** ALBANIA. 6100, Nov 4 at 0230, R. Tirana is barely audible, less so than the signal meter implies, because it`s undermodulated and weaker than usual vs the noise level (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** GUIANA FRENCH. The dirty spurblobs of the last few nights are on again after 0200 UT Nov 4 circa 5994 and 6076, but not before 0200, so now we have the timespan, 0200-0400. There is no modulation readable at all, just noise on them, each spreading some 5 kHz. But which stations on 49m have a transmission at 0200-0400? Surprisingly in HFCC there are only two, Oman on 6085, probably wooden, and: NHK via GUIANA FRENCH on 5960! These spurs are approx. 34 and 116 kHz above the fundamental, so look for matches 34 and 116 kHz below --- and there they are, tho not as strong and/or obscured by QRM, circa 5926 and 5844! Furthermore there is another in between around 5892, i.e. 68 kHz below the fundamental (fortunately no BS from WWCR 5890 yet tonight). How about 68 kHz above 5960? That would be 6028, and with BFO and narrow filter I can barely detect something in the sidebands of 6030 DCJC and Radio Martí. One might expect the third order to be 3 x 34 = 112
kHz out instead of 116, but close enough? None of these are precisely pinpointable and subject to some variations. Remember, the first night I heard the blob it was around a totally different frequency, 6045 = 85 kHz above 5960.
Everything is fitting together. A few weeks ago we had spurs 116 kHz away from another GUF frequency, 9490, R. República in the 00-02 period, on 9606 and a match 116 kHz below on 9374. Could be to get rid of those, they swapped transmitters, and now it`s NHK which is getting the bonus frequencies. See also NETHERLANDS [non] for possibly different spurs from 9490 vs Radio KBC. Finally I pay some attention to fundamental 5960 with NHK in Japanese, and notice it has some hum, not unusual for GUF, but otherwise OK modulation and no clues that it would be radiating the field of spurblobs too (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** JAPAN [non]. 15775, Nov 3 at 2328, no signal yet, but *2329:45 carrier and 2330 keyboard music introducing special 60 th anniversary program of the Japan SW Club, as previously publicized, via GUIANA FRENCH. Brief opening in Japanese, the rest mostly in English. Reception is good, but considerable fading. One band lower might have worked better to North America. First segment recounts history of JSWC since founded in 1952 by three DXers.
From 2337 a series of interviews made by Toshi Ohtake at last May`s EDXC Conference in Germany, everyone with best wishes to JSWC on anniversary, including: Tibor Szilagyi of EDXC; Dario Monferini (who also sings ``happy birthday`` in Italian = ``auguri a voi``); David Kenny of BDXC-UK; Mr Harald Gabler of RMRC; Andy Schmidt of DSWCI and ADXB; Anker Petersen of DSWCI, and a founder of EDXC at his house; Alexander B- of St. Petersburg DX Club; Risto Vähäkainu of FDXA; Max Van Arnhem of Holland, who also speaks some Dutch; George Brown of Edinburgh. Then three more greetings pre-recorded from: Robert Kipp, Radio Saint Helena Revival Project; Kim Andrew Elliott, ex-Communications World, still Research Officer at VOA; and Nicholas Hardyman, WRTH publisher. Most of them also plugged their own activities.
Program as a whole anchored by Yukiko Tsuji, YL who also reads the JSWC DX tips on Wavescan et al. At 2357 she wraps it up with QSL info for this broadcast: e-QSL for reports to JSWCQSL@live.jp or p-QSL for reports with r.p. to P O Box 44, Kamakura 238-8691, Japan. She also thanked Ludo Maes of Broadcast Belgium for brokering this transmission. Carrier stayed on a bit past 2400 (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** KOREA SOUTH [and non]. 15575, Nov 4 at 0150, open carrier again, 24+ hours after first noticed, but not followed up Nov 3. Must be KBSWR direct before 0200 Spanish to North America. Yes, 0158 with IS and IDs in Spanish and Korean; 0200 theme and sign-on. but gone at 0235 check, since is the half-hour version, not the full hour which had just finished before 0200 on 11635 via GUIANA FRENCH, and inaudible 11810 direct. If KBS could be convinced to put English on 15575 in our evenings instead of mornings, it might regain a fraxion of the audience it lost with Sackville closure (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** NETHERLANDS [non]. 9500, UT Sun Nov 3 at 0001, The Mighty KBC Radio broadcast is underway via Kostinbrod, BULGARIA with very good signal level, best yet; missed any opening ID while I was still on 15775 for JSWC special, so music is already playing, ``Baby, You Talk Too Much``. DJ announcement and another tune around 0005, but by 0006, squealing has started on the transmission while Stevie Wonder is singing the Beatles. The squeal really detracts from the music. By 0147 recheck, the squeal is even louder compared to the intentional modulation and the signal has weakened. At 0155 with BFO I can hear the squeal as sidebands from 9495 to 9510; probably would go lower if it were not for strong R. República on 9490 from Guiana French. It helps to tune to center 9500 with narrow filter, but that also cuts off the treble in the music.
0156 closing announcement with contact info, themightykbc @ gmail.com or see website http://kbcradio.eu --- ``back next week, same time, same station``. Really? So this is now regular, not experimental? At 0157 I notice that the squeal has stopped, and so has RR/GUF on 9490 --- I was sure the squeal was coming out of the Bulgarian transmitter, heard on both sides of 9500, but now there`s some doubt; could it have been out of the GUF transmitter instead? It has had spur problems before and has also been nailed as the source of several big spurblobs on the 49m band --- see GUIANA FRENCH. Before 9490 went off I also checked 9606 where its spurblob had previously appeared along with 9374, but not tonight (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** U S A. 9990 & 5085, no show this Saturday night from WTWW-2, 0100-0300+ chex UT Sunday Nov 4.
But WOR 1641 confirmed on 5745, WTWW-1, UT Sunday Nov 4 at almost 0401, intact after the schedule change announcement of 9479 ``9480`` changing to 5745 at 6 pm Central = 00 UT, presumably effective Nov 4/5, but the first part of the advisory is cut off by the automatic canned ID also by Ted Randall.
WRMI 9955 has a new program schedule effective Nov 4, not only with one-hour DST shifts but other changes, at
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0AivhtkIEGb3_dENObnZrMkt1YmtUWGxkbkd3TGNzOXc&hl=en#gid=0
including WORLD OF RADIO UT Monday at 0530, ex-0500 instead of expected 0600 UT (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** U S A. 7315, UT Sunday Nov 4 at 0206 I notice that `DXing with Cumbre` is playing on WHRI from 0200, and also on 5920, but a separate playout about 25 sex behind 7315. We are in the final hours of DST for 2012y so next week the timings and/or frequencies may shift (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
UNIDENTIFIED. 5885, Nov 4 around 0225, good signal in English here, sounds like BBC and nothing where expected on 5875, but too busy monitoring spurblobs to stay with it. At 0233 recheck, still nothing on 5875 but now 5885 is in French. Latest HFCC of Nov 2 does not account for anything on 5885 before IBB Vatican to Sudan after 0300; and BBC Cyprus is supposedly on 5875 in English for the entire hour:
5875 0200 0300 30S,39NE,40 CYP 300 101 0 146 1234567 281012 310313 D 8975 English
BBC`s own complete schedule as in DXLD 12-44 also has English on 5875 at 02-03, and no French until 0430. 5885 is however on the BBC schedule for one English broadcast, 22-23 via Meyerton, SOUTH AFRICA. So this could be another screwup by SENTECH, failing to change frequency from the night before on this transmitter, but what would the French be? I don`t find any French listed for Meyerton at 0230, which is really too early for any part of Africa. Must check tomorrow (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** GUIANA FRENCH. The dirty spurblobs of the last few nights are on again after 0200 UT Nov 4 circa 5994 and 6076, but not before 0200, so now we have the timespan, 0200-0400. There is no modulation readable at all, just noise on them, each spreading some 5 kHz. But which stations on 49m have a transmission at 0200-0400? Surprisingly in HFCC there are only two, Oman on 6085, probably wooden, and: NHK via GUIANA FRENCH on 5960! These spurs are approx. 34 and 116 kHz above the fundamental, so look for matches 34 and 116 kHz below --- and there they are, tho not as strong and/or obscured by QRM, circa 5926 and 5844! Furthermore there is another in between around 5892, i.e. 68 kHz below the fundamental (fortunately no BS from WWCR 5890 yet tonight). How about 68 kHz above 5960? That would be 6028, and with BFO and narrow filter I can barely detect something in the sidebands of 6030 DCJC and Radio Martí. One might expect the third order to be 3 x 34 = 112
kHz out instead of 116, but close enough? None of these are precisely pinpointable and subject to some variations. Remember, the first night I heard the blob it was around a totally different frequency, 6045 = 85 kHz above 5960.
Everything is fitting together. A few weeks ago we had spurs 116 kHz away from another GUF frequency, 9490, R. República in the 00-02 period, on 9606 and a match 116 kHz below on 9374. Could be to get rid of those, they swapped transmitters, and now it`s NHK which is getting the bonus frequencies. See also NETHERLANDS [non] for possibly different spurs from 9490 vs Radio KBC. Finally I pay some attention to fundamental 5960 with NHK in Japanese, and notice it has some hum, not unusual for GUF, but otherwise OK modulation and no clues that it would be radiating the field of spurblobs too (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** JAPAN [non]. 15775, Nov 3 at 2328, no signal yet, but *2329:45 carrier and 2330 keyboard music introducing special 60 th anniversary program of the Japan SW Club, as previously publicized, via GUIANA FRENCH. Brief opening in Japanese, the rest mostly in English. Reception is good, but considerable fading. One band lower might have worked better to North America. First segment recounts history of JSWC since founded in 1952 by three DXers.
From 2337 a series of interviews made by Toshi Ohtake at last May`s EDXC Conference in Germany, everyone with best wishes to JSWC on anniversary, including: Tibor Szilagyi of EDXC; Dario Monferini (who also sings ``happy birthday`` in Italian = ``auguri a voi``); David Kenny of BDXC-UK; Mr Harald Gabler of RMRC; Andy Schmidt of DSWCI and ADXB; Anker Petersen of DSWCI, and a founder of EDXC at his house; Alexander B- of St. Petersburg DX Club; Risto Vähäkainu of FDXA; Max Van Arnhem of Holland, who also speaks some Dutch; George Brown of Edinburgh. Then three more greetings pre-recorded from: Robert Kipp, Radio Saint Helena Revival Project; Kim Andrew Elliott, ex-Communications World, still Research Officer at VOA; and Nicholas Hardyman, WRTH publisher. Most of them also plugged their own activities.
Program as a whole anchored by Yukiko Tsuji, YL who also reads the JSWC DX tips on Wavescan et al. At 2357 she wraps it up with QSL info for this broadcast: e-QSL for reports to JSWCQSL@live.jp or p-QSL for reports with r.p. to P O Box 44, Kamakura 238-8691, Japan. She also thanked Ludo Maes of Broadcast Belgium for brokering this transmission. Carrier stayed on a bit past 2400 (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** KOREA SOUTH [and non]. 15575, Nov 4 at 0150, open carrier again, 24+ hours after first noticed, but not followed up Nov 3. Must be KBSWR direct before 0200 Spanish to North America. Yes, 0158 with IS and IDs in Spanish and Korean; 0200 theme and sign-on. but gone at 0235 check, since is the half-hour version, not the full hour which had just finished before 0200 on 11635 via GUIANA FRENCH, and inaudible 11810 direct. If KBS could be convinced to put English on 15575 in our evenings instead of mornings, it might regain a fraxion of the audience it lost with Sackville closure (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** NETHERLANDS [non]. 9500, UT Sun Nov 3 at 0001, The Mighty KBC Radio broadcast is underway via Kostinbrod, BULGARIA with very good signal level, best yet; missed any opening ID while I was still on 15775 for JSWC special, so music is already playing, ``Baby, You Talk Too Much``. DJ announcement and another tune around 0005, but by 0006, squealing has started on the transmission while Stevie Wonder is singing the Beatles. The squeal really detracts from the music. By 0147 recheck, the squeal is even louder compared to the intentional modulation and the signal has weakened. At 0155 with BFO I can hear the squeal as sidebands from 9495 to 9510; probably would go lower if it were not for strong R. República on 9490 from Guiana French. It helps to tune to center 9500 with narrow filter, but that also cuts off the treble in the music.
0156 closing announcement with contact info, themightykbc @ gmail.com or see website http://kbcradio.eu --- ``back next week, same time, same station``. Really? So this is now regular, not experimental? At 0157 I notice that the squeal has stopped, and so has RR/GUF on 9490 --- I was sure the squeal was coming out of the Bulgarian transmitter, heard on both sides of 9500, but now there`s some doubt; could it have been out of the GUF transmitter instead? It has had spur problems before and has also been nailed as the source of several big spurblobs on the 49m band --- see GUIANA FRENCH. Before 9490 went off I also checked 9606 where its spurblob had previously appeared along with 9374, but not tonight (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** U S A. 9990 & 5085, no show this Saturday night from WTWW-2, 0100-0300+ chex UT Sunday Nov 4.
But WOR 1641 confirmed on 5745, WTWW-1, UT Sunday Nov 4 at almost 0401, intact after the schedule change announcement of 9479 ``9480`` changing to 5745 at 6 pm Central = 00 UT, presumably effective Nov 4/5, but the first part of the advisory is cut off by the automatic canned ID also by Ted Randall.
WRMI 9955 has a new program schedule effective Nov 4, not only with one-hour DST shifts but other changes, at
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0AivhtkIEGb3_dENObnZrMkt1YmtUWGxkbkd3TGNzOXc&hl=en#gid=0
including WORLD OF RADIO UT Monday at 0530, ex-0500 instead of expected 0600 UT (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** U S A. 7315, UT Sunday Nov 4 at 0206 I notice that `DXing with Cumbre` is playing on WHRI from 0200, and also on 5920, but a separate playout about 25 sex behind 7315. We are in the final hours of DST for 2012y so next week the timings and/or frequencies may shift (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
UNIDENTIFIED. 5885, Nov 4 around 0225, good signal in English here, sounds like BBC and nothing where expected on 5875, but too busy monitoring spurblobs to stay with it. At 0233 recheck, still nothing on 5875 but now 5885 is in French. Latest HFCC of Nov 2 does not account for anything on 5885 before IBB Vatican to Sudan after 0300; and BBC Cyprus is supposedly on 5875 in English for the entire hour:
5875 0200 0300 30S,39NE,40 CYP 300 101 0 146 1234567 281012 310313 D 8975 English
BBC`s own complete schedule as in DXLD 12-44 also has English on 5875 at 02-03, and no French until 0430. 5885 is however on the BBC schedule for one English broadcast, 22-23 via Meyerton, SOUTH AFRICA. So this could be another screwup by SENTECH, failing to change frequency from the night before on this transmitter, but what would the French be? I don`t find any French listed for Meyerton at 0230, which is really too early for any part of Africa. Must check tomorrow (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
