** ARGENTINA. 13363.5-LSB, Sat Dec 8 at 2217, LTA, very poor signal in Spanish, some yelling so maybe play-by-play; 2226 ads. I am not inclined to keep straining to detect which of several Buenos Aires stations is being relayed this time; just to note that it`s active again (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** CUBA [and non]. 11880, Dec 8 at 2132 tune-in, RHC Portuguese is already underway instead of dead air like yesterday, but I can still hear the other Portuguese underneath from NHK via Guiana French which RHC has rudely usurped, another failure by frequency manager Prof. Arnaldo de Jesús Coro Antich, CO2KK. Yet, moving immediately would be tantamount to admitting his error. Maybe he`1l stick to it and force NHK eventually to move in compensation for his mistake (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** EGYPT. 11890, Dec 8 at 2133, distorted talk and hum, can`t be sure of language but probably R. Cairo English to Europe as scheduled; still the same at 2219 (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** INDIA. 11670, Sat Dec 8 at 2110, nice sitar music concert to nap by from AIR GOS; it wouldn`t be the same without the transpolar flutter. At 2130 into hard-to-understand talk segment in Indglish, then found slightly better on // 7550 and 9445 (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** INDONESIA [non]. 9955, Sat Dec 8 at 2043, on WRMI hear ``KBS World Radio`` mentioned, news about North Korea; but that`s not supposed to be on the WRN North America satellite feed until 2100. Poor to fair with fades, then too weak to copy, altho very little if any jamming audible. Overload from Brother Scare on 9980 WWCR is not helpful.
Later I look up the WRN schedule and find this was really ``Asia Calling, 20:00 - Your window on Asia - Developed to reflect the lives and reality of citizens across the region, Asia Calling is a weekly radio programme from Indonesia's Radio News Agency KBR68H.``
I couldn`t find ``Asia Calling`` elsewhere on http://www.wrn.org but now I know it`s a.k.a. KBR68H, about which more:
``KBR68H is Indonesia's first and only independent national radio news agency. Established in April 1999, today KBR68H produces 9 hours a day of information and education based programming to over 750 radio stations and 22 million regular listeners across Indonesia and Asia, making it by far the biggest radio network in the country.
Among programmes produced by KBR68H are interactive talk shows on legal reform and human rights, health, decentralization, environment, religious tolerance and economics. A toll free phone number and text messaging facility encourages participation in KBR68H's programmes by listeners regardless of their economic, social or political status, or geographic location.`` See http://www.wrn.org/listeners/#kbr68h
Apparently `Window on Asia` takes segments from other broadcasters such as KBS, so beware of misleading IDs. On WRN NAm it`s scheduled UT Sat & Sun at 0700-0800, 1100-1200, 1600-1700 and 2000-2100. Now please explain why they call it KBR68H (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** KOREA SOUTH [non]. 3955-AM, Dec 8 at 2228, KBS World Radio concluding `Business Watch`, 2229 sign-off saying they have two hours of [original] English a day on various platforms including SW. Off at 2230 punxually. Lucked into lack of QRhaM, perhaps helped by tuning in USB instead of LSB. This is 250 kW, 106 degrees from Skelton, so hardly USward, not even directly off the back which would be 286 degrees, and might be best chance to hear KBSWR in English for those east of here this winter, instead of the intentional N American broadcast at 1200-1300, direct on 15575 despite being way above the winter night MUF. But this is the truncated half-hour broadcast from 2200 instead of the full hour (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) See also INDONESIA [non]
** MEXICO. Dec 8 had been keeping an eye on NTSC ch A2 most of the day in case there be some winter sporadic E TV DX.
0005 UT Dec 9, ch 2, finally something fades in, Spanish from the south; in and out.
At 0019, ch 2, it`s a dubbed comedy movie; barely visible net-5 bug in upper right
0025, now there is 20 kHz CCI on 2, i.e. offset plus and minus 10 kHz
0045, ch 2, promo for Cristina; I think she`s on net 2, but not sure
0054, ch 3, MUF up a bit, movie from net-5
0055, ch 5, MUF up further, ads including ``554 BECAS``; what`s that?
