** EQUATORIAL GUINEA [and non]. 15190, Radio Africa, Aug 14 at 2157, the low-key mumblings of Tony Alamo, still on here, courtesy Pan American broker, even after WINB finally had enough of him a full year after his convixion of child sexual abuse, later sentenced to 175 years. Audio rather distorted and undermodulated but strong S9+20.
I knew WYFR was about to collide, but still surprised at 2159 by sign-on in Portuguese; no doubt its carrier was already on and open when I tuned in, suppressing Radio Africa. The two are perfectly zero-beat, no SAH to make it obvious there is more than one signal. Initially mixing about equally (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** FRANCE [non]. 17630 via GUIANA FRENCH, RFI Spanish is scheduled 2100-2130 only, but Aug 14 it`s still inbooming with ``RFI Musique`` at 2134, reggae in English, not // 21690 with other music; 2139 a Brazilian song; 2144 ID as above, 2152 more reggae in English; off at next check 2203. Is there another strike? This is how they enjoyably fill time when regular programming is lacking, but why extend an extra semihour? (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** KUWAIT. 15540, R. Kuwait English service, sure likes American pop music, e.g.: Aug 14 at 2020, ``I`ll Be There``, but is it really Michael Jackson or a Kuwaiti Kopicat? Then a protest song about corporate office people. Then quite a change of pace, ``I`m in the Mood for Love``, somewhere between Earth Kitt and Doris Day. Later at 2045, ``First Time I Saw Your Face``, really Roberta Flack; 2048, ``I Feel Fine``, Beatles. 2050 usual closing news headlines, 2100 exactly accurate (=WWV) timesignal and off*. Hmmm, ``exactly accurate`` is rather redundundant, Glenn.
Around 2020, RK`s other frequency, to C&W NAm, 17550 in Arabic, was giving VOA Bonaire co-channel a fit, but in the clear after 2030 was not really sufficient. It axually improved somewhat by 2150, mostly talk (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** U S A. Tho 16m was open well from all other parts of NAm and beyond, Aug 14 at 2015, not even a carrier detectable on 17775, let alone spurs 17630v, 17920v, so surely KVOH was not on the air. WYFR, audible, is about the same distance in other direxion. KVOH irregularity is legion, but sometimes might be restored, yet totally overskipping here (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** U S A. VOA French, 15730, Sat Aug 14 at 2034 with ``English USA`` lessons, such as ``May I see the radio room?``, set aboard an aircraft carrier, which no doubt your average African can identify with --- or is it to subtly reinforce appreciation of US military power?
2040 part 2 of Lesson 68, more of same, hostessed by Michèle Joseph who doesn`t translate everything into French. More about it here: http://www1.voanews.com/french/learning-english/
Says it airs Sat 2000-2050 and Sun 1838-1900. This transmission is the Sat/Sun only extension via Greenville to 2100 of the daily 2000-2030 French via São Tomé on same 15730. 50-minutes-straight on Saturdays seems a bit much for LL, with that annoying site switch in the middle; should that read 2030-2050? (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) See also KUWAIT
** U S A. 15610, WEWN, Aug 14 at 2108, OM RCC apologist who has trouble pronouncing ``pedophilia``, maintaining that ten times as many Protestant ministers are pedophiles as are Catholic priests, but Catholix get all the bad publicity, especially from NY Times, as payback for all the church`s other unpopular stances. In following hour, YL congressional staffer who saw the light and converted herself from pro-``choice`` to pro-``life``, and established such a caucus (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** U S A. 13845, WWCR, Sat Aug 14 at 2124 DGS sermonizing, VG signal, so weak crosstalk under was audible, but could not match it with 9980, 9350 or 7465, so it probably would have matched with inaudible WNQM 1300. Is that back up to full 50 kW day power by now after the May flood? (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** WESTERN SAHARA [non]. 6297+, SASASAM, UT Sunday Aug 15 at 0017, still on the air, definite broadcast audible in storm noise level, can`t tell if it`s Spanish; next tune at 0054, off.
I was checking out a report from KH Schmitter in Germany, who sent a clip of them *starting Spanish 24 hours earlier, recorded at 0002 UT Aug 14. On that, Radio Nacional de la RASD announced frequencies as 1550 and 6300, and time as ``12 de la medianoche en los estudios, y 11 de la noche en área ocupada``. Since Algeria is on UT+1 and Morocco is on UT, that announcement seems to be one hour off, and Spanish used to be at 23-24* UT, when it would have been right to say at 23. But KH reconfirms the correct UT when he heard it was 0002; still going in Spanish at 0015, but off at his next check 0045.
