Glenn Hauser logs July 27-28, 2011

** ANGUILLA. 6090, July 28 at 0525, no signal, just T-storm noise (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** AUSTRALIA. 15240, 15160, 13690, 13630, July 28 at 0516, no signals from R. Australia, usually well audible. Suspect Shep is off the air at the moment. However, NZ on 11725 and DRM 11670-11680 were weaker than usual, so maybe propagation. At 0600 UT, WWV reported by e-mail, ``Space weather for the past 24 hours has been minor. Radio blackouts reaching the R1 level occurred`` and that was also announced at 1218 on 10000 (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** CANADA. The sporadic-E TVDX opening from Manitoba to Alberta which was just starting in my last report continued on July 27, UT:

1550 on 3, kidvid in English, animated, voices with Canadian accents. Zap2it schedules show CBC (only) with kidvid on weekdays until local noon. I never could match listed program titles or character names, however. One of two in southern Saskatchewan.

1558 on 5, kidvid // 3 so CBC

1600 on 3, more animated kidvid in English (so not CBWFT Winnipeg)

1606 on 2, `Hospital for Sick Kids` show as listed for CKND2 Manitoba

1700 on 4, celebrity gossip show, captioned BERGERON --- it`s `The View` from the NW, i.e. CTV net, i.e. CFCN Calgary AB, for which time fits, not CTV in Manitoba, CKYB.

1723 on 6, soap opera? Close-ups of actors

1732 on 4, CBC kidvid; offset plus or minus due to narrow beat bars. There are two CBC in Sask, offset plus and minus

1744 on 6, CTV program promo for a Dance show. There are two in Sask.

1756 on 3, French audio mixing with CCI; likely CBWFT but there are others in Manitoba, Saskatchewan

1800 on 2, `The Talk`, CBS`s answer to ABC`s `The View`; 1824 ad/PSA for Parks Canada in Manitoba. Again CKND2 as scheduled. Almost // to KWTV-39 OKC; 1842 still `The Talk`

1825, still weak CCI up to channel 6, peaking NNW

1832 on 4, CBC news

1846 on 2, Global, PSA on big switch to digital August 31; consult http://shaw.ca/dtv Likely CKND2 again rather than CICT in AB.

None of these signals were very strong, but since MUF kept reaching channel 6, I started checking FM and got one good catch on 88.1; see separate entry

1935, MUF has dropped to ch 3, and by 1940 below channel 2
(Glenn Hauser, Enid OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** CANADA. Sporadic E TVDX had been incoming a few hours from prairie provinces occasionally up to channel 6, so altho never very strong, tried FM`s lowest channel 88.1, clear here except for ACI from YFR translator on 88.3, and:

1912 UT, fade-in bits of talk neither in English nor French! But first English word coming thru was a troubling one, heroin; then mentioned Public Safety Commission, Canada Border Services Agency, SUVs; 1916 Jimmy`s Cultural, jimmyscamp.com [but could not find it nor .ca nor spelling variants]; 1917 played some rustic dance music, otherwise hard to describe, [but like the intro music autolaunching on website]; 1920 mentioned La Ronge, so now I know what it is. 88.1 in Sask is CJLR-FM-3 in Prince Albert; FM Atlas says only 250 watts! Then country music in English. Soon found website
http://www.mbcradio.com/index3.html
and also live stream
http://tunein.com/tuner/?StationId=7393&
which matched a few seconds apart.

MBC is Missinipi Broadcasting Corp. Website also has map of Sask and separate list of frequencies by town, which do not all match. Map has Prince Albert on 88.1, but not the list, outdated? Map even shows a ``99.8`` in Uranium City, which if true would be a standout DX catch from the far north. But the community list has MBC there on 101.1. FM Atlas does not have any MBC frequency in that town. Nor does W9WI.com, where we see that the base station of MBC in La Ronge on 89.9, CJLR itself, is only 216 watts. MBC must really be into lots of low-power transmitters, all over the province except the south where only in Saskatoon and Regina. Map does not show one in Yorkton, but community list and streamer at top of homepage do, on 92.9.

Clicking on Languages at mbcradio.com gets to two separate pages; Does this mean the rest of the schedule of MBC is fully in English? Despite all the stuff on the website there is no complete program schedule grid (that I can find).

``ACHIMOWIN PROGRAM 1 to 3 p.m. Weekdays on MBC

The "Achimowin" program is the first level of information services to the Cree listeners of northern & central Saskatchewan. It covers national, regional, and local news; in-depth discussions; phone-in-shows; remote broadcasts; sports; weather; and special programs on the environment, holistic healing, education, etc.

