** CANADA. 17860, surprised to hear classical music with guitar by Rodrigo, June 25 at 2103. Finally at 2110 RCI started its Portuguese broadcast late after apparent fill music for some reason. It`s Fri-Sat-Sun only at 21-23 (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** CHINA [and non]. Firedrake June 26: none at all found 8-19 MHz, 1308-1326.
CNR1 jamming June 26: 15265 at 1323 unusually with a het around one semikilohertz, so something`s off or additional to the usual blockage of RTI. OTOH, the Taiwanese are notorious for not being able to keep their transmitters on-frequency; Tanshui site listed in Aoki at 13-14 only. But have not noticed het before on 15265 (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** CUBA. 11760, RHC June 25 at 2112 in Spanish // 15370, 11730, rather than scheduled French at 21-22 on 11760 only; I wonder if English was also missing at 20-21? You never know with RHC`s lackadaisical operation (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** KUWAIT [and non]. Tnx to tip from Bruce Fisher who heard 15305 as an unID, and to Ivo Ivanov who explained it, R. Kuwait June 25 at 2234 in Arabic talk and music, testing relay via VTC, or whatever it`s called this week, Skelton UK site. May have come on late as did not find it at 2200, but now S9+20 and much better than // 17550 direct, about 3 seconds behind 17550. 15305 went off at 2359:30*.
Ivo reported: ``Dear Colleagues, effective June 23, Radio Kuwait conducted test transmissions in Arabic to North America via VT Communications on the following schedule:
2200-2400 on 15305 SKN 300 kW / 290 deg to NoAm Arabic Wed/Thu/Fri
0000-0200 on 11720 SKN 300 kW / 290 deg to NoAm Arabic Thu/Fri/Sat
0200-0400 on 9855 SKN 300 kW / 290 deg to NoAm Arabic Thu/Fri/Sat
No idea whether these emissions will be broadcast in next week, as regular. 73! (IVO Ivanov, Bulgaria, June 25, DX LISTENING DIGEST)``
So I monitored the following frequencies: UT Saturday June 26 at 0033, 11720 was S9+20, pop music, M&W in Arabic; at 0233, 9855 was S9+22. Seems they all work well, no QRM, but why is RK so eager to broadcast in Arabic to NAm, even trying a relay abroad for the first time??? They might have a slightly larger NAm audience if in English.
Skelton must have had to dust off the disused 290-degree antenna, BBCWS having no interest in SW broadcasting anything to us from England. This azimuth crosses St. Anthony, Montreal, Cleveland, Memphis, Houston, so are there Kuwaiti enclaves in those areas? Close enough to Dearborn, anyway.
At 0401, 9855 had been replaced by VOA news in English. Checking skeds later, I see that`s via MADAGASCAR at 0400-0430 only, but IBB is also on 9855 at 0200-0400. Did not notice any CCI at 0233 when Iranawila 348 is in use, but did not check during the 03-04 hour when it`s Botswana at 350 degrees, likely colliding (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DI9GEST)
** MEXICO. Monitoring channel 2 southward from about 1500 UT June 26; some Es finally fades in at 1626, quickly IDed as TVT, i.e. XEWO Guadalajara, bug in UR during local talk/game show. Interviewed girls on the street, mentioning prizes in dólares, so maybe not so local. 1627 promo mentions ``Televisión Tapatía`` audibly. 1630 TVT full-screen logo, then paid program disclaimer, for INOVA, phone 56-74-79-02. Seems to involve shaving legs without knix; but mixing with CCI, one of them involving X-rays of upper limbs. Also some weak skip on ch 3, but no higher until 1750.
At 1752, XHBC Mexicali fades up on 3 with its 3 tu canal bug in lower right, during sitcom or skit involving policemen in uniform. 1753 local soccer promo, clear steady color signal for a couple minutes but not snow-free. I prepare to videotape again, but fades down. Also bothered by intermittent local 2-way QRM. 1758 stand-up comedian wearing funny hat past 1800. MUF had not reached XHAQ-5 this time. XHBC fades out by 1810, so I suspend monitoring for overdue lunch (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** OKLAHOMA. 1570, Saturday June 26 at 1329 UT, Best of Lou Dobbs breaking for a 5-minute adstring, from ``Smart Talk 1570 ---`` and could not catch calls. Included Bullfrog Sunblock at 1332. 1335 Dobbs reopens with Dragnet theme. 1400 legal ID as 1570, KZLI, Catoosa-Tulsa. I`m not convinced how smart Dobbs is. Replaces nostalgia format as in 2009-2010 NRC AM Log (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** U S A. 15825, WWCR-1, starting WORLD OF RADIO 1518 a semiminute early at 2029:30 UT Friday June 25. It was not handy to monitor the conclusion, but should have ended by 2058:15, I hope not cut off this time for QSY business. Next airing at 1630 Saturday June 26 on 12160, WWCR-2, also ended about a semi-minute early, complete.
7490, WWCR-2, June 26 at 1307 with bass-baritone singing hymn to tune of ``O Sole Mio`` but now ``O How I Love Him``; obviously it`s Martha Garvin pounding the piano accompaniment, and her Musical Memories show is finally on the June 1 WWCR program guide for 1300 Saturdays. Then she talks with her guest, Gary Moore, as they joke about his performing here for free (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
UNIDENTIFIED. 1580, KOKB Blackwell OK has again lost its modulation, June 26 at 1328 UT, carrier still on but now on home rig FRG-7 with 100+ foot E/W longwire I can hear a weak station underneath in Spanish talk, apparently about sports, guess what game? Barely makes a SAH with the stronger KOKB. Fades very little, but maybe residual skywave 2.25 hours after LSR? Or remnant of groundwave from one of next-closer 1580 stations?
It`s really too weak to make much out, but did hear ``15-80`` mentioned so it`s not a relay. Still just barely audible at 1450, 3.5+ hours after LSR as KOKB is still OC.
Strangely, there are no 1580s in Kansas, but how about KGAF Gainesville TX = Baja Oclajoma right across the Red River? Time to research: KGAF website http://www.kgaf1580.com/ ``Hometown Radio`` looks totally WASPy, but they don`t give a detailed program schedule and like so many commercial stations neglect to show anything about what they do on weekends, which is often different, like brokered to any and all comers.
NRC AM Log 2009-2010 has it as C&W and by the time I am online after 1500, webcast is indeed that. Log shows nothing in Spanish in neighboring states, AR, CO, MO or the other Texans, except for KIRT with Spanish religion from Mission, way down in the RGV, surely not thence, 700 miles away. Inquiry out to KGAF, anyway (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
UNIDENTIFIED. 6025-, again getting very weak slightly off-frequency carrier at 0609 June 26, compared to Cuba 5025. Bolivia or Nigeria on 6025-? This time, no matching off-frequency detected from Liberia 4025- (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ###
** CHINA [and non]. Firedrake June 26: none at all found 8-19 MHz, 1308-1326.
CNR1 jamming June 26: 15265 at 1323 unusually with a het around one semikilohertz, so something`s off or additional to the usual blockage of RTI. OTOH, the Taiwanese are notorious for not being able to keep their transmitters on-frequency; Tanshui site listed in Aoki at 13-14 only. But have not noticed het before on 15265 (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** CUBA. 11760, RHC June 25 at 2112 in Spanish // 15370, 11730, rather than scheduled French at 21-22 on 11760 only; I wonder if English was also missing at 20-21? You never know with RHC`s lackadaisical operation (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** KUWAIT [and non]. Tnx to tip from Bruce Fisher who heard 15305 as an unID, and to Ivo Ivanov who explained it, R. Kuwait June 25 at 2234 in Arabic talk and music, testing relay via VTC, or whatever it`s called this week, Skelton UK site. May have come on late as did not find it at 2200, but now S9+20 and much better than // 17550 direct, about 3 seconds behind 17550. 15305 went off at 2359:30*.
Ivo reported: ``Dear Colleagues, effective June 23, Radio Kuwait conducted test transmissions in Arabic to North America via VT Communications on the following schedule:
2200-2400 on 15305 SKN 300 kW / 290 deg to NoAm Arabic Wed/Thu/Fri
0000-0200 on 11720 SKN 300 kW / 290 deg to NoAm Arabic Thu/Fri/Sat
0200-0400 on 9855 SKN 300 kW / 290 deg to NoAm Arabic Thu/Fri/Sat
No idea whether these emissions will be broadcast in next week, as regular. 73! (IVO Ivanov, Bulgaria, June 25, DX LISTENING DIGEST)``
So I monitored the following frequencies: UT Saturday June 26 at 0033, 11720 was S9+20, pop music, M&W in Arabic; at 0233, 9855 was S9+22. Seems they all work well, no QRM, but why is RK so eager to broadcast in Arabic to NAm, even trying a relay abroad for the first time??? They might have a slightly larger NAm audience if in English.
