** CANADA. 1610 kHz, March 2 at 0635 UT, tropical music atop the IBOC from KATZ at times, while usually only the latter is audible infesting 1610. Very hard to get a fix on it, but presumed CHHA Voces Latinas in Toronto. No announcement before it faded down by 5 minutes later (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** CUBA. 11690, March 2 at 1502, RHC modulation is unusually a bit distorted on this perpetually weak signal, and always also suffering from NAA RTTY on the lo side. Even when not distorted, does 11690 have a better signal in any direxion from Cuba that anyone would prefer to listen to instead of 11760, 11860, 15340, 17580 or 17730?? Hard to imagine it (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** GUAM. 5765-USB, March 2 at 1416 check, AFN is on weakly with talk, but unseems // NPR WESAT on KOSU-91.7, even allowing for the latter`s digital delay to match its own IBOC delay no one listens to (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** GUAM. 11685, March 2 at 1503, S Asian song, bothered by NAA RTTY on the hi side. HFCC shows this is KSDA in Tamil at 1500-1530. Or as WRTH would head this, ``INDONESIA`` where AWR Asia-Pacific HQ is now, with KSDA a mere remote transmitter site (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** GUIANA FRENCH. 17870-17875-17880, March 1 at 2003, DRM is back, no doubt BRB`s The Disco Palace, which had been off for about a sesquimonth as the DRM transmitter at Montsinéry had failed. TDF bothering to repair this, and also the spurs, doesn`t exactly jibe with information that the MSY site will be closed down at the end of B-12 = end of March. Maybe there is still hope? But other users have already made plans to change to other sites in A-13 --- NHK, RTI and RMI. AFAIK, BRB has no plans to prolong TDP in DRM after March 31.
Tnx to this tip from N9EWO: ``GUIANA FRENCH. 17875, Feb 28 from 2000 to 2100 UT. The "Disco Palace" DRM broadcast from Montsinéry hearing active again after a number of weeks silent. Usual 21 kbps with a SNR of 23 to 25 db on a UniWave Di-Wave 100 as connected to a 55 foot MLB antenna (David Zantow, Janesville WI, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST)``
As usual at this time of day, March 1, there are hardly any other signals to be heard on 16m, AM, not because of propagation, but because of disinterest on the part of broadcasters in the W Hemisphere --- only TUNISIA in Arabic for a few more minutes on 17735; and 17885 in Hausa, i.e. BBC ASCENSION at 1930-2030, which fortunately today is not overcome by the DRM bleed which had often been the case (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** MEXICO [and non]. 960, March 2 at 0601, during KGWA Fox-hole of carrier only, clearly hear ID ``Desde Nuevo Laredo, escuchan XEK, la estación grande``. No XEW chimes, however. This was amid some ballad music which continued, so not sure if ID interrupted same on XEK or that was from another Mexican like XEFAMA, also heard previously. By 0604 also mixing in dueling banjos from `Deliverance`, probably from WABG in Mississippi (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** PALAU [and non]. 9965, March 2 at 1423, big buzz atop R. Australia in Chinese which soon had an ID in passing. The ChiCom have started jamming RA in English, so surely they also hit RA in Chinese, which was previously suspiciously exempt. However, listening carefully, I don`t think this is externally imposed noise, but the T8WH transmitter itself very out of order. RA modulation cut off mid-ID at 1430 and the noise continues for another 20 seconds until it goes off. I taped a sample in case anyone is interested. It was similar to the Buzzing Service of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, as heard on 15435 at 1516 (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** PERU. 5980, March 2 at 0059 I am hearing some music, unseems the CNR1 jammer any more, no 0100 timesignal audible, but bothered by splash from 5990 CRI via CUBA, and than runs over again tonight with one minute of English until 0101*. Then 5980 is in the clear with a marginally improved signal, which I hope continues vs our latening sunsets which will eventually surpass it.
Instrumental music, sounder and tentative ID as ``Red Radio Integridad`` which is the Lima station R. Chaski relays in the evenings; the Spanish is more readable now, 0102 fanfare and announcement, 0102.5 mentions ``bendiciones`` and ``dios``; 0103.5 sounders, devotional message, ending at 0105 offering a copy of this #1065 from an Estados Unidos address. Hymn playing until cut off at 0107:23* = another five seconds later than last night as their timer continues to run slow (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** U S A [and non]. 15670 & 17860, March 2 at 1627 check, no signals from Greenville, where Ivo Ivanov reports VOA has now registered effective March 1, at 1600-1630, their new ``Radiogram`` service, outgrowth of Kim Elliott`s experiments with digital text modes via The Mighty KBC, via Bulgaria. Maybe weekdays only or not quite ready to start on VOA itself?
These two are listed as 45 degrees to W Europe in various languages --- that in itself is extraordinary, as VOA gave up on WEu, especially from Greenville, years ago. Surprised they still have a funxional northeastward antenna.
Also scheduled from Greenville: 0230-0300 on 5745, 1300-1330 on 6095, both at 190 degrees to ``NE America``, Ivo says, but that azimuth is really the usual toward Cuba et al. All with the odd power of 80 kW. Note: these are AM signals, with various tones, not DRM signals. As of 1745 UT March 2, still nothing about these VOA transmissions on http://www.kimandrewelliott.com
As of UT March 3 at 0000-0200, the KBC Radiograms continue, via new site, Nauen, Germany and new frequency 7375:http://voaradiogram.net/post/44143014790/digital-text-this-weekend-on-the-mighty-kbc-on-new
``VOA Radiogram is a Voice of America program experimenting with digital text and images via shortwave broadcasting.
Digital text this weekend on The Mighty KBC, on new frequency 7375 kHz
This weekend will be the first North America transmission of The Mighty KBC on its new frequency of 7375 kHz, from its new transmitter site: Nauen, Germany. The broadcast is UTC Sunday 0000-0200 (7 to 9 pm Saturday EST in North America).
As in past weeks, The Mighty KBC is kindly granting time for digital text experiments. At about 0130 UTC, it will be the battle of the circa-100-word-per-minute modes. MT63-1000 (long interleave) will be centered on 1000 Hertz, PSKR125 on 2000 Hz, and and MFSK32 on 2500 Hz.
At just before 0200 UTC, text and images in MFSK32 will be centered on 1000 and 2000 Hz.``
As I was monitoring the above page at 1748 UT, it disappeared, refreshed tohttp://voaradiogram.net/post/43892848625/like-the-ventriloquist-who-takes-a-drink-of-water-while
as now linked from:http://kimelli.nfshost.com/index.php?id=14160
(Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** U S A. 5110v-CUSB & much better // 7490-AM, (but 9330 stayed with preaching from Rod Hembree), UT Saturday March 2 at 0110, WBCQ is live from the SWL Winter Fest in Pennsylvania, or rather from a hotel room, just informal chat, where WBCQ had already made an audiovisual presentation that morning. Mentioned that hotel no longer provides free booze, so BYO. 0112 interviewing a first-timer, who drove 9 hours to get there, but didn`t catch his name. At 0113 brought in with some delay and difficulty, Mel on the phone. Maybe next year, WBCQ will rent a limo. Seemed to be on tight schedule, finished at 0200 for `Sycko [as spelt] Radio`, allegedly live (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** U S A. WORLD OF RADIO 1658 monitoring: confirmed on Area 51 webcast and via WBCQ 5110v-CUSB, UT Saturday March 2 at 0230 with no delay due to WinterFest coverage earlier. Next: Saturday 1830 on WRN via SiriusXM 120; UT Sunday 0500 on WTWW-1 5830 (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** VATICAN. Received late Feb in the p-mail were VR`s plastic 2013 liturgical calendar, showing saints for every day of the year, mixed with other significant holydays.
And, on slick but non-plasticized paper, the Radio Vaticana programmes schedule folder, which adds up to 16 pages, i.e. seven folds printed on both sides. Hint: to restore it properly, fold first in half, then quarter, then eighth. This includes the complete transmission schedule, by target area, time, color coding, showing frequencies, sites and target areas. This has been in effect for four months with one month to go in the season! No postmark date is applied, so we have no way of knowing when they really dispatched it, but maybe it really was by snail-surface mail on a slow boat from Europe.