0105, ch 5, news with riot footage
0118, ch 5, seems variety show; ad for TELE TON, large letters on two lines, then for Hellman`s – the mayo also known in USA but a much greater advertiser for years on Mexican TV, despite apostrophe; why?
0122, ch 5, plug a `40 Principales` special from Brasil, domingo a las 2 de la tarde; then ad for COLEDIA, some cholesterol product
0155, still CCI on ch 2, occasional peaks of somethings in Spanish; ditto 0211
0159, ch 2, promo for CSI Miami on Canal 5
0225, ch 2, just about gone, still occasional glimpses of video past 0235 (Glenn Hauser, Enid OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** NETHERLANDS [non]. 9450, Dec 9 at 0139, The Mighty KBC is mighty weak, very poor signal via Bulgaria, of no use for AM listening, let alone textual tests; but no doubt better further east (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** NIGERIA. 7255, Dec 8 at 2140, VG signal from VON with raucous African music with drumming and chanting, plus some dead air pauses, and announcement in African language, presumably scheduled Fulfulde, instead of English which some have heard during this hour instead, unpredictably (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** OKLAHOMA. 92.1, Dec 9 at 0131 UT I am checking FM just in case the Mexican TVDX opening up to channel 5 makes it above 88 MHz: hardly any open frequencies here, either CCI or ACI, but on 92.1 I am not hearing the local LP, KAMG with Spanish religious music, apparently off the air! However, I am hearing on 92.1 instead, KFXI Foxy [sic] 92, which is a C&W station from Marlow east of Lawton in that market. Listed 100 kW, yet I don`t recall hearing it before.
In further Enid news, K226BR, 93.1 translator is still making sucking-straw noises along with some unreadable modulation, maybe part of the station it is supposed to relay, KIMY 93.9 Watonga. This mess also spreads to 92.9 and 93.3, and to some extent also bothers second adjacents (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** SOUTH CAROLINA [non]. See INDONESIA [non]; USA: WBCQ, WTWW, etc.
** U S A. WORLD OF RADIO 1646 monitoring: confirmed Sat Dec 8 at 1832 just started on WRN via WRMI 9955, but very poor signal, occasionally over the jamming; tnx a lot, Arnie! Remaining repeats on 9955 are Sun 0900, 1630, Mon 0530, Tue 1200; and many more webcasts on the WRMI schedule, and other stations.
Also: UT Sunday 0500 on WTWW-1 5830; check 5085 for WTWW-2 in case it`s on this early UT Sunday and even puts WOR on as it did a few weeks ago as late as 0547 (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** U S A. 9479, Sat Dec 8 at 2105, after the two-hour QSO Show cutaway, WTWW-1 is back to Scriptures for America, and amusingly, PPP or his clone is asserting that ``you`ve got to be an overcomer`` --- I assume not capitalized, but we can`t tell just by listening, so TOM may have grounds for a lawsuit. Same word mentioned a few more times.
9765 & 10215 approx. covering maybe 20 kHz each, Dec 8 at 2107, weak modulation spur spikes from something, then matched to 9990 WTWW-2 which just came on at 2100 for Brother Scare.
How about WTWW-2 on 5085? UT Sunday Dec 9 at 0125 it`s open carrier/dead air, with a lite whine, apparently lost feed from Ted`s studio; finally at 0152 music starts (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** U S A. 7490, Sat Dec 8 at 2056, WBCQ with Brother Scare instead of Good Friends Radio Network. But the 7490 schedule allegedly updated today at
http://schedule.wbcq.com/main.php?fn=sked&freq=7490
still shows the ONLY Saturday program is `I Sing`, at 2000-0500 UT Sunday, a GFRN program which knocked out all other 7490 programming on Saturdays several months ago; some of which was moved to Sundays. Looks like that expired with November, and B.S. has been plugged back in to fill time. A quick legal ID for ``WBCQ, Monticello, Maine USA`` was inserted circa 2100, and then more B.S.
Strangely, this Overcomer feed is not // the Overkill selexion of other outlets, which are not synchronized but seem to be otherwise // each other: 9980 WWCR, 9370 WWRB, 9990 WTWW which has just started, and 9700 Bulgaria. At 2136 check, 7490 still with Brother Stair, but he sounds much younger and not hoarse on this frequency; playing back vintage recording instead of live feed from Walterboro?
So are we going to get hour after hour of more BS on 7490, or will WBCQ revive some worthwhile programming? Skipping the BBC collision at 22-24, not rechecked until 0100 UT Dec 9, when it is not BS, and apparently not `I Sing` either, with some music, then at least three people talking about Solstice and Xmas, apparently current, and mentioning Firesign Theatre. Voices do not include Allan Weiner or anyone else I recognize on WBCQ. 0114 a Beatles tune. Continues to be mostly conversation with occasional dramatic bits.
In fact, it must be `Firesign Theatre` from Dec 20, 1970, as scheduled on Area 51 at 01-02 UT Dec 9; I had checked 5110v-CUSB for // but with poor reception from both could tell they did not match. At 0145 with better reception yet using only one DX-398 radio, I perceive that they are // except 7490 is a couple seconds behind 5110v-CUSB; why? Anyhow, for now, 7490 is filling with simulcast of Area 51 instead of `I Sing`. I didn`t think `FST` was so much gab rather than performance skits (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
UNIDENTIFIED. 4110, Dec 8 at 2213 UT, JBA carrier as I am looking for third harmonic of WGOH 1370, Grayson KY, which Harold Frodge on DX-pedition in Michigan heard Nov 30 at 2211 before power drop at 2215, and also Dec 1 at 2129. It`s been months since I`ve heard a non-local MW harmonic, but I`ll need more signal than this.
FCC info: WGOH is 5000 watts day, 21 watts night, non direxional.
UT SR/SS times:
Nov 1215-2215
Dec 1245-2215
Jan 1245-2230
Also has PSRA of 500 watts starting at 1100 UT;
Also has PSSA which is more complicated;
http://licensing.fcc.gov/cgi-bin/prod/cdbs/forms/prod/getimportletter_exh.cgi?import_letter_id=1963
in December:
EST watts
|5:15-5:45| 50.0
|5:45-6:00| 50.0
|6:00-6:15| 9.0
|6:15-7:15| 6.0
So this month the best chances to hear it are just before 2215 UT, or just after 1245 (Glenn Hauser, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** CUBA [and non]. 11880, Dec 8 at 2132 tune-in, RHC Portuguese is already underway instead of dead air like yesterday, but I can still hear the other Portuguese underneath from NHK via Guiana French which RHC has rudely usurped, another failure by frequency manager Prof. Arnaldo de Jesús Coro Antich, CO2KK. Yet, moving immediately would be tantamount to admitting his error. Maybe he`1l stick to it and force NHK eventually to move in compensation for his mistake (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** EGYPT. 11890, Dec 8 at 2133, distorted talk and hum, can`t be sure of language but probably R. Cairo English to Europe as scheduled; still the same at 2219 (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** INDIA. 11670, Sat Dec 8 at 2110, nice sitar music concert to nap by from AIR GOS; it wouldn`t be the same without the transpolar flutter. At 2130 into hard-to-understand talk segment in Indglish, then found slightly better on // 7550 and 9445 (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** INDONESIA [non]. 9955, Sat Dec 8 at 2043, on WRMI hear ``KBS World Radio`` mentioned, news about North Korea; but that`s not supposed to be on the WRN North America satellite feed until 2100. Poor to fair with fades, then too weak to copy, altho very little if any jamming audible. Overload from Brother Scare on 9980 WWCR is not helpful.
Later I look up the WRN schedule and find this was really ``Asia Calling, 20:00 - Your window on Asia - Developed to reflect the lives and reality of citizens across the region, Asia Calling is a weekly radio programme from Indonesia's Radio News Agency KBR68H.``
I couldn`t find ``Asia Calling`` elsewhere on http://www.wrn.org but now I know it`s a.k.a. KBR68H, about which more:
``KBR68H is Indonesia's first and only independent national radio news agency. Established in April 1999, today KBR68H produces 9 hours a day of information and education based programming to over 750 radio stations and 22 million regular listeners across Indonesia and Asia, making it by far the biggest radio network in the country.
Among programmes produced by KBR68H are interactive talk shows on legal reform and human rights, health, decentralization, environment, religious tolerance and economics. A toll free phone number and text messaging facility encourages participation in KBR68H's programmes by listeners regardless of their economic, social or political status, or geographic location.`` See http://www.wrn.org/listeners/#kbr68h
Apparently `Window on Asia` takes segments from other broadcasters such as KBS, so beware of misleading IDs. On WRN NAm it`s scheduled UT Sat & Sun at 0700-0800, 1100-1200, 1600-1700 and 2000-2100. Now please explain why they call it KBR68H (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** KOREA SOUTH [non]. 3955-AM, Dec 8 at 2228, KBS World Radio concluding `Business Watch`, 2229 sign-off saying they have two hours of [original] English a day on various platforms including SW. Off at 2230 punxually. Lucked into lack of QRhaM, perhaps helped by tuning in USB instead of LSB. This is 250 kW, 106 degrees from Skelton, so hardly USward, not even directly off the back which would be 286 degrees, and might be best chance to hear KBSWR in English for those east of here this winter, instead of the intentional N American broadcast at 1200-1300, direct on 15575 despite being way above the winter night MUF. But this is the truncated half-hour broadcast from 2200 instead of the full hour (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) See also INDONESIA [non]
** MEXICO. Dec 8 had been keeping an eye on NTSC ch A2 most of the day in case there be some winter sporadic E TV DX.
0005 UT Dec 9, ch 2, finally something fades in, Spanish from the south; in and out.
At 0019, ch 2, it`s a dubbed comedy movie; barely visible net-5 bug in upper right
0025, now there is 20 kHz CCI on 2, i.e. offset plus and minus 10 kHz
0045, ch 2, promo for Cristina; I think she`s on net 2, but not sure
0054, ch 3, MUF up a bit, movie from net-5
0055, ch 5, MUF up further, ads including ``554 BECAS``; what`s that?
0105, ch 5, news with riot footage
0118, ch 5, seems variety show; ad for TELE TON, large letters on two lines, then for Hellman`s – the mayo also known in USA but a much greater advertiser for years on Mexican TV, despite apostrophe; why?
0122, ch 5, plug a `40 Principales` special from Brasil, domingo a las 2 de la tarde; then ad for COLEDIA, some cholesterol product
0155, still CCI on ch 2, occasional peaks of somethings in Spanish; ditto 0211
0159, ch 2, promo for CSI Miami on Canal 5
0225, ch 2, just about gone, still occasional glimpses of video past 0235 (Glenn Hauser, Enid OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** NETHERLANDS [non]. 9450, Dec 9 at 0139, The Mighty KBC is mighty weak, very poor signal via Bulgaria, of no use for AM listening, let alone textual tests; but no doubt better further east (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** NIGERIA. 7255, Dec 8 at 2140, VG signal from VON with raucous African music with drumming and chanting, plus some dead air pauses, and announcement in African language, presumably scheduled Fulfulde, instead of English which some have heard during this hour instead, unpredictably (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** OKLAHOMA. 92.1, Dec 9 at 0131 UT I am checking FM just in case the Mexican TVDX opening up to channel 5 makes it above 88 MHz: hardly any open frequencies here, either CCI or ACI, but on 92.1 I am not hearing the local LP, KAMG with Spanish religious music, apparently off the air! However, I am hearing on 92.1 instead, KFXI Foxy [sic] 92, which is a C&W station from Marlow east of Lawton in that market. Listed 100 kW, yet I don`t recall hearing it before.
In further Enid news, K226BR, 93.1 translator is still making sucking-straw noises along with some unreadable modulation, maybe part of the station it is supposed to relay, KIMY 93.9 Watonga. This mess also spreads to 92.9 and 93.3, and to some extent also bothers second adjacents (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** SOUTH CAROLINA [non]. See INDONESIA [non]; USA: WBCQ, WTWW, etc.
** U S A. WORLD OF RADIO 1646 monitoring: confirmed Sat Dec 8 at 1832 just started on WRN via WRMI 9955, but very poor signal, occasionally over the jamming; tnx a lot, Arnie! Remaining repeats on 9955 are Sun 0900, 1630, Mon 0530, Tue 1200; and many more webcasts on the WRMI schedule, and other stations.
