** ANTARCTICA [and non]. 15476, no signal May 11 at 1235, so I tune the second set to BFO on 15475 in order to be notified when LRA36 turn on. That happens at *1244, late again, so back to the FRG-7 to hear musical modulation at S9 to S9+10. 1252, XYL ID, sign-on with frequencies, coördinates; then ``Soy Feliz`` theme song which runs about 5 minutes, with talkovers: 1254 mentions `Amanecer Austral` show title; 1259 chat without the music; 1303 peaking and then fading down some but still detectable the rest of that hour. There was a stronger Chinese on 15480 until 1300. It`s CNR1, Beijing 572 site per Aoki and HFCC, not a jammer!
When is `dawn`, anyway, now at Base Esperanza? Bookmark this:http://www.gaisma.com/en/location/esperanza--permanent-station-of-argentina.html
The trouble is, these data are given in supposedly `local` time, so you always have to check the UT offset at the bottom, and make further adjustments if there is DST. But it shows UT=0! We are quite sure Esperanza observes UT -3 = Argentina altho it should really be UT -4 at longitude 57 west, amid the 52.5 to 67.5 slice, so it`s on permanent DST like much of the home country.
Anyhow, gaisma shows today`s sunrise at 1215 UT, for a seven-hour `day`, but dawn started at 1118, so the sun is already up when LRA36 comes on the air. In two months` time, near the Solstice, those times will have latened to 1319 and 1211 UT.
The graph below shows that since BE is north of the Antarctic Circle, they never have to endure totally dark days, tho insolation in June is typically only 0.08 kWh/m²/day. This handy website also shows LRA36 is about 12 megameters from my ISP. At 2 kW, that makes 6 km per watt.
Altho LRA36 has a standard sign-on routine, with the musical prélude and `Soy Feliz`, I have never heard them play the Argentine national anthem, which one would expect as a radial raising of the flag (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** CHINA [and non]. Firedrake May 11: some DX log editors find this too much to cope with, but if arranging by individual frequencies, add date to each; and insert semicolons if running them all together
12980, good at 1229; none lower
13850, good at 1229, stronger than 12980
14700, poor at 1230
14950, very good at 1231; obviously radically different parameters from 14700. Since the ChiCom proudly defend themselves from such existential threats as Falun Gong, why not register the details?
15970, very good at 1231
Second set after 1300:
13920, very good at 1338 with ute QRM
14950, very poor at 1338
15900, good at 1328
15970, good at 1336 but less than // 15900
15670, CNR1 echo-jamming at 1233 vs nothing audible, but target is R. Free Asia in Tibetan via Tajikistan. 1234 is // 15480 with less echo, not a jammer; see ANTARCTICA [and non]
15795, Indian vocal music mixing with Chinese at 1231, i.e. jamming AIR Mandarin service; see also SAUDI ARABIA [and non] 17705. Watch out for WWRB planning to make 15795 a daytime frequency, neighborly to WWCR 15825. Should wait until the Indo-Chinese radio war is over at 1315
(Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** EQUATORIAL GUINEA. 15190, May 11 at 1330 some noise fading in and out; 1334 very distorted music, hummy hymn; 1339 modulation better in choral music, so R. Africa must be back after a few days off because the transmitter had been cutting off the air twice per second. Even during distortion period, the carrier was OK when checked with BFO. 1400 a non-screaming speaker could be convicted child-marrying evangelist Tony Alámo, but too poor to be sure. Earlier on 15190 I was getting IRAN [q.v.] in Chinese (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** GUINEA. 7125, the sporadic RTG is again on the air early, May 11 at 0542 with hilife music, bothered by T-storm noise, but sure stix out in the middle of the hamband (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** GUYANA FRENCH. 15770-15775-15780, DRM noise May 11 at 1232, bothering WYFR AM Spanish on 15770. Nothing at all in latest HFCC on 15775, but Jacques Gruson, F6AJW publicized a DRM test to India from Montsinéry, in the drmna list via Alokesh Gupta, for 12 May only at 1500-1657, 100 kW. I can only assume that like so much DRM operation, this is same, ad-hoc, outside the publicized schedule. Not very strong here (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** INDIA. AIR Chinese service, 15795 and 17705: see CHINA [and non]; SAUDI ARABIA [and non]
