** ALGERIA [non]. 7295 & 5865, March 13 at 0549, RTA and RTA via Issoudun & Issoudun, France & France, with two separate Qur`an recitations. Enough is not enough, but it`s better than doing them both on the same frequency as recently logged (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** BANGLADESH. 15505, March 13 at 1402, hum and Urdu from Bangladesh Betar, as often heard now, but can it ever become passé? (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** BOLIVIA. 4716.76 approx., March 14 at 0053, ballad vocal music from presumed Yura; 0104 announcements mentioning Bolivia, events or ads. Fair but best S American signal around here now. Occasional QRM from carrier on hi side, ute (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** BOLIVIA. 5952.44 approx., March 14 at 0057, Spanish from R. Pio Doce, Siglo Veinte [not ``Viente``], holding its own surprisingly well against the Cuban jamming on 5955 against not even a carrier from Radio República on 5954+ (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** BOLIVIA. 6135-, March 14 at 0109, tune in to ID in progress: ``6135 onda corta, 92.3 FM, transmite Radio Santa Cruz, desde Santa Cruz de la Sierra, Bolivia``, with music background, ``tan lejos . . . siempre tu compañera`` as befits this best signal by far out of CP-land (but no CP-calls any more; call-sign freak Bill Hepburn at
http://www.dxinfocentre.com/Call_Signs_SW.htm
shows CP32 and the same for MW 960) (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** BRAZIL. 4824.96 approx., March 14 at 0051, Portuguese sounds like preacher, could be Davi Miranda, poor signal with flutter, but no sign of a het on hi or lo side from Peruvians. Presumed R. Canção Nova, Cachoeira Paulista SP (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** CHINA. Firedrake March 13:
11500, good at 1355
11970, good at 1359, stops at 1400 and then a few words of Chinese from a Beijing station before cutoff
15565, fair at 1429-1430* vs V of Tibet, Tajikistan split but unheard
17535, good at 1433 vs V of Tibet, Madagascar, unheard
(Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** CUBA. 17580, March 13 at 1350 is the AWOL frequency from RHC today; still on 17730, 15340, 15230, et al. Next check 1432, 17580 is back on.
Another check of the noise/buzz producing transmitter, 11840, March 13 at 2120: no buzz at first and it`s still undermodulated, which is often a bad sign meaning some of the signal is squeezing out on spurious frequencies. Then the buzz starts spurting here and there, peaking plus/minus 35 kHz circa 11805 and 11875 --- the latter adjacent another RHC 11880 which has gone back to an earlier start: see below. At 2131 a noise burst around 11855.
At 2157, the buzz is worst at 11830 and 11840. After 2200 it seems the buzz is intermittently on and off, at various levels and at various peak frequencies. At 2320 buzzing 11790-11820 peaking at 11805, and also around 11865. May really be symmetrical, but affected by where other signals reside and how strong they relatively are.
Also at 2320 I notice something new: under-modulated spurs // stronger 11840 on exactly 11830 and 11850, as if intentional separate transmitters, but surely not; // 11680 so that transmitter is separate. By next check at 0110 UT March 14, 11840 is alone, no plus/minus 10 parasites and no buzz at the moment. BTW, in a previous item I misstated the morning frequency which is not surrounded by buzzing: it`s 11860, not 11840.
Meanwhile, I am checking other RHC frequencies to find what they are doing. Since March 10, 11880 has been starting at 2200 instead of 2100, but today it`s already on at 2120, in Portuguese! At 2134 it`s in French, i.e. swapped from previous pattern --- wait a minute, this is fraxured French = Kriyol! At 2157 a song in Spanish is playing but that could be within any other language service, cut off at 2158 to open carrier. 2200 few words unknown language, cut to dead air again. 2201, theme and opening (real) French, false start; try again at 2202, and now it keeps going, claiming temp in La Havane is already 30. At 2240, 11880 is back in Portuguese. After 2300, at 2320 it`s still in English at its new hour. So will 11880 keep on the additional 21-22 hour?
Some other language-frequency chex: 15340 in Spanish at 2134, 2240, off at 2320. 15230 in Spanish at 2320: used to be Portuguese 23-24. 15370 in French at 2240, Quechua at 2320 (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** MEXICO [and non]. 6010, March 14 at 0059, yay, R. Mil ID is (barely) atop the rumbling mess of QRM from Brasil, Colombia and Iran at least (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** OKLAHOMA [and non]. 960, March 13 at 0459 UT, a standard canned ID frequently played: ``since 1950, over 10 million people in Oklahoma have listened to KGWA, Enid``. How in the world do they come up with that, and how would they prove it? Considering the present population of OK is only 3.8+ million, the most ever, due to very slow growth, that`s quite a claim. Wikipedia shows census:
1950 2,233,351 -4.4%
1960 2,328,284 4.3%
1970 2,559,229 9.9%
1980 3,025,290 18.2%
1990 3,145,585 4.0%
2000 3,450,654 9.7%
2010 3,751,351 8.7%
Est. 2012 3,814,820 1.7%
Or course that would assume in any given year, roughly one of three Okies has listened to KGWA, but its 1 kW day & nite coverage area is nowhere near the whole state. It does get to OKC, where they could craftily include everyone who analog-tuned back and forth between WKY 930 and KTOK 1000, unavoidably hitting KGWA on the way! So they`ve `listened` to it for a split second. Count `em in! Another ID mentions the 5 or 6 counties it really covers. Maybe KGWA is adding up all their ratings figures for 62 years, which include *duplications* of individuals?
Since DST started, it so happened that the Fox-hole had been filled by Fox ``news`` at local midnite, which is now 0500 UT instead of 0600. But tonight the Hole is back, and during the hummy KGWA open carrier, it`s the #1 filler that we hear, ABC News, no doubt from KMA in Iowa.
1390, March 14 at 0555 UT check, our other local, KCRC is vying with KGWA in the dead-air sweepstakes; I dare to turn up the volume and null the strong carrier as best I can for a few minutes, but can only hear traces of understations. Its dead-air schedule is nowhere as reliable as KGWA`s (Glenn Hauser, Enid, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** OKLAHOMA. 1020, March 13 at 0504 UT, KOKP Perry is off the air again, good news for KDKA et al., but no SS audible filling the gap. This could be related to the fact that KOKP is also off the air in the daytime, at 1430 UT check. What`s wrong? (Glenn Hauser, Enid, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** PERU. 5980.0, March 14 before 0100, totally blocked by CRI/Cuba 5990 splash, except for carrier detectable with BFO, but 5990 is off by 0100 allowing me to hear the same sounders as always from R. Chaski/Red Radio Integridad, and a bit of Spanish before chops off its own carrier at 0100:44*. Since the reset, so far the exact time has been quite variable rather than progressively 5 sex later from night to night (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** U S A [non]. 11965, March 13 at 1400, VOA Cambodian with mid-hour break featuring IADs, from Tinang, PHILIPPINES. This was uncovered when Firedrake went off 11970 (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** VATICAN [and non]. 13765, March 13 at 1833, found VR in English here with fair signal, since all the TV networks were reporting white smoke, so VR must have some Special Broadcast going. Their S.B. page for today shows it started at 1630 UT, the only English frequency on SW, for Africa, in keeping with VR`s abandonment of much of the world. Site presumably SMG as on an ordinary day from 1630 to 2115, in various Eurolangs with English restricted to 1730-1800; earlier in the day, 13765 is via Madagascar. YL anchor with British accent awaiting revelation. WEWN 15610 also covering this in English, but with American accent, separately. Finally at 1913 UT ``habemus papam``, etc., etc. (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
UNIDENTIFIED. 5010.0, March 13 at 0056, weak signal with YL talking, could be French. Expected a leapfrog from RHC 5040 over Rebelde 5025, but the French on 5040 seems like a different voice (I have only one receiver, the DX-398 on the porch, at hand). Maybe Madagascar? (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** BANGLADESH. 15505, March 13 at 1402, hum and Urdu from Bangladesh Betar, as often heard now, but can it ever become passé? (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** BOLIVIA. 4716.76 approx., March 14 at 0053, ballad vocal music from presumed Yura; 0104 announcements mentioning Bolivia, events or ads. Fair but best S American signal around here now. Occasional QRM from carrier on hi side, ute (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** BOLIVIA. 5952.44 approx., March 14 at 0057, Spanish from R. Pio Doce, Siglo Veinte [not ``Viente``], holding its own surprisingly well against the Cuban jamming on 5955 against not even a carrier from Radio República on 5954+ (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** BOLIVIA. 6135-, March 14 at 0109, tune in to ID in progress: ``6135 onda corta, 92.3 FM, transmite Radio Santa Cruz, desde Santa Cruz de la Sierra, Bolivia``, with music background, ``tan lejos . . . siempre tu compañera`` as befits this best signal by far out of CP-land (but no CP-calls any more; call-sign freak Bill Hepburn at
http://www.dxinfocentre.com/Call_Signs_SW.htm
shows CP32 and the same for MW 960) (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** BRAZIL. 4824.96 approx., March 14 at 0051, Portuguese sounds like preacher, could be Davi Miranda, poor signal with flutter, but no sign of a het on hi or lo side from Peruvians. Presumed R. Canção Nova, Cachoeira Paulista SP (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** CHINA. Firedrake March 13:
11500, good at 1355
11970, good at 1359, stops at 1400 and then a few words of Chinese from a Beijing station before cutoff
15565, fair at 1429-1430* vs V of Tibet, Tajikistan split but unheard
17535, good at 1433 vs V of Tibet, Madagascar, unheard
(Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** CUBA. 17580, March 13 at 1350 is the AWOL frequency from RHC today; still on 17730, 15340, 15230, et al. Next check 1432, 17580 is back on.
Another check of the noise/buzz producing transmitter, 11840, March 13 at 2120: no buzz at first and it`s still undermodulated, which is often a bad sign meaning some of the signal is squeezing out on spurious frequencies. Then the buzz starts spurting here and there, peaking plus/minus 35 kHz circa 11805 and 11875 --- the latter adjacent another RHC 11880 which has gone back to an earlier start: see below. At 2131 a noise burst around 11855.
At 2157, the buzz is worst at 11830 and 11840. After 2200 it seems the buzz is intermittently on and off, at various levels and at various peak frequencies. At 2320 buzzing 11790-11820 peaking at 11805, and also around 11865. May really be symmetrical, but affected by where other signals reside and how strong they relatively are.
Also at 2320 I notice something new: under-modulated spurs // stronger 11840 on exactly 11830 and 11850, as if intentional separate transmitters, but surely not; // 11680 so that transmitter is separate. By next check at 0110 UT March 14, 11840 is alone, no plus/minus 10 parasites and no buzz at the moment. BTW, in a previous item I misstated the morning frequency which is not surrounded by buzzing: it`s 11860, not 11840.
Meanwhile, I am checking other RHC frequencies to find what they are doing. Since March 10, 11880 has been starting at 2200 instead of 2100, but today it`s already on at 2120, in Portuguese! At 2134 it`s in French, i.e. swapped from previous pattern --- wait a minute, this is fraxured French = Kriyol! At 2157 a song in Spanish is playing but that could be within any other language service, cut off at 2158 to open carrier. 2200 few words unknown language, cut to dead air again. 2201, theme and opening (real) French, false start; try again at 2202, and now it keeps going, claiming temp in La Havane is already 30. At 2240, 11880 is back in Portuguese. After 2300, at 2320 it`s still in English at its new hour. So will 11880 keep on the additional 21-22 hour?
Some other language-frequency chex: 15340 in Spanish at 2134, 2240, off at 2320. 15230 in Spanish at 2320: used to be Portuguese 23-24. 15370 in French at 2240, Quechua at 2320 (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** MEXICO [and non]. 6010, March 14 at 0059, yay, R. Mil ID is (barely) atop the rumbling mess of QRM from Brasil, Colombia and Iran at least (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** OKLAHOMA [and non]. 960, March 13 at 0459 UT, a standard canned ID frequently played: ``since 1950, over 10 million people in Oklahoma have listened to KGWA, Enid``. How in the world do they come up with that, and how would they prove it? Considering the present population of OK is only 3.8+ million, the most ever, due to very slow growth, that`s quite a claim. Wikipedia shows census:
1950 2,233,351 -4.4%
1960 2,328,284 4.3%
1970 2,559,229 9.9%
1980 3,025,290 18.2%
1990 3,145,585 4.0%
2000 3,450,654 9.7%
2010 3,751,351 8.7%
Est. 2012 3,814,820 1.7%
Or course that would assume in any given year, roughly one of three Okies has listened to KGWA, but its 1 kW day & nite coverage area is nowhere near the whole state. It does get to OKC, where they could craftily include everyone who analog-tuned back and forth between WKY 930 and KTOK 1000, unavoidably hitting KGWA on the way! So they`ve `listened` to it for a split second. Count `em in! Another ID mentions the 5 or 6 counties it really covers. Maybe KGWA is adding up all their ratings figures for 62 years, which include *duplications* of individuals?
Since DST started, it so happened that the Fox-hole had been filled by Fox ``news`` at local midnite, which is now 0500 UT instead of 0600. But tonight the Hole is back, and during the hummy KGWA open carrier, it`s the #1 filler that we hear, ABC News, no doubt from KMA in Iowa.
1390, March 14 at 0555 UT check, our other local, KCRC is vying with KGWA in the dead-air sweepstakes; I dare to turn up the volume and null the strong carrier as best I can for a few minutes, but can only hear traces of understations. Its dead-air schedule is nowhere as reliable as KGWA`s (Glenn Hauser, Enid, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** OKLAHOMA. 1020, March 13 at 0504 UT, KOKP Perry is off the air again, good news for KDKA et al., but no SS audible filling the gap. This could be related to the fact that KOKP is also off the air in the daytime, at 1430 UT check. What`s wrong? (Glenn Hauser, Enid, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** PERU. 5980.0, March 14 before 0100, totally blocked by CRI/Cuba 5990 splash, except for carrier detectable with BFO, but 5990 is off by 0100 allowing me to hear the same sounders as always from R. Chaski/Red Radio Integridad, and a bit of Spanish before chops off its own carrier at 0100:44*. Since the reset, so far the exact time has been quite variable rather than progressively 5 sex later from night to night (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** U S A [non]. 11965, March 13 at 1400, VOA Cambodian with mid-hour break featuring IADs, from Tinang, PHILIPPINES. This was uncovered when Firedrake went off 11970 (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** VATICAN [and non]. 13765, March 13 at 1833, found VR in English here with fair signal, since all the TV networks were reporting white smoke, so VR must have some Special Broadcast going. Their S.B. page for today shows it started at 1630 UT, the only English frequency on SW, for Africa, in keeping with VR`s abandonment of much of the world. Site presumably SMG as on an ordinary day from 1630 to 2115, in various Eurolangs with English restricted to 1730-1800; earlier in the day, 13765 is via Madagascar. YL anchor with British accent awaiting revelation. WEWN 15610 also covering this in English, but with American accent, separately. Finally at 1913 UT ``habemus papam``, etc., etc. (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
UNIDENTIFIED. 5010.0, March 13 at 0056, weak signal with YL talking, could be French. Expected a leapfrog from RHC 5040 over Rebelde 5025, but the French on 5040 seems like a different voice (I have only one receiver, the DX-398 on the porch, at hand). Maybe Madagascar? (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
