martedì 1 maggio 2012

Glenn Hauser logs April 30-May 1, 2012

** AUSTRALIA. Further monitoring of R. Australia, lacking any new schedule following significant changes a week ago, no response to our direct request for one, nor on their own website, and of course, nothing at all registered with HFCC:

15160, May 1 at 0443, English is on here // 15515, about equal signals, and slightly weaker on 15240 in Indonesian, which used to be in English.

6020, May 1 at 1307, SSOB in Chinese, just the kind of signal RA used to provide in English --- as Rick Barton, AZ suggested, I bet this is now really RA. Kept listening and finally at 1317 a bit of music and pronouncing ``Radio Australia`` as in English. So yet another frequency which has changed languages/times away from English!

Deliberate, or program feed lines crossed up?? Previously as in WRTH 2012, the only Chinese broadcast was 1300-1430 on 9475 & 11660 from Shep, 9965 from Palau and 11760 from Tanshui, Taiwan. The only one I remembered was 9475, and checking it, once again only a carrier could be detected aside huge WTWW 9479.

RA does its best to discourage SW listening, not only by failing to post accurate, current schedules
http://www.radioaustralia.net.au/international/radio/waystolisten/abc-radio-shortwave-frequency-guide.pdf
but with this warning on the link to them:

``Listening to shortwave requires a specialist shortwave radio. We direct our broadcasts at peak listening times in our target areas of Asia and the Pacific using multiple frequencies. We recommend that where possible, you use an outside antenna to improve reception. Shortwave signals may be subject to interference from other broadcasters' signals, electronic devices such as computers, microwave ovens, TVs, car engines and fluorescent lights.``
(Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** CHINA. 21580, May 1 at 0507, hyper format in Chinese sounds like CNR1 jammer rather than RFA, not // 17855, and the OSOB except for something JBA on 21710, both of which are scheduled for RFA via Tinian

Firedrake May 1 before 1300:
13850, very poor at 1239, none in the 12s, 11s
15900, very good at 1228
15940, very good at 1228
15970, very good at 1228
16100, very good at 1234
16700, very poor at 1234
17250, very poor at 1237; none in the 18s, 14s

Before 1400:
15490, poor at 1346, het on hi side; no 13s, 14s, 12s
15940, fair at 1344
15970, fair at 1344, slightly stronger than 15940
16100, very good at 1341; none higher
15610, fair at 1242 with WEWN ACI which has this surrounded: 15615 crackly fundamental, and 15606 squishy spur
(Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** CUBA. Whoopee, it`s MayDay in Cuba, time for celebrating the Workers` Paradise even more than usual. Checking RHC 13780 at 1405 May 1, ``news`` about the big desfile in Habana speaks of it in the past tense, so has it really already happened, or was this pre-written on the assumption there would not be an assassination or some other disaster in the meantime?

After noting once again that contrary to schedule, 17580 was already off at 1402 while 17730 continued, I changed to better 13780 to copy for the record the frequency announcement, here using the */* format for sign on/offs as given, including jumbled ordering, sic:
17730 y 17580 -15*
15230 -15*, *13-15* 15340
*13-15* 13780
11760, 11860, 11690 -15*, *13- 11750 -15*
9540 -15*, -13* 9550 y 9850
-13* 6150; plus ``audio real``, really Windows Media, when it work (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** HAWAII. What has happened to the propagation minute on WWVH? Had been scheduled at 45-46 past each hour, but May 1 at 1245 absent from 10000 following WWVH ID just before the minute, much stronger than WWV; ditto at 1345 on 15000 when there was on WWV at all. I was wondering if the new robofem was also on the `H staff. I hope some creative accounting didn`t decide WWVH couldn`t afford her services (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** INDONESIA. 9526-, May 1 at 1352, VOI is JBM with music: another Tuesday joint produxion with RRI Banjarmasin, if any, down the drain (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** IRAN. 17655, May 1 poor at 0459 nondescript music, 0500 Russian ID, ``Govorit Tegran``, vocal NA, 0501 Qur`an, dead giveaway format even if no ID heard. HFCC shows this semihour is the *only* time 17655 is used by any station, 500 kW, 40 degrees from Sirjan to CIRAF 30-33, i.e. all of Russia from 50 to 135 degrees east, and south of 60 degrees north; also includes most of Kazakhstan and central Asian countries east of the Caspian, Mongolia and Manchuria. EiBi too witout all those details. But Aoki also has BBC in Urdu via Novosibirsk at 0300-0330 on 17655, still? (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** JAPAN [non]. 11680, fair May 1 at 0452, M&W in Japanese, // an echo apart on 5960 via CANADA. 11680 is 250 kW, 135 degrees from Wertachtal, GERMANY at 02-05 (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** KOREA NORTH. 11735, May 1 at 1242, choral music // 11710, 1243 Korean announcement. 11735 still on at 1346 with same choral music with mezzo soloist, as on English 11710, but not // so a different service. Then at 1347, Chinese announcement on 11735. 1407, 11735 is still on, now in Korean. Latest new VOK sked from DX Mix News includes 11735 until 1500, off we hope just in time for Zanzibar.

