** ALBANIA. 7420, March 25 at 0151 and 0245 chex, no signals from R. Tirana, nor on 7425, so the English to North America is missing both B and A-season timings and frequencies. Since it`s never-on-UT-Mondays, we shall have to wait until UT Tuesday March 27 at 0130 to confirm it is now one hour earlier and on 7425 as registered instead of previous 7420 at 0230. The only other English broadcast is now at 2000-2030 Mon-Sat on 7465 to Europe; tho some lucky listeners might get it off the back in Asia or even Australia. A report from Malaysia recently came in when it was at 2100 (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** ALGERIA [non]. RTA relays via TDF Issoudun, FRANCE, had been missing during B-11, but promptly with start of A-12 they are back:
7295, March 25 at 0536, good signal with Qur`an; 0550 Arabic talk cut off at 0557*, how rude! But typical TDF behavior. Algiers has never caught on this is happening to their broadcasts, or just don`t care.
HFCC A-12 shows the complete schedule, but remains to be seen if all of them are active; all are for the full A-12 datespan except as shown, with two different azimuths alternating:
7295 04-05 162
7295 05-06 194
7495 21-23 194
9375 20-22 162
9535 05-06 162
9535 06-07 194 until May 5 and from 2 Sept
11775 19-21 194
11985 06-07 194
13820 18-20 162
I did check 9535, the only one I remembered as previous // but heard nothing altho Spain was making it well during previous hour. 11775 will collide with Anguilla, 13820 with R. Martí and Cuban jamming (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** ANGUILLA [and non]. 11775, March 24 at 2150, no signal from DGS, while RNA was already audible on 11780; nor at 2155 on 6090, while the nominal QSY time is 2200. But 6090 was on later in the night, with severe QRM from the spur out of BRAZIL [q.v.] centered around 6085.
6090, March 25 at 0514, DGS has some noise upon him, unlike via WWCR 5935, but he`s in no position to care. Sure sounds like DRM, but nothing now scheduled around 6090, previously used by Luxembourg. At this moment, Brazilian spur not bothering but it was again around 0543 (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** AUSTRIA. 6155, March 25 at 0512, Ö1 is now one hour earlier from 0500 in A-12; there had been some confusion whether this would happen again. Sounds like a prayer in German, but not The Lord`s Prayer. So much for Separation of Church & State in Austria. Maybe it`s just a Sunday-morning deviation. Good signal and still in at 0541 when they are playing black gospel music instead of usual classical!
Scheduled until 0615 only, but the French and English token news capsules from domestic service which were at 0608-0614 had already been canceled. The only other time Moosbrunn is on 6155 now is the preceding 0430-0500 with AWR French to Africa, while Ö1 itself is listed as non-direxional (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENIG DIGEST)
** BRAZIL. 6085, March 25 at 0126, approximate center of huge distorted modulation blob extending at least from 6070 to 6100, causing severe QRM to ANGUILLA 6090 and CFRX 6070. Brazilian DXers have been complaining for weeks about R. Nacional da Amazônia`s reactivated 6180 Brasília transmitter putting out spurs elsewhere in the 49m band, but I am still surprised they are so severe so far away in N America too.
What`s on 6180? Just an open carrier, uncertain whether that is from RNA too. Need to // 11780 for definite ID of the blob, but at 0152 it`s also unmodulated! So I tune around looking for possible // audio from something else, but don`t find any. (Meanwhile, R. Cairo is still making its own horrible mess around 6280, see EGYPT, but no match there.)
At 0202, circa 6085 I can make out what sounds like Brazilian intonation; now I notice there is a secondary weaker but still awful blob in the 5985 area. At 0205, modulation has resumed on 11780, and now there is a definite match with the 49mb blobs; still a weak OC on 6180, something else? At 0242, WYFR English on 5985 is suffering from this QRM. In fact, all frequencies in between have noise level from this unless diminished or covered by a stronger station.
Unfortunately, this is UT Sunday, the one night per week when RNA stays on air all-night, and the horrible noise around 6085 is still there at 0543, ranging 6070-6100 at least, and 5980-6005. Now Vatican 6075 is getting hit as the Pope is trying to speak from Mexico. At 0602 I am listening to the spur on 5985v and can hear the RNA madrugada announcer saying ``Bom Dia``, // 11780.
6180 is still on with much weaker carrier, and now at 0543 I can detect it is just barely modulated // 11780.
Unfortunately the Brazilian DXers have so far been unable to get thru to RNA about this severe problem, which needs to be fixed immediately or turn if off! Even tho one of them, Lúcio Haeser works there, altho in the news rather than technical department (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** CANADA. 9625, March 25 at 0504, CBC News in English ending (only 4 minutes now?), immediately to CBCNQ sign-off in Inuktituk (or Cree?), but having to pronounce the address with English words; then in French, 0507 NA, 0508 OC & TT, but off by 0509, so maybe did not come back on for hours and hours of kwattburning. Note: there was NO sign-off in English. Take that, you majoritarians! Even tho much (majority?) of CBCNQ airtime is in that foreign lanugage (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** CHAD. 6165, March 25 at 0226, African music, presumed RNT on 24-hour schedule getting thru without CCI during breaks from Bonaire, which now in A-12 is scheduled 0000-0057, 0100-0157, 0300-0327, 0330-0357, 0400-0427, 0500-0527. However, there was some splatter from 6175 Vietnam via Canada. In the clear again at 0542 check in French. One more season and no Bonaire to kick it around any more (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** CHINA. Firedrake March 25: too busy with new A-12 monitoring to search much, but ran across before 1230:
13670, JBA at 1227
13920, JBA at 1227
13970, JBA at 1227
14700, JBA at 1228
15870, very poor at 1229, SOH 100-watt nuisance frequency per Aoki
15900, JBA at 1228
Before 1400:
15505, fair at 1349
15605, poor at 1349
15795, March 25 at 1306, Chinese vs Chinese, i.e. CNR1 still jamming All India Radio`s Chinese at 1200-1315 via Bangaluru
(Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** CHINA [non]. 6190, March 25 at 0307, VG signal in Spanish, all about Barranquilla, Colombia as a travel destination --- new external service from Bogotá? Ha, M&W alternate, she with an Asian accent. 0320 into `Caleidoscopio Científico`, missed ID if any between shows. This one has annoying continuous pop music bed, hardly suitable for a serious topic, quoting ``Advancèd Materials` journal about microcapsules! 0325 address as spa@cri.cn, and into `Al Ritmo de China` music show.
I do believe this is CRI, not scheduled here in A-season, and until yesterday had three straight B-11 hours of English 03-06 via Sackville, now as usual reduced to one hour at 05-06. Obviously RCI/Sack were confused by the B/A switch, and this was a one-time-only SNAFU, or so we can hope. I should have checked what happened after 0400 but I think it was still on, eclipsed by 6195 NHK Bonaire in Spanish (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** COSTA RICA. 5954+, UT Sunday March 25 at 0126, Spanish here presumably R. República on its characteristic ex-TIQ off-frequency, weekend schedule only? Also on 9490 via RMI via Sackville, where only jamming audible. After 0200, 5954 still detectable as an asymmetric het between much stronger 5950 WYFR and 5960 Sackville (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** CROATIA [non]. 7375, March 25 at 0243, Voz de Croacia is finalizing `Croacia Hoy`, by announcer with a menacing tone, Mario [Slavic surname]; other announcer says Spanish is ``L-V a las 14; y diario a las 0330 y 0430, hora local``, which is now UT +2 = 1200; 0130 and 0230 UT, both, really? Moved a UT hour earlier for A-season, and also confirmed off the air by 0500 rather than 0600; via GERMANY (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** CUBA [and non]. 9885, March 25 at 1240, wall-of-noise jamming against VOA Spanish, which on Sundays is just innocuous American música country in English! Which I had heard earlier in the clear on // 13750 and 15590, all Greenville, which BTW still wants reports direct for QSLing and will clear the backlog once a new supply of QSLs arrive from the printer.
6030, March 25 at 1250, R. Martí free of jamming, as schedule has been extended from 1200* to 1300*; how does it make sense to run 6 MHz an hour longer into the summer sun than winter?? In effect a few more hours of daylight D-layer-absorbed path due to much earlier sunrises. Anyhow, took the DentroCuban Jamming Command by surprise.
11845, March 25 at 1354, R. Martí has also resumed this A-season only channel, again surprising the Cubans who never seem to catch on for a while, not jammed during Cuban piano music (Lecuona?), // 13820, while 15330 was being jammed against nothing, and 11930 jammed against open carrier prior to *1400. 11845 also abuts RHC on 11840, which it only started using last season. Look for Arnie to figure out in the next 8 days where to move RHC. HFCC A-12 shows times for these RMs:
11845, 13-17
11930, 14-24
13820, 13-20 (plus via Sackville 20-22)
15330, never; how does it make sense to use no band higher than 13 MHz in the summer? (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** EGYPT. 6265-6300, March 25 at 0221, terrible R. Cairo English blob is covering at least this range, and is centered closer to 6280 than 6270, totally incomprehensible noise blast with multiple whines.
15610, March 25 at 0357 very poor signal with continuous tone. Not pursued, but typical behaviour of R. Cairo as now scheduled for Swahili at 04-06, 250 kW, 170 degrees from Abu Zabaal. If they can manage a clear tone, maybe they can also modulate programming with something approaching normalcy? (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** EQUATORIAL GUINEA. 15190, March 24 at 1853 a weak signal here, presumably R. Africa still active (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** EQUATORIAL GUINEA [non]. 6250, March 25 at 0511, Spanish is back at 0500-0527 in A-12, fair readable signal, as BONAIRE relay has resumed like in A-11, NHK Spanish on 6080, leapfrogging over RNW Dutch on 6165, to land another 85 kHz higher on 6250. Usual pattern is for 6165 and consequently 6165 to vanish at 0527, while 6080 continues another two or three minutes.
If anyone ever assumes this is Malabo reactivated without any evidence during this half-hour only, we shall know they are not paying attention (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) See also NETHERLANDS [non]
** ETHIOPIA. 9705, March 25 at 0316, presumed R. Ethiopia, in Amharic or similar, overmodulated and distorted, HOA music bit; also with a fast SAH (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** GOA. 15210, March 25 at 0358, AIR IS with flutter, 0400 music only. HFCC A-12 shows 0345-0530, Panaji site at 250 kW, 300 degrees, in Persian/Arabic (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** IRAN. After 5 months of shooting themselves in the foot by sticking to two horribly clashing frequencies, 7200 with Sudan and 7365 with Martí/jamming, ``V. of Justice`` on A-12 schedule has moved to two good clear, frequencies, no doubt by pure luck, so now we can hear anti-American propaganda an hour each night with no problems; and don`t be surprised to hear American-accented persons interviewed, surely not treasonous but just employing the free speech we enjoy:
13650, March 25 at 0338, fair with flutter, in English about the IAEA and nuclear reactors; soon found // 11920 which was better and ahead of 13650 by two sesquiseconds. No QRM at all on either, nor after 0400. At 0405 the topic was Syria, blaming Israel, Saudi Arabia and most Arab states for the situation, and clearly slanted to side with the genocidal Assad (like fellow dictatorships Cuba, Venezuela, etc.)
11920, recheck March 25 at 0433, it`s still on the air! Now in Turkish, ``Burasi Teheran`` but 13650 is off. Wake up in Kamalabad! The Turx are expecting to hear VIRI from 0430 on A-12 frequencies 11860, 13710, one of which is surely absent. You guessed it, 11920 is also Kamalabad, 13650 Sirjan. Not rechecked until 0459 when 11920 was all gone. Typical slopperation.
11670, March 25 at 0410, Qur`an, fair with flutter; 0412 non-Q singing and talk in non-Arabic. A-12 sked shows IRIB in Azeri at 0330-0530, 500 kW, 336 degrees so also USward from Sirjan.
15300 // weaker 15400, March 25 at 1310, two new frequencies with music and talk mentioning Iran; 15400 runs behind 15300 by 3 seconds. Must be VIRI. Yes, both now scheduled for Urdu at 1300-1430: 15300 109 degrees from Kamalabad, and 15400 198 degrees from Sirjan, the latter not toward Pakistan at all, but the UAE?
Plus an hour of Hindi on 15300, 1430 Bengali on 15400, changing to Kamalabad 100 degrees. Except for a semihour overlap with BBC Ascension English from 1500 on 15400, they fit into a hole tnx to France no longer wanting 15300 between 13 and 17; HCJB Australia off 15400 at 1300 (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** ISRAEL [and non]. 15785, March 24 at 1935, some JBA talk in SSB, i.e. Galei Zahal on reactivated frequency. Only 5 kW doesn`t really cut it, while old Kol Israel 300 kW transmitters lie idle, if they still exist.
Oh oh, 15785, March 25 at 0355 I am getting a weak signal with flutter, instead from CRI English, going into Chinese lesson filler at hourend, still on past 0400, now A-12 scheduled 01-07 via Xi`an. GZ might want to consider another QSY, maybe back to 15850 (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** JAPAN [non]. 5960, March 25 at 0228, classical music, `Jupiter` from The Planets, by Holst; 0230 pause, piano music, Japanese mentioning English words about it, melody and harmony; music appreciation show? NHK is still at 02-05, southwestward from Sackville (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** KUWAIT [and non]. 15540, March 24 at 1907, R. Kuwait in English, M&W narration about Holy Qur`an: apparently shifted this daily propaganda from 1800 to 1900 while it was mostly inaudible all winter; at 1910 asserted, ``there is no conflict at all between science and religion``. Glad to know that!! Contrary to a lot of reaxionary Christians` belief. 1913 ending this program ``until a new episode tomorrow``, and right into unannounced rock music trax, culture clash; finally a slow tune at 1927, ``I Wish You Love``; 1930 as another talk feature starts about Arab civilization, signal is weakening, so I go to
15580 where VOA is starting a 1930 interview with author of ``American Dervish``, on being a Pakistani Muslim in the US. BONAIRE relay had just taken over from Botswana (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** MAURITANIA. 7245, March 25 at 0335, Arabish talk so another all-nighter for IGIM; you never know whether they will do so or not. With considerable QRhaM in SSB as during a contest they expand up to 7300 rather than avoiding the 7200-7300 range infested by broadcasters. Still going at 0534 check, when if just intuning, I might have assumed an early sign-on rather than no sign-off (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** NETHERLANDS [non]. BONAIRE, 9865, March 25 at 0503-0527* nothing but open carrier, some flutter. Has to be RNW Dutch to CIRAF 60 as scheduled for A-12, ex one hour later in B-11: except they forgot to add the modulation, but it was modulating on 6165!
Why move the broadcast one UT hour earlier a week before target NZ is going off DST? That means yesterday it was at 19 h local, this week only it is at 18 h local, and next week it will be at 17 h local. Does that make sense to anyone?
9790, March 25 at 0516, there is RNW too, 15 sex behind 6165; this is now via Wertachtal, GERMANY at 0500-0557, 500 kW, 120 degrees to SE Europe (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** NEW ZEALAND. 6170, March 25 at 1301, RNZI with news on A-season frequency ex-5950; fair at first, no CCI but some ACI (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** NIGERIA. 15120, March 24 at 1853, no signal from VON detectable, in AM or DRM, because it`s a Saturday. Still nothing at 1936, even tho Spain 15110 is behaving itself today.
15120, March 25 at 0437 good signal with impure tone matching high C# on my keyboard, i.e. 554 Hz, tone goes off, and fades back on. VON is on the air tonight and preparing for the 05-07 broadcast. Way over some weak music CCI, probably China. It`s the old Ikorodu transmitter since it is on-frequency, a close match with BFO to 6120 RHC and 1120 KMOX.
0446 starts ``Voice of Nigeria, Lagos`` every minute or so alternating by W & M, between IS of (talking?) drumming, flutish music, plus hum. 0452 fading down, 0455 just about gone as they are signing-on. If this is typical, may explain why I usually don`t hear them in the 05-06+ period even if on the air. However, Wolfgang Büschel in Germany was still hearing VON at 0705 in French with bad audio (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** NORTH AMERICA. 6925-USB, March 25 at 0231, ``Here we go``, says a pirate, then weird SFX, good S9+13 signal; 0235 next break ID as ``Red Mercury Labs``, shout-outs, to Pat Kingman in Los Angeles, promising an e-QSL sooner or later. ``the Red Mercury is on the high seas``; 0238 ghostly techno; 0246 says he has a ``living dead girl in my cabin``, and is not the captain of the ship, but is in charge, the admiral or something. 0248 as a ``research vessel``.
I taped some clips and may put them up, better quality than a lot of stuff on Pirating With Cumbre. BTW, Harold Frodge points out that ``"Red mercury" is also a common name for oxidation state +2 mercury compounds (mercuric), some of which are red in color.`` O yeah, like cinnabar, HgS; I used to have a piece of that (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** POLAND [non]. 15260, March 24 at *2159.5, One RCI IS, a bit of miscued jazz, and 2200 opening Polskie Radio dla Zagranicy with its last-ever broadcast to North America, via Sackville; joined a minute later on much weaker 7330 via Woofferton UK, starting Polish Catholic mass as always on Saturdays, with organ music. 15260 reception is just about perfect 55555, with a brief fade only rarely, and besides that no selective fading distortion.
After the standard opening business, long sermon, which I axually listen to for posterity, noting an occasional cognate or recognizable word. 2235 finally back to mostly music which I enjoy pro-arte without the baggage of belief or comprehension; cut off the air abruptly at 2259* as organ music was still playing, ending with a bang PRES` contact with America, how rude, no ``goodbye, it`s been a pleasure``. Of course many years before, they gave up reaching out to us in English, and more recently even inadvertently while still in English to Europe (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** ROMANIA. 7225-7230-7235, March 25 at 0559, strong DRM. I bet it`s RRI, and I bet hams thruout the Americas would curse them if they knew. Yes, it`s another of RRI`s widely sprinkled DRM semihours, this one 0600-0630 in German at 307 degrees, so also USward (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** RUSSIA. 5930, March 25 at 1255, reactivated summer channel of R. Rossii via Petropavlovsk/Kamchatsky, ex-6010 where they suddenly moved a few weeks ago from previous winter channel 6075, so we couldn`t be sure 5930 would come back until confirmed, // 5940 Magadan about equal level with music. 1300 timesignal slightly out of synch between the two, and no CW messages heard afterwards on 5929 or vicinity (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** RUSSIA [non]. 9665, March 25 at 0257, good signal with choral music, 0258 VOR announces it is 24 hours on DAB in London; at 0259 mentions only 19mb to NAm, 31mb to LAm, and several medium-wavelengths to ME (not frequencies! does anyone tune in metres any more?? Show me any non-legacy receiver so calibrated).
VOR are on so few frequencies any more that there is no excuse for not giving them specifically. So they are back on 9665 this A-season via PRIDNESTROVYE, per HFCC at 23-04, 500 kW, 309 degrees from KCH/MDA to CIRAF 7 thru 12 which includes central and eastern USA, not just LAm. Also heard on weaker 15425 at 0303, a reverb apart.
12155, March 25 at 0414 classical music, // 12060, 0416 Spanish voice-over Russian. Both are now scheduled until 0500 with VOR via ARMENIA, 258 degrees on 12060 which was appropriately weaker here than 305 from Gavar on 12155; but 12155 more often that not had ute chirp QRM (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** SERBIA [non]. 6190, unlike one week ago, UT Sunday March 25 at 0125 no sign of IRS, which is just as well since RNW has gone on 6190 in A-12 schedule with Dutch for a few more minutes, due south from BONAIRE but very strong here. Still no IRS on a clear frequency one hour later, when we were hearing unscheduled English 168 hours earlier.
So what has become of IRS? Its website B-11 schedule http://voiceofserbia.org/program-schedule
was labeled as expiring at 1400 UT March 25. Guess what, at 1450 March 25 it still hasn`t been replaced with A-12, and IRS isn`t telling HFCC what it will do (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** SOUTH AFRICA. 7215, March 25 at 0336, music and Amharish talk. A-12 HFCC shows TWR, 250 kW, 7 degrees form Meyerton at 0300-0345 in Amharic and something else (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** SPAIN [and non]. 15110, March 24 at 1856, REE IS just came on, and today it`s back in whack, not splattering all over the band disrupting countless other stations. Its whackiness comes and goes, so I`m sure there will be another time. But Nigeria is off 15120 today.
9535, March 25 at 0420, surprised to hear REE in Catalan instead of Castilian; but it`s not just a 5-minute token news capsule, W interviewing a M about goings-on around Barcelona, // weaker 9620 and everything repeated 5 seconds later on 9675 via COSTA RICA.
0429 on to another interview. New REE program grid shows it`s a full hour called `Vida Verda`, originating with Radio 4:
http://www.rtve.es/alacarta/audios/vida-verda/
I wonder if other Catalan or minority language programs are hiding in the REE schedule without specification as such. No other time for this one.
11880, March 25 at 0606-0619:10* extremely strong S9+25+ open carrier, the SSOB by far, no comparison to WEWN 11870 and 11520, or stronger than they, 11890 REE, propagating tho 80 degrees from Noblejas. I was mystified until I turned the radio back onto same frequency at 1215, and REE was in progress, talking about regional elexions today in Andalucía y Asturias, // much weaker 11815.0 on frequency without het. Of course, 11880 is the A-season frequency for Cariari, COSTA RICA relay northward instead of 15170 in our mornings, so they were testing it after 0600 sign-off of 9675 (Please explain why a lower frequency in summer than winter.)
`Amigos de la Onda Corta` confirmed shifted one UT hour earlier to Sundays 1232 or so (when not pre-empted), best on 11880 with ``DX`` [non] items including Univisión partnering with Disney to start up an English-language all-news channel for Hispanix who don`t speak Spanish, based probably in Miami, in time for this fall`s elexions. Then played a pro-forma 70th anniversary greeting from RCI to RNE. Also audible on much weaker than both CR // 5970 at 1249.
New A-12 REE program grid shows ``AdlOC`` also at: UT Sat 0500, UT Sun 0030, plus 2 or 5 minutes, but the midweek and Saturday afternoon airings evidently gone again (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** SUDAN [non]. 6135, March 25 at 0313 something in Arabic mentioning Darfur, modulation rather muffled and lo-fi; 0328* cut off abruptly during talk, how rude! HFCC A-12 shows an IBB Sudanese service, so presumably Afia Darfur, 250 kW, 146 degrees from SMG, VATICAN at 0300-0330, supposed to be followed by an IBB service in Somali via São Tomé. Also had a very lite het, possibly Madagascar, as Bolivia goes off earlier.
BTW, HFCC A-12 shows the St. Petersburg site at 00-03 has moved from 6135 to 9470, presumably still alternating VOR Spanish and Russian (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** SUDAN [non]. 15400, March 25 at 0358 good open carrier, 0359 as expected, R. Tamazuj opening ID, music. 0408 found weaker // 11650 which was slightly behind 15400, which is MADAGASCAR, while 11650 is VATICAN. Did not remember third new frequency to check, 15550 via UAE, but would likely have been JBA at best.
No jamming heard on either at 0435 during R. Dabanga which follows from 0429, but at 0455 there were some oscillating tones on adjacent 11655, missed it by that much (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** SWAZILAND. 9500, March 25 at 0509, very poor gospel huxter in English, no doubt TWR as previously IDed by Bill Bingham, RSA, and still not on their schedules for B-11 or A-12. Nevertheless, since they keep doing it, wonder if intentional rather than accidental (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** TAIWAN [non]. 6875, March 25 before and after 0500 WYFR relay of RTI no longer on the air, nor scheduled any more. See U S A.
Instead back to 5950, in English at 0537 W&M discussing forgetfulness, how fitting, then song in Chinese. At 0600 timesignal and into Spanish introed by Paul Hsiao (don`t spell it Xiao), as the program for viernes 23 de marzo! It`s already March 25 here, in Greenwich, and even more so in Taibei, so why in the world play back a 2-day-old show? At least they are back in proper languages, after relapse to Chinese and German during these hours last night on 6875 (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) See also USA: WYFR
** THAILAND. I was looking around for R. Thailand`s new frequency for English at 1230-1300 March 25 but did not find it. No wonder, later extracted from HFCC, the full A-12 NBT Udorn English sked, annotated:
1230-1300 9890 to SEAs [a loss here with VOA and jamming on 9885]
1400-1430 9395 to SEAs [a loss here to WEWN squishy sidebands]
1900-2000 7205 to Europe [too low for NAm summer]
2030-2045 9680 to Europe
0000-0030 15275 ENAm
0030-0100 15275 WNAm
0200-0230 15275 ENAm again
0530-0600 17770 to Europe
(Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** TURKEY. 9515, March 25 at 0316, VOT with VG signal in English introducing `Legends of Anatolia`, an off-week for the `DX Corner`? This was supposed to be an on-week. Already shifted for A-12 to one hour earlier, and ex-9655.
Checking the podcast roster for DX Corner,
http://www.trtenglish.com/trtworld/Galeri/Podcast.aspx?GaleriResimKodu=3c549d44-0022-4628-89f8-9b679452262c&dil=en
we find these dates:
DX Corner_17_03_2012
DX Corner_18_02_2012
DX Corner_04_02_2012
DX Corner_21_01_2012
DX Corner_07_01_2012
DX Corner_17_12_2011
So there was a 3-week gap from Dec 17 to Jan 7, throwing off our alternate-week projexions, last one March 17, next one should be March 31; and also missing one on March 3?
15450, VOT also reactivated here for the summer 1230 English broadcast to W Europe and also USward, March 25 at 1231 poor but readable with news about PM meeting President Obama in Seoul. Still quite an improvement over 12035 at 1330 which had been mostly inaudible all winter B-season (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** U K [non]. 7350-7355-7360, March 25 at 0559 strong DRM noise equivalent to 7230 ROMANIA has erupted. A-12 HFCC shows this one is BBC via AUSTRIA at 0600-0800, 100 kW, 300 degrees to W Europe, also USward. Or is it DRM Mix, also mentioned in the entry? (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** U S A [and non]. This Sunday morning before 1300 I can compare AFN from the Florida Keys and GUAM:
7811-USB, Saddlebunch Keys, March 25 at 1245, NPR WESUN with Susan Stamberg, ending puzzle segment with Will Shortz.
5765-USB, GUAM, March 25 at 1253 AFN ID, military PSAs such as rules about political activity; presumably went on to CBS Sunday Morning 1300 live TV relay as heard previously (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** U S A [non]. 11905, March 25 at 0407, VG signal in tonal African language; 0412 thought they mentioned Cristo, so missionary? No, it`s VOA Kinyarwanda/Kirundi at 0330-0430 via MADAGASCAR from 0400, Sri Lanka during the first half; why switch when both are to the small target area of Rwanda/Burundi, surely both well served from Talata (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) See also CUBA [and non]
** U S A. 6875, March 25 at 0311, WYFR in Spanish, only fair signal due south. In A-12 that`s the only usage of this frequency at 0300-0345; TAIWAN [q.v.] relays until 0700 are back on 5950 (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** U S A. WORLD OF RADIO 1609 monitoring: confirmed at 0400 UT Sunday March 25 from WTWW 5755. Remaining SW airings this week, on WRMI 9955: Monday 0500, 1130, maybe Thursday 0330 or new 1610; on HLR 5980 Germany, Tue 0930 ex-1030 (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** U S A. 9825, March 25 at 0420, `Pirating with Cumbre`, with R. Vixen clip, very good signal from WHRI on new frequency for A-12, ex-7465 but time unchanged UT Sundays at 0400; the only known SW airing (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** U S A [and non]. 9955, March 25 at 0255, WRMI not only has Cuban pulse jamming vs something in English, but also OTH radar pulsing from 9935 to 9960; and of course the RTTY infesting 9960 (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** U S A. Somebody slipped up assigning two US stations only 5 kHz apart: 9390, March 25 at 1205, WEWN is now here ex-15610 for English at 11-15 to CIRAF 43, 44, i.e. central and eastern CHINA, but at 335 degrees just happens to cross over the rest of the USA, with a VG signal into OK.
No 9385 WWRB at first, and not heard on 3185 either, maybe on but buried in noise, or in process of QSY at varying exact time. Checked 15795 in case that had been reactivated, but not. WWRB is however registered on 9385 at 12-24, 45 degrees.
Recheck at 1347, now it`s on with Brother Scare abutting the Catholix, with their squishy spur mess also moved to 9381-9399 at least, ex 15601-15619 at least. Both still on past 1400 when WEWN admits it`s on 9390 for another hour (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DGIEST)
** U S A. 15420-CUSB, March 25 at 1350, William Tell Overture which means only one thing on WBCQ: `Allan Weiner Worldwide` is starting --- and so it did with Al claiming to be on ``7.415 and 5.110 megacycles per second, on 20 March 2009, first day of spring``, then getting Dr. Scott Becker on the phone from Kiowa KS at 106.7 KTOR which was also rebroadcasting this live.
?? There is no such station known to the FCC: no 106.7 in Kiowa but two full-powers in Norton and Hugton KS; the real KTOR is in California. Certainly an odd hour to be starting a 3+year old AWWW playback, but why not?
I only wish WBCQ could put WOR on this frequency sometime. Per own schedule, 15420 does not start until 1700 UT daily with `Global Spirit Proclamation`, except Saturdays only with other stuff from 1400 and this was Sunday. AWWW still going at 1422 recheck (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** U S A [non]. 17670, March 25 at 1315, Iran`s Arabic service has been replaced by AWR Vietnamese, 250 kW, 60 degrees via MADAGASCAR at 13-14, rather assertive speaker in Viet from 1315 past 1340, figured he was Christian, and this is in HFCC A-12, way off beam for us, redemonstrating how effective near-antipodal Madagascar is as a relay site even USward (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** VATICAN [non non]. 7250, unheard yet, but HFCC A-12 shows the ONLY 10 kW transmissions from ``SMG``, meaning they are really from Vatican Gardens inside the proper See, are now 0400-0420 Polish, 0420-0440 German, rotating the LP from 26 to 4 degrees between them.
BTW, we might have expected some special SW broadcasts for the pope`s visit to México and Cuba, but the VR special broadcast webpage shows nothing on SW. Ed Insinger, NJ, also told me March 24: Hello Glenn, I received the following message to pass along to you for DXLD, regarding Radio Vaticana:
Dear Mr Insinger, I hope this message finds you all well. The frequency 5890 kHz is broadcasted from Tashkent, Uzbekistan, at 0020-0040 UT, Urdu only on Monday and Thursday, and at 0020-0040 to 0200 UT from Santa Maria di Galeria 250 kW, 3/2/.5 beamed to 86°. This configuration is due to a severe damage to our rotating antenna, AHR 4/4/.5, which was intended to be used to carry out this broadcast. Best regards. Sergio Salvatori, Vatican Radio Frequency Management``
So now we wonder if some other broadcasts may have been so affected, with substitute sites! (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
UNIDENTIFIED. 9975 & 9985 approx., March 25 at 0302, extremely distorted spur from some broadcaster jumping between these frequencies (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
Note: nothing yet monitored after 14 UT in A-12, as I had to stop monitoring and start compiling this report which took 7 hours, and have not had time to compare much to what others may have reported (gh)
** ALGERIA [non]. RTA relays via TDF Issoudun, FRANCE, had been missing during B-11, but promptly with start of A-12 they are back:
7295, March 25 at 0536, good signal with Qur`an; 0550 Arabic talk cut off at 0557*, how rude! But typical TDF behavior. Algiers has never caught on this is happening to their broadcasts, or just don`t care.
HFCC A-12 shows the complete schedule, but remains to be seen if all of them are active; all are for the full A-12 datespan except as shown, with two different azimuths alternating:
7295 04-05 162
7295 05-06 194
7495 21-23 194
9375 20-22 162
9535 05-06 162
9535 06-07 194 until May 5 and from 2 Sept
11775 19-21 194
11985 06-07 194
13820 18-20 162
I did check 9535, the only one I remembered as previous // but heard nothing altho Spain was making it well during previous hour. 11775 will collide with Anguilla, 13820 with R. Martí and Cuban jamming (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** ANGUILLA [and non]. 11775, March 24 at 2150, no signal from DGS, while RNA was already audible on 11780; nor at 2155 on 6090, while the nominal QSY time is 2200. But 6090 was on later in the night, with severe QRM from the spur out of BRAZIL [q.v.] centered around 6085.
6090, March 25 at 0514, DGS has some noise upon him, unlike via WWCR 5935, but he`s in no position to care. Sure sounds like DRM, but nothing now scheduled around 6090, previously used by Luxembourg. At this moment, Brazilian spur not bothering but it was again around 0543 (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** AUSTRIA. 6155, March 25 at 0512, Ö1 is now one hour earlier from 0500 in A-12; there had been some confusion whether this would happen again. Sounds like a prayer in German, but not The Lord`s Prayer. So much for Separation of Church & State in Austria. Maybe it`s just a Sunday-morning deviation. Good signal and still in at 0541 when they are playing black gospel music instead of usual classical!
Scheduled until 0615 only, but the French and English token news capsules from domestic service which were at 0608-0614 had already been canceled. The only other time Moosbrunn is on 6155 now is the preceding 0430-0500 with AWR French to Africa, while Ö1 itself is listed as non-direxional (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENIG DIGEST)
** BRAZIL. 6085, March 25 at 0126, approximate center of huge distorted modulation blob extending at least from 6070 to 6100, causing severe QRM to ANGUILLA 6090 and CFRX 6070. Brazilian DXers have been complaining for weeks about R. Nacional da Amazônia`s reactivated 6180 Brasília transmitter putting out spurs elsewhere in the 49m band, but I am still surprised they are so severe so far away in N America too.
What`s on 6180? Just an open carrier, uncertain whether that is from RNA too. Need to // 11780 for definite ID of the blob, but at 0152 it`s also unmodulated! So I tune around looking for possible // audio from something else, but don`t find any. (Meanwhile, R. Cairo is still making its own horrible mess around 6280, see EGYPT, but no match there.)
At 0202, circa 6085 I can make out what sounds like Brazilian intonation; now I notice there is a secondary weaker but still awful blob in the 5985 area. At 0205, modulation has resumed on 11780, and now there is a definite match with the 49mb blobs; still a weak OC on 6180, something else? At 0242, WYFR English on 5985 is suffering from this QRM. In fact, all frequencies in between have noise level from this unless diminished or covered by a stronger station.
Unfortunately, this is UT Sunday, the one night per week when RNA stays on air all-night, and the horrible noise around 6085 is still there at 0543, ranging 6070-6100 at least, and 5980-6005. Now Vatican 6075 is getting hit as the Pope is trying to speak from Mexico. At 0602 I am listening to the spur on 5985v and can hear the RNA madrugada announcer saying ``Bom Dia``, // 11780.
6180 is still on with much weaker carrier, and now at 0543 I can detect it is just barely modulated // 11780.
Unfortunately the Brazilian DXers have so far been unable to get thru to RNA about this severe problem, which needs to be fixed immediately or turn if off! Even tho one of them, Lúcio Haeser works there, altho in the news rather than technical department (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** CANADA. 9625, March 25 at 0504, CBC News in English ending (only 4 minutes now?), immediately to CBCNQ sign-off in Inuktituk (or Cree?), but having to pronounce the address with English words; then in French, 0507 NA, 0508 OC & TT, but off by 0509, so maybe did not come back on for hours and hours of kwattburning. Note: there was NO sign-off in English. Take that, you majoritarians! Even tho much (majority?) of CBCNQ airtime is in that foreign lanugage (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** CHAD. 6165, March 25 at 0226, African music, presumed RNT on 24-hour schedule getting thru without CCI during breaks from Bonaire, which now in A-12 is scheduled 0000-0057, 0100-0157, 0300-0327, 0330-0357, 0400-0427, 0500-0527. However, there was some splatter from 6175 Vietnam via Canada. In the clear again at 0542 check in French. One more season and no Bonaire to kick it around any more (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** CHINA. Firedrake March 25: too busy with new A-12 monitoring to search much, but ran across before 1230:
13670, JBA at 1227
13920, JBA at 1227
13970, JBA at 1227
14700, JBA at 1228
15870, very poor at 1229, SOH 100-watt nuisance frequency per Aoki
15900, JBA at 1228
Before 1400:
15505, fair at 1349
15605, poor at 1349
15795, March 25 at 1306, Chinese vs Chinese, i.e. CNR1 still jamming All India Radio`s Chinese at 1200-1315 via Bangaluru
(Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** CHINA [non]. 6190, March 25 at 0307, VG signal in Spanish, all about Barranquilla, Colombia as a travel destination --- new external service from Bogotá? Ha, M&W alternate, she with an Asian accent. 0320 into `Caleidoscopio Científico`, missed ID if any between shows. This one has annoying continuous pop music bed, hardly suitable for a serious topic, quoting ``Advancèd Materials` journal about microcapsules! 0325 address as spa@cri.cn, and into `Al Ritmo de China` music show.
I do believe this is CRI, not scheduled here in A-season, and until yesterday had three straight B-11 hours of English 03-06 via Sackville, now as usual reduced to one hour at 05-06. Obviously RCI/Sack were confused by the B/A switch, and this was a one-time-only SNAFU, or so we can hope. I should have checked what happened after 0400 but I think it was still on, eclipsed by 6195 NHK Bonaire in Spanish (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** COSTA RICA. 5954+, UT Sunday March 25 at 0126, Spanish here presumably R. República on its characteristic ex-TIQ off-frequency, weekend schedule only? Also on 9490 via RMI via Sackville, where only jamming audible. After 0200, 5954 still detectable as an asymmetric het between much stronger 5950 WYFR and 5960 Sackville (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** CROATIA [non]. 7375, March 25 at 0243, Voz de Croacia is finalizing `Croacia Hoy`, by announcer with a menacing tone, Mario [Slavic surname]; other announcer says Spanish is ``L-V a las 14; y diario a las 0330 y 0430, hora local``, which is now UT +2 = 1200; 0130 and 0230 UT, both, really? Moved a UT hour earlier for A-season, and also confirmed off the air by 0500 rather than 0600; via GERMANY (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** CUBA [and non]. 9885, March 25 at 1240, wall-of-noise jamming against VOA Spanish, which on Sundays is just innocuous American música country in English! Which I had heard earlier in the clear on // 13750 and 15590, all Greenville, which BTW still wants reports direct for QSLing and will clear the backlog once a new supply of QSLs arrive from the printer.
6030, March 25 at 1250, R. Martí free of jamming, as schedule has been extended from 1200* to 1300*; how does it make sense to run 6 MHz an hour longer into the summer sun than winter?? In effect a few more hours of daylight D-layer-absorbed path due to much earlier sunrises. Anyhow, took the DentroCuban Jamming Command by surprise.
11845, March 25 at 1354, R. Martí has also resumed this A-season only channel, again surprising the Cubans who never seem to catch on for a while, not jammed during Cuban piano music (Lecuona?), // 13820, while 15330 was being jammed against nothing, and 11930 jammed against open carrier prior to *1400. 11845 also abuts RHC on 11840, which it only started using last season. Look for Arnie to figure out in the next 8 days where to move RHC. HFCC A-12 shows times for these RMs:
11845, 13-17
11930, 14-24
13820, 13-20 (plus via Sackville 20-22)
15330, never; how does it make sense to use no band higher than 13 MHz in the summer? (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** EGYPT. 6265-6300, March 25 at 0221, terrible R. Cairo English blob is covering at least this range, and is centered closer to 6280 than 6270, totally incomprehensible noise blast with multiple whines.
15610, March 25 at 0357 very poor signal with continuous tone. Not pursued, but typical behaviour of R. Cairo as now scheduled for Swahili at 04-06, 250 kW, 170 degrees from Abu Zabaal. If they can manage a clear tone, maybe they can also modulate programming with something approaching normalcy? (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** EQUATORIAL GUINEA. 15190, March 24 at 1853 a weak signal here, presumably R. Africa still active (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** EQUATORIAL GUINEA [non]. 6250, March 25 at 0511, Spanish is back at 0500-0527 in A-12, fair readable signal, as BONAIRE relay has resumed like in A-11, NHK Spanish on 6080, leapfrogging over RNW Dutch on 6165, to land another 85 kHz higher on 6250. Usual pattern is for 6165 and consequently 6165 to vanish at 0527, while 6080 continues another two or three minutes.
If anyone ever assumes this is Malabo reactivated without any evidence during this half-hour only, we shall know they are not paying attention (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) See also NETHERLANDS [non]
** ETHIOPIA. 9705, March 25 at 0316, presumed R. Ethiopia, in Amharic or similar, overmodulated and distorted, HOA music bit; also with a fast SAH (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** GOA. 15210, March 25 at 0358, AIR IS with flutter, 0400 music only. HFCC A-12 shows 0345-0530, Panaji site at 250 kW, 300 degrees, in Persian/Arabic (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** IRAN. After 5 months of shooting themselves in the foot by sticking to two horribly clashing frequencies, 7200 with Sudan and 7365 with Martí/jamming, ``V. of Justice`` on A-12 schedule has moved to two good clear, frequencies, no doubt by pure luck, so now we can hear anti-American propaganda an hour each night with no problems; and don`t be surprised to hear American-accented persons interviewed, surely not treasonous but just employing the free speech we enjoy:
13650, March 25 at 0338, fair with flutter, in English about the IAEA and nuclear reactors; soon found // 11920 which was better and ahead of 13650 by two sesquiseconds. No QRM at all on either, nor after 0400. At 0405 the topic was Syria, blaming Israel, Saudi Arabia and most Arab states for the situation, and clearly slanted to side with the genocidal Assad (like fellow dictatorships Cuba, Venezuela, etc.)
11920, recheck March 25 at 0433, it`s still on the air! Now in Turkish, ``Burasi Teheran`` but 13650 is off. Wake up in Kamalabad! The Turx are expecting to hear VIRI from 0430 on A-12 frequencies 11860, 13710, one of which is surely absent. You guessed it, 11920 is also Kamalabad, 13650 Sirjan. Not rechecked until 0459 when 11920 was all gone. Typical slopperation.
11670, March 25 at 0410, Qur`an, fair with flutter; 0412 non-Q singing and talk in non-Arabic. A-12 sked shows IRIB in Azeri at 0330-0530, 500 kW, 336 degrees so also USward from Sirjan.
15300 // weaker 15400, March 25 at 1310, two new frequencies with music and talk mentioning Iran; 15400 runs behind 15300 by 3 seconds. Must be VIRI. Yes, both now scheduled for Urdu at 1300-1430: 15300 109 degrees from Kamalabad, and 15400 198 degrees from Sirjan, the latter not toward Pakistan at all, but the UAE?
Plus an hour of Hindi on 15300, 1430 Bengali on 15400, changing to Kamalabad 100 degrees. Except for a semihour overlap with BBC Ascension English from 1500 on 15400, they fit into a hole tnx to France no longer wanting 15300 between 13 and 17; HCJB Australia off 15400 at 1300 (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** ISRAEL [and non]. 15785, March 24 at 1935, some JBA talk in SSB, i.e. Galei Zahal on reactivated frequency. Only 5 kW doesn`t really cut it, while old Kol Israel 300 kW transmitters lie idle, if they still exist.
Oh oh, 15785, March 25 at 0355 I am getting a weak signal with flutter, instead from CRI English, going into Chinese lesson filler at hourend, still on past 0400, now A-12 scheduled 01-07 via Xi`an. GZ might want to consider another QSY, maybe back to 15850 (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** JAPAN [non]. 5960, March 25 at 0228, classical music, `Jupiter` from The Planets, by Holst; 0230 pause, piano music, Japanese mentioning English words about it, melody and harmony; music appreciation show? NHK is still at 02-05, southwestward from Sackville (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** KUWAIT [and non]. 15540, March 24 at 1907, R. Kuwait in English, M&W narration about Holy Qur`an: apparently shifted this daily propaganda from 1800 to 1900 while it was mostly inaudible all winter; at 1910 asserted, ``there is no conflict at all between science and religion``. Glad to know that!! Contrary to a lot of reaxionary Christians` belief. 1913 ending this program ``until a new episode tomorrow``, and right into unannounced rock music trax, culture clash; finally a slow tune at 1927, ``I Wish You Love``; 1930 as another talk feature starts about Arab civilization, signal is weakening, so I go to
15580 where VOA is starting a 1930 interview with author of ``American Dervish``, on being a Pakistani Muslim in the US. BONAIRE relay had just taken over from Botswana (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** MAURITANIA. 7245, March 25 at 0335, Arabish talk so another all-nighter for IGIM; you never know whether they will do so or not. With considerable QRhaM in SSB as during a contest they expand up to 7300 rather than avoiding the 7200-7300 range infested by broadcasters. Still going at 0534 check, when if just intuning, I might have assumed an early sign-on rather than no sign-off (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** NETHERLANDS [non]. BONAIRE, 9865, March 25 at 0503-0527* nothing but open carrier, some flutter. Has to be RNW Dutch to CIRAF 60 as scheduled for A-12, ex one hour later in B-11: except they forgot to add the modulation, but it was modulating on 6165!
Why move the broadcast one UT hour earlier a week before target NZ is going off DST? That means yesterday it was at 19 h local, this week only it is at 18 h local, and next week it will be at 17 h local. Does that make sense to anyone?
9790, March 25 at 0516, there is RNW too, 15 sex behind 6165; this is now via Wertachtal, GERMANY at 0500-0557, 500 kW, 120 degrees to SE Europe (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** NEW ZEALAND. 6170, March 25 at 1301, RNZI with news on A-season frequency ex-5950; fair at first, no CCI but some ACI (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** NIGERIA. 15120, March 24 at 1853, no signal from VON detectable, in AM or DRM, because it`s a Saturday. Still nothing at 1936, even tho Spain 15110 is behaving itself today.
15120, March 25 at 0437 good signal with impure tone matching high C# on my keyboard, i.e. 554 Hz, tone goes off, and fades back on. VON is on the air tonight and preparing for the 05-07 broadcast. Way over some weak music CCI, probably China. It`s the old Ikorodu transmitter since it is on-frequency, a close match with BFO to 6120 RHC and 1120 KMOX.
0446 starts ``Voice of Nigeria, Lagos`` every minute or so alternating by W & M, between IS of (talking?) drumming, flutish music, plus hum. 0452 fading down, 0455 just about gone as they are signing-on. If this is typical, may explain why I usually don`t hear them in the 05-06+ period even if on the air. However, Wolfgang Büschel in Germany was still hearing VON at 0705 in French with bad audio (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** NORTH AMERICA. 6925-USB, March 25 at 0231, ``Here we go``, says a pirate, then weird SFX, good S9+13 signal; 0235 next break ID as ``Red Mercury Labs``, shout-outs, to Pat Kingman in Los Angeles, promising an e-QSL sooner or later. ``the Red Mercury is on the high seas``; 0238 ghostly techno; 0246 says he has a ``living dead girl in my cabin``, and is not the captain of the ship, but is in charge, the admiral or something. 0248 as a ``research vessel``.
I taped some clips and may put them up, better quality than a lot of stuff on Pirating With Cumbre. BTW, Harold Frodge points out that ``"Red mercury" is also a common name for oxidation state +2 mercury compounds (mercuric), some of which are red in color.`` O yeah, like cinnabar, HgS; I used to have a piece of that (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** POLAND [non]. 15260, March 24 at *2159.5, One RCI IS, a bit of miscued jazz, and 2200 opening Polskie Radio dla Zagranicy with its last-ever broadcast to North America, via Sackville; joined a minute later on much weaker 7330 via Woofferton UK, starting Polish Catholic mass as always on Saturdays, with organ music. 15260 reception is just about perfect 55555, with a brief fade only rarely, and besides that no selective fading distortion.
After the standard opening business, long sermon, which I axually listen to for posterity, noting an occasional cognate or recognizable word. 2235 finally back to mostly music which I enjoy pro-arte without the baggage of belief or comprehension; cut off the air abruptly at 2259* as organ music was still playing, ending with a bang PRES` contact with America, how rude, no ``goodbye, it`s been a pleasure``. Of course many years before, they gave up reaching out to us in English, and more recently even inadvertently while still in English to Europe (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** ROMANIA. 7225-7230-7235, March 25 at 0559, strong DRM. I bet it`s RRI, and I bet hams thruout the Americas would curse them if they knew. Yes, it`s another of RRI`s widely sprinkled DRM semihours, this one 0600-0630 in German at 307 degrees, so also USward (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** RUSSIA. 5930, March 25 at 1255, reactivated summer channel of R. Rossii via Petropavlovsk/Kamchatsky, ex-6010 where they suddenly moved a few weeks ago from previous winter channel 6075, so we couldn`t be sure 5930 would come back until confirmed, // 5940 Magadan about equal level with music. 1300 timesignal slightly out of synch between the two, and no CW messages heard afterwards on 5929 or vicinity (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** RUSSIA [non]. 9665, March 25 at 0257, good signal with choral music, 0258 VOR announces it is 24 hours on DAB in London; at 0259 mentions only 19mb to NAm, 31mb to LAm, and several medium-wavelengths to ME (not frequencies! does anyone tune in metres any more?? Show me any non-legacy receiver so calibrated).
VOR are on so few frequencies any more that there is no excuse for not giving them specifically. So they are back on 9665 this A-season via PRIDNESTROVYE, per HFCC at 23-04, 500 kW, 309 degrees from KCH/MDA to CIRAF 7 thru 12 which includes central and eastern USA, not just LAm. Also heard on weaker 15425 at 0303, a reverb apart.
12155, March 25 at 0414 classical music, // 12060, 0416 Spanish voice-over Russian. Both are now scheduled until 0500 with VOR via ARMENIA, 258 degrees on 12060 which was appropriately weaker here than 305 from Gavar on 12155; but 12155 more often that not had ute chirp QRM (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** SERBIA [non]. 6190, unlike one week ago, UT Sunday March 25 at 0125 no sign of IRS, which is just as well since RNW has gone on 6190 in A-12 schedule with Dutch for a few more minutes, due south from BONAIRE but very strong here. Still no IRS on a clear frequency one hour later, when we were hearing unscheduled English 168 hours earlier.
So what has become of IRS? Its website B-11 schedule http://voiceofserbia.org/program-schedule
was labeled as expiring at 1400 UT March 25. Guess what, at 1450 March 25 it still hasn`t been replaced with A-12, and IRS isn`t telling HFCC what it will do (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** SOUTH AFRICA. 7215, March 25 at 0336, music and Amharish talk. A-12 HFCC shows TWR, 250 kW, 7 degrees form Meyerton at 0300-0345 in Amharic and something else (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** SPAIN [and non]. 15110, March 24 at 1856, REE IS just came on, and today it`s back in whack, not splattering all over the band disrupting countless other stations. Its whackiness comes and goes, so I`m sure there will be another time. But Nigeria is off 15120 today.
9535, March 25 at 0420, surprised to hear REE in Catalan instead of Castilian; but it`s not just a 5-minute token news capsule, W interviewing a M about goings-on around Barcelona, // weaker 9620 and everything repeated 5 seconds later on 9675 via COSTA RICA.
0429 on to another interview. New REE program grid shows it`s a full hour called `Vida Verda`, originating with Radio 4:
http://www.rtve.es/alacarta/audios/vida-verda/
I wonder if other Catalan or minority language programs are hiding in the REE schedule without specification as such. No other time for this one.
11880, March 25 at 0606-0619:10* extremely strong S9+25+ open carrier, the SSOB by far, no comparison to WEWN 11870 and 11520, or stronger than they, 11890 REE, propagating tho 80 degrees from Noblejas. I was mystified until I turned the radio back onto same frequency at 1215, and REE was in progress, talking about regional elexions today in Andalucía y Asturias, // much weaker 11815.0 on frequency without het. Of course, 11880 is the A-season frequency for Cariari, COSTA RICA relay northward instead of 15170 in our mornings, so they were testing it after 0600 sign-off of 9675 (Please explain why a lower frequency in summer than winter.)
`Amigos de la Onda Corta` confirmed shifted one UT hour earlier to Sundays 1232 or so (when not pre-empted), best on 11880 with ``DX`` [non] items including Univisión partnering with Disney to start up an English-language all-news channel for Hispanix who don`t speak Spanish, based probably in Miami, in time for this fall`s elexions. Then played a pro-forma 70th anniversary greeting from RCI to RNE. Also audible on much weaker than both CR // 5970 at 1249.
New A-12 REE program grid shows ``AdlOC`` also at: UT Sat 0500, UT Sun 0030, plus 2 or 5 minutes, but the midweek and Saturday afternoon airings evidently gone again (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** SUDAN [non]. 6135, March 25 at 0313 something in Arabic mentioning Darfur, modulation rather muffled and lo-fi; 0328* cut off abruptly during talk, how rude! HFCC A-12 shows an IBB Sudanese service, so presumably Afia Darfur, 250 kW, 146 degrees from SMG, VATICAN at 0300-0330, supposed to be followed by an IBB service in Somali via São Tomé. Also had a very lite het, possibly Madagascar, as Bolivia goes off earlier.
BTW, HFCC A-12 shows the St. Petersburg site at 00-03 has moved from 6135 to 9470, presumably still alternating VOR Spanish and Russian (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** SUDAN [non]. 15400, March 25 at 0358 good open carrier, 0359 as expected, R. Tamazuj opening ID, music. 0408 found weaker // 11650 which was slightly behind 15400, which is MADAGASCAR, while 11650 is VATICAN. Did not remember third new frequency to check, 15550 via UAE, but would likely have been JBA at best.
No jamming heard on either at 0435 during R. Dabanga which follows from 0429, but at 0455 there were some oscillating tones on adjacent 11655, missed it by that much (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** SWAZILAND. 9500, March 25 at 0509, very poor gospel huxter in English, no doubt TWR as previously IDed by Bill Bingham, RSA, and still not on their schedules for B-11 or A-12. Nevertheless, since they keep doing it, wonder if intentional rather than accidental (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** TAIWAN [non]. 6875, March 25 before and after 0500 WYFR relay of RTI no longer on the air, nor scheduled any more. See U S A.