** INDONESIA. 9526-, VOI, May 11 at 1314 going from `Today in History` to `Focus`, S9+20 but undermodulated YL, too tough to copy. It`s always something (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** IRAN. Checking for R. Africa [see EQUATORIAL GUINEA], 15190, May 11 at 1238 instead heard weak signal with music, then talk sounds like Chinese. Ahá, that fits for IRIB in Chinese at 12-13, 500 kW, 64 degrees from Kamalabad. R. Africa is lucky they don`t have more competition for 15190 as they refuse to participate in HFCC (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** KOREA NORTH. 15180, May 11 at 1241, VOK, inbooming, VG signal but heavy flutter, with triumphal music, Korean (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** PORTUGAL. 17575, May 11 at 1325, RDPI with Portuguese rap by OM alternating with normal singing by YL in same song, not appealing, but we must treasure each moment of SW from here before self-destruxion. Also was very poorly audible on 21655 at 1321 as the OSOB (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** RWANDA [and non]. 21780, May 11 at 1245 French report about Abidjan, OSOB. In B-10 this frequency-hour was from Rampisham, but nothing else in from Europe, so uplooked later this is why: now it`s DW, 250 kW, 295 degrees from Kigali at 1200-1257. By 1321 the OSOB was a very poor PORTUGAL on 21655 (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** SAUDI ARABIA [and non]. 17705, May 12 at 1245 Arabic mixing with Indian music, i.e. the Mandarin service of AIR, but no ChiCom jamming audible! Probably on but not propagating, so only a two-way clash instead of three- (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** TURKEY. 15450, VOT English to Europe and consequently NAm, but only fair May 11 at 1307 reading reception report, concluding `Letterbox`, then `Question of the Month`. Now I copy a bit more of it, but not enough: ``which of the following cities is ----??``
I give up; the 11 May program file is on demand in lower-left of http://www.trt-world.com/trtworld/en/news.aspx
--- but plays silently on Quicktime, ``error synching to stream`` on Winamp. Foiled again!
VOT is fooling itself, trying to broadcast to the `World` only from the Emirler site inside Turkey, while relay sites in the Western Hemisphere are going to waste. They had a good thing going with Sackville but let it loose (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** U S A. 9370, May 11 at 0547 could not hear any spurs from WTJC! Has Jesus answered my prayer already? Must have been obscured by T-storm noise provided by His colleague Thor, weak signal, for at 1314 check, still distorted spurs circa 9345, 9395 (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENNG DIGEST)
** U S A [and non]. 9875, May 11 at 0546 VG open carrier, 0548-0550* also with exactly 1000 Hz tone test. Typical behavior of IBB, especially Greenville, but not scheduled anywhen on this frequency. They have a roster of test-only frequencies, which don`t appear in HFCC. Here`s why. At 0600 GB starts VOA French on 9880, but it`s already occupied by Botswana with same. So to avoided QRMing itself, VOA tune-up test is on a nearby frequency instead. In other cases we have heard VOA QRMing itself anyway, or some other station in the way.
13595, May 11 at 0551-0552* fair signal with another 1-kHz tone test including some breaks. Can this be explained in same way? Maybe. Per HFCC, the nearest, both in frequency and time, IBB transmission on this band is: 13610, 0900-1100 Chinese, 100 kW, 300 degrees from SAIPAN (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** U S A. WORLD OF RADIO 1564 monitoring. This week finished in time for an earlier start, confirmed first broadcast on WRMI webcast, Wednesday May 11 at 1530. Repeats on WRMI, 9955: UT Thu 0330, 1500, 2100, Fri 1430, Sat 0800, 1730. On WBCQ: Wednesday 2100 (or 2115 or 2130) on 7415. On WWRB: UT Friday 0330 on 5050 only. On WWCR: Friday 2030 on 15825, Saturday 1600 on 12160, Sunday 0630 on 3215. On IPAR: Saturday 1800 on 7290 (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
UNIDENTIFIED. 6170, RNZI takes a one hour break at 11-13 to be on 9655 instead, and per HFCC nothing else is scheduled on 6170. Yet May 11 at 1212 I am hearing something on 6170! Sounds like SE Asian songs, but T-storm noise level is too much. Aoki shows nothing but the low-power Filipino on 6170.4, but this is surely too strong for that. Eibi also shows DZRM until 1300, plus Scandinavian Weekend Radio, but that`s only on first-Saturdays and certain-holidays such as ``Midsummer`` June 24 instead of true Solstice date June 21.
I suspect the most likely explanation is that RNZI itself has again shown up on the wrong frequency, but I did not think to check 9655, which is hard to hear anyway when on since it`s aimed at Timor. However, the RNZI programme schedule shows M-F 1205-1300 `Late Edition` which looks more like a news than a music show. Something new from elsewhere? (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
UNIDENTIFIED [and non]. 15630, May 11 at 1335 I am hearing not only Greece with fill music for general-strike-day, but a fast SAH and tone-test from something else.
Per HFCC, at 13-15 there is a `new` WRN broadcast, 100 kW, 70 degrees via Dushanbe, TAJIKISTAN. A lot of these registrations are stand-by contingencies, but it looks like something is imminent. Should surely avoid Greece`s frequency. Oh, Aoki shows it already:
15630 1300-1330 TJK Voice of Wilderness Kor Dushanbe-Ya 2-7
15630 1300-1400 TJK Voice of Wilderness Kor Dushanbe-Ya 1
What`s that? A Cornerstone Ministries broadcast from HQ Tustin, California for North Korea (as if the poor NKs don`t have enough problems without adding a foreign religion), page 505 of WRTH 2011, on a different frequency in B-10; but why the tone instead? (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ###
When is `dawn`, anyway, now at Base Esperanza? Bookmark this:http://www.gaisma.com/en/location/esperanza--permanent-station-of-argentina.html
The trouble is, these data are given in supposedly `local` time, so you always have to check the UT offset at the bottom, and make further adjustments if there is DST. But it shows UT=0! We are quite sure Esperanza observes UT -3 = Argentina altho it should really be UT -4 at longitude 57 west, amid the 52.5 to 67.5 slice, so it`s on permanent DST like much of the home country.
Anyhow, gaisma shows today`s sunrise at 1215 UT, for a seven-hour `day`, but dawn started at 1118, so the sun is already up when LRA36 comes on the air. In two months` time, near the Solstice, those times will have latened to 1319 and 1211 UT.
The graph below shows that since BE is north of the Antarctic Circle, they never have to endure totally dark days, tho insolation in June is typically only 0.08 kWh/m²/day. This handy website also shows LRA36 is about 12 megameters from my ISP. At 2 kW, that makes 6 km per watt.
Altho LRA36 has a standard sign-on routine, with the musical prélude and `Soy Feliz`, I have never heard them play the Argentine national anthem, which one would expect as a radial raising of the flag (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** CHINA [and non]. Firedrake May 11: some DX log editors find this too much to cope with, but if arranging by individual frequencies, add date to each; and insert semicolons if running them all together
12980, good at 1229; none lower
13850, good at 1229, stronger than 12980
14700, poor at 1230
14950, very good at 1231; obviously radically different parameters from 14700. Since the ChiCom proudly defend themselves from such existential threats as Falun Gong, why not register the details?
15970, very good at 1231
Second set after 1300:
13920, very good at 1338 with ute QRM
14950, very poor at 1338
15900, good at 1328
15970, good at 1336 but less than // 15900
15670, CNR1 echo-jamming at 1233 vs nothing audible, but target is R. Free Asia in Tibetan via Tajikistan. 1234 is // 15480 with less echo, not a jammer; see ANTARCTICA [and non]
15795, Indian vocal music mixing with Chinese at 1231, i.e. jamming AIR Mandarin service; see also SAUDI ARABIA [and non] 17705. Watch out for WWRB planning to make 15795 a daytime frequency, neighborly to WWCR 15825. Should wait until the Indo-Chinese radio war is over at 1315
(Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** EQUATORIAL GUINEA. 15190, May 11 at 1330 some noise fading in and out; 1334 very distorted music, hummy hymn; 1339 modulation better in choral music, so R. Africa must be back after a few days off because the transmitter had been cutting off the air twice per second. Even during distortion period, the carrier was OK when checked with BFO. 1400 a non-screaming speaker could be convicted child-marrying evangelist Tony Alámo, but too poor to be sure. Earlier on 15190 I was getting IRAN [q.v.] in Chinese (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** GUINEA. 7125, the sporadic RTG is again on the air early, May 11 at 0542 with hilife music, bothered by T-storm noise, but sure stix out in the middle of the hamband (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** GUYANA FRENCH. 15770-15775-15780, DRM noise May 11 at 1232, bothering WYFR AM Spanish on 15770. Nothing at all in latest HFCC on 15775, but Jacques Gruson, F6AJW publicized a DRM test to India from Montsinéry, in the drmna list via Alokesh Gupta, for 12 May only at 1500-1657, 100 kW. I can only assume that like so much DRM operation, this is same, ad-hoc, outside the publicized schedule. Not very strong here (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** INDIA. AIR Chinese service, 15795 and 17705: see CHINA [and non]; SAUDI ARABIA [and non]
** INDONESIA. 9526-, VOI, May 11 at 1314 going from `Today in History` to `Focus`, S9+20 but undermodulated YL, too tough to copy. It`s always something (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** IRAN. Checking for R. Africa [see EQUATORIAL GUINEA], 15190, May 11 at 1238 instead heard weak signal with music, then talk sounds like Chinese. Ahá, that fits for IRIB in Chinese at 12-13, 500 kW, 64 degrees from Kamalabad. R. Africa is lucky they don`t have more competition for 15190 as they refuse to participate in HFCC (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** KOREA NORTH. 15180, May 11 at 1241, VOK, inbooming, VG signal but heavy flutter, with triumphal music, Korean (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** PORTUGAL. 17575, May 11 at 1325, RDPI with Portuguese rap by OM alternating with normal singing by YL in same song, not appealing, but we must treasure each moment of SW from here before self-destruxion. Also was very poorly audible on 21655 at 1321 as the OSOB (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** RWANDA [and non]. 21780, May 11 at 1245 French report about Abidjan, OSOB. In B-10 this frequency-hour was from Rampisham, but nothing else in from Europe, so uplooked later this is why: now it`s DW, 250 kW, 295 degrees from Kigali at 1200-1257. By 1321 the OSOB was a very poor PORTUGAL on 21655 (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** SAUDI ARABIA [and non]. 17705, May 12 at 1245 Arabic mixing with Indian music, i.e. the Mandarin service of AIR, but no ChiCom jamming audible! Probably on but not propagating, so only a two-way clash instead of three- (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** TURKEY. 15450, VOT English to Europe and consequently NAm, but only fair May 11 at 1307 reading reception report, concluding `Letterbox`, then `Question of the Month`. Now I copy a bit more of it, but not enough: ``which of the following cities is ----??``
I give up; the 11 May program file is on demand in lower-left of http://www.trt-world.com/trtworld/en/news.aspx
--- but plays silently on Quicktime, ``error synching to stream`` on Winamp. Foiled again!
