** CANADA. 17735, 15330, 15235, Sunday April 15 at 2003, `Maple Leaf Mailbag` again dedicated to reading letters of support for RCI. This week Terry Haig is joined by Marc Montgomery, and during the first half, Paloma Martínez of the Spanish department, for whom English is her third language. They maintain there is a ``glimmer of hope``, ``it`s not done yet; we are putting up resistance to overturn an internal CBC decision``. It`s not the government which decided to kill RCI, but the CBC as part of the budget cuts government imposed. Therefore, appeal to government, legislators, over the heads of CBC.
Paloma read letters (in English, translated?), mainly from Latin America including some familiar names, such as Ernesto Paulero in Argentina, Jorge García Rangel in Venezuela; and several were from unknown females. Also quoted from support messages in the Montréal Gazette article of last Thursday. Toward the end, Avrom Shtern asked pertinent questions about what would happen with the relay exchange deals at Sackville --- not answered, but they pointed out that altho RCI used to own the transmitters, now they are just renting from CBC, which in effect is evicting RCI. Dozens more letters are standing by to be read next week (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** CANADA. 6160, April 16 at 0619, DW English report about fishponds. So by a total fluke, DW is on shortwave to N America, within CBC Overnight via CKZN. However that program`s schedule at
http://www.cbc.ca/overnight/schedule.html
shows during the 3-4 am hour on Mondays it`s supposed to carry RCI`s `The Link`; and DW is nowhere on it, altho a previous page has the DW logo as one of the contributors. Update?
Could DW have been on CKZU instead? No, CBC Radio 1 schedule for 11 pm Sunday local time shows `This American Life`. However, there is CCI from the other Canadian, making a SAH of about 4 Hz, so the two are now much closer in frequency; at 0701 I hear the same SAH, as their unsynched CBC newscasts are echoing (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** CHINA. Firedrake April 16, before 1400:
16920, good at 1338, 1342; none higher
16100, very poor at 1338
15970, fair at 1338
15900, fair at 1338
15560, fair at 1339, het on the lo side; none in the 14s
13920, good at 1342
After 1400:
15615, good at 1425
15800, fair at 1425
17570, fair-good at 1427
(Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** COSTA RICA. 9675, April 16 at 0526, REE relay is back on alternate frequency instead of usual 9630, lo key interview continuing past auto timesignal at 0530. I wonder if it`s been there since 0200, or even +0000 with the DRM bihour? Are these mistakes, or just random choices? (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** CUBA. 9810, April 16 at 0525, RHC Spanish is still on the air, so must have been colliding with Vatican until 0520: take that, you papists, for daring to suggest reform in Cuba! 9810 *still* on air at further chex 0626 about Los 5, 0656 during stamp program, but off at 0704 check, along with the four English frequencies on 49m.
Back at 0622, `DXers Unlimited` was just ending with a sunspot number of 50, on 6010, 6050, 6060, 6125.
The DentroCuban Jamming Command seems to have forgotten that it`s the UT Monday truce when R. Martí takes a break: still wall-of-noise jamming on 5980, 6030, 7405 at 0659 April 16; also still pulse jamming against daytime-only frequencies 11845, 11930 (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) See also USA: WOR/WRMI
** EQUATORIAL GUINEA. 15190, April 15 at 1947, YL allegedly proclaiming ``word of God``, poor signal and poor enunciation, so R. Africa.
15190, April 16 at 0708, I am unavoidably awake, so find R. Africa also on and propagating at this hour, US gospel huxter with fair signal. Says something about some stations being glad he`s gone, and then has issues with Wycliffe Bible Translators (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** GERMANY [non]. 6160, DW relay: see CANADA
** GUAM. 15170, April 16 at 1330, TWR IS, S Asian language and music. Scheduled Assamese from KTWR on M-F per Aoki (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** MEXICO. 6185, still checking for signs of life from R. Educación, XEPPM: April 16 at 0246 there is a weak carrier but no modulation; this is before China/Sackville comes on 6190, but while RNA Brasília is still on 6180 with strong signal. The carrier could be Vatican prior to its 03-05 east European service starting with Ukrainian.
At 0532, aside huge 6190 signal at first I think there is a carrier on 6185, then not; maybe local device spur. 0620 after CRI is off, definitely zero on 6185 which used to be a good clear time for XEPPM (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** NEW ZEALAND. 9885-9890-9895, April 16 at 0705 DRM noise. Since 9890 is a known RNZI DRM frequency, I assume that`s the source, while RNZI AM is on 11725. However the current schedule on their website shows:
``0651-0758 11725 AM 11675 DRM Tonga Daily``
and no DRM heard around 11675. The only time when 9890 is supposed to be on:
``1651-1836 9615 AM 9890 DRM Cook Islands, Samoa, Fiji Daily``
Could it be something else? Guess what, latest HFCC does show RNZI DRM on 9890 at this time: ``9890 0700 0800 61S,62,63W RAN 25 35 0 148 1234567 250312 281012 N 9890 ENG NZL RNZ RNZ 1453``
but also on 11675 at 05-08, so these are alternatives, RNZI`s posted schedule outdated again (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** NIGERIA. 15120, April 16 at 0708, VON, poor signal weaker than R. Africa 15190, now in French, hum, bit of classical music. Reception on this band actually improved after 0700 (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** SPAIN. 11890, Sunday April 15 at 0506, REE is opening the 25-minute `Horizonte` program, identified as a weekly review of Catholic church activities in Spain, also on weaker // 12035.
So here is another government station violating Separation of Church & State. Do they have equivalent programs about all other religions? Ha. Wikipedia says Spain does not have a state religion, yet:
``A number of countries, including Andorra, Argentina, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Italy, Haiti, Honduras, Paraguay, Peru, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia and Spain give a special recognition to Catholicism in their constitution despite not making it the state religion.``
Maybe that entitles it to first-among-equals status at REE? It`s not the ``Catholic Constitutional Monarchy of Spain`` even tho the monarchs of yore were commonly referred to as ``Los Reyes Católicos``. As recently as 2002y the World Almanac gave the country`s official title (in translation) as ``Kingdom of Spain``, and chief religion: 99% Roman Catholic.
Please note: this is a criticism of States favoring one religion over the others, not of the RCC in particular. I would make exactly the same case if it were some other one getting this unfair advantage (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** U K [and non]. 9440, April 16 at 0528, B-B-C- chimes, 0529 ``no programming on this channel`` announcement twice, referring us to website, but then cut to ``Salaam Aleikum`` and opening in non-Arabic. It`s Hausa via Woofferton.
15490, April 16 at 0714, good signal, one of best on band, in French, news about Africa such as Guinea-Bissau, RD Congo, etc. IDs as ``BBC Afrique`` but with the BBC pronounced as in English, not French! What`s with that? Both anchors and correspondents have to say it that way. I recall that before they abolished Spanish, it was OK to pronounce BBC the Spanish way. This semihour is 250 kW, 317 degrees from SOUTH AFRICA; earlier French semihours on 15490 are via Cyprus, Seychelles (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** U S A. WORLD OF RADIO 1612 monitoring: April 16 at 0523, the 0500 UT Monday broadcast on WRMI 9955 is completely readable, if you want to put up with the pulse jamming at the rate of four per second. Tnx a lot, Arnie! (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** U S A. 11520, April 16 at 1349 strong open carrier, equivalent level to WEWN Spanish on 11550, and with squishy spurs on 12050. Still missing from 9390. Another giveaway it`s WEWN: the weak spurs at plus and minus 8 kHz from 11520, rather than usual closer to 9. Maybe they are attenuating, if not eliminating them?
11520 apparently where they are moving the English, except failing to modulate, finally cutting off at 1443* to retune transmitter to 15610 from 15. WEWN website schedule still claims to be on 9390 at 11-15. DX Mix News, Bulgaria April 16 says:
Frequency change of WEWN in English to SEAs from April 14:
``1100-1300 NF 11520*EWN 250 kW / 355 deg, ex 11565 to avoid WHRI, re-ex 9390
1300-1500 on 9390 EWN 250 kW / 355 deg to SEAs, cancelled for maintenance!
*til 1200 co-ch WYFR Family Radio in Tagalog via Paochung, Taiwan!``
(Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** VATICAN. 7250, April 16 at 0540, open carrier, or maybe just barely modulated. SMG is supposed to be in Latin during this semihour; it was stronger during English until 0530. 7245 Mauritania not yet on (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) See also CUBA: 9810; MEXICO: 6185
** VIETNAM [non]. 9555, April 16 at 0527-0528* BaBcoCk IS loop at its totally reliable time tailgating the Vietnamese relay via CANADA. Does anyone know what this music is called, composer? Try plugging it into music-identification software (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
UNIDENTIFIED. 13386-13608, April 15 at 1948 I measure the span of CODAR swishes to this range, only bothering broadcasters on 13570 WINB, and 13590 CVC Zambia, which is about to QSY. You`d think CODAR could keep itself totally below 13570, the lowest broadcast frequency on this band (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
Paloma read letters (in English, translated?), mainly from Latin America including some familiar names, such as Ernesto Paulero in Argentina, Jorge García Rangel in Venezuela; and several were from unknown females. Also quoted from support messages in the Montréal Gazette article of last Thursday. Toward the end, Avrom Shtern asked pertinent questions about what would happen with the relay exchange deals at Sackville --- not answered, but they pointed out that altho RCI used to own the transmitters, now they are just renting from CBC, which in effect is evicting RCI. Dozens more letters are standing by to be read next week (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** CANADA. 6160, April 16 at 0619, DW English report about fishponds. So by a total fluke, DW is on shortwave to N America, within CBC Overnight via CKZN. However that program`s schedule at
http://www.cbc.ca/overnight/schedule.html
shows during the 3-4 am hour on Mondays it`s supposed to carry RCI`s `The Link`; and DW is nowhere on it, altho a previous page has the DW logo as one of the contributors. Update?
Could DW have been on CKZU instead? No, CBC Radio 1 schedule for 11 pm Sunday local time shows `This American Life`. However, there is CCI from the other Canadian, making a SAH of about 4 Hz, so the two are now much closer in frequency; at 0701 I hear the same SAH, as their unsynched CBC newscasts are echoing (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** CHINA. Firedrake April 16, before 1400:
16920, good at 1338, 1342; none higher
16100, very poor at 1338
15970, fair at 1338
15900, fair at 1338
15560, fair at 1339, het on the lo side; none in the 14s
13920, good at 1342
After 1400:
15615, good at 1425
15800, fair at 1425
17570, fair-good at 1427
(Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** COSTA RICA. 9675, April 16 at 0526, REE relay is back on alternate frequency instead of usual 9630, lo key interview continuing past auto timesignal at 0530. I wonder if it`s been there since 0200, or even +0000 with the DRM bihour? Are these mistakes, or just random choices? (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** CUBA. 9810, April 16 at 0525, RHC Spanish is still on the air, so must have been colliding with Vatican until 0520: take that, you papists, for daring to suggest reform in Cuba! 9810 *still* on air at further chex 0626 about Los 5, 0656 during stamp program, but off at 0704 check, along with the four English frequencies on 49m.
Back at 0622, `DXers Unlimited` was just ending with a sunspot number of 50, on 6010, 6050, 6060, 6125.
The DentroCuban Jamming Command seems to have forgotten that it`s the UT Monday truce when R. Martí takes a break: still wall-of-noise jamming on 5980, 6030, 7405 at 0659 April 16; also still pulse jamming against daytime-only frequencies 11845, 11930 (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) See also USA: WOR/WRMI
** EQUATORIAL GUINEA. 15190, April 15 at 1947, YL allegedly proclaiming ``word of God``, poor signal and poor enunciation, so R. Africa.
15190, April 16 at 0708, I am unavoidably awake, so find R. Africa also on and propagating at this hour, US gospel huxter with fair signal. Says something about some stations being glad he`s gone, and then has issues with Wycliffe Bible Translators (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** GERMANY [non]. 6160, DW relay: see CANADA
** GUAM. 15170, April 16 at 1330, TWR IS, S Asian language and music. Scheduled Assamese from KTWR on M-F per Aoki (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** MEXICO. 6185, still checking for signs of life from R. Educación, XEPPM: April 16 at 0246 there is a weak carrier but no modulation; this is before China/Sackville comes on 6190, but while RNA Brasília is still on 6180 with strong signal. The carrier could be Vatican prior to its 03-05 east European service starting with Ukrainian.
At 0532, aside huge 6190 signal at first I think there is a carrier on 6185, then not; maybe local device spur. 0620 after CRI is off, definitely zero on 6185 which used to be a good clear time for XEPPM (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** NEW ZEALAND. 9885-9890-9895, April 16 at 0705 DRM noise. Since 9890 is a known RNZI DRM frequency, I assume that`s the source, while RNZI AM is on 11725. However the current schedule on their website shows:
``0651-0758 11725 AM 11675 DRM Tonga Daily``
and no DRM heard around 11675. The only time when 9890 is supposed to be on:
``1651-1836 9615 AM 9890 DRM Cook Islands, Samoa, Fiji Daily``
Could it be something else? Guess what, latest HFCC does show RNZI DRM on 9890 at this time: ``9890 0700 0800 61S,62,63W RAN 25 35 0 148 1234567 250312 281012 N 9890 ENG NZL RNZ RNZ 1453``
but also on 11675 at 05-08, so these are alternatives, RNZI`s posted schedule outdated again (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** NIGERIA. 15120, April 16 at 0708, VON, poor signal weaker than R. Africa 15190, now in French, hum, bit of classical music. Reception on this band actually improved after 0700 (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** SPAIN. 11890, Sunday April 15 at 0506, REE is opening the 25-minute `Horizonte` program, identified as a weekly review of Catholic church activities in Spain, also on weaker // 12035.
So here is another government station violating Separation of Church & State. Do they have equivalent programs about all other religions? Ha. Wikipedia says Spain does not have a state religion, yet:
``A number of countries, including Andorra, Argentina, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Italy, Haiti, Honduras, Paraguay, Peru, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia and Spain give a special recognition to Catholicism in their constitution despite not making it the state religion.``
Maybe that entitles it to first-among-equals status at REE? It`s not the ``Catholic Constitutional Monarchy of Spain`` even tho the monarchs of yore were commonly referred to as ``Los Reyes Católicos``. As recently as 2002y the World Almanac gave the country`s official title (in translation) as ``Kingdom of Spain``, and chief religion: 99% Roman Catholic.
Please note: this is a criticism of States favoring one religion over the others, not of the RCC in particular. I would make exactly the same case if it were some other one getting this unfair advantage (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** U K [and non]. 9440, April 16 at 0528, B-B-C- chimes, 0529 ``no programming on this channel`` announcement twice, referring us to website, but then cut to ``Salaam Aleikum`` and opening in non-Arabic. It`s Hausa via Woofferton.
15490, April 16 at 0714, good signal, one of best on band, in French, news about Africa such as Guinea-Bissau, RD Congo, etc. IDs as ``BBC Afrique`` but with the BBC pronounced as in English, not French! What`s with that? Both anchors and correspondents have to say it that way. I recall that before they abolished Spanish, it was OK to pronounce BBC the Spanish way. This semihour is 250 kW, 317 degrees from SOUTH AFRICA; earlier French semihours on 15490 are via Cyprus, Seychelles (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** U S A. WORLD OF RADIO 1612 monitoring: April 16 at 0523, the 0500 UT Monday broadcast on WRMI 9955 is completely readable, if you want to put up with the pulse jamming at the rate of four per second. Tnx a lot, Arnie! (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** U S A. 11520, April 16 at 1349 strong open carrier, equivalent level to WEWN Spanish on 11550, and with squishy spurs on 12050. Still missing from 9390. Another giveaway it`s WEWN: the weak spurs at plus and minus 8 kHz from 11520, rather than usual closer to 9. Maybe they are attenuating, if not eliminating them?
11520 apparently where they are moving the English, except failing to modulate, finally cutting off at 1443* to retune transmitter to 15610 from 15. WEWN website schedule still claims to be on 9390 at 11-15. DX Mix News, Bulgaria April 16 says:
Frequency change of WEWN in English to SEAs from April 14:
``1100-1300 NF 11520*EWN 250 kW / 355 deg, ex 11565 to avoid WHRI, re-ex 9390
1300-1500 on 9390 EWN 250 kW / 355 deg to SEAs, cancelled for maintenance!
*til 1200 co-ch WYFR Family Radio in Tagalog via Paochung, Taiwan!``
(Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** VATICAN. 7250, April 16 at 0540, open carrier, or maybe just barely modulated. SMG is supposed to be in Latin during this semihour; it was stronger during English until 0530. 7245 Mauritania not yet on (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) See also CUBA: 9810; MEXICO: 6185
** VIETNAM [non]. 9555, April 16 at 0527-0528* BaBcoCk IS loop at its totally reliable time tailgating the Vietnamese relay via CANADA. Does anyone know what this music is called, composer? Try plugging it into music-identification software (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
UNIDENTIFIED. 13386-13608, April 15 at 1948 I measure the span of CODAR swishes to this range, only bothering broadcasters on 13570 WINB, and 13590 CVC Zambia, which is about to QSY. You`d think CODAR could keep itself totally below 13570, the lowest broadcast frequency on this band (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