The "Achimowin" program reflects what the community is thinking, saying and feeling. It covers issues that are totally relevant to northern people. This is all done in the context of serving the Cree speaking people of northern Saskatchewan. The Achimowin Show has been a major part of MBC broadcasts since 1984.

It should be noted that the Achimowin Show compliments Cree language retention endeavors that are undertaken by educational institutions/bands/agencies. It goes as far as laying new ground in terms of "inventing" new & contemporary terminology!
Contact: Harry Opikokew at harry@mbcradio.com
or Abel Charles at abel@mbcradio.com

Listen Monday to Friday from 1:00 to 3:00 for the
Missinipi Achimowin Program!``

And:

``DENE HONI PROGRAM
2 to 3 p.m. weekdays broadcasting live to 9 Saskatchewan Dene Communities
3 to 4 p.m. weekdays on the full MBC Radio Network

The Dene Honi program focuses on happenings in and around the Dene communities of northern Saskatchewan. We provide timely information and tell stories in the Dene language covering topics as diverse as current affairs, political issues, past stories, the history of politics, and Dene peoples' traditions & customs.

The Honi program which has been a part of the airwaves at MBC since 1985 features international, national and local news, weather (long term and current), the people of the North that we interview, native, non-native country music, call-in Shows, elders' views and opinions, etc.

The importance of this Dene Honi program is to keep our traditions and culture alive for the future generations and to keep our listeners up to date of what is happening around them in their very own language.

Contact Kevin Fontaine at kevin@mbcradio.com
Listen for the Dene Honi 2pm to 4pm Monday to Friday on MBC !``

Since I was listening between 1 and 2 pm CST, it must have been the Cree ACHIMOWIN PROGRAM.

Opening lasted a little longer: at 1924, mentioned several events August 8-12; 88.1 fading now, so I listen a bit longer to the webstream:

1933 brief English ID mentioning one of their dozens of frequencies, 92.7 somewhere. 1934, Gold Eagle Casino ad with SFX of slot machines(?); another GEC ad came over a few minutes later. OK: this is not a non-commercial band in Canada.

Before 88.1 faded, I tried the other Prince Albert FM frequencies in FM Atlas, but nothing made it: 90.1 and 92.5 collide with OK stations, nor 99.1, 101.5. Seems the MUF barely entered the FM band.

I taped some of it off 88.1, and was prepared to ask the Real DXers if they could ID the language, but unfortunately that is not necessary. Clip of the DX here anyway: http://www.w4uvh.net/CJLR3.rm
It`s 1.1 MB, 7+ minutes combining 4 clips at fade-ins; ID as MBC and mentioning Lac La Ronge is at 2:12.

I wanted to sign their guest book that I had picked up MBC direct thru the ionosphere way off in OK, but it took a long time to load. Finally used max 255 characters to say:

``Enjoyed listening to CJLR-3 88.1 in Prince Albert. You may find this hard to believe but I heard it in Enid, Oklahoma, direct thru the sporadic-E layer of the ionosphere, 1965 km away during an opening from 1:12 to 1:25 pm July 27 during the Cree show.`` Clicked SEND tho and nothing happened. Sure enough it doesn`t show when you go back and look at the entries, last one in April. So I try sending it once more.

Listed at http://www.w9wi.com/fmchannels/201.html ---
Prince Albert, SK CJLR-FM-3 0.249/0.249 21.00/21.00 53-11-40.00N 105-46-44.00W CA-OP CJLR (MBC aboriginal)
which means only 249 watts H&V (ERP or not?) at 21 meters above average terrain. Looking thru the FM Atlas listings, it appears that almost all entries have powers rounded off so they end in -0!

Geo coordinates make the distance to Enid 1965 km = 1220 statute miles. Of course, the propagation path was somewhat longer, going up to the E-layer and back; the midpoint over central South Dakota.
Surface miles per watt = 4.90 (Glenn Hauser, Enid OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** CHINA. Firedrake July 28; before 1200:
10300, good at 1133
11500, fair at 1133
12600, good at 1136
14700, good at 1142
14970, fair at 1141
15670, poor at 1144 under CNR1 jamming
15800, fair at 1144

After 1200:
15670, at 1202 FD is off, only CNR1 heard with funny music, ID, kids voices --- seems to be an 8 pm staple in China before kids` bedtime? Even the children speak Chinese!
11500, fair at 1213
10300, good at 1215

After 1300:
15760, very good at 1328-1330*
15670, poor under CNR1 at 1328-1330*
15565, very poor at 1328-1330*
15545, fair at 1328-1330*
15445, very good at 1329-1330*

After 1330:
14700, very good at 1332
14950, good at 1332; none in the 12, 13s
16100, fair at 1333
16980, very good at 1333; none in the 17s or 18s
(Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** CYPRUS. 16925-16950, July 28 at 0514, lo-pitched OTH radar pulses presumed from here (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** GUATEMALA. 4055, July 28 at 1116, R. Truth is already on with English ID by OM, contact info asking for reports; followed by YL in German, OM in Italian, YL in ??, OM in Japanese, OM in vernacular; 1121 hymn (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** JAPAN [and non]. 6120, July 28 at 1221, R. Japan, NHK World via Sackville to NAm is JBA; yet 9695 direct to Asia is very good! Something is amiss with RJ`s frequency planning. Item about instant curry with voice-over clips from Portuguese, which apparently has become the #3 language in Japan; then on whether to put ice in beer like they do in Vietnam; 1228 outro as `Radio Japan Focus`, which is the weekday magazine; 1230 Sakura, and opening in Thai (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** MALAYSIA. 6050-, RTM must have resumed its off-frequency transmitter for I am again hearing the het upon HCJB, and seems about the same pitch as before, July 28 at 1123. On July 20 and 21, Ron Howard had them on exactly 6050.0 instead of 6049.6. Apparently temporarily with a different transmitter capable of better accuracy (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** MEXICO. After big Canadian opening earlier July 27, just bits of Mexican TV DX appeared UT July 28:
0105 on 2, some Spanish from the south
1405 on 2, tune-in to lite CCI, 1413 identifiable as net-2 bug UR
(Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** PHILIPPINES. 12150, July 28 at 1208, VOA news in English with report from State Dept correspondent on what to do about North Korea; accompanied by a pulsing buzz, one might have guessed was jamming, but I think it was transmitter or modulation defect. Next item at 1211 on train crash in China had less or no buzz. Site is Tinang, PHILIPPINES, 250 kW due west (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) 

** ROMANIA. 17510, July 28 at 1145, raucous Romanian folk music. Now I`m awake! // weaker 15210; 1147 English announcement, introducing ``from Radio Romania`s golden tape library, a wooing song`` on `The Skylark` weekly show on Thursdays. Another short song before cut at 1152 to `Football Flash`: Romania is ranked #53 by FIFA, congrats! Both frequencies are 300 kW, 307 degrees from TIG toward UK, and consequently USward (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** SERBIA [non]. Correcting one time typo in previous report: 9685, UT Wed July 27 at 0059, IRS IS variations, VG signal, 0100 Serbian announcement mentioning three kHz-frequencies (must be merging different times, as really only one at a time), and unlike last week`s extended broadcast, continues modulating instead of dead air, rechecked at 0112, 0123 (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** U K [non]. 17760, July 28 at 1154, almost sufficient reception of BBCWS `From Our Own Correspondent` with report from very remote Rodrigues Island, then about the Hutterite sect on the prairies of Canada, originally from Tyrol. Seems a lot of the women have bald spots they cover with buns. Cut off the air at 1159:30*.

I certainly was not expecting the site to be Thailand, as uplooked later in HFCC: 250 kW, 25 degrees so it is also USward, at 09-12. Thus the propagation gods thwart BBC`s attempts once again to remain unlistenable in North America on SW. And, I cannot recommend `FOOC` highly enough; now scattered thruout the schedule at :50 past certain hours, as other programmmes have been cut to less than 20 minutes (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** U S A. 12100, WTWW missing, July 28 at 1325 (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** U S A. WORLD OF RADIO 1575 monitoring: First airing confirmed on WRMI 9955 webcast, 0330 UT Thursday July 28. Next ones: Thu 1500, 2100, Fri 0500, 1430, Sat 0800, 1500, 1730, Sun 0800, 1530, 1730.

On WTWW: Thu 2100 on 9479, UT Sun 0400 on 5755
On WBCQ: Thu 2130 on 7415, UT Mon 0300v on 5110v-CUSB
On WWRB: UT Fri 0330 on 5051
On WRN via SiriusXM 120: Sat & Sun 1730, Sun 0830
[The Wed 2130 on WBCQ 7415 was replaced July 27 by an unknown amateur hymn-singing show, apparently] (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** VENEZUELA [non]. RNV transmissions via CUBA still AWOL July 28: 6060 at 1138, just a weak something else, in Indonesian? No, must be the `Filipino` service of CRI as listed in Aoki. 11705 at 1231, zilch. Finally checked the last remaining broadcast, 1900 on 15290, and it too was absent at 1920 July 28 (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ###