** CHINA [non]. 13665, Dec 1 at 1210, CRI English is the OSOB, fair signal discussing relaxing the one-child policy to two (this week`s Time magazine has a good piece on how that had dire unforeseen consequences). It`s 310 degrees USward via ALBANIA at 11-13 tho destined only for NW Europe (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** CUBA. 6080, Dec 1 at 0110, 0134, pulse jamming against nothing, of the Cuban ilk, perhaps a stray, as pretty far from 6030 wall-of-noise, and not showing up between them. Also same on 6080 at 0610, 1155, the latter now bothering Radio Australia. If on all night, will also ruin chances for Solomon Islands before 0900. Tnx a lot, Arnie!
The geniuses at RadioCuba transmitter site do it again: 9850, Dec 1 at 1201 has *two* RHC transmitters heavily QRMing each other a few Hz apart with a SAH, and the modulation periodically fades due to phase-cancellation. That`s because as per sign-on announcement, one of them is *supposed* to be on 9550, but it is missing! Still the same at 1216 during stamp show; By 1301, 9550 is finally on, and 9850 is alone.
17730 is back! on the air at 1351 in `Cuba Campesina` music, // 17580 but an echo apart, and now both of them have SAH and CCI. 17730 had been dropped in September, and was not on the initial B-13 schedule. Nothing else in HFCC, EiBi or Aoki on 17730, so maybe fast SAH is caused by RHC QRMing itself here too as it was earlier on 9850?
15340 has still not come up at 1403, tho 13780 has. By 1434, 15340 is on and VG for `En Contacto` DX program at 1435, including a ``Para los Principiantes`` segment for beginners recorded years ago by Jairo Salazar in Venezuela (whom we haven`t heard from in a long time now), explaining how most DX jargon is based on English. This is also ``día del locutor`` in Cuba, calling for self-congratulations.
11760, Dec 1 at 1611, RHC weekly-Sunday Esperanto broadcast confirmed, but rather poor with ACI from 11765. Wolfgang Büschel confirmed the previous airing Sunday at 0700 on 6000; the other being Sunday 2230 on 15370 instead of French (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** KOREA NORTH [non]. 9775, Dec 1 at 1354, good open carrier from R. Free Chosun, 1406 in Korean programming; lite flutter, quite weaker than 9800 VOA Korean Tinang, but much better than could be expected trans-polar from Uzbekistan or Tajikistan as claimed. I now have info that the site for this may be, or may have been, Palauig, PHILIPPINES, i.e. R. Veritas Asia --- does RFC have a Catholic connexion? That site would fit the reception I have been getting. B-13 RVA schedule shows only two of three transmitters (one 50 kW, two 250 kW) accounted for during the 14-16 RFC bihour (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** SOUTH CAROLINA [non]. See USA: WRMI et al.
** SPAIN. 17595, 21610, 21640, Sunday Dec 1 at 1342-1346, REE `Amigos de la Onda Corta` has a segment about the JFK assassination as covered by KLIF, with lots of clips in English. Then mailbag segment (formerly a separate program), quoting listener in Cuba claiming to have been listening to 9850, an imaginary frequency. Doesn`t Antonio realize that? (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** TAIWAN [non]. 9335, Sunday Dec 1 at 1332, JBA carrier, presumably PCJ Radio on latest frequency via SRI LANKA. Nothing at 1407. Keith Perron says this service in English was hit by ChiCom jamming today! He`s also looking for a WRMI frequency to add later this month for North America during the same 1330-1430 Sunday broadcast; and also at 0130-0230 (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** TURKEY. 15350, fair Dec 1 at 1307-1329, so I enjoy the TRT Turkish music from this SSOB (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** U S A. WORLD OF RADIO 1697 monitoring: confirmed on WTWW-1, 5830, UT Sunday December 1 from before 0501, very good. Next: Tuesday 1200 on WRMI 9955; Wednesday 0730 & 1530 on HLR 7265-CUSB (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** U S A. Observations of the new WRMI Okeechobee, from its inauguration UT Dec 1. WYFR used to [have to?] warm up transmitters for 10-15 minutes prior to broadcasts, but WRMI does not seem to be doing that.
