lunedì 28 marzo 2011

Glenn Hauser logs March 26-27, 2011

** CANADA. 6115, strong open carrier, March 27 at 0641 and earlier in the hour; presumed Sackville which decided to burn kW even tho with A-11 there is no longer any CRI English relay here at 06-07, and hence no audio input (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** CHINA [and non]. Firedrake March 27:
10300, poor at 1336 // 13130
11500, poor at 1527, mixing with something else. Aoki A-11 not up yet, but B-10 showed Sound of Hope 1530-1600 via Tajikistan, CNR1 jamming
12980, very good at 1333
13130, very good at 1330
13500, poor at 1331, and not // the others. One of those 100-watt SOH nuisance frequencies, per B-10 Aoki.
15900, poor at 1250
No other FD found 12-19 MHz around 1334.

17705, March 27 at 1252, Indian music over Chinese talk CCI, i.e. AIR Chinese service vs CNR1 jamming; but no Arabic from BSKSA heard tho still supposedly scheduled here too. See also EAST TURKISTAN (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** CUBA. 5040, March 27 at 0603, RHC Spanish is still on, more than an hour past official closedown time now. No Spanish frequencies to be heard on 6 MHz band; perhaps the RadioCuba operator fell asleep and forgot to turn off 5040. Recheck at 0643 just as it said ``les ofrecemos a Vds.`` the next program, faded out audio to dead air.

Meanwhile, RHC English at 0603 had Arnie Coro`s `Breakthru` about windmills, best on 6010, then 6050, 6150, 6060. This is supposed to be toward the end rather than beginning of hour-long repeats.

`En Contacto` DX program remains Sunday at 1335; March 27 I heard most of it on 11760, about early Cuban radio history, including R. Caibarién; and marking the RHC 50th anniversary, when the RHC Bauta transmitter site had been set up in 1961, Che`s pilot took the first director of the Bauta center, Luis --- Mendoza, up to see how vulnerable it was, being painted gray and white, and told him to have the buildings repainted olive green. The first 100 kW transmitter, a Brown Boveri, had a non-direxional antenna covering all the Americas, and was visited not by Fidel, but by Pres. Osvaldo Dorticós. Four anti-aircraft guns from China were also installed to protect it during the Bay of Pigs. By the 1962 October crisis, a second transmitter was on the air.

17750 in open carrier over VOA Kurdish, at 1408, but off at 1445. Another Sunday-only channel for VENEZUELA, q.v., 13750, was absent at 1528.

11760 reconfirmed with R. Havano Kubo in Esperanto, Sunday March 27 at 1519 quick check (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** CUBA [and non]. On the first day of A-11, R. Martí makes its usual seasonal frequency changes, but the incompetent DentroCuban Jamming Command misses them, allowing RM to get thru jamming-free, such as:

 6030, March 27 at 1242, RM clear, no jamming.
11845, March 27 at 1306, RM VG with no jamming on reactivated summer-only channel at 13-17, report on the persecution of Max Marambio. Meanwhile at 1306, wall-of-noise jamming on 11930 (now scheduled at 14-24), and at 1536 on 15330, both Martíless, the latter not used at all in A-seasons (but the DCJC still jammed it sporadically during A-10). 11845 still in the clear at 1526 with sports/boxing report (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** CZECHIA [non]. 9955, R. Prague via WRMI, March 27 at 0610 with monthly science report on a book about ice in Bohemia; good signal and no jamming at the moment (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** EAST TURKISTAN. 17490, CRI English, March 27 at 1253, VG with flutter, and likewise 17650 in Chinese both via Kashgar ending by 1300 (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** FRANCE [and non]. 21580, RFI in French about development in African countries, March 27 at 1322, fair. I thought this was new for A-11, as had not heard in a long time, but was also scheduled in B-10 for 1200-1330.

