** CANADA. 9625, Nov 23 at 0649, no carrier, let alone tone, from CBC NQ after 0606*; after all our discussion about their leaving the transmitter on all night, seems to have stopped doing that (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) See also TAIWAN on 9625 later
** CHINA. Firedrake Nov 23, before 0700:
13130, poor at 0643; none lower
13920, good at 0643; none higher
Before 1400:
11500, JBA at 1354; none lower
12670, very good at 1355; none in the 13s, 14s, 16s, 17s
15455, fair at 1357 --- unusual spot, presumably because V. of Tibet was 2 or 3 kHz away at this time, lite het audible. 15455 is an otherwise good clear frequency, only used two hours a day by FEBC
18180, very good at 1359-1400*
(Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** CUBA [and non]. 9540, Nov 23 at 1349, no RHC to be heard on one of its minor transmitters, just something in Chinese, listed as CRI westward from Kunming. Missing from 11690 too, but still on 9850, 11750, 11760, 11840, 13670, 13780, 15380 (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** EGYPT. 9305, Nov 23 at 0659, R. Cairo as always here in extremely distorted Arabic, but they`re right on the button in closing down: 0700 full strike of the Cairo version of Big Ben (what do they call him?), and immediately off the air at 0700.6*.
This monstrosity goes on for 12 hours every day, half of our lives! Starting at 1900, 250 kW, 315 degrees from Abis for Europe and eastern North America. Tnx a lot! (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** MADAGASCAR. 17650, Nov 22 at 2032, surprised to hear NHK IS & IDs in Japanese and English until 2033:40, plus open carrier until 2035:20*. It`s the new French broadcast at 2000-2030 prolonged for some reason. BTW, Aoki still lacks this entry as of Nov 23 at 1300 (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) See also NETHERLANDS [non]
** NETHERLANDS [non]. 21480, Nov 23 at 1437, the RNW test from MADAGASCAR of used transmitter from Sweden heard again, `Earthbeat` show interviewing a woman experimentally living in very confined space, then about crowded living conditions in Mumbai which as an almost-island can`t expand to suburbs.
Good strength but flutter and heavy Doppler effect making the frequency wobble with BFO on. Reports from Europe where this is aimed indicate much better reception. But it`s not to test propagation, instead transmission quality, and don`t expect it to lead to any revival of English broadcasts to Europe, let alone North America, to be finished in a few more days. Will it nevertheless leave Talata with increased capacity (plus another one on the way)? Or as soon as in regular service, will they decommission old transmitter(s). Or have they already, to make room for the new ones? (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** PRIDNESTROVOYE [and non]. 7290, Nov 22 at 2038, poor signal in English, improving gradually, seems talk about politics/history. 2044 Radio PMR ID and English sked as 1830, 2030 [M-F]; 2230 [UT Sun-Thu], contact info, 2045 into music fill and QRhaM starts.
Is IRRS still colliding with this at 19-20, which is a bit early to hear here? HFCC shows `MIL`, which is really Tiganeshti, ROMANIA, at 19-20 on Fri-Sat-Sun only, plus 1830-1900 on Sundays only, in English. Incredibly, Aoki still shows this as Rimavska Sobota, Slovakia, which was replaced many months ago as transmitter site but never admitted by IRRS.
Aoki has the 19-20 segment as The Overcomer, 7 days a week. IRRS` own day-by-day program schedule agrees with that, as European Gospel Radio with TOM at 19-20, something else tacked on Sundays from 1830. Of course, Radio PMR is weekdays only, which for them means not on the air between 2100 Friday and 2100 Sunday, so is the transmitter also off the air then? (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** ROMANIA. 17820, Nov 23 at 1440-1457* enjoyed music selexion from RRI, including jazzed-up popular classix with saxophone lead; no announcements at all and cut off the air rudely. It`s a bihour in Romanian from 1300 at 285 degrees from Galbeni, usually very good signal here, probably domestic service relay.
BTW, on another unlogged frequency, I heard their Arabic ID as ``Sawt ul-Romania`` which means Voice of Romania; do they say that in any other languages? (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** TAIWAN. 9625, Nov 23 at 1425, W&M mixture of Vietnamese and Mandarin, pauses, repetitions, must be language lesson, but which way? Presumably teaching Chinese to Vietnamese, since this is the Viet service of RTI at 14-15; atop low het from always off-frequency CBCNQ, buried underneath (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** TAIWAN [non]. 6875 again: see USA WYFR
** TURKEY. 15200, Nov 23 at 1507, poor signal in Arabic with flutter over CCI past 1530. It`s VOT Emirler, at 15-16, and the CCI is KTWR listed in English until 1525/1535 (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) See also unID intruder earlier on 15202
** U K [non]. 9900, Nov 23 at 1343, fair signal with B-B-C- chimes; I keep running across BBC at odd hours like this, traditionally for offset Burmese service; is this another? Yes, 1344 opening in Burmese, HFCC shows 1345-1430, 100 kW, 340 degrees from SINGAPORE and it will add another quarter hour from 1430 on 1 December --- because of Myanmar allegedly opening up? Why don`t they even out the schedule to 1330-1430, i.e. top-of-hour to TOH in Burma (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** U S A [and non]. 7490, I am looking for WBCQ, Nov 22 at 2047, but no signal despite own program schedule showing starting at 2000 M-F with `Challenge Ministries`. Have they gone back to 7415? Some very weak signal there, surely too weak to be WBCQ, presumably CRI English via Kashgar, EAST TURKISTAN, now scheduled 20-22, 308 degrees toward Europe and USward, plus another hour southward at 23-24.
7490 WBCQ does pop on with fair signal at *2100 jingle ID, right into survivalist commercial for freeze-dried food. One of the great advantages of domestic SW is being able to turn off the transmitter when not needed, not really an option on AM or FM (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** U S A. 6875, Nov 23 at 0655, German ID from RTI relay via WYFR, contact info, still wrong language instead of scheduled Spanish.
Finally I asked Dan Elyea at Okeechobee about anomalies in WYFR scheduling, also replacing their own Spanish and Portuguese with English. His reply Nov. 22:
``Dear Glenn, The answer to all your questions is that our entire program automation system is out of service --- a meltdown. The only feeds available for transmission at any given time are those coming in on the program feed channels. This is not a planned change of schedule. When repairs are finally made (still several days away), all those schedules will run as they were published at the beginning of the season. The deviation from schedule is all a result of the loss of our system. Only real time feeds are possible at present.``
I still don`t understand why RTI would be feeding German at 0600, for which no relays are scheduled anywhere (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING
DIGEST)
** U S A. 15400-15990, Nov 23 at 1402, spur spikes from overdriven WWCR-1 15825, first noted in 15940-15990 range with clip from Mitt (not his first name) on slanted newscast; then found mostly 15400-15900, peaking circa 15675; worst during following hour of black gospel music, interfering with countless other SW stations. At 1533, could still hear the spikes during relatively calm preachertalk, from +15520 to 15900+ peaking around 15680 (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** VATICAN. 15185-15190-15195, Nov 23 at 1530 DRM from VR to India, ex-15175-15180-15185 where I first reported them earlier this month. Must have reached same conclusion as I did that they had to get away from Indian AM on 15175. Victor Goonetilleke in Sri Lanka sent us some comments on DRM, including that despite 30 over 9 signal from 15190, no audio was coming thru (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
UNIDENTIFIED. 11532.0, Nov 23 at 0648, open carrier vs het from 11530, presumably V. of Mesopotamia; probably Cuban spy transmitter previously heard late-nites with occasional data bursts on this and other strong carriers near the broadcast bands (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
UNIDENTIFIED. 15202-SSB, probably USB, Nov 23 at 1406, intruders in colloquial Spanish, one station much stronger than the other, only understood one word, ``camarones``, so poachers gabbing about their catches? Fortunately, nothing much to bother in this part of the broadcast band tho a very weak carrier on 15200 where nothing is listed in HFCC or Aoki this hour, unlike after 1500; See TURKEY (Glenn Hauser, OK DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** CHINA. Firedrake Nov 23, before 0700:
13130, poor at 0643; none lower
13920, good at 0643; none higher
Before 1400:
11500, JBA at 1354; none lower
12670, very good at 1355; none in the 13s, 14s, 16s, 17s
15455, fair at 1357 --- unusual spot, presumably because V. of Tibet was 2 or 3 kHz away at this time, lite het audible. 15455 is an otherwise good clear frequency, only used two hours a day by FEBC
18180, very good at 1359-1400*
(Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** CUBA [and non]. 9540, Nov 23 at 1349, no RHC to be heard on one of its minor transmitters, just something in Chinese, listed as CRI westward from Kunming. Missing from 11690 too, but still on 9850, 11750, 11760, 11840, 13670, 13780, 15380 (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** EGYPT. 9305, Nov 23 at 0659, R. Cairo as always here in extremely distorted Arabic, but they`re right on the button in closing down: 0700 full strike of the Cairo version of Big Ben (what do they call him?), and immediately off the air at 0700.6*.
