** ALGERIA [non]. 7295, March 7 at 0618, RTA via TDF FRANCE has been reliable here the past sesquiweek since it gained an extra hour past 0600, but now I am hearing two different Qur`anish programs at once! Equal level, apparently program feed mixup at Issoudun, the latest of many foulups they have been exhibiting. At 0621 one of them pauses for a YL announcement; then I tape a sample at 0622:
http://www.w4uvh.net/rtatdfx2.rm
(Glenn Hauser, OK, WORLD OF RADIO 1659, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** CHINA. Firedrake March 7, all with flutter; before 1300:
11500, very good at 1258
Circa 1330:
12230, very good at 1330
12670, poor at 1330 (I jotted 13670, but think I meant 12670)
13530, very good at 1330
13920, poor at 1332
13970, fair at 1332
14700, very good at 1333
14750, very good at 1332;
16100, very good at 1335; none in the 15s, 17s, 18s
(Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** CLIPPERTON. Julián Santiago Díez de Bonilla answers my question about the name of this ex-Mexican island, site of TX5K ham DXpedition about to conclude:
``Glenn: "Clipperton" se encuentra en el Océano Pacífico a 10° 13´ latitud norte y 105° 26´longitud oeste. La isla -atolón- fué descubierta en 1526. Al establecerse en 1565 el circuito comercial entre Manila (Filipinas) y Acapulco (México) los marinos españoles que partían de la Nueva España (México) la tenían como punto de referencia nombrandola "Médanos" ó "Médano". El pirata inglés John Clipperton la avistó en 1705 por lo que en las cartas geográficas inglesas del Pacífico apareció como "Clipperton".
En 1711 dos buques mercantes franceses la rodean y estudian desde el mar llamándola "Isla de la Pasión". Desde entonces un buen número de cartas geográficas le dan este nombre. Otros autores dicen que fué precisamente el navegante Fernando de Magallanes quien la bautizó como "Isla de la Pasión" entre 1519 y 1521, y que el nombre de "Clipperton" es solo un alias.
Al ser un atolón tiene mucho azufre y sus derivados, así como grandes cantidades de guano. Saludos, Julián`` (Glenn Hauser, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** CUBA. 11760, March 6 at 2112, RHC with open carrier/dead air instead of French, while the other French broadcast is nominal on 11880.
6125, March 7 at 0627, unlike 24 hours earlier, this RHC English frequency is in synch with all the others, meaning no echo on 6205 mixing product with 6165 // 6270, 6060 and 5040, but 6010 is off again.
11760, March 7 at 2042, RHC English has two Americans discussing the Cuban 5, instead of RHC`s constant blather about this, and things are starting to make sense. 2047 outro as having been from the Home Ground program on Yellowstone Public Radio. The original is here in archive for Feb 26, with wma and mp3 audio linx, guest being Bill Norris, lawyer for one of them, about how they did not get a fair trial:
http://www.ypradio.org/programs/local/home_ground.html
(Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** DIEGO GARCIA. 12759-USB, March 7 at 0114, some broadcast with music is JBA, no doubt AFN. Hope this leads to another readable reception like I had once a few weeks ago (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** FRANCE [and non]. 9805, March 7 at 0616, good signal in African language. Aoki shows it`s RFI Hausa from Issoudun, i.e. what used to be on 7295 until Feb 24 that frequency-hour was turned over to relay ALGERIA [q.v.].
Also on 9805, I spot something new and strange in Aoki, but not audible colliding here: ``9805 KBS FM 1 HLKA 0500-0630 1234567 Korean 250 ND Kimjae KOR 12650E 3550N KBS b12 Feb. 27`` --- a new home service relay, not in WRTH 2013 page 463 or 255 where KBS FM One is described as ``mainly Korean traditional and western classical music``. This is the only entry for it in Aoki (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** GUIANA FRENCH. 9476 & 9524 approx., squeaky spurs from 9490, R. República via Montsinéry, but not the +/- 116 kHz ones, March 7 at 0112. RMI plans to move this broadcast to Issoudun, FRANCE in A-13, so I asked Jeff White,
``What`s the story with MSY? Are they closing because almost all the business is pulling out, or is all the business pulling out because they are closing anyway? Any idea what will happen to the facility?
I bet the jamming is a lot more effective vs Issoudun. 73, Glenn``
Jeff replied: ``Glenn: I don't know a lot about the reasons for the Montsinéry closing, but I understand it was a decision from TDF upper management. The last I heard, they had not decided what would be happening to the transmitters there. I imagine the antennas will be scrapped. Jeff``
He also confirms that Hamada Radio International is off the air but hopes to return; this service to Nigeria had been M-F at 0530-0600 via RMI via Nauen, Germany (Glenn Hauser, OK, WORLD OF RADIO 1659, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** INDIA. 5990, March 7 at 0101:15 as soon as Cuba turns off the overrun CRI relay carrier, I hear weak S Asian music, no doubt what`s left of the 250 kW which AIR aims 334 degrees from Delhi (Khampur) for its hour in Sindhi and which I don`t see reported under any other circumstances (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** KOREA SOUTH. 15575, March 7 at 1334, KBSWR in English to North America, presumably still aimed at southern S America, is again well audible as the path is emerging from winter darkness. Modulation is a bit muddy, not crisp. No sign of BBC English due east from Cyprus, also supposedly here (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** NEW ZEALAND. 11725, March 7 at 0613, no signal from RNZI nor on 13725-13735 in DRM. R. Australia is audible tho weaker than usual, on 11945 and 12080, and not 13630, so I conclude RNZI is off rather than not propagating its usually good signal on 11725. Nothing found on the website about maintenance downtime, which they sometimes post in advance (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** PERU [and non]. 5980, March 7 at 0053, the CNR1 jammer is still audible and atop something else, either VOA victim or R. Chaski; and at 0100 I make out three time pips before cut off, uncovering not much at all from Urubamba tonight, even after 0101:15* when CRI/CUBA 5990 splash goes off, after an unwanted minute of `The Beijing Hour` in unscheduled English.
With BFO, there is a JBA carrier on 5980, so I confidently take the time to tune around elsewhere before returning at 0107 to time the OA chopoff: 0107:48*. Every evening on the porch at this time, it`s getting lighter and lighter, of course, as twilight will soon become daylight and then sunlight, terminating this end of the path faster than the five-second-per night latening of the closedown (Glenn Hauser, OK, WORLD OF RADIO 1659, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
And 5980, UT March 8 at 0100, carrier under noise mainly from 5990 CRI Cuba again on a minute late. Then R. Chaski with usual format including music, 0102.5 muffled talk, 0104 sounder with the devotional spot, 0106 guitar music, and tonight`s cutoff timed at 0107:53* just as I expected, five seconds later than last night (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** SAUDI ARABIA. 17650, March 7 at 1600+, still no signal here from alleged Bambara language broadcast from BSKSA, apparently canceled some time ago, leaving the entire audience to VOA`s new service (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** U S A. Still nothing heard on the scheduled frequencies for the new VOA Radiogram service, effective March 1, so I asked Kim Elliott:
Hi Kim, So what is the target date for starting VOA Radiogram? So far I have not heard it, but will be checking at 1600 shortly. Glenn``
Kim replies March 5; Note this schedule corrects the original one about 1600 & 1930, not to mention limitation to weekends only.
``Glenn: Maybe this weekend [March 9-10] (soft launch), but more likely the next [March 16-17]. The program will air UT Sat and Sun:
0230-0300 5745
1300-1330 6095
1600-1630 17860
1930-2000 15670``
(Glenn Hauser, WORLD OF RADIO 1659, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** U S A. 2000-USB, March 7 at 0109 UT, WSY70 is still here on strange frequency, weaker than // 3485-USB, New York Radio with flight weather for Bangor, etc. (Glenn Hauser, OK, WORLD OF RADIO 1659, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** U S A. WORLD OF RADIO 1659 monitoring: ready in time for first airing on WTWW 9479, Thursday March 7 at 2200 --- but 9479 has been off the air due to transmitter problems George McClintock was telling me about, as checked absent at 2038, altho 12105 was now on in Arabic. I resume monitoring at 2145, and do hear an unmodulated carrier going on and off 9479 a few times at 2148, 2154, but not on for WOR.
George Thurman in Houston TX later inquired why WTWW was on its night frequency 5830 all day --- so I suppose WOR aired on that frequency instead, which I never thought to check until after 2230, and there it was, back to SFAW programming.
Next: UT Friday 0430v on WWRB 3195 (5050 still not on tonight at 0140)
UT Saturday 0230v on Area 51 via WBCQ 5110v-CUSB
Saturday 0630 & 1430 on HLR 7265-CUSB
Saturday 1600 on WRMI 9955
Saturday 1830 on WRN via SiriusXM 120
UT Sunday 0500 on WTWW 5830
Full schedule including many more webcasts:
http://www.worldofradio.com/radioskd.html
(Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** ZIMBABWE [non]. 12105, March 7 at 1559, weak open carrier, starting broadcast just before 1600, mostly drumming for the first minute, presumably Radio Dialogue, clandestine hour via MADAGASCAR; and tnx to the absence of WTWW from 12105, whose schedule is sporadic, even more so due to transmitter problems.
It might have been interesting to listen to this with decent reception, as R. Dialogue was raided on March 1. Here`s one report about it via Alokesh Gupta:
http://alokeshgupta.blogspot.com/2013/03/radio-dialogue-raided.html
(Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
UNIDENTIFIED. 3250, March 7 at 0631-0639+, carrier centered here with constant tone, plus a wide variety of tone sweeps up and down, on and off, spreading out to 3240-3255 or so, apparently multiple carriers which also heterodyne each other. Recheck at 0649 it`s all gone. I had just heard that HAARP had been testing again from Alaska, so this came to mind as a possible source, like something heard months ago below 3 MHz. Can someone identify it? Sample:
http://www.w4uvh.net/3250tones.rm
(Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
UNIDENTIFIED. 6950, March 7 at 0105, weak AM signal with music is fading in and out, presumed pirate rather than 5 x my local ESPN 1390 KCRC, which has been known to audiblize itself here as a spoiler (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
http://www.w4uvh.net/rtatdfx2.rm
(Glenn Hauser, OK, WORLD OF RADIO 1659, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** CHINA. Firedrake March 7, all with flutter; before 1300:
11500, very good at 1258
Circa 1330:
12230, very good at 1330
12670, poor at 1330 (I jotted 13670, but think I meant 12670)
13530, very good at 1330
13920, poor at 1332
13970, fair at 1332
14700, very good at 1333
14750, very good at 1332;
16100, very good at 1335; none in the 15s, 17s, 18s
(Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** CLIPPERTON. Julián Santiago Díez de Bonilla answers my question about the name of this ex-Mexican island, site of TX5K ham DXpedition about to conclude:
``Glenn: "Clipperton" se encuentra en el Océano Pacífico a 10° 13´ latitud norte y 105° 26´longitud oeste. La isla -atolón- fué descubierta en 1526. Al establecerse en 1565 el circuito comercial entre Manila (Filipinas) y Acapulco (México) los marinos españoles que partían de la Nueva España (México) la tenían como punto de referencia nombrandola "Médanos" ó "Médano". El pirata inglés John Clipperton la avistó en 1705 por lo que en las cartas geográficas inglesas del Pacífico apareció como "Clipperton".
En 1711 dos buques mercantes franceses la rodean y estudian desde el mar llamándola "Isla de la Pasión". Desde entonces un buen número de cartas geográficas le dan este nombre. Otros autores dicen que fué precisamente el navegante Fernando de Magallanes quien la bautizó como "Isla de la Pasión" entre 1519 y 1521, y que el nombre de "Clipperton" es solo un alias.
Al ser un atolón tiene mucho azufre y sus derivados, así como grandes cantidades de guano. Saludos, Julián`` (Glenn Hauser, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** CUBA. 11760, March 6 at 2112, RHC with open carrier/dead air instead of French, while the other French broadcast is nominal on 11880.