17690, March 27 at 1403 songs in French, just music, no announcements heard tho an ``RFI Musique`` might have been inslipped, off at 1430* with no announcement either. Now scheduled for RFI in Spanish, 305 degrees from GUIANA FRENCH to Central & East USA, Mexico, Central America, Caribbean at 1400-1430 and 1600-1630, but no such programming due to strike (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** GERMANY [non]. 6075 may no longer run 24 hours with DW German from various sites, but it`s still on March 27 at 0606, during this hour via Woofferton UK; now scheduled 04-22 via Portugal or one of the UK sites (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** GUATEMALA. 4055, March 27 at 0558, R. Verdad definitely running announcement in Japanese, presumably recorded by a fan for benefit of DXers; then one at much lower modulation which I think was Italian. 0600 brief sign-off in English and 0600.6 starting choral NA featuring children`s voices. S9+15 and noticeably better signal now that they are up to full power of 700 watts (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** IRAN. 21670, March 27 at 1322 weak station talking in unID language, gone at 1330, something new which had not been there in B-10. It`s VIRI`s Indonesian ``Melau`` service, 500 kW, 109 degrees from Kamalabad at 1230-1330, ex-15515 where I had also been hearing that until today (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** IRAN [non]. 17755, used to hearing Turkish music from German service of VOT during B-10 around 1300, and still hearing good signal with similar music in A-11 at 1253, but now it`s scheduled as R. Farda via Biblis, GERMANY at 12-14. This was atop some much weaker unknown co-channel, however, so maybe Turkey was still there too on day 1 (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** KUWAIT. 21540, March 27 at 1321, R. Kuwait in Arabic atop Spain providing only a SAH, as another season starts maintaining this stupid collision (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** LIBYA. 17725, VOAf from the GJ, quite poor and low-modulated March 27 at 1400 when English should have started, nor any better at further chex during the following sesquihour (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** NEW ZEALAND. 6170, reactivated A-season frequency of RNZI ex-5950, March 27 at 1317, fair with Pacific political news (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** ROMANIA [and non]. 7225-7230-7235, DRM noise blob March 27 at 0607 listed as RRI; and another one on 7425-7430-7435 from BBC via Austria (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** SPAIN [and non]. REE 15170 via Costa Rica to NAm is gone for A-11; instead VG signal on 11880, Sunday March 27 at 1255, // much weaker 11815 for SAm; 1305 starts `La Hora de Asia` about Japan, China, but also including Pacific later in hour, instead of `Amigos de la Onda Corta` DX program which had been at 1330 Sundays; is that now at 1230, or when? REE`s super-signal direct from Spain on 17595 also missing, now scheduled M-F only at 13-15. 17850 via CR was on again this Sunday at 1535 (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** TURKEY. 15450 is listed as the reactivated A-11 frequency for VOT in English to Europe at 1230-1320v, also USward, but no trace of it March 27 at 1253, nor on // 15520 for Asia. The B-10 channels an hour later, 12035 and 11735 were not making it either. How is 15450 in Europe? (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** U K [non]. 7425-7430-7435, DRM noise blob March 27 at 0607 listed as BBC via Austria; and another one on 7225-7230-7235 from Romania.

21470, BBCWS English news about Libya, March 27 at 1406. This is 175 degrees from CYPRUS at 14-17, just started for A-11 (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** U S A [non]. Pleased still to hear VOA`s `Jazz America` hour in A-11, Sunday March 27 at 1312 on 12150, 9510, 7575, sites being Tinang, Poro and Poro, PHILIPPINES.

17750, under carrier presumed from CUBA, Sunday March 27 at 1408, weak SW Asian language. Once again VOA Kurdish via Wertachtal, GERMANY is now scheduled here 14-15; carrier gone at 1445 (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** U S A [non]. 15785, Arabic pop music, March 27 until 1515 switch to news until 1525 back to music. Had lots of axualities, including clips of Clinton & Gates in English into voice-over translations. Presumably R. Sawa, matching its format, on another brand-new frequency. Still Arabic pop music at 1537.

Seems R. Sawa has added more SW frequencies after 1300, and Wolfgang Büschel forwarded this as of March 26, showing 15785 is 250 kW, 285 degrees from Kuwait at 14-17:

ADDX club, Andreas Volk, Munich sent me the following SAWA file

SAW ARAB SAO 13710 1200 1300  100 020
SAW ARAB BOT 17600 1200 1300  100 350
SAW ARAB KWT 17840 1200 1400  250 285
SAW ARAB BOT 17485 1300 1400  100 350
SAW ARAB SAO 13730 1300 1400  100 020
SAW ARAB SAO 13780 1400 1500  100 020
SAW ARAB BOT 17525 1400 1530  100 350
SAW ARAB KWT 15785 1400 1700  250 285 ###
SAW ARAB SAO 11820 1500 1600  100 020
SAW ARAB KWT 11510 1700 1900  250 285

Also the separate Sudanese-Arabic program:
SAW SUDA SMG  5945 0300 0330  250 146
SAW SUDA SAO  7330 0300 0330  100 052
SAW SUDA NAU  9815 0300 0330  250 160

SAW SUDA NAU  9815 1800 1830  250 160
SAW SUDA SAO 11670 1800 1830  100 052
SAW SUDA SMG 11745 1800 1830  250 146

SAW SUDA WER  9745 1900 1930  250 150
SAW SUDA SMG  9800 1900 1930  250 146
SAW SUDA BOT 11830 1900 1930  100 350
(Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** U S A. 9950 & 10050, big dirty spurs from WWV still pulsing away March 26 at 2053, despite my having mentioned this in a comment field on the current NIST online survey. Is anyone paying attention? Haven`t they received multiple complaints by now after a week of this??

Still nothing done to fix them March 27; when fundamental signal had built up at 1352, so had the 9950/10050 spurs. At 1539 when I was trying to confirm the scheduled Sunday 1530 WORLD OF RADIO broadcast on 9955 WRMI, could get nothing past the spur axually centred closer to 9951, and the weaker one around 9900 also audible (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** U S A. 15665, March 26 at 2102, gospel huxter in English with modulation spike spurs out to 15670-15700. Per B-10 schedule it`s WHRI. In A-11, 15665 is available for WHRI only at 20-21 (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** U S A. 18530, March 26 at 2109, just checking for WINB harmonic after 2100 change from 13570 to 9265, and there it is, screaming gospel huxter matching 9265, poor but audible on 18530 (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** U S A. 9370, the POS WTJC transmitter has gone haywire again. For the last few weeks has been just barely modulated and not causing problems beyond its bandwidth, but March 27 at 0552, modulation is higher, but distorted and also putting out big dirty spurs as far as 9335-9405, with further peaks around 9290, 9430, 9450. Still same at 0630.

And later that UT day at 1311, 9370 is undermodulated and distorted, with the worst spurs circa 9345, 9395. At 1538, 9370 had weakened, but still spur around 9395. Something is fundamentally wrong with WTJC (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** U S A. 7415, March 27 at 0608, ``Baby, I Love You`` rock song, so must be WBCQ with another late run of QSO with Ted Randall, way past listed time until 0400; and another oldie still running at 0638 (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** U S A [non]. 17580, no more Brother Scare here via Germany: March 27 at 1411, S Asian language, now scheduled as Bengali from YFR via Wertachtal at 13-15, 500 kW, 90 degrees (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** VENEZUELA [non]. 13750 and 17750 had no axion earlier on Sunday March 27, see CUBA, but checking at 1853 for `Aló, Presidente`, there`s El Hugazo best on 11690 altho weak with RTTY aside, and also seems audible on the four other frequencies but all with varying degrees of co-channel: 13680, 13750 (buried), 15370, 17750 (under WYFR). Way to go, Arnie! (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

UNIDENTIFIED. 7505.0, good open carrier March 27 at 0637 and earlier in that hour. No broadcasters scheduled in B-10 or A-11, except WRNO, now registered at 22-16. It has really been mostly off the air for months, using only 02-05/01-04 during DST, and when on, closer to 7506. Possibly they are testing for a return on the correct frequency? (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ###