** CHINA [non]. 9470, CRI English, Oct 3 at 0107, S9+22 with flutter, and despite that, much better signal and audio than supposedly for North America they could manage on // 9570 via Albania and 9580 via Cuba, none of which were synchronized with each other.
Bet it`s Kashgar, EAST TURKISTAN: yes, another of countless broadcasts from there to Europe at 308 degrees, but who is listening at 2 or 3 am?? Remained good here far off-target for the rest of the hour (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** CUBA [and non]. 11970, DentroCuban Jamming Command, Oct 3 at 0037, wall of noise against nothing: this hour of VOA Spanish, cum Radio Marti, ``A Fondo`` is on the air UT Tue-Sat only but this was Sunday. Furthermore, VOA schedule at
http://author.voanews.com/english/about/frequenciesAtoZ_s.cfm
claims the 25m frequency for this is 11625, not 11970, but wasn`t 11625 abandoned last spring?? (also daily at 23-24 VOA Spanish only). Yes: we caught 11970 ex-11625 first on April 5 as in DXLD 10-14! (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** GUATEMALA. 4055, could not detect even the carrier from R. Verdad, Oct 3 at 0104 or 0235, so suspect it is off. Inquiry out to them (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** INDIA. 9870, AIR VBS, mostly pop Indian music, VG signal S9+20, Oct 3 at 0039, graylineish, but flutter. About as good at 0135, and somewhat weaker at 0200. Ron Howard reminds us to look out for special broadcasts from India for the Commonwealth Games, starting shortly (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** KOREA SOUTH [non]. 9560, KBS World Radio via CANADA, UT Sunday Oct 3 at 0201, already opening Antena de la Amistad, DX/mailbag show, on which I have recently guested; wasting no time with news or anything since this is a truncated semihour transmission, but infinitely longer than the primetime KBS devotes any more to English relays, very good signal (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENNG DIGEST)
** MADAGASCAR. With WWCR temporarily on 3255 instead of 3215, Oct 3 at 0231 I was able to hear something else on 3215, weak music in and out, using DX-398 only with whip; improved when I clipped on some wire at 0235, could hear some talking about Afghanistan. This is AWR via MADAGASCAR, really a domestic service since it`s in Malagasy, 0230-0330, 50 kW, 20 degrees from Talata-Volondry 3, per EiBi. Some relay/host countries forbid domestic broadcasts in their own language (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** ROMANIA. 9525, continuous classical organ music without announcements, Oct 3 at 0109 past 0130, big mix with R. Habana Cuba also on 9525! The music only slightly weaker than Cuba, producing a SAH varying between 120 and 132 beats per minute, i.e. 2.0 to 2.2 Hz.
Without a reference at hand, I was trying to figure out whence: Vatican plays some organ music, WEWN might too, or even WYFR, but no // found on any of their frequencies. 0148 recheck, now they are both talking and the QRM says ``shi``, so I figure it`s Romanian. Off after 0200 freeing RHC.
Yes, RRI is indeed scheduled here at 00-02, 300 kW, 310 degrees from Galbeni to eastern North America. Must have been colliding all A-season with RHC, because as an outlaw station, RHC refuses to coöperate with others by registering its frequencies with HFCC, and RRI must have assumed the channel was unoccupied! BTW, at 0109 RHC frequency manager Arnie Coro was to be heard with his regular Saturday science spot, about mp3s played too loud damaging hearing.
Per EiBi, the // for RRI is 7355 where I should have found that great organ music in the clear (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** U S A. I was standing by for WWCR-1`s frequency change from 7465 to testing 3255. Oct 3 at 0057 still on 7465 with preacher, but a few sex later it was off, so went to 3255 and waited. Came on at 0058.5, steel drums, announcing 3255 opening; seems the drum tune went on longer than usual, and a bit further on in the cut. 0100 a separate announcement that 3255 was being tested, reports to 3255 @ wwcr.com and then cut to preacher in progress. Seemed like the same one as on 7465, but two different ones are scheduled, so guess not; they can all sound alike.
At 0150 I remembered to check 4840, for Ask WWCR where they might be talking about this 3255 test. Indeed Brady and Jerry did, from 0154. Altho the note on the website says the test at 01-09 UT would be for one week, Brady hinted it would be for two weeks, or anyway a minimum of seven days. This is why: to see if anyone objects, that is, any fixed operators in the US, since the FCC has no list of them and the only way to find out if a frequency is clear is to test on it.
They are hoping for no objexions, but if they get a call from the FCC, will immediately go back to 3215 earlier than seven days, and 3215 is still being maintained available. This long-hours test is only for that purpose, but WWCR really wants to use it for only two hours in B-10 season, 5-7 pm CDT/CST. However testing at those hours now would not be useful since it`s (mostly) in the daytime. WWCR is ``pioneering new frequencies`` and ``is not trying to step on anybody``.
It seems they are only concerned about complaints from US fixed users, not broadcasters in other parts of the world, nothing said about possible interference to or from them. Yet, we know, and they surely know from HFCC registrations, that BBC is also on 3255 via South Africa at 03-06.
I suspect there could be method in their madness in picking such a frequency --- already occupied by some broadcaster, and thus less likely to have utility users who would object; yet a broadcaster weak and far enough away to blow away in North America. And BBC may even have agreed to this at HFCC as too far to bother their target area in southern Africa; besides, they are not using it anyway between 2200 and 0300. (The same was true of picking 2390 years ago, already used by Mexico and Guatemala; not so far, tho.)
At 0102 I could detect a carrier on 3250, no doubt HRPC in Honduras, another religious broadcaster, now QRMed by WWCR. Will they object? If they do, will they have any standing as far as FCC and WWCR are concerned? At 0229 after MW TA scan, I was monitoring on the portable DX-398 only with whip antenna, and HRPC was doing better against WWCR, hymn with guitar, and 0232 YL announcement in Spanish. When I clipped on a wire, this made matters worse as WWCR became unbearable.
But, it seems they have no plan to use 3255 after 0100 UT once the test period is over, or in B-10. Remember this Sunday at least, WORLD OF RADIO at 0630 is to be on 3255, as it was on 4840 at 0230 while all this was going on 90m.
They never answered why it was necessary to leave 3215: WWRB, which in A-10 has 3215 tied up until 0100, will continue to do so in B-10; WWCR-1`s summer frequency before 0100 is 7465, but they don`t want to use it in the B-season as too high for good propagation, rather be on 90m. They tried other channels on that band last winter.
Meanwhile, temporarily vacating 3215 later in the evening opens it up for AWR via Madagascar at 0230-0330, which I could hear tonight, q.v. (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** U S A. While I was checking out WWCR on new 3255, I also observed what WWRB was doing, Oct 3: At 0100, 3215 with Brother Scare had gone off as usual, even tho WWCR was not going to be on it tonight; 3145 (as always unlisted by FCC and HFCC) did not cut on with him until *0102.
Another WWRB transmitter on 3185 had open carrier at 0100, cut to an annoying ``fast-busy`` telephone signal for a few sex, OC again, and at 0101 opening ``Signs of the Times International Radio Broadcast`` with ``CQ`` once in Morse code! But it`s just another wacky paranoid gospel huxter, then starting ``Proxy News 666`` for October 2.
A third WWRB transmitter was on 5050 with something else (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
UNIDENTIFIED. Eastern North American MW DXers have been reporting lots of trans-Atlantic catches lately, so I do a complete bandscan at 0208-0225 UT Oct 3, DX-398 only with internal antenna, on AC, stepping 9 kHz with BFO slightly mistuned to detect carriers, same as I have been doing in the morning for trans-Pacifix.
I did it twice, once set on LSB and once set on USB, as that makes a difference in audibility when you are too close to 10-kHz channels. Lots of carriers detected, but none strong enough with that equipment to pull audio, not in the order heard:
531, 549, 621, 639, 666, 675, 693, 711, 747, 864=vs KOA IBOC, 873, 909, 972, 999, 1017, 1044, 1071, 1089, 1143, 1152, 1206, 1215, 1251, 1296, 1305, 1314, 1377, 1413, 1422, 1521, 1557.
A few of them 1 kHz away from 10 kHz channels were more detectable in AM mode, just hearing the het against the NAm stations. I also had a strange carrier on 1083, but suspect local/internal origin as could not get a null on it. At times a few of them peaked to better strength than the others: 909, 1089, 1206. All this should motivate me to employ better antennas and receiver? Not yet; maybe it will someone else in deep North America (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
UNIDENTIFIED. 5775, approx., Oct 3 at 0145 as I was tuning away from WTWW, encountered 2-way SSB --- but try as I might, could not get it to resolve, no matter which way I tuned slightly up and down. It was ``inverted speech``, an old technique to add some privacy when SW was used for point-to-point international telephone conversations.
The audio frequencies of speech are reversed, high vs. low and then re-reversed at the other end. I assume the equipment is not that complicated, but unlikely to be in the hands of casual SWLs, at least not 50 years ago. Seldom run across it now. Is it a common feature in high-end communication receivers, or included in computer-controlled demodulation techniques? Could not figure out the language from the way it sounded. Also makes it hard to pin down the reference frequency where they carrier should be inserted. To make it worse, rather than simple inversion, several different audio frequency bands could be jumbled and then unjumbled (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
UNIDENTIFIED. Another check another 24 hours later, for the 49mb anomalies first heard in the 23-24 UT hour Sept 30: Oct 2 around 2320, no BBC on 5935, no Venezuela on 6165; and no WEWN on 5800, tho the latter may have been detectable if I had kept at it a little longer (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ###
Bet it`s Kashgar, EAST TURKISTAN: yes, another of countless broadcasts from there to Europe at 308 degrees, but who is listening at 2 or 3 am?? Remained good here far off-target for the rest of the hour (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** CUBA [and non]. 11970, DentroCuban Jamming Command, Oct 3 at 0037, wall of noise against nothing: this hour of VOA Spanish, cum Radio Marti, ``A Fondo`` is on the air UT Tue-Sat only but this was Sunday. Furthermore, VOA schedule at
http://author.voanews.com/english/about/frequenciesAtoZ_s.cfm
claims the 25m frequency for this is 11625, not 11970, but wasn`t 11625 abandoned last spring?? (also daily at 23-24 VOA Spanish only). Yes: we caught 11970 ex-11625 first on April 5 as in DXLD 10-14! (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** GUATEMALA. 4055, could not detect even the carrier from R. Verdad, Oct 3 at 0104 or 0235, so suspect it is off. Inquiry out to them (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** INDIA. 9870, AIR VBS, mostly pop Indian music, VG signal S9+20, Oct 3 at 0039, graylineish, but flutter. About as good at 0135, and somewhat weaker at 0200. Ron Howard reminds us to look out for special broadcasts from India for the Commonwealth Games, starting shortly (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** KOREA SOUTH [non]. 9560, KBS World Radio via CANADA, UT Sunday Oct 3 at 0201, already opening Antena de la Amistad, DX/mailbag show, on which I have recently guested; wasting no time with news or anything since this is a truncated semihour transmission, but infinitely longer than the primetime KBS devotes any more to English relays, very good signal (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENNG DIGEST)
** MADAGASCAR. With WWCR temporarily on 3255 instead of 3215, Oct 3 at 0231 I was able to hear something else on 3215, weak music in and out, using DX-398 only with whip; improved when I clipped on some wire at 0235, could hear some talking about Afghanistan. This is AWR via MADAGASCAR, really a domestic service since it`s in Malagasy, 0230-0330, 50 kW, 20 degrees from Talata-Volondry 3, per EiBi. Some relay/host countries forbid domestic broadcasts in their own language (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** ROMANIA. 9525, continuous classical organ music without announcements, Oct 3 at 0109 past 0130, big mix with R. Habana Cuba also on 9525! The music only slightly weaker than Cuba, producing a SAH varying between 120 and 132 beats per minute, i.e. 2.0 to 2.2 Hz.
Without a reference at hand, I was trying to figure out whence: Vatican plays some organ music, WEWN might too, or even WYFR, but no // found on any of their frequencies. 0148 recheck, now they are both talking and the QRM says ``shi``, so I figure it`s Romanian. Off after 0200 freeing RHC.
Yes, RRI is indeed scheduled here at 00-02, 300 kW, 310 degrees from Galbeni to eastern North America. Must have been colliding all A-season with RHC, because as an outlaw station, RHC refuses to coöperate with others by registering its frequencies with HFCC, and RRI must have assumed the channel was unoccupied! BTW, at 0109 RHC frequency manager Arnie Coro was to be heard with his regular Saturday science spot, about mp3s played too loud damaging hearing.
Per EiBi, the // for RRI is 7355 where I should have found that great organ music in the clear (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** U S A. I was standing by for WWCR-1`s frequency change from 7465 to testing 3255. Oct 3 at 0057 still on 7465 with preacher, but a few sex later it was off, so went to 3255 and waited. Came on at 0058.5, steel drums, announcing 3255 opening; seems the drum tune went on longer than usual, and a bit further on in the cut. 0100 a separate announcement that 3255 was being tested, reports to 3255 @ wwcr.com and then cut to preacher in progress. Seemed like the same one as on 7465, but two different ones are scheduled, so guess not; they can all sound alike.
At 0150 I remembered to check 4840, for Ask WWCR where they might be talking about this 3255 test. Indeed Brady and Jerry did, from 0154. Altho the note on the website says the test at 01-09 UT would be for one week, Brady hinted it would be for two weeks, or anyway a minimum of seven days. This is why: to see if anyone objects, that is, any fixed operators in the US, since the FCC has no list of them and the only way to find out if a frequency is clear is to test on it.
They are hoping for no objexions, but if they get a call from the FCC, will immediately go back to 3215 earlier than seven days, and 3215 is still being maintained available. This long-hours test is only for that purpose, but WWCR really wants to use it for only two hours in B-10 season, 5-7 pm CDT/CST. However testing at those hours now would not be useful since it`s (mostly) in the daytime. WWCR is ``pioneering new frequencies`` and ``is not trying to step on anybody``.
It seems they are only concerned about complaints from US fixed users, not broadcasters in other parts of the world, nothing said about possible interference to or from them. Yet, we know, and they surely know from HFCC registrations, that BBC is also on 3255 via South Africa at 03-06.
I suspect there could be method in their madness in picking such a frequency --- already occupied by some broadcaster, and thus less likely to have utility users who would object; yet a broadcaster weak and far enough away to blow away in North America. And BBC may even have agreed to this at HFCC as too far to bother their target area in southern Africa; besides, they are not using it anyway between 2200 and 0300. (The same was true of picking 2390 years ago, already used by Mexico and Guatemala; not so far, tho.)
At 0102 I could detect a carrier on 3250, no doubt HRPC in Honduras, another religious broadcaster, now QRMed by WWCR. Will they object? If they do, will they have any standing as far as FCC and WWCR are concerned? At 0229 after MW TA scan, I was monitoring on the portable DX-398 only with whip antenna, and HRPC was doing better against WWCR, hymn with guitar, and 0232 YL announcement in Spanish. When I clipped on a wire, this made matters worse as WWCR became unbearable.
But, it seems they have no plan to use 3255 after 0100 UT once the test period is over, or in B-10. Remember this Sunday at least, WORLD OF RADIO at 0630 is to be on 3255, as it was on 4840 at 0230 while all this was going on 90m.
They never answered why it was necessary to leave 3215: WWRB, which in A-10 has 3215 tied up until 0100, will continue to do so in B-10; WWCR-1`s summer frequency before 0100 is 7465, but they don`t want to use it in the B-season as too high for good propagation, rather be on 90m. They tried other channels on that band last winter.
Meanwhile, temporarily vacating 3215 later in the evening opens it up for AWR via Madagascar at 0230-0330, which I could hear tonight, q.v. (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** U S A. While I was checking out WWCR on new 3255, I also observed what WWRB was doing, Oct 3: At 0100, 3215 with Brother Scare had gone off as usual, even tho WWCR was not going to be on it tonight; 3145 (as always unlisted by FCC and HFCC) did not cut on with him until *0102.
Another WWRB transmitter on 3185 had open carrier at 0100, cut to an annoying ``fast-busy`` telephone signal for a few sex, OC again, and at 0101 opening ``Signs of the Times International Radio Broadcast`` with ``CQ`` once in Morse code! But it`s just another wacky paranoid gospel huxter, then starting ``Proxy News 666`` for October 2.
A third WWRB transmitter was on 5050 with something else (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
UNIDENTIFIED. Eastern North American MW DXers have been reporting lots of trans-Atlantic catches lately, so I do a complete bandscan at 0208-0225 UT Oct 3, DX-398 only with internal antenna, on AC, stepping 9 kHz with BFO slightly mistuned to detect carriers, same as I have been doing in the morning for trans-Pacifix.
I did it twice, once set on LSB and once set on USB, as that makes a difference in audibility when you are too close to 10-kHz channels. Lots of carriers detected, but none strong enough with that equipment to pull audio, not in the order heard:
531, 549, 621, 639, 666, 675, 693, 711, 747, 864=vs KOA IBOC, 873, 909, 972, 999, 1017, 1044, 1071, 1089, 1143, 1152, 1206, 1215, 1251, 1296, 1305, 1314, 1377, 1413, 1422, 1521, 1557.
A few of them 1 kHz away from 10 kHz channels were more detectable in AM mode, just hearing the het against the NAm stations. I also had a strange carrier on 1083, but suspect local/internal origin as could not get a null on it. At times a few of them peaked to better strength than the others: 909, 1089, 1206. All this should motivate me to employ better antennas and receiver? Not yet; maybe it will someone else in deep North America (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
UNIDENTIFIED. 5775, approx., Oct 3 at 0145 as I was tuning away from WTWW, encountered 2-way SSB --- but try as I might, could not get it to resolve, no matter which way I tuned slightly up and down. It was ``inverted speech``, an old technique to add some privacy when SW was used for point-to-point international telephone conversations.
The audio frequencies of speech are reversed, high vs. low and then re-reversed at the other end. I assume the equipment is not that complicated, but unlikely to be in the hands of casual SWLs, at least not 50 years ago. Seldom run across it now. Is it a common feature in high-end communication receivers, or included in computer-controlled demodulation techniques? Could not figure out the language from the way it sounded. Also makes it hard to pin down the reference frequency where they carrier should be inserted. To make it worse, rather than simple inversion, several different audio frequency bands could be jumbled and then unjumbled (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
UNIDENTIFIED. Another check another 24 hours later, for the 49mb anomalies first heard in the 23-24 UT hour Sept 30: Oct 2 around 2320, no BBC on 5935, no Venezuela on 6165; and no WEWN on 5800, tho the latter may have been detectable if I had kept at it a little longer (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ###
