martedì 7 settembre 2010

Glenn Hauser logs September 6-7, 2010

** ALBANIA. 13755, R. Tirana, Sept 7 at 1427 carrier, 1428 IS, 1430 schedule announcement. Slightly improved from yesterday, holding up better versus the CubaRM, at S9+12 but very undermodulated and not productive to keep listening (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** ANTARCTICA. 15476, LRA36, Sept 7 at 1312 pop music, deep fades, somewhat stronger than Rampisham 15480 (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** AUSTRALIA. 9634+, spur from R. Australia, Sept 7 at 1216, putting big slightly less than 1 kHz het to roughly equal strength CVC Miami via Chile in Spanish on 9635, with Late Nite Live interview // 9590, 9580, 9560, 9475, so impossible to tell which Shepparton transmitter it`s coming from, but doesn`t compute as a mix among any of them.

Maybe something has been disrupted by the floods in Shepparton. Is the RA facility on high ground? SW sites tend to be, for least horizon blockage, but if the whole area is rather flat, there may not be much difference.

Then I was hearing same-pitch het circa 9615, 9535, 9515, but no audio to compare. By 1225, 9634 and the other hets were gone, except on 9535 I could hear a bit of audio matching. Some of this could be local receiver overload, not including 9634 which I have never noted before, and could not be attenuated out.

I had my fill of V. of Indonesia [q.v.] audio dropouts by 1337, so switched to RA, best on 9580, during Australian Bite, Tuesdays. Discussion of slang, and how originally offensive words lose their bite, such as ``ratbag``, now applied affexionately to one`s kids. Guest assured us that overuse of ``awesome`` will die out soon, hopefully. Another one which has moderated is ``carrying on like a pork chop`` (originally adding ``in a synagogue``), now merely meaning lunatic behavior. 1347 song about taboos, ``Peek-a-Boo``. 1351 next topic; traffic in child slavery, so I move on again (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** CHINA. Firedrake Sept 7:
None found 8-12 MHz around 1230
8400, JBA at 1354
10500, very poor at 1354
No others found up to 18 MHz by 1400
(Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** CUBA. RHC anomaly Sept 7: 6060 English missing, leaving 6055 Spain Spanish clear, at 0536 and later; English still on 5970, 6010, 6150; Spanish on 6120, 5040. Absence of 6060 also prevents the leapfrog over 5970 upon 5880.

Following yesterday`s discovery of a new jamming frequency, 9965, tuned in earlier Sept 7: at 1212, still clear for R. Australia, whilst 9955 WRMI heavily jammed as usual during this hour.

At 1352, 9965 still clear for RA now in Chinese, and jamming off 9955 too, probably since 1300. However, at 1400 now 9965 has heavy jamming and 9955 remains clear for R. Prague relay in English. Should monitor 9965 continuously from just before 1400 in case there be a clue of what is being jammed besides RA, R. República low-power transmitter in Central America, ex-11600 et al.?

13921, RHC Spanish spur, Sept 7 at 1356, weaker than leapfrog on 13880. Also with hum, like the ~50 kHz multiple spurs one transmitter has put out before on 11 and 15 MHz bands, but no others like it found on 13 MHz despite all the strong intentional Cuban signals on 13680, 13740, 13780. Maybe tomorrow (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** EQUATORIAL GUINEA. 6250.0 was not on around 0540 Sept 7, but fair at next pass 0558, in Spanish, 0600 información matinal, Radio Nacional de Guinea Ecuatorial ID, panorama nacional; ute beep QRM. Was expecting major newscast but at 0603 back to hilife music. Then better than Polisario signal on 6297.1, but by final check 0633 the reverse was true as RNGE had faded considerably into equatorial daylight (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** FRANCE. 7340, something new here, Sept 7 at 0546 continuous music fusing hip-hop, rap, Bollywood, ska, pop with English lyric; 0548 brief RFI ID in French; from 0553 marred by carrier from Tunisia 7335; 0555 Radio France International ID in English, and off by 0557.

This frequency has just been reactivated as of Sept 5, also having been used in the spring until May 2, for French to Africa (where else?) at 0500-0600, 500 kW, 160 degrees from Issoudun; ditto 0600-0700 at 204 degrees but apparently not resuming the latter, or did I not keep listening long enough to hear it come back on?

As for the music fill, looks like another general strike in France, also affecting RFI programming (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** INDONESIA. 9526-, V. of Indonesia, strange behaviour Tuesday Sept 7: in English instead of Japanese at 1222, interview with someone in Bali about plans to demolish and replace the airport. 1230 songs, 1236 apparent live YL DJ in English inviting us to stay tuned to her till 8:00 Western Indonesia Time (1300 UT).

Plugs its Facebook, Twitter, but then quotes report that students who keep networking socially while studying, make grades 20% lower, drawback of multitasking. 1242 plugs Exotic Indonesia coming up at 8:00.

Quick audio dropouts are still happening several times a minute; they get worse at 1257. Music continued until 1301 and during the 1300-1301 minute I count ten of them, very irregularly spaced.

1301 VOI, Sound of Dignity ID and open Exotic Indonesia, a special network program with RRI Banjarmasin. Introduced anchor there as Satur (? Now we are getting closer to his name), while the anchorette in Jakarta is Rachma (Raxma? Middle consonant as gutteral h [j]).

Once again I go to the RRI Banjarmasin website where they have pix of the Crew on the Air, and for Pro 2 http://www.rribanjarmasin.info/index.php?option=com_content&view=frontpage&Itemi\
d=80 I look at every one of them, with their Nama Udara (air names, which are often quite different), and then all the other Pros, and still no Satur or anything similar, anywhere!

Back to program notes: it`s raining or drizzling in both Banjarmasin and Jakarta. Only one day until Eid and Ramadhan will be over. A topic later will be about astronomy.

1304, Jak YL ID mentions only one frequency, 9525! Finally they have dumped listing 11785 and 15150 which have not really been on at this hour for years. Did they finally read my previous reports pointing this out??

1305, news from alternating studios, starting as ever with activities of the president, much like RHC and VOK: visiting Medan and people displaced by volcanic eruption of Sinabung last week.

The audio dropouts continue, equally affecting originations from Banj and Jak, so the problem occurs downstream from them; also, the hum is downstream from the dropouts, since it continues uninterrupted.

1317, YL reports on the volcano, its first eruption, unexpectedly, since 1600; hard to follow with dropouts plus her halting accent.

1321, a ``Dignatorial`` about minimizing earthquake damage; most quakes there have shallow epicenters causing heavier damage on the surface; making seismic zoning maps. But this segment outroduced as ``Commentary``.

1324, ID again with 9525 only, contact info.

1325, Today in History, from Jak studio: the 1999-2001 president was born in 1940; also an Islamic official, he wrote an article in the 12/30/2005 WSJ against Islamic extremism. 1822y, Dom Pedro declared Brasil independent; borders all SAm countries except Ecuador [wrong: Chile too, unless audio dropped that word out].

1330, Focus, government to stop using newspapers for goods and service procurement announcements when contracts expire in 2011.

1332, from Banj: differences in determining the exact dates of Ramadan (why is this so important? Will Allah get `em if they are a day off?).

This must have been the previewed astronomy bit, but by 1337, the dropouts are getting so bad that I bail out, while congratulating myself for having stuck with them for 60 percent of the broadcast, and retune to R. Australia [q.v.] which has 100 percent readability and comprehension.

1402, recheck, however, now with the CRI Russian 9525.0 het, and VOI is STILL in English! with YL news, but only a few words heard as another dropout starts but it`s a long one, still silent carrier at 1407. 1424 another check, now back with music vs the het, dropouts, 1425 ID, ``keeping dignity alive``. Apparently all the defects of VOI`s transmission have no effect on its Dignity. But who`s to know in the studios without axually monitoring the SW frequency?

1431, final check, now 9526 is in an Indo-Malay language. One has the impression that Studio Jakarta operates on an ad-hoc basis insofar as nominal language scheduling (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** KOREA SOUTH [non]. 9650, KBSWR via Sackville in English, Sept 7 at 1252 with QRM from continuous 1 kHz tone, i.e. IBB Tinang, PHILIPPINES, warming up for RNW Dutch relay from 1259, which caused even greater interference to 1300 CRI English relay via Sackville.

Will these stations ever get their acts together, or rather separated? Of course not! No one cares in A-10, altho in B-10, CRI should no longer be on 9650 at 1300, and RNW at 1300 via PHT will be on 12065 with KBS staying on 9650, only colliding with North Korea, if they are lucky (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** OKLAHOMA. 1610, WQCL720, Great Salt Plains State Park, as it never IDs, just relaying Enid NWS from 162 MHz, marginally audible in Enid, but on a Labor Day DXpedition to NW Garfield County near Nine Mile Canyon (much less impressive than the name implies), closer to GSP, marred by heavy noise on frequency. I think its own transmitter is now defective, but it could be some Talking House as at least three of those still pollute 1670 similarly.

Since I didn`t recollect the callsign, did FCC TIS search for all 1610 in OK and found:

Callsign: WQCL720 Licensee: Alfalfa County - OSU Extension Service Radio
Service: Public Safety Pool, Conventional (PW) City: Cherokee, OK Status:
Active Grant Date: 04/04/2005 Expiration: 04/04/2015
Site: 1 Address: 9 miles north of Jet, OK on SH38 City: Jet, OK County:
ALFALFA Coordinates: 36° 44' 33.6" N, 98° 7' 56.4" W
Frequency: 1.61000000 V

Callsign: WNWU499 Licensee: Oklahoma Department of Transportation, Communications Radio Service: Public Safety Pool, Conventional (PW) City: OKLAHOMA CITY, OK Status: Active Grant Date: 04/28/2001 Expiration: 07/11/2011 [presumably for hiway reconstruxion]
Site: 1 State: OK
Frequency: 1.61000000

Callsign: WQBX491 Licensee: Arbuckle Mountain Area Tourism Assn Radio Service:
Public Safety Pool, Conventional (PW) City: Sulphur, OK Status: Active Grant
Date: 01/03/2005 Expiration: 01/03/2015
Site: 1 Address: Turner Falls Park at US Highway 77 City: Davis, OK County:
MURRAY Coordinates: 34° 25' 29.9" N, 97° 8' 36.4" W
Frequency: 1.61000000 V [is this one really active? Too far from Enid]
(Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** OKLAHOMA. OETA OKLA, 13-2, has added Newsline from NHK World, M-F at 1600-1630 UT. Missed the first one Sept 6, but got the second one Sept 7. A very welcome addition, as World Focus was not replaced with any other world news source, e.g. Deutsche Welle or Al-Jazeera, after its demise last spring.

It seems NHK does not need its anchors to be native speakers of English; however, the weatherwoman around 1620 has no accent, tho dressed in red and white. Even included Oklahoma forecast thanks to Hurricane Hermine, rainy remnants destined to cross around Woodward by 0600 UT Thursday.

At closing, NHK World said would be back in half an hour --- but not on OKLA. Saw no time bug, so was this live? Unlike BBC World News which we get via OKLA a sesquihour delayed at 2130 M-F only, as nothing ever happens at weekends (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** PAPUA NEW GUINEA. 3385, R. East New Britain, Rabaul, only one audible Sept 7 at 1206, news with Aussie accent, occasionally mentioning NBC, Port Moresby, and bilong; ergo it was really in Tok Pisin; poor past 1211, straddling today`s local sunrise of 1208 UT (Glenn Hauser, Enid OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** RUSSIA [and non]. Further chex for the revised schedule of VOR in English to Am: Sept 6 at 2243, nothing on 9665, very weak and fluttery signal on 9890, cannot discern language or identity.

2259, 9665 now on with big signal and tone tests on and off, 2300 opening VOR
English, but program modulation level lower than expected compared to preceding
tone level. Now nothing audible on 9890, vs spread from DCJC and VOA Spanish
9885.

RUVR online English sked still not updated by Sept 7 at 1700, showing 9890 at 22-02 to NAm --- can anyone further east confirm whether 9890 remains on the air at all during any of these hours, especially 22-23?

And sked still shows 9665 only at 02-04 to `Latin` America. Previous night, UT Sept 6, Will Flynn in Pennsylvania, found 9665 stayed on with VOR English until 0400, despite announcement at 0300 that it was closing down on 31m, continuing on 19m [15425]. So it seems the total span for 9665 is now 23-04.

Later: Joe Hanlon in NJ found 5900 replacing 9890 for VOR Sept 6-7 at 22-02 (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** TUNISIA. 7335, *0554 with open carrier, 0558 modulation on with music // 7275 which has been on for some time. RTT needs to rethink use of 7275 now that Abuja, Nigeria has reactivated there (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** U S A. 11550, WEWN, 1427 Sept 7 Spanish noted with self-flagellating squeal, a continuing problem with one of their transmitters (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** U S A. Not much of note in my Labor Day DXpedition to NW Garfield County OK, on dusty dirt, sometimes washboard roads, with high winds from the SW, but I figure a long-time resident of the county should explore all its roads eventually.

850, more so than at home QTH, I can detect KOA English talk in daytime mixing with Spanish KJON in N Texas, Sept 6 at 2024 UT.

1370, marginal KGNO Dodge City KS, JBA with talk in English at 2026 UT Sept 6, unlike in Enid, off the cliff, and/or suppressed by KCRC 1390 desensitization (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) See also OKLA

** WESTERN SAHARA [non]. 6297.1, SASASAM, Sept 7 at 0558 open carrier, 0600 anthem, poor, but held up better than RNGE on 6250.0 by 0633. In case you missed my explanation of SASASAM in DXLD 10-32: short for the ID in Hassania/Arabic, Sowt al-sha`ab a-Sahraui al-mukafa (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ###