from Asia or Europe. We know when we are not wanted as listeners (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** SOUTH AFRICA. 7310, BBCWS in English with Network Africa, fairly good April 5 until cut off abruptly at 0551, back on at 0553 (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** U S A. Checking for a few of the scheduled DXing with Cumbre airings per website, as I amassed previously: UT Monday April 5 at 0218, 5850 not on the air. At 0330, 5920 not on the air. (It was, however, at 0218 in Spanish) (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** U S A. 5890, WWCR-4 confirmed with new WORLD OF RADIO airing, #1506, UT Monday April 5 at 0330, VG signal. Even I forgot to check the other new one, Sunday 2330 on 9980, when normally the signal is still extremely strong here (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
UNIDENTIFIED. 9565, open carrier vs DCJC pulses at 1406 April 5. Likely Greenville tuning up for R. Martí broadcast which does not start until 1700, but jam it anyway!
BTW, the DRM test jointly with HCJB via Greenville on 9445-9450-9455 in the daytime has finally been terminated (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ###