** BHUTAN [and non]. 6035, Dec 23 at 1423, once again with BFO I can detect double-carriers on slightly different frequencies, presumably Yunnan and BBS; and nothing audible on 5030 (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** CHINA. Firedrake Dec 23 before 1400:
12980, very poor at 1358; none others audible 7-18 MHz, like yesterday; altho my hi local noise level (Xmas lites in the neighborhood?) may have obscured some (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** CUBA [non]. 7210-LSB, Dec 23 at 1421, Nelson Roig`s ranting tones are easily recognized, aided by a weaker broadcaster on AM in Japanese (CRI via Xi`an) so no BFO is required. He`s better heard in the 12 UT hour; wonder how long N1NR in Pennsylvania typically goes on each day? (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** INDIA. 11670, Dec 22 at 2045, `Namaskar`, GOS of AIR opening English transmission with frequency lists for Europe/UK, and for Australia/NZ. // 9445 was best, also audible on 7550. Into press review about North Korea.
9425, Dec 23 at 1442, AIR National Channel playing ``It`s Christmas Time``, YL in English with Xmas 101 explanations, 1445 `Silent Night`.
Alan Roe notes from the AIR blog at http://gosair.blogspot.com/ that AIR GOS will have a special musical feature entitled "Joy to the World" at 1350, 1830, 2130 and 2330 UT Dec 25 on the usual frequencies (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** IRAN. 13650, Dec 23 at 0641, poor signal in Italian, but it`s the SSOB rather than anything from Australia. Turns out to be VIRI, 0630-0730, 500 kW, 289 degrees from Kamalabad (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** KOREA NORTH [non]. 6135, Dec 23 at 1356, Shiokaze via JSR JAPAN is still here but in Japanese ID instead of usual English on Fridays: must be thrown off by holidays. Furthermore at 1425 wrapping up in Korean and piano music until 1430*, also with a very weak het of less than 1 kHz, maybe Madagascar or Yemen long-path? No NK jamming audible (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** KUWAIT. 21540, Friday Dec 23 at 1402, MOI with Arabic music and reverent talk is STILL here at the end of another week, altho registered in B-11 for 21520. It`s the SSOB, way atop collidee REE Spain (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** MEXICO. Since I am awake before 0700 Dec 23, I look for Mexican national anthems on MW probably from the UT-7 zone:
710, Dec 23 at 0655 UT, choral anthem is underway; 0657 fanfare and then super-patriotic speech about the flag, but fading by 0700. It had been well audible in null of Cuba, probably from SW/WSW direxion, likely XEDP in Ciudad Cuauhtémoc, Chihuahua, a regular around sunrise too, but there are two other MST stations in Sinaloa and Sonora, per new IRCA Mexican Log.
850, Dec 23 at 0656 UT, multiverse choral NA past 0658, 0701 finally ID as 5 kW from Chihuahua, i.e. XEM. Was easy to null attenuated KOA (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** SAUDI ARABIA. 15380, Dec 23 at 0643, Qur`an on poor signal but SSOB, more than weaker Nigeria on 15120. It`s BSKSA, 06-09, 500 kW, 310 degrees from Riyadh for Turkey but also USward, same as another broadcast at 12-14 when it collides with Habana (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** SYRIA [non]. 9330, Dec 22 at 2201 I check to hear whether R. Damascus is audible, right after that BBC documentary about Syria, see UK. Of course not! Even tho WBCQ has lost Rod Hembree`s modulation again, only open carrier and hum. Syria supposedly has English at 21-22, Spanish at 22-23 (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** U A E. 6175, on the shortest day of the year, Dec 22 at the early hour of 2042 UT I am checking whether anything is propagating on 49m besides CFRX. Yes, some weak German talk and music here, which turns out to be: Voice of Vietnam via UAE, 2030-2130, 250 kW, 315 degrees toward W Europe and thus also USward (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** U K [and non]. 9410, Dec 22 at 2132, BBCWS with `Tales from the Arab Spring`. I have run across this a few times before in the programmiddle as I am aroundtuning, but this time I can listen to the whole thing from the start. This episode is about Syria, also comparing it to Libya, an excellent news documentary by Jeremy Bowen. It`s fruitless to try to find all the times for anyprogram on all the needlessly divergent BBCWS streams, but I highly recommend it for retrieving online. This and the two previous episodes (of three total, also Libya and Egypt) are available here:http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p00mhpk2
Sufficient reception on 9410 at this time I assumed was Ascension or UK, but listed as due west from Seychelles, which is usually insufficient here.
11830, Dec 23 at 1509, BBCWS fairly audible with another report on Syria. This is 15-17, 300 kW, 105 degrees from Woofferton (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** U S A. Artie Bigley has found and forwarded an FCC NOV (notice of violation) dated Dec 14, 2011, sent to KJES, charging them with operating on 11714.803 kHz, which at 197 Hz off is 21 Hz beyond the .0015 % tolerance allowed, i.e. plus/minus 176 Hz from 11715.000!
KJES has been off-frequency for years, and the FCC has finally caught them. FCC hardly ever cites US SWBC stations for anything, e.g. WWCR spurring over half the 19m band, WEWN with its eternal spurs at 9/18/27 kHz on each side.
Yet, even a tolerance of 176 Hz is intolerable in international SW broadcasting, far too lax, where properly-operated stations maintain a tolerance of say 15-20 Hz max, often much closer, regardless of how high the frequency, i.e. not causing audible heterodynes.
James T. Lyon at FCC San Diego gave Our Lady`s Youth Center in Vado NM 20 days to respond with an explanation of each violation and what they are doing to correct them. At this point they are not facing a fine, apparently. So have they been on the air since then, on-frequency or off-? As in DXLD 11-50:
Dec 3 at 1432-1437, Ken Zichi in Michigan had them on 11715.0, ``on channel for a change``
Dec 10 at 1947 I had them on 15385.4 [where there is a 231 Hz tolerance! far too much]
Dec 13 at 1551, Terry Krueger in Florida had KJES on 11714.78v, even further off than in their citation.
Those were all before the date of the NOV. One later report from Zacharias Liangas, Greece: Dec 17 at 1405 on 11714.8.
Now I`m looking for KJES: Dec 22 at 2028, nothing around 15385. Dec 23 at 1407 and 1520, nothing around 11715. Of course, their operation has long been sporadic, and at times we may be in the skip zone. The nominal current schedule per WRTH 2012 is daily, but irregular:
0200-0330 7555 [tolerance 113 Hz, far too much]
1300-1700 11715
1900-2100 15385
The full text of the KJES NOV from FCC appears in DXLD 11-51, published shortly (Glenn Hauser, OK, Dec 23, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** U S A. 5890, Dec 23 at 0647, no signal detectable from WWCR`s Brother Scare service which is supposed be on at 06-12; 5935 PMS was weak but audible // 6090 Anguilla a reverb apart, while nearby 5755 WTWW maintained a fair signal.
15825, Dec 23 at 1403, for the third day in a row, WWCR-1 is on correct frequency instead of 7465 all morning 72 hours ago (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** U S A. 6875, Dec 23 at 0649 check, WYFR is still broadcasting wrong language German in RTI relay instead of Spanish, during Chinese language lesson. I wonder if WYFR will ever get back in whack before Dan Elyea retires at yearend? (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** U S A [and non]. WORLD OF RADIO 1596 monitoring: First SW broadcast confirmed Thursday Dec 22 at 2200 on WTWW 9479; second at 2230 on WBCQ 7490, back to usual time instead of 2200 last week, when Amos `n` Andy aired as scheduled this week.
Also confirmed after 0431 UT Friday Dec 23 on WWRB 3195, but no signal on 5050. This time there was a longer respectful silence of about 2 minutes after the SC preacher, amen and amen. Apparently Dave has finally turned off the // transmitter on 5050, but further chex needed other nights before 0500. Propagation was certainly OK, with other Tennesseans on 4840, 5755 very good. Next WOR airing at 0600 UT Friday on WRMI: no signal detectable on 9955, no jamming either; yet bigsigs from Eurasia on 31m, such as RNW via Pridnestrovye on 9895, Turkey on 9700.
Further times when WRMI is supposed to be on 9955: Saturday 0900, 1600, 1830, Sunday 0900, 1630, 1830. On WTWW: UT Sunday 0500 on 5755. On WBCQ Area 51 (maybe, check schedule): UT Monday 0330v on 5110v-CUSB. Also on WRN via SiriusXM 120: Sat & Sun 1830, Sun 0930 (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
UNIDENTIFIED. Trans-Pacific MW carrier search Dec 23 around 1348 UT local sunrise here: very weak ones detectable on 972, 792, 774, 747 (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** CHINA. Firedrake Dec 23 before 1400:
12980, very poor at 1358; none others audible 7-18 MHz, like yesterday; altho my hi local noise level (Xmas lites in the neighborhood?) may have obscured some (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** CUBA [non]. 7210-LSB, Dec 23 at 1421, Nelson Roig`s ranting tones are easily recognized, aided by a weaker broadcaster on AM in Japanese (CRI via Xi`an) so no BFO is required. He`s better heard in the 12 UT hour; wonder how long N1NR in Pennsylvania typically goes on each day? (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** INDIA. 11670, Dec 22 at 2045, `Namaskar`, GOS of AIR opening English transmission with frequency lists for Europe/UK, and for Australia/NZ. // 9445 was best, also audible on 7550. Into press review about North Korea.
9425, Dec 23 at 1442, AIR National Channel playing ``It`s Christmas Time``, YL in English with Xmas 101 explanations, 1445 `Silent Night`.
Alan Roe notes from the AIR blog at http://gosair.blogspot.com/ that AIR GOS will have a special musical feature entitled "Joy to the World" at 1350, 1830, 2130 and 2330 UT Dec 25 on the usual frequencies (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** IRAN. 13650, Dec 23 at 0641, poor signal in Italian, but it`s the SSOB rather than anything from Australia. Turns out to be VIRI, 0630-0730, 500 kW, 289 degrees from Kamalabad (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** KOREA NORTH [non]. 6135, Dec 23 at 1356, Shiokaze via JSR JAPAN is still here but in Japanese ID instead of usual English on Fridays: must be thrown off by holidays. Furthermore at 1425 wrapping up in Korean and piano music until 1430*, also with a very weak het of less than 1 kHz, maybe Madagascar or Yemen long-path? No NK jamming audible (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** KUWAIT. 21540, Friday Dec 23 at 1402, MOI with Arabic music and reverent talk is STILL here at the end of another week, altho registered in B-11 for 21520. It`s the SSOB, way atop collidee REE Spain (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** MEXICO. Since I am awake before 0700 Dec 23, I look for Mexican national anthems on MW probably from the UT-7 zone:
710, Dec 23 at 0655 UT, choral anthem is underway; 0657 fanfare and then super-patriotic speech about the flag, but fading by 0700. It had been well audible in null of Cuba, probably from SW/WSW direxion, likely XEDP in Ciudad Cuauhtémoc, Chihuahua, a regular around sunrise too, but there are two other MST stations in Sinaloa and Sonora, per new IRCA Mexican Log.
850, Dec 23 at 0656 UT, multiverse choral NA past 0658, 0701 finally ID as 5 kW from Chihuahua, i.e. XEM. Was easy to null attenuated KOA (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** SAUDI ARABIA. 15380, Dec 23 at 0643, Qur`an on poor signal but SSOB, more than weaker Nigeria on 15120. It`s BSKSA, 06-09, 500 kW, 310 degrees from Riyadh for Turkey but also USward, same as another broadcast at 12-14 when it collides with Habana (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** SYRIA [non]. 9330, Dec 22 at 2201 I check to hear whether R. Damascus is audible, right after that BBC documentary about Syria, see UK. Of course not! Even tho WBCQ has lost Rod Hembree`s modulation again, only open carrier and hum. Syria supposedly has English at 21-22, Spanish at 22-23 (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** U A E. 6175, on the shortest day of the year, Dec 22 at the early hour of 2042 UT I am checking whether anything is propagating on 49m besides CFRX. Yes, some weak German talk and music here, which turns out to be: Voice of Vietnam via UAE, 2030-2130, 250 kW, 315 degrees toward W Europe and thus also USward (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** U K [and non]. 9410, Dec 22 at 2132, BBCWS with `Tales from the Arab Spring`. I have run across this a few times before in the programmiddle as I am aroundtuning, but this time I can listen to the whole thing from the start. This episode is about Syria, also comparing it to Libya, an excellent news documentary by Jeremy Bowen. It`s fruitless to try to find all the times for anyprogram on all the needlessly divergent BBCWS streams, but I highly recommend it for retrieving online. This and the two previous episodes (of three total, also Libya and Egypt) are available here:http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p00mhpk2
Sufficient reception on 9410 at this time I assumed was Ascension or UK, but listed as due west from Seychelles, which is usually insufficient here.
11830, Dec 23 at 1509, BBCWS fairly audible with another report on Syria. This is 15-17, 300 kW, 105 degrees from Woofferton (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** U S A. Artie Bigley has found and forwarded an FCC NOV (notice of violation) dated Dec 14, 2011, sent to KJES, charging them with operating on 11714.803 kHz, which at 197 Hz off is 21 Hz beyond the .0015 % tolerance allowed, i.e. plus/minus 176 Hz from 11715.000!
KJES has been off-frequency for years, and the FCC has finally caught them. FCC hardly ever cites US SWBC stations for anything, e.g. WWCR spurring over half the 19m band, WEWN with its eternal spurs at 9/18/27 kHz on each side.
Yet, even a tolerance of 176 Hz is intolerable in international SW broadcasting, far too lax, where properly-operated stations maintain a tolerance of say 15-20 Hz max, often much closer, regardless of how high the frequency, i.e. not causing audible heterodynes.
James T. Lyon at FCC San Diego gave Our Lady`s Youth Center in Vado NM 20 days to respond with an explanation of each violation and what they are doing to correct them. At this point they are not facing a fine, apparently. So have they been on the air since then, on-frequency or off-? As in DXLD 11-50:
Dec 3 at 1432-1437, Ken Zichi in Michigan had them on 11715.0, ``on channel for a change``
Dec 10 at 1947 I had them on 15385.4 [where there is a 231 Hz tolerance! far too much]
Dec 13 at 1551, Terry Krueger in Florida had KJES on 11714.78v, even further off than in their citation.
Those were all before the date of the NOV. One later report from Zacharias Liangas, Greece: Dec 17 at 1405 on 11714.8.
Now I`m looking for KJES: Dec 22 at 2028, nothing around 15385. Dec 23 at 1407 and 1520, nothing around 11715. Of course, their operation has long been sporadic, and at times we may be in the skip zone. The nominal current schedule per WRTH 2012 is daily, but irregular:
0200-0330 7555 [tolerance 113 Hz, far too much]
1300-1700 11715
1900-2100 15385
The full text of the KJES NOV from FCC appears in DXLD 11-51, published shortly (Glenn Hauser, OK, Dec 23, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** U S A. 5890, Dec 23 at 0647, no signal detectable from WWCR`s Brother Scare service which is supposed be on at 06-12; 5935 PMS was weak but audible // 6090 Anguilla a reverb apart, while nearby 5755 WTWW maintained a fair signal.
15825, Dec 23 at 1403, for the third day in a row, WWCR-1 is on correct frequency instead of 7465 all morning 72 hours ago (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** U S A. 6875, Dec 23 at 0649 check, WYFR is still broadcasting wrong language German in RTI relay instead of Spanish, during Chinese language lesson. I wonder if WYFR will ever get back in whack before Dan Elyea retires at yearend? (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** U S A [and non]. WORLD OF RADIO 1596 monitoring: First SW broadcast confirmed Thursday Dec 22 at 2200 on WTWW 9479; second at 2230 on WBCQ 7490, back to usual time instead of 2200 last week, when Amos `n` Andy aired as scheduled this week.
Also confirmed after 0431 UT Friday Dec 23 on WWRB 3195, but no signal on 5050. This time there was a longer respectful silence of about 2 minutes after the SC preacher, amen and amen. Apparently Dave has finally turned off the // transmitter on 5050, but further chex needed other nights before 0500. Propagation was certainly OK, with other Tennesseans on 4840, 5755 very good. Next WOR airing at 0600 UT Friday on WRMI: no signal detectable on 9955, no jamming either; yet bigsigs from Eurasia on 31m, such as RNW via Pridnestrovye on 9895, Turkey on 9700.
Further times when WRMI is supposed to be on 9955: Saturday 0900, 1600, 1830, Sunday 0900, 1630, 1830. On WTWW: UT Sunday 0500 on 5755. On WBCQ Area 51 (maybe, check schedule): UT Monday 0330v on 5110v-CUSB. Also on WRN via SiriusXM 120: Sat & Sun 1830, Sun 0930 (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
UNIDENTIFIED. Trans-Pacific MW carrier search Dec 23 around 1348 UT local sunrise here: very weak ones detectable on 972, 792, 774, 747 (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