His clip also includes a program summary, including an informativo at ``12:30``, followed by two more items, the first of which was something ``histórico``. There was another report of it running an hour later than before, and we have heard them signing on an hour earlier than before, at 0600. So there is confusion all around; apparently they have just expanded their schedule up to an hour both in morning and night, plus are giving timechex an hour off, not changed since the shift. Could others please pay attention to their time announcements. It doesn`t help that there is a timezone boundary between exile and homeland (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ###
I knew WYFR was about to collide, but still surprised at 2159 by sign-on in Portuguese; no doubt its carrier was already on and open when I tuned in, suppressing Radio Africa. The two are perfectly zero-beat, no SAH to make it obvious there is more than one signal. Initially mixing about equally (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** FRANCE [non]. 17630 via GUIANA FRENCH, RFI Spanish is scheduled 2100-2130 only, but Aug 14 it`s still inbooming with ``RFI Musique`` at 2134, reggae in English, not // 21690 with other music; 2139 a Brazilian song; 2144 ID as above, 2152 more reggae in English; off at next check 2203. Is there another strike? This is how they enjoyably fill time when regular programming is lacking, but why extend an extra semihour? (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** KUWAIT. 15540, R. Kuwait English service, sure likes American pop music, e.g.: Aug 14 at 2020, ``I`ll Be There``, but is it really Michael Jackson or a Kuwaiti Kopicat? Then a protest song about corporate office people. Then quite a change of pace, ``I`m in the Mood for Love``, somewhere between Earth Kitt and Doris Day. Later at 2045, ``First Time I Saw Your Face``, really Roberta Flack; 2048, ``I Feel Fine``, Beatles. 2050 usual closing news headlines, 2100 exactly accurate (=WWV) timesignal and off*. Hmmm, ``exactly accurate`` is rather redundundant, Glenn.
Around 2020, RK`s other frequency, to C&W NAm, 17550 in Arabic, was giving VOA Bonaire co-channel a fit, but in the clear after 2030 was not really sufficient. It axually improved somewhat by 2150, mostly talk (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** U S A. Tho 16m was open well from all other parts of NAm and beyond, Aug 14 at 2015, not even a carrier detectable on 17775, let alone spurs 17630v, 17920v, so surely KVOH was not on the air. WYFR, audible, is about the same distance in other direxion. KVOH irregularity is legion, but sometimes might be restored, yet totally overskipping here (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** U S A. VOA French, 15730, Sat Aug 14 at 2034 with ``English USA`` lessons, such as ``May I see the radio room?``, set aboard an aircraft carrier, which no doubt your average African can identify with --- or is it to subtly reinforce appreciation of US military power?
2040 part 2 of Lesson 68, more of same, hostessed by Michèle Joseph who doesn`t translate everything into French. More about it here: http://www1.voanews.com/french/learning-english/
Says it airs Sat 2000-2050 and Sun 1838-1900. This transmission is the Sat/Sun only extension via Greenville to 2100 of the daily 2000-2030 French via São Tomé on same 15730. 50-minutes-straight on Saturdays seems a bit much for LL, with that annoying site switch in the middle; should that read 2030-2050? (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) See also KUWAIT
** U S A. 15610, WEWN, Aug 14 at 2108, OM RCC apologist who has trouble pronouncing ``pedophilia``, maintaining that ten times as many Protestant ministers are pedophiles as are Catholic priests, but Catholix get all the bad publicity, especially from NY Times, as payback for all the church`s other unpopular stances. In following hour, YL congressional staffer who saw the light and converted herself from pro-``choice`` to pro-``life``, and established such a caucus (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** U S A. 13845, WWCR, Sat Aug 14 at 2124 DGS sermonizing, VG signal, so weak crosstalk under was audible, but could not match it with 9980, 9350 or 7465, so it probably would have matched with inaudible WNQM 1300. Is that back up to full 50 kW day power by now after the May flood? (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** WESTERN SAHARA [non]. 6297+, SASASAM, UT Sunday Aug 15 at 0017, still on the air, definite broadcast audible in storm noise level, can`t tell if it`s Spanish; next tune at 0054, off.
I was checking out a report from KH Schmitter in Germany, who sent a clip of them *starting Spanish 24 hours earlier, recorded at 0002 UT Aug 14. On that, Radio Nacional de la RASD announced frequencies as 1550 and 6300, and time as ``12 de la medianoche en los estudios, y 11 de la noche en área ocupada``. Since Algeria is on UT+1 and Morocco is on UT, that announcement seems to be one hour off, and Spanish used to be at 23-24* UT, when it would have been right to say at 23. But KH reconfirms the correct UT when he heard it was 0002; still going in Spanish at 0015, but off at his next check 0045.
His clip also includes a program summary, including an informativo at ``12:30``, followed by two more items, the first of which was something ``histórico``. There was another report of it running an hour later than before, and we have heard them signing on an hour earlier than before, at 0600. So there is confusion all around; apparently they have just expanded their schedule up to an hour both in morning and night, plus are giving timechex an hour off, not changed since the shift. Could others please pay attention to their time announcements. It doesn`t help that there is a timezone boundary between exile and homeland (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ###
