** ALBANIA. Checked again R. Tirana opening announcement of complete English schedule, UT June 12 at 0331 on 7425: poor reception in summer noise level, but could make out a mention of 2100-2130 on 7430, and 0130-0145 on a 6 MHz frequency, i.e. the old winter B-09 schedule. Wonder if they are playing back entire broadcasts from winter for summer vacation? In any event, the outdated announcement should be destroyed, deleted from whatever formats so it cannot possibly be broadcast now by mistake (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** BRAZIL. 11780, June 12 at 1440 could hear enthusiastic sports talk, presumably World Cup again from RNA; poor at this hour (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** CHINA. Firedrake June 12:
8-19 MHz between 1205 and 1220, nothing except:
9380, good at 1205
15760, fair at 1338 during drumming passage, gone at 1436 recheck
Per Aoki, Sound of Hope is on 15750 via Tajikistan at 1230-1300, via Uzbekistan at 1400-1430, 1500-1530, but varies 15700-15795.
Checked 10-18 MHz again after 1338 and no others found.
BTW my previous remark about Firedrake and snake charmer music was a misunderstanding, as someone was merely commenting on how apt both the latter name and ``crash & bang`` are for their respective styles, so never mind (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** CHINA. 15285, at 1437 June 12, CNR1 jammer with discussion in Chinese during pause(?) in World Cup game, as could hear those damned vuvuzelas in the background; also on // 11990 jammer. And also at 1507 (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** CUBA. 15370, RHC VG at 2250 June 11 in Spanish to Europe // weaker 15380 an echo apart. Anomaly: NO spurs detectable now despite strong signal from 15370.
Resumed CRI English relay on 13740, June 12 at 1438 and later chex, while the day before it had been pre-empted by R. Rebelde with Copa Mundial. Perhaps the DentroCubans will blow the ChiCom away again if a game of interest fit in the 14-16 timeslot (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** CUBA [non]. 11930, R. Martí, Friday June 11 at 2315 with béisbol game, mixed with DentroCuban jamming. Current week`s daily program schedule at http://www.martinoticias.com/RDprogramacion.aspx
shows ``Baseball [sic] de las Grandes Ligas`` starting Friday and Saturday at 2300 until 0200 (or whenever?), also Sunday 17-20 UT (or whenever?). I suppose the times should vary as do live baseball games depending on origin zone. Surely this is a big draw for Cuban listeners, if not the politix (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** INDONESIA. 9526-, VOI, fifth day in a row with good modulation during English hour at 1300, June 12; 1301 headlines about megadollars US being spent on power companies. Signal strength, however, was degrading compared to the preceding hour in Japanese (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** JAPAN [non]. 6250, June 12 at 0522 in Spanish, music, // 6080 so it`s again the NHK via BONAIRE leapfrog of 6080 over 6165 RNW Dutch until 0527*, not Equatorial Guinea, of which there was no sign before or after 0527 (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** KOREA SOUTH [non]. 9650, KBS World Radio via CANADA, Saturday June 12 at 1237 with Worldwide Friendship mailbag, including discussion of the many millions of Catholix & Protestants in Korea. Kevin O`Donovan in Farmington NM presented his listening tips segment at 1253-1256, this time about REE DRM to NAm on 9630; Sri Lanka discontinued service to Korea; VOR relayed on FM in India; World Cup on Sirius/XM. No sources credited but all these items appeared in the Media Network blog. He has only three minutes, but could have squeezed in two more words for proper credit (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** NEW ZEALAND [and non]. 13725, RCI with rock music, scheduled Spanish service this hour with huge signal, June 12 at 0035, impossiblizing reception of RNZI on much weaker 13730, another needless abutment. Yes, I know, we`re not supposed to listen to RNZI anyway. Well, there`s always DRM on // 15720, but rather weak and I doubt it would have decoded (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** RUSSIA [non]. 7440, checking runup to VOR`s new frequency in English to NAm, June 11: carrier on circa 2347, but off a few minutes later. Back on again at *2357:30, then 2359 VOR IS, 2400 opening, poor in summer noise level, but somewhat better than // 9890 due to adjacent QRM from 9885 DCJC and VOA Spanish.
Meanwhile, VOR Spanish via GUIANA FRENCH on 9810 was much better. No clues I could detect to link 7440 to Lviv, UKRAINE site, such as ``This is the RRT transmitter in Krasne/Lviv, Ukraine, signing on``; tho very likely (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** SERBIA [non]. 9675, June 12 at 0028, fast SAH between two signals, one IRS with music, then IS, poor, and 0030 opening sounds like scheduled English (UT Mon-Sat, while Serbian extends on UT Sundays). The other is probably R. Canção Nova, Cahoeira Paulista SP, Brasil, altho CNR1 from Beijing site is supposedly on too (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** SOUTH AFRICA [non]. Following up on some of my comments about World Cup. Later I got a close-up view of Tutu, and his stocking cap is yellow and green, not black; so much for the bee analogy.
Fritze H Prentice Jr., KC5KBV, Star City, AR, says ``Glenn, that "buzzing" is those horns the fans from South Africa have been blowing all during the games.`` Kai Ludwig says the continuous noise comes from ``devices called Vuvula, and they produce sound pressure levels up to 140 decibels. Well, it's not my hearing that gets damaged there.``
Media Network has a new item about them, called ``vuvuzelas``:
http://blogs.rnw.nl/medianetwork/dutch-viewers-complain-about-world-cup-vuvuzelas
So what`s the point; trying to annoy the multitudes and/or the players? Andy Sennitt approves of them! Are they peculiar to the Azanians?
Re game 1 being on REE Costa Rica but not Spain, Kai Ludwig: ``I don't think that broadcasting rights specify shortwave transmitter sites in particular. This is just a too unimportant detail.
``A possible scenario: The Costa Rica transmitters presumably take the modulation from Hispasat 1C, where three program streams of REE are carried on a beam that covers the Americas only. Perhaps the situation is such that REE has the rights to broadcast FIFA stuff "to the Americas", thus on this Hispasat beam, thus also via Costa Rica. But they have no rights for Europe, thus substitute programming goes out at least via Hotbird and the Noblejas transmitters, with nobody bothering to differentiate between the target areas of individual shortwave frequencies, which would require a separate audio circuit for certain transmissions.``
Ron Howard in California also heard Argentina 15344.18 and Madagascar 7105-CUSB with World Cup Saturday morning (Glenn Hauser, DX LISTENING DIGEST) See also BRAZIL, CHINA, CUBA
** SWEDEN. 13870, June 12 at 1512 in Swedish mixed with RTTY, clash of the modes. Yet another frequency broadcasters should avoid, if anyone were paying attention to the real world. High probability it`s axually R. Sweden: yes, 13870 per Aoki scheduled direct from Hörby at 1500-1730, including English at 1530-1600 and 1700-1730; 1600-1700 in Kurdish, Assyrian, Persian depending on day of week and semihour (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** U S A [non]. 12080, still hearing VOA English, at a time unshown in any of the online schedules, 1235 June 12, Saturday with panel discussion, poor reception, site unknown.
15185, June 12 at 1509 familiar theme, talk in Turkic Central Asian language with Russian influence, fluttery. Fits for VOA Uzbek via Sri Lanka during this semihour only, 348 degrees and thus USward too (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** U S A. 9370, WTJC again with Chinese preacher missing from their overt schedule, UT Sat June 12 at 0033 tuneby; it`s muffled with background noise, non-professional recording. Is it on this schedule at 8:30 pm or any time?
http://www.fbnradio.com/new_page_copy%281%29.htm
Of course not! Do they think they are reaching China with this transmission? Registered with 50 kW at 40 degrees to CIRAF 4 and 9, i.e. Canada from Ontario northward and eastward. Well, if RCI can broadcast in Chinese to USA, why not? (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** U S A [and non]. WEWN spurs also from 11520, June 12 at 0050, vs WYFR in Spanish on 11530, and so strong that could also hear the mushing on 11510 without a signal to beat against.
I`ve also been noticing a constant het on the low side of 12050 WEWN in Spanish for several days. Finally measured it June 12 at 1232 on 12046.9, but I suspect it`s from some household device. Recheck at 1650 on portable outside the house did not hear it, but Japanese on 12045 which is NHK NW from Singapore, rather odd to be hearing that here and now (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** VATICAN [non]. Another check for VR`s alleged English broadcast at 1200 on 9830 via Sackville: June 12 at 1210 in heavy mix with RTTY, it`s in Spanish again like last Sunday, about sacerdotes; 1211 sign-off announcement claims to be on 7305, 9610 and 11910(?)! And into VR IS.
Checking the current VR schedule folder, the first two frequencies pertain to the evening Spanish broadcasts via Sackville et al., lasting <45 minutes at 0100, 0145 and 0320! So it looks like RCI is playing back that service at 1130, but it doesn`t fit into half an hour, so dispense with the English! Which indeed appears on the schedule as 1200 on 9830. Yet another SNAFU between RCI and its relay partners (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** VENEZUELA [non]. And I do mean non --- no signal from RNV on 11680 during the usual 15-16 relay via CUBA, June 12 at 1514 (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ###
** BRAZIL. 11780, June 12 at 1440 could hear enthusiastic sports talk, presumably World Cup again from RNA; poor at this hour (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** CHINA. Firedrake June 12:
8-19 MHz between 1205 and 1220, nothing except:
9380, good at 1205
15760, fair at 1338 during drumming passage, gone at 1436 recheck
Per Aoki, Sound of Hope is on 15750 via Tajikistan at 1230-1300, via Uzbekistan at 1400-1430, 1500-1530, but varies 15700-15795.
Checked 10-18 MHz again after 1338 and no others found.
BTW my previous remark about Firedrake and snake charmer music was a misunderstanding, as someone was merely commenting on how apt both the latter name and ``crash & bang`` are for their respective styles, so never mind (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** CHINA. 15285, at 1437 June 12, CNR1 jammer with discussion in Chinese during pause(?) in World Cup game, as could hear those damned vuvuzelas in the background; also on // 11990 jammer. And also at 1507 (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** CUBA. 15370, RHC VG at 2250 June 11 in Spanish to Europe // weaker 15380 an echo apart. Anomaly: NO spurs detectable now despite strong signal from 15370.
Resumed CRI English relay on 13740, June 12 at 1438 and later chex, while the day before it had been pre-empted by R. Rebelde with Copa Mundial. Perhaps the DentroCubans will blow the ChiCom away again if a game of interest fit in the 14-16 timeslot (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** CUBA [non]. 11930, R. Martí, Friday June 11 at 2315 with béisbol game, mixed with DentroCuban jamming. Current week`s daily program schedule at http://www.martinoticias.com/RDprogramacion.aspx
shows ``Baseball [sic] de las Grandes Ligas`` starting Friday and Saturday at 2300 until 0200 (or whenever?), also Sunday 17-20 UT (or whenever?). I suppose the times should vary as do live baseball games depending on origin zone. Surely this is a big draw for Cuban listeners, if not the politix (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** INDONESIA. 9526-, VOI, fifth day in a row with good modulation during English hour at 1300, June 12; 1301 headlines about megadollars US being spent on power companies. Signal strength, however, was degrading compared to the preceding hour in Japanese (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** JAPAN [non]. 6250, June 12 at 0522 in Spanish, music, // 6080 so it`s again the NHK via BONAIRE leapfrog of 6080 over 6165 RNW Dutch until 0527*, not Equatorial Guinea, of which there was no sign before or after 0527 (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** KOREA SOUTH [non]. 9650, KBS World Radio via CANADA, Saturday June 12 at 1237 with Worldwide Friendship mailbag, including discussion of the many millions of Catholix & Protestants in Korea. Kevin O`Donovan in Farmington NM presented his listening tips segment at 1253-1256, this time about REE DRM to NAm on 9630; Sri Lanka discontinued service to Korea; VOR relayed on FM in India; World Cup on Sirius/XM. No sources credited but all these items appeared in the Media Network blog. He has only three minutes, but could have squeezed in two more words for proper credit (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** NEW ZEALAND [and non]. 13725, RCI with rock music, scheduled Spanish service this hour with huge signal, June 12 at 0035, impossiblizing reception of RNZI on much weaker 13730, another needless abutment. Yes, I know, we`re not supposed to listen to RNZI anyway. Well, there`s always DRM on // 15720, but rather weak and I doubt it would have decoded (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** RUSSIA [non]. 7440, checking runup to VOR`s new frequency in English to NAm, June 11: carrier on circa 2347, but off a few minutes later. Back on again at *2357:30, then 2359 VOR IS, 2400 opening, poor in summer noise level, but somewhat better than // 9890 due to adjacent QRM from 9885 DCJC and VOA Spanish.
Meanwhile, VOR Spanish via GUIANA FRENCH on 9810 was much better. No clues I could detect to link 7440 to Lviv, UKRAINE site, such as ``This is the RRT transmitter in Krasne/Lviv, Ukraine, signing on``; tho very likely (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** SERBIA [non]. 9675, June 12 at 0028, fast SAH between two signals, one IRS with music, then IS, poor, and 0030 opening sounds like scheduled English (UT Mon-Sat, while Serbian extends on UT Sundays). The other is probably R. Canção Nova, Cahoeira Paulista SP, Brasil, altho CNR1 from Beijing site is supposedly on too (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** SOUTH AFRICA [non]. Following up on some of my comments about World Cup. Later I got a close-up view of Tutu, and his stocking cap is yellow and green, not black; so much for the bee analogy.
Fritze H Prentice Jr., KC5KBV, Star City, AR, says ``Glenn, that "buzzing" is those horns the fans from South Africa have been blowing all during the games.`` Kai Ludwig says the continuous noise comes from ``devices called Vuvula, and they produce sound pressure levels up to 140 decibels. Well, it's not my hearing that gets damaged there.``
Media Network has a new item about them, called ``vuvuzelas``:
http://blogs.rnw.nl/medianetwork/dutch-viewers-complain-about-world-cup-vuvuzelas
So what`s the point; trying to annoy the multitudes and/or the players? Andy Sennitt approves of them! Are they peculiar to the Azanians?
Re game 1 being on REE Costa Rica but not Spain, Kai Ludwig: ``I don't think that broadcasting rights specify shortwave transmitter sites in particular. This is just a too unimportant detail.
``A possible scenario: The Costa Rica transmitters presumably take the modulation from Hispasat 1C, where three program streams of REE are carried on a beam that covers the Americas only. Perhaps the situation is such that REE has the rights to broadcast FIFA stuff "to the Americas", thus on this Hispasat beam, thus also via Costa Rica. But they have no rights for Europe, thus substitute programming goes out at least via Hotbird and the Noblejas transmitters, with nobody bothering to differentiate between the target areas of individual shortwave frequencies, which would require a separate audio circuit for certain transmissions.``
Ron Howard in California also heard Argentina 15344.18 and Madagascar 7105-CUSB with World Cup Saturday morning (Glenn Hauser, DX LISTENING DIGEST) See also BRAZIL, CHINA, CUBA
** SWEDEN. 13870, June 12 at 1512 in Swedish mixed with RTTY, clash of the modes. Yet another frequency broadcasters should avoid, if anyone were paying attention to the real world. High probability it`s axually R. Sweden: yes, 13870 per Aoki scheduled direct from Hörby at 1500-1730, including English at 1530-1600 and 1700-1730; 1600-1700 in Kurdish, Assyrian, Persian depending on day of week and semihour (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** U S A [non]. 12080, still hearing VOA English, at a time unshown in any of the online schedules, 1235 June 12, Saturday with panel discussion, poor reception, site unknown.
15185, June 12 at 1509 familiar theme, talk in Turkic Central Asian language with Russian influence, fluttery. Fits for VOA Uzbek via Sri Lanka during this semihour only, 348 degrees and thus USward too (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** U S A. 9370, WTJC again with Chinese preacher missing from their overt schedule, UT Sat June 12 at 0033 tuneby; it`s muffled with background noise, non-professional recording. Is it on this schedule at 8:30 pm or any time?
http://www.fbnradio.com/new_page_copy%281%29.htm
Of course not! Do they think they are reaching China with this transmission? Registered with 50 kW at 40 degrees to CIRAF 4 and 9, i.e. Canada from Ontario northward and eastward. Well, if RCI can broadcast in Chinese to USA, why not? (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** U S A [and non]. WEWN spurs also from 11520, June 12 at 0050, vs WYFR in Spanish on 11530, and so strong that could also hear the mushing on 11510 without a signal to beat against.
I`ve also been noticing a constant het on the low side of 12050 WEWN in Spanish for several days. Finally measured it June 12 at 1232 on 12046.9, but I suspect it`s from some household device. Recheck at 1650 on portable outside the house did not hear it, but Japanese on 12045 which is NHK NW from Singapore, rather odd to be hearing that here and now (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** VATICAN [non]. Another check for VR`s alleged English broadcast at 1200 on 9830 via Sackville: June 12 at 1210 in heavy mix with RTTY, it`s in Spanish again like last Sunday, about sacerdotes; 1211 sign-off announcement claims to be on 7305, 9610 and 11910(?)! And into VR IS.
Checking the current VR schedule folder, the first two frequencies pertain to the evening Spanish broadcasts via Sackville et al., lasting <45 minutes at 0100, 0145 and 0320! So it looks like RCI is playing back that service at 1130, but it doesn`t fit into half an hour, so dispense with the English! Which indeed appears on the schedule as 1200 on 9830. Yet another SNAFU between RCI and its relay partners (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** VENEZUELA [non]. And I do mean non --- no signal from RNV on 11680 during the usual 15-16 relay via CUBA, June 12 at 1514 (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ###
