sabato 22 giugno 2013

Glenn Hauser logs June 21-22, 2013

** ANTARCTICA [non]. 9890, June 21 at 2132, JBA carrier from the annual BBCWS mid-winter special to the British Antarctic Survey. This was Woofferton site aimed south of course; 7350 via Ascension not heard. Propagation is certainly pitiful, partly because it`s mid-summer here. It was also a bust for us last year. Little else from Europe audible on 31m this time, maybe a bit of Spain on 9620, while single-hop nearby US signals from Tennessee are inbooming on 9980, 9930, 9479, 9350, but further ones are poor on 9330, 9265, 9565+jamming (and 9370 is off).

Having dutifully tried to hear it on SW, we may now listen without shame to the special via
http://www.antarctica.ac.uk/about_bas/news/news_story.php?id=2213
or less indirectly viahttp://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p01bcdj7/features/p01bcdj7
Oh yeah? There is supposed to be audio via that page, but the only linx there now are for listening live to what`s on BBCWS; will they get around to putting it up later?

The 2012 audio is here, and even autolaunches:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/programmes/2012/06/120620_antarctic_midwinter_broadcast_2012.shtml
plus linx to two (or more?) previous years. So can we get to 2013 by changing the three 12s to 13s above? Of course not! Nor by changing 20 to 21. If anyone later finds a valid link for this year`s special, please so inform (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** CHINA. Firedrake June 22:
13795, JBA at 1357
Hastening to scan 12-18 MHz before 1400 and finding NO CNR1 jammers audible, no doubt poor propagation rather than absence (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** CUBA. 15340, June 22 at 1312, RHC has a hard time staying on the air: carrier drops out, momentarily uncovering HCJB Australia; then modulation drops but carrier stays; when back, I can still hear HCJB underneath and making a SAH. Meanwhile 16m is almost dead with no signal from RHC 17580 or 17730, even if on (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** KOREA SOUTH. 15575, Saturday June 22 at 1351:37-1354:50, Kevin O`Donovan in NM gets 3:13 for his Listening Tips on KBS World Radio`s `Listeners` Lounge`, consisting of WYFR closing down, so what will become of RTI relays? Some DW SW changes as of June 12; SWPC propagation until July 13, verbal not numerical; and he will be ``back in a few weeks``, so on to Christer and the other guy in the meanweeks (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** MICRONESIA. 4755.4v, June 22 at 1158 tuned in just in time with BFO to clock PMA The Cross automatically cutting off its JBA carrier at 1158:55* (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** PERU. 5980, June 22 at 0055, R. Chaski is very poor but talk and music modulation detectable, until 0103:16* cutoff, which is five seconds later than yesterday. The Urubamban tantalizes us with more and more of it every day! Until it reaches circa 5-after the hour for a reset. At least they/we have proven that the signal holds up past the longest day of the year for us, shortest for them. Altho the absolute latest sunset around 0153 UT will not occur here for another biweek, but it`s only a matter of seconds within the minute. QRM from CRI 5990 via slipshod CUBA continued unusually late past 0102 after switch from Spanish to English (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** ROMANIA. 15300, June 21 at 2136, poor-fair signal in Spanish. At first I had visions of RFI, resuming this language on a well-known frequency. But Aoki dashes that, showing this hour only, 15300 is RRI, while RFI is finished with 15300 (in French) by 2000 (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** U S A. WORLD OF RADIO 1674 monitoring: confirmed on Area 51 via WBCQ 5110v-CUSB starting at 0135 UT Saturday June 22. Next: Sat 1730 on WRN via WRMI 9955; 1674 or 1673 could appear anytime 18-21 UT on WTWW-2 9930; definitely 1674 at 2329v Saturday & Sunday on 9930; and on WTWW-1 5830 UT Sunday 0400.5 (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** U S A. 12105, Friday June 21 at 2135 check, WTWW-3 Bible Worldwide is in French. Saturday June 22 at 1356 in Russian, with considerable CODAR QRM (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** U S A. 15550-USB, had not noticed scratchy carrier-less signal from WJHR lately in daytime tunearounds, so deliberately search for it June 22: at 1400 still nothing, but at 1410 JBA on USB, despite neighbor 15610 WEWN with good Es-enhanced AM signal, as well as 15825 WWCR (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** U S A. 1220, June 22 at 1207 UT giving silly ballgame times for upcoming coverage, mentions Wichita and then KOFO in passing, i.e. the 250-watt Ottawa, Kansan, as there`s still some skywave on the top half of the MF band 53 minutes after Enid Sunrise (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** U S A. 1440, June 22 at 1212 UT, home improvement advice from kenthecontractor.com but with 3 Hz SAH from a mostly stronger open carrier. I think Ken must be on KMAJ Topeka, and the OC from KTNO Dallas, which is failing to modulate its 50 kW. Yes, his affiliate list
http://kenthecontractor.com/affiliates/
shows KMAJ, the only one on 1440 and the only one close enough for us to hear --- at least if its direxional pattern is out of whack as I also heard it a few days ago. Unfortunately, FCC AM Query for facility 42014 can`t find the Electric Field Strength pattern plot, but it does have the Pattern Data, showing nulls are at (as computed by 5-degree intervals) 80, 145, 170, 235, and 355 degrees --- the deepest being 80 and the closest one to Enidward being 235. According tohttp://www.convertalot.com/great_circle_distance_calculator.html
the true bearing of Enid from Topeka is 214 degrees. The FCC Pattern Data shows at 215 degrees KMAJ has a hefty signal, almost 8 times as much as at the 235 null, so maybe not so unusual after all, and really in whack (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** U S A. 1600, June 22 at 1216 UT I pause here for some nice piano music, presumably KRVA, confirmed at 1221 by ID in English, ``1600-AM, KRVA`` [The Metroplex TX] and into choral music, presumably South Vietnam ex-national anthem, but an odd time; perhaps piano was a prélude to morning programming if not axual sign-on (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)