Just before 0500 UT I keep checking the five frequencies on the schedule: 7570, 9355, 9955, 11565, 11730. Nothing is ever heard on the top three, maybe not on, or if on, not propagating. WRMI really needs to use bands lower than 7 MHz in the nightmiddle. Even 9 MHz is iffy.
7570 cuts on at *0500:27 with open carrier; at 0504, Brother Scare is joined in progress, no sign-on heard, tho I might have missed it while tuning around. A rather inauspicious début. At 0525 recheck, 7570 has lost BS, just open carrier/dead air; meanwhile he continues on overkill // 5085 WTWW, 5890 WWCR, 3185 WWRB.
The 7570 signal, anyhow, is very strong, far greater than neighbour 7555 WEWN. Recheck at 0559, I hear the first WRMI-Okeechobee ID and it`s by, guess who, Bob Zanotti in Switzerland --- other celebrities to follow. Then 7570 goes off at 0600*.
9355 with BS was supposed to be on at 0500; there was a JBA carrier, maybe WRMI, maybe not. By 0607, I can hear the BS on 9355 with fair signal, still nothing on 9955. Will this replace BS on 3215 WWCR? Music show instead at 0612 --- but BS has been starting at 0600 daily except Sundays. Lax WWCR still hasn`t put up a December program sked.
Resuming monitoring after an early wake-up: at 1159, 9955 is audible for a change, fair with Jeff White ID, 1200 `Christ Gospel Broadcast`. It seems now the programs are starting right on time, a good move. But modulation on the #1 WRMI frequency is quite lower than on others such as 9690, below. 1214 another Jeff ID, 1215 `Bible Commentary`. 1229 between English programs another DX-celebrity ID but in Spanish by Rubén Guillermo Margenet in Argentina; 1230 another preacher, on sked as `Sound Doctrine`. At 1259, English ID by Allen Graham in Quito, 1300 `End Times Coming` which is a 5-minute daily strip; I notice that the Korean clandestine on 9950 is louder. No break at 1329.
Nothing scheduled but gospel huxters on 9955 Sunday mornings, but note these during the 1305-1400 UT hour elsewhen: 1305-1330 Mon-Sat Radio Prague; 1330-1400 M-F, Radio Slovakia International.
9955 ID at 1359:30 is again by Bob Zanotti, but then cuts off the air, just as 9930 WTWW *1400 cuts on with super-strong signal bearing Brother Scare, overloading and desensitizing poor 9955 area. By 1405, 9955 is back on, also with BS, not synchro with 9930 but // own 9690, see below.
This is when WRMI changes transmitters and antennas on 9955 from #3 at 160 degrees to #11 at 315 degrees, first time in ~3 years WRMI has broadcast back across North America. It`s certainly stronger now, but still pales by comparison to 9930 WTWW. Oops, BS is not supposed to be on 9955 at this hour, but variety of other programs, and such is the case at 1441 recheck, preacher about Acts. 14-15 on 9955 will provide four chances to hear `Viva Miami` and two to hear `Wavescan` at various times weekdays.
9690 is new for WRMI, all with BS at 11-15 and 22-02. Unfortunately, the morning transmission totally blox All India Radio GOS in English at 1330-1500, tho for SE Asia, a chance for us to hear it in North America. At 285 degrees in the morning, WRMI 9690 has a VG signal, better than 9955, noted first at 1205 during pentecostal religious service with two or three off-mike guys moaning and praying, mixed with YL coughs and recorded music in the background.
At 1219 one of them on 9690 goes into glossolalia, a too-rare treat, speaking-in-tongues, a form of mental illness. What language key should go with this? GG is taken. XX? Did not realize at first this was TOM, as no sign of Brother Scare himself, but it`s // 5085 WTWW at 1227, and finally BS is rasping at 1231.
21525, scheduled to start at *1400 with Radio Africa, not heard at all by 1430 and presumed not really starting that early yet. Still not on at 1611 check, and would surely be propagating if on, like 21630 WHRI. R. Africa listed for 14-20 on 21525, 20-23 on 15190, so check after 2000 today whether it`s WRMI or still Equatorial Guinea (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** U S A. 9330, Dec 1 at 1409 while checking for PCJ on 9335, no sign of anything from WBCQ (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
This report dispatched at 1729 UT December 1
** CUBA. 6080, Dec 1 at 0110, 0134, pulse jamming against nothing, of the Cuban ilk, perhaps a stray, as pretty far from 6030 wall-of-noise, and not showing up between them. Also same on 6080 at 0610, 1155, the latter now bothering Radio Australia. If on all night, will also ruin chances for Solomon Islands before 0900. Tnx a lot, Arnie!
The geniuses at RadioCuba transmitter site do it again: 9850, Dec 1 at 1201 has *two* RHC transmitters heavily QRMing each other a few Hz apart with a SAH, and the modulation periodically fades due to phase-cancellation. That`s because as per sign-on announcement, one of them is *supposed* to be on 9550, but it is missing! Still the same at 1216 during stamp show; By 1301, 9550 is finally on, and 9850 is alone.
17730 is back! on the air at 1351 in `Cuba Campesina` music, // 17580 but an echo apart, and now both of them have SAH and CCI. 17730 had been dropped in September, and was not on the initial B-13 schedule. Nothing else in HFCC, EiBi or Aoki on 17730, so maybe fast SAH is caused by RHC QRMing itself here too as it was earlier on 9850?
15340 has still not come up at 1403, tho 13780 has. By 1434, 15340 is on and VG for `En Contacto` DX program at 1435, including a ``Para los Principiantes`` segment for beginners recorded years ago by Jairo Salazar in Venezuela (whom we haven`t heard from in a long time now), explaining how most DX jargon is based on English. This is also ``día del locutor`` in Cuba, calling for self-congratulations.
11760, Dec 1 at 1611, RHC weekly-Sunday Esperanto broadcast confirmed, but rather poor with ACI from 11765. Wolfgang Büschel confirmed the previous airing Sunday at 0700 on 6000; the other being Sunday 2230 on 15370 instead of French (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** KOREA NORTH [non]. 9775, Dec 1 at 1354, good open carrier from R. Free Chosun, 1406 in Korean programming; lite flutter, quite weaker than 9800 VOA Korean Tinang, but much better than could be expected trans-polar from Uzbekistan or Tajikistan as claimed. I now have info that the site for this may be, or may have been, Palauig, PHILIPPINES, i.e. R. Veritas Asia --- does RFC have a Catholic connexion? That site would fit the reception I have been getting. B-13 RVA schedule shows only two of three transmitters (one 50 kW, two 250 kW) accounted for during the 14-16 RFC bihour (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** SOUTH CAROLINA [non]. See USA: WRMI et al.
** SPAIN. 17595, 21610, 21640, Sunday Dec 1 at 1342-1346, REE `Amigos de la Onda Corta` has a segment about the JFK assassination as covered by KLIF, with lots of clips in English. Then mailbag segment (formerly a separate program), quoting listener in Cuba claiming to have been listening to 9850, an imaginary frequency. Doesn`t Antonio realize that? (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** TAIWAN [non]. 9335, Sunday Dec 1 at 1332, JBA carrier, presumably PCJ Radio on latest frequency via SRI LANKA. Nothing at 1407. Keith Perron says this service in English was hit by ChiCom jamming today! He`s also looking for a WRMI frequency to add later this month for North America during the same 1330-1430 Sunday broadcast; and also at 0130-0230 (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** TURKEY. 15350, fair Dec 1 at 1307-1329, so I enjoy the TRT Turkish music from this SSOB (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** U S A. WORLD OF RADIO 1697 monitoring: confirmed on WTWW-1, 5830, UT Sunday December 1 from before 0501, very good. Next: Tuesday 1200 on WRMI 9955; Wednesday 0730 & 1530 on HLR 7265-CUSB (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** U S A. Observations of the new WRMI Okeechobee, from its inauguration UT Dec 1. WYFR used to [have to?] warm up transmitters for 10-15 minutes prior to broadcasts, but WRMI does not seem to be doing that.