6125, March 7 at 0627, unlike 24 hours earlier, this RHC English frequency is in synch with all the others, meaning no echo on 6205 mixing product with 6165 // 6270, 6060 and 5040, but 6010 is off again.
11760, March 7 at 2042, RHC English has two Americans discussing the Cuban 5, instead of RHC`s constant blather about this, and things are starting to make sense. 2047 outro as having been from the Home Ground program on Yellowstone Public Radio. The original is here in archive for Feb 26, with wma and mp3 audio linx, guest being Bill Norris, lawyer for one of them, about how they did not get a fair trial:
http://www.ypradio.org/programs/local/home_ground.html
(Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** DIEGO GARCIA. 12759-USB, March 7 at 0114, some broadcast with music is JBA, no doubt AFN. Hope this leads to another readable reception like I had once a few weeks ago (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** FRANCE [and non]. 9805, March 7 at 0616, good signal in African language. Aoki shows it`s RFI Hausa from Issoudun, i.e. what used to be on 7295 until Feb 24 that frequency-hour was turned over to relay ALGERIA [q.v.].
Also on 9805, I spot something new and strange in Aoki, but not audible colliding here: ``9805 KBS FM 1 HLKA 0500-0630 1234567 Korean 250 ND Kimjae KOR 12650E 3550N KBS b12 Feb. 27`` --- a new home service relay, not in WRTH 2013 page 463 or 255 where KBS FM One is described as ``mainly Korean traditional and western classical music``. This is the only entry for it in Aoki (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** GUIANA FRENCH. 9476 & 9524 approx., squeaky spurs from 9490, R. República via Montsinéry, but not the +/- 116 kHz ones, March 7 at 0112. RMI plans to move this broadcast to Issoudun, FRANCE in A-13, so I asked Jeff White,
``What`s the story with MSY? Are they closing because almost all the business is pulling out, or is all the business pulling out because they are closing anyway? Any idea what will happen to the facility?
I bet the jamming is a lot more effective vs Issoudun. 73, Glenn``
Jeff replied: ``Glenn: I don't know a lot about the reasons for the Montsinéry closing, but I understand it was a decision from TDF upper management. The last I heard, they had not decided what would be happening to the transmitters there. I imagine the antennas will be scrapped. Jeff``
He also confirms that Hamada Radio International is off the air but hopes to return; this service to Nigeria had been M-F at 0530-0600 via RMI via Nauen, Germany (Glenn Hauser, OK, WORLD OF RADIO 1659, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** INDIA. 5990, March 7 at 0101:15 as soon as Cuba turns off the overrun CRI relay carrier, I hear weak S Asian music, no doubt what`s left of the 250 kW which AIR aims 334 degrees from Delhi (Khampur) for its hour in Sindhi and which I don`t see reported under any other circumstances (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** KOREA SOUTH. 15575, March 7 at 1334, KBSWR in English to North America, presumably still aimed at southern S America, is again well audible as the path is emerging from winter darkness. Modulation is a bit muddy, not crisp. No sign of BBC English due east from Cyprus, also supposedly here (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** NEW ZEALAND. 11725, March 7 at 0613, no signal from RNZI nor on 13725-13735 in DRM. R. Australia is audible tho weaker than usual, on 11945 and 12080, and not 13630, so I conclude RNZI is off rather than not propagating its usually good signal on 11725. Nothing found on the website about maintenance downtime, which they sometimes post in advance (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** PERU [and non]. 5980, March 7 at 0053, the CNR1 jammer is still audible and atop something else, either VOA victim or R. Chaski; and at 0100 I make out three time pips before cut off, uncovering not much at all from Urubamba tonight, even after 0101:15* when CRI/CUBA 5990 splash goes off, after an unwanted minute of `The Beijing Hour` in unscheduled English.
With BFO, there is a JBA carrier on 5980, so I confidently take the time to tune around elsewhere before returning at 0107 to time the OA chopoff: 0107:48*. Every evening on the porch at this time, it`s getting lighter and lighter, of course, as twilight will soon become daylight and then sunlight, terminating this end of the path faster than the five-second-per night latening of the closedown (Glenn Hauser, OK, WORLD OF RADIO 1659, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
And 5980, UT March 8 at 0100, carrier under noise mainly from 5990 CRI Cuba again on a minute late. Then R. Chaski with usual format including music, 0102.5 muffled talk, 0104 sounder with the devotional spot, 0106 guitar music, and tonight`s cutoff timed at 0107:53* just as I expected, five seconds later than last night (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** SAUDI ARABIA. 17650, March 7 at 1600+, still no signal here from alleged Bambara language broadcast from BSKSA, apparently canceled some time ago, leaving the entire audience to VOA`s new service (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** U S A. Still nothing heard on the scheduled frequencies for the new VOA Radiogram service, effective March 1, so I asked Kim Elliott:
Hi Kim, So what is the target date for starting VOA Radiogram? So far I have not heard it, but will be checking at 1600 shortly. Glenn``
Kim replies March 5; Note this schedule corrects the original one about 1600 & 1930, not to mention limitation to weekends only.
``Glenn: Maybe this weekend [March 9-10] (soft launch), but more likely the next [March 16-17]. The program will air UT Sat and Sun:
0230-0300 5745
1300-1330 6095
1600-1630 17860
1930-2000 15670``
(Glenn Hauser, WORLD OF RADIO 1659, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** U S A. 2000-USB, March 7 at 0109 UT, WSY70 is still here on strange frequency, weaker than // 3485-USB, New York Radio with flight weather for Bangor, etc. (Glenn Hauser, OK, WORLD OF RADIO 1659, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** U S A. WORLD OF RADIO 1659 monitoring: ready in time for first airing on WTWW 9479, Thursday March 7 at 2200 --- but 9479 has been off the air due to transmitter problems George McClintock was telling me about, as checked absent at 2038, altho 12105 was now on in Arabic. I resume monitoring at 2145, and do hear an unmodulated carrier going on and off 9479 a few times at 2148, 2154, but not on for WOR.
George Thurman in Houston TX later inquired why WTWW was on its night frequency 5830 all day --- so I suppose WOR aired on that frequency instead, which I never thought to check until after 2230, and there it was, back to SFAW programming.
Next: UT Friday 0430v on WWRB 3195 (5050 still not on tonight at 0140)
UT Saturday 0230v on Area 51 via WBCQ 5110v-CUSB
Saturday 0630 & 1430 on HLR 7265-CUSB
Saturday 1600 on WRMI 9955
Saturday 1830 on WRN via SiriusXM 120
UT Sunday 0500 on WTWW 5830
Full schedule including many more webcasts:
http://www.worldofradio.com/radioskd.html
(Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** ZIMBABWE [non]. 12105, March 7 at 1559, weak open carrier, starting broadcast just before 1600, mostly drumming for the first minute, presumably Radio Dialogue, clandestine hour via MADAGASCAR; and tnx to the absence of WTWW from 12105, whose schedule is sporadic, even more so due to transmitter problems.
It might have been interesting to listen to this with decent reception, as R. Dialogue was raided on March 1. Here`s one report about it via Alokesh Gupta:
http://alokeshgupta.blogspot.com/2013/03/radio-dialogue-raided.html
(Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
UNIDENTIFIED. 3250, March 7 at 0631-0639+, carrier centered here with constant tone, plus a wide variety of tone sweeps up and down, on and off, spreading out to 3240-3255 or so, apparently multiple carriers which also heterodyne each other. Recheck at 0649 it`s all gone. I had just heard that HAARP had been testing again from Alaska, so this came to mind as a possible source, like something heard months ago below 3 MHz. Can someone identify it? Sample:
http://www.w4uvh.net/3250tones.rm
(Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
UNIDENTIFIED. 6950, March 7 at 0105, weak AM signal with music is fading in and out, presumed pirate rather than 5 x my local ESPN 1390 KCRC, which has been known to audiblize itself here as a spoiler (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