Also: UT Sunday 0500 on WTWW-1 5830; check 5085 for WTWW-2 in case it`s on this early UT Sunday and even puts WOR on as it did a few weeks ago as late as 0547 (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** U S A. 9479, Sat Dec 8 at 2105, after the two-hour QSO Show cutaway, WTWW-1 is back to Scriptures for America, and amusingly, PPP or his clone is asserting that ``you`ve got to be an overcomer`` --- I assume not capitalized, but we can`t tell just by listening, so TOM may have grounds for a lawsuit. Same word mentioned a few more times.
9765 & 10215 approx. covering maybe 20 kHz each, Dec 8 at 2107, weak modulation spur spikes from something, then matched to 9990 WTWW-2 which just came on at 2100 for Brother Scare.
How about WTWW-2 on 5085? UT Sunday Dec 9 at 0125 it`s open carrier/dead air, with a lite whine, apparently lost feed from Ted`s studio; finally at 0152 music starts (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** U S A. 7490, Sat Dec 8 at 2056, WBCQ with Brother Scare instead of Good Friends Radio Network. But the 7490 schedule allegedly updated today at
http://schedule.wbcq.com/main.php?fn=sked&freq=7490
still shows the ONLY Saturday program is `I Sing`, at 2000-0500 UT Sunday, a GFRN program which knocked out all other 7490 programming on Saturdays several months ago; some of which was moved to Sundays. Looks like that expired with November, and B.S. has been plugged back in to fill time. A quick legal ID for ``WBCQ, Monticello, Maine USA`` was inserted circa 2100, and then more B.S.
Strangely, this Overcomer feed is not // the Overkill selexion of other outlets, which are not synchronized but seem to be otherwise // each other: 9980 WWCR, 9370 WWRB, 9990 WTWW which has just started, and 9700 Bulgaria. At 2136 check, 7490 still with Brother Stair, but he sounds much younger and not hoarse on this frequency; playing back vintage recording instead of live feed from Walterboro?
So are we going to get hour after hour of more BS on 7490, or will WBCQ revive some worthwhile programming? Skipping the BBC collision at 22-24, not rechecked until 0100 UT Dec 9, when it is not BS, and apparently not `I Sing` either, with some music, then at least three people talking about Solstice and Xmas, apparently current, and mentioning Firesign Theatre. Voices do not include Allan Weiner or anyone else I recognize on WBCQ. 0114 a Beatles tune. Continues to be mostly conversation with occasional dramatic bits.
In fact, it must be `Firesign Theatre` from Dec 20, 1970, as scheduled on Area 51 at 01-02 UT Dec 9; I had checked 5110v-CUSB for // but with poor reception from both could tell they did not match. At 0145 with better reception yet using only one DX-398 radio, I perceive that they are // except 7490 is a couple seconds behind 5110v-CUSB; why? Anyhow, for now, 7490 is filling with simulcast of Area 51 instead of `I Sing`. I didn`t think `FST` was so much gab rather than performance skits (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
UNIDENTIFIED. 4110, Dec 8 at 2213 UT, JBA carrier as I am looking for third harmonic of WGOH 1370, Grayson KY, which Harold Frodge on DX-pedition in Michigan heard Nov 30 at 2211 before power drop at 2215, and also Dec 1 at 2129. It`s been months since I`ve heard a non-local MW harmonic, but I`ll need more signal than this.
FCC info: WGOH is 5000 watts day, 21 watts night, non direxional.
UT SR/SS times:
Nov 1215-2215
Dec 1245-2215
Jan 1245-2230
Also has PSRA of 500 watts starting at 1100 UT;
Also has PSSA which is more complicated;
http://licensing.fcc.gov/cgi-bin/prod/cdbs/forms/prod/getimportletter_exh.cgi?import_letter_id=1963
in December:
EST watts
|5:15-5:45| 50.0
|5:45-6:00| 50.0
|6:00-6:15| 9.0
|6:15-7:15| 6.0
So this month the best chances to hear it are just before 2215 UT, or just after 1245 (Glenn Hauser, DX LISTENING DIGEST)