** AUSTRALIA. 15490, August 12 at 1250, HCJB Kununurra inbooming with gospel huxter yelling in unknown language about ``Yesucristu``. Once in a while, QRM from distorted English, suspected their program feed problem from Melbourne. I`ll take the other service on 15340 instead, with some S Asian singing by a hyper-soprano. Aoki shows 15340 in Bengali on Mondays at 1245-1300, and 15490 in Rawang daily at 1230-1300 (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** BANGLADESH. 15505, August 12 at 1356, BB carrier is on with big hum, 1358:27 IS starts and the hum is reduced; timesignal ends at 1400:01.5, opening Urdu; transmitter hiccups off briefly at 1401:09 (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** CHINA. 6180, 6175, 6135, 6125, 6110, August 12 at 1203, an oversupply of CNR1, mainly due to the jamming imperative, 1205 featuring kidvoices. The adjacents seemed unusual: Aoki shows 6175 is a non-jammer, while 6180 blox Taiwan (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** CHINA. 11980, August 12 at 1213, interview about the limitations on how tall buildings can go, mainly managing elevators. Sometimes it`s hard to tell BBC from CRI, but this is the latter since it`s // 9760, while BBC is on 11750//9740. 11980 is southward from Kunming (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** CHINA. Firedrake music jamming, August 12 before 1400:
13795, very poor at 1345, mixing with CNR1 and/or target
The rest are CNR1, without Firedrake:
15550, very poor at 1344 with het on lo side
15570, fair at 1344
None in the 18s, 17s, 16s, 14s, 13s, 12s, just the usual in-banders on 11 and 15 MHz (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** CONGO DR [non]. 11690, August 12 at 0434, finally got around to confirming that Radio Okapi has *not* returned, despite hopeful (or contingent) BaBcoCk registration in HFCC for this hour via South Africa effective 1 August (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** CUBA. 11880, Sunday August 11 at 2159, surprised to hear RHC in Esperanto, wrapping broadcast and running past 2200; finally 2202.5 IS and opening French. Neglected to check whether Esperanto appeared again at the properly scheduled time and frequency of 2230 on 15370. Maybe additional airing at 2130, or running on program feed line and turned on 11880 a bit early; it has appeared before at other unscheduled Sunday afternoon times (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTTENING DIGEST)
** GREECE. 9420, Aug 12 at 0520, rump ERT is still on the air, good signal with W&M in Greek. Alan Roe found this as of August 10:
Coordinated effort to silence ERT – They are shutting down the transmitters
<http://www.ertopen.com/news-in-4-languges/english/item/2894-coordinated-effort-to-silence-ert-%E2%80%93-they-are-shutting-down-the-transmitters#.Uge_w23t6sE>
No mention of shortwave in this article, presumably the lowest priority from a domestic standpoint (Glenn Hauser, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** GUAM. 15225, August 12 at 1342, language pronounces www.twr in English, mixed with S Asian music, poor-fair. Aoki shows KTWR, 100 kW, 290 degrees at 1315-1345 in Assamese, except Saturdays in Manipuri (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** PERU. 5980, August 12 at 0100-0101:09.5*, R. Chaski carrier tracked until cutoff, despite splash from CRI/Cuba 5990 overrun with futile English 0100 past 0101 (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** ROMANIA. 17745, Sunday August 11 at 2117, Spanish announcement, rock song in uncertain language, good signal at peaks from deep fades, 2121 RRI ID, opening `Club de Oyentes` with Victoria Sepciu (who seems to have quite a fan base in Ibero-America); answers listeners mail until ``hasta la próxima`` at 2125, but she`s just finishing one response, not the whole program.
// 15300 is better where I switch at 2136; she gives her personal yahoo.es address, until 2137. Then at 2138 she`s back with DX program, first news about RTI renovating its transmitter sites, something we have already read about in English; then more mailbag (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** SARAWAK [non]. 15420-, August 12 at 1128 checking for Radio Free Sarawak which is reactivating via TAIWAN today, but no signal, nor at 1155 as the 19m band is almost dead. Keep checking and by 1219 there is a JBA carrier, 1223 talk audible, fading in better at 1224, sounds like Iban language we heard in previous incarnation, resembling Malay, with occasional word-matches such as ``orang``. Carrier is slightly on lo side compared to 9420, 1420 signals. It`s a phone interview; studio side mentions ``demokrasi``. Glad I could hear it just before scheduled sign-off 1230 --- but wait, it keeps on going! 1233.4 a bit of music and YL ID as Radio Free Sarawak, and seeming contact, sponsor info. Gradually improving so really running until 1300*, the old schedule? 1238 more music and announcement, 1239 more phone interview. It`s still very poor, compared to e.g. 15450 Turkey, and much stronger 15490 HCJB-Australia. 1254, 15420 still in and talking about orang.
But wait, it`s still going past 1300! 1303.6 another music bit, more talk, 1310 when I break my fast. Next check 1341, now it`s off so maybe lasted until 1330.
Later I read reports from others: Wolfgang Büschel says that religious music was playing (by mistake?) during first half-hour from 1100 on 15420.017. So maybe RFS got extended on this one occasion in compensation? Ivo Ivanov timed RFS programming from 1150 to 1321. Ron Howard was hearing same thing from 1106 past 1307, and points out the website has been updated, with new audio available, viz.:
``Radio Free Sarawak, Winner Of the International Press Institute's Free Media Pioneer Award 2013
7pm-8.30pm Local 1100-12.30 UTC, SW 15420 kHz, Tel 082-237191
Radio Free Sarawak, responding to popular demand, is back on air today to keep folk abreast of vital developments since GE13, where Sarawak's rural seats again kept BN in power, despite the landslide against the government in West Malaysia.
We look at the Baram election petition – how was that seat lost in the face of huge popular concern over Taib's dam plans and why was the case thrown out on a technicality?
And the shocking reversal of the judgement in favour of the native land owners at Long Teran, thrown off their territories by IOI/Pelita. The company and state government had appealed against compensating the people who lost their livelihoods!
There is comment from veteran broadcaster Christina Suntai and much more tonight and all week from your favourite team at RFS.``
(Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** SOLOMON ISLANDS [and non]. 5020-, August 4 at 1157 I have a very weak carrier from SIBC, so wait to time its cutoff: approx. 1200.5*. Otherwise before 1200 there were carriers from 3385 PNG, 4940 China, but not from 4750 Indonesia or 4755 Micronesia (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** U S A. 5980, August 12 at 1204, NO signal from VOA English, which I had heard August 8 at 1212. Still not in the latest HFCC dated 12 August. Was it a one-off, test or mistake?? Site? (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** U S A [non]. 15560, August 12 at 0516, poor signal apparently in Pashto, conversation about Taliban, Afghanistan. Aoki shows Mashaal Radio, 04-06, 250 kW, 90 degrees from Nauen, GERMANY; while HFCC claims it`s IBB in Urdu. WRTH shows it all in Pashto, but it`s the service for the ``Pakistani border region with Afghanistan``; a sub-station of RFE/RL out of Praha (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** U S A. WORLD OF RADIO 1681 monitoring: altho missing from WTWW-2 9930, Saturday at 2330, it`s back Sunday August 11 at 2328, so altho greatly expanded, the 24/7 Brother Scare service hasn`t started quite yet. Next WORs: Tue 1100 on WRMI 9955; maybe Wed 0630 & 1430 on HLR 7265-CUSB (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** U S A. 1130, August 12 at 1151 UT, ``KLA News Report``, i.e. from the Kansas Livestock Association, not a radio station, just a segment on my semi-local KLEY Wellington (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** U S A [and non?]. 1500, August 12 at 1143 UT, Mexican music catches my ear looping NE/SW, but soon loses out to a CBS News update, mixed with local ads, 1145 Osgood, then local weather relaying NWS robot concerning Palesteen, Red River, northeast North Texas, K-Jim ID in passing, i.e. KJIM Sherman TX.
As for the Mexican, two other Texans on 1500 are SS per last year`s NRC AM Log, plus some further afield in AL, IL, altho I would prefer the only likely one in Cantú,
1500 XEJQ La Explosiva Parras de la Fuente, Coah. 400 D
(Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** U S A. 1590, Aug 12 at 0558 UT, C2CAM outro and then dead air until almost 0600 when KVGB ID as ``Voice of the Golden Belt, Great Bend``, into ABC news. So GB has a double-meaning. I can`t find Golden Belt mentioned on their incomplete website, http://www.kvgbam.com/ where ``Talk of the Town`` is the rather unspecific slogan, but Googling indicates that ``Golden Belt`` is the local-area sobriquet, applied to a cinema, etc. Does golden allude to canola, or what? Surely not Au (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** VATICAN. 7250, Monday August 12 at 0524, surprised to hear VP signal with W&M conversation in English, sounds like Vatican Radio; much weaker than 7275 Tunisia, 7295 Algeria/France. Have not heard it on 7250 for months in almost-nightly 41m-scans around this hour, and presumed off for the summer. But it has continued to be registered starting at 0530 with 250 kW at 4 degrees; Aoki shows same except on Sundays, with Latin mass. At 0528 closing English, ``L.I.C.``, bells before and after 0529, but no IS, 0530 Italian announcement and classical music, now // very good 9645 with Bach (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
UNIDENTIFIED. 11159-USB, August 12 at 0511, fair signal surging to good peaks, from VOLMET mystery, citing Hannover conditions at the moment. 0536, Brize-Norton, but cut off incomplete, resuming with non-ID; shortly, Hannover again. Next check at 1128, it`s gone! And still gone at 1208, and later chex, finally at 1724. Could it be gone for good, just as abruptly as it had appeared?
Noel Green in England found 11159 as well as 11253, 5450 all off the air at 0845. Another radio listener says 11253 & 5450 popped back on the air at 1432, but not 11159. Nor did I find 11159 moved anywhere else on the 11, 8 or 13 MHz aero bands, when I searched between 1200 and 1300.
Meanwhile someone sent me a schedule of all the locations mentioned in the five different ``slots``, twice an hour (applicable to RAF on all three frequencies, tho 11159 wasn`t synchronized?). Some of these airfields I have never heard of and don`t yet know which countries they inhabit.
Already realizing there is one at Waddington UK, I was beginning to suspect that`s what `she` says rather than Wellington, and this confirms it: so never mind all the discussion about whether it`s about New Zealand. Chris Greenway points out that Aldergrove refers to Belfast, Northern Ireland (altho one is also in British Columbia).
-----------------------
RAF VOLMET Slot Timings
-----------------------
Minutes past the hour:
00/30 07/37 13/43 19/49 25/55
SlotTime 1&6 SlotTime 2&7 SlotTime 3&8 SlotTime 4&9 SlotTime 5&10
Brize Norton Northolt Gibraltar Bari Muscat
Waddington Aldergrove Porto Sigonella Kandahar
Birmingham Culdrose Tenerife Souda Bay Bastion
East Midlands Hannover Dakar Akrotiri Minhad
Manchester Geilenkirchen Ascension Larnace Baghdad
Cardiff Adana Recife Cairo Kabul
Prestwick Budapest Mombassa Istres Trabzon
Marham Bucharest Nairobi Evreux Ashgabat
Lossiemouth Bardufoss Brize Norton Nice Baku
Leeming Evenes Bamako Lajes Al Udeid
Coningsby Trondheim Algiers Faro Thumrait
Benson Keflavik Abidjan Salalah
Odiham Bodo Al Maktoum
Bahrain
Fujairairah
Be sure these are lined up in a non-proportional font of at least 70 spaces to display properly. Note that the bottom entries in each column of different lengths are: Odiham, Bodo, Abidjan, Faro, Fujairairah (should that be Al-Fujayrah as in UAE? Lots of variation in transcribing Arabic, but an extra syllable?). Note also that not all of these are exactly as heard spoken, e.g. ``Tenerife-South``, ``Adana-Incirlik``.
Also there is a postal address, but no e-mail located yet. Maybe they would tell us where 11159 is or was; note, it`s not Shanwick (which is a contraxion for the commercial airports Shannon/Prestwick):
Swanwick Military
London Area Control Centre
Box 13
Sopwith Way
Swanwick
Southampton
SO31 7AY
(Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
Further posts about this in the UDXF yg:
Recording.https://app.box.com/s/mwque9h4nl5fong53s3s
(Ken, August 11, UDXF yg via DXLD)
As I posted yesterday, the site I suspect is lower mainland area near
Vancouver. I am in Northern Alberta and within reasonable range of the
Edmonton military TX site near Cardiff and it is almost inaudible when I am beamed in that direction (NW). It peaks nicely to the SW and is too strong to be another hop further west (Don Moman, AB, August 11, ibid.)
Hi Don, VE6WCA has an online HF receiver near Long Lake Provincial Park. The 11159 signal is very strong. As to the Aldergrove, BC transmitter as far as I know it has been deactivated and looks to have nothing but VHF and Sat dishes on site.