13760 poor // 11710 at 1350 May 1 with music, and then English announcement also on // 9335 with RFA CCI. 13760 is for Europe, the others for NAm (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** MEXICO. 6185, May 1 at 0446, XEPPM once again unlistenable, fair carrier but just barely modulated with vocal music (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** MEXICO. More analog sporadic E TVDX, May 1. The season seems off to a good start, all times UT:

1507 on 2, video fades in, as I had been monitoring for about a semihour, peaks SSW, 1511 gameshow? Fades in and mostly out

1534 on 2, now in English, ad for Attorney Brian Locke (sp, sp?), and for Kaplan College medical assistant program, Cash Store. Has to be XHRIO Matamoros, which serves as Fox affiliate for the RGV. They sure speak good English in Kill-the-Moors, no accent at all. We are greatly indebted to the Mexicans for keep one full-power ``American`` analog station going on channel 2! Or does Matamoros allude to eating beans?

1536 on 2, CCI to above with Azteca 7 promo heard on audio. Probably XHTAU Tampico but can`t be sure. 1537, full screen logo for Azteca Noreste, so now I am sure it is Tampico, Tamaulipas.

1537 on 4, now the MUF is up to here with algo video.

1537 on 2, CCI to above from another SS, Yemina ad

1541 on 2, more English ads past 1543, no doubt XHRIO during `Access Hollywood`

1549 on 2, Spanish video, glimpse of ``CSI-NY`` promo. Which net is this on in Mexico? CBS in USA, presumably not yet syndicated via XHRIO. I can proudly say I have never wasted my time watching *any* CSI version.

1615, after fade out, signals resurge on 2, 3 and 4

1627 on 2, SS novela briefly snowfree; zero-beat CCI from a talk show with f-bug in LL, i.e. net-4, Foro TV

1629 on 2, talk show, M&Ws around a (kitchen?) table, and standing beside them is a woman with Indian braids and costume --- in the ``India María`` tradition, no doubt, which would be P.I. in USA

1631 on 2, crowd shot with large bottom caption 1-o de Mayo 2012.

1632 on 2, VG signal peak mentioning Televisa, and 5 de Mayo ad for something in Monterrey, i.e. XEFB [5/5 not being as big a deal in XE-land as it has been made to be in Aztlán]

1635 on 2, TEGUCIGALPA caption about some celebration there. I dare not assume at all this is really the never-seen, out-of-single-hop-range Honduras instead of just a Mexican.

1639 on 4, presidential debate promo, from IFE, 8 pm, couldn`t catch date. I suppose this will be on most/all networx?

1639 on 5, now video MUF is barely up to here

1643 on 4, news of an earthquake at 11:39 in Chiapas, preliminary rating 4.5. (Key words are sismo, temblor). Not sure if this is a break-in or regular midday newscast

1644 on 5, pitchman with phone number abottom, and just above it an address on Calle Canadá #???

1650 on 3, credit roll after a movie(?), UR bug of a large 3 in a circle, and below it 11:50 23C. Then animated ID of huge 3 rolling around screen from various angles, and below it ES MI CANAL, not positive about last word. Logo matches XHPN Piedras Negras, Coahuila as explained in previous report.

1650 on 6, now signs of video here, but not for long

1655 on 3, Primer Impacto, the tabloid news magazine from Univisión, complete with the U bug in LR, and no other bugs visible in other corners --- but surely as relayed by some Televisa network, not U itself on either side of border on ch 3? Storm chaser video of tornado, destruxion a few days ago in Thurman IA; next story from Guatemala. Checked UNI net feed via local cable, and NOT on that now, a novela instead.

1658 everything fades out just before ID time. I rather hope they stay out as I have other stuff to do! Still gone at 1730, and then checking the 6m Es map, lots of contacts centred around central US, including some mid-paths right over me. Hello, Es patch way up over my head (Glenn Hauser, Enid OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** NIGERIA. 15120, May 1 at 0513, VON in AM with YL talking about Labour Day, big hum. There was no signal when I checked earlier around 0445, as VON normally is starting sign-on routine. If not late, maybe first hop just got a sunrise boost (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** OKLAHOMA. 1580, April 30 at 1830, still at 1955 UT, KOKB Blackwell has once again crashed, carrier still on but no modulation, while sibling 1020, KOKB Perry is funxioning normally with stupid sports talk. 1580 still/again dead air at 1205 UT check May 1, but back on at 1728, both modulating musical break at the moment.

It`s really incredible that this station group, Triple [sic] Play Sports Radio, lets it happen again and again for hours or days at a time, no one paying attention, and obviously no one at the 1580 plant to do anything about it. O, for the good old days of KLTR 1580, a genuine local station in Blackwell (Glenn Hauser, Enid, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** SRI LANKA. 15490, very poor May 1 at 1230, AWR.org English announcement, introducing Mandarin. Scheduled as 12-13 Chinese-Mandarin, 125 kW, 45 degrees from Trincomalee until June 30 (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** U S A [non]. 15775, May 1 at 1229, VOA Korean via TINIAN without any CCCCCI [ChiCom Chinese co-channel interference], unlike yesterday, when it probably landed here on a wild SOH chase (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** U S A. 1220, May 1 at 1222 UT, ID for ``Hometown Radio, AM 1220, KOMC, 24 hours a day``. Hmmm, is that a new call for Oklahoma, Midwest City? Makes sense, but no, it`s really Branson MO and soon faded (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** U S A. 1450, May 1 at 1210 UT, end of news from the Missouri Network, then to local news and ads, but never could copy any clue before it faded from dominance over hundreds of other 1450s; well, maybe dozens audible here. I was hoping the affiliate list at
http://www.missourinet.com/radio-stations/
updated 2/17/12, would have only one on 1450, but there are two:
KIRX in Kirxville, and
KOKO in Warrensburg --- Likely the latter which is closer (Glenn Hauser, Enid OK, DX LISTENING DGIEST)

** U S A. 7213, May 1 at 1357, some ham keeps switching between AM and SSB during single transmission --- no, he`s not. Some other ham keeps switching a zero-beat AM carrier on and off vs the SSB station. Many short exchanges, skipping IDs, but finally caught WO9A with a K9-something, agreeing to QSY to 7290, but it was already occupied. ARRL FCC lookup shows: SCHAFER, THEODORE L, WO9A, 55654 Springdale Ct., Osceola, IN 46561 (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) That`s O the letter, not the number

UNIDENTIFIED. 1340, May 1 at 1218 UT, Bill Bennett, `Morning in America`, with BB himself delivering commercial for C. Crane radios. This was looping E/W, so doubt it was OKC, but what? Show website makes you search by `your` zip code for affiliates. None in 741 = Tulsa, but 737 Enid leads to 731 = OKC, KEBC.

Trouble is, there is no such station any more, having converted to KGHM, ``The Game`` months ago. BB sure is out of touch with his own network, just as he is with political reality in the XXI century (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

UNIDENTIFIED. 9635, May 1 at 1354, very poor signal(s) with 1 kHz het or tone. Too weak to decide which. CRI Hindi via EAST TURKISTAN is scheduled at 13-14, and also CVC CHILE in Spanish at 12-22. CVC just moved its sign-on one hour later for the 29 April-1 Sept period when Chile is NOT on DST; resumes *1100 from 2 Sept. This must be for convenience of own staff as it`s irrelevant elsewhere in South America.

Is there anything else on 9635 which might be off-frequency? Not in HFCC, but yes in Aoki: ``9635 Voice of Vietnam 1 2145-1700 1234567 Vietnamese 100 145 Hanoi-Sontay VTN 10522E 2112N VOV 1 a12`` (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)