giovedì 2 maggio 2013

Glenn Hauser logs May 2, 2013

** ALGERIA [non]. 7295, May 2 from 0450 put RTA via FRANCE on for background music, but 0459 it`s changed to tone test, 0500 drumming and military band, presumed national anthem (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** BANGLADESH. 15505, May 2 at *1358:48 BB carrier on, 1359:09 adding interval signal, some hum, and bumping sounds; timesignal ends at 1359:46.5, opening Urdu, poor (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** CHINA [and non]. Firedrake/CNR1 jamming search May 2, after 1333: nothing certain found 11-18 MHz; east Asian propagation is quite poor, except:

13795, JBA carrier at 1341, could be the real Firedrake, or Kuwait
15610, hummy carrier at 1337 over presumed WEWN, or maybe WEWN itself dysfunxional; and a het on low side 15607 = V. of Tibet, Tajikistan (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** COLOMBIA. 6010+, May 2 at 0449, praise music in Spanish, no doubt La Voz de tu Conciencia, in the clear now with no XEOI, but about to get blocked by RHC English after 0500. See also JAPAN [non] (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** CUBA. 6165, May 2 at 0406, RHC English has CCI in Spanish --- it`s also RHC! // 5040. Listening closely on 6165, it`s not a double audio feed into one transmitter, but a second transmitter underneath producing a slight SAH and individual fading.

Leave it to the incompetent RadioCuba to come up with yet another anomaly! 6060 Spanish is missing, which is supposed to be on until 0500, so it may be that transmitter on the wrong frequency. (6100 is off too but is supposed to stop at 0400.) Still English over Spanish on 6165 at 0447 check; however, by 0533, 6165 is again alone in English. Otherwise:

6000, May 2 at 0448, RHC English during midweek mailbag quoting someone who was listening to this very frequency on his DX-32; here, but not on the others, RHC audio is distorted and crackling.

9965, May 2 at 1309, pulse jamming against R. Australia in Chinese via Palau, about same level as against 9955 WRMI. But at 1310 the 9965 jamming stops. The hyper-sensitive Jamming Command just can`t forget that Radio República was on 9965 years ago: jam first, ask questions later, if ever (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** JAPAN [non]. 5910, May 2 at 0409, R. Japón news in Spanish, 290 degrees via Issoudun, FRANCE, with low audible heterodyne and QRM from HJDH COLOMBIA. NHK paid no attention to the presence of Alcaraván Radio when it decided to use 5910 not only for this but for two preceding hours in Japanese, wiping out primetime reception of HJDH no doubt even in Colombia, 500 vs 1 kW, really an even greater disparity considering the huge antenna gain at Issoudun. Meanwhile, antiquated station licensing laws in Latin America do not allow for frequency flexibility in the real world of ISWBC, nor does the government make any effort to protect its own stations at HFCC (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** MEXICO. 660, May 2 at 0455 UT, choral multiverse NA is playing, looping SSW, ends at 0457 and nothing further heard from this one, presumed XEFZ Monterrey, while another one with Mexican music further west fades in, presumed XEACB Delicias, Chihuahua (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** MEXICO. 700, May 2 at 0517 UT, YL in Spanish vs WLW but not in its null, so approximately opposite direxion: that points to XEGD, La Poderosa in Hidalgo del Parral, Chihuahua, 5/1 kW per Cantú, assuming XEETCH in Sonora is really a daytimer. I had just been nulling WLW and hearing a different station playing music in English, probably previously heard XEDKR, Radio Red AM in Guadalajara, but there`s also now-Spanish KHSE in The Metroplex TX (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** MEXICO. 730, May 2 at 0519 UT, Spanish talking over and over about pelotas, presumably sports format XEX México DF as the DF fits; thought it might be a late béisbol game from further west, but then at 0521 talking about Barcelona. Tho they`re mad about soccer there, unlikely to be a live game this early in the morning.

With XEX nulled, another SS about ``Las reinas de Radiorama`` and ``Ke Buena`` ID, i.e. XEHB in Hidalgo del Parral, Chihuahua. XEX is allegedly 100 kW at night, and XEHB only 1, but their 50 kW day transmitter may be getting some extra usage.

On the Ke Buena slogan, be aware that there is another one on 730, per Cantú, XEEBC in Ensenada BCN, 1/0.25 kW. Its FM is 97.9 while XEHB`s is 107.1 (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** MEXICO. 990, May 2 at 0506 UT after NA and full XET ID, produced opening of `La Ruta Musical de la T`, address Apartado 203, Monterrey NL, then to live host welcoming 990 and internet listeners everywhere, referring to yesterday being workers` May Day, but no mention this time of his program number in the 18-thousands. His speech is quite slurred, not your usual glib radio announcer, but hey, he`s just turned 98 on April 15! Again could not copy his name. I wonder if he now has a home studio or goes to work at XET every night for 50+ years?

The Multimedios website is no help for anything but streaming linx to its multitude of stations,
http://www.mmradio.com/estaciones/ciudad
but searching on the program title found this lengthy article about
Don Chabelo Jiménez, former beisbolista whose mother lived to 107:
http://www.larocka.mx/sexion-dos/suciedad-dos/1684-chabelo-jimenez-el-cronista-de-todos-los-tiempos.html
(Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** NEW ZEALAND. 15720, May 2 before 0500, RNZI was fairly audible as usual, but at 0536 I notice a big hole at 11725 where RNZI is supposed to be now; then recheck 15720, nothing there either at 0538, but tuning back across at 0539 it has just cut on this wrong frequency! But at 0541, 15720 cuts off, so I go back to 11725 to wait for it there. 0542 false start for a split second and back off; finally *0542:35 comes on to stay. All this during `Checkpoint` news magazine, whose would-be listeners must have been extremely frustrated. Nor was there any noise on 11675, supposed to be the DRM channel after 0459.

BTW, during this period I was getting nothing from Radio Australia on 13 or 15 MHz; could Shepparton have been all off, or no propagation from beyond Rangitaiki?

9700, May 2 at 1223, RNZI is VG on new frequency, interviewing Amanda Knox, author and non-murderess? 1248 discussion of racism as cause of troubles in Fiji, military government oppression.

9700 replaced 9655 yesterday during the 11-13 transmission, both supposedly on the 325 antenna toward Timor, but this is so much better than 9655 had ever been, that I`m sure it`s really on the 35-degree antenna today, much better for us, to be lost into summer noise not long after 1300 on 6170 (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** OKLAHOMA. 1430, May 2 at 0559 UT, ``University of Nazareth, Jesus H. Christ`` --- ha ha, it must be one of those rare stations with a comedy format? No, soon follows ``1430 The Buzz``, i.e. only KTBZ Tulsa, sports format, which doesn`t provide much of a signal here, day or night, which is fortunate if it`s still buzzing with IBOC (Glenn Hauser, Enid, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** PERU. 5980, May 2 at 0052, R. Chaski is poorly audible in Spanish vs the noise level; by 0101.5 I am again hearing some Spanish after music; 0104 music and announcement including a number of numbers, cut off at 0104:58*, 5 seconds later than last night. We must remember that if an ID ever be heard around this time, it will likely be for Red Radio Integridad, which R. Chaski is reportedly relaying before cutoff (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** SARAWAK [non]. 17840, the new R. Free Sarawak frequency heard the last few days, is missing! May 2 at 1227 and later in the hour, nothing there, but soon found its replacement, which is even better:

15500 at 1228, very good signal rivaled on 19m only by HCJB 15340 & 15400. A long conversation in presumed Iban, mostly talk by a guy on the phone, sometimes with kid noises in background.

What about the other frequencies? 15430, something very poor at 1230, seems to be same but not in synch; nothing on 15460 yet, but 1241 now something with CCI, and a little better at 1251 sounding like same programming but not synch with 15500 either. Both far too weak.

Meanwhile, I was listening closely to 15500 most of the time, and never heard a ``Radio Free Sarawak`` mention, but this was obviously it. 1230 a brief transmitter break, right back on. 1238 a few seconds of guitar music, back to phone conversation. Tried to pick out a few words, such as ``kingpin``; ``kitai`` several times, like China in Russian? Probably not, altho also thought I heard a ``Chung kuo`` = China in Chinese. 1255 mentioned Fidel Castro? All this possibly misunderstood. Unlike 17840 cutting off at 1258, 15500 stayed on until 1259:55* and the final word was allowed to be completed.

Now, where is 15500 coming from? Hardly any fading, and very strong signal eliminate a hi-latitude path. Could have been from Australia like HCJB, but no spare transmitters there (hmmm, Shepparton does have a standby not otherwise scheduled).