On the last page, an *important note* from Fr. Lombardi that this is the *last* such schedule to be published on paper and sent by p-mail. We are now referred to the website, but they will also let people subscribe to the new version by e-mail: request it to promo @ vatiradio.va
However: ``If it is not at all possible for you to access an e-mail and you consider it very important to continue to receive Vatican Radio information via surface mail, we kindly ask you to write us and let us know, so we can see how we can continue to respond to your request --- Promotions Office, Vatican Radio, 00120 Vatican City`` Like maybe printing out individual copies? Note they specify surface mail, altho as far as the USPS is concerned, there is no such thing anymore for outgoing international mail: ``first class`` means airmail (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
UNIDENTIFIED. 4835 & 4835+, March 2 at 0056, with BFO I am still hearing two JBA carriers on slightly different frequencies, presumably Sikkim on the lo side and Ondas del Suroriente, Perú on the hi side. Just before WWCR blasts on 4840. Otherwise, central Asian grayline propagation on 60m around 0100 is steadily diminishing (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** CUBA. 11690, March 2 at 1502, RHC modulation is unusually a bit distorted on this perpetually weak signal, and always also suffering from NAA RTTY on the lo side. Even when not distorted, does 11690 have a better signal in any direxion from Cuba that anyone would prefer to listen to instead of 11760, 11860, 15340, 17580 or 17730?? Hard to imagine it (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** GUAM. 5765-USB, March 2 at 1416 check, AFN is on weakly with talk, but unseems // NPR WESAT on KOSU-91.7, even allowing for the latter`s digital delay to match its own IBOC delay no one listens to (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** GUAM. 11685, March 2 at 1503, S Asian song, bothered by NAA RTTY on the hi side. HFCC shows this is KSDA in Tamil at 1500-1530. Or as WRTH would head this, ``INDONESIA`` where AWR Asia-Pacific HQ is now, with KSDA a mere remote transmitter site (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** GUIANA FRENCH. 17870-17875-17880, March 1 at 2003, DRM is back, no doubt BRB`s The Disco Palace, which had been off for about a sesquimonth as the DRM transmitter at Montsinéry had failed. TDF bothering to repair this, and also the spurs, doesn`t exactly jibe with information that the MSY site will be closed down at the end of B-12 = end of March. Maybe there is still hope? But other users have already made plans to change to other sites in A-13 --- NHK, RTI and RMI. AFAIK, BRB has no plans to prolong TDP in DRM after March 31.
Tnx to this tip from N9EWO: ``GUIANA FRENCH. 17875, Feb 28 from 2000 to 2100 UT. The "Disco Palace" DRM broadcast from Montsinéry hearing active again after a number of weeks silent. Usual 21 kbps with a SNR of 23 to 25 db on a UniWave Di-Wave 100 as connected to a 55 foot MLB antenna (David Zantow, Janesville WI, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST)``
As usual at this time of day, March 1, there are hardly any other signals to be heard on 16m, AM, not because of propagation, but because of disinterest on the part of broadcasters in the W Hemisphere --- only TUNISIA in Arabic for a few more minutes on 17735; and 17885 in Hausa, i.e. BBC ASCENSION at 1930-2030, which fortunately today is not overcome by the DRM bleed which had often been the case (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** MEXICO [and non]. 960, March 2 at 0601, during KGWA Fox-hole of carrier only, clearly hear ID ``Desde Nuevo Laredo, escuchan XEK, la estación grande``. No XEW chimes, however. This was amid some ballad music which continued, so not sure if ID interrupted same on XEK or that was from another Mexican like XEFAMA, also heard previously. By 0604 also mixing in dueling banjos from `Deliverance`, probably from WABG in Mississippi (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** PALAU [and non]. 9965, March 2 at 1423, big buzz atop R. Australia in Chinese which soon had an ID in passing. The ChiCom have started jamming RA in English, so surely they also hit RA in Chinese, which was previously suspiciously exempt. However, listening carefully, I don`t think this is externally imposed noise, but the T8WH transmitter itself very out of order. RA modulation cut off mid-ID at 1430 and the noise continues for another 20 seconds until it goes off. I taped a sample in case anyone is interested. It was similar to the Buzzing Service of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, as heard on 15435 at 1516 (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** PERU. 5980, March 2 at 0059 I am hearing some music, unseems the CNR1 jammer any more, no 0100 timesignal audible, but bothered by splash from 5990 CRI via CUBA, and than runs over again tonight with one minute of English until 0101*. Then 5980 is in the clear with a marginally improved signal, which I hope continues vs our latening sunsets which will eventually surpass it.
Instrumental music, sounder and tentative ID as ``Red Radio Integridad`` which is the Lima station R. Chaski relays in the evenings; the Spanish is more readable now, 0102 fanfare and announcement, 0102.5 mentions ``bendiciones`` and ``dios``; 0103.5 sounders, devotional message, ending at 0105 offering a copy of this #1065 from an Estados Unidos address. Hymn playing until cut off at 0107:23* = another five seconds later than last night as their timer continues to run slow (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** U S A [and non]. 15670 & 17860, March 2 at 1627 check, no signals from Greenville, where Ivo Ivanov reports VOA has now registered effective March 1, at 1600-1630, their new ``Radiogram`` service, outgrowth of Kim Elliott`s experiments with digital text modes via The Mighty KBC, via Bulgaria. Maybe weekdays only or not quite ready to start on VOA itself?
These two are listed as 45 degrees to W Europe in various languages --- that in itself is extraordinary, as VOA gave up on WEu, especially from Greenville, years ago. Surprised they still have a funxional northeastward antenna.
Also scheduled from Greenville: 0230-0300 on 5745, 1300-1330 on 6095, both at 190 degrees to ``NE America``, Ivo says, but that azimuth is really the usual toward Cuba et al. All with the odd power of 80 kW. Note: these are AM signals, with various tones, not DRM signals. As of 1745 UT March 2, still nothing about these VOA transmissions on http://www.kimandrewelliott.com
As of UT March 3 at 0000-0200, the KBC Radiograms continue, via new site, Nauen, Germany and new frequency 7375:http://voaradiogram.net/post/44143014790/digital-text-this-weekend-on-the-mighty-kbc-on-new
``VOA Radiogram is a Voice of America program experimenting with digital text and images via shortwave broadcasting.
Digital text this weekend on The Mighty KBC, on new frequency 7375 kHz
This weekend will be the first North America transmission of The Mighty KBC on its new frequency of 7375 kHz, from its new transmitter site: Nauen, Germany. The broadcast is UTC Sunday 0000-0200 (7 to 9 pm Saturday EST in North America).
As in past weeks, The Mighty KBC is kindly granting time for digital text experiments. At about 0130 UTC, it will be the battle of the circa-100-word-per-minute modes. MT63-1000 (long interleave) will be centered on 1000 Hertz, PSKR125 on 2000 Hz, and and MFSK32 on 2500 Hz.
At just before 0200 UTC, text and images in MFSK32 will be centered on 1000 and 2000 Hz.``
As I was monitoring the above page at 1748 UT, it disappeared, refreshed tohttp://voaradiogram.net/post/43892848625/like-the-ventriloquist-who-takes-a-drink-of-water-while
as now linked from:http://kimelli.nfshost.com/index.php?id=14160
(Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** U S A. 5110v-CUSB & much better // 7490-AM, (but 9330 stayed with preaching from Rod Hembree), UT Saturday March 2 at 0110, WBCQ is live from the SWL Winter Fest in Pennsylvania, or rather from a hotel room, just informal chat, where WBCQ had already made an audiovisual presentation that morning. Mentioned that hotel no longer provides free booze, so BYO. 0112 interviewing a first-timer, who drove 9 hours to get there, but didn`t catch his name. At 0113 brought in with some delay and difficulty, Mel on the phone. Maybe next year, WBCQ will rent a limo. Seemed to be on tight schedule, finished at 0200 for `Sycko [as spelt] Radio`, allegedly live (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** U S A. WORLD OF RADIO 1658 monitoring: confirmed on Area 51 webcast and via WBCQ 5110v-CUSB, UT Saturday March 2 at 0230 with no delay due to WinterFest coverage earlier. Next: Saturday 1830 on WRN via SiriusXM 120; UT Sunday 0500 on WTWW-1 5830 (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** VATICAN. Received late Feb in the p-mail were VR`s plastic 2013 liturgical calendar, showing saints for every day of the year, mixed with other significant holydays.
And, on slick but non-plasticized paper, the Radio Vaticana programmes schedule folder, which adds up to 16 pages, i.e. seven folds printed on both sides. Hint: to restore it properly, fold first in half, then quarter, then eighth. This includes the complete transmission schedule, by target area, time, color coding, showing frequencies, sites and target areas. This has been in effect for four months with one month to go in the season! No postmark date is applied, so we have no way of knowing when they really dispatched it, but maybe it really was by snail-surface mail on a slow boat from Europe.
On the last page, an *important note* from Fr. Lombardi that this is the *last* such schedule to be published on paper and sent by p-mail. We are now referred to the website, but they will also let people subscribe to the new version by e-mail: request it to promo @ vatiradio.va
However: ``If it is not at all possible for you to access an e-mail and you consider it very important to continue to receive Vatican Radio information via surface mail, we kindly ask you to write us and let us know, so we can see how we can continue to respond to your request --- Promotions Office, Vatican Radio, 00120 Vatican City`` Like maybe printing out individual copies? Note they specify surface mail, altho as far as the USPS is concerned, there is no such thing anymore for outgoing international mail: ``first class`` means airmail (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
UNIDENTIFIED. 4835 & 4835+, March 2 at 0056, with BFO I am still hearing two JBA carriers on slightly different frequencies, presumably Sikkim on the lo side and Ondas del Suroriente, Perú on the hi side. Just before WWCR blasts on 4840. Otherwise, central Asian grayline propagation on 60m around 0100 is steadily diminishing (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