I really think the British military is training in Alberta and/or Manitoba. I will check tomorrow locally though and see what I hear. I had my system apart today (Ken Keeks, Aug 11, ibid.)
Yes, I know Rene, VE6WCA as he is maybe 100 km due north of my location. I have put one of my Perseus rx here on line at various times today. The British are often training at Suffield in southern Alberta. No HF tx site there tho.
By Aldergrove, I was referring to its Matsqui transmitter site 28 km away - west of Chilliwack and north of Abbottsford. I'm sure this site is still active. Everything is remote these days anyway.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Naval_Radio_Section_Aldergrove
Naval Radio Section Aldergrove, or NRS Aldergrove, is a Canadian
Forces
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canadian_Forces_base>
naval radio communications facility located in both Aldergrove
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aldergrove,_British_Columbia>
and Matsqui
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matsqui,_British_Columbia>,
NRS Aldergrove is the Royal Canadian Navy
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Royal_Canadian_Navy>
's primary communications relay site for Maritime Forces Pacific <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maritime_Forces_Pacific>
The Aldergrove receiving site is located 59 kilometres east of Vancouver, British Columbia in the community of Aldergrove whereas the Matsqui transmitter site is located 28 kilometres northeast of Aldergrove.
The Aldergrove receiving site comprises 1,220 acres (4.9 km2) while
Matsqui comprises 230 acres (0.93 km2). About 440 acres (1.8 km2) of the Aldergrove site are used for the antenna field, while the remainder is used as an electromagnetic interference (EMI) buffer zone from local development. Currently, Aldergrove and Matsqui are staffed with 1 operator and between 15 to 17 technicians (via Don Moman, ibid.)
here is a view of the Matsqui TX-site via Google Street View:https://maps.google.com/maps?q=49.110677,-122.250082&ll=49.110252,-122.249444&spn=0.005064,0.013937&sll=53.057746,-104.153123&sspn=0.018596,0.055747&hnear=h&layer=c&cbll=49.110677,-122.250082&panoid=UuiPVyxQ1_OwQvFznvcCCQ&cbp=12,105.15,,0,-4.16&t=h&z=17
BRGDS (//Leif Dehio, ibid.)
As someone else has already pointed out, the Aldergrove referred to is
RAF Aldergrove in Northern Ireland, so as interesting as the information regarding the Canadian Aldergrove is, it is irrelevant as far as this discussion is concerned.
I am located on the UK south coast and the main transmitter for this
facility on 5450 kHz is 300 miles north of me. Since the change to the
new format, UK monitors are also having hard time understanding some of the locations. However two locations not mentioned yet on this
reflector are Northolt (London) and Geilenkirchen (Germany). 73 (Colin G3PSM, ibid.)
Colin, I was listening to 11159 yesterday evening local time, about 0700Z and I definitely heard Geilenkirchen in one of the time slot reports. I made handwritten notes while listening for about 20 minutes just to see which airfields I could pick out. The list I made included:
Kabul, Khandahar, Lossiemouth, Waddington, Birmingham, Belfast
Aldergrove, Hanover, Geilenkirchen, Mombassa, and Cairo
As with this transmission and speed of information it is possible that I got one or two wrong but of Geilenkirchen I'm pretty sure. I note this evening the signal is conspicuous by its absence in the antipodes! Regards, (Mike Jackson, Palmerston North, New Zealand, RTL/Wellbrook ALA1530 Loop, ibid.)
Hi Ken, You are right. I noticed this on the BFBS website. Dated 5 August: "Canada hosts Exercise Prairie Thunder. The Queen's Royal Hussars have been reunited with their Challenger 2 tanks, after 3 years, for Exercise Prairie Thunder."
So, yes, there is a British exercise going on in Canada. 73, (Ary Boender, Aug 12, ibid.)
These are details of the locations which may be used:
RAF Brize Norton - Brize Norton, England EGVN (BZZ)
RAF Waddington - Waddington, England EGXW (WTN)
Birmingham International Airport, Birmingham, England EGBB (BHX)
Nottingham East Midlands Airport, East Midlands, England EGNX (EMA)
Manchester Airport - Manchester, England EGCC (MAN)
Cardiff International Airport - Cardiff, Wales EGFF (CWL)
Glasgow Prestwick International Airport, Glasgow, Scotland EGPK (PIK)
RAF Marham - Marham, England EGYM (MRH)
RAF Lossiemouth - Lossiemouth, Scotland EGQS (LMO)
RAF Leeming - Leeming Bar, England EGXE
RAF Coningsby - Coningsby, England EGXC (QCY)
RAF Benson - Benson, England EGUB
RAF Odiham - Odiham, England EGVO (ODH)
RAF Northolt - Ruislip, England (effectively London) EGWU (NHT)
Belfast Intl Airport, Belfast, Northern Ireland EGAA (BFS)
RMB Culdrose - Helston, Cornwall EGDR
Hanover/Langenhagen International Airport, Hanover EDDV (HAJ)
NATO Air Base Geilenkirchen - Geilenkirchen ETNG (GKE)
Adana Airbase (possibly Incirlic), Adana, Turkey LTAG?
Budapest Ferihegy International Airport, Budapest, Hungary LHBP (BUD)
Bucharest Aurel Vlaicu Intl Airport, Bucharest, Romania LRBS (BBU)
Bardufoss Airport - Bardufoss, Troms [sic] County, Norway ENDU (BDU)
Evenes Airbase/Harstad/Narvik Airport, Evenes, Norway ENEV (EVE)
Trondheim Airbase/Airport, Værnes, Norway ENVA (TRD)
KQNT - NAS Keflavik, Iceland KQNT
Bod0 Airbase/Airport - Bod0, Nordland, Norway ENBO (BOO)
Gibraltar Airport - Gibraltar LXGB (GIB)
Lisbon Portela Airport, Portugal LPPT (LIS)
Gran Canaria International Airport. There are others. GCLP (LPA)
Dakar-Yoff-Léopold Sédar Senghor Intl Airport, Dakar, Senegal GOOY (DKR)
Wideawake Field, Georgetown Ascension Is. BIOT FHAW (ASI)
Gilberto Freyre Intl Airport, Recife, Pernambuco, Brazil SBRF (REC)
Moi International Airport, Mombassa, Kenya HKMO (MBA)
Jomo Kenyatta International Airport, Nairobi, Kenya HKJK (NBO)
Senou International Airport, Bamako, Mali GABS (BKO)
Houari Boumedienne Airport, algiers, Algeria DAAG (ALG)
Port Bouet Airport, Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire (Ivory Coast) DIAP (ABJ)
Palese Macchie Airport, Bari, Italy LIBD (BRI)
Sigonella Military Airport, Catania, Italy LICZ (NSY)
Souda Bay AB, Greece KQNC
RAF Akrotiri, Cyprus LCRA (AKT)
Larnaca International Airport, Larnaca, Cyprus LCLK (LCA)
Cairo International Airport, Cairo, Egypt HECA (CAI)
Istres Airbase, Istres, Bouches-du-Rhône, France LFMI (QIE)
Evreux/Fauville Airbase, Evreux, Eure, France LFOE (EVX)
Nice Côte d'Azur Airport, LFMN (NCE)
Nice/Côte d'Azur Airport, Nice, France LFMN (NCE)
Lajes Air Base Intl Praia da Vitoria, Azores LPLA (TER)
Faro Airport/Algarve Intl, Faro, Portugal LPFR (FAO)
Seeb International Airport, Muscat OOMS (MCT)
Kandahar Airport, Kandahar, Afghanistan OAKN (KDH)
Camp Bastion Airbase, Afghanistan
Al Minhad Airbase, UAE OMDM (NHD)
Baghdad International Airport, Baghdad, Iraq ORBI (SDA)
Kabul International Airport, Kabul, Afghanistan OAKB (KBL)
Trabzon Airbase, Trabzon, Turkey LTCG (TZX)
Ashgabat Airport, (Ashkhabad), Turkmenistan UTAA (ASB)
Heydar Aliyev International Airport, Baku, Azerbajan UBBB (BAK)
Al Udeid Air Base, Doha, Qatar OTBH
Thumrait Air Base, Thumrait, Oman OOTH (TTH)
Salalah Airport, Salalah, Oman OOSA (SLL)
Al Maktoum Airbase/Intl Airport, Al Maktoum, Dubai, UAE OMJA (DWC)
Bahrain International Airport, Manama, Bahrain OBBI (BAH) or Sheik Isa
Air Base, Bahrain OBBS
Fujairah Airbase/Airport UAE OMFJ (FJR)
(Jim, ibid.)
Something we must consider in this transmission is that this is an automated voice and that the timing is a bit off. The speed is a bit faster than the human ear can hear and the brain has to translate. Many of you may recall when the National Weather Service started using the automated voice, it went through some changes in the beginning. So many words were not spoken with the kind of inflection we normally would recognize. In other words, some of it sounded funny coming from an "American" voice.
So the identification to me sounds like it is even faster than the rest of it and could be something completely different from what we are actually hearing (Clyde N1BHH, Weymouth, MA, ibid.)
I've digitally slowed it down. This does not help intelligibility, but
it does allow the brain to keep up. One thing I'm sure of is that the
ID is "Military One, time slot [x], information broadcast." I went and
listened to the 11253 frequency of the real RAF VOLMET, and there is no difference outside whatever time latency exists.
The voice synthesizer is dodgy, as our UK friends say. "She" does speak British English ("Gibraltah"), but indeed the timing is off and words don't always come out right.
Also I was listening to 11253 on the WebSDR at U of Twente, and for some reason you lose the beginnings of the place names. Headache time! The direct on 11159 is not doing that.
It does have a schedule. It's a set of 5 slots beginning every top and
bottom of the hour. The slots last 6-7 minutes. Remaining time at the
end of a list is used to repeat the whole list, or as much as there's
time for. Slot 5, the one with all the obscure (to Americans at least)
Afghan and Middle Eastern place names, seems the most subject to strangeness if time runs short (Hugh Stegman, Aug 11, ibid.)
Indeed. Our English friends have great difficulties with the letter 'r' where it falls near the end of a word. They also seem to think that 'Wales' and 'whales' are pronounced identically! 73 de (Jim (MPJ), ibid.)
For anyone who has not managed to catch this station themselves yet, I have uploaded a couple of videos on my YouTube channel. The first video of this signal is one entire 30 minute cycle, starting with the
first full Slot One at 1930 UT and continuing until the start of the next Slot One at 2000. This video is as the signal was received at my location in the Mojave Desert, California, USA. Note that the local time was 1230, mid day.
Also note that the signal is as strong or even stronger than the HF-GCS traffic on 11175 kHz that occurs in several locations of the video.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=shmIBvLxwAY
The second video is a stereo audio video intended to show the slight timing delta of 11159 kHz vs 11253 kHz. In this video the left channel audio is 11159 kHz and the right channel audio is 11253 kHz. It can be clearly heard that 11253 kHz audio slightly leads 11159 kHz audio. Unfortunately it seems YouTube has made the audio mono instead of stereo, but you can still hear the time delta.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UEPY7P_xI-U
(T! Mojave Desert, California, USA, ibid.)
A voice from experience in locating many HF signals: If it is strong at ll MHz, either it is within 15 miles or so, or more than hundreds of miles away. HF works like that. Generally one cannot associate HF strength well with distance. Unless you are going mobile, strength at HF is *meaningless* in locating the station. The real test is to go mobile. If you do and go several miles in several directions and still see strong signals, the station is hundreds or thousands of miles away. If it is being seen strong in various locations in SW Canada that suggests it is not in SW Canada.
Generally at 20 miles, an HF signal (excluding high power HF broadcasters at 50 or more kW) at 11 MHz will not be impressively strong by any means (David L Wilson, ibid.)
``SW Canada`` is a big place, probably enough skip distance on 11 MHz from SW BC to N AB (Glenn Hauser, DXLD)
A far simpler, quicker, cheaper and more reliable method is to head right to the site(s) of interest with a portable RX. It will be pretty obvious if the signal comes from the site concerned and military HF TX sites tend to be suitably far apart to minimise the chances of mixing up the origin because of propagation. Of course you need to exercise some caution but it's the only way to do this properly. Someone needs to visit Matsqui (Mike Chace-Ortiz, UDXF yg via DXLD
All three frequencies, 5450, 11159, and 11253 kHz, appear vacant at 1200 UT. Not sure what time they went off but when I fired up a rig at 1200, nothing was heard on 11159 kHz for the first time in days. Checking remotes shows that I can't find the 11159 kHz signal (or 5450 or 11253 kHz) on any remotes. As of 1350 still no joy on any of those frequencies.
11253 and 5450 kHz came back on sometime after 1400 UT. At this time, 1440, 11159 kHz still appears off. (T! Mojave Desert, California, USA, ibid.)
5450 was active at 1400z and still on at 1600z (Colin G3PSM, ibid.)
Yeah, I checked at 1402z and both 5450 and 11253 kHz were back up, the last time before that I checked was about 1345z or so, and neither were up at that time (T!, ibid.)