But I bet it`s Madagascar, which can also put in very good signals here trans-equatorially far off from the target areas. Compared to other 19mb signals: 15450 Turkey English audible put poor; 15040 AIR Burmese is rather good despite being transpolar; east Asian signals are quite poor; 15775 VOA Korean from Philippines is only fair tho often quite good here aimed 21 degrees also USward. I also check a known Madagascar channel at next opportunity, 15525 at 1400 with V of Tibet, but it`s only poor today unlike some much better days.

DX Re Mix News, Bulgaria, is again behind, just issuing today an update for RFS with 15430, 15460 and the now deleted 17840 as:
``1100-1300 on 17840 TRM 125 kW / 105 deg to SEAs Iban till May 5``
So they think the site is/was Trincomalee, SRI LANKA. If so, on 15500, we must have had a pipeline from it today. Or maybe 17840 was really still on but not propagating here, and 15500 a fourth frequency/site? As usual,
http://radiofreesarawak.org/ pretends to be only on 15430.

Let`s not forget the other Sarawak clandestine, Radio Free Kenyalang, which AFAIK is still on 15400 at 09-10 via PALAU, too early for us. I understand that with a different political outlook, it is not being jammed, unlike RFS, which accounts for the additional frequencies and abrupt changes in the final days before the May 5 elexion climax; altho no trace of any QRM on 15500 here, maybe as yet undiscovered by the government on this, its first day in use (and surely nothing to do with the Saudi test on 15500 April 28.) Say, what about Sabah? (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** SARAWAK [non]. 9835, May 2 at 1316, Sarawak FM, as relayed back to Borneo from the Peninsula, numerous mentions of FM, perhaps frequency list, then ads and music, fair signal. Meanwhile the other relay on 11665, Wai FM, is still heavily QRMed by Radio Australia in Chinese.

Note: this demonstrates two different usages of [non]: in this case, not a clandestine, but in the geographical transmitter location sense, altho really it`s all within Malaysia, West to East; in the RFS sense, definitely clandestine targeting Sarawak, surely from anywhere else (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** SERBIA [non]. 9685, UT Thursday May 2 at 0058, bigsig IRS is talking in Serbian, while usually at this hour they are playing IS after English semihour; recheck 0105 still on with electronish music while Serbian is really scheduled until 0130 Tue-Sat. Their timings do slip (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** U S A. WORLD OF RADIO 1667 monitoring: first airing confirmed on WRMI webcast starting about 2 minutes late at 0332 UT Thursday May 2; usually the broadcast on 9955 is inaudible due to Cuban jamming, but checked anyway at 0358, is quite readable vs some remaining pulse jamming. Unfortunately, just as I get to the propagation outlook in the final semiminute, cut off to play a promo for `Maravillosas Palabras de Vida`, and 0400 Brother Scare. If WOR had not started late after some music fill, or the MPV promo were skipped, it could have been aired complete. Better luck on repeats? Saturday 1500, Tuesday 1100. Yes: Jeff promptly replies that he`s taken care of it.

Otherwise, on WTWW: Thursday 2100 on 9479; Saturday & Sunday 2330v on 9930; UT Sunday 0400 on 5830. On WWRB: UT Friday 0328v on 3195 (and/or we hope, 5050); on Area 51 via WBCQ 5110v-CUSB: UT Saturday 0130v (but last week postponed to UT Sunday 0200); on HLR 7265v-CUSB: Sat & Wed 0630 & 1430 (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** U S A. 5085, May 2 at 0057, WTWW-2 is on again tonight, with a Ted Randall `QSO` show playback, subject at the moment being Echolink (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** U S A. 690, May 2 at 0458 UT, KGGF Coffeyville KS` outro to Jim Bohannon show, but cut to its sign-off announcement, 0458:50 taps start for a minute+, then open carrier/dead air facilitating audibility of KTSM El Paso (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** U S A. 1570, May 2 at 0603 UT, promo for a demonstration at the Missouri State Capitol on the National Day of Prayer (what, only one?). This nails it as KBCV Hollister (Springfield), Bott station with gospel-huxter format, 3 kW at night; XERF was in a fade but soon came back up to dominate, altho somewhat nullable for this. Bott station list
http://www.bottradionetwork.com/stations/all/ puts this instead in Branson, and they also own the other Missouri 1570, in Lexington.

BTW, I later ran across Bott`s OKC station, KQCV 800 railing against homosexuality. This is sounding more and more like hate-speech, one day to be prosecutable? (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)