Skelton must have had to dust off the disused 290-degree antenna, BBCWS having no interest in SW broadcasting anything to us from England. This azimuth crosses St. Anthony, Montreal, Cleveland, Memphis, Houston, so are there Kuwaiti enclaves in those areas? Close enough to Dearborn, anyway.
At 0401, 9855 had been replaced by VOA news in English. Checking skeds later, I see that`s via MADAGASCAR at 0400-0430 only, but IBB is also on 9855 at 0200-0400. Did not notice any CCI at 0233 when Iranawila 348 is in use, but did not check during the 03-04 hour when it`s Botswana at 350 degrees, likely colliding (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DI9GEST)
** MEXICO. Monitoring channel 2 southward from about 1500 UT June 26; some Es finally fades in at 1626, quickly IDed as TVT, i.e. XEWO Guadalajara, bug in UR during local talk/game show. Interviewed girls on the street, mentioning prizes in dólares, so maybe not so local. 1627 promo mentions ``Televisión Tapatía`` audibly. 1630 TVT full-screen logo, then paid program disclaimer, for INOVA, phone 56-74-79-02. Seems to involve shaving legs without knix; but mixing with CCI, one of them involving X-rays of upper limbs. Also some weak skip on ch 3, but no higher until 1750.
At 1752, XHBC Mexicali fades up on 3 with its 3 tu canal bug in lower right, during sitcom or skit involving policemen in uniform. 1753 local soccer promo, clear steady color signal for a couple minutes but not snow-free. I prepare to videotape again, but fades down. Also bothered by intermittent local 2-way QRM. 1758 stand-up comedian wearing funny hat past 1800. MUF had not reached XHAQ-5 this time. XHBC fades out by 1810, so I suspend monitoring for overdue lunch (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** OKLAHOMA. 1570, Saturday June 26 at 1329 UT, Best of Lou Dobbs breaking for a 5-minute adstring, from ``Smart Talk 1570 ---`` and could not catch calls. Included Bullfrog Sunblock at 1332. 1335 Dobbs reopens with Dragnet theme. 1400 legal ID as 1570, KZLI, Catoosa-Tulsa. I`m not convinced how smart Dobbs is. Replaces nostalgia format as in 2009-2010 NRC AM Log (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** U S A. 15825, WWCR-1, starting WORLD OF RADIO 1518 a semiminute early at 2029:30 UT Friday June 25. It was not handy to monitor the conclusion, but should have ended by 2058:15, I hope not cut off this time for QSY business. Next airing at 1630 Saturday June 26 on 12160, WWCR-2, also ended about a semi-minute early, complete.
7490, WWCR-2, June 26 at 1307 with bass-baritone singing hymn to tune of ``O Sole Mio`` but now ``O How I Love Him``; obviously it`s Martha Garvin pounding the piano accompaniment, and her Musical Memories show is finally on the June 1 WWCR program guide for 1300 Saturdays. Then she talks with her guest, Gary Moore, as they joke about his performing here for free (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
UNIDENTIFIED. 1580, KOKB Blackwell OK has again lost its modulation, June 26 at 1328 UT, carrier still on but now on home rig FRG-7 with 100+ foot E/W longwire I can hear a weak station underneath in Spanish talk, apparently about sports, guess what game? Barely makes a SAH with the stronger KOKB. Fades very little, but maybe residual skywave 2.25 hours after LSR? Or remnant of groundwave from one of next-closer 1580 stations?
It`s really too weak to make much out, but did hear ``15-80`` mentioned so it`s not a relay. Still just barely audible at 1450, 3.5+ hours after LSR as KOKB is still OC.
Strangely, there are no 1580s in Kansas, but how about KGAF Gainesville TX = Baja Oclajoma right across the Red River? Time to research: KGAF website http://www.kgaf1580.com/ ``Hometown Radio`` looks totally WASPy, but they don`t give a detailed program schedule and like so many commercial stations neglect to show anything about what they do on weekends, which is often different, like brokered to any and all comers.
NRC AM Log 2009-2010 has it as C&W and by the time I am online after 1500, webcast is indeed that. Log shows nothing in Spanish in neighboring states, AR, CO, MO or the other Texans, except for KIRT with Spanish religion from Mission, way down in the RGV, surely not thence, 700 miles away. Inquiry out to KGAF, anyway (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
UNIDENTIFIED. 6025-, again getting very weak slightly off-frequency carrier at 0609 June 26, compared to Cuba 5025. Bolivia or Nigeria on 6025-? This time, no matching off-frequency detected from Liberia 4025- (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ###
