venerdì 25 novembre 2011

Glenn Hauser logs November 23-24, 2011

`Thanksgiving` activities disrupted my usual routine so some of the items herein are from dayparts I don`t often monitor.

** ALBANIA [and non]. I had not checked 7420/7425 at 00-01 UT Albanian for a few nights as I had already done so several times. UT Nov 24, I did check at 0033 and found R. Tirana on top of 7425, but still plenty of interference from China underneath marring the music. This is not likely to improve until spring, as there will continue to be a darkness path from China at this hour. 7420 remained clear of any signal, also 7415. The amount of QRM from China does vary from night to night.

While it would be nice if ALR could hold onto 7425 as a traditional frequency, and if China would move off during that hour at least, but under current conditions, it would be best for ALR to move to 7420 as I have been suggesting. There is also that Russian signal on 7430 which would be avoided by doing so. And ALR has already gone to 7420 for the 0230 English broadcast, when it was less necessary to do so than at 00-01, altho still a good idea to have a frequency lacking co- or adjacent-channel interference whenever possible (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** ANTARCTICA. 15476, Nov 24 at 1338, still nothing from LRA36 despite a Thursday scheduled bihour, last we heard (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** ASCENSION. 17545, Nov 24 at 1628, gospel huxter in English citing Jeremiah about Babylon, with hum, leading me to conclude immediately it is YFR via Ascension which suffers from such generator hum, unable to fix, or don`t care? And I am right: 16-18, 85 degrees per HFCC (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** CANADA [and non]. 7850, CHU`s chosen frequency to avoid the broadcasters on 7335, has worked out well with no interference problems --- until now, Nov 24 at 1222 when I hear Spanish 2-way SSB underneath, and CHU serves as exact BFO; also some hum (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** CHINA. Firedrake Nov 24, before 1400:
15900, very good at 1347; none in the 16s, 17s, 18s
14900, very good at 1348, not very fluttery
13920, very good at 1348
12670, very good at 1351, none in the 11s, 10s, 9s, 8s, 7s, 6s
12500, very good at 1350
12230, very good at 1350, more fluttery than 14900

Before 1630:
11920, poor at 1619 with CCI; none higher before 1630. Not a typo here, maybe typo at site? No, blocking VOA Tibetan via Tinang at 16-17
(Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** FRANCE. 17605, Nov 24 at 1629, good signal in Luso Portuguese, 1630 ID as R. França Internacional, and continues. HFCC shows this as one of the few megawatt SW broadcasts: 2 x 500 kW, one at 160 degrees, the other at 210 degrees from Issoudun, yet both to exact same CIRAFs: 37W and 46W, i.e. the part of Iberia and Africa west of the Greenwich Meridian. Not including offshore islands, ergo, the only Portuguese speaking countries in the target are Portugal and Guinea-Bissau.

17 MHz is too high for France-to-Portugal, ergo, this megawatt is really supposed to serve nothing but Guinea-Bissau (not Angola, Moçambique, São Tomé e Príncipe, Cabo Verde, or Açores). Yet the 160 beam misses all of this CIRAF, instead aimed at the first three of those countries. Something is amiss here (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** INDIA [and non]. 11620, Nov 24 at 1613, fluttery open carrier at S9+22, 1614 AIR IS, nice to hear since they won`t play it before English broadcasts, ``Govorit Delhi`` opening Russian hour, undermodulated. ALL India listings are still missing from the 24 Nov edition of HFCC. So we look it up in the B-11 AIR schedule folder Ron Howard sent on to us by P-mail: Russian is 1615-1715 on 9595, 11620 and DRM on 15140 --- bad news for Oman.

See also PAKISTAN [and non]: collision on 9470

13640, Nov 24 at 2010, RHCuba in Portuguese news, but musical QRM is audible way under from AIR; propagation from Asia is poor on this band at this time, and even tho allegedly aimed NE toward Europe, RHC easily overcomes it, less so on good days. But AIR is also targeting to Europe, where I expect there to be a large collision, if not domination by India. Is this so?

As an outlaw nation, Cuba never participates in HFCC, and India has also failed to participate in B-11 HFCC, so how could they know each other`s plans? By turning on a radio, maybe? A pox on both their houses. India also refused to cooperate with Albania, taking over 13640 in A-11 despite Tirana being there first. And Cuba has refused to cooperate with Albania in the past on 49m frequencies.

Aoki has B-11 info for both:
13640, AIR 1730-1945 Arabic, 1945-2030 French, both 500 kW, 300 degrees from Bangaluru
13640, RHC 1930-2000 French ND [really?], 2000-2030 Portuguese, 53 degrees, both 100 kW (and on until 2400 in Arabic and Spanish)

11670, Nov 24 at 2012, AIR Hindi to Europe, fair with flutter (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** INDONESIA. 9525, Nov 24 at 1359, cannot detect even a carrier from VOI between the 9520 and huge 9530 ACI signals, while RRI domestic relay 9680 has good signal with music plus usual CCI. Atsunori Ishida at
http://rri.jpn.org/ says ``Nov 24 9525 kHz *1401-1410- IN (No signal at 1455)`` so I might have heard 9525 by listening two more minutes (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** IRAN [non]. 9965, Nov 24 at 1945, great Persian music, good signal but flutter, which in a way adds to its mystique, 1950 R. Farda ID; 2000, 4-pip timesignal even tho it`s hourbottom in Iran, and news for at least 5 minutes. Site is Iranawila, SRI LANKA, 1900-2130, 250 kW, 332 degrees so also circumpolar USward (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** KUWAIT. 15540, Nov 24 missed checking at 1800 opening of English with the Sunni Caliph show, which has been coming in well lately, but after TG dinner, at 1935 there is zero signal on 15540. Presumably faded completely out if it was there to start today. At 2009, still no signal audible either for Arabic service on 17550 (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** MEXICO. Pre-sunrise MW DX monitoring now Nov 24 produces some of the same things we were getting an hour earlier in Oct before unDST timechanges.

650, Nov 24 at 1301 UT, `Panorama Agropecuario`, 6:01 TC, heard many times before when it was at 1200, on XETNT, Los Mochis, Sinaloa. Gets out very well, surely the 10 kW claimed rather than previously listed 2 kW.

870, Nov 24 at 1304, XETAR ID immediately heard, but in native language, not Spanish, rustic music, then mixing Spanish announcements; atop some CCI. In A-season it signed on at 1200, from Guachochi, Chihuahua.

900, Nov 24 at 1311, R. Vida ID in `Café de la Mañana` show, phone numbers for call-ins. Previously concluded this is XEDT in Ciudad Cuauhtémoc, Chihuahua, a name change from listings as La Reina. Has Cantú cuaught up with this yet since we last checked in our almost-daily Mexican DX sessions in October when we heard it multiply?
http://www.mexicoradiotv.com/frec_am_0800-1090.htm
No! Will it be corrected in WRTH 2012, now probably at the press? In the new IRCA Mexican Log which we have not yet seen? (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

1030, Nov 24 at 1306, lengthy promo for Tele-Fórmula and its wide coverage not only in México but across the US by satellite, good here with KTWO nulled. Says this show started at 5:30 am HCM [1130 UT]: XEYC, Ciudad Juárez, Chihuahua. Was also getting Spanish in KTOK 1000 null, presumably usual XEFV from same ciudad (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** MOROCCO [and non]. 15349.1+, Nov 23 at 2200, IMM Arabic modulation stops at 2200 sharp, no timesignal, cuts off the air at 2200:25*; unlike previous days when ran to 2215 or even 2235+; thus removing 4+ kHz het from RAE ARGENTINA 15345.0+, which was still playing its ethereal IS, transitioning from German to Spanish on weekdays.

I`m still waiting for anyone east of the sunrise terminator to say whether IMM is also on 15349.1 as early as their listed *0800 on (ex?)-15341. But I fear it is, despite TRT Turkish already on 15350 from *0700. Nov 24 I awaken early enough to check at 1213, and the two are already making their unacceptable het while 19m signals are just starting to build up an hour before sunrise here.

On WORLD OF RADIO 1592, I mistakenly refer to HCJB Australia using 15340 until 1300, a clash now avoided, but that`s the sign-off of their other frequency, 15400, the last semihour in English, while 15340 in S Asian languages stays on until 1530; anyhow, neither one propagating much here for weeks (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** NORTH AMERICA. 6925-USB, Nov 24 at 1257, heavy rock music, quickly IDing as Radio Ga-Ga; good signal from pirate (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** PAKISTAN [and non]. 9470, Nov 24 at 1643 I tune in early for R. Pakistan`s news in English at 1700, as reminded by a log from Rich D`Angelo in the NASWA Flashsheet. Nice sitar concert underway, so PBC does that like AIR? Wait a minute, 9470 is also AIR`s National Channel frequency, and this music is // the other one, 9425! Fortunately, strong WTWW on 9479 is far enough away, no problem. At 1658 I start to hear co-channel on 9470, sounds like Qur`an briefly and talk. Sitar music continues past hourtop mixed with news presumed to be in English, very poor, too weak to tell.

So bad neighbours Pakistan and India are colliding on 9470, which is duly registered in B-11 HFCC by Pak at 1700-1900, 250 kW, 313 degrees from Islamabad to Europe; and nothing whatsoever registered by India yet in HFCC, but 9470 used by them for many years, currently in their schedule folder as all-night, 6:50 pm to 6:10 am = 1320-0040 UT; and Aoki reminds us that 9470 is 250 kW, 188 degrees from Aligarh.

Pakistan was on 9350 for this service in the A-season, but how were they to know India is always on 9470, but turning on a radio maybe? Certainly not by consulting advance HFCC registrations. Rich`s log Nov 19 from Pennsylvania did not say anything about interference from India (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) See also INDIA

** PRIDNESTROVYE. 7290, Nov 24 at 1948 poor signal with song in Russian(?), Radio PMR as scheduled on weekdays. Can`t hear any sign of Brother Scare via EGR via NEXUS-IBA via IRRS via Romania, allegedly colliding during this hour. How is it in Europe, or have IRRS moved? (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** ROMANIA. 15460, Nov 24 at 1251, RRI with the US ambassador talking in English about 29K Romanians visiting the US last year, and tips on how to expedite getting a visa (start with the embassy`s website). Good signal except some scratchiness sounds like SSB QRM on the side --- but really on both sides and could not pinpoint it with BFO, seems instead to be defect in RRI`s own modulation, perhaps crosstalk in mistuned studio-transmitter link. Clinched when I heard the same problem on // 17530, both of which are 307 degrees to W Europe, also USward.

15460 // 17530 again at 1339 during piano concerto excerpt, still same crosstalk on both Tiganeshti frequencies, 1345 German announcement of several composers. This also leads to spurious signal peaks a few kHz on each side of each frequency; waveform must look strange on scope. Meanwhile the Romanian service on 17820 via Galbeni is clean (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** RUSSIA. 6075, Nov 24 at 1259, R. Rossii ID, timesignal 1300 and off a few sex later. No sign of 8GAL or 2MTL V/CQ marker on 6074 this time, not surprising since RR Pet/Kam itself was much weaker than usual (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** SPAIN. 17595, Thu Nov 24 at 1345, REE back in Basque as scheduled during this weekday semihour, having been missing 48 hours earlier, replaced by an `En 5 minutos` Castilian evergreen (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** SUDAN [and non]. 15535, Nov 24 at 1623, R. Dabanga jingle with multiple singing IDs as soon as I intune, and also with continuous 1000 Hz tone jamming; recheck at 1707, RD is over, scheduled 1530-1627, 500 kW, 150 degrees via Wertachtal, GERMANY --- but the tone jammer is still running with a considerable carrier of its own. Whence is this really, inside or outside Sudan by a co-conspirator? (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** TURKEY. 9410, Nov 24 at 1355, VOT IS with flutter over some CCI; 1346 a bad edit as the IS doubles up without a pause, 1357 inserting Russian ID. This is 250 kW, 20 degrees from Emirler, so I check the English broadcast supposedly in progress on 12035, which is 500 kW, 290 from Emirler --- but somesignal there is JBA, like it has been all B-season, unlike previous winters. Something seems amiss. How is 12035 in Europe? (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** U S A [and non]. 17895, Nov 24 at 1633, African English talk about football, fair signal, 1634 American accent plugs ``Sunny Side of Sports`` on VOA`s Facebook. Latest HFCC shows VOA usage of this frequency in English is: 15-16 São Tomé, 16-17 Wertachtal, GERMANY, 17-18 Vatican. Is it really necessary to change site every hour?

That`s right after Riyadh at 12-15 in Arabic; don`t you believe the colliding B-11 registration for ERA Greece at 0700-1500 via `GR` = Greenville which never was used on this frequency and has not been used for VOG on any frequency for many years now. Why does ERA clog up HFCC with these obviously phony long-outdated listings? There are several others for GR and even DL, the Delano site which no longer exists!

17650, Nov 24 at 1723, VOA in Portuguese but with lo het? As I listen more, it seems more like a whine coming out of the Greenville transmitter itself. This service to Africa (who cares about Brasil or Portugal?) is 1700-1830 Mon-Thu, 1630-1830 Fri, and 1700-1800 Sat & Sun (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** U S A. 9330-CUSB, Nov 24 at 0704, WBCQ in open carrier except for hum, as the feed from Good Friends Radio Network has again crashed. I suspect it lasts all night, and this time my next check is at 1207 when it`s again, more likely still, dead air with bigger hum. Next2 check 1352, GFRN had resumed with music (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** U S A. WORLD OF RADIO 1592 monitoring: first airing confirmed with usual excellent signal from WTWW 9479, Thursday Nov 24 at 2200. Second airing 2230 on WBCQ 7490 started as WOR #1591 from last week. I phoned and found out their internet was down so could not download new show, but they agreed to switch to phone feed of #1592 as soon as I could get it set up, and delay start of next show, so it did air completely at 2243-2312, thanks. Rumble QRM from BBC Thailand underneath at 2230 gradually lessened, instead of moving to clear 7505.

Further SW airings of WOR 1592, UT days and times:
Friday 0430v on WWRB 3195, 5051
Friday 0600 on WRMI 9955
Saturday 0900, 1600, 1830 on WRMI 9955
Sunday 0500 on WTWW 5755
Sunday 0900, 1630, 1830 on WRMI 9955
Monday 0400v on WBCQ Area 51 5110v-CUSB
Monday 1230 on WRMI 9955
Tuesday 1030 on Hamburger Lokalradio 5980
Wednesday 0430 on WRMI 9955 [or maybe new 1593]

Also on WRN via Sirius/XM channel 120: Sat & Sun 1830, Sun 0930
Full schedule including many more webcasts:
http://www.worldofradio.com/radioskd.html
(Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** U S A. 660, Nov 24 at 1302 UT, VG signal from E/W with national ads for Home Depot, Geico. Do they operate on the Res? Must have been end of very brief network newcast, 1303 ID as ``KTNN AM 660, Window Rock – Bird Springs``, right into chanting. The latter isn`t in Rand McNally`s Arizona, but Google finds it between Dilkon and Leupp north of Winslow. I assume KTNN just adds other faraway Navajo towns at random to their city of license IDs. The point is, here they are, long before local sunrise without null toward New York.

I compared it to 770 for KKOB Albuquerque, which adheres to official sunrise times before going non-direxional --- a quite weak signal in English may have been that or its non-direxional 230-watt co-channel relay in Santa Fe (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

UNIDENTIFIED. 17553-USB, Nov 24 at 1626, 2-way intruder in Spanish; still/again there at 1939 check (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)