Instead back to 5950, in English at 0537 W&M discussing forgetfulness, how fitting, then song in Chinese. At 0600 timesignal and into Spanish introed by Paul Hsiao (don`t spell it Xiao), as the program for viernes 23 de marzo! It`s already March 25 here, in Greenwich, and even more so in Taibei, so why in the world play back a 2-day-old show? At least they are back in proper languages, after relapse to Chinese and German during these hours last night on 6875 (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) See also USA: WYFR
** THAILAND. I was looking around for R. Thailand`s new frequency for English at 1230-1300 March 25 but did not find it. No wonder, later extracted from HFCC, the full A-12 NBT Udorn English sked, annotated:
1230-1300 9890 to SEAs [a loss here with VOA and jamming on 9885]
1400-1430 9395 to SEAs [a loss here to WEWN squishy sidebands]
1900-2000 7205 to Europe [too low for NAm summer]
2030-2045 9680 to Europe
0000-0030 15275 ENAm
0030-0100 15275 WNAm
0200-0230 15275 ENAm again
0530-0600 17770 to Europe
(Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** TURKEY. 9515, March 25 at 0316, VOT with VG signal in English introducing `Legends of Anatolia`, an off-week for the `DX Corner`? This was supposed to be an on-week. Already shifted for A-12 to one hour earlier, and ex-9655.
Checking the podcast roster for DX Corner,
http://www.trtenglish.com/trtworld/Galeri/Podcast.aspx?GaleriResimKodu=3c549d44-0022-4628-89f8-9b679452262c&dil=en
we find these dates:
DX Corner_17_03_2012
DX Corner_18_02_2012
DX Corner_04_02_2012
DX Corner_21_01_2012
DX Corner_07_01_2012
DX Corner_17_12_2011
So there was a 3-week gap from Dec 17 to Jan 7, throwing off our alternate-week projexions, last one March 17, next one should be March 31; and also missing one on March 3?
15450, VOT also reactivated here for the summer 1230 English broadcast to W Europe and also USward, March 25 at 1231 poor but readable with news about PM meeting President Obama in Seoul. Still quite an improvement over 12035 at 1330 which had been mostly inaudible all winter B-season (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** U K [non]. 7350-7355-7360, March 25 at 0559 strong DRM noise equivalent to 7230 ROMANIA has erupted. A-12 HFCC shows this one is BBC via AUSTRIA at 0600-0800, 100 kW, 300 degrees to W Europe, also USward. Or is it DRM Mix, also mentioned in the entry? (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** U S A [and non]. This Sunday morning before 1300 I can compare AFN from the Florida Keys and GUAM:
7811-USB, Saddlebunch Keys, March 25 at 1245, NPR WESUN with Susan Stamberg, ending puzzle segment with Will Shortz.
5765-USB, GUAM, March 25 at 1253 AFN ID, military PSAs such as rules about political activity; presumably went on to CBS Sunday Morning 1300 live TV relay as heard previously (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** U S A [non]. 11905, March 25 at 0407, VG signal in tonal African language; 0412 thought they mentioned Cristo, so missionary? No, it`s VOA Kinyarwanda/Kirundi at 0330-0430 via MADAGASCAR from 0400, Sri Lanka during the first half; why switch when both are to the small target area of Rwanda/Burundi, surely both well served from Talata (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) See also CUBA [and non]
** U S A. 6875, March 25 at 0311, WYFR in Spanish, only fair signal due south. In A-12 that`s the only usage of this frequency at 0300-0345; TAIWAN [q.v.] relays until 0700 are back on 5950 (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** U S A. WORLD OF RADIO 1609 monitoring: confirmed at 0400 UT Sunday March 25 from WTWW 5755. Remaining SW airings this week, on WRMI 9955: Monday 0500, 1130, maybe Thursday 0330 or new 1610; on HLR 5980 Germany, Tue 0930 ex-1030 (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** U S A. 9825, March 25 at 0420, `Pirating with Cumbre`, with R. Vixen clip, very good signal from WHRI on new frequency for A-12, ex-7465 but time unchanged UT Sundays at 0400; the only known SW airing (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** U S A [and non]. 9955, March 25 at 0255, WRMI not only has Cuban pulse jamming vs something in English, but also OTH radar pulsing from 9935 to 9960; and of course the RTTY infesting 9960 (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** U S A. Somebody slipped up assigning two US stations only 5 kHz apart: 9390, March 25 at 1205, WEWN is now here ex-15610 for English at 11-15 to CIRAF 43, 44, i.e. central and eastern CHINA, but at 335 degrees just happens to cross over the rest of the USA, with a VG signal into OK.
No 9385 WWRB at first, and not heard on 3185 either, maybe on but buried in noise, or in process of QSY at varying exact time. Checked 15795 in case that had been reactivated, but not. WWRB is however registered on 9385 at 12-24, 45 degrees.
Recheck at 1347, now it`s on with Brother Scare abutting the Catholix, with their squishy spur mess also moved to 9381-9399 at least, ex 15601-15619 at least. Both still on past 1400 when WEWN admits it`s on 9390 for another hour (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DGIEST)
** U S A. 15420-CUSB, March 25 at 1350, William Tell Overture which means only one thing on WBCQ: `Allan Weiner Worldwide` is starting --- and so it did with Al claiming to be on ``7.415 and 5.110 megacycles per second, on 20 March 2009, first day of spring``, then getting Dr. Scott Becker on the phone from Kiowa KS at 106.7 KTOR which was also rebroadcasting this live.
?? There is no such station known to the FCC: no 106.7 in Kiowa but two full-powers in Norton and Hugton KS; the real KTOR is in California. Certainly an odd hour to be starting a 3+year old AWWW playback, but why not?
I only wish WBCQ could put WOR on this frequency sometime. Per own schedule, 15420 does not start until 1700 UT daily with `Global Spirit Proclamation`, except Saturdays only with other stuff from 1400 and this was Sunday. AWWW still going at 1422 recheck (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** U S A [non]. 17670, March 25 at 1315, Iran`s Arabic service has been replaced by AWR Vietnamese, 250 kW, 60 degrees via MADAGASCAR at 13-14, rather assertive speaker in Viet from 1315 past 1340, figured he was Christian, and this is in HFCC A-12, way off beam for us, redemonstrating how effective near-antipodal Madagascar is as a relay site even USward (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** VATICAN [non non]. 7250, unheard yet, but HFCC A-12 shows the ONLY 10 kW transmissions from ``SMG``, meaning they are really from Vatican Gardens inside the proper See, are now 0400-0420 Polish, 0420-0440 German, rotating the LP from 26 to 4 degrees between them.
BTW, we might have expected some special SW broadcasts for the pope`s visit to México and Cuba, but the VR special broadcast webpage shows nothing on SW. Ed Insinger, NJ, also told me March 24: Hello Glenn, I received the following message to pass along to you for DXLD, regarding Radio Vaticana:
Dear Mr Insinger, I hope this message finds you all well. The frequency 5890 kHz is broadcasted from Tashkent, Uzbekistan, at 0020-0040 UT, Urdu only on Monday and Thursday, and at 0020-0040 to 0200 UT from Santa Maria di Galeria 250 kW, 3/2/.5 beamed to 86°. This configuration is due to a severe damage to our rotating antenna, AHR 4/4/.5, which was intended to be used to carry out this broadcast. Best regards. Sergio Salvatori, Vatican Radio Frequency Management``
So now we wonder if some other broadcasts may have been so affected, with substitute sites! (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
UNIDENTIFIED. 9975 & 9985 approx., March 25 at 0302, extremely distorted spur from some broadcaster jumping between these frequencies (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
Note: nothing yet monitored after 14 UT in A-12, as I had to stop monitoring and start compiling this report which took 7 hours, and have not had time to compare much to what others may have reported (gh)