This monstrosity goes on for 12 hours every day, half of our lives! Starting at 1900, 250 kW, 315 degrees from Abis for Europe and eastern North America. Tnx a lot! (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** MADAGASCAR. 17650, Nov 22 at 2032, surprised to hear NHK IS & IDs in Japanese and English until 2033:40, plus open carrier until 2035:20*. It`s the new French broadcast at 2000-2030 prolonged for some reason. BTW, Aoki still lacks this entry as of Nov 23 at 1300 (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) See also NETHERLANDS [non]
** NETHERLANDS [non]. 21480, Nov 23 at 1437, the RNW test from MADAGASCAR of used transmitter from Sweden heard again, `Earthbeat` show interviewing a woman experimentally living in very confined space, then about crowded living conditions in Mumbai which as an almost-island can`t expand to suburbs.
Good strength but flutter and heavy Doppler effect making the frequency wobble with BFO on. Reports from Europe where this is aimed indicate much better reception. But it`s not to test propagation, instead transmission quality, and don`t expect it to lead to any revival of English broadcasts to Europe, let alone North America, to be finished in a few more days. Will it nevertheless leave Talata with increased capacity (plus another one on the way)? Or as soon as in regular service, will they decommission old transmitter(s). Or have they already, to make room for the new ones? (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** PRIDNESTROVOYE [and non]. 7290, Nov 22 at 2038, poor signal in English, improving gradually, seems talk about politics/history. 2044 Radio PMR ID and English sked as 1830, 2030 [M-F]; 2230 [UT Sun-Thu], contact info, 2045 into music fill and QRhaM starts.
Is IRRS still colliding with this at 19-20, which is a bit early to hear here? HFCC shows `MIL`, which is really Tiganeshti, ROMANIA, at 19-20 on Fri-Sat-Sun only, plus 1830-1900 on Sundays only, in English. Incredibly, Aoki still shows this as Rimavska Sobota, Slovakia, which was replaced many months ago as transmitter site but never admitted by IRRS.
Aoki has the 19-20 segment as The Overcomer, 7 days a week. IRRS` own day-by-day program schedule agrees with that, as European Gospel Radio with TOM at 19-20, something else tacked on Sundays from 1830. Of course, Radio PMR is weekdays only, which for them means not on the air between 2100 Friday and 2100 Sunday, so is the transmitter also off the air then? (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** ROMANIA. 17820, Nov 23 at 1440-1457* enjoyed music selexion from RRI, including jazzed-up popular classix with saxophone lead; no announcements at all and cut off the air rudely. It`s a bihour in Romanian from 1300 at 285 degrees from Galbeni, usually very good signal here, probably domestic service relay.
BTW, on another unlogged frequency, I heard their Arabic ID as ``Sawt ul-Romania`` which means Voice of Romania; do they say that in any other languages? (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** TAIWAN. 9625, Nov 23 at 1425, W&M mixture of Vietnamese and Mandarin, pauses, repetitions, must be language lesson, but which way? Presumably teaching Chinese to Vietnamese, since this is the Viet service of RTI at 14-15; atop low het from always off-frequency CBCNQ, buried underneath (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** TAIWAN [non]. 6875 again: see USA WYFR
** TURKEY. 15200, Nov 23 at 1507, poor signal in Arabic with flutter over CCI past 1530. It`s VOT Emirler, at 15-16, and the CCI is KTWR listed in English until 1525/1535 (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) See also unID intruder earlier on 15202
** U K [non]. 9900, Nov 23 at 1343, fair signal with B-B-C- chimes; I keep running across BBC at odd hours like this, traditionally for offset Burmese service; is this another? Yes, 1344 opening in Burmese, HFCC shows 1345-1430, 100 kW, 340 degrees from SINGAPORE and it will add another quarter hour from 1430 on 1 December --- because of Myanmar allegedly opening up? Why don`t they even out the schedule to 1330-1430, i.e. top-of-hour to TOH in Burma (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** U S A [and non]. 7490, I am looking for WBCQ, Nov 22 at 2047, but no signal despite own program schedule showing starting at 2000 M-F with `Challenge Ministries`. Have they gone back to 7415? Some very weak signal there, surely too weak to be WBCQ, presumably CRI English via Kashgar, EAST TURKISTAN, now scheduled 20-22, 308 degrees toward Europe and USward, plus another hour southward at 23-24.
7490 WBCQ does pop on with fair signal at *2100 jingle ID, right into survivalist commercial for freeze-dried food. One of the great advantages of domestic SW is being able to turn off the transmitter when not needed, not really an option on AM or FM (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** U S A. 6875, Nov 23 at 0655, German ID from RTI relay via WYFR, contact info, still wrong language instead of scheduled Spanish.
Finally I asked Dan Elyea at Okeechobee about anomalies in WYFR scheduling, also replacing their own Spanish and Portuguese with English. His reply Nov. 22:
``Dear Glenn, The answer to all your questions is that our entire program automation system is out of service --- a meltdown. The only feeds available for transmission at any given time are those coming in on the program feed channels. This is not a planned change of schedule. When repairs are finally made (still several days away), all those schedules will run as they were published at the beginning of the season. The deviation from schedule is all a result of the loss of our system. Only real time feeds are possible at present.``
I still don`t understand why RTI would be feeding German at 0600, for which no relays are scheduled anywhere (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING
DIGEST)
** U S A. 15400-15990, Nov 23 at 1402, spur spikes from overdriven WWCR-1 15825, first noted in 15940-15990 range with clip from Mitt (not his first name) on slanted newscast; then found mostly 15400-15900, peaking circa 15675; worst during following hour of black gospel music, interfering with countless other SW stations. At 1533, could still hear the spikes during relatively calm preachertalk, from +15520 to 15900+ peaking around 15680 (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** VATICAN. 15185-15190-15195, Nov 23 at 1530 DRM from VR to India, ex-15175-15180-15185 where I first reported them earlier this month. Must have reached same conclusion as I did that they had to get away from Indian AM on 15175. Victor Goonetilleke in Sri Lanka sent us some comments on DRM, including that despite 30 over 9 signal from 15190, no audio was coming thru (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
UNIDENTIFIED. 11532.0, Nov 23 at 0648, open carrier vs het from 11530, presumably V. of Mesopotamia; probably Cuban spy transmitter previously heard late-nites with occasional data bursts on this and other strong carriers near the broadcast bands (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
UNIDENTIFIED. 15202-SSB, probably USB, Nov 23 at 1406, intruders in colloquial Spanish, one station much stronger than the other, only understood one word, ``camarones``, so poachers gabbing about their catches? Fortunately, nothing much to bother in this part of the broadcast band tho a very weak carrier on 15200 where nothing is listed in HFCC or Aoki this hour, unlike after 1500; See TURKEY (Glenn Hauser, OK DX LISTENING DIGEST)