Nil here too, on the SoCal coast. Nothing audible at all (Hugh, 1651 UT Aug 12, ibid.)
(all UDXF yg via Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** BANGLADESH. 15505, August 12 at 1356, BB carrier is on with big hum, 1358:27 IS starts and the hum is reduced; timesignal ends at 1400:01.5, opening Urdu; transmitter hiccups off briefly at 1401:09 (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** CHINA. 6180, 6175, 6135, 6125, 6110, August 12 at 1203, an oversupply of CNR1, mainly due to the jamming imperative, 1205 featuring kidvoices. The adjacents seemed unusual: Aoki shows 6175 is a non-jammer, while 6180 blox Taiwan (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** CHINA. 11980, August 12 at 1213, interview about the limitations on how tall buildings can go, mainly managing elevators. Sometimes it`s hard to tell BBC from CRI, but this is the latter since it`s // 9760, while BBC is on 11750//9740. 11980 is southward from Kunming (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** CHINA. Firedrake music jamming, August 12 before 1400:
13795, very poor at 1345, mixing with CNR1 and/or target
The rest are CNR1, without Firedrake:
15550, very poor at 1344 with het on lo side
15570, fair at 1344
None in the 18s, 17s, 16s, 14s, 13s, 12s, just the usual in-banders on 11 and 15 MHz (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** CONGO DR [non]. 11690, August 12 at 0434, finally got around to confirming that Radio Okapi has *not* returned, despite hopeful (or contingent) BaBcoCk registration in HFCC for this hour via South Africa effective 1 August (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** CUBA. 11880, Sunday August 11 at 2159, surprised to hear RHC in Esperanto, wrapping broadcast and running past 2200; finally 2202.5 IS and opening French. Neglected to check whether Esperanto appeared again at the properly scheduled time and frequency of 2230 on 15370. Maybe additional airing at 2130, or running on program feed line and turned on 11880 a bit early; it has appeared before at other unscheduled Sunday afternoon times (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTTENING DIGEST)
** GREECE. 9420, Aug 12 at 0520, rump ERT is still on the air, good signal with W&M in Greek. Alan Roe found this as of August 10:
Coordinated effort to silence ERT – They are shutting down the transmitters
<http://www.ertopen.com/news-in-4-languges/english/item/2894-coordinated-effort-to-silence-ert-%E2%80%93-they-are-shutting-down-the-transmitters#.Uge_w23t6sE>
No mention of shortwave in this article, presumably the lowest priority from a domestic standpoint (Glenn Hauser, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** GUAM. 15225, August 12 at 1342, language pronounces www.twr in English, mixed with S Asian music, poor-fair. Aoki shows KTWR, 100 kW, 290 degrees at 1315-1345 in Assamese, except Saturdays in Manipuri (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** PERU. 5980, August 12 at 0100-0101:09.5*, R. Chaski carrier tracked until cutoff, despite splash from CRI/Cuba 5990 overrun with futile English 0100 past 0101 (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** ROMANIA. 17745, Sunday August 11 at 2117, Spanish announcement, rock song in uncertain language, good signal at peaks from deep fades, 2121 RRI ID, opening `Club de Oyentes` with Victoria Sepciu (who seems to have quite a fan base in Ibero-America); answers listeners mail until ``hasta la próxima`` at 2125, but she`s just finishing one response, not the whole program.
// 15300 is better where I switch at 2136; she gives her personal yahoo.es address, until 2137. Then at 2138 she`s back with DX program, first news about RTI renovating its transmitter sites, something we have already read about in English; then more mailbag (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** SARAWAK [non]. 15420-, August 12 at 1128 checking for Radio Free Sarawak which is reactivating via TAIWAN today, but no signal, nor at 1155 as the 19m band is almost dead. Keep checking and by 1219 there is a JBA carrier, 1223 talk audible, fading in better at 1224, sounds like Iban language we heard in previous incarnation, resembling Malay, with occasional word-matches such as ``orang``. Carrier is slightly on lo side compared to 9420, 1420 signals. It`s a phone interview; studio side mentions ``demokrasi``. Glad I could hear it just before scheduled sign-off 1230 --- but wait, it keeps on going! 1233.4 a bit of music and YL ID as Radio Free Sarawak, and seeming contact, sponsor info. Gradually improving so really running until 1300*, the old schedule? 1238 more music and announcement, 1239 more phone interview. It`s still very poor, compared to e.g. 15450 Turkey, and much stronger 15490 HCJB-Australia. 1254, 15420 still in and talking about orang.
But wait, it`s still going past 1300! 1303.6 another music bit, more talk, 1310 when I break my fast. Next check 1341, now it`s off so maybe lasted until 1330.
Later I read reports from others: Wolfgang Büschel says that religious music was playing (by mistake?) during first half-hour from 1100 on 15420.017. So maybe RFS got extended on this one occasion in compensation? Ivo Ivanov timed RFS programming from 1150 to 1321. Ron Howard was hearing same thing from 1106 past 1307, and points out the website has been updated, with new audio available, viz.:
``Radio Free Sarawak, Winner Of the International Press Institute's Free Media Pioneer Award 2013
7pm-8.30pm Local 1100-12.30 UTC, SW 15420 kHz, Tel 082-237191
Radio Free Sarawak, responding to popular demand, is back on air today to keep folk abreast of vital developments since GE13, where Sarawak's rural seats again kept BN in power, despite the landslide against the government in West Malaysia.
We look at the Baram election petition – how was that seat lost in the face of huge popular concern over Taib's dam plans and why was the case thrown out on a technicality?
And the shocking reversal of the judgement in favour of the native land owners at Long Teran, thrown off their territories by IOI/Pelita. The company and state government had appealed against compensating the people who lost their livelihoods!
There is comment from veteran broadcaster Christina Suntai and much more tonight and all week from your favourite team at RFS.``
(Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** SOLOMON ISLANDS [and non]. 5020-, August 4 at 1157 I have a very weak carrier from SIBC, so wait to time its cutoff: approx. 1200.5*. Otherwise before 1200 there were carriers from 3385 PNG, 4940 China, but not from 4750 Indonesia or 4755 Micronesia (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** U S A. 5980, August 12 at 1204, NO signal from VOA English, which I had heard August 8 at 1212. Still not in the latest HFCC dated 12 August. Was it a one-off, test or mistake?? Site? (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** U S A [non]. 15560, August 12 at 0516, poor signal apparently in Pashto, conversation about Taliban, Afghanistan. Aoki shows Mashaal Radio, 04-06, 250 kW, 90 degrees from Nauen, GERMANY; while HFCC claims it`s IBB in Urdu. WRTH shows it all in Pashto, but it`s the service for the ``Pakistani border region with Afghanistan``; a sub-station of RFE/RL out of Praha (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** U S A. WORLD OF RADIO 1681 monitoring: altho missing from WTWW-2 9930, Saturday at 2330, it`s back Sunday August 11 at 2328, so altho greatly expanded, the 24/7 Brother Scare service hasn`t started quite yet. Next WORs: Tue 1100 on WRMI 9955; maybe Wed 0630 & 1430 on HLR 7265-CUSB (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** U S A. 1130, August 12 at 1151 UT, ``KLA News Report``, i.e. from the Kansas Livestock Association, not a radio station, just a segment on my semi-local KLEY Wellington (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** U S A [and non?]. 1500, August 12 at 1143 UT, Mexican music catches my ear looping NE/SW, but soon loses out to a CBS News update, mixed with local ads, 1145 Osgood, then local weather relaying NWS robot concerning Palesteen, Red River, northeast North Texas, K-Jim ID in passing, i.e. KJIM Sherman TX.
As for the Mexican, two other Texans on 1500 are SS per last year`s NRC AM Log, plus some further afield in AL, IL, altho I would prefer the only likely one in Cantú,
1500 XEJQ La Explosiva Parras de la Fuente, Coah. 400 D
(Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** U S A. 1590, Aug 12 at 0558 UT, C2CAM outro and then dead air until almost 0600 when KVGB ID as ``Voice of the Golden Belt, Great Bend``, into ABC news. So GB has a double-meaning. I can`t find Golden Belt mentioned on their incomplete website, http://www.kvgbam.com/ where ``Talk of the Town`` is the rather unspecific slogan, but Googling indicates that ``Golden Belt`` is the local-area sobriquet, applied to a cinema, etc. Does golden allude to canola, or what? Surely not Au (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** VATICAN. 7250, Monday August 12 at 0524, surprised to hear VP signal with W&M conversation in English, sounds like Vatican Radio; much weaker than 7275 Tunisia, 7295 Algeria/France. Have not heard it on 7250 for months in almost-nightly 41m-scans around this hour, and presumed off for the summer. But it has continued to be registered starting at 0530 with 250 kW at 4 degrees; Aoki shows same except on Sundays, with Latin mass. At 0528 closing English, ``L.I.C.``, bells before and after 0529, but no IS, 0530 Italian announcement and classical music, now // very good 9645 with Bach (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
UNIDENTIFIED. 11159-USB, August 12 at 0511, fair signal surging to good peaks, from VOLMET mystery, citing Hannover conditions at the moment. 0536, Brize-Norton, but cut off incomplete, resuming with non-ID; shortly, Hannover again. Next check at 1128, it`s gone! And still gone at 1208, and later chex, finally at 1724. Could it be gone for good, just as abruptly as it had appeared?
Noel Green in England found 11159 as well as 11253, 5450 all off the air at 0845. Another radio listener says 11253 & 5450 popped back on the air at 1432, but not 11159. Nor did I find 11159 moved anywhere else on the 11, 8 or 13 MHz aero bands, when I searched between 1200 and 1300.
Meanwhile someone sent me a schedule of all the locations mentioned in the five different ``slots``, twice an hour (applicable to RAF on all three frequencies, tho 11159 wasn`t synchronized?). Some of these airfields I have never heard of and don`t yet know which countries they inhabit.
Already realizing there is one at Waddington UK, I was beginning to suspect that`s what `she` says rather than Wellington, and this confirms it: so never mind all the discussion about whether it`s about New Zealand. Chris Greenway points out that Aldergrove refers to Belfast, Northern Ireland (altho one is also in British Columbia).
-----------------------
RAF VOLMET Slot Timings
-----------------------
Minutes past the hour:
00/30 07/37 13/43 19/49 25/55
SlotTime 1&6 SlotTime 2&7 SlotTime 3&8 SlotTime 4&9 SlotTime 5&10
Brize Norton Northolt Gibraltar Bari Muscat
Waddington Aldergrove Porto Sigonella Kandahar
Birmingham Culdrose Tenerife Souda Bay Bastion
East Midlands Hannover Dakar Akrotiri Minhad
Manchester Geilenkirchen Ascension Larnace Baghdad
Cardiff Adana Recife Cairo Kabul
Prestwick Budapest Mombassa Istres Trabzon
Marham Bucharest Nairobi Evreux Ashgabat
Lossiemouth Bardufoss Brize Norton Nice Baku
Leeming Evenes Bamako Lajes Al Udeid
Coningsby Trondheim Algiers Faro Thumrait
Benson Keflavik Abidjan Salalah
Odiham Bodo Al Maktoum
Bahrain
Fujairairah
Be sure these are lined up in a non-proportional font of at least 70 spaces to display properly. Note that the bottom entries in each column of different lengths are: Odiham, Bodo, Abidjan, Faro, Fujairairah (should that be Al-Fujayrah as in UAE? Lots of variation in transcribing Arabic, but an extra syllable?). Note also that not all of these are exactly as heard spoken, e.g. ``Tenerife-South``, ``Adana-Incirlik``.
Also there is a postal address, but no e-mail located yet. Maybe they would tell us where 11159 is or was; note, it`s not Shanwick (which is a contraxion for the commercial airports Shannon/Prestwick):
Swanwick Military
London Area Control Centre
Box 13
Sopwith Way
Swanwick
Southampton
SO31 7AY
(Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
Further posts about this in the UDXF yg:
Recording.https://app.box.com/s/mwque9h4nl5fong53s3s
(Ken, August 11, UDXF yg via DXLD)
As I posted yesterday, the site I suspect is lower mainland area near
Vancouver. I am in Northern Alberta and within reasonable range of the
Edmonton military TX site near Cardiff and it is almost inaudible when I am beamed in that direction (NW). It peaks nicely to the SW and is too strong to be another hop further west (Don Moman, AB, August 11, ibid.)
Hi Don, VE6WCA has an online HF receiver near Long Lake Provincial Park. The 11159 signal is very strong. As to the Aldergrove, BC transmitter as far as I know it has been deactivated and looks to have nothing but VHF and Sat dishes on site.
I really think the British military is training in Alberta and/or Manitoba. I will check tomorrow locally though and see what I hear. I had my system apart today (Ken Keeks, Aug 11, ibid.)
Yes, I know Rene, VE6WCA as he is maybe 100 km due north of my location. I have put one of my Perseus rx here on line at various times today. The British are often training at Suffield in southern Alberta. No HF tx site there tho.
By Aldergrove, I was referring to its Matsqui transmitter site 28 km away - west of Chilliwack and north of Abbottsford. I'm sure this site is still active. Everything is remote these days anyway.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Naval_Radio_Section_Aldergrove
Naval Radio Section Aldergrove, or NRS Aldergrove, is a Canadian
Forces
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canadian_Forces_base>
naval radio communications facility located in both Aldergrove
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aldergrove,_British_Columbia>
and Matsqui
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matsqui,_British_Columbia>,
NRS Aldergrove is the Royal Canadian Navy
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Royal_Canadian_Navy>
's primary communications relay site for Maritime Forces Pacific <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maritime_Forces_Pacific>
The Aldergrove receiving site is located 59 kilometres east of Vancouver, British Columbia in the community of Aldergrove whereas the Matsqui transmitter site is located 28 kilometres northeast of Aldergrove.
The Aldergrove receiving site comprises 1,220 acres (4.9 km2) while
Matsqui comprises 230 acres (0.93 km2). About 440 acres (1.8 km2) of the Aldergrove site are used for the antenna field, while the remainder is used as an electromagnetic interference (EMI) buffer zone from local development. Currently, Aldergrove and Matsqui are staffed with 1 operator and between 15 to 17 technicians (via Don Moman, ibid.)
here is a view of the Matsqui TX-site via Google Street View:https://maps.google.com/maps?q=49.110677,-122.250082&ll=49.110252,-122.249444&spn=0.005064,0.013937&sll=53.057746,-104.153123&sspn=0.018596,0.055747&hnear=h&layer=c&cbll=49.110677,-122.250082&panoid=UuiPVyxQ1_OwQvFznvcCCQ&cbp=12,105.15,,0,-4.16&t=h&z=17
BRGDS (//Leif Dehio, ibid.)
As someone else has already pointed out, the Aldergrove referred to is
RAF Aldergrove in Northern Ireland, so as interesting as the information regarding the Canadian Aldergrove is, it is irrelevant as far as this discussion is concerned.
I am located on the UK south coast and the main transmitter for this
facility on 5450 kHz is 300 miles north of me. Since the change to the
new format, UK monitors are also having hard time understanding some of the locations. However two locations not mentioned yet on this
reflector are Northolt (London) and Geilenkirchen (Germany). 73 (Colin G3PSM, ibid.)
Colin, I was listening to 11159 yesterday evening local time, about 0700Z and I definitely heard Geilenkirchen in one of the time slot reports. I made handwritten notes while listening for about 20 minutes just to see which airfields I could pick out. The list I made included:
Kabul, Khandahar, Lossiemouth, Waddington, Birmingham, Belfast
Aldergrove, Hanover, Geilenkirchen, Mombassa, and Cairo
As with this transmission and speed of information it is possible that I got one or two wrong but of Geilenkirchen I'm pretty sure. I note this evening the signal is conspicuous by its absence in the antipodes! Regards, (Mike Jackson, Palmerston North, New Zealand, RTL/Wellbrook ALA1530 Loop, ibid.)
Hi Ken, You are right. I noticed this on the BFBS website. Dated 5 August: "Canada hosts Exercise Prairie Thunder. The Queen's Royal Hussars have been reunited with their Challenger 2 tanks, after 3 years, for Exercise Prairie Thunder."
So, yes, there is a British exercise going on in Canada. 73, (Ary Boender, Aug 12, ibid.)
These are details of the locations which may be used:
RAF Brize Norton - Brize Norton, England EGVN (BZZ)
RAF Waddington - Waddington, England EGXW (WTN)
Birmingham International Airport, Birmingham, England EGBB (BHX)
Nottingham East Midlands Airport, East Midlands, England EGNX (EMA)
Manchester Airport - Manchester, England EGCC (MAN)
Cardiff International Airport - Cardiff, Wales EGFF (CWL)
Glasgow Prestwick International Airport, Glasgow, Scotland EGPK (PIK)
RAF Marham - Marham, England EGYM (MRH)
RAF Lossiemouth - Lossiemouth, Scotland EGQS (LMO)
RAF Leeming - Leeming Bar, England EGXE
RAF Coningsby - Coningsby, England EGXC (QCY)
RAF Benson - Benson, England EGUB
RAF Odiham - Odiham, England EGVO (ODH)
RAF Northolt - Ruislip, England (effectively London) EGWU (NHT)
Belfast Intl Airport, Belfast, Northern Ireland EGAA (BFS)
RMB Culdrose - Helston, Cornwall EGDR
Hanover/Langenhagen International Airport, Hanover EDDV (HAJ)
NATO Air Base Geilenkirchen - Geilenkirchen ETNG (GKE)
Adana Airbase (possibly Incirlic), Adana, Turkey LTAG?
Budapest Ferihegy International Airport, Budapest, Hungary LHBP (BUD)
Bucharest Aurel Vlaicu Intl Airport, Bucharest, Romania LRBS (BBU)
Bardufoss Airport - Bardufoss, Troms [sic] County, Norway ENDU (BDU)
Evenes Airbase/Harstad/Narvik Airport, Evenes, Norway ENEV (EVE)
Trondheim Airbase/Airport, Værnes, Norway ENVA (TRD)
KQNT - NAS Keflavik, Iceland KQNT
Bod0 Airbase/Airport - Bod0, Nordland, Norway ENBO (BOO)
Gibraltar Airport - Gibraltar LXGB (GIB)
Lisbon Portela Airport, Portugal LPPT (LIS)
Gran Canaria International Airport. There are others. GCLP (LPA)
Dakar-Yoff-Léopold Sédar Senghor Intl Airport, Dakar, Senegal GOOY (DKR)
Wideawake Field, Georgetown Ascension Is. BIOT FHAW (ASI)
Gilberto Freyre Intl Airport, Recife, Pernambuco, Brazil SBRF (REC)
Moi International Airport, Mombassa, Kenya HKMO (MBA)
Jomo Kenyatta International Airport, Nairobi, Kenya HKJK (NBO)
Senou International Airport, Bamako, Mali GABS (BKO)
Houari Boumedienne Airport, algiers, Algeria DAAG (ALG)
Port Bouet Airport, Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire (Ivory Coast) DIAP (ABJ)
Palese Macchie Airport, Bari, Italy LIBD (BRI)
Sigonella Military Airport, Catania, Italy LICZ (NSY)
Souda Bay AB, Greece KQNC
RAF Akrotiri, Cyprus LCRA (AKT)
Larnaca International Airport, Larnaca, Cyprus LCLK (LCA)
Cairo International Airport, Cairo, Egypt HECA (CAI)
Istres Airbase, Istres, Bouches-du-Rhône, France LFMI (QIE)
Evreux/Fauville Airbase, Evreux, Eure, France LFOE (EVX)
Nice Côte d'Azur Airport, LFMN (NCE)
Nice/Côte d'Azur Airport, Nice, France LFMN (NCE)
Lajes Air Base Intl Praia da Vitoria, Azores LPLA (TER)
Faro Airport/Algarve Intl, Faro, Portugal LPFR (FAO)
Seeb International Airport, Muscat OOMS (MCT)
Kandahar Airport, Kandahar, Afghanistan OAKN (KDH)
Camp Bastion Airbase, Afghanistan
Al Minhad Airbase, UAE OMDM (NHD)
Baghdad International Airport, Baghdad, Iraq ORBI (SDA)
Kabul International Airport, Kabul, Afghanistan OAKB (KBL)
Trabzon Airbase, Trabzon, Turkey LTCG (TZX)
Ashgabat Airport, (Ashkhabad), Turkmenistan UTAA (ASB)
Heydar Aliyev International Airport, Baku, Azerbajan UBBB (BAK)
Al Udeid Air Base, Doha, Qatar OTBH
Thumrait Air Base, Thumrait, Oman OOTH (TTH)
Salalah Airport, Salalah, Oman OOSA (SLL)
Al Maktoum Airbase/Intl Airport, Al Maktoum, Dubai, UAE OMJA (DWC)
Bahrain International Airport, Manama, Bahrain OBBI (BAH) or Sheik Isa
Air Base, Bahrain OBBS
Fujairah Airbase/Airport UAE OMFJ (FJR)
(Jim, ibid.)
Something we must consider in this transmission is that this is an automated voice and that the timing is a bit off. The speed is a bit faster than the human ear can hear and the brain has to translate. Many of you may recall when the National Weather Service started using the automated voice, it went through some changes in the beginning. So many words were not spoken with the kind of inflection we normally would recognize. In other words, some of it sounded funny coming from an "American" voice.
So the identification to me sounds like it is even faster than the rest of it and could be something completely different from what we are actually hearing (Clyde N1BHH, Weymouth, MA, ibid.)
I've digitally slowed it down. This does not help intelligibility, but
it does allow the brain to keep up. One thing I'm sure of is that the
ID is "Military One, time slot [x], information broadcast." I went and
listened to the 11253 frequency of the real RAF VOLMET, and there is no difference outside whatever time latency exists.
The voice synthesizer is dodgy, as our UK friends say. "She" does speak British English ("Gibraltah"), but indeed the timing is off and words don't always come out right.
Also I was listening to 11253 on the WebSDR at U of Twente, and for some reason you lose the beginnings of the place names. Headache time! The direct on 11159 is not doing that.
It does have a schedule. It's a set of 5 slots beginning every top and
bottom of the hour. The slots last 6-7 minutes. Remaining time at the
end of a list is used to repeat the whole list, or as much as there's
time for. Slot 5, the one with all the obscure (to Americans at least)
Afghan and Middle Eastern place names, seems the most subject to strangeness if time runs short (Hugh Stegman, Aug 11, ibid.)
Indeed. Our English friends have great difficulties with the letter 'r' where it falls near the end of a word. They also seem to think that 'Wales' and 'whales' are pronounced identically! 73 de (Jim (MPJ), ibid.)
For anyone who has not managed to catch this station themselves yet, I have uploaded a couple of videos on my YouTube channel. The first video of this signal is one entire 30 minute cycle, starting with the
first full Slot One at 1930 UT and continuing until the start of the next Slot One at 2000. This video is as the signal was received at my location in the Mojave Desert, California, USA. Note that the local time was 1230, mid day.
Also note that the signal is as strong or even stronger than the HF-GCS traffic on 11175 kHz that occurs in several locations of the video.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=shmIBvLxwAY
The second video is a stereo audio video intended to show the slight timing delta of 11159 kHz vs 11253 kHz. In this video the left channel audio is 11159 kHz and the right channel audio is 11253 kHz. It can be clearly heard that 11253 kHz audio slightly leads 11159 kHz audio. Unfortunately it seems YouTube has made the audio mono instead of stereo, but you can still hear the time delta.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UEPY7P_xI-U
(T! Mojave Desert, California, USA, ibid.)
A voice from experience in locating many HF signals: If it is strong at ll MHz, either it is within 15 miles or so, or more than hundreds of miles away. HF works like that. Generally one cannot associate HF strength well with distance. Unless you are going mobile, strength at HF is *meaningless* in locating the station. The real test is to go mobile. If you do and go several miles in several directions and still see strong signals, the station is hundreds or thousands of miles away. If it is being seen strong in various locations in SW Canada that suggests it is not in SW Canada.
Generally at 20 miles, an HF signal (excluding high power HF broadcasters at 50 or more kW) at 11 MHz will not be impressively strong by any means (David L Wilson, ibid.)
``SW Canada`` is a big place, probably enough skip distance on 11 MHz from SW BC to N AB (Glenn Hauser, DXLD)
A far simpler, quicker, cheaper and more reliable method is to head right to the site(s) of interest with a portable RX. It will be pretty obvious if the signal comes from the site concerned and military HF TX sites tend to be suitably far apart to minimise the chances of mixing up the origin because of propagation. Of course you need to exercise some caution but it's the only way to do this properly. Someone needs to visit Matsqui (Mike Chace-Ortiz, UDXF yg via DXLD
All three frequencies, 5450, 11159, and 11253 kHz, appear vacant at 1200 UT. Not sure what time they went off but when I fired up a rig at 1200, nothing was heard on 11159 kHz for the first time in days. Checking remotes shows that I can't find the 11159 kHz signal (or 5450 or 11253 kHz) on any remotes. As of 1350 still no joy on any of those frequencies.
11253 and 5450 kHz came back on sometime after 1400 UT. At this time, 1440, 11159 kHz still appears off. (T! Mojave Desert, California, USA, ibid.)
5450 was active at 1400z and still on at 1600z (Colin G3PSM, ibid.)
Yeah, I checked at 1402z and both 5450 and 11253 kHz were back up, the last time before that I checked was about 1345z or so, and neither were up at that time (T!, ibid.)
Nil here too, on the SoCal coast. Nothing audible at all (Hugh, 1651 UT Aug 12, ibid.)
(all UDXF yg via Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