Just before 0500 UT I keep checking the five frequencies on the schedule: 7570, 9355, 9955, 11565, 11730. Nothing is ever heard on the top three, maybe not on, or if on, not propagating. WRMI really needs to use bands lower than 7 MHz in the nightmiddle. Even 9 MHz is iffy.
7570 cuts on at *0500:27 with open carrier; at 0504, Brother Scare is joined in progress, no sign-on heard, tho I might have missed it while tuning around. A rather inauspicious début. At 0525 recheck, 7570 has lost BS, just open carrier/dead air; meanwhile he continues on overkill // 5085 WTWW, 5890 WWCR, 3185 WWRB.
The 7570 signal, anyhow, is very strong, far greater than neighbour 7555 WEWN. Recheck at 0559, I hear the first WRMI-Okeechobee ID and it`s by, guess who, Bob Zanotti in Switzerland --- other celebrities to follow. Then 7570 goes off at 0600*.
9355 with BS was supposed to be on at 0500; there was a JBA carrier, maybe WRMI, maybe not. By 0607, I can hear the BS on 9355 with fair signal, still nothing on 9955. Will this replace BS on 3215 WWCR? Music show instead at 0612 --- but BS has been starting at 0600 daily except Sundays. Lax WWCR still hasn`t put up a December program sked.
Resuming monitoring after an early wake-up: at 1159, 9955 is audible for a change, fair with Jeff White ID, 1200 `Christ Gospel Broadcast`. It seems now the programs are starting right on time, a good move. But modulation on the #1 WRMI frequency is quite lower than on others such as 9690, below. 1214 another Jeff ID, 1215 `Bible Commentary`. 1229 between English programs another DX-celebrity ID but in Spanish by Rubén Guillermo Margenet in Argentina; 1230 another preacher, on sked as `Sound Doctrine`. At 1259, English ID by Allen Graham in Quito, 1300 `End Times Coming` which is a 5-minute daily strip; I notice that the Korean clandestine on 9950 is louder. No break at 1329.
Nothing scheduled but gospel huxters on 9955 Sunday mornings, but note these during the 1305-1400 UT hour elsewhen: 1305-1330 Mon-Sat Radio Prague; 1330-1400 M-F, Radio Slovakia International.
9955 ID at 1359:30 is again by Bob Zanotti, but then cuts off the air, just as 9930 WTWW *1400 cuts on with super-strong signal bearing Brother Scare, overloading and desensitizing poor 9955 area. By 1405, 9955 is back on, also with BS, not synchro with 9930 but // own 9690, see below.
This is when WRMI changes transmitters and antennas on 9955 from #3 at 160 degrees to #11 at 315 degrees, first time in ~3 years WRMI has broadcast back across North America. It`s certainly stronger now, but still pales by comparison to 9930 WTWW. Oops, BS is not supposed to be on 9955 at this hour, but variety of other programs, and such is the case at 1441 recheck, preacher about Acts. 14-15 on 9955 will provide four chances to hear `Viva Miami` and two to hear `Wavescan` at various times weekdays.
9690 is new for WRMI, all with BS at 11-15 and 22-02. Unfortunately, the morning transmission totally blox All India Radio GOS in English at 1330-1500, tho for SE Asia, a chance for us to hear it in North America. At 285 degrees in the morning, WRMI 9690 has a VG signal, better than 9955, noted first at 1205 during pentecostal religious service with two or three off-mike guys moaning and praying, mixed with YL coughs and recorded music in the background.
At 1219 one of them on 9690 goes into glossolalia, a too-rare treat, speaking-in-tongues, a form of mental illness. What language key should go with this? GG is taken. XX? Did not realize at first this was TOM, as no sign of Brother Scare himself, but it`s // 5085 WTWW at 1227, and finally BS is rasping at 1231.
21525, scheduled to start at *1400 with Radio Africa, not heard at all by 1430 and presumed not really starting that early yet. Still not on at 1611 check, and would surely be propagating if on, like 21630 WHRI. R. Africa listed for 14-20 on 21525, 20-23 on 15190, so check after 2000 today whether it`s WRMI or still Equatorial Guinea (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** U S A. 9330, Dec 1 at 1409 while checking for PCJ on 9335, no sign of anything from WBCQ (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
This report dispatched at 1729 UT December 1