VOT is fooling itself, trying to broadcast to the `World` only from the Emirler site inside Turkey, while relay sites in the Western Hemisphere are going to waste. They had a good thing going with Sackville but let it loose (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** U S A. 9370, May 11 at 0547 could not hear any spurs from WTJC! Has Jesus answered my prayer already? Must have been obscured by T-storm noise provided by His colleague Thor, weak signal, for at 1314 check, still distorted spurs circa 9345, 9395 (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENNG DIGEST)
** U S A [and non]. 9875, May 11 at 0546 VG open carrier, 0548-0550* also with exactly 1000 Hz tone test. Typical behavior of IBB, especially Greenville, but not scheduled anywhen on this frequency. They have a roster of test-only frequencies, which don`t appear in HFCC. Here`s why. At 0600 GB starts VOA French on 9880, but it`s already occupied by Botswana with same. So to avoided QRMing itself, VOA tune-up test is on a nearby frequency instead. In other cases we have heard VOA QRMing itself anyway, or some other station in the way.
13595, May 11 at 0551-0552* fair signal with another 1-kHz tone test including some breaks. Can this be explained in same way? Maybe. Per HFCC, the nearest, both in frequency and time, IBB transmission on this band is: 13610, 0900-1100 Chinese, 100 kW, 300 degrees from SAIPAN (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** U S A. WORLD OF RADIO 1564 monitoring. This week finished in time for an earlier start, confirmed first broadcast on WRMI webcast, Wednesday May 11 at 1530. Repeats on WRMI, 9955: UT Thu 0330, 1500, 2100, Fri 1430, Sat 0800, 1730. On WBCQ: Wednesday 2100 (or 2115 or 2130) on 7415. On WWRB: UT Friday 0330 on 5050 only. On WWCR: Friday 2030 on 15825, Saturday 1600 on 12160, Sunday 0630 on 3215. On IPAR: Saturday 1800 on 7290 (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
UNIDENTIFIED. 6170, RNZI takes a one hour break at 11-13 to be on 9655 instead, and per HFCC nothing else is scheduled on 6170. Yet May 11 at 1212 I am hearing something on 6170! Sounds like SE Asian songs, but T-storm noise level is too much. Aoki shows nothing but the low-power Filipino on 6170.4, but this is surely too strong for that. Eibi also shows DZRM until 1300, plus Scandinavian Weekend Radio, but that`s only on first-Saturdays and certain-holidays such as ``Midsummer`` June 24 instead of true Solstice date June 21.
I suspect the most likely explanation is that RNZI itself has again shown up on the wrong frequency, but I did not think to check 9655, which is hard to hear anyway when on since it`s aimed at Timor. However, the RNZI programme schedule shows M-F 1205-1300 `Late Edition` which looks more like a news than a music show. Something new from elsewhere? (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
UNIDENTIFIED [and non]. 15630, May 11 at 1335 I am hearing not only Greece with fill music for general-strike-day, but a fast SAH and tone-test from something else.
Per HFCC, at 13-15 there is a `new` WRN broadcast, 100 kW, 70 degrees via Dushanbe, TAJIKISTAN. A lot of these registrations are stand-by contingencies, but it looks like something is imminent. Should surely avoid Greece`s frequency. Oh, Aoki shows it already:
15630 1300-1330 TJK Voice of Wilderness Kor Dushanbe-Ya 2-7
15630 1300-1400 TJK Voice of Wilderness Kor Dushanbe-Ya 1
What`s that? A Cornerstone Ministries broadcast from HQ Tustin, California for North Korea (as if the poor NKs don`t have enough problems without adding a foreign religion), page 505 of WRTH 2011, on a different frequency in B-10; but why the tone instead? (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ###