** CUBA. RHC, Sat Oct 30 at 1407 opening ``Cartas a la Redacción`` (Letters to the Editor, distinct from a regular mailbag), with time for that show as Sat 9:05 and 11:32 am, ---fade--- pm, Sunday 4 am. Unfortunately I happened to be on 15360 instead of much stronger 15120 which would not have faded inopportunely.
But 1407 UT = 10:07 am EDT, which Cuba has been observing all summer, and not supposed to revert to EST = 9:07 am until tomorrow. Has Cuba already made the time change, or was this announcement jumping the gun? OR: they never got around to correcting the time announcement 7 months ago? Yes, this confirms the change does not come until Sunday morning at 1 am = 0500 UT becomes midnight once again, and there will be another 1 am at 0600:
http://www.radiorebelde.cu/noticia/finaliza-horario-verano-cuba-20101014/
Altho it matches the earlier DST start in the spring with arch-enemy USA, Cuba still has enough sense not to extend it an extra week in the fall. But evidently the program times on RHC have already fallen back an hour. Or rather, references to them in local time have changed from EDT to EST. This schedule
http://www.radiohc.cu/espanol/c_programacion/programacion.htm
displays CALR only as Saturday 1405 and 0310 UT --- the latter meaning UT Sunday. Mid-day and overnight programming still is in limbo (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** GUATEMALA. 4052.4, R. Verdad, Oct 30 at 0508 with ``Amazing Grace``, 0510 dead air at S9+12; next check 1143, S9+15 with gospel music, soprano hymn. (I haven`t remeasured but so far had been a bit below nominal 4052.5) (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** INDONESIA. 9526-, after being on the air only Sunday and Wednesday this week, VOI is finally back Saturday Oct 30 for the English hour at 13-14, a few days after the eruption, earthquake and tsunami disasters we would like to have heard about promptly from the source.
First checked at 1159 in Chinese, 1200:30 switching to Japanese, usual IADs continue. 1302 in English with disaster news, weather delaying getting aid to those needing it; 1305 concerns that tourism will be disrupted; later in hour usual features including Indonesian Wonder, Miscellany, Music Corner. Still on past 1357 when CRI Russian 9525.0 starts, 1447 ``Musik Indonesia`` in big collision with het, VOI slightly atop (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** MEXICO. 700, Oct 30 at 1230 UT, Mexican NA, 1232 sign-on as XEGD, La Poderosa, 5 mil watts, 700 kHz, street address, two phones including 52-2-05-54, in Hidalgo del Parral, Chihuahua; 1233 to usual opening infomercial, ``Consejos para un mejor vivir``.
850, Oct 30 at 1211 UT, intro Luis Palau evangelist in KOA null after Obama, presumably XEM, Renacimiento 850, Chihuahua.
870, XETAR, Oct 30 at 1204 UT NA, 1206 sign-on in language, presumed Tarahumara, frequent mentions of XETAR calls pronounced in Spanish, then Spanish mentioning federal agency sponsorship of such indigenous stations as this one in Guachochi, Chihuahua; 1208 kidchorus, rapid SAH, presumably WWL still remnanting, but mostly separable, then La Voz de la Sierra Tarahumara opening in Spanish, 6:09 TC, and another at 1221 for 6:21. Unlike most of the commercial stations, this one is low-key with no screaming hype, and consequently seems a bit undermodulated, improving somewhat during canned federal government PSAs such as one for the Bicentennial at 1228, then kids in unison with call letters (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** OKLAHOMA. 1600, Oct 29 at 2053 UT in downtown Enid on the caradio, fair but steady signal with ad for Intuit on I-85; ??? that runs from Montgomery AL thru GA, SC, NC and VA to Washington DC. Could it be WXVI in Mont`y? It`s a bit early, but skywave is possible at topend of band. The SC and NC stations on 1600 are not too far from but not right on I-85. Kept listening, and it`s Herman Cain (sp?), black accent, sitting in for some other talkhost; not the WXVI format.
2100 ID just for KUSH, Cushing OK, my nearest 1600, which I seriously suspected due to the steady signal, no fading, atop channel. But why the local ad from something on I-85? Because they are SNAFU, and instead of news on the hour, we also heard closed-circuit feed start of two promos for Boortz; then cutting to Oklahoma news network in progress (Glenn Hauser, Enid, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** RUSSIA. 5930, the Pet/Kam motorboat (and not much intelligible modulation) audible already at 0453 check Oct 30, vs adjacent DGS/WWCR 5935. From Oct 31 this should be on 6075 instead, and until 1400*. And will the 8GAL CW marker on 6074 also be back at 1400-1401v? (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** SOUTH CAROLINA [non]. WWRB keeps losing Brother Scare, just open carrier for hours and hours. Oct 30 at 1145, 3185 is OC with hum. Accomplished frequency change to 9385 sometime, but next check at 1400, that too was OC with lite buzz, still at 1418; next check 1445, BS was finally on and ranting his Sabbath sermon.
Meanwhile, I found him on 13810, Oct 30 at 1418, fair via Nauen, GERMANY scheduled daily 14-15, running about a semisecond ahead of // WWCR 9980, and much further out of synch with WINB 9265, WBCQ 15420.
Also before 1200 the WWCR-4 BS service is still on 5890, and Oct 30 at 1154 there was incredible sideband garbage peaking around 5885 and 5895, while the WWCR-2 DGS service on 5935 was clean without any of that.
WWCR-4 is currently on 5890 at 02-12 and 9980 at 12-02. From 31 Oct to 6 Nov it`s registered as shifting to 01-11 and 11-01, then from 7 Nov
back to 02-12 and 12-02 respectively, but that doesn`t make sense, a further casualty of the Week of Confusion (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) See also USA: WPJK = SC
** U S A. 3160, WPJK, Oct 30 at 1145, S9+18 with siren, announcement, gospel song ``Do You Wanna Go With Me?``. Better signal at this hour than TGAV 4052.4.
Remember, from Nov 1, WPJK sign-on/off times are supposed to be 1200-2215 UT. Apparently they have not yet implemented a `plan` to stay on at night with 15 watts on 1580, since we hear them doing formal sign-ons at 1130, often several minutes late. Strangely, FCC info for facility 6447,
http://www.fcc.gov/fcc-bin/amq?list=0&facid=6447
makes no mention of 3160 (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** U S A. 850, KOA Denver, Saturday Oct 30 at 1210 UT with President Obama`s weekly radio/YouTube address until 1211 so probably started no earlier than 1206. Announcer said GOP response would be on at 6:35 (MDT = 1235 UT; when MST = 1335 UT). Originally when they were really radio-only, started by Reagan, the Pres would not be on until 8:06 am MT, and the opposition at 9:06 am, when one could find them on a few stations by searching the dial. Now the release must be much earlier and the few stations bothering to carry the addresses can schedule them as desired.
1010, Oct 30 at 1241 UT, a bit of church Latin, dings, dead air, so must be a Catholic mass, then into English, YL with stage accent prays to Jesus, 1247 organ interlude, 1250 OM with sing-song prayer also in English, back into Latin homily with small-choral responses.
NW/SE so can`t be KXEN Festus/Saint Louis MO, and besides, Catholix may not be welcome there. 1256 check 11520 to see if it match WEWN, but that`s already in QSY announcement to 13845. At 1257, 1010 outros as Immaculate Heart Radio, but 1259 plug by an EWTN Fr saying IHR is 100% listener-supported, Catholic Charities of Utah, Salt Lake City being involved. 1300 legal ID as Immaculate Heart Radio, KIHU, Tooele.
This is the 50 kW station no one wanted, previously for a while public radio with BBC overnight. Callsign history from FCC AM Query:
Call Sign Begin Date
KIHU 08/06/2009
KPCW 03/20/2009
KCPW 08/01/2004
KIQN 09/18/1998
KTUR 10/30/1992
KTLE 05/19/1982
KDYL
It has an unusual antenna/power schedule, denoted U13 by NRC AM Log, which means one direxional pattern during day and critical hours, another pattern at night. Day power is 50 kW, CH 42 kW, night 194 watts, and has a CP for U4, which means the same except eliminating CH.
It`s a bit more complex than that, with FIFTEEN entries under KIHU facility 35687 at FCC:
http://www.fcc.gov/fcc-bin/amq?list=0&facid=35687
Including ``moving`` city of license to Magna, but with same transmitter site coordinates as Tooele (tho some of the entries show slightly different coordinates).
I suppose a lot of this jockeying around is caused by having to protect CBR Calgary, while trying to get as much signal as possible into SLC at night.
Oct SR-SS is 1345-0045 UT; Nov 1415-0015 UT; Dec 1445-2400 UT. The strong dominant signal I was getting before 1300 UT had to be either 50 or 42 kW, so were `critical hours` in effect? It was certainly before legal sunrise there. BTW, three days earlier and one hour later, I was getting KSIR Colorado on 1010, no KIHU then (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
UNIDENTIFIED. Trans-Pacific mediumwave carrier search Oct 30:
Up the dial in LSB mode on DX-398 at 1234, found only 594 kHz.
Down the dial in USB mode at 1236-1239 detected carriers on 1188 at 1237; then 774, 594, 567. 594 not only had het of proper pitch against off-tuned BFO, but also a different het when rotated away from NW/SE, so that`s the local blip I heard before. BTW, I was checking 738/747 at 1230 when I heard KRMG Tulsa blast to day power and pattern (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ###
But 1407 UT = 10:07 am EDT, which Cuba has been observing all summer, and not supposed to revert to EST = 9:07 am until tomorrow. Has Cuba already made the time change, or was this announcement jumping the gun? OR: they never got around to correcting the time announcement 7 months ago? Yes, this confirms the change does not come until Sunday morning at 1 am = 0500 UT becomes midnight once again, and there will be another 1 am at 0600:
http://www.radiorebelde.cu/noticia/finaliza-horario-verano-cuba-20101014/
Altho it matches the earlier DST start in the spring with arch-enemy USA, Cuba still has enough sense not to extend it an extra week in the fall. But evidently the program times on RHC have already fallen back an hour. Or rather, references to them in local time have changed from EDT to EST. This schedule
http://www.radiohc.cu/espanol/c_programacion/programacion.htm
displays CALR only as Saturday 1405 and 0310 UT --- the latter meaning UT Sunday. Mid-day and overnight programming still is in limbo (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** GUATEMALA. 4052.4, R. Verdad, Oct 30 at 0508 with ``Amazing Grace``, 0510 dead air at S9+12; next check 1143, S9+15 with gospel music, soprano hymn. (I haven`t remeasured but so far had been a bit below nominal 4052.5) (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** INDONESIA. 9526-, after being on the air only Sunday and Wednesday this week, VOI is finally back Saturday Oct 30 for the English hour at 13-14, a few days after the eruption, earthquake and tsunami disasters we would like to have heard about promptly from the source.
First checked at 1159 in Chinese, 1200:30 switching to Japanese, usual IADs continue. 1302 in English with disaster news, weather delaying getting aid to those needing it; 1305 concerns that tourism will be disrupted; later in hour usual features including Indonesian Wonder, Miscellany, Music Corner. Still on past 1357 when CRI Russian 9525.0 starts, 1447 ``Musik Indonesia`` in big collision with het, VOI slightly atop (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** MEXICO. 700, Oct 30 at 1230 UT, Mexican NA, 1232 sign-on as XEGD, La Poderosa, 5 mil watts, 700 kHz, street address, two phones including 52-2-05-54, in Hidalgo del Parral, Chihuahua; 1233 to usual opening infomercial, ``Consejos para un mejor vivir``.
850, Oct 30 at 1211 UT, intro Luis Palau evangelist in KOA null after Obama, presumably XEM, Renacimiento 850, Chihuahua.
870, XETAR, Oct 30 at 1204 UT NA, 1206 sign-on in language, presumed Tarahumara, frequent mentions of XETAR calls pronounced in Spanish, then Spanish mentioning federal agency sponsorship of such indigenous stations as this one in Guachochi, Chihuahua; 1208 kidchorus, rapid SAH, presumably WWL still remnanting, but mostly separable, then La Voz de la Sierra Tarahumara opening in Spanish, 6:09 TC, and another at 1221 for 6:21. Unlike most of the commercial stations, this one is low-key with no screaming hype, and consequently seems a bit undermodulated, improving somewhat during canned federal government PSAs such as one for the Bicentennial at 1228, then kids in unison with call letters (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** OKLAHOMA. 1600, Oct 29 at 2053 UT in downtown Enid on the caradio, fair but steady signal with ad for Intuit on I-85; ??? that runs from Montgomery AL thru GA, SC, NC and VA to Washington DC. Could it be WXVI in Mont`y? It`s a bit early, but skywave is possible at topend of band. The SC and NC stations on 1600 are not too far from but not right on I-85. Kept listening, and it`s Herman Cain (sp?), black accent, sitting in for some other talkhost; not the WXVI format.
2100 ID just for KUSH, Cushing OK, my nearest 1600, which I seriously suspected due to the steady signal, no fading, atop channel. But why the local ad from something on I-85? Because they are SNAFU, and instead of news on the hour, we also heard closed-circuit feed start of two promos for Boortz; then cutting to Oklahoma news network in progress (Glenn Hauser, Enid, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** RUSSIA. 5930, the Pet/Kam motorboat (and not much intelligible modulation) audible already at 0453 check Oct 30, vs adjacent DGS/WWCR 5935. From Oct 31 this should be on 6075 instead, and until 1400*. And will the 8GAL CW marker on 6074 also be back at 1400-1401v? (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** SOUTH CAROLINA [non]. WWRB keeps losing Brother Scare, just open carrier for hours and hours. Oct 30 at 1145, 3185 is OC with hum. Accomplished frequency change to 9385 sometime, but next check at 1400, that too was OC with lite buzz, still at 1418; next check 1445, BS was finally on and ranting his Sabbath sermon.
Meanwhile, I found him on 13810, Oct 30 at 1418, fair via Nauen, GERMANY scheduled daily 14-15, running about a semisecond ahead of // WWCR 9980, and much further out of synch with WINB 9265, WBCQ 15420.
Also before 1200 the WWCR-4 BS service is still on 5890, and Oct 30 at 1154 there was incredible sideband garbage peaking around 5885 and 5895, while the WWCR-2 DGS service on 5935 was clean without any of that.
WWCR-4 is currently on 5890 at 02-12 and 9980 at 12-02. From 31 Oct to 6 Nov it`s registered as shifting to 01-11 and 11-01, then from 7 Nov
back to 02-12 and 12-02 respectively, but that doesn`t make sense, a further casualty of the Week of Confusion (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) See also USA: WPJK = SC
** U S A. 3160, WPJK, Oct 30 at 1145, S9+18 with siren, announcement, gospel song ``Do You Wanna Go With Me?``. Better signal at this hour than TGAV 4052.4.
Remember, from Nov 1, WPJK sign-on/off times are supposed to be 1200-2215 UT. Apparently they have not yet implemented a `plan` to stay on at night with 15 watts on 1580, since we hear them doing formal sign-ons at 1130, often several minutes late. Strangely, FCC info for facility 6447,
http://www.fcc.gov/fcc-bin/amq?list=0&facid=6447
makes no mention of 3160 (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** U S A. 850, KOA Denver, Saturday Oct 30 at 1210 UT with President Obama`s weekly radio/YouTube address until 1211 so probably started no earlier than 1206. Announcer said GOP response would be on at 6:35 (MDT = 1235 UT; when MST = 1335 UT). Originally when they were really radio-only, started by Reagan, the Pres would not be on until 8:06 am MT, and the opposition at 9:06 am, when one could find them on a few stations by searching the dial. Now the release must be much earlier and the few stations bothering to carry the addresses can schedule them as desired.
1010, Oct 30 at 1241 UT, a bit of church Latin, dings, dead air, so must be a Catholic mass, then into English, YL with stage accent prays to Jesus, 1247 organ interlude, 1250 OM with sing-song prayer also in English, back into Latin homily with small-choral responses.
NW/SE so can`t be KXEN Festus/Saint Louis MO, and besides, Catholix may not be welcome there. 1256 check 11520 to see if it match WEWN, but that`s already in QSY announcement to 13845. At 1257, 1010 outros as Immaculate Heart Radio, but 1259 plug by an EWTN Fr saying IHR is 100% listener-supported, Catholic Charities of Utah, Salt Lake City being involved. 1300 legal ID as Immaculate Heart Radio, KIHU, Tooele.
This is the 50 kW station no one wanted, previously for a while public radio with BBC overnight. Callsign history from FCC AM Query:
Call Sign Begin Date
KIHU 08/06/2009
KPCW 03/20/2009
KCPW 08/01/2004
KIQN 09/18/1998
KTUR 10/30/1992
KTLE 05/19/1982
KDYL
It has an unusual antenna/power schedule, denoted U13 by NRC AM Log, which means one direxional pattern during day and critical hours, another pattern at night. Day power is 50 kW, CH 42 kW, night 194 watts, and has a CP for U4, which means the same except eliminating CH.
It`s a bit more complex than that, with FIFTEEN entries under KIHU facility 35687 at FCC:
http://www.fcc.gov/fcc-bin/amq?list=0&facid=35687
Including ``moving`` city of license to Magna, but with same transmitter site coordinates as Tooele (tho some of the entries show slightly different coordinates).
I suppose a lot of this jockeying around is caused by having to protect CBR Calgary, while trying to get as much signal as possible into SLC at night.
Oct SR-SS is 1345-0045 UT; Nov 1415-0015 UT; Dec 1445-2400 UT. The strong dominant signal I was getting before 1300 UT had to be either 50 or 42 kW, so were `critical hours` in effect? It was certainly before legal sunrise there. BTW, three days earlier and one hour later, I was getting KSIR Colorado on 1010, no KIHU then (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
UNIDENTIFIED. Trans-Pacific mediumwave carrier search Oct 30:
Up the dial in LSB mode on DX-398 at 1234, found only 594 kHz.
Down the dial in USB mode at 1236-1239 detected carriers on 1188 at 1237; then 774, 594, 567. 594 not only had het of proper pitch against off-tuned BFO, but also a different het when rotated away from NW/SE, so that`s the local blip I heard before. BTW, I was checking 738/747 at 1230 when I heard KRMG Tulsa blast to day power and pattern (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ###
